Sword Art Online: Desert Army
Labyrinth
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"Wow, you look beat." Suguha pointed out as she fried some eggs over the stove.
Kazuto sauntered over to the kitchen table, his eyes downcast and tired. He slowly pulled at one of the chairs weakly, maneuvering it out just enough for him to plop himself down onto it with a heavy sigh.
"You should see the other guy." He stated sarcastically then laid his arms out onto the table and rested his head on them.
"Wait, I thought you were just scouting. Did you run into some PK'ers?" Suguha asked worriedly over the sizzle of breakfast.
The boy made an uncharacteristic grunt before releasing a muffled chuckle, "I was talking about Klein. I had to save him, and then we both got attacked." Kazuto sighed, then taking a breath to relish in the mouth-watering aroma of Suguha's cooking.
Ah, sweet bliss. Nothing beats home cooking. He thought as he slowly raised his head from his arms.
"Actually, it wasn't that bad. I'm sure Klein is pretty sore though. When everyone is together, we'll explain what happened." He stated nonchalantly before stretching his arms over his head.
"It sounds like you weren't as careful as I told you to be." Suguha stated accusingly.
Kazuto looked over his shoulder to his 'sister', "I was being careful. Just ask Klein. He's the one that got eaten by a Hydra, not me!"
"Alright, alright, I'll ask him about it in-game. Seriously, it looks like you guys had a rough night." She giggled as she lifted her frying pan and deftly transferred the cooked eggs over to two plates. "Maybe I should've come with you." She mumbled.
"If you were there, we probably wouldn't have had so much trouble. Actually, your buffs and Asuna's buffs would've been extremely useful!" Kazuto stated. It was true, if they had healing and strength buffs, not to mention SP regeneration. He could've used more sword skills and been able to deal with the mass of enemies much more efficiently.
The clatter of plates and silverware pulled Kazuto's strategic mind out of his imagination's iron grip and convinced him of what he desired.
Food.
Alfheim Online was as beautiful as ever. It was morning, the sun was shining. The crystal water of the ocean sparkled beneath the wood of the large sailing ship that pushed through its waves effortlessly. A light breeze passed over the deck, sending heavenly shivers down its resident's spines.
"Isn't it amazing?!" Leafa exclaimed, standing at the bow of the ship and extending her arms. Her blonde hair flowed behind her in its signature ponytail as it caught the wind, and her green Sylph armor whipped around constantly in the consistent breeze.
"Yeah, ever since they added the sailing mechanic, people have been able to get around to the outer islands so much easier." Asuna sighed, her long blue hair in a state of never ending movement as she stood at the ship's railing.
"S-speak, for yourself. I can't hear a thing!" Silica yelled over the rushing wind in her Cait Sith ears. The brown appendage flicked and twitched in the whipping air and only caused her to hold onto Pina even tighter. The conjured pet mewled at the relaxing feeling of the massaging winds.
"Oh, come on Silica. It's not that bad, I mean just look at Sinon!" Liz stated, placing her hand on Silica's head, right between the ears. The sudden action caused the girl to jump slightly from the unexpected contact.
Sinon's own powder light blue hair waved around in the wind as she leaned against the central mast, her own furry Cait Sith ears comfortably flickering atop her head. Her tail flicked back and forth lazily as she crossed her arms over her green coat, eyes closed.
"I'm pretty sure she's inhuman!" Silica complained, resisting the urge to slap Liz's hand away.
"Maybe she's just enjoying it, like the rest of us." Liz offered, her own pink hair riffling in the wind.
Asuna's and Leafa's giggling in the background brought a blush to the young beast tamer's face.
The two girls up front decided to take a break from top deck and bring everyone down to the lower deck. "Come on Silica, we can spend some time out of the wind for a bit so we can talk." Asuna offered as she walked by and opened the door.
"Y-yeah, sure." The idol responded as she turned around and walked inside. The usual constant howl of wind gone in an instant as everyone made their way inside.
Leafa walked by Sinon, noticing that she still had her eyes closed and arms crossed. No sign of planned movement at all.
"Hey, Sinon?" She asked.
No response.
"Sinon?" Leafa continued.
Still nothing.
Taking the most drastic of measure, Leafa reached out and poked the blue-net's cheek. A daring move she learned from her brother, and somehow it always works.
Sinon's bright blue reflective eyes snapped open at the light touch and stared confusingly at her attacker.
"S-sorry, but we all went inside. If you wanna come." Leafa said shyly.
The archer took a second to register Leafa's words, then after a few moments she gave a small smile, "Oh, okay. I guess I got lost in thought." Sinon replied sheepishly.
Leafa beamed her own smile before turning around and walking into the door, soon followed by Sinon.
She closed the door behind her and let the subtle torch lamps light up the staircase. It was a little cramped, but they didn't want to spend too much money on an expensive ship. She fixed the loose strands of hair that the wind misplaced before making her way down the stairs. The wood of the ship was of a lighter shade, making the place seem brighter than it actually was.
Sinon reached the bottom of the wooden staircase and turned around to join the others at the circular table under the central mast.
"What do you think we'll find out there?"Asuna asked curiously.
"It's completely undiscovered. My scans can't pick anything up." A soft, lighter voice filled the room. Sinon noticed a small pink fairy sitting on the table in front of Asuna.
I still don't understand much about that little girl. But one thing's for sure, she's not an ordinary Navigation Pixie. Sinon commented in her head as she sat down next to the healer.
"So, no one has actually been on the island yet?" Liz asked from her spot beside Silica.
"I thought someone already discovered it, that's how we found out about it." Leafa commented.
Sinon hummed in thought for a second before realizing something, "You're right. We found out about it through an information broker. She told us that something new came up in the west and that we were the first she's told about it." She informed.
Asuna nodded and turned to Sinon, "But that still doesn't explain how she knew about it."
"Good point. Someone would have had to have seen the island, but not explore it. How come it hasn't hit the forums yet?" Leafa asked the group.
"I checked the forums this morning. There's still no topic about the new island." Silica commented.
"Girls. This is good. That means we have the island to ourselves for a little while. We can do what we want up until more players hear about it." Liz chipped in.
Leafa shook her head at the comment, "I don't think that island is built for just one party group. If anything, we may actually need more players to help clear it."
"Well, when that time comes. We'll spread the word about the new land." Asuna offered, clasping her hands loosely together in front of herself. "What do you think Yui? Do you think we can handle that big island by ourselves?"
Yui looked up at the healer before humming in thought, calculations ran through her AI programming but based off of limited numbers, it was hard to say. "I don't know. I need more information on the island. But, I'm sure Daddy can kill anything in his path if it means protecting everyone!" She cheered, her small fairy wings buzzing in excitement.
