Edit 20230323: Corrected character errors
Chapter 56: Everybody Walk the Dinosaur
Expedition Party:
Astraea Familia-
Alise 'Scarlt Harnell' Lovell Level 6
Kaguya 'Yamado Rindou' Gojouno Level 6
Lyu 'Gale Wind' Lion Level 6
Lyra 'Thrail' Level 5
Hestia Familia
Kirito 'Black Swordsman' Kirigaya Level 4
Rain 'Infinite Blade' Karatachi Level 3
Philia 'Sharp Knife' Takemiya Level 3
Leafa 'Fairy Knight' Kirigaya Level 3
Silica 'Dragon Lover' Ayano Level 3
Strea 'Bloody Berserker' Level 3
Lisbeth 'Magic Sword Nut' Shinozaki Level 2
Sachi 'Lady of the Spear: Great Twister of Dimensions' Hayami Level 2
Mikoto 'Eternal Shadow' Yamato Level 2
Bell 'Vesta's Light' Cranell Level 3
Liliruca Arde Level 1
Sanjouno Haruhime Level 1
Yui Level 1
Loki Familia
Aiz 'Sword Princess' Wallenstein Level 5
Lefiya 'Thousand Elf' Viridis Level 4
Anikitty 'Alchat' Autumn Level 4
Astrid 'Cat's Shadow' Autumn Level 4
Asuna 'Water Witch' Yuuki Level 4
Miach Familia
Nautilus 'Low Rookie' Nochizawa Level 3
Yuna 'Enchantress' Shigemura Level 3
Daphne 'Laurus Fuga' Lauros Level 2
Cassandra 'Mirabilis' Illion Level 2
Take-Mikazuchi Familia
Ouka 'Masuratakeo' Kashima Level 2
Chigusa 'Jian Girl' Hitachi Level 2
General Information
Captain: Alise Lovell
Co-Captain: Gojourno Kaguya
Co-Captain: Kirito Kirigaya
Objective: Defeat Balor
Lili:
Having finished reading the expedition manifesto again, Lili rubbed her head in disbelief. "Twenty-eight people… Lili cannot believe this."
Rising from the floor, Lili aired out her clothes as best she could before throwing them on and stepping from the tent. She left behind the sleeping forms of Yui and Strea.
They were some of the only people on the expedition that had a tent. Packing had turned out to be a logistical nightmare beyond Lili's estimation. As such, many of the higher-levelled adventurers were sleeping outside. They were only six hours into their eight-hour rest, but Lili did not think that they would get to spend the whole eight hours before Alise said it was time to set off.
Exiting the cramped tent, Lili strode over to the cart that they had brought with them and took out her ledger. After two full days in the dungeon, Lili had been too tired last night to do this after supper.
Quite literally, she was learning on the run how to manage an expedition. Taking a dipstick, she measured the water level of the barrel and calculated about how long it would last.
Now, on the twenty-eighth floor, the second safe level, there would be no more large sources of fresh water. The water would need to last until they returned to the twenty-seventh from the deep floors.
After carefully tabulating the water used, Lili started on the food supplies. She slowly went through each sack of food and estimated how much of it had been eaten.
Putting it together with the numbers of the first day, Lili slowly began to get a better idea of how much food and water their massive expedition required each day.
"Lili should eat less…" Lili mumbled as she tried to do the math. Unfortunately, she could eat nothing, and it would not change a significant amount.
So, with another deep sigh, Lili moved on to using her figures to estimate how long everything would last, as activity became more pronounced. Bell was up and practicing, imitating Aiz who had been up by the time Lili had risen. Neither of which were on watch at this time anyway.
"Battle maniacs…" Lili turned back to work. First and most important was the water. Apparently. She felt like an idiot, unable to keep up with what was happening. She knew that many of the others had similar feelings of uselessness on this expedition. They all could at least hold their own against monsters. Lili was now completely useless. Packing, unpacking, and doing math like this that the elite adventurers could do in their sleep.
"Oh, Lili! Thank you for doing this!"
"Eep!" Jumping at the surprising voice, she turned to find Kirito with awry hair and a soft smile. "D-Don't sneak up on me!"
Stamping a foot in embarrassment, she took a glance at where Kirito had been sleeping outside. Back resting against a mossy rock, Rain had slept with her head on his lap while Philia had been leaning against his shoulder. Now, Kirito had somehow managed to prop the girls up against each other and sneak out without waking them.
"Sorry, about that. I thought about trying to do it myself but…"
Lili blushed even deeper as the embarrassment threatened to send her running. "I-I just don't want you wasting your time on something like this!"
"Hmm…" Kirito gave her a knowing look. "I told Asuna I'd take her on a date so… have fun I guess?"
"Grr…" Growling at him, Lili did not say anything as the boy walked away.
Absorbed in her math, Lili came up with the conclusion that they needed to drink less water, but food should be fine. Food was already of secondary importance as there was more of it in the dungeon than fresh water in the deep floors.
Satisfied with her conclusion, she set out to find Alise Lovell. The Astraea girls had gotten their own section of the cavern including their own firepit. There was a sense of awe that separated them from everyone else. Loki familia did not have that same distance mainly because of Asuna and Lefiya. Both had previously fought by their side.
Aiz, naturally, did not blend in. The golden hair swordswoman was an ever-aloof presence on the edge of the group that skulked after the Astraea girls, enduring their glares and frowns of contempt.
First, Lili approached the person on guard, Lyu Lion. The girl that worried her the most from Astraea familia. Bell did not think that she was interested in him, but all of those blushes…
"Do you need something, Ms. Arde?"
The cool elven voice made Lili jump. "Umm, yes. Lili was hoping to discuss things with Alise…"
"She is still resting. Alise will need her strength for the day to get us safely to the thirty-third floor."
"Y-Yes, Lili am aware." Lili stuttered awkwardly. Did first-class adventurers realize how intimidating they were without trying? "We need to start packing within thirty minutes anyway."
"Which Alise will not be a part of. She will rest until the last possible moment, so she makes no mistakes during the day. We have numerous vulnerable members who will only be dead weight in the deep floors."
"Urgh…" Lili grunted, understanding that she was one of those dead weights. A burden that Alise had agreed to bring along and protect.
"Why not talk to Kaguya or Mr. Kirigaya? There is more than enough time during the day for the problem to be resolved."
"W-Well…" Lili had personal reasons for not wanting to talk to either. Kirito was on a date with Asuna. Lili did not want to bear the sin of interrupting that. Kaguya, frankly, was terrifying.
Lyu seemed to sense Lili's hesitancy and sighed heavily. "Ms. Arde, please calm down. You can relax. Alise may seem like an airhead, but she is actually very wise. None of her preparations were mistaken. We will have enough supplies for everyone."
"H-How do you know what Lili…" Lili stuttered in surprise.
The blond elf gave her a lazy smile. "You have been at our supply cart for most of an hour. What else would you be reporting on?"
"L-Lili didn't…" Once again tripping over her tongue, Lili blushed and looked away. First-tier adventurers truly were frightening creatures.
Bowing her head, Lili turned to leave and walk back to her tent. It was about time to wake the others and get it packed up. She refused to be the reason that they did not leave on time.
"Oh ho ho, so I am wise, am I?"
Whirling around at the surprising voice, Lili gaped at Alise who was now standing right beside Lyu, an arm slung casually over her shoulders.
"A-Alise, you should be resting." The elf protested, blushing.
"And how am I supposed to that when you are being so cute!" Alise continued in a happy voice, tugging on one of Lyu's cheeks.
"Ah, jeez! At least put clothes on before bothering me!"
