Chapter 15: The Starlit Throne
"Karasu..." Ayano gently pulled him aside before they could progress all the way into the boss chamber, letting the others pass by, though nobody actually went all the way yet, far enough to start the fight. Trevon and Diavel seemed curious, but not as curious as Argo and Yue, who actually came over, one timid and the other with a decidedly neutral, inquisitive if anything, expression.
"When we defeat the first boss, I remember the plan, but I want you to go through to the second floor as soon as the portal opens. I'll come with you, and I want you two, Argo and Yue, and Diavel, Trevon, to stay out of the combat zone unless absolutely necessary, avoid combat every moment that you can. I don't think Kirito will have any problem hogging enough kills to make sure most of the people here don't see any action, we can bring him in next and all will be fine, not just you four... is that okay?"
"Why would...?" Argo seemed puzzled, her being the only member of the party not to know what had just transpired out of the six of them since she'd been in the safe room the entire time... but Yue gently nudged Argo and spoke.
"Yes, we'll stay out of the way of the fighting as much as possible, only play support and from a distance when we can, you and Silica should definitely go on ahead, when you can. Argo, Karasu just needs some peace right now."
"Guys, I'm not-"
"Shut up and let us care about you," Ayano murmured, slowly drawing him into a kiss that didn't last longer than a second. "They'll stay out of danger, so it's fine for us to move on, right?" She smiled sweetly, a gentle light in her eyes, and Karasu found himself slowly nodding.
"Alright, then let's not keep the others waiting any longer," the Shinobi ultimately answered with a sigh, stepping away and gripping the hilt of his weapon, raising his voice. "Would you all be so kind as to let me walk in first?"
"First but not alone, my guy, these enemies are tougher than anything on floor one- and I mean the boss's assistants, the boss itself is another thing entirely." Trevon raised his sword and shield, tapping them together. Diavel too, stepped forward with a somber nod, and so did the rest of the players shortly after, all of them soberly meeting Karasu's eyes while Yue readied her bow and Argo equipped something like wolverine claws, flanking him.
"No deaths here, am I understood?" Karasu glanced around calmly but intensely, meeting every set of eyes in the room. "First, I'm going to step in alone, but not far. Archers, be ready, and when the mobs get near, we all charge. I won't get so far that you can't reach me before them," Karasu added genuinely, but stepped forward before anybody could give any sort of answer at all.
This palace throne room was gorgeous, with blue marble floors that reflected every color of the rainbow and quartz pillars rising high to the domed ceiling of a cathedral, metal framework full of glass that let the sunlight stream inside and fall upon the assembled eighteen players. The sound of taut bowstrings followed Karasu as he walked onto that reflective, mesmerizing blue floor... and as the color of blood bled into it. The pillars of the room filled with gray hue like ash over a city razed by volcanic activity, this making the sunlight streaming from above give the room the feel of a bloody haze rather than the peaceful, almost aquatic view from before... yet still no enemies appeared.
The sound, of an arrow let fly... and the thud of it hitting home as from directly over Karasu's head and into his view flew a Kobold, heavily armored, thudding into the floor and staying as its disproportionately large axe flew across the room, out of its hand. There was a roar, then, and more of the kobolds, perhaps some sort of elite guard, dropped down, quickly inhabiting the room in numbers greater than thirty, though the closest to the players was snarling up at Karasu from the floor still, and the rest were assembled in a vague formation halfway down the room, before the throne.
Then, from the ceiling dropped a shadow, truly immense, perhaps more so than the thud of it striking the marble. With the vague shape of a moderately overweight man, this creature had the facial structure of a horse, lips pulled back in a snarl. Beady eyes like coals pulled from satan's fireplace burned into Karasu, and horns arced away from its head before returning, forming the shape of a lyre. Aside from this... it was over twelve meters tall, and carried a blade longer than its body, dominating half the room, blackened metal that somehow reflected the players and his army just the same.
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Illfang the Kobold Lord Lv. 30
Battle Starting in 5...
4...
3...
2...
1...
