Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online
Author's Note: Vote for your choice here: u/4595576/animeshipper000#
There is a poll in my profile and I hope you would find time to vote. Arigato minna for all the reads so far! I hope that my work is making you all enjoy. Rewriting of early chapters will happen often so stay tuned.
Kirito's P.O.V
It took a load of effort just to go to this mountaintop due to the numerous encounters with those monsters and plus that traversing through the vast fields really did a number on me… I now stood high with Kushimu and had a bird's view of the Floor of Exile.
My arm felt sore from all those fights with glitch monsters and from halting Kushimu from getting tricked into pursuit so that he could finish of the monsters that keep taunting him but that taunt was obviously some kind of trap…
The NPC monsters here seem to be more intelligent than normal (To be exact, they have a higher strategic approach than most monsters that is usually found in the normal Aincrad floors). They seem to be adept in countering the parries that I give…
This bird's view of the vast Floor of Exile revealed different areas (Which may hinder with our search later on). There was some sort of hybrid area to the east with molten lava and a field of ice resonating in sync with each other (I thought that the field of ice should melt by now) although there was no gate near it but we saw players heading there but who are they and how did they get here? Pale sunshine soon took over but the other side seems so bright but this side's getting darker…
"We're almost at the Door of the Excommunicated… Yanaihara Koyero should be somewhere in there but I also foresee something irreversible will happen once we clash our weapons with the boss…" Kushimu had his eyes closed as he spoke to me softly, causing me to feel uncomfortable… "I heard from the others that you have experienced a sad twisted fate…I do hope that you wouldn't face any more traumatic experiences… you've had enough.
"An irreversible event?" I raised an eyebrow as we continued looking around from the mountaintop, in search for those doors Kushimu was talking about… He says that I should look for something like a glowing cave since it may be the area it is residing in. "I do remember that last time, someone like Husharu was in one of them, wearing some kind of indigo fabric around him… Did he appear before I knew him?"
"… Portion of my reprogramming forbids me from muttering a word of anything that might say something about my master, Husharu… Your question cannot be answered by me…" Kushimu's expression was a complete poker-face as he pulled off something from some pouch hanging on his belt and showed some kind of light in front of me. "The light I have in my hands can reveal an image from the past… Every game program had this so that they could fix errors and glitches but now I shall use it for clues…"
My eyes gave off a small sign of hope once I heard his sudden preposition… An item that could dig deep into a player's memories was being currently shown to me in a form of a bright light… I don't know why but he seemed to have gathered up a sadistic smirk as he used it to see what happened to Koyero. I looked at the light with Kushimu as we saw some scene happening in the light… The exact moment after Tadaiku slashing him was now replaying!
[The Image]
I can't even believe what I was just watching… It really was a replay of that event… I saw Tadaiku's blade glow a dim light before digging in to Koyero but after that, Koyero disappeared in a pale light…
The next scene I saw was now Koyero falling from the sky and hitting a tree which was this close to incapacitating him… He was fainted on the grass below him but some shadowy figure was dragging him… with a sacrificial staff being held by his free hand… The kidnapper who was about to take Koyero captive was some sort of hybrid between human and a demon… (Why does this look familiar from somewhere?) The figure seemed to be about 10 feet high.
I'm not sure if my ability of sight was deceiving me but after that, I noticed a red light censoring what was happening and the next scene that was unfolding on the image was a player running around (which was probably Koyero) and avoiding contact with the monster that captured him… His arm was already severed and his breathing speed seemed to be slowing down. His usual brown hair seems to have become pale brown and seems to have been forced to be dyed red on some parts.
His face seemed like he undergone an extremely traumatic encounter with that monster… I felt pity for him as soon as I saw his legs giving up on him. He fell down on the unforgiving concrete floor numerous times already as his HP bar diminished from every drop… I don't even know why Tadaiku thinks that this place will save him from pain… All it is doing is just endangering him from death and future termination from these overpowered monsters… even Koyero can't beat it.
Could it be that someone changed this once peaceful floor into a living hell?!
