A/N: As promised, this chapter is where the plot finally progresses for real.
This is supposed to be Monday's update but something came up and I would be unable to update it tomorrow. So it's a day early.
Go ahead, enjoy!
End's Beginning
..
"Good job guys!" Asuna smiled at the members of her guild, sheathing her rapier in process. "If we keep up this pace, we might be able to face the boss for this floor by the end of next week." The cheerfulness in her tone was evident and she stood tall with her usual confidence, making the group of man she addressed feel a little bit more at ease.
They cheered before proceeding disband with the permission of their new leader, Asuna. Increasing the morale of her guild members had been easier than what the new commander expected. They seemed to mirror her own morale. A week ago, when she was depressed and barely talked, they didn't look too happy either. But now that the players had seen the life come back to the petite girl, they raised their hopes.
After all, losing the only two players with unique skills was a huge blow to the clearers. All of them looked up to Asuna for support and leadership. She could not afford to let them down or give up. The morale had to be high or else, this whole endeavor could be permanently crippled
"You were splendid as usual, Asuna-sama," the compliment came from her vice-commander, Conrad who approached her after talking to some players. "And you look better too."
Thanks to Lisbeth who knocked some sense into me, and the hot springs on the 76th floor, of course. "Was it really that bad?" Asuna asked, chuckling nervously. "Sorry for making it hard for you."
"N-Not at all!" the brunette looked flustered for a moment before he thought of something and regained his normal composure. "Actually, I'm supposed to remind you that there's an informal gathering of front line clearers during the last battle including guild leaders this evening."
Asuna gasped. That event had totally slipped her mind. The informal meeting had been decided by Klein right after the previous boss battle. Truthfully, she didn't feel like discussing the recent events with anyone. Even Conrad had refrained from mentioning anything to her so far. The Commander of the Knights of Blood sighed. Oh well, it was only a matter of time before it had to be addressed anyway.
Two hours later, a fairly famous cafe tucked away in a corner of the town of Algade bustled with activity. Klein had reserved the whole premise for the evening and after half an hour of waiting, players gradually filled up the space. Asuna recognized almost everyone and she greeted them politely when they came up to her.
"Congratulations on the promotion," a familiar male voice said, making Asuna raise a curious eyebrow at the newcomer. Without his usual gear, which was his guild's official armor and uniform, she almost did not recognize the man whom was now clad in a blue dress shirt and black pants, wearing minimal armor.
The chestnut haired girl chuckled before offering the man, Schmitt, to take a seat at the main table. "Can't say the same for you though," Asuna said with a bitter smile as he sat down.
"Yeah, I guess you can't." There was a hint of melancholy in his voice. Everyone knew that the Divine Dragon Alliance guild had just disbanded a few weeks prior to the boss fight, due to their large numbers. Despite that, Asuna certainly saw Schmitt and a few other ex-Divine Dragon Alliance members fighting tooth and nail at the front lines. She was glad he wasn't one of the fourteen whom had perished then.
"So what are you going to do now? Would you want to join the Knights of Blood?" Asuna offered. It would be a waste to see a high level player leave the frontlines, especially when their numbers had dwindled after what has happened.
"That's generous of you, but I'll have to decline."
"Oh? Why?"
"I've decided to create a new guild, consisting of only the top players from Divine Dragon Alliance. That way it wouldn't be too hard to control the members without losing the chance to fight on the front lines," the man said. "And we will have a new policy from now on. This new guild would take in, provide all support and training to anyone who is willing to help fight at the front lines once they are strong enough."
Asuna couldn't help but feel a slight admiration for Schmitt. When had he changed from a ghost-fearing man who regretted his involvement with Griselda's murder to this new person?
The determination that burned in Schmitt's expression was a great relief to Asuna. Somehow, she couldn't shake off the feeling that he was going to be an asset to the team of clearers in the future. Right now, however...
Klein sat at a corner of the cafe, glaring at the mug of ale. He had been that way ever since the meeting started and Asuna had left him alone, thinking that he would join the rest at the main table when he felt like it. She sneaked a glance at his direction. The guild leader of the Fuurinkazan didn't seem inclined to give up on his glaring match with the mug anytime soon...
"Klein-san!"
Klein stared blankly at Asuna who made a motion of waving him over. Schmitt sat beside her, gesturing to an empty seat at the table. It can't be helped huh? Grabbing his half full mug, Klein made his way to the main table and plopped down on the empty place for him.
"I've never thought there would be a day a beautiful girl would invite me to sit at her table," he said with the intent of teasing Asuna. Unfortunately, his words only managed to catch the attention of his guild members that had been making a whole lot of noise ever since the party started. Klein could feel the strength of their glares, boring holes into the back of his head.
