ACT I
ELF WAR
Chapter 12: From Dusk to Dawn
With a shudder that seemed to shake the floor of the boss chamber, the Irrational Cube shattered into blue polygons and the victory fanfare echoed within the room.
Kayaba sheathed his sword as the chamber was filled with a collection of relieved groans. Unlike Fuscus The Vacant Colossus, the Irrational Cube wasn't a strong boss but a troublesome opponent nonetheless, taking more brains than raw power to defeat it.
Irritating Cube indeed, he mused. It was the original name of the floor boss during the beta, and one that had been the butt of most jokes among the development team. Higa was the one who suggested it for the simple fact that the lead floor designer combined Sodoku and a Rubix cube into one nearly unbeatable monster.
Thankfully, the raid group had a lot of intelligent players. Kayaba's gaze drifted across Argo, who was having an interesting discussion with Kibaou and Lind. It was her who caught on to the Irrational Cube's erratic attack patterns; without her, half of the raid group wouldn't even be standing by the end.
"That was an interesting boss," Nautilus commented as he and Yuna approached. The boy wore a silver coat now, the last attack bonus drop from the boss itself. "Didn't think I'd have to use math in this game."
Kayaba chuckled. "Blame it on the development team. They decided on this."
"I couldn't even answer a fifth of the puzzle," Yuna grumbled with a pout. "Please don't tell me we have more of these things in the next floors."
"No, this was the last one." Kayaba had made sure that each Floor Boss was unique and their attacks patterns varied. And that should remained intact, even if Cardinal meddled with their core programmings.
The conversations were gradually subsiding, some of the ALS and DKB players starting to leave for the next floor. None, however, looked excited to see a new floor that should place everyone one step closer to freedom.
Yuna noticed it as well. "You'd think they'll be more happy to reach the Seventh Floor. It only took us five days to clear the Sixth, right?"
Kayaba nodded. "Considering that defeating the Irrational Cube will deactivate the puzzles in the Sixth, you are right to expect the others being more enthusiastic." He smiled faintly. "Unfortunately, the Seventh has a rather… unsavory reputation among the beta testers."
Nautilus frowned. "I think I've heard about this from Kirito. It's all about gambling, right?"
"Huh?" Yuna blinked, mystified. "What do you mean?"
"You'll learn soon enough." Kayaba scanned the players. "Speaking of Kirito, where is he and Asuna?"
The answer came not three seconds later. Amidst the murmurings in the sea of crowd within the chamber, one could hear a conversation louder than the rest, coming from an island of two players separated from the main group.
"What were you thinking!?"
"Asuna, I was just…"
Kayaba exchanged glances with Yuna and Nautilus, then hurried toward the arguing individuals. Some of the players they passed were muttering against the two, though their words bore no real malice. If anything, they seemed rather amused.
They found the two arguing next to a pillar. Kirito had his arms raised in helpless defense against a livid Asuna in the middle of a tirade. "…you to attack after I switched out. Why didn't you listen?" she demanded.
Kirito swallowed, but his voice was firm as he replied, "That beam attack would have hit you if I didn't go in first. Besides, it worked and—"
"It took 60% of your life!" Asuna shouted, almost in tears. "What would have happened if you weren't at full health?"
Kirito grimaced, and Kayaba looked at him sympathy. Though the Irrational Cube's attacks were quite easy to dodge, some of them dealt high damage that only a tank could withstand. And for someone with Kirito's play style, he wouldn't survive an attack like that unless his HP gauge was full.
Kirito was silent for several heartbeats, eyes cast downward. When he finally met her gaze, he lowered his hands and said in a soft but steady voice, "What if it hit you instead?"
The effect was immediate. Several players groaned, including Yuna and Argo, as Asuna's expression hardened. After several swift swipes of her index finger, she pressed a button. Kayaba's gaze drifted up as his HUD flashed a notification.
Asuna has left the party.
The boss room was enveloped in a thick fog of silence. No one outside a party would know if a member had left that party, but they didn't need to, for Kirito's shocked expression and Asuna's icy gaze made it plain what had happened.
Kirito's hand reached out, a strangled noise escaping his throat. Asuna whirled around before his fingers could touch her, marching past the onlookers. She didn't even stop to greet the rest of her party, disappearing back toward the boss chamber's entrance.
Kayaba watched Asuna's retreating form for a moment, then swiveled his gaze toward Kirito along with so many eyes, some of which with disapproval.
"I'm gonna talk to her," Yuna muttered. She turned around, but Nautilus grabbed her wrist.
"No, don't," he said. "It's not… proper."
"Fine. But can I stab him?" Yuna asked sweetly, her smile dangerously cold.
"Please don't," Nautilus said with a sigh.
"Nautilus is right, Yuna," Kayaba interjected before they, too, ended up in a quarrel. "It's their issue, not ours. They would have to mend it themselves."
