|Sword Art Online, Floor 61, Whaletail Isles|
|Feb. 22nd 13:44|
Floor 61 was similar to the 24th, most of its surface was covered in a body of water, with islands for players to sail and teleport between. The main settlement of the floor, Selmburg, is a castle-city located on an island in the middle of the lake, with neatly uniform streets, and with a charming view of the floor from nearest the castle or the mountain at its back. As for the labyrinth, it had its own island, the second largest, and was surrounded by storm clouds almost constantly, like an endless hurricane.
But, the same could be said about the current island that played a part in the questline. For the last two days, players have scouted each island to destroy arrays that maintained the impassable storm sealing off the labyrinth while also aiding in returning the ecosystems to normal, as the arrays have caused several monsters to run rampant on their respective islands.
A downpour continued without restraint, battering the old ruined road leading to a fishing village nearby, the tropical forests and cove ahead cast in dark, grey shadows as monsters stalked towards the stairway. Old walls and a large archway made for a good chokepoint to funnel the mobs through. Nagi's party, combined with the Sleeping Knights and even Kibaou with his own party, held the line until the array was destroyed elsewhere by another team.
Crimped Gills were piranha-like fish that could swim through the air, and usually attacked in groups. Scorching Wasps had a bright red colour pallet and their stings could deal burn damage. And Clamour Beaks, pelican birds with steel-like beaks and wings, making them very sturdy. But worst of all? The attack on the array somewhere on the island brought a far more ferocious monster out from hiding.
The beast was crane-like in appearance. It had a large red and gold parasol-like collar around its head, and this same coloration can be found on its wings and on its eye-like head-crest, which only added to its intimidating appearance. It had a long beak and yellow eyes; covered in white scales, while some of these scales become feathered, and it has long narrow legs. Its tail also ends in a peculiar hook-like shape.
/NM Aknosom - Lv. 102\
It flew into the air again, spewing down a bombardment of small fire balls onto mossy stone and sand. Artorias swung his shield wide, Ward widening the edges of his shield to withstand the attack, then, Aknosom slammed its crest down like a mallet, metal screeching as the Red Warrior slid back on his toes, holding firm.
"Switch," He called, Daora and Mito rushing the boss on either side as it swung its right wind wide like a blade, sweeping under Mito's feet, the purplette drawing Soul Fang down across its back, then back up the way, arching her back to swing herself into two horizontal slashes, Harvest's emerald gleam dug deep through scaly feathers as it stumbled and spat a fire ball at her only to be cut off by Daora's crushing, Grand Destruction.
"Bastard's taking a beatin'!" Kibaou grunted, making a gesture with his scimitar. "You lot close in from its blindspot, overwhelm it now!"
"No need," Stepping ahead of Kibaou, Nagi's sword skill turned a darker shade of water due to the gloomy weather and constant rainfall. "I'll handle this."
"Huh!? The hell are you-" Kibaou couldn't get another word in as Nagi rushed forward, leaving a trail of water behind him.
Artorias blocked and threw back the wing, aiming the tip of Red Death for Aknosom's throat as the tip of his blade turned a dark red. The skill was quickly cut off when a streak of water torn across Aknosom's beak, causing the field boss to stumble with a squawk, flaring its wings when that same visage of a dragon tore through its chest in two wide swings, a forth blow goring its chest, spewing red polygons as it wailed and slammed Nagi with its wing, clipping his hip.
All it could see were a pair of pinprick eyes burrowing back, the aquatic katana erupting to life as Nagi tumbled across the ground only to be pulled to his feet by Solar Brilliance, the tip of NightSky carving through the large bird's body like a torrent, a final, wide crescent cleaving its head from its shoulders, bringing the boss down with ease.
The rain continued to batter them, even as those on Add clear finished up all the stragglers, they turned to hear no cheering or praises, just the sight of the field boss shattering at Nagi's feet, the teen's grip on his blade white as snow. "There, the array should be dealt with by now, we can move on."
"Right..." Artorias lowered his blade, making a strange face but quickly hid it with his usual glare. "This rain's making my coat all itchy,"
"Grah, I had it too!" Daora grumbled, swinging his axe in its shortened form lightly.
