|Sword Art Online, Floor 47, Laughing Coffin HQ|
|July. 5th 17:41|
"It's Showtime!"
The pin was pulled, and the tension snapped in two. PoH tugged at his poncho's hood, and almost by magic, vanished behind a pillar, completely out of sight, his top players and every follower of Laughing Coffin descended upon the Frontrunners.
"He ran away!?" Yuuki exclaimed.
"Ah, forget him! We've got these guys in front of us to deal with!" Klein forced them to focus, drawing Sol Moeta in time to parry two throwing knives.
"Are they serious about coming at us, head-on!?" Agil grit his teeth, watching these players simply throw caution to the wind in favour of a bloodbath. It was enough to unsettle a number of the Frontrunners, some, honestly weren't surprised, but they wish they were wrong.
"Now this is how you PK!" XaXa laughed from atop the stairs, marching down alongside Johnny, arms wide. "Bullying the weak and naïve is just no fun, you know!?"
"Yeah, we've been stuck working in the shadows cause of you lot! Finally, we get to cut loose to our heart's content!" Johnny grinned ear-to-ear, twisting his venomous blade in the air, his target in his sights.
The formations broke up to spread across the grand hall, attempting to push Laughing Coffin back as shouts and the screeching of metal throbbed in their ears. Of course, not every player here had experienced going against an orange player, much less those willing to actively kill, which forced many into unfavourable positions.
Like a tide, what started out as a grand assault drew into a stagnant back and forth, neither side quite making the distinct push. While Laughing Coffin weren't hesitant to employ any means to win, the Frontrunners weren't helpless, they had times to spare and plenty of tanks to create human walls to throw their enemy backward. This was no field or floor boss, not even a quarter boss or event. Real lives were at stake on both sides, it was only a matter of time before first blood would be drawn.
Across the battleground, closest to a hallway at the bottom right of the stairs, Kirito leapt back from a sudden barrage of arrows that seemingly appeared from the wall beside him. "Where'd those arrows come from!?" Rolling, he narrowly parried the silver blade belonging to a familiar face, joined by several more Laughing Coffin members.
"This place used to be a big ol' thieves den; traps, pitfalls, you name it, place is a fun house of horrors if you've never been here!" Morte grinned, striking down hard, twisting his blade to flick and throw Kirito sideways, his right arm lacerated.
Kirito landed and felt a click underfoot, forcing him to roll sharply into a pillar, tumbling down the small flight of steps into the hall running under the stairway above. Unfortunately, he also felt a weight leave his hand, hearing Elucidator clatter before Morte's feet, the man kicking the weapon aside with a hysterical laugh, hand slapped to his forehead.
"Aw man, you're real clumsy today, Kirito! Now you've gone and lost your only means of defence- I'd say attack, but we both know you don't have the balls for this!" Morte sneered, clicking his fingers for three of his men to approach the now weapon less Black Swordsman, his fists raised for a moment. "Martial Arts ain't about to save you here, buddy! Surround and tear him to shreds!"
"Kirito!" Asuna could see him, gasping in horror as she blocked and parried another dagger cutting too close to her face.
"Kii-boU!" Argo crossed her claws, swiping back to dive over the heads of two PKers but was still a ways away from the hall Kirito was cornered in.
Instead, Kirito lowered his fists, flicking through his menu fast, adding whatever first popped onto his screen. With a flash of light, he drew through the refracted light, a single, dark rapier, branded with black thorns and vines, and a light blue katana with a white and grey grip. He was duel wielding. The sight had the PKers hesitate, even Morte lost his smile for a split second, suddenly doubling over.
"Pahahaha, you're kidding, right!? A rapier in you left and a katana in your right!? You really think holding two weapons makes you stronger!?" Shaking his head, Morte gave his sword a flourish, his men advancing. "Shred him down, he can't use sword skills like this!"
Holding steady, Kirito ducked under an ax, sweeping the elbow with an upswing of the katana, twisting his rapier off to the side in a twin thrust, gouging through a dagger user, a follow-up slash connecting the dots across the man's torso, finally, he spun on a heel sharply, drawing the katana down against a scimitar, thrusting the rapier through the man's defence, straight through the throat. All three tumbling or hitting the ground from the sheer force behind the blows, leaving Morte stumped.
"Wha-!" Morte was at a loss for words, that he completely left himself wide open, feeling a pressure dig into his back, throwing him down those same stairs, straight over Kirito's head, tumbling across the carpet with a growl. "You cheater!"
"Kirito is one of the strongest players, even without skills, his stats alone can make even standard attacks sting!" The one who stabbed him in the back, quite literally, came to stand and protect Kirito whilst he retrieved Elucidator, looking back in genuine surprise at the fierce look emanating from Sachi's eyes. "Maybe some of us don't have what it takes to kill, but, but I... I won't let you hurt him, ever again!" She was so scared, her hands couldn't stop shaking, but the thought of letting Kirito suffer any more to Laughing Coffin was far more terrifying.
