|Sword Art Online, Floor 30, The Sinister Mire|
|April. 27th, 10:20|
The twisted nature of the swamps had become darker, the lakes now turned to small rivers or ponds filled with a black, tar-like substance. The skies were now a murky green, the fog gone, replaced with brambles of unknown fungi that spawned many tendrils that shimmered at the bulbous ends, swaying in the air, although harmless, it was unsettling.
"This flora... we are closer than I imagined," Shirayuki shared, her hand grazing one of the tendrils as they walked down a dried-up river bed, the dirt darker and dry underfoot.
"What's with all the fungi?" Klein asked, avoiding them when possible.
"You have seen the Corruption first-hand at the shrines over Aincrad, withered and blackened, this is the Corruption of the Abyss at its most potent. House Flame hadn't suffered nearly as much as the relics we see before us. My House, and this one are now mere scarred recollections of what used to be," Shirayuki shook her head, guiding everyone with a lantern in hand. There was no music, just a faint, eerie wind passing through the valley.
"Hey, look, the mouth is widening," Mito pointed out, keeping her hood tucked close as the clearing expanded, and a single title appeared. 'House of Dusk'.
The dark sky revealed to them all what became of the House they had heard so much of, Shirayuki stood at the edge of a small cliff that led down into a dried up plunge pool. All trees were barren and black, most now coiled with the distorted fungi that seeped into every crack and crevasse, dark purple crystals formed, but their light was faint, barely expelling the gloom that gripped the lands.
Old houses collapsed or lay in ruin, cobwebs and rot claiming them as cracked roads of cobblestone lay uneven, some with impact craters of a battle long since forgotten. Not even bones remained, only the rusting relics of metal and withered leathers. At the far end of the desolated city was a large building, the right side having collapsed, massive scars like a blade splitting wood, brick and concrete, the scars bleeding down across the foundations. As if a titanic beast clawed from top to bottom, gouging out the city.
"Welcome... to the Estate of House Dusk, what remains of it," Shirayuki bowed her head to it, then hopped down to the basin below. "Come, we mustn't linger, the dead still roam this unholy land."
"Great, cause that's just what we needed," Artorias faked a laugh, jumping down with the rest. "What's your take, boss?"
"...death, it's all I can smell," It was pungent and still, and reeked worse than burnt hair. The familiar waft of bloodlust lingered too, mobs were close so he kept his hand gripped to Nevermore. "No one's been here in years,"
The group kept walking slowly, investigating their surroundings as each bump and creak in the air made their hairs on their neck rise. Artorias took this time to speak. "Back at the keep, found what looked to be a skirmish between the knights once stationed there. Killed each other indiscriminately, no sign of anything having broken through their barricades."
"Then how did they die?" Daora cocked his head, trying to put that puzzle together.
"They killed each other, idiot. More specifically, something made them go mad, but that's my take on what I've seen. I have a sneaky suspicion this place might be tied to their oh-so lovely deaths," Artorias shrugged, kicking away a few rotten boards to pocket some old coins that looked similar in make to the ones found on Floor Five. "Yoink."
"How long have you guys been doing this questline?" Mito wondered out loud.
"Since the fourth floor, Shirayuki's been aiding us and vice versa since that time, all towards this," Nagi gestured to the ruins. "This campaign overshadows even the Elf War,"
"No kidding... must be a massive payoff at the end," Mito nodded, rubbing her chin. "Not that I'm saying that's all there is to it, obviously, just... it's only natural, right?"
"Yeah, although..." The raven-brunette paused in his step at a fork in the road, staring at Shirayuki's back while she too explored the derelict estate, eyes filled with wisdom but a sense of forlornness. "...something about all of this doesn't sit right with me,"
"Huh, how come?" Daora turned back, waving his ax around. "It's obvious that stupid ice dude from before's the big boss in-charge, so we beat him and we win, easy-peasy!"
"Maybe I'm just paranoid, but... this doesn't feel like the end, more so the end of an act," Nagi didn't want to be the downer about this, but ever since Artorias' mental breakdown, he's been looking at things more objectively, picking at the smaller details. It wasn't just people he had a hard time reading, if he wanted to improve come harder floors, he needed to be as sharp as people like Artorias and Argo.
Just then, both Mito and Daora spun on their heels back down the road they just came from, weapons drawn. "We got company!"
"Huh, there's the red flag," Artorias brandished his shield in time, deflecting what appeared to be three tinged knives, their rusted frames crumbling on the ground. "Looks like we've woken the hive,"
"Holy crap!" Klein freaked, swiping down on instinct with Ichimonji, splitting a Lurker's head in two but it still managed to nick his arm.
"Steady yourselves!" Shirayuki declared, landing next to Klein, cleaving the Lurker in half from the waist before parrying a longsword belonging to a Stalker.
From the crumbling buildings or darkened alleyways, Lurkers in their withering leather armour shambled forward, Stalkers ground the tips of their longswords through the earth with eerie snarls. But atop a corner building facing Artorias' sharpened stare was something new, and only Lv. 60. It wore the worn-out garbs similar to Shirayuki's gi, only the coloured with a muted purple and grey, the white wrappings around its face, forearms, and shins dirtied and tattered, swaying in the wind. Only two glowing amethyst eyes staring through the cloth as it held out several throwing knives between its fingers. Below the cursor, the name 'Prowler' appeared.
"I got this one!" Artorias yelled, suddenly seeing the Prowler 'warp' as it appeared above his head. Inching back, Artorias slammed Shield Bash into its side with the lip of his buckler, flinging the ninja backward. It dove into a helix spin mid-air, the clatter of blades bouncing off his shield as he pursued the Prowler, blade cast in rose.
"Hold on!" Mito yelled, currently locking blades with a Stalker while Daora blew several back with Whirlwind.
From Artorias' flanks, two more Prowlers appeared, tossing knives in their attempt to pincer him. Artorias merely narrowed his stare, stomping his left foot before spinning in a rising slash, striking both the Prowler he pursued and both its buddies with Horizontal Arc. Using the last of the skill motion through the air, he brought his right heel down hard on the first Prowler, "Luna Arc!" The sheer force split the road, decapitating the ninja with ease.
Overhead, a stream of serrated water rushed by in a single halo, burning through the last two Prowlers, Nagi skidding just ahead of Artorias. "Rising Sun!" Exhaling, Nagi gave a nod to his friend who quickly deflected a Lurker's short sword, more appearing to crawl out of the woodworks. "There's so many of them..." Nagi grunted, using Kick-Step to vault backwards next to the brunette.
"Doubt we're meant to beat a whole freakin' city, do like the challenge though," He admitted, craning his head back while skewering the Lurker through the throat, casting Snake Bite to sever the head as well as another close by. "Oi, Shirayuki, where's the place we need to go!?"
