CHAPTER 7
THE TOWER
-:-
August 31, 2024
The sound of battle echoes through the vast ARCANE CATHEDRAL, a castle floating 50 feet above the ground, located at the 64th floor.
"HA!"
Faux attack repeatedly, without thought, without strategy, without pause. He didn't like using such a mindless fighting style, as it does not match his fighting style.
To him, a battle is won by 3 major factors: Preparation, Enemy Manipulation and Variable Prevention. The 1st two are self explanatory and fairly easy to execute.
The last one, Variable Prevention, is trying to stop uncertain factors (hence VARIABLES) from surfacing. Unfortunately, no one can predict the future, thus he can only do so much to prevent what he can. The rest is up to fate.
He hates attacking recklessly, but his opponent is not something he can beat with his unconventional tactics. Heck…. His opponent is something HE CANNOT BEAT… PERIOD. In this battle, he holds no advantage what so ever. His opponent can see through all his strategies. His ability to use fear as a weapon is also worthless in this battle. The enemy does even give him any time to set up a smoke bomb.
He's betting it all on one lucky shot…. that one clean hit can end it. On the flip side, the second his barrage wanes, game over. And that is why Faux strikes with reckless abadon.
Making full use of the Chinese moves taught by Andre, the meteor hammer, JORMUNGAND, strikes at absurd angles, yet the opponent reacts perfectly and blocks every one of them. In desperation, Faux spins and launches a full force swing, hoping to unbalance his opponent. A white blade meets the meteor hammer head on, followed by a black blade that hammers it into the ground, killing its momentum.
Sensing his impending doom, Faux jumps back…. but it was too late.
"STAR BURST STREAM!"
"Oh crap…"
Faux is blown back as the rain of slashes comes at him mercilessly. He dodges and parries to the best of his abilities, but it does little to delay the inevitable. Eventually, the slashes breaks his guard and with a final thrust, he is blown off his feet and lands face first on the floor.
The duel ends with Kirito on top, and Faux eating dirt
"Mrs. pavement, we meet once again." Faux rubs his cheeks on the floor. "How I love your cold embrace."
Kirito approaches Faux and offers him a helping hand. "You've improved a lot, Faux. I doubt I'll win the next time"
"Those are empty words, Kirito. I did believe you the first time you said that… 4 months ago" Faux replied sarcastically.
"Now now. I'm giving you a compliment straight from the heart here. Pretend to be grateful at the very least." Kirito replies. "But seriously, with your current rate of improvement, I doubt I'll win the next duel"
Faux shrugs. "And this is coming from the person who has beaten me 16 out of 16 times in a row? Not even a brain dead monkey would believe you"
"So much sarcasm…. Though it true.." Kirito nods in agreement. "Now that I think about it, why did you want to have these duels? I doubt you enjoyed losing all the time."
"It's a good way to gauge my combat effectiveness. There is nothing like being beaten within an inch of my life by an undefeatable opponent to give me a clear perspective on things."
"Undefeatable? I don't know about that." Kirito laughs drily. "On another note, I'm impressed how unique your fighting style is. I always felt that something was off when we duel, but now I understand what it is"
"Ho… insightful arent we? Care to elaborate?" Faux replies, unsure if someone finally understand his fighting style or just another random guess
Kirito begins explaining his theory.
"From what I can understand, your fighting style revolves around making your enemy misunderstand your abilities"
"Well, that's new. Go ahead" Faux is curious how his skills look from another perspective.
Kirito clears his throat and begins his explanation.
"It's been a standard MMORPG knowledge that knife users are fast individuals that employ weak yet numerous attacks to destroy an enemy. That SPEED is the key factor to your style. Using your outward appearance and the common RPG misunderstanding, you create the illusion that you're a typical dagger type player, where in truth, your AGI stat isn't that high. Am I right?"
"Don't ask me. You're the one doing the explaining" Faux replies. But never the less, he is impressed. Kirito pretty much nailed it.
"I see…. Let me continue then." Kirito smiles in amusement." Without your unique skill, you fight a defensive battle. Normally, you would lure enemies in and counter strikes when they enter your range. When your meteor hammer is active, your range and attack rate drastically increases, further solidifying your high AGI illusion. Most people would probably focus in blocking most of your attacks, while completely ignoring how large your damage dish out. By the time they notice how much damage they received, it would most likely be too late. In conclusion, your power lies in your abnormal stat distribution. Your AGI is mediocre but your STR is probably a few levels from the highest in the game"
Faux stares at Kirito in disbelief. " I had my doubts in the past …. But you really are a Mary Sue person, arent you? Or is it a Gary Stu? You are male after all"
"I'm a what?"
"A Mary Sue/Gary Stu. Its a fan fiction slang for character with unprecedented skill in everything from art to zoology, including karate and arm-wrestling. Its an idealized character representing the author."
"….I still don't get it"
"Mr. Kirito. You sir, are TOO DAMN PERFECT! You know everything, and if my guess is correct, you can also do anything!" Faux roars, shocking Kirito in the process. "I mean look at yourself! If you wore a maid costume, no one would believe that you are a guy! That honor is only given to heroes of eroges or something!"
