Chapter Text
Floor 1 - Chapter 4 - Divided, We Stand.
~December 2nd, 2022 (Day 26), Floor 1, Aincrad - Tolbana ~
Arriving at the coliseum, the duo took up their seats somewhere around the middle of the stadium. Around them were some people they'd seen about, some they didn't recognise and some who clearly wanted to keep to themselves.
''Ah, brilliant! More of you have decided to heed my call! I must say, I'm relieved to have more help to take on the floor boss!''
''We... umm, we haven't decided yet. We just came to hear you out.'' - Jet looked around like someone walking into a talk at an open day, ten minutes after the talk had started, feeling all eyes on the pair.
''Well, I must say, it's refreshing.'' - That response caught both of them off guard - ''You wanted to fully hear me out before you made a decision. That shows you're serious about this. After all, this is a boss we're facing, it's nothing like the small fry we've all faced. It's a danger like no other. But... that is exactly why we should all be working together now! To defeat it! We need to show everyone in the Town of Beginnings that this game can be beat! We need to give them hope! If we can do that, then others will follow in our footsteps. This battle isn't about us, it's about hope! That is what I am fighting for. I only hope you feel the same. How about it, you two?'' - Jet thought back to the first few moments after the announcement, and the speech he'd given to his partner. He remembered the screaming, and the terror in the air... then their failure to save those two players on the Plains... then the looks of hope he'd seen after their duel.
''I'm in, I can't speak for Koharu though.''
''I am. I think Diavel's right, we need to fight for hope.''
''Excellent!''
Settling in, as a few more people filtered in, the combined anxiety in the room was palpable. None more so than Koharu's, who was looking around, and then back down at the ground. ''Koharu?''
''Sorry, I'm just wondering if I belong here... I mean, everyone else here was on the front lines, they've got experience. It's just daunting, I suppose.''
''So have you, though.'' - Jet would've gone into a speech, but Diavel began his instead.
''Now then! I suppose it's time we got started! Thank you all for attending. My name is Diavel, and I play as a Knight... at least in spirit!'' - As complete newbies to any form of RPG, both Jet and Koharu had yet to grasp that SAO didn't actually have a job system... until someone shouted it out from below. ''Even in VR, there's no escaping hecklers...'' - Jet thought, whilst rolling his eyes at the interruption.
''Diavel really is like a storybook knight, isn't he? I think it suits him though.''
''Hopefully he's more Galahad, less Mordred...'' - Jet muttered, barely loud enough to be heard by his partner, over the raucous crowd.
''Settle down please, settle down... Today, our party discovered the boss room at the top of the labyrinth. Tomorrow, we will make our move on the boss, and WE! WILL! CLEAR! THIS! FLOOR! We will show everyone back in the Town of Beginnings that this game can be cleared, and we will give them hope! That is the duty of all of us gathered here today! Are you with me!'' - Jet immediately made a note to ask Diavel to give him lessons on public speaking, whilst a cacophony of whoops and war cries came from the gathered crowd. ''Right then! Let's get to discussing our strate-''
''NOW HOLD UP JUST A MINUTE!'' - A particularly loud, and nasally voice yelled out. The type of voice you'd expect from a particularly insufferable teacher, or more accurately... metal grinding against a chalkboard. - ''I'm Kibaou, got that?!'' - Jet had got that... but almost immediately discarded it, deciding that the man in front of everyone was, in fact, a complete nutter. The hairdo certainly agreed with Jet's hypothesis, and his current ramblings on beta testers were backing it up nicely. Currently ranting on about dragging them all down to the front, and stripping them... Jet had tuned out after that, but hopefully he meant of their money, and wasn't just a gigantic pervert. Despite Jet dismissing him, he noticed his partner looking quite worried, expecting to be dragged down there, and subject to mob justice, just for being a beta tester, and decided to try and take her mind off it, even just temporarily - ''Think we should call the nearest village?''
''Why?''
''They might want to know that their idiot's missing.'' - Koharu elbowed Jet to get him to shut up, but not before Jet noticed a small, but uneasy smile on her face at the joke. He'd count that as a success.
''HEY! Wanna say that to my face?!'' - Great, the hairdon't had heard him. Oh well, he had things to say, and he was going to say them. Just helped that he was about to face the village numpty personally. Koharu looked at him, shaking her head, to advise him he was about to make a colossal mistake, and that he probably wasn't worth it.
''Okay then.'' - Jet got up and walked down to the front of the auditorium. - ''They might want to know their idiot's missing.'' - Admittedly, Jet was mostly bravado, but Kibaou wasn't exactly too physically intimidating either. Being 6 foot tall in Japan had many downsides... but had the main upside that you were at least significantly taller than the average, and as a result, towered over people. Not ideal when you want them to like you, but right now? Very ideal. ''You're one of them beta testers, aren't ya! Look at you, lording it over the rest of us!''
''Whoopee dee doo, well done! No really, you act like any of us were hiding it...'' - Had Jet actually looked around, he'd have noticed at least five people shifting around uncomfortably.
''You want to make up for all the crap ya pulled? Then give us the money to make it up!'' - Kibaou pointed up to Jet's face. Jet just rolled his eyes at the implied threat.
''You really should lead a church... you'd make a televangelist blush with how damn blatant you are. 'Give us money' or what? You'll drag me to the front and take it? Newsflash... I'm already stood in front of you, so go on then. Prove you aren't just bravado... Also, didn't your parents ever tell, it's rude to point.'' - Jet picked up on the most minor issue, and completely ignored the elephant in the room.
