|Sword Art Online, Floor 55, Western Peaks|
|Jan. 30th 10:01|
The whole floor was a geographically diverse. The central town was situated in grassy fields while the towering labyrinth could be found in the middle of an arid wasteland peppered with canyons. To the far western front of the floor was a windswept tundra leading up to misty mountains, however, a large section of the peaks was hazy, drowned by an ominous, black storm circling the land, and it was steadily expanding.
Traversing up the mountain pass led them to the brunt of the storm, sunlight became dull and grey, and the occasional roar of thunder was intertwined with a webbing of lightning, even with Hot Drinks to starve off the Cold debuff that threatened their lives, the chill ate into their skin, the warmth almost felt nonexistent the further they climbed, bracing against harsh gales and a lack of vision. A wall of white battered their eyes, obscuring the path forward, for all they knew, one foot to the right or left could result in them plummeting to their brittle end.
Sticking close for any semblance of warmth, Argo waved her hand up a little, forcing them to stop as she pointed to a faint glow in the distance. Reassured of their route, the Rat was careful about her footing between them and the hopeful light. Using throwing picks, Argo tested the security of the ground ahead, her hearing sharp enough to cut through the howling gale less they wound up in a pitfall.
Eventually, they crossed the last stretch of thick snow to find a cave to barrel into, already the effects of the Hot Drink being felt across their skin once more as the lantern swayed from a metal rod inserted into the cavern's mouth. Looking around, the cavern went down deeper past a small campsite settled inside, a fire crackled and popped in the middle of a thick layer of fabrics. A makeshift table of rock housing a familiar katana next to the only occupant of the cave.
"Hm..." It took a moment for Shirayuki to raise her head from her old parchments, surprised but displaying a welcoming smile. "Ah, apologizes, I was absorbed in thought! Come in, huddle close, that biting blizzard has surely taken its toll on you long enough,"
"Thanks, Shirayuki," Nagi smiled as everyone practically dogpiled around the fire whilst Nagi rubbed his arms to warm up, coming to sit beside the shinobi who had braved the cold, her exclamation mark disappearing to indicate the quest continued. "Were you waiting long?"
She shook her head. "Not at all, being so close to an old home has given me time to review my old maps and findings concerning this terrible storm," She gestured to the outside as the snow masked the mountains. "I have known much of my House's domain has been afflicted by the corruption, however, there has never been a blizzard as vicious as what you see before you,"
"Think it's related to the AbysS?" Argo perked up, turning on the spot next to the fire as Artorias placed another log under the flames.
"Astute, Miss Argo, that is why we will take these tunnels to undermine the sinister storm, haha!" Shirayuki smirked proudly, gesturing for the blonde to scoot over to inspect the maps with Nagi. Aside from the House Winter city, she had an old mineshaft network. "Many caverns and mines were dug beneath these mountains, we will use them to not only reach my old House but to one of the few standing villages left on the Western Peaks,"
Nagi eyed the name on the map, sounding it out. "Isshi..."
"Guess its either a storm or a labyrinth of mineshafts, I'm gonna vote on the latteR," Argo raised her hand, tilting her head to bop it against Nagi's shoulder. "Whatcha thinkin', HerO?"
Nagi eyed the storm outside, then to his shivering friends. "Dungeon delving it is, besides-" Turning to Shirayuki with a small, comforting smile, Nagi knew they'd be fine with her around. "-we have an excellent guide,"
"Hahahahaa! You are too kind, young shinobi! You and Klein, as well as your friends, have done more than enough for me, I shall happily return the favour!" Proud to be helping them through what was already a painfully difficult part to their quest, Shirayuki gathered her things with haste. "We will come out short of the village, from there, we need only brave the cold a little longer to reach its border. As I have heard, they are protected from this blizzard, let us pray that remains true,"
"End of the day, still ten times more pleasant than a poison swamp," Mito dismissed, almost all of them humming in agreement.
|Jan. 30th 13:11|
Delving below the mountains, various mineshafts remained active to this day, however, those were closer to the Town of Isshi, meaning the group traversed those left to rot and decay underground, remnants of House Winter's past as the mountain's howling winds occasionally swept through the dark underground littered with old minecarts and disconnected railways.
