Chapter 6 / Siege:
Frustration. That was what Kirito felt as he tried again, hoping for a different result this time.
"I want you to stay here, where it's safe."
"We've been through this!" Adira groaned. "I'm not going to stay back whilst everyone else goes off to fight!" She rolled her eyes. "I have more reason to see the Dusk Demons defeated than most!"
"You also have more reason to stay away from them than most!" Kirito countered, desperately trying to make Adira see reason. Why could she not understand that staying at the Dark Elf camp was the best course of action for her.
"I have one question!" She said, cutting off his thoughts. "And you will answer honestly!" She glared into his eyes, daring him to defy her. "If it was you…would you stay here whilst everyone else fights your battle for you?"
The Black Swordsman paused for a second, debating on whether to lie or not. "I…I couldn't sit back here…no…" He replied half-heartedly, she knew him too well for him to convince her otherwise.
"Then how can you expect me to do so?" She questioned.
"Because it's not me! It's you! You still can't use items and I can't…I can't stand the thought of loosing you!" He blurted out in desperation, eyes falling to the floor.
"Hey…" Adira spoke, her voice softening. "…That's not going to happen. I know you still feel guilty about Sachi and the rest of your old guild, but that's not going to happen again. Besides, I'm way too good to be taken out by a bunch of npc's! I might even be better than you!"
Kirito shot his eyes back up, catching the smirk that had infected her face. "I don't think so!" He shot back, unconvinced. "If you could heal yourself I'd challenge you to duel right now!"
"As entertaining as that would be, no one's challenging anyone to a duel right now!" Asuna stated, entering the tent that they were in. "They've called it. It's time for us to go. We're moving out!"
It was truly a sight to behold. An immense army battled before a weathered castle. The structure was built into the side of a mountain, protruding from the rock face. Forces of bronze armoured enemies rushed out from the gates, meeting the Elven alliance in brutal combat.
Elves and their allied players fought alike, resisting the overwhelming force of the Dusk Demons. Nearby, a small group of players were using the battle as a distraction, the chaos drawing attention away from them as they snuck closer towards the towering walls ahead.
"This is only the first wave!" Klein whined, worried for his guild, who were fighting in the fray behind them. "We haven't even made it inside the wall yet! How the hell are we supposed to win this?!"
"I warned them that they don't fight like normal enemies." Kirito muttered, on edge from worry. Himself, Klein, Asuna and Adira had been tasked with breaching the castle's defences, destroying the gates so that the army could move in. The Dark Elf Queen herself had entrusted them with this task, probably due to a recommendation from Kizmel. Kirito was going to have to have serious words with that woman when he was through with this.
"We've got to keep moving." Adira told them, pulling their focus away from the battle. "We still need to find a way into the castle."
"What about that gate over there?" Asuna asked, ever the observant one. She pointed to a small infantry gate built into the side of the structures humungous wall. The Demon troops were pouring out of there in short bursts, as they wouldn't risk opening the main gates with an army outside their walls.
"They seem to come out every minute or so. My guess is the system will keep spawning them until we destroy the main gate. If we time it right we could slip through there when the next wave comes out." Kirito replied, analysing the situation. "Only one in the group seems to wear armour, so all we have to do is take the others down quickly before rushing that one together."
"Sounds like a plan!" Klein stated, taking cover behind a rock. The others did the same, biding their time as they waiting for the next wave of Demons to appear.
They didn't have to wait long, as the gate suddenly burst open, six Dusk Demons emerging. The players jumped out from their hiding spots, rushing towards the enemies.
"Somebody grab that door!" Kirito shouted, drawing his sword. "Don't let it close or we'll never get in!"
"I'm on it!" Klein responded, leaping forwards, using a sword skill to carry him the distance to the door. He thrust his sword in the gap, catching it a moment before it closed. He turned, intending to let the others know that he'd caught it, to find a Demon behind him, drawing its blade. Klein's weapon was trapped between the doorframe and the door, leaving him defenceless. A bright orange flash of light slashed through the enemy, disintegrating them before they could strike. Klein watched as Kirito went back to Asuna and Adira, spectating in awe as the three of them hacked their way through the group, swords glowing all sorts of colours as they took them down. Not even the armoured Demon had a chance against their combined might, steadily falling as they danced around it, striking at the weakest points of its armour until it couldn't take any more, bursting into shards.