"Yeah, I guess we do have Kirito. If one of us is in trouble, I don't think anything will stop him from saving us." Sinon agreed, a faint blush dusting her cheeks. Back in Gun Gale Online, Kirito did everything he could to keep her safe. And in the end, it worked, even after the BoB concluded. He still ran in and risked his own life to protect her.
"Awe, little Sinon is blushing." Liz teased as she poked Sinon's cheek, suddenly appearing next to her chair.
"N-no! I-I was just, t-thinking about-" She stuttered and trailed off, trying to process something to say.
"Say no more. We all know you think about Kirito a lot." Liz continued and draped her arms over Sinon's shoulders from behind.
Asuna, Yui, and Silica giggled in the background as Sinon's face adorned a few more shades of red. Her eyes flicking back and forth between everyone in a silent plea for help.
"How about this…" Liz started, causing Sinon's eyes to widen in fear of more teasing. To her relief, Liz stepped away and back to her own chair. "…why don't we play a little game. A simple bet, hmmm?" She asked the group.
"Depends what it is." Asuna stated neutrally.
"I-I think a game sounds fun, right about now." Silica admitted, idly petting Pina in her lap.
Liz's smirk widened as she turned to look at Sinon. The Cait Sith responded with a confused but guarded gaze, wondering just what Liz is up to.
Sinon's guard shattered the second Liz sent her a suggestive wink and stated the rules of the game, "When we get to the island, the first one Kirito risks himself to protect gets to ask him out for a solo hunt. But no one can throw themselves into danger, it has to be entirely Kirito's decision." She offered with an amused smile.
"I think I'll just enjoy the show." Asuna stated with a smile, deciding to sit this one out.
Liz nodded in understanding and turned to look at the rest of the group, "Hmm, then that just leaves Silica, Sinon, and me."
"H-hey, I never agreed to this!" Sinon exclaimed.
"Do you think they ran into any Depth Lurkers?" Klein asked absently.
"No, not in a ship that size." Kirito responded.
The two swordsmen sat on the roof of one of the houses at the edge of town. Both of them relaxing in the morning sun and waiting for the girls to arrive.
"Besides, I think they're only attracted to the color red." The teen added in a neutral voice.
Klein grunted lazily and fell onto his back, "You know what, I think I'll just ignore you for now." The samurai decided as he sprawled his arms out and rested one of them over his eyes.
Kirito stretched his arms and cracked his fingers, "Suit yourself, I guess I don't need to tell you what I found out."
Klein's eyebrows furrowed under his arm as he inwardly groaned. "Okay! What did you find out?!" He exclaimed, sitting himself up.
"I'll tell you when the girls get here."
"Screw you too!" The samurai retorted, "Leading me on like that just to drop a crate of bricks on me. Sheesh, that's harsh." He complained, throwing himself onto his back again.
Kirito smirked and stood up, noticing the approaching ship in the far distance. He stepped over to Klein and tapped the man's side with his boot, "Come on man, let's go. Ship's here."
A strained groan emanated from the limp red object on the ground beneath Kirito.
"Go on without me, leave me behind. Save yourself." Klein mumbled unmoving.
Like hell I'd ever leave you behind. Kirito thought as he grabbed the Salamander by his robe and yanked him to his feet. With no further warning, he kicked the man over the edge of the roof.
"On your wings, come on! We need to meet up with the others and bring them to town. It'll be less boring than sitting here and waiting for them to get here like we planned." Kirito explained as he leapt off after his falling friend.
"Where's a pillow when I need one." Klein sighed as he released his wings.
"What did you say? I didn't catch that."
"I said, let's go then." Klein responded before surging forward on his wings, his own smirk growing on his features.
Kirito caught up to the Salamander easily and fell in line beside him.
"Are you actually going to land properly this time, or are you going to show off again?" Klein asked over the wind.
"Of course I'll land properly this time. Who do you think I am?" Kirito responded innocently.
His words did nothing but fuel Klein's original assumption.
Klein shook his head and surged forward again, doubling his speed. Kirito followed in an instant, keeping up with him and nearly passing him as well. The two of them raced their way over the dunes of the desert and stormed their way over to the small party of players at its shore line.
In a few minutes, they were approaching the girls from high up in the sky.
"I guess I'll see you at the bottom." Klein stated as he lowered himself downward, bringing himself down to the ground moments after.
"Hey, girls!" He called out as his boots met with the sandy ground.
"Klein! How'd the scouting go?" Leafa exclaimed, giving the samurai a big wave from where she stood in the group.
Klein rolled his shoulders and gave the girls a proud smile, "Nothing too big. We just destroyed 2 mini-bosses and 40 minions." He stated as nonchalantly as possible, rubbing the back of his neck.
"What?! You did all of that in a scouting mission last night?" Sinon asked disbelievingly.
"Of course not, he's just pulling your leg. I bet nothing happened." Liz said, crossing her arms and shifting her stance.
Klein ran a hand through his hair and looked up, "Man, you girls never believe me. Just ask Kirito then. He's right there anyway."
Right on time, a blur of black dropped from the sky like a meteor and slammed into the sand at the center of the group. A burst of dust kicked up and shrouded his body for a few seconds. Before long, a black silhouette of Kirito's crouched form and extended wings slowly became visible in the dissipating cloud of sand.
"Right on time, as per freaking usual." Klein commented, stepping forward and slapping Kirito on the back.
"Does he usually do this?" Sinon asked hesitantly, looking down at the Spriggan still crouching.
"Yeah, he hasn't figured out how to land properly yet." Leafa laughed.
"Gee, thanks." Kirito muttered as he finally stood up and let his wings fade away. He dusted the remnants of sand off his black clothes before giving the group a small smile, "You girls are not going to believe what Klein and I went through to secure that town." He stated, pointing in the direction of the box-like buildings.
"Secure?" Asuna asked in confusion.
"Yeah, originally that town was completely abandoned and over run. It looked like a ghost town. When we reached its center, we had to beat a survival quest and clear the town of mobs. After that, we were able to secure the town and earn a safe zone. That's where Klein and I stayed last night." The teen clad in black explained.
His explanation was quickly followed by Yui's voice, "Now that I'm here, I am picking up more enemy signatures in the immediate area. But they all seem to be underground at varying levels. And that town seems to be the only safe zone in the area, so it makes sense that there may be others that need to be secured too." She chipped in from her spot on top of Asuna's shoulder, easily catching her Daddy's attention.
"H-hey, Yui." Kirito greeted.
Yui's smile brightened as she transferred herself over to Kirito's avatar, "Daddy!"
"Awe, it's good to see you too." Kirito responded, placing his finger on Yui's head and giving her an affectionate pat.
Klein cleared his throat and placed a hand on the teen's other shoulder, "Yeah, I don't quite understand it either. But that's the gist of what we're up against." He added, dispersing a few looks of confusion.
