A/N: Hello again! Back to my least favourite environment in any game... ever; swamps! But honestly, Poison Swamps are far worse, I blame Dark Souls. Mild burning hated aside, Reivew Time again.
To Isshion: I do wonder what it is that goes through Daora's head, and Mito's, given she can tolerate him so easily. Yes, their journeys have truly taken off recently.
[Artorias]: As I said to the boss, easier said than done. But... I'm better, I guess, I feel I have more focus now than I did for months. Also, having the correct reproductive organs is a huge weight off my mind, that shit's still uncomfortable to think about, even if I did look damn fine in that avatar.
To Brazilianotaku: Isn't he? And yes, while I haven't got plans for Liz to be a big role any time soon, she'll appear on occasion as the groups best blacksmith, I do enjoy writing their almost sibling-like banter, combined with Liten as the sweet and mature one of the three, it's honestly hilarious. So I can assure you, more Liz where I can slot her in.
[Daora]: Why the hell would you want her around, she charges me extra!
[Lizbeth]: What was that!? You wanna talk 'unfair' you broke half my good axes because they 'WeReN't GoOd EnOuGh', idiot!
[Daora]: Hmph, well they weren't, they broke after only two hits with Skullshatter - *thwack*! Graaah!
[Lizbeth]: 10% now, keep talkin' I can do this all day.
Enjoy!
|Sword Art Online, Floor 30, Town of Eventide|
|April. 27th, 09:15|
A new day had arrived, although, with the constant, murky atmosphere through the bare trees and smog, it was hard to tell without an in-game clock. Nagi had finished sending his brief report to Argo, the Rat, ever on time, said the Frontrunners were steadily progressing through the questline, herself gathering intel from smaller quests along the way. Despite Kirito's absence here and there to work with training that small guild he's with, he made up for it at boss battles and the like.
"Okay, everyone stocked up?" Nagi asked at the archway leading back towards the Quagmire, more specifically, the Sunken Twilight Keep hidden by the fog.
"Loaded everyone with my products, your welcome, tax will be in the mail," Artorias remarked, twirling Red Death as it shimmered slightly in the gloomy air. "Numbnuts, any sign of the former damsel in distress?"
"Yes, where is your old companion?" Shirayuki inquired herself, all of them looking around for a moment.
"Present," From the shadows between two buildings, Mito raised her hand slightly with a neutral expression, although, her eyes were lighter and even her scent, from Nagi's perspective, wasn't brooding in as much negativity as before, which was enough for him to smile. "I was checking through my equipment, I may not look like much, but this gear's near max-enhancement so I should be fine,"
"Hahaha, knew you'd heed my words of wisdom!" Daora rested two fists on his hips, sparkling next to a bemused Artorias.
"...no seriously, what?" He asked the purplette who actually cracked a small smile.
"Daora... he got my head screwed on better, not entirely there but I promise not to cause any trouble," Mito assured them, leaving Artorias to wander forwards, patting Nagi's shoulder as the raven-brunette smiled at Artorias' dismay, the younger teen blowing the bangs covering his left eye.
"Don't worry, we'll cover for each other, that's how we've made this far, so rely on us, Mito," Nagi offered, seeing her stand up straighter with a nod.
"Got it," This time, she'll do better, she had to prove she is worth relying on again.
Turning to the exit of Eventide, Nagi kept a handle on Nevermore, the others all collectively gathering the wits for what could be a hectic battle. Shirayuki gave Nagi a look that said it all, 'we're so close now'. They were, which is why they couldn't afford to waste a single second. "Okay, everyone, let's find that Fire Crest!"
"Right!"
|Floor 30, The Quagmire, Sunken Twilight Keep|
|April. 27th, 09:32|
Arriving through the ruined gateway of the still sinking ruins. The group kept their pace quick, moving lightly through what remained as the grounds at the shore of the lake. Beyond, Nagi could see the faint flicker of a flame within the jaws of that Dragon Crocodile, that harrowing visage a mere ghostly outline in the miasma. "Spread out, and watch for movement along the shores." Nagi instructed, moving to said waterline with Shirayuki, both keeping their guards firm while the rest fanned out.
