A flurry of weapons rained down on him. Each of them were four different types of the weapons available to players in the death game known as «Sword Art Online». Wielded by four different people, the boy being attacked had to find a way to prevent any of them from hitting his vulnerable body.
Collecting himself, he spun around, keeping his staff out, he was able to get a clean hit on one of his assailants, he hit that one in the gap of his armour before pulling the stick in the opposite direction and hitting a different person in the head.
Somehow predicting another hit, he took one of his hands off of his weapon and pulled it towards his body. A standard sword cut at the now empty area. Then using his fist, he attacked the blade's wielder with a well aimed punch to the face before using his other hand to spin his staff and following up with a jab.
I guess those martial arts skills weren't a complete waste of time.
As he thought that, he used his staff to vault forward, rotating himself around before landing on his feet and attacking the dagger wielder who was unleashing a flurry of slashes on the area he once occupied.
Using his weapons far superior reach, he attacked the yellow-clothed boy before he could even finish his final skill.
And that's all four.
After making sure each of his assailants were downed, he let out a sigh of relief.
As soon as he did so, the sound of clapping filled the air.
"Not bad, leader." A voice called over. The owner of the voice walked over to the people who were attacking him moments ago and offered his hand to the only girl there.
"That's your third successful win today," the boy said. "They didn't get a single hit on you and you were able to predict strikes you couldn't see," he summarized the training fight. "Congrats. I think you're ready."
Despite his success, he could not bring himself to smile. Not when he knew what he was practicing for.
"Thanks, Kirito," he said a bit woodenly. He turned to the rest of his guildmates who were picking themselves up off the ground. "Sorry about that guys. I hope I didn't hit you too hard."
"Don't worry about it, boss," Tetsuo assured him. "If it's for our mission, we'll take any hit. You know, as long as this gets you guys ready."
That was able to bring a smile to his face. He couldn't help but appreciate his friends. They always had his back. And as cruel as it may sound, he was glad that they were trapped in this death game with him.
"As for the rest of you. Some advice for when you're fighting more intelligent opponents." Kirito addressed the others.
"Sasamaru, good attacking speed, but you should avoid leaving yourself too vulnerable. Find a good opportunity to attack while being sure to defend yourself."
"Tetsuo, remember to actually use your shield. Even when your attacking, it can still defend you if you can predict where your enemy will attack you."
"Ducker, nice attacking speed. You're really learning from our lessons. Still, avoid leaving yourself vulnerable when fighting opponents with weapons that have a better reach. Try using those martial arts skills we've been practicing to defend your other side to."
"Sachi, also remember to keep your shield up… then again, that probably won't save you from face punches." He laughed a bit mischievously. At the same time, he flashed a glare at Keita. "Also, I know that Keita's our friend, but don't hesitate like that when fighting a real opponent, okay?"
They all nodded and agreed. Looking at their arms tentatively, it was evident that they were taking his advice to heart.
"Well we're up for another round," Sasamaru challenged as he got up. "You ready, Keita?" he asked, his voice missing its usual careless tone.
"That shouldn't be necessary," Kirito called over. "We've been at this for quite some time. It's probably better if we rest up for the night now."
The black-haired boy looked to him with an embarrassed expression. "Sorry, didn't mean to speak for you."
Keita let out a small scoff.
Kirito really was an awkward boy. After all the time he has been a part of their guild, he should realize he could speak whenever he wanted to.
"No worries. You're probably right. Let's head back for the night."
The others were all too quick to agree.
Perhaps they understood how he felt too and that's why they were quick to pack up.
I wish we didn't have to do this… but I won't let any of them share this burden…
"Why does it have to be you?" Sachi asked after they returned to their room.
The boy she asked looked down at his hands, not sure as to what was the right thing to say.
About a week ago, the Clearing Group had found out the base of operations of the murder guild «Laughing Coffin».
With a heavy heart, Kirito had told the rest of the group of the situation. At the time, he had intended to merely tell them that he would not be going with the rest of the Moonlit Black Cats, unwilling to put such a thing on their consciences.
However, before he could say that, Keita had already volunteered to go with him.
Even at the time, they all noted how he didn't say that they were all going.
Kirito tried to reason with him, reminding him that Laughing Coffin was a guild composed of people who have killed before and would probably have no issues cutting them down if they attacked.
His words did not directly say it, but they still conveyed the message he didn't want to put into words – That the «Clearers» may have to kill if they didn't surrender.
