|Sword Art Online, Floor 55, House of Winter Mines|
|Jan. 31st 12:28|
When Shirayuki said there used to be a mine, she wasn't lying. Away from the town, through a pine forest which finally gave them some much-needed covering from the harsh winter, they came out on the dirt road leading straight to the open maw in the side of a mountain, roughly fourteen meters high and half of that across, supported by thick, pine logs and iron reinforcements for the joints.
The exterior smothered under snowfall and large, jagged claws of ice jutted out as if they had been sprayed and super-cooled from a firehose, Velkhana's work, no doubt. The entrance wasn't unguarded though, more Frostbitten foes engaged the group, everything from the razor-sharp claws of Beowolves to the precision aim of Scouts, and the quick onslaught of Revenants.
Nagi leapt back in time to avoid the large nodachi that cleaved through the snow at his feet, bouncing off his toes to pierce the stomach of the new foe that stood in their way, wrenching NightSky free to slash up its chest and dive back, evading an upswing into a parallel vertical down. The snow kicked up between them as the others took care of the horde, Argo at his side.
Another undead warrior of House Winter. It's armour frosted over, icicles hanging from the edges of his helmet and shoulder guards, reflecting what little light there was with a ghostly glow. The warrior's hands, gaunt and claw-like, grip the hilt of a rugged nodachi practically fused to his hands. Its edge eternally sheathed in rime. It's name? 'Frostbitten Guardian - Lv. 81'.
Despite the passage of time, the samurai still moved with grace and precision. Each step leaves a trail of frost in his wake, and the air around him is perpetually chilled as whispered hisses escaped its helmet. Keeping a tense grip, Nagi swept up a current and lunged as a dark blue tinge befell the nodachi, Guardian swung with a thrust towards the ground, aiming to slash upright, Striking Wave, and Nagi prepared for this.
As soon as the blade arched upright, he unleashed Scarlet Fang, blade edges skating off one another with a rising blast of cold air, but Nagi still had two swings in him, striking the Guardian's wrist and quickly poising NightSky to puncture the undead's chest, forcing it back, straight into the flapping cloak at its back. It gave a backswing, missing Argo entirely, her claws flashing bright pink, ascending up the warrior's back, Frenzy tearing apart its blind spot in three, rapid twirls, the arch of her climb throwing her high above the pair.
It stumbled but thrust its nodachi high, nicking the girl's shoulder but leaving himself wide open, blazing blue eyes falling to Nagi who swept a current from his blade, slashing the leather around the Guardian's neck, a secondary horizontal spin severing the head in its entirety. Feet skating through the snow, Nagi sheathed his sword, arms forward as he felt his whole body lurch to catch himself, holding up Argo bridal style.
"My HerO," She teased with a hand to her heart, making him chuckle once, the Guardian bursting into polygons behind them.
"Just living up to my title," He winked back, making her throw her head back with a nasally laugh.
"Nyahaha, ya sure know how to make a girl's heart skip a beaT!" And it certainly did flutter.
Setting her down, the pair ran to the mouth of the mine, the others having cleaned up their parts and now, only a barren, empty mine stood before them. Decades of disuse have left the once-bustling site desolate and eerily silent, save for the occasional creaking of weathered timber and the distant echo of dripping water from within its depths. Rusting tracks lead into the darkness, where dilapidated carts lie overturned. The air is thick with the scent of mould and decay, much to Nagi's displeasure, tugging a part of his scarf up to battle the stench.
Structural beams, now weakened by rot and the relentless passage of time, groan under the weight of the mountain above, even with the thick blankets of ice that covered nearly every surface. There were several shafts along the walls, a central, rough path curving at the back towards the right, leading deeper into the caverns.
"No tellin' how far down this goeS," Argo whistled, her voice echoing down the shafts.
Silica stuck close to Hotaru, Pina resting atop her head. "This place i-isn't haunted, right?"
"Other than those we just fought, we should be fine," Shirayuki approached something to their far left, using an old oil lamp and igniting it to provide some much-needed sight. "The volcanic layer was the last place they dug before closing the mines, not that we were pressed for materials we could find elsewhere, but the area proved far too unstable,"
"We're humans, not dwarves," Hotaru spoke, the first she had since her small loss of composure prior, but she continued to keep her distance from Shirayuki, for her sake or the older woman's, no one could figure out.
"Hah, very true," Shirayuki nodded, holding a lantern up to a dusty remnant of a vertical shaft, and a wide platform suspended via a thick, coiled rope over a pully system above. "Ah hah, as I suspected, the lift hasn't collapsed, I suppose Velkhana's wrath has provided some silver lining, most of the mine's supports and functions remain untouched by time,"
"I guess, in a way, a part of her remains unchanged..." Relief flooded Isshi's tone, smiling slightly as she tapped the wooden supports, hearing them groan a little. "Hm... it should hold... maybe?"
"Okay, I retract what I said about the plateaus, this, this right definitely screams OSHA compliant," Artorias pointed too, just peeking through the gap between the lift and the shaft making him queasy. "So, um, this... isn't the only way down, right? We-we can take the main shaft, yeah?"
"Someone getting cold feet?" Mito pursed her lips curiously, and earned a middle finger from the younger member of the team.
"Ha ha, riveting, Reaper, real comedian," She just smiled more at his flat response, watching Artorias step away from the lift. "I'll take the long route, meetcha down there, 'kay?"
Knowing well about Artorias's reluctance with heights, Nagi gave a wary smile. "Are you sure you'll be okay?" It might've been a dumb question to ask, Artorias was extremely adept by himself, but people like Arawn have proved national champion experience still could be usurped.
The brunette flashed a wicked smile, throwing a thumb up. "Peachy, come on, Boss, this is me we're talkin' about. Ain't nothing to it,"
"Except heights, apparentlY," Argo tacked on, joining Mito in the teasing as the purplette resisted a snort.
Artorias placed his hands to his chest in mock bemusement. "Okay, why am I being personally attacked today? Swear, long diary entry about that tonight, bunch of rats..." Muttering to himself, he took off towards the main shaft, snatching an old oil lamp himself to light the way. He threw his hand up in a wave. "If I hear a scream, let the record show that I was right!"