The shinobi was light on her feet, striking in vicious waves like the wind straight through several Lurkers and Stalkers, a cascade of shards behind her back while she cleared out the right street. "Down this street, we must make haste towards the dig site, that is where House Dusk uncovered the Abyss' ruins!"
"Okay; Daora and Mito, cover our sides from any surprise attacks," The pair nodded, pushing away from the unending horde to heal up. "Artorias, you and me have the rear," The brunette gave a thumbs up, backhanding another Lurker with his shield. "Klein, to the vanguard. Shirayuki, you'll be okay leading then?"
"You may entrust the way to me, Young Shinobi, come, let us leave this unholy place!" She rallied, running ahead just as more mobs spilled from the sides. In two winding arcs of silver-grey and dark purple, most were knocked down by scythe and ax in unison, Artorias and Nagi following closely.
"Yaaah!" Klein rammed a Stalker to the ground, plunging Sol Moeta through its stomach, trailing it up with a burning orange skill, splashing red particles through the air. "Come on, we've got this!"
"Wasn't he screaming like a girl not five minutes ago when one jumped him?" Artorias murmured with a deadpanned expression, smiling a little at the irony.
"He's just very emotional right now," Nagi defended but no less smiled too, banishing more dark knives that flew from the rooftops. Prowlers living up to their namesake. "Artorias, boost!"
"Going up!" He slid to a kneel, holding his shield above his head for Nagi to press against, then with a burst of pink light, Artorias volleyed his leader over their heads, Nagi drawing back Nevermore with the tip aimed straight for the first Prowler's back as its Hate was targeting Shirayuki. It must've been treating her like an escort NPC, everything was focused on her alone.
"Ripple Thrust!" Lunging down, the blade-tip pierced its leather and cloth armour with ease, slamming the Prowler into the crumbling tiles. Nagi jumped over its form, seeing the section of roof collapse, burying the Prowler below. Without a second to spare, Nagi twisted his waist, water streaking in a crescent from front to back. "Iai!" The white froth deflecting two knives and severing the hands off another Prowler. "Their levels may be higher than ours, but all that equivalates to is higher damage and skills, as well as intelligence, but these are just undead, so the latter is out of the question!"
He charged over the rooftops, evading the pitfalls meant to drag a player down, clashing and parrying Prowlers that switched to ninjatos to close in, Nagi keeping to the defence as he trained the mobs toward him, drawing their Hate. "Concentrate!" He leapt to the next building, his footing nearly coming out from under him as he rolled away from the edge that fell apart. "Lift your weight!" He saw the others fighting all the same, tooth and nail to keep Shirayuki safe while she focused on navigation, all of them taking hits for her if need be. "Don't ever let them down again!"
More Prowlers turned to Nagi, forcing him to the end of a street, just as Shirayuki was about to run by. By now, Nagi had five Prowlers, two of their knives had struck home too due to his lack of sword skills, and now, he was suffering from Bleeding Lv. 3 and Poison Lv. 3, both eating into his HP as is fell into the yellow. Skidding to the very edge, Nagi felt the tiles shift, and the whole structure groan in protest to the bodies.
"Now..." Exhaling, Nagi triggered two skills. First was Iron Code, the timer finally over just as he was pincered, causing shades of blue lines to flourish across Nevermore as if it were bathed in starlight. The second made his whole body erupt with crimson particles instead, Battle Spirit. Combining the effects of both combat skills, his buffs drew out a massive boon of strength. Finally, wave coiled and burst from the rooftop into the mighty head of a dragon. "Dance of the Water Dragon!"
With a great leap over Shirayuki's head, Nagi struck the edge of the buildings across the street, diving forward into a series of twists, just as the Prowlers dove after him and for Shirayuki. He ignored their blades that inflicted more ailments, striking the first with a downward curve, using its body to vault between the next two, sweeping his blade twice around him, carving deep through their clothing. Nagi spun forward, driving the fourth blow through the fourth in line, with his final slash in the chain, Nagi released the skill, its multiplier combined with his buffs decapitating the final Prowler with minimal effort, the boy tumbling to break his fall, now standing at Shirayuki's back as the dark skies was illuminated by blue shards and water particles.
Iron Code wore off, and fifty seconds remained for Battle Spirit. Pulling out one of Artorias' Lv. 4 antidotes, he drank it alongside a Greater Health Potion, restoring his diminishing HP, the rest slowly refilled by the Battle Healing skill. "A stunning display, you have my gratitude!" Shirayuki called back. "Come, the dig site is not far now, towards the break through the valley!" She gestured to the V-Shape formation a few streets away, the ground starting to descend.
"We're right behind you!" Nagi replied, seeing his friends run past, they still had quite the horde on their tails, so Nagi hit the ground running immediately.
|Floor 30, House of Dusk, Dig Site|
|April. 27th, 10:41|
By the time they made it out of the estate streets, the mobs had stopped pursuing them, losing aggro on Shirayuki. Now, it was a deck path through the narrow valley, old lanterns... were rekindled by either the game for atmosphere, or someone else. They kept their wits about them, relying on Mito's and Daora's Detect skills to cover their blindspot in the darkest corners. Eventually, they came to a large opening with a slope leading towards a black doorway, the same material as other relics of the Abyss.
Scaffolding brought them down into the center which was square in formation, two risen areas of black metal either side connecting to the sealed entry, archways formed at the bottom with milky-white strips of light flickering against the columns. From the edges of the gateway, small pools of that black tar formed, and most of the surrounding terrain was covered in that semi-bioluminescent fungi and a material akin to chitin. Webbings of the fungus stuck to the edges of the dig site, ensnaring old scaffolding and consuming old structures of the Abyss in their grasp.
The doorway itself was circular unlike the usual, angular passage, and it was broken up into rings with three distinct features. The middle ring had a circular rune in its place, the faded markings in purple of a moon and a bat's claws. The other two sockets were empty, and too far off the ground to reach them.
"The Crest of Dusk, it has remained here all this time, and now we must undo what was done to seal this corruption, but first, we must lower the rings to place the two crests we have," Shirayuki instructed, causing the quest to update, saying to 'Unseal the Black Spindle' but nothing more. The silverette then gestured to the risen areas around them. "If I recall, these levers will adjust the rings, they must first be low enough to socket our crests, then aligned in order of ascension,"
"Okay... lemme try," Klein was up first, moving up a bank to the left row of five large levers lined up with the arches. "Uh... this one... n-no, this one," He pulled the middle lever with some effort as the years made the gears crunch, then louder cogs resounded from the doorway, causing the three rings to move around, but neither of the empty sockets came close. "Dammit, how do we do this?"