"I don't know about that… " Kirito replies
"STFU! Can you imagine if I wore a maid uniform?!"
Both of them imagine Faux in a maid uniform….. and no words can describe how disgusting the image was.
"Well…. That was something out of a horror film…" Kirito says
"Yeah… it was definitely R18 stuff…." Faux nods in agreement. "Anyways, back to the topic. As a member of the mythical Mary Sue/ Gary Stu race, I wouldn't be surprised if you have a harem."
"Nope, I don't"
"LIES! I can already name 3 girls that are within your harem!"
"R-realy?" Kirito replies uneasily.
"Ho ho ho! Looks like you already have an idea who those are. Good good. Then allow me to drop the bombs." Faux smiles sadistically. "First and foremost, is the loli beast tamer Silica! …. You pedo…."
"H-hold on! We don't have that kind of relationship! … And how in gods name did you know about Silica?"
"Remember the SILVER FLAG incident? I was actually going to help the leader of the guild in hunting down the TITANS HAND. But when he discovered I was a PKK, he refused with all of his might. He didn't want TITANS HAND dead, he just wanted to bring them to justice. Ofcourse, I wasn't gona let that stop me. However, by the time I was able to track them down, they were already sent to prison by a certain black swordsman."
Kirito laughs dryly.
Faux smiles and continues. "I tracked the witness (Silica), and was able to talk to her about the incident. She was like KIRITO was so amazing and stuff… I couldn't even stand 5 minutes of talking to her. But when I asked her if she liked you, she was like Huh? W-wha? I- no. eh? I mean! Ah… awww while acting very cutesy. You should have seen it man! It was loli-eye candy. I don't know how you manage to get your hands on her heart, but she's in love with you. But remember, pedophilia is a crime…."
Once gain Kirito laughs dryly, a clear sign that he knew about Silica's feelings, but did not pursue it.
With a sadistic grin, Faux continues on. "NEXT! The pretty blacksmith Lisbeth!"
"What?! You know about her too?!" Kirito exclaims.
"Well, yeah. She is one of the top smiths in SAO. If my smith friend isn't available, I go to Lisbeth. Besides, Its not like I'm in bad terms with her anyways." Faux replies cooly. " Anyways, it seems that you were able to get her under your grasps in just 2 days! You freaking Casanova!"
"Oi! Its not like I planned it that way!"
"STFU! Do you know how much I, and many young men, would give for a wooing ability like that?! GRRR! This isn't the first time we consider dissecting you to find out what the hell makes you so swag!"
Kirito pauses. "W-WE? What do you mean by WE?"
"The ALLIANCE OF THE INCREADIBLY SWAGLESS MEN ofcourse!" Faux quickly calms himself. If he starts preaching about the inequality between the swag and the swagless, he could go on for hours. "*Inhale* Exhale*… phew…. Anyways back to the topic-"
"O-oi! You just said something scary there! What was that hell was with that alliance thing?!" Kirito asks in a panic.
"Don't worry about the minor details. Your perfectly safe… for now… Back to the topic!" Faux proceeds, ignoring Kiritos desperate pleads for information.
"Last but not the least, Asuna of the Knights of the Blood. If you didn't see that coming, then you are a retard"
Kirito looks away bashfully. "W-we're not-"
"Like that?" Faux continues. "Bitch please, you might not be like that now, but she is definitely heroine material. Nothing is more befitting for a Mary Sue/Gary Stu character like yourself to be paired with the most popular girl in SAO. From the very first time I saw both of you, I could already tell that the red string of fate is practically strangling you."
"R-really?" Kirito replies in a manner that Faux did not expect.
"…. He is actually hoping for it to happen? I guess a Gary Stu still has the ability to be like someone."
Faux places his hand over Kirito's shoulder. "I guarantee it!"
-:-
50th floor ALGADE
5 hours later
"50 of the highest grade potions I could possibly make. But no smoke bombs today, either?" Tamil asks, while preparing the potions.
"Well yeah… The ingredients for the smoke bombs are from different monsters on different floors. Truth be told, its getting harder to make time for ingredient gathering with all the leveling up and PKK activities." Faux sighs.
"Oh yeah…. There was that mass raid against LAUGHING COFFIN 9 days ago…." Tamil replies with a sorrowful expression. As expected of a grade school teacher, she hates it when needless incidents happen.
But that sad incident was unavoidable, LAUGHING COFFIN had it coming. Surprisingly, the coalition came to be thanks to LaCroix's skillful manipulation of the public opinion. He suggested a peaceful solution by sending envoys to the red guild, knowing full well that they would die. With this, the public would awaken to the cold hard fact… LAUGHING COFFIN is to be exterminated. PERIOD.
From what Faux heard, the high level players formed a massive 50 player team to decimate the red guild. For some reason, the information about the crusade got leaked, and the crusaders were ambushed by the red guild. At the end of it all, 21 LAUGHING COFFIN members and 11 crusaders died.
Faux didn't participate in the large scale battle because he and the rest of the PKKs individually fought behind enemy lines. Truth be told, the crusaders were actually going to face a massive alliance between the LAUGHING COFFIN and other smaller red guilds with POH as the leader. If the PKKs didn't intercept and repel the reinforcements, the crusade would have failed horribly.
