|Sword Art Online, Floor 50, City of Algade|
|Jan. 18th, 12:35|
|Time Before Rampage - 2 Days, 5 Hours, 15 Minutes|
A new day, and at the newly established forward HQ for the Clearers, hopes of finding a less hazardous solution to the field boss were dwindling, they had just over two days, but without concrete solutions, fighting directly seemed their only choice. That is, until the doors burst open by Nagi with Argo in tow. Both had a look in their eyes that told everyone they had something.
"Sorry to keep everyone waiting," Nagi apologized, stepping toward the empty space at the table to grab everyone's attention.
"We were told you'd both be gone... but did you find anything?" Lind demanded immediately.
"We went back to the golem factory and found exactly what we were looking for," Nagi explained first.
"Simply put, we nabbed the Doc's help with this, takin' her back to the factory, there, Nagi here broke down a hypothesis he started goin' frantic about last nighT," Argo quipped at the end, making him scratch his cheek bashfully. "Lo and behold, turns out we triggered the next step of her questlinE. Case and point, we found exactly the type of weapon we need for a big ol' goleM,"
"Hold on, you two! Every last one of us searched and couldn't find anything like that!" Lind looked frustrated, ruffling his blue hair a bit. "How could anyone miss a weapon that powerful? Especially if it must be gigantic itself, if it can even be used against a colossal golem,"
"You're right about it being gigantic, um, how to put it so it doesn't sound weird..." Nagi looked to Argo but she shrugged.
"Not easy to put in the slightest, sure had me stumpeD," She agreed.
Before Lind could blow a blood vessel, Liz shot up from her seat. "Wait, no there was one thing! I'd forgotten about it since it seemed irrelevant, but if felt so out of place in SAO!"
"Huh, what exactly?" Mito blinked, still trying to follow along with the guesswork.
"The dungeon boss we left sitting there after saving Nagi, it hasn't budged, I thought it was a death animation, but..." Lizbeth trailed off as Lind turned to look at Nagi and Argo again.
"So was it something you got from the boss? Or... maybe a powerful weapon that drops if you finish it a certain way?" Lind kept guessing, so Nagi told them upfront the truth, and the answer definitely took them by surprise.
"Neither, the dungeon boss is the weapon," Nagi answered crystal clear. "See, we assumed it was unfinished given its raw material state but that was the wrong angle to look at it. The golem was completed long ago,"
"'Completed'...? But I thought the Doctor said it lacked a part like it's main CPU?" Lind was skeptical, so Argo helped explain it further.
"Yer right about that, so we had Doc inspect it, and she found a crystal window at its corE. Removing it gave us a peek into a small compartment within iT," She added, and Artorias snorted a laugh.
"Hah... course, it's obvious after one piece is put in the right place; what better way to combat a rampaging colossal golem that infects other machines than with one of our own, under human control instead of an A.I?" He shrugged, feeling a little tingly all over. "Oh, now I wanna pilot it,"
Klein slapped the table. "That's perfect! But man, he coulda left a note behind for our sake saying it was a finished product or something,"
"It was probably on purpose. Bolt would've suspected public opinion turning against the need for golems better than anyone," Agil pointed out, speaking from a store clerk's perspective. "The ban on his research was to prevent another rampage, which is what this unit was meant to do too. What if people found out about it?"
Yuuki waved her hand to answer. "They'd go and smash it before it came online! They'd root out all the completed golems too for their own safety - oh...!" Then it dawned on the purplette.
"That's right, they may not see the need to destroy a unit that appeared to be incomplete," Agil answered her revelation, seeing her fist pump a 'yes'. "And in fact, this one had just been sealed up deep in a warehouse. I doubt that would've been the case if it had been a completed unit,"
"This is true for real-world munitions and weaponry. Normally, they'd be sealed in a warehouse," Ran concurred, giving a nod.
"But Doctor Robotnik here would've known one golem would be needed to defeat another," Artorias quipped.
Agil smirked a bit, "So in order to leave this joker card for future generations to use, he intentionally made his final golem appear to be incomplete,"
"Now all you'd need it a brain that's as fast or faster at making complex decisions and with greater flexibility," Lizbeth added, gesturing to Nagi. "Betcha if you crawled in through that opening, you'd have full control over it like any other heavy duty equipment,"
"It's a mecha!" Daora slammed his fist into the edge of the table, practically brimming with excitement.
Ignoring his outburst, Lind looked far more hopeful of this plan. "So that's how it works! Okay then, what do we need to do!?"
"Doctor Bevel promised she'd fix it up and get it in working condition, including making it pilotable by someone," Nagi stated, given the hefty requirements likely involved, they'll need everyone on board to have this done in time. "On top of that, we'll need an abundance of parts and materials to actually have the golem move again and fight. So if we all divided up the work, we could-"
"You always gotta make it sound like we ain't gonna help, boss!" Artorias stood up with a deadpan expression. "Just tell us what you need, we'll get the goods and you can thank us with a lovely dinner after, sound fair?"
"I wanna fight with the mecha, so I'm in!" Daora shot up as well.
"Like you even had to ask," Mito winked, hand on her hip.
Asuna smiled at the immediate responses, then quickly dropped it for a firm look of authority. "Well that makes it easy! All in favour of the plan these two have just brought us, raise your hand!" Asuna then put her hand up, same with Lind and all of Misfits, including Klein's guild members. Kirito, Lizbeth, Liten, Shivata, Nautilus, and of course, Argo and Nagi just for good measure, smiling at each other. Asuna blinked slowly with a slight tilt of her head. "The motion passes by unanimous vote. The alliance will now repair the dormant dungeon boss and prepare to intercept out enemy! Stay focused!"
Argo popped her menu open, then, everyone received a joint request to mark off a high-stakes list of materials and other key items. "Got a tall order to fill so everyone's got to put the elbow grease in, once all of it's brought up to the Doc, we'll all be headin' likely back to the dungeon boss chambeR,"
"Thank you, Argo! Now, everyone get to work in gathering every item, share what you find and collect with those around you. Dismissed!" Asuna swung her arm, and everyone, with a vigorous energy surrounding them, marched on to get to work.
|Floor 50, Magical Gem Quarry|
|Jan. 18th, 12:50|
|Time Before Rampage - 2 Days, 5 Hours, 00 Minutes|
With everyone working around the clock now, Nagi, Argo, and the rest of their party, returned to Bevel for their own assignment given once the Mana Crystal event began soon after completing the necessary task to trigger the current storyline. She had an assortment of devices set out on a table at the quarry's camp, machinery both had seen at her workshop now cobbled together to conduct her field work.
