Sword X: A Gathering Force
"With how big this dungeon is I'm going to be angry if this isn't where the floor boss has been hiding all this time," a young female player with short blonde hair and fair skin told her companions. Even if her clothing with the occasional metal plate was considered some of the lightest armor in the game, she still couldn't help but give a tired sigh as she followed closely behind her teammates.
"You were the one that insisted that we bring you with us, Maval," a woman wearing glasses with deep green hair told her as she held her finger on the screen before her and continued to map out the dungeon. Her full-plated steel armor was much heavier and her defenses were only increased by the large shield on her wrist. "You're free to turn back if you're really feeling that tired."
"Whaaaat? But that would leave you guys out to dry!" she said with a pout as she crossed her arms, offended that the rest of her team would continue on without her.
"If it gets us some peace and quiet, it might be worth it," the spectacle wearer muttered with a sigh.
"Helena!" Maval yelled at the taller women while a third member of their team gave a short laugh at their conflict.
"Come on you two, let's play nice," the third said, trying hard not to laugh as she tried to keep her teammates from getting upset with each other. She wore heavy chainmail that was reinforced in key areas with thick leather padding and also had a kite shield on her arm. With her comely features and short brown hair, she'd caught the eyes of many a male players. "Besides, it doesn't really matter if anyone here has to leave; Sakura could probably take this dungeon all on her own."
"Maybe I could Lilly, maybe I could," the group's leader told her teammates with a short smirk. While her reddish-brown leather armor with a deep red cloak covering it were nothing too fancy; her hair and weapon of choice were the real eye catchers. Her hair was brilliant shade of violet, slightly spiking out in a few directions, but not covering any of her face. Her weapon was a Scythe with a long curved handle and wicked and jagged edge on the blade to add to its menace. "But even if I can, that doesn't mean that I'd want to do all of the work while everyone else gets to sit back. You all have your jobs to do here, so let's get to the end of this dungeon and hopefully we'll find some clue about clearing this floor."
"Leader," Helena, the mapper and heavy armor wielder said, gaining the group's attention. "I've finished mapping out the rest of this area. It looks like the end of the dungeon isn't far off, but we'll have to fight through a group of about seven monsters. They're likely Orcs and I wouldn't be surprised if there was a commander in the group."
"Neither would I… but that's what I have the three of you for," Sakura told the rest of her team as she unslung her scythe off of her back. "Let's make this quick everyone, we're in the home stretch after all."
The team's approach to fighting the Orcish hordes was standard for SAO. Sakura waited patiently at the team of wandering Orcs before seeing an opportunity as she saw one stumble far enough from the group to isolate it. Taking a throwing dart out of her pocket, Maval managed to nail the monster right in the back and gain its attention. Because the target was far enough from the others, the Orc didn't attract the attention of the other monsters. Giving a roar, it charged a skill into its falchion and rushed towards the girls. Helena and Lilly brought both of their shields up and easily took the blow.
"SWITCH!" both users called out as they leaped out of the way for the two behind them to take action. Maval's knife was the quicker weapon and as such it charged its skill the quickest, allowing its wielder to rush past the orc and make a deep gash on its waist. Sakura's skill took longer to charge since she was using a two-handed weapon, but seeing as her massive slash was enough to bring down the Orc's remaining HP it was well worth it.
Despite their best efforts, another two orcs detected the noise and rushed into the group. Dividing up into their regular teams the process repeated itself, only this time on with additional support. Helena defended Sakura and switched to let her leader swing her scythe across the Orc's flesh, but Sakura then quickly moved out of the way as Helena drove her knife forward and stuck the creature in the chest and downed it. Likewise with Maval and Lilly, after Maval again cut through an Orc with her knife rush Lilly followed it up with a mighty mace swing to the monster's face and defeated the creature with ease.
With the enemy's number reduced by almost half, the arty made their way forward at the remaining orcs. Positioning herself just right and charging her skill with expert timing, Sakura's powerful swing managed to strike three of the orcs in one swing and sent their HP dangerously. The rest of her team, well prepared with their leader's ideal combat strategy the rest of the girls unleash their own weapon skills on different targets and brought them down with ease. The final Orc (the commander of the group) went for Sakura, but her reflexes allowed her to recover and deflect the monster's falchion at the last instant. Swinging her scythe through the creature's neck, she scored a critical hit and downed the monster in that single blow.
"Finally! I was waiting for that level up!" Lilly exclaimed with a smile as the results screen came up, indicating that she had indeed become stronger. "How are you guys doing?"
"Fine on my end, another encounter like that should cause me to level up as well," Helena told her before looking to their leader. "The end of the dungeon is just up ahead."
"Right, let's wait to look over our winnings once we get back into town; I want to make sure this dungeon really does have the floor boss in it," Sakura instructed. The rest of her team gave a short nod as they all closed their screens. Walking further into the dungeon, they the end of a dungeon… and the floor boss door. This large door looked far different from the others, having the visage of an apocalyptic lightning storm with five wicked bolts of lightning tearing the ground asunder. Even still, this was clearly the boss door.
"Finally! Can't they have made these things any easier to find?" Maval complained before she looked to Helena. "You've got the teleport crystals, so let's get back home and let everyone know we found this thing."
"Not just yet, we still need to get a good look at whatever's on the other side of that door." Helena told them. "If we know what it looks like, it can make our preparations that much better."
"Don't worry Maval, just sit back and we'll check it out," Lilly promised. "We're just going in for a quick peek." The group moved forward and opened the great door… only to find them sealed shut. "Come on! You have us take this long finding you and now you won't even let us in!?"
"Another setback," Helena sighed as Maval actually seemed a little relieved (she of course tried not to show it). "Now… where are we supposed to go from here?"
"...Something seems off about this door," Sakura noted as she looked at the artwork upon the door.
