Chapter 31: Assistance from the Shadows.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online.
Asuna's P.O.V
Kirito-kun went off to save one of our allies while I stayed here to relieve the chaos that may happen in his sudden disappearance. Lisbeth and I parted ways once I remembered the second thing that I had to do in the Knights of Blood. We already planned to make our advances to Floor 83 which prompted Klein to assist us in the battle. The others are in the Floor of Exile rescuing Koyero but the rest are here to maintain the order and prevent any dirty tactics that the others may do.
The people with me in clearing the 83rd floor are: Klein, Wukure, Deira and some other people in the Knights of Blood… Wukure was the vice-leader of our ally guild, Azure Sky while Deira is part of our guild but also works with Lisbeth as a coworker in Smithing. Wukure told me that Okasa decided that she'll stay as a sub-member by being of the Azure Sky guild by becoming a merchant.
The place of the meeting place is the town you are teleported to when you spawn in Floor 83…. Marizenku Village. From there, we'll be able to finish the formulated strategy that was made recently. Marizenku Village is a small village which looked like it was just made to house a player for one night. The village had numerous huts around with an NPC staying inside each hut. Our agreement was to meet in the vacant hut but I can't really find it until I caught glimpse of Klein waving a hand so that I could spot him.
"Oi! Asuna-san, we're over here!" Klein jumped while calling out to me, making me respond with a sigh as I went in the hut and met my comrades gathered around. "Some newcomers went here though. Do you know the two of them?" He pointed at two players. One had blue hair and silver eyes while the other one had orange hair and amber eyes.
I got some bad vibes when I first looked at them, making me wonder why I felt this way immediately. My Lambent Light is hanging on my belt, ready to be pulled out whenever needed but I still have no reason to hurt them so why not speak to them?
The facial expressions on the two of them shows friendliness and hospitality but what could they intend to do for real? The blue haired player suddenly spoke up with a slight child voice but he spoke like a middle school student… (Which I don't really find surprising since many players here in SAO are about teenaged or just a bit more mature than the others.)
"Sorry for my late introduction, Asuna the Flash." The player bowed formally and looked straight towards me with a sincere smile (I think). "My name is Nashikure Nikuzu and this person with me is my partner, Yakashime Yukari… Those are our real life names but in here we are known as ninja duo Nizuko and Yushika."
They must have trusted me a lot since they gave their real life names with no hesitation. My intuition then started to calm itself down and find at least a small reason to trust them (After all, they did reveal their real names and plus, I have my allies to help me if things go for the worst case scenario). I finally responded to them after some moments of analyzing.
"What is your business with us? We're planning to find the boss room and conquering Floor 83 before Kirito and the others come back from their small journey in the Floor of Exile." I broke out the information to them which made them look like they already knew this.
The lower face mask that is covering their face didn't allow me to take a good look at their emotions but I could see a small flame igniting in their eyes. They seem to know a thing or two about the situation of Kirito-kun that I never discovered… The girl with orange hair stepped forward and bowed before speaking to me. (A bit too formal if you ask me…)
"We have been sent by Husharu-sama to assist with your guild happenings and battles for the time being… Husharu-sama is an ally of The Black Swordsman so we are his allies as well. Nizu-kun and I are currently at your disposal." Yushika explained and made me feel even more uneasy. Why would I want to put someone's life on the line in my disposal? "We are in your control… Command us in any—"
The words that were supposed to come out from her mouth were cut by a familiar raven-haired player and he glared at Yushika with his sly emerald colored eyes. His expression was filled with rage and the feeling of being pissed as he looked at them. (What could have triggered that emotion from one of the most laidback players I know?)