9 players were unfortunate enough to be ambush by Faux, bringing his total kill count to an absurd 56 kills.
Special mention goes to POH, who fought Faux into a standstill. POH's skill was below Kirito, that's for sure, but never the less, he was skilled enough to force Faux's progress into a slow crawl. If the battle lasted a few more seconds, Faux would have won, but POH's allies ganged up on Faux forcing him to retreat.
Only a select few knows what happened behind the enemy lines, thus the PKKs will never get the recognition they deserve.
"Its not like we give a damn if we don't get any praise"
Yes. The PKKs are not in it for glory or honor. What they want is simple.
The death of the ones that caused them so much pain.
Faux stared blankly into space, recalling the events during the crusades.
"Done" Tamil's voice snaps him back to reality.
Faux pays the bill (as usual, the price made him cringe) , thanks Tamil and begins to leave.
"Hey Faux, how about I read your fortune. Its been a while hasn't it?" Tamil takes out a familiar black set of cards.
Instinct wise and experience wise, Tamil's fortune telling should be avoided like a plague. Faux has already seen how terrifyingly accurate it is. But ofcourse, Faux was never the one to let superstition get in the way of his curiosity.
"Sure, why not. I don't mind seeing how much agony I am about to experience."
"Are you saying that I only predict bad things? How rude."
"Sorry, experience tells me exactly that."
"How rude! That's it! I'll prove to you that I can predict good things too! This time, I'll aim for your love life." Tamil pouts, as she pushes the deck to Faux.
Faux shuffles it and hands it back. "Do your worst."
Tamil puffs her cheeks in displeasure and proceeds with her divination.
"For this session, I'll be picking multiple cards until I get the LOVERS arcane. The cards before the LOVERS will signify those who are currently in love with you."
"Man… that sounds bad…. What if you draw the LOVERS first?"
"That's should be obvious. It means you are one sad soul" Tamil replies, much to Faux displeasure.
Tamil begins drawin the cards
THE PRIESTESS
THE EMPRESS
THE DEVIL
THE LOVERS
"FUCK YEAH! I'm not a forever alone guy"
Tamil inspects the cards, then begins to interpret them.
"THE PRIESTESS is a sign of wisdom and secrets. I guess this person knows way more than she should. Does that ring a bell?"
Faux couldn't contain his shock. There was only one person that fits the description, Argo. It doesn't really come as a surprise. Faux already had a feeling that she has some sort of feelings for him.
"Next is THE EMPRESS, normally associated with sexuality, beauty and power….. For some reason, I think I know who this one is…" Tamil says. "Its that white haired girl, Czarina, isn't it?"
Faux was afraid she'll say that. He has been ignoring that possibility for a while now, but considering how Czarina/Angelica has always been clinging to him throughout her life, Faux cant help but accept the possibility that his own sister might have feelings for him.
"And finally, THE DEVIL. Lust, egoisms and obsession are normally associated with this card. Er… I don't like the sound if this one…"
Faux couldn't agree more. Flandre, aka THE DEVIL, hasn't been very secretive in her affection (and lunacy). It is truly a shame, she has the looks and the body of an idol. Unfortunately, she is going to die by Faux's hands.
"And you promised to predict good things, huh? I'm getting one hell of a headache just watching the cards" Faux massages his head in annoyance. "Why do I only get the weirdos."
Truth be told, its flattering to know that someone desires him, however, Faux cannot answer any of their feelings (especially Flandre's). Faux is actively and constantly tempting death, and the less that will miss him, the better. It's a lonely lifestyle, but its better this way.
"Ha ha ha… ha ha…" Tamil laughs dryly. " A-anyways, let continue…"
"Theres more?!" Faux asks. "Oi oi! How much damage are you going to cause my self esteem until you're satisfied?"
"Until I can predict something good!"
"So you're saying that my self esteem is going to receive unrepairable damage?"
Faux sighs and accepts his fate. "Fine fine. Just go easy alright? I plan to keep my sanity for a while."
Once again, Tamil puffs her cheeks in displeasure. "The next card will signify what is to happen in the future between you and those who are interested in you."
Tamil draws THE TOWER in an upside down position.
The two stares at the card
"…."
"…."
"Tamil…"
"… Yes?"
"THE TOWER is not a good sign… isn't it…"
"…. Yes…."
FACEPALM
Tamil laughs dryly. "A-anyways. THE TOWER symbolizes the realization of truth and chaotic change that comes with it."
Faux massages his head in frustration. "Are you seriously trying to predict something good? Or are you trying to rub it in that I'm an unlucky person?"
"Oh no no no! You misunderstand Faux. True enough, THE TOWER symbolizes chaos, but in the upside down position, it means something else. It usually means that the sudden change you are about to experience will lead to a better future." Tamil explains.
"The future looks dark… either in life or romance, I am screwed." Faux sighs. He stands and heads for the door. "I'm heading out Tamil. My self esteem points are already at an all time low. I would like to leave before you crush whatever is left of my ego."
"HOW RUDE!"
Faux waves without looking back. As he exists the shop, a PM flashes in front of him. He opens the message and reads the contents… but a voice in front of him forces his attention back to reality.