The other players were starting to disperse, but Kirito remained rooted on his spot, staring at the entrance to the boss chamber with a dumbfounded expression.
Kayaba's approach seeming snapped him back to reality, and he shook his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but Kayaba overrode him. "I would suggest we find an inn for now until things have settled," he said gently.
Kirito stared at him. He looked conflicted, as if struggling within himself. Then he took a deep breath and nodded, trudging behind a line of players leaving the boss chamber.
"That was a mess," Argo said next to Nautilus.
The boy yelped, jumping back. "When the heck did you get there?" he demanded. Beside him, Yuna's shoulders trembled with restrained laughter.
"Hey, you better train your Detection skill or else you wouldn't survive the next three floors." Argo shook her head. "But back on topic, that was a dumb thing to say, even for Ki-bou."
"Can't you talk to Asuna?" Yuna asked.
The information broker shrugged. "It's their problem, not mine. But…" She grinned.
"But?"
Argo's grin widened. "If Kirito wants to, he'll have to pay me first. Nyahaha!"
###
He was typing on his console when a hand tapped his shoulder.
Kayaba looked up, and through blurry eyes exhausted from coding the attack patterns of The Gleam Eyes, he saw a frowning Rinko with a bento in her right hand. She thrust it toward his face.
"Eat." The single word came out like the order of a commander, not a co-worker.
Scrunching his face, Kayaba glanced at the Hello Kitty box, then back to her annoyed face. "I've already eaten," he said slowly.
"Yes. Nine hours ago," she snapped.
He blinked. Had it been that long already? But it was still… He glanced at the clock and saw the time: 5:32pm. He'd had breakfast around 8am.
"Ah," was all he could say.
That seemed to anger the woman even more. With a scowl she grabbed his arm and pulled. Kayaba, however, remained in his seat
"Rinko, I'm fine," he sighed. It was a lie, of course. His hands were shaking; he had to retype five blocks of code because his fingers kept slipping across the keys. His vision sometimes swam. In fact, it was spinning now, and he shut his eyelids briefly.
When he opened them, Rinko was glaring at him. "No, you're not fine. You've not been eating properly for the last three days." She sniffed, her nose wrinkling. "And you need a shower. Badly. Now get off that stupid chair or I'll drag it along with you to the cafeteria if I have to."
A few of their co-workers snickered. It was no idle threat, Kayaba knew, and refusing Rinko would just infuriate her even more. Besides, he needed to eat anyway if he was to finish the coding.
"Fine," he said and stood up. Rinko grabbed his hand with a smile.
Together, they headed toward the cafeteria.
The corner of Kayaba's lips curved slightly upwards at the memory. He could understand Asuna's concern for Kirito; the boy had been unnecessarily reckless. They had tanks to protect their DPS players, and what he did nearly broke the momentum that their party had.
But he couldn't blame him, either. It was a close call, for lack of a better word. If not for Kirito, Asuna would have been in danger.
They sat at a table in an inn, waiting. It had only been a few hours, and yet news was already spreading about the Seventh Floor's notoriety. Kayaba noticed how some of the returning players coming into the establishment, the Lady Luck Inn, looked livid.
"You'd think they were robbed off of their life," Nautilus commented with a snort. "Is it really that bad?"
"It is gambling," Yuna pointed out. "It's always bad, Nau-kun." She turned to Kayaba and lowered her voice. "Why did you make the floor like this anyway?"
Kayaba chuckled. It was often the question most players asked, even during the beta. "My team suggested it. And since it adds variety, I thought to implement their suggestion." His brows furrowed slightly. "But the colosseum was cut from the development stage."
And yet it was on this floor, standing proudly on the northern area. Another of Cardinal's changes, no doubt.
"Do you think they are related to the Elf War campaign?" Yuna asked. There was a hidden dark elf camp that was spotted by an exploration party just a few hours ago, which meant that the floor had campaign quests.
"Yofelis did say that the Amber Key is here, so I won't be surprised if the Casino and the Colosseum are major quest locations. We do know that a clue about the Seventh Floor boss is in the former; it was the same in the beta. And I don't think that has changed."
The inn's door opened, letting warm daylight streamed in. Kayaba and the others turned at that, and watched as Argo slipped between the occupied tables.
"Don't tell me they are still talking?" the information broker asked in an incredulous tone.
Yuna choked, and Nautilus snorted. "Relax," he said. "It's only been fifteen minutes."
"Okaaay. But if they don't come down soon, I'll get them myself. I don't got much time!"
Kayaba raised an eyebrow. Beta testers were still shunned, but not as much as they had been two months ago, especially with Argo participating in recent boss fights. "Business is booming, I'll presume?"
Argo grinned. "Exploding, you could say. I got more people asking for my service lately. Guild leaders, mostly." She wrinkled her nose. "Kibaou is a cheapskate, though. Do you know that?"
