A/N: Yo, it's me again. Just wanted to apologize about the chapter being pretty uneventful. Also, I fixed some small continuity errors and typos in the previous chapter. Again, my apologies if that impacted your reading in any way. Don't be shy to point out if I forgot to fix some typo or error and what I should improve too. Well then, I hope you enjoy the chapter!
November 6th, 2022 19:00
As the sun was about to finally disappear behind the horizon, the group arrived at the tiny village of Horunka (not without without Axel and Kirito fighting off annoying mobs while trying to protect a girl who was in no condition to fight). The settlement was surprisingly small, with few NPCs and even fewer players around. Still, there was a shop and an inn to boot, so the trip wasn't meaningless at all.
Before going to rest, the three players decided to explore the village, buy some items and maybe complete some quests.
"So, Kirig- uh, ahem, Kirito," Axel directed his question to the black-haired teen, as the trio browsed through the items on display at the shop. "Can you use some of your beta-tester knowledge and tell us if there are any good quests in Horunka?"
"Let me think… I remember there was a pretty interesting quest called 'Secret Medicine Of the Forest' or something like that. The reward is the [Anneal Blade], pretty useful in the beginning. It's a one-handed sword, though. Quests that give away two-handed swords and spears on the first floor are somewhere in the other village, Medai I think, so…" Kirito pointed at the shop display once again. "…you'll have to get by with store-bought stuff for now," he continued, causing Axel to choke on air. "D-don't worry, I'll share some Cor with you two after I get it done! But now you better do the 'Chicken On the Run', it's not hard and you don't have to fight or run somewhere, you just search for chickens around the village. The rewards are solid for beginners. Just talk to an NPC near the town gate to start."
Axel and a still shaken Lyn parted ways with Kirito after agreeing to meet in front of the inn later. Once they approached the town entrance, a troubled old woman NPC came into sight.
"Excuse me, can we help you with something?" Axel said to initiate the quest and the NPC cursor above the woman lit up.
"Oh, dear travelers, please listen to my request. All of my chickens ran away and I'm too old to catch them. I'll reward you if you help me," the lady confessed.
"W-why are we doing this, Inaba-san…" Lyn spoke for the first time, overcoming her stupor and startling Axel. The NPC didn't react. "Everything happened so suddenly and I still can't wrap my head around all of this. Kirigaya-san and you weren't shaken by this at all," she continued with despair in her voice.
"That's not true. I still don't understand Kayaba's reasons for trapping us in SAO and starting the death game, one thing I know for sure is that Kirito, Klein and the others have the same questions and also feel despair. But I don't wanna sit around and wait, we must get out of this game alive and that's why we need to keep getting stronger. Don't you feel the same?" Axel said. "At least give this quest a try."
The boy's words stirred something inside the girl.
"O-okay, where can we find your chickens?" Lyn asked the NPC suddenly.
"I had only four in my yard and they ran into the forest. The monsters there are dangerous, so I can't do a thing, and my back hurts too," the NPC continued with a hint of sadness.
"We'll help you," Axel cheered the old lady up. In truth, he found the NPC's story to be slightly different from what Kirito said, though he decided to think about it later. Once the boy said his words of encouragement, a beeping sound notified the two players about the quest becoming active.
"Before you go, take this, you'll need to keep the birds safe," the woman handed a cage to the duo. "Once you find all the chickens, bring it back."
Meanwhile…
Kirito entered the house that was required for the quest and the first thing he heard was the sound of a young girl coughing. Of course, everything seemed so familiar to him because of the beta-test.
"Welcome, traveler. There isn't any food we can offer now, but I can bring you some water if you wish," the mother NPC said in a depressed tone.
The black-haired teen already knew what to say. "Do you need help?"
The NPC cursor lit up. "Dear traveler, please, listen to my troubles. My daughter got sick with a horrible illness and no medicine from the town market could treat it. I believe the only way to cure her is to make a potion from a flower of a Little Nepenthes, so I beg you…Please, bring it to me, so I can cure my dear child," the NPC explained, with her voice shaking.
Kirito accepted the quest and left for the forest near Horunka to hunt for the flower monster.
Making his way through the forest, the black-haired teen tried his best not to get attacked by monsters and have his HP depleted. Many people still found it hard to believe what Kayaba said earlier, but Kirito definitely wasn't one of them and wanted to survive.
Suddenly, two plant-like creatures came into sight. They were known to every beta-tester as Nepenthes and had sprouts on their heads instead of flowers. At the sight of Kirito, the two monstrous plants screeched with their large mouths wide open, gnashed their sharp teeth and charged at him. The black-haired player removed his [Small Sword] from its sheath and readied himself, moving the weapon slightly behind his back. Kirito's sword glowed blue and he slashed at the two mobs' weak points with a [Horizontal], completely emptying their HP bars.