"Yo…." Said a familiar 6'8" hooded man carrying a familiar Scythe over his shoulders.
"…. Sorry Argo… you PM came a little too late."
-:-
Czarina runs through the city of ALGADE as fast as she can. Now more than ever, she curses wearing heavy armor. On the other hand, its thanks to her heavy armor that she's been moving in a straight line. Anyone and everyone who gets in her path gets rammed and run over by her massive momentum.
"I have to hurry! Ani-sama is in danger!"
A few minutes ago, Czarina received a short PM from Argo. It stated that Faux is being hunted by another PKK named TYRANT aka THE GRIM REAPER. Apparently, Faux killed a PK named GEBRIL a few months back. GEBRIL happens to be the main target of the PKK TYRANT. It is only recently that TYRANT that found out after sneaking into the 1st floor and viewing the Monument of Life.
And what happens when the main subject of rage disappears?
Simple. It is redirected to the one that made it disappear.
PKKs strength has always been their rage. They train more than anyone. They risk more than anyone. They kill more than anyone. All of their efforts are focused on that one moment when they strangle their target with their own hands.
Thus, Czarina wasted no time and rushed to where Argo said Faux was. Truth be told, she was actually in the middle of the largest meeting since the PK crusades. But she did not hesitate to rush out, for nothing is more important than Faux.
Not the guild.
Not her comrades.
Not a thing is more important than Faux.
While in deep thought, Czarina plows into another group of random bystanders. Not interested in their fate, Czarina continues on.
A few minutes later, she reaches her destination. But for some unknown reason, a large crowd has gathered. It didn't take her long to spot a familiar information dealer amongst the crowd.
"Argo! What's happening?" Czarina asks as she approaches.
Argo took of her hood, revealing a very pissed off rat. "Damn it! We're too late! Tyrant got here first!"
Czarina looks to the center of the crowd and spots 2 figures. 1 of them was a very tall brown hooded man, carrying a massive scythe on his shoulders. Opposite to him was a familiar white hooded figure with his signature shield and dagger combination
"ANI-SAMA!" Czarina moves… until an uneasy feeling struck her, forcing her to stay rooted on where she stands.
No. Its not just her. Everyone in the crowd is rooted on their spot, as if moving will provoke some wild animal.
"If you cant move, don't bother moving Ciz" Said Argo. "This is just how PKKs are. They have already reached the point where you can call them MONSTERS."
Czarina turns her attention back to the 2 PKKs. "Ani-sama…. What happened to you?"
Silence reigns as the tense atmosphere persists. Eventually, PKK Tyrant breaks the silence.
"So…. We meet again Faux."
"Good job Captain Obvious. Is there anything else you would like to add?" Faux replies sarcastically, pissing off Tyrant in the process. "So, what do you want? Make it quick. I got places to go."
Tyrant keeps his anger in check ."I assume you know why I'm here, correct?"
"No. That's why I'm asking." Faux replies sarcastically.
More veins pop on Tyrant's head yet he still keeps his cool. "Its an unspoken rule amongst us PKKs to not touch each others preys. You know that, correct?"
"I do. What about it?"
Tyrant readies his scythe. "You killed GEBRIL! He was my prey! And you know what happens to bad boys who steal other people's prey, don't you?!"
Faux remains silent for a few seconds.
"Damn that Flandre…. She planned this THAT far ahead?" Faux massages his forehead. "So? What do you wanna do now?"
Tyrant access his menu. A second later, something appears in front of Faux. Czarina didn't need to see to know what it is.
"A duel to the death!" Tyrant announces for everyone to hear.
"….And if I refuse?"
Tyrant laughs maniacly. "Then I have to visit those who you value the most. I heard you've been hanging out with Argo THE RAT more than anyone in SAO. I doubt anyone knows more about you than she does. How sweet"
"eh?" a small voice beside Czarina says.
Beside her, Argo blushed profusely. Of course, Czarina felt a small hint of murderous jealousy swell up, but she manages to pin it down and keep it from surfacing
"Or how about Czarina?" Tyrant continues." I know how you've been to keep her safe from the shadows. Threatening those who targets her, killing those who refuses to listen."
"Eh?"
This time, Czarina couldn't keep her surprise hidden. The very thought that her beloved brother has always been caring for her the entire time, makes her happier than receiving a rare boss item drop.
Her elation was cut short when intense killing intent practically drowns the crowd.
"Ho ho ho! You really want to die, don't you?" Faux says with a voice filled with malice. He presses the confirm button, starting the countdown timer
"Ofcourse not. I just want to kill you" Tyrant readies himself to lunge.
A few seconds pass in silence.
The moment the countdown reaches zero, the most savage battle in SAO begins.
-:-
BOOM!
The town of ALGADE rocks as two PKKs collide in full force.
Faux dodge the scythe's blade and blocks the shaft using his dagger and shield, turning it into a pushing battle. Despite his earlier arrogance, Faux is in a very sticky situation, and most of it is contributed to Tyrant's unique skill, the SCYTHE.
Just like everything in SAO, the SCYTHE is horribly exaggerated. The SCYTHE consists of 3 weapons. First is the standard scythe, second is the hammer attached to the base of the scythe, and the third is a small spearhead attached to the opposite end of the shaft.