From the dark murk, several red cursors emerged, waterlogged growls and the crunch of armour drew Nagi's and Shirayuki's eyes. The Drowned rose from their slumber once more, already, one Lurker lunged for Nagi only to have the tip of his blade skewered through its head, the piercing critical destroying it only for Shirayuki to parry a follow-up Slant from a Stalker as it snarled at them. "Thanks!"
"No need, we have much more ahead!" The shinobi spoke curtly, blasting several Lurkers back beneath the surface with Whirlwind Slash, but their numbers weren't depleting. If they could just hold the line for the others, they could escape before they became overrun.
Artorias scaled to the top of the keep, pushing against an old, rotten door wedged in place, it crumbled forward as he scrambled to catch it, laying it down gently to avoid making noise. Sighing heavily, he brought out a potion of Night Vision, chugging it to peer into the dark room, thankfully, the interior seemed to only consist of three rooms connected via a hallway, the stairs to the top had collapsed outside so that was of no interest.
Two of the rooms were the same, what loot that remained was rusted and old, barely worth selling or melting into materials, although, some items for his potions were growing in dark, damp corners so he quickly picked them. "Hrm, fungi, moss, and the stench of mould, lovely," Rolling his eyes, Artorias stepped out to reach the final room at the end, the sleeping quarters.
Walking in, he cringed seeing the many skeletons that were laying around in armour, the remains of a barricade crunching underfoot. Artorias took in the sights. The beds were broken down, some shoved against the thin windows, weapons laying next to bodies. Running his hands over some of the windows, markings of blades, the faint stain of blood too. "...no attacks from the outside, this was an interior dispute; they killed each other, their bodies are strewn around like they were attacking from all sides indiscriminately..." Just what happened here to make these men go crazy and attack each other?
Down below, in the remains of the basement to the keep, Daora was throwing barrels and other useless objects aside, Mito avoiding them with a flat stare. She ducked from a crate. "Would you watch it!"
"Over here," He ignored her complaints, pointing to the area sealed off from the collapse. Large rocks were in their way, but through the cracks they could see the untouched hall beyond. Daora drew his ax, extending it with a dark chuckle. "This'll be simple!"
Mito sighed, hand to her forehead as she shook it. "Forget it," Withdrawing her scythe, she channelled an amethyst skill in the dim light.
"Lumberjack/Rend!" Together, the unlikely duo struck the rocks and debris, the three strokes blasting apart the rubble, thankfully, not upsetting the stability of the keep, although it did let out a rumble with some thin trails of dust falling from the ceiling.
With the route cleared, the pair followed the strange, ominous light around a corner. They had reached a dead-end, cells on either side but they were filled partially with dirt and water. No, what filtered light into the room came from an alter pressed to the back wall. Candles remained lit, circles of intricate runes and words neither could decipher, the tattered remains of House Flame, Winter, and Dusk pinned to the wall. Two empty sockets bar one below each of the tapestries, the Crest of Flame. But what drew their eyes was what floated between two small obelisks attached to the alter. A miasma of crimson reddish-black darkness with radiating ghostly tendrils formed around a sphere.
"What... is that?" Mito gulped a bit, feeling cold just being near it, like fingertips pulling at her skin.
Even Daora didn't move for a bit, "Hrm..." He hesitated, but reached for the Crest they needed, ignoring how his hand felt ice-cold at the mere proximity to the glowing orb.
Outside, however, Nagi countered with Uchikesu, allowing Shirayuki to plunge Ripple Thrust through the Stalker's throat, twisting to decapitate the beast before knocking its corpse into the others, shields raised. Her white eyes then slit, "Young Shinobi, look, across the lake,"
Using Serpent Strike to disarm and split two more Lurkers in half, Nagi panted, pausing to peer beyond the thinning horde of mobs to the flame across the water. That is when the fog cleared a little, and the flame... was a crackling red orb of miasma, and... it appeared to be containing some vaguely humanoid form. But what stood between the large jaws of the dormant Dragon Crocodile was an unpleasant sight that sent shivers down their spines.
