Chapter 28: It's Time to Juggle.
Kirito's P.O.V
It took Kushimu about 2 days to make me fully understand this 'Juggling' that he keeps telling me about and now I know how to bring out more of Equalizer's potential… I did have some doubts about arriving to this unexplored floor but judging by that Kushimu who was staring blankly at the sky, it seems we aren't alone in this floor.
"What's the matter, Kushimu?" I wiped off a trail of sweat as I sheathed Equalizer and equipped my original dual blades. I haven't unsheathed them for a few days now so I think I should use them against the NPC opponents that will be coming right at us for now. "You've been spacing out for 5 minutes now."
"…It's nothing that concerns you, The Black Swordsman… it is simply a feeling of déjà vu for me… It feels like I have been here before…" He murmured as he went to me, shaking his head to loosen up from what he calls 'déjà vu'. "Kirito, if I may call you that name, I have been a game program and I never knew it until you did… I can't say how surprised I am but let me tell you… there are other players here…"
(Other players already?! Judging by the complication in going here, I thought that it would take just a bit longer for the others to go through… Going here was already a challenge… I barely reached that shining light but now how do I get back anyway?)
"I've also been pondering this question in my mind for a while now so let me ask you something about the Floor of Exile…" I began to question Kushimu about something, making him look at me. "When we're both done here, how will we be able to get back to Aincrad then? I know how to go here but I don't know how to get out."
He turned to me and gave a sadistic smile as he chuckled slightly… He has gone weird ever since this 'déjà vu' thing of his started… Before those stuff he said happened, he was completely composed and he seemed to have good qualities of leadership… now he's gone insane from these 'voices' that he keeps telling me… He says that those voices make the result of what he does. I didn't know what he meant but it was not meant to give assurance…
His qualities haven't changed yet though. He was still following me and guiding me through the Floor of Exile and giving me the proper date of the different monsters and opponents that can be encountered in this mysterious and unexplored floor.
"The only way is quite simple for an amazing player like you… All you have to do is defeat the boss that is protecting the door of the 'excommunicated'… Yanaihara Koyero should be in there but the problem of how to go there is still in place…" He hanged his dangerous spear on his back and it shrank slightly, with the blades hiding inside. "I hope he thought of spreading clues so that we may be able to find his location ever so quicker…"
Kushimu had that serious gaze after he spoke about Koyero again. I don't know what makes him act like this but whenever I just talk about Koyero, he gives off an insane aura around himself but his sanity is still intact as we transverse this floor. We finally arrived at some sort of town which connects the safe zone and the area where the opponents just keeps getting tougher whenever you hit them… (Maybe that's why Kayaba decided not to make this floor part of the original floor list)
"Oi Kirito, from here on out, we will be against monsters and opponents that you have never experienced battling in your Aincrad floors so when we go, we cannot turn back… Are you sure you would want to continue in exploring this floor? Your goal is of course nobel but that wouldn't matter if you get defeated by one of these weaker monsters that appear right in front of us." Kushimu warned me as we went through the Town of Exile… (Actually there weren't any NPCs here…)
"I'm never turning back from a fight so let's just approach these opponents… you told me that they cannot be passed through even by devious means and you must best them in battle…" I unsheathed my dual blades and he nodded. "I'll take that right one, you take the left."
"Are you implying that I take orders from you? I take on whoever I like and only Husharu-sama has the right to command me… even if the person ordering me is a high rank such as yourself…" He began his conflict with the humanoid creature as I looked left. "What are you waiting for? I cannot beat them both myself… defeat the one on the left."
I sighed at his request since he battled the complete opposite of what I asked him… Either way, I decided to let this slide and I headed to my opponent with my dual blades gripped firmly with my hands. My opponent was also a humanoid creature with horns and some sort of gauntlets that looks like it could pack a punch. He also looked quite glitch on the right gauntlet… just like the one battling Kushimu… It's the glitch monsters…
(Why should I panic? I am highly confident in my abilities and for what I have trained in. Kushimu has thought me well in the sub-skill, Juggling and is perfect for my dual-wielding and multi-wielding. I will show him now the fruits of my learning…)
That glitch monster decided to do the first attack but I quickly parried with my Elucidator and threw my Dark Repulser high to the air. (If I don't manage to catch it… Lisbeth's going to kill me!)