Lili had not noticed until Lyu pointed out that Alise was wearing… something? It looked a little like a swimsuit. Only the frilly lacey fabric was extremely scandalous. "W-What are those!?"
"Hmm? Oh, the gods call it lingerie! Isn't it cute? I love how it emphasizes my figure unlike wraps!"
Lili was too stunned to speak. Lyu finally managed to shake her leader off and looked away out at the field of the twenty-eighth floor. "We… We're in the dungeon and you…"
"Can't fight your best if you aren't feeling cute, you know?"
Moaning, Lili closed and mourned the day that her peaceful life with Bell on the farm came to an end. Adventurers are insane…
Hestia:
"Uh wah…" Gaping at the fancy interior, Hestia stared at the gilded tablecloths, the three-piece suits and lacy dresses. "Astraea really outdid herself…"
Before she could approach the front desk, one of the restaurant's fancy staff members approached and bowed lowly. "Goddess Hestia, yes? Goddess Astraea is waiting for you."
"T-Thank you…" Following the man, Hestia wrapped her hands together to prevent herself from breaking something. In her mind, she repeated the mantra that had permeated so much of her life recently.
Control yourself, control yourself…
Her days of luxuriantly lounging around had ended rapidly. While it was a pity, Hestia could not feel bad for herself when she saw how hard each of her children were working.
So, hopping long after the butler, Hestia allowed herself to get led into a separate room with a medium sized circular table. It could fit up to eight people, but was only set for five. Of those five, three were filled.
"Oh, hiya Astraea, Miach, Take." Hestia greeted them happily.
"H-Hi…" The male deities replied nervously.
Astraea looked calm as she raised a glass to Hestia. "Welcome. Please take a seat while we wait for our last member."
Doing just that, Hestia glared at that final spot. She had known this was coming, but had put it off as long as possible. Unfortunately, Hestia's nemesis was going to be here.
"Oi, Asty! Tanks for the rez!" Speaking with that nauseatingly chipper accent, Loki strode into the room in a fetching black suit. The men's clothing did more to accent her beauty than a dress ever could.
"You are welcome, Loki. I hope that this expedition is good for your children that tagged along." Astraea replied diplomatically.
"I'm sure it will be. Your girls are impressive and good role models."
Hestia did not miss the subtle dig at the rest of them. Cheek twitching from the effort of maintaining a smile, Hestia added on to Loki's statement. "Yes, we are all glad that Astraea's children are wonderful and dependable."
"Did you say something pipsqueak?" Loki growled.
"Hmm? I was just complimenting Astraea's children. Are you maybe projecting your insecurities onto your children, Loki?"
Hestia smirked, proud of this dig. The streets were filled with tales about the Great Calamity and how Loki's children had not been dependable that day. All of those centering around the sword princess.
"Oh? Got yourself a tinsy bit classier, have ya?" Loki slammed herself down into a chair. Then she turned those burning coals for eyes to the two males. "Ya'll donated pack mules for this expedition, yeah?"
The gods winced but could not reject the claim. "I merely hope that thy are able to support everyone's efforts and learn a lot," Miach offered peaceably.
"I agree as well," Take nodded. "Ouka and Chigusa are many years from matching many of your children Loki, but I believe this trip will be an important first step for them."
"Years…" Astraea noted, her gaze falling upon Hestia. The goddess of justice had an aura about her that differentiated her from normal deities. She was by no means one of the elder gods like Ouranus, but Hesita still carried a deep respect for her. Clad in an olive-green dress, she looked resplendent as she took a casual sip.
Hestia was so busy staring at the goddess, that it took her mind a moment to realize that she was speaking to her. "It still baffles that you managed to forge a mid-tier familia Hestia in only two-thirds of a year. In one more, you could possess one of the strongest familias in Orario."
Loki laughed as if Astraea had said a joke. "Really? After our children returned? Stop joking!"
"Oh, is that what you think, Loki?" Astraea raised an eyebrow. "So your Asuna will not match Braver and the rest?"
"Now, now, Asty, I wasn't saying that. I was saying that shorty over here don't have the talent and brainpower to keep a high level familia together."
"Hey!" Standing up, Hestia glared at Loki. "We've done perfectly fine up until now, thank you very much!"
"In the small leagues!" Loki growled. "Let's see how confident your children are when they experience the deep floors firsthand!"
"Grr…"
"Gr…"
As Hestia glared at Loki, and the flat-chested deity returned the expression, Astraea coughed once. "Ladies please. If you do not behave, I will no option but to spank you both until you promise not to have any more outbursts."
Hestia blushed and returned to her seat. She could not stop Astraea from fulfilling her threat and had no intention of being manhandled like that in front of these gods.
"Oi, Asty, you know if you want to take your time with it, we could always head back to the Twilight Manor and…"
"Loki."
"Urgh." Hestia did get a bit of joy as Loki slumped into her seat, thoroughly reprimanded.
"I feel like an intruder…" Miach muttered.
"You can say that again…"
The two gods deflated, forced to accept their position as observers to the tense meal in celebration of the joint expedition.
Kirito:
"Woah…" Kirito tried to keep his knees from shaking as he stumbled back into their makeshift camp. His 'date' with Asuna, had not taken them very far from the camp. Only a few hundred meters away on the open field that was the safe point, Asuna had pulled him into a hollow in the rocks.
"She tastes so good…" Continuing to mumble to himself, Kirito senses were still filled with Asuna's being. Her scent was like the moment after a spring rain, her supple flawless skin that…
A small laugh shook Kirito from his reverie. It was the far eastern girl, Kaguya. As always, she was wearing a kimono and that long katana, her two short swords hidden somewhere on her body.
"D-Do you need something, Kaguya?" Kirito asked, trying to sound as casual as possible. If he had learned anything from Bell, it was that being overly formal with adventurers was the easiest way to piss them off.
Her small smile grew more menacing as she approached. Leaning in far closer than an acquaintance of her status should, she sniffed Kirito a few times. "You reek of female pheromones."
Blushing, Kirito did not have a response to that. At the same time, he could not help but protest in his mind. You're a human, not a beast person!
"They all love you so dearly. I thought for sure that you would be a horrible person and yet…"
"Is that a compliment?" Kirito replied genuinely confused. He did not think that there was anything this girl could say that would shake his belief in his decisions. Despite that, she had an aura about her that indicated a certain hostility. Kirito had seen that confirmation of that hostility first-hand in her arguments with the elf, Lyu, all the way down here.
"No, of course not. You remind me too much of that naïve elf, consumed by ideals."
"Ideals?" Kirito repeated dumbly.
"Baseless assumptions that you can achieve your goals without sacrificing something."
Kirito fought to contain his laughter. "If the beliefs of this world are accurate, I have doomed my immortal soul by killing a god for them. I will sacrifice anything."
Kaguya did pull back, the cocky, aggressive smile slipping and she gave a small nod of respect. Turning to walk away, she imparted one final question. "And can you sacrifice one of them to save another?"
Kirito could not reply as she walked away. Eventually he let out a small chuckle. "I was wrong, there was something that she could say to upset me."
Knowing that he would have various scenarios of death and danger floating through his mind all day, Kirito stepped back into the camp and helped with the clean-up that was well underway. In a little over half an hour, rations had been given out, tents and sleeping rolls had been packed up and they were ready to depart.
For the third day in a row, Ouka stepped up to the cart and heaved on the two wooden handles, lifting the blocks off the ground and allowing it to roll on its wheels.
Working up the energy to repeat the conversation from the last two days, Kirito approached. "Thank you for dealing with the cart Ouka. As soon as you tire from the burden let us know and we will get you a replacement."
"Ah, sure."