Danuja spoke in a distant tone, and it stretched across the lake, silencing the Drowned that stood motionless, patiently waiting. "You have made great strides towards unmasking the truth. To unveil the lies and deceptions our history is woven with like a crude imitation of art," He worded vaguely, raising one hand over the distorted orb expunging darkness. "Through the abyss, may those lies be pulled back to unveil the recollections we desire,"
"It cannot be... how has he survived?" Shirayuki rasped, eyeing the last living member of House Dusk.
"The abyss, it's made him stronger," It was an awful truth Nagi had come to terms with. This whole campaign felt all too real now, and it gripped at his heart as it did for Shirayuki.
"Perish, Shinobi," Danuja's frozen arm cast through the orb, causing it to rupture and burst into a cloud of crackling energy, himself disappearing from the scene as two large wisps of dark red light danced up the jaws of the lake beast, sinking deep into its empty sockets, causing them to enlarge into scarlet eyes, giving the rest of the frozen creature a ghostly sheen of darkness. That is when the Drowned moved once more, forcing the pair back onto the shores, and for the boss' four health bars to appear.
The reptile's jaws shifted, as if they were rusted gears in a door, finally moving after years of dormancy, once shut with a heavy splash, a loud, bone-tremoring snarl emanated from the awakened beast as it slowly approached the sinking keep.
/NM Nightmare of Fear, Dragon Crocodile - Lv. 64\
"It's four higher... and it has health equivalent to a floor boss!?" Nagi paled, suddenly taking a slash to his arm before swivelling around to deliver Iai, his brighter wave of water like a thin blade, carving deep lines through the horde as Shirayuki swept down from above, unsheathing her blade as the roar of wind blasted the Drowned, water spraying in a dome around the pair.
"Gather the others, we cannot fight this beast, whatever cursed power Danuja has used to awaken it," Shirayuki bit down her pride, holding the defensive line.
From the side, Artorias dove from the crumbling wall walk, splitting the sky with his heel. "Luna Arc!" His heel struck the closest Stalker, sending a shockwave through the shore that threw back the Lurkers attempting to cluster while his boot buried the undead knight into the water, bursting into fragments. "Y'know, we should've aimed for the heads last time,"
"Artorias, find Daora and Mito!" Nagi asked desperately, parrying two blades before thrusting his forward, Ripple Thrust breaking a Lurker's shield as he pressed his back to the undead, twisting sharply with Iai to cleave it in two at the waist, the skill motion helping him defend against the other Lurker's Shield Bash. "That Dragon Croc's been woken up, if it gets here, it'll crush us with the keep!"
Artorias, effortlessly backhanding a Stalker's Horizontal Arc with his shield, turned on one heel, eyeing the slow approach of the massive crocodile of myth, its eyes burning with vibrant red miasma. "...fuck," Without another word, he quickly sprinted towards the exposed entry to the keep's dungeon but skidded to a halt to toss several vials at Nagi's and Shirayuki's backs, applying HP Regen, Attack, Defence, and Agility Boosts. "Your welcome, goodbye!" And he zipped away inside.
The whole keep was starting to rumble around Mito as she ran up beside Daora, again, that chilling presence from the orb unsettling her, goose bumps forming on her skin. "Daora, grab it, come on!"
"..." But he again froze, eyeing the sinister orb atop the alter. Reaching over, he pulled Mito's hand forward. "This thing's blocking me, we gotta take it,"
"W-what?" She assumed it wouldn't be easy, but unlike every quest she's performed in SAO, this strange sphere gave her all the red-flags to leave it alone. "Are you sure...?"
"Yes," Tugging her hand, he held his out to it too. "One..."
"Daora, I'm really not sure about-"
"Two..." He growled, looking back at her.
Mito sighed, fixing a hard glare. "...Three!"
Reaching out, the pair clasped the orb, causing it to disperse into wisps of black and red, and a strange, ghostly shimmer washed over them, applying a new icon to their HUDs, one that made them collectively gasp in surprise.
|Buff - Clarity|
Increases damage to all Nightmares, reveals hidden weaknesses in enemies and objects. Lasts for 1 Minute.
