Chapter Text
I thank whitworth5274 for helping me.
October 19th, 2024 Floor 51
"Seems Kirito is all over the newspaper with Dual-Wielding." Haruza handed Taicho a news article as the pair sat in a cafe within the main establishment of the fifty-first level. As for why they were here, Taicho had no clue. Kirito and Asuna were one floor below in the town of Algade, so whatever Haruza wanted to speak about, it was for Taicho's ears only. Either that, or she's still strangely unhappy with Kirito.
After skimming the article, which greatly hyperbolized what happened, Taicho set the paper on the table. "Well, as soon as Kirito unleashed his new skill, word got out real quick, especially since we had some of the Army watching as well."
"Yeah, he's not going to be too happy about this. But enough about that. Speaking of the Army, I got a message from Thinker this morning. He said he needs to talk to me."
Thinker was the leader of the Aincrad Liberation Army. His wife, Yulier, and the Aincrad Liberation Squad's former leader, Kibaou, were also high-ranked within the guild. After yesterday's debacle, it wouldn't be crazy to think Thinker was apologizing. However, the article didn't mention Asuna, Haruza, Taicho, or Fuurinkazan, so he wouldn't apologize to them. "Hmmm, I wonder what it's all about."
"He said something about a slasher on Floor 38 PKing players. Whatever it is, I told him I'll meet him an hour from now."
That…was unexpected. Feeling a throbbing vein, Taicho pinched his forehead in frustration. "PKing...Jeez… If you're going there alone, you should probably have someone to accompany you, just in case."
Haruza nodded. "Which is why I'm asking you to come too."
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Aincrad Liberation Army HQ, Town of Beginnings
An hour later, Tiacho and Haruza are back in the Town of Beginnings for the first time in a very long time. Taicho hadn't been in the first town since the Assault Team conquered the tenth floor. However, a large group of people, about a third of SAO's remaining six thousand players, never left the town or joined the Army and frequented the guild's home base.
Taicho and Haruza were escorted from the teleport gate to an undisclosed location further into town. As they walked, Taicho found it weird that a town of two thousand players felt like a ghost town. In the beta, which contained one thousand players, this place was a bustling hub. Barely a green indicator was spotted during the trip, yet he muttered nothing. Two hypotheses ran through his head - either the town's people were down on hope (which didn't make sense as the final quarter of SAO was being approached), or the Army had something to do with it.
He held those questions in as they entered their destination, the two escorts remaining outside. The stone building could have been a home once. It was well-maintained for being unoccupied, mostly void of furniture aside from one table and chairs surrounding it. Seated in one chair is a man with wavy brown hair and brown eyes, a bland face, and wore a green trench coat and gray trousers. He stood up as the two teenagers approached and gave them a smile. "Haruza and Taicho. Thank you very much for coming."
Haruza nodded and looked around. "Where's Yulier?"
Thinker sighed and sat back down. "Off stopping one of the cadets. He's flown off in a rage." He looked exhausted. Whatever was troubling the Army today was a separate issue from yesterday, so Taicho decided not to bring it up. For all he knew, that squadron yesterday was acting unofficially for the Army.
Joining the older man at the table, he asked, "So what's the situation about?"
"Yes, well..some of Kibaou's former soldiers have been killed."
"Assuming they've been PK'ed?"
"That's correct. You've heard rumors about the Slasher, yes?"
"Not exactly."
"What kind of rumors are we talking about?"
Thinker leaned back in his chair. "Well then, let me explain. Rumors of the Slasher began spreading just about a week ago. It seems a party was suddenly attacked while leveling. No matter what the victims asked, the culprit never spoke a single word. This has taken place multiple times since then, including a party of our members two days ago."
So a serial killer and the Army got caught right before the fiasco on the upper levels, "Were there any survivors?"
"Only one, and they were given a card." Thinker handed Haruza a card with a skull insignia on the back.
"'Do your duty, even if it means dying?'"
"Well this seems heavy."
"Indeed. While the victim was given a card, she couldn't get a good look at the Slasher's face since a dark hood covered it."
Haruza sarcastically replied, "Fantastic. We're just kinda going in blind."
Thinker mustered a faint smile. "Apparently so. The evidence doesn't get any more concrete than that. It's just... I never thought this person would do something like this."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, take Laughing Coffin. As much as they killed, they never killed a group of players and left a survivor alive with a card. It doesn't add up."
Taicho took the card and spun it between his fingers. "I'll agree that it is strange. Usually, the calling card comes before the kill, not after. Maybe this person has...a reason?"
Thinker shrugged. "Either way, it seemed like the person went to Wantia Castle on the thirty-eighth Floor."
Haruza nodded and abruptly stood up. "Then let's head over there. Come on, Taicho."
Taicho grabbed her wrist. "Hold on, Haruza. If we encounter this person, we may have to cross swords."
"True… Should we bring back up?"
