"Kazemaru!" Klein calls out to me, and I look over my shoulder. He stares at me in concern. "Where are you going!?" His arm was stretched out, as if he had failed to catch me. I stare at him, every millisecond feeling like a lifetime. Every second, she got further away from me.
"I saw someone! Someone I know! I got to… just.. sta-!" I reply back, but am interrupted.
"I'll help! I have to find my own people! We can work together!" Klein interjects, running up to me. My heart relaxes a tad. Maybe this idiot wasn't so bad after all. I begin running again, pushing my way through the crowd, earning glares and protests. But I didn't care. They didn't matter. Just incompetent fools that got in the way. My focus is broken as Klein speaks to me, following close on my heels.
"What is their name! What do they look like!?" Klein asks. I catch a brief glimpse of blonde hair in the distance before it is again swallowed by the crowd. Another jolt shoots through my chest.
"Her name is Artoria! She's blonde!" I reply, not taking my eyes off where I had last seen her.
"Her!? Is she your girlfriend!? Is she hot!?" Klein responds. I glance back at him.
"You bastard! I'll smack you for that later!" I shout back at him, but he just laughs. There she was again. Were we getting closer? She was leaving the town center. My heart beat faster.
No! I won't lose you! Not this time! Not this time! I won't let you suffer anymore! I won't fail you again! I continue to chase, stumbling through the crowd and falling on my face as I reach the edge of the town center. She wasn't there. Where was she? There were a handful of ways she could have turned. I quickly rise to my feet and call out to her.
"Artoria!" I shout out as loud as I can, looking down different streets.
"Artoria!?" Klein calls out. I keep running along the street, looking down all the turns and alleys as Klein does the same on the other side of the street.
"Artoria! Where are you!? Artoria!" I shout out again. I felt ready to break. My heart was beating out of my chest. Surely we couldn't have missed her!
"Artoria!" Klein calls out, to no avail. Others were calling out other names, no doubt looking for their own friends, mixing and entangling with our own cries. I find my legs giving out and before I knew it, I fell to my knees.
"No way… did I miss her? Was it just a delusion" I slur out, staring out the ground, tears welling. I clutch at my chest, twisting in pain. Closing my eyes, I see Cernunnos again. Flashes of light as he is struck. Flashes of light once more as again he is struck. An empty throne room. I see a girl walking into a pillar of light.
Why didn't you call out to her? Why didn't you hug her? Tell her you were proud of her? Why didn't you save her, you worthless bastard? I feel warm droplets hit my hand.
"Goddammit… Why? Why did you have to go? You could have joined us… if you… if you were with us… maybe I'd have the courage to face my own world again…" I mutter to myself, opening my eyes to stare at the ground, my vision blurry with tears. "I'm sorry… Artoria… I'm sor-"
"Ritsuka?" A soft, girlish voice speaks to me from behind. A familiar voice. I pivot my head to look behind me so fast I throw myself off balance, falling off my knees, catching myself with my hands. I look up at the girl standing before me, no more than three meters away. Wearing the same starting gear as everyone else, in white and gray with long, blonde twintails falling down behind her, and her eyes a pure viridian green, she stared down at me, a surprised yet relieved look on her face. But… it was her. The once Child of Prophecy… Avalon le Fae… Artoria Caster.
"A-Artoria…" I speak to her softly, stunned, as I push myself up into a sitting position, supporting myself with my hands on the ground behind me.
"Is that… you? Truly?" She asks me softly, a tender smile and a pained, delicate look in her eyes. I blink and rub my eyes to confirm she is there, staring at her. "Ritsuka?" She speaks out as I realize I hadn't spoken for who knows how long. I wipe my tears and find my words.
"Yes. It's me." I answer her, standing up slowly. She smiles in relief and I run over to her, pulling her into a hug. Her hair tickles my face as I hold her.
Now that I think about it, I don't think I ever actually gave her a hug.
I let out a long, relieved sigh.
"Geh… Ritsuka… you're crushing me…" Artoria wheezes out, breaking me out of my mind and bringing me back to the present. I let go and step back.
"Sorry. I was just so relieved to see you. I didn't think I'd see you again." I reply, bowing my head. She shakes her head.
"I thought I was done after I disappeared fighting Cernunnos but… then I woke up in a room and there was this thing and a note for me to put it on my head… Now… I'm here." She explains. I stare at her and a shot of pain runs through my chest. I bow my head lower.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry… I failed you. I failed to save you. I couldn't do anything for you. I couldn't be your savior, I couldn't even help you. I was useless… you were suffering, you were alone. And I didn't do a goddamn thing for you. I couldn't save anyone… I couldn-" I apologize desperately to her, tears welling up as Gareth, Gawain, Artoria, Cnoc na Riabh, Tristan, Redra Bbit, and Habetrot flash through my mind. I feel warmth on my cheek as Artoria places her hand on my cheek.
"You did the best you could. And you weren't useless. It's because of you I could push on. The only times I had that were happy were the times spent with you and Mash." Artoria speaks softly. I look at her through blurry eyes. I wipe my face and force a smile. She smiles back, a tired but relieved smile.