Koyero was just inches away from the exit with tears of pain and loneliness rolling down his cheeks. His eyes were already red from weeping that it looked like he couldn't see anymore. His KoB (Knights of Blood) armor was already torn up from neck to waist and the only armor remaining was his thin layer of stainless steel under his clothes… The KoB uniform already had rips and scratches which came from his adversary as he kept crawling nearer to his last hope of escape…
The image was then covered by another red light which faded away after a few seconds. The third and final image was Koyero chained up near a door (Which is most likely the Door of the Excommunicated) while looking lifeless like he was already dead but he can't be dead… (Since dying will turn you into digital particles and make you disappear forever)
I tried to reach out to Koyero in the light but once I touched it, the light shrunk and returned to Kushimu who had a grim expression written on his face.
"Yanaihara Koyero… did well…" His words made it sound like we couldn't save him from that harsh torture. "We may not be able to rescue him with normal means… I don't like the idea of this but we need to find another game program like myself or… we may need a hacker…"
Husharu's P.O.V
I know exactly where Yanaihara Koyero is… after all…we are one… I appointed Nizuko and Yushika to assist the Knights of Blood guild in their boss battle which is in Floor 83… I heard that the new leader is a player named Asuna but I prefer calling her, 'The Flash' though.
I was solely all by myself in this deathtrap known as the Floor of Exile but I know this place better than anybody now… If you take one wrong course of action, it will catch you and bring you to the Door of the Excommunicated for a reason that even I still don't know the reason of. I had some doubts but I managed to take a look at my chronometer which just made me more anxious… an hour has passed ever since I separated with those two dense lovebirds… My role is almost complete…
Soon… the hybrid shall commence…
The boundaries that limit us shall finally be removed…
Yanaihara Koyero will soon have true power along with me in this treacherous game… After all these attempts and research, I finally know how to get my sanity back… My skill, 'Chaotic' cannot be completed until I find him… the one with the skill, 'Phantom'…
We… will soon become one again…
The journey I took to even find this place was already dangerous but it will be soon all worth it. He is chained up in the deepest part of the Void Ruins. It is a gruesome place with not a single light of hope shining in its wake… even a former solo player like Kirito would have a hard time conquering that area where these monsters spawn the fastest…
…
That is the exact reason why I appointed 5 people to complete the quest which will start a chain reaction… If you managed to complete it, then Floor of Exile will return to its former glory and this will trigger the future banishments to become more inviting and secure… plus… that Akuma can't do anything to hurt any future players from now on…
This is the test whether we finish this on time or not… Parties like the Scarlet Temptation one should be about one step ahead of me by now but I resorted to maintaining my steady pace… The 3 person party of theirs should be able to temporarily defeat Akuma but he will just respawn back like all the other monsters that we fight… Akuma is only incredibly difficult to defeat when you're by yourself since he focuses on the one-on-one aggression type but if you are with at least two other reliable allies, then he'll be no problem!
Ugh!
My blade… The cursed blade, Muramasa is beginning to hunger (to be exact, thirst)… I didn't expect that the blood of Quorora would be this fast in being consumed by my cursed blade… My blade is very sharp on every edge and it is shown to have a small red blade on its two sides for extra bleeding damage to my victims. The catch of this blade is that it needs blood from other players periodically so that it can strengthen (Which means that it needs blood to upgrade further instead of a blacksmith).
Whenever my blade begins to enter bloodlust, it gets heavier and the edges dull in sharpness even if you use a grindstone… the only way to regain its sharpness back is for me to slash a player with my blade and that will ultimately lead to it becoming sharpened again. Muramasa truly is a frightening blade…
All I can do now is trust those 5…
Silica's P.O.V
Traversing this wide area of nothingness was harder than I thought…
Havuki encouraged us to go on since we were, as he says, 'close' to our destination but all I could see is a big blank space like it was some kind of area Kayaba didn't bother to generate. We were on our way to some kind of area where lava and ice are in complete harmony with each other (Like that could happen… Ice melts from heat).