"Okay!" Nagi called back, rolling his eyes a little. "Let's... hope we don't prove him right,"
"I can agree to that," Daora approved.
"Wonderful, everyone, if you will," Shirayuki gestured for them to hop on, each new body testing the strength of the old lift, no one dared to move around too much as the eerie groaned bounced down the shaft. "This will lead us to the last excavated layer, from there, we follow the old mining strips to the volcanic layer,"
"Um, i-is this safe?" Silica asked, keeping herself as rigid as possible with a nervous smile to accompany her. "Th-this seems like a long way down..."
"Perhaps your comrade was correct in his choice..." Evet murmured, even he looked a bit nervous. "Let's descend slowly..."
Shirayuki approached the levers attached to the side of the lift, pulling the rightmost handle as the whole lift buckled and gave out a low, grinding sound, their only source of light remained with Shirayuki's lamp, casting long, flickering shadows across the rocky underground as the air grew damp and stale, and a little warmer now that the outside cold no longer bit at their bodies.
There wasn't much to say, only pensive breaths and the accompanied chorus of the underground forsaken. Nagi was starting to see why Artorias had an phobia of heights, especially cramp shafts like this one leading to God knows where, if they were very unlucky, a very, very deep grave.
To try and ease their nerves, Nagi found his voice. "S-say, Velkhana is a legend on this floor, and that you knew her, Isshi?"
The winter spirit perked up, her smile glowing a little. "Ah yes, as I stated, I knew her long before the Great Separation, it was fortunate we were together in the aftermath, many civilizations struggles and some perished in the confusion and chaos. Regions, countries, kingdoms, all meant nothing, and many floors hadn't the resources other floors provided, locked behind the tower guardians, meaning some perished due to misfortune,"
Everyone quietly listened to her story as the lift buckled a bit, the lamp in Shirayuki's hands flickering. "After the Abyss was sealed away, a blight from the world below, House Sun's lingering remnants splintered into several houses, the most prominent being Winter, Flame, and Dusk. Naturally, myself and Velk watched over House Winter, such hardy mortals, braving the Western Peaks instead of residing in the far more forgiving land beyond them, it earned Velk's respect," Her voice hitched with pride, the teasing tone of hers remained but respect could be heard.
"We had a song made in her honour, whether she was real or not," Shirayuki tugged at her Gi, the tip of a flute poking out. "It is the same song I played when we first met, a song to bring Velk a sense of ease and our gratitude,"
"The Iceborne Wyvern," Hotaru spoke its name absentmindedly, and Nagi could see the brief lapse of joy in Shirayuki's white eyes.
"Huh, fittin' namE," Argo snorted slightly.
*Snap!*
A sharp, whipping noise like a frayed rope caused the whole lift to buckle sharply, everyone collectively made a gasping noise, gripping the edges of the lift. That 'rope' noise happened to be the only thing lowering them down into the depths.
"That... wasn't a good sound..." Daora's voice was heavy with a thick gulp, clinging to Mito who's face broke out in a cold sweat.
"Uh, what was that? Actually, don't answer," Klein waved a hand, practically frozen stiff. "If we acknowledge it, then it'll happen,"
"Hm, it appears we've gotten ourselves into a bit of a bothersome predicament," Shirayuki pursed her lips under her mask. "I suggest we all hold on..."
"We-we're not about to... are we?" Silica gulped, the poor girl's eyes wide with panic, hugging Pina close to her as the little drake growled at the unpleasant noises.
"Silica, hold onto me," Hotaru warned, looking around with pinprick eyes. "This is bad, there are no other shaft entrances,"
"Well, that certainly isn't a good design," Of all things to question, Isshi put her hands on her hips. "No wonder you had this place closed, such short-sighted construction..."
"Why is that the first thing you go to?" Nagi asked, another sharp jostle of the lift silencing him.
"Aw, crap-" Klein's tone was cut short as another, loud twist and snap of strained thread came undone, and a thick section of rope fell into the lift with them, right into Argo's hands.
"Like Klein said, craP," Argo's distinct accent was met with a click of her tongue, and comically, gravity finally took hold.
There was no sense of velocity, only that they dropped hard and fast into the dark, Silica forced to latch onto Hotaru who hooked her arms around Evet's chest as the freefall began to lift them off their feet, the man himself using his katana to skewer the lift floor to ground himself. Not a word could be uttered over the screams of terror, Nagi throwing his arms around Argo to brace for what came next.
Seconds went by.
The wind screeched in their ears.
And suddenly, the world went black with a mighty crash, splinters and other material sent flying with a full, thick line of shredded rope battering their bodies on impact.
A flicker of light filtered after a good five minutes, everyone had either felt the wind knocked out of them, or SAO actually had them pass out momentarily from the shock and impact alone. Finally, a lantern burned to life, Isshi coughing as she raised it higher to let the light filter into the mineshaft.
"Okay, who's not dead, sound off!" She called, and all she received were pained groans of discomfort.
Nagi peeled his eyes open, despite the system mitigating pain substantially, his whole body throbbed as though he had been rolled down a rocky hillside, moving was a pain, but underneath him, a pair of golden-brown eyes pierced the gloom and glow up at him, a cough escaping the blonde under his body.
"You okay?" Nagi rasped down at Argo.
"Not the first time I've fallen in a pit, certainly wish it was the last thougH," She wheezed, rubbing the side of her head as Nagi sat upright with her practically falling against his chest with a sigh.
Everyone's HP had fallen by half, who knows how far that fall was but clearly, either the splintered remains of the lift or the game itself saved them from dying on impact. Regardless, they were alive and none of them were about to complain otherwise, each pulling out a health pot to restore themselves and take away the dull pain flooding their bodies.
"I'd say it was worth the shortcut, but I'm starting to question the sanity of our 'guide'," Mito spat out dust and bits of gravel, Daora sitting upright under her.