Klein had only met Schmitt in person once, during the strategic meeting before the previous boss. Since Schmitt wasn't a player who garnered much attention, Klein merely acknowledged his existance as an ex-member of the Divine Dragon Allianceand moved on.
The man that sat with Asuna at the table, however, looked every bit like the Schmitt he remembered but there was a slight change in his deamenor. One thing Klein noticed was that Schmitt had a calm aura around him; like he has matured somehow.
Asuna exuded the same aura, but hers was mixed with a slight anxiousness and resignation. Klein levelled his gaze towards his mug again. What about himself?
"Aren't you angry?" he asked, mostly to Asuna.
"Are you still at that phase?" Asuna asked with a small chuckle that sounded somewhat forced to Klein. "A little, I guess."
A little? Klein couldn't keep it in any longer. Surely she must feel more than that! Why, even he-
The chestnut haired girl was not even slightly startled by Klein's sudden action of slamming his fist onto the table top. She expected it. "I thought better of him! Sure, he might be an enemy since he decided to work for that maniac Kayaba. But to actually attempt to PK a player-" Klein's left hand which held the mug clenched tightly. "That's... Too much..."
The entire cafe was silenced. Word was sure to get out soon and there would be another uproar over it. One more thing to add to the Black Swordsman list of evil deeds that started with him being a Beater.
"What would you have done?"
Klein looked up sharply, "Huh?"
"If you were in Kirito's place, what would you have done?" Schmitt repeated calmly, letting the words sink in.
The question made Klein think. How would he have reacted in such a situation with his girlfriend killed, and the reason for more than a thousand deaths standing right in front of him? "I would..." the guild leader of the Fuurinkazan hung his head in shame. "I would have most likely have done the same thing... To Kirito, there is nothing more precious than..."
Asuna. The girl with a will of steel and the heart of an angel.
"We must all believe in him," said girl spoke up. "He promised that he'll find a way back to me. Kirito-kun has never broken a promise, so I trust him. You're Kirito-kun's friend too, Klein-san. You should have faith in him as well."
An impish grin found its way to Klein's face. "As always, you're right again, Asuna!" He shot a suspicious look at Schmitt, "But you sound somehow out of character."
"E-eh?"
"But it's not like we knew each other before so, that's okay."
With the atmosphere considerably lightened, the noise racked up again. Soon, everyone would have arrive. The meeting would start and Asuna would be forced to address the whole raiding party. She sighed heavily. That was definitely not something she looked forward to right now.
A strategy had to be devised to make up for the loss of two key players. That would be the main agenda, brought forward to the official strategic meetings in the days to come. It wouldn't be easy but the cold, hard truth needs to be faced head on.
"Guys!" everyone stopped to stare at the newcomer who slammed the door open so hard, the immortal object tab appeared above the furnishing. "Bad news! The first floor! It's under attack!"
Asuna was the first to stand. "Under attack? How?"
The small man shook his head. "The details are unclear but massive amount of players from the starting city are teleporting to the second floor for refuge!"
"Even if it was a monster, there's no way it could harm anyone within the Safe Area of a town," Klein thought aloud, eyebrows knitted together.
The starting city is the residence of a huge number of players. Asuna froze. A huge number of players who are unable to defend themselves properly, like Sasha and the children...
"We must help them!" Using her speed to its maximum ability, Asuna sprinted out of the small cafe towards the teleport gate. Please, let me be on time!
..
The deafening sound of screams erupted all around me without end. The atmosphere was crackling with fear and terror as I stepped out of the teleport gate, preventing anymore escapes.
It must have been a terrifying sight. All these players, scared out of their wits by the monsters that rampaged so near to the safe area and just as they were about to escape, a dark haired player in a black leather coat armed with a sword on his back stood in front of the teleport gate.
I was immediately confronted with more than a thousand people, all with frantic looks on their faces. Most of them were players who had given up on this death game, deciding to live the lives as civilians without any risk of dying. They wore the basic armor that was given when the game started, two years ago.
The absolute hatred in their eyes told me that despite their easygoing lives, they knew exactly who I was. The Black Swordsman who had turned his back on them. I was worse than any beta tester or beater. A traitor.
They wanted to take me down but they knew they couldn't, so they remained in a weary silence, anticipating what I would do. The roars and cries of monsters filled the silence as they surrounded the City of Beginnings, unable to enter. By right, they should not be frightened; comforted by the system's safe area protection where their health bar would never touch the yellow region.
But these are people who have little to no skill in fighting nor defending; passing their time waiting for fruits to fall off trees to sell for a minimal amount of col. Naturally, they were afraid.
