I do not own Sword Art Online or any of the characters.
Mercenary
Michael collapsed onto his bed, groaning. He had thought his body was ready for work, but it had only barely made it through the day. Working in a warehouse, lifting boxes of junk onto shelves or conveyor belts or putting it in dumpsters may not be very physically taxing for a normal person, but Michael's body felt like it had been rolled in shredded glass then dropped in a pool of rubbing alcohol. Maybe not quite to that extent but it was bad.
He groaned, grabbing his NerveGear and starting ALfheim Online up, putting the helmet on and lying down. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and stood, smiling and stretching, enjoying not being in pain. He left the inn, looking around just as someone grabbed his shoulder, dragging him into an alleyway and covering his mouth.
"Shut up, I need to talk to you, you need to listen," a voice whispered urgently.
Michael nodded and the hand released him, allowing him to turn and see a young and scrawny Sylph with a bowl cut and a dagger horizontally across the back of his waist.
"I remember you," Michael stated. "You were in that Sylph group with...what was it...Leafa?"
"Yeah," the boy nodded. "I'm Recon. None of the others will admit it but we are going to need some help. We're going to take out a Salamander base and were outnumbered five to one."
"That sounds like fun," Michael grinned.
"Yeah," Recon nodded. "That way of thinking is why we need your help. I heard that you assaulted the World Tree once to test the guardians and see if what you had heard was right then once immediately after just for fun. I also heard that you fought General Eugene and nearly defeated him. We need your help with the numbers but also because there is a chance that one of the Salamander's top ten lieutenants is going to be there."
"What would my job consist of?" Michael asked.
"You would have to fight the Salamanders with Sigurd," Recon stated. "Then, when we fall back, hold them off for about a minute then get away."
"That's awful risky on my part," Michael stated. "Sure. I'm game. What happens if I kill them all though?"
"Then you're an awesome fighter," Recon stated. "Let's go."
He flew into the air, leaving the city and Michael followed. After about three minutes, Recon dropped back to talk to him.
"I'm going to act like you've been following me and won't leave," Recon stated. "Please don't let anyone know I asked for your help."
"Deal," Michael nodded.
He slowed down and Recon sped up, then Michael began to follow him again. Recon landed in a clearing after a bit, the rest of his group coming out of the trees to talk to him. Then, Michael landed off to one side and they all turned toward him.
"Hey guys," Michael grinned raising a hand. "Long time no see. Still weak I see Sigurd."
"What the hell are you doing here?" Sigurd demanded.
"I saw your friend passing by and thought I'd follow him," Michael stated. "Why? We doing something fun?"
"You aren't doing anything," Sigurd snarled. "And it's none of your business what we're doing."
"Ah, I see," Michael nodded. "Another raid then."
Sigurd stared at him incredulously and Michael chuckled.
"Come on, let me tag along," Michael said. "I'll be an extra sword in case things get ugly and I'll give you guys all the loot I get when we're done. I just like to fight."
"No!" Sigurd snapped.
"Come on Sigurd," Leafa spoke up. "We know we're outnumbered, badly, and he'd come in handy if we're right about who's there."
"Sounds like fun," Michael grinned. "Who is it? Captain? General? Lieutenant? Is he strong?"
"Yes," Leafa stated.
"Shut up Leafa!" Sigurd snapped. "You're not coming and that's final."
"Alright, alright," Michael stated. "But I think I just happen to be going in the same direction as you guys. Which was you going again?"
"South," Sigurd growled.
"North huh?" Michael guessed, grinning at Sigurd's disgusted annoyed groan and Leafa stifling a laugh.
"You're not following us," Sigurd snarled.
"You gonna stop me?" Michael grinned, hands twitching toward his knives. "Look, you can leave me behind if you want but if you try to lose me when I follow you'll waste precious flight time and you won't lose me anyway. I can probably outfly most of your gang."
"Not Leafa," Recon stated, Sigurd shooting him a dirty look. "What? He can't."
"We're wasting time," one of the others spoke up. "Look, let the kid follow if he wants. If not, shit happens."
Leafa nodded and Sigurd glared at Michael but nodded as well. Then, he turned, taking off and flying quite fast away. The others followed and Michael brought up the rear for a bit, flying beside Leafa.
"So, what have you been up to?" Michael asked.
"You'll see in a bit," Leafa grinned. "You?"
"Assaulting the world tree," Michael shrugged.
"Really?" Leafa asked.
"Mhm," Michael nodded. "It's really fun. I love fights I know I can't win, at least when...never mind."
"What?" Leafa asked.
"It's nothing," Michael stated. "Forget I said anything. I'm going to go annoy Sigurd."
He sped up, easily catching up to Sigurd and Sigurd ignored him as Michael turned backward, avoiding any obstacles or creatures he could have run into.
