CHAPTER 8
The end of THE WORLD
-:-
52nd floor FOREST OF LILIES
SAO is a death game, that much MARCUS is sure. He didn't survive through all this time for nothing. But right now, he and his guild, CREAM BELL (it's a stupid name, but their leader insisted on it), are running for their lives.
"Damn it! What the hell is this guy?!" Said a muscular man named BRUTUS. "10 against 1 and we cant even make a dent on his HP?! This is crazy!"
"SHUT UP AND KEEP RUNNING!" replied a well endowed female named MILLEFUEILLE. She is the guild leader of CREAM BELL and Marcus' in game wife. She turns to Marcus. "Don't worry honey, we'll make it through this, I promise."
Marcus smiles and nods.
"You'll make it through this Mille….. I won't "
Yes…. To Marcus, his death has been sealed a long time ago. That monster took down 7 of their party members in under 10 seconds. What hope can the 3 of them stand against such power?
And truth be told, Marcus has no intention of running from his fate, but Mille insisted that they run. Though he is flattered at her dedication, that will not change the inevitable.
Suddenly, a hooded figure lands in front of them. He no longer wore his trade mark white hood, but is replaced by a dark blue ASSASSIN CREED styled robe. Even if he changed his appearance, the familiar relaxed blood lust only belonged to one person.
"FAUX" Marcus says in such a calm manner that even he was surprised.
"Yo Marcus. Its been a while" Faux replies. There was no hate in his voice, nor rage, no pain. Its as if he was greeting Marcus like an old friend.
"Yeah, its truly been a while. Its been more than a year, hasn't it?"
"Right you are." Faux takes out his dagger. "You know why I'm here, right?"
"*sigh*…. Yeah I know…. Make-" Marcus says, but is suddenly cut off when Mille charges at Faux, swinging her warhammer like a madman.
"MARCUS! RUN!" She screams desperately.
But as expected... she is outmatched.
The dagger and the hammer meets, and much to everyones surprise, the hammer is blown to bits. Without pause, Faux slices Mille's right hand, then her left hand, then both of her legs.
This is no battle. This is a one sided massacre.
"DAMN YOU!" Brutus chargers with his two hand sword.
However, the result was still the same. Faux changes target and thrusts his dagger at the incoming enemy. Brutus blocks, but the dagger goes through the sword (destroying it in the process), and rips one of his arms off. Faux jumps back and throws hurls a dagger at Brutus, causing him to fall face first in the ground. Brutus struggles to get up, but for some reason, his body refuses to move.
"P-paralysis?!" Brutus says in shock.
"Trust me, its better to eat dirt than the alternative." Faux says as he walks past Brutus and heads straight for Marcus.
"DAMN IT MARCUS! RUN!" Millefueile screams in desperation, all the while trying to stop her tears from flowing.
But Marcus doesn't move. He calmly stares at Faux. "So… what now?"
"Hmm… I don't know… Arent you going to run? Lady Boss man seem very keen on getting your butt to safety." Faux replies as he points his thumb at Millefueile
"Not really. Its not like I can escape you anyway"
"Correct!" Faux replies with his chest puffed out.
"…. Oi…. That's mean you know?"
"Whatever. So? What do you want to do now?" Faux asks
Marcus thinks for a second. "How about this…. Fight me in an awesomely heroic mode. Make me look cool in my final moments. A heroic last stand, just like those 300 spartans"
"Hmm… I guess that would do. Unfortunately, I cant comply"
"Eh? Why? Are you going to turn away a dying man's last request?"
Faux sigh." Its not like that man… To be blunt, you are TOO WEAK. If I fought you seriously, you'll die in the first strike. Hell, even if I fought you unseriously, you'll still die in one strike."
"Oi! I know I'm not a frontliner, but a lvl 72 tank can still take a beating."
"*Sigh* fine…. Suite yourself. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Faux and Marcus takes up position about 5 meters away from each other. Marcus readies his spear while trying to read his opponent. As he expect, Faux doesn't even bother raising his guard, clearly underestimating him.
"Tch! You cocky bastard!" Marcus charges and executes the one hit spear skill STINGER.
To his surprise, Faux takes the thrust without even blocking.
FAUX's HP: 99.99% (DOT: too small to display)
Both of them look at the spear in silence.
"ha.. ha ha… ha…. Well, this is awkward.." Marcus says in futility.
Faux smiles sadistically and begins bashing Marcus with his bare hands. At this point, Marcus can now understand the overwhelming difference between them. For his level, Marcus has the best equipment he could possibly get, yet each punch shaves off 8-10% of his life. After taking 5 punches, Faux hits him with full force, blasting him back 5 meters.
MARCUS' HP: 48%
Faux capitalizes. He unsheathes his dagger and slices off both of Marcus' legs.
MARCUS' HP: 3%
Faux stands next to him. "Do you get it now? I outclass you in every way possible."
Marcus laughs in futility. "Man… what a crappy way to go. Well whatever. I guess it was inevitable. Make it quick will you?"
"NO! NONONONONO!" Millefueile desperately tries to move, using her chin to drag herself to them.
Faux watches her silently, then speaks to Marcus. "Tell me... whats your kill count?"
"*sigh*, Zero. I never did have the stomach for that crap. All of the PK's called me weakling and stuff. It was pretty degrading. But you probably know that already."
"Well… yeah, I do." Faux sighs. "Then why did you hang out with the PKs back then?"
Marcus looks away in shame. "Y-you know how Flandre is."
"ah… I see… she does have a way with words."
" Yeah, that's how it is…. So what now? Are you going to kill me? If so, make it quick. I don't particularly enjoy making Millefueile suffer, but accomplices of a crime are just as guilty as the criminals themselves."
"Nah… I'll let you off the hook. Even I have a guilty conscience." Faux takes one last look at Millefueile, then leaves.
" OI! Why the hell did you even bother attacking us?!"