Upon closer inspection, all five of the lightning bolts seemed to have a small circular indent where they made contact with the earth. The team leader stared at the design for a moment, before an idea formed in her head. Opening her menu and going into her inventory, she brought out a small medallion with a lightning bolt on it and stuck it into the hole. The fit was perfect and the entire bolt lit up a bright yellow as it glowed with energy. The door still didn't budge, but they had what they needed.
"I see… so that's how it is," Sakura said before turning to the rest of her team. "Let's head back in to town; our work's not nearly done yet."
The Next Day -South Side-
Ragna gave a small wince as the puddle he so carelessly walked into proved to be a little deeper than he had thought. He felt the water leak through his shoes and make contact with his foot. This fact wouldn't have hurt his pride as much if this was the first time in almost a week that the rain had finally stopped, now only leaving the collection of rainwater across the dirt covered road. Giving a low grumble, he did his best to ignore it as he proceeded further to the small town up ahead.
The town itself wasn't too much to speak of, in fact it was largely ignored by most of the players. The most that this place offered was a small inn and a couple of quest giving NPC's on the streets. Ragna had heard from Liz that she'd tried to set up shop here, but the lack of players in the area mixed with the constant rains made her give up that idea quickly. She'd have to push her wares extra hard on the days where she could open up shop… and that meant making sure Ragna was extra stocked on throwing knives. Lisbeth's woes aside, as the Reaper made his way to the entrance he caught sign of a familiar face.
"Ragna!" came the shout of Diabel, the leader of the floor one boss raid, as the blue haired player waved him over. Offering his hand to the Reaper, Ragna took it and the two shook.
"You seem to be doing well," he commented. Much like he'd already been doing, Diabel was equipped with a standard sword and shield mix only now he was wearing the Coat of Midnight that Ragna had given him after he'd beaten the floor one boss. Even if he was used to wearing something heavier, the high defence it gave him was better than any other armor that could be found so far. "I was a little surprised when Argo told me that you wanted to meet."
"I still gotta thank you for setting me right back on Floor One," Diabel told him. "Also, you know… saving everyone's life."
"...No thanks necessary," Ragna said, trying to say what he thought a hero would. In truth he didn't have to be thanked… but it didn't hurt. "So we found it?"
"I think so, but I can't say that I know much more than you do… only that these things are apparently the answer," Diabel said as he went into his inventory and brought out a small medallion with a lightning bolt on it. "You got one of these?"
"Yeah, found mine a few days ago," Ragna told him. "So are we ready to get started?"
"Almost, besides you we're waiting on one other guy to show up. Also…" Diabel told him before scratching the back of his head. "Ki… baou's here too." Ragna groaned as he facepalmed at the news. "In my defence I didn't know he was going to be here until after I messaged you… but you think you can try to get along?"
"Don't ask me to do the impossible, I ain't a miracle worker," Ragna told him harshly, his mood now effectively ruined. "Don't tell me he's the one that put this thing on."
"No, you'll meet her in just a second," Diabel said as he gestured into the town. "Come on, I'll show you to the meeting spot."
"Lead on," Ragna said bluntly as he followed the blue haired knight through the mostly vacant village streets. They didn't get far before Ragna's stomach let out a low growl. "...They got food where we're going, 'cause I didn't get my breakfast before this."
"There's an inn close by that serves a pretty okay pot roast," Diabel told Ragna. "It's not great or anything, but it'll keep you full."
"Greeeeeat," Ragna muttered sarcastically. "If I can't find any decent food soon, I'm going to go insane."
"You could always try cooking," Diabel suggested, reminding Ragna that he'd (sort of) promised that he'd try cooking with Asuna at some point. "Well, you'll have to worry about cooking later, we're here." As he opened the door, Ragna noted that the place they were meeting in was a small abandoned shack with little more than a few chairs and a table set up for the gathering. He took notice of Kibaou and the two quickly scowled at each other… though it didn't escalate beyond that.
"I'm glad that you managed to make it," the other member, a woman with violet hair, said as she rose to her feet and approached Ragna and almost seemed to inspect him. "So you're the Grim Reaper from the first floor, the one that managed to take down an unleashed Ilfang?"
"...Something like that, but those stories are a far cry from what really happened," the Reaper tried to tell her.
"I doubt it, Diabel here has had plenty to say about you." Diabel scratched the back of his head with slight embarrassment. "While Kibaou here won't say two words about you." The strangely haired player just growled as he crossed his arms and refused to face Ragna. "But if you insist, I'll have to hope to see what you can do myself. You can call me Sakura and I lead the Winged Maidens Guild."
"A fellow guild leader, eh? Not too many of us at the moment," Ragna said as the two shook hands, feeling that Sakura at least deserved to be heard out. "Call me Ragna, it beats having to say Grim Reaper. I'm the head of the Final Rebellion guild."
"Yes, one of my girls went to your smith shop just last week," the woman told him with just the slightest of smiles. "You can tell your blacksmith that she's quite satisfied with her mace."
"I'll give her a glowing review then," Ragna said as he took a seat at the table (careful to stay far as he could from Kibaou). "Who else are we waiting on?" It was just then that there was a small knock at the door. "...Apparently no one."
The door opened to reveal a man in heavy plated light grey armor. He seemed to be more mature than most of the other players, as evident by his defined jaw and face along with his greying hair done into a ponytail. He had a stern sort of aura around him and carried himself with plenty of dignity.
"Heathcliff?" Sakura asked.
"I am," the man strongly responded.
"Good, take a seat and we'll be able to begin the meeting," she instructed. He did so and Sakura cleared her throat with a short cough. "First, I'd like to thank the four of you for coming on such short notice. With your help we should be able to clear this boss and focus our efforts on the fourth floor."