My theorizing was once again proven wrong as soon as we finally had the nothingness behind us… I saw the lava embracing the ice like it was its own but I also noticed that something was a bit off with this area… It seems quite vast so I'm pretty sure there was some kind of special event that may take place…
Not so much later, we actually found an NPC with a quest to give us judging by that golden exclamation point on top of his head. We approached him cautiously just in case since there may be traps around waiting to be sprung but maybe I'm just being a bit too paranoid…
The NPC had a young and determined look on his face. He had curly green hair styled to look a bit wild but his face seemed to have nothing to trick… He wore a brown tunic with sturdy string putting it all together and he even wore a blue jacket to cover the tunic a bit. He had dark baggy pants which seems like it didn't fit him at all… He does look familiar to me somehow but I brushed off that idea and approached the NPC with the rest of my party.
I tried saying the usual words when you find a quest giver… and that is, "Is there something wrong?"
The NPC didn't respond to give the quest but instead, he just greeted back like nothing was wrong and like he wasn't a quest giver in the first place. Judging from his response, maybe some kind of specific words have to be used… My scarlet cloak has already been tainted by some stains due to battles with monsters on our way but I had to get the help of my teammates. I'm not that high of a level compared to my friends with me but they don't hesitate to assist me in fending off these monsters.
"What are we going to do about this now? We can't accept the quest that has been entrusted to us if we can't even get it, how can we even start it?" I turned to my other 4 comrades as they just stared at me blankly, prompting Havuki to step forward. "What's your plan, party leader? We can't get that quest out of that NPC…"
"In some cases, only the party leader could decipher the correct words for a quest… Husharu told me that this quest giver needs to hear the words of activation for the user's weapon… As the former leader of the Mercenary Guild, I'll get this quest out of his hands…" Havuki grabbed hold of his scythe. "My heart screams for redemption… all failures and things that come short shall tremble before this scythe… Takeover, Redemption!" I unsheathed my scythe in front of the NPC and he nodded in sympathy.
The NPC quest giving conversation has started, resulting to the five of us to gather around the NPC.
"I see… a brave and honorable traveler has finally come like what the prophecy said… My name is Muyuko and I have something to request of all of you…" The NPC started off. "This Prime Jewel and Clear Jewel have been removed from its place and this resulted to chaos happening to all of us… Place this on the monument of Exerie and Axerie. It should be enough to make this whole chaos into peace. I must warn you all though… a guardian stands to defend each monument so be wary, brave travelers."
We acquired the Prime Jewel and the Clear Jewel, making it go to the quest inventory later on after acquiring it. Our plan was to split up to two teams and place the jewels one by one. I was partnered up with Havuki and Vukso while Figo and Quorora will have a little bit of alone time together (not that I'm complaining)…
Not so much later, an opening between the lava and ice field opened up which leads down to a staircase… looks like some abandoned ruins that has never been opened up to anyone for a long time. It had cobwebs and dust on every step we took… My scarlet cloak was already quite tattered and now very dusty from the ruins we were going down to… (Asuna-san would surely not like it here.)
Apparently, there was a crossroad which was the left path and the right path. The left one looked spookier and darker while the other path seemed a bit more radiant and bright… although Havuki warned that these two paths are equally dangerous so I can't afford to let my guard down…
Koyero needed me… Even if I know that I may not be anywhere close to the clearers' levels, I still had a role to do and that is to save that guy whenever he gets in a pinch… He saved me once and so I'll return the favor…
My dagger is called the Celestial Dagger which was forged by the cooperation of Lisbeth and Deira. I also have no clue on where he is but surely, this shady guy who recruited me as a temporary member would know where he is… or I hope…
"Hey Vukso-san, are we getting close?" My team members disbanded so that we could form into the two groups and so I am now with Vukso and Havuki (who were both mercenaries formerly). "We took the more radiant path so it's now beginning to give me a slight headache…"
"Tsk… Anyway I do hope that the so called leader of the Phantoms hasn't been hard on you… We're close but not quite close enough to the source…" He wiped off a trail of sweat on his cheek as he turned to look at me. "I see you got your Pina back, huh? I still don't see why you're so attached to that Feathery Dragon in the first place but questioning you about relationships is not my style… I'd rather go back to my house in Akurosuko and go back to being like an off-duty cop or something…"
"Of course Pina is close to me! We've been together for a long time already and she's even been revived by Kirito-san a while back…" I petted my partner as she (Pina) roosted on my arm (She may be big enough for me to ride her already but strangely, she's still very light). "Koyero and Kirito even assisted me in evolving her through our past… I can't let her go that easily… She has too much memories in her that I never want to forget…"
"That's just like you… Beast Tamer Silica…" I heard Havuki speak which made me yelp since I kind of forgot that he was actually with us (I'm very sorry, Havuki). "Do not be wary and trust me… All I need is trust to make my scythe, Redemption power up… It is a death scythe, meaning that it is highly effective against undead monsters or demons… I will protect you so that you can see your boyfriend again… I swear, Beast Tamer Silica."