"You bitch...!" Morte wasn't smiling anymore, scraping his sword across the ground, his men recovering as Sachi and Kirito returned up the stairs, back to where some of Klein's men fought for cover.
"No more games or tricks, Morte, you're not running away this time." Kirito swore, this feud was going to end.
Across the opposite end of the hall, Mito spun Soul Fang into a cartwheel, dispelling the throwing picks slick with yellow slime, catching the crooked dagger against the shaft of her weapon, thrusting back to twirl and fling from behind her back, three knives of her own, each skewering Johnny who giggled, flicking them from his body, completely unphased by the damage.
"Nuh uh uh~ Think I wouldn't have high resistances and buffs prior? Isn't fun when my own tricks are used against me," He mocked in a doting tone, seeing the unease in Mito's eyes.
Two Army members attempted to get the drop on him, only for Johnny to fall to the ground, spinning sharply to slash at their exposed joints, their bodies dropping like anvils at his feet. Realizing what he was about to do, Mito didn't spare a second and charged, slashing the backs of two PKers that were caught up in their own mess to push through, parrying Johnny's dagger in time to save one of the players.
He performed a handstand, surprising her with his agility by twirling on just a palm, boots swiping her cheekbone, the hit registering long enough for him to throw a single knife, the blade digging into her left shoulder, stinging deeply. "Man, I love seeing you guys come running to the aid of others, those looks of desperation forever frozen on your faces a second later! Really gets my heart pumping!"
Rushing her, Johnny aimed for her eyes, wanting to see how she reacted to having no sense of direction atop lack of motor functions. Its crooked edge drew near-
"Yah!" He yelped, finding the very knife he struck Mito with wedged into his wrist, followed by an unpleasant kick straight to his midsection, causing him to crash into a PKer behind him. "Huh!? What the - no fair, that's hacks, you shouldn't be able to move, cheater!" He pointed accusingly, Mito rolling her shoulder, frazzled but features contorted into a scowl.
"None of my accessories grant complete immunity to status ailments, yet-" She was joined by the one that had kicked Johnny, standing tall with a gleaming, bloodied blade.
"Which is why I've gone and cured everyone within reach with the highest level cures I can make, like this little trinket here," Between two of Artorias's fingers, he threw down a mint green orb, causing a thin haze of dust to enter the air around them.
Johnny looked around in disbelief, seeing those paralyzed by his followers and himself standing tall yet again, pushing back their numbers, himself grinding his teeth into dust. "You... you nerfed my poison and paralysis!? No fair, you cheat!"
"Call me what you want, I'll still be putting you in the ground," Artorias's cold tone didn't waver for a second, casually jabbing a thumb to the level above, where most PKers were gathered. "Oh, and, those were your guys, right?"
Johnny looked up, and watched in completely bewilderment when many of his followers were running for their lives, thrown from the railing or into walls by flashes of white and purple. Yuuki and Ran each swept through the crowd like an unending current, disarming and leaving any PKers foolish enough to stand close marred with glowing wounds, most of which surrendered to the rest of the Sleeping Knights.
"What the hell is that thing!?" Not far away, they saw more of them flee or straight up jump from the floor above in a panic. A manic laughter echoed, and from behind a pillar, Daora swung the body of a PKer by their leg, smacking their fellow comrades with their own body like a whip, the man himself screaming and begging to be saved, completely at Daora's mercy.
"...that is both terrifying and hilarious, I don't know which I hate more." Johnny gulped, turning to the sword held in his direction.
"Go keep him from doing something stupid, again," Artorias muttered, Mito sparing him an uncertain expression, holding his shoulder. But the brunette winked. "I got this, go," Her hand lingered, tightly, but fell away along with her footsteps. Now, only Artorias and Johnny squared off, the former of which didn't look the least bit afraid. "Unlike some here, I hope you're ready to die, cause I sure as shit won't be giving you a second chance to surrender when I offer it after whooping your sorry excuse of an ass."
Coming to a clash, Johnny's dagger bled a constant, toxic liquid, one that splattered with each stroke of Red Death, Artorias wouldn't let that blade come anywhere near him, or a single person, ever again. Using his shield, Red Dawn cracked against Johnny's side, followed by a rampant streak of arcs that made it harder for the orange player to keep up, earning many more licks across his tattered body, yet, he didn't seem the least bit hesitant, if anything, Artorias swore he was enjoying it.
Within a large room away from the entry hall, Asuna fended off another pair of PKers armed with paralysis weapons, they were unrelenting but weren't nearly as fast as her, yet, even with their HP dropping to the yellow, they simply refused to heal or surrender. She... already heard one of KoB had been killed from seemingly nowhere, a few others across the guilds too. Others on their side had also, reluctantly done the same, would she have to follow through too? Would she have to take lives to keep herself and others safe? Would... she even have the courage to bear that?
