|Sword Art Online, Floor 51, Town of Luminary|
|Jan. 24th, 01:15|
Through midnight, most players gathered on Floor 51 had dug in their heels like no other day, sinking hours into the various events and games offered by the Festival. As a result, the major quest step of the community event was completed, all Shards of Railaan gathered and sent to Silent and Sakura to handle the reconstruction of the mural atop the mountain. However, the celebrations weren't postponed in the slightest.
Every stall and shop had their prices dropped dramatically, so much so that even Argo was forced to quickly scour them all with other info brokers to record and share the wealth of knowledge about the price cuts for just about anything for the remainder of the event. Every large open space within Luminary was consumed by tables lined with a feast of the century, fireworks lit up the sky, captivating the players and NPCs alike that sat down at bars and tables to celebrate and share in the pinnacle of the floor's gifts. The thought of sleep long forgotten.
Nearest the Ri Chu Terrace, Silent cracked his fingers as he double-checked his inventory. "...uh, yeah, that's everything, good to go, chief,"
"That's great, you mind us tagging along?" Nagi asked, a number of their friends having gone to join the festivities at their peak. Leaving Nagi and his party, as well as Yuuki, Asuna, and even Chen who was waiting by Silent's stall whenever the Shards quest step was completed.
"By all means," He shrugged, hopping over his stand as Sakura petted Zeus's head, getting him to move. "We need to take all of these to the old guy who requested them, he's at the foot of the trail that leads to the broken mural,"
"Yeah, he's the man that runs the library, my dad said he's been the guy to keep a huge archive of our history, even before the Great Separation," Chen exclaimed, twirling from one foot to the other effortlessly. "Now that our floor's opened to all the other races beneath our feet, we can share that history and vice-versa, it won't have to die with us,"
"I can appreciate that, I mean, eventually running out of new books to read would get so boring..." Yuuki bemoaned.
"You read a lot? Same here," Sakura added, and Yuuki bounced over to her with a grin, patting her chest.
"Yep! I may not look it but I'm a real bookworm!" Yuuki proudly declared.
"So then-" Argo piped up, waving her hand slightly. "-what's the old librarian's namE?"
"Wei, even for his age he's still quite spirited, you'll see," They watched as Chen rolled her orange eyes, clearly this man was a lot to handle.
Following Silent's and Chen's lead, the group approached a point where the buildings ended with a strip of road running parallel with a small thicket of trees and bamboo that hugged the side of the a sheer cliff-face, the path marked by a large red archway and lanterns made of carved stone dotting the boulders and embedded into the steep cliffs.
Standing at a cart selling Chinese lanterns was the old NPC in question, Wei. He wore a traditional navy hanfu, though like most of the citizens of the 51st floor, no one style from a particular dynasty was chosen. He had a short beard with a thin moustache that fell lower than his beard, a bald head kept under an ornate hat with thin blue eyes. Despite his age, he stood upright as he turned to greet them.
"Hey Mr Wei, loving the festivities?" Chen waved happily, the old man nodding with a small smile beneath his beard.
"Yes, the guests have been quite rowdy but it brings me joy to see many awake to enjoy the night," He commented, eyeing the players. "Ah, you must be the young ones here to offer the pieces to the mural, I trust you've gathered them all? And in such good time no less,"
"That's right, sir, should we take them up the mountain?" Silent asked, eyeing the trail as Wei ushered them forward with his hand.
"Come, your efforts tonight will be remembered dearly-any and all help is appreciated," Wei took the lead, grabbing a walking cane though he hardly seemed troubled on either leg. "Young Chen, I must thank you again for gathering support for restoring a historical site I feared would be lost to time,"
She waved her hands passively with a laugh, "Don't worry about it! It's my duty to preserve our culture for whenever I take my father's place, I'm just glad I had the extra hands willing to pitch in,"
"Anyone would've willingly helped out, this city's beautiful and so welcoming," Asuna smiled back, seeing the young girl's face lift up further.
"Haha, I'm happy to hear that, truly! Now then my honoured guests, let's restore that mural!" Chen proudly jabbed her finger towards the summit, the wind brushing through her hair.
"AYE!" Though excited, Mito jumped as she bumped into Daora who hadn't moved, his head turned to their right sharply down an empty street lit by street lamps.