"Guesswork for now," Artorias shrugged, pulling a lever on the opposite side, this time, the right-most. The rings turned, and the outermost ring was within reach. Immediately, Daora went to shove the Flame Crest into the slot but Mito grabbed his hand to stop him.
"Hold on; Shirayuki," The woman looked to the reaper. "You said that the last step was to align them in order of ascension, right?"
"That is correct," Clearly, she wasn't going to cough up the answer, so Mito nodded and turned to the rest.
"Nagi, what was the first House you guys seen?" She asked as Nagi rolled the question around for a few seconds, then gasped.
"Oh, you're saying that the order is how they're placed in Aincrad!" Mito smiled, nodding once. "Then Shirayuki's crest goes in that slot, then Daora-" The wolfman eyed Nagi, following where he was pointing. "You'll put your crest in the last slot."
"Hrm... alright!" He yelled down, stepping back as Shirayuki placed the Crest of Winter in first.
Mito rubbed her chin, "Okay, guessing is a good way to figure this out, but process of elimination takes too much time with ten levers in total, as that makes up for around 10,000 combinations if we're to include repeated pulls of the same lever," Now her brow furrowed while she turned slowly to eye up the rest of the dig site, primarily the other lines of scaffolding along old statues and other landmarks. Then her eyes flashed to what she saw earlier. "There, someone needs to use that Clarity buff after we've slotted all the crests in place,"
They looked to the back right corner, a statue that looked like a shrine maiden wearing a veil with their hands outstretched, cupping a familiar sphere with crackling red and black wisps. "For the time being, keep testing levers to lower the final socket for Daora; I'll memorize what levers were pulled between rotations.
"You're really smart, as your leader, I commend you!" Daora pointed at Mito who blinked out of her concentration.
"Huhwhat?" She blurted out. "It-it was nothing, I'm, was, in a stupid all-girls p-private school, that's all, so simple brain teasers like this aren't difficult," Mito brushed off, pointing to the puzzle. "Think of these like a four-digit pin to a safe, that's what we're working with, plus some fantasy elements thrown in,"
"Huh... you know, that makes much more sense," For one of the rare few times, Artorias was actually impressed. "Credit where it's due, kinda forgot about that,"
Not wasting time, Klein and Artorias quickly got back to testing every lever, waiting five seconds for the rotation to end before trying another. Thankfully, it only took to the fifth for the final socket to come into reach, Daora shoving the crest into the seal. With that step complete, Nagi ran up to the statue, climbing the slightly unstable scaffold, feeling it sway closer to the top before he reached out for the icy-cold orb, consuming it and earning that Clarity buff.
Peering down, he saw the footsteps split around the dig site, handprints forming on four of the levers. "Okay, on Artorias' side from his left to right, it's the second and fifth. Then for Klein, from his right to left, it'll be the first and third levers!"
"Dammit... that's still 256 combinations..." Mito bit her finger, trying to do the mental math. "Each rotation after each lever pull is five seconds, so this'll take... eighty-five minutes to test every combination, implying the last in the sequence is the correct one,"
"What!?/You've gotta be kidding me!?/We'll be here by the time we see the sun!" Several of them complained at the awful system this was.
"Hm, this is quite troublesome, although, I do not know any other way forward," Shirayuki sighed too, patting Mito's shoulder. "If this is what it takes to end this plight, so be it, I trust your intuition,"
"...really? I mean, this is their quest, isn't it? I've just tagged along to, maybe, fix my awful relationship with someone, that's if she doesn't hate my guts," The purplette excused, while she is grateful, this wasn't her quest, this NPC had no reason to even consider speaking with her. There were some that had a broader intelligence to outside interference, but the way Shirayuki spoke to Mito, it felt so natural.
"Your path and trials are your own, yes, but one who offers their aid to any is as deserving of my trust as those I've known for even longer. I am not so blindly trusting, but I know you are a good person, one that I can entrust my mission to also," Shirayuki's words made Mito's expression warp with surprise, genuinely touched by what she said.
In hearing this, Mito pulled her hood down, straightening her ponytail as her hands grazed past her braid, seeing Artorias and Klein working with complete the third combination, Nagi using his Notes tab to track their combinations. Everyone bickered, but they went along with her answer, despite the large amount of time it would take. That gave Mito the encouragement she needed. "Keep it up everyone, even if we have to stand here for the full length of time... the answer is one of these combinations, that's a certainty!"
"Not quite the motivational speech, but I'll take it!" Artorias yanked back his lever again. "Let's keep 'er goin', Newbie!"
"Oi-Oi, I've been improving a lot since then, you know!?" Klein chuckled back with a smirk, pulling one of his levers next.
|Floor 30, House of Dusk, Dig Site|
|April. 27th, 11:42|
"Pull the lever, Kronk!" Artorias hollered, Klein pulling the fifth once more. That's when a different sound clicked within the doorway. "Holy crap, third time's is the charm..."
It took them just over an hour, but they did it, the three rings lined up. From the center outwards, House Flame, Dusk, and Winter glowed their respective colours. With a sudden ripple of white energy from the gaps in the rings, the door itself sank back with three audible cranks, then from the bottom, the door split in two, folding back on itself until the sheets of metal closed behind the crests, unveiling the dungeon below. The staircase like all the others familiar to them, only wider, enough for three people to stand shoulder-to-shoulder.
"Nice work, we did it!" Nagi praised, patting Klein on the back.
"Finally, let's go already!" Daora yelled, swinging his ax high in victory. "This ancient door thought it could stop me and my minions from claiming what is ours!? Hah!"
"All of your efforts are commendable, especially yours, Young Reaper," Shirayuki highlighted Mito's mental gymnastics, the girl put on the stage again.
"I-I told you, it was just a simple combination puzzle, you guys did the hard work of constantly pulling the levers," She tried to dismiss, face a little pinker.
"I know, right? My fingers and arms are all numb," Klein bemoaned but smiled nonetheless. "But you chopped the numbers down for us, so that really kept us going!"
"He's right; I ain't working out 10,000 answers," Artorias gave a wave of his hand, patting Mito on the back. "Good work, Reaper,"
"The Reaper of a Thousand Locks!" Daora declared. "That's your new title bestowed upon me!"
"A-and please stop calling me that!" She blushed even more, the others laughing while descending into the dungeon, leaving Nagi beside the flustered teen now hiding her face with her hood. "Why am I getting teased lately? I was just fine on my own after all..."
"It means they're happy you're here, I mean, you've known Daora since the beginning, haven't you? So you know how he gets more than us," Nagi reassured her while they followed.