I sure do hope this isn't hurting him…
It was odd to consider as Ouka had a solid 20 kilos of muscle and a hand of height on Kirito that he was still the stronger of them. Giving him a commissary slap on the shoulder, Kirito resolved to get the level two at least one replacement today.
"Let's go!" Alise called out at that moment. "A fruity paradise awaits!"
"Yahoo!" Strea and a few others echoed. No one from Astraea or Loki familia joined in. So, with a rather lackluster cheer, Kirito approached the twenty-ninth floor.
Stepping into that new territory, Kirito mused in surprise. "It's so warm…" Kirito had read ahead about these floors of course. He had read its description, but it still surprised him. The New World wasn't cold really, but they seemed that way when compared to the heat of the twenty-ninth.
"So, these are the forgotten floors," Bell said, stepping up beside Kirito. "I've often wondered why they are called that."
"Didn't Alise mention why?" Kirito replied vaguely as he walked along. "It is because these floors have such an easy path to descend past them to the thirty-seventh that very few bother to fight against the monsters here?"
"Well, yeah…" Bell agreed. "That just seems… kind of sad, I suppose?"
"I can see that." Kirito mumbled. "This jungle does have an ancient sort of beauty to it."
For that was the identity of the next eight floors. From the twenty-ninth, all the way to the thirty-sixth, the floors were all a dense jungle of trees. With only slight variation in monster type and strength. By all accounts, it would take them three days to reach the thirty-seventh floor following the mostly clear path through all eight levels. After that, their path would last another week to reach the forty-ninth floor.
The endlessly expanding floors were a terrifying thing to consider. How long would it take to reach the bottom? A month? Two? Could you even survive that long in a place designed to kill you?
For now, Kirito examined the foliage. Unlike the colossal tree labyrinth, the floors here were technically divided into two sections. The bottom paths that Alise called 'game paths' for some reason and routes through the treetops. Entering the midst of the trees along one of the game paths, the visibility notably decreased as only small shafts of light penetrated through the interlocking branches and vines.
On the wide main path this should be the place that the canopy was thinnest. If true, the deeper sections would be downright dank. Submerged in the midst of the twenty-ninth floor, Kirito could hear the roars of monsters. Not the standard ones, but an odd mixture that brought up memories of childhood. When portraying the paleolithic past in movies and shows, they always made sure to include various synthetic sounds of what they believed the animals of the time would sound like.
Kirito now got to experience that for real, the roars and chirps so similar and yet more real. Oh, this is going to be fun!
Two hours later as they reached the end of the twenty-ninth floor and the entrance to the thirtieth, Kirito was no longer having fun. It was a perpetual cycle of terrifying sounds, the noises encroaching on their position, crunching through the trees… only for nothing to emerge. In a few rare cases, monsters had emerged and were quickly cut down by their first-tier escorts.
All that pressure, the ominous vibes and feeling of imminent danger… and nothing came from it. To add insult to injury, there were bugs in the dungeon. If they were actually monsters with magic stones, they were too small for Kirito to detect. The bloodsucking mosquitos circled them in a buzzing cloud eternally. Originally Kirito had been killing them but now took the first-class approach and ignored them. They could not get through his skin to draw blood.
There was a brief peace finally finding the curving tunnel that led down to the thirtieth floor. A break from the trees, from the monsters' howls, and most importantly, the bugs. In only five minutes, however, they were back out into the thirtieth floor.
A milestone number. Kirito also vaguely remembered that there was an important distinction between the twenty-ninth and thirtieth, but could not remember the specifics.
Trying to recall, Kirito zoned out and absently swatted the new swarm that rushed them. He was pretty sure that it was important too… Ah, Asuna was amazing…
What if I had to choose between helping her and my familia?
Constantly being bombarded with invading thoughts, Kirito could not find the answer.
From the front of their large, winding group, a voice spoke up. The beautiful feminine words carried a happy tone to them. "Woah, it looks like we have a large pack in front of us!"
Snapping his gaze back to the front, Kirito found the source of Alise's observation soon after. A massive red dinosaur was emerging from the dungeon and crossing their path on a slightly smaller one. It was leading behind it a group of nearly identical members of the species.
Bloodsaurus…
Bloodsaurus eggs…
Vision going red, Kirito charged.
Asuna:
"H-Hey!" Alise yelled, and darted after Kirito.
"Alise, do not run off!"
"Hey idiots!"
"Don't leave me behind!" Just like that, all four Astraea girls were running after Kirito, disappearing into the trees in moments.
Not to be outdone, Aiz was hard on their heels, rapier already drawn.
"Ah, action at last! Come on sis!"
"Sure!"
And then Aki and Astrid were gone.
Asuna rubbed her forehead at their expedition's sudden splitting. This was a headache for sure.
"Umm, w-what just happened?" Lefiya asked and the sentiment was echoed by everyone else.
I was only when Asuna turned around to observe the frightened group, did she understand the danger.
Three level sixes: gone.
Two level fives: gone.
All that remained for levels fours were herself and Lefiya. The large group of level ones had gone from convenient supporters to extreme vulnerabilities. Not to mention the immobile cart that had come to a halt as Ouka had frozen in place, Chigusa clinging to his arm.
Trying to think rapidly, Asuna found herself speaking out loud. "I can understand Kirito running off, but seriously? Did every first-class idiot have to follow him!?"
"You act like it was natural for Kirito to snap like that," Rain asked, her voice almost envious. "Why?"
Deciding that the best thing they could do was wait here for the others to return, Asuna turned to look out at the path as a sentry and quickly told the story; the retelling bringing a nostalgic smile to her lips.
"Do you remember back in the spring before you knew about Miach's debt? I was working as Kirito's supporter, and he brought me out of the city with him to help Nazha collect ingredients for her dual potions."
"That was the day we met you!" Philia exclaimed.
Almost everyone was listening intently to the tale of a time before any of them knew Kirito.
"Yes, I tried my best to teach the two of you, afterwards. On that trip however, well…" Asuna could not help but laugh. "Kirito had a run-in with wild bloodsauruses. To say they won the encounter would be an understatement."
"T-These floor thirty monsters can be found on the surface!?" Yuna cried out. "B-But how did you survive!?"
Lefiya took over at that point, describing monster breeding and power dilution over generations. Her explanation touched on things that Asuna had not known as well.
"They're… stupider?"
"Yes," Lefiya said, looking uneasy. "It has also been noted with enhanced monsters. In general, the stronger a monster is, the more intelligent they are."
"Which means that the bloodsauruses down here are not only stronger but smarter than the ones on the surface. How curious…"
"Can you two please focus?" Rain demanded. "May I remind you that you are on the thirtieth floor with no first-class adventurers to protect us?"
The howls sounded more pronounced to Asuna's ears as a fearful silence descended over the group. Turning to Lefiya, Asuna waited for the more experienced elf to start giving orders. Instead, she found Lefiya looking straight at her.
Stomach twisting with a supernatural premonition, Asuna looked back at the large group and found every single set of eyes on her.
Why me!?
"Umm, I guess we should stay here?" Asuna decided. "They won't take long to dispose of the dinosaurs and return."
Bell raised a tentative hand like a student in a class. "Umm, Miss Asuna, what is a dinosaur?"
"Ehh? You call the monsters bloodsaurus, but don't have a definition for dinosaur?"
"Gods name most of the monsters," Lefiya spoke up, "only some of the monsters have adventurer given names. What is a d-dinosaur?"
Naturally, most of the people from the old world laughed at the exchange. Dinosaurs captured the imagination of children everywhere. Oddly enough, Yui and Strea looked similarly confused. Asuna had thought they were from her world as well…
"A dinosaur is essentially a class of extinct animals from our world. The monsters on this floor are very similar to them."