The one who distracted Yushika from finishing her sentence was no other than Wukure. His anger is a rare sight to see. Ever since he assisted me in battling Tomomi, we have grown to be quite close to each other when it comes to different planning for each floor. He was like a born strategist whenever we cooperate with each other in planning. He's grown quite fond in visiting the Knights of Blood ever since that incident… He's one of the few players that can truly keep Koyero from causing mischief.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING?!" Wukure seems to have finally snapped when he stood up and stormed towards the ninja duo who was just watching Wukure heading to them, in a dumbfounded state. "Do you think this is some kind of joke?! A guild leader would never order such a thing… May it be Asuna-san or Figo-sama, they would never make their comrades just do something that may make them deceased and deleted…" Wukure clenched his fists as tears rolled down his cheeks… (Wukure?)
"W-Wukure-san? You're crying!" I decided to try comforting him but all he did was push my hand away when I tried. "Calm yourself down, Wukure-san… they didn't mean to make it sound like they were being delivered to death by their leader… No leader would ever do that…"
All the other people watching were all stupefied to see the player they call the Laidback Spark snap on the two new players that appeared. Klein tried his best to regain order among the players around while I tried my best to resolve this little conflict Wukure had with the ninja duo.
I, on the other hand, agree a bit with Wukure's argument… Why would a guild leader send two of his lieutenants in another guild combat without even a justified statement of some sort? Anybody could feel suspicious just by a random player coming out from the blue and offering his or her services to a different master… Wukure's right. We can't just trust them that quickly… We'll be bound to know sooner or later what reasons they'll have…
"Oi, Wukure-san… get a grip of yourself… It'll be alright…"
"No it's not…"
"We have to—"
"Forget about Floor clearing… There's no point anymore… I'm going back to Azure Sky… Without a proper role, I'm nothing but a pawn… That ninja duo… I can't fight… I need some time alone…" He left, using a teleport crystal which made unable to stop him.
Wukure's disappearance led to the uneasiness of the atmosphere. The ninja duo has made everything crumble down… All the plans that were supposed to be made were now futile… The vice-leader already lost his will to fight which led to all players that belong to the guild of Azure Sky to lose their will as well and leave… The supposed to be in charge of the spawning units around the boss were now in half… How are we supposed to defeat the boss now? No… we still have a shot… As long as that ninja duo doesn't plan on betrayal, we just might defeat the Floor boss…
"We're in your command, Asuna the Flash. It is a wiser choice to start moving than sitting just idly in this hut…" The player with blue hair suggested which made us start moving…
When we departed from the village and the safe zone, the scenario changed into some kind of desert wasteland after about 20 minutes of traversing Floor 83. The sands were deep that it even almost swallowed up one of the people from my guild… This isn't just an ordinary desert… The sand felt more like some kind of quicksand that could swallow almost anything up in an incredible speed rate if not careful…
It just wasn't the same without Kirito-kun… Whenever Kirito-kun is here, I manage to rally up my emotions and lead everyone with confidence but with this situation where just two strangers are assisting us… I have a hard time believing that they would actually help but they had some kind of crystal which helped us navigate through this harsh desert.
We encountered some common opponents in this Floor like Deathly Rattlesnakes and we also encountered some Elite Skeletal Warriors which gave the most trouble to us. My signature move, Linear managed to take out most opponents in our way while Deira's Radiant Blade and Klein's Reaver took out everything else. These continuous encounters with monsters can't just be this coincidental… Something must have forced these monsters to become more aggressive than usual…
"No it can't be… Could it be… her?! I-I thought that she was with her master Hozume…" Yushika seemed to have entered a slight panicked state when she thought of a possible answer on why this was happening. "Queen of Aggression, Ayuwena Tomomi… I thought she was already in the Floor of Exile…"
(Tomomi? She was the one who I was against in the guild war if I remembered correctly… She made me cornered that time but now I'm ready to take her on when possible. I acquired a new move for my Lambent Light, thanks to Deira and Lisbeth since they supported me… This move that I formed should be enough to break through that dark armor of hers… I won't need Wukure or Kirito-kun to save me this time… I will not be a burden!)