"Daora, what's up?" She peeked around to inspect the vacant road, seeing and sensing nothing.
"Daora?" Nagi turned around with Argo, spotting the pair looking elsewhere.
"...nothing, seeing things," He grunted rather bluntly, then marched forward and promptly shoved Artorias out of the way as he flew backward past Yuuki and Asuna. "I'm the first one to the top!"
Groaning from the impact, Artorias scrambled on all fours and kicked up the steps to bring his elbow down on Daora's head, the Anti-Criminal Zone protecting him but the force still sent Daora chin first onto the ground. "The hell you are, Numbnuts!" Followed by Artorias 'politely' using Daora's body as a carpet to move ahead.
"Idiots..." All the girls sighed in unison, though Yuuki quickly sped past both of them with a cheeky grin.
"I'll be first-byye~!" She chimed and ran on ahead.
"HUH!?" Both Daora and Artorias looked at each other then sprinted up after Yuuki.
"Hahaha, at least they're having fun about it," Nagi couldn't refrain from chuckling.
Reaching the open space along the mountains, Nagi stared out over the edge of a wooden railing down to the city below as the hum of music and the orange glow of lanterns basked the night sky in a warm hue, stray lanterns sailing high above the buildings, pulled toward the gaps within Aincrad to leave for the sky beyond.
"This view is amazing..." He murmured, feeling Argo's hand squeeze his.
"Sure don't get views like this one ofteN," She whispered back, eyeing the location as the others passed them. "We'll have to sit here for the sunrise later, pretty romantic, ain't it, HerO?" Now, she had his eyes on her flirty gaze, enjoying how her tone brought out a silly smile as he rubbing his neck bashfully.
"Definitely is, hehe," Focused now on the last step of the event, they quickly made their way around with the group.
The area was grassy with a few stone benches before a large mural etched into the surface of the mountain itself with a thick, worn border. Parts of the mural were intact but the pictures and words were left ambiguous. Colourful tiles depicted people on ships, some fragments of a castle wall overlooking the sea, and a large entity with a scaly form though it was hard to properly piece the whole story together.
"Say, what's with the symbols on the ground?" Yuuki raised one leg off the dirt, seeing the pattern in the ground forming a semi-circle branching off from the mural.
"That is part of the ritual required to properly restore this mural, without it, the pieces would merely fall out of place," Wei explained, running a wrinkly hand over the untarnished spots delicately. "Today, we will witness the restoration of a lost piece of history, my gratitude knows no bounds for you honoured guests and all those that supported my cause,"
"It's the least we can do, everyone in Luminary has been so kind since we arrived," Sakura gave the old man a grateful smile and bow. "It's only right that we help your home in return, as Asuna said before,"
"Ah yes, but it has been years and we've barely managed to acquire a few pieces to restore what you see before you," Wei looked disheartened for a moment, gesturing to them all. "Our home was on the brink of ruin, maybe within a few years, but it is because of adventurers like you we were able to reconnect with those beneath our feet, by your hand, our fate has been changed,"
Everyone felt a some measure of pride from those words, this event quest was a fun activity for them, but again, Aincrad proved itself to be more than that, these people offered their kindness and gratitude as though their lives truly mattered. For Nagi, he felt content knowing he was able to do so much for them in return.
"Silent, can you do the honours?" Chen's hand motioned toward the mural for him to present the Shards, himself looking around at the others who actually put in the work all night for this.
"Uh... sure?" No one spoke up nor voiced any complaints. Instead, Zeus moved around to shove his snout against his back, jolting Silent to stumble forward, much to his bemusement. "Right-right, got it, thanks..." Feeling a little nervous, he approached and entered his inventory to materialize a medium-sized chest, setting it down with a heavy breath, opening the lid to reveal the various colours and shades of ceramic within. "...now what?"
"Nothing more, Young man, step back I will handle the rest," Wei instructed, Chen stepping towards the edge of the flatland with him. Now, everyone watched with curious eyes as the man began some strange chant of disjointed words and phrases that brought the first of several semi-circles to life, turning a pale blue like the waves.
The hundreds of Shards began to glow a similar shade, rising from the chest to drift towards the mural, wedging themselves into the blank spots, fitting against one another and the existing images. What started as a few turned to dozens at a time, all clattering in a satisfying chorus of ceramic puzzle pieces slotting together.