"As you know, Magi-Tech is powered by mana crystals, and that golem is no exception. However, it requires an inordinate amount of them," Bevel explained to them. "Moving a golem of that size would require an equally large mana crystal. Mana crystals are unique among crystals in many ways, including the fact they come in many sizes. The larger, the more powerful," She showed them a blueprint of Blueite 00, "That golem has a suitably large crystal within it, but it seems to have degraded over the years. That's why it went still when fighting you,"
"So you're saying all we need is the biggest mana crystal possible? Hah, this'll be easy!" Daora snorted confidently.
"It's never that easy," Artorias deadpanned.
Bevel shared the light-brunette's concern. "He is not incorrect, but... we face a problem... or two," Clearing her throat, she answered. "Quite simply, mana crystals of that size our exceptionally rare. It will take time to find one, and with the time needed for repairs and upgrades..."
"Even then we'll run out of time? Then... what should we do?" Mito looked worried now, two days was a lot of time, but little hiccups like this were costly.
But Bevel didn't let her smile falter for long, throwing her finger up. "Leave it to me! I'll modify it to take even small mana crystals by powering it via a crystal array!" Then, she got to work tinkering with all the machinery on the table and around her on the ground, pulling them apart at random spots with her tools, glasses gleaming with excitement. "I'll handle it while you gather the mana crystals! No need to worry! Just believe in me, the Innovative Archmage Inventrix!"
She waved a wrench back at them, causing Argo and Nagi to bend back to avoid the swing. "Remember, this is a mana crystal! So be sure to get me the largest ones you can find! Excess output never hurt anybody!"
Mito glanced over at the desk where a few were laying, picking one up to inspect it closely. It was a dull white, "I'd have figured they'd be see-through?"
"Right you are! As you see, they appear dull white, but once charged they become see-through, so any within that range!" Bevel exclaimed as Mito tossed the crystal up and set it back down. "Now, my assistants! Use your assistants to gather a bounty for me!"
The quest then updated.
Main Quest Updated!
-Brilliant Breakthrough #100 - Giant Steps-
To defeat the unstoppable Blueite Golem the Tenth, you must fight fire with fire, help Bevel repair the Blueite Golem Dual Zero before the Tenth reawakens.
*Gather Mana Crystals X50 [ ]
*Optional; Gather Large Mana Crystals X10 [ ]
"Okay, we have out goal, let's divide and conquer like the others," Nagi instructed, the team nodding. "Not much else to say, time's not on our side, let's find those crystals!"
"RIGHT!"
The group moved as a unit, spacing themselves out as they moved around the basalt and grassy environment and toward the dig sites, rummaging around old machinery left to weather and rust from the pre-Separation days. Argo, being the most nimble, hopped to perches, using her Search skill at its fullest to locate the mineral deposits while marking lingering Corrupt Golems that now infested the main quarry toward the Magic Arsenal.
If someone dug up mana crystals, the other defended them from the golems that shambled too close. Faster, they needed to gather the crystals as quickly as possible, every last scrap they could find. Larger ones Daora dealt with personally, beating down the golems guarding them for the others.
"Heads!" Nagi jumped back in time for a large crystal to drop onto the ground beside him, they were roughly the length of a person's forearm with the width of three inches. Artorias waved from the elevated area. "That makes about five now! I also got about twenty smaller ones!"
"Hero, spotted two more opposite end of the quarry wallS!" Argo stated beside him, pointing ahead to the far side. "Also, twelve for mE!"
"Got it, that makes 44 counting mine - Daora!" Nagi called over as he watched the man beat a golem to death with one of the large crystals while utilizing Barbarous, the flames extinguishing when the elemental fell. "Uh... keep doing what you're doing!" He cackled, holding a thumb up. "M-Mito, with me?"
"On it, and between the two of us, I've got the remaining six, Daora's been after the larger ones," She slashed another golem in half quickly, swapping to a health pot to top up. Soon, the party got straight back to work.
An hour or so later, and they returned to Bevel.
The moment they came into view, her quest-log updated instantly, herself packing away her things into a hand-drawn cart, "Excellent work, my assistants! I just finished with my own work! Toss in all the crystals you have into the crate, we'll need to have them connected to the Dual Zero model later before I can begin charging them," Then her eyes lit up. "Oh? You even uncovered some hefty samples too? Brilliant work, my assistants!"
Just down the path, Kirito, Klein, and Agil approached without any of their teams. Klein wore a big grin. "Hey Doc! Brought you those part you asked for! Waiting by the other path down the quarry!"
"Well done, my assistants' assistant! I have almost every part for the crystal-charging device, just a few more parts!" Bevel explained but left Nagi with a raised brow.
"A 'crystal-charging device'?" He asked.
"It'd take too long to charge the crystals individually, so we'll build a device that allows us to charge them all at once!" She held out a detail blueprint of what looked like a glorified wheel laid flat down with grips for a person to push, all the boys leaned in to look with puzzled faces. "Fortunately, this place has pre-Separation drilling equipment everywhere! We'll gather usable parts and improvise a charger!" She adjusted her glasses while looking over her blueprint. "But there is one problem... we'll need to manually operate it, and that'll take a lot of manpower considering the size,"
Agil gave a nod, "Understood. You can leave that part to us. If it's manpower you need, we've got more than enough."
The Doctor then held out a note to update their side of the large-scale quest. "Here are the final materials I need. Just get me these, then take them and this cart down to the Blueite Golem Dual Zero's chamber for modification and crystal-charging," Bevel then turned her attention to Nagi and Argo, "We can't send that golem into battle in the state you left it. You're going to have to get me spare parts," She quickly flicked through Bolt's Journal. "According to the notes, they should be sealed away elsewhere in deep storage. We'll head there to grab them,"
"So you're coming with us then?" Nagi inquired, seeing the anticipation in her expression.