"Oi, Nagi, get your act together!" However, Kibaou wasn't about to let things slide, marching up to the brooding teen, arms crossed. "You can't just go about breaking formation! This floor may be easy-going for now, but that doesn't mean you get to throw a wrench into rotation patterns!"
"It was almost dead anyway, and Ran and her team had Add clear under control without me, so what does it matter?" His tone was completely flat, as if someone had flipped a switch in his head. Nagi's expression remained cold and at times, frustrated, as if constantly bugged by something or someone.
"What, you think you can handle these boss fights all by yourself?" Kibaou challenged, watching Nagi's brow furrow as he raised his head.
"Y'know what? Sure, that sounds perfectly fine with me, it'll be better that way," Nagi's tone sharpened near the end, causing Kibaou to yank Nagi forward by his haori.
"Ya listen here, and listen good! I dunno what's going on in that thick head of yours, but you need to pull your head out your ass; it was just some NPC that bit it!" The words left his lips without a second thought, causing Nagi's whole face to tense up and pale, feeling his heart twist sharply.
"Kibaou, that's enough!" Mito raised her voice at him, pulling the Army's commander's hand off Nagi. "That's going too far, even for you."
Realizing what he said, Kibaou scoffed and scratching his nape, lowering his voice a little to try and ease up. "Look, I didn't mean it like that, I-"
"No, you're right, what does it matter now what Shirayuki was?" Nagi turned to walk back to the fishing village. "She's gone, so there's no point mulling over needless things when we have a job to do," Peering over his shoulder, Nagi's apathetic gaze met Kibaou's frustrated expression. "Right, Kibaou?"
"..." He didn't speak, so Nagi kept walking, dragging NightSky over the occasional bump in the old road, leaving all of them standing there without a single thing to say, even Mito lowered her hand, unable to stop her leader from walking away.
|Floor 61, City of Selmburg, Overlook Inn|
|Feb. 22nd 15:06|
Not long after the next step in their questline, a number of those from Misfits and the Sleeping Knights gathered in a sizeable room at an inn located, as its name implies, at a sea cliff. The interior was furnished nicely, with soft armchairs and sofas around a wide coffee table, a fireplace, and a few other pieces of nice, oak furniture. But the air was quiet despite their numbers.
Ran cupped her hands together, raising her lips away from them with a knit brow. "I don't know what to say, I tried to speak with him, but... he's still completely torn up about Shirayuki,"
"I don't get it," Jun waved his arm, frowning. "I mean, I know she meant more than just some NPC, but like, ah, what's the word...?"
"He's expressing himself as if he lost someone close, like family," Mito noticed, rubbing her temples. "He's gotten careless, like he doesn't even realize what's going on around him anymore. He's been neglecting to even talk to us casually, and he spaces out constantly, it's just like what I did after I believed I killed Asuna." The memory still made Mito shuffle uncomfortably.
"Like me, he's driven himself into believing everything's to be handled alone, cause he knows he's capable of pulling twice the weight of regular players, that's a given," Artorias noted, leaning back into his spot on a sofa, eyes to the ceiling, contemplating it all like a book in his head. "But this isn't desperation, he's trying to distract himself from something, or... I guess its more like you, Blackie,"
Kirito was also present, having heard from a... colourful message from Kibaou about the incident while he and a handful of others took care of the array. The black-clad swordsman crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe. "I guess so, his actions recently correlate with some of the things I did after... my former guild, he's pushing himself to grow stronger at an exceedingly faster rate than most,"
"His level's already two higher than Daora's," Mito mentioned, causing the masked teen to grunt, his foot tapping the floor impatiently.
"It's so cool, his attacks are so much more vicious and brutal that it makes my skin crawl... and for some reason, that's really pissing me off!" He hollered, slamming his heel down, causing the oversized coffee table to jump, just as Siune caught her cup of tea before it flew across the room.
Taking all of this in, Yuuki raised her head off Artorias' side as she huffed to herself and got up, grabbing Obsidian Rose off the table. Ran's eyes following her. "Where are you going?"
"To deal with this myself, just sitting here's not gonna make him feel any better," She grabbed the doorknob and stopped, feeling her heart clench. "I might just make him angry but that's good, I want him to be honest, and there's only one way I know how to do that," Throwing the door open, the purplette marched off, steadfast in her mission.