"I believe you should," Thinker added. "This Slasher is probably not to be underestimated with."
Who could they call on? Kirito was probably trying to lay low for now, so asking him to come along was a no. Asuna was perhaps back with KoB now that a new floor had opened. That eliminated anyone associated with DDA, such as Liten and Shivata. Of the remaining solo players Taicho could think of…it's those other two they met up with yesterday. "We could...try to call in Cyrus and Ada, but they could be busy now. As for us, we'll take our time investigating before engaging the castle."
Haruza nodded and swiped her right hand. "I'll leave them with a message. Hopefully, they will acknowledge it."
"Great." Taicho got up, followed by Thinker. "We'll get to the bottom of it, Thinker. Afterward, I'd like to talk to you about something."
"Very well. I wish you the best of luck. And be careful."
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October 22, 2024 Floor 38, Haruza
The thirty-eighth floor of Aincrad was usually a vibrant, grassland-themed floor, but the southwestern area Haruza and Taicho were headed was the opposite case. The Wantia Woods, named after the castle within, had all the makings of a creepy forest. Dead, twisted trees, unseen crows calling out in the unnatural darkness, and Haruza was sure there were eyes on them at all times, whether it be a ghoulish field, a skeletal warrior, or Haruza's imagination.
They came into a hilly clearing and stopped for the moment to take in their first sight of Wantia Castle. It's still a distance away, but the slope provided an excellent view of what they're getting into. It's an old English-styled stone castle that's mainly dark with only one or two purple lights shining from the windows.
"So this is Wantia Castle," Haruza observed as she lowered a monocular from her right eye. "It's a real old castle and swarming with more monsters than the woods."
"Is it already night? It was about midday when we left."
"Seems like there's only darkness here. Is this the right way to the castle?"
"Not sure, but we've been walking the only trail we've seen in the woods in the direction of the castle." He gestured to the path's continuation deeper in the woods. "Let's keep moving."
"Right behind you." Following close behind Taicho, Haruza kept an eye on their surroundings until a yellow message icon popped up. Argo being the sender, Haruza decided to open the message immediately, engaging in a conversation with the informant for a short while.
When the conversation ceased and Argo put payment on Haruza's tab, she delivered the news to Taicho as they stopped at a fork in the road. "I just found out that Kirito lost a duel and has joined the KoB. It doesn't make any sense."
Taicho raised his eyebrow in surprise. "What? Against who?"
"Heathcliff…" The answer came from someone other than Haruza, the voice being familiar enough that neither drew their swords in surprise. From the pathway heading towards them from the east entered Cyrus and Ada.
That's right. Haruza did receive news from Asuna that he'd be dueling Heathcliff, but with their investigation of the Slasher and Wantia Castle, it slipped her mind. "Y-You've seen the duel?"
Ada replied as the four continued down the path heading down the south-facing path, "The whole thing. As soon as the news of Kirito vs Heathcliff came to public, we had to see for ourselves."
"I just don't get it. Kirito never lost a duel, to my knowledge. Then again, he almost lost to Asuna once and this is Heathcliff we're talking about. He's SAO's strongest player."
"True. It was close, but Kirito lost in the end. It looked like a clean win… Yet I feel like something was off." Cyrus retrieved a Record Crystal from his inventory and tapped it. After a few moments, he showed the video projection to Taicho and Haruza.."Given my experience seeing cheaters, this one was….rather….odd one. I've recorded this myself, seeing the opportunity to see how Heathcliff fights and all. From here, you can see that Kirito had the upper hand to win. But if you look closely right….here, you can see an odd lag spike from Heathcliff."
Haruza didn't notice a thing. Whatever lag spike was there, it wasn't visible enough to show that Heathcliff countered Kirito's Vorpal Blade skill aside from a simple dodge. Beside her, Taicho frowned. "That's barely visible to the point I could argue you're wrong. I don't even know if that's a lag spike. But let's say it is; if this proves that Heathcliff cheated, why not post this publicly?"
"Like you said, it's only noticeable if you know what to look for. Most of SAO, even seasoned gamers, would not notice it. So, if I did, I don't think many people would believe me, given that I'm also a beta tester. They'll think I fabricated this myself to hate Heathcliff or the Knights of the Blood Oath. It wasn't worth it. And for all we know, it might not be cheating - Kirito has a Unique Skill, so it could be that what we saw was Heathcliff's."
"A dodge skill of sorts… Must be nice," Haruza grumbled. "Well, we'll worry about that later. We have to get back to the mission. There's an NPC over there." Haruza approached a slim, armored figure nestled against a gnarled tree. The NPC didn't move much when she approached, so she lifted her hand up in greeting. "Excuse me…"
"…Grr."
"What?!"