"A buff? Cool!" Daora chuckled, snatching the Crest of Flame that was no longer withheld from him. "Hahaha, good work pointing this place out!"
"Right, no problem," Mito smiled a bit. "Sorry for being anxious, this place gives me the creeps, and that orb, what's this buff for anyway?"
"No clue, probably what's making this place shake so much," Daora assumed, seeing her brow knit.
"We should get moving then, the others need to know before the buff runs out," Mito turned only to stop and stumble back when she came face-to-face with Artorias.
"You two having fun? Nice little bonding moment, huh?" Artorias appeared with a fake smile. "You know, wouldn't want to interrupt, no-no, just dealing with a... GIANT Crocodile!" He pinched two fingers together, then turned towards the hall again, arms crossed. "Just thought you'd like to know we're all about to be crushed under the might of its rock-solid chin,"
"That giant monster that the inn keeper said was dormant?" Mito inquired.
"Very same," Artorias summed up with a shrug, not seeing the glint in the girl's eyes.
"That's it..." She quickly ran past Artorias who soon followed alongside Daora. Once outside, the trio saw the massive Dragon Crocodile was much closer, only a couple meters out before it's snout would push against the edges of the slanted wall, the Drowned endless in their pursuit to drag Nagi and Shirayuki down into the waters, the pair forced back further as a result. Their health was nearing the yellow. "Nagi, Shirayuki, keep them busy a little bit longer, I've got an idea!"
"S-sure!" Nagi grunted, Kick-Stepping off a Lurker to then swipe it with a frothing roundhouse to the nape, deep blue water spraying from the impact.
When Nagi landed, he turned to try and block a Stalker's charge, the ring of metal throwing the knight's sword high, followed by four deep slashes through its torso, shattering it before Artorias. "I can double your time, boss," Nagi smirked, standing at the brunette's side, whipping up a tidal wave with Nevermore.
"Daora," The wolfman turned to the reaper as she pointed to the wall walk, and the tower leaning on the left-hand side of it, shadowing the waters below. "Follow the path,"
"Huh?" He cocked his head but traced the ground, spotting strange hand and foot prints that led up the wall and toward the stone tower. "When'd those wavy prints get there?"
"It's the buff, it's telling us how to use the keep to our advantage - I think... there's a way to take this boss down in one-fell-swoop!" Mito encouraged, it was a gamble and very risky, but she didn't want to run away this time, not when she had the manpower to try.
Daora cackled darkly, punching his open palm. "Now you're making sense! Let's go!" Now on board, the pair scaled the wall from the keep, wrapping around as the boss steadily closed in, that's when they could perceive the details with Clarity. There were clear, white scars across parts of its snout and scalp, through all the moss, grass, and other flora that had accumulated over time.
Now at the base of the tower's structure, more white scars and impacts were visible. Both nodded to one another, Mito held her scythe high in both hands while Daora punched his fists together. Using Rend, Mito's scythe tore through the length of the tower just as Daora roared loudly, tackling the tower, pressing his whole weight against it as bricks began to split and fall from the structurally unstable side. "Grrraaaaah!" Daora howled, punching the tower angrily to make it tip over, the snout of the Crocodile now pushing against the exterior walls.
Mito stepped back, scythe on her back as she ran straight at the tower herself, giving it a mighty shove as well just as Daora headbutted it. She ran up the length, her added weight finally causing the whole tower to sway and arc towards the boss. Reaching her hand back, she felt Daora grab it on instinct, pulling him along for the ride, both drawing their weapons before leaping, the tower exploding into large chunks of rubble that pressed down on the Dragon Crocodile's snout, actually causing it to flinch a little. But that split second of surprise is all they needed.
"Strike the gashes!" Mito yelled, eyes burning with unbridled courage. Curving her lithe body through the air, Mito left a trail of amethyst behind her, arcing down to sweep her scythe high and low in two crescents, seeing the two fissures light up, dealing a massive ammount of damage to the boss, eliminating one and a half health bars along. She slammed into its head, just below the eyes that burrowed into hers, and continued her skill motion, twirling to deliver two wide flurries across the width of its mouth, tearing two more imperfections that hid under decades of forestation.
