Agnosthesia 6 - Cracks and Blemishes
My rest went by without nightmares, but there was still more to see.
The simulation started, and we were treated to yet another familiar site.
The Rust Fields.
It was an area in the 32nd Floor. The official name was gaudy and elaborate so the nickname stuck.
Right until the 50th floor was unlocked and its secrets solved, this used to be a farming area for Clearers. While as a whole, the 32nd Floor was nothing to write home about, the Rust Fields was an area with little surprises. The area's layout was flat and simple and most of the traps had been documented.
However, the key value of this location was the monsters - Rusted Golems. Humanoid in size and shape and despite some variety in weapons, all of them had below-average damage, and above-average defense, and gave good rewards after their defeat. This resulted in a somewhat slow but significantly low-risk farming and leveling area.
I could see Riwer with a handful of players. Three in number, and they looked around my age, well, maybe just a bit younger.
The three broke off from Riwet and started engaging a lone Rusted Golem. Riwet stayed where he was and observed the group. Pina was perched on his shoulder and looked bored.
A coaching session, huh…
As the battle went on and the group of three communicated with each other, I was able to discern each of the players' names and group roles.
Riku, their scrawny damage dealer with wavy bangs that covered his eyes. He was armed with light armor and a spear.
7mi (Pronounced Nanami), their purple-haired tank armed with a war pick and greatshield.
Daigo, their calm and mindful shot-caller armed with an odachi.
All in all, they weren't going to win any awards in terms of speed and efficiency in killing monsters, but they were doing alright.
After a few hunts, they regrouped at the starting area. The three looked at Riwet expectantly.
"...good work, everyone." Riwet started. "First off, I think you have good fundamentals. Tanking was effective and the damage was good. Also, good work on keeping yourselves safe." He paused. "However, I have some key points to discuss."
He first turned to Riku. "Riku, you did a good job keeping yourself safe. However, you're a bit too skittish. Your team's relying on your damage to close out the fight, so the longer the fight drags on, the higher the risk that something goes wrong, and the fewer resources you'll have earned at the end of the day. I'm not saying go in full throttle without considering anything else, but it's your responsibility to maximize damage for the good of the team and to catch up to the Clearers. Got that?"
"G-got it." Riku meekly nodded back.
"Good." He turned to 7mi. "7mi, excellent job staying your ground and keeping yourself healthy. However, that was all you did. You're a tank but you are also expected to deal damage, not only because of the point I made earlier, but because the Clearers found that it'll help with maintaining monster aggro. You can also help Daigo by observing enemies and feeding him relevant info. Understood?"
She took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes."
"Good." He finally turned to Daigo. "Daigo, you did a good job as a whole in shotcalling. However, I want you to be a bit quicker in making your decisions. And to be honest, today's session didn't tell me much about how well you'll be able to lead when things go wrong, or at the very least, go different from what you expected. Make sure to rehearse a plan B with your groupmates."
"Okay. Sounds good."
"Now, that's one of my points. The second is…do any of you have any PVP experience?" He asked. "I'm not talking about controlled duels and the like. I'm talking scuffles with actual orange and red players."
The group looked at each other and then shook their heads.
"I thought so. Want a lesson on it?" He offered.
"But…I don't want to hurt people…" 7mi lamented.
"I know, and it sucks. But the alternative is leaving yourselves at the mercy of other players. Sasha-san told me that you want to be Clearers someday, and for a very long time now, Clearers are expected to have solid performance on PVP."
"Can't we just run away?" Daigo suggested.
His eyes narrowed. "Sorry, but in my experience, it's gonna take much more than that to keep you safe. Firstly, you three move at different speeds, and I believe that you wouldn't want anyone left behind. Second, if you can't show that you can fight back, criminals can see that, and they'll stalk yo."
He paused, his gaze softening. "But you can fix that. Don't worry. This is just practice, and we're in a safe zone so there's absolutely no chance of anyone being hurt. If you really don't want to, I won't force you. Just remember that you're gonna have to learn sooner or later."
The three exchanged glances and huddled up, engaging in inaudible conversation. Then, they turned back to Riwet and nodded.
"Excellent. Now, some rules." Riwet started. "Once I say "the practice starts now", I will engage you. Your job is to either knock me on my back or hit my arms or legs." He looked over to Daigo. "Daigo, you're up. Look at me and analyze what my likely playstyle would be. Then - now this is very important - communicate your strategy to your teammates without me hearing it. That's one of the things you need to be familiar with." He drew his knife. "Let me know when you're done preparing."