Havuki's voice sounded quite cute but at the same time, slightly masculine. His voice actually made me fluster which confused him but I quickly wiped my fluster away which made him tilt his head. His encouraging words actually gave me newfound confidence when he muttered those words.
Havuki had almost all qualities of a leader when the situation calls for it. He seems to have given his trust to me… Judging from his removal of that bandana covering his lower face, he seems to have no problem with me and accepted me. His face revealed to have two long scars which are from his 2 lower eyelids to his cheeks… What could've happened to make him look like that? I can't believe he was actually hiding something like that from everyone… I judged him by his appearance and it seems that I was completely wrong about him… He's actually a good guy… (And I thought he was hostile…)
His dark eyes seem to have become from soulless to soulful (Before it looked so soulless and creepy). He changed drastically from an adversary to a reliable ally… Every time we get into a trap, Havuki just swings his scythe around, chaining his combos and defeating enemies in a high paced rate. Honestly, his smile is kind of… cute…
"Beast Tamer Silica… Vukso-san… Lend me your strength…" He muttered as he beheaded a humanoid creature with ease as more monsters began swarming around.
"Why does he chant like that every time he swings?"
"That's easy, little missy… Havuki gains trust and that activates his truest intentions to his scythe… His true intentions are to protect so that is why he doesn't even allow a scratch on the both of us… He's always been like this… Not that I'm complaining." Vukso unsheathed his Concealing Edge and joined Havuki in his fight with a mob of monsters swarming us.
"Oi! Don't leave me out! I'll help…" I whistled and was about to go to Pina. "Pina!" I rode on my Feathery Dragon and charged in to the mob of monsters.
"Switch!" Vukso and Havuki flipped away and made me into the spotlight.
"Yoruski Rush!" My dagger shined like what all weapons do when players are about to use a skill. I pierced through the mob with help from the momentum of my partner, Pina. Even if my Level just hit 80 due to all those days with harsh training from Sinon (I keep shuddering whenever I remember those moments…), I managed to knockback all the monsters that I pierced with my dagger and flew back to the area I started. "Switch!"
After I said switch, Vukso and Havuki delivered the final blow to all the remaining monsters and we were finally able to keep moving.
"Impressive for a little girl…" I don't know if I should take those words of Vukso as a compliment or an insult.
"I'm glad that the unanimous decision made by all of us was right… I'm glad that I volunteered to have you aboard our team." Now Havuki's being too nice! I can't resist feeling embarrassed and giggle every time he acted like this. I really prefer this new Havuki than the old one.
"Arigato, Havuki-san!" I smiled and we continued on our way.
We were probably halfway through our location but I don't really mind! This is the first time where Vukso and Havuki actually talk to me without acting like I was some old used object and just discarded me later. They are now both more motivated and social than before… I could get used to this… The three of us walked together into the deeper parts of this Path of Light… I hope the others are doing alright in the Path of Darkness…
Extra Scene: Cooking Trouble Part 2.
Author's Note: Just in case you have forgotten, this is an AU scene and it has nothing to do with the real story taking place whatsoever.