I scanned the whole expense of the city of beginnings, searching for any sight of an Aincrad's Liberation Force member. None. Apparently, they were smart enouh to know that the monsters could not harm them and had holed themselves up in the Black Iron Palace. The mass of players did nothing, even as I stepped down from the gate and steadily made my way towards the entrance to the massive palace in this city.
There they were. I should give myself a pat on the back.
I immediately recognized two familiar players, Thinker and Yulier who were engaged in some sort of quarrel with another person whom I was also familiar with. Kibaou. Wasn't he thrown out of the guild?
"We must certainly protect the other players!" Yulier argued. "We must calm them down and find a way to drive out those monsters!"
Kibaou sneered at her with the same expression I saw two years ago at the strategic meeting for the first boss. "The players would be fine! It's already proven that those things can't enter. If anything, this is a huge advantage to us. We can offer protection if they pay us a fee."
Dispicable.
It was at that moment that Thinker turned away and saw me. "W-Why are you here?" he demanded, his right hand immediately going for the hilt of his one handed sword that hung at his hip. "Yulier! Round up everyone and get away."
That single sentence was enough to make me the center of attention of everyone in the palace. I hid my discomfort behind an impassive mask. This is one of the reasons why I chose to become a solo player. I disliked this kind of attention.
"That's the Black Swordsman isn't he? That's the Beater!"
"He's the one that teamed up with the Paladin! I heard that both of them are now partying together."
"Isn't the Paladin, Kayaba Akihiko?"
"We should just defeat him for the sake of all the players!"
"Yeah! He's just one man! We can crush him with our massive numbers!"
I decided to ignore the hushed whispers. Half of what they said were true anyway; I found no reason to neither deny nor approve it. I wasn't here to listen to them talk about me, rather...
"I'm going to give all of you a choice," I told them in an emotionless tone. "Take your belongings and leave this palace quietly. I suggest you take this first choice."
Kibaou growled and brandished his one handed sword, swinging it threateningly. Was that supposed to frighten me? "We don't take orders from a dirty beater like you!" he snarled. "Don't you see that you're outnumbered?"
"Or what?" this time it was Yulier who spoke up.
"Or I will have no choice but to get rid of anyone standing in my way."
"Why you!" Kibaou raised his weapon and lunged at me without warning. I have no idea what triggered him to suddenly act out that way and simply sidestepped him, making him stumble forwards and fall flat on his face. "You damn traitor."
He could call me anything he wanted. I was already feeling numb to everything around me starting from the moment I had committed my first intentional PK. I am already a murderer. If my hands could take one life, how many more would it be able to take before I completely give in to this darkness?
Thinker took in a shaky breath. His hands were trembling when he moved them away from the hilt of his sword. "I don't understand why you would want to do this," he said slowly. "But I prefer peace over fighting. My guild members and I will take your first offer gladly."
I relaxed my stance, relieved. "You made a good decision-" I began.
My sentence was cut off. Kibaou had got back to his feet and swung his sword at me with an immense amount of strength. My quick reflexes allowed me to dodge it, but I wasn't too pleased. The Elucidator slid out of its sheath easily and I rammed the hilt of the sword into Kibaou's unguarded stomach.
The force I used behind my attack made Kibaou double over in pain, clutching his middle. Now he was wide open. I stood behind him with the end of my blade pointed to the back of his neck.
"You bastard," he growled.
"Let's not call each other names, shall we?" I sneered back.
"E-enough!" Thinker stepped forward. "We'll do what you want. Please."
I sheathed the Elucidator and Kibaou hurriedly scrambled away from me. "Then leave the palace." before it's too late and he gets here.
One by one, the members of The Army left their base, fearing for their lives. Kibaou's loyal friends dragged him out kicking and screaming. I had at least five curses thrown my way before he was finally out of my sight. The last to leave were Thinker and Yulier. The dark haired guild leader stepped up to me, as close as he dared, which was still a good distance away.
"Don't question what I do," I told him before he could say anything. Because I don't know how to explain it either.
Thinker looked conflicted and he glanced back at Yulier. The woman however, maintained her stiff stance, obviously disturbed by the turn of events.
"Then may I ask why you decided to spare all of us?" he asked tentatively.
Had he heard of the PK already? I shrugged my shoulders, pretending to be bored by the question. "I was not given an order to PK anyone, just to occupy the Black Iron Palace."
"I see."
"If there is nothing else, I strongly suggest both of you catch up with the rest of your members," I turned my back to them.
My only reply were a gasp and hurried footsteps that echoed as they left me in the coldness of this massive palace.
"Excellent job, Kirito-kun." Heathcliff stepped out of the distorted space that had appeared a few moments after Thinker and Yulier left, between two black marble pillars of the palace. He scanned the empty expanse of the building, seemingly satisfied by my work. "Not a single player left in this city. Now is the perfect moment. Come, it's now time to make the grand announcement."