"Yuuki - oh for the love of..." Sighing into her palm, Ran dragged it down her face. "She's as impulsive as Nagi, honestly..."
That at least made a handful of them smile. "Well, she is your sister," Siune teased, causing the raven-brunette to raise an incredulous brow.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" But all she got was a laugh from the group, much to her chagrin.
"Ah, it's not so bad, Shorty," Artorias dismissed with a wave, earning her flat glare.
"I don't want to hear anything from the man incapable of saying my name," Ran remarked.
During their banter, Yuuki made it outside as she eyed her friend's list, making note of Nagi's current location in town, if she had to guess, he was resupplying to go out hunting again. Just as she turned to march up the street, she yelped and moved back in surprise when Kirito landed on the pavement beside her. Her head flicked up to the balcony, then back to Kirito with a humorous smirk.
"Did you just jump from the balcony to catch me?"
"It was faster than the stairs," Dusting off his coat, he walked alongside her at a brisk pace. "I have an idea what you're gonna do, if you don't mind me tagging along?"
"I'd say 'more the merrier' but too many people might make things harder to say, but I can't wait for something to happen to try and reach him," Yuuki wasn't about to let this go, even if it did cause some friction between them, closing her fist by her chest. "Even if he might hate me for it, that's fine, it doesn't change the fact that I was close to his heart,"
Kirito sorta understood that, there's only things he understands through gaming or fighting, different problems required angles talking alone might not be able to reach. "Right, then I'll leave this to you then,"
It was odd, Yuuki had barely talked to Kirito alone like this, but he seemed to get where she was coming from, and that alone was more than enough for her, smiling confidently. "Thanks, let's pick up the pace!" And with a burst of speed, Yuuki took off up the road, Kirito quickly catching up to her.
|Feb. 22nd 15:29|
Walking through a plaza that curved and overlooked the various elevations of the city below, Nagi finished with his prep work, there were a handful of locations on the 60th floor that could still provide a significant boon to his levelling, if he could acquire the Mote of Light buff, that would be a far greater streak of luck. He had to get stronger, stronger than anyone else in this game, and especially stronger than Evet.
"Hah, found you!" Jumping at the boisterous tone, Nagi turned to find Yuuki grinning with her fists on her hips, Kirito standing next to her. "That haori of yours stands out compared to other players!"
"Yeah, it does... did you need something, Yuuki?" Despite mustering up a faint smile, it didn't last, his tone remaining withdrawn and faint.
"Mmhm, that's right, mister, and that's this!" She swung her menu open, franticly pushing unseen buttons before a notification appeared on Nagi's end, one that had his eyes widen.
|Will you accept duel request?|
|Opponent: Yuuki|
|1 V 1 - Single Strike|
|Yes / No|
"A... duel?" Nagi knew one thing, of all players, Kirito, Artorias, and Yuuki were by far the most terrifying in terms of skill with a sword. Kirito's reaction time was unbelievable, Yuuki's reflexes made her own movements and reactions nearly as good as his, and Artorias's analytical mind made up for both and even created the advance ability to chain sword skills. Nagi, on the other than, was none of those things.
"That's right, you and me, I wanna see how good you really are, right here and now!" Yuuki demanded with a toothy grin that flared with determination. "You're my cousin, so I expect a real fire in your heart when you fight, no exceptions!"
Walking around to lean against the white stone railing, Kirito sat this out, leaving Nagi with little choice but to accept, sighing in defeat as the countdown began. The open space was decent for a fight, and no one was about to come barrelling into the middle of their duel either. Drawing NightSky, Nagi knew he couldn't half-ass this, not when it came to someone as strong as Yuuki, he already knew that when they first reunited.
{3, 2, 1}
She quickly gave a closed-eyed smile, masking the unwavering resolve she felt to reach out to Nagi's closed-off heart.
{Begin!}
The bright, bold letters disappeared, and both Obsidian Rose and NightSky crackled in the middle, letting out a gust of wind at their feet as both cousins held their own. Nagi felt his world shift right, Yuuki's foot sweeping his but he quickly righted himself with his left, twisting sharply under her arching blade as it dipped to block his shallow swing at her back.