All these questions and struggles were piling up, enough to leave her blind to her back, and the glowing, red eyes that slipped down from the rafters above, silently as a mouse. XaXa had already targeted Asuna from the start, it was partially her fault their plans for the Golden Apple guild fell through. She was the weakest link, killing her would cripple KoB. With a toothy smile to match his mask, he lunged, completely unseen by the brunette who's weapon was caught against a longsword, unable to budge.
His estoc poised, only for all that forward momentum to suddenly vanish, as if he struck a wall, the awful vibrations running up his arm, followed by a literal arm smacking him across his face, nearly tearing his mask away. "Gah, the hell!?" XaXa tisked, rubbing his jaw to find a pair of hands smouldered by cerulean flames.
"Sorry, bub-" Asuna turned quickly, eyes wide when she felt Lloyd press his back to hers, guarding her like a shadow- "But this fair maiden's off-limits."
"L-Lloyd..." Asuna blinked, catching a teal eye staring back.
"Hey now, Chief, keep a cool head, I got you this time," Lloyd smirked, and in turn, saw her own finally return. It was easy to see they both weren't handling this well, the weight of what had to be done today, but, being close helped to lighten the load. "So... whatever your name is, little tip-bit, free of charge; don't watch the mouth, watch the hands," The whitette wiggled his fingers, hearing XaXa's anger behind the sharp exhale.
Pandemonium raged across the thieves den, spread across the rooms and hallways connecting the floors, it was hard to gain a census of losses and captures, but everyone, orange player or otherwise, weren't closer to giving in. Nagi used the banister running along the grand staircase to slide down it, countering and blocking weapons swung his way, a sweeping current of water enough to ward them back, leaping from the base of the banister back onto the main floor, just in time to land a Uchikesu down on a rapier aimed for Fynch's back, using a sudden Flash Blow to send the man flying with a shriek.
"Fynch!" Nagi called to, but the raven-greenette's eyes were drawn elsewhere.
It was down the left hall under the stairs, where no one appeared to be fighting, it was brief, but he saw it, one of Laughing Coffin's toughest players was slipping through in the background. Wolfram. And dragged by their wrist alongside him was a panicked young girl with glossy, white hair.
"I found 'em..." He breathed, almost going unheard from the chaos, but Nagi caught it, as well as the returning swordsman, swiping their weapon in a criss-cross to hold them back.
"Then, go, before he gets away!" Nagi declared, quickly waving his hand. "Guys, clear a path to the left hall, now!"
"Nagi... thanks, won't let you down!" Fynch broke away with a burst of speed, sheathing his sword to gain an increased rush through his bones.
From above, the worn-out body of a PKer was flung into two others, Daora practically dive-bombing them to knock them over like pins. Mito swept forward, slashing at the heels of another dagger user, leaving them wide to a clean slant from Klein.
"Go man, we'll keep 'em from following!" Klein didn't know what Fynch had seen, but if Nagi needed them to make some room, they could do that, no sweat. "Rest of you, keep up the pace, push them back into their pit!"
"Owe you guys!" Fynch gasped, speeding down the hall.
"Thank us by coming back alive!" Mito hollered down after him, and he found it hard to refuse, the distant roar of battle now throwing quiet, his feet pressed to the nearest wall to turn and shoot down the next, winding path. No other PKers came down here, must've been a basement level or something close.
Turning a second, right corner, Fynch's eyes widened to the sudden shift in appearance. No more lit corridors, decorative carpet, or trap waiting to snag him. Only the wide cavern that ran through the back of the manor that stuck out on its edge. Staggeringly tall, red crystals gave the stained windows their glow, and a single, wide, natural bridge ran across the length of a great chasm below, the bottom unseen, held up with pillars and old, stone walls where people had tried to safeguard the walkway.
But more than that, Fynch could see them at the halfway point of the bridge, Wolfram pulling Lux along by her wrist, the girl unable to fight it, not that she did so anyway, her head lowered and face obscured from view. That alone gave Fynch the surge he needed to continue running toward her.
"Lux!" Screaming her name finally got their attention, coming to a halt to spot the man peppered with wounds still, even with his Trap Detection, in his haste, some had managed to nick him here and there, but he refused to stop, he hadn't a second to lose.
"You... you screwed everything up!" Wolfram thundered, drawing several thin blades, but to Lux, they were more akin to the fangs of a monster. He threshed them, five hurdling across the way in the blink of an eye.
Fynch stumbled to slow himself, drawing his longsword to counter and avoid them, he knew those items, Fangs of Khezu, one alone was enough to inflict a deadly paralysis, and he didn't want to test Mito's Mark of Misfits on its resistance. Moving so sharply caused the arrows and darts previous to rub into his body, which was uncomfortable and irritating, but he grit his teeth and kept charging.