The former beta-tester knew that his search was far from over and there were more enemies up ahead. As Kirito remembered from the beta, the 'Little Nepenthes' had a small spawn rate, so defeating other mobs to make it appear was a safe bet. However, a strange tension in the air around the teen made him feel uneasy. It was as if somebody was watching Kirito. Deciding not to let his guard down, the boy pressed onwards.
"Where did those chickens go…" Axel said furrowing his brows as he and Lyn searched for the runaway birds, stopping at almost every bush. Their search seemed endless and fruitless for the most part. However, a chirping sound alerted the two of a runaway chicken's presence. The player duo rushed to see two small chickens wandering in a clearing between the trees.
"T-there it is," Lyn pointed at the bird, who was searching the ground for food.
"Let's go catch it quietly while it can't see us," Axel said and crouched, prompting the raven-haired girl to do the same.
The two hid behind a bush and started moving towards the clueless birds. Once Axel made his way towards the first bird, it finally noticed the player and let out a yell to notify the other chicken.
"N-now's your chance!" Lyn cheered for Axel, as the boy leaped forward and caught the bird by its wings. The brown-haired teen landed flat on the ground holding the chicken tight. Much to the two's annoyance, the other one ran away.
Axel stood up, still holding the chicken, and tried to catch his breath.
"I knew the game was supposed to be realistic, but not like that," he said, breathing heavily. "But still, since the other chicken got away, that leaves us with three. I guess the chickens' AI is too simple, so probably they can't hide."
"You do have a point. I-I'll trust your guess," Lyn was quick to agree with Axel's reasoning.
"Alright, let's go!" the boy exclaimed, having no intention of giving up on the quest.
Another 'Nepenthes' mob exploded into blue shards with a screech. Kirito carefully sheathed his sword, still alert about his surroundings. Suddenly, the former beta-tester heard someone clapping behind him.
Once the teen turned around, he saw a boy around his age and height with slightly long grayish-brown hair. The mysterious player wore beginner clothing, the only differences were better armor and a buckler, which Kirito remembered being on sale at the Horunka item shop. That was when Kirito realized his mysterious stalker to be standing right in front of him. He must have used [Hiding] to spy on me, Kirito guessed.
"Not bad. I never thought they would put a cooldown on the quest after the release. Are you the guy who took it up to get the 'Anneal Blade'?" the boy asked the black-haired player.
"Uh, yeah…" Kirito replied with slight unease in his voice. Wait a sec, today is the first day of SAO's official service. If he knows about this quest and its rewards, then that guy is gotta be a beta-tester like me, he thought to himself.
"So, wanna team up? I'll help you get your flower and you'll help me get mine in return," the mysterious player asked Kirito yet again.
"Okay, why not," Kirito agreed to the boy's offer, still reluctant.
"Great, I'm Coper by the way," the boy introduced himself.
"I'm Kirito."
"Now that we have settled everything, let's get down to business!" Coper announced, suddenly touching his nose bridge. This strange gesture made Kirito assume that the boy wore glasses in real life, but he brushed it off as something unimportant.
Kirito and Coper got their weapons ready and departed to continue the quest.
20:30
"You know, there's one thing on my mind, Mizuki-san," Axel attempted to strike up a conversation.
"What is it?" Lyn asked with concern.
"What if Kayaba made some quests harder or even remade them completely? I remember Kirito saying that the one we are doing now is easy and that we don't have to run around, but even with chickens being predictable, searching for them in this forest is hard. There are most likely mobs here too," the boy contemplated. "I couldn't get into the beta-test, so I don't know how it was before, but the description Kirito gave us doesn't really match with what the NPC lady told us. That's what made me think about this whole situation."
"I-I can't say much about this. I was too shocked from the announcement at the Town of Beginnings to understand most things Kirigaya-san said, but you do have a point about alterations…" Lyn agreed.
Much to the two's joy, a yell echoed through the forest. The two players rushed towards the place the sound came from in order to finally catch the second chicken.
What the duo witnessed at the spot made their facial expressions change from determined to unpleasantly surprised. One of the runaway chickens ran around in panic, while a plant mob with many vines and a huge maw dripping with liquid carefully stared at its soon-to-be prey.
"Now's the time to fight for real. Let's get going!" Axel got this two-handed sword out of its sheath, ready to protect the bird.
Lyn's face turned unusually pale. She couldn't find the strength to move an inch or say anything. Instead, Kayaba's words repeated themselves countless times in her head. The girl's own inner worries made the situation worse. Even a single thought of her avatar being deleted was enough to drive her on the verge of tears.
No, no, no. I just can't. What if I die here?