"But of course! A warehouse like that will surely have magi-tech locks on it. You'll need me there to open them!" She protested less they say otherwise, meaning it was bound to have a horde of enemies waiting for them.
"We'll tag along this time, rest have a small army to defend the cart and supplies anyway without our amazing capabilities," Artorias said 'modestly' with a hand to his heart.
"You just wanna skip out on doing a slow delivery quest, don'tchA?" Argo remarked, making Artorias shrug.
"I have absolutely no idea what you're on about," And he promptly stood far away from the escort group.
"Good, then let us depart my assistants and my assistants' assistants!" Bevel declared, the two groups getting ready to break away again.
Kirito, however, wore a concerned look. "Nagi, you have a sec?" He motioned him over, so he quickly left the group to chat with Kirito further away out of Argo's hearing range.
"Yeah?" Nagi started, Kirito looked anxious about the ordeal, crossing his arms.
"Listen, if this quest follows the same pathing as a few others we've faced, then you know what'll happen if the Doctor dies, right?" Kirito stated, slowly seeing Nagi's brow furrow.
"...then it's over, there's no certainty that the questline can be altered, I've... had similar thoughts when it came to Shirayuki's questline, how dangerous each stage becomes," But unlike with Shirayuki's. This quest, if they failed and the Doctor dies, this whole floor becomes far too hazardous for intermedium players to use, even the frontrunners would take a massive hit of lost resources, people like Lizbeth and those in crafter towns will be constrained. "Don't worry," Kirito's own onyx eyes met with Nagi's confident ones, his fist held out a bit. "We'll see this through, no one, not even the Doctor, is going to die; I have to make it up to you guys for saving me,"
Kirito blinked, then let out a breathy laugh, knuckling Nagi's fist. "I hear you, good luck then,"
"Ditto." Nagi chuckled a bit.
|Floor 50, Magic Arsenal|
|Jan. 18th, 14:32|
|Time Before Rampage - 2 Days, 3 Hours, 18 Minutes|
Back in the depths of the golem factory, Nagi had a much easier time cutting through the golems, although, with the event tied to the Giant Steps quest step, almost all the golems present were changed to Corrupted Golems, making them aggro almost instantly if they spotted them. This hardly put a damper on their traction, cutting corners and heading down various pathways while following Bevel's instructions.
Lunging, Nagi dove over the sweeping clubs of another golem, drawing down with a heavy Rising Sun, splitting the golem through the middle as he landed into a roll, eyes locked to the dead end ahead, rather, the familiar pattern for a large doorway. "We're holding them off here, Doctor, get to the door!" Nagi ordered, twirling around to slam NightSky atop a golem's head, Ichimonji's splash stunning the mob, only for a scythe cleave it at the waist.
"Don't you worry!" The brunette woman ran to the keypad, book in one hand. "The Innovative Archmage Inventrix will have no trouble at all with a lock of this make!"
Mito spun Soul Fang, casting it dark purple in line with the ambient lighting of the dungeon's various technological devices. Bringing it to her hip, she swung wide from the right, kicking off her heel into another spinning slash from Karma Demon. Underneath her second sweep, Daora slammed his shoulder into the next golem, drawing Skullshatter around for a devastating Whirlwind, tearing apart the golem while the others suffered from the AOE's knockback.
Through the silvery aftermath, amber claws stretched through the horde of gathering golems, sweeping long gashes through their chests as Argo dashed away soon after, leaving Nagi to sweep low under their lumbering arms attempting to target one of the players. Whirlwind Slash cleaved from the shins to the waist, shattering a few while the others stumbled forward after Nagi who skid on his toes, diving away when a burning rosy-crimson glare appeared at the back of the group.
Artorias exhaled, thrusting Red Death toward the remaining golems, obliterating them with Vorpal Strike, but even frozen for a moment, he frowned, seeing the red cursors shuffling into view from the end of the hall. "We've got more coming!"
"Regroup at the door!" Nagi rallied, keeping NightSky drawn.
Behind them, the grind of stone and hiss from the doors beginning to open drew their gazes, Bevel looking mighty pleased with herself. "Now come along with me! Ah, just look at how big this warehouse is - What in the world!?"
"Yo, Doc you - hoooly shit!" Artorias's face dropped with the rest.
The thunderous stomps from within the warehouse became their newest concern when two thick arms pushed against the doors, towering over the group with a dark blue body of chiselled stone, fissures peppering its hide with yellow crystals as it leaned down on its arms like a gorilla, a single health bar appeared with a name in red.
/NM Huge Golem - Lv. 80\
"Still four higher than most of us..." Mito grimaced before diving away from the left arms wide, horizontal swing as every step shook the factory.
"Artorias, boost!" Nagi jumped backward, Artorias kneeling instantly to slam his buckler against Nagi's feet to send him flying upwards when the boss' own head flew off to crash into the light-brunette's shield, forcing out a massive clang in the process of his posture breaking. Nagi held his katana to one side, then, with a roaring rush of water, two horizontal arcs cut across the neck. "Solstice Haze!" "Switch!" His haori fluttered against his back, Daora diving past to bring down his ax in a single, devastating impact to the chassis.
"Grand Destruction!-" Only, as his silvery skill embedded into the ground, he twisted his hold. "-Aftershock!" The enhanced version of his most used skill granted him a secondary strike, flinging silver debris through the boss like shrapnel for bonus damage. "Switch!"
Moving past his shoulders, Argo skewered the golem's right knee with Skewer, spraying red shards in a single flick while the left knee was assaulted by Mito's scythe slashed behind the knee only to be pulled towards her. Despite this, both girls ducked under a spinning strike of both arms, followed by the boss jumping, the impact throwing the pair aside to reel back its right arm and thrust it down on Artorias's shield, Ward expanding its radius to a pink barrier while he withstood another deadly punch, gritting his teeth.
Distracted, Nagi ran behind the golem, compressing water down into his scabbard while turning slowly into a single slant outward, followed by a howling blast of water across the boss' back, Dragon's Breath bringing it down onto its weakened knees finally. Lowering Ward, Artorias twirled his blade to run parallel with his cheek, cast in pink, then performed a lunging strike left to right tucking his blade under his shield. Then he swung back, drawing his shield back at the same time to for a solid uppercut to the boss' straight chin, then in one step, he thrust Red Death through the head, using the neck to vault overhead and bring his body weight down on its scalp with the buckler.
