Floor 9 - Chapter 8 - Elf War Epilogue

Argo was not a particularly tall person, but she made up for that with her presence. She could intimidate people twice her size, Jet had once reckoned, albeit incorrectly. Regardless, she seemed to have a slightly different tone than usual... she seemed more relieved, if he had to guess. Though, the look she was giving Kirito had seriously put that theory in jeopardy... if looks could kill, then chances were, he'd be writing the swordsman's eulogy.

''Ya managed ta beat it by hair's width, ya know! Turns out those o' ya's were the key in the end, 'specially after they'd had that enchantment put on 'em! S'ppost ta let ya nullify his spell when he made his hide unbreakable... which ya'd have known, if Kii-bou here had checked his messages a lil sooner!'' Usually, Jet would've been quite amused by the sight of less than five foot tall Argo, trying to square up with someone nearly a whole head taller, but for once he could understand where she was coming from. He hadn't been present for most of the fight, but he'd have quite liked to have known about the enchanted swords too!

That also being said, it wasn't as Kirito had hid it, he'd probably not even glanced at his messages, so to know that Argo had found something like that at the last possible second, would've required him to either be very lucky, or psychic. Considering he was stuck in Aincrad like the rest of them, took on the brunt of a witch hunt, and was currently being glared down by Argo... he was certainly not a lucky individual, and as for the psychic? Well, if he were psychic, Kirito already knew what he thought of that. ''Leave him alone Argo, it wasn't his fault that we all missed something until it was too late. Still though, can't say I ever imagined I'd have a magical sword! My own personal Excalibur...'' Jet looked lovingly at his sword, whilst Koharu looked towards the sword with a small hint of jealousy in her eyes...

Argo rolled her eyes. ''Hold yer horses, King Arthur...''

Tearing his eyes away from undressing his sword, not that Argo knew how that would even work, Jet checked his messages. A few from Strea, all unread, one from Klein, one from Sachi, an unspecified number from Argo, given the counter stopped at 99, and one from Kizmel. The usual... hang on, one from Kizmel?! That threw him off guard almost immediately. Could NPCs even send messages? He'd never encountered one that could before, but then again, he'd not met that many either. A strange thought popped into his head - Kizmel was unusual even by NPC standards, she was something else... she was clever. She'd picked up on both his and Koharu's feelings for each other, possibly before they had... certainly before they'd admitted it, anyway, and she'd developed a sense of humour, thanks to him and Phillia... maybe his theory that she was something different had some merit to it.

Oh, and now Argo was staring at him, given he was staring intently at his message window. ''Ya know ya girlfriend's right here, ya don't need ta look at pictures of her... ohh, unless...'' She teased, her eyebrows wiggling and a grin forming, as both Jet and Koharu went bright red at the implication. Unsurprisingly, Kirito looked baffled at the teasing, missing the implication as it soared over his head like a paper airplane in the wind.

''It's not like that!'' Both defended vehemently, and in stereo.

Argo fought back her laughter at the couple. ''Nyeheheh, I know it ain't. Still though, what's up?''

''Just something on my mind. Argo, Kirito, can NPCs send messages?'' Jet asked, careful not to look like a madman.

''I've never seen that before...'' Kirito answered, checking his own messages. Perhaps it was something from completing the Elf War Quest? Other than increasingly angry messages from Argo, his inbox was clear, so that ruled that out...

''Same here, that's a new 'un?'' Argo answered, a little confused at the question. It wasn't often that a question about the mechanics of this world stumped the Rat, but that one had. She made a note to research that one, because the last thing she wanted was a nasty surprise somewhere down the line, in the form of a missed quest, or a piece of pertinent information missed. ''Anyway...'' Argo took a look around the chamber, and noticed the two girls a bit away from the group. ''Who's the new gal with Aa-chan?''

''That's Mito. We ran into her about a week ago, and that leads me to something we need to talk with you about.'' Jet expression darkened considerably. ''We ran into Morte again.''

Judging by their expressions, the meeting hadn't been civil. ''Ya didn't get ta chuck him in Blackiron, I take it?''

''No, but we did get some useful information from him. He's not working alone, and we think we've got a lead on their location. Does the name Morphus ring any bells?'' Phillia answered, as Argo made notes in her message window.

''Can't say it does, ta tell ya the truth. What ya mean 'bout him not workin' alone?''

''Not sure on the details, but he mentioned something about ''the boss''. Mito might be able to give you more details on him, she fought him apparently.''

''That really ain't good if there's more than one o' him. Don't s'ppose there's anymore ya can gimme?'' The more she had to go on, the easier and, more importantly, quicker she'd be able to find something on this PK group.

''Nothing more than that, sadly.''

''So, what did Kizmel want? She did disappear kind of quickly, come to think of it...'' Rain asked, before her thoughts trailed off slightly.

''She's asked us to come to the castle, and head to the armoury.'' Jet answered, clarifying the situation from the status of ''clear as lead'' to ''clear as mud''.