Koyero's P.O.V
I was honestly shaking all over! I didn't even taste my cooking which now made me start worrying… what if… I didn't add enough taste to my soup?!
None of the competitors including me had their weapons like blades with us right now so that it could be safe to cook (unless you count my Cait Sith claws~). Magic can still be used but the rules prohibit us from using it of course… that would be cheating!
I am highly confident that my Udon noodles will lead me to get at least a bronze medal for my Cait Sith race! Figo looked confident with his Salisbury Steak and he even added some sort of flag on it (how creative). I'm not sure of the tastes of Kirito, Asuna and Sinon but I just have to hope that my cooking will be able to cope up with them…
The first dish up for judging was Deira's Sushi which I give a perfect 10 for presentation! She made some decorations like excess seaweed on the sides and made the dish look like it was some sort of sun or something. Sushi may be one of the classiest Japanese Cuisine but it is a straight delicacy for us… (Seriously, who does not like sushi?!)
The three of them took their bites at certain times since Kirito sniffed it a bit before eating it whole since it was kind of bite size already. Sinon on the other hand, had no hesitation in eating the sushi (Maybe because she's currently in her Cait Sith account). Asuna just ate it normally like she's been through this before. (I won't be surprised if Asuna-san has already been a cooking judge from the past…)
"Hmm… Sushi, as good as always… Just not as good as Asuna's though. Regardless I still give a 10 because of the presentation… There's not much room for improvisation anyway… I think." Kirito put up a scorecard and turned to Asuna… without taking another bite though.
"It tastes like how all sushi dishes should taste like and so I considered my points there. For a while there, I thought you were going to make Tempura. Anyway, back to business… I give a 9 because you haven't improvised enough in the taste and decided not to even bother to add extra taste like from those of herbs… It still tastes good for me though." Asuna agreed with Kirito in score but not in comment (Her comment was so long~ (Yep, that's Asuna).
"…"Sinon spoke no word and just gave a 10… Maybe because her weakness of fish is taking place due to being a cat here… It made Deira's score: 29. Deira just bowed in appreciation for the score and sat on a chair to wait for the results.
That was now the standard score for the rest of the contestants including me had to achieve if we ever want to be rewarded as the champion of the cooking contest. The next one who stepped up was one of the silent people in my circle of friends and that was Havuki, the mercenary leader of SAO formerly. His dish was one of those classical Italian dishes and that is… Pasta!
The same event from before happened. The three judges took a bite out of one of the most loved Italian dishes I know (If only there was pizza).
"Believe me; I like the taste so much that it reminds me of Asuna's cooking but not quite there… The presentation isn't really there so I'll give an 8, sorry Havuki." Kirito seems to have felt guilty of giving a score lower than 8.
"I slightly disagree with you Kirito. It's not that easy to make a presentation out of pasta if you didn't know. At least he added a small Italian flag for some presentation… The taste is unique so it makes me wonder where you got that rare spice from…" Asuna gave a 10 since she was already fine with presentation and that pasta really is delicious.
"I agree with Asuna but— I noticed some small thing on my dish so until I know what it is… I'm giving a 9… It was delicious but that small thing ruined it for me… Some experiment?" Sinon refused to give any higher than that after being all observant towards the dish. Havuki's score was: 27.
Havuki just did the same as Deira and waited.
I'm getting quite anxious here… I don't know why they wanted me to wait till last. I am the last person in the judging list so I really feel heavy nervousness now… It was already Figo's turn with his American Salisbury Steak. I turned to see Figo looking nervous as me…
The judging has now commenced. Figo's confident face seems to have disappeared once he knew that Quorora was joining… What's wrong with the leader of the Pooka race joining? I don't see any harm in doing so.
"I'm not used to cooking like this but I could say that it's crunchy and delicious for me but—" Kirito was about to say the usual thing.
"Not as good as Asuna… I know… I get it…" Figo finished for him as he sighed out of annoyance.
"Did I really say that phrase many times already? Anyway I'll give a 9… Nice touch on the top with… Mash Potato?" Kirito seems to be curious on what is that thing on the steak.