"Crimson... Blood!" Daora spun clockwise, smashing the full weight of his ax into the temple of the Crocodile, hearing it hiss and roar, the jaws snapping wide, throwing cobblestone and water high. Using one of the segments of the tower, Daora gained the momentum needed to spin two more times, widening his sweeping slashes to burrow deep into the remaining weak points, one across the right eye, and the other atop the scalp.
"One more, hurry!" Mito warned, their Clarity buff only lasting ten more seconds. Leaping high, Mito locked one hand with Daora's left, spinning each other around to thrust Daora downward between the massive reptile's eyes. He held his ax out wide, burning silvery-grey light through the swamp's murk.
"Grand Destructiooooon!" Daora's whole body trembled with his unrivalled fury, swatting the Nightmare with his ax at such speed, the impact came after he had already swung. The recoil forced the beast to reel back in agony, its snout smacking the pair into one another as the last of its health was obliterated in seconds.
Daora landed in the water, Mito laying atop him while the rest all watched as the remaining Drowned disappeared, and the Nightmare of Fear burst into a cascade of polygons, dispelling the last notions of fear with it, everyone glowing gold from the boon of EXP earned from the reasonably unbeatable field boss.
"Boom Baby, woo!/We did it!" Artorias and Nagi high-fived, laughing alongside Shirayuki who sheathed her blade, sharing in their triumphant moods.
"That was a stunning retaliation, truly a spectacle like no other, my friends, hahahaha!" The shinobi grinned, tugging her mask and hood down to show her pleased expression, patting Artorias and Nagi on the shoulders. "We must celebrate!"
"Who would've thought, the all-mighty field boss, defeated by a cheap game mechanic, hah!" Artorias snorted, gesturing to the pair in the water. "I'll admit it, not bad, Numbnuts, Reaper,"
Mito chuckled herself, they had nearly died on some foolish gamble, and yet, she couldn't stop herself from laughing as she was wet and exhausted atop Daora who sat up from the swamp water, fists pumped to the sky. "Never underestimate the indomitable might of Kushla Daora you stupid giant lizard!"
"Here, sorry," Mito got off his waist, helping him up with a pleased expression. "We did it... feels honestly rewarding that we pulled that off,"
"You two were amazing; if not for that buff you gained, we'd have had to run," Nagi complimented them, giving both an honest, warm smile. "Knew you would be a great teammate, Mito!"
The purplette blinked at the katana user, the one that single-handedly defied expectations of the frontlines, he found her useful? "I-I just connected the dots with the buff at the right time, Daora's DPS is much higher than mine due to his offensive fighting style-"
"Oh for the love of God, just take the compliment, Reaper!" Artorias groaned, shaking his head. "You nailed it, enjoy the favouritism for once,"
"What about me, I dealt the last blow!?" Daora huffed, Shirayuki then patted him on the head with a bright expression that could blind a person.
"Well done, Lord of Wolves, you have the heart of a true warrior, carry that title with honour," The silverette encouraged, making Daora grumble as he tried to swing at her but missed every time.
"Stop making me feel weird things, Baggi does that enough and it's really annoying!" He jabbed a finger at Nagi who smiled with his eyes closed.
"Still not my name,"
"Jaggi!"
"Nope."
"Eh!? Uh, um... erm... Na..." Daora slowed himself, earning a surprised look from Nagi.
"Oh?" It caught Nagi by surprise. Was this-
"-gamoto!" Daora answered confidently.
Nagi slumped a little, "That was probably worse."
The group continued their endless banter now that the chaos had ended, Mito stood silently among them, feeling like she was really included unlike before, where she stood out too much from their tight circle. She felt this way with Asuna way back, when they were still friends, when Mito didn't abandon her. Stopping those destructive thoughts with a light slap to her cheeks, she smiled a bit more at the group, Daora holding up the missing Crest of Flame.