"Oh, so it's like a short-hand way to describe the class of monsters that spawn on these floors! That is very clever." Lefiya decided.
It wasn't really correct, but it was close enough that Asuna did not feel like correcting her.
A growl quickly ended any further conversation about naming conventions. From between the trunks of the trees, a walking tank emerged. In the world she was from, Asuna would call it an ankylosaurus. A really mean ankylosaurus.
"Deathtail," Lefiya said the name like a curse. "Why did one of these have to show up!?"
Asuna did not know why she was complaining but drew her rapier and stepped forward to grab the monster's attention. She doubted she could kill it with the weapon, the monster's back was covered in interlocking plates harder than bone. Lefiya's magic though…
"I'll hold it off. People with offensive spells begin casting!"
"No!" Lefiya intercepted the order. "That shell refracts most magic! It needs to be killed with physical weapons!"
"HOW!?" Asuna yelled back. She could not see a single fleshy spot on the thing. Calling it a tank may have been an understatement as it marched forward unto the game trail, murder shining in its red eyes.
Retreating a step, Asuna felt a bead of sweat trickle down her cheek. So these are the lower floors…
Another piece of knowledge that Asuna had heard repeated a few times played through her mind again. An adventurer under level four can't kill the monster after floor twenty-seven.
Asuna now whole-heartedly agreed with that statement.
"Buy some time for Silica," Rain commanded. "Her magic should cut it."
"Oh, that's right." Asuna was glad that Rain had remembered at least. That's the commander's job!
Still, complaining would get her nowhere so she rushed forward and stabbed the thing in its massive forehead. As expected, her only reward was a sore wrist as the shock ran up her arm. The flex in the blade of her rapier was also concerning. At level four, she had the power to snap her sword if she used it carelessly.
Grunting, the deathtail turned around. Briefly baffled, Asuna had only a split second to launch herself into the air to dodge the massive, spiked ball on the end of its tail.
Just clearing the appendage, Asuna landed with no real goal. This thing is invincible…
"Let me at it!" Strea declared, leaping forward. Her gigantic blade traced an arc through the air with deadly speed. If Asuna had tried to block it would destroy her sword and cut her in two with momentum to spare. Against this monster however, Strea's deadly momentum was rejected completely as the iron scales were not even scratched by her sword.
"W-What the hell!?"
"Get down!" Lefiya screamed.
"Eep!" Strands of Strea's short violet floated through the air as the monster's claws sliced just above her head as she dove to the ground.
"It's slow," Asuna called out. "We can do this!"
"Slow!?" Strea protested. "It attacks faster than bugbears or lizardmen!"
"For a level four monster," Asuna corrected her statement.
"It isn't," Lefiya corrected her. "They are classified as level three."
"…How?"
"No idea."
Asuna wanted to scream in frustration as she sidestepped a vertical tail attack. Asuna had just watched a level three attack this thing and do nothing!
Her frustration was cut short as Bell's voice cut through the air with a terrified squeak. "Umm, there's another monster here!"
"Earthshaker…"
If frustration had been Lefiya's primary emotion upon seeing the Deathtail, her emotion here was awe, plain and simple.
Jumping backwards away from the annoying tank, Asuna turned around so she could look for this new monster. She could sense it, the tremors in the ground, the disruption in the air but… where was it? Asuna found odd coloured tress that seemed to merge together into… Blinking, her enhanced senses forced the monster into clarity, despite her mind not believing her eyes.
"Braciosaur…" The word dropped from Asuna's mouth uncontrollably. The monster's head was level with the canopy, almost twelve meters in the air. This thing would tower over both the goliath and amphisbaena. It was without a doubt the largest living thing that Asuna had ever seen.
"I'll deal with the Earthshaker, Bell, Miach familia, you're with me. Everyone else stop the deathtail!"
Lefiya's words finally shook the remaining shocked members into action. Yuna began singing a song while Nautilus dug through their supplies for Nazha's monster repellent items.
Rushing over to Asuna were Lefiya and Silica, both with an embarrassed blush to their cheeks. Yui was behind them looking determined.
"Mommy Asuna, do you want me to stop its attack?"
"…Let's leave that as a last resort. Silica, are you ready?"
"Any time."
"Then let's go! After me ladies." Darting forward, Asuna dodged a leg swipe and stabbed at the thing's eye. Its head jerked slightly to the side sending her blade uselessly along its scales.
Before it could snap at her, Asuna jumped back and allowed Rain to ram a sword against one of its legs. After her came Leafa and then Phila. By the time they had all attacked uselessly, the enraged monster was turning in circles, desperately searching its assailants.
"I'm right here," Silica growled, knife held out low to the side from a runner's stance. "Bless my blade, keeper of sword skills! Fade Edge!"
"Gragh!" Perhaps sensing the magic, the Deathtail whirled toward Silica, raising its front forelimb to cut her down.
It was far too slow as Silica darted past the attack, magic imbued knife swiping out faster than the eye could see as she darted past.
"RAAAG!" The anger had turned to pain.
Asuna smiled nastily, as the tank-like monster stumbled and fell on its stump of a leg. Refusing to let the opportunity pass, Asuna ran up to it as it tried to rise and threw her weight against its head, all the strength in her left arm used to try and resist its movements.
"Asuna!?" Philia screamed in confusion.
Ignoring them, Asuna waited until the monster's head stopped moving and it stared balefully at her. With no hesitation, she buried her rapier into its eye socket.
It thrashed for nearly ten seconds, but as its lifeblood squirted out around her blade onto her dress, the monster could not endure a giant hole in its brain. Reeling backwards covered in blood, Asuna shook out her sore arm.
"Whoa…" Yui muttered "That was awesome!"
"And they call me Bloody berserker!" Strea laughed, clapping her on the shoulder. "Let's see how Lefiya is dealing with—"
"Fusillade fallarica!"
The rest of Strea's words could not be heard as the jungle was torn asunder in a fiery hellstorm of Lefiya's magic arrows.
In the midst of the carnage, the Earthshaker screamed and trashed, its massive body flaking off in chunks as it was torn apart.
Asuna joined everyone in standing and gaping as the incredible monster was turned into molten slag of burning flesh in the midst of smoking trees.
"Incredible…" Yui said in awe.
"…Can I go home yet?" Haruhime muttered, her fox ears wilting.
"Not yet," Asuna spoke up to the group. "Good job everyone. Now that we have answers for most of the monsters, we should be fine until—"
"CAWW!"
Knowing what she would find, Asuna glared up at the pack of Pteradons that were swarming over the canopy top. The fliers performing an elegant task of staying airborne in the small gap between the treetops and the top of the dungeon floor.
"Wind whippers!" Lefiya cried out. "Be careful, they can-!"
The rest of the words were lost in a hurricane of air. Asuna covered her face with an arm against the blast of force and twigs. Going down onto one knee, Asuna tried to wait out the attack.
When it finally died down and she lowered her arm, Asuna found that absolute chaos had erupted.
Kirito:
"Haha, yes, flee puny dinosaurs!" Laughing maniacally, Kirito pursued the pack of monsters at breakneck pace. Pushing off of not just the ground, Kirito used the trees as footholds to push himself along a faster route than his quarry.
Catching up to one of the monsters, Kirito swung his sword at its tail, cutting a narrow gash along it. The attack sent the creature running faster and more frantically away from him.
Their path had twisted and turned numerous times now as Kirito continued to torment the six-member pack. It had been longer than he originally planned, but it did not matter. Everyone would be safe with Astraea familia to protect them.
"Oi, boy! The hell you doing?"
