With a deadline of five pm on December 20th, about forty hours at the time, our heroes delivered the required item to the commander upon their return to the dark elf camp and got straight to work on the next set of quests of the campaign.
Quest seven, "Butterfly Collection,'' had the group of five chasing after a giant butterfly that the enemy faction used as a form of reconnaissance. While no one had the Throwing Knife skill, thanks to Koharu's ability to throw stones with "scary accuracy," as noted by Kirito, they were able to take down the butterfly. The eighth quest, "The Western Spirit Tree," was a mission to deliver the Jade Key secretly from the outpost to the fourth floor via a spirit tree the elves use to move between floors. Along with three soldiers, the party of five traveled to the western edge of the forest, only to be ambushed by a group of Unknown Marauders. They managed to defeat three of the ambushers, but the fourth and last member threw a smoke bomb and swiped the Jade Key.
The ninth quest, "Pursuit," was just as named--they pursued the thief. Kirito, thinking the quest would last well into the night as it did in the beta, was proven wrong as Kizmel was able to point out the "Shining Signal"--a glowing liquid a soldier hit the thief with that left a trail in the woods--, with ease, reducing their pursuit to two hours.
Returning and reporting to the base commander, the party took a short break to eat and rest, then headed out for the final quest of the floor, "Retrieving the Key." It took them within a large dungeon, more than enough to complete at the moment, so to end the day, they cleared the first level and defeated its arachnid boss.
By eleven pm, the group returned to camp. This time, to Kirito and Jaymes' amusement, Kizmel barged in on the girls while bathing, which was filled with shrieks, splashes, and laughter from within, and sighs, frowns, and powerful restraint from the boys playing guard. The following day, they tuned up their weapons at the scoffing blacksmith, restocked on supplies, and headed out back to the underground dungeon.
While the dungeon had its fair share of insects and animals to kill or be killed, the masked thief's base was finally found at the dungeon's bottom. It was revealed that the group were elves, too, though not of the dark or forest variety. The skin was rotten-like in color and demonic in features, and their cursors identified them as Fallen Elf Warriors. Kirito, Asuna, Jaymes, and Koharu had to fight them off as well as their commander. Thanks to them being at the floor's limit for level and the human girls' powerful weapons, the enemies were defeated without much issue. The Jade Key back in hand, they set out to the western tree to end the campaign, and for the time being, their time with Kizmel.
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"Sadly, only the people of Lyusula are permitted to pass through the spirit tree's gate..." Kizmel stares at the fifteen-foot-wide tree with an enormous hole in its trunk. Only Kirito knew certainly what the moment would entail, but all four players knew this would happen as they joined their elven companion, as Asuna's behest, from the Fallen Elf dungeon to the spirit tree.
"I see," Asuna says after several moments of silence.
"Yes."
"We just finally got to know each other, too," Koharu says, looking dismayed by the coming separation. "But I guess this is all for the key, huh?"
The knight pivoted on her heel and faced the two girls behind her, embracing them both to their surprise. "After I lost my sister a month ago, I was waiting to find my place to die. When I crossed blades with the white knight of Kales'Oh, I thought I was going to see my sister again. But...you four appeared and saved me. She must have guided you to my side."
"We'll see you again, won't we?" Asuna murmured into Kizmel's hair. The elf nodded vigorously.
"Absolutely. The Holy Tree will guide us together." Kizmel squeezed one more time before releasing the girls. Next, she turned to Kirito. He expected a less physical farewell, but just like the girls, she enveloped him in a hug. "The next time we meet, Kirito, I will tell you more of my dreams," she whispered to him.
"Yeah, sounds good."
"It is a promise, then." She released him and set her eyes on Jaymes, who stands distantly to the others. As if she understands him, she doesn't approach him for a hug, but it doesn't stop her from approaching him at all. "Jaymes."
"Kizmel."
"I hope... I hope that you'll warm up to me one day, whatever be your reservations."
