Sword Art Online-Encroaching Shadows

Chapter 36

"I'm not going anywhere." He kept stroking her hair softly trying to ease her fears.

"But...when the last floor is cleared..."

"I'm not..." He pulled her face up so he could look her in the eyes before continuing. "going anywhere." She swallowed before nodding once and pressing her mouth against his again. Like before, she wasted no time opening her mouth, sliding her tongue into his. Her leg lifted wrapping around his hip as she used all her limbs to pull him against her.

"Jemza..." He could barely find the opportunity to speak and to be honest he was having a hard time thinking straight given the situation.

"It's alright. Do whatever you want." Frail shreds of self control were about all that was left for him. Somewhere in the distant recesses of his mind a nagging voice kept trying to tell him something important. Whatever it was, the taste of Jemza and his growing awareness of her body was the only thing he could focus on.

"Hang on, there's..." He tried to break off to clear his head, but she renewed her efforts pulling him with all her strength so that he rolled on top of her. Both her legs wrapped around his waist.

"No, don't stop." That voice that Jayce felt far in the back of his mind disappeared the moment Jemza pressed her hips against his. What could possibly be more important than the woman below him right now? He opened his eyes glancing up and he pushed himself up above her body in shock.

"He's coming out!" Jayce's eyes were wide and the voice in his head that had just disappeared came back in a cacophony of noise. Jemza grinned wickedly below him running her hands down his chest.

"Good, I want him to come out." She lifted her head kissing his neck, her hands moving down to his waist. Jayce broke free from his panic and grabbed her head twisting it towards the direction he was looking.

"Not that! Artemis is coming out!" The lust in her eyes slowly faded as she also returned to her senses. Sure enough the man that had met with Kurt earlier was walking down the road towards them.

"Son of a..."

"Stay down!" Jayce hissed, interrupting her. He slowly rolled off her until he was lying on his stomach. He prayed that the tall grass would be enough to keep them hidden.

"Let him pass and then get him from behind?" Jayce nodded in response to her question. He felt stupid for forgetting about the entire reason why they were here. If he hadn't seen Artemis when he did the man might have gotten the jump on them and with the color of his cursor they would be dead.

"The poison on your dagger still there?" Jayce glanced down at the blade on her hip and she pulled it free. A thin sheen of black liquid still clung to the blade as she twisted it in the moonlight.

"Looks good, yeah."

"We don't have access to status effect poisons or anything too great, but that will inflict a DoT on him. Apply it and then kite him back. Let the poison do some of the work." Jayce explained the plan to his partner and she nodded in understanding. In the world of MMO games a common tactic when facing difficult enemies was to chip away at their health from a distance. Maintaining that distance was critical to the plan while still chipping away at the health bar. This was a strategy called "kiting."

Since SAO did not have magic or bows and arrows it was far more difficult to perform, but with Jayce's poison it was possible. A DoT, or damage over time, was a way of inflicting damage repeatedly of a specific length of time. For instance, the poison on Jemza's blade would cause damage to whoever her dagger hit every second for a total of ten seconds. The damage was fairly low, but against a higher level opponent they would need every edge they could find.

"Watch your meter and stay low." Jayce had to whisper as Artemis was closing in on their position near the road. His own <<Hiding>> meter hovered around the 90 mark, but it would drop a point or two as Artemis got closer.

"I'm sorry, I got carried away before." Jayce turned towards her shaking his head.

"I really wouldn't mind if you got carried away like that more often. Just saying." He winked and she blushed slightly lowering herself as tight against the ground as she could.

"I'll keep that in mind." He heard her whisper in response and held back a laugh. His meter dipped down into the high 70s now that Artemis was about to walk past them. The two held their breath in unison as the man walked along the road a hand on the pommel of his sword. The tall grass they were concealed within would provide a good amount of cover, but given his level and whatever skills he possessed it might amount to nothing.

The meter stopped dropping at 67 once he was officially past their location. Slowly, the meter ticked back up to 70 and Jayce looked back at Jemza and nodded. He pulled his mask back up over his nose and mouth while she did the same. Slowly, he slid the blade of this sword out of the scabbard and readied his arms to push himself up. Their initial strike had to be as precise as possible. Once he was aware of them it would become a dangerous situation where one wrong move could end their lives.

Together, they both slowly rose within the shadows of the tall grass. Artemis was a short distance away continuing to walk towards whatever destination he had. Taking great care to not rush any of their movements, Jayce and Jemza slinked through the grass until they reached the edge of the road. He put his fist up and then pointed at Artemis. With unrivaled speed, Jemza dashed past him, her dagger spinning in her fingers. Now, they would be tested on all fronts. Their individual skill as players, their determination to save Rose, and their bond as a couple. All three would have to prove stronger than the level difference between them and their opponent.

"Yaaaah!" Jemza's voice cried out in the silence of the night as she twirled through the air, her dagger leading the way.