'So she does know where the boss is,' Ragna thought to himself. '...Instead of charging in head first, I should make sure that they can handle these monsters without me, gotta make sure I'm not needed everywhere I go.'
"There are two reasons that I chose you four in particular," Sakura continued. "The first is that all of you are strong and recognizable team leads. Three of you were prominent figures in the first floor's boss raid while Heathcliff's team is well credited with clearing out several of this area's dungeons. The second reason is the madaleons that all of you have collected."
"Yeah, I was meaning to ask what the point of these was," Ragna told her as he brought his coin out of the inventory and set it on the table. "I just got this thing from one of the quests I completed."
"Yes, these are an additional reward that you can get from completing quests on this floor though their rarity must mean that the chance of obtaining them is exceptionally low. As for their use, I think these are the keys to opening the boss door. The dungeon to the south of here has a giant doorway at the end that holds a door with a mural on it. The door won't open, but when I stuck my medallion into one of the five indents it seemed to light up part of it…"
"...Meaning we're the key to getting in," Kibaou summarized, finally breaking his long standing silence. "And then we're fighting the boss?"
"Right, with the game throwing surprises like this at us, we can't take any risks. For all I know, these coins might only net us a single try against the monster… meaning we'll have to make it count."
"A reasonable suggestion," Heathcliff agreed, though his face continued to remain stoic. "And what was your plan of attack?"
"My plan is for us to stage a twenty player assault on the boss at noontime tomorrow. Everyone here will contribute themselves and three other members to the attack," Sakura said. "We'll divide our forces between a seven player attack force to deal straight damage to the boss, a seven player Tanker force to take the heavy blows and allow time to heal, and a six player skirmisher force to deal with the boss's minions and provide support wherever it's needed." Sakura then crossed her arms. "With my current weapons and skill set, I'll be on Attack duty."
"...Tank Duty," Diabel volunteered, holding up his hand.
"Attack Duty," Kibaou said soon afterwards.
"...Attack," Ragna muttered, though he knew that would mean working directly alongside Kibaou. For now he could only hope they'd be too busy focusing on their work to annoy each other.
"Tank Duty," Heathcliff told the group. "Though I'm afraid I have a problem to bring to the table; I can only secure two other players to the raid."
"What? Only two?" Diabel asked in shock. "But what about the team you've been using to clear all of those dungeons?"
"Those are the two that I'll be bringing to this raid," Heathcliff calmly explained. "Though they are just two, I can attest to their abilities and they both would make amazing skirmishers in the attack."
"That still leaves us short a member," Sakura reminded.
"Meaning I'll step in and provide us with another member," Kibaou offered, surprising Diabel and especially Ragna… before he gave a smug grin that made Ragna's gut go in a knot. "I've got a perfect force of four other Attack members to join us. They'll bring that thing down in no time."
'The hell is he… wait a minute,' Ragna considered before realizing what Kibaou was going after. 'The son of a bitch just wants the last attack bonus, that why he's trying to take up as many damage dealers as he can get.' It was evident that Diabel had caught onto this too, as he could only give a glare at someone that he'd tried time and again to give the benefit of doubt.
"Maybe you could try for a more… varied force," Sakura offered, trying to be tactful. "After all we don't know what anyone else is going to be offering."
"Maybe, but my five have already fought alongside each other the longest, so they'll already know the best setups for taking this thing down," he suggested slyly. "If you think about it, this is the best way to minimize casualties… isn't it?"
'And now he's trying to spin this his way,' Ragna thought to himself with a growl, waiting to see how the other guild leaders would take this attempt.
"I…" Sakura began, trying to come up with a retort… in the end, she didn't have one. "I'll be taking the team that I discovered that location with… which consists of two tanks and a skirmisher."
"Right then…" Diabel said with a sigh as it looked like Kibaou was getting his way here. Trying not to make anything worse, he turned to Ragna. "What about you?"
"I dunno, I'll just fill up any holes that we have left," he promised his old ally from Floor One, trying not to look directly at Kibaou's victorious smugness. Protesting here would've been voicing everyone's concerns… but in the end, Ragna decided it wouldn't be worth it.
"In that case, along with myself I have two other tanks that I can bring to the attack with one effective skirmisher," Diabel finished.
"Then that means that you still need to find us a tank and the final two skirmishers," Sakura informed Ragna, who only gave her a small nod. The organizer of this raid then opened her menu, made a few quick taps to send something to each of the leaders and rose to her feet. "We'll meet in front of the door to the boss at noon tomorrow. I've already sent each of you the map data for the dungeon so none of you should lose your way there… I hope to see you all."
"Tomorrow then," Ragna promised as he rose and was the first to leave the room. As he left, he couldn't help but notice that Heathcliff was staring at him like Sakura had been earlier, like he was trying to analyze him. The Reaper promptly decided to ignore this and exited the small shack.
Later that evening
"Sheesh, he's late as usual and he made us all come here to the meeting," Liz said with a small complaint as she crossed her arms in the small chair.
She wasn't alone in the small room being rented out, every member of the Final Rebellion guild was in attendance from Agil, to the girls, the entirety of Klein's old Fuurin Kazan guild, to Sinon. Sinon herself still hadn't become a member of Ragna's guild, but she had continued to work with Ragna in order to get over her insecurities in combat. Even after she'd felt satisfied with the results, Leafa had continued to insist that they work together… something Sinon realized she didn't have much of a choice in.
"Prob'ly because he never uses a Teleport Crystal unless he's certain he has to," Argo said as she leaned against the wall, looking over her screen's information. "He's just got ta town, he'll be here soon enough."
"Must be important if he called us here out of nowhere," Agil said, his massive frame almost too big for the small chair to hold him. "Last time we wanted to meet, he needed to have Klein get in contact with everyone instead of doing it himself."