Before giving his reasons, Keita ushered Kirito into the other room.
Once they were gone, Sachi took an apprehensive look at the rest of her guildmates.
Sasamaru was fidgeting his fingers nervously and staring at his lap intently.
Tetsuo was looking down at the floor, his expression giving off an aura of deep shame.
Ducker was the most concerning. His entire body was shaking as his eyes kept darting around nervously.
Am I still the only one who knows why he would be extra hesitant to run into PKers?
She was certain that she was giving off the worst impression.
In spite of their obvious guilt, they still knew that they would not willingly volunteer for a mission like this.
Eventually, the two boys returned.
Keita put on a forced smile and addressed them. "Okay, the raid is going to happen next week." His voice was not his usual commanding tone. "And I was hoping," Sachi immediately panicked, assuming that she would ask them to go with them, "that you guys could help me practice before that."
She let out a sigh of relief which said a lot of awful things about her, but nobody seemed to care. She wanted to say something then, to beg for him – for both of them – not to go through with this. Even if it may have been the right thing to do, they shouldn't have to throw away a part of themselves because of some madman's twisted game!
But she couldn't… or rather she didn't…
Was it fear that stopped her? Or was it the fact that she of all people had to throw away her morals once in order to save somebody she cared for?
"I don't know," Kirito responded. "Maybe it's because if I don't, somebody may suffer from Laughing Coffin's actions… or maybe it's because I'd prefer that it would be me who does this, rather than forcing it on someone else…"
Hesitantly, he met her eyes.
They silently asked her if she understood what he was saying.
I know too well. She closed her eyes and sat down. And I would probably do it again… even if I don't want to…
He knew what she did on that day. How badly it affected her. How she had no other choice. At that time, he had assured her that what she did was the right thing… Although at the time, she knew that his hands were still clean.
She let out her breath in a sigh. "Just promise me…" she spoke hesitantly. "That you two will return home safely."
It took him a while to answer, wondering what was the right thing to say. "…I promise, Sachi… I'll make sure that your best friend and your beloved Kirito will come back home."
They both knew that it was a hollow promise, but it was something they both needed to hear at that time.
"Come back soon. Okay, Kirito?"
Today was the day. Kirito and Keita were going to meet up with the rest of the Clearing Party to take part in the raid.
Sachi's arms were wrapped tightly around Kirito. Even then she didn't want him to go…
His arms were wrapped around her just as tightly, not wanting to leave her.
"I promise."
At the same time, Keita was exchanging farewells with the rest of their guildmates in their own ways – Fist bumping Tetsuo, locking arms then thumping each other's backs with Sasamaru, and a sequence of high-fives with Ducker.
Once they were done, she reluctantly separated from her partner. They exchanged sad smiles.
With a quick motion, she ran up to Keita and embraced him just as fiercely. One of his arms was wrapped around her, while the other was petting her head gently. They didn't exchange words, but they were able to communicate with each other without them.
"Alright guys," Keita addressed the rest of his guildmates, "see you later."
Without responding, they all waved after the two leaving.
Once they were gone, everyone wordlessly entered the guildhouse.
Unlike most days, they didn't separate and do their own things, instead, it seemed like everyone had the same idea as they all went to the couches in the main room and sat down.
No words were exchanged. All their thoughts were on their friends who left for the dangerous mission. For what may have been hours, they merely sat there together, each of them wondering whether they should've volunteered to join them.
Suddenly, there was a loud, continuous sequence of knocks on the door to their home.
Suddenly alert, Tetsuo and Sasamaru immediately shot up. They exchanged questioning glances with the rest of their guildmates. Silently, making a plan, the two walked over to the door but pulled out their weapons before opening it.
In the door frame was a person wearing a black cloak with a hood that covered their head.
The person looked up to them, revealing their dark grey eyes which were widened in fear and stared at them despairingly.
"Oh thank God!" they spoke with a feminine sounding voice. "I was so worried that you wouldn't be here!"
Briefly caught off guard, they stayed silent for a moment. "Well we're here," Tetsuo answered. "Who are you and why did you come here?"
The girl looked to him with imploring eyes, already begging for him to listen.
"Please! There's no time!" she said desperately.
Hearing her distress, everyone immediately got up and gathered around the door.
"Please! Some people from my village were captured by Laughing Coffin!"
As soon as they heard the name of the guild, everyone jolted in surprise.
