Yo,
Just for the record ~ this is supposed to kind of show when a character talks in like a childlike kind of sing song/crazy mocking kind of tone of voice. You can guess which one by how the speech is described. Hopefully.
January 23rd
Hynafol Fortress Interior
Kirito stepped into the dark room behind the throne. It was roughly a square. On the far wall was another door. But etched on the two side walls was large shining golden script. Kirito looked left and read.
You of flesh and bone. Have beaten one of time and stone.
Then on the right wall it read.
Your arm is strong, your will is steel.
Then after reading this, Kirito looked ahead at the far wall again. More writing had appeared above the doorway.
The quest is long, so never kneel.
'I wonder what that is all about.'
He thought to himself as he made his way towards the doorway. As Kirito crossed the threshold a figure wreathed in black tip-toed into the room behind him. It made no noise and Kirito was none the wiser of its presence as he found himself descending down a staircase somewhere into the bowls of the fortress.
'I wonder if this is like a hidden treasure room or something. This passage can't be connected to the dungeons, so it must be something separate. It must hold whatever secrets that golem was blabbing about.'
A torch sprang to life and illuminated the stairwell just before he was about to activate ‹‹Night Vision›› to see in the darkness. Then several other torches lit down the stairwell and Kirito could see it descended pretty far. So he continued on, eager to find the end.
After several quite minutes of walking with only the flickering torches as companions, Kirito reached the bottom. He entered into a large square room. Against the wall on the far side stood a giant marble statue. It was weathered from age but Kirito could make out a man clad in armor wielding two blades in a heroic pose.
The face was beyond recognition and Kirito doubted he would have known the man depicted anyway.
'Two swords huh?'
He approached the statue and found a tablet set into its base.
A sword and shield is never wrong.
A sword and a fist is trouble.
Two swords are strong.
Yes, I wield them double.
'Well… I want to wield them double too.'
"So what do I need to do?"
Speaking to himself Kirito started prodding the tablet. A quest icon appeared before him and he activated it. Text description flowed before him and he eagerly read through the tedious writing.
'I see. So I need to go back to Aincrad first. Well I was almost at the day count to return anyway.'
Tap
A foot stepped into the room from the stairs. The noise on the hard stone floor echoed in the mostly empty room. And a figure followed the foot. Kirito whirled to face the arrival but not before he accepted the quest.
"He he he.. HAAAA! I found~ you~~!"
A crazed voice came from the cloaked figure. Kirito was unsure whether the voice was addressing him or the quest tablet behind him. But he drew his sword either way.
"You think you can just wander where you want to? Naughty little boy~"
"Tch."
Kirito scoffed.
'Little boy? Fuck this guy. But I guess he is after me.'
"You have found something very important~ He he he… HAAAAA! We can't have that now can we~ no… no we can't at all…"
"Hey crazy guy. Are you an npc or human?"
"Oh?~ You want to know what I am?"
The figure drew a sword from inside its cloak. The rasp of steel insisted Kirito to raise his sword into a guarding position.
"Fight with me and see if you can tell."
Quickly the figure sprinted forward and attempted to stab Kirito in the heart. He parried he blade over his shoulder and spun counter-clockwise to the right.
His sword glowed green as he prepared to use an empowered strike across the exposed figure's side. But the figure kept their momentum and continued past Kirito and out of his blade's range.
The figure whirled around and their hood came off. Revealed beneath it was a pale man's face. Wide blood shot eye's flicked around and then focused on Kirito. The sickly green color disconcerted Kirito slightly.
"Y-you are a player!"
Kirito shouted in surprise. But his exclamation was met only by more crazy laughter.
"No, no, no. I am one of the chosen. I fight with his will backing me and his arm guiding me. Together we can create so much more. He, he has shown me the way. And you stand in the way. So prepare yourself glory seeker, I am here to end your life."
Kirito stood and absorbed everything the man said.
'All his rambling aside, I still don't know if he is actually a real person. I can check his nameplate. That should solve it.'
