A/N: I completely forgot to upload this earlier in the week, oh well, enjoy a bonus before we cap off this arc. Review Time:
To MeMyselfAndI82907: Very true, knowing when and where to pace the story/characters is always a tricky subject but I like to think that's why fanfictions are a good testing ground for learning curves. And that meme, did not know of that one, funny nonetheless.
Enjoy.
|Dec. 2nd 13:15|
|Sword Art Online, Floor 1, Quest Fields|
"Watch out!" A boy cried to his partner as they were struck aside by a Dire Wolf. He had a boyish face, rather timid too, and was thin with pale-light brown hair and hazel eyes. His partner, had short hair dyed milk-tea-brown. She and the boy wore the basic equipment from the start of SAO but she opted for a white cloak.
The girl stumbled to her feet again, raising her dagger as gasped at the sight of three more wolves fanned out to the leader's flanks. She was cornered and her friend was trembling, unable to budge as he watched from afar.
The wolves pounced and the girl shut her eyes at the scream of metal shaving her ears. Fearfully, the girl cracked an eye open to find the wolves all split in two mid-pounce, a single, rose-tinted arc shearing the pack to shards before her sparkling eyes.
"Y-Yuuna!" The boy ran over to her, and she collapsed to her knees with a gracious sigh. "I-I'm sorry I-"
"It's fine, I'm... yeah, that wasn't fun," Yuna smiled weakly as the person above them glared down dully. Yuuna smiled toward the girl. "Thank you."
/Artorias\
Artorias had rose-tinted eyes with apple-red hair tied into a short ponytail say for a few bangs. She wore the same kind of gear as everyone else, a red shirt under a steel breastplate, black shorts under her white skirt, a pair of metal bracers for her forearms and shins, and leather boots and gloves.
Artorias took a long breath before swinging her blade back into its scabbard. "Congrats, you guys would be dead, or atleast one of you without me." Her words stung, but neither had a right to complain. "Taking on monsters three levels higher than you, hmph, you got guts, most of which would be outside your body right around now."
"We'll pick our battles next time, but thank you for saving her," The boy, Nautilus, thanked her happily while Artorias shrugged and took off for the forest dungeon ahead, both watching her as she casually walked away.
Biting his cheek, Nautilus stood up. "Hey, wait, um..." Artorias stopped, sighing as she shook her head. "Are you... one of the top players right now?"
"No, I'm just bored," Was her deadpanned reply. He then realized this might not have been the best person to ask, but now he had both hers and Yuuna's attention. "Kid, I've got possibly a million better things to do, spit it out."
He tried not to look irked by that or her irate expression. "Look, I... I want to help people through this game," "I want to make it up to Yuuna, for dragging her into this." "But I can't if I'm not stronger than everything I come across, in battles I... freeze, and I nearly put Yuna in danger because of it."
"It's not your fault," She nudged his side, smiling. "And yes, I will keep telling you that until you stop complaining about it."
Artorias felt there was more to the 'freezing' thing but lacked the ability to care for strangers right now. She had requests to fill in and playing babysitter was not one of them. "Judging by their equipment they haven't made that much bank, so they came out here hoping to accelerate the process, smart but the execution is dumb." "Fine," She withdrew her Anneal Blade, "Want a tip from a level ten beta tester, here's one."
"She's really level ten already!?" Nautilus. eyes broadened as Artorias side-stepped as the duo yelped from the sudden attack of a large Dire Wolf, the dog snarling while it circled Artorias.
"No way..." Yuna breathed as Artorias casually evaded the wolf's attacks, eyes to her students.
"Want to be the best, stop using sword skills like some kind of get-out-of-jail-free card, sure, that's how you do the most damage but if you don't keep tabs on cooldowns, skill activations, and Post-Motion you'll be caught with your pants down," She ducked and instructed at the same time. "However, maximizing a skill is paramount, for example, Horizontal Arc is a two-hit skill, so here's one way to use it properly."
She spun her blade to rest the edge against her thigh, the ting of the skill and hum of rose-red grew to encompass the blade. With a single lunge, she slid to the wolf's right side, slicing the complete length of its fur. Twisting her body back she dived over its claws, spinning once to divide the monster straight down the middle, the body bursting into shards.
"Woah!" Both admired her skill while she slapped the sword back into its sheath
"I still landed two horizontal strikes but I used both my own momentum and the pull of the skill to evade any attacks it could get in before it perished," Artorias then teetered her hand. "Longer and larger skills are more tricky to nail down but practice and all that. Then you'll see a difference between people like you and people like me."