"But Laughing Coffin is…" Tetsuo considered out loud. He quickly shook his head and looked to the girl. "Tell us everything."
The girl quickly explained how she was grinding for EXP on the 35th floor for a long time and when she was coming back from the fields, a group of orange curser players suddenly surrounded them, disarmed them of their weapons and took her partymates hostage.
"They told me that I could get them back if I brought people to fight them," she sobbed. "I even went to the «Knight of the Blood Oath's» headquarters but they weren't there!"
Of course they weren't there. What this person probably didn't know was that the KoB was leading the charge against the Laughing Coffin base. Naturally, to prevent the murder guild from catching wind of their plans, that info was only shared between players who would take place in the raid.
There was a short period of silence as her words washed over them. They considered what were their options now that this girl had brought this situation to them.
"I understand," Tetsuo said. "We may not be the Knights of the Blood Oath, but we will do what we can."
He looked at the rest of his guildmates, silently asking, no, begging them to agree.
I wish we could wait for Kirito and Keita to come back… Sachi thought regretfully. If Kirito was there, she knew that he would be able to work out the situation better than the four of them could. But when she took another look at the desperate girl, she made her conviction. But they need help right now!
There was no question as to what they would have to do.
"Let's do this," Ducker prompted. However their usual group cheer was devoid of the levity they normally said it with.
"Get ready in 5 minutes," Tetsuo instructed. "We'll head out immediately after."
They all nodded and went through their inventories. Due to the fact that they used their equipment frequently, it was easy to find it and put it on without wasting any time. Within a minute, they had already put on their best armour and equipped their best weapons.
Taking a look at the rest of them to confirm that they were equipped, Tetsuo turned to the girl who looked a bit calmer than when she arrived. "Can you lead us to your village?" he requested. "And tell us where they should be on the map. We can take it from there."
"Understood," the girl said. Strangely, her voice sounded more confident.
Barely taking note of that, the entire group ran as fast as they could in the direction of the teleport plaza. Quickly using the plaza, they all looked at each other, trying to reassure one another. However, when she glanced at the girl whose name they never asked for, Sachi couldn't help but notice that she seemed to glare at her spitefully.
The trees passed by them in a blur.
Ducker, being the fastest one there was leading the group to the area on the map that the girl pointed out.
As they ran, Sachi only focused on getting to their destination… but her mind kept going to the point where they would actually meet Laughing Coffin.
Pretend that you're the Black Swordsman, Sachi thought of her hero, Kirito. Do not show your fear!
If they were to save the hostages, there was no question as to what they may have to do…
It won't be the first time… she tried to rationalize as her gaze fell to Ducker.
Suddenly, he stopped running, sliding for a second, he hid behind a tree and peeked out from behind it.
Doing the same, Sachi put up her steel covered hand to tell the others to stop where they were.
As they did so, Ducker stealthily weaved through the trees, getting closer to the open field.
The rest of them stayed back as they all held their breaths until he returned.
After 60 seconds, Ducker returned and fixed them with a knowing look. "I see seven people in the field," he explained. "They're all orange cursors and they seem well stocked."
His face became more serious as he continued.
"Unfortunately, I think I recognized one of the guys there. He was a guy wearing a tattered cloak and he had a dagger-type weapon that looked like a butcher knife."
"It's that guy…" Sasamaru whispered, remembering the incident with Golden Apple from a few months ago.
"PoH," Sachi whispered frightfully. "The leader of Laughing Coffin…"
As soon as she said that, everyone immediately shuttered.
Quickly recovering himself, Ducker went on. "There was a cave in the back there too," he added. "It's probably where they're keeping the hostages. It won't be easy to just sneak in and get them out…"
"We may have to fight…" Sasamaru said what they were all dreading.
They thought the situation over, considering what was their best course of action if they wanted to get themselves and the hostages out of this situation safely.
"…Okay," Tetsuo said after a while. "I have an idea… and if everything goes right… we should… hopefully all be fine…"
He didn't sound confident. Unlike their leader, they knew that he wouldn't put on a show of pseudo confidence when it would involve lying to his friends. However they all listened to their sub-leader intently.
"Good luck guys," Ducker said to his friends, his voice betraying his apprehension.
"Do your best…" Sachi whispered, not even trying to hide her fear.
Right now, it probably would've been better to say, 'Nice knowing you' or something like that. But she didn't want them to think that she didn't have any faith in them…
"Nice knowing you," Sasamaru said solemnly, unknowingly echoing her thoughts.