Perfect Rush tore away the 50% margin, the combined usage of skills triggering an Infinity Moment halfway through. The Huge Golem roared, slowly slumping backward onto its ass, growing still halfway through. All of them paused, realizing it too had just entered a form of shutdown mode. "It's powered down..." Nagi realized, giving them some reprieve.
With the Huge Golem outside the warehouse, Argo flagged the others over. "Get insidE! Doc, shut the doorS!"
"Don't worry, I got it!" With a single button press, the two doors slowly sealed themselves, everyone safely inside the derelict warehouse.
"Phew, that was not the kinda present I was expecting," Nagi smiled warily, looking around the room, the stench of stale air lingering.
The whole facility was massive, almost as though it were meant to house tanks and other military vehicles. But most of the space was barren metal floors with large shelving units housing old crates and other dusty supplies left untouched for generations. Lights had flickered to life above, bathing the whole room leaving no space untouched.
"Aw!" Daora punched the door, making a loud rumble sound. "I wanted to try and ride it, maybe I can take control of it too!"
"What are you, Crash Bandicoot? You can't just..." Artorias paused a moment, humming. "Actually, on second thought, give it a shot, I wanna see how that pans out,"
"No one's riding a giant golem," Mito pinched the bridge of her nose, exasperated. "Nagi, what now?"
"Now we locate the parts," But he smiled a little to Daora. "Maybe when it's safer, later on, we can come back to this floor to try your idea,"
"Hahaha, see, told you it was a brilliant idea?" The wolfman chuckled.
The group started to look around for any clue or sign of their parts they required for repairs, their footsteps echoing in the awfully quiet space. "Woah, take a look at thaT..." Argo whisled to their right at what sat on a shelf.
It was a thick lump of black steel, only it had distinct seams at several points, one side slanted to form a sharp edge with a thick handle. "That's... a very big sword," Nagi awed, then he saw Artorias pull off a tarp to unveil a giant-sized ax, a bow with arrows as big as ballistae, even perched against one of the shelf units was a katana that made Nagi's look like a toothpick. "All of these weapons... for a giant,"
"Guess if you wanna build a mech, might as well give people the weapons too," Mito replied, looking at Soul Fang in her hands, then to the crescent of a massive scythe she stood under. "Heh, kinda feels like we're walking in a museum,"
"And we'll certainly have our own come the final repairs, come along now to the rear, I'm certain we'll find our parts there!" Bevel led on, jogging on ahead of the group towards what appeared to be a workshop with various chains and hooks swaying from a steel apparatus meant for suspending larger, heavier objects. "Here it is, assistants! Those are the spare parts!"
While none of them could begin to decipher any of the mechanical wares before them, they took the good Doctor's word on it as she approached to study them closely. "Now quick, let's check on their conditio-" The moment her hands touched one of the parts, it... crumbled into dust in her hands, shattering to comical polygons soon after. Their mood quickly plummeted.
"Huh? W-what happened? They... turned to dust...?" Nagi felt a lump form in his throat, eyes shaken with disbelief.
"The hell was that!?" Daora grunted as Artorias tapped his shoulder.
"There's your reason," His head tilted up slightly to nod, all of them following his motion where the light seemed different in how it hit the workshop.
"Indeed, that is our culprit," Bevel pressed out thinly.
"Hah, course, makes sense when ya think about iT," Argo didn't seem chuffed about it either. The large hole in the ceiling that dug straight towards the sky high above.
"Even Doctor Bolt could not have foreseen the Great Separation or the unfathomably long time it'd take for his enemy to reboot itself," Bevel spoke solemnly. "...Nor could he predict this sturdy warehouse's destruction during the Great Separation. These parts have long been exposed to the elements."
"I guess it was obvious at first glance," Mito noticed that the workshop itself looked rusted in sections, materials discoloured due to exposure.
Nagi felt himself nearly give in to that hopelessness, but slapped his cheeks, eyeing the Doctor. "Then... what can we do now? There has to be another way to repair that golem; if anyone here can find that, it's you,"
She gave the young man before her a confident smile, and one that carried a great deal of gratitude for his words. "Indeed, you are correct, my assistant! If we are to falter now, we would simply be resigning our fates to that human-loathing golem!"
"Hah... no pressure, sure as hell will make our victory far more glorifying," Already, Artorias was on board, clapping his hands together. "We've got a whole two days, plenty of time,"
"I have to ask, how is it you can remain so upbeat, Doctor?" Mito inquired, she understood Nagi's determination well, but seeing another NPC like Shirayuki exhibit human emotions perfectly had her ask.
Bevel held her fist close to her chest with a swell of pride. "No inventor is easily demoralized! We're the types of oddballs who learn how to fall safely before we learn how to walk without falling!"
"That's all well 'n' good, but we still need a way to replace the missin' partS," Argo pointed out, but Bevel made a low laugh, pushing her glasses up before pointing to the entrance at the other end of the warehouse with Bolt's Journal in-hand.
"Yes, my assistant, the golem parts are gone, but... there are other golem parts Bolt left behind," She grinned devilishly. "In fact, they've been personally delivered to us at this very moment, lumbering around outside as we speak, even extra, intact limbs for us to repurpose,"
Their eyes widened a bit, Daora cackling as he readied his ax. "The Huge Golem... but wait, are they compatible with Dual Zero's model?"
"But of course, my dear assistant! I shall make them work, for much of the technology prior to the Great Separation was lost, us inventors must work with what resources are left behind!" Bevel exclaimed, already marching towards the entrance with the party close behind. "Things are going to break, and so I research how to fix them up, even creating new technology along the way. It's why I'm an engineer! After all, necessity is the mother of invention!"
She turned to them all, coat fluttering behind her under the fluorescent lights. "Golem technology pre-Separation is more impressive than what we have now, but my ability to improvise bests even Doctor Bolt's! Believe not in the tools you wield but yourself! Believe in the woman you assist! For I am Bevel Helical, the Innovative Archmage Inventrix!"
Hearing her devotion, not just as a quest NPC, but as an inventor and researcher, the defiant spark she carried, it was truly real and invoking. Nagi might've known people think of him and his guild as weird for never having a strict sense of order or leadership status, and he knew he was viewed as weird for risking his life for NPCs many times. Bevel was proof that while their lives are made of numbers, their souls are as genuine as their own.