"I thought he was going to be more awkward, you know, since you're here." Leafa whispered to Asuna, earning an earnest smile from the Undine.
"I wouldn't worry about it too much. We handled things between us, and besides he's having fun. That makes me happy." Asuna whispered back, watching as Kirito goofed around with Klein.
The two were about to draw their swords when Sinon stepped between the two, "Alright, I thought we were here to clear a few dungeons." She said with a laugh, her hand resting on her bow.
Kirito let his hand fall from the hilt of his blade and placed it on his hip, "Yup, that's the plan. So we should probably start heading to town and load up on restoration items. Ever since I stepped foot on this island, I've noticed a significant increase in mob agro and mini-boss spawns." He warned as he addressed the rest of the party.
"Wow, so this place is pretty dangerous huh?" Sinon replied, looking around at the barren desert.
"Yeah, although I think most of the mobs here are nocturnal. I haven't been here during the day yet so I don't know." Kirito replied.
Liz stepped forward and pushed Kirito forward by the shoulders, nudging him in the direction of town, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, well we're all here now. So let's stock up and head out." She stated, giving Sinon a sly smile.
Weirdly enough, Sinon felt a little irritated by that small gesture and flicked her tail in mild aggravation. I was unfairly pulled into this game, so why am I getting jeal-…jealous? She thought with a sigh.
"Sheesh, Liz is eager. Something happen?" Klein asked, looked between the remaining three girls.
Asuna giggled and walked past Sinon, "I wouldn't call it…something." She teased as she caught up to Kirito and Liz.
Brown eyes flicked around for a second before Klein's survival instincts kicked in, "Hmm, you know what. Forget I said anything." He stated as he followed Asuna to the group ahead, deciding to keep to himself. Leafa giggled quietly as she silently followed Klein over to the rest of the group.
"Hey, don't forget. I'm playing too!" Silica exclaimed quietly, pulling on the remaining girl's arm and taking her to the rest. Sinon forced back her blush from Asuna's tease and let herself be pulled along by the smaller girl. Her eyes followed Pina as it flew ahead of its master and hovered at Kirito's side.
Yui quickly jumped onto the pets back with a shout of glee and flew ahead of everyone.
Sinon caught a glance Kirito sent back to her and noticed him giving her a warm smile. She looked at him for a few seconds before smiling back and giving him a small wave.
Just what are they talking about? She asked herself as Silica finally pulled her up close enough to listen.
"Yeah, now that you girls are here we can probably find and clear a dungeon pretty easily. I mean, we've got Asuna's buffs and healing, tons of attack power, and our very own archer." Kirito said, looking back over his shoulder toward Sinon.
The loose sand around them wisped in the wind as the small party made their way toward the only secured town. Blistering heat wasn't much of a problem, its existence was only ignored as the group pushed forward.
"Alright, stock up. I think we should be fine if we all buy a handful of healing potions and SP regen crystals. Asuna, you might need a few extra mana potions as well." Kirito advised as they stepped foot into the sandy town.
The streets were surprisingly filled with people. Each NPC dressed like they've lived in the desert for all their lives. The street vendors wore happy smirks, each one happily waving to Kirito and Klein as the two walked through town. Varying degrees of excited kids ran around the two swordsmen as they walked, most of them screaming and others just chanting their names.
"What's with them?" Sinon asked, noticing the majority of the town fawning over the two guys of the group.
Kirito gave a sheepish laugh and resisted the kids tugging on his sleeves, "Y-yeah, ummmm…about that. Ever since we saved the town, they've been very…fond of us. So we get all kinds of discounts and attention." He sighed, looking around at the bustling streets.
Klein couldn't be happier. A silent tear streamed down his cheek as a smile plastered his lips, "It's beautiful, it really is." He stated in some sort of blissful reminiscent voice.
A swift kick to the back later and he was out of it. "Well, since you're the ones with the discounts, how 'bout you two just buy everything for us? Hmmm?" Leafa pondered over Klein's downed body.
The red Salamander lay there for a second, wondering when life turned so unfair.
"Wait, you can't be serious?!" Kirito exclaimed.
"Totally serious, right girls?" Leafa retorted. And to Kirito's and Klein's painful regret, the rest of the girls nodded.
"Don't worry, we'll pay for what you buy for us." Sinon added as she opened up her menu and transferred some of her own Yrd over to Kirito in a trade.
Kirito still groaned a complaint and muttered something about it still being unfair. But he couldn't do anything about it. They were right, since Klein and he were the ones with the less expensive prices, it makes sense that they should buy everything. After gathering everyone's Yrd, he trudged off and snagged Klein by the front of the armor, pulling the samurai with him into the depths of the market.
30 painstaking minutes of the two men's lives later, they finally bought and distributed everything amongst the party members.
"See? That wasn't so hard. And we saved a lot thanks to you two." Asuna commented.
"Y-yeah, thank you." Silica chipped in quietly. Her simple statement made the rest of the girls give their thanks too.
Somehow, that made everything better.
"Help!"
A small, frightened voice pierced through the crowded streets in a shrill yell. The group instantly turned to locate the noise, but no one could make out who was yelling.
"Somebody? Please, help me!"
Kirito snapped into action and sprinted off into the crowd. He disappeared, weaving in and out of the walking NPCs and skidded to a stop at the corner of the street. The rest of the group followed soon after, all of them struggling to get through but eventually caught up to the swordsman.
"P-please, m-my sister. S-she's-" A small child, about the age of 6 choked out his words through tears and hyperventilated breaths. Kirito crouched down in front of the boy, bringing himself to eye level and placing his hand on the young one's head.
"It's alright, just take a breath. We're here to help." He stated warmly, giving the child a warm smile.
The kid sniffled and calmed down slightly, his tears coming to a slow. "I-it's my sister. We were playing in the maze, and s-she got lost. I couldn't find her, s-so I ran back here as fast as I could. Please! You have to save her! She's in there, all alone!" He cried out, reaching forward and clinging onto Kirito tightly.
«Quest: The Labyrinth»
Type: Search and Rescue
«Accept - Deny»
Kirito's onyx eyes scanned over the message hovering in front of him. It's a new quest, and the location is nearby. We might as well complete it to get ourselves more familiar with the land. He thought as he looked back at the rest of his party.
"He looks like he's telling the truth." Asuna sighed, giving him her approval.
Leafa walked up and placed her own hand on the boy's back, "We can't just leave, we should help him and find his sister."
"We might as well give it a go. There's no sense in turning down the quest." Sinon added.
Yui flew over and floated off Pina to examine the quest message, her eyes scrutinizing the ingrained details hidden within it. "Daddy, the difficulty of the quest is unknown. I don't know why, but I'm getting the feeling that this won't be as easy as a simple Search and Rescue."