Nautilus's expression turned sour. "He still doesn't trust you?"
"Oh, he does. But he's too stingy. Unlike Lind. Can't blame him, though. ALS is growing faster. They recruited fifteen players just yesterday!"
Kayaba wondered at that. Having more guild members was usually a viable strategy, but it would also saturate a guild's finance and hinder its growth in the future. One could only get so far with a large group.
They talked about more mundane things after that. It wasn't long before a notification flashed about Asuna rejoining the party. Footsteps soom descended from the stairs afterwards, and they saw Kirito and Asuna approaching together.
"Finally," Argo grumbled. "What took you two so long?"
"We had to sort out some things," Asuna replied with a smile. She dipped her head at the party. "Sorry for my behavior yesterday."
Kayaba smiled as Kirito took a seat next to Argo. "It's fine, Asuna. Welcome back to the party."
"Welcome back," Yuna chirped while Nautilus nodded.
When all of them were finally seated, Argo began, "Right. Good news or bad news?"
"Bad," they all said.
"Right. Bad news. Okay, so in the beta, there was only the Casino." She looked at Kirito and Kayaba. "You two remembered it?"
"More than I want to," Kirito answered in a dry tone.
Asuna narrowed her eyes, as did Yuna. "Let me guess," Asuna said. "You gambled your money?"
Kirito nodded with a guilty expression. "Yeah. Lost quite a lot too."
"10,000 Cor to be exact," Argo chimed in, munching on an apple she had produced from her pocket. She snorted. "Hey, don't give that look, Ki-bou. I did warn you." Ignoring Kirito's grumbling, she continued, "So, anyway, that's going to be a problem for those trying to finish the Elf War campaign."
"The Amber Key is the grand prize in the casino," Kayaba concluded. He had surmised as much as soon as they went there.
Argo nodded as the others groaned. "You and the others trying to clear the campaign will have to gamble in order to win it." She shrugged. "Good luck with that. Last I heard, someone already lost all of his Cor playing one of the games."
"What are the games?" Asuna asked.
"The usual. Card and dice games, mostly. A roulette." Argo sighed. "You know, for someone who's supposed to be a mad genius, Kayaba sure didn't give this much attention."
Kayaba didn't. It was really only supposed to be a repertoire of mini-games that had no major significance in the gameplay other than regulating the amount of Cor players had. "Perhaps he thought it would promote gambling if he made it more interesting," he said mildly.
"Yeah. No wonder the odds of winning are low." Argo chewed and swallowed for a few moments. "But that's why there's a good news. The Casino only has half of the Amber Key."
"And I'm guessing that the Colosseum got the other half," Kirito said.
Argo grinned. "Exactly. Defeat the strongest monster and you'll win the price."
The silence that followed was understandable. Fighting monsters in a controlled environment could be exhilarating, but only if there was no fear of death. But in SAO where death was real, going to the Colosseum would be suicide.
"Is there any way to get it without fighting?" Kirito asked.
Argo shook her head. "Not that I know of."
"It's only been a day since the floor was opened," Yuna said. "We can still figure it out."
"By the time we do, the boss room would have already been found," Nautilus pointed out, crossing his arms.
"Yes, but neither can we skip it." Kayaba regarded each of them seriously. "We won't progress with the campaign if we do." He looked at Argo. "Are there a lot of players fighting in the Colosseum?"
She nodded. "More than the ones gambling. It's kinda funny, really. You'd think they'd be more open to gamble their money instead of their lives. But I can understand why. From what I know, you can surrender in the middle of a match."
"Survive long enough and you'll earn enough without going to the hunting spots," Kirito said.
"And they'll spend their hard earned money in the Casino. They lose, they'll fight in the Colosseum again, thus creating a perpetual cycle." Kayaba pressed his lips in a thin line. It was the reason why he had the Colosseum removed but kept the Casino; he was certain the players would abuse the system.
The others grimaced. "Told you gambling is bad," Yuna muttered to Nautilus.
The boy stared at her incredulously. "I'm not even gambling."
"Well, good!"
Argo cleared her throat. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm really in a hurry. So can you two stop flirting for now?"
They looked away in embarassment, saying nothing.
"Good. Now then, the other info." Her expression grew serious. "Several players saw forest elves in the Casino."
"When?" Kayaba asked calmly. They had visited the establishment earlier, but everything looked the same as he had remembered, with all the employees being humans.
"Around midnight. Third floor. Witnesses tried to follow them, but the guards blocked their way even though they were playing for the Forest Elf faction."
Odd and suspicious. Kayaba glanced at Kirito and Asuna. Their brows were furrowed, and Kirito shifted in his seat before asking, "Has anyone tried sneaking past the guards?"