"That... was... awesome! Let's go again!" Out of everyone here, he pumped his fists.
"NO!"
Prying themselves from the bottom of the shaft, true to Shirayuki's word, they had arrived ahead of schedule to their destination. The mineshaft ahead was long, dark and stank of damp, acrid chemicals like someone had thrown sewage into the mine and left it to sit. Led by the lantern, again, no monsters roamed, all likely due to Velkhana's presence, a blessing and a curse.
Finally, they reached a point where several other tunnels connected, some had collapsed under time, rubble with wood sticking out of it. But most promisingly was the still connected pair of railroads, and several, empty minecarts just asking to be pushed. Several grinned at the opportunity, Argo sprinting ahead to scout the slope ahead of them, less the tracks cut off and send them tumbling yet again.
A rush of wind followed, and Argo held up a thumb. "We're green, all aboarD," She snickered, taking the front cart and patting its hull. "Mind givin' a lady a pusH?"
"Heh, sure," Rolling his eyes, Nagi stepped closer as he eyed the rest firmly. "Be ready for anything, if we see the tracks cut off, I'll raise my hand, repeat it for anyone behind you,"
"Understood," Mito answered for them, she and Daora taking the third cart as Shirayuki and Isshi went for the second. Hotaru and Silica in the forth, and Klein with Evet at the back.
"Here goes nothing... or everything," Swallowing a lump in his throat, and with only a single lantern providing any sort of clarity, for all Nagi knew, he would push the cart down, and send himself and Argo hurdling off a cliff they couldn't see. They were effectively blind without the lantern in her hands.
Giving the stiff, heavy unit a push, it took a great deal of his strength stat to finally get the old wheels to turn with a high-pitched whine, loosening their aged gears to grind against the rails. With enough momentum, he felt it begin to tip forward, so he threw himself inside and wrapped his arms around Argo's waist, herself pressed against his chest for protection and comfort.
"Y'know, not what I was expectin' for a romantic ridE," Argo cut the tension as the cart leaned further, giving Nagi only mere seconds to retort before his voice would inevitably be drowned out by the wind and the roar of the wheels.
"What can I say? I have to beat your expectations, don't I?" He smiled a bit, watching her throw her head back a little with a boisterous laugh that calmed his nerves.
The rickety minecart quickly plunged into the abyss of the old mineshaft. The broker duo clad in a mix of excitement and apprehension, gripped the sides of the cart like a vice. The lantern resting between Argo's knees, casting dancing shadows along the rough, damp walls as they sped past.
The sound of the wheels grinding against the metal tracks filled the air. The minecart picked up speed, hurtling through the darkness, its passengers ducking instinctively as they passed under low-hanging beams and dodged protruding rocks that seemed eager to knock them from their precarious seat.
Adrenaline surged as the cart whipped around tight corners, tilting dangerously on one wheel before slamming back onto the tracks when the pair threw their weight back to act as a counterbalance. Stalactites and stalagmites flashed by in their periphery, a blur of ancient formations barely registered before they were swallowed by the darkness. As the minecart thundered through an expansive cavern, the sound echoed off the walls, magnifying the intensity of the descent. Here, remnants of the mine's past life loomed like ghosts, it'd be quite the sight if the track lining the edge of a ravine edge didn't suddenly arch and dip straight towards that ravine.
"Braaaaace!" Nagi hollered, feeling all of Argo's weight press against his back as his squeezed as far back as possible, the wind pulling back their hair as they rushed downward at neck-breaking speeds.
"Oh ya got to be pullin' my hair herE!?" Up ahead, Argo pointed to where some faint light from the roof high above shined down on the track's hump, rather, where it broke off.
They hadn't any time to react or even consider stopping as the minecart took the forward momentum and climbed the hill in seconds, sending them flying through the air. Time seemed to slow as they held their breaths, the silence of the cavern enveloping them in mid-air. Then, with a metallic shriek that echoed through the cavern, the cart magically landed perfectly on a new line of tracks, pulling them back into another narrow mineshaft.
"HolY.../Shit..." Argo inhaled as Nagi exhaled, their bones jittering from the jump as they cart sailed along.
As the minecart raced through the winding tunnels, it danced dangerously close to the edges, sending showers of sparks flying with every screech against the rails. Again, the duo leaned in unison, their movements synchronized in a desperate attempt to maintain balance. Another fallen beam had their heads thrown back, avoiding them.
Suddenly, the track veered steeply downwards, and they felt their stomachs drop as the cart seemed to freefall, descending into a deeper level of the mine. The lantern light flickered as they approached a particularly sharp bend. They leaned hard, the cart tilting on two wheels before slamming down onto the track again, narrowly avoiding derailment.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me...!" The words rolled of his tongue like lead.
Without warning, the track cut off, tossing them over another chasm, their hearts leaping to their throats as both braced for the unpleasant impact, the cart making a hard landing onto the new rail-line, hearing it hiss and groan from the abuse, slowly bending to their right before dipping down another, shallow slope.
Finally, the minecart began to lose all its momentum, the light of an opening visible ahead, signalling the end of their underground rollercoaster. Emerging out of a tunnel, several shafts converged into a wide open cavern, stoppers at the ends of the track bracing the cart as it lightly bumped against it, finally leaving the pair to collect themselves.
Both Nagi and Argo slumped into the bottom of the minecart, panting for a moment as though they had run a marathon. Golden-brown eyes met with onyx, ensuring the other hadn't lost their head. Slowly, Nagi felt a hoarse chuckle tickle up his throat, the same for Argo as they laid there in a tangled mess of limbs, their hearts pounding as an incurable laughter filled the air.
"I think I'll retract what I said before, I wanna have another romantic ride like this somedaY," Argo joked, wiping her brow clear. "Just less of the near-death experienceS,"
"D-duly noted," Nagi managed between small spurts of laughter.
Climbing out from the cart, the duo stared back at the railroad they came from, seeing another cart slowly roll in to bounce against theirs. From inside, Isshi popped her head up with a boisterous laughing fit.
