[Alfheim Online, New Aincrad, Floor 1 Coliseum]
[Malzeno's POV]
Many tuned in for the live streams covering the tournament, others took up every space in the stands, even the very top of the arena's walls. Down below, however, it was complete pandemonium. From all sides, I had four players immediately turn their blades on me. "Aw, they put aside their differences just to kill me, that's so sweet,"
"I bet all my money on you!" "Let's crush this rat here and now!" "Die, you scumbag!"
The first was a greatsword, one I spun around to release Buckshot, the green arrows exploding on contact with his sword, throwing it back, the shrapnel lacerating his frame. I climbed up his shoulders, diving upside-down to fire a purple-charged Threaded Needle, the puncturing arrow skewered through the first man, he's dead on the spot due to a lack of heavy armour.
Landing, I dove backward from two scimitars, rolling left from a spear, all their skills causing a combustion, kicking up a dust cloud where my eyes flickered between the strokes of sword skills sweeping the smog. I continued to fire off arrows, twirling out from the cloud before it settled, revealing the trio and two more that had joined in.
All they saw was my smirk, a finger pointed at the ground. When the dust levelled out, only the dozen blast-tipped arrows could be seen. Within that frame, all of them were engulfed in a large blast, two surviving but having taken serious damage. Rushing them, their pleas went unheard, silencing them with well-placed headshots as I avoided the various battles erupting across the arena in massive clusters, embers of the dead tossed around with shards of red glass.
I ran up another unsuspecting player, gaining the height advantage to launch Thunder Crash's crackling shot, the roaring arrowhead tearing through a small group of players, blasting them to their stomachs, paralyzed and left helpless to the slaughter. While I never took the kills, it lessened my burden, more were gunning for me, seeing an archer as a 'weak link', how unfortunate.
A blade nicked a few strands of hair, so I wrapped around the sweeping claws, pivoting under twin axes, then the series of heavy slams from a great-ax and a thunderous crash from a single greatsword. These guys were relentless. Running in an arc, I slid below a hail of arrows from afar, seeing them puncture two guys to my left. Rolling, I hopped up and over another player, his sword missing my heels with several within my sights.
Slicking several arrows with various vials on my belt, I pulled back the string with a great deal of strength, I handled five arrows, all beginning to hum a deep blue. Grinding my boots into the earth, I raised them high and released, then another five to follow in rapid succession. The ten-hit skill, Deluge. A barrage of arrows hailed a line of players, all now flinching, inflicted by various elemental statuses that left them weakened to others, myself giving a mocking bow.
Turning, I raised NTB to tank a Vertical Arc that was close to tearing out my back, belonging to another would-be assassin. "Tch, you really thought a little runt like you even had a chance here!?" He howled, lunging again while I kept on the defence, evading his vicious strokes.
~Oooh, with that massive upset, there's only 72 players remaining in only five minutes!~ Cliffheart exclaimed. ~Seems a few have teamed up to take out certain targets, who could've expected that!?~
"Someone like you should've stayed in the towns with the other brokers - Ack!" Before I could listen to his wonderful points any longer, I watched as an arrow lodged itself through his chest by hand, the person behind him walking out in front with a stare that could freeze a target with a mere glance. "Y-Y-you, bitch!"
"Info Brokers don't have the time of day to listen to a dead man's complaints," Drawing her own bow, its frame white, the river and grip appearing to be made from the long fangs of a beast with a black handle. She nocked a crystal-tipped arrow, then fired straight through the man's forehead, killing him instantly with his glare ever-so-present. With a soft breath, the cold woman turned to me. "You've drawn too much attention again,"
"It's part of my charm, you're no better about turning heads, Miss Sniper," I winked, that got a faint smile but it was brief given our predicament. "Care for a team-up?"
The Cait Sith with a serious demeanour. She had thin, pale blue swaying hair that's casually short, but there was a tuft of hair tied up on both sides of her forehead, and indigo coloured eyes. She wore a green coat with white chest armor, a black choker and a belted quiver across her shoulders. The best crack-shot sniper of Gun Gale Online, Sinon.
She pondered for a moment, drawing her bow behind her to fire and strike an approaching fighter through the head with ease, never taking her eyes off me. Damn, that was seriously badass! "Hm, then we're in agreement that come the one-on-one's you'll not hold back?"
"Deal,"
"Good,"
"See who gets the most kills?"
"Assists too?"
"Sure, too many people."
"Alright."
Short and simple. With our agreement, she and I spun around to have our backs together, casting the same, deadly skill as it wound up into an emerald and sapphire storm. This got the attention of the commentators. ~Woah-woah, what's this!? The only two archers of the match are teaming up too!?~
~The enemy of my enemy seems to be a running trend today~ Thinker acknowledged.
That drew a few eyes, and both of us turned so that we faced the same direction. "Fail-"
"Not!" Sinon finished, and we released the combined might of two devastating arrows that tore a riptide through the whole arena, piercing the furthest wall and leaving several with large gashes and wounds through their armour and bodies. Some, unfortunately, were killed by the point-blank force through their stomachs. Ten for me, Eleven for Sinon.
We ran forward, nocking and releasing arrow after arrow into a cone ahead of us, the hail of arrows stripping down the weakened players who rushed to gang up on us. I kicked my heels out, turning left while Sinon's arrows blew by my back, herself gliding past soon after while Buckshot blew away two dagger users in front of me.