"Please... stop," Lux felt her chest twist in agony, it was her fault they were led here. She shouldn't have accepted Fynch's friend request, because of that, all these people came here to their deaths, people who were so kind to a scumbag like her. "I don't want anyone to die," She had seen them fighting, so many were fighting with fear in their eyes, Laughing Coffin tore some of them to pieces, and how many on LC's side had fallen, the grief stricken across some of the Frontrunners' faces? "I... don't want you to die..."
"Little runt has a death wish then," Wolfram's hand reached over his shoulder for his sword, but Lux, her eyes rose to Fynch, mouth slightly ajar at the thoughts that came flooding back to her.
"I bet, if someone like you feels as much guilt as you do over what you've done, then to me, you're more than worthy of that chance too." He gave a quick wink. "Swear on my life."
He was already beaten and worn down, reckless abandon, even delirious to not consider the state he was in. But Fynch had his left hand stretched out across the distance, what was meters felt like mere inches, face contorted in a determined, wrathful expression. Seeing it, the way he looked at her, it was painful, scary... but hopeful, and warm.
"...he's not going to give up, not until he saves me... even if... it means he'll die..." He had every right to hate her, even to kill her, but he continued running to save her. Not an ounce of malice was felt in those eyes toward her, stifling a breath she choked up.
"LUX!" He screamed until his voice cracked, pushing every skill he had gained throughout the Death Game to their limits, surpassing everything he had failed to be, everything he could to reach the people that pulled him up from the muck. He could do it, he could reach her too!
Lux glanced at her captor, that scorched sword in-hand, he'd cut through Fynch without a second thought, but, his grip on her was loosened to compensate for the weight he carried. It was terrifying, her body didn't have the strength to move, but her chest continued to hurt, begging as tears welled in her eyes. "I... I have to go back... I want to go back..." She took a single step forward, pulling it from the mud. "I want to say sorry!"
She tore from Wolfram's waist belt, a single Fang of Khezu, and sunk in deep into the owner's neck, it wasn't enough to run clean through, and she knew Wolfram had already buffed himself with an antidote beforehand, but for a few, precious seconds, that sudden, unpleasant pain was enough for Lux to pull herself free, pushing off her toes and toward Fynch.
"Graah! You little bitch!" In his fury, Wolfram cleaved through the air, leaving a deep, splattering wound down the length of Lux's back, her armour wasn't nearly enough, cutting away almost half her HP in a single strike of Avalanche. Mistakenly, it gave her body that added kick to move further from his clutches.
Fynch's arms were wide, feeling her body come crashing against his own, throwing him back through the air a little, but he had her, his arms wrapping tightly around her back, her face buried against his shoulder, arms shakily tied around his torso. Placing his left hand against her head, he smiled a little.
"I got ya, swear on my life." Landing on his heels, Fynch's hair stood on end, the darkened knight now looming over them both, sword cast in a blood red aura.
"I should've cut you both down MYSELF!" Wolfram roared, a wave of searing heat and pressure tearing through the air between them.
Fynch shifted his weight on his right, bouncing sharply and using his left arm to block Blast, but the twin AOE tore and severed his arm like putty, sending the limb flying through the air, the impact sending them into a tumble, one that left both closest to the edge of the bridge. Lux held even tighter, unable to pull her head from his shoulder.
"Don't worry... everything... is gonna work out..." Panting a little, Fynch saw his health plummet, but he still had his dominant arm, grasping tightly to his sword, Ludwig, casting it in a radiant, emerald sheen. "I won't ever let her go through a second more of this hell!" Whatever it takes, even if it means his life. "Graaaaaaaah!"
He thrust his weapon true, the same could be seen for Wolfram's, the scorched edge inches from Fynch's head, the tip of Rage Spike threw it off-course, clipping just the brow with its razor edge, a blast rippling through them both, Wolfram remained steady. "You think you are a match for me!? Wake up, brat, this is real world!" He stomped on Fynch's face, not seeing the irony in his words, throwing him and Lux until they were an inch from the edge now, kicking and stomping on his back, continuing to shield Lux as his health chipped away. "This is the cold, hard truth! You're nothing, you will always be nothing, you can't save anyone, or change anything! That bitch sold all you out, and now, she'll be the one to get you killed!"
"Coming from... the one... running," Through his bangs and the trickle of red polygons, Wolfram was caught by a single, spiteful eye staring up at him, like Fynch was looking down on an insect, perhaps something lesser. "That's just sad to hear, don't ya think?"
Raising his greatsword, Wolfram was seeing red, his weapon bled a sickly yellow, another Avalanche to cleave them in two. Fynch didn't care, he would keep Lux safe, he could take the hit, they'd make it out of this, until she could be free, he'll refuse to die.
BAM!
Wolfram's armour was heavy and thick, it looked burned and rundown, but it could withstand hefty blows, making it easy to throw caution to the wind. As a result of an armour that has never once failed at its duty, protecting and deluding its wearing into believing they were invincible for so long. It took him by surprise when his armour groaned, and his own head felt the impressive blow of a fist reach through the helmet.
