A/N: Day-before upload because I'm working, bleh. That's all I need to say, Review Time.
To MeMyselfAndI82907: Firstly, yeah fair point, I do hope this story is interesting enough. As for the Unique Skills, I'll be modifying them a bit in the future, just from my own perspective but they'll function more or less the same. Can't say much about how this quest will pan out due to spoilers but it'll be good.
Enjoy.
|Dec. 24th, 14:35|
|Sword Art Online, Floor 4, Town of Rovia|
"Hah, hah, hah s-sorry!" Nagi waved to those waiting on his arrival. When he finally sprinted full throttle toward them, he left a dust cloud in his wake, bowing his head to Argo. "I was caught finishing something really important last minute!"
The blonde's hand Karate chopped his head lightly, "It's all good, Mr Hero, we only just grouped uP," Argo's whiskers twitched with her smile. "That'll be 500 CoL,"
"Here you go!" Nagi immediately traded with a determined expression. "I thank you for understanding!"
"Nyahaha, always a goody toe-shoeS," Argo closed her eyes happily.
Klein deadpanned, "She totally just robbed the guy who's always nice..."
"I feel his master is a little tough to work under..." Shirayuki concurred but held her positive outlook. "No matter, we have gathered as planned, now, to hand out my offer of thanks to your valiant efforts last night!"
All of them soon held a small vial of dark blue liquid, dubbed as 'Pocket Breath Potion'. "So what's it do?" Klein inquired.
"With this, we may be granted the extraordinary ability to traverse the lake without the need to breathe, although we suffer the ill effects of silence until we arrive at our destination, so our teamwork is paramount," The shinobi warned with a finger raised. "I have heard tales of vicious monsters kept below the waters in fear of incurring that troublesome guardian your comrades will be battling,"
"A water breathin' potion, neaT," Argo dismissed her menu, seeing Nagi look at her funny.
"You were going to charge us for these, weren't you?"
"Twenty percent off, so not all bad, I already sold one to another paying clienT," Argo pointed out matter-of-factly. With that said, Argo wagged her finger, "Nyehehe, wanna see what else I scrapped up for uS?"
The trio leaned in, seeing four pairs of shoes fall to their feet. They were strange sandals but attached to a round wooden disk with string connecting the outer ring to the sandal. "Uh, what the heck are these?" Klein asked with a skeptical look as Argo equipped a pair herself.
"Pretty neat? Tricky part is these take a big ol' agility stat to equip... and y'all gotta travel light to stay afloaT," Argo explained, handing them over to the three. "But, that'll be a cakewalk for two shinobi and a samurai that specialize in that kinda playstylE,"
"Fascinating, truly a splendid find!" Shirayuki praised, equipping them herself as she wobbled a bit. "Hm, I see, so this means we mustn't carry our weapons with us less we sink too far away from our goal, quite troublesome,"
Klein tugged at his chestplate with a worried look, "So we've gotta carry light or sink? That sucks, what if those monsters Shirayuki mention come for us?"
"I wouldn't worry too much," Nagi waved a hand simply. "If this was the case the game would spawn monsters that weren't a massive threat to players since combat underwater isn't possible with the lack of mobility control, so at most we'll be bothered by monsters that we can beat with a few punches or kicks,"
"Guess that's good..." Klein sighed, unequipping his katana alongside Nagi and the girls, though no one knew nor wanted to ask where Shirayuki's equipment disappeared to. Once unarmed, removing their armor aside from a t-shirt and shorts for each of them, Klein sporting a red shirt with flames and white shorts, and Nagi with a light blue shirt and black shorts. The boys then turned to the girls.
"So, now... what...?" Nagi's mind fizzled into dust as the sunlight bathed down on the two girls in their party. Argo wore a pair of black shorts and a short-sleeve jacket with only a roll of bandages over her chest. For Shirayuki, the ninja stripped off her clothing leaving only a white bra and charcoal shorts in its place. Her milky skin magnified in the sunlight.
Klein was blushing with a stupid smile at Shirayuki, Nagi just stared straight ahead at Argo who took notice, leaning forward with her fist on her hip and the other against her cheek with a lecherous grin. "Like the view, HerO?"
"Uh... you look pretty different without your cloak, a-and other stuff... it's nice, refreshing," He murmured, eyes the other way as Argo chuckled, pushing Shirayuki toward the edge of the dock.
"Let's get a move on, loverboys, nyahahA!" Argo teased.