"So, whatcha been doin?" Michael grinned.
"Go away," Sigurd grunted.
"Where's the fun in that?" Michael asked. "It's more fun to annoy you."
"If you don't go, I'll let you fight all of the Salamanders alone," Sigurd warned.
"You would?" Michael asked, making a false starstruck face. "Truly? Oh you're so generous." He laughed and then grinned at Sigurd. "I don't know when you'll figure this out but I love to fight, especially when I can't possibly win. Guess I lost my mind there."
The last part was more to himself than Sigurd but Sigurd ignored it, not caring.
"Just focus," Sigurd snarled. "We're almost there."
Michael rolled over, drawing his sword as Sigurd and the others did the same. Sigurd motioned for Michael to follow then branched off, Michael close behind him. The two of them landed in the center of a fort, dozens of Salamanders streaming out of it to surround them. Michael grinned, eyeing all of the shields he might be able to steal then looked over at Sigurd to see him leaning on his sword.
"Please, after you," Sigurd invited and Michael laughed once before charging into the Salamanders, startling a couple and killing six before they could react.
The Salamanders turned to fight him, several more meeting his blade as they did. Finally, one attacked him and he swept the lance aside, the weapon burying itself in another Salamander before Michael's blade split the owner of the lance, grinning as he did. Three more attacked him and he jumped, spinning and kicking their heads, snapping them around backward and killing them. A soldier smashing Michael with their shield and he spun at the last second, stepping sideways and having a lance tear a gash in his side as opposed to stabbing him. He slashed the owner, taking the lance and knocked over a line of soldiers with it before driving it into one's face and releasing it, sprinting forward and tearing into more soldiers.
"You know," Michael said, killing a soldier every few words as he spoke. "Your strategy...would have been...better...if you had...a few less...soldiers...Less crowded...so more room...to maneuver."
He jumped over a spear and landed on the Salamander's shoulders, twisting his legs and breaking the soldier's neck before dropping to the ground, slashing another player. One stabbed at him and he caught the lance, spinning and smashing the soldier into another then driving the lance through both. Just as he spun to fight the rest, which was about half, they all backed away and one with a heavier suit of armor and a greatsword with a silver blade and a red hilt walked out of the base, a few more Salamanders following with Leafa and the others bound and at knifepoint.
"Drop your weapons," the lieutenant ordered, stabbing his sword into the ground in front of him and resting his hands on the pommel. "If you don't, we kill them."
"Why not fight me?" Michael invited.
"Fight a player who can slaughter half of my force with barely a scratch?" the lieutenant scoffed. "That's funny. No, we're going to play this my way. Drop the blades."
Leafa shook her head, screaming into her gag for him to kill the lieutenant, probably using a different vocabulary, but Michael stabbed his own sword into the ground, dropping his knives beside it. Two soldiers flew forward, thrusting their lances at him. He grinned, stepping back six inches and catching both lances under his arms. The players flew past, crashing into the ground and dying and Michael flipped the lances into the air. The soldiers holding Leafa and the others followed them with their eyes and Michael grabbed his knives, hurling them and killing two of the four. Leafa grabbed a knife and killed the other two then got her sword and Michael's other knife as Michael caught the lances and turned sideways, holding one over his head pointed at a forty five degree angle with the ground and the other horizontally in front of himself. The Lieutenant was less than pleased but just as Michael stepped forward, the rest of the Salamanders arrived. Michael spun, both lances bashing players away rapidly before the lieutenant stepped around a Salamander, slashing at Michael.
Michael moved to block it and the sword cut through the lance, destroying it instantly. Michael did a backward hand spring, hurling the lance into the cloud of Salamanders before flipping backward, landing on his hands on the pommel of his sword and spinning, kicking three players away before spinning and flipping to the ground, pulling his sword up in time to block the lieutenant's.
"You're not half bad," the lieutenant complimented. "I don't think I've ever seen someone fight quite like you."
"Unfortunately, fighting you will prove to be harder for me than fighting your troops," Michael stated. "Fighting a group is excellent because you have human shields and you can use their weapons against them. In a dual, it's all you. Without a shield, I'm not fighting at full capacity."