Although, Daora grumbled to himself, squeezing Destroyer in one hand. "Where the hell are all the monsters? Aren't these places full of giant spiders or something?"
"Much as I hate that thought, it is... odd," Mito pursed her lips, sparing the occasional glance over her shoulder. "Even on our way up, we only encountered one pack of Beowolves..."
"I must admit, I find it quite troubling myself," Shirayuki commented, a lit torch lighting their way. "Large Ice Spiders do live within abandoned sections of the mine, however, I have yet to see the signs. As for the wolves... that is indeed troubling..."
"Did something kill them off? Maybe others are here too?" Nagi hazard a guess. But with how dead the mountain felt, something made his nose crinkle unpleasantly.
"Or did something scare them deeper under the mountain?" Artorias then tapped Nagi's shoulder, prodding his thumb to their left, drawing his eyes down a wider corridor that fed in light from a massive hole in the ceiling... only that light gleamed through shards of blue ice that had blasted through rock and rotten wood, practically engulfing the corridor in a beautiful yet harrowing array of crystals... some having trapped giant arachnids inside.
"Ain't that a bad omen if I ever saw onE," Argo grimaced, approaching the ice to tap with her finger, only to recoil a little, opening and closing her palm, a tiny tick of damage quickly disappeared from her health bar. "Stuff's still able to damage me just touchin' iT,"
"Is that... also a red flag?" Klein murmured to Artorias who stared at the frozen creatures with a flat stare.
"Crimson," Artorias muttered dryly.
"If we see anymore patches of ice like that, we should avoid them, or end up like those spiders," Nagi warned against, the group quick to travel through the mineshafts before they ran into whatever froze the arachnids.
Shirayuki looked startled behind her mask, but never spoke of it, keeping still for them to proceed. Her white eyes lingered on the crystals of gleaming blue ice, then steadied herself and led further into the mineshafts left abandoned by all.
Upon turning two more corners and walking straight for a few meters, the group walked out into a gently lit mineshaft. The wood was healthier, the tracks and carts well maintained, some of which were loaded with rock and material. The sight came as a relief to the group after being left more paranoid of the quiet than a battle.
"We made it," Shirayuki declared, snuffing out her torch with her boot. "Come, the exit is not far,"
Racing through the mines, their steps grew steeper, rising towards a distant cold breeze as they all replenished their Hot Drink buff for the harsh winter to come. Like a white sheet had been pulled over the world beyond, it would've made navigation impossible had the storm not lightened up a little, rather, the veil of a blizzard remained but left a far less fierce vacuum around it.
They could make out the steep walls that formed a wide horseshoe, making up the structure of the mines. Useable tracks frozen over, other paths and entrances piled high with mounds of packed snow. Despite the mine's clearly in use, it wouldn't take the storm long to bury it again.
Nagi stepped out first, and instantly, he felt as though the Hot Drink's buff was never active at all. He seized up, shivering sharply. "I-it's colder..." Even his breath was visible again.
"The hell?" Mito murmured beside him, kneeling down to the mouth of the mineshaft to inspect something. All eyes followed her, Shirayuki couched down with her to see a Beowolf... completely frozen in a thin layer of ice. Like it had be petrified mid-attack, its arms jutting forward, its back frozen in a hunch as if to dive at something.
"Just like those spiders," Nagi grimaced, looking to Argo who shrugged, eyeing the edges of the mines above them.
Ever since the notification appeared for the continuation of the Path of Divine Sakura campaign, even Asuna voicing her concerns over the encroaching blizzard, Nagi came to the Western Peaks expecting trouble. But this? Everything was off, the monsters, how almost no life existed say for those coated in a dark blue rime. Others petrified by chunks of ice, and this storm, they weren't at the center of it, and yet, why was it so much calmer? And why did the temperature drop so drastically?
Questioning everything became second-nature when you work with someone as gifted in information dealing as Argo. But if she was stumped, then that pressed a far more serious question. What was it they were expecting to find out here?