A flash of bright, cyan light expelled from a fist, sending the Laughing Coffin member spiralling into the nearest, natural stone column, cracking his back against its surface until he collapsed against the bridge in a confused daze. "Fynch isn't nothing, and Lux... is not you," Nagi lowered his smoking fist, panting a little but standing to guard the two.
"Na...gi?" Fynch raised himself and Lux to look up at the shinobi's back. "Heh, timely arrival as ever. He's all yours."
"You got it, keep her safe," Nagi didn't turn but knew who had followed. "Mito, watch over Fynch and Lux, keep them behind us,"
The Reaper knelt down, providing a health pot each. "On it, you'll be okay?" She knew, it took all of them to come close to driving Wolfram into a corner, now? They were already stretched thin.
"Yeah, besides, I have to keep my word," Nagi stared at Wolfram, snapping his fingers. "Daora...Switch."
"Ahahahahaha, finally, paybaaaaaaaack!" His voice reverberated off the cavern walls, and a trembling fist collided with the edge of Wolfram's sword, dark orange sparks and webs of lightning spat between it and Daora's now flaming fist.
"You haven't learned a damn thing, you autistic prick!" Throwing Daora back, he swung using Tempest to drill through the air, but only air, feeling Daora's presence behind him. "When did-"
Swinging back sharply, he missed, blade scraping the crown of Daora's helmet when a heavy fist struck his abdomen. No matter, a single punch wasn't going to do much- Then a second, stronger punch actually lifted Wolfram off his feet. "Second..." A third pulled him up higher above Daora, through the flames, his fists were a match, roaring orange. "Third...!" Daora gave a final, devastating knuckle, seeing cracks form on the so-and-so, indestructible armour. "Top Gear!"
If SAO simulated actual blood, Wolfram would've vomited it by now, his stomach felt like it had ruptured, and his whole body was creaking from the quadruple impacts that sent his body hurdling into the air. "What just happened!? This isn't like before, he's... too fast! How did his speed increase in such a short space of time!?" Then it hit him, he couldn't see it, that stupid helmet of Daora's masked his eyes. But there was no other explanation. And it sent a spine-chilling emotion through his whole body, his heart stopped. "Don't tell me... he triggered Awakening willingly!?"
That roaring flame of a dragon shot up the pillar closest to him, sweeping overhead. "Flash... BLOOOOOOOW!"
Grabbing Wolfram by his faceplate, Daora slammed the orange player's body into the side of the stone column, digging it through stone and mineral, shattering red crystals that stuck out at odd angles, before flinging him across the bridge. "Hah... is that all? I thought... you were the strongest!?" Daora sneered, a jet of air expelled from his nostrils, Barbarous kindling over his fists.
"You... couldn't even hold a candle to me!" Wolfram snarled, his armour flaking and breaking apart, but he moved with that dangerous velocity of his, Daora swept low, grabbing the sword-arm in a hold, elbowing Wolfram in the head twice, twisting when his scorched weapon tore through Daora's side, but he powered through, grabbing the helmet by its slits to smack and pummel the orange player against the pillar, grabbing the helmet in both hands to thrash and fling across the bridge's surface in a painful twist. But Daora felt two slashes run up his chest, just when Barbarous burnt out.
Bouncing off his toes, Wolfram had the Acrobatics skill, and leapt off the air, breaking into a sprint, aiming to shoot by them both, only for a wave of water to crash against his sword, a secondary swing ringing and pushing him back.
Nagi kept up the assault just when a haze of silver ran across Wolfram's sword. Moving to leap over a low kick, blocking a horizontal, using the swing to spin himself to block a second swing, Wolfram performed a backswing, unable to touch Nagi who countered while in the air, blocking the fifth slant that Wolfram leapt for, bringing the nimble shinobi to his knees.
"You think you're hero, don't you!? Getting trapped in this game had to have been paradise for you! This whole crusade, clearing this game, is just to stroke your own ego!" Again and again, he slammed and swung down his greatsword rapidly as though it were a one-handed weapon, barely losing any in each stride. "Every last one of you a child playing pretend, you're not righteous! Take all this strength, and you're the same face that'll be forgotten in passing! You're pathetic; the world couldn't care less if you have spirit, to them, you'll be no different than the rest of us!"
He swung hard, angling his weapon to tear across Nagi's breastplate, carving an X with Eruption, spewing red shards, seeing Nagi's health fall into the amber, but now he had some distance to stand and fight. Wolfram stretched his arms wide to them both. "When this game is cleared, so goes all evidence to convict us, we'll walk free, and all of you will be seen as suspects in countless deaths! Get it, brats! You're all murderers too!"
"Y'know, we do this, and nothing really changes," It took Nagi a second to process what Artorias said, glancing at the bemused teen sitting between two of the wall's merlon, staring out at the grey skies over Granzam. Artorias had been oddly quiet throughout the meeting and planning stages, only speaking if he had something to add. So Nagi wanted to check in with him on Yuuki's behalf too.