Kirito nodded in understanding and looked to Klein for support.
"Hey, you know me. I'd accept this quest in a heartbeat." The samurai stated knowingly.
With everything considered, especially Yui's analysis, Kirito reached forward and pressed the accept button. "Whatever it is, I'm sure we can handle it."
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" The kid cheered, tears streaming down his face as he backed away slightly. "The maze we play at is east of town, please bring back my sister! She's the only family I have left."
"Well, since you put it like that…" Kirito started as he stood up, "…let's go." He stated firmly, looking to the east.
Yui made her way into his chest pocket right before he extended his wings and powerfully threw himself into the air, the initial leap sent a surge of air bursting below his feet to push back the sand.
"Dramatic." Sinon stated as she extended her own wings and took flight.
"You have no idea." Asuna commented as she followed the Cait Sith into the air, her flight was quickly followed by Leafa. She fell in line alongside Asuna as they followed Kirito.
Silica, Liz and Klein followed behind the three in front of them, their formation pretty much looking like a cluster with Kirito in the lead.
Yui poked her head out of Kirito's pocket and scanned the world below them. She found a stone structure just 2 kilometers ahead of them, made almost entirely out of chiseled sandstone. It looked like a simple tower, but her scans picked up a vast tunnel system below the base of the stones. It was huge, and spanned out to a little over a kilometer in diameter, all of it completely underground.
"Daddy, there! That's the entrance to the Labyrinth!" The Navigation Pixie called out over the rushing winds.
Kirito didn't miss a beat, he dove down into a speedy dive and streamed his way to the tower's doorway. He glided to a stop this time, in favor of his new passenger in his pocket, and landed on the rough sands just in front of the dark entry way.
6 more pairs of feet landed behind him, each one varying in sound as they touched down.
"Are you sure this is it?" Liz asked, eyeing the small tower in front of them.
"The maze's tunnel system is entirely underground. This is the entrance." Yui reassured.
"I'm pretty sure I've heard stories about the Labyrinth, like an urban myth or something." Silica commented from the back of the group.
Klein patted her shoulder and looked forward toward Kirito, "I'll take the caboose. Nothing's going to sneak up on us, I'll make sure of it." He stated as he rested his hand on the hilt of his Katana.
"Thanks Klein, I guess I'll take the lead then." Kirito suggested.
He then turned and raised his sword. Golden words of magic circled him soon after and aligned into place in front of his body as he spoke, 8 words stacked up in front of Kirito before he finished his spell and activated the magic.
Everyone in the group was illuminated in a flow of illusion magic, after a few seconds the visual effects dissipated and the members of the group were all granted the buff of Night Vision.
"His night vision is surprisingly useful. Too bad he doesn't have any actually attack spells." Leafa commented, moving to stand behind Liz.
"Alright, stick together, no one gets left behind. We all get out of this alive." Kirito informed calmly before turning around and entering the stone structure, completely ignoring his sister's blunt insult.
Sinon followed close behind the swordsman, her position was soon followed by Asuna. Behind her was Silica, she preferred the middle of the group with Asuna. Those two were the ones you wanted to keep safe. Silica being the beast tamer, she could use support magic and also send Pina in to heal the members of the group. That doesn't stop her from using her dual daggers though.
Asuna was the healer of the group. She's the rock that holds everyone together. Without her, the rest of the party would probably perish. However, her own status of the Berserk Healer has become well known throughout ALO. She not only is a master of magic, but her skill with a blade is as sharp as her determination when it comes to combat.
Behind Silica, walked Liz the mace wielder. She was the black smith of the group. If someone needed a weapon tune up or upgrade, she was the one to do it. Her blacksmithing skills were excellent, but her attack abilities could use a little work. Leafa followed behind the mace wielder, her own Katana resting at her hip. She may not seem like it, but she's an excellent fighter thanks to her years of Kendo practice and competitions. Then there was Klein. He walked at the back of the group. His job is to make sure no one gets lost, or worst, gets picked off from behind. He watches the group's back and protects them from harm, as well as warn them if trouble came up.
The coarse wooded stairs creaked and screeched as the line of party members descended into the depths of the Labyrinth. Everything was dark, dry and riddled with dust. It was stuffy and cramped as well. There was no room for them to group up in any formation other than a straight line.
Eventually, Kirito's dark eyes caught sight of a flickering glow toward the bottom of the stairs. It waved in and out of different brightness levels, signifying only one thing.
A torch.
His black boots struck stone as he finally reached the bottom of the winding staircase. The darkness of the tower was replaced with the glowing light of flaming torches along the walls. The tunnel he walked into wasn't as cramped as the staircase, but it still didn't leave room to cluster into a group formation either. Down the corridor, the torches were spread out and lit up the extension of the stone hallway, giving it an endless feel. Numerous openings in the walls appeared on both sides of the tunnel, there was no pattern to them as his gaze finally struck a dead end at the other end of the first corridor.
"Alright, here goes nothing. If anyone hears the lost girl, speak up. We can't afford to have anyone run off and get lost too." Kirito spoke quietly. His lowered tone echoed off the stone walls and carried itself to the end of the tunnel, despite it only being above a whisper.
"Got it. Everyone, stick together. Klein, don't let anything sneak up on us. I get the feeling we're not alone in here, and I'm not talking about the girl." Sinon responded.
"Aye, you can count on me captain." Klein responded from the back of the group.
Sinon drew her bow and let her ears tune in the surroundings. If something moved, she was going to be the first to hear of it. Her action persuaded the rest of the group to draw weapons as well. Kirito drew his Eostryder from his back, followed by Asuna and her Rapier hybrid blade. Silica and Liz drew weapons in synchronizations. The Cait Sith's daggers glimmered in the light of the torches as Liz's small mace and shield only glistened with an orange gleam. Klein's Katana was drawn silently, it's reflective silver steel reflected a fiery glow as he kept his eyes and ears roaming.
"Daddy, I'm not getting any NPC signatures from the tunnel systems. I think the walls are masking my scans somehow." Yui spoke quietly up to Kirito.
"That's fine, we'll find her." He responded confidently and began moving forward.
Yui and Kirito kept track of every turn they made. Every corner they rounded sent them deeper into the maze of stone walls, their echoing footsteps in the silence was the only sound resonating off the walls as the group progressed forward. No enemies have come up yet, which was unsettling to say the least.
If this place was a dungeon, it would've been swarming with mobs. But it was deathly silent. The only living thing that they've noticed was themselves in the never ending tunnels of the maze.
Each member's shadow danced across the wall as they walked, the dark silhouettes moving in rhythm to the torches that lit up the walls. Their subtle flames were a good distraction to watch as everyone's eyes roamed around.
Suddenly, Kirito stopped abruptly in his tracks and caused Sinon to bump into him.