"Over there," Daora spoke up, pointing ahead with a tension in his throat. "Someone's already fighting without us, and they're losing,"
Using the minecarts on the central track as cover, the group moved further into the open flatland of the mines, snow crunching underfoot, biting into their toes with every step. Kneeling under the thick, wooden bridge that ran over two points of the cliffsides, the group could hear over the howling winds, the sounds of metal scraping and clattering.
When Nagi finally settled on the figure, his frosted brows shot to his bangs. His own chest tightened. Black hair held high in a wolf's tail, his face obscured by a black muffler that battled the cold. His outfit consisting of a dark grey Gi with an amber cloak covered by a thick pelt of white fur that reached his lower back, a sash made from the same material wrapped around his waist. Leather barding for his arms and shins down to thick, black boots.
"Evet...?" The name rolled off Nagi's tongue like a lead ball. He hasn't seen the orange player in months, and he's changed drastically. He still used a black and purple katana, his outfit befitting a shinobi like Nagi himself or Shirayuki.
"Of all guys to run across, why is he here?" Klein pursed his lips, he never met the guy, but heard enough to know he's bad news. "What's got him on the ropes too? Argo?"
"If I knew I'd have said by noW. This blizzard still ain't lettin' up, my skills are uselesS," Argo answered, her eyes flickering between Evet and Nagi. "Ya know we can't ignore this, much as I'd like tO,"
"The village is past him, he's likely going there, but that's not what worries me," Again, something was attacking from the edges of the blizzard, poking a lightning-fast weapon through the veil.
"Well, he seems to have his hands full, I'd say we leave him be, only polite," Artorias remarked without missing a beat. Yet, Nagi didn't respond, and his expression soured. "Uh, boss, I get you're the better man between us, and I admire that, truly, but, uh... this guy tried to kill you, and killed in front of you, bit of a big deal,"
Nagi knew that, and he understood Artorias' reluctance, but there was much he didn't understand about Evet. One thing that did sit out the most is what kept the raven-brunette rooted in place. Where was Hotaru? The NPC girl he partied with?
"In the snow," As if to answer his silent thoughts, Daora nodded forward, his eyes having fallen to everything but the fight in front of them. "There's someone sitting over another person,"
"You can see thaT?" Argo squinted, Daora then pointed in the general direction, and their eyes slowly noticed the large bump in the white blanket of snow. "Nagi-"
There wasn't any need to discuss it now, Nagi had already swept forward, drawing NightSky on the unsuspecting Evet. His health had plummeted into the dark amber, he was struggling and that left him blindsided to Nagi's fast-moving approach. By the time the orange player's head turned, his piercing, blue eyes widened, unable to anticipate a counter by the time Nagi's sword drew a wave of water from the snow.
The blade swept by Evet's vision, and a metallic crash struck the solid, dark-blue blade of ice that punctured through the blizzard, swatting the tail connected to it back into the storm, leaving only the dissipating water particles between the two. "Evet, are you okay?" Nagi didn't hesitate to ask, sparing a glance to the shivering form of Hotaru, a layer of snow over her back. "Hotaru?"
"You... why are... you here?" Evet sounded exhausted, even his body shivered from this storm, but his eyes remained as cold and direct as always.
"Nagi...?" Hotaru recognized immediately from the distinct form of his attacks.
Despite saving Evet from a fatal blow, there remained a tense second of pause between the two players. An air of mystery continued to hang around Evet like his cloak, and their relationship was rocky to put it mildly. Sparing his friends a glance, Nagi refocused his efforts on the task at hand.
"Shirayuki, how far is the village?" He called, the storm becoming to howl louder, something stalked them within its veil.
"Just over that small hill!" She gestured to the risen land roughly 1000 yards from their current position. "We must leave this blizzard at once!"
"Couldn't agree morE!" Argo hollered, noting Hotaru helping someone rise from under her. "Who's thiS?"
"A foolish young girl and her pet," Hotaru answered, her tone cold, but her eyes were filled with concern.
It was a player this time. A girl who looked even younger than Artorias, shivering in the snow. Her hair light brown and tied into two tails by red ribbons, as well as two red ring baubles. Two weary, red eyes opened. The girl wore a red robe with yellow accents that exposed part of her shoulders, a short black skirt, fingerless red gloves, and black, asymmetrical shoes with long black socks. A dagger and pouch resting against the small of her back, and a silver breastplate.