"Come on, man," Tetsuo admonished, "let's get into place."
The two of them walked towards the edge of the forest, however before heading out into the open, they each gave them a nod which spoke a thousand words.
In spite of the situation, Sachi and Ducker couldn't help but smile, touched at their confidence in them.
With confident steps, they walked halfway into the field. "Hey," Tetsuo called to the group in the field. "You wanted somebody to come, so here we are."
The players looked up from whatever they were doing and fixed Tetsuo and Sasamaru with various glares. Suddenly, somebody began to laugh, before every one of their enemies began to join in.
From the cover of the trees, Sachi and Ducker watched the strange interaction, wondering what they were plotting.
None of the PKers even bothered to get up quite yet.
"Just two of you?" one of them asked, his voice held a mocking tone. "Now that's hardly a threat."
Somebody loudly sneered. "And here I thought we'd have to deal with the Knights," another male spoke.
"Maybe if you were the «Black Swordsman» or the «Lightning Flash»," a different one, this time a female, mocked. "Who even are you two?"
Keeping their weapons to their sides, the two Black Cats tried to give off an air of confidence.
"Just some people who want to do the right thing," Tetsuo said, trying to sound brave.
"Awww, look at the little heroes," the first one who spoke taunted. He laughed mockingly. "Why don't we show them what we do with heroes?"
As he said that, all of the PKers finally got up and pulled out their weapons menacingly.
At the same time, Tetsuo and Sasamaru pulled out their mace and spear respectively and got them ready.
Sachi's breathing started to become laboured as she saw the odds her friends had to face.
We can't leave them!
Before she could help herself, Sachi's hand went to her sword's handle. In spite of the plan, she was ready to drop it in order to protect the two of them.
However, before she could do so and probably reveal their position with the sound, a low voice rang out from the field.
"Interesting."
The tone of that voice was machine gun-like and extremely enthusiastic. Something about that voice made everyone look to the person.
He was a man dressed in a tattered black cloak, his hood hiding his face.
"I could just let you and my people slaughter each other." He walked forward a bit, up to his closest comrade who flinched at the proximity. "Or we can make this interesting."
At the same time, Tetsuo and Sasamaru put up their weapons defensively, bracing themselves for any tricks.
"You two will fight all of my people here. If you kill everyone then you can take the hostages. If one of you dies, we'll release everyone to the survivor. A win-win for you no matter the outcome."
He's asking one of them to die, Sachi realized with mounting horror. She knew that every member of the Moonlit Black Cats was stronger than the average player… But they can't hold off seven people at once!
"But boss, then there's no way for us to win," one of the man's lackeys complained.
He fixed him with a stern glare which made him flinch.
"This whole thing was pointless anyways," the man dismissed his concerns. "None of the people I wanted to see came."
As soon as he said that, somehow Sachi knew precisely who he was hoping to see.
Thankfully, he wasn't here but… I really wish he was! She was really regretting not waiting for Kirito and Keita to come back before doing this. Kirito would find a way to take care of this!
"How can we trust your word?" Tetsuo asked, sounding fearless.
From the distance they were at, plus the darkness of the night, it was difficult for any of them to see his face from under his hood, but somehow, as if it was audible they knew that the man smirked.
"Even the Black Swordsman trusted my word."
Liar.
The two Black Cats on the field held their ground, keeping up the stare down with the PKers.
Still keeping them within their sights, Tetsuo and Sasamaru exchanged a quick look from the corner of their eyes then nodded slightly.
"We accept your ultimatum," Tetsuo said bravely.
No!
Before she could stop herself, her hand went to the handle of her sword as she crouched, ready to burst out and support them. In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but wonder when she became the kind of person who would risk her life.
Ducker's hand grabbed her by the arm and squeezed tightly. The harsh gesture spurred her to think rather than jump in without a plan.
Nervously taking another look at her friends, she saw that one of Sasamaru's hands wasn't gripping his spear. Instead, it was behind him, making gestures wildly. No, not wildly, as he was holding out two fingers and rotating his wrist.
Admittedly, she had not memorized all of the hand signals that her guildmates had tried to drill into each other's heads, but she knew precisely what he was trying to say.
"Stick to the plan," Ducker whispered in a barely audible tone.
It was difficult but her hand left her sword's handle.
We have to trust them…
As much as it hurt, it's what they had to do. She nodded to her companion.