"What do you mean?" Nagi asked, unsure what to make of the comment.
He watched Artorias gesture to the sky, past Aincrad's walls, that is. "We beat this game, they'll wipe everything, if the system doesn't do it for them. All that data will be gone, including all combat logs of every player," Turning on his perch, Artorias clocked eyes with Nagi. "Doesn't matter if you hid in town or culled a hundred players, out there, people died in the game, and a whole bunch of traumatized people got out."
The dots lined up quickly, Artorias practically saw them in Nagi's eyes. "We'll all be suspects for murder, or, given mental health conditions, we'd be watched for... mental breakdowns." Not everyone handled this reality the same way. Nagi felt he was a lucky one to have support, to find good in SAO, things he couldn't imagine living without. But so many lost their minds, hope, some... had nothing to lose.
"Yep, all us are dirty criminals in the eyes of the public," Artorias leaned back, tilting his head against a merlon with a sarcastic laugh. "Maybe that'll make it easier to take lives if we need to today, I mean, what's the point in holding back, am I right?" He felt the unamused look Nagi gave him, even if his expression didn't change. "Joking, of course..."
"We'll find a way," Nagi countered instead, coming to rest his hands on the wall, looking out at the very horizon, and the rays of sunlight that crept through. "I don't have an answer now, but I'm sure there's a way to ensure Laughing Coffin pay for their crimes. I won't let them walk away from what they've done, even if its just our word against them."
A whistle cut between them from the brunette admiring the view again. "Figured that, you'd think we'd get to kick back and relax after busting our asses to clear this game, honestly, generosity is lost on people."
Laughter to break up the sombre day filled the air.
It wasn't news to him, which is why Wolfram's mind games wouldn't win him this fight. "Yeah, maybe there is a part of me, of all of us that takes some pride in being the ones leading the charge. But, if me acting like the hero of the story pisses you off..." Water draped over Nagi like a thousand blades, his eyes unchanged. "...then I'll be the hero for as long as it takes!"
Kicking into Tenryu No Mai, Nagi swept the distance, and in the tsunami he conjured, streaks of silver collided from the side, joining against the black flames smothering a burnt old sword. Daora's sweep attack caught the greatsword, leaving it open to Nagi's first three constant strikes, the dragon lord doubling back for three diagonal slashes intertwined with another three rampant arcs from the shinobi as his side.
Both split at the crushing wave of light from Wolfram, a single arm sweeping in violent, messy waves, the sword skill was sloppy, the duo bound under and over each contrail. Divine Sakura tore down the right side, parrying with two streaks where Destroyer cleaved upward, blinding Wolfram to Nagi's three other mighty blows.
In a large, lumbering cleave, both took a deep, impressive wound through their bodies, yet it couldn't stop a final, vertical from both, crossing together to grind against Wolfram's unyielding blade. Twisting his hold, each saw the face of it turn to them, their weapons slid off the sides, their cascades of light and water dispersing like the parting of the Red Sea, straight into the black flames' deadly gaze.
Letting out a wordless shout, Wolfram released it a rising pirouette, carving through them with wide, lime-green arcs, unleashing a flurry of nine consecutive attacks that flow and weave in on themselves. Their combined, esoteric skills cut down, and their health dropping dramatically in the fallout, both sent flying either side of the bridge, and away from the heavily wounded PKer who heaved in that heavy armour, its weight finally catching up to him.
"To think... I'd be driven into a corner like this... by people sick in the head..." Holding a hand to his helmet, he could feel it starting to crack, its durability was failing. So expertly crafted and two players completely undone it. The plan was a bust, he knew there was no salvaging Laughing Coffin anymore. They'd die without the likes of PoH or the other top brass around. "Keep the wretch... for all I care..."
Instead, he turned and broke into a light jog, his legs were close to being torn off, he had to get away and heal. He could hear them getting up again. Next time, he'll run Daora through for this, then Nagi, Fynch, and every last one of Misfits-
Thunk
It came from seemingly nowhere, a single, long shaft of an arrow dug deep into the back of his left knee, forcing the orange player into a limp. He didn't have time to see where it came from or from who, just to get out of this mess alive, let the rest of Laughing Coffin take the fall for all he cared.
"Daora, we gotta go!" Nagi shook off the last of the numbing post-motion, seeing the dragon lord himself push off his knees, both scrambling for their weapons- had something else not beaten them to the punch. It was fast, lit by streaks of silver and green, followed solely by the winding path of a sword skill to boost them further, farther than any sprint skill could in a second.
Keeping his footing right, Fynch landed on his left the moment his body unfroze, now, only a few feet away, eyes unflinching, his body on fire that he felt dizzy, everything else just seemed to slow down.