Popping its head out from under her was a small, blue-feathered dragon as it hissed, eyes to the blizzard.
"There's something you don't see everyday," Mito murmured with a look of surprise. "A beast tamer..."
Despite all these revelations, Nagi felt it, through the numbing cold against his nose, threatening to snap it off with a strong enough breeze, he could still make it out, the pungent smell of bloodlust, as if the whole storm was drenched in blood. Squeezing NightSky tightly, he stood away from the group, keeping his balance wide and steady for whatever sprung from the storm.
"Shirayuki, lead everyone to the village while we have the chance!" All eyes were drawn to him and his haori violently fluttering behind him. "Artorias, with me!"
"Duty calls," The brunette brandished Red Death, his back pressed to Nagi's. "Heard the boss, we'll do a little sightseeing, ta-ta now," He wiggled his fingers to shoo them.
"..." Silence was all they got from Evet, the man turning to Hotaru and the girl. "Take her, I will protect you both,"
"All of us will," Mito pressed firmly, the man didn't seem to question her, at least not vocally, nodding once as Argo helped Hotaru lift the girl out from the snow, her dragon hopping around to climb atop the girl's slumped shoulders.
"Hey-" Feeling the hand on his shoulder, Nagi's eyes flicked towards his right, meeting Klein's serious expression, the kind of look that called you and idiot but also praised you for it with a hint of worry. "Got this man?"
He smiled in return, his hair blown out from his onyx eyes. "I'm not alone, go, keep them safe, we'll be right behind you,"
"Hmph, better be," Knuckling their shoulders, Klein drew his fiery katana and paced behind the group whilst Shirayuki took the vanguard.
Their footsteps became muffled by the raging blizzard surrounding them, leaving only two players to brace whatever stalked them through the gale. Artorias turned, moving to stand beside Nagi, his shield, Red Dawn trembling slightly from the sheer drop in temperature. Neither said a word, there was nothing to talk about, they knew exactly what was coming. The embodiment of this blizzard, a manifestation of the cold.
...the winds were silent for a few, precious seconds. The snow fell, and the storm around them calmed, more of the land gradually revealed itself as the hurricane swirled across the mountain range. It was as if this small pocket of calm was suddenly expanded, or rather, something drew back the storm onto itself.
Instantly, Artorias threw himself out in front, casting Ward as the barrier of silver light widened his shield's edges, bracing a torrent of nail-biting frost that smashed against it, shattering the barrier in mere seconds as the teen slid and crashed against Nagi's waiting arms, his body afflicted with a symbol of dark blue crystals, narrowing his eyes, Nagi saw the subtext appear in bold.
|Debuff - Severe Iceblight|
Movement speed reduced by half
"F-f-fuck..." Through chattering teeth, Artorias drank another Hot Drink, dispelling the dangerous blight as even his HP had gone down by roughly 8%.
From the sky, something swept down, bringing with it a terrifying cold front that formed ice crystals across the ground, the boys could feel snow form in their hair and against their armour as two large wings threshed wide, shattering all the ice crystals in an instant, the body of the creature landing before them under the blizzard. Suffice to say, their eyes practically bulged from their sockets, and it took a collective effort for them not to stumble backward at the presence of the monster.
The wings folded against the slim body of the creature. It had the look of a traditional, slim, upright body of a dragon. Its scales and shell made from a unique, crystalline blue material, some of its scales and jagged point iridescent in colouration, similar to molten glass grafted to its scales. Its head has a tiara-like crown of small horns. But most notable was its thin, lance-like tail made from dark blue ice.
/NM Verglas Velkhana - Lv. 85\
"Oh, this game sucks..." Artorias grumbled, pushing away from Nagi's hands as the two kept their weapons drawn. "It's from Monster Hunter... like what happened to the 4th floor boss,"
"It looks bigger than usual..." Nagi had seen this creature prior to SAO. A dragon with a mastery over the cold itself, an embodiment of ice. But its scales were far more bluish, the polished white lessened. And those deep, ice-blue eyes continued to puncture his own gaze, cold, calculating, indifferent. It was as if a seasoned warrior stood before them.