Klein nudged Nagi, "This is so unfair... why did one of them have to be an NPC!?" He ruffled his hair angrily before jogging to catch up.
"Hmm..." Nagi didn't say a word, catching up himself with his eyes falling to Argo's back constantly. Her slim-toned back.
Unbeknownst to them, someone had eavesdropped behind one of the stalls, arms unfolding to rest a hand on their blade.
It took some difficulty, but the four divided into two teams to explore the area Shirayuki said would host the location of the sunken city. Their search was slow, using shifty shadows in the crystal clear water as their source as there was no land to swim for to run across the water again. It was exhausting but the team never let up, keeping a steady pace to traverse the waves created from the emergence of the field boss.
Klein and Nagi didn't do much else than equip some basic swimming trunks provided at the stairway entrance between floors three and four. Together, they kept pace in searching their section for any visible sign of structures beneath the waves, using their varying levels of 'Search' to peer through the shimmer caused by the sun.
"YoohoO!" Argo waved from afar, beginning to sink down into the waves as she pointed. "Found somethin'!"
They gathered, taking that risk to plunge into the water and peer into the depths of Caldera. True to the Rat's sharp intuition and broken skill, she had located their target. Above water, they took off the boots and drank down their Pocket Breath potions. "Ready?" Nagi asked, seeing them nod as he dived in first.
The sounds were immediately muffled by the slosh of his arms and legs, sinking down while feeling little to no strain on his lungs, turning to smile back at the three with Klein cracking an eye open to ensure he wasn't about to drown. Once assured the potion effect worked, which it gave them twenty minutes of oxygen, Shirayuki waved down at the ruins, pointing to herself and Klein to go one way while Argo and Nagi took another sector.
With their roles established, the four divided and dove down toward the dark, derelict ruins of a long-lost city. To Nagi's surprise, the music shifted entirely, becoming soft like a tide. He and Argo managed to find their way to the nearest building, using it to hoist themselves down to the seabed, Argo's hair swaying everywhere as she pointed to the structure ahead, the one they stood against crumbling and hollow.
Swimming forward to look, neither saw the shadow shift from behind a statue at the 'entrance' to the ruins. Nagi dove through a window, using the edge to throw himself into the dark space. Argo passed, seeing him cross his arms in an 'X' as she moved on. Diving forward again, Nagi pursued the aquatic Rat to a large, rounded building.
Peering through the doorway, the hole in the middle of the room drew their attention to what appeared to be large scratch marks. They looked to one another, Argo swiping her hand like a claw as Nagi agreed, the monsters down here must've destroyed the place, lurking in the depths somewhere. She pointed ahead to where Klein and Shriayuki were seen swimming down into a tower.
As she swam, Nagi felt something ripple in the water behind him. Turning around, he narrowed his eyes, searching for what made the ripple, no fish, not even a loose rock. There was nothing.
Argo grabbed a ledge, preparing to propel herself across the buildings to reach the others had an arm not snatched her down into an archway between two buildings, concealing her in darkness. Nagi pressed her against his chest, seeing her wide-eyed expression but that quickly changed, his finger to his lips as it pointed up.
Scooting near the lip of the arch, they saw particles trickle down as a large, dark marine hand clawed at the mossy stone, the underside pale and webbed. The wavy shadow ahead displayed a large, humanoid-fish creature holding a large weapon with three prongs. The Guardian had appeared and had been stalking them since they entered the ruins.
They heard it hissed, removing its hand as a scaly tail swept the water, diving away from the pair as Argo put distance between them with a worried expression, waving in the direction of the others. Nagi nodded, pointing ahead to what looked like an old amphitheater over a few fallen buildings.
Once the coast was clear, they made a mad swim for the two hanging around the exterior of the tower, trying to gauge their surroundings as they spotted the two swimming up to them, both waving one arm frantically. Klein waved back, not understanding the meaning.
*Ping!*
His body turned pale with a blank smile, inching his head to where a large, pale blue trident impaled the wall by his neck and Shirayuki's thigh. They spotted what threw it swish between two buildings, concealing its presence as Klein went to scream but Shirayuki covered his mouth with her hand, poking his chest to advise against it. He nodded hastily as she let go.
Argo pulled Nagi back as the Guardian suddenly threw another trident, clearly not without backups. It swam into view on a 'street', the murky light above the waves displaying its form to them. It was covered in dark blue scales with a pale underbelly, a body structure of a merman with the head of a shark. Attached to its back with kelp and shells were duplicates of its tridents as it plucked another, hissing at them.