His armor clinked as he strode towards the inner area of the palace; an abnormally large room where the names of every player in this death game was etched onto a slab of rock. The room of the Monument of Life. I followed him without a word, with my eyes fixed on the tail of his red cape that swept the ground when he walked.
The Monument of Life itself was a massive object, rising up from the floor to nearly reach the ceiling and it contains the names of all 10 000 players of SAO with the sole purpose of keeping track of who was alive, and who was not. When a player was killed, his or her name was crossed out and the reason for death was etched on the space beside the name. I craned my neck, searching for a particular name... Asuna. A sigh of relief escaped me when I saw that her name was still untouched, indicating that she was alive. I noticed something odd and focused my vision on something small beside her name.
It was a tiny, white dash that stopped shy of the first letter of Asuna's name. That was how close Asuna had been to being good as dead before I decided to take Heathcliff's offer and revive her.
"Players of Sword Art Online, I congratulate you for surviving this long." When I finally turned around, numerous screens had filled up the space in front of Heathcliff with each one displaying a crowd of players at a particular floor. Heathcliff's voice boomed in the vast chamber as he continued to address them. "I had expected a warm welcome from the inhabitants of the Starting City but it seems that my monsters and my new servant had been frightening enough to scare all of you away to the second floor. No matter."
They could see me. The screens were apparently two-way because the moment Heathcliff uttered the word servant, thousands of pairs of eyes were fixed on me who stood some feet away from Heathcliff.
I fought the urge to step back while telling myself that eyes couldn't talk. I was wrong. Those orbs spoke of fear, contempt and hatred...for me.
"I have decided to speed up the pace of Sword Art Online," Heathcliff announced, commanding the crowd's attention once again. "Some of you have been idle, merely spending your time rotting away in this first town without stepping a foot in the dungeons in fear of your life. Now, I have provided some sort of...incentive for all the players to take up their weapons and conquer the remaining 25 floors of Aincrad."
The roars of rampaging monsters shook the ground and judging by the unsettled crowd, they felt it on their respective floors too. All of the monsters responded to Heathcliff. I lifted a gloved hand. Now, they respond to me too.
"The Cardinal which is SAO's primary management system has been programmed to maintain balance within the game and so far, it has identified that compared to the large number of players, the number of monsters slain in certain floors is low. That certainly would not do," Heathcliff continued. "To counter this, Cardinal will perform a gradual floor by floor update for the AI of local monsters. Monsters with updated AI will be able to enter safe areas in search of players to engage."
My eyes widened at the new revelation. That's madness! At this rate, the untrained players would be most at risk. Since I stood behind him, I could not see Heathcliff's expression. Would it be one of glee? Or pity?
"In other words, the longer you hold off upgrading your sword skills and keep on hiding, the more at risk you are when the monsters finally catch up to you. I hope this motivates some of you to put your heart and soul into completing SAO."
A pat on my shoulder snapped me out of my stunned state. Heathcliff smiled down at me with the superior air he always had around him before turning back to the screens. I wanted to slap his hand away. Why won't my hands move? "And the person I entrust the task to oversee the overall effectiveness of this new change is none other than the Black Swordsman who wields the dual blades."
The crowd began to rouse, ripples of discontent and anger appearing amidst the sea of people. Someone from the center of a crowd yelled out something incoherant but the people surrounding him cheered him on. In other screens, the silence stretched on, broken only by the occasional wail and hysterics.
"That is all."
One by one, the screens went blank before disppearing in a flash of white light. I continued to stare in horror, frozen, until I saw an orange blur in front one of the last remaining screens.
"KIRITO!"
My eyes locked with Asuna's for a brief second.
Then, the screen disappeared.
A/N: Whew, finally that's done. Still can't believe I wrote all that. Half a year ago, I wouldn't dream of writing fanfics that have anything to do with these kinda stuff. I normally concentrate on fluff. I like fluff. :3
Thank you, my wonderful reviewers. I'd read your encouraging reviews whenever I was faced with a writer's block and it's safe to say that you guys are my muse. :3
Plus, I usually put off writing but whenever a review comes in, I'd go "Maybe I'll write a little bit more." A little bit goes a long way huh?
Here's another sneak peek:
"Silica?"
The girl looked up, tearing up at the sight of Kirito in his usual black attire. Finally. Finally, she found him! Silica stepped forward. Stiffening, Kirito took a step back to maintain the distance between them.
"Kirito-san?"
He said nothing, head bent down. Silica let her gaze fall on the unsheathed black sword that Kirito gripped in his hand. Was he trembling?
"Kirito-san... Are you going to kill me?"
MWAHAHAHA! :D
Read and review!~ till next time!