"I see," Nautilus smiled, drawing his sword high for a few swings. "Use my momentum and the skill as a simultaneous attack and defense," What started out as an uncertain feeling in his chest was now a rising hope for improvement, to further himself to become stronger.
"I suggest getting a buckler if you're gonna move like me, larger shields weight ya down," With her exclusive tip handed out, free of charge might she point out, Artorias continued on her merry way, waving lazily. "If you got any requests for a price let me know, peace."
"We will, thanks again!" Yuna waved back as her scarlet attire vanished into the treeline
Back at Tolbana, Artorias made her way toward its Amphitheater.
"There sure are a few players gathering..." Artorias was no slouch to news due to her already numerous connections due to her aid in helping lower players level since the ones at her skill range were hoarding all the goods for themselves, she didn't need loot, she needed competence among idiots.
Passing by a few buildings and heading down a small dirt road she came to the Amphitheater. Old ruins left behind with a stone stage and curved seating around the right-hand side, pillars dotting the outer ring as an empty backstage was left vacant, the archway she passed through only gave her a view of one person who was pressed in deep thought over his menu.
A player with a bronze chestplate, shoulders, arms, and shins, similar to Artorias. A longsword on his left waist, and a kite shield on his back. He had blue hair with long bangs and matching eyes, the clothing under his armor was also blue.
"A fated clash of red and blue," Artorias announced jokingly, and the guy looked up and smiled cheerily.
"So you decided to heed the call! I'm glad to see you wish to hear about our assault on the boss!" His optimistic nature wasn't what Artorias intended to see, but her resting frown remained. The news of the Floor Boss's discovery spread like wildfire, after a month in this hell they had a lead.
"I never agreed to anything, honestly, I'm here only to ensure the top players don't set us back by another month given some of their... debatable personalities," Idiots is what she meant. To her surprise, the guy hadn't lost his grin, in fact, he relaxed his smile
"Is that so? I'll say, I'm actually relieved," He put a hand to his chest while noting her uncertain expression. "You wanted to hear me out before you made any concrete decision, right? That shows you're serious about this."
Finally, after so many weeks, Artorias chuckled with her arms wide. "And there is a God! 'Course I'm taking this seriously, its a Floor Boss," She rolled her eyes. "The beta was a tough one, took us near a week to clear it, and that was by throwing bodies at the boss." Artorias would admit it was funny to watch
"I see, so you're a beta tester," He hummed, then cleared his throat with a hand out. "Sorry, I should have started with this, my name is Diavel, a Knight of this world."
Another laugh escaped Artorias. "Pfft, well then, 'Sir Knight', call me Artorias, although my left arm isn't broken." He laughed right back as they shook hands. "I see you are a man of culture as well."
"Always a classic fight," Diavel chuckled, the two letting go while he crossed his arms. "I've heard of you, lots of players keep spreading some rumors about a player in red helping others level faster by completing requests for them," Diavel gave her a respectful look. "Some are joining us because of your aid."
"Strength can't make all miracles," Artorias replied, somewhat unsure of how she felt of her name being spread around. But hey, a little fame never hurt, and she certainly could take advantage of it later down the line
"Back on topic, you are right, we can't rush into this, but waiting around isn't an option," He regained a sense of fortitude as he spoke. "When we march on that labyrinth, we're doing it to show the people in the Town of Beginnings that this game CAN be beaten, together!"
Artorias was silent but broke with a smile. "Sorry, were you practicing your speech on me? If so, good execution, maybe lay off the friendship thing, but you certainly fit the bill of a classic 'Knight in Shining Armor'," Then her eyes narrowed, finger to her chin. "But knights whose armor shines has never truly been tested, so I wonder, has your metal been tested?"
Diavel was a good sport about her quick jabs, chuckling alongside her. "A person with a sense of humor is paramount in this world, so thanks, I needed that." Clearing his throat an idea sparked in his eyes, and he put a hand on his hip. "Look, I've done my best to rally players for the meeting, but some are still leveling and gathering Col before coming here, so our manpower is somewhat limited."
"This place is a trek," Artorias agreed, brow raised inquisitively. "What about it?"
"While the rest of us max out our equipment and skills for the fight ahead, setting out on foot can be time-consuming, so I wanted to put in a request with you," He brought up his menu. "Think you could link up the Teleport Monuments both here and by the Labyrinth entrance? It'll save us both time and energy for when it really counts."
