The Red Player (A Sword Art Online story)

Chapter 3: Recovery

Chapter 3: Recovery

Ashas

The doors behind us shut with a resounding thump, leaving us shaken and afraid. It was a small and dimly light room, perfect for a boss room. Kirino drew her bright red katana and held it in front of herself, prepared to strike whenever the boss tried to jump out. She had grown quite a bit by the 5th floor.

I slid my axe out of my holster and held it in both hands. That boss’ weapon was a tetsubo; a long club weapon with heavy iron studs all around. We looked at each other and silently nodded.

Finally a huge gout of steam erupted from the back of the room, and rolled across the floor. A massive bear-like creature stepped out of the smoke and stood before us. My eyes widened in shock and I took a step back in fear. Kirino reacted the same. We were only level 10’s, but somehow, he was an overwhelming level 23.

Without warning he swung wide at us, catching us completely off guard. The impact was devastating, my health dropped by half, even through one of my highest stats was defense. The attack sent me flying into the wall, cutting at my remaining life.

Kirino managed to dodge the first, but she should have stayed down. She moved to slash at the monster’s chest, but just before making contact the bear blasted her into the ground with its incredible power. I watched her health bar slide down slightly before the boss kicked her with a foot the size of her entire body. Already both of us were in the red for health.

The beast released a menacing roar that shook me to the bone. Kirino and I began to crawl to each other, but when we got close the bear would use an overhead strike to drive us apart. Just when it seemed we were on the verge of death, Kirino pulled out a teleport crystal; items with the power to take the user back to whichever town we wanted. She held it high in the air and was about to yell out the name of a town when she saw the face of death.

The tetsubo was mere inches from her face when a dark shadow passed between them, throwing the weapon out of the way. Kirino fell on her back in surprise as I let loose a sigh of relief. Next to her was a tall and shadowy figure standing firm with a shining white broadsword. Above him was the name “Piifalo.”

The bear growled angrily at the newcomer as I stood in disbelief. I had no idea what to do. I wanted to run up to him and thank him, but something stopped me. I had never felt this way before. I dragged my hand down my face. It was warm. I covered my face quickly.

He turned to face the boss, but spoke to Kirino. “Move,” he said. “You’re in the way. If you die don’t blame me.” Without another word he flew. He moved at a speed that was practically teleportation. One moment he was standing next to Kirino, the next his sword was through the boss’ stomach. The enemy’s health dropped from full to ¾ in a matter of seconds. Next was a harsh kick to the side of the bear’s skull, dropping it to the ground.

The boss jumped back up to it’s feet in an instant and filled the room with a mighty bellow. I shielded myself from the force with my arms, but he still stood unfazed. It seemed like the boss didn’t stand a chance until it was directly in front of Kirino. Just then Piifalo yelled with a voice as loud as the boss. “What are you still doing here?! Run!”

The beast was moments away from crushing Kirino with it’s destructive punch when Piifalo began to move. They moved so quickly, but to me it felt like slow motion. Piifalo had thrown himself headfirst into danger to save her from the attack. He must have seen how important she is to me, I thought gleefully. He cares about me!

Piifalo managed to squeeze himself between Kirino and the boss just before impact. The two of them were launched like a shot from a gun into the wall. If the room’s walls weren’t immortal objects, they might have destroyed the entire cave.

At first, neither of them got back up, but eventually Piifalo struggled back up to his feet, leaning on his sword. Kirino looked up at him, confused.

Clearly annoyed, Piifalo looked angrily down at the ground. “It jammed my sword attack,” He growled. “You should have left already. What the hell are two you doing fighting a level 23 boss at your levels?!” Kirino opened her mouth to respond, but he cut her off. “Never mind, just leave already. I won’t save you again.” Kirino scowled at first, but then used her crystal to exit the room for the fifth floor’s main town.

I, however, stayed. I needed to meet him. I wasn’t about to miss this opportunity for anything. I would survive as long as I needed in order to be with him.

“Finally,” Piifalo said. “Now this fight and the reward are mine to take,” he said smiling darkly at the boss. He had fangs like a wolf on the hunt.

In the blink of an eye he was gone once again. He threw a long slash aimed at the bear’s head, but he was blocked just in time. He didn’t stop coming though. He delivered countless strikes from all direction. Eventually the boss couldn’t keep up and it was left with gash marks all over it’s body. It fell to it’s knees, and shattered into a million shards of pixels.

The word “Congratulations!” appeared where Piifalo had delivered the killing blow along with all of his experience and boss drop items. At first I was completely speechless, but finally I gathered the courage to run up and talk to him. I had taken my first step towards him before I saw him pull out a teleport crystal of his own. He called out the name of a lesser known town on floor 5; Givado town. Seconds later he vanished, leaving me alone in the boss room

I looked down at the blue crystal in my own hand. It shimmered like the ocean at a sunny beach. I was stuck between meeting up with Kirino, or finding our savior. My face was reflected in the glassy crystal. My cheeks had turned a bright red. Finally I held the crystal high in the air. “Givado!” I yelled.

I’ve been following him ever since.

Piifalo

I roll my shoulder smoothly as I walk out the door. Much better, I think. If I see that LC member again I’ll have to pay him back for his services. I look up at my HUD to see if anything has changed. My health is back to full, level is still 34, and I still have my same weapon equipped in my sheath. Good, she didn’t touch anything. I’d rather not get my hands dirty again so soon.

I continue on my way out of town and into the nearby forest. She’s not bad at staying silent, but has she really forgotten my detection level already? I keep walking just in case she decides to give up the act.

Five minutes of walking later I stop at the edge of the forest and release a deep sigh. “I’m about to go fight a mini boss,” I call out into the bushes. “Don’t blame me if you die.” I shove my hands back in my coat pockets and keep walking. Suddenly she jumps out in front of me while attempting to catch her breath.

“You mean you knew I was there the entire time?!” she pants. I nod my head and push forward, but she stops me again. “Do you have any idea how much energy it takes to use stealth like that?” I shrug while attempting to continue down the path.

“Shouldn’t try so hard,” I say while trying my best to ignore her, but for some reason she seemed so insulted. “Or maybe you’re not good enough at stealth skills.”  Somehow that didn’t help either.

As I follow the path hoping to find the mini boss sometime soon she stays behind me like a lost dog. Finally I give up and turn to face her. “What do you want?”

She stops quickly, taken aback by the fact that I had actually responded. “I guess I just want to know what the name of your sword is. It looks like it could be broken after that fight but for some reason you’re still holding on to it.”

I freeze. I never expected that question, I mean there’s a reason I have it set to private, but maybe I’ll get something out of it if I tell her. “If I tell you will you leave me alone?”

She doesn’t respond, only stares back at me with a face filled with determination that surprises even me.

I turn around and trudge down the path with an exasperated sigh. “Passion,” I say. “It’s called Passion.”

End of chapter 3. Givado is Godiva (chocolate) with the letters shifted.

I had a box that said Godiva and I needed a name :P