"Ooh, now that's a nice sound," Artorias whistled, others nodding in agreement.
"Sure is mental how magic technically still exists in Aincrad through stuff like this," Silent added, watching the pieces dot the mural.
"The elves aren't the only race to still conduct magic in unique ways," Asuna referenced, mesmerized by the pictures coming to life.
"Shame Kii-bou's missin' out on this evenT," Argo added, hands moving behind her head.
"We may not have any form of magical powers, but we make up for it in rituals like this, still, I've never seen this one before in any of the books I've read..." Chen gave a curious tilt of her head. "I wonder if I missed one...?"
Before anyone could voice a question, the last piece fitted in and the whole mural shimmered with a blue haze, finally completing the large, decorative mural of Luminary's dark age. Now completed, the story became abundantly clear. A picture of a battle along the shores of Luminary that apparently had a sea battlement of ballista and cannons mounted along its walls. Out at sea as ballista and blasts tore through a giant wave and torrent of water, swam what posed such a threat.
It's scales as dark and blue as the deep ocean, body slender and arching like the waves it conjured as it sprayed the warriors with a column of sea water. A great dragon, a leviathan from the depths, Railaan. Wei read the mural's small letters within the picture. "It speaks of the Great Wave, Railaan. Those among a fanatical cult that revered this mighty beast sought to awaken it after it had been sealed away, if this incantation were to be created once more, the great demon of the waters would rise once more, drowning the lands once more."
"There's the red flag," Artorias and Silent stated in a dry tone. "Jinx,"
"Huh? So this dragon's not even awake anymore!?" Daora was visibly aggravated by this, feeling he had been robbed of his opportunity after so many months of scouring from the perfect monster to complete his ultimate armour. Crossing his arms, his veins bulged at his fury. "Well, what now?"
"Likely it's the floor boss, so we won't see it 'till we climb that ol' toweR," Argo pointed out, jotting this down in her menu's notes. "A-Chan, gotta pass that along to yer boss lateR,"
"Already planned on it, thanks, Argo," She nodded kindly.
"To think, this mural was just a warning from our ancestors this whole time," Chen rubbed her chin, then gave an innocent shrug. "Either way, the mural's been restored, so everyone's contributions will be rewarded in full for their commitment over these last two days," She gave them a polite bow, hands cupped by her chest. "You have my thanks-"
"Woah-woah-woah, hold the hell on!" Immediately, Artorias drew Red Death from his back, pointing it toward not the mural but the old man standing with his hands pressed to its surface.
"Artori-" But Yuuki's words died in her throat, stumbling back when she noticed the ground was starting to glow a dim, pale blue. The other rings gradually turning the same pigment in a clockwise fashion.
Everyone tense, and even Nagi had to cover his nose when the rotten stench of bloodlust struck him in the face. Floor 50 was filled with golems that didn't give off much in terms of genuine bloodlust given their design, with the exceptions of the Tenth and The Last Number, but those scents weren't as potent as humans. So after being relieved of the scent for nearly a week, it struck him without warning.
"Oi, you walking corpse, ya deaf too?" Artorias stepped forward, ready to skewer the NPC.
Wei didn't heed their warnings, muttering nonsense to himself. "...it spent so long waiting to see this brought to its completion, I had almost forsaken all hope of seeing it restored in my lifetime..." His fingers then curled, digging against the tiles before eyeing the lot over his shoulder, that kind, humble expression twisted with venom and scorn. "You devoted adventurers really can't help yourselves at the prospect of fortune and gratification, can you? Oh, but I cannot hold that against you, it is simply in your nature to seek those lofty treasures,"
"Mister Wei... w-what are you-what's going on?" Chen was stumped for a moment, finally finding her voice to demand an answer. "What's really the reason for these magic circles? Why are you... doing all of this?" She waved her hand to gesture at all of him.
"You foolish brat! I'm doing this because your family lacks the resolve to do it themselves!" He snapped at her, causing the brunette to recoil at the insult, wincing. Now, he turned to them fully, hands outstretched a little from his hips. "Many decades I've spent trying to gather the Shards of Railaan, those years I watched as our power withered and declined under the Xiaolong family's rule. We were mighty once... once, and since the Great Wave was sealed away, we have lost our power, the aspects that made us mighty, now even those under us have forgotten our country's influence since the Great Separation!"