"Eh, you're payin', so why not?" A tab appeared before her eyes and a 'wealthy' reward in the description. "Damn."
Request Accepted!
Main Objective
*Link Teleport Monuments of Tolbana and Labyrinth Entrance
Floor 1 | Reward 1000 Col | X5 Glare Stone
"Well then, I'm off," Artorias waved, now with the proper motivation. Though I thought occurred. "Why didn't he activate the Monument at the labyrinth? A thought occurs, why didn't I before or anyone else?" That was then dashed aside with a toothy grin and smug mindset. "I'm being paid for it, no skin off my nose!"
Across the slope leading down toward a large open expanse of trees, Artorais flew over the lip of the hillside, the twilight closing in as several Kobalt Henchmen stormed after her, swinging their weapons wildly while she faceplanted the grass, rolling with inaudible curses and grunts as the mini Kobalts chased her.
"Ow-!" Thud. "Ow-!" Thud. "Ow-!" Thud. "Ow-!" She made it to the bottom. Murmuring sweet curses into the dirt she pried her face from the floor and turned to see the Kobolds raising their weapons. "Can't I catch a break?" Twisting her sword she nonchalantly swung with 'Horizontal Arc' sweeping the Kobolds from the air while allowing the momentum to toss her back onto her feet for her to swing her sword like a nine-iron, putting the Kobolds across the glade
Across the fields and forests, the large spire of grey brick soared high into the sky, and above, concealed by the artificial sky was the Second Floor. Artorias lifted her hand to that twilight world above, above her, ninety-nine floors remained, each more challenging than the last. It was a wave of excitement and sheer anxiety given her lack of knowledge beyond Floor Five.
"Alright," Bringing her arm down she strolled across the path leading to a small camp just outside the boundaries of the forest, and the Monument awaiting activation. "Let's get paid."
There was a thin, grey obelisk bobbing in the air, dormant until Artorias placed her hand on the white rune inscribed across the four faces. With a twinkle, the faces split slightly, revealing the funnel of sky blue light within.
Unlike the Teleport Gates, these floating, light-grey obelisks acted as teleports between areas across their respective floors, so it was understandable to activate them so everyone could move about without having to waste time in the fields.
When the prompt came up to warp, Artorias went ahead and teleported back to town to collect her reward, her other requests all awaiting delivery. She had amassed a fortune with this request service of hers, of course, those that would, ahem, 'request' not-so-subtle advances were met with the business end of a longsword, frightening them away.
Later that night...
"Nyahaha, just what the doc ordereD!" The notorious broker, Argo, handed Artorias the reward as they closed off the transaction. The blonde gave Artorias a cheerful wave. "Happy doin' business as usuaL,"
Artorias shrugged, closing her menu, "Not often you ask for items, you're not a fighter,"
Argo tapped her chin thoughtfully, "You willin' to pay for an answeR?"
That made the redhead silent, leaning against the wall with a dejected look on her face. "Anything?" Her fingers curled at her biceps. "I'll pay whatever you want, hell, I'll fight a boss solo, just... tell me there's a fix for this?"
For once, Argo lost her smile, leaning back to look up at the labyrinth spire in the distance. "Hate ta admit it, my intel's drY," She didn't miss that flinch from Artorias. "Nothin' on this floor's got a remedy for that body of yourS,"
That's right, Artorias wasn't in the right body, not only had she remained as her avatar, but he wasn't even a girl. His own curiosity on the launch day led to a costly glitch that Kayaba has yet to fix, leaving Artorias trapped in a girl's body, though he admitted he looked damn sexy.
She smiled warily, nodding. "Hey, worth a shot right?" Artorias's flat tone made Argo rub her nape. "Whatever comes up, I'll pay,"
"I'll keep ya posted, ArtY," Argo saluted, hopping off a crate to wander through Tolbana alone.
With a wave they parted ways as players continued to flood into the town, having gathered supplies for the meeting this afternoon to discuss the strategy behind defeating the Kobalt Lord. Through the parties, standing by the large tree in the center of the town Artorias spotted Diavel alone as he greeted any that came up to meet him. If Artorias didn't know better she'd say it was like nothing changed, no Death Game, just... players having fun, it'd be grand if they would keep it that way longer at times. All the doom and gloom can be taxing.