"Big or not, ready to make Numbnuts a little more envious?" Finding a reason to crack a smirk, Artorias swung Red Death over his right shoulder, casting it in a harsh, green tinge.
"I'll follow your lead," Nagi declared, swiping his blade in a slow circle, gathering a deep blue river of water at the edges.
Hearing their rising voices, Velkhana roared and threshed out her wings, a wave of biting cold smacking their faces. Through this, she flew backward, thrusting her tail forward to pierce the ground an inch shy of Artorias's feet, the teen swivelling around to bring down a vibrating lunge, slashing at the tail that withdrew only to thrust again in an instant, throwing back Artorias's shield as a third lunge attempted to pierce it, the boy skidding on his heels.
Distracted, Velkhana watched as a rush of water climbed its tail to her chest, Nagi kicking off her scales to draw the maw of a water dragon wide, the Dance's horizontal cleaving a thin, red line through her throat. Despite this, Nagi gasped and held NightSky high in time to brace the sudden plunge below sub-zero, the ice breath leaving a thin layer of ice over his body, shattering as his back his the snow. Rolling to evade Velkhana's slam, he swung his sword to bear, barely parrying the sweeping tail from the left side, his joints felt stiff and slowed by the Severe Iceblight.
"Boss, switch!" Nagi managed Serpent Slash, the parallel lines diverting the deadly tail skyward, leaving the beast stunned for Artorias's approach, blade draped in scarlet, held back with the tip poised for the chest. In a blinding speed of crimson, Artorias swept past Velkhana's breath attack, narrowly avoiding the line of large ice crystals that formed, plunging Red Death through its right shoulder, carving down both legs and its side, the flash and recoil of Vorpal Strike leaving the beast reeling, the teen connecting this with a new, teal skill at the last second.
Twirling on a heel, he swept side-to-side, then flicked his grip to sweep his blade diagonally, the outline of a square etched into her scales. Despite that, he barely raised his shield in time, the tail slammed against his side, causing the brunette to stumble straight into its maw's warpath. Another beam of ice formed a massive pillar of ice, shattering when the dragon charged through, trampling the brunette into the snow.
"Ow..." He grumbled, shaking off the snow atop his head as he tossed Nagi another Hot Drink, himself downing another as a curse slipped from his throat. "Nagi, I'm starting to run low on Hot Drinks!"
"We just need to ward it off, the town should be a safe zone!" Or Nagi prayed it was, otherwise, they'd lure this Elder Dragon straight into the only place considered 'safe' in this storm. Shaking off the rime, he tried to focus on just surviving what's in front of them, Velkhana landing a few feet away, threshing her tail as if to inspect it. "The way she fights, even before she was sizing us up. Her A.I is as real as the dragon she was made to be..." It was terrifying if not impressive on the Cardinal System's part.
Verglas Velkhana was a regal, ferocious, elegant monster in every sense of the words.
Taking the charge, Nagi waited for Velkhana who swung back on her wings, breathing a cold mist in a crescent, a sudden eruption of ice forming as a wall before her tail punctured through the middle, straight into the electrifying slam of Nagi's heel, his feet already moving up after his quick counter. Using her tail as leverage, Nagi swept up a cyclone around his body, stabbing her with four thrusts, diving back to slash horizontally, the rippling water flowing like flames, Solar Brilliance forcing her to sway in the air.
Rolling backward to narrowly avoid a downward breath attack, Nagi stepped back again, three rings of ice forming under the dragon before she shattered them with a stomp, digging her rapier-like tail through the snow to flick toward Nagi's face, his cheek grazed by the rigid blade. But Artorias vaulted over them both, a horizontal cleave swatting the tail sideways before digging his emerald-tinged blade downward, kicking up the snow to mask Nagi's twirling form, sweeping in a halo twice, sliding past Velkhana who howled in pain, stumbling onto her feet.
She turned and sprayed a cool mist in a funnel wide, the boys diving under the blast that left a wall of dark rime at their backs, cornering them. Artorias stepped forward, gritting his teeth as her tail slashed in a flurry of slashes that ended with a sharp thrust that rang in his ears. Yet, he kept his feet pressed deep into the packed snow, Red Dawn glowing gold.