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"Go," whispered an ominous voice from nowhere and everywhere, and for a tense moment, the outnumbered players glared down the enemy, who stared back with eyes like burning tar... and then Karasu started forward, unflinching as arrows sailed past him. Most of them struck home, staggering Kobolds, killing a few, but also simply glancing off the armor of some. At a glance, these smaller enemies were all level eight, nine, or ten... so Karasu wanted to make a dent before the others arrived.
"Karasu, don't be stupid, we need teamwork!" Silica and Trevon shouted at the same time... and he listened, drawing Violet Rose as the Kobolds charged and more arrows flew.
"My guy! You can't get yourself killed for us! Skill aside, there's just too many, and stronger than anything you've had to fight!" Trevon was there, bashing a Kobold with his shield and arcing his sword downward violently. "Don't freeze up now, alright? Come on, let's kick some ass," Trevon added as the rest of the players caught up... but Karasu noticed that, for some reason, the boss had yet to move... but it stared at him, specifically, making eye contact while the smaller enemies avoided him entirely.
"Trevon..."
"Karasu, no."
"No, Trevon. I want you to come with me, you aren't being attacked either... I think it's zeroing in on the strongest players here..."
"Like hell I'll leave, I'm technically a higher level~" Ayano was there, Diavel, Argo, and Yue as well. Leading to some confusion on the other player's part, the smaller Kobolds suddenly disentangled and backed away, still in defensive posture, but opening a broad path to the Kobold leader, who surveyed the assemblage and spoke, softly, to Karasu.
"Boy... I am, everything that your nightmares should contain," spoke the beast, seemingly surprising every player present, including himself. "For, I am linked to the same network that reads your mind and gathers the contents... like berries to a basket, everything that you are... is as I am, or could be... I know of everything that you wish to hide. Would you be able to run your blade across my tired flesh if I spoke with the voice of your love... your father... Hinata... or the voice of, her?" This massive, bloated boss spoke in an entirely different voice, one that set Karasu's nerves on fire for only his final word, sent the Shinobi's belly roiling in waves of raw, undulating heat, tensed every muscle in his body as the lord of the kobolds smiled, slowly, peeling back his lips and loosing a slow, heady chuckle that filled the room with an acrid, blood curdling smell.
"Karasu-!" Ayano threw an arm across his chest.
"What the hell is going on?!" Trevon shouted indignantly as Karasu stared glassily, gripping his hilt. "This wasn't in the beta, what kind of bullshit-?!"
"Oh shut up, kid," spoke the Kobold Lord, but in the voice of a man unknown to Karasu, with a powerful American accent. "You know what happens when you mouth off, don't you? You think I give a damn where we are?" The players in general were stepping back, and Karasu realized what was going on... realized how very, very bad it was. He himself had grown to shut down when angered and control himself... but above Trevon's name tag now read the word "angered" beside a small red skull, and the nearby players could just be read to have a status effect known as "terrified", including the other members of his party. Thinking on the spot... Karasu whipped open his menu, praying it would do any good.
"Oh, Karasu... do you have a plan? A special weapon that can end me?" The Kobold Lord spoke again in the worst possible voice, taking a slow step forward as Karasu rapidly spent every skill point that he had in reserve for emergencies, closing his menu a moment later. As he did... a bit of color entered the cheeks of Trevon and Ayano, Diavel, Yue, Argo, and it radiated outward from them, the silent and the speakers alike, filling the room with renewed vigor and hateful glares.
"Karasu, you've got a few tricks-!?" The Kobold using the hateful voice retched as Karasu called on Wicked Strike and hacked suddenly without warning and with such vicious force that he actually managed to send the boss stumbling and falling on his ass. In a flash, Karasu was right before him- the shinobi knew that there was no fast way to kill this boss, but he'd had enough as he ripped the tanto knife at his waist free.
"That's enough talking for you, alright?"
"Are you a fool, bo-!" The Kobold roared as Karasu, perhaps suicidal or perhaps just far too bold, plunged his hand into the enemy's mouth, stabbing through his tongue with such force that the blade jutted through his jaw underneath. The bellowing noise that spilled forth was hellish... but Karasu only stepped back, listening to the roar of the angered boss's minions.
"What the hell was that?!" Trevon seemed shaken, shaking his head with wide eyes. "Nothing like that ever happened in the beta test!"