"H-hey, what's-"
Kirito spun on his heel and placed his finger against her lips, silencing her retort and eyeing the group behind them. His suspicions were dead on. He began to sense something wrong, and for a few minutes he thought it was only his nerves playing with him. But no, his ears were accurate when he began to hear only 6 sets of footsteps behind him.
They entered with 7 people.
"Leafa, where's Klein?" He asked carefully, keeping his voice quiet and low.
Leafa's eyes widened and she turned around. Her sharp gasp filled the silent chamber as her eyes stared town an empty corridor.
"H-he…he was right behind me. I-I, I don't know where he went." She whispered, worry lacing her words.
"Do you think he got lost?" Silica asked, wondering if her fears were simply her imagination.
Her words lingered in the air. The only sound was the flickering flames of the torches and the ragged breathing coming from some of the members of the group.
Kirito dropped his hand from Sinon's face, her slight blush invisible in the dim light of the corridors.
"No, I don't think he got lost." Kirito finally spoke up, his gaze turning back in front of him. He scanned the tunnel before him and its branches that winded in a maze like manor.
Yui stayed silent, nothing was making sense. She couldn't pick up anyone's location anymore. It was like they weren't even there in the first place, but they were. Something in the walls was blocking her ability to navigate and sense enemies or allies. "I-I can't pick him up on the map, no one is showing up anymore." Yui whispered hesitantly.
Kirito took a deep breath and began moving forward again, "It'll be impossible to find Klein now. The best thing we can do is move on. Leafa, are you going to be fine back there?" He stated over his shoulder.
…
…
…
His eyes widened as he stopped again and whirled around.
Leafa was gone…
…
…and so were Silica and Liz.
Silence settled on the remaining three as they stared behind them and down the empty corridor.
"I didn't hear a thing." Sinon whispered breathlessly.
Only three of them were left. The cause of the others disappearing was completely unknown, but there was only one thing Kirito concluded from what just happened.
The only thing they can do now.
"RUN!" He yelled, his voice shaking the walls as he stepped to the side. "Sinon, go! Take the lead, I'll watch from the back."
Sinon nodded and took off at full sprint down the tunnel. Asuna ran past Kirito and followed Sinon's lead seamlessly. Lastly, Kirito fell in line behind the two girls and gripped his black longsword tighter. Whatever it is that's dragging his teammates off, he'll stop it.
He won't let this thing beat them.
They charged down the corridors, making hasty turns and winding themselves deeper into the depths of the maze's system. Any hope of backtracking was lost as they sprinted forward.
Their shadows flickered alongside them on the walls, mirroring their movements and running alongside each member.
Wait. Kirito's eyes hardened as he stared forward, watching carefully for anything he could pick up on. Anything at all to pinpoint something, any suspicion, even the smallest movement would be enough.
The shadows, something seems off…..OH SHI- His eyes widened as he noticed Asuna's shadow falter for a moment when mimicking the owner's movements.
"ASUNA!" He called out, but it was too late. The shadow in the center of the group leapt out of the wall and tackled the girl's body. The once flat silhouette took a full shaded form of Asuna. Its dive out of the wall caught Asuna off guard and threw them both tumbling to the side.
"NO!" Kirito yelled as he charged forward, sword drawn. As fast as the shadow appeared, it disappeared instantly after and dragged Asuna into the opposite wall. They both vanished in a pool of blackness before that dissipated moments later.
Sinon skidded to a stop and notched an arrow. Without missing a beat, she released the magic shot and launched it into her shadow in the wall. The flat darkness dispersed to avoid impact and scattered across the stones of the tunnel. Kirito followed up and plunged his blade into his own shadow on the wall, causing it to disperse as well.
"We need to find out where those things are taking our friends." Kirito stated as he moved and stood beside the only other member of the party left.
"What are they? I've never seen anything like them before." Sinon replied, pressing her back against the Spriggan's.
"They look like shadows, but I didn't catch any name when that one took Asuna." Kirito informed, he quickly tapped his pocket for Yui's input but received a quiet whimper.
"I can't pick up on anything in this place. Please, you have to get everyone back and get out of here." Yui's muffled voice could be heard coming from Kirito's chest pocket.
He sighed and cast his glance down the corridor. "Looks like our best asset is out of the game, It's up to us now."
Sinon notched another arrow and nodded her head, "Just like old times, partner."
Kirito smirked and charged a sword skill, his gut-instincts going rampant, "Yeah…let's do this, just like we did back in GGO."
His comment brought a small smile to Sinon's lips as her eyes locked onto a quickly approaching shadow on the wall. "I got one."
"Same here." Kirito replied instantly, eyeing his own shadow rapidly approaching form his direction. "Sinon?" He asked, seriousness filling his voice.
Sinon was a little shocked by the tone and pressed up against his back, letting him know she was listening.
"Listen, if you get taken. I need you to yell my name, as loud as you can. Wherever you are, I'll find you. Just, don't stop yelling until I do." He spoke through a regretful and worried tone.
Bright blue eyes widened for a second before a slight blush dusted Sinon's cheeks, "Y-yeah, of course."
Right as her words left her mouth, a shadow lunged from the wall intent on dragging her to the depths of where it came from. She released a breath and let her arrow fly. The glowing blue projectile pierced through the air and embedded itself in the shadow's shoulder, throwing the monster to the ground from the force.
«Forsaken Shadow»
Kirito read the name floating over the shadow's head as he slashed across its upper body.
"I can't tell what level they are!" He yelled over his shoulder as he kicked away the black beast in front of him. The shadow soon morphed into a shaded version of Kirito's character model and drew a sword.
An exact replica of Kirito's Veldi's Eostryder.
"They can mimic!" Sinon's voice shouted out from behind him.
He grunted in understanding and lunged forward, clashing swords with his shadow self in front of him, "Noticed."
The two swordsmen pushed off of each other and clashed again, sending a flurry of strikes at each other. The clang resounding off the walls rattled the stones and shook the ground, each attack sent vibrations through the tunnel system.
"They can match our fighting styles, how is that possible?" Kirito called out.
Sinon was fighting her own battle against her equal. The shadow in front of herself had a bow in its hand and was releasing arrows at the exact same intervals as Sinon was. The glowing black arrows collided with her blue ones midway between the two, sending their own shockwaves off the walls and ceiling.
"I don't know, but we can't win like this!" She responded, her breathing getting heavier.
Kirito kicked away the shadow version of him and turned around, "Sinon! Switch with me!"
Sinon caught on and leapt backwards, bringing herself out of the way and over to combat Kirito's Forsaken.
The teen slipped past Sinon's flying form and surged forward, plunging his blade deep into the new shadow in front of him. He sighed in relief as the monster shattered into numerous golden polygons and dispersed into the stilled air of the tunnel.