The figure moved its head slightly towards Haruza, flashing evil crimson eyes as it uttered a frightening "Groooooooar!" The sudden roar sent an unnatural chill through Haruza's body, freezing it in place and forcing her eyes to look nowhere else but at it as it came into shape. The screamer's composed of broken metal armor and decaying flesh and bones, like a zombie from the medieval period.
As it got on its feet and reached for the rusted sword on its back, Haruza felt a warm, living hand grab her shoulder. "Get back!" She was thrown backward to the ground, her place stolen by Taicho as he easily sliced through the ghoul. It fell apart and combusted into blue light in a matter of seconds.
"Haruza!"
"Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah," she answered Ada and Cyrus as they helped her to her feet. The freeze effect wasn't a debuff, but a reaction to the zombie's screech. "What was that thing?"
"Ghoul Soldier, apparently. I guess you didn't notice how the cursor changed from yellow to light pink when you spoke to it."
"Oh, so some kind of undead zombies or something? A mere husk."
"Husks?" Ada inquired. "Of what?"
"GRAAAR!"
Haruza almost froze again. The once quiet, unsettling woods now echoed a choir of screams, similar to the Ghoul Soldier. "There's more of them?!"
Taicho clicked his tongue in annoyance as he sheathed his sword. "They're weak in strength as we're appropriately leveled for the higher floors and they're not scaling with us. A couple of normal attacks will do them in, but let's not get ganged up on. Let's keep moving to the castle and be careful. Cyrus, you take our six."
"Cool with me."
"Okay."
"Right behind you."
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They got past the ghouls and finally entered the castle. It wasn't a large castle by any means, as there wasn't a castle gate or a grand courtyard to welcome them. But there was a massive, dimly lit hall, the path laid out with a weathered red carpet. If it wasn't for the spires across the roof, it could be stated that Wantia Castle should have been called a mansion.
Taking point, now that their goal was in sight, Haruza waved the others forward to a large staircase leading to the second floor. "Come on, let's keep going."
They walked up the stairs and came to an intersection. Two paths led to the wings of the castle while the third continued the path forward through a dark hall. Haruza, confident in her sense of direction, took the party down the hallway, trying her best not to let the spine-tingling ambience bother her.
It led to an open, squared chamber that seemingly served as a dining hall. Strangely enough, the long dinner table was already set and served, with food and drink placed along the center of the table and even had candles lit. Eight chairs surrounded the table, none of them occupied. Behind the table, against the far wall, was a giant, red, pentagonal object that looked like a coffin.
But Haruza's eyes were not on the filled table nor the ominous open casket. Seated at the far end of the table was a looming silhouette. It moved to stand as a deep, masculine voice said, "It seems that my thoughts have finally reached you." Entering the light of several pale blue candles along the wall, the creature's features were revealed. From the admittedly handsome face and elegant clothing, it had a human form, but anyone who looked at it could tell it was far from human. Monstrous, bloodshot red eyes honed in on them. Skin so pale that it looked like the person was on their deathbed. The most defining feature was the presence of two sharp, dangerous-looking teeth protruding between the man's lips.
"A vampire…is the Slasher?" Taicho correctly called the species of the NPC before them, though his confusion was understandable. The Assault Team had faced their fair share of trouble with mythical beings, but the vast majority of them, if not standard RPG tropes, were within the confines of Eastern Asian mythology. Vampires and the supernatural they're affiliated with are popular in recent Japanese literature and media, but they're more rooted in Western material.
"So that's what this has been about." From the back of the group, Ada stepped up to the close end of the table. With one hand on her rapier, she frowned at the vampire…as if she knew something. "So all this time, you've been 'slashing' about just to send a message."
"What?!" Haruza and Taicho shouted simultaneously. They looked from Ada's back to Cyrus, who was just as confused as they were. "Cyrus, what is she talking about?"
"...Well that explains why she pressed us to come here once we got that message from you. Ada, you knew something about this, didn't you?"
"Not about the attacks on players, but a couple of days before we cleared the 74th floor, I received a message beckoning me to come down to this castle. I never prompted an encounter, so originally I ignored it. It didn't seem important enough to leave off where we were for a side quest. But after Taicho and Haruza mentioned that ALS players had been killed by a mysterious PKer, I received a second notification. The message told me how you were on a killing spree. Not just that…you even used my form!"
Pissed off, Ada drew her rapier, a sleek black blade, and pointed it at the vampire. "How dare you, Invi the Propinquus Nocte!"
Invi gestured with a heartful bow. "Allow me to apologize from the depths of my heart, you pathetic mortals. I have prepared dinner for you as a gesture of apology. Let us settle our misunderstandings as we dine."
"What?"
"You want us to eat with you?" Haruza roared. "People died because of you, and you want us to sit here and-"
"Haruza, Ada, calm down." The girls' turned on Taicho, who marched towards one of the chairs. "We had a long journey coming here for answers, and now we have someone to answer them. We should hear this out first." His voice gave no room for argument, and Cyrus' silent submission was enough. The boys took their place on opposite sides of the head of the table where Ada stood. Ada clicked her tongue, sheathed her blade, and sat down after Haruza took her place on the other side of Taicho.