"Yup. But the guards were high-leveled. Poor guys nearly got killed when the guards noticed them. They're banned from the Casino now. My guess is, there's a quest that you should activate first or—"
"You can't be playing for the Forest Elf faction," Kayaba concluded, making Argo smile.
"I thought as much," she said with a nod. "If I have to guess, you can steal the Amber Key without winning it as a prize."
Nautilus frowned. "If that's true, the same could be said for the Colosseum. Maybe we don't have to win in either of them."
Kirito looked disappointed, but he still nodded in agreement. "That means we need to trigger the associated quest or do it ourselves. Maybe we can ask Kizmel."
"I'm sure we can," Asuna agreed. "But do we go together or split up?"
They exchanged glances. Splitting up would be the most logical step, but doing so would repeat the same mistake they had done in the Catacombs.
"We'll have an additional member even if we don't split up," Yuna said.
"Diavel isn't joining us," Kayaba said. "He wanted to raise his level first and upgrade his equipment."
Nautilus frowned. "Can't he do that in the Colosseum?"
"The Colosseum has a recommended starting level of 18," Argo pointed out. "He's what, 16? Even with the best equipment available, he might not survive. Kiz-chan is your best bet if you want to steal both halves of the Amber Key."
"Then I guess we do have to split up." Kayaba glanced around the table. "Who will join me in the Casino?"
###
Kayaba strode inside the bright and glimmering casino hall for the second time that day. Behind him, Nautilus whistled.
The interior was not as extravagant and modern as real life gambling establishments, but it was still an impressive sight for those entering for the first time. The wide aisles, the alluring lighting, the sounds of chips and cries of victory and defeat—everything was patterned with reality in mind.
"It's all great until you start losing money," Kirito said dryly, eyeing one of the card tables in displeasure.
"But not if you don't." Nautilus pointed at a player jumping in joy as a towering mound of chips was slid toward him.
"I'll bet 300 Cor that he'll be crying in five minutes."
"500 says he's going to be jumping even higher."
They grinned and shook hands.
While the two swordsmen discussed the various gambling tables and games, Kayaba surveyed the area with acuity. The NPC's were all humans, as he had expected, and no one bore the icon for a quest.
He glanced up at the third floor balcony. A grand staircase spiraled from it and curled toward the second floor before snaking to a wide space on the first level, like a twisting tree trunk. Subtle, especially if no one knew what they were looking at.
Climbing that would attract attention, but from what he had seen n the map, the third floor housed the exchange booths for prizes. It shouldn't be hard for them to win a few games and go to the booths, then find a way past the guards.
"We're going to play a few games," he told Kirito and Nautilus after he finished scouring their surroundings.
Kirito immediately caught on and his lips twisted in displeasure. "Can't say I'm excited, but I can understand why." He nodded at a nearby card table that was relatively empty. "That one. It has one of the lowest starting bet."
"That's the table where you lost 10,000 Cor?" Nautilus asked as they strode toward it.
Kirito shook his head and pointed at the adjacent table filled with players. "No. It's that one."
"Oh." Nautilus paused, and Kayaba noticed the issue at once. They couldn't play against each other. "Who wants to go first?" Nautilus wondered.
Kayaba thought for a moment before sitting down next to a Watcher. If they were going to gamble money in this casino, he might as well take the initiative and see if the algorithm had change.
He placed a bet, and the game began.
The first one was a loss him, his wager going into the hands of a tank. It was expected—he had bet the lowest amount, which had the highest lose percentage, so he tried a second game, doubling the money.
Another loss.
Kayaba frowned, glancing at the Watcher who placed the highest bet and got the win. On the third game, Kayaba tried a different strategy: he placed 4,000 Cor on the betting pool, more than five times his initial starting bet.
His eyebrows rose when he finally won. Ignoring the groans of his opponents, he tried for the fourth time, betting the same amount. The prize pool went to the tank, who leapt to his feet and whooped his victory.
On the fifth, Kayaba lowered his bet by half, while the Watcher and the tank placed half of that. When the card was dealt and everyone revealed their hands, Kayaba's frown deepened.
His opponents both got Royal Flushes. He had a Jack Straight.
Rising from his seat, he went back to the boys who had been watching silently. "Well?" Kirito asked.
Kayaba glanced at the players and lowered his voice. "Go and try it a few times." He explained what he had learned and advised the boy on the pattern. "Once you're finished, we'll have Nautilus play next. We'll discuss the results after that."
"All right," Kirito said.
As he sat at the card table, Nautilus asked Kayaba, "What did you find out?"
"Later," Kayaba said. "I want to confirm something first."
It was only ten minutes when Kirito returned with a serious expression. "Your turn," he told Nautilus.
The boy sat next, and they waited until five rounds were over before he stood up, scratching his head. His shrug confirmed Kayaba's silent question.