"You've got a stick up your ass because of that?" Daora cocked his head.
"Shut your mouth, you ignorant child!" Wei pointed and berated Daora instantly. "I will not have our legacy tarnished nor mocked by some fool dressed like a wet mutt!"
"What was that!? HUH!?" Brandishing Skullshatter, Mito and Nagi quickly held him back before he lopped the librarian's head clean from its shoulders.
"C-calm down/Just wait a moment!" Mito and Nagi pleaded, both watching the man critically.
Wei pressed a hand to his heart, "As the last of those who understood the true value the Great Wave brought us, it is my solemn duty to restore our crumbling home to its proper place within this world-within Aincrad-by its mighty strength, the sea will do away with the weak links of our home, those that survive the coming strife will usher a new, stronger rule!"
"You're completely insane..." Silent seethed, Zeus growling next to him.
"All those innocent people would be killed because of you!" Sakura gasped, but looked no less furious.
"...weak links...?" Nagi's hands fell from Daora's chest, moving to turn fully towards Wei as the area became deathly quiet. "...who... is weak exactly? Don't give me that crap!" Raising his head, Nagi's eyes were burning with anger at every insult the old man spewed at them. "That scent your body's producing... not an ounce of sympathy for what you're doing... what did these people ever do you you? What awful things did they do to you to deserve to die like this? Don't stand there and claim this is for the greater good! You're just... a twisted human being!"
Drawing NightSky, seeing it refract the light radiating from the ritual beneath their feet, Wei saw the unwavering conviction in Nagi's onyx eyes. "We won't let you get away with this!"
A hand then rested on Nagi's shoulder, only, it wasn't Argo's but rather Chen's. She squeezed it, offering a glimpse of a smile for what he said before her face turned firm and almost intimidating, like the carefree girl was suddenly twice her age. "Mister Wei, you say you're doing this to bring back the old ways before my father, correct?"
"Yes, and what of it?" Wei replied sharply.
"My father... is a very tired man, he works constantly to ensure Luminary prospers, he never was a man who gave into emotions, or, that's the man I've known my whole life. In reality, he is forced to make tough decisions, and when the day came that the doors to the floor below were opened, I saw tears roll down his face for the first time ever," Chen closed her eyes as if to recall that memory. "He has only ever wished for our people to have a brighter future, the one his father's generation had fought tirelessly to grant us, and a future I am to inherit,"
Looking back at Wei, Chen spoke with an authoritative voice, "For the blood spilled back then, I won't put my people through anything like that again, they will learn every dark moment of our past, all the awful things, and they'll learn as I have to be better than our ancestors. We are not conquers, we are human beings who will fight and support one another and all those across Aincrad! That is the future we'll create!"
Chen then gave a solemn nod, and Artorias and Nagi quickly charged at Wei, the old man's cursor having gone red but was defenceless compared to the duo. Only, his voice came out as a strained gasp, and his health steadily plummeted, forcing the pair to grind their boots into the dirt, holding their guards. Wei stumbled, struggling through grit teeth.
"T-this... wasn't part... of o-our deal...?" Then his feet came out from under him, revealing the curved sickle lodged in his back.
Nagi blinked, seeing a brown and green blur flash in front of him, deflecting a pair of throwing knives away from them both in time into the dirt, Argo glaring up at the attacker atop the cliff the mural was carved into. Overhead, a dark shadow that hadn't been there before moved, rather, they were likely just standing there the whole time.
The man whistled an eerily tune to himself, a matching sickle in his left hand before hopping down, using the blade to slow his fall by digging it through the rock, missing the mural by a hair. "...Well, if it isn't the Misfits guild, good name, rolls off the tongue better than 'Nagi's Party', mm?"
"Is that...?" Nagi's hands tensed around NightSky.
Wearing a black tricorn, a grey duster coat, a pair of brown leather boots, a pair of black gauntlets with golden ornaments, although, his red bandana was tucked down, allowing his face to be visible, including those cold, pale green eyes. The former orange player of the Hunt guild, Arawn.
"Arawn? Really?" Artorias slumped in place, one eye squinted in disappointment almost.