The three once again huddled close. In the meantime, Riwet made Pina sit at a spot far back.
Eventually, Daigo nodded at Riwet and the three took a stance.
"Alright, the practice stars…now."
Riwet charged forward. The three scrambled to respond, but as far as the initial clash went, good showing so far.
Unfortunately, it didn't take long before the three players were knocked to the ground. Their inexperience was on full display.
"Alright, let's take a ten-minute debrief." Riwet announced as he put his knife away. The three caught their breaths and sat up.
"First up, 7mi. " Riwet started. "Yeah, good attempt at keeping yourself safe. However, your issue with not attacking persisted, and because I knew that, I was able to attack you without fearing any retaliation. Criminals can also learn that by stalking you before they strike. I highly recommend that you train on breaking that habit."
He turned his attention to Riku. "Riku, good attempt on damaging me. However, I can tell that you were only going for the weak spots on my armor. Try and be less predictable about it. Don't be afraid to take some potshots anywhere on your opponent to keep them on their toes."
Finally, onto Daigo. "Daigo, good work on supporting your teammates. Both of my previous advice apply to you, and I think's a good idea to come up with a way to continuously communicate with your team that only you three would understand. Coded phrases, stuff like that." He then looked around. "Any questions?"
. "...how much were you holding back?" Daigo spoke up.
"When we were fighting, I estimate my combat performance was reduced to around 20%." He then raised a hand in a placating manner. "Now, before you get demoralized, a Clearer like me is most likely not indicative of the kind of player who's going to target you. They will most likely have lower raw combat skills but are way more likely to poison you or lure you into traps. So, watch out for that. Any more questions?"
7mi raised her hand. "How were you able to get used to this?"
Riwet took a breath. "It was just easy for me. After all my time on the front lines…I got used to it. Whether that's a good or bad thing, I'll let you decide on your own." He paused, and then opened Player Menu. "I'm going to give you 10 minutes to note my recommendations thus far, and also to relax a bit. After that, we should continue with the sparring session."
After waiting a little bit - the break was fast-forwarded - the training continued.
This time, I could already see improvements. It wasn't significant, but the three were already incorporating some of Riwet's advice right off the bat while also keeping themselves safe.
"This reminds me of the first times I trained with you." I heard Keiko say.
A smile crept on my face. "Hm…yeah. You were a little sloppier than them back then, but you did a good job quickly ironing those out."
"I had to. You brought me to a lot of scary places."
"Well, I figured that you had to learn how to handle yourself when you're being threatened in addition to speeding up your experience gain."
"I'm a bit curious - how'd you help her catch up to be a Clearer?" Kazuto spoke up.
"Back in SAO, you know how a good rule of thumb would be to have your level be around 10 more than the Floor you're going to minimize risk of death? In the interest of saving time and catching up, I advised her to have a gap of 8, further lowering it to 5 whenever I was with her. I also brought her to many of the popular power-leveling areas. Finally, I sparred with her a lot to improve her skills - both technical and mental - against humanoid enemies…including players." I turned back to the simulated fight.
…
And even after all that, Silica died. Though, I guess there was nothing I could do for her when she decided to put Riwet's life - my life - over hers…
If only I did things differently...
The training concluded with Riku scoring a solid hit on Riwet. "Alright, pause!" He looked around and smiled. "Good news. I could definitely see the potential for the three of you to be solid Clearers."
The three smiled, but tensed up as Riwet's face hardened. "However, I think one last test should be performed. This time, I'm mostly not going to hold back." He drew Caerulus out. "I'll rush you after a minute. I suggest you make your preparations in the meantime."
The three were taken aback, but steeled themselves to the best of their abilities.
The minute passed.
Riwet darted in, locking blades with Daigo. Daigo was barely able to scramble away from Riwet with the help of Riku.
Riku darted in for an attack - a horizontal slice aimed around Riwet's left arm. This was similar to the attack that ended the second sparring session.
This time, Riwet effortlessly caught his wrist. Then, he pulled Riku close and threw him into the ground.
Yeah, despite my all-rounder stat build, my high-level SAO avatar would probably be more than a match for a lower-level speedster.