/NM Sunken Guardian - Lv. 15\
True to Nagi's assumption, it wasn't over-leveled but would still cause serious damage if they got too close. Argo pointed toward the same amphitheater as before, appearing like their best bet while this named enemy was on their tails. Klein and Shirayuki took off swimming, swaying their bodies to avoid another trident as Nagi pushed Argo to give her a boost, waving for them to swim while he searched his inventory for something.
When he found it, he forced his body to flip backward, seeing the trident sail past his chin as the Guardian swam after them. Pressing, 'equip', Nagi procured a short sword strapped to his swimming trunks as he spun and slashed at the approaching beast across the gills, forcing it away as it growled, whipping the shinobi through the water.
Sheathing the light blade, he broke through the water as fast as he could, only a few inches behind Argo who glanced back with a panicked expression. Nagi pivoted, blocking with the short sword as the trident rang against his sword, rippling the water before a row of teeth bit down on his sword, threshing him side to side as the webbed claws nicked at his bare torso.
"Vertical!" While not effective underwater, the skill motion threw both of them back as someone caught Nagi's wrist, pulling him alongside the winking Rat. He nodded thanks, the two slipping between a narrow passage as another trident pierced the wall above them, and another sailed over their heads.
Glancing over their shoulders, stuck holding one another to squeeze through the buildings, they saw the yellow eyes glowering back at them, the webbed hand slipping behind the buildings again. Silently sighing, they smiled and swam through for Klein to pull them out, patting Nagi on the back with Shirayuki pointing up at the amphitheater ahead, lopsided.
Argo shrugged, motioning toward the risen half as a likely place to find an entrance, Klein shrugged also, then pointed above his head. Everyone saw it, only another five minutes remained on their potion's effect. Shirayuki hung her head, patting her shorts pockets to indicate she had nothing left.
With that unpleasant thought of drowning in mind, the group quickly swam upward from the buildings toward the likelihood of an entrance. None of their detection skills went off, and every shift in the ruins made their strokes through the water erratic, not wanting to encounter the Guardian again.
"Ngh!" Argo bit her lip, a few air bubbles escaping her lips as a chained trident dug into her left leg, dragging her down from the group in a panic. Klein saw Nagi point at his feet and the redhead understood with a glare, shoving his legs against Nagi's, propelling him down to grab Argo's hand as the Guardian reeled her toward the ruins. "This is really embarrassiN'," She hated being the damsel in this situation.
Nagi swam to her legs, pushing between them so she was sitting against his back while he grabbed the weapon, twisting his sword between the iron links to snap their eroded form in two, freeing the blonde who bobbed up from the force. Nagi winked back humorously but saw she wasn't smiling or being snarky in silence, reaching her hand down as the Guardian swam close enough to grab Nagi's ankle, dragging him into the deep as her hand slipped from his.
Its glowing eyes met Nagi's glare, forcing the boy to hold back the two arms that wrestled him against a nearby building, the two struggling in a fistfight to gain the upperhand, however, only two minutes remained of the potion, whereas the mob hadn't the same misfortune. "I'll run out of air soon, meaning I've got only a natural thirty seconds at most afterward, crap...!"
Nagi continued his struggle, placing his right foot against the boss as it turned the water a bright blue. "Crescent Moon!" The upward force flung the sea monster back while the lack of gravity spun the brunette into a rising roll that only stopped when a claw carved down his side, pinning his chest with the other. "Grah! I can't perform any skills without a sense of gravity, I might as well be fighting in space! What do I do!?"
He grunted, bearing his teeth while using his right hand to press against the upper jaw of the Guardian trying to take a bite out of his throat. His arms were shaking, and his potion buff was only a minute away from vanishing. The others were by the amphitheater by now, all he had to do was find an opening that didn't exist.
Further and further, the Guardian dragged Nagi down the wall of the building, causing his struggles to turn desperate, his only free arm punching the creature repetitively, unable to use his sword as the tail of the Guardian made it impossible to squeeze his hand through.
*Ba-Bum*
...
...
*Ba-Bum*
...
...
*Whoosh-Bam!*
"Hmph!" A bright, rose-colored light bathed the water like blood, impaling the wide-eyed Guardian through its side as the sheer force of the strike threw it across the top of a building. The bubbles dispersed, revealing to Nagi a most astonishing sight.
Wearing nothing but a pair of red swim shorts with white lines, and a sports bra was the redheaded swordswoman Nagi crossed paths with at the Third Floor Boss, her glaring rose eyes matching her permanent scowl, /Artorias\.