"Eh, he's a busy guy and strong players are in high demand with those that are falling behind in the levels," Klein explained coming to Ragna's defense. "By the way, I've been hearing about new guilds that are starting to pop up here and there around SAO. There are still way more teams than official guilds, but we might have some competition down the line for the big scores."
"I don't think that's a bad thing, bigger guilds means it'll be easier to finally clear SAO," Leafa told the group with a big smile, her confident nature showing itself in full.
"That is if Ragna leaves anything for the rest of us," Asuna said, remembering Ragna's battle against Ilfang back on the first floor. The door then slowly opened revealing the Reaper and guildlead himself as he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.
"Sorry I'm late, got caught up with a mob of monsters on the way here and… anyways, let's just get the meeting started," he began before pausing, trying to figure out how he was going to lead the meeting. "So I've got good news, someone's managed to find the door to the Floor Boss and we've been asked to participate in the raid."
"You serious?" Klein asked before smiling. "Dude that's awesome news! I think we're all ready for a chance to get out of this rain!"
"Let me finish," Ragna interrupted. Ee didn't raise his voice but it was powerful enough to stop his friend cold. "We're not the only ones participating and we've got a specific quota to fill, other than having me on the Attack force during the boss raid, I'm going to need a Tank and two Skirmishers." He paused as he glanced around the room. "I just want to set the record straight here and now; if I don't choose you for the boss raid, that doesn't mean I think any less of you and I'm not choosing the others for any special privilege… I'm just trying to make the right team with the info I got to make sure everyone makes it back." No one spoke up. "If anyone doesn't want me to consider them for the boss raid, you should speak up now."
"...I'm not stepping out, but I do have something to say," Yuuki said as she got up from her seat and walked up the Reaper. Ragna didn't say anything, though he give a slight grimace as Yuuki put her hands on her hips and leaned in to look authoritative. "You need to lighten up; you're talking like you're trying to make plans for someone's funeral."
"Eh?" Ragna asked, a little off put by the comparison. "I'm just trying to be serious here…"
"And you're acting way too stiff about it," Yuuki told him before poking Ragna square in the chest. "Just loosen up, be yourself as the team lead, all of us already get what you're trying to say so have some confidence, even if that means that you'll be crass as usual."
"Fine, fine…" Ragna grumbled as he scratched the back of his head. "Anyone else?"
"...Is it okay if I second Yuuki's decision?" Silica asked as she raised a hand. Ragna had to keep himself from glaring at the younger girl.
"With that said, let me try to figure out who the hell I'm taking tomorrow," Ragna muttered as he made another scan of the room… he decided he'd get the obvious pick out of the way first. "Agil, think you can manage as a Tank tomorrow?"
"Thought you'd never ask; even got some new heavy armor that's upgraded and ready to go," the axe user told Ragna with a confident smile. "I'm your man."
"I'm counting on it," Ragna told him before considering his options for skirmishers. '...I probably shouldn't leave him out.' "Klein…"
"Yeah, buddy?" the redhead asked, the hopefulness in his voice at the thought of being included painfully apparent to everyone there.
"...Think I might need my Co-Commander backing me up as a Skirmisher," Ragna said, though he figured he might've been laying it on kind of thick. That didn't seem to matter to Klein as he gave happy anime tears while getting compliments and encouraging words from his original guildmates. '...Hard to say I didn't make the right choice with that one, now for the hard part.'
While there wasn't exactly a bad pick for a second skirmisher, Ragna had trouble trying to decide who he thought would fill the role the best. Deciding that everyone had nearly equal positive qualities to the role, he decided to focus on who would on any setbacks that the players would have.
Klein's original guild members were out. While together they were a force to be reckoned with, apart they were mostly seen as extremes for the roles given. They were always at their best while working together to cover their individual members weaknesses and while they had Klein to lead and organize them.
Argo was more focused on the out of combat skills than trying to get into straight fights, so it wouldn't make nearly as much sense to risk bringing her into a risky raid like this, especially when she didn't have any special info to keep her safe.
Lisbeth would have made for a decent choice. She'd been working on her own set of armor and it was nearly as effective as Agil's, but that also meant that she was slightly slower among the players and she'd need to get around fast to work effectively as a skirmisher.
Asuna and Yuuki had speed and offense covered, but Ragna also knew that they were slightly lacking in defenses with their lighter armor and needed to be sure they could survive if they were surrounded by the boss's minions or took a hit from the main threat itself.
Similarly, Silica was also out. While Pina's healing breath would make a great addition, her defences were still among the lowest and if Pina got hit even once it could spell trouble for the young dragon tamer.
Out of everyone so far, Leafa seemed to be the best pick for the role of a skirmisher. She had good sword skills, a solid balance of attack and defence, and could be quick on her feet to get to where she was needed. The only problem was her devotion, rather the over abundant amount she had of it. Ragna had seen her during the boss raid back on floor one and while he knew that she meant well, her zealous dedication to making sure no lives were lost could get her killed if he wasn't careful. That left…
"Sinon."
"...Me?" the spear user asked as she glanced around the room, looking at everyone else in surprise that she was the one that had been called on… or was even up for consideration. "Are… are you sure?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Ragna asked as he crossed his arms and tried to look like his regular moody self. In truth, he was trying to gauge everyone else's reactions. There was some surprise at his final choice to be sure, but no one seemed upset or disappointed that they'd been left out.
"I… I'm not even a part of your guild," Sinon tried to remind him.
"So? I still think that you'd be a solid enough fit for our boss raid," the Reaper told seriously. "I'm not going to pressure you into going, choice is yours… but I think you're ready for this."
'It's a big responsibility,' Sinon thought to herself considering the risks that were involved. 'But… I owe Ragna for helping me get this far in the first place… and if he thinks I'm ready…' "Okay, I'll help you out as a Skirmisher for the boss raid."