Faux stops and talks without turning back. " PK activities have taken a dive since the PK Crusades. I haven't killed anyone recently so…. You know…. I guess this is what unemployed people feel. Maybe all of this leveling up made me lose my edge? ….. Well, whatever. See you around Marcus."
"To speak of murder like it was nothing…. How do you even sleep soundly at night?" Marcus asks.
It was not a question filled with hate, nor horror, nor sadness. It was a question filled with confusion. Did the death of his comrade twisted him to such a horrible extent?
Without stopping or turning back, the blue robbed assassin says the words that Marcus dreads.
"I don't."
-:-
Faux has done many things, and many of those are considered as great.
Some of those are heroic.
Some of those are chivalrous.
Some of those are kind.
Yet some of those are vile.
Yet some of those are cruel.
And at times, there are those things that make anyone lose their faith in humanity.
Yet all of those things can be considered as something great.
To add another one to his ever growing list of achievements is his new armor. The blue hooded Assassins Creed themed robe, THE MASTER. It is a reward for a hidden quest that every player has since they were level 1.
For a high level item, THE MASTER's armor rating is equal to his original armor, THE ALTAIR. Quiet a disappointment really. However, it made up for its stat bonuses. THE ALTAIR had a decent AGI bonus with a bit of STR, which normally fits the typical dagger user, but not Faux. THE MASTER, on the other hand, lacks any AGI bonuses and is traded for a phenomenal STR bonus.
"I guess all those hours spent on grinding was worth something after all."
He received THE MASTER 8 hours before he met Marcus by accident. Originally, he wanted to hunt ingredients for a new type of smoke bomb, but the opportunity to get some practice was too tempting to resist. This giving them the privilege of the first to see Faux in that armor…. They should be thankful.
But everything he has accomplished comes at a cost. For the rapid increase in power, his soul has been twisted into something inhuman. As a result, Faux's worst fear has actually came to pass. He is already at the point where human life holds no value to him.
Truth be told, he fears what will happen if he ever survives SAO. What if he cant control his urge to kill and becomes a psychotic killer IRL? The thought haunts him to no end. At times, the thought of jumping off the side of Aincard seems to be the right thing to do…
"NO! Not yet! I still cant die yet!"
Yes…. Just one more kill, then he put all of his efforts to clear the game. Whether he survives or dies those boss hunts is up to fate.
"Besides…. Czarina is still here… that wont do. She has a bright future ahead of herself. No way I'll let her die here. And there's also Argo, she has to survive. I hate to say it, but I'm kind of fond of that rat. And Andrei too… and Klein, and Tamil, and Kirito, and Lisbeth, Asuna….. HAHAHA ….damn. Since when did I have so much people I want to protect?"
For one last time, he gathers his resolve. He looks to the distance imaginary sun and swears to himself.
"I will no longer falter"
-:-
50th floor ALGADE
Agil's shop
"The blue demon that killed an entire Army squad was taken down by one player's dual-bladed fifty slash combo." Said a tall bald man named Agil, as he reads the news for all to hear. "Congratulations! You made the news! HAHAHAHA!"
"That's way too exaggerated." Kirito sighs. "And I've been getting chased around all morning by swordsmen and info dealers as a result."
"I don't want to hear it. I had to make a break for it too." Said Lisbeth sarcastically, carrying a box of weapons as she enters the room. " You said it was our little secret, and then you blew your own cover"
Kirito puffs his cheeks in displeasure.
"I don't get why you're so pissed about this. " Faux takes a sip of his sweet milk. "PWHA! That hits the spot!... Anyways, this is bound to happen. No use crying over spilled milk"
"Cant you show some sympathy?! You were in a similar situation a couple of months back!" Kirito replies.
"Sympathy?! Why?! Compared to what I went through, your situation is a cake walk!" Faux drains his sweet milk in one go. " Atleast you didn't have an angry mob of players screaming for your blood. Consider yourself lucky!"
"S-sorry"
Suddenly, Asuna bursts into the room. "What should we do, Kirito?!... Something bad has happened"
After calming down, Asuna explains her predicament.
Apparently, she tried to request a short leave from the KOB, and it was granted under one condition (presented by none other than the leader himself)…. Kirito has to fight Heathcliff. When asked for the reason why, Heathcliff refused to elaborate.
After hearing that, Faux stands up. "Sorry for bailing on you like this Kirito, but I don't want anything to do with Heathcliff."
"Hooo! Whats this? Don't tell me, the all too famous Faux THE MURDERER, is afraid of Heathcliff?" Lisbeath teasingly says.
Much to everyone surprise, Faux remains silent and thinks deeply. "Afraid…. Do I fear him? ….. maybe I do."
"E-eh? R-really?" Asuna replies. "Why? Though I don't really know much about him, I don't think he's a bad person."
"Hm… I'm not sure myself. But ever since I first met him, I've been getting a lot of bad vibes from him." Faux says.
A couple of hours after Faux cleared the 49th floor, Heathcliff appeared out of nowhere and invited Faux to join the KOB, knowing full well about Faux's reputation. This isn't the first time he offered Faux a place in the KOB, but Heathcliff never went out of his way to find him.
Alarm bells rang.
How could have Heathcliff possibly known where Faux was? He was in a safety zone in a middle of a yet t be explored dungeon.
It could be as Heathcliff theorized…. A mere coincidence. But never the less, Faux became excessively wary of the KOB's leader.
Ofcourse, he doesn't tell anyone about this.
"Well, whatever." Faux heads for the exit. "Hey Asuna, can you do me a favor?"
"What is it?"
"When Kirito loses, make sure to take a picture. As a 16 time loser, I would take great pleasure of seeing Kirito eat dirt"
Faux jumps out of the door as a variety of house hold items smashes into him. His life would have seriously dropped if they were outside a safe zone.
"DAMN IT! WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?!" Kirito roars
With an evil laugh, Faux exits the shop and disappears among the crowd.