"Star…" I equipped Equalizer to my unused hand and hit the monster with it and continuously multiplied it due to its unique capabilities and threw the remainder of blades to the sky and I breathed heavily. "Starburst Stream! The Infinite!"
30 blades were falling from the sky due to me throwing all of them like that but I now know what I must do… My opponent was close to me and so I started this combo which was taught by Kushimu somewhat and I started. I parried another hit and threw that blade up, catching a third blade and stabbing my opponents arm slightly as I got quicker every time I repeated... 30 blades soon became 50 as I felt myself getting faster and faster with each hit…
(Is this what Kushimu told me about? The power to fight with the speed of the wind? He says that I could become even faster once I fully master it but I could see myself as fast enough just by seeing how fast my opponent's HP was dropping dangerously fast… until his HP stopped decreasing at late yellow… What just happened?)
"Kirito! Don't forget that everyone has a limit on Juggling… Ugh…" He got hit and he slammed on to a tree as he barely stood up. "You have reached yours so stop it before all those blades fall!"
I understood and made Equalizer back to a single blade and I placed it back to my inventory and then I caught my Dark Repulser… I was now using dual-wielding with my two original blades. I backed away cautiously as I took a look at my opponent and attempted to analyze how it attacks but once I started, he did a slash that was very far from me and I actually got hit by a pierce on my leg which made me fall down but recover quickly.
My defenses are quite low due to me wearing light armor for my speed in battle so I always try to avoid getting hit by dodging or parrying but when I get hit by a high level opponent like this, my HP drops quite faster than some players…
"I know this a glitch monster but how did it hit me like that?!" I twitched from slight pain as Kushimu managed to push his opponent back and we were now back-to-back.
"Glitch monsters can make the impossible to possible due to their ability to break through the science of Physics in games… they can make things hit and makes things miss depending on their level of being glitchy… They are a force to be reckoned with…" We both leaped high when the monsters charged, causing them to tackle each other unintentionally. "The main abilities of this pair are that they could make their attack and defenses higher with each hit from their opponent and break the boundary of hits and misses so stay wary… I may be a game program but I can still die like all of you."
"Well we might as well join up to defeat them then. We cannot beat them individually but what if we battle them both together then? I guess I could trust you in this anyway. You taught me about how to further enhance my combos and so I must thank you for that." I had trust in him and that isn't about to change. "With a bit of effort, I know that we could defeat them."
"Sure… I'll team up and listen to you for once, Black Swordsman… Count yourself lucky that these monsters are beginning to piss… me… off…" He nodded and leaped after the confused pair since they bumped to each other recently. "Shimukuri!" He spun his spear and sliced both of their arms off and drilled to one of their sides.
"The Eclipse!" I did one of my classical combo moves on the same opponent that Kushimu was facing and I managed to hit the enemy enough to make him airborne, rendering unable to counter. "Morning Star!" I hacked-and-slashed my opponents who were within a 15 meter radius (Yes, I improved it thanks to him as well).
That opponent dropped from the sky and dissolved into particles since it was now defeated but the other one was still alive and it seemed angry that we defeated its comrade. He grabbed hold of Elucidator out of nowhere which made me flinch but before he could break Elucidator with its great strength, Kushimu stabbed its head and drilled it with his spear, causing it to disappear as well. (That was kind of too brutal… even for just a game.)
"Are you ok, partner?" He sheathed his spear and helped me up which made me quite confused since he was fully sadistic a while back. "I do wish that you're ok from that fight since there's more where that came from… this floor has gone unstable ever since a number of people came in simultaneously… Finding Yanaihara Koyero is one thing but having a conflict with another party is another…"
"I'm fine. Anyway, they dropped a treasure chest. Do you think opening it is a good idea, Kushimu?" I took a look at it and it showed no signs of a trap but it just might be a trap… Before I could think any more, Kushimu took it from my hands and opened it with not a single sign of hesitation…
The chest didn't reveal anything useful for battle but we found a piece of string (Why a piece of string?), a book and a stain of blood on a note… Could this be from Koyero before he left us? Or is it some kind of mind tricks that's goal is to lead us to the wrong direction? I recognized that it was Koyero's writing once I read the blood-stained note so there was no question that this was no trap… That piece of string shows his love for his addiction to yarn (Since he wants to be some sort of neko when possible and play with all the yarn he wants).