While the PKers attention was on Tetsuo and Sasamaru, they quickly moved through the trees, reaching an area close to the mouth of the cave.
In front of it was the man in the cloak – PoH.
As she kept her eye on him, she felt something poking her side. Looking there, she saw Ducker holding three small knives. She nodded as she took all of them, quickly storing them in her pouch.
«Status knives» – As their name implies – could inflict an opponent with a status. These ones would inflict paralysis. Those knives were preferable to use right now… although she knew that she shouldn't hesitate to use her real weapon.
"Well then, brave heroes," the man they knew was PoH spoke in a mocking tone. "«It's showtime»!"
As soon as he said that, six members of the party descended on Tetsuo and Sasamaru.
With wide eyes, Sachi and Ducker stared at the scene helplessly, watching as the merciless players descended on their teammates.
Trust them!
She grabbed Ducker's arm and pointed at the cave. He nodded and got ready to dash, a status knife at the ready to disable the person guarding the cave.
However, as soon as they took a step forward, the man snapped his head towards them. They froze in place, terrified of being spotted.
But what he did next was unbelievable.
Tilting his head up, they could see him sneer, baring his teeth in their direction. Then he took his arms out from under his cloak, gestured towards the cave and calmly walked away without looking back.
They stayed there for a few more seconds, considering whether it was a trap and he would come back the moment they left the safety of the trees.
Thinking of what Kirito would do, she decided on a course of action.
It doesn't matter. "Let's go."
With little hesitation, they quickly dashed into the cave, weapons at the ready.
"Stay here," Ducker whispered. "In case he comes back."
She nodded as she turned towards the entrance, ready for anyone who dared to approach.
She didn't want to say it, but she was grateful to stay away from the fighting, even if it was just for a while. However, she immediately felt guilty for feeling that way.
The sounds of battle rang out from outside the cave. Thankfully, she didn't recognize any of the yells, meaning that Tetsuo and Sasamaru were probably alright… At least that was what she hoped…
Ducker will free the hostages and then we'll be able to help them. He's fast and he wouldn't have to… wait…
Her eyes widened as she realized how stupid she was being. Shit!
With a twinge of remorse, she left her post and ran to the back of the cave.
Please be okay! she prayed.
Like most places in SAO, there was light in the cave despite its real-world counterpart probably not having any at this depth.
He ran as fast as he could, his feet not making any sounds as they hit the digital stone floor.
Ducker thought of his guildmate who he left at the mouth of the cave and the friends who were fighting against uneven odds outside.
He thought of those times where they were in danger because of his idiocy. Just once, he didn't want to feel like a burden on them.
I'm sorry, Sachi, guys, he apologized to his guildmates. But I have to do this!
It didn't take him too long to reach his destination. A few metres away, he could make out the figures of some people propped up against the wall or laying on the floor. They must be the captured players.
Skidding to a halt, he bent down to the closest person who was dressed in a blue tunic.
"Don't worry," he assured them. "I'm going to get you all out of here."
The person he was about to free looked at him. There was surprise on his face but it quickly changed to dread.
"They're still here," he whispered.
"Who?" he asked dumbly. It only took a second for him to realize.
Quickly getting up, he unsheathed his dagger and turned around.
Without waiting to see anything, instinctively, he moved to the right, barely getting out of the way of a sword that cut through the area he once occupied.
At the same time, he put up his free arm, which had a light metal gauntlet on it, and used it to block a dagger.
Crap! How many are there?
He made a quick scan, only seeing two dark figures and two weapons which seemed to gleam bright in the low light. Two PKers. Taking a risk, he dived between the two towards the area free of people. Pushing his cloak behind his shoulders, he quickly put up his blade and free arm, ready to fight.
He confirmed that there were two players with weapons in front of him. They were both orange cursors. Which means they won't have a problem killing.
Remembering an event from about a year ago, he felt a bit afraid, but at the same time, he felt like he made the right choice in leaving Sachi behind.
I won't let her suffer because of me again…
Playing offence, he dashed forward and cut the guy with the sword in his side.
At the same time, the guy with the dagger tried to stab at him. Recalling his training sessions with Kirito, he used his other hand to punch his arm with his gauntlet covered fist.
Quickly, he dashed out of the way of their counterattacks.
They didn't give him time to breathe as they continued their assault, working in tandem to attack him. Still, at his level, and the high-level training that his guild has all went through ever since they reunited, he was able to keep himself safe, using his dagger, free arm and speed to defend and dodge without issue.