"In the flesh-though, I have to admit, you're not wrong for considering me a... eyesore," Arawn's whole tone had changed drastically since Darkdrinker Keep on the 16th floor. His scent was murderous, even his cursor... was blood red. Then, he smiled, retrieving his sickle from Wei as the last of his HP disappeared, causing a shower of polygons to breathe a sharp glow into Arawn's near pin-prick pupils. "Did you like my performance back then? I'll admit, playing the part of this... giddy murderer out for blood was immensely satisfying, although, it was getting old... Harriet's death was a weight off my shoulders, props to PoH for that,"
"I don't understand, he helped Wei start a ritual to bring a floor boss to life?" A little lost, Sakura voiced her confusion, Silent and Zeus standing close to her.
"Depends on the quest and what you say, likely he'd get a reward for helping the enemy side," Silent addressed, and Arawn clicked his tongue.
"Close but not quiet, only reward is... well, you're a bit too late to stop it," Tapping his foot, Arawn saw their eyes follow the ground, seeing that all the ritual circles were now lit up, and a deep, earthly tremor ran down the full length of the mountain. "How's it go? 'It's Showtime',"
In their brief lapse of focus, his eyes lit up as he lunged and promptly slammed his sole against Argo's stomach, the force alone dragging the broker off her feet and straight into Nagi, sending them flying as both let out a gasp, the impact behind the kick was unlike anything your average player could accomplish. Now, Artorias turned, drawing his sword to instantly block an attack that never came, feeling the hairs on his neck stand on end when a sickle blade adjusted on a gear mechanism built into the handle, allowing it to curl around his throat.
"So you went from being a second-rate actor with a third-rate skill set to this? Someone's had a character arc, did you go on a magical adventure too?" Artorias squeezed out his taunts, earning a sickening laugh from Arawn.
"Hehe, wanna know what makes this even sweeter? See, I'm actually quite hurt you don't remember me as fondly as you like to peddle your coping mechanism like a badge of honour," Arawn's total turnaround of personality was starting to annoy Artorias, his hand raised a little to keep the others from acting too rashly, seeing their worried and angered expressions. "But see, ever since you 'fixed' your appearance, I finally realized what it was that kept nagging at me ever since I... 'lost' to you,"
"And what's that-" Artorias felt the blade tug against his throat, cutting into his skin.
"That you're..." Leaning right up to Artorias's ear, he whispered very distinct words.
Artorias's expression shifted very little at first, then, his entire body went cold, face paling as every hair on his body stood on end, the words repeating within his head, worsening his expression. He started shaking and feeling a wave of nausea swell in his stomach. With his left hand pressed to his chest, it felt like his heart was stabbing him, causing his other reactions to worsen.
"Aw, what's the matter?" Arawn's voice cut through Artorias's ears like a knife, seeing a calm, worried face but eyes full of bottomless satisfaction and hatred. "Feeling a little unwell, S-"
Pausing, Arawn was quick to push himself away from Artorias, retracting the blade from around the Red Warrior's throat in time to evade the collision of a large, silver greatsword. Within the dust, Arawn narrowed his eyes and parried the outstretched arm carrying the weight of a longsword cast in deep blue, the skill banishing the dust cloud.
"Man, gotta work on bumpin' up my agility stat, sorry 'bout the delay there!" Clutching a silver longsword in one hand, and the hollow case of a greatsword in the other, was Fynch, his blackish-green hair fluttering in the wind created by his attack while his emerald eyes focused solely on Arawn.
"You again, thought I scared you off last time?" Arawn scratched his chin with the tip of a sickle, licking his lips. "If anything, you're good a running away,"
"Hah, got me there! Thing is, not my style anymore, least not when it concerns good folks that took one look at a guy like me and gave a hand to, can't say I'm budgin' now," Fynch shrugged, raising his blade over one shoulder, turning it deep red. "Ain't like I know I got a chance in hell beatin' you, but I sure think I got the manpower to try,"
"Artorias!" Quick to the paralyzed teen's side was Yuuki, drawing her obsidian blade toward Arawn as she reached out and touched Artorias's arm, seeing him visibly flinch with a face contorted with genuine terror. "...Artorias..." Her own eyes softened, panicked over how unnaturally skittish he was. A pang of anger filled itself in her heart, and the purplette, alongside everyone else, poised their weapons toward the lax red player. "What did you say to him?"