As I started to juggle up all these memories in my mind, I was spacing out. I had to abide with this temporary horde of opponents… I'll become Level 96 with a few more experience from battling these monsters. The search for the boss room continued once I got a hold of myself and made myself return to reality.
Nizuko and Yushika were like the navigators in the party but they bothered with the monsters around them and incapacitated them with ease, using their moves which were completely on sync with each other like they were one of the same person. The shuriken-wielding Nizuko sliced-and-diced all opponents around him after Yushika constricts and restrains the opponents around her with the unique weapon, Tantalizing Constrictor.
They were both actually a valuable ally to team up with but they can't be compared to Kirito-kun or Wukure-san. They have something missing which they still don't have to make me trust them… and that thing is choice. Whenever I see them fight together, I always think of a puppeteer who controls his puppets and making them against their will…
"What's wrong, Asuna-san? You seem… kind of grim." Klein snapped me out of the trance that I was having which made me look at him, waiting for his reason on why he called me. "You've been like this ever since Kirito went on to the Floor of Exile… The others and I are worrying for you. Even Kirito managed to voice mail us about your welfare… He's feeling doubtful whenever he remembers about how you're doing here in the original floors of Aincrad."
The words he said about Kirito feeling like that about me made my heart sink… I knew I was dragging him down somewhat… Our feelings of being worried of each other are being reciprocated between the two of us… It's been a week since he went to that floor so how could I not be feeling like this? I miss him already… That personality that usually makes me feel like I want this reality has left for a week now… His spirit in finishing this game which never becomes wavered is what inspired all of us to keep going.
"It's nothing Klein-san… Arigato for telling me that Kirito still actually had contact with us from there… I feel more at ease just by knowing that." I acquired newfound confidence and told myself that Kirito wouldn't be able to take up all this pressure by himself… I will join him and relieve him of this burden that he holds all by himself… "I will carry on his burden of pressure from now on. He's not alone this time…"
Now I'll be the one who will carry Kirito-kun's burden here, in Aincrad. I can't afford to make him feel worried of what's happening here since he has his own battle happening in his location and I know it… Most of the people I know are now there, helping a friend so I must not let this hinder me from leading The Knights of Blood for I am their leader… I will not allow anyone to be sacrificed in the process… As a leader, I must see to it that my allies are safe and alive… I shall never sacrifice any of them…
We continued our travel to the boss room with navigation from the ninja duo and came across some staircase which leads to some sort of underground area of the desert. The ninja duo informed that this was the area where the boss resides in. I already know that they can't really be trusted so much since they were new faces to us but I can find trust in them now since my intuition says that they're safe… for the time being. I led my allies down the staircase which leads to the underground ruins of the desert.
Klein's P.O.V
Asuna-san seemed a bit down when the ally guild of theirs left us due to a predicament between the vice leader, Wukure and that ninja duo who is currently dominating each monster in our way with their ninja tactics… She returned to her normal charismatic self when she began to lead us like she was really in charge (Well actually she is). Her thoughts seemed to have started focusing on the situation at hand ever since I told her something about Kirito.
That ninja duo with us still doesn't cease from sparking up my suspicion… They weren't PKs but something just wasn't right… They seem to be lingering us and slowing down whenever we hasten our pace ever since we started travelling with them in this desert. They may have assisted us in going through this wasteland but they just came out of nowhere… offering their services. I have trust in them but not as much trust as the trust that I give to Kirito (not even close).
The ruins are a vast area with sand all over the place but there was now some concrete where we could stand on so that no one would drown in the sand. It had dozens of old broken down statues and some sand dripping from the roof. It has ton of spiderlike monsters crawling around but they weren't hostile… This is definitely the location of the boss room but the problem was where it was. The ninja duo was already working on finding out the exact location but some kind of signal was jamming their locator.
"Is there something wrong, ninja duo?" I stopped and went to their side to check on them just in case. "Did something happen to your pinpoint locator for the floor?"