"That was easy." He stated, catching his breath and dismissing the loot message that popped up in front of him. Wait, that was too easy. Fear took a solid hold of his heart as he turned around. Hesitantly, he let his eyes look down the tunnel behind him. That shadow, it was a distraction!
He gazed down the now empty corridor.
Sinon was gone.
Moments earlier, Sinon let Kirito pass her as she turned around to face off with her own opponent. What she didn't expect was it to leap off the wall and collide with her before she could react. The Forsaken Kirito grabbed her in the air and kicked off the stone, throwing both of them deep into the opposite wall.
Everything went black for a few moments as Sinon felt herself phase into the stones. Her body felt weightless for a second, almost as if she was flying. But more like falling through some sort of heavier, more resistant air.
Before she knew it, she was thrown out of the darkness and into a large icy cavern. The ceiling was riddled with crystalized ice spikes and the walls were covered in smooth frozen walls. Every once in a while, there would be a gap of melted ice that revealed the sandstone walls that made up the maze.
"Sinon!" A strained voice called out, barely above a whisper.
Her bright blue eyes snapped to the voice in the center of the room. Leafa was on the ground, health deep in the red and almost completely depleted. She was surrounded by the rest of the party, all missing members accounted for. But every single one of them was in the same state as Leafa was, damaged to the point of near death.
"Ah, there she is. I'm glad you can make it, little Cait Sith." A new voice echoed off the walls.
Sinon looked across, past her group of downed friends and noticed a massive throne of black stone positioned against the opposite wall on a raised platform. Icy stairs lay out over the pathway to reach him.
Sitting on the throne was a large, bulky shadow. The shaded figure took the shape of a king three times the size of a normal ALO avatar, and from the looks of it, a dark power emanated from his body. On his back was a massive black bow shrouded in dark mist, and his red eyes did nothing but send cold shivers down Sinon's spine.
"W-who are you!" She called out, notching a blue tipped arrow onto her bow.
"Oh, where are my manners…" The king stood up and made a wide gesture with his arms, "I am the Taken King! It is a pleasure to meet you. Now, what are you doing trespassing in my kingdom? My Labyrinth?" He asked, his voice bellowing and bouncing off the walls. Three health bars stacked on top of each other right next to his name.
«The Taken King»
You're kingdom? Sinon repeated in her head. She took notice of the pained looks in her friends' eyes and decided to take action. Feeling the tension in her bow as she drew back the arrow, her breath slowed as she focused.
The Taken King smirked at Sinon's action and raised his hands in front of himself. He watched as Sinon released her breath and fired her arrow, sending it hurtling through the air and straight for the king's head.
He didn't even flinch when he snatched the small arrow out of the air and crushed it in his fist.
"Awe, and I was showing you hospitality too. Oh well." He snapped his fingers and a wave of shadowy figures leapt out of the walls around Sinon. Her eyes widened at the threat as she notched another arrow, but something was wrong. Her usually fast and flawless reloading was slower for some reason.
That was when she noticed it.
«Debuff: Shadow's Embrace»
The daunting symbol below her name in the list of party members, her green bar was the only one still full of life. Kirito's name was grayed out for some reason, but she had a pretty good idea as to why.
"So you've noticed. I hope you realize that resistance is futile then, there's no way you can fight back against my squadron of Forsaken." The king's voice sounded out again, causing the shadows around Sinon to hold back their attacks and stay clircling her instead.
He was right. But how did she get this debuff anyway? Was it because of the Forsaken? Was it this place? Whatever it was, she was growing weaker by the second. She can feel it.
"What have you done to my friends?" She hissed out instead of releasing her arrow.
The king hummed in interest as he gestured to the group lying on the ground, "Oh, just simple paralysis. Nothing too major, but I had to make sure they didn't heal up." He explained.
"Listen, if you get taken. I need you to yell my name, as loud as you can. Wherever you are, I'll find you. Just, don't stop yelling until I do." Kirito's voice sounded out in Sinon's head as she remembered what he told her before engaging those Forsaken that ambushed them. She gulped inaudibly and leapt into the air. Golden words flicked around her as her arrow began to glow orange.
The magic arrow surged downward after being released and struck the ground in the middle of the circle of Forsaken shadows. The impact that struck the ground cracked the ice and detonated the effects of the orange arrow. A small fiery explosion shook the walls and threw all of the shadows back, dispersing them around the large room.
Sinon's form landed and she took in a deep breath, "KIRITO!"
Her shrill voice shook the walls and sent some of the icicles above crashing down. A couple of the icy spikes plunged into a few of the Forsaken below, killing them instantly. But there were still too many that were slowly standing back up, and Sinon's strength was slowly leaving her the longer she stood there.
"KIRITO!" She called out again, notching another arrow with the same magic.
She launched the second projectile into the body of the closest enemy, its effects much weaker than her first but still enough to kill the shadow upon impact.
"KIRIT-" Her next call was silenced when a pitch black arrow collided with her shoulder, the projectile's size was huge and its force sent her flying backward and smashing into the wall behind her. The bow in her hand clattered to the ground and slid a small distance away, bringing it out of reach. Her health dropped by a full quarter, instantly bringing her straight into the yellow.
"Tsk, tsk. You shouldn't be making such a ruckus. He can't hear you anyway. Besides, I'm sure my pet is making quick work of him." The Taken King spoke calmly, lowering his black bow and eyeing the embedded girl.
Pet!? Sinon thought as she pushed herself out of the wall. She made a dive for her bow only to be slashed out of the air by a nearby shadow. They were slowly closing in on her now, slowly backing her against the wall and completely surrounding her again. This time, she was completely weaponless.
"Oh, pity. Looks like you can't-" He cut himself off as he flicked his shadowy head to the side, something seemed to catch his attention. "What the hell?!"
His exclamation was muffled by the wall closest to Sinon exploding in a flurry of sandstone and ice shards.
Her side of the room quickly flooded with kicked up dust and dispersed sand. The wall that was originally intact was busted open from the other side. The cloud kicked up from the forceful breach obscuring the details of the person slowly walking into the room.
"Sorry to intrude, but the door was locked." Kirito's voice pierced through the haze as he dug the tip of his gleaming black sword into the ground in front of Sinon.
"Kirito." Sinon gasped, relief spreading over her features as she looked at the swordsman.
"You! How did you find this place?" The king demanded in a dark tone as he notched another solid black arrow.
"A little birdy told me." He responded vaguely.
The Taken King growled, his glowing red eyes flashed a deadly crimson as his form became shrouded by more black mist, "Don't just stand there…KILL HIM!" He yelled, releasing the arrow from his bow's hold.
Kirito tore his blade out of the ice and twirled it in the air, out of the corners of his vision he saw the charge of an onslaught of shadows, all surging forward to tear out his heart. They were all versions of him as well, which only made the situation even more deadly.