"I don't know why I was brought here, but now, we can continue our adventures. Together." She states, smiling brighter. I smile back and nod.
"Right. A second chance. Hopefully with less bullshit." I reply. As I am about to speak further, a voice calls out to me.
"Kazemaru! I found my friends!" Klein calls out to me, walking over, waving and smiling as I look at him. Behind him are five other men, one being a rather hefty man. As he walks over, Klein looks at Artoria and whistles.
"You didn't tell me she was this cute, Kazemaru!" Klein comments with a friendly grin. Artoria blushes and stares at Klein, then looks confused and looks at me.
"Kazemaru? What does that mean?" She asks me.
"Oh, I combined my callsign with my name. Fujimaru with Kazimierz." I explain, then thump Artoria lightly on her head and look at Klein.
"Careful Klein, I wouldn't call her cute. She doesn't have enough brain power to handle compliments on top of normal day to day functionality." I joke, grinning. Klein laughs as Artoria flushes and makes an angry face. She tries to bite my hand as I pull it away.
"Calling me stupid!? I'm not stupid! Wanna fight?! I'll fight you!" She snaps at me, angrily, trying to charge me. I simply place a hand on her head, holding her back, causing her swings to all fall short.
"Get tall enough to reach me first." I reply casually. Klein and his friends laugh as Artoria only gets angrier. I then let go and sidestep and she stumbles forward, just barely avoiding falling. I laugh and Artoria pouts, looking at me.
"Ack! I thought I was done with this after Oberon!" She whines, glaring at me. I just laugh more, then look at Klein.
"So, who are your friends?" I ask him. Klein blinks.
"Oh, right!" He realizes the spotlight is on him now. He looks at Artoria. "I'm Klein." He bows politely, introducing himself. The heavyset man steps forward and bows to Artoria and I.
"I'm Dale. Nice to meet you." He smiles politely. After him, a man with what I can only describe as 'highly suspicious facial hair' steps forward, bowing.
"Dynamm." He states, finishing his bow. I nod in greeting and look at the youngest looking one that steps forward next.
"Hi, I'm Harry One." He introduces himself, bowing.
"Call me Issin." The skinny, gaunt man to the side says, bowing his head. Lastly, a man with angular features and a goatee steps forward, bowing.
"I'm Kunimittz. Pleasure to meet you." He states, bowing.
"I'm Kazemaru." I reply to their introductions with my own, bowing politely.
"Oh… it's my turn? Okay." Artoria speaks up, realizing it's now her turn to introduce herself. "I'm Artoria. A friend of Ri- er… Kazemaru." She continues. She bows quickly and then steps back.
"We should form a party and try to get ahead of the crowds." I state once the introductions are finished. "The way I see it, this is still a multiplayer game, even with the extra conditions. Swarms of players in the start zone means that getting things down will be miserably slow unless we get to it faster than the horde." I continue, explaining. Klein and his friends nod.
"I agree." Klein replies as I open up my menu and send him a party invite. I invite the rest of his friends, and Artoria. I also add them all to my friend list. On the side of my vision, I see names appear along with healthbars. Klein, Dale, Castoria, Dynamm, Kunimittz, Issin, Harry One.
"Castoria?" Dale remarks, noticing the name.
"Ah… I combined my first and last name. Artoria and Caster." Artoria explains, blushing lightly at being put on the spot.
"It's kinda cute. Catchy." I remark, repeating the name in my mind. Artoria looks at me and smiles awkwardly.
"Thanks… I just made it up on the spot." She replies. I thump her on the head again. It just felt natural. Maybe it was because she was so short.
"Well, are we all prepared to head out?" I ask, looking at Klein and his friends. Dale and Kunimittz are the first to nod, followed by Dynamm and Harry and finally Issin. Klein then nods.
"Looks like we are!" Klein replies, grinning. I nod and turn to head for the exit out of the city. The setting sun to my left suggests that we were heading north.
"So, how do you all know each other?" I speak up as I walk at the front. Artoria trails behind me off to my left while Klein and his friends follow a few steps behind her. I scan the area as we exit the city. I'd already been here, so it's not like I was expecting any danger, but it had become a habit at this point.
Heh, maybe Koyanskaya is here, behind all this. Another plot to torment people and she's going to come out, laughing sadistically any minute now. My thoughts are interrupted by Klein speaking up.
"From the real world! We're friends there too! We actually all waited in line for the release of SAO so we could get it and play together from launch." Klein answers.
"Klein ran a guild in a game previous to this, so we figured we had to stick together for this game as well!" Harry One adds. I glance over my shoulder to look at them.
"So you already know how to work as a team?" I ask. A team that is familiar with each other would certainly be better than completely unseasoned novices. Dynamm is the one to answer me.
"Correct! We think we're a rather solid team honestly." He replies, with other members of the group nodding in agreement.
"What about you Kazemaru? You have any experience? You must, considering you teaching me earlier." Klein asks. I nod, thinking how best to answer such a difficult question.
