Chapter Text
Footsteps echoed across the great hall of Black Iron Palace. Sunlight streamed down the large, arched windows, casting light against the dark frames of the Monument of Life.
Kirito brushed strands of hair that were falling in front of his eyes. He surveyed the scores of names that had breathed life just weeks before. His eyes scanned the columns, flicking habitually to his own username, before traveling across and landing on a name: « Klein ». A rough smile tugged at his lips.
Doors crashing against granite walls broke Kirito from his stare. He turned around, quietly stepping back as three figures rushed straight towards the monument.
"Do you see his name?!"
"Calm down damnit, I'm trying to look—"
"I told him, I said don't do it, and the idiot went and got himself killed!"
"Don't say that, Bast, let Ayde look."
Kirito eased himself against the wall, fairly confident they would not notice him for the moment. The tallest of the three, Ayde, Kirito presumed, was scouring the board for their supposed idiot friend. He had half a mind to slip away while their attention was elsewhere; but his feet remained rooted to the ground.
"Damnit," Ayde yelled, slamming clenched fists against the board, "Damnit, damnit, damnit!"
Behind him, Bast fell to his knees.
"Idiot," Bast whispered, "that stupid idiot."
"Look again, Ayde, one more time. Maybe he—"
"Shut up, Zee, I looked already. He's not there."
Ayde's hands slid down the board and fell uselessly to his side.
Kirito's eyes slid away from the sight and he turned on his heel to walk out. The three players did not stir from their spots, not even when Kirito pushed the doors open and let it shut loudly behind him.
Breathing in deeply, Kirito looked out at the square around him. Players were walking and talking, voices animated and hands moving. The excitement of the first town opening on the second floor still lingered. He might have shared their enthusiasm, but after the debacle during the first boss fight, Kirito wasn't in any mood to celebrate. Although the « Coat of Midnight » was safely stored in his inventory, the symbol of what the coat now represented weighed heavily on his mind.
"Beater, huh," Kirito muttered to himself, waiting for some players to pass him as he walked along the roads, heading towards the archway that would lead him out of the city. He passed through the market; the area was bustling with people and NPCs alike. Kirito had no use for this area but he wasn't quite ready to head back to « Urbus » just yet. He had to stop by « Tolbana » to meet up with Klein. It had been a couple weeks since he last saw his friend; it would be good to see someone who wouldn't immediately despise his appearance.
More than that, the 30 minute walk to « Tolbana » would give Kirito some peace and quiet. No players, no distractions, just the scenery to enjoy.
Klein stepped inside the town's diner, yawning as he was greeted by the familiar aroma of coffee and breakfast. The waitress guided him to an empty wooden booth against the corner windows, allowing full view of the streets in front.
"Is this alright?" the waitress asked, hands gesturing to the plain table before him.
He nodded, then remembering himself, spoke "Yes, thanks."
Klein wondered if NPCs were programmed to understand a bob of the head. Either way, she seemed satisfied with his response and handed him a menu before leaving to await the next customer.
The bench creaked unevenly against the floor as he shifted his weight in his seat. His hand traced the coarse edges of the table as he skimmed over the menu. His stomach growled knowingly, tugging at him to order anything that sounded even slightly edible. He swallowed, struggling to wipe the drool off his face. He was tired of eating whatever food his team had cooked in the field. Surely, their combined cooking level must add up to -10.
"Black coffee, thank you."
A different waitress had come to take his order and quickly returned with his coffee in hand. Klein inhaled contentedly as the smell of his coffee wafted from his mug. He took a small sip, eyes roaming the diner. Other players sat around the tables, talking over food and drinks. Klein lingered at one table, eying a particularly sumptuous looking plate carrying various meats and steamed vegetables. He glanced up to see who had ordered such a meal and met the curious eyes of a pretty brunette. She was holding her utensils in midair, as if the feeling of his eyes on her meal had caused her to pause.
She raised one eyebrow coolly, her meaning clear, 'Can I eat now?'
Klein gave her a wide grin, giving her a thumb of approval.