They move to a quiet corner, far enough that no one would hear them. When Kayaba was sure they were alone, he said, "The game is rigged. And if my suspicions are correct, so are the rest of them."
"Isn't that how casinos usually work?" Nautilus asked.
Kayaba shook his head. "Not in games. The win-loss ratio is still in favor of the players. But here it's in favor of the system."
"Because of the Colosseum," Kirito surmised.
"Yes. Which means that the monsters there are probably unbeatable. The high-leveled ones at least." Kayaba wanted to believe otherwise. But he wouldn't put it past Cardinal to do something that would hinder the campaign's progress and prevent the players from getting an advantage.
"We should ask the others if they noticed something odd and warn them just in case," Kirito said, his fingers already moving across the keyboard.
"Warn Argo too. The players need to know, especially those fighting in the Colosseum."
"They might not believe her," Nautilus pointed out.
"Even if they don't, at least we have warned them."
While he waited for Kirito to send his messages, Kayaba glanced at the third floor again. It seemed that breaking past the guards was the only way to proceed with the quest, but he was sure that they were high-leveled NPC's that they wouldn't be able to defeat in direct combat.
A distraction was the only possible solution, and as a tank he was the best candidate, but he couldn't do it alone. Either they do it together or wait for the girls to finish on their side.
"Asuna said that they already found a way to get the piece of Amber Key from their side," Kirito said after a few minutes.
"That fast?" Nautilus asked, incredulous.
"What about Argo?" Kayaba asked.
"She said she'll warned the players, but she also doubt if they'll believe her." Kirito closed the menu. "She advised to wait for the others too."
Kayaba pressed his lips in a thin line. If they waited, there was a chance that the quest could get harder once the Amber Key's other half was obtained. While the same held true for the other group of their party, he had an inkling that finishing the quest in the Dusk Casino would be the better option.
"No, we shouldn't wait," he said, looking at them. "If the girls steal the other half, it might affect the NPC guards here. We'll have to do it now."
Kirito nodded. "All right. I have an idea."
When he told them of his plan, Kayaba was skeptical. It was dangerous, and there was no guarantee it would work. "Too risky. You might anger the guards."
"That's the point. We have to distract them so two of us could sneak in." He crossed his arms, giving them a confident smirk. "I'm the fastest in the party. If there's trouble, I can simply just run away."
"Asuna will be mad at you again," Nautilus pointed out. "Can't you do something that won't probably kill you?"
Kirito shook his head. "She'll understand. Besides, I won't do it unless I'm sure I'd survive."
The boy did have a point. Through most of their battles, Kirito seemed to have luck in surviving despite the odds being against his favor. "Still, you have to be careful."
"Yeah. I don't want the girls to kill us if something were to happen," Nautilus grumbled.
Kirito grinned. "Relax. We'll be just fine."
###
Contrary to what Kirito assured, they weren't exactly fine when they enacted his plan.
It went well for the first five minutes. After Kirito started harassing the exchange shop NPC and drawing his sword, the NPC guards standing watch over the restricted area approached him. Kayaba and Nautilus had hidden nearby, watching the events unfold.
When Kirito finally acquired the guards' ire and dashed away with the NPC's chasing him, Kayaba and Nautilus swiftly entered the corridor.
"Which way?" Nautilus asked.
The corridor branched in two directions. The left one extended toward the back, rows of elegant wooden doors lining. Private game rooms, Kayaba guessed. Odd. They were also removed during the development stage because they didn't serve any real purpose and simply consumed unnecessary storage space.
The right branch ended in an unguarded double doors. A suite, no doubt. It probably contained the Amber Key.
"That way," Kayaba said.
They started for it, glancing occasionally behind them to check for NPC guards. The lack of additional guards both relieved and worried Kayaba, but it was too late to go back now.
They stopped in front of the doors. Kayaba raised his shield and nodded at Nautilus, who took his spot behind him. But before he opened it, he pressed his ear on the door first.
While he hadn't picked the Listening skill, players were still granted a basic eavesdropping ability that didn't need a skill slot. Useful for detecting monsters or other players in a closed room, but not effective enough to fully discern a conversation.
There were murmurs inside the room, as he had suspected. Kayaba glanced at Nautilus. "It's not empty," he said in a low voice.
"Do we wait for Kirito, then?" Nautilus asked.
Kayaba shook his head. "The guards will return soon. We'll have to do this on our own." There was a chime, and he briefly read the notification window that had appeared in his HUD: a quest activation.
"Looks like we're right," Nautilus said. "Did we trigger it?"
"Either us or Kirito, or the girls. I'd like to think it's the girls. But that means we'll have to hurry now." He braced himself against the door. "I'll distract them. You get the key as fast as you can then run. I'll cover the rear."
Nautilus nodded. "On three, then."
"One…"
"Two…"
"Three."