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Some parts of Lyusulan culture remained a complete mystery to the human adventurers. Especially their social norms, Jet thought to himself, as he looked over the ceremonial armour he'd been given. A dark purple cape that ran down his back, whilst a sandy purple tunic was covered by gunmetal armour, and the new gauntlets he'd gotten before the battle. All in all, the only thing he could think of was that he looked kind of tacky. He liked the colour purple, but even he had his limits. On his normal attire, only the coat was purple, everything else being darker colours or royal blue, to try to not resemble a shadow. The message from Kizmel had asked them to report to the armoury at the castle, to allow them to be fitted for the armour of the Pagoda Knights.

When Rain had asked the obvious question of why, Kizmel had answered that all knights received their rank in this way... leaving the group slack jawed as she did so. They were going to become knights. Kizmel had mentioned it earlier, before the battle, but they'd all thought it was a joke, or a ''nice thought, but not happening'' type of thing.

Still though, and his gripes over his outfit aside, today was a day that most had thought would never arrive, and not just for the knighthoods. A pipe dream, a nice story to encourage children not to give up on their morals, but not a realistic ambition... and by god, did he realise he now sounded as if he were in an episode of Yes Minister. Next he'd be explaining things in the most convoluted way possible, by way of only the most verbose and antiquated functions of the English language, and... ''Nope! Back on track, please...''

Despite his mind's ambition to turn him into Sir Humphrey Appleby, he got his thoughts together again. He wasn't wrong though, today didn't feel real. They'd stumbled into the middle of a duel nearly two months ago, and that had somehow narrowly avoided being a full scale war, with the whole of Aincrad and its occupants at risk. Somehow, their presence had bought peace, an almost unthinkable peace at that. Now there was something to add to the CV, Jet idly thought.

''Sir Jet.'' he spoke casually, as he imagined his mother cooing over him, at the thought of her son, the knight of the realm. She'd never shut up about it, he knew that much, and should his sisters ever find out... they'd be even worse! He could just imagine his youngest sister running around the playground, swinging a stick around, and pretending to be her brother, the storybook knight...

The thoughts of his family soon wandered, and became a more depressing thought. The boy who Morte had executed in cold blood. He couldn't have been much older than his brother, and he'd watched as the young lad died a pointless death at the hands of a deranged lunatic. He himself had felt that, if they'd caught Morte there and then, there was a very real chance that he would've murdered Morte himself, and that terrified him, nearly as much as the possibility of a cabal of player killers. The possibility that, someday, he'd see red during a fight and, much like he had with Kysala's spell, aim for the kill... only this time it would be a human being he'd murdered, not an NPC who'd been fighting to kill him...

''I don't feel like much of a knight right now...'' he muttered, as Kizmel called for him to come out. Today was supposed to be a good day, a victory for everyone except the Fallen... and Jet was at least willing to let everyone else have their fun, so gave a rehearsed smile...

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Entering the ceremonial chamber, there was one feeling that was unanimous between them... that of anxiety. They'd fought battles against unspeakable monsters... and yet, this put them all on edge. Upon reaching the centre of the room, near Idrehendis, they were to get down on one knee, and so, they did. ''Sir Jet, Lady Koharu, Lady Rain and Lady Phillia.'' Idrehendis went person to person, lowering a ceremonial sword onto their shoulders. Unsurprisingly, all of them avoided flinching as best as they could, lest they be unintentionally decapitated. ''For all of your services to the kingdom of Lyusula, and in the greatest pursuit of them all, that of peace for all races... I humbly grant you your knighthoods, and as honourary protectors of Lyusula. Arise, young warriors!'' The four rose from their knees, as the Queen shook each of their hands in series. ''You have disproven something that both races believed for the longest time - that the human race were untrustworthy, and insignificant compared to either Elven race. I would like you to know, that your stories will be told for as long as we remain capable to tell them. It is thanks to your nobility, tenacity and skill in battle that this peace has occurred, and that you will always be welcome amongst the people of Lyusula.'' Idrehendis spoke, before she left the room, and with that, left the four to their own devices. They looked amongst themselves, and for the first time in a while, sighed outwardly in relief. The battles had been less stressful than all of the pomp and circumstance, Jet thought to himself, as he re-equipped his coat and trousers. Formal armour was nice and all, but it had proven really uncomfortable, and made an annoying clanging noise whenever they tried to move. The girls all did the same, as Kizmel came back into the room.

''To think that when we first made our acquaintances, I considered striking you down...'' Well, that would've been nice to have known at the time, Jet thought to himself, and evidently Koharu looked a little anxious at learning that little bit of information, given she was laughing nervously. ''Relax, I would not have done so after you helped to defeat that Forest Elf Knight. Truthfully, I believe you both saved me in more ways than one - that mission, I was certain was going to die, and if I am at honest... I welcomed it. A chance to see Tilnel again...'' Everyone present winced at that statement. ''But you two showed me there was something to live for. I don't think you understand it, but you both- I cannot phrase it well, but both of you, you have this... aura of hope around you. I felt I had a reason to live, to fight again. Not for vengeance, but for peace. I doubted that I would see it at times, but you pulled through... you all did.''