"Phew! That was amazing guys!" Klein said, excitement getting the better of him. "I've never seen anything so awesome in my entire life!" The others returned their weapons to their sheaths, smiling at each other. Klein prised open the door as they snuck through it, entering the domain of the castle.
The players raced across the battlements, swiftly manoeuvring themselves closer and closer towards the main entrance. They stopped on the top of the wall, directly above the gate. Asuna withdrew a small violet crystal from her inventory.
"So this is supposed to destroy the gate right?" She questioned. "Is that even possible? The structure is surely categorised as an immortal object so I don't see how this'll work."
"It's a quest item." Kirito answered, becoming more and more agitated the longer that they stayed atop the gate, easily in view for the Demon lookouts should they look in their direction. "The Queen gave it to us herself. It has to work."
Asuna was still sceptical, but she trusted Kirito's judgement. She placed the crystal on the floor, preparing to activate it. She looked up at the others, checking whether they were prepared.
"We're ready." Adira confirmed, a serious expression on her face. "We don't know how long we'll have before it detonates, so we better be set to move as soon as you activate it."
Asuna paused for a moment, mentally preparing herself before triggering the crystal. The group turned to run back in the direction that they came from.
"Oh crap!" Klein exclaimed, fear shooting through him. He watched as a small group of Demons approached, blocking their path. "Looks like they spotted us!" He drew his sword from its sheath, manoeuvring his body into a fighting stance. Kirito grabbed him from behind.
"There's no time!" He shouted over his shoulder, pulling Klein along with him in the other direction. "We've got to run!"
The group were suddenly launched forwards by a wall of purple tinted flames, the crystal detonating behind them. The ginormous gates were ripped off of their hinges as the player's pursuers were instantly disintegrated, caught directly in the explosion.
The four fighters hit the ground hard, each receiving a sizable knock to their health bars. Kirito was the first up, struggling slightly from disorientation. He pulled himself together, helping his friends to their feet as the sounds of battle steadily got closer. He observed his surroundings. They were still on top of the wall, the part that was still intact anyway, seated above the commotion as the Dusk Demons mobilised, mustering their forces.
The Black Swordsman checked over the other side of the battlements to see that the Elven army was almost there. He easily picked out the Dark Elf Queen from the crowd. She was leading the charge, glowing with a rich purple energy from the magic that she wielded. If only players could use magical abilities themselves, Kirito thought, with the exception of Adira.
The high-ranking Forest Elf warriors suddenly changed their positions, giving the Black Swordsman an uneasy feeling as they surrounded the Dark Elf Queen. They quickly grabbed her, bringing the army to a halt as they pinned her to the ground. The remaining Forest Elf forces surrounded her, cutting her off from her own people. The Forest Elf King suddenly appeared from the crowd, bending down to talk to the Queen. Kirito was too far away to hear what was being said.
The Dusk Demons were mobilising, lining up in a spearhead formation as they charged through the destroyed gates, towards the immobile army. The Queen was lifted to her feet, the Forest Elf King forcing some sort of magic into her. She began to glow with power, shining brighter than a flame, before unleashing a powerful blast, shaking the ground as the whole world turned purple.
What was that? More notes? You got it!:
-Sorry for the 'I-don't-want-you-going-scene', but I felt like it was necessary. It seemed like the kind of thing Kirito would do.
-I thought that Adira, having been the one to help Kirito get over them, would know about what happened with Sachi and the Moonlit Black Cats.
-Gotta love those group team-up moments, had to put one in here.
-Hopefully this'll make up for last chapter if action is what you wanted. It was necessary to set things up but now we can go on in full force. The remaining few chapters should be full of action moments.
-Musical Choices:
#It Begins / Danny Elfman
#Shortcut / Brian Tyler
#The End is Near / Audiomachine