The nameless girl giggled, causing Klein to grin wider, and she turned her attention back to her meal. He wondered if he should try going over there to get her name. No one can resist Klein the Fine. He debated it for a solid minute before the door opened, three other female players making straight for the brunette's table. Klein watched them take seats at her table and cursed his luck, knowing full well that any plans to come over now would probably be difficult.
He saw the brunette gesture the other three to lean forward, and she looked meaningfully over to his table before saying something to the other three. The girls giggled, turning around to stare at him.
Not missing a beat, Klein sent them a full wink and a grin. His action sent all four of them giggling, not unkindly, before they turned back to their conversation.
Klein set the coffee mug down, his earlier sleepiness completely gone, and fiddled with his bandana. He caught sight of himself in the reflection of the window.
'Damn, I knew it,' he thought, 'Bandanas are so cool.'
He had worn his bandana since the start, his good luck charm now. He had spent the last month learning the basic mechanics with his friends. Despite this, his friends never joined in on the bandana-wearing fad. Truth was, Klein had felt comforted with the presence of his real life buddies, the danger seemingly lessened. They were his brothers now. And he was proud to fight alongside them. Slowly but surely, they were improving and they would catch up with the group that had defeated the first boss. They would catch up to Kirito.
Deciding that he had waited long enough, Klein placed his thumb and index finger together and performed a swift downward motion, causing the user interface to open. He navigated to the messaging tab and selected « Kirito ».
"Yo, Kirito... I am starving. Where are you?"
"Yo, Kirito...so hungry."
"Yo… can't hold out any… longer. Losing lifepoints… fading away…"
"Kirito...are you even getting these?"
"Kirito...hey… are you ignoring me right now? Damn you."
As Klein sent his last message, he noticed Kirito casually stroll through the doorway. He waved and Kirito returned the greeting lazily.
"Hey, looks like you're still alive, Klein."
"'Hey,' he says," Klein grumbled, "did you even get my messages."
"I was late only three minutes."
"Sure, ignore my messages," he continued grumbling, watching Kirito take a seat. "You going to order anything?'
"No, I'm okay."
"Hmph," Klein grunted, then raising his hand in the air to grab the attention of an NPC, "Suit yourself! I'll have the farmer breakfast and another coffee for the kid."
A waitress brought a plate of toast, eggs, sausage and bacon and Klein murmured his appreciation, with knife and fork in hand.
Kirito smiled as Klein gorged himself.
"You know what's a plus about being trapped here, Kirito?" Klein said, as he lifted a strip of bacon into the air and nibbled it down nimbly.
"What?" Kirito replied dryly.
"I can eat and eat, and never get fat!" Klein said, smiling proudly. "Cholesterol? Diabetes? Heart attacks? Not here my friend!"
Klein laughed loudly, almost choking on his piece of toast.
"Anyway," Kirito interjected after Klein finally recovered, "What's going on?"
"I should be asking you that. Eh, 'Beater'?"
"Oh that," Kirito slung an arm over the back of his chair, "It took care of some things."
"Well, I hope it was worth it because every time that word is brought up, a crazy look goes over everyone's faces."
"People will forget about it in time."
"What went on in there, with that boss?"
Kirito closed his eyes. The details flooded back to him now. Illfang the Kobold Lord smirking arrogantly as Diabel, charismatic Diabel, faded. Kirito shivered as his last words still rang in his ear. Please finish. The rest was a blur. Desperation. A lucky rally.
Klein listened. He had stood at the Monument of Life on the day Illfang was attacked, eyes diligently watching for any change in the names of the raid group. A crowd had stood with him and more had joined as news spread that a group of players sought to challenge the first boss. Word of their victory had spread quickly, along with word of a black haired swordsman who betrayed them all for the boss loot. Beater.
"Just watch your back," Klein pointed a fork between bites, "that's all I'm saying. And besides that, when are you going to join my group? There's still room for you, you know."
"Maybe next time," he said easily, "I'm still training. Anyway, why did you call me?"
"It's KK time."
"What time?"
"KK time, like Kirito and Klein time."
"Sounds dirty."
"Only if you're a dirty person," Klein teased, "My, is our little Kirito growing up? I can introduce you to those girls over there if you want."
Klein laughed as Kirito blushed when he pointed toward the table of girls he had met eyes with earlier.
"Anyway, you remember the town opening for « Urbus » last week?"