"That was the most intense experience I've had in decades! Hahahaha, you mortals sure never cease to amaze me with your creations!" She giggled, Shirayuki leaning against the side, looking a little pale but managed a small grin.
"I... would rather take... the longer route next time... I do not believe my stomach could handle such a venture for second time, hehehe," Shaking her head, the shinobi wobblily stumbled out, Nagi helping her to stand.
A third cart appeared, Daora standing upright as he laughed, arms crossed tightly to his chest. "Ahahaha, we made it! That was even better than the lift!"
"Excluding the... drops," Mito groaned, pulling herself up from behind him, smiling weakly as she chuckled alongside him. "Man, that was seriously overkill for a minecart track, who designed this place?"
"But it was a ton of fun!"
She rolled her eyes at him, "...yes, yes it was,"
Both turned at the sound of wheels sparking, and their cart was jerked by the fourth arrivals, causing Daora and Mito to fall atop one another, much to Argo's amusement as she leaned to one side to see how the others fared. "How ya find that, Silica-Chan, HotarU?"
Hotaru peeled herself into view first, her head spinning a little. "I'm starting to believe Artorias had a good point, this has been nothing short of nauseating," Looking down, Hotaru looked to try and contain her lunch as she swallowed hard. "Ugh, Silica, are you well?"
They poked their heads over to see the girl and her dragon laying at Hotaru's feet, the brunette's eyes spinning their sockets with a dopey smile. "I didn't know you could duplicate yourself, Hotaru?"
Leaning over, Nagi held back a laugh and helped the poor girl and Pina out. "Come on, let's get you sitting upright, the last cart shouldn't be long,"
"Speaking of..." Isshi trailed, all eyes to the fifth and final cart.
With its heavier load, it came to a much faster stop, Klein slumped to the front of it with a weak grin. "Hey... made it, man, that was intense!" He sat upright like a child who just been on their first big rollercoaster, making several gestures. "We flew around those bends so quickly we nearly went flying, not to mention those two massive jumps and dips!"
"That's what I'm saying!" Daora exclaimed as he fell out headfirst from his cart, Mito sitting on its edge until she felt confident in her ability to stand.
"At least... one of us enjoyed... themselves," Evet groaned, his hand covering his mouth as though he expected to be sick, even SAO wasn't that cruel to players.
"You get motion sick, man?" Klein offered a hand to help Evet out of the rickety cart, the ravenette thankful.
"Not often, but extreme movements like that? Certainly makes for an unpleasant experience," Evet wasn't afraid to admit as much. "Regardless... we arrived in one piece, and in considerably less time,"
"Here," Approaching him from the side, Hotaru had him lean against the cart, holding up a glass bottle of water. "It'll help,"
His expression lightened a little. "Thank you," Taking the offered drink, he didn't waste time in biting the top off and enjoying the ice-cold sensation to soothe his stomach, Hotaru smiling gently as she adjusted her bandana again.
"Over there, what's that?" Daora pointed up from the ground towards one of the neighbouring tracks. There was a flicker of light, and the distinct churn of a cart rummaging down the tracks before a shadow emerged with the source of light.
"Woo-hoo~! Hahaha, that was the most terrifying experience of my life! And I threw myself out of a labyrinth tower!" Cackling like a demon, Artorias stuck his head out, looking lost in the euphoria of speeding down a similar track as they had, his arms and legs were shaking with a mixture of adrenaline and excitement, his laughter dying down slowly. "Ah, s-see you guys got the same treatment? This place is a sadist's wet dream, but I get it now, I'm feelin' it,"
"You found a working track too?" Nagi asked.
"Pretty much, not that far from where I left you guys, but seems it all worked out," Artorias leaned onto the edge of his cart as it slowly came to a stop, himself already hopping out to stumble, trying to let out some of that lingering energy. "Oh man, that was actually fun. Sure, bunch of debris to dodge and those jumps had me... well, yeah, but I'd do it again,"
Isshi giggled at this, the wind blowing warmly through her hair. "Now that we've all had our fun-" A few groaned in displeasure. "-...we've arrived,"
The topic soon changed, Nagi approaching the edge of a rocky cliff where the new source of light emanated from. As soon as he did, the heat pressed to his face with a peculiar, cool draft after it. The ground slowly descending to their right in a curve, forming a natural slope into a massive cavern below, only a harsh, orange glow from beyond the cavern's roof, like entering the titanic maw of a slumbering dragon.
Everyone marched down, finally gaining a clearer view of the wide, tall cavern they've arrived in. The area spanned roughly the same size as a stadium, a solid flatland under the mountain with another way in at the far end of the cavern. A few, thick pillars of stone supported the ceiling, some jutting out from the two searing hot pools of magma that flowed deeper into the underground of the mountains, bubbling and rumbling ever-so-slightly in motion.
From the sheer numbness of the blizzard they were dropped into the sweat-inducing heat and pressure of a volcano. But what took their breaths away crunched underfoot. Crawling across the ground, arching into wide crescents and coiling into helixes around each of the pillars, eventually coming to form a webbed canopy of dark blue ice, layers interwoven, drooping from the ceiling and forming a rough, circular formation on the ground, the heat of the magma didn't so much as cause a drip, only a glaring glow refracting through the dark rime.
"She's coming, I can feel it..." Expecting Isshi to say this, a few turned their heads to Daora, the anticipation teetering under his mask, his knuckles tightened against Destroyer for the ensuing battle.
The air grew colder...
From beyond the cavern, a powerful wall of white mist came cascading through, the magma off either side of the land hissing and spewing geysers of molten rock at the touch, the group braced for the cold as frost and ice spread over the ground, cutting into their bodies. Large chunks of ice formed and broke from the ceiling, forcing a few back, Nagi sawing through one with NightSky in time to spot a shadow stand before him, dispersing the mist in a wide ring around the players.
Her head slowly came to rise above them all. Scales shimmering with ethereal frost, expelled a cold vapour so intense that it was almost life-threatening to stand so close. Her wings expanded, their semi-opaque form refracting light across her gradient of icy scales, creating a mesmerizing backdrop of the cavern's inferno. Verglas Velkhana, the Iceborne Wyvern had come for a real fight.