The lieutenant's eyes widened and then he grinned and spun past Michael, slashing at his back. Michael flipped his sword over his shoulder, blocking the blade before flipping backward, supporting himself on the lieutenant's blade and landing behind it, spinning and slashing at the lieutenant. The lieutenant blocked the slash then shoved the blade out of the way, stabbing at Michael. Michael spun out of the way, the sword missing by less than a centimeter. Then, Michael slashed at the lieutenant from below. The lieutenant stepped back, avoiding the blade before kicking at Michael. Michael blocked it with his shin, gritting his teeth against the pain but spinning, swinging his heel around at the lieutenant's head. The lieutenant ducked under it, slashing at Michael. Michael blocked the sword, foot connecting with the side of the lieutenant's knee. The lieutenant dropped to one knee, stabbing his sword into the ground then leaping backward away from it, avoiding a slash from Michael. He grabbed a lance and stepped forward, slashing at Michael with it. Michael blocked the lance, knocking it aside as the lieutenant spun in that direction, swiping at Michael with it. Michael jumped back and the lieutenant followed, stabbing at him rapidly. Michael deflected the attacks but a few managed to knick him on the shoulder, thigh, and cheek. Finally, Michael sidestepped the lance and slashed at the lieutenant who had already leapt back, landing beside his sword and picking it up.
"You're quite impressive," the lieutenant stated. "Even not fighting at your full capacity, you're quite skilled a fighter."
He sprinted forward, slashing at Michael. Michael blocked it, spinning and slashed at the lieutenant. The lieutenant ducked under it, spinning and slashing rapidly at Michael. Michael fended off the blows for several seconds before flipping over a horizontal slash and then blocking one in mid air, being launched into a wall, sliding to the ground and groaning as he stood.
"I'd applaud but that would leave me open," Michael grinned looking around at the audience of Salamanders, grinning as he realized the others had made their escape already. "You're not half bad yourself."
He sidestepped three stabs then diverted one slash over his head before the lieutenant released the sword, another appearing strapped to his side, this one a katana, which he drew and slashed with in one fluid motion, allowing for Michael to have no time to block it. Michael crouched, bending forward at the waist and barely getting below the blade. He spun sideways, stepping to his side and standing on the safe side of the blade, raising his own just in time to block the second blade, which the lieutenant also released as the greatsword spun down, landing in the lieutenant's hands over his head, the lieutenant slashing down at Michael without even having to change the direction of the blade, allowing him to use its full momentum. Michael turned sideways, the blade crashing down as Michael slashed at the lieutenant who released the sword, stomping on the katana's buttcap as he leapt back, the katana flipping into the air as a large cleaver appeared on the lieutenant's back. He drew it and slashed at Michael. Michael blocked it, flicking it into the sky just as the lieutenant spun, catching the lieutenant and spinning, slashing at Michael's left side. Michael blocked the blade, spinning and smashing his elbow into the lieutenant's head, knocking him away then catching the katana and hurling it at the lieutenant, the sword spinning through the air at him.
The lieutenant held his hand up, catching the sword by the grip perfectly and turning the blade around so the edge was out then flipped it to reverse grip and charged forward, slashing at Michael. Michael blocked the blade and the Lieutenant spun past him, leaving the katana to clatter to the ground once again. Michael turned as the cleaver removed his left arm. The lieutenant spun, meaning to bisect Michael but Michael blocked the blade, diverting it up and over himself again then instantly sashing downward. When the lieutenant released the sword and jumped back, Michael lunged, his slash turning into a stab. The lieutenant was able to get around his greatsword, pulling it free of the ground, the flat of the blade blocking Michael's stab before the lieutenant twisted the blade, Michael stumbling forward as the Lieutenant slashed diagonally up at him. Michael dodged sideways, receiving only a scratch on his right shoulder then spun, stabbing at the lieutenant again with the lieutenant again blocking the stab, the greatsword now held in reverse the Lieutenant could do anything, Michael flipped over him, kicking him in the back of the head.
The lieutenant staggered forward and Michael flew after him, slashing him as he passed then crashing into the wall. He slid to the ground, panting after the fight, his health in the red but slowly regenerating. The lieutenant smirked and snorted in amusement before transforming into a remain light, his swords going with him. Michael pushed himself up, turning toward the other Salamanders who all raised their lances, seeing that Michael would not be able to defeat them. After a moment of silence and no movement, however, wind blasts hit them all in the back, killing them all. Then, Leafa landed beside Michael, healing him and pulling him to his feet, holding up his knives. Michael grinned, accepting them and put them away before they all flew away from the base.
"That was the most incredible fighting I've ever seen," Leafa stated.
"You should see my friend," Michael snorted, Kirito's skill replaying in his mind. "Here."
He sent her everything he had gotten in the fight, since he had gotten no shields and not enough money for a good one. She stared at it a minute then smiled over at him and accepted it.
"You're one of a kind, you know that?" Leafa laughed.
"You have no idea," Michael stated, chuckling to himself. "And don't you forget it."
Leafa laughed and Michael looked toward the World Tree.
"You heading back?" Leafa asked.
"Probably," Michael nodded. "Unless you need me for anything."
"We might have a raid or two next week," Leafa stated.
"Send me a message," Michael smirked. "I'll be at the tree getting my ass kicked."
He raised a hand and she and Recon both waved as he branched off, heading back to the tree and saving and logging out at an inn at the base of the tree.
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