Kayaba burst through the door shield first, his eyes already counting the potential opponents while his sword glowed with the activation of his Howl skill.
He stiffened immediately, canceling his skill, as did Nautilus.
The first one he noticed was a tall Forest Elf garbed in a sleek and polished silver armor, a hand folded on the elegant hilt of a curved azure sword. He stood in front of an individual in black plate, their grotesque helmet topped with horns like a demon. A crimson cape flowed from his shoulders. And when he turned to look, his eyes glowed with malevolence.
But they were not who caught Kayaba's attention. To the left, lounging on a chair as if he owned the building itself, was a familiar hooded player.
"Ah, Mr. Knight and his retinue," the man in the black poncho greeted with a lazy wave of his hand. "Fancy seeing you two here. Though I must say this is disrespect of you, barging in on a meeting like that."
"Indeed it is," the elf in black armor said. "Aremnas, it seems that your guards have slackened on their duty."
"They have," Aremnas tightened his grip on his sword as he glared at Kayaba and Nautilus. "Who are you humans and why are you in my room?"
As Kayaba gripped his shield tightly, Nautilus whispered, "The man in the black armor is General N'ltzahh."
Kayaba nodded. The Fallen Elf general. His design was different than what he remembered, but he knew he was a difficult enemy, especially with their current levels and equipment. And the numerical disadvantage certainly didn't help make things easier.
He cast his gaze around and it immediately fell on a glass case containing the broken half of the Amber Key. "When I charge, grab the key as fast as you can."
"Understood," Nautilus said.
Kayaba had to keep their attention on him, so he took a step. Aremnas narrowed his eyes and unsheathed his sword by several inches. "Not one step closer, intruders, or blood will be shed here."
"I thought you don't want your floor getting dirty?" the man in the black poncho drawled.
Aremnas shot him a glare, then returned his attention back to Kayaba. "You haven't answered my question yet. Who are you humans and why are you here?"
"The Amber Key," General N'ltzahh said. He blocked the way to the glass container. "You're here for that."
"Yes," Kayaba said. There was no point in denying it.
A glass table stood in the middle, flanked by two long couches. On the left couch sat the man in the black poncho. He would be the first to attack, no doubt, and the elves would probably stay on their spots unless directly provoked. Kayaba had to draw their aggro.
"Leave this place, if you value your lives," Aremnas warned calmly.
Kayaba smiled. His language model was advanced, but nowhere near Kizmel's level. "I'm afraid that's not possible."
"And why would that be, human?"
His shield glowed as Kayaba slammed it on the floor. "Because I value my party's lives more."
The man in the black poncho was onto him at once, a dangerous glint in his dark eyes. From within the folds of his cloak a sword curved, intent on cleaving Kayaba's head. There was a clang as Kayaba caught the silver blade with his shield.
The man's player cursor remained green.
Kayaba's eyes widened, but he didn't have time to ponder what had happened. Both elves drew their blades, N'ltzahh wielding a greatsword he had pulled from his back, and charged.
Swinging his sword, Kayaba forced the man in the black poncho to leap back. He caught Aremnas's sword with his, then absorbed N'ltzahh's blow with the shield. Behind him, Nautilus dashed around them, nimbly vaulting over the cloaked man and landing in front of the glass container.
"The Amber Key!" Aremnas cried. But it was too late. Nautilus was already charging, dancing past all three opponents and sprinting past the door.
Kayaba followed, glancing over his shoulder to see the elves in hot pursuit, though the man in the black poncho hung back by the door, waving lazily in farewell. It was even, for now. Kayaba knew that enemy reinforcements would arrive soon.
Sure enough, Nautilus cursed. Kayaba looked ahead and saw five Forest Elves blocking the path outside, including the two guards Kirito had distracted. He stopped and placed his back against Nautilus's, facing N'ltzahh and Aremnas.
"Give back the Key and we'll make your death painless," the Forest Elf growled.
"Got any ideas?" Nautilus asked.
"I'm afraid I haven't," Kayaba replied in a grim tone. Though the five elven guards were of lower levels than the generals, they were still stronger than both him and Nautilus.
Still, all they needed was to break past them without dying.
"Get ready. We're charging through," Kayaba said.
"Got it. Three…"
Kayaba watched as N'ltzahh and Aremnas readied their weapons, sensing their intent. He gripped his shield tighter.
"Two…"
Footsteps echoed to their left, familiar and reassuring. Kayaba smiled.
"One!"
Kayaba slashed with his sword in a wide arc, forcing the two elves to retreat. Then he spun around and barreled after Nautilus as the boy dashed past the guards, parting them like a wave. They tried to block Kayaba's way, but a dark blur shot toward them, silver sword swinging.
"Go! I'll hold them off!" Kirito shouted.