I read the note with Kushimu and we were surprise to see that it was from Koyero… This is what was stated in it:
[Anyone who reads this,]
[Please help me out of this nightmare that has engulfed my mind… I cannot take it any longer… The] [lifeless area of where I reside is a lonely area where emptiness will eventually swallow you up… [anyone… please save me… I still want to go back to my… Silica-chan… Silica-chan… please for—]
The blood stains cover the rest of the note but I could tell just by looking at it that my friend was in trouble and that I must save him and hasten my pace in finding him… These blood stains seemed fresh somehow… but the note looked old and so was the book… The book wouldn't open and so we decided to keep it for the time being… Kushimu and I headed to some sort of mountain so that we could get a view to see where the area where Koyero is captive in.
I don't know why but that book that we got from the chest seems to have lots of emotion in it… even now, I can feel it even through my inventory… What could be inside that book? Is it some sort of incantation or a poem? I actually don't want to know… It's seemingly sealed for a reason and I don't want to know the reason for this.
Silica's P.O.V
All I remember is that I got captured by someone who seems to be a subordinate of that Husharu guy who wanted more allies but gets it through persuading instead of force… which I can respect but still… I know that have caused disappearances of many players throughout many occasions so I can't just forgive them so fast, can't I? The next person I saw was a person with raven hair and red eyes and I'm guessing that he's Husharu, the leader of this guild which causes disappearances…
"Beast Tamer Silica…" He knelt near me to get a better look at me. "Do not be wary for you are not a prisoner but a guest…" He snapped his fingers and suddenly the chains restraining me, released me from its grip of steel.
I was planning on leaving this base of whatever guild they are but if I did then I may never get Pina back and I wouldn't want my Pina to be left behind… We've been through a lot together and she even got revived with help from Kirito-san so I must never abandon her… She has many memories of my adventures and travels with my friends… so I must never leave her just for my sake since Pina has my memories of being with all those important people like Kirito-san and Koyero…
"A guest? What made you want me to be here anyway, leader of the guild of disappearances?" I raised an eyebrow as he sat beside me and his calm cool and collected face smiled. "That still does not explain anything so now please tell me why you decided to abduct me?"
"Silica… I may not look like it but…" He grabbed my hands and gave a fake smile. "As a leader, I want you as my ally, no more no less… I want you and I need you… I'll be rescuing your boyfriend so at least agree when I say that…"
His words of saving Koyero made me feel quite elated and in disbelief but those words about me being wanted and needed made me feel awkward and quite creeped out… What are his true intentions with me anyway? I know that those weren't his true intentions… unless they really are true… I'd feel extremely scared by now…
"Eww… What do you mean by that second thing that you have just said? I understand the first one but the second one you have just said makes me feel very uneasy…" I shivered a bit by his words but he suddenly became on top of me which made me squeak out of surprise. "W-What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"… Getting your measurements… so that I could give you the Phantom guild's uniform with your size… That is all." He seems to be blushing secretly but he was concealing it and bottling it in… not bad I admit. "It is needed for every member and even temporary members to wear a dark shade of blue or black coat whenever they go on a mission or an errand… For now, you shall be an exception and wear this red coat…" He pulled out a red coat out of nowhere and gave it me.
I caught the coat that he threw at me and it really was just right to my size… He is… a pervert… Left without a choice, I wore the coat to signify that I swore allegiance to their mysterious guild (For now). The action I had done, made Husharu smile in delight as he sat on a chair and placing his face on the table. His eyes were focused towards me as he gave a small sly smile. His long sword was sheathed and he drank something as his eyes were still fixated on me.