''Kizmel...'' Koharu held back tears as she approached Kizmel. The NPC that seemed so real, and almost like a sister at times. Granted, a sister with no social graces, but then again, that wasn't a trait unique to NPCs, she only had to ask Jet for evidence on that one. The pair drew each other into a hug, as the others watched on. Even Jet was fighting back tears slightly, as she beckoned him over too.

''I've known you for only a few months, but I want you to know this - what happened with that monster masquerading as a human... that was not your fault. It was the fault of the beast itself, not the ones who failed to slay it, as hard to accept as that may be.'' Kizmel reassured both of them, knowing that both had taken their clash with the human demon to heart, and especially their failure to protect a child.

Unfortunately for Kizmel, she'd slightly misread the situation. They weren't crying over that, but over the fact that they'd have to leave Kizmel behind as they progressed onwards and upwards. ''It's not that, Kizmel, it's just that... goodbyes are hard for some people.'' Jet admitted through tear filled eyes.

''Then perhaps we should not consider this one. Consider it an ''until we see each other again''.'' Kizmel smiled at the pair, and drew both into another hug, before they broke away, as Kizmel turned to leave... ''Oh, I will ask of you one thing...'' she stopped, before she reached the door.

''Ask away Kizmel.''

''Try not to do anything too mad whilst I'm not there, Jet.'' Kizmel gave a little smirk, as Jet looked towards her with a look that was somehow both indignant and amused at the same time. Koharu and Rain both suppressed a giggle at the teasing, whilst Phillia attempted to hook her arm around his shoulders... not that she managed it, as Jet moved aside slightly, the shorter girl losing her balance and only barely staying upright.

''Don't worry, Kizmel, we'll keep him on a short leash!'' She joked, as the half indignant, half amused look faded into one of just indignation.

''I'm not a dog!''

''You're like a giant, overly excitable puppy sometimes...'' Koharu smiled innocently. She was quite clearly having a laugh at this, and for once, Jet was pretty happy about it. She'd been in a funk for the past few days, and seeing her smile properly, even if it was clearly at his expense, was more than enough for once. He hadn't told her, but she had a smile that could light up a room. After the past few days, he wondered if perhaps he should tell her that more often... unfortunately for him though, what came out was... not that.

''Eh, you fell for me though, so what does that say?'' Jet grinned, as Koharu flushed at the blatant display of flirting.

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Some time later, and the group found themselves outside the castle, in the snowy forest outside. Phillia seemed to have gone a little quieter since they left the Queen's Chamber, and no one could think of a valid reason why, until she spoke up... ''Well, it's been a good time- well, mostly - but I was only going to stay to see how the quest went, so I guess I should be off...'' Phillia trailed off, as she began to say goodbye. Not that she wanted to, but she had said she was only going to stay out of a sense of curiousity, and now, that sense had been sated. Still though, she felt strange about leaving - she'd felt at home for once with the trio, and it was nice to have some company for once...

''Okay.'' Jet answered, shrugging his shoulders. Phillia deflated slightly as he did so. Of course he wouldn't care massively if she wasn't there, the two were friends, but she always- hang on, why were both Koharu and Rain smirking?

''Wait... what do you mean?'' She asked in confusion.

''I said okay. You want to stop with us, I said okay.'' Jet began to smirk slightly too.

Oh, the not so little... ''You are so full of hot air, Jethro.'' She huffed indignantly.

''And yet, you wanted to stay with us...'' Jet teased.

''Don't make me regret my decision...'' Phillia joked in response.

Koharu had checked her messages, and one was from Argo. It gave a detailed description of the newly opened Tenth Floor, and its Edo period styling, plus mention of old Japanese sweets... her mind was made up on their holiday destination! ''So... remember your promise, Jet?'' Phillia looked slightly bewildered, as Jet's own words came flooding back to him. ''I think I've decided on where I want to go for our holiday!''

''Oh great, the two lovebirds are ditching us for a holiday, Rain. You want to go see if anyone else wants our help whilst they're busy examining each other's tonsils?'' Phillia asked, the aforementioned ''lovebirds'' giving her an indignant look, whilst Rain just smiled towards her.

''You might be out of luck there... I'm going back to the orphanage for a few days.'' Rain answered, slightly enjoying how fast Phillia went from teasing them, to being caught on the back burner.

''You three set this up, didn't you?'' Phillia sighed, as everything clicked into place.

Koharu gave the ginger girl a smirk as she walked past her... ''Perhaps we did, perhaps we didn't...''

{Author's Comments}

And with that, the Elf War arc is finished! Only took 38 chapters, which uhh, yeah, far longer than I planned for.

Anyway, this itself was much shorter than I thought it'd be, but probably a little too long to have added onto the end of last chapter.

With that said, if you want to leave any comments, leave a review or send me a PM, and if you enjoyed it, follow, favourite etc,

Signing off,

Midland 2541