Weapons were drawn and brandished, following Velkhana who slowly circled them, her eyes locked to Nagi's, the one who continued to be a thorn, her frost-tinged armour hiding away the black splinter wedged to her heart. She growled and suddenly leapt over their heads, wings wide and body low, cutting off their entrance, and likely their only exit. Four bright green health bars appeared beside her head.
"This is it!" Nagi barely got the last word out before having to dive sideways, evading a beam of frost that formed a jagged line of ice. Velkhana didn't even give them a moment to organize, whipping her head from left to right, spraying another blast of mist, conjuring an arc of rime that had the whole team scatter, some cut off by the ice wall.
Nagi swung NightSky forward into two vertical slashes, feeling them catch Velkhana's spear-like tail before thrusting against her chest only to narrowly fall sideways, avoiding the tail as it speared the ground beside his head, dragging it through to force Shirayuki and Klein to a standstill, the pair dodging from her gliding slam as the dragon spun around and continued to take stabs at whoever got too close.
With so many to eyeball, Artorias closed in from her left flank, Red Death bleeding cyan, whipping his body into two horizontal sweeps into rising verticals, carving a square through her side, raising his shield in time to slide back from a forceful head charge, sparks flew as Evet and Hotaru swept by, both their weapons cast red and blue, sweeping through the Elder Dragon's legs, using her own ice to manoeuvre and slide to safety, using a lingering ice wall as cover from another vertical breath attack, Velkhana taking to the air.
Spraying downwards, three rings of ice formed and shattered, the air growing cold enough to form clusters of ice to descend upon the group. Argo and Silica took to sweeping arcs through the air, leaping past the others to shatter the crystals as they formed. Silica leapt behind a crumbled wall of ice, evading a horizontal sweep of the tail as Argo leapt over it, Pina keeping close to the pair, healing them.
Velkhana kicked off her claws, tail jutting forwards as it scraped against Artorias's shield, protecting Silica as his back slammed into a rime wall. Overhead, Daora cackled, Destroyer burning gold as it struck the tail with an explosive force, followed by Mito sliding under, hooking Soul Fang with a slash only to drag it back through the dark blue blade, leaving it marred with scars.
Growling, Velkhana lunged at the pair only for a sword to rise with an ocean current, four thrusts piercing her throat into a horizontal from Solar Brilliance, Nagi missed the final strike but the dragon couldn't evade two from Klein nor Shirayuki, both riddling Velkhana with wounds, shattering the frost armour along her right legs, both guarding quickly from the sweeping tail as the wyvern flew behind them to reel back and spray a haze in front of her that instantly erupted with a small glacier of dark ice, throwing Argo, Evet, and Nagi onto their sides, Severe Iceblight stalling their movements when the dragon took to the air.
"That's her big attack, move!" Daora warned, having seen this countless times. Seeing Nagi was closest, he rushed forward, grabbed him by the arm and threw both Nagi and himself behind a fallen ice wall.
Velkhana spewed frost in every direction, the air dropping in temperature dramatically as dozens of ice crystals formed, several walls erupting from the earth as four massive rings grew at her feet. With a deafening roar, Velkhana slammed the center of the ice rings, the walls erupting outward in a frigid blast, shards of ice spearing the ground and all solid surfaces in range. Her armour remained, wings fanned high triumphantly.
Shattering several of the walls, Velkhana yelped as a dark violet arrow sunk into her right shoulder with a small explosion, turning sharply to charge towards Evet who kicked off the small ice ledge to dive past her tail, arrows tinged forest green, Buckshot burying itself in her armour as several thrusts pierced her left side, carving an arc through the earth, nicking Hotaru who dove back for Argo's Acute Vault to puncture the dragon's neck, flinging herself over the beast to rush out of view.
"Sorry for the wait, heck of a long time since I've done this..." Nagi and Daora turned their heads back to find Isshi with her naginata buried blade-first in the frozen ground, eyes closed as around her, a strange, mystical circle of unknown runes appeared, interconnected via lines and several rings, forming a web of magic that released a pulse of light green light.
Caught by the burst, the pair watched in wonder as their health slowly rose once more, granted a new buff known as 'Winter's Blessing'.
"Now we're talkin'!" Reinvigorated, Daora raised his ax forward. "Come on, I'll lead us to victory, I know this monster better than anyone else! Arata, draw her tail away, everyone else attack and switch while moving, her movements are easy to spot!"
"Not my name, but fine!" Artorias waved from behind his own pillar, downing a Hot Drink before sprinting into view.
"Lead the way, Daora," Nagi encouraged, clutching NightSky tightly as the dragon lord laughed.
"Hear me, Verglas Velkhana!" His squawk of a cry drew her ire away from Hotaru, whipping its tail to flick the young shinobi aside. "My name is Kushala Daora, the Lord of Dragons! By my hand and my minions, I will tear that crystal from your chest and be victorious!" Puffing his chest out, he waved both arms wide as he stepped forward, taunting the Elder Dragon to make her move.
A low growl left her lips, but she studied him critically, seeing them all gather and reorganize between the labyrinth of ice she had created. Suddenly, her wings curled around herself, the cold air was immediately drawn in towards her, the sound of crystals breaking and chattering filling the air as a pulsing, baby-blue light emanated from behind her crystal wings. All of them braced for the sudden eruption of sub-zero winds, frost forming on the tips of their armour and hair as the atmosphere took on a faint, blue tinge.
Verglas Velkhana had entered a new stage of evolution, her 'rage mode'. Cracks of black veins stretched from her chest, pitch black rime forming at the tips of her original frost armour and creating a jagged, unruly edge to her shimmering wings. Her eyes moved with a crimson contrail as a jagged, black array of ice formed along her spine towards a larger, onyx-coated tail. Black snow fell around her form as she barrelled toward Daora.