"Yeah... he's just as uncontrollable as he was back then, the whole 'wanting to be the strongest' role I thought would get him killed someday, but seeing him alive when I joined for floor bosses, it... felt reassuring, to know that not everyone I meet will suffer because of me," Mito let out a dejected sigh, staring longingly at their backs, Nagi was patient, listening to her. "I hid as back-up for ALS and DKB, until ALS left the frontlines, since then, I've been working hard to improve my gear, then my level, hence why I'm one higher than Artorias,"
"And yet I never knew you were among us, I do recall someone on ALS at times using a scythe, but clearly you've switched to a different model. It was dark red and purple with a silver blade, and the blade itself was longer too," Nagi described as best he could.
"Yep, that's me. Thing broke during a level grind, then I got this rare drop, Moonslice, and it's been with me since... Floor 26?" She tried to recall, nodding soon after. "Yeah, 26, I was in the middle of farming when you guys saved me,"
"Anytime," Nagi smiled, then motioned to the others, now walking through the grand entrance hall. "Regardless of what happens now, you're part of my party, so my point from before stands, we look out for each other, cover our weaknesses, it's usually very random but it works out in the end,"
"So far, I'm not disagreeing with you," She replied, keeping Moonslice at the ready. "I'll follow your lead,"
Delving deeper into the Black Spindle, the team of five tore through the familiar hordes of Lurkers, Stalkers, and the occasional Prowler awaiting in the rafters or hanging from pillars. Their levels remained unchanged but the sheer quantity of mobs forced them to take it slow, drawing in small clusters to whittle down their numbers. A combination of Detect skills and Sneak skills helped in scouting out dead-ends or traps, this whole dungeon pitted their skills to the test.
"Uh, anyone else recognize this lovely structure?" Artorias pointed out bluntly, closing his reward menu to stare up at a large obelisk with two sets of three symbols. "Any takers?"
"It's from Floor 29!" Nagi blinked with surprise, eyeing the two chambers that forked off from the obelisk floating above, then he saw he was branded with Resonate. "I've got the buff, so one of these rooms,"
"Look, down the right hall," Shirayuki pointed out that across a bunch of pillars spread over a large pit into darkness, the other end held a Nightmare Clarity orb. "It appears this place is enthralled with trials from your previous challenges,"
"I'll handle the Clarity room, boss, you take the Resonate room," Artorias waved his sword, then held out his shield to block two dark ice arrows from within. "Oh great, Striders are back... today's a fun day,"
"Stand aside!" Nagi was pushed by Daora as he swung his ax overhead, then brought it down with a devastating skill. "Grand Destruction!" The force of the skill, dismounted the two Prowlers stationed on the opposite side of the doorway from above. "Follow my lead!"
"Thank you!" Nagi followed, the group splitting up with Shirayuki staying behind to strike the symbols.
Using the Clarity buff, Artorias saw a pathway of pillars that jutted out from the walls, leading to a platform above his head, even unveiling a door that must've held the symbols. He doubled back, Mito drawing aggro for him to quickly turn around and hop up the columns, rolling into the hidden room to see three symbols appear. "Bingo." He quickly ran back again, evading the Striders that hung from the chains above them, using his shield to fend off their bolts.
At the same time, Nagi and Daora escaped their room, chugging a health potion and antidote potion each.
"Ring, Spiral, Helix/Triangle, Cross, Ring," The two chimed as one. Automatically, Shirayuki struck the correct symbol on the left-hand side of the obelisk, seeing it burst with orange light. Then, above each doorway, another set of symbols, both calling out once more. "Circle, Hexagon, Crescent," Nagi spoke first.
"It's Crescent," Artorias replied instantly, and the last marking was triggered, the obelisk disappearing, sealing both chambers and unveiling the way forward.
However, the environment changed this time. The dark halls with ambient, milky lighting were smothered by faint purples, blues, and greens from fungus infesting the halls, dirtying the stairwell that spiralled further ahead. The air itself grew colder as even the chandelier lanterns above no longer swayed, covered up by fungi and webbed in place. The Corruption at its source was far worse than any trap.
"Hey, where'd red guy go?" Daora spoke of Klein, to which, everyone looked around and back the way they came to suddenly see him tumble down the short staircase, panting loudly as his health had clearly dropped to 40% since they last saw him.
"Klein, what happened!?" Nagi and Artorias ran to his aid, Shirayuki moving to stand guard.
"Ah, the hell... where'd you guys go!?" Klein exhaled, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"Uh, I told you, right not left!" Artorias raised a brow at him. "You idiot..."
"Man, that was close too... those guys were relentless," Klein sat up only to have a potion shoved in his mouth, nearly choking on it as Artorias turned on his heel.
"Take it, your welcome, goodbye - I accept thank you letters via message tab," He waved, walking away.
"That's one way to show he was worried," Nagi smiled a bit, and now that they were all here. "Ready, Klein?"
He raised a thumb, pulling the empty bottle away to gasp. "Y-yeah, sorry about that,"
"At least you're alive, that's what matters," Mito reminded him.
|Floor 30, House of Dusk, Black Spindle|
|April. 27th, 12:12|
"Ominous," Artorias said it clearly.
The last hallway, the chamber before housing a mini-boss that was simply a copy of Narga the Blade of the Deep, only it had become 'Narga, Nightmare of Torment', thankfully, much weaker and covered in those spores and fungi. The door it guarded was in a tighter hall, the corruption even more potent here, leading to a door that looked to be made by House Dusk, marked with their seal still in place, but the crest was broken down the middle.
They could barely see as is, using a small lantern to guide them, but it was as if the light was being devoured by the darkness. Now all huddled at the door, Daora and Klein fiddled with the two pieces of the crest, pushing them together before twisting counter-clockwise. The door made a rough clicking sound, then split in two diagonal halves, disappearing into the walls as a great gust of cold air was forced out of the next room.
The area expanded far and wide, an impossibly large empty space with no discernible bottom to it, with a single, long bridge between them and the final chamber, titanic in size, dwarfing possible the whole House Dusk estate. White lights barely lit the whole area, vaguely marking out the surface of the chamber ahead, although, the bridge was by far the only clearly lit area.
"Holy crap..." Klein breathed, almost getting dizzy looking at the area.
"This place is massive, does that pit reach all the way to the lid of the 29th Floor?" Mito speculated, but didn't want to die to find out that truth, just staring down was harrowing enough.
"We're close... I can feel the darkness swelling here," Shirayuki whispered, then, about halfway across, she stopped, "Ah..."
Nagi perked up, moving to her side. "Shirayuki?" But when he blinked, she was gone - no, everyone was. Not even a second passed and he withdrew Nevermore. "A trap... it must be an instance... crap," Holding his ground, Nagi attached the lantern to his belt, listening to the eerie whispers that might've been the wind, or maybe it was someone talking? The longer he stared at the void, the worse that paranoia crept into his mind, playing with his vision. "It's just the visual effect, keep your guard up..."