After his guests were seated, Invi followed and gestured to the table: "Come, eat. All dishes that your kind enjoys."
"As for you, that means drinking blood?" Cyrus asked.
Swirling the chalice in his hand, Invi snorted. "I cannot blame you for thinking that, but no. I am excused from the duty that is feeding."
Ada gritted her teeth. "Then why did you kill those people if not to feed?"
"Because you refused my invitation. I truly am sorry to have cut down those innocent humans because of it. I tried to threaten them, forcing those paper scraps into their hands. Ah, but my vampiric instincts rose to the surface. I sliced them to shreds and sipped their blood. Oh, what a sweet act. I shook from the pleasure."
"So you do enjoy killing for sport!"
"You really are a monster."
Invi waved off the accusations of Haruza and Taicho. "Please calm yourselves. I am able to control my instincts."
"What guarantee do we have that your reason will continue to prevail?"
"None at all. It entirely depends on how you act."
"What a disgusting attitude."
"No wonder she refused you."
"I reconsidered, of course. I came to realize that I would need a more attractive proposal if I invited you here."
Ada was visibly cross with the conversation leading up to now. She hadn't attempted to reach for the food; it was the only thing keeping Haruza sane, and it was pretty good food, if she's honest. Her brown eyes had a raging fire inside them, burning the vampire seated across the table. "...Explain."
"Now, I am a Lord of the Night. But there was one before me as well. Her name was Wantia—the one to suck my blood and turn me into a vampire. I was one of the knights of the twilight who defended Wantia. She was strong and powerful…and I see the same in you, Ada. After all, you look just like Wantia."
Invi stood and opened a treasure chest in the back of the hall. Stuffed inside was more Col than Haruza had ever seen in one spot. "In exchange for ceasing my murderous endeavors, I wish for you to become the new lady of Wantia Castle and join me here."
Haruza swallowed a chunk of meat. It was so savory that part of her forgot they were dining with a murderous vampire. She lowered her fork and asked Invi, "So… If Ada joins you, you'll stop this Slasher stuff?"
"I will."
"No," Ada strongly remarked. She stood up and pointed her rapier at Invi. "There's only one person's side I belong to, and it isn't you!"
Invi grumbled and slammed the chest shut. "You mere mortals truly are foolish creatures. I must have forgotten that fact completely. I should have decided on a course of action more befitting of fools." With the wave of his hand, the luxurious table was lifted off the floor by an invisible force. Haruza lamented the loss of a great meal but didn't have a spare moment to mourn as the air in the room became malevolent. Invi stalked the group of four, drew a rapier from his scabbard, and venomously spat, "You shall die, and your running blood will wet my throat. This is the choice that truly befits you. In other words, you shall become my thralls." Ada darted across the room as he finished his statement, thrusting her sword for the vampire's heart with a normal attack. Invi, a good foot taller than Ada, fell back against her momentum, colliding with the inside of the large coffin. For the moment, Haruza thought Ada successfully jumped on Invi before his yellow cursor could turn red and indicate hostility. Ada's speed was nothing like the Lightning Flash herself, but no one, human or NPC, could have reacted fast enough to that uncalculated move.
It was proven untrue, as Ada was pushed back. Invi's cursor bled red and a single health bar appeared underneath it. The tip of Ada's blade was between his left fingers, a foot or more from the lord's heart. Invi calmly stepped forward and released Ada. Undeterred and ignoring Cyrus' call to fall back, Ada attacked again with the three-hit sword skill Rapid Stab. Each of the three thrusts landed on Invi, dwindling his health to slightly below ninety percent. Yet, Ada was stuck in place afterward as the skill delay penalty came on her.
With a single slash of his rapier, Invi knocked the girl aside. "Ada!" She landed hard against the ground, and her partner went to her aid. At the same time, a red aura flashed from Invi's rapier to his body. The damage he incurred was immediately healed.
He turned his terrible red eyes on Haruza and Taicho next. Gulping down her fright, Haruza yelled, "Get ready to fight!" and ran toward the vampire - only for said vampire to lurch forward and collide with her like a bulldozer. Her back smashed against a wall, and she dropped to her feet, coughing up her shaken lungs.
"Haruza!" Blue light filled the area around her. She looked up in time to see Invi's back slashed against Taicho's furious blade with the Horizontal Square skill. Invi's health fell once more as he growled in pain, and then he countered against the frozen player with quick, powerful slashes. That red aura returned as Invi's health refilled again.
Annoyed by the vampire's attitude and angry about the fate of the dinner, Haruza rose to her feet and swung at the monster, inflicting as much damage as she could before its health was restored. After what happened to Ada and Taicho, using sword skills in this environment asked to be countered. Yet, much like with Ada's earlier attack, normal strikes didn't seem to faze Invi much, and it didn't help that his red cursor was plain red. Unlike the rest of the thirty-eighth floor, which Haruza could breeze through without wasting her breath, he was matched to their current level, between 90 and 100.