"Anyway, some people that you may know have already joined our little expedition which is venturing through the Floor of Exile… My right hand, Kushimu is with Kirito right now and currently it seems that they are beginning to find out more of this mysterious floor… once we get enough data on the floor, exploring it will be no harder than breathing." He informed me as he had his feet on the table, showing his laidback persona.
"Yep… and you're just sitting there, being with me and doing nothing of the sort…" I finished, sighing (Seriously, why is he like this in the middle of some sort of crisis? He is either very dependent on his allies or he's the type of person to wait for the right moment). "How do we get Koyero back then? If you manage to give an acceptable answer, then I just might heed to your request of joining temporarily…"
"Oh… I see you still don't have sufficient trust for me just yet, Silica. Well then…" He shook his head with his hand and gave a deep sigh then looked at me with one eye closed. "Rescuing Koyero may be a bit time-consuming but believe me that it will actually be quite easy… Once everyone's ready, we'll be heading there using our special clear crystals… We'll be able to save him soon but it would be faster if you accept our offer to join the Phantom Guild just for this battle…"
His offer still sounded blunt but I could decipher that he was right on one thing though… If I did join up with this plan then I just might help him like how he helped me… Koyero saved me once already so now it's my turn to return the favor. (To be honest, I do not trust this guy… He looks too nice… He says that he wants to save Koyero but is there some hidden meaning in his reasons of wanting to save him? What does Koyero have that might want some guild leader to rescue him?)
"…Fine… I'll be joining your guild just for this expedition since I really want to save him as well… Kirito-san has never abandoned someone and I'm planning to be the same!" I finally agreed to his offer which made him nod in gladness.
"Ok then. Your teammates for this assignment are already outside, wearing their respective cloaks so I'd like you to plan something out with them and then you may leave for the Floor of Exile… They are your friends so I expect some sort of cooperation." He told me as he used his clear crystal and disappeared from my sight.
I left the guild building, only noticing from outside that their location was actually Floor 76, the floor where we fought that Fallen Angel Boss previously… that seems like a long time now though. Anyway, I was already outside, in a forest and I met my current comrades. They were all wearing their cloaks and they also had their hoodies covering their faces so I had no idea who they were exactly until they all simultaneously showed their faces, surprising me through their true identities.
Extra Scene: Cooking Trouble
Author's Note: This story is currently happening in an AU and it has nothing to do with the story going on at the moment. This takes place in Alfheim Online.
Koyero's P.O.V
"Ohayo, my peeps! I'll be taking my leave for the time being~ I have a cooking contest to attend to so wish me luck!" I waved farewell to my fellow Cait Siths but they were waving nervously as I went away which made me questioned. (Why do they all look worried? I'm a good cook and I can tell you that!)
I was supposed to arrive at the seaside which was bound east and so I used my wings and began flying. (I believe I can fly!) I soared above the land below me and made my way to the area where the contest is going to be. Ironically, Even if I'm a cat person, I'm not really afraid of heights or anything and so I have no problem flying and doing some evasive actions.
I arrived at the area where the contest should be taking place and I stretched my back and sighed… Hello world! It seems the judges were: Asuna (Maybe because she'll surely win if she joins), Kirito (I don't know why) and Sinon (Wow… wasn't expecting her to be one of them…)
"It seems you're finally here, Koyero-san… I do hope that you're ready though." Figo showed up in his Spriggan attire and looked at me intently. "I also wish that you wouldn't make a beast eat everyone's cooking again like last time in Alfheim Thanksgiving… Please behave yourself at least in this cooking contest…"
"Ahh~ Figo-san! I'll be alright, okies? I'm completely confident in my cooking skills, you know! I am Yanaihara Koyero! Cooking Expert!" I saluted and smirked. "I'll be making the Koyero special. Koyero's signature, Udon! I shall also add my special and secret ingredients~"
"I have a bad feeling about this… Anyway I'll be making my signature Salisbury Steak then. When it comes to steaks, I'm pretty adept in them." He somewhat bragged as the wind brushed on his raven black hair.