Despite the menacing enemy, the counter strategy is actually very simple. As long as he keeps the battle in extreme close range, then Tyrant cant make full use of the SCYTHE.
Ofcourse, reality is well known for being uncooperative.
Tyrant takes a step back and swings the hammer part of the scythe. Faux blocks, but is blasted 5 meters back due to the sheer weight of the weapon.
"Oh crap…. That's bad"
Faux takes up a defensive stance, and as he expected, the attacks rained on him relentlessly. This was the situation that Faux wanted to avoid. Tyrant abuses his long reach to attack Faux from outside his range and force him into a corner.
Unfortunately for Tyrant, Faux is very proud of his defensive fighting.
Faux refuses to give any ground to Tyrant. On the contrary, Faux begins to advance. He dodges, blocks and parries the rain of blows, while slowly shrinking the distance between them.
He uses small movements to dodge. He slants his shield to block. He strikes the scythe with full force, causing Tyrant to lose his rhythm and balance.
If anything, Faux's head on fighting style is tankish in nature. Slowly but surely, Faux is driving Tyrant into a corner, and judging from the looks of Tyrant's face, he knows it too.
In desperation, Tyrant jumps back and creates a 10 meter distance between them. Faux doesn't give chase.
"I see… so that's how your build is."
Faux has been testing Tyrant for the most important info in PVP combat, the stat distribution. From the looks of it, Tyrant's strength was only at a level where he meets the minimum requirement to use the scythe. The rest is allocated to agility.
How did he know that? It's simple.
When Faux was parrying the rain of blows, he noticed that he occasionally forced the scythe back with brute force, despite the scythe's large weight. When Tyrant retreaded, his speed is similar to those of Kirito's.
But of course, Faux does get cocky because of one very good reason…..
The scythe glows in white as Tyrant charges violently. Faux takes a defensive stance and waits for the enemy. Much to Faux's surprise, Tyrant swung the scythe directly at his shield, a very horrible mistake that only an elementary student would make. In this position, Faux can easily throw a haymaker counter attack once the scythe slides off his shield.
DODGE IT!
His instincts practically scream at him. It has never failed him before, and it has no reason to fail him now. He drops down and dodgerolls to the right. Unfortunately, his reaction time was a second too late…. and he finally understands why his instincts went insane.
The scythe phases through the shield and slices through his left shoulder.
Without delay, Faux regains his balance and quickly retreats while dodging 2 more horizontal strikes. The moment the strikes end, Faux activates his SPRINT ability and creates a 5 meter distance between them.
FAUX's HP: 87%
"Ho…. That wasn't a bad as I thought" Faux sighs in relief. "But ever the less… what the hell was that?!"
"HAHAHAHA! As expected of THE MURDERER! Nobody has ever survived a first meeting with the ARMOR PIERCER!" Tyrant says.
"ARMOR PIERCER… hmm… interesting."
Based on recent events and context clues, Faux can guess what happened. The ARMOR PIERCER is probably something that uses the enemy's armor as basis of its damage. The higher the armor, the higher the damage… or at least that's what he thinks.
His JORMUNGAND in shield form is probably has the crappiest defense rating amongst the high level items. Add the fact that Faux wears no armor, the damage he should have received from the sword skill ARMOR PIERCER should have taken 40%-50% of his life... at least, that's how it is if the damage is based on the Scythe.
Unfortunately, that doesn't make it any less dangerous. With no way to parry or block it, Faux will only get chipped to death.
"NO TIME TO THINK!" yells Tyrant, forcing Faux back to reality.
Tyrant lets lose a storm of strikes while the ARMOR PIERCER is active, forcing Faux to dodge with all of his might. Slowly but surely, Faux is being chipped apart. In desperation, Faux turns around and runs at full speed, receiving a small blow to the back but was able to widen their distance by 10 meters.
FAUX's HP: 49%
"THAT! IS! IT! NOW I AM PISSED!"
"HAHAHAHA! This is THE MURDERER?! PATHETIC! Even cowards put up more fight than you do!" Tyrant taunts, unknowingly buying Faux the few vital seconds he so desperately needs. "Why don't you just kneel down and save me the trouble of chopping your hea-"
The sound of rattling chains forces Tyrant and everyone else into silence. Like the snake it is named after, JORMUNGAND expands menacingly around a very angry looking Faux.
At this point, Faux no longer cares of keeping his unique skill a secret. For threatening the people he cares about (and for forcing him to use JORMUNGAND in public), he wants nothing more than to bash, slash, rip, gouge, strangle and/or smash Tyrant into oblivion.
With a rage filled roar, THE GRIM REAPER's end begins.
-:-
barbarous, bloodthirsty, ferocious, inhuman, merciless, pitiless, remorseless, ruthless, savage, severe, uncivilized, unmerciful, vicious
Whatever word you might use, it matters not.
Faux's current fighting style is BRUTALITY manifested in physical form. A fighting style inspired from the GOD OF WAR and DEVIL MAY CRY games, Faux is confident he could give Dante a run for his stylish points.