So he glanced over the man's head and a red cursor hung indicated his opponent was hostile towards him.
'Uhh shit. If it was green or orange it would have been a player. If it had been black or purple it would have been a mob. But since he is in combat with me I can't tell as everyone's cursor turns red. What a terrible design.'
The man whipped his sword above his head and charged again.
"This is no time for thinking."
Kirito muttered under his breath. He rushed struck forward and a loud clang echoed as the two blade met in-between their wielders. Reacting Kirito's blade glowed a bright red and he initiated a five strike combo.
Backing away the man parried the first two blows and then managed to step out of Kirito's range. As the final blow came down with a clang on the floor, the man stepped back into range and slashed quickly across Kirito's exposed arm.
A red line sizzled on his arm as he hissed with the pain he received. His rushing adrenaline combatted the sensation and allowed him to further ignore it and focus on the battle. But his right arm was slowly leaking virtual blood. A damage over time effect whittling away his hp.
"You are gonna regret that ya bastard!"
Kirito struck out with his left fist and caught the man in the gut. Momentarily winded his opponent wasn't able to block a quick stab into this left shoulder. The man shoved Kirito off him and the two stepped back to assess their opponent.
"He he he… HAAAAA! You are interesting but ultimately I must carry out his orders."
"Come and try, I will not lose to the likes of you!"
Both combatants rushed forward and began trading a flurry of blows. A harsh melody of crashing steel hung in the air. Neither was going to back down this time.
Wounds began piling up on both sides and their respective hp gauges dropped below 20%. Two charged blows met in a shower of sparks and they both stood blade against blade trying to subdue the other with pure strength. Nearly face to face Kirito grit his teeth and matched his opponents glare.
Suddenly the castle walls around them rumbled. Huge echoing crashes came down the stairwell.
"Tch. I wasted too much time. But you will never escape this fortress alive."
The man shoved and drew back his sword. Disengaging he rushed toward the tablet. Kirito was caught off guard by his opponent's change of tactics and the clamor above. He saw a flash of gold as the man activated and accepted the same quest he had.
The man spun to face him and in his left hand materialized a fist sized crystal. A vicious grin ripped his face apart and he said.
"Have fun in your new tomb pretender."
The crystal shone brightly and the man disappeared.
His laughter echoed in the chamber even after his departure. But Kirito realized something.
'Shit the fortress must be collapsing. That guy thinks he can get that quest reward himself. Well I will escape and I will beat him...'
"…OH fuck!"
Kirito yelled as a particularly loud boom echoed down the stairs.
"I better haul ass."
-[S]-[A]-[O]-
January 25th
Aincrad Second Tier
Argo was not sure what she should do. She had no real info to sell. The outer area's where people left to level up were far away from Aincrad. She had no way to be on-hand to sell info. Sure if they knew of her they could contact her. But she had nothing to sell to them. She knew nothing of the new areas they were exploring. And she couldn't be everywhere at once.
Her job was becoming obsolete before her eyes. One of her subcontracted info dealers had just quit and said he was going to start levelling. But she needed to stay in this game and beat Derrik. Nothing else would be acceptable. He knew her secret after all.
She was still searching for something she could use against him, but right now his past was air tight. And any dirty deals he might make she would have a hard time pinning on him. While the blackmailed gold had stopped him from leaking anything. It was only a matter of time before he wanted more.
A knock on her door jarred her thoughts and she quickly put her hood over her head and tried to blend in with the shadows.
"Enter."
'A new client by the looks of it. This is exactly what I need. Something to get my mind off other matters.'
"Ahh. Hello there, please come in and take a seat."
She motioned to the wooden seat on the other end of her table. Her client sat down and got straight to business.
"What do you know about the attacks on the southern farmers?"
-[S]-[A]-[O]-
January 27th
Graig Outskirts
The sun was setting over the towering peaks of the Rhewi mountains. The last rays still managed to sparkle in Kirito's vision slightly blinding him. He had several more hills the traverse and then he would be able to see Graig.