"Thrail?" Kirito glanced over at the pink-haired prum who easily kept pace with him. Averting his gaze from the glare, he grunted a response. "Hunting, isn't that obvious?"
"You've dragged us halfway across this bloody floor already! I can tell you are toying with them."
"Us?" Kirito looked back and his face blanched. With incredible finesse, he picked out all of the Astraea members, then the three Loki members. The two cat girls struggling more to keep up than the others. "A-Are you all idiots!?"
It was only then that they seemed to acknowledge everyone that had followed. "Uh oh…" Alise said. "Let's finish this quickly and get back to the others."
"You should go back now!" Kirito yelled back. "I can handle…"
Trailing off as he left the forest, Kirito stumbled to a halt, staring in awe at the clearing. At some point, they had entered a massive valley, the walls stretching up almost twenty meters with the ceiling another ten or more distant. It was not the new scene that drew Kirito's attention and awe, it was the thing that occupied the entire center of the dead-end path.
Surrounding it was the pack of six Bloodsauruss that Kirito had been following with another twelve that rose as they entered. Alone, the eighteen monsters would not have sent the shiver of fear up his back that he felt.
For in the center of them rose up a blood-red behemoth of a Bloodsaurus. Its body was covered in dragon-like scales that looked bigger and harder than the normal ones.
"A Bloodsaurus Tyrant…" Thrail gasped. "I've never even seen one!"
"They are… really hard."
Aiz's voice like wind chimes seemed to carry extra weight for some reason.
"Not just a tyrant," Alise tsked, "that thing is enhanced. The adventurers haven't been clearing out these floors, have they?"
"Not many could make this far until now…" Kirito breathed out in response. Normal bloodsauruses stood around four meters and were already level four monsters. This thing was nearly eight, and had an aura that vastly outstripped the others.
As Kirito analyzed it, he could feel it analyzing him. "Hey, can I…?"
Kirito never got to finish his question as the Tyrant opened its massive jaw and from within a jet of liquid hot fire emerged.
Ouka:
"Urgh…" Standing up on shaky legs, Ouka instinctively grabbed his double-headed axe off his back and swung it down into a ready position.
I'm too weak…
Ouka had built up his body over many years to be a perfect fighting machine. A replica of his god of martial combat's body. It was not enough; it was nowhere near enough.
"Ouka!" Chigusa cried out, stumbling to his side. "Are you alright?"
"Of course I am," he answered brusquely. Ouka wanted to hit himself as Chigusa slumped back. Damn she looks cute when she does that…
Ouka was only glad that the other guys did not seem to understand that. Otherwise, she would have as many fans and stalkers as Mikoto or Asuna.
Looking around, Ouka found part of the supplies from the cart he had been transporting beside him. The rest of the supplies had been blown around, the cart itself upended.
"What… happened?" Ouka whispered.
"It was those bird monsters," Chigusa replied instantly, her embarrassment nonexistent with only him around. "They summoned a massive whirlwind that scattered everything!"
"Huh?" Ouka blinked and cursed his weakness again. He had been too distracted and slow to even notice what was going on around him. First that heavily armoured thing and then the massive tree-sized monster…
"Grr…"
From out of the trees just off the edge of the path another monster appeared. Walking on two legs, it was similar to a mini-bloodsaurus, but thinner. As it stared at Ouka, a frilled mane expanded around its head. It was covered with a chaotic pattern of orange and purple, somehow matching the reptilian monster.
"Watch out, Ouka-dono!"
"Hmm?" Reacting too slowly, Ouka found himself knocked to the ground by Mikoto. It was just in time to dodge a stream of acid that was emitted by the monster's frilled mane.
"Good save, Mikoto!" Sachi yelled out as she rushed in and stabbed at the monster. It flinched and took a step back, a thin stream of blood leaking from its nose.
Twang!
An arrow from Chigusa drove it back further, but did not land a fatal blow.
They are all my level… That wasn't the most humiliating part of it though. Ouka was their captain. He should be standing at the front and leading by example.
Getting back unto his feet, Ouka strode between Mikoto and Sachi. The two girls had matched each other flawlessly. Putting himself at the front, Ouka stared down the monster,
"Let's go Take Mikazuchi familia! There is no way that we will be the only ones to disappoint our god!"
"But we aren't…"
Ouka did not listen to Sachi's protest. Roaring, he leapt forward at the level three monster. With nimble movements it jumped away and spread its frill again.
Expecting the move, Ouka dodged to the side. "Chigusa!"
"Yes!" An arrow flew through the acid cloud directly into the creature's mouth.
Roaring in pain, the monster began to thrash, murder in its eyes. Ouka changed his grip and assumed a defensive position. The monster was on him in an instant. Claws ripping to get at him, Ouka fought it off with his axe.
So strong!
He was no match in terms of speed or strength, but any time now…
"Hiyah!"
"Ha!"
With twinned yells, a spear and katana slashed through both sides of the beast.
"Gah!" Heaving, Ouka forced the body to the side and wiped off the sweat. "Good job everyone, we defeated…"
Freed from the deadly fight, Ouka took in his surroundings and the swarm of various monsters that were descending upon them. It was no wonder that the four of them had been left to deal with the small fry.
"What the hell drew them all!?"
Ouka was not expecting an answer but quickly got one as he witnessed Nautilus running away from a train of half a dozen small sized monsters, a monster-repelling bag in his hand.
"It can't be…"
"It doesn't matter!" Sachi declared. "We have to help!"
"Ah, yeah…" Mustering his courage, Ouka raised his axe, roared, and charged into battle.
Kirito:
T-The hell!? The heat from the blast of fire was intense. It was so far above Bell's Firebolt power that they were not even worth comparing. Kirito had not been there at the time, but Kirito had heard that Lefiya had access to incredibly powerful fire magic.
The line where the core of the blast had burned with a white-hot line had carved out sections of the trees it had passed through; vaporizing the wood into ash instantly. In the silent seconds after, the destroyed trunks began to fall to the dungeon floor with loud bangs. Further back towards the exit, the fire had been less intense, resulting in the jungle burning with a thick black smoke.
"Umm, can all of these Tyrants do that?" Kirito directed the question to Lyra, who had been at his side. Blinking, he was surprised to find the prum absent and replaced with Kaguya.
"Of course not, foolish boy. It is not a dragon."
"Tell that to it!" Kirito retorted, pointing back towards to massive creature. Now that it was fully on its feet, Kirito could see what it had been resting on. Eggs resting in a bed of magic stones. The purplish texture reflecting and highlighting the crimson red exterior of the eggs.
"Impossible…"
"EGGS!?" Lyu, the elf, screamed. "Monsters in the dungeon cannot breed. It is forbidden!"
"It isn't because people kill them too quickly?" Kirito yelled back. "That's what I heard."
"That's a rather poor lie that they tell citizens," Alise spoke calmly, sizing up the monster. "Think about how little of most floors are actually explored. That percentage drops rapidly the deeper the floor. Even in the middle floors there are numerous pantries that monsters could breed in."
"Ah, yeah…" Kirito blushed slightly. That explanation really did not make any sense. "So the dungeon… forbids it?"
"We have to kill it and take the eggs," Alise said, ignoring his question. "The gods will want to be informed about this."
"It could just be a manifested ability from it being an irregular." Lyra added. Kirito's head swung straight up to find the girl in the branches above, tinkering with something out of his view.
"Let me." A golden-haired women stepped out of the trees back into the clearing where the monsters were. "Awaken tempest, Ariel!"
"Hey!" Kirito protested. Jumping forward, Kirito grabbed her arm, or tried to. There was a slippery layer of air that prevented him. "That's my monster!"
"You may not be a horrible person," Kaguya sighed, "but you are an idiot. That thing will tear you apart."