After a stunning jab of Invi's hilt against her core, she learned that he hit as hard as a monster leveled at that range. She lost a quarter of her health gauge while Invi's returned to full. Dazed, she was easily lifted off her feet and had the pointed end of the rapier aimed at her heart. Before Invi could impale her, his arms were penetrated by a sword - a raging Cyrus' sword from the right. Then, a rapier roaring with purple light darted forward from her left. The Linear sword skill impacted him square in the chest, causing Invi to drop Haruza and launch him halfway across the room.
"We keep attacking," Cyrus said, "but his HP gauge fills right back up. He's not even using healing abilities, though."
"He's draining our HP."
Haruza glanced at her health again and felt like this was cheating. "Can something actually drain that much health?!"
As if he heard them figure it out, Invi chuckled as he rose to his feet. "Did I not tell you? With my Finsternis Linke, humans can try as hard as they wish, but they will never be a match for a vampire. This could have ended smoothly had you given yourself over as the new Wantia. You were the one to forsake me. Now I'm tired of this farce, so let's end this now." In a snap, Invi transformed into countless bats, and they flew toward the group of four.
"Run!" Taicho commanded as the bats split through the group. Unfortunately, they were split three to one, with Haruza trapped on the room's far end as the bats swirled in a funnel between the players. Taicho and the others were closer to the door.
Haruza noticed this and formulated a plan in three seconds. One she knew was damned in the end, but it would ensure that those three lived at the very least. She looked at her friend and shouted over the squeaking bats, "Taicho! Take those two and run!"
"Huh? No! That means leaving you behind!"
"Do you believe in me? I'll be fine for now."
Taicho was obviously conflicted, but he quickly made a decision. "...Fine. Okay. But promise me you'll make it back alive, alright?"
She nodded. "Believe me, I don't want to die like this anyway. But if I don't, you'll rescue me, right?"
"Bet on it! Cyrus, Ada, let's go!" Cyrus didn't need another word. He grabbed Ada's wrist and followed Taicho to the door. Just then, Invi appeared from the disappearing funnel of bats and headed for the trio to stop them. Acting fast, Haruza reached for her secondary sword and threw it at Invi. It landed true on his shoulder, stopping him as he winced in pain.
Haruza used the time to run to Invi, grabbed her sword, and stood between her retreating friends and Invi, ready with both swords. She wasn't Kirito, so sword skills involving one or two blades were unavailable to her in this manner, but she only needed to hold Invi off for a moment.
Invi's eyes flashed with momentary amusement. "Abandon them, and I will spare your life."
"Sorry, no deal."
"What a fool… A fool to such an extent that I even feel pity for you. Know that the despair to come is the result of your actions." Invi lifted his free hand, summoning Ghoul Soldiers from nowhere. They were all around her, so Haruza engaged them with no choice but to fight to live and to ensure that Taicho and their friends lived as well…
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Ugh…"
"Ah, you're up."
Haruza, her consciousness returning, found life in that she wasn't dead. She must've fought so hard against the Ghoul Soldiers that she crashed out. With the three health bars underneath her red gauge, she found greater relief that Taicho, Cyrus, and Ada were alive and relatively well. The only issue was the dark and damp surroundings. Three walls of dark stone and a fourth wall made of metal bars. Beyond those bars were more of the same setup. Oh, and that damned vampire is seated on the other side of the bars. "Is this… a dungeon?"
"That's correct."
Haruza positioned her body to sit on her knees and glared at the vampire. She was internally grateful that the bloodsucker hadn't killed her when he had the opportunity, but somehow that offended her. "So, you're not going to drink my blood?"
Invi shook his head. "Your role is that of bait, used to lure out the one who resembles Wantia."
"So that's what this is."
"I suggest you pray that the girl returns. You'll go free if she does. Otherwise, you'll wither in this cell."
Haruza sighed and rearranged her position. She might as well get comfortable, so she laid on her back. "Is there no end to this?"
"I am a vampire. And now, I am also a Lord of the Night. I must be forever beautiful, forever noble. I must leave no trace of my weakness behind. Such is my mission, my way of life."
"What a sad way to live. Think about it, Invi. That feeling of loss you have. Your victims' friends feel it too. The hatred won't stop driving them. Bathed in it, they hurt others. Everyone has weak moments. Saying goodbye is never easy. You understand that pain, right? So enough with this killing."
Invi bore a momentary countenance of contemplation. However, it was gone as quickly as it appeared. He stood up and faced the entrance to the dungeon. "…I have had it with your mischief."