However, that was all he was able to do. Under the attack of two people, it was difficult for him to get a hit in… And a part of him knew that he didn't want to kill anyone…
They on the other hand apparently found this hilarious as they were laughing like a bunch of hyenas.
A second later, the guy with a sword seemed to get an idea. Smiling, he turned around and brought up his sword.
Quickly realizing what he was going to do, Ducker dashed forward and threw himself to the ground, using his body to protect the defenceless hostage who was about to be attacked.
She ran as fast as she could. Eventually reaching the depths, she heard the sounds of fighting.
They wouldn't leave their prisoners without guards! It should have been obvious, but if Ducker went alone, he probably didn't consider that possibility either.
As she went farther in, she could hear the telltale sound of weapons clashing and somebody laughing wildly. Focusing on the sounds of weapons, it sounded like there were a lot of people involved in the fight.
Putting on an extra burst of speed, she brought up her sword, ready to strike at anyone who was a threat.
In the low light of the cave, she saw her friend expertly using his dagger to fight off an opposing sword and dagger. His cloak flapped around madly, making it hard to know his body's position.
But suddenly he threw himself to the ground, covering something blue.
The enemy with the sword was already making an attack where he would be, catching the boy in the back, no doubt causing damage that may be fatal.
As soon as she saw that, her mind went completely blank. Her thoughts immediately went back to that moment, recalling an incident that occurred in the last year – A boy in a yellow cloak being protected by her.
I will never let anyone bring harm to my family!
As she made this declaration, she ran at full speed towards the closest enemy, sword at the ready. At the time, there was no other course of action going through her mind. She didn't even think to push the person away, she didn't try to make a hit that would merely damage them enough to back off. Without considering any other possibility, she drove her sword into the attacker's neck, half of it coming out the other end.
The person stayed in place for a second, then he shot backwards, making her blade cut through the front of their neck as it stayed in place. His eyes were wide as they looked at her with a shocked expression.
She returned the look with a look of disbelief – disbelief at what she did.
"You-"
Before he could complete their sentence, he exploded into polygons.
Taking a heavy breath, it took all her willpower to move her sword again. She glared at the other armed person.
He stared at her with a shocked expression, his hand was shaking, nearly losing his grip on his knife.
"Y-you," he stuttered. Suddenly, his eyes fixed her in a vengeful glare. "YOU BITCH!"
He tried to attack her with an overhead stab, aiming for her neck. Reflexively, she brought up her shield, striking his arm and stopping the blade a centimetre from her eye.
As she looked at his deranged face, she couldn't help but flinch, making her shield arm shift.
Without warning, he passed the knife to his other hand and stabbed her in her side.
This whole night, she had not taken any damage and at her level, the damage was negligible so she would be safe, however it made her stay in her fright filled state, unable to move properly.
Then a flash of yellow shot out from behind her and the steel of a dagger entered her vision, embedded in her attacker's throat.
"Wait…!" the person choked out, disbelieving. "No! He said we-!" Before he could finish his sentence, he burst into polygons, just like his companion.
… Her mind was completely blank, not even considering what the two of them did. She locked eyes with Ducker who was looking as shocked as she felt. Hastily, he bent to the ground and put his hands out towards the nearest person.
Don't think about it, she tried to tell herself.
With mechanical movements, she stabbed her sword into the empty ground. Leaning down to the hostages, she began to use her fingers to manipulate the rope into coming loose.
Don't think about it. Don't think about it.
At the same time, Ducker used his dagger to immediately cut through the bindings, freeing them faster.
Don't think about… Her mantra stopped as she realized something. Oh no!
Suddenly, she got up and retrieved her sword. "Free the rest," she told Ducker in a voice she couldn't bring above a whisper.
Without waiting for a response, she ran as fast as she could towards the entrance of the cave.
It barely took her a few seconds to see the brighter moonlight. A few more seconds later, she ran out into the moonlit field and without slowing down, she dashed towards the melee.
Without hesitation, she rotated her right wrist a bit counterclockwise, put her other hand on the handle of her sword and used all her strength to strike one of the people, knocking them to the ground with the flat edge of the sword.
For a moment, her friends looked to her in shock but they quickly recovered themselves and struck at the other PKers who didn't even flinch at the loss of one of their numbers.
Just from that interaction, she knew that these people would fight until the death. But she had to at least try to stop anyone else from getting hurt.