He had been travelling for several days now. He had escaped Hynafol Fortress in the nick of time. With nothing gained besides a vague quest, he felt the fortress had been rather lack luster.
'Not even any loot… I bet it was all in the dungeons, which I never had time to explore.'
The quest lines from the Amarolf were done so he decided to journey further north along the highway. It seemingly had no end as it just continued further north, even after half a day's riding. So he had turned around and determined it was time to make for Aincrad.
What a boring journey. He hadn't encountered anything. Just the landscape for company. But here he was about to return to civilization.
"Ahh I can't wait for some proper food."
He yawned, and stretched in the saddle.
'Those damn Amarolf know nothing of fine dining. And I only have rations from them… Oh some Graig soup is gonna taste soooo good.'
"Retreat! We gotta run for it guys."
A yell caught his attention from beyond the next hill. Several loud clangs rang through the air as he listened to the sounds of fighting. He spurred Midnight forward to see the combat.
"AHHH ‹‹Tetsuo››! Are you ok?"
He saw a small group nearly surrounded by orcs. One player kneeled at the front of the group. His shield was battered and his armor looked damaged. Several arrows were lodged in his right leg. But the orcs couldn't get to the players behind him.
'He seems like a pretty good tank.'
Kirito noted.
'But I think they could use some help.'
Spurring Midnight forward he rushed down the hill. One of the players shouted in alarm.
"OH NO! A mounted one!"
He was smacked in the back of the head by a third player next to him.
"That is a player you idiot."
The girl among the group said in a panicky voice.
"Now is not the time guys!"
Kirito heard all this and couldn't help but wonder if they were serious. But never the less he crossed the distance and quickly fell upon the orcs.
With momentum on his side he slashed right then left and beheaded two orcs. One spun to meet his assault and managed to parry a killing blow. Kirito rode past and delivered a fourth strike, downing a third orc.
A spear wielding orc stepped in front of Midnight and jabbed hard into the approaching horse. The blow stopped Midnight in his tracks and as the horse began disintegrating Kirito found himself launched from the saddle.
He sailed over the spear orc and came down on top of small black orc wielding an axe. In a heap on the ground he managed to disentangle himself and roll sideways. The spear orc jabbed right where Kirito had been seconds before.
By now over half the remaining orcs were circling around him. But he clambered to his feet and parried an arcing blow headed his way. Three arrows zipped his way and two of them slammed home into his exposed back. The third ricocheted off his armor.
"FUCK ME THAT HURTS!"
He hollered. But as he yelled he managed to strike down another orc. Three more came to fight him face to face and Kirito grinned as his sword glowed black. He initiated the one handed sword skill ‹‹Absolute Flurry››. A seven hit combo, he danced between the three orcs and each blow met its mark slaughtering the orcs.
More aware of the archers this time he managed to duck as they fired another volley. But one still caught his left forearm.
'Fucking archers. They are dead.'
He righted himself and stormed their directions. Two orcs rushed his way to stop him but without stopping he slipped past their strikes and cut them down. His eyes never leaving the archers.
A third volley was launched but Kirito leaped to the right out of the way. The three arrows went passed him and killed another orc.
"Wow!"
Kirito heard someone exclaim.
"Guys did you see that? He totally dodged those arrows and killed that orc with them."
Kirito sweat dropped.
'What orc?'
As he stomped closer to the archers he watched as several of the players from earlier jumped and cut the mobs down.
'The hell! I wanted to kill them myself. Do they not understand revenge?'
Before he could ponder further, the players grouped up in front of him. Their tank was now arrow free and stood without support. Kirito quickly reached back and tried to free himself of the projectiles. But they were lodged below his shoulder blade and the pain was making it really hard to rid himself of them.
"Uhmm… Excuse me. But I could help you with that."
A meek female voice stopped his antics, and Kirito looked up to see a girl. He registered her question and replied.
"Yeah… Sure, thanks."