"Trust me, you'll do fine," Klein promised, trying to give her some confidence. "Besides, you'll have me there to watch you back… not to mention you've got front row seats to Ragna going all out."
"Uh, about that…" the Reaper began as he scratched the back of his head. "I… I'm actually probably going to try and go as a 'team player' this time around, so… you probably won't be seeing much of that flashy stuff if I can help it."
"Aw, but we barely get to see any of your cool moves as it is," Leafa said disappointedly. "Whenever we go out as a group we always have to twist your arm in order to get you to use them and even then you barely fight with them even though they're stronger than regular weapon skills."
"It's still my choice to make," Ragna told her seriously, before smirking. "Besides, you're not even going to be there tomorrow. You rather I just use the moves whenever you're not around?"
"I...I'm not saying that…" the blonde denied, turning her head away and crossing her arms. "But it might make it easy for us as a whole to clear the game if you're really giving it your all out there."
"Cut the guy a little slack," Klein said, seeming to playfully come to his leader's defence once more. "He's just trying to tone down the badassery because he wants people to think he's human."
"...Human, eh?" Ragna considered enigmatically as he rose to his feet. "It beats having them think I'm a monster at least."
"Come on, who in their right mind has ever thought you're a monster?" Liz asked as she put her hands palm up and shook her head. "A moody loner and a sarcastic jerk sure, but a... mon… ster…?" The Blacksmith had a hard time finishing her sentence, what with how intense and serious Ragna's gaze at her was.
"...Remember floor one," he reminded, his serious face going to a smirk. Lizbeth remembered, but she was more offput by that expression her leader had given. "I want the four of us leaving for the dungeon at eight tomorrow to get the chance to warm up. Do whatever you want to until then, its your time." Closing the door behind him, he left his team to themselves.
Now that he was alone in the hallway, the Reaper gave a relaxed stretch as he looked to the the small open window allowing a faint breeze into the building. It was already mid-afternoon and the sun was slowly beginning to set off in the distance, casting a yellow hue over the third floor. Signs of the constant raining were still apparent out the window as a few stray drops of leftover water leaked off of the roof. Though it wasn't too loud, he could hear a small bustle from the outside streets as players searched for quests or tried to grab early meals. Ending his short stretch, the Reaper let out a relaxed sigh.
'Just gotta keep things as they are, if I'm careful everything should work out.'
"Probably, but are you sure you're doing it for the right reasons Spikes?"
Immediately, Ragna jumped to a battle ready stance even though he was inside a safe zone. Gritting his teeth as he kept his hand on his sword's hilt, he glanced around the empty hallway not seeing any changes… no, there were subtle key changes; the sunlit color looked like it had faded to an eerie gray, the air felt stiff around him, a water drop remained suspended in the air and sounds over outside conversation had died entirely. He was trapped in a time stop, one where only he was able to move.
"Didn't mean to scare you, but I thought it was time you and I finally met… and I'm afraid I have a little something that I'm going to need your help with."
"You've got a damn funny way of asking for help," Ragna swore as he didn't hold bring down his guard in the slightest. "Who the hell are you?"
"Well... I guess you could call me your 'Guardian Angel'."
"Bullshit."
"No no, I'm dead serious. I kept you from fading away completely, didn't I?"
That made Ragna pause. If they could cause a timestop in only the game that would have been one thing, but knowing about who he was and the world he came from suggested another level of power entirely. And if this person was strong enough to save him from his own erasure, he knew that as he was now he didn't stand anything resembling a chance against them if it came to a fight.
"Take this, would you?" the voice requested right before a small pyramid shaped crystal appeared right in front of Ragna, giving off a calming pale glow. "It'll take you to where I am now… and we don't have a lot of time, so be ready for a rushed explanation."
"...Tch, what a pain in the ass," the Reaper muttered, though he still took the crystal and vanished in a flash of light. The area then returned to normal as time progressed; the sun once more cast its glow, the air returned to normal, the water droplet outside resumed its fall to the ground, the sounds of the players outdoors sounded off, and Ragna's team exited the room wondering where on earth their leader had left to in such a hurry.
Meanwhile
"This… this is just outside of Iflang's chambers," Ragna muttered to himself, looking outside the doorway to the boss room. The air and coloration here was normal like it should have been. Ragna didn't see any other players in the area… only someone that clearly wasn't a part of this world.
The figure in question was a little shorter than himself, had a skinny build, and somewhat pale skin. Rough whiskers decorated his face and his black hair was almost messily unkempt. He wore a white button up dress shirt without a tie with a black buttoned vest covering it. His black slacks were slim fitting and lead to a pair of open tipped sandals. He wore dark tinted sunglasses that rested on his nose and didn't cover his eyes. He kept both of his hands in his pockets and stood with an easy slouch, but Ragna had dealt with his type enough to know he couldn't drop his guard; not with all of the power that was radiating off of this guy's soul.
"Sorry to call you out of the blue, but like I said earlier time isn't something I have in large supply," the figure said to him. "As far as introductions go I'm Sanae Hanekoma, but I'd prefer it if you call me H, maybe Sanae. Anyways, since you don't like the phrase guardian angel I guess you could say I'm a sort of… the term you'd understand the best is Observer. I watch different worlds, keep tabs on them and only get involved when I see it's absolutely needed. This one here isn't my main world and I make a point to NEVER get involved with yours… but I guess you could say that you both needed help."
"...So you brought me here then?" Ragna demanded with a scowl.
"Hey, you couldn't stay in your own world and despite your best efforts I don't think you were ready to give up the ghost just yet," he explained before his lax attitude became more serious. "Listen, all I could give your existence is a short extension. It's your choice to do with it what you will, but I've got a problem here that only you can fix."
"And I should care, because…?"