He blinked like a deer in headlights when she grabbed his arm, pointing her sword toward where the three small silhouettes were waiting, she rolled her eyes, punching him higher to avoid a trident as she swung her sword through the water, kicking harder to keep herself aloft. He turned back, seeing her nudge her head for him to go on as she raised her sword against her shoulder, turning it cherry red.
"A sword skill underwater? Wait..." Now that he thought about it, that flash was a sword skill too. "Vorpal Strike... she's using the momentum!" His realization had to wait, instead, with the less than thirty seconds he had, Nagi swam with every inch of stamina he had left to give.
"Alright... now that problem child is outta the way, and the Rat owes me for saving her boyfriend," Artorias flashed a maddening grin at the rushing monster. "Let's have some deep-sea fun, Sharkboy - Sonic Leap!"
The vibration of the lunging slant sent a wave of air pressure through the current, slamming into the Guardian's trident, the bubbles rising to reveal the sweeping cross of 'Snake Bite', splitting the staff in two as the redhead threw a glowing ring and middle finger through the water, piercing the monster's right eye, making it hiss in agony.
It swept at her head with its tail, grabbing another trident to continue the sweep, cutting the water as a piercing glow erupted from below in a vertical crescent, halving its health while Artorias spun through the water, balancing herself out with both feet against a tower, propelling like a needle as her hand caught its throat in a vice-like grip, the scary woman's smile persistent in the depths.
Under the haze of bubbles, the Guardian's body drained of color out of terror, seeing two glowing eyes through the murk alongside the folded arm, sword cast a bright pinkish tint.
"Ack, ah!" Nagi coughed up a lungful of water inside the illuminated chamber next to Argo, the girl patting his back as the gash in the wall they traversed held the water back as if a glass wall were between them and the lakewater. "Okay... t-too close, ugh," Nagi hacked, spitting off to the side.
"That was far too close, dude, you alright?" Klein offered a hand, lifting Nagi up again.
"Thanks, I am now, that monster's no pushover, but why was Artorias down here?" He questioned, the group unable to find an answer, even Argo held her hands up slightly with a shake of her head.
"Not a cluE,"
"Hm, was that crack always there?" Shirayuki hummed, pointing toward the right wall as a small fissure spread across the sandy texture, webbing in seconds with them prepared for a rush of water to flood the chamber.
"Graaaaah!" Artorias screamed, her sword plunged out the back of the Guardian's crown, the large hole she left also defying physics while the monster's health bar vanished, reducing it to shards by their feet. Her hair hung down, drenched with one glaring eye frightening the group. "Hah... hah... you owe me, Rat,"
"Nyehehe... surE," Argo smiled anxiously as Artorias threw her hair back, sheathing her sword. "So that's why ya bought one from mE?"
"Why are you down here with us?" Klein asked as the redhead drank a lesser health pot.
"Keeping my investment alive, I didn't think anyone knew about the water breathing potions from Beta given nothing was implemented, believe me, I know," She shrugged, pointing at Shirayuki. "Then you guys come along with this ninja chick running across the water like a flock of birds."
"Thank you for saving me!" Nagi bowed his head, making Artorias recoil. "I couldn't fight off the monster without you,"
"Uh, no worries dude, j-just stop bowing, I'm not used to all the formal stuff ya do in Japan," Artorias waved it off, glancing at the shinobi. "So, what's your story?"
"We are here to uncover a way to purify a terrible corruption spreading throughout this massive castle," She offered a kind smile of gratitude. "And because of you, one of my comrades returned unharmed, for that, you have my eternal thanks,"
Artorias smirked funnily with a brow raised, "You sure picked a strange quest, Problem Child," She was looking at Nagi before turning to the dark staircase ahead. "So, this place leads under the amphitheater, spooky."
"Alright! We've made it this far, let's keep pushing forward!" Klein pumped his fist, lighting his own torch for the team to see as their wet footsteps echoed. Argo, Nagi, and Artorias hung back, all with docile smiles, Artorias giving the man a flat stare.
"That would've been encouraging if he wasn't just wearing swimming trunks," She snorted, patting the two in passing, waving her hand clockwise above her head. "Right, saved your boyfriend, your welcome, let's move it!"
"She's not-"
"We're not-"
"..." Both glanced at one another for a few seconds then just shrugged and descended into the damp depths together. Thankfully, the gloomy depths masked their expressions well from one another.