"Come on!" Fuelled by her charge, Destroyer erupted with a fitting, ice-blue array of refracting shades. "Esoteric Skill! Screw Dimension!" Lunging into a wide spin, the head of his ax came crashing against the side of the elongated tail, Velkhana flying back to puncture the air only to swivel forward from the strike that was followed by three diagonal slashes down her legs.
She sprayed in a line from top to bottom under herself, a large wall of blackish-blue ice forming as it caught Daora's arms. Yet, she wailed in pain when his ax demolished the wall, ax carving through every obstacle as it rang off her shoulder with a blast flash of light, sending her sideways through her own rime.
"Switch!" Daora breathed, his breath no longer visible in the air, his insides felt as though they too were frozen, inflicted by 'Black Iceblight', severing his speed in half and dealing constant tick damage.
Crystals fell around them, but a haze of crimson sawed through, Mito's form gliding through the living storm in a whirlwind of slashes, Morana tearing strips down Velkhana as she gasped, throwing herself back in time to evade the sweeping tail but not the cloud of mist that instant erected a small glacier, encasing her from the waist down before shattering, tossing her to the ground. Yet, her trembling hand slapped off Nagi's.
Rising above the crumbling ice, Velkhana's glowering gaze fell to the visage of a dragon made from a raging torrent. Exhaling a cold breath, Nagi's eyes burned with a glint of blue intertwined with his onyx irises. "Tenryū No Mai," In a flurry of blows, Nagi forced Velkhana to retreat, her tail sweeping wildly in an attempt to parry his vicious assault, stars of ocean-blue waves forming amidst her icy chamber, black ice shattering against splashes of aqua.
He slashed in two downward strokes, bashing her tail into the earth, leaving her wide open to the devastating, rising vertical that split through a newly erected wall to act as a shield, Velkhana roared, falling from the air as a deep, crimson gash bled from the stomach, across her chest and over the right side of her face, pulverizing the rime armour in a flash of ultramarine.
Thrown away, Velkhana reeled her head forward to spew a hail of ice only for a bright, silver shield to catch the brunt of it all, Artorias digging his toes in as ice formed at the sides of Ward, his arm buckling. "Come on, hold it!" He swore to himself, gritting his teeth. "If I wanted a breath mint, I'd have asked, you overgrown turkey!"
From the sides, Velkhana whipped her tail, digging it through the earth as two verticals, one from a sheath, the other from overhead, carved through her scales, Klein and Shirayuki rolling sideways, allowing Argo's topaz claws to rend through the underside of the dragon, Frenzy tossing her out of arms way as bubbles burst in view of Velkhana's eyes, briefly confusing the elder dragon as pain flared in its legs, Silica sprinting through, shivering as her dagger swiveled to hack and etch an infinity symbol along all four legs, the outline bursting as she gasped, her side punctured by the tail as it flung her into Argo's arms.
"Gotcha!" Argo sighed, pulling the quivering brunette aside as she smiled weakly to give her thanks, Pina swooping low to out-heal the Black Iceblight.
Nagi stood upright, feeling a hand land on his shoulder, expecting it to be Argo only to blink and find Isshi wearing a sour expression. "I can tell, you can feel it too, can't you? Her pain, her anger?" Isshi knew about his keen sense of smell?
He pushed the thought aside and stared at Velkhana, tanking another deadly Fail-Not from Evet who rolled and quick-changed to his katana to lunge with Ripple Thrust alongside Klein, her tail cutting above their heads as both wings slammed the earth with a blast of ice as she took flight to evade Hotaru's rapier and Mito's scythe. Daora leapt off Artorias's shield, sweeping the air as his ax cleaved against the tail, using it to swing himself away from her sweeping breath attack, the ice cascading upon the group below.
Her attacks had grown more vicious, uncoordinated and sloppy. The once elegance and grace Velkhana displayed had almost withered away, this wasn't just a battle to put an end to the raging storm above ground, this was Velkhana's last grasp at what she used to be, a guardian, slipping away. So long as that black spine remained in her chest, she'd be consumed, it was already starting to corrupt her form physically. Under the numbing cold and howling gales, Nagi felt an agonizing pain.
"...we have to end this, all we're doing is weakening her," She had lost one and a half gauges by now, anymore, and she'd likely fall further into this corruption. It was like they were killing her themselves. "Even Daora knows it... Isshi, what can we do?"
The winter spirit gave it some pause, their heads low to avoid any stray beams of frost and snow. She then had a glimmer in her eyes. "It's a risk, but I find you are all no strangers to such. If I can be so selfish as to ask you all to throw yourselves at her, clip her wings and I shall bind her long enough for you to attempt to pull the corruption from her chest... but I cannot soothe her rage,"
"But perhaps I can," Shirayuki emerged from behind a wall, using a healing crystal to restore her HP as she looked at Nagi and Isshi with confidence burning in her eyes. "Follow Miss Isshi's request, and leave Velkhana's rage to me,"
"Are you sure?" Nagi asked, uncertain as to what Shirayuki had planned.
She gave a nod, "This corruption has taken my home, my people's culture forgotten. So if I can save one legend, than that is enough for me, I will weather this storm with you, my friend,"
"Alright," Kicking off his feet, Nagi headed straight into the heart of the storm. "Everyone! Attack the head, bring Velkhana to the ground... we can save her!"
"Hah, about time!" Daora cracked his neck. "I'm first!"
"We both are," By his side, Mito rushed alongside him.
Bound over a small ledge of ice, they dove at the beast who sprayed a wall of black rime between them. Both pivoted sharply, climbing the ice, providing them a greater reach at her sweeping head. Daora swung forward, Grand Destruction's fiery orange blade grinding against the top of Velkhana's scalp alongside Mito's teal Rend. A double halo dispelled from the dragon's head, shattering the dark armour across her face, disorientating her long enough for the pair to land and evade a sweep of her tail.
Using Klein's shoulders, Hotaru vaulted high, Blossom wrapped in a magenta tinge for a short-ranged, deadly thrust of Oblique, skewering the left jaw as the Elder Dragon snarled, the girl's bandana torn from her face as the black edge of its tail clipped the girl's cheek as she fell into a roll, evading the cloud of white mist from she became encased in ice.