"Kaguya is right, Mr. Kirigaya. Leave this to us."
"Ah," Alise finished the declaration. "You cat girls as well, stay back."
Kirito frowned at them. "This was my idea. You didn't have to follow, but don't try to protect me."
"Idiot."
Narrowing his eyes, Kirito looked them over. "Hold on… You aren't trying to keep me safe… You each just want to fight it yourself!"
"Oh? Maybe he is well on the way to becoming a first-class adventurer!"
"That's rich coming from a second-rate prum," Kaguya chuckled menacingly.
"Oh yeah?" When I blast this thing to pieces, I'll be waiting for your apology!"
"Hmm, how about whoever gets the kill, also gets a request!"
"Not this again!" Lyu moaned desperately.
"Hehe, we can make Lyu confess her feelings!" Lyra laughed.
In the midst was an awkward pause. Lyu and Kaguya locked gazes through obscuring trees. Without a single sign of their intentions, they exploded toward the monster.
"Hey!" Kirito protested, slow to follow. His path was blocked by one of the normal bloodsauruses. Frustrated, he swung at it, expecting the monster to go down easily. Instead, his blade barely did any damage to its thick hide. Jumping backwards, flashing teeth snapped shut just in front of him.
He did not need an explanation to know that anything caught in those jaws of death would be lost. Armour and status did not matter in face of such overwhelming force.
"Ha, where did that confidence go?"
"If you embarrass yourself, we will tell Asuna every detail."
"You two…" Kirito did not know much about Astrid and her once dead sister. Asuna had talked about her only occasionally as the brains of Loki familia as well as probably their strongest adventurer. That had obviously changed with the return of people like her sister.
With clinical moves they baited and began to kill another of the bloodsauruses. The oversized monster had no chance against the nimble cat girls that were slowly turning it into steak with precise strikes of matching rapiers.
Can't have that… Looking past his opponent, Kirito stared at the carnage that the first-class adventurers were wrecking upon the battlefield. "Guess there is no point to holding back here."
From his back, Kirito drew the shortsword that was hidden under his cloak. The night before they had set off, Lisbeth had dragged Kirito into her workshop and presented this weapon to him. The blade was pure-white to the point that the surface created an optical illusion where it looked like a painting rather than a true three-dimensional blade.
It was a magic sword. But also not one.
Kirito did not understand, but Liz's instructions were enough. Only use it with his magic, not by itself.
"Mirrored Blades!"
Using his second magic, Kirito could feel the pulses as the magic sword in his left hand grew heavier and longer, taking on the properties of his right blade.
"Now it's my turn!"
Rushing forward, Kirito dodged under the snapping mouth and rushed for the creature's chest. Left arm cocked back, Kirito connected the muscles in his body and rotated in time with pushing off the ground. The white blade with a glowing black edge shot forward and penetrated through all the way to the magic stone.
The scales that had once rebuffed him had crumbled away with ease. Ah, Liz really did a good job.
Kirito had been worried when he had hefted the unenhanced blade, but that had been unfounded. It sat comfortably in his left hand, the exact same weight as the mighty blade that Bell had gifted him.
That black sword with its ominous surface now had a faintly glowing white light pulsing around its edge. The two swords were almost perfect inverses of each other.
"Although the white kind of ruins the Black Swordsman look…" Mumbling to himself, Kirito glanced back up at where the Tyrant was making a nuisance of itself.
It stood proud in front of its nest, alternating fire breaths with chomps, tail swipes, and even shooting spines from its back. There was no damage inflicted on its shiny magenta carapace that Kirito could see despite the first-class adventurers' attempts. What they were doing was quickly whittling down the number of normal bloodsauruses.
"Those were my prey…"
Giving up that, Kirito looked back at the Tyrant. You're mine. Holding his left arm out and the white blade parallel to his body, Kirito rested his right sword on it and began chanting.
"Lord of the forest, king of trees,
"Conqueror of the ground, and Herald of the skies."
"Huh? Aren't you already using magic!?"
Kirito could not reply to whichever catgirl had talked to him.
"Let loose once more your power unto the world.
"Let my body be your roots, my blade your sprout."
"Misjudged and mistreated, Lonely and in search of friends.
"I know your pain of isolation; I know your desperate search."
Despite the onslaught that it was enduring, the Tyrant turned an eye towards him. Kirito could sense its analysis, the intelligence trying to decide if it was worth worrying about.
"Absorber of light, Piercer of the skies, enter my blade and extend. Reach the limit and penetrate, break the rules and reforge destiny."
Getting hit twice by Lyu and Kaguya at the same time, the beast lurched to the side but focused on Kirito, opening its mouth, a bead of fire blossoming inside. Without fear, Kirito finished the chant.
"I call you here now by name, great guard of the north. Enhance Armament!"
"Gigas Cedar!"
The fire was almost on top of him by the time the blade began to grow, its shadow expanding as it consumed the incredible blaze. This time it was not the fire that used the tree as fuel, but the tree that swallowed the flame.
Like a spear of obsidian, the magical entity pierced forward. I win! Cheering internally, Kirito almost missed as the monster cut off its pointless fire and ducked to the side. Kirito's magic grazed the scales along the side of its head and continued to crash into the valley wall.
"T-The hell!?"
"His magic cut through its scales like butter!"
"What incredible single-target power…"
Kirito had left a long bleeding gash along the side of its elongated snout. Now, staring down the enhanced monster, Kirito understood that he had made himself public enemy number one.
Thud!
The ground felt like it exploded. Everything shook and quivered from the force of the Tyrant kicking off to charge Kirito.
Crossing his blades, Kirito felt the tail hit him like a sledgehammer. The force came from above, sending him backwards and down. Rock cracked around him as he was pushed into the dungeon floor.
I need my skill!
Straining desperately, it felt like catching an eel. The trigger slipping though his fingers everytime he thought he had it.
On shaky legs, Kirito threw himself into a roll towards the trees. On the empty plateau he was dead meat.
"It is going to kill him, stop it!"
"How!?"
"Lil… Rafaga!" A hurricane of wind blinded Kirito and sent him flying into a tree with a loud crack. Barely noticing his own condition, Kirito gaped at where the Tyrant had been. The massive monster was now impaled against the canyon wall, a large hole in the side that had been hit.
"It… survived?" Ais said, surprise plain in her widened eyes and slightly agape mouth. The wind that had been coating her like armour now absent.
Kirito thought that statement was vastly unfair. With no chant whatsoever except what was required to summon her armour, Ais had unleashed a magical blast stronger than his own magic.
"I could have gone without seeing that magic again," Kaguya grumbled. "At least it isn't coated in that black miasma of death."
Ais flinched, deflating somewhat as she cradled her hand and looked at it. The pain on her face… Again, Kirito was reminded that these events were just the other day for all of them. The pain, the loss, the blame; all of it was still fresh in their minds.
"GRAGH!" The very air shook as the tyrant tore itself out of the wall. Already, the hole in its side was starting to clot, blood flowing less regularly than it had been. Lowering its head, an array of sharp spikes shot out in an arc at them.
Deflecting one of the spikes, Kirito ducked another. Of its attacks, this one was by far the weakest. It was the problem with bows and magic swords as well. The power of the weapon did not depend on the user. It was why Lili used a crossbow; the weapon had the exact same power in his hands as hers.
Clearly the Tyrant realized that as well as it opened its mouth for another torrent of fire. Its aim was directed at Ais primarily who fled back into the trees, that beam of white light trying to track her fast movements.
"Hehe, so I guess this is the final moment!" Alise declared, walking up beside Kirito. "The last boss!"