Our conversation was cut short as soon as the judges made everyone go to their positions (Which was a private room for each person so that they could focus on their cooking and not be distracted by other people). I shall show them my genius in my cooking! I have gotten all my special and secret ingredients and so I can finally make my signature Udon noodles with some extra taste~ I hope Asuna-san, Kirito-san and Sinon-san will all like it~ I'm making it special for them.
My lowest skill is beast taming even if I'm a Cait Sith. I just take advantage of its agility and sense of smell so that I could easily find any needed ingredients for cooking. Weirdly, whenever I try to tame something, I always make them turn hostile and berserk… I even need my Silica-chan to give me lectures on how to help me tame the various monsters… Cait Sith does help me become more agile in fighting and in gathering materials but I still can't control tamed beasts very well no matter how many times I try…
My cooking was almost complete and so I was getting quite excited over showing them my masterpiece noodles~ Kirito-san would be so proud of me! I do hope that they would like it though… It took me 10 minutes to prepare everything, 5 minutes to add the presentation and 15 minutes to make 1 bowl of Udon for each of them. I made Kirito and Sinon eat my Udon while we were still trapped in Sword Art Online and they said that it was good which means that my special noodles will be even better! At that time, I didn't have all the ingredients but now I shall show them the fruits of my work!
My Udon looked like all those classical ways of making noodles for some sort of occasion. Of course, I placed chopsticks on top of the bowls so that they could get it easily. I am proud of my work, it took me 2 hours to find mushrooms but now I have done it! There was also a piece of tender meat (It was from a boar). Some rare spice I found somewhere near the Spriggan territory was also sprinkled on the noodles. I made sure that my cooking was presentable but I didn't have time to taste it since the time was up! I carefully carried the three bowls and placed it on the judging table at the same time with… Havuki?
(I never knew that Havuki knew how to cook! All I know is that he was a former guild leader of a mercenary guild and that his best friend is Vukso… Now that I think about it, Vukso doesn't really sound like a Japanese name to me… Maybe he's half Japanese blood but what is his other half then?)
All of the competitors' cooking including mine was now on the judging table as I stayed there watching nervously. Some races wanted to do some sort of contest and due to a decision, it was a cooking contest. I'm representing Cait Sith since Silica, Sinon and Wukure didn't want to join a contest and so I did instead. I will not let our race leader, Alicia Rue down!
My fellow competitors were: Quorora who is the leader of the Pooka race and also the one representing it here, Figo who is part of the Spriggan race and the one representing it, Havuki who is the one representing the Salamander race, and finally Deira who is the one representing the Leprechaun race (I never knew that she knew how to cook).
"Nuts… my opponent is Quorora?!" Figo shuddered as he twitched a bit and muttered something which I heard. "I'm screwed…"
"Ahh… Deira-san, I never knew that you could cook! You should cook for me sometime." I smiled which made her just give a blank look at me.
"There is no way that I would cook for someone that hasn't mastered the specialty of his/her own race like you… plus, remember what you did in Alfheim Thanksgiving?" She rejected my idea almost immediately before I could even react.
"That's low Deira-san… Why can't all of you get over it?" I wrinkled my nose as I sighed.
"… I got over it… but Vukso-san didn't…" Havuki muttered softly which made me jump back, surprised.
"Wow! You can speak! You never really talked to me all that much at all. I'm so happy that you finally did, nya!" I purred softly to myself due to my characteristics of a neko.
"Vukso-san would love to hear that sound…" Havuki chuckled slightly as he stared at me. "Too bad the one that purred wasn't a girl neko like Silica-san or Sinon-san…"
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing…"
The judging was going to commence in a while so I felt very excited. The problem was that I also felt nervous on what they thought of my cooking. The one that would criticize the cooking most would be probably Sinon-san but I do wonder why Takanii-chan seems to have a weakness towards women… He was always with Sinon-san in Sword Art Online and even now. He's like a cute little loyal dog who would never abandon his master. Anyway… here comes the criticism and judging…
End of Extra Scene
End of Chapter 28
Next Chapter: Mysterious Happenings.
Next Extra Scene: Cooking Trouble Part 2