Spinning again to face her, Yuuki's hair blew behind her, sweeping the open air when Nagi sucked in his gut, her weapon only slashing at his haori, which thankfully didn't count as his hitbox. Clasped in both hands, NightSky struck down hard against her sword, but she guided it up its length, flicking the tip skyward with her blade, adjusting her grip with a mere flick of the wrist, drawing it down on where Nagi previously stood, his shadow sailing overhead, pivoting to block her thrust with the face of his katana.
Each of Yuuki's strikes were fast and unrelenting, the tip of the blade bouncing off each block made, Nagi could barely keep this up, and with sword skills disabled for this fight, it was all raw talent he had to work with. Pushing her weapon back, he loosened his grip, allowing him to twirl NightSky into a rampant arc of swings, the katana a blur of black steel scraping against Yuuki's, herself on the defence for once.
She leapt back, eyes narrowed with that same, confident smirk, before thrusting her blade forward, clipping NightSky's spin, causing the blade to clatter off to the side, leaving Nagi defenceless. Advancing, Yuuki lunged with a series of thrusts, cutting through the air with deadly precision, closing the distance between them, Obsidian Rose inches from catching Nagi's chest.
*Bam!*
Her eyes shook at the unpleasant sensation, Nagi's boot twisting against the skin-tight fabric on her stomach, forcing her back for him to push off her body and slide into NightSky, spinning around to rest on his knees, charging her while she recovered from the sneaky blow, nevertheless, her eyes sparkled with excitement as she effortlessly parried each strike, her movements fluid in her dance.
Adjusting fast, Nagi feinted left, then swung right, attempting to catch her off guard. Yuuki, however, anticipated the move, sidestepping with a graceful pirouette, Obsidian Rose drawn up to counter, the edge grazing by his cheek, feeling the wind behind her strike. Without warning, Yuuki launched into a flurry of attacks, her sword a blur of dark purple, pushing Nagi back on the defence as their weapons crashed together.
Criss-crossing, Nagi's eyes flashed at the opening between her near-unbreakable stride, attempting to run his blade along her vertical swipe, aiming for her midsection. With a swift sidestep and a flick of her wrist, she disarmed him, sending his sword flying through the air, only this time, her weapon clipped across his collarbone, drawing only a mere fraction of his HP, but that was enough for her to give a playful wink.
"Looks like I win again, hehe,"
-{WINNER YUUKI!}-
Exhaling, Nagi raised his hands slightly, but not before Yuuki pulled him into a quick hug with a laugh. "Man, you've gotten so much faster! I think you nearly had me there - also, seriously, what's with people going for a gut punch on me!?" She dismayed with a pout, picking up NightSky for Nagi.
"I think that's just Artorias," Something Nagi decided to use as she wouldn't have expected it. "You're as strong as ever, no surprise there,"
"Hm, true, but I mean it, you had to rely on sword skills to keep up with me near the end of our first match, but this was all swordplay without the system assist, I'd be totally screwed if not for Asuka Empire before SAO!" Yuuki admitted earnestly, scratching the back of her head, then spun to look at Kirito. "Even Kirito had me on the ropes to this day, he's a beast!"
"I can't tell if that's a compliment or not..." Kirito raised his hand slightly with an uncertain smile. "But she's right, you've improved considerably since the Beta,"
While that was all well and good, it didn't force a smile to emerge from Nagi, his eyes trailed off to the side. "...but it's still not enough, not yet," If he couldn't make up the difference, what will happen next time Evet shows to finish the job? What if Yuuki and Kirito aren't there? What if it isn't just his life at risk? Artorias, Daora, Mito... Argo...
Yuuki's eyes softened, moving around to grab his hands tightly. "Maybe it isn't, but that's why we're all in this together, right? If you can't handle the load, then you have your party, mine, Kirito's, and everyone else we've fought alongside. Believe me, I'm know its not easy feeling like you're worthless, all we can do is what we're best at, I think that's most important."