At the same time, outside of the raven-haired girl's inner world, a battle broke out.
The fight seemed like an eternity to Axel. The Nepenthes's relentless barrage of attacks started to wear him out. Defending the quest-important bird, making sure Lyn wasn't hit and blocking attacks at the same time was especially hard.
Once the mob's vines spread to the sides, the teen saw an opportunity to finally attack. Raising his sword above the 'Nepenthes', he felt as if time itself stopped. Right at that moment, the [Plain Claymore] flashed bright orange. With an audible whistling sound, the sword descended upon the Nepenthes and sliced it in half with an [Avalanche] sword skill. The mob disintegrated into polygons and a familiar message appeared, showing how much experience and money Axel got from the battle.
The teen stared at his sword for a second in surprise, before shifting his attention to Lyn, who was still visibly dazed.
"Are you okay, Mizuki-san?" Axel called out to his classmate with concern.
"A-ah, u-uh, w-what happened..?" Lyn came back to her senses.
"You just froze up and did nothing all of a sudden. I got rid of the mob, so don't worry," the boy continued his inquiry
Lyn sighed heavily while trying to stuff the second chicken into the cage. "Never mind, we should get a move on…"
Axel's face got serious all of a sudden. He quickly opened the menu and started fiddling with something. After a few taps, he closed the menu and concentrated his eyes on something.
The girl was slightly scared and interested in the thing her companion was doing at the same time. "Wh-what are you doing, Inaba-san?"
"I overheard some players talking about the [Search] skill earlier, so I thought we could use it. Sorry if I surprised you," the boy explained without looking away from his target.
Axel's face started to look even more serious. "Right now the birds are heading towards a swarm of mobs, who are fighting against a party of two players. We gotta help those guys and complete the quest."
Lyn nodded in approval. "Y-yes, we should hurry!"
At the same time, in the other part of the forest, the two boys slashed down mobs one after another. Despite the insane exhaustion, they went on. Yet the 'Little Nepenthes' did not appear.
Dammit, this whole quest is too long even with a second player helping. It seems that the spawn rate got lowered, Kirito thought while finishing off yet another enemy. I wonder if those two are done with their quest already.
In the distance, Coper charged at a foe with unbelievable energy. Even with all the weariness, it looked as if he wasn't tired at all. The monster managed to hit him a few time, but his HP didn't drop much.
Kirito looked around carefully and a glimpse of a bright red flower was enough to make his fatigue go away.
Unmistakably, the flower belonged to the 'Little Nepenthes'. Calling it "little" was a huge mistake. This monster was the complete opposite of the word, towering above other 'Nepenthes' and being a level higher than the others. The giant flower mob shrieked deafeningly and lunged at Kirito at full speed.
Nice! Now I just have to defeat it.
Kirito was happy to see his and Coper's work pay off. With a determined look on his face, the former beta-tester jumped to the side and avoided the hit, but the enemy managed to bind his leg with a vine. The black-haired teen launched a [Vertical] in return, stunning the mob. Kirito used the monster's confused state to break his leg free and attack with a [Horizontal]. The Little Nepenthes recovered from the attack and quickly whipped out its vines. This time Kirito couldn't dodge in time and a red line appeared on his cheek in the place where the mob's attack hit.
Kirito focused his sight on the plant monster. The mob's HP bar was in the orange zone, which meant it was almost down.
Just a little more!
The enemy bared its sharp teeth and lunged at Kirito again, but this time Kirito outwitted the large plant. Kirito's [Small Sword] turned blue and with a sharp turn, the player delivered the final blow to the Little Nepenthes. After a short pause, the monster exploded into blue shards and the rewards screen appeared, showing the flower at the top of the list.
"Finally," Kirito was ready to collapse from the weariness.
He turned to tell Coper about his victory, but the boy was nowhere to be seen,
"Hey, where did you go? I got the flower!"
No one replied. Instead, a plop could be heard.
No way… Fruit Nepenthes didn't spawn together with regular ones during the beta. If the fruit got hit, then this means we are in huge trouble.
Kirito heard Coper's painfully familiar clapping as the player canceled his [Hiding] and appeared in front the former beta-tester.
"You did a good job. But this is where I'll have to say bye. Sorry, but I really need the sword," Coper said smugly and activated [Hiding] again, disappearing in thin air. Multiple mobs spawned behind him at the same time.
So he resorted to MPK-ing, how ironic.
Coper's most fatal mistake, however, was being too sure about his skill, since [Hiding] could only trick players and enemies with eyes. Nepenthes couldn't see, so they used their senses to hunt, which made hiding totally useless.
Ignoring Kirito, the horde of monsters attacked Coper, who reappeared again, unable to activate the skill.