Velkhana recoiled when the shield shoved her tail back, forcing her head forward to spray Artorias point blank, or until he performed a backswing with his shield, smacking her across the jaw into an uppercut, the boy leaping to deliver a downward slam, the brunt of his shield stunning the Elder Dragon as a torrent of water swept across her head and down the neck in a series of invisible slashes, Nagi's Rushing Water Undulation leaving her head and neck peppered in gashes.
They had only done about 50% damage to her first health gauge out of four. That's when she finally took to the air, avoiding their blades to swivel around slowly. For a moment, both of them smiled triumphantly, having finally pushed the dragon back, or until a sinking feeling filled their chests down to their stomachs.
The blizzard that had dispersed at Velkhana's presence returned tenfold, wrapping her whole body like a thick blanket of snow. Her scales seemed to grow, forming a layer of ice over the edges of her limbs, the temperature dropping further and further until even ice began to form on their bodies from this distance.
"Boss?"
"Hm?"
"I... think we've hurt her feelings a little too much..." Backing away slowly, Artorias was confident in his abilities, but this was a bad omen if he ever saw one. "Run?"
"Running would be a good idea," Nagi concurred, and the pair sheathed their weapons hastily, scrambling over the tundra in the direction of the promised village. They heard Velkhana's roar shake the skies, large deposits of moisture crystalized, dropping small payloads of ice they narrowly avoided, zig-zagging between one another, kicking up snow at their backs as the air grew unbearably numb to their skin.
Large arcs of wind and snow stretched through the air, like a black hole, the cold air was drawn towards Velkhana who spewed white mist far and wide, adding to this cacophony of prickling, popping ice. Over the hill, they could see it, a large, marigold dome at the edge of the snow, and behind its veil, their group were waving and hollering their names, muffled by the barrier.
Picking up speed, something loud shattered behind them with a tremendous blast, both peered over their shoulders and wished they hadn't, a massive nova of white was closing in fast. "Faster!/Holy shit!" Nagi and Artorias gave off two very distinct reactions.
The Sprint skill offered much in the way of increased mobility. A player could run, but with the skill, they were offered a greater deal of increased momentum, even bursts of speed for short spells, closing distances in a matter of seconds, avoiding deadly attacks, if one focused solely on agility, they could even run up walls or across water at inhuman speeds. So with a massive wall of deadly ice a few paces behind them, those skills came in clutch when they were needed most.
With a final, breakneck boost at their burning heels, Artorias threw his shield forward and leapt onto it, practically snowboarding through the veil on his back, tumbling off the back of his shield from the lack of snow on the ground. Nagi threw himself forward, feeling the ice nick at the soles of his feet as they slipped through the barrier, tumbling as a great wave of ice and snow cascaded against the golden wall like a raging wave against a seaside cliff.
Both were gasping for air, a warm, crisp air that filled their frozen lungs and made their skin extremely hot in a matter of seconds, but it brought with it a massive sense of relief. Artorias chuckling on his back, hands against his chest as Nagi laid on his side, exhausted and managing a short, nervous laugh after narrowly escaping what might've been a death sentence. If not from that massive attack, then by Velkhana's own tail most likely.
After getting that out of his system, Nagi sat upright, looking away from the crumbling ice between him and the veil. Following the wall, it stretched into a large dome over a whole, small village, only just over a dozen buildings by his count. The streets had small amount of snow on the rooftops and at the edges of dirt roads, but it was warm.
The buildings reminded him of a Viking village, triangular houses with the rooftops of a handful of buildings reaching the ground with decorative points at both the front and back of the buildings. From here, Nagi could spot a town center marked with cobblestone pathing. A few merchant stands with goods loaded onto carts, some NPCs standing by to discuss things. It was as if they stepped into an entirely different part of the floor.
"-ya alright, HerO?" A fist lightly knocked against his temple, coming from Argo who wore a concerned frown. "Not all scrambled up there, are yA?"
"About as well as any other day," Wearing a weary smile, Shirayuki helped him to his feet with an offered hand, patting his back hard and giving a mighty chuckle.