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Taicho
Meanwhile, Cyrus, Ada, and Taicho had remained in the castle. The latter two were separated from Cyrus, but knew he was alive due to his half-filled health gauge present on their HUDs. Same for Haruza's gauge which was about ten percent filled.
Taicho and Ada were hiding in an elaborately ruined bedroom, though they weren't interested in exploring it. Their attention was on the hallway outside, looking for an opportune moment to escape with the bedroom door cracked open. They had no idea where they were in Wantia Castle, nor any idea how to get back to where they came from.
"We seem to have gotten ourselves lost while evading all these enemies."
"We have to find Haruza and Cyrus."
Ada nodded as a low growl echoed from the hallway. She sighed and stood up. "Another presence in the hall… There's too many out there. We should hide in this room." Taicho silently agreed and gently closed the door as much as possible without shutting it. Closed doors in SAO prevent sound from the other side, so as long as it is ajar the slightest bit, sound will leak in from both sides. That also meant Taicho and Ada had to be careful not to make too much noise.
He turned around and inspected the bedroom. It was dark, but it wasn't hard to see around the place. With the tattered carpet and curtains, the ripped bedsheets, and the amount of dust settled on the furniture, it is apparent no one had been in this room for a very long time. He doubted this was Invi's chamber…not that he'd expect a vampire to sleep anywhere other than a coffin.
Ada sat on the large bed, throwing away a potion container, her body slumped over. "Taicho, Haruza is most likely captured. I'm sorry about this."
"Haruza can handle herself…sometimes. But I bet Cyrus is going crazy not knowing about you. Nice ring, by the way."
Ada looked at her left hand, where a diamond ring rested on her ring finger. "Oh, right. Thanks."
"How long?"
"Two months since he proposed it to me. I've heard you gave Haruza a gift too this past summer. I guess that's all the progress made between you two?"
"When you say it like that, I feel like a loser." He removed his sheathed sword off his back and sat on the bed. "But even then, everything's fine."
Ada shook her head. "It's not. All those people died because I selfishly ignored Invi. Yes, there was no way I could have known it would have ended up like this. But it did happen, and now we're stuck in here. So don't belittle me with comforting words because it is the truth. Those deaths are on me."
Her voice was strong, but Taicho sensed she was on the verge of breaking apart. Not want to push her emotionally, Taicho decided to let her feel that way. She wasn't wrong about her ignorance leading to Invi's spree, but that didn't mean she was responsible. That's not even what bothered him about the current events. "You knew about Invi through a series of messages, but what doesn't make sense is how he knew of you. When we came on this floor, there was no mention of Wantia Castle or its inhabitants."
"The town bordering the woods, Transylvatia, was the first I heard about it when we originally ventured through this floor. You know how small it is, so not many Assault Team members stopped by. Cyrus and I did, but we explored it separately. At that time, I met an NPC. He didn't ask much, but he seemed quite interested in me. Even said I reminded him of someone he once loved. As you can guess, it was Invi… I don't know how he messaged me over a year later or why now he decided to do this.
"Someone he loved, huh?" Taicho chuckled and got back on his feet. Ada's initial encounter with Invi must've been coincidental. Any woman who Invi crossed in that town might've sufficed, but considering Ada's the only one who received a message, it was a locked encounter. That person, Ada or not, would have become Invi's only target - and thus his image of this Wantia. "Love is quite the powerful force, isn't it? It ties us together and can break us apart. Allows us to do good and bends us to wicked desires. I wonder what happened to Wantia."
"...She was killed," Ada squeaked. "If I remember the conversation correctly, she was killed with Ardent Serpent poison coated on a blade. He didn't tell me who killed her, but now I bet it was him. Who else but a vampire could excel at killing another? But if he loved her, why?"
Taicho shrugged. "Maybe he was trying to rid himself of that love? For a vampire, an eternal being, human feelings must suck big time, and love is one of our biggest emotions. Apparently it didn't work. His feelings must be worse now." Taicho strangely felt pity for the NPC. The system controlling SAO gave a human heart to a monster, and created this conflict. Whatever Invi's doing is driven by a heart that Taicho couldn't fully understand even with similar feelings towards Haruza. Love is a complicated concept with complicated results because of it. How could a monster process what a human couldn't comprehend?
But if Taicho could simplify Invi's feelings, it's probably loneliness. He was lonely after killing Wantia, then found someone who reminded him of her. That warped into the current situation.
"Look at this." Taicho turned back to Ada, who picked up a book from the nearby nightstand. She blew and brushed the dust off of it. She flipped the cover and started examining the contents. "...It looks to be a memoir. It belongs to… Wantia? The name of the former Lord of the Night."
"Really?" Sitting back down, Taicho read the memoir with Ada. It contained the story of the two vampires. While they had maintained a perfect master-and-servant relationship at the start, they needed each other. But one day, their relationship fell apart.