"It's nothing severe but it seems like this crystal has reached its limits… It is now unusable and cannot be recharged…" They discarded the tracking crystal and looked at me while tilting their heads. "I guess we're on our own for now, Klein-san. The crystal can't help anymore. All we can trust now is our instincts…"
"Our instincts?" I mumbled to myself in doubt. "How is that going to lead us the boss room then, ninja duo?"
The duo stared at me, muffled… They seemed to have no clue on how to find the boss room now but the look of determination on their faces say otherwise. Their eyes fixated on me making me feel uneasy about them even more. Just by the look of it, I made them snap out of unknown reasons. It was until Asuna-san got me out of this situation by pulling me back away from the mysterious duo. She pulled me until we made it to one of the pillars.
This pillar may have looked rigid and looking like it may fall any second but there was some kind of aura it oozes off… It aroused my suspicion to this area once more… What is it trying to tell us? We haven't found the boss room anywhere around here but we found all these pillars in this ruin. Asuna-san was still trying to decipher on how to find the boss room but it was not so long after before I got some sort of idea… It's a long shot but it would be better than doing nothing, right?
"Asuna-san, don't you think these pillars look even the slightest bit coincidental? To me, there's something off with them… Like it was trying to tell us some sort of riddle or something…" I suggested since there were symbols all over each pillar which I couldn't even decipher. "It could lead us to the boss room… I'm not too sure about it but that's the best shot we have."
Asuna was completely silent. She didn't completely believe my theory but she may have though the same. It's better than doing nothing at all. I felt ecstatic once I knew that I helped her out in some way even if it is just a small help.
"Everyone, look for a trail from all the pillars which connects and stab your weapon on that exact area… Klein's theory might just be spot on…" She decided to try it out by making all the others do it, to my delight. "If you find anything, report to me immediately… we will have to approach there together. If one of us goes there, that one person may not come back…"
The ruins kept getting darker and darker… Each member of this force has already gone to their designated pillar. I was designated to the 5th pillar, Asuna's near the 1st pillar, Deira's near the 7th pillar, the ninja duo took the 9th and 10th pillar and all the others went to the missing pillars. If my theory manages to be true, then we'll be spawned to the boss room but that's if it is right… I heard from rumors that the boss is some kind of digging class of boss so we must be careful…
The people at the recent bar I went to kept talking about that one boss who blew through numerous boss raiding parties with its overwhelming NPC intelligence… it's not just a normal boss who you can just storm through all alone… His name, if my memory is right, is Hex the Miner. Rumors say that he is some kind of giant centipede with blades on its arm as it pierces through its victim whilst underground…The tail of this monster is probably the worst part which you can be stabbed by is probably its tail…
Not so much later, my theory was proven right once we noticed something with the pillars… There was indeed a trail coming from the unstable pillars… All of us followed the trail until 5 minutes later where we finally found the area where all those trails intersect… It was a glowing sandy orb which looks like a thousand years old since it already had dust and sand all over it (Even Spiders).
"So… who's gonna be the brave soul to stab that thing?" I looked at my fellow comrades which made a certain purple-haired blacksmith sigh and move forward. "So it seems that you're volunteering, Deira… that's quite rare to see from you… You usually… try to put your Hiding skill to use and hide from me but anyway, there's the orb."
"Let's just get this over with… Radiant Blade…" Deira coated her blade with light and crushed the orb with ease as she sheathed her blade after that like it was a piece of cake to her. "That was easy so now—" Her words got cut when we were immediately transported to some kind of abandoned mine as thunder crashing could be heard if you listen carefully.