Riwet turned his attention back to Daigo, who crossed his weapon near his body.
Leaving his legs wide open as Riwet swept both of his legs. There was a meaty thud as Daigo fell flat on his face.
Believe it or not, I felt that Riwet was still holding back a little bit. If he didn't then they'd be sliced into pieces instead of being on the ground. But I think that'd be too much mentally. If these kids were serious about being Clearers, then mentally breaking them at this time would not be the way to go. That would have to be slowly trained upon, along with their player levels and gear.
But he was still going to give them the fight of their lives.
Riwet disengaged from Daigo and rushed 7mi. Predictably, 7mi hunkered down without retaliating, leaving Riwet free to pummel her down.
After a few weighty blows, Riwet grabbed the side of 7mi's shield and pried it away, leaving her wide open.
As Riwet was about to stab her–
A flash of movement.
Riku had interposed between Riwet and 7mi. His arms were outstretched, fully intending on taking the blow in 7mi's stead.
Riwet, who was so full of life fighting earlier, froze. His emotions seemed to have drained as he withdrew his arm and looked at them in a stifled, robotic manner.
"...Riwet…san?" Riku called out.
That seemed to snap him back. "Y-yeah. I, uh…I think this is enough for your crash course." He paused and took a deep breath.
"...good work." He continued. "There's some more stuff you need to learn, but for now, if you have free time after your daily hunts, I would highly suggest that you practice what we've gone through today. I think sparring with each other will help nicely. If, uh, you don't have any more questions, I have to go now."
The three exchanged glances. "Riwet-san…" Riku started. "I-I…we're sorry."
"...what for?"
"You're a Clearer right? But you're here, spending your time with us noobs. You wanted to get away from everything…right?
Riwet slowly nodded. "...I thought that training you would help keep my mind off things. But…yeah…"
Pina flew over and landed on Riwet's shoulder. "Kyururu…" She trilled as she nuzzled the side of his face.
The three bowed. "Thank you for coaching us today. If there's anything we can do to return the favor…" Daigo said.
"..lift your heads up." He said. "Promise me that you'll do your best…that you'll do what you have to do to stay alive."
The three of them nodded.
"...and also, try to apply to the big guilds. The Army's doing well lately, and while I understand that you may have reservations about joining them, I can assure you that they're under new, significantly better management."
With that, he left the Starting Area.
Riwet ventured to Aurelia and stood in front of a bench - the one I usually sat on. He took a deep breath–
And kicked the bench.
At first, I thought that the bench was an Immortal Object, but bits and chunks of the wood flew off and it was visibly damaged.
A few moments passed. "...Riwet…" Pina whispered. "Please…stop…"
Riwet stopped. His tantrum finished, he sat on the bench and hung his head down. "... I should probably fix this…" He sighed. Yeah, you better. It's wood - wouldn't take too long.
Pina turned to her human form and laid a hand on his shoulder.
As they sat there, it occurred to me that this was what I had drawn a while ago…
Then, Pina embraced him and pulled him into her lap so he could lie down.
"...thanks, Pina…" He said.
"Hm…...Riwet..?"
"Yeah?"
"...Rin?"
"...Yeah, that's also my name."
A pause. "...onii-chan…?"
"Hmm…sure."
'...papa…?"
"...that one, I'm not too sure about."
"...master?"
"That one's a hard no."
"...hmmm…'
Riwet gently pinched a tuft of Pina's hair and rubbed it on her face.
"Pfft! Muuu..!" Pina sputtered and pushed Riwet's hand away with a pout.
Riwet snickered before he yawned. "…" He silently peered at Pina.
"...hm?" She tilted her head.
"...Ayano Pina." A small smile crept over his face. "It's got a good ring to it, don't you think?"
Pina smiled back. "...mhm…" She sighed. "It's been almost two weeks now...I miss her…"
"Me too…she's probably a little pissed that I'm here sulking instead of doing something useful…"
A moment of silence.
…
Lake Aurelia…a bench with its left side damaged…two people…
"...so, what's the plan for today?" Pina asked.
"I'm thinking of taking a half-hour nap and help progress the frontline map charting. Sounds good?"
Pina nodded. "I'll wake you up if something comes up."
"Thanks…" He yawned, and his eyelids slowly closed–
\0U8 # []|7
"Hey. are you sure that you don't want a blanket?" A familiar voice was heard.