"Alise, it is a dangerous enhanced species with the power of a level six. Please do not do anything reckless."
"Not me, Lyu, him!" Alise replied.
Kirito stared at the finger pointing him for a long second before it clicked. "You want me to kill it!?"
Alise tilted her head. "Is that not what you wanted? I thought you were going to solo the entire nest, no?"
"W-Well…" Kirito could not help but burst out into a laugh. "Ah, fine. Let's try this!"
"That's the spirit of adventure!" Alise cheered.
"Are you sure about this, Alise?" Kaguya asked. "If he doesn't make it we are going to have a horde of angry women after our heads…"
"Ah, true…" Alise noted. "Ah well, it was a fun idea but—"
"I'll do it." Kirito stepped forward his dual blades still pulsing with magic. "But I would appreciate a save if things look bleak."
Before they could argue further, Kirito darted towards the monster. Its gaze was still focused on Ais who was jumping between trees, listening to their conversation.
When he approached, the Tyrant rolled a single eye at him and then swiped with its tail. It was a half-hearted measure to get rid of an opponent it considered too weak to worry seriously about.
Hitting the ground hard, Kirito felt the broken rock and jagged edges digging at his clothes, slowing him down. Swiping along his stomach, the hard scales on the tail tore off Kirito's protector and tore his shirt up the torso.
Rising to his feet behind the tyrant, Kirito swiped hard with his right sword at the Tyrant's right heel. The thick armour flexed and broke against the force of the magically enhanced sword.
It was little more than a glancing blow however as Kirito failed to cut anything underneath. Perhaps feeling its armour break, the Tyrant whirled, faster than a level four adventure, to glare at him.
As its jaw snapped shut around him, Kirito jumped up, pulling his knees up after. The sole of his boot getting ripped off by the attack.
"You should be extinct." Growling at it, Kirito stabbed at the retreating head with his left sword. The glancing attack did nothing.
Now that Kirito had its complete attention, he felt helpless. It was stronger, faster, and could kill in one hit. Kirito would require dozens to begin taking it down before dealing the final blow.
"Hehe, someone looks like they're in trouble!"
"Lyra!?" Lifting his gaze, Kirito found the pink-haired prum on top of the nearby cliff.
"Boom!" She mouthed the word that was barely audible. Moments later, the air cracked with a loud explosion. Kirito could only stare as the side of the valley began to slide down in an unstoppable avalanche. Dozens of tons of rock creating a rumbling sound as they approached faster than Kirito would have believed.
The Tyrant focused on Kirito, lunging with another bite. The rocks arrived first slamming down upon its back with incredible force. Even with its terrifying strength, the monster could not completely shake off getting buried in stone.
Forced to the ground with a baleful cry, the tyrant thrashed against it ersatz tomb, searching for purchase with its sprawled legs.
Getting an unexpected chance, Kirito started his chant again. The now familiar lines falling from his lips with a regular cadence.
He barely remembered the days of struggling to control the swells of magic power. They were a familiar force that guided you, not you them.
"GRAWHH!" With a surge of incredible power, the monster rose to its feet, shedding person-sized boulders as if they were no heavier than pillows.
Keeping the magic going, Kirito lunged backwards away from the bite. It pulled up too early though. It would not have hit even if Kirito had not moved.
A feint!?
Now was when the magic was a hindrance. The pounding rhythm and flow needed attention, but Kirito could not focus on both it and the incredibly angry and powerful monster trying to kill him.
It came as no surprise then when the Tyrant instantly changed tactic and whirled around, its long tail a blur as it sought to crash into him.
Trusting Liz and his own status, Kirito blocked with his left blade and pointed his right at the creature. Well, tried to block.
The tail deformed around the magic blade, the scales threatening to snap and split it in half. In the competition between blade, tail, and Kirito's arm, it was the third that gave way first.
Snap!
Losing the ability to move his arm, Kirito was tossed to the ground, his spell nearing its end. Unfortunately for him, he would not get that chance. The Tyrant would burn him to a crisp before he ever got the chance to kill it.
"Luminous wind!"
Faster than either of them, Lyu Lion, Gale Wind, the level six elf, put her magic on full display.
Kirito was in awe at the stream and gust of green magical particles. There were hundreds that gained up and exploded on joints. Even with its incredible power, the magic was not capable of breaking the scales on their own. The damage that Kirito had left behind, and the hole from Ais were exploited to great effect.
Kirito was uncertain for a moment if his magic would even be necessary. As the barrage of force died down, the tyrant was still moving. Its left leg barely functioned, and it was missing an eye. Those were the least of its injuries as half of its torso was dug out from the eruption.
"Gigas Cedar!" Roaring, Kirito stabbed forward with his blade. The Tyrant did not try to dodge or attack back. There was only a resigned anger in its eyes. A simmering hate for all humans and adventurers that had ruined its life.
As his blade pierced its magic stone, for the very first time, Kirito felt a flash of guilt upon killing a monster.
"It was an impressive creature, wasn't it…" Kirito mumbled. Energy leaving his body, Kirito started to collapse as he became aware of the shooting pain in his left arm.
"Easy there," Kirito found himself caught. Forcing his body to move, Kirito put his right leg underneath him and took a seat on the ground more gracefully.
Tilting backwards, Kirito smiled up at his savior and her upside-down face. "Thank you, Kaguya."
"Oh, it was a cheap price for the show I received."
"S-Show?" Kirito stammered. Was my fighting that embarrassing?
"Yeah, that was super impressive!" One of the cat girls, Aki, Kirito thought, said.
"Indeed… I feel almost embarrassed by my own skills," the other said.
It was high praise. Kirito was fumbling for a response when Lyu rushed over.
"That was reckless Mr. Kirigaya!" Lyu yelled, taking a knee beside Kirito. "You are lucky to have survived that attack!"
Oh, the tail hit… Raising his left arm, Kirito's face blanched as he beheld the sorry state of the appendage. Multiple points bent where they were not supposed to.
"Oops…"
"Oops?" Lyu growled. "Just hold still."
"The song of a now distant forest…"
Kirito closed his eyes and listened to the elven song. It finished in a few verses and Kirito felt his muscles and bones begin to mend.
"That was beautiful… Thank you Lyu."
"Ehh?" The elf blushed falling backwards.
"Ow!" Kirito covered the back of his head. Turning his head, he glared at Kaguya. "What was that for."
"Me? Why I don't believe I did anything. Perhaps you are simply feeling guilty for your bad behavior?"
"Bad behavior?" Kirito complained, glaring at the dark-haired beauty.
"Why yes, have you tried simply being nicer?"
Pouting, Kirito turned back to Lyu who had scampered away and nodded his head respectfully to her. Then he looked at his arm and was pleased to see that the major defects were gone, and while it was still tender, it should heal on its own from here on. From there, Kirito looked at the magic blade and was pleased that it seemed to be in one piece. Liz was not sure how long it would last, but its first trial was a challenging one and it had performed wonderfully.
"So, I killed it, right?" Kirito confirmed.
"Did you miss your magic impaling its chest?" Kaguya replied drily.
"That means I get a request, right?" Kirito looked around at the seven girls that had followed him. "That was the agreement."
Alise nodded rapidly. "Yupp! So, what will it be? A solid punch on Lyra as payback?"
"Hey!"
"No," Kirito spok quickly to stop the fight before it could stop. "This may be presumptuous of me however…"
"You'll want to be careful with your next words," Kaguya interjected, giving him a very knowing, very scary smile.
Does she think I would… Paling, Kirito rapidly shook his head. "I-I just want… Well, I hope that our familias can continue to work together, even after the expedition is over."
