Timeless [Yuuki Konno X OC]

Chp. 13 - Defiance

[Alfheim Online, New Aincrad, Floor 27]

[Yuuki's POV]

"-Do you think those defensive moves could have been random?" I heard Tecchi's voice first as I exited the respawn lantern with a defeated state. I swore we were close this time but nope, once our tanks fell it was all downhill from there. Me and Malzeno were all that remained before the boss crushed us too. 

"After we fought so hard..." I was going to sulk until a familiar hand yanked me away to the side. "Wah, Z-Zeno!?"

He had a serious look on his face, the same when we ran into those guys looking for him on Floor 10, and those we met before the Boss Room. "You guys too, gather round," He said after sending a message off to someone but since his menu was private I could only see blank boxes. "We haven't the time to mull over our loss,"

After they gathered, he addressed us while crossing his arms. "Those guys we met before the chamber were part of the same guild we almost had a run-in with on Floor 10, Yuuki," Now that he mentioned it... the guild seal was the same! "They're from a notorious guild that focus solely on raids, Red Sainglenn."

I gasped as everyone else muttered with worry. If a guild like that was there... they weren't just farming in the labyrinth, they were after the boss too. What he said next made my heart plummet into my stomach. "If I'm a betting man, and I am, they scouted out for Floors 25, and 26, and likely saw you guys at each encounter,"

"What... does that mean?" I choked out.

His teal eyes weren't mocking or mirthful, he was dead-serious. "They used you to clear the floors, watched you since you're a small guild that's under the radar to bait out a boss' attack patterns, weaknesses, anything that proved valuable without a scratch on them."

"B-But, the door's sealed once we enter, so even if they gathered information, they never saw the fights themselves, right?" Talken was right, but seeing as Malzeno's brow creased, I doubt it was the case.

"Unfortunately, it's an oversight of mine, I should've been furrow but the boss had already appeared," He tapped his right foot. "During the last stretch of the fight, there was something by Jun's foot that scampered around, a lizard with the Dark spell 'Peeping' on it. It uses a familiar to attach to a player and steal their sight."

I felt hollow, my face paler than normal, "Does that mean... that the boss getting defeated right after we got wiped out on Floors 25 and 26..." I'm such an idiot. "That wasn't a coincidence then?"

"No question, explains their surprising timelapse too," Malzeno muttered, rubbing his chin. "You gave your all and they snuck up like a pit viper and used you to snatch up the win, who needs a broker when you have six reckless players to do it for you?"

"So that means this time we were duped again into being their stepping stones," Siune summed it up nicely, we were just there to boost their egos. If we lost now... how long would it take to prepare for 28? 29? Would... there even be enough time left?

"Unbelievable..." "Dammit!" "No..."

I grit my teeth, I hate this, why... what's so wrong about us achieving our goal? Was this how it would always be? Was this... just for nothing? "Sis... what do I do now...? How do we come back from this?" She would know, Aiko was smarter than me.

A soft hand rested on my shoulder, I looked up and saw that raw fire in Malzeno's eyes, and a winning smirk on his lips. "True, you were used three times, twice of which you failed, but this time you have something they don't," I wanted to ask what, but he said it for me with a wink. "A guy who's seen that boss fall before, and in much better time than those cheats,"