"Yeah. I have kendo experience to a degree. Also, I've led parties before, for about 2 years now I guess." I answer. Klein nods.
"What games?" Issin asks.
Shit. How do I answer that. Can't exactly say that I led heroes, villains and actual gods against other heroes, villains and gods to save the world multiple times over.
"Er, some simulator games. Foreign war simulation games and the like." I reply, hoping that is good enough to satisfy. Issin nods. Seems it was sufficient after all.
"Simulator games? For two years? You probably got this down then." Klein jokes. I shrug and laugh.
"You give me too much credit!" I answer.
"He's… actually pretty good. He's uncomfortably calm under pressure." Artoria speaks up. "Like, seriously! How do you stay calm!? It's not natural!" She continues, baffled and frustrated.
"I actually know a secret magical spell that dumps all my stress on you, of course." I jokingly reply. She flushes with anger.
"Hey! Are you calling me high strung?!" She snaps back. I laugh, as does Klein and Dale.
It slowly get darker as we progress along the road. In the distance, I can see the lights of a town. By this point, the road had shifted in a more northwesterly direction.
"New town! Looks about another 20 minutes out! So… about another two kilometers." I state out for the others to hear.
"Wow, you're good with distance!" Harry One states.
"I've run cross country before." I answer with what is technically not a lie. America is a country. I have been across America. A lot of it was running. Babylon and Camelot were also countries. Artoria shoots me a knowing look.
Was my answer too fae-like or something? I ask myself, amused at the look.
"So, how do you two know each other?" Dale asks curiously.
"We spent a month together." Artoria replies. Then blushes. "N-not like that! We just worked together for a month where we were living on-site!" She quickly follows up, realizing how her answer could have been interpreted. I smile softly in amusement and commend her with her followup. It was a good cover.
"When I saw her here, I got worried! She's a talented girl but she doubts herself too much!" I add, causing Artoria to look away, embarrassed to confirm the statement.
"Ah! That makes sense then!" Dale replies.
The party falls silent for a time, our shadows slowly fading away into nothing as the sun fully sets. As night falls, my hairs stand on end. There wasn't even anything to threaten us as far as I had seen. I was just suddenly on edge, uncomfortable. I grimace.
At least I'm in the front, so they can't see the anxiety I must be wearing on my face. I think to myself. Like, seriously, why do I feel so uncomfortable right now? I continue to ponder, but my thoughts are interrupted by movement to my left. I look over to find Artoria walking beside me. She doesn't say anything. I frown. She must have sensed my tension and discomfort.
Good girl though. You're too kind. I think to myself as I continue walking. It was reassuring at least that she was here. I'd be too lonely without anyone to share in my past with. I'd have to ensure she stayed safe.
"You don't have a lot of sword fighting experience do you Artoria?" I ask her, breaking the silence. I speak softly, so as not to disturb the murmur of conversation behind us. She shakes her head.
"Faced a lot of swords, but Merlin only taught me some basics." Artoria replies. I nod.
"Then for now, stay back and avoid getting into the thick of fights until you get stronger." I state, looking at her with a firm look. She stares up at me with those green eyes of hers. She smiles and nods, though the look in her eyes was not a smile, it was an odd glint.
"Sure thing." She replies. I smile back.
"Good." I nod.
That should make it a little harder to lose her again. As long as she stays back, she won't get hurt. I won't fail again.
I walk on in silence, the only sound being that of the feet of my party on the road and the soft murmer of conversation.
As we reach the town or more so a village or hamlet, I spot a sign labelled 'Horunka.'
"Ah! We're here!" Klein declares as we pass the sign and enter the village. There is the sound of whoops and cheers from the party as we pass the first buildings. I spot an inn, then remember I spent my money on an expensive sword.
"So… anyone got money?" I ask, as I stare at the inn.
There is a round of murmers from Klein's group before Klein speaks up for the group.
"Nope! We spent it all on potions and equipment earlier it seems!" Klein reports. I sigh. I look at Artoria. She looks up at me, then checks her inventory.
"Eh…" She blushes and shakes her head. "No." She answers, embarassing more in embarassment. I get a feeling I won't like the reason why, but I ask anyway.
"What did you spend it on?"
"This." She replies and selects something in her inventory, and suddenly, she is wearing a hat. It's a white beret, not unlike her hat in Britain, minus the ear flaps. I frown as I stare at her. She looks at the ground.
"You bought a hat?" I ask, stunned. She nods meekly, her eyes darting around to avoid eye contact. I rub my face in frustration.
"D-did you… get a weapon at least?" I ask tiredly. She equips a dagger. I sigh and groan.
"We could see if one of the NPCs would put us up for the night!" Klein pipes up. I look at him and scratch my chin.
"You know… that isn't a bad idea. Let's do that. You split up and check the other houses. I'll check this one with hats-for-brains here." I state jutting a thumb at Artoria, who squirms and looks at the ground. Klein laughs and nods.
"We'll meet you back here in a few then!" He answers and heads for another house as the party spreads out. I walk over to the house I had selected, Artoria in tow, and open the door.