Their path wasn't long, the constant dripping with small pools of water through the forgotten chamber left very little to investigate, drawing them up a short flight of steps to a flat podium where light broke through from the ceiling above, refracting rippling water across the walls. The strange structure appeared like a half-built shrine with intricate drawings on the pillars. At the middle sat a path of pure, glistening water.
"This is it!" Shirayuki beamed, the group circling the bath as Nagi placed his hand in the pool, suddenly seeing his damaged health rejuvenate in seconds. "These waters are the life source of this floor's lakes, there is nothing purer,"
"Alright!" Klein nudged Nagi. "Let's see if it'll work on the lotuses,"
"Right," Agreeing, the pair brought out the flowers to place them carefully into the water, seeing them spin slowly on the surface as a faint shimmer blanketed their forms, turning the once lilac streaks a rosy pink. "Woah...!"
"Wouldcha look at that," Artorias snorted, arms folded over her chest.
Quest Updated!
-Path of Divine Sakura: Hope-
The Lotuses have been made pure, the life they now carry will exsponge the rot and decay.
*Return to the Shrine
Bear Forest Floor 4 | Reward 500 Col | Sakura Confetti
Nagi's eyes twigged onto the item, "From the Beta..." "I think we've done it, now we only need to purify that shrine, right?" They turned to Shirayuki who nodded in agreement.
"We have found the blessing necessary to not only ridding this darkness but revitalizing the life taken by it," She laughed triumphantly, patting Artorias on the back since she was closer. "I commend you all on your valor this day, and offer my gratitude,"
"Anytime," Nagi winked while Klein patted his chest proudly.
"We'd never leave a girl when she's asking for help!"
While the trio gave praise and celebrated, Artorias rolled her eyes and followed where the broker wandered off to. "Yo, you look gloomy for someone who's basically got a lot of info to sell?"
"That's the thing, this part here's what's got me concerneD," Her hand motioned to the illuminated wall where the ancient drawings spanned.
"What is it, Argo?" Nagi joined in, the others behind him.
The canvass was basic but told a very dreadful tale. It was a group of warriors pointing their weapons at a single, large monster as waves swept around its roaring form. A long, leviathan sea creature. "Is that... the floor boss!?"
"It looks nothing like the Beta Test," Artorias clicked her tongue sharply. "If you guys never picked up the quest they'd be slaughtered."
Argo turned with a restful smile, "Now we know, and ahead of schedule, I say that's a win at the very leasT," She frowned momentarily, arms crossed. "Though, that'll put a damper on my guide, better than chargin' in blinD,"
"See that, bud?" Klein grinned, "We just did everyone on the frontlines a serious favour, if we never took that quest we'd be wiped out!"
"I guess that is something to celebrate," His smile returned, although he was worried, armed with the knowledge from this shrine they had their chance to prepare. "Well, we should go back and report to the guilds and see to that shrine,"
"Yes, I shall meet you there," Shirayuki complied.
Then it dawned on Nagi, gasping, "Wait, before that!" Everyone paused as he waved his hands. "When we get to the surface, let's make our way to the town across the lake, I have... something planned, and I need you all there if that's possible?"
"Sure, I'm not busy," Artorias shrugged, glancing over at the NPC. "You in, ninja girl?"
"While this is sudden..." Her face squirmed a bit, clearly deciding between her duty and her comrades. "Hrm... I suppose a small detour wouldn't cause much harm," Shirayuki nodded in agreement, "Very well, I shall accompany you,"
"Great!" Nagi smiled, looking pleasantly excited, "First though-" They blinked, seeing him put his fist out. "-Nice work, I couldn't have gotten this far without any of you!"
"You always this theatrical?" Artorias rolled her eyes, looking a little flustered as she put her fist out. "Screw it, good work and all that..." Argo tapped in as well.
"I'm makin' quite the haul myself, plus ya saved my skin against that GuardiaN," The broker admitted.
"We're a solid team!" Klein grinned toothily, fist joining the circle that awaited Shirayuki, the woman opening and closing her fist curiously.
"What a strange custom," The silverette soon chuckled. "But life is full of new experiences; so, to your bravery, our swords, and our victory together!"
"Good Job!" Their voices resounded within the chamber.
To Be Continued...
The Floor Boss has changed? And an underwater battle, that was a lot of fun to write since combat beneath water would be tricky, plus Artorias makes a return, perhaps for the foreseeable future. I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; seeya in the next chapter, Players!
015 - Bewitching Dancer
Arriving at Usco village thanks to Kirito, the team celebrates, days later, the foolishly unexpected happens...