"Even if only for this floor... even if I never make amends with Asuna, being with these guys..." Her hand pressed to her heart anxiously. "...feels better than every day I've been alone,"
|Floor 30, The Quagmire, Town of Eventide|
|April. 27th, 10:01|
Returning across the rigidity docks, 'Save Haven' vanished from view as the group handled the Crest of Flame with care. Nagi held his quest tab open, seeing that the details had updated since their retrieval of the Crest and defeat of the Nightmare of Fear, as well as the newly uncovered buff of this floor, Clarity.
Quest Updated!
-Path of Divine Sakura: House Dusk-
The dark swamps conceal many secrets. Shirayuki plans to uncover the truth behind the corruption of the Abyss at its source.
*Locate House of Dusk [ ]
*Unseal the Black Spindle [ ]
Floor 30 House of Dusk | Reward ?
"It's finally time... it's almost over," It was hard for Nagi to believe. All this time, ever since Floor One, he and Klein had been working towards this campaign's end, it had so many twists and turns, and it led to Nagi finding a party of his own, Artorias and Daora, even drew them closer to others like the Sleeping Knights, ALS, and DKB.
And yet, it didn't feel like a climatic end, something else was just below the surface. Sensing his distress, the older shinobi placed a hand to his shoulder, giving it a good shake. "Worry not, my friend; with this power of Clarity, while it has roots in the Abyss, it will aid us in unlocking the secrets my predecessors sealed away, this nightmare ends with us,"
"You good using darkness to accomplish this?" Artorias raised a brow, shrugging a bit. "No offence, but this really seems like something you'd go on a rant about how, 'only in the light can we find the solution' or something,"
"Yes, it is true that I am reluctant to use the very power that wiped out my House, threatened my clan, and all of Aincrad," Her brow was knitted tight, but then she held out her fist towards the town. "And yet, today I have seen that very power turned against an unstoppable force of the Abyss. Even those charms to ward of Corruption are formed from slithers of relics found with tombs forged of the Abyss. Not everyone would agree with my methods, saying they would usher in our ruin. But for the sake of this world, I will walk that thin line alongside you all,"
"So, use light and dark but don't let either side sway your motives; they're tools essentially," Mito spoke up after some thought.
"Correct, Young Reaper, the powers offered by House Sun, as well as the Abyss are merely tools, and as such, it is how one uses those gifts that ultimately matters," Shirayuki explained simply.
"Then let's abuse this power and leave this whole House in the ground!" Daora punched his own palm. "I'm all fired up!"
"Right, now we're talkin'!" A voice roared off to the side, coming out of the general store of Eventide. His distinct red and flaming samurai style stood out from the murky browns, blacks, and greens of the swamp. He showed them a toothy grin, giving a curt salute. "Thought I missed you guys but I managed to pull away from levelling to pitch in!"
"Klein!" Nagi beamed, seeing the man old out a fist for the raven-brunette to bump as he greeted the rest. "Just you then?"
"Yep, others are cranking out grinding materials for the floor boss later down the line, hopefully," Klein admitted, doing a polite bow to Shirayuki. "Hope I wasn't too late."
"He's acting very modest today..." Artorias noted dully.
"Is he like this often?" Mito murmured beside him.
"No," Daora stated too.
"Aw, come on, I'm trying to be nice here!" Klein broke character with a slumped figure, the group chuckling a bit at his odd antics. Clearing his throat, he put his hands on his hips. "Anyway! You guys set to go to this House of Dusk?"
"Yeah, we got the last item we needed, right Shirayuki?" Nagi turned to the shinobi who nodded, pulling her hood up again while tucking her hair in.
"Indeed, steady yourselves, where we traverse next is a land not seen in many years, the purest form of Corruption festered deeper in the swamps," Her warning had them all tense a little. If Shirayuki of all people looked somewhat concerned, it was worthy of theirs too. "Come, let us return to the site of the Houses' desolation,"
To Be Continued...
Thus the newest mechanic to expand on both the floor and the Abyss as a whole, Clarity, think of it similar to the glyph reading on the 29th Floor, only it reveals hidden paths and weaknesses in things. But is this truly the end of the Path of Divine Sakura? Or is there more waiting in the dark below? Who knows!? Hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; seeya in the next chapter, Players!
050 - The Incubator
There is no Light here... You are alone... You shall drift... You shall drown in the Deep...