"Maybe..." That despair hadn't lifted, there was something else that Nagi wasn't saying. This wasn't just about Shirayuki; Nagi was torn about her death, Yuuki felt it too that day, but this was a grief that's been festering for a long time, but how long had Nagi kept it sealed up inside? Longer than they've known each other, probably.
Pulling away from her hands, Nagi gave a curt wave. "I've gotta go, but... thank you for the duel, Yuuki, maybe... I can duel you next time, Kirito,"
"Sure, I don't mind whenever," Kirito shrugged, biting his cheek as he tried to think of what he wanted to say. If his own cousin couldn't get through to him, Kirito could at least get Nagi to remember something else, "'I'm not about to just abandon my friend who's hurting'," Kirito recited, causing Nagi to slow his step. "You said that to me last December, when I was about to risk my life for the revival item, I didn't know it at the time, but I needed to hear that among everything else."
Nagi kept walking after that, his hand twisting at a pain in his chest, all he could see was their body, motionless on the floor, and that sight nearly made wish he could throw up in this game.
|Floor 61, City of Selmburg, Overlook Inn|
|Feb. 22nd 23:18|
"Now, ain't that somethiN'," Hearing her voice right beside him almost had Nagi fall off the edge of the bed alongside the guitar on his lap. Argo's head tilted sideways to look at him curiously. "Haven't seen ya whip that out for a whilE,"
He had spent hours on the 60th floor but even his body knew when to call it quits for the night, everyone else was handling the main questline, the labyrinth was open to them now, meaning, he would be ready to start mapping it come tomorrow. So, he spent the rest of the night trying to practice, and to remember something important.
"I... I wanted to practice a song Yuna showed me, and because I haven't played in a while, like you said," Nagi answered her in a murmur, trying to adjust his fingers, but after only a line or two, he messed up, causing his face to crease in annoyance at the constant fumbling. "I doubt I could play anything right now..."
"That sO?" Patting her hips, Argo stretched for a moment. "I've been sailing all over this floor, gettin' every quest written up in full that I'm startin' to feel sea sick, so I could use a nice tune to serenate mE,"
Moving onto the bed, Nagi's whole body went rigid as he felt her body press against his back, her chin coming to rest against his right shoulder. Argo had stripped down to her nightwear outfit, which was a pair of olive-green shorts and an orange vest shirt, and she had her chest pressed right against his back so the blood came rushing up to his cheeks, feeling her silky arms wrap around his waist.
"I-I-I'm not sure I could do that," Nagi stammered for a second, but Argo refused to move, one hand coming up to flick his nose, her eyes remaining shut.
"Ya just gotta find yer flow, repetition is the key, HerO," Argo wagged said finger.
He pulled a face, but it was obvious Argo had no intentions of moving nor letting him worm his way out of practice he brought on himself. Adjusting the guitar, he took it from the top, playing slowly to find his rhythm. It was hard to concentrate at first, what with his lovely girlfriend using his back like a pillow, or the fact he could pick up her scent so strongly beside him. Out the corner of his eye, her eyes were still closed, a small smile resting on her whiskered cheeks, even how her golden bangs framed her face as she leaned into his shoulder.
His fingers moved up the neck of the guitar, passing the mental block that had kept him stagnant for the last ten minutes, watching his fingers travel across the instrument, quickly remembering the right notes, he stumbled at points but managed to keep his footing, mentally. Argo's arms tightened around his stomach, her brow creasing for a second.
"You don't need to keep this up all the time, not with mE," Is what Argo wanted to say, to have him look her in the eyes and realize how much the last two days have torn at his heart, and that he didn't need to do it all alone. But she bitterly knew better, those sweet nothings aren't going to magically take away his pain, so instead, she'll do it one step at a time, even if it takes a long time to get there. "Yer a natural, Hero, I could fall asleep to thiS..."
"Re-really? Thanks," A ghost of a smile touched his lips, continuing to play and learn with Argo's warmth enveloping him.
[To Be Continued...]
[Author's Notes]
Nagi's not taking Shirayuki's death too well, and everyone knows it, but what else is tearing him up inside? And can anybody reach his heart before it sinks too deep? I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; see ya in the next chapter, Misfits!
088 - Anger and Bargaining
Extremely early in the morning, Nagi mulls over his menus when he notices a quest left unfulfilled...