-:-
75th Floor BOSS DUNGEON
The SILVER CROW guild was once known as the PK suppression group of THE ARMY, however, when their leader, Czarina, left the guild, it showed where their loyalty truly lies. The small 7 man unit, left THE ARMY and followed their headstrong leader wherever she may go.
Ofcourse, there are times that they doubt their leader's judgment. This is one of those times.
The race to find the boss room has already started, thus it is no surprise that they are amongst the ones in the front line. It is also a common practice to add a couple of outsiders to help speed things along. That is why they currently have 2 extra partymates.
The first one is a familiar face, Argos THE RAT. As usual, she is more of a leech than an actual party member. However, since she has helped them out a lot in the past, they are willing to help her out in kind.
On the other hand, the other one is a bit questionable. Even with Czarina and Argo's seal of approval, they simply cannot calm down when their ex-main target is their current party member. Yes… Faux the PKK is currently their party member for the very first time.
However, despite their discomfort, they cannot deny that he is very capable in group combat.
Their current enemy, the 10 foot tall field boss name, GREAT UNCLEAN ONE, swings its sword wildly.
"Tanks! Forward!" Czarina commands.
2 shield wielders steps forward and blocks the sword. The ones behind quickly moves to the side of the enemy and attacks. Czarina twirls on approach and launches the monstrous sword skill ROUGH DIVIDE at its leg, staggering it in the process.
GREAT UNCLEAN ONE's HP: 51% (19% damage)
In one fluid motion, Faux launches the meteor hammer, wrapping around the enemy's neck, then he launches himself at the enemy's face. He then executes AIR ASSASSINATE, stabbing it in the eye. Without a pause, he uses PENTA STAB at the UNCLEAN ONE's eye, dealing maximum damage.
GREAT UNCLEAN ONE's HP: 34% (17% in total)
The enemy grabs Faux and hurls him at the nearest wall like a rag doll.
"BE FREEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeee eee-" Faux screams until he smashes into a wall with a disgusting SPLAT sound effect.
FAUX's LIFE: 83%
This is one of those many comical displays where the members of the SILVER CROW asks themselves, "This is Faux THE MURDERER? Realy?"
"Ani-sama!" Czarina turns her attention back to the enemy. "You…. YOU WILL SUFFER! Everyone! I'm using GOD SLAYER! Cover me!"
As instructed, the SILVER CROW's form a defensive around Czarina. 2 shielders up front and blocks the GREAT UNCLEAN ONE. 2 spear wielders behind the shielders attack without fear of retaliation, thanks to the tanks. And while the UNCLEAN ONE is distracted, a dagger user and a rapier user rush in and out of the protection of the shielders, constantly harassing the enemy to no end.
It was an effective aggressive defense strategy. It keeps the opponent within range for the most powerful sword skill in SAO…..
The SILVER CROW's take the beating for 10 whole seconds…. Until…
"Charging complete! Fall back everyone!" Czarina commands.
The SILVER CROW's move back, leaving Czarina to face the boss alone…. But Czarina was not worried. No, it is the contrary. She actually has an arrogant smile on her face, and the main source of her arrogance is her fully charged sword skill. Instead of the simple glows of te standard sword skills, her blade is covered with soft smoke-like light.
"COME AT ME!" Czarina roars.
The GREAT UNCLEAN ONE executes the 2 hit sword skill POUND. Surprisingly, Czarina takes it without dodging or blocking.
CZARINA's HP: 28% (32% Damage)
Even with the bone crushing damage she received, her arrogant smirk only grew wider. "Preparation complete."
Her sword is now covered by violent lightning, a sign that the GREAT UNCLEAN ONE is at his end.
"DIE!"
Czarina throws her entire body into the swing.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rocks, not only the ground, but the entire floor as well. The skill was so strong that it wouldn't surprise them that the entire boss dungeon felt shock.
GREAT UNCLEAN ONE's HP: 0% (97% Damage. Overkill)
This is Czarina's ultimate sword skill and is considered by many as the most powerful sword skill, GOD SLAYER. It is skill only available to those who have fully mastered the ZWEIHANDER skill. To activate the skill, strict conditions must be met.
First, the user enters a sort of paralyzed state during a 10 second charging time. The user can freely cancel the charging state, but if she moves from the spot where she started charging, all of the charge will be lost. This condition is the main reason why Czarina requires her party to cover for her.
Second, after the 10 second charge, any damage she receives will be tripled and added to the damage of GOD SLAYER. This is why Czarina's items are as good as the best tanks in the game.
Finaly, the user's HP must be below 30% in order to execute the skill. This makes it extremely risky to use, thus must be used wisely.
Ofcourse, there are a few drawbacks to the GOD SLAYER.
The main drawback is the remaining life of the user. With less than 30% HP, the risk of dying is insanely high, thus forcing the user to fall back and heal up.
There is also the issue of its short range. The user cannot move from the spot where she charged the skill, lest losing all of the charge. The only time the user can move is when she attacks using GOD SLAYER.
Finally, there is also a ridiculous 5 minute skill cooldown, preventing the user on using it in rapid succession. It also puts further emphasizes to the user that she MUST fall back.
This skill is why Czarina earned a new nickname on top of THE EMPRESS. Now, she is normally called Czarina THE GOD SLAYER.
-:-
Faux breathes a sigh of relief and leans back on the wall he crashed into. As he watches the end of the field boss battle, a massive weight is lifted off his chest.
"They are good, aren't they?" Argo sits hands him a high grade potion, then sits beside him.
"Yes…. Yes they are." Faux downs the potion in one go.
For nearly 2 years now, Faux has constantly worried about Czarina's safety. He would even go as far as pay Argo 2000 gold per day just to keep him updated on Czarina's well being. However, now that he had seen the efficiency and skill of the SILVER CROW's, Faux is confident that Czarina will remain safe.
"Ani-sama! Are you alright?" Czarina worriedly runs to him.