"Your leader is gone and the hostages are freed!" she blurted out before the fighting would continue. It was difficult to get her voice out, but she forced herself to speak. "If you surrender now, we can just send you to prison and that will be the end of this!"
At her words, everyone stopped fighting. Turning their attention towards her, Sachi realized that she had drawn their aggro, she put up her shield before her body could freeze out of fear.
One of them was able to keep his attention off of her long enough to look behind her, in the direction of the cave.
After a few seconds, his pupils shrunk and his mouth opened slightly.
"He…left…?" he mumbled. His arms slowly lowered as his face began to fill with terror.
Suddenly, his eyes went back to her. "I won't… You can't take me to prison!" he shouted suddenly.
As soon as he said that, he immediately rushed forward. Using his spear, he struck her shield arm which went slack at the time he yelled. Pushing it aside, he dug the tip of his spear into the area of her arm which wasn't protected by her gauntlet.
Her eyes widened in horror as she was attacked. Caught off guard, she could only flail her arms around a bit uselessly.
I can't… she considered, stupidly making light of her situation. She didn't want to do that again… For a brief moment, she wondered if it would be better to let herself die instead of having to take another life… But…
"…I promise, Sachi… I'll make sure that your best friend and your beloved Kirito will come back home."
She remembered his promise. At the same time, she briefly imagined Kirito coming home and not seeing her… Her body briefly calmed as she brought up her sword. I have to live!
Without hesitating, she was about to stab her blade into her attacker.
However, all of a sudden, his eyes widened in horror. For about 2 seconds, he merely gave a thousand-yard stare, then he let out a small sound.
3 seconds later, his body exploded into polygons.
Completely caught off guard, she looked into the face of Sasamaru who was holding his spear where her attacker was not even 10 seconds ago.
Their eyes briefly made contact before he closed them guiltily.
Tetsuo stood over the person she downed earlier who was staring at the scene with wide, terrified eyes. "If anyone else tries anything," Tetsuo's voice spoke with pseudo confidence, "we won't hesitate to kill them." The moment he said the word 'kill', it felt as if reality came crashing down on her.
I killed them! she thought, horrified. Her eyes looked to Sasamaru who had opened his eyes but refused to look at her directly. …I made him kill him…
"We promise that if you surrender, we will only send you to jail. «The Army» will take it from there."
"What do you say?" he said without a trace of weakness.
It was not a question, but an ultimatum.
Taking a deep breath, Sachi composed herself enough to put up her sword. Sasamaru, turned around and kept his spear at the ready.
Under the presence of the three Black Cats, it didn't take long before the first person threw their weapon down.
The other two standing glared at their comrades before glaring at their potential enemies, sizing them up.
"Damn it."
Another one threw their weapon down. The other two followed suit.
It didn't take them very long to send the rest of the Laughing Coffin members to the Black Iron Castle Prison. A few months ago, they had acquired «Corridor Crystals» and set their destination to the prison. Kirito and Keita had taken one from their shared guild storage to use in the raid, leaving the rest of them with one to use.
Admittedly, they had hoped that they would never have had to use it for this purpose…
Once they were successfully put away, the Moonlit Black Cats were able to talk to the now freed players. Or rather, Tetsuo did all the talking.
"Thank you for saving us!" the leader of the party thanked them. At the same time, he was bowing to them, along with the rest of his team. "We would've been dead if you didn't come!"
"It was… Nobody should leave someone in distress like that," Tetsuo answered hesitantly. He was the only one who was able to talk coherently at the time. Everyone else was too stunned at the night's events, particularly what they were forced to do. "Make sure to thank your teammate when you see her. If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't have known that you were in trouble."
There was a long moment of silence before the leader stood up from his bow and looked at Tetsuo skeptically.
"What teammate?" the leader asked curiously. "My entire party was captured together. Nobody got away."
That took them off guard.
"But then who was…" Tetsuo mused.
"Maybe she saw them get captured and tried to warn somebody," Ducker whispered.
"Yeah… that's probably it…" Tetsuo considered.
In her blank mind, Sachi wasn't able to keep up with what they were saying… but thinking back to that girl, she realized something. That girl… she sounded familiar…
"Regardless, we owe you our lives. Laughing Coffin may have taken everything of value, but one day I promise that we'll make it up to you."
"That's not necessary," Tetsuo tried to wave off the offer. It wasn't modesty that made him say that. He genuinely wanted to do the right thing without any reward.
The right thing…
Her thoughts went back to the person she killed in the cave. I had to kill them… right…?