A strange sensation came by me once I felt something slither around my foot which made me shiver out of disgust… It was the Floor 83 boss right in front of us and it was huge! It is, Hex the Miner but now I don't get the 'miner' part… could it be that something happened to make it have a name like that? The giant centipede-like boss didn't look like much at all but it shattered numerous boss raiding parties so we cannot let our guard down… The ninja duo is part of the Vanguards do they had to keep the spawning units at bay while Asuna, Deira and I had to fight this boss… Deira's a healer of some sort but that might not cut it… We're in trouble…
Extra Scene: Darkness is nearby…
Figo's P.O.V
The Path of Darkness was just by my anticipation… it was darker than any dark area I have explored in my life! Quorora was already shivering and so she began hugging my arm… It's been a while since she was this frightened but at that time she was frightened in the real world, I vowed to protect her at all costs to which point could even risk my life but I won't have any regrets in doing so… Quorora was the one who filled up my void with those beautiful soul saving eyes…
You could say it was love in first sight that time but it was more than that… I will never let anything bad happen to her. As her friend and— (Never mind) I will never let her go… I'll stand up to anything as long as she's in my arms, safe…
"F-Figo-senpai…" Quorora was still shivering as she hugged my arm tighter towards her chest (breasts if you want). "Are we close to bumping into, Axerie? I heard from Havuki-san that the boss of darkness could be tough."
"Tough? Don't worry about it Quorora… I have darkness in me as well but I am different from that mindless boss… since I have something dear to me that I must protect… My Dark Radiance shall not control me anymore for I could be confident that you need me… I shall defeat this darkness boss and the darkness inside me!" I slammed my hand to my chest as I looked at her shimmering green eyes as she smiled at me with delight.
"…Arigato… Figo-senpai…" Her skin felt warm again as I rubbed her cheek with my finger. "I feel well and alive again so that I won't be a burden to you, senpai!"
As we continued our path to the Path of Darkness, it got darker with every step we took but that didn't take that one thing from me… the warmness of Quorora… This path may make people insane by a few minutes but with Quorora by my side, I can easily keep my sanity in check… I must protect her at all costs after all.
The path may have looked like it would go on forever but I knew there was an end to it and at the end of it shall be the monument of Axerie… After we place the Prime Jewel on the monument, the spirit of Axerie will appear and use darkness to its advantage… but little does it know that the darkness never scares me… For the sake of Quorora, I must show no fear in making battle with a boss… May it be solo or party…
I kept walking through this path but it was pitch-black and torches would extinguish once we even try to use them so all I could trust now is my experience with the darkness… I have been with it so long that I already have some kind of night vision with my eyes in the game and in real life… Quorora was by my side so I mustn't let this darkness make me go down… I will be the one to take it down and that is a fact…
I can't afford to lose Quorora… If I do lose her, then I will fall to insanity and the darkness in me shall possess my body again… She was the one who made me back to normal that time… I made her cry… I was such a fool back then but thanks to training with Tadaiku and Sinon, I am now able to use it at will but not completely control it since it could be triggered by my emotions… Quorora is now the only pillar holding me up from the void down below… She is my sanity and I don't want to ever lose her… my light…
"We're here Quorora-san… If anything unexpected is to happen and the battle gets out of hand, run… I'll stall it as you flee when that boss gets to full power…" I order her which made her shake her head with tears, making me wince. "Q-Quorora! Why are you crying? I-I didn't want to make you cry by saying those words… I just wanted you to be safe from the dangers that lie ahead… I can't just—"
My words were cut off by her when I kept telling her to leave everything to me… Why does she not agree with me doing all the work? After all, as a guild leader, I must protect my teammates in combat and prevent them from dying… I don't want her to become deceased… ever since that time with the Halloween-themed boss, I never want her to fight like that ever again…
"You shouldn't strain yourself with everything, Figo-senpai… you do know that I never want to burden you with anything, right?" Quorora grimaced as she stared at me with her saddened expression which made me feel like my heart was shattering. "You're not all alone, Figo-senpai… I'm here for you too."
The speech that came from her mouth made me grimace but I know now that Quorora doesn't want to be left out so now I don't have a choice but to let her join me in this fight for real even if it may hurt her… She was determined so I finally agreed to her wish but that still hasn't extinguished the cloud of doubt raining over me… Axerie won't be so tough… will he?
End of Extra Scene
End of Chapter 31
Next Chapter: Hybrid Time!