The truth awaits inside. There is no turning back now.
A voice pierced through Nagi's mind, and he turned to the final chamber, what was this feeling of dread? He couldn't even smell anything but damp, and yet, his hair stood on end.
The Great Separation saw so many lives lost. Saw light taken away so easily. In the light, you find only weakness.
Artorias kept his shield raised, channelling a sword skill in the event he was attacked from all sides. This voice digging like nails into his scalp, coming from all around him.
The light abandoned its followers. Fractured them, left them for dead. In the light, failure is all you will find.
Daora growled at the disembodied voice, his hands shaking against his ax, trying to move but finding no strength to do it. This thing burrowed into his bones, tethering him in place.
One by one, the omens of Aincrad slaughtered many innocent lives. The light forsook them, nearly bringing all to extinction. In the light, death is all that awaits.
Klein grit his teeth, but his eyes were shaken by the voice, it felt like an attack was coming but he could never tell from where, his thoughts plunged into this pool of ice. Only now did he see, the many astral projections of bodies that floated in the darkness, all of them watching, silently staring down at them all.
"We have been waiting. Listening to your cries of despair, to be freed," Mito turned sharply, scythe drawn back when she saw... herself? It strode from the structure, hands clasped in front of it before opening its arms wide as if to welcome her. "Soon, we will answer your desires, what you truly wish for."
She remained still, "Who are you...?" She snarled, but her posture was on edge, afraid of what this... thing would do, speaking in her voice but with a level of distortion to it.
It came closer to them all, the illusion broken as they stared at the entity posing as themselves in their own perspectives, they all looked to each other, wondering on what they should do as it stood inches from Nagi, bringing its hands together like a prayer. "Is that not obvious? We are not friend or foe, we are simply your... Salvati-"
"Graaaaah!" Daora swung Skullshatter at the entity, seeing it burst into polygons, barely even putting up a defence in terms of stats. He panted heavily, stomping on some of the shards. "And stay out of my head, stupid, disembodied voice thing!"
Artorias exhaled next, "You know... keep stomping it," For once, Daora did as he was told, crushing every last particle that hadn't disappeared.
"So we all heard that, right?" Klein asked, slightly freaked out.
"In-game event, lovely," Mito ran a hand through her hair, shivering a bit afterwards.
"The voice of the Abyss... it is trying to sway us," Shirayuki's hand trembled, slowly tightening her fist to calm herself. "My apologizes, I had not anticipated such a foul omen to bewitch us,"
"I don't think anyone was ready," Nagi rested a hand on hers, seeing it still finally. "Let it talk all it wants, we're here to put an end to it once and for all, together,"
Shirayuki sighed, nodding with a kind look in her gaze. "You are right, my friend. Steel your hearts, today, we drive our blades into the heart of this evil!"
With that encouragement, everyone marched forward, clearing the bridge quickly to approach the final chamber, ignoring the sheer quantity of Nightmares visible in the air. The last hall was simple, much like the entry way, heading inside, the final door opened wide, the chamber illuminated from above, octagon in structure and wide in size.
Heading down the stairs, the interior was supported by two large pillars fixed to the sides of the stairwell, two more pairs to the far left and right, but the back of the chamber housed something new. It was an obelisk, longer than the rest, and covered in an ever-shifting mass of metal, moving similarly to a serpent, rippling with waves of orange and red energy, clearly the source of the 'Nightmares' they've seen. This structure was suspended above a platform with four smaller obelisks that sparked at the tips with discharging energy.
"It appears one last illusion stands before us," Shirayuki gestured to the Clarity orb practically waiting for them. Everyone gathered around it, looking among themselves. "On three?"
"One..." Klein tensed up.
"Two..." Daora hummed, his fingers flexing just shy of the orb.
"Three!" As one, their hands pressed to the sphere, and the buff was absorbed. In a sharp turn of expectations, the whole chamber turned a hazy baby-blue and white, as if a veil was stuck over everything.
People stood before the mysterious object, clearing analysing it, writing down what they uncovered with fanatical devotion. That's when, from the entrance, several heavy footsteps came to a sudden halt. "What have you done!?" Standing at the vanguard, clutching a sharpened ninjato in his hand, was a furious Danuja, his eyes clouded by anger and fear.
"We are accomplishing what those foolish ancestors of ours couldn't, instead of destroying the Abyss, we will harness it for the betterment of Aincrad, to starve off annihilation as the twin Maidens intended so long ago in history!" The man leading this experiment hollered back, unwavering to the armed shinobi and samurai now brandishing their weapons. "You are simple-minded followers of an outdated code of honour, soon, you will be a relic of our past too,"
But Danuja swung his ninjato wide, seeing the energy within the relic spark and crackle, resonating to the beat of the grotesque fungus that grew around the base of the ancient machine. "You are tampering with a power that cannot be control, it will consume everything, including our Houses!"
If by fate, the obelisk's constant motion expanded, the plates of metal stretching into a dome around the core that was as potent as sunlight, beating like a molten heart of inky darkness. From it, a large wing adorned with metal feather-tips struck out, impaling one of the scholars as the rest cowered or fell back in fright as their colleague was lifted up and thrown into the furthest wall with an audible 'splat'.
"Stand your ground!" Danuja barked, his men ceasing their murmurs of worry as more entities shrouded in darkness were spat from the core of the machine, some enlarging upon their release, others standing as tall as humans, others flew, circling that which freed them. "We must not allow a single one of these Omens to reach the surface, two of you go and warn everyone, and if fail... seal this cursed place!"
Danuja of all people, held his tiny sword to the large monsters and abominations, eyes unwavering. "For the sake of our ancestors, do not let their sacrifices be for nothing!"
When the memory faded, it left those that knew of Danuja with mixed feelings. The truth was... he tried to stop all of this, to prevent the collapse of his House, of all Houses and Aincrad. He didn't despise them, only those that brought this ruin and decay to them. "Danuja gave his life to protect his home, even if it were impossible," Nagi felt a pang in his heart for the lone shinobi that tried to defy a force greater than any Floor Boss.
"Well, now it's our turn," Artorias rolled his shoulders. "Let's cut this shit to pieces," He spun his blade only to make a strange noise, eyes slit forward.
"Thus, you know the truth," Turning, they saw, standing at the base of the structure was the very man who fell into darkness. Danuja held out his ninjato. "You have fought to gain footing within the Incubator's chamber. But you are mistaken, this is but an extension of the Abyss,"
"W-what...?" Shirayuki let out a shallow gasp, pupils dilating. Nagi felt his heart stop, he was right, this... this was just a symptom, and they walked straight into its heart without knowing it.