As the conversation continued, Sachi found that she could no longer focus on it. She just wanted to get away from everyone! She didn't want to be seen!
…! She was brought back to the present by somebody touching her arm. Looking to her side, she saw Tetsuo looking at her with a sympathetic expression.
She didn't nod or acknowledge him, merely grabbing his wrist, which she barely noticed was being held by the other two. They let him guide them towards the teleport plaza.
Did we… do the right thing?
The walk back to the guildhouse wasn't far from the teleportation plaza, however the entire time they spent getting back felt like a lifetime.
Although nobody gave them more than a passing glance, it felt like everyone around them already knew about the events that transpired and were looking at them with disgust.
They walked faster to get away from them.
By the time they eventually made it back, nobody had said a word to each other.
Under normal circumstances, Sachi would have run into her room and locked herself away…
But for some reason she returned to the couches and sat down in the centre.
The others did the same, sitting on either side of her.
She didn't know what they were thinking about, but she did know what her mind kept going back to.
Did I have to kill them?
She kept thinking back to that scene where the player was dying on her sword. Was there something else she could have done? Could she have used her status knife to stop him before he could kill Ducker or the hostages?
"Mmm," she let out a small whimper. Her mind was unable to dispel the horrific event – The event that she caused.
Slowly, she brought up her knees and hugged them, not even wincing when her gauntlets dug into her legs.
She felt ready to break down. But before she could do so…
"…!"
Turning to her left, she saw something yellow pressing against her and felt two arms around her.
She didn't respond immediately, staying in the same position.
Before she could think to do anything, she felt more arms lightly wrap around her.
Thank you…
She lowered her legs and gently brought her arms around everyone's slightly shaking bodies, exchanging the sentiment with them.
The last few hours seemed like a blur. Already, the memories of what just transpired – of what HE did – seemed to be going fuzzy.
Taking a look to the people with him, he saw that they were probably feeling the same way.
Keita was looking particularly bad. His eyes were vacant and unfocused, his steps were shaky, as if he was drunk.
Asuna, who had requested to have some company tonight (Wait, did she ask?), had a more stern look on her face, as if she was trying to justify what they did was the right choice.
Right now, he wanted nothing more than to get back home and see her…
Maybe I'll sleep alone today, he considered. I don't think I can stand her seeing me like this…
Eventually they reached the guildhouse. Keita opened it with what Kirito noticed was a shaking hand.
Keita walked in first and suddenly stopped.
Numbly, Kirito looked from behind his back.
He saw the rest of his guildmates on the couch. They were all huddled in one place, hugging each other in a tangled pile, their faces showing haunted expressions.
After a few moments of staring, Sachi raised her head and locked eyes with him.
As soon as she saw him, her darkened eyes seemed to light up slightly and she smiled just a bit. Still, her gaze seemed vacant and distant. It was almost as if she was feeling the same way he was.
In that moment, he didn't care to ask her or anyone what had happened to cause this.
He quickly crossed the distance to the couch, got under his other guildmates and wrapped his arms around the girl he loves.
He felt one of her arms move from under his chest and wrap itself against his back.
No questions right now…
As they embraced, they felt everyone else join in the hug.
For a long time, none of the Moonlit Black Cats moved from that spot. No words were exchanged between them that night as they all kept each other in their embraces.
So I know that I hinted that I was going to get to the chapters based on volume 1… but this event was very important and shouldn't be something that's only mentioned, at least not the part that the rest of the Black Cats had to go through.
A reviewer brought up the fact that it made little sense that the blame for what happened on Floor 27 was put on Kirito rather than Ducker. I don't know if they're still reading this, but for everyone who found that strange, I want to say that I did realize that when I first wrote the prologue and that there is a reason for it that is planned to be brought up in a future chapter. Admittedly they are correct but it wasn't something that could be brought up in the prologue (although Ducker was trying to point out that it was partially (primarily) his fault). Also, in the LN (which is what I'm primarily following), opening the chest was put to a vote between the five there which only Sachi and Kirito voted against, so since Kirito didn't explain why they shouldn't open it, the fault goes to everyone except Sachi, but since I don't want her to be blameless, it's also her fault for not ratting out Kirito so that he'd be forced to explain why they shouldn't open it.
Here's a depressing thought, what if Kirito, Keita and Asuna walked into the guildhouse and didn't see anyone, and when they checked their friend lists for where they were, they were just gone…