His onyx eyes switched back to the dark object flying toward him. He twirled his blade and positioned it behind his head, the black weapon then glowed bright blue as he charged his first sword skill. The smirk on his face widened as he flipped forward and slammed his blade into the black arrow hurtling toward his heart.
The projectile shattered into a burst of darkness and splinters as Kirito's blade sliced through it in an instant.
"H-how?" The king asked as he lowered his bow.
Kirito didn't let up, he landed on his feet and twirled his blade again, slamming the glowing blue weapon into the nearest approaching shadow. He powerfully slammed his sword through its torso before twirling around and dodging the swing of a second Forsaken's blade.
He ducked under the attack and kicked out that enemy's legs, throwing it to the ground for him to plunge his sword into it.
Shadow after shadow came rushing in like a wave of black mist, each one running in and teaming up against the black swordsman.
Faster. Kirito yelled in his head as he took a slash to the side, I need to be faster. Gritting his teeth, he stabbed into the Forsaken Shadow that hurt him only for another to run in and send a deep slash into his shoulder.
It was then that he realized what the shadows were capable of.
His eyes glanced up as he leapt backward, immediately noticing the debuff below his name. This brought a smirk to the king's lips.
"What's wrong, hero? Did you notice something?" He bellowed as he started to laugh. Kirito slashed away at more shadows as the king notched another arrow.
"Kirito! Watch out!" Sinon called out in vein from behind him.
In an instant, the black projectile surged through the air and slipped in between the wave of shadows. The arrow collided with Kirito's chest and dug deep into his body, dealing massive damage.
"Ufgh." Kirito grunted as he let out a pained groan. The black arrow embedded in his chest slowed his movements enough for the surrounding shadows to swarm him again and lower his health down to half.
Sinon pulled herself out of her useless shock and slid over to her bow. She quickly scooped it up and notched an arrow. It's weak but it should at least stall him enough for Kirito to finish off the minions. She reasoned as she sent it hurtling across the room to the king.
The king quickly notched his own arrow and sent it crushing through Sinon's. The larger projectile slammed through the smaller blue arrow and blew through its fragments. The black object flew through the air and straight for the blue haired archer.
Sinon was pulled to the side, barely evading the attack and letting it embed itself into the cracked icy wall behind her.
Ice shards struck her back as she was pulled by Kirito and position behind him again to protect her.
"Sinon! You okay?" Kirito called out as he drove his blade deep into the gut of a Shadow Jumper standing in his way. His body was riddle with glowing orange slashes.
"Y-yeah!" She responded, pushing herself to stand on her own.
Kirito nodded and made a wide sweep with his blade, pushing back the Forsaken Shadows in front of himself to give him some breathing room. But the action went unforgiven.
The sound of a large arrow flying through the air whistled off the walls as it pierced through the shadows in front of him and shot straight for his chest.
Crap! If this hits me, I lose the last of my HP! Kirito exclaimed in his head as he threw himself backward. His blade was slow, his footsteps sloppy, the Shadow's Embrace was taking its effect on his avatar. Not only did it weaken his attacks, but it slowed his movements too. The worst part was, he couldn't do anything to stop this arrow from piercing his heart!
His grip tightened on his blade uselessly as he awaited the inevitable.
His surroundings grew quite as the sound of an arrow plunging into flesh filled the room, the sudden noise echoing off the walls was followed by a stilled silence.
Kirito's HP didn't drop.
His dark eyes focused on the powdery blue hair that shook in front of him. Sinon's arms were extended and her breathing was ragged. Kirito watched as the girl in front of him, the one that took the arrow for him, collapsed to her knees with a muffled thud. She slowly turned her head to look at him out of the corner of her vision.
His heart throbbed in his chest as he saw Sinon give him a small smile, and mouthed the words "Finish this…"
…before collapsing to the floor in front of him, HP dipped down into the red before stopping just shy of disappearing entirely. It was barely noticeable but that meant she had just enough health to survive, however her body stayed motionless on the floor after falling.
Kirito froze on the spot, his breathing uneven, his eyes refusing to look away from the girl on the floor.
A dark chuckle shook the walls as the Taken King notched another arrow, "The funny thing about that Shadow's Embrace debuff I crafted, is that when you're health gets low enough, you become paralyzed. And it becomes much harder to speak." He laughed as he took aim at the still standing teen across the room.
Kirito's bangs shaded his eyes, hiding them from view. His face held an emotionless stare that never left the floor in front of him. His grip on his sword loose, the handle threatening to fall from his grasp at any second.
The King's Forsaken Shadows slowly surrounded him, silently banishing the teen to the depth of certain defeat as they completely circled around him. All of them had their swords drawn, simply waiting for the King's order to end their target.
"Looks like you've finally given up. You're friends have been weakened to the point of uselessness. You're strength has been sliced in half, and you're outnumbered 20 to 1. You're drive to fight has dwindled into the single digits, and there's nothing left that can keep you on your feet. Half a bar of HP will NOT be enough to stop me! So let's end this, stop struggling and accept defeat!" The king bellowed, ready to release the final arrow to end Kirito's life.
Kirito's fingers slowly closed around the handle of his black longsword.
"Thank you…Sinon." He whispered out as he cast his gaze further downward. His eyes still shrouded in the darkness of his bangs as his face grew darker.
"You think you've got me all figured out? That I'm too weak to fight back, even now against impossible odds?" Kirito spoke coldly, his body still sliced up but unmoving. The shadows around him began to stir, inching away from the dark aura that emanated from the menacing Spriggan.
A smirk slowly grew on his lips as he extended his free hand, absently pulling up his menu as he laced his words with ice, "You're not even close. You're too naïve to know how much power one person can hold when they have something to protect…someone to protect." He breathed out, it was ragged and cold. "I'll kill you before you lay another hand on my friends." His black eyes cast upward as he glared at the shadowy King up on his throne. "I will stop at nothing until each and every one of you is nothing more than a memory!"
The swordsman took a breath to steady himself and gazed back down at his menu, "But I've got good news." He continued, his glare somehow became darker as his voice was filled to the brim with overflowing hatred, "You see! There's no need to wonder where you're god is…" His grip tightened on his Eostryder as his other hand danced slowly across his menu.
"…because he's right here!" His finger pressed a button on a certain object in his inventory, "And he's fresh out of mercy." He hissed out, eyes going deathly cold as a golden sword digitalized across his back.
The Taken King growled at the teen's arrogance and let loose his black arrow. "FINISH HIM!"
Once hesitant Forsaken Shadows snapped to their king's order and barred down on Kirito in an instant, making sure to keep him busy so that the arrow could fly in and kill the dark Spriggan.