Riwet opened his eyes.
Instead of falling asleep on Pina's lap…
He was lying on Silica's.
Riwet smiled. "Nah. I'm fine."
The lighting had softened and turned a little…dreamlike?
And his surprisingly nonchalant reaction to someone who died greeting him…
I felt a chill run down my spine.
"So, how was your day?" Riwet asked.
"The usual. You?" She replied.
"Oh, it was a bit different. Sasha-san told me about some kids who wanted to become Clearers. So, I checked their skills and helped them with improving them…"
"How'd it go?"
He sighed. "Oh, I remembered some stuff that…I…" Riwet paused, and his expression paled. "...I…y-you…!"
The simulation devolved into static for a split second.
When the static cleared, Riwet had scrambled away a bit of distance away from Silica.
Silica looked at him calmly. "Go on. Finish your thought."
Riwet stood up with shaking legs. "Silica…Keiko…I…"
Static.
Silica was now in front of Riwet.
"G-get ba-" He started to say.
Static took over. When it cleared, Riwet's was holding his glaive.
And his glaive was lodged through Silica's body.
My fingers felt like they had iced over and my stomach turned, but I couldn't tear my eyes from the gruesome scene.
Riwet tried to let go, but Silica pushed herself deeper and grabbed his hand.
"It's your fault, Rin." She said.
\0U8 # []|7
Your Fault.
YOUR FAULT
A gasp.
A sudden change in scenery as the bench and surrounding environment glitched and faded away.
A burst of movement.
A boy woke with a start and pushed himself out of where he lay, colliding head-first into a carpeted floor. With a groan, he pulled himself up and stumbled to his feet. Cradling the side of his head, he stood up and looked around in a daze–
And came face to face with a mirror, where the reflection of Kirito stared back at him.
He seemed to be in disbelief as he approached the mirror, gently caressing his face.
Eventually, he opened his mouth–
"What the hell is going on…" He muttered shakily.
"...nnn…"
I heard a voice - it sounded like someone was stirring out of a slumber. I realized that I was so focused on the virtual Kirito that I did not initially see that there was another person on the bed under the blankets.
Kirito turned to the bed as the person sat up from the bed and looked sleepily at him.
"Silica's sleepy face paled as her hands flew to her mouth and her eyes watered. "Kirito...kun?" She called tearfully.
He shook his head "N-no. It's me-"
"-Riwet."
mouth wavered in confusion…"Riwet…kun? But...you're..."
Kirito - or rather, Riwet - took a step back.
It was Silica, but her tone…and how she added 'kun' to my name.
"...Asuna?"
Chapter End
A/N: Hi. It's been a while. I was delayed because of the following reasons:
- I've burnt out from studying. Even worse, the nightmare is not over. I have not passed my final exam, and I need to study more for the retake next year.
- I've had conflicting ideas as to how my fic would progress, and the content I have written in this chapter serves as a point of no return. Thus, I have taken extra time to think about it and then psych myself to commit.
- To cope with stress and failure, I have procrastinated with almost everything in my life, including writing this fic.
That's about it. For now until at least the end of next year, please don't expect a normal schedule. I need some time away to perform a mental reset. And after that, I'll devote all of my energy to passing that final exam.
As for this chapter - I liked writing it overall, but I am a bit frustrated because I've slowly chipped at it for what felt like forever. I liked showing how Riwet was handling his grief over losing Silica, much like how I portrayed Asuna grieving over Kirito. However, with the final scene setting up the next chapter's premise, I believe that the two are in for some more pain. Now, onto the reviews.
To Delta6697 - I'm glad that you like my work.
To AuthoriTet - Thank you for saying that even though you're itching for GGO, my original arcs are still good. I kinda understand the feeling. The GGO arc was one of the highlights for me as well, way back when I first read through SAO. I think I said this in my previous A/Ns, but I plan to make it a bit weird. However, I will do my best to write an appropriate story for that. But for now, my focus is on this arc. I would only ask for a bit of patience.
To C0fireLoc - I think changing his weapon is a bit of a necessary change, despite polearms being his bread and butter. The world of GGO is a different beast, and I can't imagine him deciding to run around with a polearm knowing that he'll get shot full of holes. That's why I'll make him use a gun with a bayonet on it.
That's about it. Thank you very much, and have a good one.