"I'm fine. I'm tougher than I look." Faux replies. "But I must say… your guild is very good. They're probably just a level or two away from the KOB. "
"Ofcourse! There is no place in my guild for weaklings." Czarina puffs her chest in pride. "When we stated out, all of them are the weakest, most incompetent bunch of misfits I have ever seen….."
With a motherly face, she watched her guild regroup themselves. "…. But they are my greatest comrades and my closest friends…. I refuse to let them be weak. So I made them strong, no matter what."
"I see…." Faux smile softly. "Can I talk them?"
"Hm? Sure." Czarina calls her guild over. " It seems Ani-sama has some words for you guys, so you better be thankful. Listen and don't interrupt….. or else!"
"Wew…. Harsh."
And as expected, the 6 members of the SILVER CROW's shifts uncomfortably, possibly out of fear for their lives.
Much to everyone's surprise, Faux kneels down and bows with his face on the floor. "THANK YOU VERY MUCH!. To be beside Czarina in her times of need, that is what you have been doing… and that is what I have failed to do. For keeping her safe from harm, and for keeping her alive and well, I cant thank you enough for what you have done."
Everyone is silent.
Who would have thought that he would humble himself to this extent?
Either way, this is Faux's honest feelings, and he is not ashamed to show it.
Much to Faux's surprise, a small round of applause is heard. As he raises his head, the SILVER CROW's gathers around him and gives him a pat in the back. This is probably the first time that people gathered around him with no intention of killing him.
Czarina gently wraps her arms around Faux's neck.
"Ani-sama…. I really really do love you." She says with a sweet smile.
She slowly draws her face closer to his, a clear sign that she wants to kiss him. Ofcourse, as a man, Faux does not resist….. but a palm block her and forcefully pushes her away.
"That's as far as you go, you incestuous girl." Said the displeased Argo. "You were the one that made the NO FLIRTING IN PUBLIC RULE. I suggest you stick to it"
"Agro…. You actually dare stand in the way of my romance?!" Czarina draws her sword. "You've got some nerve for an A-cup loli"
"A-cup?! Oh that is it!" Argo opens her menu and presses a couple of buttons.
Faux didn't have to see to know what she did. She just sent a duel invitation to Czarina. Ofcourse, Czarina accepts.
"Oh damn…. This looks bad…."
Oh…. On a completely unrelated note, Faux has absolutely no problems with the A-cup breast size. He also has no problems with lolis either.
…. Anyways, back to the situation at hand.
Argo unequips her cloak and puts up her dukes. "Even if I was fine with sharing Faux, I knew I had to settle things with you."
"Sharing? HA! Don't make me laugh! I'm the one who decided to let you near Ani-sama! You should drop down on your knees and thank me for my generosity!" Czarina replies arrogantly.
Out of fear for their safety, Faux speaks up. "Hold on! Cant you two just get along? There is no reason to fight"
"SHUT IT! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, SO SHUT UP!" Czarina roars
"How in gods name is this MY fault?! This so unfair! I demand a detailed explanation!"
This time, Argo raises her voice. "Unrelated people should sit back and shut up!"
"Now I'm unrelated?! DAMN IT! Do I even have human rights?!"
Before Faux could voice his thoughts, the countdown reaches zero, and the duel begins.
-:-
3 hours later
The SILVER CROWs continued their search the boss room, with Faux, Argo and Czarina taking the lead. Faux walked in between the two, acting like a wall that separates them from each other.
'Why would he do that?' you ask?
The answer is simple….
"Nyahahaha! I just love it when cocky girls like you are smashed into your place!" said Argo in a boastful tone
To Faux's left, Czarina grits her teeth in anger. "Find rope. Hang rat. Kill slowly. Painfully."
Yes…. Despite the gap of nearly 10 levels between the two, Argo won the duel against Czarina. It is a testament to the skill and knowledge of the beta testers.
Argo fought smart and kept the battle at extreme close range, preventing the slower Czarina to mount any form of attack. Argo threw a massive barrage of punch and kicks, forcing Czarina to go on the defensive. Ofcourse, Argo's attacks did little damage to the heavily armored Czarina, but she had an ace up her sleeve that ended the duel.
The moment Czarina shielded her face, Argo slipped behind her and performed a powerful GRAPPLE SKILL called NECK BREAKER, snapping Czarina's neck and dropping her HP to the 50% mark.
The GRAPPLE skill is only available when the UNARMED skill goes beyond 800 points. The abilities under GRAPPLE consist mostly of counters that places the CRIPPLE status effect, or powerful one hitters that can literally kill the opponent in one go.
The main drawback of the skills is its range, requiring the user to be dangerously close to the opponent. As a lightly armored player, Argo tend to avoid using the GRAPPLE skills all together, simply because getting close enough has more unnecessary risks than rewards.
The skills also have strict prerequisites in order for it to be executed. For example, the NECK BREAKER skill can only be used on the neck, and it must be executed from behind the target.
Though very powerful, it requires too much effort to meet the requirements, thus considered as impractical in most situations. It is especially useless against monsters.
…. Anyways, ever since Argo won the duel, she has constantly rubbing it in on Czarina's face. In Faux's opinion, it is a valuable experience for Czarina to lose. It will teach her the lesson that not all things go our way.
After a few minutes of trekking through the dungeon, the group finally spots the door to the boss room. Just outside the door stood 10 players, a sign that it might be a scouting party.
The SILVER CROW approaches the group.
"Good day. I am Czarina of the SILVER CROW guild. If you're going to scout for the boss, we would like to join in" Czarina said in a formal manner.
"NO! DON'T GO IN! ITS TOO DANGEROUS!" Said a member of the 10 man party.
Czarina looked at him questioningly. "Excuse me? Last time I checked, we are all trapped in a death game called SWORD ART ONLINE. If those are the words of a coward, then I suggest you leave the matter to me. My guild will scout the boss for you."