Faux launches a relentless, dance-like onslaught, forcing Tyrant to defend like there is no tomorrow. The moment Tyrant closes his eyes, Faux disappears and the barrage ends….. temporarily.
To Tyrant, Faux has disappeared from thin air. However, it is only a simple matter of Faux no longer following the standard rules of combat.
Faux launches the meteor hammer to a nearby lamp post and pulls himself towards it. Using the post a fulcrum, Faux slingshots himself back to Tyrant, effectively attacking him in his blindsides, then he quickly launches to another spot and blindsides Tyrant once more, constantly keeping him outbalanced.
This is the style he uses when fighting against large group of PKs in a forest type field, only this time, he is doing it in a much faster pace. He would have used it against Kirito, however, the ARCANE CATHEDRAL didn't have anything for the meteor hammer to latch on to.
Due to the erratic state of his fighting style, majority of Faux's attacks didn't land a clean blow. But never the less, he was able to reduce Tyrants life down to 57% without receiving a single hit.
Faux strikes Tyrant and prepares to move to a nearby roof. Suddenly, the mace part of the scythe smashes into his leg, tripping him in the process.
FAUX's HP: 38%
From the looks of it, the surprised Tyrant didn't expect to hit him at all. Never the less, the damage is colossal for a misplaced strike.
Tyrant capitalizes and swings with full force. Faux dodge rolls, but wasn't able to dodge it completely.
FAUX's HP: 31%
Out of nowhere, the meteor hammer plants sinks into Tyrant's jaw, causing him to stagger.
TYRANT's HP: 44% (Critical Hit)
Faux can manipulate JORMUNGAND to counter attack, regardless of how crappy his stance is. Such is the beauty of soft weapons. No one can truly predict where the next attack will come from.
Faux pulls back the meteor hammer, then launches it without delay. The hammer misses Tyrant's neck by mere inches. Tyrant takes the opportunity and charges.
Unfortunately for Tyrant, the attack was MENT to miss. JORMUNGANGD latches onto a statue 15 meters behind Tyrant. With the help of the meteor hammer, Faux charges towards Tyrant at abnormal speeds. Tyrant instinctively swings his scythe like a golf club, impaling Faux in the gut. Faux ignores this and stabs Tyrant in the heart. Faux then drives Tyrant into the statue.
With the scythe lodged in Faux's body and his body pinned to the wall, Tyrant is in a very horrible situation. Its not exactly what Faux planned, but beggars cant be choosers. Tyrant tries to push Faux away, but Faux has one final card to play. He uses his strength modifier to the fullest and immobilizes Tyrant against the wall.
"You're an STR type?!" Tyrant exclaims, realizing it far too late. He desperately tries to dislodge the scythe from Faux, but Faux forcefully pins the shaft to Tyrants chest.
Tyrant's only hope of winning is for the DOT (Damage Over Time) to kill Faux first. However, in extreme CQC, the dagger shines brightest.
Faux pulls out his dagger, raises it reverse grip and executes the sword skill PENTA STAB repeatedly. Tyrant tries to resist, using his arms as a shield, but it makes no difference.
With one final stab, Tyrant stops resisting as his watch his life slowly ends.
"*sigh* Man…. You're good, as advertised" Tyrant says in a relaxed manner
"Don't sell yourself short. You weren't a walk in the park either." Faux replies.
There was no rage, or hate, or sorrow in their words. Only acceptance of the inevitable.
This is something that all PKKs must accept the moment they decide to walk down this path. Death awaits them, there is no doubt and no escape. The only question for them is WHEN and HOW.
"Well then… I'll be going on ahead…" Tyrant then disappears.
In his wake stands Faux, smiling softly.
"Til we meet again, my friend"
DUEL ENDS
FAUX's HP: 2% vs TYRANT's HP: 0%
WINNER: FAUX
-:-
66th floor, 2 Kilometers of the city of NORGARD
"Hm… what kind of sorcery is this…." Faux thought.
Faux is proud to say that he is a cursed individual. Luck has never been on his side…. EVER. To counter act this, he uses skill, strategy and tactics.
"No no no…. this isn't luck…. is it? There is absolutely no way I would have foreseen this"
Faux stands in the middle of a fairly small, white mansion. It has about 3 very fancy rooms, 1 dining hall, 1 guest room and a decent sized garden in the center of the compound. It is also situated on top of a small hill in the safe zone of the SENADON FIELD
But more importantly, it all belongs to Faux.
The mansion, named PHANTASMAGORIA, is a reward of a massive 83 chain quest that he started on the 2nd floor more than a year ago. Back then, he took quests at random for their rewards, and he never expected it to reach 83 quests on different floors.
The quest SLAY THE FROST KING ended 13 hours ago. Even after spending the night in his new found mansion, Faux still cant believe his luck.
It also came at a good time. Ever since he killed Tyrant in front of so many people, his infamy shot up to unbelievable levels. Not only THE ARMY, but also the normal players started chasing him down, like there was a bounty on his head. Thanks to that, he couldn't even enter a town by normal means anymore, thus exiling himself from the rest of the populace.