"Your brazen actions never cease to surprise me! To fight the very storm itself, unheard of!" It gave a light-hearted approach to the matter, enough to lessen everyone's stress. Shirayuki rubbed her chin soon after. "I am astounded by the might of whatever you fought, the power behind this cold,"
"I still can't feel my feet," Klein shivered, trying to wiggle his toes to get the blood flowing. "It was like someone doused me in cold water,"
"It's Velkhana," Hotaru spoke up, rubbing her biceps to warm up, looking to her fellow shinobi with an even stare, it didn't come off as jagged as it had months ago, even the NPC girl's scent was almost indistinguishable from a player's, which surprised Nagi further. "No surprise the legend is true,"
"So wait, that thing you two knew about?" Artorias wagged a finger as Klein hoisted him up onto his feet. "Ahem, thank you - but yeah, could've used that little memo before it attacked us, eh?"
Shirayuki nodded once, "My apologizes on that matter. For you see, Verglas Velkhana was never a vicious creature, it was the guardian of these peaks,"
"Lemme hazard a guess, the Abyss happeneD?" Argo gestured, not at all phased.
"You are correct, Miss Argo. This would explain the harsh changes to the ecosystem," For a moment, Shirayuki's expression soured, rubbing her chin. "To think, that even the Abyss could taint such an elegant creature,"
Klein shook his head with a slight frown. "Can't be easy seeing even your own legends swept up in this mess,"
"It gives me more reason to see this matter through to the end," The whitette smiled back at Klein. "Much like yourself, I refuse to let this damper my spirit,"
"Heheh, g-glad to provide some good inspiration!" Klein was all giddy now that a beautiful woman like Shirayuki praised him.
While the group let this new settled into their minds, a new, softer voice spoke up. "U-um..." All eyes fell to the young girl who was partied with Hotaru and Evet, her face flush a little, either from embarrassment or the cold. Then, she threw her head down to bow sharply. "Th-thank you for saving us, a-and me, I really, really appreciate it!"
Atop her shoulders, her little familiar even gave a tiny roar in gratitude. Nagi smiled at the pair, arms crossed lightly.
"It was only natural, so don't worry about thanking us, I'm sure Evet and Hotaru would've protected you even without us," Nagi complimented, despite this history, Evet still fought to save this girl, so he had his thanks in that regard. "But... why are you with them?"
"Y'know big, tall, and broody over there's an orange player, right?" Artorias straight up ripped the band-aid off, prodding a finger at Evet who turned his gaze to the brunette. "What? Gonna stab me too for speaking the truth? You look adorable when you glare,"
"I-I know," The girl squeaked out, rubbing her left arm sheepishly. "That's what he first told me, b-before I joined his party..."
"Here's a question for ya then, why'd you join up if ya knew what he waS?" Argo asked, her voice neutral but curious to the girl's answer.
"Um..." The girl went quiet again, almost fearfully until Hotaru rested her hand atop the girl's head, giving a very rare, tiny smile from under her bandana.
"It's okay, you can speak," That was enough to ease the player's worries, lifting her head again.
"It's because they... they wanted to reach a place in the mountains, it's important and... someone had helped me with something that people would think is stupid or reckless... so I wanted to do the same, and help however I can," Despite her timid nature, the girl red eyes held a flicker of courage. She had placed herself in a dangerous situation for the sake of others, even an orange player. "I know an orange player is bad, I've had my own encounter with some too, but... but while I don't like the idea of people killing each other, they said they only ever target bad people,"
As far as any of them knew, that's what Evet did, Nagi had seen him cull a person first hand with the leader of an orange party called Hunt, who extorted players for their resources and worked with the leader of Laughing Coffin to supply them in turn. Their leader, Harriet, was killed by Evet himself. Nagi only hoped he never turned his blade on Fynch, a former member of Hunt than aided them in taking down his old party.
While an unpleasant thought that Evet killed other people at all, Nagi couldn't fault Silica for seeing that as a good reason that he wasn't a danger to her. At least, that's what Nagi hoped for her, it was probably a good thing they ran into each other, just to be on the safe side. So Nagi didn't bring it up, not until he could speak with her in private.