"Just some friendly relations rekindled after so long, to think a Death Game would be the time and place," Arawn shrugged, twirling his sickles to rest against his shoulders, scowling at them all. "I'd be more concerned with what's to come. So hey, maybe next time you and I can have a heart-to-heart, Zekken, my treat," Flashing a wicked grin, he pinched a vial between his fingers.
"Stop him!" Asuna demanded, and Mito quickly ran straight ahead, drawing a tinged throwing knife from her cloak to throw just as the vial struck the ground. She heard the knife connect, but when the black smog cleared, all she was met with was a solid stone surface, her glowing knife fizzling out against the stone.
"What? How did he vanish? There's nowhere to scale from here?" Mito pressed her hand to the wall, seeing it to be just a rough texture, her hand never went through as she punched it. "Dammit...!"
Another tremor quaked through the earth, and all eyes, even Chen's, were on Artorias who stumbled back due to the earthquake, his legs nearly giving out. "I... s-sorry, I... don't know what..." His voice quivered, raising Red Death only to see his whole arm shaking. "Crap... I... can't seem to stop shaking,"
"You're having a panic attack, that's why," Silent stepped closer, grabbing his shoulder to get Artorias to sit down on one of the stone benches, seeing the teen's right leg thumping extremely quickly. "Take a deep breath, hold it for five seconds, then exhale,"
Doing as he was told, Artorias felt his side fall against Yuuki's, the purplette squeezing an arm around his side, rubbing it to help him relax while Silent went through the exercise with him.
"What the hell do we do now?" Daora grumbled, looking down at the now drained ritual site. "If the ritual's over, does that mean it was stopped?"
"Don't think those tremors are just for shoW," Argo bit her lip, eyeing Chen. "Ya got anythin' to add, Miss CheN?"
"No, sorry, I've never seen this in any book, I guess only the cultists from way back kept it secret," Her eyes hardened, pinching the bridge of her nose. "This is seriously bad, if that mural's accurate, then any moment now, Luminary's about to suffer a repeat of the past, and... and I don't know how to stop it,"
"We'll find a way," Nagi rested a hand on the young heir's shoulder, her hopeless eyes rising to meet his sturdy gaze. "'Believe not in the tools you wield but yourself'-" Those from Nagi's party all raised their heads to him in surprise. "-an amazing inventor told me that once, and she was right. Your ancestors found a way to defeat this monster, so will we,"
"..." Blinking something out of her eyes, Chen's hope rekindled a little, clenching her fists tightly. "O-okay... Okay!"
Meanwhile, out at sea, the water became wild and untamed, some very small patches of land swallowed by the rising tides. A great streak of lightning webbed through a storm and down into the growing maw within the dark waters below. Arcs of plasma rippled through a swirling vortex, a gargantuan maelstrom as a deep, hissing snarl emanated from deep within. When the skies lit up again, a distinct, crimson eye could be seen within the deep, rising up from the epicentre of the maelstrom.
Across the harbour, two thick sea walls rose up, throwing fish back into the water, the stone covered in sea grass and algae. Old ballista and cannons much the same, all forming two complete, angular crescents at the vanguard of Luminary to face the dark creature now risen from the sea. The storm lit up the sky, and its body became visible to all those unware of this harrowing event.
Its body was glistening like a fish, scales of various shades of blue that transitioned like waves across its body, the underside milky white, a torn, frill membrane running up its back. The head rose high as a storm bore down on its face, blood red eyes with black pupils staring towards the radiant city roughly a hundred meters away. The head was angular like a spearhead with gills, dorsal fins running along its scalp with two large horns facing backwards with feelers slicked back from the snout as it opened its jaws, two waterfalls spewing from between its curved teeth.
/-\Railaan the Great Wave - Lv. 82/-\
A unanimous event was shared to every player who bore witness to the rising titan. A single object. Defend Luminary or Abandon the City with its citizens.
To Be Continued...
So much to digest from this one. Surprise-surprise, the old man was a cultist and released the kraken-I mean dragon. Arawn makes a return since his last cameo being Floor 25, and has even put someone as egotistical as Artorias on edge. Now, the whole floor is in danger, just how can they beat possibly a bigger boss than even that of The Last Number?
I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; see ya in the next chapter, Misfits!
068 - The Lord of Dragons
Railaan has awakened to swallow the 51st floor whole. With everyone in disarray, is there even a way to defeat something so massive? Or will they all be swept away...?