"Invi is consumed by doubt. I'm sure it started with something too small to be worth anyone's attention. But this doubt was like a crack, slowly growing until it had become an irreparable fracture in our once-perfect relationship. Then, one day, Invi pointed his sword at me without warning. But I misread him. I was unable to see what drove his rebellion as I made my decision."
"Your bond to me as thrall is gone. Go anywhere but here. You are no longer allowed in this castle." So I told Invi. And when I did, he used a poison blade to slash at me. I've long forgotten to feed. Without dragon's blood, my fate was sealed. Sooner or later, I will die."
"Invi, if you are reading this, please, you must understand. Now that I am near death, I understand your emotions. There was nothing specific about my love for you. Loyalty is not the same as love, you see. Also know that poisons and blades are not the way to gain that which you desire. In fact, the further you pursue such a path, the more you will destroy. Soaked in battle, my past self made light of human life as mere fuel. But now I look at my deeds and feel such shame."
"That's why I made you into a noble knight. To create a new kind of Lord of the Night. I just want you to understand that."
The memoir ended there. The rest of its pages were blank. Ada closed the book and sighed. "…Invi must have read these memoirs, yes?"
"No, perhaps he didn't. Maybe he's never entered this room, for it would remind him of his sin."
"In that case, Invi wouldn't know of her true thoughts… Even if I did become the new Wantia, Invi would only go on to commit new mistakes. In that case, I have to be the one to put an end to this tragic chain of events." Ada got up, set the memoir back on the nightstand, and went to the door. Taicho was to follow her, but something on the nightstand caught his eye. A small bottle of purple liquid that either Ada missed or wasn't interested in. Out of curiosity, Taicho picked it up and pressed his finger against it to view its properties window.
"Taicho, the coast is clear for now."
"Ah. Coming…"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
They eventually regrouped with Cyrus, who found his way to the depths of the castle after spotting Invi come up. He led them to the dungeons, and as Cyrus suspected, Haruza was locked within.
Taicho sprinted from the iron doorway to her cell when he spotted Haruza's red hair. "Haruza! Thank goodness you're alright!"
Seated against one of the side walls of the cell, she jumped in shock upon hearing Taicho's voice. "Taicho? Ada and Cyrus?" Her excitement displayed on her face, Haruza hopped to her feet and grabbed Taicho's hands through the cell. "You're back… I'm glad you're okay, but..."
"No buts. You knew I wouldn't leave you here, right?"
"Yeah."
Cyrus walked up to the cell with an iron key in hand. "It looks like the key we just grabbed will open this." He slotted the key in the nearby lock and twisted it. The cell bars were lifted, allowing Haruza to escape her prison.
"Thanks, Cyrus." Cyrus nodded in response. Haruza then faced Taicho again. He was doing a bad job of hiding his emotions. Was he that worried for her? Granted, she took something out of the Kirito playbook and it did almost kill her. If their roles were reversed, she would be scolding Taicho right now. Yet he said nothing like that to her. He came back for her like a knight came for the princess in the locked tower. And if they were living out that fairytale, then this is the part where…the princess and the knight live happily ever after, right?
"Listen everyone, I want you to leave this place."
Haruza's dreamy musings were interrupted by Ada, who remained close to the dungeon's entrance. Not understanding what Ada's thinking, she asked, "Why, what are you planning to do?"
"You're not planning to become the new Wantia, are you?"
"No. I'm confronting him. I have to."
Taicho crossed his arms. "Is this because of the memoirs?" Ada confirmed with a nod. Half the group was ignorant of the memoirs, and Ada and Taicho told Cyrus and Haruza about the memoirs they found in Wantia's old bedroom.
Once everything was explained, Haruza sighed and processed the relationship between the vampires. "So that's the reason. He's been doing the opposite of what Wantia wanted."
"Then we have to stop him."
"Indeed. This sad situation must come to an end."
XXXXXXXXXX
Ada
"What do we have here…? You're all back again?"
Returned to the grand hall, the party tensely held their sheathed weapons as Ada took the lead and approached the thrall. "It's time to end this tragedy. I won't become the next Wantia. She wanted you to be free, so I'll help you find that freedom. That was her dying wish."
Invi growled lowly. "Ah, so you read her memoirs."
"You mean you read them too?" Taicho inquired in confusion. "Then why won't you carry out her wish?!"
"There are still some things you don't understand about vampires. I haven't forgotten her wish. She wished for my happiness, correct? I sought it out after all this time. But now I found her. It's you, Ada. I waited so long for the day you'd come. We've connected ever since you spoke to me in that town outside the forest. I watched your battles, becoming even more sure that you're the one. You will become a vampire's thrall, Ada. You will exchange blood with none other than me to become an inhuman Thrall of the Knight. You will become the next Wantia. After all these years of solitude ever since I've lost my lord, I will grant her dying wish."
Taicho shouted, "You didn't lose her, you killed her!"