"The Incubator constructed the Omens that spread the Corruption to the shrines, ones you have vanquished in your futile quest. But the Abyss spoke to me through it, when I was close to death, it called to me, and gave me the strength to rectify the mistakes of my House rooted in greed and lies; the powers you've wielded are but extensions of what the Abyss can offer. There is no Light and Dark. Only the power to bring true salvation, true peace, through the eradication of the other,"
"You're insane," Nagi grit his teeth. "How can all those deaths, innocent people, other races that did nothing wrong - how can genocide be justified!?"
Danuja stepped forward, raising his left hand, still frozen and blackened by the dark ice, between his fingers, he held a manifestation of energy, a Nightmare catalyst. "I have seen what you are, Shinobi, you and Shirayuki will resist, regardless of logic and reason, emotions topple any strategy. So I know that those lotuses you carry are potent, so I cannot allow them to destroy the Incubator," He crushed the shifting mass, cracks forming across his forearm as a result. "For my own ascension, you shall perish here I did, and be reborn. Come, my executioner,"
"Fall back, right now!" Artorias yelled so loud his voice cracked. Nagi grabbed Shirayuki's arm, throwing her with him in time across the marble floor as that same bladed wing slashed the ground with several detached feathers.
With a blast of white light and discharge of red and black wisps, the towering figure formed to stand guard with a large golden spear. Embroiled with golden armour and royal purple cloth, leaving the thighs and biceps bare, the armour was thick, claws given to the feet and hands. It wore a helmet that made it appear like a vulture, eyes glowing red with potent malice. It flew above the ground with powerful wings, the tips of many feathers shimmering, sharpened to a fine edge, a gold brace of armour over the wing structure.
/NM Arath, Nightmare of Temptation - Lv. 60\
"A Goddamn Valkyrie!?" Daora and Artorias screamed, one with excitement, the other with dread.
While Danuja made his retreat, Arath spun around like a cyclone, dozens of serrated feathers puncturing the ground and Artorias' shield while he cast Ward to expand their defence, tanking and sudden lunging strike with Arath's spear. "Tch! Boss, get after him!"
"Artorias!" Nagi went to protest but Daora shoved him back.
"This is ours! I've always wanted to fight a Valkyrie!" He chuckled darkly. "Leave the lotus stuff to us!"
"Alright, here!" Klein threw his in a item sack to Daora, the wolfman catching it. "Come on, we can't let 'em escape now, this is our chance, man!"
Nagi looked uncertain, seeing Artorias dive back, evading the wide swings from the flying boss, it was by far the most aggressive enemy to date. "I... can't leave you guys to fight alone," Not again, not after what's happened recently.
"Nagi," Artorias managed to look back briefly, his eyes told it all, in this moment, this was something he and Daora could do, and right now, Nagi had something only he could do. With a single nod, Nagi turned, handing Daora his Purified Lotus. "Hurry it up, Numbnuts, this might actually be a challenge!"
"Be safe," Mito spoke softly, nudging Nagi. "Let's move!"
Praying for their safety, Nagi moved toward the staircase with her, "Right behind you,"
"I will come too, let us honour their noble act and see to our own," Shirayuki looked pissed, drawing her katana. "To honour the man that died for his House, let us put his nightmare to rest," She said it so softly, it was almost sorrowful, but she was right, Danuja died in this campaign's story long ago. All that was left, was a monster they couldn't allow to be reborn.
Now outside the Incubator's chamber, Danuja wasn't far across the bridge, but he had a head start on them. "Klein, Shirayuki, throw me!" Nagi asked them quickly. The two looked back, outstretching one hand to grab both of Nagi's. With a loud stomp, both threw the boy forward, giving them the much-needed momentum as he lit the darkness up with a tidal wave at his back, it was enough to draw Danuja's attention in time, seeing the fury in Nagi's eyes. "This ends now, Danuja!"
"Be gone, Nagi," He spoke back sharply, drawing his blade high as it burned dark blue, the water affects blown away by the sheer force behind their strikes. Nagi flew back, digging Nevermore into the bridge, eyes wide as Danuja closed the gap, leaving a wide gash across his chest, flinging behind Mito who slammed the ground with Rend, purple sparks flying past Danuja. Overhead, Klein and Shirayuki combined two Whirlwind Slashes, both blocked by the dark shinobi but his health still dropped slightly.
In his frozen hand, he struck Nagi's blade with a Flash Blow, grabbing the raven-brunette's collar to twist and throw him backward, slashing across Moonslice twice, the edges of his slants digging into Mito's hips. Locked, he sprung one foot back into Klein's stomach, Shirayuki slipping past, aiming for the man's nape. Grinding his ninjato down the face of Mito's scythe, he locked with Shirayuki, the air pressure expelled around them, himself ignoring the twirling scythe that dug across his waist, hooking around his stomach.
With insane reflex, Danuja dropped below Mito's Execution, taking the girl's feet out from under her before spinning around to block Shirayuki, trading blows that never met their mark with the woman. She stumbled back from two vicious downward slants, "Solstice Haze!" She declared, sweeping the bridge, two wide arcs of white failing to halt the vertical from Danuja's sheath, carving up her stomach to her right shoulder.
His eyes flinched, feeling the weight behind Nagi's roundhouse kick to the bicep, the water exploding outward, shoving the dark shinobi in Klein's path, the man letting out a war cry, releasing his orange-coated sword from the scabbard, several slashes from all around burrowing into the corrupt shinobi's figure and straight into Mito's Sever, but she gasped, seeing it deflect off his frozen arm. "How?"
"I see it in you, that same desire to perserve what you once had," His words made her next twirling slash miss, Danuja effortlessly weaving between her sweeps and Nagi's from behind. "Don't you want to reclaim it? Or are you afraid you will fail all the same, a pointless endevour,"
"Shut up!" He was just some NPC, but that 'NPC' boiled her blood, forcing out Harvest. Mito swept from the ground-up, then down again, each burning roar of energy ringing across his ninjato, then she spun twice, the second sweeping horizontal caught by his blade, pulling her forward where his cold hand clasped her mouth, frightening her when she was pulled off her feet and used like a bat to swat Nagi who lowered his sword to avoid hurting her.
Without a word, Danuja threw her off the bridge, her pupils constricting when her world slowed to a crawl. She was thrown with her feet facing the ledge, she couldn't catch herself. She... she was about to... "I... I...!" She gasped when time resumed, and she fell a few feet only to sway, facing the void. Bending her head forward, she felt her heartbeat again, Shirayuki holding onto her ankle for dear life. "Shira...yuki?"
"Worry not, this is not how you will die!" She wheezed, trying to keep her balance while holding the girl. "I have our friend, be safe!"