His eyebrows lower and nearly converge, but he holds back the words in his throat. Those words belong to someone else, so he says something that's more like him, but the flared tone remains. "We'll see. Take care, Kizmel."
Kizmel nods and steps back towards the knotted trunk of the spirit tree. With all four back in front of her, she places her right fist on her left breast. "And now...this is farewell. I am sorry not to accompany you to the Pillar of the Heavens, but I believe that you have the skill to dispatch its guardians. Be done with them and ascend. I will be waiting for you on the fourth floor."
"Take care, Kizmel," Asuna says as she, Kirito, and Kizmel return the salute. Kizmel smiles and turns away one last time for the guarded tree. Once she's passed the gate before the tree, she continues onward to the interior of the knotted tree. A few seconds later, blue light appeared from within for a brief flash.
For the first time in seven days, three additional health bars instead of four linger at the sides of the players' respective HUD.
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"We elves are long-lived, but we can be hurt with blades as much as anyone else, and a deep-enough wound will kill. We are not gifted with the hardiness of the dwarves and humans. The Fallen Elves you fought in the underground maze are the descendants of those who sought to use the Holy Tree's magic to forge themselves bodies impervious to blades. This happened before the Great Separation, and they were banished for it. They are numerous throughout this castle, and their cooperation with the forest elves in search of the keys is troubling in the extreme. As the advance troop, we will remain here for now, surveying for traces of the Fallen before returning to our fortress on the fourth floor. Your continued assistance will be greatly appreciated."
"W-we'd be happy to."
"Anything we can do."
"Of course! Let us know what we can do, and we'll be there. Right, Jaymes?"
"Yeah, sure. It'll be an honor."
"Good. Your help is a boon...I suspect the general at the fortress will treat you magnanimously. Take this commendation with you." The Lysulan commander hands Kirito a rolled parchment, and with thanks, the four turn to head out before the commander speaks again. "You are going to climb the Pillar of the Heavens to the fourth floor?"
"Y...yes, that's the plan."
"In that case, be wary of the guardian beast's poisonous attack. You ought to prepare yourselves with plenty of poison-counteracting potions while you are in camp."
"Th-thank you very much for the advice," As the quartet walks out, they hear a horn in the camp, signaling the arrival of noon, five more hours until the scheduled meeting with ALS, DKB, and other frontrunners.
They silently walk towards the dining camp for a few steps before Koharu voices what's on their mind. "So...what do we say to everyone else?"
Kirito shrugs. "I'm not going to say I wasn't grateful for the advice, but..."
"Now it's harder to say that the quest rewards helping with the boss wasn't true."
"You say you believe Morte fed Kibaou the lie about the campaign having rewards crucial to defeating the guardian, correct?" Jaymes sighs and hangs his head backward. "Doesn't explain why Diavel was clueless, if you forgo the obvious reason. Of course, it doesn't make sense that Kibaou or Lind wouldn't notice a guy in their guild present in another, huh?"
"I guess he switches colors along with his weapons."
"Still...eh, thinking about it is causing me a headache. Just what we need, though. Another mysterious player is advocating PKs. At least Morte is bold enough to do it himself, unlike the guy who fed Nezha the scam plot. Yet now we're the ones in the hot seat soon. Hell, I'm the one who said 'I'll tell you because my word is more trustworthy.'"
"None of the items we could earn for finishing the quest had any special effect against the floor boss. Since Kibaou said the items you earned from the elf quest were necessary to avoid big trouble against the boss...then you could say that his information was a lie."
"Right...But if someone claimed that the hint about poison antidotes was that reward, it's a lot harder to write it off entirely. All you can do now is just explain the truth exactly as it happened at the meeting tonight. If we watch Morte's reaction closely, maybe he'll give something away. At any rate, let's eat and take a break before we go. I hope they let us use Kizmel's tent."
"Good point, Asuna. Hopefully, Lind and Kibaou don't chew my head...or I'll blame you, Kirito."
"Thanks..."