"Harriet, Arawn, you two weren't the best people, you hurt a lot that didn't deserve it. I was no better, looking back, because I allowed it, I couldn't stop you, I was afraid to for so ... I'll die too, someday, maybe today, tomorrow, who knows. But, I'd want to die doing something right, and if I live, then I want to keep doing right things. I can't erase it, I refuse to forget it. Which is why, just this once, I'll go as far as you guys for something I want, this is for me, so thanks... for showing me how its done...!"
Fynch slid under by a mere inch of Wolfram's crooked sword, twisting sharply that he felt his digital organs squish together, practically bending his waist at inhuman speeds. He fell to his toes and fingertips, again, evading the practicable move-set, the moment he saw the sword pass over by a millimetre on his left, Ludwig took on a blinding, green tint, almost a molten white.
"Yrrrrraaaaaaaaah!" Screaming at the top of his lungs, pushing his entire body into Vorpal Strike, feeling its tip press deep against the ridges of the breastplate, slipping through crack and crevasse to the person who hid beneath its shell.
Tilting his wrist like a key to a lock, another inch slipped through, and a halo dispelled between them, the force of his skill throwing Fynch onto his stomach. Wolfram smashed into the wall, far from any solid ground, his helmet began to break, revealing a single, silver eye stitched with bewilderment and shock. Not a word was uttered, his body tilting forward, gravity dragging him down in the chasm below with a trickle of red particles to follow him.
"Hah... get up from that," Daora had to have the last laugh, then fell onto his back in exhaustion, Nagi fell to a knee, keeping himself upright with Divine Sakura, sweat trickling down his face.
In a report by Aincrad's player-run newspaper, MMO Today.
'At 1730 on July 5th 2024, a raid was staged to destroy the infamous PKers, Laughing Coffin. After a gruelling thirty-eight minutes, the Crusade against the red guild, concluded. In total, 38 members of Laughing Coffin were detained and were to be sent to the Black Iron Palace's prison for the foreseeable future of the Death Game. Notable names, such as Johnny Black, Red-Eyed XaXa, and Morte were all captured.
11 members of Laughing Coffin died in the conflict, with 6 of the Crusaders having perished in the battle. Only one member remained unaccounted for, the leader of Laughing Coffin, PoH.'
|Floor 25, Town of Senja Castle, Misfits Guild HQ|
|July. 5th 19:09|
All of Misfits had gathered in a so-and-so celebration, rather, others would be joining them very soon, giving all guilds and other participants in the raid time to breathe and reflect. It was by no means worth celebrating those that had to kill to survive, but to remember the fallen, both today, and in the past that had been victims of Laughing Coffin. It wasn't a pyrrhic victory, but... bitter-sweet was the term floating around Aincrad.
A knock on the door drew all their heads. "Ah, there here." Nagi realized, sitting upright on the cushion when the sliding door opened, Argo leading a familiar face inside.
"Um, t-thank you for having me," Lux bowed sheepishly, a little intimidated by all the stares she received, making her face go a little red. "You... said you wanted to speak with me... about... everything," She pinched at the cuffs of her blazer, unable to meet any of their gazes. Especially Nagi's, Argo's, and Fynch just off to the side of her.
"Yes, you can stand if want, and, uh... sorry for the crowd, we've got some friends coming over soon, but I wanted to clear the air first, if that's okay with you?" He saw her nod once, so he continued. "I'll not beat around the bush, you were a courier for Laughing Coffin, so I want to know, have you ever killed a person and what led to you joining Laughing Coffin?"
"I... I've never killed anyone, I swear, I... I was just told to gather items and information on players, wh-what happened in that dungeon was... I..." She started to tear up but jumped when she felt Argo place a hand to her back. "A-Argo..."
"Was all their plannin', far as I'm concerned, yer much a victim of it, ain't that righT?" She looked around, no one seemed to object. Fynch and Nagi nodded in agreement. There was no distrust in their faces, even so, the guilt twisted its knife into Lux's chest.
"Okay, so how did Laughing Coffin bring you in?"
"I... was with a party on the 32nd floor, there was a really difficult dungeon there, and a rare drop was said to come from it," Lux began when Silent groaned.
"Oh God, not that fucking dungeon... a poison swamp in a dungeon..." He grimaced, running his hands over his mouth in dismay, a slight nudge from Sakura getting him to cough. "Sorry, bad memories, continue."
"No, it's... we used your guide to navigate," Lux managed a very brief smile, but it fell away just as fast. "But, with all the traps down there, our party got split up. All I could do was wander around until I stepped onto a teleport trap, throwing me into an Anti-Crystal area," Her face grew pale, tightening her hold on her sleeves. "I-I was disarmed and was going to die to the monsters w-when... when PoH saved me, a-along with others of Laughing Coffin,"
"Never pegged them as the saving type," Artorias commented for a second.
"Guess we know why now..." Mito felt terrible for Lux, she had to have been paralyzed by fear, and who worse to save you than Laughing Coffin?