"Because if it gets out of hand it could spread into the SAO's core code and kill every player in this game, that's why," Sanae told him. Ragna didn't say anything, but only nodded as he waited for an explanation. "Basic summary of what to expect. You remember that power boost that Ilfang got when you fought it in that room. Well that obviously wasn't part of SAO's design. What that thing really amounted to was a culmination of the Interference; unintentionally energy that was created when you were brought over. I thought it had been destroyed when you defeated Illfang, but all you did was briefly make it dissipate. It's gathering in the other room and it needs to be put down for good."
"Interference, eh?" the asked as he thought back. "If it's the same stuff I'm thinking of, then it looks a lot like Seither."
"And that's not by coincidence; the Interference came directly from your crossover and you've certainly had a higher exposure to Seither than most back in your home world," Sanae told him. "If acts the same as regular Seither, then you should be able to absorb it into your Azure Grimoire."
"...If that was all I had to watch out for, you wouldn't make me meet you out here," the Reaper decided. "I'm in for a fight, aren't I?"
"More than likely," Sanae told him with regretful sigh, as he adjusted his glasses. "I'll explain the rest after you beat that thing back. I would hurry if I were you; my seals can only hold it back for so long."
"Seals?" Ragna asked.
"Like I said; later," Sanae promised him as the grand doorway opened, though no physical force was applied from either man. "Last word of warning; the code in that room is likely broken in a few key places. You should be fine given you're a special force in this world, but don't expect any over your healing items to work."
"Doesn't matter; I don't carry those things because I'm the one that needs them," Ragna muttered as he walked into the boss chamber.
"...Wonder how long it's going to take him to drop that little front he's got up," Hanekoma sighes to himself as he gets a crick out of his neck. "...Should've brought my thermos with me."
As Ragna proceeded into the boss chamber, he didn't find anything different from the time that he'd first been in there during the first floor raid. Sure, there was a distinct lack of Kobolds (something he didn't have a problem with) and the room was completely illuminated upon entering, but the room was just as empty and spacious as it ever was. Keeping his nerves about him and bringing his sword off of his belt to rest the blunt end on his shoulder, he cautiously moved forward as the large heavy doors closed behind him.
'Something oughta have showed up by now,' Ragna thought to himself as he again scanned the room with his eyes, before looking to his right hand which remained open. 'And if it's seither I should be able to sense it no problem.' Clicking his tongue, he closed his eyes and tried to focus on finding the threat… he didn't have to focus for long. 'It's faint, but there's a connection somewhere in this room… Wait, it's getting stronger? No, it's getting clo-'
CLANG!
Had Ragna reacted just an instant later, he would've had his head cut off (or he could've just taken damage per SAO's systems, but he didn't want to flip that coin). Turning around with instinctual prowessness drilled into him by his mentor, he managed thwart his attacker's assassination attempt from his own shadow. Gritting his teeth, he identified the blade that had come so close to ending his life… was his. Not having a chance to question it, the Reaper and the attacker both swung their swords, the impact sending both fighters sliding back.
Raising his head with a second to catch his thoughts, the Reaper had a chance to take a look at the opponent that stood before him… or rather he could get a look at his own reflection.
(Cue Persona 4 Golden I'll Face Myself Extended)
The being before him reflected him so perfectly it almost hurt to look at. In fact with his features like hair style, eye color, and the hand carrying Aramasa reversed, it was more like looking into an exact copy of a mirror. It even captured his narrow and harsh glare perfectly, something that irked the Reaper worse than it should have.
"What the goddamn hell are you?" the Reaper vulgarly demanded as he brought his sword up.
The creature didn't offer a response, only having its form be consumed by a vast surge of Seither-like energy in front of Ragna's eyes. The skin, hair, and clothing turned pitch black, the creatures form grew sharper edges and a sleeker frame, and its eyes gave off a haunting glow. Ragna watched as he saw the name appear before the monster in text that was far more eloquent than what showed up in front of your normal beast.
The Infernal Phantom
"Tch, least I got an answer," the Reaper muttered humorlessly as the monster rushed forward.
Even with as limited as he currently was, Ragna could still keep up as the Phantom moved at speeds too fast for the naked eye. The two once more exchanged slashes with their swords than sent them sliding back, but this time Ragna followed up with his Hell's Fang technique which forced the monster to guard. Unable to use the additional wave of darkness from the technique, the Reaper instead elected for a powerful slash that sent the monster off of its feet. Transforming the Aramasa as quickly as he could, the Reaper swung his massive scythe and would have made contact with the monster had it not barely countered with its own blade swing. Flipping back once in the air, it landed on the ground and rushed forward in another assault.
Now that both were used to their own strength, both Ragna and the Phantom held their ground as they exchanged powerful sword slashes. Stepping back to avoid the Phantom's next strike, Ragna then stepped forward with a powerful overhead swing that his opponent was forced to guard against. Swinging his sword around, he managed to get in another upwards swing that once more clashed against the guard though this time his opponent's defense seemed to be faltering. Acting as fast as he could, Ragna turned into his classic roundhouse kick, only for the Phantom to cancel the attack by countering with a kick of its own.
Ragna tried to go for a follow up slash, but was forced to shift his body to the side to narrowly avoid the Phantom's quicker stab. The Phantom then took the stretched sword and viciously swung it to the side, forcing Ragna to guard and sending him sliding back. The Phantom then quickly followed and swung its sword in a harsh horizontal cut missing Ragna as he leaped into the air to avoid the attack. Seizing the advantage, Ragna swung his blade downward to finally catch the Phantom. If he'd had Nightmare Edge or even Belial Edge he would've used that now, but at the moment he was strapped for moves. This would have to do the trick for now… it didn't.
"INFERNO DIVIDER!"