"Yeah, what about it?" Kirito asked, gesturing him to continue.
"A group of players thought they could log out from that level. As if this area was bugged, but not up there."
"Were they right?"
"No, I suppose not. It didn't take long for them to realize the place was locked down too. Some of them lost it, just ran out into the field."
"Sounds like a mess."
Klein leaned back, not wanting to imagine what happened, but unable to hold back his imagination.
"Kirito, the reason I called you was..."
Klein didn't want to say it was because he was concerned for Kirito or that he often thought of the guy who declined his invitation to venture alone instead.
Kirito was looking at him now.
"Let's team up for a bit." Klein decided.
Feeling Kirito's hesitation, he added, "Think of it as you owing me for covering breakfast."
"But I didn't get anything."
"Yeah, well… coffee's not cheap you know!"
Klein quickly stood up to prevent further protests and shuffled to the door.
"Klein, wait!" Kirito hollered, "You forgot to pay!"
The sun was still up when Klein and Kirito ventured out into the field. Klein had already pulled out his curved blade, looking intently at the boars and and wolf-like monsters in the distance. A distant buzz could also be picked up, a sign of the wasp-type insect monsters that were known to inhabit the grasslands.
"Haven't you already learned how to fight these?" Kirito asked, rubbing the back of his head as he surveyed the area.
"I need to level up somehow, don't I? I've got « Reaver », « Slash », « Upper Slice », « Fury Spike », and « Fury Arc »."
"There must be some similarities to the one-handed sword, like « Vertical » and « Horizontal »?"
"Oh!" Klein, who had been ticking his fingers off at each attack, raised another two at Kirito's words. "Yeah, moving the sword horizontally and vertically is something I can do with my one-handed curved sword too."
Kirito nodded, gazing far off towards the « Starting City » with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Any leaps yet? I've got « Sonic Leap ». It's just a simple top to bottom vertical slash. It can come in handy for certain monsters."
"Well, I need to figure out how to trigger it first. I could give it a shot with one of these boars here." Klein gestured towards a boar that was walking nearby.
"I think I have a better way for you to train your skills and give you better EXP for your efforts."
Kirito gestured vaguely northwest, "The forest region has stronger monsters so we can really get to toughening you up."
"Hey now," Klein put his hands up, "I wanted to party with you to get a little help here and there. I don't know how I'll fare this early in the game. You want me dead huh?"
"You'll never get stronger if you don't tackle bigger enemies."
"I was afraid you'd say that."
The trek to the northwest region of « Aincrad » did not take as long as Kirito thought it would. It probably had something to do with Klein chatting the whole way through, stopping to breathe just a few times before launching back into another story involving his group of friends. Kirito kept one ear listening to the story, and one out in their environment. Although it was still midday, it didn't rule out any opportunistic player killers who thought there were two unsuspecting players walking around.
"I want to start a guild with my buddies, Kirito. We're always partying together, so why not just make it official and put the guild stamp on it, so to speak."
Kirito nearly paused in his walk but kept going, nodding slowly. "You would be a good guild leader."
Klein puffed his chest up with pride. "Was there any doubt?"
Kirito kept his head forward to hide his smile. "But first, you need to level up. What are you now, level 5?"
"Level 5," Klein sounded affronted, "What do you take me for? I'm nearly level 9. My guys are moving up level 7 and 8 too."
Kirito gave a long whistle. "Keeping the levels close. Nice job there."
"And what are you? Don't tell me...you're hovering around 12, aren't you? That smugness is making me itch."
Kirito shrugged, "Somewhere around there. And look, I can see the trees from here."
It was true. The trees lining the edge of the forest were coming into view. The forest looked welcoming at this distance, but Klein could guess that entering the forest might paint a different picture.
"Yeah, yeah, I see them. But you said 'somewhere' around there. What is it then, 13? 14?"
Kirito kept walking, gesturing Klein to walk faster as the forest loomed closer.
"You're 15, aren't you? You can't be more than that, unless you're not sleeping or killing frenzy boars all day long."
Kirito let out a laugh. "I have better things to do with my time than kill frenzy boars, Klein."
"Aha! You're 15 then? God, 15. What the heck are you doing by yourself Kirito. Do you even sleep?"