"You're misunderstanding something here. We already sent 10 people in there. The moment they go to the center of the room, the door slammed shut…. We couldn't go in… and from the looks of it, they couldn't come out…. 5 minutes later, it opened and no one was in there…." A muscular knight replied in a cracking voice. "We already sent someone to check the MOMUMENT OF LIFE on the 1st floor….. none of them survived…"
"WHAT?! Why didn't they use the teleport crystals?!" Czarina replies in shock.
"We don't know…."
A tense silence fills the air for a couple of seconds.
"Its an anti-crystal field…. Just like the 74th boss…." Faux says in a grim tone, shocking everyone in the process.
In front lines of SAO, the TELEPORT CRYSTAL serves as the most important safety net of all. Being unable to use it in a place where retreating is no longer possible, it wouldn't be a surprise if some people would have second thoughts.
Faux turns around. "This problem cant be solved easily. If we want to even have a chance at winning this, we're going to need all the help we can get."
-:-
55th FLOOR
GRANDUM
KNIGHTS OF THE BLOOD HEADQUARTERS
"Wow…. That's a lot of high level players…" Faux thought as he scans the hall below him.
Faux sat on a nearby window just above the meeting hall, away from any prying eyes.
'Why is he hiding?' You ask?
It is very simple. Even after the drop of PK activities, his infamy has not left the minds of the masses, and its all thanks to that public execution of PKK Tyrant.
"Wew…. What a scary place…"
Nearly every guild in the frontlines is currently gathered around a table, and all of them are highly skilled, battle hardened veterans. So it's no surprise that Faux, the most hated player in SAO, is VERY reluctant to mingle with the group.
Of course, there are also a bunch of friendly faces amongst the clearers. He can spot Klein and the members of the FUURINKAZAN, Czarina and her SILVER CROW, and of course, Heathcliff and his KOB.
Surprisingly, Asuna and Kirito are nowhere to be found, though he did hear a rumor of them getting married.
"In the uncertain times they live in, holding to those they love is much more important than it has ever been" Tamil once told him that.
During the past few months of no PKK activities, those words did haunt him for a while.
Does Faux have someone he loves?
Yes he does. There are 2 of them to be precise, namely Czarina and Argo. But he does question just how much he loves them.
If its for Czarina, he is willing brave any danger, even if it costs him his life…. But that resolution is questionable as well. Even if Czarina didn't confess her love to him, he would risk his life for her anyway.
And then there is Argo. Truth be told, he considers her as his best friend. He is most relaxed when he is with her, yet until recently, he has never seen her as any more than a very close friend. And there is a question of her age….. She would charge 87 million gold whenever he asks for her age….. He dreads the possibility that he could have become a criminal without even knowing about it…
Faux cant help but feel like a scum. He is actually dreading that his half assed definition of love might be hurting the two.
"Well, let's focus on the task at hand for now."
Heathcliff addresses the crowd. "As you all know, the next floor boss has been found. Disturbing reports suggests that not only does it trap those who enter, it also has an anti-crystal field, rendering our lifelines useless."
As expected, the room becomes tense. As most of them heard this news for the first time, it is understandable that their spirits are shaken. Now more than ever, the fact sinks in….. THIS IS A DEATH GAME.
Heathcliff clears his throat. "For this battle, I would like to hear the thoughts of the one who deduced this information. Faux, step forward if you please."
"Le Wut?!"
Heathcliff was looking up, straight at him, as if knowing that he was there the entire time. Thanks to his unnecessary words, the entire room is focused on him now.
"Damn you Heathcliff! Are you trying to kill me?!"
Faux sighs and hopes for the best. Faux jumps down and lands on the table.
"So…. What do you want from me Heathcliff?" Faux said in a cold voice, making sure not to reveal anything to the red knight.
Heathcliff looks at him in mild surprise. "Before that…. I would like to ask something. Your armor seems to be new. What is its name?"
"Its name is THE MASTER. But why does it matter?" Faux replies coldly.
Heathcliff chuckles. "No… its nothing. Back to the topic. What do you suggest we do in this situation?"
Faux thinks for a bit. " No info to go on…. And no way to gather any of it…. Then there's only one choice. Gather the largest force we can muster and prepare to die."
The crowd is shocked by his choice of words.
"O-oi… did you really need to say it like that?" Klein speaks up.
Faux sighs. "Yes Klein… I have to put it like that. At this point, the chance of dying has gone way up. Only the willing should come…. Coz this might be the last boss for most of us."
The shock finally sets in as the front liners gathers up their resolve. The room is silent for a few seconds until Heathcliff spoke up.
"Rest up and prepare. We will meet at the teleport gate in COLLINIA at the 75th floor. The operation begins at one o'clock tomorrow. Dismissed"
-:-
6th floor GRAVEYARD OF ANGELS
Faux sits on top of a fallen statue of an angel, while sipping on a hot cup of sweet milk. Unfortunately, it does not help improve his slightly foul mood. Theres way too much stuff that he's been worrying about, which constantly keeps Faux's stress levels at maximum.
His degrading humanity….
His confusing love life (even after all this months, he still cant believe that he even has a love life)….
A powerful floor boss that they have no info about….
And now this….
"Andrei…. Is this information serious?" Faux rubs his forehead in frustration. The timing of this info is ridiculously horrible.
Andrei sits on a nearby tomb while eating a strawberry cheese cake."Comrade, I can only tell you what I overheard. What you make of it is entirely up to you."
You're probably wondering why the two are in such a low level floor. The answer is simple. The best place to have a secret conversation is in a floor that is nearly devoid of life. Such places are found on the 2nd to the 10th floor.
Anyways, Andrei arranged the meeting because he was able to get information that even the best info dealers don't know about….. Information of the PK remnants.
It happened in ALGADE during the floor boss meeting. Andrei received a massive wave of orders, thus was forced to shop for the materials he didn't have. Just as he was about to buy one last ore for his smithing, he spots a very familiar looking PK amongst the confusing back alleys of ALGADE.