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Once the meeting began, it went along as any other did—assignment of leadership (DKB), schedule of the upcoming battle, and now actual strategy. Assignment of party roles were based on beta data from Argo's notes on the boss, and now that all questions were cleared, Lind asked Jaymes to present his group's findings.
When he arrived on stage, he scanned the crowd very analytically. So far, Kirito and his party had not identified Morte, not in the appearance they know him to have nor as a new face in the sea of familiarity. Not seeing the two-timer, he does take a stern glance at Joe, not forgetting his threat to rip out Joe's vocal cords out for the other male's tone at Koharu. He lets the glare go and details the entirety of the campaign as briefly as possible. Argo released one batch of notes on the campaign and has another coming, so he'll respect her work. However, he then goes over the most crucial part of information. "All right..." He eyes Kibaou specifically as he counters the days-old argument the leader of the ALS bellowed out at Lind. "First off, the rewards for completing the campaign, at least on this floor, had any relation to the floor boss like the chakram on the prior floor. However, we were given a piece of advice from the commander, that our target has a poison attack and to stock the hell up on antidote potions."
Jaymes stood amidst an awkward silence. He knows, just as Kirito, Asuna, and Koharu know, that this piece of information is so basic it might as well not have been said. But he looks in Kirito's direction, sharing something only Kirito (to his knowledge, not certain if a particular absent former beta player knows) can tell. "Kirito informed me that the boss fight in the beta test did not have this pattern of attack, so no information is being withheld. It may be the only thing altered, but it is better than not knowing. Lind, Kibaou, I turn it back over to you."
As Jaymes returns to his party, chatter continues amongst the raiders. Lind issues a proclamation to visit as many shops as possible on the three open floors, to meet here in Zumfut at nine, and they'll trek from Zumfut to the village at the foot of the two, Dessel, then to the lair of Nerius the Evil Treant.
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It only took the forty-four-man raid fifty-three minutes to defeat the treat, heavily aided by the high stock of antidote potions and the power of Koharu's Bullstar and Asuna's Chivalric Rapier.
Morte, the sword user of the DKB, or Morte, the one-handed ax user of the ALS, did not appear. But something did change for once, the owner of the Last Attack Bonus.
"I was really trying to get it," Asuna sulks while glaring at the back of the ecstatic swordsman in red. Like before, Kirito's party travels first to the next floor, though this time without an official assignment from Lind. However, they plan to notify Argo of their victory and open the door for the guilds below.
"Oh, boohoo. You and Ko got the stronger weapons. Kirito gets notoriety. It is about time I get something out of this game."
"Kirito and I attacked first, though!"
"Hm, sorry, but you weren't fast enough. But hey, at least I know you're the type of girl not impressed with a guy's speed, hehe."
Asuna tightens her fists, at which point Kirito intervenes. "Besides, remember when we were talking on the last staircase? I was mentioning how combat in SAO is like an, um...what was the word again?"
"A concerto," Koharu answers. "It's an orchestral term for when one instrument takes the lead while the others back it up."
"Yeah, that! I assumed that it was a reference to one versus many in combat, but maybe I was wrong."
"Oh?" Asuna replies. "What does it mean, then?"
"Umm...well, you're always alone, even when you're in a party or raid...but when you're in trouble, there are people around you to help you out."
"...That's about the last thing I'd expect you to come up with... In that case, the lead player in the third-floor concerto wasn't any of us."
"Huh? Who was it?"
"Kizmel, of course."
"An NPC is not a player," Jaymes scrutinizes.
"What's your issue with Kizmel?"
"She's an AI, plain and simple. I know one when I see one, and I don't like them. They've done enough in my life... Yet..."
Koharu reaches out and takes Jaymes' hand. "I bet you want to see her again."
He sighs and nods. "A little bit, but only because she's useful."
Asuna scoffs. "And good on the eyes too."
"Hey, you said it. And maybe if you weren't such an annoyance, you could be too."
As the two trade insults, Kirito chuckles and turns to Koharu, her face filled with defeat. "These two are never going to quit, huh?"