''You bastards don't care about anyone who died. You're just a self serving stain!'' - Jet looked down, in shame. That wasn't wrong, he could've probably charged in to save some poor bastard that had gotten a bit too big for their boots, and had paid the ultimate price for it, but at the risk of dying himself, and getting Koharu killed. Hell, he'd made the exact same mistake last night, getting arrogant and needing to have his arse hauled out of the fire by someone else. Expecting the probably now very dwindling number of beta testers to be able to save every single person though? Never mind unfeasible, that was impossible. The whole thing put a sour taste in Jet's mouth, and a scowl formed on his face.
''Two thousand, one hundred and thirteen. Excluding the 213 people that died before we could do anything about it, that makes 1900 people exactly. Two of which were in front of my eyes, as I tried to save them.''
''What?''
''How many people have died. I counted. If I'm self serving, then so be it, but don't tar everyone with the same brush. That guide that you oh so clearly haven't read? I'd take a guess that it was a beta tester who produced it, and I'd put money on that being one of the only reasons that number isn't higher. Oh, one more thing, whilst I'm at it? How many of those 1900 people were beta testers? The ones who, wrongly, but honestly believed they stood a chance at actually helping people by charging on ahead? Just to leave you something to think about...'' - Jet looked over at the blue knight - ''Sorry about that, Diavel, but I think it needed to be said. Back over to you.'' - Jet walked back up to Koharu, and sat down silently. ''Jet...'' - Koharu looked at her partner, who was looking down at his feet, and continued to do so for the rest of the meeting, listening, but never once looking up. The meeting carried on for another 40 minutes, before everyone had said their piece, and the majority of people had left the auditorium. Jet continued sitting there, even whilst he thought everyone else had gone
''Worst part of that, he wasn't entirely wrong. Maybe we should be doing more for everyone else... but then we hit a catch 22. We do more, people become far more dependent on us, we get worn down even more, and eventually, we slip up. We're human, after all. Plus, I put one person's safety above helping far more people.'' - Koharu had no idea what to do now. In the month and a bit she'd known Jet, he always had a response, and always kept his head up. Now though, being confronted with his own morality, and the expectations of others, he looked forlorn.
''If you want someone else's opinion? No, you did what you thought was right.'' - Jet looked up and around, to see a black haired teenager, probably a bit younger than him, and a girl wearing a thick brown cloak, sitting behind the duo. ''Yeah. Just wish I could shake that feeling though. I know it's not my fault, I mean, there's nearly seven thousand people left, and I can't account for every beta tester, but at the same time...''
''You feel some form of responsibility, as someone with experience, and that weighs on you.'' - the cloaked girl stated.
''We, uhh, didn't get your names?''
''Kirito.'' - The boy answered. The girl simply shrugged.
''Jet. That's Koharu.''
Realising that moping was probably going to get him nowhere, Jet went to leave the auditorium, about 15 minutes after everyone else, even Koharu, who he'd advised that he'd follow behind in a few minutes. Except Diavel, who'd seemingly been waiting at the front for that time...
''I must say, that was a rather impassioned outburst earlier.'' - Well, now it was time to get torn to shreds for it, anyway. Not the first time he'd made a speech, and gotten into trouble for it anyway... he still remembered that speech at school, and getting two weeks detention for it. - ''Still, Kibaou was out of line with his rhetoric... even if he wasn't wrong. At least, not fully. The beta testers... well, some of them, did do exactly that. But those were the ones who believed they could take on the world, and... I don't think I need to tell you two where those testers are now.'' - Koharu looked horrified, whilst Jet just gritted his teeth. - ''I realise that you two are former beta testers yourselves, and so, his rhetoric would impact you personally... but I don't believe you did what you did selfishly. I think you didn't want people to be scapegoated, and so, you stuck your own neck out for them. People who likely wouldn't be grateful, or even aware of what you did.'' - Jet gave a look that suggested Diavel had actually thought about that more than he had, but said nothing. - ''You know what Diavel means?''
''It's Devil in... Italian, I think?'' - Jet said, although it came out mostly as a question, rather than an answer.
''Huh. Never expected anyone to get that.''
''Had friends who used to swear in Italian, simply so the teachers never caught them. I kinda picked some stuff up.''
''I'd planned this account to be a way of blowing off steam, certainly a lot meaner than I am now'' - Jet tried to picture that, and failed spectacularly. - ''But when, well... you know, started? I took off and levelled up as fast as I could. I knew all of the grinding spots, and all of the short cuts to get where I am. I'm not proud of it, I was selfish, and definitely not befitting a knight.''
''Dunno, you ever read some of the Arthurian legends? Pretty realistic behaviour for some of the knights, and definitely in the case of real ones. It's just the storybook ones that it's not.'' - Jet thought back to actually reading some of the stories in the school library... the more realistic ones, and they really were something...
''Well, in any case, I realised that we needed a symbol of hope. A group, almost like the Round Table, the strongest players in the game, all uniting to clear the game, and give everyone hope, all under a strong leader.'' - To Jet, that wasn't so much the Round Table, as it were The Avengers, but the point stood.
''Yeah, I can't say I'd have ever tried to organise anything like this...'' - Jet was good at speeches at an individual level, but scaling that up, and combining it with social anxiety... a good leader, that does not make.
''Jet! There you are! Thought you said you'd only be a few minutes behind...'' - Koharu looked genuinely annoyed at her partner, as he offered a slightly dim looking smile back at her. - ''Ehh, got side-tracked talking, sorry about that. Cheers for the talk, Diavel.''
''I'm glad it helped you, I shall see you both tomorrow, I assume?''
''You can count on it.''