He turned his back to give her access and she quickly removed the arrows. While painful he managed to keep from crying out and instead only grunted. As the last one was removed he turned to find her holding out a small red flask.
"Here drink this potion, it will restore your health."
Well he didn't really need a potion at the moment his health was hanging around 90%, but he figured he would humor this girl.
"Oh yeah sure, thanks for this."
He forced his face to smile and took the flask to take several quick gulps. The other players came up to speak with him. Kirito noticed they were all around his age. A tall boy with brown hair stepped forward as the girl stepped back into the group.
"Hey there. My name is ‹‹Keita›› and I would like to thank you for helping us out. I am sorry about your horse though."
"Oh uhh yeah. Well don't worry, it wasn't a problem for me. Midnight will be back tomorrow anyway."
He accepted the boy's hand and gave a quick shake. Keita had an aura of confidence around him.
"I am the leader of these guys, we are the ‹‹Moonlit Black Cats››. And as a thank you for this, would you like to get a drink with us back in Graig?"
Evening had set in and Kirito was already headed to Graig, so he decided to accept their company for the evening. They were the first people he had seen this far north, he might as well see what they thought of the place.
-[S]-[A]-[O]-
February 1st
Zastria, Arena
It was early morning. The sun was twinkling on the horizon and Klein stood squared off against his opponent. Frost crunched underfoot as a ring of spectators drew close to watch. Someone entered the ring in-between the duelers and spoke.
"Alright this is the first round, fight number seven. Both fighters are you ready?"
Two nods answered.
"Alright the red side will send the duel request and the green side will accept. No moving until the ten second timer ends and the fight begins. You may change equipment during this time. This will be a half-loss fight, please try not to kill your opponent. Otherwise there are no rules. Prepare."
Klein manipulated his menu and sent the duel request. She quickly accepted and a timer appeared overhead and in his vision. As it counted down he took the moment to inspect who he was about to fight.
She was a woman obviously. In her right hand she held a silvery straight sword, with a medium sized oak shield strapped on her left arm. An open faced helmet framed her face and held her hair back.
Two dull brown eyes stared at him. She appeared so un-interested in their fight. As the two starred each other down, the timer reached zero and overhead a large transparent banner proclaimed the start of the duel. Neither side moved. Then the woman cracked a crooked smile and winked at him.
'She is not attractive.'
He couldn't help but notice. Again. Slowly they started circling one another clockwise.
"Hey there big boy… How about you surrender and let me go on. I could… Make it worth your while."
"Ughh don't pout… Your face looks like a smashed up pumpkin you overgrown gorilla."
She looked offended but he felt more offended by having to look at her.
"YOU! How dare you!"
Her face purpled in rage. And she violently slashed the air.
"I will have you know."
She sniffed haughtily.
"That I have a boyfriend."
He chuckled.
"Is that why you want to win the tournament? Did he raise his price to entertain you?"
The crowd roared with laughter alongside the retort. If possible she looked angrier. She pointed her sword at him and declared.
"I will kill you for that!"
"Bring it on bitch."
With the banter done, the two stopped circling one another and ‹‹Bertha›› his opponent raised her sword and stepped forward. The crowd quieted and stood in anticipation to see the outcome.
A clang of metal resounded through the chill morning air as Klein parried her first strike. He side stepped her second swing and struck out. Her shield intercepted and only the dull thunk of metal meeting wood sounded.
She shoved his sword wide and stepped forward into his guard. Her sword came up and she tried to run it between his ribs. But his sword came across his body and swatted it off course.
He slashed back and his sword bit deep into her stomach. Her hp took a large hit and the two separated.
"Ahhh FUCK YOU! That hurts! I am going to kill you for that!" She exclaimed in rage as the pain registered.
"Ha you talk about killing me. If that was the real world your guts would be spilled on the ground right now."
She sneered at him.
"You got lucky punk. I will defeat you."