The sound of clashing metal filled Kayaba's ears as he emerged from the hall and into the third floor balcony. Nautilus was already waiting for him at the stairs, and when Kayaba turned to look, Kirito burst toward them, the elves right at his heels.
Kayaba didn't how they got to the first floor without an injury. In their mad dash for safety, all he focused on was making sure that the path was clear. But as their feet touched the first level's floor, more guards appeared, blocking the entrance.
"Please tell me this is still part of the quest," Kirito said.
"Let's hope so. Now follow me." Kayaba turned around and headed toward a door near the back.
They ignored the onlookers who watched in shock as a dozen elves chased the three of them. Whether the players were part of the three factions or not, Kayaba didn't know. Though since no one attacked or helped them, the chances were slim.
He was glad that the layout for the casino remained unchanged, allowing them to reach the rear exit quickly. No guards hindered them, and it was easy outrunning the pursuers once the corridor grew narrow.
"Didn't know something like this existed," Kirito muttered.
"You didn't bother exploring?" Nautilus asked in disbelief. "That's the basics of an RPG!"
Kirito shrugged. "The beta test only lasted a month, remember? I was more focused on grinding."
They soon reached the outside, spilling them into a narrow back alley. After making sure that the streets were clear, Kayaba led them back to the Lady Luck inn where the girls were supposed to reunite with them. There was no sign of them, however, so they sat at a table and ordered food while they waited.
"Man, that was an exhausting quest," Kirito grumbled. "Let's not do it again. I'd very much prefer fighting a floor boss."
"So would I," Nautilus muttered.
"Still, we managed to learn some interesting information," Kayaba said. They nodded.
Kirito sighed. "We didn't get to learn that guy's name, though."
"In due time. Right now, we have to make sure that we can get the Amber Key to safety. Where are the others?"
"Wait. Let me—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the door swung inward and the girls strode in, faces set in grim expressions. Kayaba was instantly alert, as were the boys.
"What happened?" he asked.
Asuna shook her head. "Not here."
Kayaba exchanged worried glances with the boys, then followed the fencer and the others up the stairs and into one of the rooms they had rented. As they filed inside, Kayaba glanced around the hallway to make sure no one was listening before closing the door.
"The Colosseum is a trap," Asuna said immediately. "The last fight is…" Her eyes flicked momentarily at Kizmel, which the dark elf didn't seem to notice. "…rigged so that participants will lose."
"Did anyone die?" Kayaba asked.
She shook her head. "Fortunately, no. The monster just injured the participants enough for the overseers to stop the fight."
"That's why we had to steal the Amber Key," Kizmel said. "I trust your mission was a success too?"
Nautilus nodded and showed him the other half. She sighed in relief. "Now there's only two more."
"Yes. But that's why there's another problem." Asuna pursed her lips. "The Fallen Elves are supporting the Forest Elves."
Kirito frowned. "Didn't we already know that?"
Yuna shook her head. "Not the way we thought. The Fallen Elves are the ones funding them. The Colosseum belonged to the Fallen Elves. Any profit gets transferred to the Casino, which the Forest Elves use to buy supplies and equipment."
"And the majority of those profits come from the players," Kayaba murmured.
Asuna nodded. "So we're really the ones funding the whole war. At least when we reached this floor."
"It's only been less than a day," Nautilus said. "Players couldn't have spent that much."
The girls, even Kizmel, glanced at him, unimpressed. "Are you sure about that, Nau-kun?" Yuna asked sweetly.
"Of course! I mean, we didn't…" he trailed off, embarrassed. He cleared his throat. "We got back our spendings."
"By how much?" Asuna glared at Kirito. He shook his head and waved his hands defensively.
"I-It's not that bad. W-We did it for an experiment," he said.
Kizmel frowned. "What do you mean?"
"The Casino is cheating its customers," Kayaba supplied. The boys sighed in relief when the girls transferred their attention to him. "They're stealing the money while giving players a false sense of winning."
"And those players are coming from the Colosseum," Asuna said. "Some of them, at least. We saw a few on our way here."
He nodded. "We thought as much too."
"We have to put a stop to this," Kizmel said. "If we don't, the war will only drag on and my kin will have no chance of winning."
"We can't tell anyone to stop," Nautilus pointed out. "No one will believe us."
The dark elf knight shook her head. "We don't have to tell anyone to stop. All we need to do is…"
"Relieve the current management and replace it with a new one," Asuna finished with a smile.
Kayaba immediately understood. True, if they could replace the Fallen and Forest Elves, the two enemy factions wouldn't be able to use the profits for their advantage. And if the dark elves were to gain from this…
"How do we do that?" Yuna asked.
The fencer shrugged. "Simple. We ask Viscount Yofelis."
###
Asking the viscount was easier than than they had expected, and within moments of giving him the Amber Key, he had gathered a small army to storm the casino.
"Isn't this overkill?" Kirito whispered to Kayaba, glancing the elves around them, thirty strong. "We're just raiding a casino."