Behind her, Nagi and Klein watched Danuja who steadied himself, red gashes peppering his body. Then, with a sway in his step, he zig-zagged toward them, blade whirling to life, resonating with theirs. "You nearly killed an innocent girl, ain't no way I'm letting that slide, bastard!" Scarlet Fang burned over Sol Moeta, drawing Klein into a rising vertical, stopping Danuja's own, both swept down, blades brittle against one another, then a thrust that punctured both their torsos, neither releasing despite the deadly piercing damage.
Nagi tensed up, blade erupting with a helix of boiling waves. "Klein! Solar Brilliance!" Wrenching his ninjato from Klein, Danuja held it both hands, parrying each thrust as they struck, inverting his blade to brace the devastating horizontal arc. What he didn't anticipate, was for the rushing bolts of water to persist. "Renewal!"
Again, Nagi cut through Danuja's defence, never puncturing him but still tearing at his unprotected edges, the two flying across the bridge under the constant skill motion, the final horizontal to collide with Danuja's Ichimonji, driving both blades deep into the bridge, crescents of water and dark blue particles flung around them, eyes illuminated in the dark chasm. Releasing Nevermore, Nagi cracked his fist across Danuja's cheek, Flash Blow sparking over his cheek.
The shinobi stumbled, snapping his leg out to press against Nagi's side, hearing him gasp but stand his ground, approaching with his right elbow slamming into his chest, followed by the left palm, and left elbow straight after, knocking the wind from the fallen shinobi's lungs with Thunder Clap. Retrieving their respective weapons, they locked in the middle, Nagi's cascading with streams, "Rising...!"
It was only then did Danuja see through the riptide, Klein's distinct armour billowing in the wind, his blade risen over his head from behind. "...Sun!"
As one, two arcs sawed into Danuja's form, the sheer impacts from both sides throwing him high and back over Klein's head, tumbling a good few yards before coming to a stop, health now diving into the yellow, but only after tanking so much punishment from several powerful players and a black-named NPC. "...hrm... I have... underestimated... your growth, to believe you have kept up... that I shall not mistake again," He managed to stand, collecting his ninjato. "The ritual is upon us... I will... see you again... Warriors of the Light,"
"Stop him, quickly!" Shirayuki yelled, finally pulling Mito to safety.
Klein and Nagi ran for the shinobi but the second they could reach out and touch Danuja, he vanished like smoke, like he was never there to start with. The two stumbled through the projection, Klein yelling out loud, "Grah, come on, we had him that time too!"
"He's gotten stronger, but, we're all okay," Turning his bitter loss around, Nagi approached Mito, kneeling before her. "Mito, are you okay?"
"I... think so..." She shook out, taking a moment to collect herself. "I got distracted... I'm sorry,"
"About Asuna?" Nagi saw her flinch, he was right. This predicament of hers was like Artorias, Nagi couldn't just say it'll be okay. Instead, he held his hand out for her. "If you're afraid, then we'll be here to support you. You've helped us these last two days, so I promise to return the favour,"
Her red eyes peered into his, at a loss for words before she reached out for his hand, Klein smiling as Shirayuki made a small noise of delight. Feeling the inviting warmth from the trio, even an NPC... Mito smiled again with a gentle gaze. "...thank you," She whispered, her hand held by Nagi's to pull her back up. Returning to her resting frown, she spun her head towards the Incubator chamber. "Daora and Artorias, they're still fighting too,"
"Then let's go back 'em up!" Klein punched his open palm.
"We may have failed to thwart Danuja's escape, that does not mean we shall lose our allies this day," Shirayuki resolved, sheathing her blade, the four now running back to aid their friends less more bad news befell them.
|Floor 30, Black Spindle, Incubator's Chamber|
|April. 27th, 12:20|
Arath spun through the air, her cyclone releasing a flourish of bladed feathers, slashing past Daora before they were intercepted by Artorias, shifting his shield around to block each feather. His eye twitched, seeing the Valkyrie dive forward with the spear poised forward. Uchikesu to slam it into the ground, Artorias thrust Red Death in turn, Vorpal Strike burrowing deep into her shoulder, a burst of sinister energy throwing the pair back.
Daora ran past Artorias, swinging wildly at the Harpy as she spun back, jutting her left wing like a blade, sinking deep into the wolfman's shoulder but he refused to relent, cleaving down the Valkyrie's torso in two strokes, Double Cleave stripping into her armour before she released her wing and swept wide several times, battering Daora's ax as he held it to defend himself from her Revolve Arts, sparks of gold flung past his tattered body.
"This is getting us nowhere!" Artorias grunted, evading another two spins of Hellical Twice, followed by Arath spiking the ground with her feet, repeating this two times and failing to pin the Red Warrior. Artorias slashed at her exposed torso, only managing a Vertical Arc before she flew back, more feathers flying past his face.
"Grah!" And now, Daora lost it, matching her cyclone of feathers with Crimson Blood, but his three spins weren't enough to deflect all her bladed feathers, her spear flying past his cheek as she flew low and struck him down to retrieve it, looping back for another swooping dive, the pair rolling either side of her. "Oh, come on, sit still dammit!"
Arath slammed the ground again and again, her talons nicking Artorias' leathers. "She's by far the most aggressive boss to date, we can barely find openings in her combos, and even then, she gives us only a few seconds at most!" He dove under her, twirling on his knees to swipes across her thighs with Snake Bite, raising his shield in time to block her plunge with the spear again, the force knocking him back a few feet. "Nagi and the rest are pulling their weight right now, but I gotta admit, this fight is..." Deflecting the trajectory of the spear, Artorias struck with Shield Bash, seeing the yellow bolts flash, stunning her.
"If we don't lop her head off soon, whatever that thing's doing will happen! It's starting to give me goose bumps!" Daora spoke vaguely but he was right, the Incubator was charging up, the glow was starting to amplify over the course of the battle. If it worked similarly to the Obelisks Artorias had to deal with for the 29th Floor Boss, then if that finished charging, they'd likely be hit with a powerful attack or it could amplify the already deadly boss.
"You're right-!" The brunette agreed, the stun disappearing from Arath as her eyes glowed brighter, and her aura appeared darker than before. "-let's put some room between us and her first!"
Arath shot into the sky again, whipping into another cyclone, the barrage of feathers flung all around as the pair dodged and weaved between them, deflecting any that got too close for comfort, seeing them glowing red was a bad sign too. The Valkyrie lunge down with Sonic Charge that Artorias hopped over, she pivoted, her left wing driven toward Daora's chest, but instead, grinded skyward against Artorias' buckler, she twisted her frame, poising the right wing only to screech when an ax dug into the bone, throwing it back and allowing Rage Spike to dig against her breastplate, flinging the Nightmare backward.
Now standing at the foot of the steps, the pair watched Arath shake off the whiplash, screaming out loud with her spear bathed in constant crimson light. "Let's synchronize our skills, and pull of an Infinity Moment!"