Flandre and a group of unfamiliar faces where huddled together in one dark alley. Andrei took a chance and eavesdrops on their conversation.
From what he could hear, there is to be a gathering of PKs at the ETHEREAL FOREST of the 60th floor. From the looks of things, the group are a bunch of newbie PKs that want to restore the LAUGHING COFFIN back to its glory days. Apparently, the group is trying to convince Flandre to join in.
"After that, they moved to a different location." Andrei sighs. "Apologies comrade, but that's the best my abilities can do. "
"Don't sell yourself short man… this info is gold." Replied Faux. "This shows us how dire the PKs situation really is."
"Indeed. By timing their gathering with the floor boss raid, the risk of being discovered by high level players is non-existent." Andre face turns serious. "But there also lies the problem. This is Flandre we're talking about here."
Faux drains his sweet milk. "Got that right… This could be a chance of a life time…. Or…"
"A well thought off trap. " Andrei finishes. "But right now, that is not what you should worry about though."
"Oh? What should I be worrying about then?"
"What are you going to do? Go to the floor boss and protect Czarina? Or extract your vengeance on Flandre?"
Faux facepalms "… Nuts!"
"…Think carefully, my friend. This decision is something you may regret"
-:-
75th floor COLLINIA
The next day on the gathering place of the floor boss raid.
Faux leans on a nearby wall like a puppet without a puppeteer, desperately trying to sort out his thoughts. His mind is divided between two forces that have driven him to where he is now.
To protect or to destroy.
In one hand, Faux has grown fond of a lot of people in his time in SAO. Each and every one of them are valuable friends and comrades. He would gladly risk his life to protect them. Following that logic, he should join the floor boss raid to protect not only Czarina, but also Klein and the FUURINKAZAN, Kirito and Asuna.
On the other hand, there is that one little incident that nearly drove him insane in anger. The murder of his best friend Gino Karasuba AKA GAWAIN and all because of a stupid reason of BECAUSE ITS FUN. Faux cannot and will not accept it. That's why he trained like a mad man, risking and gaining more than anyone else. He endured all of the strife for that one moment when he can watch Flandre die by his blade. Following that logic, he should do what he does best…. Kill.
These thoughts have been swimming in his mind since yesterday. Thanks to that, he didn't get a wink of sleep.
"….. where's Doraemon when you need him"
As he dwelled in deep thought of the convenience of having his very own Doraemon, he didn't notice Czarina and Argo.
"Oi… You alright Faux?" Argo pokes him in the head
"Dont you just love it when people asks are you alright? when your obviously not alright?" Faux replies sarcastically.
Argo puffs her cheeks in displeasure. "WELL someone is in a bad mood"
"Ah… well… sorry about that. I didn't intend it to be so offensive." Faux replies. "I just didn't get any sleep last night."
"Ho… that's rare. For the carefree Ani-sama to be losing sleep over something…. And here I thought nothing fazes you" Czarina comments
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I have my fair share of sleepless nights" Faux replies
Czarina takes the sit on the right and leans her body to his. "So… what's wrong?"
Argo takes a sit on his left, then uses his lap as a pillow. "I suggest you tell us what's bothering you. I'll even give you a 30%-50% discount…. depending on the advice of course."
"…. You greedy rat!" Faux thought. Ofcourse, he knows that this is a very Argo style of comforting, but he is a natural born penny pincher, thus he must react, even if its only in his mind.
He weighs the possible outcomes of staying silent or telling them honestly. After a second of silence, He decides to come out clean. He tells them about Andrei's info on Flandre, and the internal conflict that has kept him up at night.
Surprisingly, the two laughs.
"Fu fu fu. Ani-sama, I'm not the little girl you once needed to protect. You've already seen what me and my guild can do." Czarina snuggles on his shoulder" Do what you have to do. This time, its my turn to protect you"
With those words said, Faux's course is set.
"hmm…. Since I didn't get to give you any advice, I'll let you off with a 99% discount." Argo says
"Oi! I'm still paying?!" Faux replies
"Ofcourse! My mere presence is expensive enough. NYAHAHAHA!"
"You damn rat!"
Argo stands up and presses her forehead to his. "Come back alive. We're waiting for you."
"Roger that" Faux stands and with one last good bye, he heads out.
However….. one last obstacle remains.
"Faux… where are you going?" asks Heathcliff who was blocking his path.
Instantly, the eyes of everyone gathered focuses on the 2 unique skill user.
"I'm passing on this boss." Faux walks past him.
"HOLD ON!" Said one of the KOBs. "You cant be serious?! This boss raid requires all the muscle we can get! You even said so yourself! You cant just leave!"
Faux ignores him and walks on.
"Are you afraid Faux?" Heathcliff says but once again. "… no… I doubt you're still capable of fearing anything"
"Whatever you say Heathcliff." Faux replies as he heads for the teleporter.
However, before he could leave…..
"I cannot force you to come, so you may go." Heathcliff then says something completely unnecessary. "However…. It would have been very comforting to have another level 100+ amongst our numbers"
Faux stops, just like everyone else. Faux turns around and shoots Heathcliff a glare filled with killing intent.
Indeed, this new must have been a shocker to everyone. Level 100+ is still an unknown realm for most. With all the stuff that's happening, no one can blame anyone for not asking the question WHAT IS THE LEVEL CAP IN SAO?
Even though they are still on the 75th floor, the strongest clearers are mostly in the level 90 to 99 range. Thus, it should be obvious that as they reach the higher floors, their levels should easily exceed 100.
For now however, there seems to be 2 level 100+ players in SAO.
"How did you know?" Faux replies with a silent voice. Though he could already guess what Heathcliff will answer, he asks anyway.
Heathcliff smiles calmly. " THE MASTER is an armor awarded from the hidden quest ADEPTUS SUPREMUS. By reaching level 100, the quest rewards the player by upgrading his/her current armor and renaming it as THE MASTER. Just so you know, my armor also bares the same name."