"I'll give an 8 just because I noticed something off with this dish of yours… It may be crunchy but there were some burns on the side. In cooking, you must be very careful in getting burns and try to leave it with its proper color like golden brown… Regardless of the burn, it was pretty good plus it isn't much of a burn but still… An 8 should be enough." Asuna finally rated it.
"I agree with Asuna again… I focus most on the appearance of the dish so I don't like burns. Likewise, I'll give an 8 as well… The taste of this dish saved your score… My Cait Sith attributes help me judge even better for appearances due to my enhanced eyesight." Sinon had the same score as Asuna.
Now it was just 1 competitor before me… It was now the leader of the Pookas next, Quorora. Her dish was also Japanese Cuisine, my favorite Japanese dish second to Udon, Tonkatsu (Pork Cutlet in English)! I didn't know much about the cooking skills of Quorora but I know that she's in par with my Silica-chan in musical instruments. They were both in a part-time job of the same kind in the same restaurant so what do you expect?
Quorora looked calm with her calm eyes. Her eyes even make me feel at ease… and that's difficult to achieve! I'm random after all.
The Tonkatsu looked perfect to me… The outside looks crunchy but at the same time, the insides looked mouthwatering soft… If it's not a good score then I'll have no idea why. She even added cabbage strips near it and a sauce on the side.
The judging commenced with Kirito as always giving the first comment.
"Holy… This dish is this close to tasting like Asuna's cooking… The taste of the tender meat really was felt as I chewed on it but the crunchiness of the outside was just at the right level of crunchiness… 10… I have no regrets…" Kirito looked elated once he took a bite and continued devouring the classic Japanese dish.
"I agree with Kirito-kun in cooking for once. I fully agree with the taste being significant and presentation being like this. I have to also admit that it really does taste almost like my cooking… Did I teach you last time in SAO? I can't really recall… Anyway, you deserve a 10, Quorora-san." Asuna seemed rather impressed by how she prepared such a meal that even made me envious for a bite.
"I say the same… I'll just give a 10 since I don't want to be left out… Even my observant eyes from the real world plus Cait Sith weren't able to see anything suspicious… You did well…" Even Sinon-san gave a perfect score! Quorora's score was a perfect score! A perfect 30 was finally given!
It was finally my turn; my signature noodles shall finally be tasted! I placed lots of effort in making that dish so I hope it would be sufficient enough for their tastes…
"Eto… Is it safe?" Kirito questioned before eating it with the chopsticks.
"Of course! I gathered the proper ingredients!" I furrowed my eyebrows.
"…If you say so…" The three judges took their first bite from my signature mushroom Udon.
Silence was displayed with none of the three judges responding… Was my cooking really that good? Maybe it's so good that their speechless or something. Umm… They're still not moving though… Is something the matter?
"Umm… Asuna-san, are you alright?" I checked on Asuna first and she seems to have shuddered as I touched her. "Did something happen?"
"Y-Your Udon is—" Asuna couldn't finish her sentence since she fainted before saying the whole thing…
"F-Food Poisoned…" Kirito finished while raising a finger but he lost consciousness as well and fell face-first on the table.
"M-Must have been the mushrooms…" Sinon couldn't bear the effect and she fainted as well… (Shoot! Look what I did to the judges!)
The rest of that day ended with the rest of us trying to treat Kirito, Asuna and Sinon to the food poisoning. They woke up after a whopping 2 hours of pain… I knew I was dead last and I really was… Quorora won first place and I lost by an embarrassing food poison… Better luck next time… Well, if there is a next time for me in cooking contests…
It was revealed that the mushrooms were actually poisonous mushrooms thus becoming the reason of their fate. It seems like Silica-chan was using those mushrooms to lure in a rare monster and I made it fail since I got them… I'm gonna become better than ever in cooking someday… Firstly, I better apologize to everyone for that food poisoning incident… I didn't mean to do it.
End of Extra Scene
End of Chapter 30
Next Chapter: Assistance from the Shadows.
Next Extra Scene: Darkness is nearby…