Or until a thunderous shot from Evet's bow obliterated the formation, Hotaru's eyes wide as Evet kicked off a mound of ice left behind, swinging himself around, a red-coated arrow loosed from his fingers, Blast Scale erupting across Velkhana's face, the man using her neck to kick back and land safely in a kneeling position. "Go!" He called, feeling a pair of hard boots dig into his shoulder blades.
"Pina!" Silica called to, not needing another word as more bubbles blinded Velkhana, throwing the thrust of her tail off-centre, clipping the young girl's right side as her dagger glowed bright blue, twisting her lithe body into a whirlwind that carved down the tip of the crown to the base of neck, Round Accel sweeping the cold air and frost around her frame whilst Argo's right heel flew up and around with a flip, driving the heel to spike Velkhana hard with a splash of gold, Luna Arc stunning the great beast.
"Yer up, KleiN!" The broker chimed in, narrowly avoiding a three-ringed ice blast from Velkhana, her legs caught by the shattered fragments digging up her legs.
"Hyraaaaah!" With a wordless cry, Klein charged and drew Sol Moeta high, striking hard and fast with a back-to-back Ichimonji, each strike sending a ripple of electricity through Velkhana's swaying head, the dragon barely able to swing her tail to dig into his left arm, almost severing the limb entirely. Instead of retreating, Klein dug his katana into the ground next to him and grappled the tail with his bleeding left, feeling the dragon nearly throw him back as he wrestled it. "Take 'em down, kid!"
Like a crimson blur, two light blue eyes burrowed through Velkhana's hateful red, a spark of light as bright as a shooting star filling the blue atmosphere in a light red haze. Artorias slammed his palm into Velkhana's throat, using her own body to run and vault off as ice crawled up his feet from just making contact alone, seeing the same nearly freeze Klein's arm off before he threw himself back.
Clasping Red Death skyward, Artorias screamed and brought the full brunt of it down on Velkhana's head, a cacophony of shattered ice and billowing winds with a hint of roaring flames filled the air, the composite skill, Meteor Fall dealing a tremendous blow to the beast. Flames licking Artorias's arm as the teen tumbled onto his knees, shield raised in preparation for a counter attack that never arrived.
Dust settled, and Velkhana fell onto her knees, rasping with the tip of the black spine exposed from her chest. Without a second to lose, Artorias raised his voice as it cracked. "Now!"
Isshi kept her eyes screwed shut, her knuckles turned white as she gripped her naginata tightly, a new ritual painted beneath Velkhana's legs as its ice-blue form pulsed and hummed, brambles of thorny roots made from the very ice Velkhana created snaked and bound themselves to her legs and joints, pinning the tail attempting to thrash as icy roses formed, twinkling from the faint glow of magma to the edges of the chamber.
"I... have her... please... hurry!" Isshi breathed through her teeth, she hadn't made a binding spell in so many centuries that it proved to be taxing, and with how strong Velkhana was, they hadn't the luxury of time.
Sheathing NightSky, Nagi rushed and grabbed the visible point of the spike wedged deep into Velkhana's chest. Just touching it he could instantly feel how cold it was, as though he dipped his hands into liquid nitrogen. Refusing to let it go, he squeezed tightly and pulled, legs against Velkhana's chest. "Come on... come on...!"
Behind him, Argo wrapped her arms across his waist, pulling back as Daora and Mito gripped each of Nagi's shoulders, Artorias pulling at their waists too. "On 'Three'. One. Two. Three!" Artorias called, and the Misfits tugged with all their might, but Velkhana's refusal to give in made it hard as she buckled and roared, any second she could tilt her head down and leave them frozen in an instant.
Shirayuki was quiet, procuring from her Gi a long, wooden flute painted white. Pulling her bandana down, she licked her lips and took a deep breath as the flute rose to her lips. And she played it over the winds.
Her melody was soft, tender, as if she took the moaning wind and reinvented its horrid sound. The song gently rose and fell, carrying a sense of warmth or the calmness of the night, like a lullaby.
Velkhana's thrashing lessened, the terrifying mist filling her jaws faded away. Deep inside of the beast, a distant memory began to find its way through the dark. The Elder Dragon's posture, if only briefly, began to relax. As if by some stroke of luck, Nagi felt the spine in its chest begin to shift, Velkhana was fighting back...
"Keeping pulling!" Evet's own hands gripped below Nagi's, wrenching at the corruption alongside him, Silica doing her best to tug at Evet's own waist to keep him steady alongside Klein who held the man's shoulders.
"Heave-ho!" Klein chimed in, and the whole group pulled back as far as they could.
Even so, Velkhana still put up some resistance, the glowing spell at their feet flickering as Isshi struggled to maintain its hold on the dragon. If they failed, they'd never find another opening, this was their only chance to make it end without bloodshed.
As Shirayuki took a breath, her eyes opened suddenly when her song emanated from her left. She turned slightly only to be surprised by Hotaru, her eyes closed softly, playing her own, identical flute. Smiling warmly, Shirayuki's back leaned against the shorter girl's, their notes lining up into a perfect harmony, resonating off one another as the song grew louder, piercing and outright smothering the cavern's blizzard.
With a final heave, Nagi threw his body as far back as possible, everyone straining themselves to do the same, the raven-brunette nearly standing at a completely horizontal angle against Velkhana's chest.
A cracking sound cut through their strained breaths and gasp, Nagi's eyes wide as he was thrown back sharply, landing atop a small pile of bodies as he and Argo looked up... and saw the black spike clutched in both hands. Panting, the pair glanced at one another, a stupid smile splitting their cheeks as Nagi tossed the black shard as far from Velkhana as he could from the angle he sat at.
Behind them, Hotaru and Shirayuki continued their song, the two shinobi sharing a soft smile, playing to their heart's content. Isshi exhaled sharply, releasing her spell as her legs gave out. But she refused to call it quits, keeping her hazy eyes on Velkhana who let out a pained growl, collapsing forward before the group who scrambled atop one another to a safe distance.