"I didn't kill my lord. I killed what she became. For whatever reason, she changed, and that person, that version of Wantia, is who I killed."
"Then find someone else," Cyrus called out. "Plenty of fish in the sea besides Ada. She's with me."
"You make an excellent point, but the thing is… I tried again and again to find someone else. However, it has never worked. I am not a perfect vampire like my lord was, so all the resulting thralls were imperfect and became ghouls."
"Then the ghouls out there…"
Invi nodded. "They were imperfect and couldn't contain the power I gave them. But you, Ada, will become perfect."
Ada clicked her tongue and exclaimed, "Enough! Your needs? Your solitude? What of it? I've nothing to do with it. Shinjimae!" Ada wielded her rapier and pointed it at Invi."Oh, that means 'die and go to hell!' The likes of you, sucking my blood? I've heard more than enough idiocy from you today!" Ada dropped her shoulder slightly, and her rapier sparkled with purple light. "Invi, I'll help you find your freedom…by extinguishing your pitiful life!" Ada zipped across the room, barely nicking invi's leg with the Linear rapier skill. Invi grunted as he leaped in the air and landed a couple of feet away from Ada, separating her from her allies.
"How foolish. And how pointless…" With a roar, Invi pursued Ada, and the two entered a duel. Sensing that Ada did not want any interference despite struggling against the vampire, Haruza, Taicho, and Cyrus remained distant from the battling pair, ready to move should Ada's life become troubled.
"No matter how you train or learn, you will never be a true and complete being so long as you deny me!" As their rapiers locked against each other, Invi lifted a leg and kicked Ada in the solar plexus. Her breath stolen from her lungs, Ada fell on the ground a couple of feet away from Invi.
"Nngh…" Her body screamed to stop, but Ada wouldn't stay down. She sucked in as much air as her lungs could hold and lifted herself off the ground. Spotting her friends, she held a hand out, dissuading them, especially Cyrus, from interfering.
Invi's eyes flared as Ada got up on her knees defiantly. "Admit it! Accept it! You can't win as long as you're human!"
"I admit that I am only capable of human things. I admit that, when you look at people like Cyrus, Haruza, Taicho, and even my older sister, I have no place in the Assault Team. All my life, I've never been seen as anyone other than 'Asuna's little sister.' My mother doesn't put much stock into me as she does her. All I wanted was to be seen as me. Yet after all this time…after all the time I spent with a complete stranger, all of the hardships this world had to offer, and all of the struggle I've done to catch up to my sister and my partner, I've gained something from it."
Ada quickly took on the pre-motion stance for her personal trademark skill, Spica Calibur, and unleashed it before Invi's guard could be raised. He raised it at the last second, holding up his rapier barely in time with Ada's five attacks. However, that's what Ada was hoping for - as a result, Invi's rapier dropped in durability and shattered as the last thrust made contact with the weapon and Invi's shoulder.
"Impossible!" the vampire wailed. "My Finsternis! How could you break it?"
"Easy. Any weapon that's soaked in poison is lacking in durability. Yours have been poisoned for over a century. Carelessness brought on by longevity, I see."
"How… How dare you!" Invi bore his fangs and leaped for Ada, frozen in place by the use of the sword skill. However, just before he landed, a surprise slash interrupted his path. He flew to the left of Ada and bounced along the ground, coughing and grunting. "Hraagh… Khaaagh… No. I can't move…my body…"
"The blade that pierced you is capable of ending even a 'perfect' vampire." Standing over Invi is Taicho, the tip of his sword coated with a green liquid. "If the Argent Serpent poison could kill Wantia, it is more than enough to end an 'imperfect' thrall like you."
His breath hoarse and slowed, Invi glared at Taicho and Ada, the only people in his eyesight. "You will regret this… Ada. Not exchanging blood and becoming my thrall…And you, boy, remember this face. You've slayed me as I killed Wantia, so we're now the same. Let it haunt your dreams as the last thing you see of me…"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
With the fall of Invi coming to a satisfactory conclusion for Ada, the group split apart outside Wantia Castle. Taicho and Haruza first made their way to the Town of Beginnings and met with Thinker, informing him of the Slasher's defeat. Afterward, they ventured up to the sixty-first floor. On Haruza's whim, she wished to visit the seaside town of Selmberg, specifically its beach.
The pair sat silently on the sandy surface, eating Aincrad's version of a popsicle. Or it could be said that Taicho was quieter than usual and Haruza hadn't found another way to make his mouth move.
"I don't want to be like him." He finally spoke up.
"From what it seemed to me, he didn't like Wantia enough to love her. He was unhappy when she started to change. If you love someone, you accept them even if they aren't the person you fell for anymore. There are exceptions to that, but you get what I mean."
"Is there any way we won't suffer their fate?"
"Right now? Well, the truth is, I wouldn't mind if we got married in the game…just to share our items and keep company when needed, you know?"
"Hmm… I was going to ask you that…"