"That's it?" Aki or Astrid laughed. "You have five first-tier adventurers at your beck and call and you ask for that!?"
"I think it was very noble," Lyu said stiffly.
"Yeah yeah very noble, but shouldn't we be returning?"
Alise's reminder made Kirito shoot to his feet. "How long has it been!?"
"More than half an hour."
Kirito began to run.
Silica:
Raising her head, Silica looked frantically to figure out what was happening. Everything was a disaster. Their party was scattered and missing its strongest members.
Touching her head, Silica found a dribble of blood dripping from her forehead. Even with the endurance of a level three, she could still take damage from stray effects. Although the majority of her injuries had come from getting blown into a tree.
All around her, Silica could see her comrades struggling in combat against terrifyingly powerful monsters. Thankfully, they weren't outnumbered. Silica moved to join them when she heard a growl from behind her.
Whirling, her knife was in position to guard before she even fully recognized the danger.
Emerging from the jungle was a monster about as tall as her. Intelligent yellow eyes boring into her. Silica gasped in surprise. "A Velociraptor? No, it is too big. Utahraptor?"
That was not quite right either. It was not that big. Still, looking at it, Silica could not see a monster. It was an animal.
Thud!
The monster leapt at her, rear legs lifted and posed to slice her down the middle with no mercy. That one long claw on each foot may as well have been death's scythe. Crying out, Silica lifted her knife, blocking the claw as she fell backwards. Barely rolling to the side to avoid getting landed on, Silica sprang back, now separated from the others.
So fast, so graceful…
Silica felt a hesitancy that she had felt only once before. She did not want to kill this monster. It was a foolish, naïve thought that may lead to her death.
Still… Gritting her teeth, Silica scanned her surroundings. She needed something to use. She found it between two trees to the right. Feigning a throw of her dagger, Silica darted for it.
The monster was close on her heels, teeth biting at her cat tail. Silica came up from her roll, rations in her left hand, knife in her right. Using the blunt edge, she deflected the biting jaws long enough to buy some room.
"Now…" Silica panted, peeling off the cover of the item she had picked up. "I'll be having you for myself."
"Grr…" Replying menacingly, the monster cocked its head back and forth with bird-like motions, long claws on its arms reaching to and fro.
Still, every second that it did not lunge was a victory for Silica. Without breaking eye contact, Silica allowed the magical cloth to drop to the ground and grabbed the flank of raw meat inside. It was supposed to be enough for three people, a treat for vanquishing Udaeus and reaching the safety point on the thirty-ninth floor.
Not worrying about that now, Silica waved the meat in front of it. One pass, a second… On the third pass the monster's eyes jerked to it. Only for a moment, but it was enough.
Silica smiled and lowered the meat to her side, keeping her dagger ahead of her. "Sorry about this, but I'll give you meat as an apology, okay?"
It lunged for her.
Dropping the meat, Silica jumped to meet it in midair. She just got her left arm up in time to ram it in its mouth before it could bite her face off.
Silica was confident that Liz's new vambrace made from the newest and toughest metals would—"Ahh!"
Letting out a moan of pain, Silica's eyes widened with fear as the bottom teeth cut mercilessly into her flesh, the force threatening to shatter her arm with no concern for her armour.
Landing on the ground, Silica pushed through the pain, flipping herself unto its back. "Hrahhh!" Yelling, Silica brought her arm further up into its mouth, forcing the metal vanguard deeper.
There was a brief struggle until it tried to roar, its mouth opening just long enough for Silica to bring her vambrace to the back of its mouth, her arm no longer impaled on its teeth.
"Kneel to me," Silica whispered in its ear, "and I'll give you meat."
"Grr!" Growling through its metal gag, the monster thrashed desperately. Leaping around and throwing itself into trees there was a desperate attempt to dislodge her.
Again and again, Silica was thrown to the side, her vision twisting and blurring as her head cracked painfully against trees.
"Stop that!" Roaring, Silica pulled her arm up and twisted. The rotational energy sending the two of them crashing to the ground on the side. Hitting her elbow, Silica's arm was removed from its mouth.
Now able to use its mouth, the monster howled with both joy and anger. Silica felt like its emotions were now plain to her.
I will be your master!
"Calm down!" Silica yelled at it. "I do not want to hurt you."
"GRAHH!" The thrashing amplified in intensity. With her legs wrapped around its torso and her arms around its neck, Silica hung on and squeezed. Every second was excruciatingly slow.
Again and again, she was slammed into the ground, its heavy body slamming against her thigh and arm. "Please… stop…"
For a long time, Silica did not realize that her wish had been granted. Her head was so fuzzy and filled with pain that her world was still spinning.
A whimper finally broke her out of her stupor. Dragging her damaged limbs out from under the monster, Silica staggered over to the hunk of meat. Hefting the now dirty slab, Silica dragged herself back to the monster that laid panting, exhausting. While it did not rise or attack her, one of those yellow eyes tracked her the whole time.
"Here," Silica proffered the meat with a smile. "Eat and recover your strength, we need to go help my friends."
The monster waited for a moment and then nibbled on it. Strength returned quickly and it quickly rose to its feet, scarfing the rest down in series of swallows.
"I can't keep calling you monster…" Thinking about it, Silica decided on the name in only a few moments. "How about Hawky? Cute, right?"
It gave her an incredibly displeased look. "No good? Err, how about Kin? It's the colour of your eyes and it sounds a lot like king!"
Kin nodded, finished its meal and waited.
"R-right, umm… Well, let's go!" Turning, back to the road, Silica led her new pet back to introduce it to the others.
Kirito:
Slamming to a sudden halt, Kirito gaped at the warzone that had once been the expedition party. There was a horde of dirty, grumpy faces collecting and gathering their supplies that had been scattered by something. In the midst of it all was Lili with her ever-present lists, ticking off every item one by one.
The faces that turned to stare at him were less than pleased. "H-Hey, is everyone alright?"
"Alright!?" Lili growled, "do we look alright!?"
It sounded like a trick question. "No?"
"Exactly! And do you know why we aren't alright?"
"Because Astraea familia abandoned you?" Kirito concluded logically, passing the blame on rather smoothly, he thought.
"N-Now let's not go that far…" Alise stuttered, showing more fear in the face of this level one prum than she had before an enhanced monster with the strength of a level six.
Scanning the faces of the assembled expedition group that had remained behind, Kirito found no mercy in their expressions. Alise evidently agreed as she fell onto all fours.
"I'm so sorry we left you behind without protection!"
Lili nodded once happily and then turned those cold eyes to Kirito. They seemed to be asking him why he wasn't in the same position. "I can't believe your audacity to think you can seduce us into forgiving you."
"Huh?" Kirito looked down at himself and remembered that his cloths had been split down the front exposing his stomach and chest.
I'm actually kind of jacked… Tracing disbelieving finger across his abs, Kirito felt each distinct abdominal muscle that had been honed to near perfection from his time as an adventurer.
Forcing himself to scan the group again, Kirito did notice that many of the girls were keeping their faces averted from him, desperately attempting to keep up angry faces.
The exceptions were Strea and Philia. Strea was staring straight on and nodding happily. Philia meanwhile had a massive blush but continued to steal looks at his midsection.
With a warm heart, Kirito got on all fours beside Alise. "I too am sorry that I induced this event. I hope everyone is safe." This was a cheap punishment to bear for the danger that he had inflicted upon them.
As the lecture from Lili began, Kirito did find it exceptionally unfair that the others had snuck quietly back into the group without drawing attention to themselves.
Of all of them, Kirito glared at Kaguya who stuck out a tongue. She's a co-captain same as me…
Deciding to put it from his mind, Kirito focused on Lili's rant and took the lesson to heart.