During my turn, I raised my foot as it began to glow red, whipping it in a roundhouse kick, much to the shock of the sword and shield user who felt his neck bend into the crook of my foot. Given where we are, it's only natural I'd have found it again, the Extra Skill, Martial Arts! I kept up that momentum, seeing Sinon kneel to evade the sweeps of a longsword, allowing me to vault off her form and flip forward, driving my right heel down with a scalding orange haze. "Luna Arc!"
The ax-kick was enough to shatter the ground below, stunning the player for Sinon to finish off with a point-blank Buckshot of her own, the pluck of arrows stripping through his breastplate. She ran past me, sliding to release Threaded Needle, sending two players flying while my own shower of arrows from Deluge, once again, left them all reeling from a chain of explosions that followed the shower of arrowheads.
Through the smoke, Sinon's foot struck a spearman's stomach, and my glowing fingers punctured his chest, flinging him onto his ass for both our arrows to rest in his eyes, ouch. "Twenty," I chimed in then.
"Twenty-Two," Crap, she's winning. I fixed a hard glare, turning to sweep a tank player with two arrows dripping in dark grey liquid. They, of course, didn't do much damage, but then the broken shield icon appeared, Defence Down.
He stumbled back into a ramming charge with his now-illuminated tower shield, utilizing the skill Kick-Step, I safely evaded vertically by climbing the steel wall, leaving the man's back wide open for a sparkling Thunder Crash straight through the nape and through the ground, the static roaring in the air while I slicked three more arrows in orange goo. "Buckshot!" The trio of arrows forcing a group to halt only to be blown backward by the explosion to follow.
Said group cried in pain when Sinon slipped up behind them, sliding and firing a series of arrows in rapid succession, downing them all. I blinked, then stared at her. "That still counts as mine!" She rolled her eyes but moved on and I followed close behind. "Switch!" She held back then and I parried a halberd with NTB, leaving them wide open to a powerful puncturing arrow through the chest.
Placing my bow on my back, I brought my right foot down to cancel out a Fatal Thrust from a spear, burying the head into the dirt with Uchikesu, a martial art skill that can completely counter most thrust attacks. I cocked my head with a smirk, allowing another arrow to glide past and put the player in the ground, my own fist landing the finishing blow.
Grabbing my bow, I wrapped around another as he was riddled with arrows, catching his neck with my bow to hoist and throw them overhead, quickly drawing an arrow to silence them. Both of us, shoulder-to-shoulder, faced the thinning horde of foes, many turning to charge straight for us, I felt Sinon dip her arrows into a few of my vials, both of us drawing five each with various, colourful tips.
A unified Deluge sent them all across the arena in a panic as twenty consecutive arrows rained from above, some exploding, others inflicting elemental or physical debuffs that were too hefty of a burden to handle, leaving them either in the yellow or red, some simply died outright from being unable to shuffle antidotes and healing pots at once.
Sinon then held out a Hi-Health pot for me, both of us giving 'cheers' and sipping quietly while the world burned around us in a beautiful cacophony of elements and screams.
In just over fifteen minutes, the whole area was cleared out say for five remaining players, two of which were yours truly. Another loud gong resounded, followed by an uproar of voices at the reigning champions. ~And that's all folks! We have our first five winners of the first round! Two of which were the pair of archers no one expected would come out on top! There's also the trio that held their own individually, give them all a hand!~ Cliffheart yelled, getting another applause.
~The second match will start shortly, those participating, please make your way inside. Those five winners, your IDs will be updated, and we'll compile the listings by tomorrow, again, good game, enjoy the festivities until then!~ Thinker congratulated us and explained things simply.
"I suppose we're allowed time to catch our breaths," Sinon exhaled softly, walking with me slowly. "This is a lot more forgiving than BoB, although, this close-knit battle royale is a refreshing change of pace, quick, decisive matches to claim a spot in the top five,"
"Yeah, BoB basically is the reverse, you have 1v1s to determined who proceeds into the battlegrounds instead of whittling out the weakest players," I agreed, this being more my style as I cracked my knuckles with a smug grin. "This time, I'm aiming for the top. Got the best gear and the best luck a guy can ask for,"
"What's that?" Sinon inquired as I rubbed my nose, then pointed up to a part in the stands where several gloomy faces were glaring daggers at me or sobbing.
"People thinking placing bets against me will win! Hahaha, I've made so much bank already, it's such a lucrative system~!" My devilish cackle only furthered their rage as I stuck my tongue out and mocked them. My gaze fell back to Sinon who shook her head, exasperated, but held a small smile again.
"You haven't changed... at least, not the mischievous player you are, but you've seem far more content lately, what changed?" Oh, she noticed? I mean, I guess lately I've been in high spirits.
Smiling fondly for a moment, I eyed where I saw our friends, some of them missing as they were up in the next round, but there, standing at the edge with a big grin, waving her arms with Jun and Nori, was Yuuki, her red eyes brimming with a mixture of adrenaline and glee.
"I guess... I just found where I belong," She followed my gaze, and her eyes softened a bit, then to my surprise, she knuckled my bicep.
"I won, by the way, you-"
"Owe ya a drink and Yrd, yeah-yeah, I know..." Can't win 'em all, I suppose.
"Hey," Looking up at her, I saw her hold out her fist.
I let out a small laugh, bumping fists with her too.
"Good game," We chimed.
[To Be Continued...]
[Author's Notes]
Sinon makes her appearance, though the name gives it away, obviously. I eventually wanted to have these two archers team up, and what better way than in a battle against countless players? I think this was good match, won't be covering the others but I'll give a summary to keep this focus on Malzeno for the time being.
We got quite the match-up coming up. I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support; seeya in the next chapter, Players!