"We believe in you, Doctor," Nagi put it simply, and she spun around with her hand stretched forward.
"Then onward! We'll salvage the parts once you defeat that bothersome golem outside, then make the necessary repairs to Dual Zero, afterward, we shall procure a weapon from this warehouse for practical use," Bevel stood by the door, awaiting the signal to open the way.
"Once we regroup, I'll drag some of them back for a weapon of your choosing, boss," Artorias replied giddily. "Heheh, oh, this gonna be good...!"
"Little by little-" Nagi paused to stare back at Mito who pushed her hood down with an awkward smile. "-I see why you're always so adamant about helping NPCs, at first, I thought Shirayuki was just a special case, then Asuna told me about Kizmel, Myia, Lady Nirrnir and others she and yourself have witnessed, now, Doctor Bevel; they truly are alive in this world, I think I've always known that, but spending these months with all of you has given me that fresh perspective,"
"What brought all this up?" Nagi wasn't mocking her, he was genuinely curious as she scratched her cheek.
"I just never had a reason to admit to it, I guess the thought came to me just now," Shaking her head, she readied Soul Fang. "Right now, let's focus on grabbing those parts,"
"Right there with you," Clasping NightSky, they prepared for the doors to open wide.
|Floor 50, Magic Arsenal, Blueite Dual Zero Chamber|
|Jan. 19th, 12:00|
|Time Before Rampage - 1 Day, 5 Hours, 50 Minutes|
At exactly 12PM, those present for the meeting to complete the event tied to the boss quest gathered in the dungeon boss chamber to see the finished product in all its glory, and were surprised by the results. The Blueite Golem Dual Zero had now been modified with the parts gathered across the fields and dungeon, the Huge Golem Nagi's party encountered, and the unpowered mana crystals, even a selection of weapons from the warehouse sat nearby.
Its chassis was still the thick crystal body but it had a reinforced frame of dark blue stone with a black metal trim. The arms and legs replaced with the Huge Golem's own, crystals slotted into the forearms, elbows, shins and sides of the thighs. The head of the golem was repurposed too, wearing a visor over the eyes for a knightly appearance. It sat down but it would clearly be as tall as the Tenth once standing.
Wires and tuning fed into the back of the chassis, all feeding towards the large, manpowered machine meant to charge the crystals. "Woah, you really are amazing, Doctor!" Nagi was beyond impressed by the results of the new machine.
She stood at the front of it for all to see her. "Behold! This is the golem created by Doctor Bolt and carried on by me!"
"Blueite Golem Dual Zero, right?" Yuuki waved her hand to ask.
"Wrong my assistant's assistant! This golem is no longer Dual Zero! Take a look... at this!" Bevel held out Bolt's Journal for them to read, Nagi speaking out loud for everyone to listen.
I regret Dual Zero. Though I taught it many secret techniques, it needs human-level limbs to reproduce them. I could have made new limbs if only I had the time. It cannot live up to its name if it cannot make full use of these new techniques. I'd assume this technology to be perfected. But those people, so far removed from magi-tech, showed me how wrong I was. Much technology exists in this world that I do not know of, and this golem should be the first step into this unknown.
This is not my Eleventh, nor am I returning to Zero. It is a new start after reaching one goal. A new point of origin for me... And thus its name, '00'. Dual Zero. Unfathomable technology may come to exist in a future age, and I hope that even it can be incorporated into this step into the infinite. Only then will this truly be completed, and that is when it will receive a full name, 'The' and all, just like its ten brothers.
The entry concluded, and Bevel stepped back with a bright grin. "So you see! I unknowingly brought it to the stage of full completion sought by Doctor Bolt! And so I will name it...!" She exclaimed, procuring an oil-based pen, due to Nagi accidently mentioning one to her when they first met. Bevel then started to write over the name the golem previous had printed on its chassis.
Artorias raised a brow of surprise. "Oh? Well, if the shoe fits..."
"'Blueite Golem 00'... oh, I get it now," Nagi realized. "She's making the two zeroes larger and connecting them."
"'Blueite Golem the Infinite'! An embodiment of his desire to take a step into infinity! Hahahahaha!" Bevel laughed hysterically, dusting off her hands proudly.
"Well-" Artorias slapped Nagi's back. "-time for your big debut, boss, don't get clammy hands now!"
"Good luck, counting on you," Kirito added with an easy smile.
"That's righT! It ain't everyday ya get to piolet a giant robot, after alL! Honestly, I'm a bit jealouS!" Argo gave her partner a toothy grin, but there was something else about her scent that made Nagi perplexed.
"I mean, I-I'm honoured, but you sure you want me to pilot?" Even Nagi had his concerns about his ability to run this, especially since Daora really wanted to use it.
"Don't worry, everyone in the alliance discussed it, and since this is yours and Argo's quest, as well by vote, it should be you to use it," Asuna interjected, flashing a reassuring smile. "If anyone here has the right to see this battle through, it be you, have confidence in your abilities,"
"That's right-" Lind stepped away from his group to help reassure the raven-brunette. "-it's why we gave this our all. And thanks to that, the repairs look as though they'll be done on time. We still have a floor boss ahead of us, but after this situation is over, let's celebrate,"
"Thanks, Lind," Nagi truly appreciated that.
"Think nothing of it, we still have work to do before this golem's functioning," Lind reminded them all, ordering DKB to continue with preparations.
Klein, Sachi, and Agil then joined Nagi's group, the former giving a curt wave. "Oh, perfect timing, there was something I wanted to ask you," Klein began as he flashed his hands towards the array of giant weapons nearby. "Which weapon best suits our trusty pilot? We got about everything that still looked usable from the warehouse,"
"What're my options?" Nagi asked.
"Anything you want! Sword, ax, lance, rapier, spear, bow, whip, katana, you name it, we got quite the roster set aside," Agil practically was trying to sell them to Nagi.
"I'd bring a spear if I was in your shoes," Sachi gave her opinion. "If not, then the bow... the Doctor said something about the cockpit limiting your abilities, so no laser attack like before, so I'd want something with range or better reach, but that's just how I feel comfortable fighting," She waved her hands with a nervous smile.