"It's the game trying to get into our heads... makes me wonder if we're even supposed to escape," Karasu admitted quietly, pushing these thoughts to the back of his mind. Now fight, the lot of you. The road to making the creator suffer starts here, and I'll be damned if I don't. This boss, though... Trevon?"
"Fucker is ours," Trevon agreed with a nod, slowly readying his shield and staring the boss down as it ripped Karasu's knife from it's mouth, throwing the blood-spattered blade aside.
"Let me help, at le-" Diavel, Silica and Yue actually began speaking the same words at once, but then, so did Karasu and Trevon.
"Let us have this."
Illfang, that was the name above this boss's health gauges... he tried to say something, but the noises that spilled forth were garbled and strained... finally Illfang drew his blade in earnest, a massive bastard sword that might have been able to split the world in two. Eye contact between the three males, for Karasu and Trevon both knew that whatever sick artificial intelligence was ruling this creature, he felt the same for them that they did for him, now.
"Let's not waste any time, my guy," Trevon spoke softly, staring unwaveringly at the boss's arms as he started forward. Karasu followed, wondering why it was that Illfang never made a move other than readying his weapon... surely, with blood raining from his jaw, the beast must have been angry? Just as this thought was passing through his head, Illfang did indeed move, whipping his blade toward Trevon with such frightening speed that the black man only barely managed to get his shield up in time, sending Illfang's blade skating off to the side, himself staggering but recovering as quickly as only a man hellbent can. The street fighter started forward, opening his mouth, but Karasu shouted first.
"Don't use the rampage skill! Illfang was trying to piss us off from the start, it can't be a good idea!" The Kobold Lord was turning now, and he side stepped, hacking downward at Karasu with a grumbling roar, starting to give off some angry energy himself. Karasu called on Wicked Strike, meeting the blow head on in spite of the ridiculous size difference, unable to repel butvable to stand his ground, if only for a moment.
"Trevon!"
"I got it!" The sword-and-shield user leapt as high as he could, and with Illfang bent over Karasu, it was enough to cause a roar to erupt as the American's blade pierced his head, only to be ripped free, the direct blow to Illfang's skull knocking out far too much health to laugh at.
"If your tactics rely on pissing us off, it's never going to happen," Karasu muttered, and shifted as the strength of his Wicked Strike skill tapered off, sliding out from under Illfang and turning with the calm of a monk and the speed of a whirlwind, slashing Illfang across the shoulder. Around the three of them, the noise seemed to have tapered off, and Trevon, who'd landed a moment ago, turned as Illfang tried to move toward the Shinobi, crudely bashing the overgrown mutant with the edge of his shield but actually managing to gash Illfang's leg, stumbling him.
"Illfang relies on space with that massive sword!" Trevon grinned, though it was, admittedly, somewhat sadistic as he followed in with the blade... and as Illfang's health dipped below the halfway mark, a wall of raw force suddenly sent Karasu and Trevon flying back and in different directions. The former rolled and landed halfway standing, hand planted, fingers spread, Violet Rose held off to the side, while the latter rolled and landed fully on his feet, bending to gather his weapons up a moment later. Gone was the boss's massive sword, now replaced with some sort of elegant Katana, long but shorter than before, more agile and lightweight.
"Ah fuck, this wasn't in the beta test either, my guy..." Trevon sighed, shaking his head. "We had it down, we knew what we were doing."
"Alright, you two," Diavel spoke, coming forward. "We've taken care of the minions, now this is going to be a joint effort. Do you two want to back off, let us handle this?" Karasu hesitated, but seeing the look in Diavel's eyes, Silica's, in Yue's and even a tsun version of the same thing in Argo's, he slowly backed off, nodding, sheathing Violet Rose, side stepping to grab the knife that had gone flying earlier.
"I'll leave it to you, then."
"Sorry, my guy, but I can't sit this one out. I don't know how you feel, I'll admit, but I need to have a part in this until the end." Trevon nodded, respectful but determined, and turned with the other players. "Thanks for awkwardly standing around for plot convenience, Illfang! You video game bosses are almost as good at that as anime enemies when it comes to that! Now come on and try to get a piece of this fine black ass, you bastard!"