A toothy grin spread across the King's lips as he watched his arrow approach its target. In the background, his wave of minions were already moving in and piling on top of Kirito's body. His entire form was drowned in darkness as shadow after shadow leapt on top of him, all holding him down for the arrow to pierce through and finish him off.
"Do it now, Daddy!" A light voice pierced the air from within the pile of shadows.
A glowing white light pierced through the cracks of darkness, quickly growing brighter and surging its glow up to blinding levels. The shadows piled on top of Kirito began to still, all of them coming to a stop as they sat atop Kirito's downed form.
Right as the arrow flew within a meter of the pile, the mass of shadows exploded outward in a storm of blinding white light. The explosion shattered the first layer of shadows into golden polygons, and sent the outer layers flying through the air.
Black boots pressed down into the ice and caused a web of cracks to span outward from where Kirito crouched. His golden Excalibur was bathed in a pure white light as he held it at his side, his black blade pointed down and at his other side.
"Holy…Execution!" Kirito yelled out as he streaked forward in a blur of black and white. The initial step caused the ice beneath his feet to shatter as he took off. The blinding white light streaked behind his blade as he drove it through the arrow hurtling toward his chest.
His speed maintained its momentum as he flipped through the air and slammed his boots back down onto the ground.
"Stop him!" The shadow King commanded, rallying the remaining Forsaken Shadows in the room to step into Kirito's path and slay him.
That was a mistake.
Kirito's glowing white blade streaked around his sprinting form as he twirled the legendary weapon through the air. He leaped off the ground and drove his blade through the first few shadows before they could even ready any attacks.
He surged past their shattering forms and slammed his blades into the next set of shadows. These ones had time to group up and set up a blockade of blades. All of them had their weapons extended into a blocking move as they crossed blades and prepared to stop the raging swordsman.
Kirito's Excalibur paired with his Eostryder broke through their block with enough force to rattle the walls from the resounding clang. The shadowy swords shattered into fragmented shards as the Spriggan surged forward, driving his two blades through the last shadows before leaping up and diving for the king.
The Taken King stepped back in mild shock, watching as one fairy decimated his entire militia of armed shadow warriors. He quickly threw his bow to the side and drew a massive shadowy longsword to block the blow. The force of Kirito's attack sent the massive King skidding backward until his heels slammed against the foot of his throne.
Excalibur surged with light as Kirito used the King's block to grind his swords down the length of the large shadowy blade. The King saw this and drew his blade back, quickly sweeping it through the air and slamming it into the diving teen.
The attack sent Kirito hurtling through the air and back down the stairs. He was able to block the majority of the damage, but he still sustained some injury from the powerful swing. Kirito let his boots dig into the hardened ice as he skidded to a stop a few meters from the royal stairs.
"I'll admit you're stronger than you look." The Taken King complimented as he leapt into the air and slammed his blade down toward Kirito.
Kirito side stepped the attack and slashed away the chunks of ice that blew upward from the impact, "You're not so bad yourself, for a boss." He shot back as he charged forward and carved his blades down the King's back.
The boss grunted in pain before prying his blade out of the ground and spinning on the spot, quickly sending it into his falling attacker.
Kirito barely had enough time to dodge the attack, he was only able to spin in the air enough for the blade to only slash through his side.
Damn it. If this keeps up, the paralysis will kick in once I drop into the red. And my Holy Execution sword skill ran out too. Kirito grunted as he tumbled through the air and slammed into the base of the throne's stairs.
A pained gasp ripped out of his throat as ice fragments shattered around him.
His HP was now hanging on by a thread just above the transition into the red zone.
No time for an HP potion. He realized as the King charged forward again, dragging his large blade against the ice and scraping the ground as he ran.
No….Kirito gripped his longswords and dug them into the ground. He used the leverage to pry him out of his icy embrace and stumble to his feet. I won't let this boss beat me!
He pulled his blades from the ground right as the King reared back his own sword to bring it down on him. Kirito tensed his muscles as he swung both blades through the air, the black blade glowing blue from a quickly charged sword skill.
A small explosion of light quickly engulfed where the three blades collided above Kirito. He used his strength to bat aside the King's attack and send it straight into the ice just to the right of him.
Slowly flying chunks of ice flew past Kirito's face as he moved to make a lunge for the boss. The Spriggan used the opening and leapt forward, slashing both blades horizontally across the king's chest.
It's now or never! He didn't let up.
Kirito charged sword skill after sword skill, again and again straight into the King's front, alternating between longswords as he ruthlessly attacked the boss in front of him. His relentless barrage of sword skills burned through his SP bar, but he didn't notice. The Taken King's health was down to its last remaining sliver of red.
The teen made another swing, driving his right blade forward only for the King to catch it in one of his shadowy hands with a pained smirk. The boss drew back and drove his own blade forward, stabbing toward Kirito's body.
Too slow! "HAAAAAAAH!" Kirito screamed as he plunged his other blade forward, sending his golden Excalibur straight into the King's gut with a final yell of exertion.
Both of the combatants froze, each one hunched forward into the other as they both had their blades extended.
Kirito's final attack diminished the last of The Taken King's health, the empty bar soon vanishing entirely.
"Finally….a worthy…hero." The King gasped out between breaths before his entire shadowy form exploded in an expanding flurry of golden polygons.
Kirito stepped backward as he looked up, his arms falling lazily at his sides to let his swords clatter to the icy ground.
«Congratulations!»
The large message floated just above the throne as victory music filled the silent room. His gaze fell from the words of victory and looked over toward his friends on the ground, each one of them staring at him in varying degrees of happiness and relief.
He looked down at the loot overview and was glad to see the large rewards he received, along with a few extra drops as well.
Before he could move to heal his friends, a message popped up in front of his tired form and nearly knocked him over.
«Bonus Drop»
Bow: Bane of Shadows
«Arrows fly twice as fast and deal 30% more damage at night»
A silent groan rumbled in his throat as he confirmed the rare item. I guess it's only fair that I repay my savior.
Beta: demonic1556
Editor: Allix Stowe
Okay, to be completely honest with you, I had no idea this chapter was going to be so long. But hey, at least there was a cool boss fight at the end. There is this one thing that has yet to be resolved though, just where is the lost sister? They'll probably find her in the next chapter. She's probably 'playing' with a certain pet or something. Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This story is extremely fun to write, and it's doing pretty well too, so I can't wait to bring you more plot. REVIEW, please let me know how I'm doing and what you think. It helps more than you think it does. Leave a Favorite and Follow the story, there's more intensity to be had in the coming storm.
Also, Thank You to demonic1556 for suggesting a Labyrinth oriented quest.
And for those of you who recognized the quote, this is probably one of my top favorites of all time: "I've got good news. You see, there's no need to wonder where you're god is. Because he's right here…and he's fresh out of mercy." - Kirito from SWEabridged's SAO Abridged
Cya XD