"I'd dig a sword and shield, tactic-wise it's a balance of offense and defence, keeps you safe if you can't dodge," Artorias pointed out.
"My bare hands!" Daora threw punches in the air. "You're a giant, so obviously punches to feel powerful!"
"And if he breaks the joints doing so, what then?" Mito inquired.
"Ah, well use your face!" Daora pointed to his mask, and she rolled her eyes.
"You would do that, wouldn't you...?"
"Back to what little Sachi said, the weapon you bring's gotta be important to you! Personally, I'd take a one or two-handed sword," Klein threw his hat into the ring, making hand gestures to better illustrate his point. "A warrior must you a katan! Or... so I'd like to say, but a European sword better suits a giant robot. Hips down, a cool camera angle..."
"I could go for a giant longsword..." Kirito hummed.
"Stop being stupid and focus on your work... is what I'd like to say-" Agil cleared his throat. "-but I'm with you all the way! Start with one hand, finish it with two!"
"Ah! So you do understand!" Artorias snorted a laugh.
"Yeah! Of course I do!" Agil sounded almost insulted.
Although, all the girls shared the same though with an easy-going smile. "Men are such idiots..."
"Hey, I should've known you guys were going on about something weird...!" Yuuki came running over, hands behind her head for a moment, then, she shot her right index finger to the ceiling, looking dead serious. "A drill's what you need!"
"Eh?" Artorias blurted out.
"I just said it, drills! Only a drill could suit a giant robot in this case! I saw it in a really cool anime one time!" Yuuki's eyes sparkled as her whole guild facepalmed.
"And now there's more of them..." Ran shook her head, the group eyeing her as she stood up straighter, waving her hands. "H-hey, we may be twins, but I don't like anime!"
"Liar, you watch them with me all the time before SAO!" Yuuki pouted with a huff.
"P-Pokemon doesn't count-"
"Yes it does!" Almost all of them yelled at her, making Ran blush a bit as she tried to appear aloof, she was no different than the rest of them.
All their banter just made Nagi laugh a little, it was so strange but it helped him relax given the circumstances. "Thanks for your advice, but..." His hand rested on NightSky. "I'll take Klein's advice and go with what suits me best,"
Just then, Asuna raised her voice. "Members of the alliance! According to the doctor, all that's left is to charge the mana crystals and activate it! We'll now enter our final preparations!"
"I want all male players to assemble! We'll be charging the mana crystals, so everyone get to the charger!" Agil swung his arm high to rally them to the device with haste. "We're gonna turn this massive wheel, the faster we do, the quicker it will charge! Let's do this in the blink of an eye, okay!?" Everyone, in pairs of three at the grips, readied themselves. "Alright, let's go!"
"Heave-ho!" The group hollered, pushing the wheel slowly to get it moving.
"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" Agil bellowed out.
"HEAVE-HO!" Their collective voices shook the air, pushing harder, building some steady momentum.
"Nagi-" Asuna tapped his shoulder. "-get into the cockpit so you'll be ready to leave as soon as possible."
"Right," Unequipping NightSky to better fit, Nagi ran around the back of the chassis to the opening.
"H-Hey! Big news, real bad at that!" From the entry to the chamber, one of Nagi's guild members flagged their attention, the raven hair with the green sheen to it, and lime green eyes. Fynch. "That big ol' pebble ya told me to stand guard by just started movin', same for a bunch of his Corrupted boys too, seems something ya did's got them all riled up! Big army of them are hot on my tail!"
"Tch, alreadY!? Look at all them trash mobS..." Argo hissed under her breath, looking between Nagi and the golem, then to Fynch stepping back as he withdrew his silver longsword.
Asuna bit her bottom lip, supressing a curse. "We're just gonna have to stop everything for now and fight off-"
"No, we gotta prioritize gettin' the golem onlinE! It'll be a sittin' duck unless we dO!" Argo refused, brandishing her claws as many standing by saw the small army of Corrupted Golems moving inward, Fynch taking a slash at the closest one as he sheathed it into his massive silver scabbard, his trick weapon bringing the weight of a greatsword down across three of them at once, keeping them at bay.
"Y-yeah, could use a bit of a hand myself, if you guys aren't too hung-up over rocky in the back!" Fynch called over, rolling under one swing and diving back from the vertical slam.
"Have the Bro Squad, Sleeping Knights, 'n' Furinkazan groups keep on at this with the Doc, we girls'll hold 'em back ourselveS! That's our only option herE!" Argo told Asuna hastily, Fynch wasn't able to fend off a whole horde alone. While the girls rallied to give Fynch some breathing room and the boys time to charge the mana crystals, Argo quickly ran around to get an idea of how long they had. "Doc, sit-reP!?"
She too was rummaging over numbers while she inspected the connectors and crystals. "The mana supply is there, but it needs one last push... could it be because it wasn't originally designed for these crystals...?" Bevel pondered before growing exasperated, tossing down her notes onto a desk. "Fine, I'm just going to have to intentionally overload the mana crystals to jolt it awake. If it fails, though... the crystals might break. And if they do... that's it for getting this guy to move."
"Not only that, we'll need even more mana to overload the crystals, but those guys must already be giving it everything they got," Bevel didn't wish to push them to death.
"You hear that, men!? It's time to really push... here goes, hraaagh! Let's get this done!
"Alright, let's do this!" They all cried out, even Daora reused his extra skill to push faster with a furious battle cry.
Nagi, who had been set by the golem's back waiting to jump in, saw the crystals begin to pulse, becoming completely translucent in the process. "Woah...!"
"What an incredible influx of mana...! This should be enough, all that left for me to do..." She started fiddling with the tubes and wires systematically. "I'll prepare to overload the crystals, hold off the golems until then, you can do it, I believe in you my assistants!"
By the doorway was an all-out war between golems and humans. Lizbeth swung her hammer high while Liten swung low, crumpling two golems into one another where Sachi thrust her light-blue spear through them both. Nori twirling her hammer, swatting another to the side of the doorway, Siune riddling it with holes through the head until it shattered into a headless mass of rock, behind Nori, another golem nearly crushed her only for a pair of large claws to skewer the back of the head, twisting to pry the whole head straight off, Argo huffing as she zipped away from the destroyed body.