Kirito shrugged once. Then he gestured for Klein to pull out his weapon. They were standing just inside the lip of the forest. Patches of sunlight trailed down through parted leaves and tree limbs. No monsters in sight, as far as Klein could tell. But this region wasn't known to have many neutral monsters.
"The last time I was here, I was trying to complete the « Secret Medicine of the Forest » so I could get my « Anneal Blade »."
"Think we'll be running into the little nepents soon?" Klein looked around surreptitiously, holding his curved blade sword firmly, "I don't want to have a run-in with the ones that have the fruit on their heads attracting more of those monsters around."
"They probably wouldn't be this close to the edge, but once we get closer, anything can happen. For now, get ready to use those skills of yours. If we're lucky, you could get to level 9."
Klein grinned, "You helping me out, Kirito?"
"Pay attention," was all that Klein got. But it was good enough.
The two headed directly into the forest, Kirito leading them with sure steps. It did not take long before they were engaged in battle. The first was an insect-type monster; it looked like a wasp from afar, except its wings were leathery like a bat's. When the monster came closer, they made out the name hovering over its head: « Waspy »
Kirito attacked first, using « Slant », cutting a precise 45 degree angle at the monster. A sliver of health from the health bar was removed. Kirito lunged forward again, triggering what looked like a two-hit combo that did considerably more damage. Klein stood at the ready, watching around for any monsters that may be coming but also ready to switch if Kirito needed it. He could see that there were many similarities between one-handed sword and one-handed curved sword.
Around the halfway mark of the monster's health, Kirito called a switch and Klein jumped in. He lowered his stance and raised his sword, triggering « Reaver ». The motion caused him to jump forward with a fast thrust aimed at the monster's belly. Landing on the opposite side of the monster, Klein pivoted on his heel, bringing his sword up from his waist to slice at the monster's back.
The monster screeched, a high keening sound that pierced their ears. The monster beat its wings faster, sending a cutting wind towards Klein. Klein jumped back, simultaneously raising his sword and sliding it downward against the gust. A second gust of wind followed quickly, forcing Klein to jump quickly to the side.
"Klein!" Kirito called out.
"I'm fine, I can finish this!"
Klein got to his feet, both hands gripping his sword, and charged towards the monster. Once Klein came into range, he leaped into the air, raising his sword high. A single, top to bottom slash neatly sliced through « Waspy ». The small health that remained vanished, and the creature began to break off into fragments.
Dual screens appeared in front of Kirito and Klein.
« Result
EXP 37
Col 45
Items 2»
Klein pretended to blow smoke at the tip of his sword and sheathed his weapon.
"Man, I'm strong."
Kirito rolled his eyes, turning to target another Wasp.
"What enhancements does your sword have?" Kirito said, thrusting his Anneal Blade into the wasp's head.
Switching with Kirito, Klein slashed downward with his sword, landing a critical strike. He leaned forward and neatly followed up his attack with a clean horizontal cut.
"+1 accuracy and +1 sharpness." .
"Not bad. It should be easy for us to get materials for +3."
"Oh yeah?" Klein replied, sorting through his inventory, "Good idea!"
Klein finished another wasp. Gasping for breath, he raised his hands in the air, motioning for a break. He dropped to a squat, placing his hands on his knees. He sat down, pressing his back against the tree.
"What was it that you said about, eating anything you want?" Kirito teased.
Klein crossed his arms, glaring at Kirito. He grabbed a water from his inventory and gulped it down. His neck leaned against the tree. The sensation of heat subsided slightly as a small wind blew across the sweat dripping from his face.
"Damn," Klein said, drawing his arm upward to dry off his face, "I'm beater."
Kirito smirked. "Don't you mean beat? If I remember elementary school correctly, the phrase is I'm beat."
"Get it? It's a joke, because they call you beater. And I'm tired, like beat, beater..beat..."
Kirito rolled his eyes, pretending to kick at Klein's prone body. "It's not funny if you have to explain it."
"Joke of the day, my friend. Quality," Klein chuckled, "Some people just can't handle it. Have you heard of the phrase, 'pearls before swine'?"
Klein patted himself on the back.