"One... one of them, Johnny, w-was going to kill me, b-but PoH stopped him, and... said I could join them... or be left to die alone... alone... because they already..." She didn't need to say it, thankful when Nagi raised a hand for her to skim that part, for her own sake. She dried her eyes, voice trembling through emotions welling up in her throat. "I-I agreed, I didn't want to die, I... was held down and..."
She reached for the hem of her blazer, lifting it slightly to reveal the Laughing Coffin brand on her thigh, but she quickly hid it, her head lowered in shame. "I... I've been their infiltration member since prior to the 50th floor clearing... I hated it, I hated them so much... but-but I couldn't do a thing to stop it, if-if I ran, I'd be killed, and whoever helped me... I couldn't..."
Argo moved her arm around her waist, offering some reassurance, Nagi saw the hatred in her eyes, if Laughing Coffin weren't already in prison, he could imagine more names of theirs being scored off the Black Iron Palace within the hour. That feeling was mutual.
"Those scumbags... doing that..." Artorias wanted to throw up, now, he really wish he ran Johnny through when he had the chance.
"I'll kill them for this...!" Daora's fingers dug into the table. It was hot air, but if the excuse ever fell into his lap...
Sakura had come around to also hug Lux, squeezing the poor girl tightly as she tried to stifle her cries behind her hand. Nothing of what Nagi heard or smelled was a lie, not that he'd ever believe so, after all, they had known the real Lux before they ever knew the truth. Taking a deep breath to steady himself again, Nagi did have an end to this questioning.
"You didn't deserve any of what happened to you, Lux. You were brave for a very long time, and in the end, it was technically you that led up straight to Laughing Coffin. If you never befriended Fynch, we'd still be scratching our heads trying to find them, in a way, you became their own Trojan Horse."
It wasn't a lot but it did help Lux in thinking on the bright side for a little, enough for her eyes and flushed face to meet that same, unending kindness and understanding emanating from the Guildmaster before her. "Lux, I want to make you an offer. The first, is you can walk out that door, you'll be free to do what you want, help or just survive in any way you can. No one of the Frontrunners will see you as an enemy,"
"And your second choice... is if you want, you can join my guild," That one made her eyes widen, instinctively pressed against Argo and Sakura out of reflex. "If you do, I'll vouch for you if anyone questions your loyalty, and if you need a person to confide in, any of us will listen. You'll have a place to call home, be safe until you're ready to move on your own two feet again. And if you really feel you need to atone, you can find a way to do so here, so long as it isn't anything too dangerous, okay?"
"...why...?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, unable to tear her eyes from those kind, gentle eyes. "...I hurt you... I've caused so much pain and heartache... I'm... I'm..."
"Thing is, Nagi's just that kinda guy, doesn't matter what's on his radar, if he can spare time to help anyone who needs a hand, even if they don't realize it, he's the first to jump headfirst into the issue, makes it pretty hard to hate the guy," Fynch explained, now fixated on Lux's wide eyes, which in turn, met his. "Even if the people he helps don't see the good in themselves, feeling they don't deserve his help, he'll be there to lift 'em back up, like me."
Snapping back to reality, Fynch was standing before her, and, gave her a gentle hand atop her head. "Cause you're not a murderer, you're Lux, a talented player who... is just a normal girl, am I wrong?"
"And one that owes us three rare itemS," Argo raised a finger.
"Yes-yes, that too, Argo, we know," Nagi rolled his eyes when a few of them chuckled, Nagi waited to hear Lux out, lowering his hand. "You don't need to answer just yet, the choice is yours."
They didn't break down a wall, they just opened the gates. Lux's tears streaked down her face, sobbing and curling up on herself, her head coming to rest against Fynch's chest, much to his surprise again whilst she cried out of grief, relief, gratitude, or all the above. Relaxing into a smile, he put both arms around her again, patting her back gently. Argo and Sakura offering a hand each to the girl who had been set free.
Lux had a lot on her mind, stuff she still had to confront, and many, many apologizes to make. It wouldn't be an easy path for her, but it wasn't one she was afraid to walk. Because... she was just a normal girl... surrounded by many new friends...
[To Be Continued...]
[Author's Notes]
What a rollercoaster this arc has been! Laughing Coffin is no more! Or, nearly all of it is no more, yippie! And Lux can finally feel safe with people she'll grow to cherish greatly. Last arc was to somewhat build Fynch up for this arc where he'd shine as a person who can relate to Lux, and I really enjoyed every bit of it! Still, we've got quite the upcoming arc too, if the name doesn't tip you all off. I hope enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; see ya in the next arc, Misfits!
Next Arc - A Sister's Prayer
Closing in on the 75th floor, the Frontrunners couldn't be more encouraged, spurred by the hopes of reaching the fabled 100th Floor. However, while grinding to attune their gear for the fight ahead, Ran comes to Artorias with a selfish request, one only SilentNight can fulfil...