Yuna played an harmonious song, raising everyone's recovery speed as two streaks of amethyst light gleamed around her, Asuna and Mito slashing down a golem that had broken through to attack the songstress, the two friends synchronizing their movements to a flawless flurry of slashes. They nodded to each other, entering the fray yet again. At the vanguard, red and purple burned through the golems, a combined twin Meteor Fall colliding with the army, utterly annihilating nearly a dozen in the impact. Yuuki and Ran threshed their swords back, shards of glass flying past their faces and through their hair, swords drawn together soon after, cast in ruby and amethyst.
Over by Blueite Infinite, Bevel looked overjoyed, grinning towards the guys sweating profusely from their labour efforts. "Splendid Assistants! Mana level sufficient! Now I just have to pull the activation lever! Let your iron fists roar with righteous fury! Blueite Golem the Infinite, go!"
With a crackling whir within, the veins of the golem turned a glossy white as the crystals shimmered from the overload of energy produced, the limbs buckling and beginning to move even without Nagi's input as he steadied himself on the hatch. Bevel couldn't have looked more alive, throwing her hands up. "It's moving... it's really moving! Nothing is impossible for the innovative archmage inventrix! HaahahahaahaHAHAHA!"
Clearing her throat to compose herself, she looked to Nagi. "The different mana crystal size and limbs have resulted in many inefficiencies. You have ten minutes at most... So go on, stand!"
"Go it!" Nagi pushed his feet in first when a cursor wrapped around the golem.
"Hey, catcH!" Argo threw something to him, and he thankfully caught it to see it was... a small clear gemstone? "For good luck, get mE?"
Many days prior, when Argo had dragged Nagi and Kirito to hoke around the ruins for clues, they had dug something up of peculiar interest.
"Hey, check this out," Nagi held up a small, rough clear crystal, no bigger than his thumb, rubbing the dirt off, it was practically see-through. "Woah, never seen a crystal like this,"
"Seems rare, might be an upgrade material," Kirito pointed out as Nagi handed it to Argo to look over. "Maybe for an accessory like a ring or necklace?"
"Can't really say, doesn't have a visible namE," Argo had the small menu open for it, but the name was blank, then, she gave Nagi an impish smile. "Maybe I'll hold onto it, someday, you could make a ring out of it for mE," She teased cheekily, Kirito just looked confused as Nagi's face slowly went red from the neck up.
"W-w-well I-I could d-do that - i-if that's w-what you want, s-sure! I-I mean, a-as a gift!" He stuttered out in a jumble of words, causing Argo to erupt with laughter.
"Nyahahaah!" Despite her teasing, she wore a sweet smile with that devious look of hers, and it honestly made Nagi's chest burn as hot as his face.
Staring at the gemstone, Nagi smiled and curled it tightly in his hand, nodding to her. Now, he had nothing to worry about. Heading inside the golem, the back of it was shut, leaving him with a view of the outside as the whole machine spurred to life within the cosy cockpit as his hands came to rest on two mana crystals, causing them to warm up in his palms. At first, Nagi was worried he'd have no idea how to operate something like a golem, but according to Bevel's report over the last day of repairs, all he had to do was rest his hands on the crystals to operate everything, that was the key, to envision moving every limb with his thoughts.
Slowly, Blueite Infinite rose to its full height, Nagi moving the arms awkwardly as he had to relax into his seat, remembering to use his head and not his body to move, in a way, it was just like how he was moving in SAO via the Nervegear. Everyone was looking at him with expressions of wonder or concern, especially Argo, her brow knit with a serious look. So, Nagi grabbed the katana nearby, raising its massive frame as he placed it on his back, then, gave all of them a giant thumbs up, seeing the joints finally split away from the thick arms properly.
"Okay... Blueite Infinite, move out!" He hollered, and it stomped toward the vanguard, the girls quickly scattering to let him through as with one arm, Nagi brought it wide, swatting nearly half the Corrupted Golems into the walls, destroying them in mere seconds, others were simply crushed underfoot as he swung his left leg into another, pummelling it into the ceiling high above with a thunderous crash. Nagi laughed a little giddily. "Haahaha, now we're talking! Full steam ahead!"
Marching through the dungeon, Nagi dwarfed every other golem present, they came in waves, but while they took hits at his legs, he'd easily kick them with his stride, craning his arms low to sock them into one another or into the nearest wall, scattering the once intimidating army of stone to rubble and polygons. Soon, Nagi's visual adjusted to the outside light, and there, landing in the middle of the quarry to confront him, was Infinite's eldest brother, Tenth.
/Blueite Golem the Tenth - Lv. 92\
"Let's end this family feud," Squeezing the crystals in his palms, Nagi reached for his back, drawing into the light of day a massive, black katana, clasping it in both hands as he prepared to push this golem to its limits. Tenth roared, deep and mechanical, its club arms swaying as it stepped toward Nagi.
Without wasting a second of precious time, Nagi moved to his left, avoiding Tenth's left hook, drawing his katana down in a slant across its arm, then, with a quick pivot, drew it back to cut under the chin, throwing the boss' head backward with a heavy grunt. Nagi stepped closer when it twisted its form, spinning around to draw in momentum to its right jab. Nagi inverted his katana, blocking the devastating blow with a resounding blast behind it, parrying Tenth to counter with his own left spike to the head, bringing the Tenth down with a mighty crash.
Slowly, the Tenth stood up, taking two large steps with both arms wide to slam them to Nagi's arms, throwing him around within the cockpit as a solid right hook darkened his view for a moment, throwing Infinity into the quarry's wall. Catching his arm on the lowest level, Nagi pushed forward, thrusting his katana toward the Tenth, grinding it down its hip in passing, for a split second, the blade glowed sky blue but Nagi winced as his back was pressed to Infinite's, a fist colliding with his stomach.
Grinding his legs into the earth, Nagi swung down, again, the large katana pulsing as the edge swatted the right arm down for him to cleave vertically again, connecting to Tenth's shoulder, bringing it to a knee, but the left swung its upper body into a sweeping vortex, peppering Nagi multiple times until Infinite was knocked onto its back. Shaking of his stupor, Nagi picked himself up fast in time to guard, the blade absorbing all the abuse.