"Have you heard of the phrase, 'don't quit your day jo—" Kirito said, turning to face his friend, "Did you just pat yourself on the back?"
"Yeah, it was too good."
Wiping the dust off the back of his pants, Klein stood up slowly, groaning.
"Forty stingers, thirty-five teeth," Klein listed, "Let's go find my blacksmith buddy so that he can glue them onto my sword or something. And you can finally meet the group that you'll be joining."
Kirito remained silent, but followed Klein.
They walked alongside each other, on the dirt path toward « Tolbana ». Klein stepped casually with his arms resting behind his head, whistling an unfamiliar tune. His armor seemed an even deeper shade, as it reflected the setting sun.
Kirito kept his eyes forward, making no attempt to silence Klein's humming. Their talking had died down, both probably looking forward to a good meal and a night at the inn. He reckoned they were 10 minutes away from their destination. He thought about the three players he had seen earlier, frantically searching for their friend's name in vain. They were probably still mourning. He wondered if they blamed themselves. When would be his turn? He stole a glance at his smiling friend. And Klein? Even the faint happiness now seemed so fragile.
"Do you ever wonder what will happen to us?" Kirito asked quietly, breaking his silence.
Klein kept his pace, though his whistling died down.
"All the time," Klein admitted softly, staring at the ground now, "Every fight reminds me."
"Me too."
Klein nodded, placing a hand on Kirito's shoulder, scrunching his mouth in deep thought.
"That's why its dangerous to go alone, Kirito. It's not just a game anymore. You're what… 15, 16 years old? It only gets harder from here. You know that more than I 's why you have to join us. Hell, we need you. And maybe you need us too. Just…" Klein paused, exasperation in his voice, "Just think about it."
"Thanks, Klein." he answered, sending his friend a small smile, "I'll think about it seriously."
Inside a small inn on the outskirts of « Urbas », a brown-haired youth stood, staring spellbound at a crackling hearth. Behind him, players walked towards the bar or brushed past him to head upstairs to the beds. He remained still, undisturbed by the jostling of the crowd inside.
To any casual observer, he appeared an unassuming player except for his spiky hair. The chest piece he wore was dull, even in the light of the fire. Small cracks and chips that traced along his shoulder pads were clearly visible, even without the aid of the oil lamps hanging from the inn's rafters. He wore maroon pants and simple leather boots; as common as any player entering the inn. The only part of his clothing that would cause any stray eye to pause was a deep gash in his chestpiece; inches above where his heart would be.
He reached his hand forward, as if to grasp at the flames dancing in front of his brown eyes. He was still, his mind in a memory.
Illfang the Kobold Lord towering above players. A sword raised threateningly in the air. The murky dungeon corners offering no sanctuary. Fear was thick in the air. Player after player charged Illfang, weapons striking where they could. It was inevitable that one of their own would be struck a fatal blow; it was only a question of who. And it was Diabel whose time had run out.
The player withdrew his hand, stepping to the side reflexively as three other people made their way to the stairs. His ears did not hear the laughter around him. They were still ringing with the cries of Diabel's teammates. Even his sleep held the sounds of the dying.
He turned swiftly from the hearth, heading straight to the bar where a few tall chairs were available.
"What's your poison?" the innkeeper NPC asked, hands busy wiping down an empty bottle.
"Warsteiner," he replied, "I want to start a tab."
The NPC stopped its motion, putting the empty bottle down and taking out a small notepad from his dirtied apron.
"Name," he asked gruffly.
"Kibaou. Close the tab at 100 col."
The innkeeper held out a hand. Kibaou tapped the NPC's hand once, fingers typing out 1-0-0 and depositing it in the inn's bank. Once he was paid, the innkeeper ducked down behind the bar, reemerging with a tall pint of foaming beer.
Kibaou reached forward, belatedly nodding his thanks towards the NPC's already retreating back as it went to another customer. Kibaou took large gulps, drinking half the tankard before putting it back on the bar.
He missed his friend. With Diabel gone, someone would have to take over. He could do it. He could lead the men like Diabel did, be a hero like Diabel. That was the best way he could honor him.
« Aincrad Liberation Party »
A guild that protects the weak, to free all the players from this game. Without the help of those damn beaters.