Karasu watched as Illfang charged, soundless save for the thundering of his clawed feet on the floor, and whirled with far too much intensity, strength... but somehow, the blow was blocked, stopped in its tracks. Trevon had raised his shield, but that would never be enough... however, he was joined by a familiar-looking girl with short, pink hair and a tall, powerful black man, the three of them taking Illfang's blow together, starting to buckle... then redoubling their efforts, perhaps with the help of a skill or two, and shoving Illfang back as two young men flew forward and slammed maces into the boss's stomach. Between the five of them, they managed to send Illfang rolling, though only twice before he began to stagger to his feet.
The red-skinned brute tried to charge again, immediately, but such a rain of arrows flew forth that he accidentally flung that monumental katana in his rush to block the arrows sailing toward his face and chest. Finally, the ridiculously toned man from before who'd joined Trevon roared something that Karasu couldn't quite make out... and landed the killing blow, shattering Illfang. Slowly, as Illfang shattered into ten thousand five shards of rainbow hues, the hellish scene around them faded, blues and pinks and greens and white seeping back into the room... but, for some reason, Illfang's blade had yet to vanish. Slowly, Karasu walked to it out of curiosity, and though it was too large to lift, certainly, he knelt and wrapped his hand around the hilt, wondering if this was here as an obtainable item since Illfang had dropped it before falling.
Indeed, Violet Rose vanished from Karasu's hip as this unrealistic Katana began to morph, shrink... soon, the thing had changed into a katana manageable with one hand, hilt wrapped in black, cross guard in the shape of a twisted Kobold's snarl reminiscent of a Japanese Oni, the blade itself slightly curved at the tip, serrated at the bottom, splotched with black and silver like some sort of failed child's painting. As Karasu stared, a tag appeared.
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Weapon get: Malice (Not giftable, unable to be stolen)
DMG: 410
Effect: every third blow will add a damage percentage equivalent to your player level (ex; player level 15 +15% attack) with 2% added chance of stagger
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"Talk about a weapon... I can't decide whether it looks downright stupid or if I like it."
"Looks just..." Diavel was approaching. "Unnecessarily brutal, but wouldn't you say that this is a weapon perfectly suited to a Kobold Lord? I'm almost jealous, honestly." Indeed, Karasu was getting a lot of stares, and the thought of switching back to Violet Rose crossed his mind, but for now he only sheathed Malice and nodded.
"I didn't kill the boss, so I'm sorry for picking this up, it isn't giftable. Should have gone to you," Karasu spoke, addressing the black man who seemed to be playing at tank, carrying a mace that must have weighed far too much to heft outside of a game and a tall, metallic shield to match. He was walking over, now, holding out a hand, which Karasu slowly shook, understanding it to be a foreign custom and this man to be foreign, at least in part, by accent alone.
"My name is Agil, and that blade is just fine in your hands. It probably seemed dull to you two, or at least nerve wracking... but from the outside..."
~~~
Shortly before, Agil stared at the boss, heart slowly dropping to the very bottom of his stomach. This was supposed to be a video game, just a simple game; and even if it was a death trap, what the hell was this boss doing?! Why would something like this be built into the game?! Those voices he used couldn't be random, either, so what would the rest of them be forced to endure, perhaps remember??
As Agil stared numbly at the boss, and as the smaller Kobolds began to advance while he remained petrified with that mind-shattering fear... a small, warmly yellow tag appeared before him.
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Steadfast Leader Effect Lv. 8: Fortification, Peace of Mind, DEF/ATK+60
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As Agil read, he slowly snapped out of his reverie, unsure exactly what the hell it meant for that effect to be applied to him but knowing that it came none too soon, given how he was suddenly forced to raise his shield to catch a Kobold flying at his face only a half moment after he even felt able. As he played at support, guarding the archers as planned, the man kept flinging glances to the back of the room, near the throne. He hadn't signed up for this... just wanted to get back to the bar, be with his wife. This was just more bull...