No one is really surprised though. Faux hates to admit it, but Heathcliff is the strongest player in SAO.
"So… what now?" Faux asks
"Nothing really. You may leave whenever you like." Heathclff replies. " But do remember this, two graves are dug when you curse a person."
Faux leaves.
"A Jigoku Shoujo quote huh? Nice choice. After all, everyone in the PK world is bound to go to hell."
-:-
60th FLOOR ETHEREAL FOREST
2 million gold.
Just to ensure the death of one person, Faux spent more than a month in material hunting and 2 freaking million gold. If his wallet is to be personified, it would have strangled him to death by now.
"I don't know if I'll be able to get this much bombs again .This better be damn worth it!"
This is the first time Faux has ever manage to get the drop on Flandre, thus he is pulling out all the stocks. Leaving nothing to chance, he set up an extremely large killzone with his newest, strongest and most expensive bombs.
Well… truth be told, 2 million gold doesn't really make a dent on his 31,529,708,364 fortune, however, no PK is worth a single gold…. Yes, not even Flandre is worth it, yet Faux decided to use 2 million gold to kill her. She should feel honored.
Suddenly, Faux hears footsteps from afar.
With his LISTENING skill at a MASTERED level, Faux can hear clearly as far as half a kilometer way, which is exceeds the range of the SEARCHING skill. Thanks to the high audio quality, Faux can guess the enemy's gender, numbers and identities.
Faux concentrates and pushes his LISTENING skill to the max.
Based on what he can hear, there are about 6 people in the approaching group, 5 men and 1 female. He spots a familiar overly formal speaking style, a clear sign that Flandre is there. And much to his horror, Flandre was talking to someone that should not be there….. PoH.
"Damn it! They're too early! The gas needs a minute to cover the entire area."
Faux hides behind a tree and waits, praying that the gas can cover the area before the PKs can reach his location.
Unfortunately, this don't go according to plan. The PKs enter the area 15 seconds ahead of schedule.
"AH DAMN IT! No choice! I'll just have to buy some time!"
He takes a peek from behind the tree and chooses a lightly armored player as his target. The moment they entered his range, fe activates JORMUNGAND and launches it at his target, straggling him by the neck.
"GET OVER HERE!"
The target is dragged towards him. At the same time, Faux executes 1 hit running stab type skill STINGER and meets him on a head on collision.
TARGET HP: 21% (STINGER DAMAGE: 34% : COLLISION DAMAGE: 45% )
Without missing a beat, Faux pulls out his dagger and executes the 5 hit PENTASTAB, killing the target in the processes.
The PKs (even Flandre) are in shock. They clearly didn't expect to be ambushed here. After a second, they finally regain their composure.
"Oh my God! He killed KENNY!... YOU BASTARD!" Roared one of the unknown PKs
"….. His name was KENNY? …. Oh the sad South Park irony of it all…"
"Faux-sama! How I've missed you so!" Flandre runs towards him completely unarmed, however, PoH quickly blocks her path.
"Stop…. Something is not right" PoH takes out his all too famous MATE CHOPPER.
Flandre was not pleased. "You dare stand in the way of our long awaited reunion?! Know your place, insolent whelp!"
"Shut up and think." PoH replies calmly. "Faux never fights fair, especially if he's up against a group. Yet here he is… standing in front of us. He's probably luring us to where he's standing."
"Damn that PoH. He's sharp."
With those words, the 5 PKs became cautions. They take out their weapon and slowly approaches him.
Suddenly, a weird smell akin to poop fills the air, stopping PoH in his tracks.
"This smell….. No way…. Methane?!" PoH looks at him in disbelieve.
The smoke bombs that Faux spread out earlier is called DRAGONS BREATH. It excretes a colorless gas for 10 minutes until the air smells like poop, signaling that the surrounding area is now a highly flammable death trap. If even a small fire is started, everyone within the area affected will burn.
From the looks of it, PoH understood what the smell meant. He wasted no time and rushes at Faux.
"Too late"
Faux smashes his meteor hammer and knife at each other.
Sparks fly.
The world burns.
-:-
"BEAUTIFUL"
That is the only though in Flandre's mind as she watched the scene in front of her. It's like watching an artist paint a masterful piece, or listening live to a world class singer.
As she watched Faux's scarlet ballet, her heart fluttered like she never thought possible. She watched as Faux displayed an intricate mix of a gracefully choreographed dance with an inhumanely savage fighting style. To top it all off, the burning stage on where he danced pushed its beauty to god like levels.
In awe, Flandre is rooted in the spot, and NOTHING can keep her from watching Faux's performance.
Her HP is dropping due to the burn effect
IRRELEVANT
Her comrades are dying one by one
NEGLIGIBLE
If she turned away even for just a second, she would regret it for the rest of her life.
In bathed breath, she watched her comrades be massacred by her beloved god of war
-:-
"DIE!"
Faux drowns an enemy in a torrent of bash, stabs and slashes, killing him in the process.
"2 down, 4 more to go!"
The DRAGONS BREATH indiscriminately burns everyone and everything in its path, which actually presents Faux with a couple of unique advantage.
First and foremost, all living beings are naturally afraid of fire. Despite knowing that they arent actually getting hurt, the enemies still panic at the sight of the massive firestorm. The only ones who are immune to that fear are PoH (who is currently chasing Faux around) and Flandre ( who seems to be crazy enough to simply watch as she burns to death.)
Second, even in within the massive firestorm, Faux doesn't need to see his enemy in order to kill them, thanks to his fully mastered LISTENING skill. By charging thru fire, Faux can successfully ambush the enemy from where the least expect him.
Finally, judging from the enemies, being on fire made him look extra terrifying. He probably looked like a vengeful spirit, seeing how the one he just killed fell on his butt at the sight of Faux.
Faux runs through the burning forest. Even with PoH hot on his trail, Faux is mindful of his surroundings for any targets.