Daora said nothing but kept Skullshatter primed. Arath screamed once more, flying towards the two like a bullet, they dove either side and back onto the floor just as she twirled, sinking her left wing into the ground beside Artorias to grabbed the top and dove up to deliver a pink roundhouse to her jaw, in that same spin, his sword cast a dark pink, striking down and up quickly, pivoting on his knees just as her spear swept by only to bounce off Daora's ax, Artorias finished his motion with two slants, carving Horizontal Square through her body just as Daora dragged his ax through her stomach to her left shoulder, vaulting only to bury his ax into her wings that shielded her frame, Skullshatter remained wedged, the wolfman pulling it through the feathers, spilling red and silvery shards.
Arath's defence fell, forcing her to stumble back into a deadly Fatal Thrust, the tip of the spear was driven down by Artorias' foot while he simultaneously socked the Valkyrie across the face with his elbow, followed in quick succession by his left palm and elbow, splitting her breastplate in half. The stun locked up her muscles, the nightmare writhing in pain, watching helplessly when both players charged in together, a deep rose pigment overtook Artorias' blade while silver wind gathered at the horns of Daora's ax.
Artorias performed a back-step just as Daora lunged in, ax in both hands over one shoulder as he repeatedly slammed the ground, and in turn, Arath, over and over with increasingly vicious strokes. "Crescent Avalanche!" He howled, the final swing splitting a wide, glowing gash through the Valkyrie's chest. In that same frame, Artorias jumped into a lunging slash, the blade tucked under his shield as it cut from top left to bottom right, he quickly performed a back slash, drawing his shield backward for a heavy uppercut that broke several bones with sparks of pink, then, with Red Death still charged far back, Artorias swung in a wide arc, severing the wrist clutching the spear, and opening her impressive chest wound further. Vaulting off Arath, he curved in the air, bringing his shield down for two punishing slams, one across the head, the other to her chest.
"Composite Skill - Perfect Rush!" Artorias huffed.
Glass shattered, Arath unable to move as her body became riddled with dozens of colourful slashes from within, bringing the great Nightmare of Temptation to her knees, but her health didn't deplete entirely, the nightmare releasing one final pent up cry as both wings slashed past their faces. Daora grabbed Artorias' wrist, throwing him around wide to add further momentum to his kick, knocking the Valkyrie down onto her stomach.
"Give me your wings!" Daora hissed, creasing his fingers against her armoured wings, a foot pressed to her spine before he reeled back as hard as possible, tearing both wings off with his incredible strength stat. Then, Artorias inverted his sword with a twirl and dove the point down into her back, silencing her struggles. The last quarter of her second health bar burned away by Infinity Moment and the brutal finisher they pulled off. She slumped, finally exploding into polygons at their feet.
With her death, the Incubator made a noise, drawing their attention to see that harsh orange light dimming. "This is our chance, hand me a lotus," Artorias awaited, taking the item as he retrieved it from the sack it came in, the petals still as healthy as ever.
Holding both purified lotuses, they approached the pedestal for the Incubator, holding them out. In reaction, they observed in wonder when tiny motes of light, almost like water droplets, emerged from the center of the flower. They gathered in a gentle helix, rising through the dark carapace of the machine to swirl and accumulate around the core before the sinister light faded entirely, replaced with a faint, golden light, then it burst into thousands of tiny motes, and the ever-shifting machine stilled into a narrow shaft of metal.
"Is that it... did we win!?" Daora asked, wondering if anything else would happen, just then, the prompt for the shared quest of Nagi's and Klein's appeared before them.
Quest Complete!
-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 10,000 Col, Mark of Arath
"I got a purple-tier armour piece, you?" Artorias asked off to the side only to see Daora wearing new gauntlets. His armoured dire wolf braces replaced with the same ones the Valkyrie wore only after watching Daora fiddle with his menus, the golden sheen was tinted silver instead as he clenched his fists, letting out a sinister laugh.
"Now we're talkin'! Hey, that looks cool too!" He gestured down at Artorias' waist belt, hanging from the right hip was a sash that covered everything but the inside of his thigh with a glistening golden pelt of armoured feathers, a few gold chains looped around his belt. But like Daora, he too applied a dye he kept with him to suit his style, now the gold was tinged a faint red pigment.
"While not my style, the stats are more than worth adding a bit of plate metal," Artorias smirked, looking to the doorway to spot Nagi and the rest returning. "Hey boss, you would not believe the fun we just had!"
Once regrouped, everyone recounted their battles, Daora huffing. "So we did all this just for that bastard to get away!?"
"Pretty much, again, I feel that was partially my fault," Mito apologized with a small bow of her head.
"I doubt we were meant to win at all if he's got some 'Ritual' planned, likely part of this ordeal," Artorias excused with a shrug.
"Yes, this wasn't where he intended on defeating us, he had learned from our last encounter to not to consider placing himself at a disadvantage," Shirayuki concurred, hand rubbing against her chin. "What say you, Young Shinobi, Samurai?"
"We gotta report back to the big guilds, they'll want to hear the Floor Boss might've changed again, just like on Floor Four," Klein was right, the group more or less agreeing on that action.
"Right, we all got a reward thanks to Artorias and Daora, again, amazing teamwork, both of you," Nagi smiled a little now, "You two really make an unstoppable team when you work as one,"
That made them turned to look at one another, Daora tisked, crossing his arms. "Only because it was our best move..."
Artorias merely looked like he was going to puke. "I'll throw myself off the bridge now, thanks..." But Shirayuki held his shoulder while he kept walking in place.
Mito and Nagi chuckled at their sibling-like disagreement before the latter, sighed, looking around them seriously. "We failed to stop Danuja here, so our next action's obvious. We'll storm that labyrinth and put an end to his ascension here and now!"
This time, they won't fail. This campaign ends here.
To Be Continued...
I can't feel my hands again, this was extra big given it's the big 50 milestone. It's a lot like with Perfected, I had no idea I'd be sitting here, committed to such an extensive story with many overlaying arcs and characters. I've been trying to put a lot of thought into the characters and their stories with what I've learned, granted, some arcs I feel will be weaker than others, it all depends on when I write them, and how passionate I am to write it. Not to say I don't put my best foot forward, it just happens from time to time.
Ultimately, a lot enjoy Misfits, and that forever makes me happy to write this. Whether this ends on the 75th or 100th floor, I'll etch my hard work into all of it. Time to see how this arc closes, but is this really the end of the Campaign? I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; seeya in the next chapter, Players!
And thank you all for your continued support!
051 - The Ritual
Danuja intends on becoming a true Disciple of the Abyss. Can Nagi rally the frontrunners to stop him before it's too late...?