A petite young girl with mousy hair, a relatively tall, broad man with blue, and two girls who might have been European were standing frozen, staring with weapons at the ready as the two who worked as well as brothers and comrades refused to let that Boss get even a centimeter of space. Agil didn't even know how, really, but the one they called Dragon Prince, Shinobi, and another name that was brewing, he'd only heard twice... well, he was holding out against Illfang, knees trembling but refusing to give, teeth gritted as his violet blade held out against the boss's, forty times the size of what should realistically have broken now. He managed to bark out a word or two, and then Tray-65 was flying up, actually stabbing the freak through the head...
Agil's attention was snapped back to his surroundings, suddenly, as somebody let out a sharp cry of pain... but for now, he just needed to keep his head down and support the archers; it wasn't one of his charges hurt. Toward the back, Illfang was charging at Karasu, only to stagger and hit one knee on the marble floor as Tray-65 managed to slash the tendon in the boss's ankle with the steel rim of his round shield, perhaps not cutting it but stumbling their adversary, certainly. Before anything else could happen, there was a crack like thunder, and both of the men up front were sent flying, Illfang starting to straighten, shift his stance, his weapon itself morphing...
"Change of plan!" Agil shouted, taking charge.
~~~
"That steadfast leader quirk... was that you?" Agil was staring curiously at Karasu, who slowly nodded.
"I'd been keeping most of my skills pretty under-leveled so I'd have points in reserve in case of an emergency, like this one. It's supposed to buff my party members and give them peace of mind, but at level seven the radius starts to extend, it can eventually reach as high as half a kilometer, but that requires limit breaking up to level one hundred thirty."
"Sounds over powered..." Agil was nodding slowly. "Come to think of it, I searched through every skill I have, and that one isn't available to me, but I do have a few things that might be unique for later... in another two levels I'll be able to unlock a skill that means I can touch any material and upgrade it to the next level of quality, or power, for no cost but stamina. So an Iron Sword would become Steel, and so on..."
"That does sound over powered, yeah..." Karasu nodded, slowly looking around at the players, who were chatting... and spying Ayano, who was peering up at him gently, seemingly not wanting to interrupt. Slowly, Karasu wrapped an arm around her waist, tugging her close and finishing his statement to Agil. "I wonder how many of those we each have; if this game is reading into our heads, then maybe we all have something tailored to us. All that I'm positive of is that we should be developing them."
"I agree," Agil spoke gently, nodding. "Now, I think I'm going to hang back to get some more experience, I was planning to head through with a certain friend anyway. Will you two be headed through with the rest?" He hitched a thumb over his shoulder, directing Karasu's attention to the most cliched depiction of a portal ever to grace a video game; a simple, writhing blue border like dragon's breath and a screen of white, a step into the unknown. Thinking back on Illfang's tactics... would it be safe to go?
"Yes, we're going." Ayano gently took his hand and began to walk for the portal, leaving no room for arguments. Before they could reach the portal, though, Diavel and Trevon stopped them, seeming apprehensive.
"I don't know everything, but it's obviously been a rough day. Try to get some rest, okay Karasu?" Diavel spoke gently.
"He's right, my guy. You need some rest, so let us take care of this, and we'll aim for Illfang's mouth first, destroy his ability to speak. You go, I'm hanging back as we planned, but I will stand back, direct more than fight. Promise."
"I as well," Diavel spoke earnestly, patting the spot on his armor just over the heart. "Don't worry, there will be no lives lost, just as none were here." He stepped aside, as did Trevon, but the two only proceeded a bit before Argo and Yue stopped them.
"You did well, Karasu. Sit your ass down and rest," spoke the blonde girl, hugging Karasu gently before backing away, not minding Ayano and not being minded. Yue, too, embraced him, though it was slightly more prolonged as she murmured into his ear; "Rest."
"I will."
Then Karasu and Ayano were headed to the portal... and walking through, the world around them turning white.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Rebuilt_Kitsunii
Rebuilt_Kitsunii Alright, well, before I started rewriting this story, the battle with Illfang was about the last thing I wrote, and my readers then said that it was lackluster, boring. I hope I did better this time~
I'm having fun writing, but I'm only able to focus so well because my mind is hazy and weak, that's less fun. Too much, life is too much, though I'm nowhere near done living it, don't worry.
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