"The hell- AURGH!" Ragna shouted as the Phantom announced the attack and drove it's blade upwards in its signature uppercut slash. The move cut through his own attack like it was nothing and ever gave off a powerful cut across his chest. Even though he only got the cut animation across his body it still hurt like all hell. Before he could move, the Phantom then scored an upward punch to his head while they were still in midair before blasting him back with a explosive punch to his chest. The Reaper's back stuck the back with a loud crash, but despite the pain he was in he couldn't rest as the Phantom didn't halt in its assault.
'Not good,' Ragna thought to himself as he raised his blade and managed to counter the Phantom's strike again. He was about to go for a powerful overhead slash, but saw the Phantom readying another Inferno Divider and forced himself back. The attack proved to be a fake out and the Phantom instead went for a powerful horizontal swing, leaving Ragna to dive to the side. He rose his guard to deflect the follow up slash, only to get blasted back once more. 'Really not good.'
The two then engaged in a series of blows, though it was starting to become evident that Ragna was at disadvantage. He couldn't be bothered by this fact as he was too busy trying to counter this things attacks and keep himself alive. Through the conflict, he racked his brain trying to get a hold on how to beat this thing.
'Unlike everything else I've fought in here, I can't just overpower this bastard,' he though as he guarded against a powerful slash with his blade. 'This thing fights just like me and it's got my techniques while I'm just stuck with one move… and only the first half of it.' Stepping back, he managed to avoid another Inferno Divider. 'Actually, this thing's only got one of my moves and it doesn't look like it can transform it's weapon like I can. Still doesn't mean I can beat it with just that, but…'
Pausing for a second, Ragna thought over his options before placing both hands on his weapon and charging a sword skill. Hitting the Phantom with a powerful Blast, he managed to cleave through it's guard and inflict damage. Before the Phantom could recover, he spun into a powerful roundhouse kick and sent the monster sprawling backwards.
'Guess I gotta rely on the game's skills to get me through this one,' the Reaper decided as he saw that he'd given this thing a fair bit of damage with those last attacks. 'But I don't have a lot that I can use… guess that just means I just can't let up against this bastard!'
Roaring, the Reaper ran forward unleashed Aramasa's scythe form as he made a powerful slash against his opponent's guard. The Phantom managed to hold its footing, but Ragna's forceful attack did cause it to lurch under the force. Reverting his weapon as he charged up a sword skill, Ragna unleashed a horizontal slash which quickly closed the distance as he managed to knock the Phantom's copied sword away and sent him off balance. Swinging his sword as hard as he could, he cut the monster from head to foot.
Bringing his sword back with both hands, Ragna began charging his two handed sword skill. The Phantom quickly unleashed another Inferno Divider to counter the attack, but Ragna had only been baiting the attack and quickly canceled the skill before backstepping at the last second. Ragna caught his opponent with his blade while it was in the air and sent him back to the ground with a quick slash.
"HELL'S FANG!" Ragna shouted as he caught his opponent in the chest with a powerful lunge with his BlazBlue. During the attack, he'd brought his sword back with his free hand and charged his Horizontal Slash while the was Phantom was still lurching from his original attack. Catching his swing and holding his sword with both hands, Ragna roared as he went right into his two-handed Blast skill, cleaving his opponent from head to foot.
(End Theme)
Time seemed to slow around the Reaper as his mirrored self was blasted off of his feet from the force of that final attack. Ragna kept his eyes on the Phantom, not ready to let his guard down if it had a last ditch attack effort. What actually happened was the Phantom lost the darkness that had been coating it, revealing the mirrored appearance that lay beneath. It looked gravely wounded, bloody, and in intense pain. It looked at Ragna with a terrified look in its eyes; eyes of a man that had lost everything… before exploding in an eruption of Seither.
Knowing that he still had a job to do, Ragna didn't let what he'd seen haunt him as he rose his Azure Grimoire arm and held it steady in front of him. The Seither seemed to scream as it was violently forced into Ragna's right arm. The Reaper didn't move under the force of his absorption, holding his arm up until he was sure he'd absorbed every last trace of the Interference. Giving a sigh, he headed to the boss door to confront Sanae… only to find a small text box appear in front of him.
Acquired New Sword Skill: Inferno Divider
"So that's where you were…" Ragna muttered as he closed the screen and opened the boss room's doors. Being used to be ditched by people who were supposed to give him answers, he was surprised to see that Sanae was still standing outside the door and waiting for him as he promised. "That felt like a lot more than Interference."
"I didn't know, honestly," Sanae promised him as he scratched the back of his head. "To think that a piece of your own power was inside of that thing; frankly I thought it had been lost during your erasure or when I forced you to cross over, but here it is." Sanae gave him a small smile. "At the very least, it looks like you got something useful."
"Yeah, a skill that I won't even be able to use tomorrow since I'm trying to lay low; real useful," Ragna told him testily. "You promised me answers."
"And I'll tell you what I can; there are just some things that are against the rules to talk about," Sanae told him with a sigh. "Knowing you, you're probably not happy to hear that again, but there's nothing I can do about it."
"Tch, honest to god," the Reaper muttered moodily. "So… is that it? I'm finished with all of the Interference?"
"No, this wasn't the only place where you're going to have to absorb your own power back. Bright side is you'll likely get a power boost or a move like what just happened, but there's not much more I can promise you besides that. I… actually…"
"What?" Ragna asked, feeling that he was in for more trouble.
"Listen, I won't be able to take you up to any of the locked floors without setting off several alarms inside the game, nor will I be able to tell you which floor you'll need to absorb the interference on… but as soon as those floors get unlocked I can tell you if you need to involved, what dungeon you need to go to, and I can keep the other players off of the floor's fields with my Seals… that's all I'm permitted to do here."