"You forgot the Colosseum," Kayaba reminded mildly. "We'll need a sizable force should the monsters are set upon us."
After a brief speech from Yofelis and a rousing cheer from his guards, the small army marched to the 6th Floor and into the Dusk Casino. No one challenged them, not even the town guards, and they were able to reach their destination without hindrance.
When they arrived, Kayaba expected the forest elves to defend their source of income. However, he was genuinely surprised when the elven guards, and the manager, fled as Yofelis entered.
The players and even the NPC's fell silent.
The dark elven lord stared at them impassively, then smiled. "Well, carry on."
They all did, completely ignoring him. A few glanced in confusion, but their attention was soon recaptured by the games.
No one bothered Yofelis as he and Kirito's party climbed the stairs to the third floor. The corridor was devoid of guards and other NPC's, and when they reached the Manager's Suite where the Amber Key was once kept, they found it empty.
Nodding in approval at the extravagant room, he eased himself into one of the sofas, leaning back with a sigh. "I must admit, the Forest Elves do know how to make a room fit for a lordling," he said, then gestured at the party. "Have a seat."
The party sat down while Kizmel stood behind Yofelis. The viscount frowned at her. "I just told everyone to sit, Kizmel. That includes you as well."
"Ah." After bowing slightly, Kizmel sat beside Asuna.
Yofelis smiled. "Back to the matter at hand. Now that we have this casino, our next destination is the Colosseum. I will leave a few guards here to manage this place, but the rest will come with me." His expression grew serious. "It won't be easy, especially if they send out the monsters they keep there against us. But I trust that our strength will prevail. Any queries? None? Then we will now proceed."
As they left the suite, Nautilus leaned toward Kayaba and whispered, "Is it really supposed to be this easy?"
Kayaba shook his head. "I'm guessing we'll have a fight thrown to us when we get to the Colosseum."
His assumptions proved true. The moment they entered the Colosseum and found it empty as the Casino, they went to the arena where a multitude of roars greeted them.
"Here they come!" Kirito shouted as he drew his sword, standing close to Asuna.
The gates around them opened, spilling the Colosseum's prized monsters. Most were low-leveled, Third Floor variants. But there were some from the Sixth, and a boss whose species could only be found on the Seventh Floor.
It was a rather anticlimactic fight, mostly because Yofelis and Kizmel handled the boss's strongest attacks while Kirito and Asuna fought it. As the last monster burst into blue polygons and the victory fanfare sounded, Kayaba sheathed his sword and approached Yofelis.
The viscount seemed extremely satisfied. "That was a good battle," he said with a broad smile. His smile quickly faded, replaced with a troubled expression. "Though that's also strange. A monster like that shouldn't be here. To think that the Forest Elves would capture such a strong foe… But no matter. Now that we've defeated them, we can use this place for our own."
"Will you still use it for monster fights?" Kirito asked, his tone hopeful.
"Of course. This is what this place is, after all. But not just to fight monsters. We would also want warriors from across the lands to test their mettle against each other here."
A notification popped up in Kayaba's HUD. He raised an eyebrow. Aside from the quest rewards, there was another announcement stating that the Colosseum was now open for PVP.
"What's the difference between this one and the one on the first floor?" Yuna whispered.
"This one has thrice the audience capacity," Kayaba replied. It wasn't, however, the largest.
After thanking them for their help, Yofelis gave information about the Sixth Floor boss. He added, "Be careful when you step into the Seventh Floor. That is Forest Elven territory. We have an outpost there, but we haven't received any news since the floors were cut off." He produced a scroll, which he handed to Kirito. "If you encounter him, give this message to Commander Malkim. Assist him with whatever he needs."
Kirito nodded. "We'll do our best, Viscount."
Yofelis smiled. "Thank you, Kirito. Now go. And may the Holy Tree always guide your way."
They soon left, Kizmel staying behind to help the viscount set up the Colosseum, though with the promise that she would be joining them soon. Another instance of her independence, but at this point Kayaba was no longer surprised.
As they waited in an inn for Argo to arrive after contacting her, Kirito spoke. "We have two more keys to get. I feel like the next floor is going to be hard."
"What was it like in the beta?" Asuna asked.
He shrugged. "Forest-themed, as usual. Thing is, there wasn't much content in the Elf War campaign at that floor during the beta, so we'll definitely encounter changes."
They nodded. But Kayaba remained silent, wondering what awaited them on the next floor.
Writing this is much harder than I had anticipated, but I just had to get this out of the way so the story could finally proceed to the juicier parts. However, I might revise this chapter when I finish this arc, which will happen soon.
Of course, my life is getting busier and busier, especially with December coming soon. Still, I'll try to release another chapter before the year ends. If not, definitely by mid-January.
Please Read & Review! Until next time!