"Damn it! I didn't sign up for this shit!" Said a whimpering voice somewhere to his right, just beyond a massive wall of fire.
Without hesitation, Faux launches his meteor hammer at the source of the sound. The moment he feels it latch to something, Faux jumps and pulls himself towards the target. He goes through the fire and executes AIR ASSASSINATION without even taking a good look at the target, killing it in the process.
"Looks like he didn't notice the burn effect just took a massive chunk of his life…"
Faux takes out a heal crystal and uses it on himself. "last one…. Gotta make it count"
The sound of running alerts Faux. He dodge rolls out of the way . Not a second later, PoH runs through the fire and slashes where Faux once stood.
"tch, What a persistent guy!"
Faux recovers his stance and prepares to launch an attack…. However, he suddenly receives a warhammer to the head from behind, causing him to stagger forward.
FAUX HP: 61% (Critical damage: 33%. Burn damage: 6%)
"Damn it! This guy isn't panicing?"
Faux spins like a top and executes CIRCULAR SPIKE, knocking away the attacker from behind. Unfortunately, PoH capitalizes and launches a barrage of sword skills at the unbalanced Faux.
"URA!" Faux roars as he attacks wildly, desperately trying to push the two back.
He swings the meteor hammer with full force at PoH, driving him back. He then turns his attention to the warhammer wielder and launches JORMUNGAND at his face, staggering him in the process. The warhammer wielder back pedals, desperately trying to balance himself.
"Like hell I let you!"
Faux chases him down, launching a beautifully savage dance that attacked him from unimaginable angles. The warhammer wielder desperately defends himself, but to no avail, as the merciless attacks drop his hp to zero. Under the familiar blue light, he disappears from the face of the world.
FAUX's HP: 21%
"…. 4 down…. 2 to go…. I can still do this"
From somewhere to his left, a modest round of applause is heard.
"Tres Bien! Masterfully done! Bravo Faux-sama!" Said Flandre with a face full of admiration.
"YOU BITCH!" Faux roars as he prepares to charge.
However… something unexpected happens.
WARNING
SYSTEM ANNOUCEMENT
The 3 warriors look to the sky and spots a familiar sight that they haven't seen since the first day of SWORD ART ONLINE.
Out of nowhere, a tender female voice announce the news that no one expects.
:-: WE WILL NOW BE ANNOUNCING AN URGENT NOTICE TO ALL PLAYERS :-:
"This voice…. Its not Kayaba Akihiko?" Faux thinks in confusion.
More than anything, the voice sounded like a legitimate pre recorded message.
:-: THE GAME WILL NOW BE ENTERING FORCED ADMINISTRATION MODE. ALL MONSTERS AND ITEM SPAWNS WILL BE SUSPENDED. ALL NPCS WILL BE DISMISSED. THE HIT POINTS OF ALL PLAYERS WILL BE FIXED TO THEIR MAXIMUM AMOUNT :-:
Faux checks his HP, and true enough, his hp is fully healed. It doesn't even go down even with the still-active burning effect.
"Oh no…. That means…."
Faux turns his attention to Flandre. As expected, her HP doesn't drop.
"No No No No No No No No NO!" Faux charges
:-: AINCARD STANDARD TIME, NOVEMBER THE SEVENTH, FORTEEN-FIFTY-FIVE, THE GAME HAS BEEN CLEARED :-:
PoH attacks Faux from the side, but Faux was prepared for him, as he violently smacks him in the head with JORMUNGAND, blowing him away.
:-: ALL PLAYERS WILL BE LOGGED OUT IN SEQUENCE. KINDLY WAIT AT YOUR CURRENT LOCATION :-:
In one fluid motion, Faux launches JORMUNGAND at Flandre, wrapping around her waist in the process. He jumps and pulls himself towards her.
Though surprised, Flandre drops her spear and welcomes Faux, much like how a woman would welcome her lover.
"Faux-sama! I love you oh so much!"
"DIE!"
Faux swings down
-:-
An unfamiliar white ceiling greets him as he opens his eyes. White cloth, white ceiling, white everything, the sound of air conditioning and the oh so familiar smell of disinfectant.
He knows this scene….
He has been here a couple of times before….
"A hospital? Then… that means…."
He tries to stand up, but a huge weight on his head keeps him down. He removes the THING on his head, but it took nearly every ounce of his strength to do it. He sat up and stared at the helmet looking THING.
"A NERVE GEAR…."
Finally, the shock sets in.
He is no longer in AINCARD…. He is back on the real world.
…. That also means…. That he failed….
He raised his right fist and hits the NERVE GEAR with all of his might
"DAMN IT! DAMN IT TO HELL!"
He hits it again and again and again.
No longer did he have the god-like strength of FAUX…. But he still has everything else that driven him to achieve that strength
All the sadness….
All the frustration…
All the hate…
All the rage….
All of it is channeled to his weak fist as he hits the NERVE GEAR.
"FUCKING PIECE OF USELESS SHIT! IS 15 MORE SECONDS TOO MUCH TO ASK?!"
He stops.
His muscle hurts from over exertion…. but it's nothing compared to the pain he felt inside.
His tears fall
"Gino... I'm so sorry… I failed you"
He cries his heart out.
Amidst his despair, a voice brings him back to reality.
"A…ni… sa…ma…?"
He looks to his right. Just a few meters from his bed, lies Czarina… no… Angelica, reaching her hand out to him.
Without a second thought, Faux…. Raphael goes to her, falling off his bed in the process with a nasty thud. Seeing how his legs are still paralyzed, Raphael crawls his way to Ange's bed.
With great effort, Raphael climbs up and faces Angelica. She looked thin, and her hair grew out a bit, but never the less, her ethereal beauty did not fade.
Without warning, Raphael hugs Angelica and sinks his lips into her. Angelica wraps her arms around him and hugs him tight.
"I may have failed now, but this consolation prize is more than enough"
-:-