Upon her approach Diavel smiled, patting her shoulder. "Thanks, with those two monuments active we've got players surging into town, and a quick and easy method to arrive at full strength."
"Piece of cake," She kept a cool manner while discussing the request. "So, the reward?"
"Here, as promised," In only a few clicks the transaction was complete, and Artorias was left satisfied with her work for the day. "We should have everyone here soon. They're a fiery bunch, but everyone's willing and ready for this fight."
"I see..." She murmured, then his hand waved to the crowds here-and-there
"I've got people sacrificing their time to collecting Col and earning levels to work on the frontlines, I'm taking no risks even if we come out of the fight with an easy win, it's best to be fully prepared." His level of forward-thinking was exactly what Artorias liked seeing, players willing and ready to push themselves but not to the point they forfeit awareness
Though Diavel's trust is... concerning. "You put alot of faith in them, sure they won't just up and run?" With a sharp eye, Diavel sighed with his back to the tree, nodding
"I understand, but they'll pull through, I've worked with them on the frontlines plenty of times, gave them the ropes, we're in this together after all," Diavel replied confidently and without a second to consider any thought of those that would turn tail
The two stood there, silent as conversations filled the afternoon air, laughter and trades between levels of varying heights, even some players Artorias helped out were here, now geared up, standing with allies. There was that girl from the fields earlier today too, sitting with the boy as they ate by a bench, keeping to themselves.
"You don't trust easily," Diavel broke the silence. "Some know you're a beta tester, the title has been... testy for some, they're people here that hate them, blaming them for the deaths that continue to fall by our laps, and some rumors are true, I can't say I don't understand the hatred."
"Yeah, they are," She scoffed. "Let them think what they want, complaining won't solve anything, and threatening us is only gonna make rumors turn to facts if pushed too far." A hard reality that Artorias knew.
"You still won't be joining us? Your knowledge would be instrumental to our goals." Diavel requested, but there was no price that would sway Artorias
"No dice," She turned to him, eyes rigid. "Climb to the second floor, I'll catch up, but the people down here need to know that even a scumbag like me has the decency to teach them a thing or two before passing along, if they squander my generosity, then screw 'em, if they end up becoming a floor clearing master, so be it."
He broke into a small chuckle. "And here I thought you were just out for yourself, guess that's another rumor I can cross off the list!" That made her eye twitch, but Diavel remained as charismatic as ever. "You're a good person, I hope we'll fight alongside one another on the frontlines," He put his hand forward
She slapped his hand for a solid shake, clicking her tongue. "Sure-sure, seeya around, chief." Slipping away she tucked her hands into her pockets, the afternoon had grown to long anyhow, and she had work to do. "Oi!"
Diavel stopped to look back at Artorias, her hand waved back to him once with a cunning smirk. "Kick that boss' teeth in for me, Sir Knight!" Diavel and herself departed with understanding and modest respect from one beta tester to another.
|Dec. 4th 12:35|
It had been two days, Artorias wandered through town with her appraised equipment. Things were looking up for the guy stuck in a feminine body. Along her merry way, she felt her eyes glance to the ominous Blackiron Palace, players running inside.
She snorted, "The assault team should be fighting the boss by now?" Curious to know if they succeeded, she made her way over to the fortress, stepping inside the cool interior as names crossed the walls around her by the thousands, and to her dismay, more were crossed off. "Over two-thousand people... Christ alive."
Various groups crowded the area, watching pensively. To her right, Argo was present as well, All of a sudden, several of them gasped in horror, even Argo's head shot up in surprise at the wall of names. "What the...?" Artorias followed their slack-jawed expressions of horror, then, her stomach dropped. "..."
"You're a good person, I hope we'll fight alongside one another on the frontlines,"
"Kick that boss' teeth in for me, Sir Knight!"
Past all the names, unknown, meaning little to her, she froze at the one crossed out before her eyes. She stepped back, eyes hidden by her bangs as she stared at the letters, reading them over and over as the hollow feeling grew. It wasn't much, but... she'd be lying if she didn't feel something akin to grief.
She bore her teeth, grinding them down. "God... dammit."
-Diavel-
End
Just as big as a regular chapter but I wanted to expand some more on Diavel with a new character who's in a tricky situation herself, or himself I should say. Now we know where Argo got the supplies from to upgrade Nagi's gear. Oh, and Diavel's name at the end is supposed to have a strike through it but Fanfiction is being Fanfiction so the dashes are the best I can do. I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; seeya in the arc finale, Players!