She dashed forward. Her sword alit with a golden gleam as she prepared a sword skill. She took a mighty swing and brought her sword down to cut Klein in two. But he side stepped the over telegraphed blow and smirked.
"Dumb move bitch."
And he struck out and etched a sizzling red line across her chest. Bertha fell to her knees and moaned as the dampened pain registered. Her hp dipped down below the half mark and the banner overhead declared Klein the victor.
Around him the crowd cheered the fight. A man broke free from the ring and dashed to Bertha's side. He tried to comfort her but was pushed aside as she stood up and then stomped out of the circle. The man followed behind her like a whipped dog.
'That is a pretty desperate dude.'
A large part of the crowd thought. Then the announcer from before stepped forward again and congratulated Klein for his win and told him to go to the central tent to await his next match.
'I will win this tournament.'
He thought as he marched across the ground toward his destination.
-[S]-[A]-[O]-
February 3rd
Aincrad Third Tier, North gate
After an evening spent in their company Kirito had again found himself among the five members of the Moonlit Black Cats, or the MBC for short.
‹‹Keita›› was the leader and fought using a long two-handed glaive as a dps'er. He was tall and somewhat lanky with brown hair and brown eyes to match the brown clothing he wore. He had metal armor covering most of his upper body and when they were fighting he had worn a metal helmet that capped his head and covered his ears. His boisterous confidence seemed to inspire the others so Kirito didn't question it.
‹‹Ducker›› was the shortest among the group with shoulder length blonde hair and mischievous blue eyes. He had his helmet swapped for a cosmetic gray beanie. And he seemed to favor yellow clothing. It didn't make too much sense as he fancied himself as a thief/treasure hunter. But his dagger helped reinforce the image, if only slightly. Ducker focused on flanking and de-buffing during combat but helped deal damage when he got close enough.
‹‹Sasamaru›› was a very relaxed guy. He had long brown hair and green eyes to match the green clothing he favored. He fought with a long black pole-ax and he seemed to favor heavier armor to match the great helm he donned during combat. Sasamaru was the groups off tank for when their main tank got overwhelmed. Otherwise he mainly contributed damage.
‹‹Sachi›› was the only girl, and the one who had helped him earlier. Kirito could tell she was very shy from the few words they had spoken. She fought by throwing picks and javelins with a round shield off-hand. Kirito noted the dagger sheathed to her leg as a last resort. She wore light blue clothing and a shirt of chainmail. While her arms and legs sported leather guards. Kirito privately thought she looked cute with her shoulder length black hair, soft black eyes and small smile.
And finally there was the group's main tank. The guy who had been on his knees, probably about to die before Kirito had shown up. ‹‹Tetsuo›› was his name and he was heavily armored to match his role. He wielding a one-handed mace and a small kite shield. He favored purple clothing. Otherwise he was average built and a fairly cheerful, optimistic person. He had short light brown hair and Kirito had no idea what color his eyes were. As Tetsuo always had his eyes scrunched up in a perpetual grin.
Now they had arrived back at Aincrad. The MBC had mounts thankfully so the group was able to make it through the forest in time. The third event was tomorrow and the group decided to split up for the rest of the day. Kirito had already set all his business up through pm's several nights ago and told the group he needed to go take care of some things.
Kirito had to visit Liz and collect more throwing picks in bulk, then he had to pick up another bulk order of javelins. Finally he needed to cross the city to see Agil and sell off his excess loot. Later he would meet back up with them at an inn on the eastern side of the third tier. Where they could relax and enjoy themselves before tomorrow.
Alright another chapter, yay!
I hope you liked it.
Anyway I would like to say that the riddle/poem that Kirito first finds at the beginning is subject to change, as I find it rather corny and it doesn't quite get across what I want. But I have been trying for several days now and I can't get anything better.
Feel free to write a review, positive or negative. Send me a pm on any kinds of questions or comments or concerns you have. Or just stay tuned for another chapter. Either way I appreciate them all and am glad you guys seem to like my story so much. I will be trying to regularly update and do my best for this story.