"No. Just accept it as part of our trait as... as a team."
"Team, huh?" Koharu's spirits rise, and she looks forward. "Right. We're a team now. Me, you, Asuna, and Jaymes. And now..." The four coming nearly to the stairs' top, the chalky-colored door leading to the fourth now within sight. They paused before it, standing between excitement and apprehension for the upcoming adventure.
"Well, here we are."
"Yeah."
"Hey, you guys." Koharu steps forward, turning and holding her hands behind her back. "Let's make a pact."
"A...pact? What do you mean, Ko?"
"I don't know how long this will last, the four of us together, but... I want us to promise each other that, no matter where we go, what adventures lay before us, and whether we're together or separate, we'll always be together. And we'll be together as we were at the beginning to the top floor, when we beat the game. And...well, maybe I'm too hopeful, but...maybe one day, when we leave, we'll see each other in the other world, huh?"
"...Fine with me," Asuna shockingly says first as she draws her rapier. "I mean, besides the real-world part and most of that pact having to do with those two, but I'm in it for you, Koharu."
Jaymes tsks. "Lay off, she's my partner, so it is you who I'm not sure about. And why are you drawing your sword?"
"That's how swordsmen make pacts, right?"
"...Right." Jaymes draws his weapon, and so does Koharu. All eyes then face Kirito, who looks down at the ground silently.
"Kirito..."
"I..."
"Before you say what I think you're going to say," Asuna spits sternly, "at least promise that, for the foreseeable future, you'll have our backs. After all, temporarily, we are all a team."
"A pitiful one at that, right, Koharu?"
"Somewhat, I agree with that."
Kirito looks up and sighs, taking his sword out and holding it straight forward. "Okay. For the foreseeable future, then."
Asuna nods as she sets her blade on top of Kirito's. "However long that might last."
Jaymes shrugs as the last two blades connect. "Hopefully not too long, except for you, Koharu. We're going to the end of the game."
Koharu pouts but doesn't say anything as she glances at the three around her. "Then it is settled. Onward, to see the fourth floor and Kizmel again!" Excited, Koharu forgets to sheath her dagger, tugging on Jaymes' arm, and leads him towards the door to the next floor. Asuna smirks and follows them with a swift stride, while Kirito smiles and sheathes his Anneal Blade.
"We make one hell of a team."
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Present-Day, Floor 22 of New Aincrad
Jaymes watches as the rock thrown at the dark, crystalline lake skips over the surface before drowning to the depths. Pleased with himself, he smiles, stands fully erect, and looks down to his silent companion sitting on the woody pier. His smile departs as he sits next to her, his boots brushing against the water's surface, his head turned in the direction of Asuna and Kirito's cabin, where the rest of the female SAO survivors, Sinon, and Leafa continue to hear the tale of the four frontliners. They might be done with the third floor now. "So, why didn't you go inside?"
"If I tell you, would you be angry at me?"
"If anything, I've given you too many reasons to be angry at me for that to occur."
"...I can't stand being around her and being fake. I rather...not do so if I can help it. Yet it feels so cruel to say that. Koharu is my friend, and I lost her the same way everyone else did. I can't be happy about her actually being alive while at the same time, I am happy she's alive."
"If that's how you feel, you have every right to feel that way, Liz. But any anger you feel at her, it is because of me, so if anything, direct it at me."
Lisbeth holds her head up, not saying anything for a moment as she gazes at the moon. When she does, it's a new topic altogether. "That pact, it still remains to this day."
"It does. But it just doesn't connect me to Kirito, Asuna, and Ko. It connects me to Silica, Strea, Rain, Philia, Klein, Agil, especially you. It connects me to everyone we met since SAO ended, Leafa, Sinon, Premiere, Crimson Squad, Yuuki in spirit."
"Right... So next is the fourth floor, right?"
"Yes. The four of us continued onward to the fourth floor and rejoined Kizmel soon after. But it is also the floor we met on. The floor that, in a way, you can say that's the moment the story of a blacksmith and a warrior began..."