"You don't need to excuse my actions," Evet finally spoke, uncrossing his arms as he tugged the muffler down from his face. Even as he spoke, his expression never shifted from its stone-like exterior. "For what it is worth, I cannot express my gratitude to you or to your familiar for your help so far,"
"Oh, it-it's no problem!" The girl smiled a bit more, then fumbled with her hands rapidly, face stained red again. "Sorry-sorry, m-my name's Silica, and my friend here is Pina," The little dragon gave a squawking roar in response, flapping their wings.
"It's nice to meet you, Silica, Pina, I'm Mito," The purplette smiled with a hand to her chest politely.
"Name's Argo, pleasure to meet the Dragon TameR," Argo grinned ear-to-ear, and to anyone else but Nagi, it was simply a friendly gesture. In reality, it was a nice greeting and a look Argo gave when she had a scoop she couldn't refuse. "Nyehehe, ya don't mind answerin' a few questions I got about ya, SilicA?"
"O-oh, no, I don't mind," Silica perked up, almost as if she were in an interview.
Artorias gave a two-fingered salute. "Artorias,"
"Klein, pleasure to meet you too, Silica," Klein gave a friendly wave.
"I'm Nagi, happy to make your acquaintance," He gave a little bow of his head to the young dragon tamer.
"It's not fair..." Over by a large rock, Daora had been brooding on his own, tapping his foot in an increasingly agitated rhythm.
"Um... what's with Daora?" Nagi asked.
Mito let out a soft grunt through her nose. "He's annoyed he didn't get to fight Velkhana, y'know, dragon slaying and all that,"
"Huh, guess he doesn't count Dragon Tamer's drake as a 'worthy opponent'," Artorias remarked, finding the brooding dragon slayer to be amusing.
Rolling his eyes, Nagi approached the rock, tilting his head to meet Daora's helmet head-on. "Say, Daora? Velkhana might be gone for now, but that just means you get to fight her in a far grander stage. I mean, wouldn't you want a clash between someone as strong as you and a mighty dragon like her to be unforgettable?" If there's one thing Nagi learned from Argo, it was sweet words can work wonders. "Something worthy of your title as Lord,"
Slowly, the frantic tapping of his leg quelled, his head slowly looking up. Jumping back when Daora leapt to his feet, the dragon boy reinvigorated. "Hahaha, yeah! That's right, good call, what's the point of fighting it if no one can see me take it down? Okay, then next time, I'm gonna find a place perfect for our final battle!"
"Good to hear," Patting his shoulder, Nagi turned to address the rest. "Now, let's see what we can learn about this place, and how to get through this blizzard in one piece,"
"Then you've come to the right place,"
Another unfamiliar, soft-spoken voice cut their conversation short, almost seductive in tone. All eyes and ears traced the voice to a large boulder to the side of the pathway, just behind Artorias and Klein. Sat with one leg stretched out, the other pulled up close to their chest was a beautiful woman with an hourglass figure.
She had long, ice-blue hair that's darker at the roots and reached down to her shins, a light blue hairband with pink thread tying her hair near the bottom. A loose-fitted, baby-blue kimono with pink across the collar, cuffs, and tail end of the fabric, decorative, pink flowers dotting the fabric. A dark blue sash wrapped around her waist. The kimono leaving her shoulders down to her cleavage exposed. Her legs bare down to a pair of geta footwear.
What was most distinct were her blood-red irises, a red-painted scar running from just above the left eyebrow to the bottom eyelid. A sweet smile pulled at her cheeks when they met her gaze.
"Welcome to my village," She greeted.
[To Be Continued...]
[Author's Notes]
Welcome back to Aincrad. Starting off this new arc with a bang, a harsh blizzard growing by the day, the return of Evet and Hotaru with a surprise meeting with Silica to boot. Not to mention a variant of Velkhana threatening them all! And after a considerable amount of time, the reveal of a character offered by a commentor on Misfits, so concept for Isshi goes to Isshion.
It feels good to be back. Lots to unpack in this arc, and even the following arc, but more on that at a later date. I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; see ya in the next chapter, Misfits!
075 - Battling the Cold
Arriving at a village on the verge of being wiped out by the blizzard, the chief of the village will help them find a way to complete both their goals, but first, they need to prove they are worthy of the chief's aid...