"Lets stop thinking about it for now. I don't want to jinx it. Besides, I have visitors later"
The mansion has an interesting function. No one can enter the mansion unless the owner allows them to. Those who don't have permission wont be able to come within 20 feet of the mansion. In addition to that, they would only see an abandoned ruin.
Very convenient for a wanted man like himself.
An hour passes when an alarm window appears in front of him, signifying that there are players approaching the mansion. He heads for the nearest window and spots a confused looking Argo. She's probably wondering if she came to the right place. Beside her was a person Faux did not expect to see.
"Czarina? What the hell is she doing here?"
While very much alarmed, Faux opens his menu and allows the two to enter the mansion. As expected, they were shocked by the sudden appearance of the mansion.
"Yo! Wazup" Faux greets them.
"Wow…. This is one interesting place you got here." Argo replies as she dashes in without a care. "Its awesome! How in gods name did you get it?"
Though Faux considered telling her, the torturous task of explaining all of the quests turns him off.
"Let's say I got lucky"
"Pfft! Yeah right! You are the unluckiest person in SAO. I bet it some sort of quest. Come on. Spill it! I'll pay you"
"No thanks Argo. I prefer to monopolize the bragging rights."
"Tch… spoilsport"
Faux ushers them into the garden and takes a sit on a nearby bench. "So… whats this meeting all about?"
Czarina, who has been silent, suddenly rushes towards Faux and hugs him with all of her might.
"GOOD FREAKING LORD! SHE'S STRONG!" He thought as his attempts at escaping her grip fails. As expected of the player with the highest STR stat.
As small sobs escapes her mouth, Czarina trembles violently
"don't leave me… please" she says in a small voice.
"Eh? What are you-"
"DON'T DIE! DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Faux is surprised at the very least. This is the first time he has ever seen his sister act so hysterical. Her eyes are bloodshot, and judging from her face, she hasn't slept a wink for god knows how long.
"2% HP! Both of you were fighting to kill! So scared! I thought you would die! No more! Please! Don't leave me! I'll be a good girl! I'll do anything you say!"
"Calm down will you! Rela-" Faux says, but Czarina ignores him.
"I know! You don't like THE ARMY, right?" She accesses her menu and presses the LEAVE GUILD button without a second thought. "There! Oh! You like rare items, right?"
A trade window opens, and much to Faux's surprise, Czarina unequips all of her items and drags everything she owns into the window, leaving her with nothing but her black underwear.
Ofcourse, Faux cancels the deal, but Czarina didn't seem to notice. "Hold on! I don't wa-"
"THERE! I gave you everything! EVERYTHING! You wont leave me now, right?! You'll be by my side, right?! Please don't leave me! Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplea seplease-"
Faux hugs her tightly, desperately trying to reassure her that he is here. Czarina stops for a second, then cries loudly. He finally realizes that THIS is what the councilors warned his family about.
At the threat that her most important emotional support might disappear, Czarina started to break down.
-:-
1 hour later
Faux along with his guests stands outside the room where Czarina sleeps, waiting for Asuna, Lisbeth and Argo to finish whatever girls do when one of them collapses.
Truth be told, Faux invited some of his closest friends to celebrate/brag his newly acquired mansion. These people comprises of the members of the FRUURINKAZAN, Kirito, Lisbeth (who brought Asuna with her), Tamil, Andrei and Argo.
A few seconds later, the girls exists the room.
"How is she?" Faux asks
"Tired. Very Tired." Asuna replies. "I may not be a nurse, but I doubt anyone wont notice how stressed she is just by looking."
"So… what happened?" Klien asks
"That's what I want to know." Faux replies
"I might know something about that" Argo speaks.
Based on Argo, both of them were present during his duel with Tyrant. Both of them were horrified on how savage the battle was. When Faux' HP went down to red line, Czarina though he died, thus collapsing. When she woke up, Argo told her that Faux survived with 2% HP remaining. The next few days, Czarina searched desperately for Faux without rest. This went poorly, seeing how Faux had to hide himself from the vigilantes that were hunting him.
"Damn…. I didn't want her to see that… " Faux speaks. "Us PKKs tend to work up one hell of a frenzy when we're facing a strong opponent. I hate to say it, but we enjoy those types of savage combat."
"Then this is all your fault! You must understand how much she cares for you, right?" Asuna speaks with a very obvious hint of anger in her voice. "You made her worry to the point of a nervous breakdown! Please understand that there are people who cares for you"
Faux can do nothing but hang his head in shame. "Sorry… I just didn't want her to get dragged into my world. Its not a place for the weak minded"
"She wanted to share the burden with you! Who are you to decided that she cant take it?!" Asuna raises her voice.
"Please understand, Asuna. It is a duty of an older brother to guide his sister to the right path. Even if that brother has to get his hands dirty"
Asuna is in shocked. Not only her, but Argo and Lisbeth as well.
"err… Asuna? Whats wrong?" Faux asks in confusion.
"…. C-can I clarify something? What is your relationship with Czarina?" Asuna asks, as if dreading to hear the answer.
"She's my younger sister."
"Your REAL sister?"
"Yeah. She is my younger sister IRL." Faux replies, shocking the girls. "She didn't tell you?"
Silence.
The men are confused as hell at the girls reaction.