'So he's got rules that he's got to follow too,' Ragna thought to himself. 'Meaning he's also got someone that he needs to answer to…' "I'll have to settle with that for right now, but what about those seals that you were talking about?"
"Right, those," Sanae said before opening his palm. "These little beauties create a double layered barrier. The first one sends a subliminal message into a person's mind when they get close, basically telling them that they don't feel like getting any closer. That's enough to send most people away. If they end up getting any further though, it turns to a fear. The seals send a message to anyone who got the first layer that there's a danger up ahead that they're not ready. It should be enough to turn almost anyone in here away."
"That's great and all…" Ragna began. "But… what exactly are you showing me?"
"You mean you can't see the sigil?" Sanae asked as he looked in front of his open palm with an eyebrow raised. "Funny, if anything you should at least be able to see a blurry outline."
"And I'm telling you that I can't see it," the Reaper reaffirmed.
"...Meaning you're probably more broken than I thought," Sanae decided with a sigh.
'Broken,' Ragna repeated in his head, not appreciating the term used. Giving a passing glance to the chipped and scratched Aramasa he carried, he couldn't help but feel that Sanae wasn't wrong in his assessment. "So this is the only way I'm going to get back to my old self?"
"I doubt you could ever get back to a true 100%, not after how you tried to erase yourself," H told Ragna. "Collecting interference might be the only way that you'll be able to unlock the techniques related to your Azure Grimoire, but there other ways to get other techniques from your world… like turning Aramasa into a scythe for one thing."
"Right, I got that one after I leveled up," he remembered.
"Past that though, try using your skills where you can… chances are some of your old moves might actually be buried under the ones your still have," Sanae told him. "That's about all I can tell you…"
"No, there's still one more thing I want from you," Ragna demanded. "You said that all you were able to do was give me an extension on my existence… Just how long do I have?"
"Can't say," Sanae told him bluntly.
"That was quick. Why? Because you don't know yourself or you're not allowed to say anything?" the Reaper demanded, his eye going to a sharp scowl.
"Neither; it's because I don't want you to know," he told Ragna, not a hint of joking in his words. "If you've got a timetable to work with that either going to get you to panic or it's going to make you lax. I told you that I gave you that time to handle something meaningful, so I suggest you get started on finding out what it is you really want… You never know, tomorrow might be your last day."
"So in short, you want me to live every day like it's my last? What kind of motivational poster crap is that?" Ragna asked with a scowl.
"Call it whatever you want," Sanae said, not backing down from the intimidating glare. "You're still not getting an answer."
"Be that way then, it's not the first time I've had to go through this thing with a damn Observer," Ragna told him crassly, though he actually seemed more annoyed than upset.
"Heh, you're clearly used to be left in the dark; especially when it concerns you," Sanae said with a laugh. "I'll be seeing you when you get to an infected level, but probably not before then. Just try to keep yourself alive until then, no more plans to erase yourself."
"Funny," the Reaper muttered as he started heading towards the boss doors which had remained opened, before pausing. "...Thanks... I guess."
"Hmm? You say something," Sanae asked him, pretending to stretch his neck so that Ragna had no way of seeing the small smirk on his face.
"Nothing," Ragna told him, heading through the chambers so he could get to the second floor and from there take a teleporter to the third. 'I should probably call it a day… got an important Boss Raid to handle in the morning.'
"...That's funny," Sanae said to himself, taking his slim framed glasses off and began clearing them with a small handkerchief which he kept specifically for these uses. While doing this his smile hadn't dropped… rather it had grown bittersweet. "He actually thinks I know how long he has left."
Author's Note
Well this took long enough. I wasn't sure if I'd ever get a chapter out. Funny story for those of you that follow my other works, my original plan was to make my next chapter a humorous little epilogue for the first season to 'Grimm Reaper's of Remnant' but that plan didn't fall through… kinda killed me to abandon a chapter I had thought was going to be a riot in my head.
So… Mr. Sanae Hanekoma. For those of you who aren't in the know, he's a character from the video game 'The World Ends With You' that I just decided to add in on a whim in the first writing of this story. While I have said that I'm changing things around, he seemed popular here. I decided 'what the hell?' about brought him back, largely in the same roll as before.
Anyways, here's to another chapter being dropped. Let's get a couple of review responses in.
Dread Grim Reaper: Not to worry, you made your point clear.
Wlyman2009: I think that bell might need to toll more than once.
Red Burning Dragon: I'm honestly split on whether to use bows or not. While I think they could make an interesting addition, I honestly can't help but feel that they'd cause some conflict with the whole 'up close and person' motif that SAO should be about.
Armedlord 2.0: Throwing spears never seemed to be a thing in SAO, but I could see Sinon doing that. And while Sinon was seen using a dagger in one of the SAO games, in the other (and more developed one) it had her using a Spear, so that's what I went with.
TheEmeraldMage: There's one certain person in the reveiws (they know who they are) that have been demanding I throw in Alice, but I'm not all too sure myself.
The Unplanner: Right, that chapter… wonder if I should do something similar?
Reclusive Dork: I can't see Ragna joking with something so serious, but maybe if a certain someone was there…
Touhou Fanatic: Funny, that kind of reminds me of this same fan pic that I once saw. Klein: "Where's my harem?" Liz: "Aren't you part of Kirito's harem?" But I digress.
Lightkirinhuruname: Yare yare, between you here and Wide Brimmed Hat on my Grimm Reapers of Remnant, I have no shortage of demands for more chapters.
Kayen1024: If the need for them arises, then yes. This is supposed to be a big game and SAO used a couple of one off characters in its stories as well.
Parodoxsteel: Thanks, gonna need it.
Paladin9800: Thanks, not often I get to hear from you.
MIDNIGHT The Fallen One: Hell's Fang, but you were close.
Zaralann: Not even I know, and I'm the damn author.
Take care everyone! Ciao!