Velkhana's health bars vanished, even though two remained. For a moment, no one could find the will to speak or even breathe, the wyvern remained motionless on the ground, the spike having been lodged deep into her heart for years, corrupting and warping the majestic creature into what it had become. They freed her, but...
Despair began to settle in as Isshi stepped towards Velkhana's silent body, using her naginata as a walking stick only to fall to her knees before the elder dragon's head, eyes shut tight. "Oh, Velk..." With a sad smile, withholding a thousand emotions, Isshi's hand came to gently stroke Velkhana's cheek. "I'm sorry I was never there... you suffered a great deal on my behalf... in the centuries I've lived, I'm still a foolish little girl, forgive me..."
Before she bowed her head to repent, both of Velkhana's wings twitched, the last piece to the sister shinobi's song trailing through the air. Isshi leaned back as everyone else felt their hands reach for their weapons, watching in a mixture of relief and dread as the dark dragon rose to its full height, wings curling around it like a shell, the ice as frigid and numb as before.
Stretching her wings wide, Velkhana let out the loudest roar it could muster, a scar piercing the iridescent scales on her chest as every inch of black rime shattered and crumbled in the air around her, the temperature increasing slowly as any and all dark blue rime cracked and fell apart, melting away under the extreme heat of the magma lakes below. Folding her wings, Velkhana's eyes took on a fearsome, yellowish tint instead, staring across at the various swordsmen before it with critical silence.
"Velk..." Isshi's voice quivered, and the elder dragon leaned down to exhale through her nose, blowing a cold mist across Isshi's face as she giggled. Then, both leaned forward, their foreheads coming to connect softly. "...thank the Goddesses... I'm sorry I took so long..." The pair remained in this gentle embrace for a moment more before Isshi pulled back. "You're free now..."
Heeding these words, Velkhana eyed the shinobi as their sound came to a quiet end, both staring up at the towering dragon of ice as it regarded them all. Splaying its wings, she gave a gentle beat and roared, quickly turning to take to the skies and fly for the exit to the volcanic chamber, leaving a trail of snow in her wake.
"We... we really did it..." Nagi rubbed something from his eyes, chuckling. "We saved Velkhana!"
"Hahahaha, yeah we did!" Daora cackled. "That was awesome! Not only did I get to fight an even stronger version of it, but I proved I can beat one without killing it, hah!"
Mito rolled her eyes with a soft giggle. "I'll admit, I was worried you'd just up and try to kill her regardless," Daora turned to make a retort but stopped when Mito tapped her knuckle off his chest with a gentle expression. "I'm glad I was wrong,"
"Ya sure don't get a boss battle like those everydaY," Argo whistled, brushing off the lingering frost from her cloak as she leaned her chin against Nagi's shoulder, her arms still hugging his waist. "Good call on ensnarin' her instead, cut the fight in half for us to booT,"
"It was Isshi who asked me to pin Velkhana," Nagi admitted, nodding to the woman who caught a snowflake in her hand, smiling brighter than when they met her, a significant weight had been lifted from the spirit's shoulders. "She wanted to save someone close to her, I wasn't going to refuse that, even at the risks,"
"Never a dull moment with you in charge, boss," Artorias huffed lightly, Red Death over one shoulder as he shivered on reflex. "But man, I love feeling the heat again, my feet are so numb I'm convinced they've been cut off,"
"Still got 'eM," Argo answered.
"Ah, neat," Artorias then eyed Silica petting the top of Pina's head. "How's the dragon master holding up?"
"Oh, r-really good," She sneezed, her cheeks a little red. "I'm still freezing but I'm happy we could save Velkhana. Pina seems happy too,"
The little drake gave them a happy cry, flapping his wings. "Guess some dragons resonate with one another, it must've felt the pain Velkhana was in," Klein hazard a guess before looking over at Shirayuki. "But even better was that duet, what was that song? How'd you know it would calm her down?"
Shirayuki addressed them with a smile, holding up her flute. "It is precisely the song written for Velkhana long ago, The Iceborne Wyvern, I had feared a solo performance wouldn't be enough, as the song it meant as a duet, so I was pleasantly surprised Hotaru aided me,"
The ravenette in question had picked something up not far away, turning when she heard her name. "It was a matter of succeeding in freeing Velkhana, that's all," She dismissed poorly, Shirayuki retaining her chipper grin.
"You are many things, Hotaru, but a liar is not one of them, you aren't the type to shy away from the truth," That made the young girl flinch, lowering her gaze away shamefully. Shirayuki approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I do not know what has caused this strife between us, I won't try to guess what you're thinking. But for what it's worth, I cannot thank you enough for aiding us... and to play that song again with me,"
A shuttered breath escaped Hotaru, her head rising slowly with the most pained smile Nagi had ever seen that it caught him off-guard. Hotaru shook her head, trying to avoid Shirayuki's eyes. "...I'm sorry... for everything..."
Shirayuki's body froze up, collapsing into a heap at Hotaru's feet with the distinct, yellow icon beside her health bar, and the kunai held out by Hotaru's left hand. Paralysis.
"Shirayu-" Nagi moved away from Argo as a dark form shifted past his slowed vision.
"Forgive me, but this is where we part ways,"
Argo felt her vision shift, all her limbs weighed down like lead, unable to move or even speak without her tongue feeling the same effects. In a single heave, Evet had thrown Argo away from the whole party, her body sailing straight over the cliffside, right above the lake of magma below...
[To Be Continued...]
[Author's Notes]
What a big chapter, just so much to write that I went a tad overboard, but worth it! A thrilling cart-ride followed by an icy battle underground! And the song chosen for the duet of Shirayuki and Hotaru is Lugia's Song, perfect for what was needed. And how to top this off? With a cliff hanger betrayal from Hotaru and Evet, but why and for what purpose?
I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; see ya in the next chapter, Misfits!
078 - Metastability
Caught off guard by Evet and Hotaru's betrayal, questions arising amidst their panic. What was it all for? Why turn their backs on them now? And where will the line between what's right and wrong be drawn...?