"What the hell, it's not working!" he cursed loudly. Fear was visible on his face.
Mobs surrounded him. "Gah! Get away, get away, get away!"
Coper's attempts to defeat the swarm of flower monsters was in vain. The numbers were too large, and soon, Coper's terrified screams could no longer be heard. Instead, blue shards flew into different directions with a shattering sound.
Drops of sweat rolled down Kirito's forehead. He was sure that his body in the real world was going through the same process.
What's more, his HP bar was yellow, so the chances of victory were low, if not unsuccessful. Running away seemed to be the best option, but the risks were also high.
Is this the end? Am I going to die now?
Kirito asked those questions for the first time. The monsters were still around and ready to attack any second.
No, I must survive! Now or never!
Taking a firm grip on the sword with renewed vigor, he slashed the three closest enemies with [Horizontal], but the horde still seemed too large. The army of monstrous plants wasted no time and attacked.
Finding the right timing for a sword skill was unbelievably hard, so defense seemed like the best offense in this case. As for the HP, the situation was dire. Parrying only reduced the incoming damage and the gauge was being depleted regardless.
One thing Kirito didn't expect to hear was squawking. Two small chickens jumped out of the bushes right in front of him. The enemy horde went suspiciously silent for a moment, before resuming their attack with twice the force. The two birds' seemingly pointless appearance suddenly gave Kirito an idea.
The mobs looked kinda lost when the chickens appeared, maybe the learning engine got confused, he took guess. Maybe I can use this trick later on, but now I must get away from the mobs.
Sudden insights aside, the HP still posed a threat to Kirito's life. The now orange strip showed him that his very existence was in danger. The person that was Kirigaya Kazuto was in danger.
After a barrage of several [Horizontal] attacks, dodging attacks became even more difficult and the HP gauge was almost on the verge of turning red. Kirito was once again giving in to the fatigue and fell on his knees. And the 'Nepenthes' horde was ready to deal with the two chickens too. He intended to get up use a last resort attack in desperation, but…
"Hah!"
A red blurry afterimage of a heavy sword skill was the only thing that Kirito could see. The attack that was known as [Blast] wiped out the front row of enemies and left some of the others with damage slashes across their faces.
"K-kirigaya-san! Hang in there!" a familiar girlish voice, belonging to Lyn, encouraged Kirito. "Y-you too Inaba-san!"
Heh, those two came to help me. But how did they find out where I was? Whatever, I'll ask later, Kirito deliberated while Lyn helped him stand up.
"Hey, Mizuki-san, I need aid," Axel yelled while continuing his onslaught.
Lyn froze up again. Painful thoughts flooded her mind.
Kirito put his hand on her shoulder. "Just believe in yourself and everything will be fine."
With great hesitation, Lyn took out her spear. She was still in deep thought whether she will make it alive or not.
Ahhh, no time to think.
This simple thought was enough to motivate her to charge at the enemy with unbelievable speed.
The fragile-looking girl's [Basic Spear] flashed yellow as she interrupted Axel's attack on a Nepenthes and stabbed the mob twice rapidly with [Twin Thrust], delivering the final blow. After the Nepenthes's disappearance, Lyn stepped back, feeling dazed.
Like before, the horde stopped attacking suddenly.
"Let's get out of here while they are confused, quick!" Kirito held up the two birds and the trio used their chance to run as fast as they could towards Horunka.
22:00
"F-finally," Lyn managed to say through her heavy breaths as the three finally got back to the village. "I-I s-still can't believe that I managed to do something"
"You know, that's a big achievement! But you know what's more important? It's the fact that we survived," Axel pointed out. Kirito and Lyn nodded in agreement.
"I have to go turn in the flower I need for the quest. You can go with me if you want," Kirito offered, to which the other two also agreed.
At the quest house, Kirito gave the NPC the flower she asked for and the trio watched her brew something in a pot on a stove. The woman added the flower into the pot and took it to another room. After a few seconds, a young girl ran out of the room happily and her mother embraced her.
"Thank you so much for helping me cure my daughter, dear traveller. As a reward for your efforts, I will give you a sword that is our family's most treasured possession. I believe giving it to you is better than letting it rust."
A sad smile appeared on Kirito's face.
This girl reminds me of Sugu. Once we get out of here, I should spend some time with her.
"Is everything okay, Kirigaya-san?" Lyn asked Kirito with concern.
Kirito snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh, I'm fine, really. And again, call me Kirito."
The former beta-tester paused and then continued. "You two better go claim rewards for your quest. I think we should leave for Medai tomorrow."
Having said that, Kirito started reflecting on the day's events. Kayaba Akihiko's words turned out to be true in the end.
The boy felt that today was the first time he realized how much he valued his life for real.