Below, Nagi could see by the golem factory entrance, everyone was watching and cheering madly, that's right, he needed to get his head on straight! If he failed here, then this whole floor will become too dangerous to gather anything of value from. Pulling his hands away for a moment, he slapped his cheeks, not realizing Infinite copied him without any input, the two simultaneously shaking their heads clear. "Okay, let's ante up!"
In response, Infinite and Nagi charged the elder brother, it brought its right arm wide, intending on swatting Nagi against the nearest wall, but he reacted faster, burying his heels into the earth to swing and parry the fist, throwing off Tenth's aim as it tried with the left, but Infinite moved in anticipation, countering with a wide swing of the katana, leaving Tenth wide open to a heavy left hook to the torso, only, they held it firm, pushing forward to throw the golem, seeing it collide with the quarry wall instead, boulders and other remnant machines collapsing atop it, and the second health bar vanished, 10% already taken from the third.
Tenth stood tall, then, charged with a roar, grappling Infinite by the biceps, attempting to tear its arms off completely. Nagi struggled too, gritting his teeth as he saw the blade flicker again, his eyes flashing with realization. "Wait... Bolt's notes... he taught it secret techniques..." That was it. With this resolution in his mind, Nagi kept the shoulders loose, then, gripped his katana in both hands tightly, not seeing his haori shimmering in response to the giant sword. "Jörmungandr... Slash!"
With a wordless cry, Nagi drew the katana in a slant across Tenth's chest, leaving a deep, burning river of blue, followed by a parallel slash beside it toward the earth, spreading a dust cloud to one side as the single, enhanced skill tore deep into the boss' third gauge, drawing it down into the dark red. Keeping with this momentum, Infinite took a hop back, twisting in a wide arc as the blade cast itself in dark blue again, flakes of light spewing from its blade. "Kagachi Iai!"
The devastating horizontal tore away the third health bar into the final one, leaving the quarry bathed in blue light for a split second. Tenth fell backward into the quarry's edge, yellow light trickling from its wounds as more seams began to form over its body. Nagi and Infinite stood tall, taking a single step toward the crumbling machine.
"...!" Then, Nagi's vision fell, Infinite falling to a knee as the sword became too heavy to wield. "W-wait, but I still have a two minutes!" His eyes shrank. "The sword skills, they drained the mana crystals..." Glancing at his sweaty palms, he saw their once glossy-clear texture had become duller, nearly milky white again. He completely wasted their reserves!
"No, come on, you need to move...!" Nagi tried, but Infinite wasn't responding, watching Tenth march closer, stopping only once it was directly before its younger brother, then... its core began to split and glow unbearably bright. "Point blank..." At this range, there was no way Nagi could evade in time he he ejected, but even if he did, the golem would just recharge and go on a rampage after. There was no physical way to beat it without Infinite. Throwing his head down, Nagi squeezed his eyes shut, "Think... come on, think Kaito!"
Artorias... Daora... Mito... Kirito...
...Argo...
Nagi gasped, opening his left palm where something stuck into his hand, there laid a single, crystal clear gemstone. It was so small and almost forgettable, that Nagi let out a pathetic laugh. "God... I love you, Argo, hahaha..." His heart fluttered, it had been the first time he's said it out loud to himself. He had always thought about it, but saying it made his whole body warm up again. "...thank you. Infinite, one more time, come on!"
Pressing the gemstone to the crystal in front of him, Nagi squeezed it against it, seeing it glow slightly before all the clarity was taken, causing Infinite to buckle to life once more. He refrained from cheering, Tenth was still bearing down on him, he didn't have much time to so much as breathe, so, both hands pressed to the crystals, Nagi moved in conjunction with Infinite; as though their minds were one in the same.
"Dance of the DRAGON GOD!" Roaring out its name, the joints of Infinity burst with light, giving it one last push as it gripped the massive katana, sweeping its body at an angle no golem could perform naturally. The first slash tore across the Tenth; Infinite spun, striking with a tsunami forming around its frame. The third slash completely nullified the beam attack, a grunt emanating from the elder brother.
Gripping tightly, the sheer velocity behind the final, horizontal slash tore the left arm from its socket, swinging toward the Tenth with the largest aquatic dragon running along the weapon's edge, devouring the upper half in an almighty cascade of water and light, the katana cleaving through the golem's arms and chassis, followed swiftly by its Heart Core in a killing blow.
A massive updraft flew from the quarry, the final health bar disappearing as the field boss was brought down in a fountain of glass shards, Blueite Golem the Infinite stood the victor, blade rising high to the sunlight as the last effects of Nagi's haori disappeared from around the blade, chipped and worn.
"Hah... we did it..." Never had Nagi felt more happy to be alive, laying back against the cockpit, staring up at the sun with Infinite. Seeing the crystals were completely drained, Nagi had to wonder how the skill motion never became interrupted. But he had a feeling that Doctor Bolt's machine had learned one last thing, so Nagi patted the crystal on his right with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Blueite Infinite."
With this, he saw that parts of its body began to light up and burst into fragments, even sections of the interior were beginning to shatter as Nagi gulped anxiously. "Oh no - uwah!" And the chassis exploded into pieces, dropping him on the ground, coughing from the impact. "Should've expected that..."
*Thump*
He felt something nearly tackle him had he not propped his hand back, finding a brown and green cloak atop the figure, and a pair of big, golden eyes staring back at him with uncharacteristically soft smile adoring whiskered cheeks. "You just had to make me worry for a sec, HerO," Argo stifled her sniff, a little laugh coming out.
"I've already broken promises before, not this time," He winked, and she squeezed his arm tighter.
"I'm glad, reallY..." Through the fading polygons, Klein and Agil rushed up to him, looking mighty relieved too for his health.
Everyone from across the alliance came to crowd around him, laughing and hollering cheers and praises that could probably reach town. Nagi... had never felt so happy to see them.
To Be Continued...
I had no intentions on this being so long, but no sense breaking it into two now, and this ain't even the floor boss, but I doubt that'll be as long as this, maybe... In any case, I really enjoyed that, even if it was length just cause Integral Factor does that. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this giant battle, I appreciate the support as always; see ya in the next chapter, Misfits!
063 - Through the Looking Glass
While plans are in motion to confront the floor boss of the 50th Floor, other events outside of Aincrad begin to unfold...