"A-Asuna? You're starting to scare me. What's wrong?" Faux asks.
"WAAAAAAAAA! T-this is too much for me to handle! Lisbeth you tell him!" Asuna says, surprising Lisbeth.
"W-what?! No way! This issue is way too sensitive for me! A-Argo, you do it!"
Argo smiles sadly "So that's how it is…. It must be hard for Ciz."
Faux already has a good idea why the girls are acting like idiots, but he remains silent, for once those words are said, they cant be taken back.
Suddenly, a pair of thin white arms wrap around Faux from behind.
"What an indecisive bunch." Said Czarina in her usual arrogant manner.
She is wearing a short black nightgown, making majority of the guys exceedingly happy. Though Kirito also gawked at her as well, Asuna and Lisbeth was not pleased, thus they smashed his eyes in. Ah… youth….
"Ciz…. I-is what he said true?" Lisbeth asks
Czarina smiles in an evil manner as she presses herself closer to Faux. Faux could see Klein wither in jealousy. "Are you deaf or is the news that much of a shock? Well, whatever. Yes its true. I am his biological sister"
"T-then.."
"Fu fu fu. It's exactly as you think."
"Can someone please tell me whats going on?!" Klein's inner bachelor roars.
Czarina stares at Klein "…. Who the hell are you?"
Klein stiffens. Maybe because a very pretty girl is asking for his name? "Im Klein. 24 years old. Bache-"
"No. On second thought, I don't want to know. Disappear, insignificant being." Czarina shoots Klein down…. Hard.
"Ouch! Klein has been shot down a lot, but this one is especially harsh" Faux send Klein his condolence.
Klein proceeds to the nearest corner and cries.
Czarina turns her attention to Faux. " Let me answer the question raised by the insignificant being".
Czarina grabs Faux by the cheeks and forces his face closer to hers.
"Oh crap!"
Faux pulls away, but Czarina spears him into the ground. She holds his face down and forcefully kisses him, shocking everyone. A second later, Czarina slowly release Faux.
"If that wasn't enough to get through your thick skull, then I'll say it out loud. I, Czarina, love my older brother, Faux, even before SAO." She looks at everyone present. "Yes, I know it is immoral. I know it is even considered disgusting. But for being my protector, savior and best friend, this road is the one I'll inevitably take."
She turns to Argo. "There you have it Argo. My deepest, darkest secret has been laid bare. As a friend, I'm giving you a fair chance. I'm already on the starting line. Are you going to stand against me? Or are you going to scurry down the sewers like the rat that you are?"
Argo grits her teeth. "AH! DAMN IT! FINE!"
Argo suddenly lunges at Faux and kisses him before he could even react. Faux planned to push her away, but let's face it, who doenst want to get kissed by a loli bishoujo.
Argo slowly releases him as well. "I-I love you! I don't know when it started, and frankly, I don't care anymore. Just shut up and love me back"
Argo faces Czarina "Happy?"
"Very" Czarina replies.
Both of them turns to Faux.
"Now, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY" they said in unison.
.
.
.
"Don't I have a say in this?!"
-:-
Later that evening
Faux stares at the frozen wonderland from his window, all the while, trying to arrange his thoughts. The events earlier were very chaotic, to say the least. And the messages he received were not helping either.
From Kirito
Who's the Gary Stus now?
"Making me eat my words huh? As expected of my mentor"
From Klein
YOU BASTARD! I SWEAR TO YOU NOW! I'LL MAKE A LARGER HAREM THAN YOU! MARK MY WORDS
"Good luck Klein. Though it's hopeless, you have my prayers…. and my sympathies."
From Tamil
Er…. I'm sorry?
"DAMN STRAIGHT! Your cards are a danger to all beings on earth! BURN IT!"
From Andrei
Don't forget to use rubber
"I normally don't like profanity, but for you my friend, I'll make an exemption. FUCK YOU!"
From Lisbeth
Both of them are good people. Take good care of them.
"I've been doing that for almost 2 years now. For what its worth, you can count on me."
Faux tired beyond words. He decides to hit the hay and sort the mess tomorrow. Suddenly, someone knocks on the door. There are only 3 people in the mission. Including Faux, there was also Czarina who left THE ARMY and had nowhere else to go, and Argo who demanded to stay for no good reason.
"Im sooooo tired… cant this wait till tomorrow?" Faux sighs. "Oh who am I kidding. Of course not! I don't have a say in anything these days…. *sigh*"
The moment he opens the door, he gets speared. Czarina lifts him and throws him on the bed.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THA-" The two beauties in front of him, silences Faux.
Czarina was wearing a small red see through night gown with matching red lacy underwear.
Argo sports a simple yet cute white underwear with a small pink ribbon in the middle.
Argo timidly crawls up the bed and snuggles beside the very confused Faux. "S-sorry…. We did say we're going to make you take responsibilities."
"Oi! Do you understand what you're doing here." Faux asks in futility
Czarina forcefully kisses Faux. "Ofcourse we do Ani-sama. For me, I've been dreaming of this day for years. I'll wont take no for an answer."
This time, Argo forces Faux to kiss her. "Sorry Faux. I don't think you'll be sleeping tonight"
-:-