Authors Note: Arts will now be referred to in brackets.
Altered Time -> 「Altered Time」
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Bodies were strewn everywhere. Armor was ripped to shreds. Swords lay snapped in half like twigs. Pools of blood covered the stone plaza in a murky darkness. Desperately, the doomed cried out for help. No help came. The faithful prayed for salvation. Their prayers went unanswered.
“Haha. It is all over.”
Lifeless eyes surveyed the battlefield. Easily, they picked out corpses left and right. What had been once valiant players were now lifeless corpses. Of the thousands of people initially in the plaza, only a few dozen remained.
“My plan failed. Those I tried to help? Dead.”
Those lifeless eyes that once contained life and vigor now held only resignation and self-mockery.
“I tried to be someone I am not. I thought I was stronger than I actually was. For my conceit and arrogance, I was punished.”
Great gouges marred the plaza. Flames dotted the landscape. The black monstrosity continued its rampage. Its fur, matted red with the blood of its victims. Its mouth, contorted into a savage grin of delight. Scratches marred its limbs. Burns dotted its fur. The sum of all their efforts. Only minor wounds.
“What was I thinking? That Abyssal Ape is too strong.”
Sitting helplessly, the eyes watched the Abyssal Ape. Ruthlessly, the ape’s arms crushed an adventurer. One by one, comrades with the same goal perished. Fellow adventurers lives were cut short.
“They placed their hopes in me. I promised myself I would save them. Yet I failed.”
The eyes watched the Abyssal Ape approached. They seared the scene of their failure into their corneas. Unblinking, they waited for their end to come. It was the least they could do to make up for their failure.
“The pain of death is next to nothing when compared to the magnitude of hopes I failed.”
The Abyssal Ape raised its arm up in preparation. Its eyes gleamed. Withheld potential was unleashed. The monsterous fist slammed down.
“...?”
Confusion entered the eyes. The black vision of death was replaced with a peaceful view of the sky. The eyes blinked. A pretty face placed itself inches in front of them. Her lips were lush, her eyebrows refined. Yet, the most striking feature of her face was her eyes. Unlike his own, her eyes still contained hope.
Feeling her weight resting upon him, he finally realized. She had saved him. She had denied him the death he deserved. Risking her life, she tackled him to the ground in order to avoid the attack. The Abyssal Ape’s fist rested only inches from where the two lay.
“You can’t give up!”
A beautiful voice entered his ears. It denied his failure and urged him to think again. Yet the weight of his failure was too heavy. His comrades at the Vanguard had been decimated because of his own foolishness. His pride and arrogance killed his friends. Stubbornly, the beautiful voice called out again.
“You can’t give up!”
The weight on him lifted. Her face disappeared. In its place, a soft hand reached out. She offered no words of comfort. She made no promises. The situation was still as helpless as ever. She simply refused to give in.
Reaching up from the ground, he grabbed her soft hand. His hollow eyes looked directly at her radiant eyes. Then, he abruptly pulled her to the ground.
A mass of black fur swept the air above them. Its passage stirred their hair.
“Can’t these guys survive long enough to hold aggro? Really, these warriors have no skill.” he complained.
Wearily, he got to his feet. He held no delusions. Her words had not swayed his emotions. They were all going to die regardless of what actions he took. It was just… His life was not solely his own. He had failed his comrades, the Vanguard. His death alone could not make up for that failure.
The glory they sought. The legacy they wanted to leave behind. As the last surviving member, his actions would reflect on the guild. Also... she had saved his life. He owed it to her to get up once again.
His armor lay in shambles. Rather than deal with it, he removed the whole set. The plate had not helped his guild one bit against the Abyssal Ape’s attack. The weight on his shoulders considerably lessened.
He gave his savior one last glance. She had a bitter smile on her face. A smile as though she had not quite achieved the goal she was hoping for. No matter.
Briefly, he surveyed the battlefield. Most of the survivors focused on holding back the endless waves of enemies. A couple of warriors attempted to tank the Abyssal Ape and failed horribly. Only one particularly skilled healer kept them from instantly dying. Yet even she was unable to prevent the inevitable
Through one brief look, he understood the situation. Upon this despair drenched battlefield, the girl herself was an oddity. Wherever he looked, only hollow eyes greeted his gaze. Just one pair burned brightly in the face of their defeat. Whereas everyone else had long since given up, only she continued to have hope. Wherever she went, his eyes could not help but follow her. Her appearance stood out that much. A small spark amidst a sea of despair.
Watching another would be warrior die, he sighed. Did they not spend any time training their arts and honing their abilities? No matter. Amateurs would be better off holding off the waves of enemies. With a heavy gait, he placed himself between the Abyssal Ape and newbies.
“Go help with the endless waves of enemies. I will hold him off here.”
Their shocked expressions brought him no mirth. He had long since passed the point of caring. Looking death in the eyes, he had no confidence. He had watched as it massacred his men. The same would happen to him.
Still, if his men’s death had shown him anything, it was that more numbers would not help. If one of them was incompetent, they would hurt the rest.
For what felt like the first time in ages, he changed his equipped arts. He had been idle for so long even the system no longer considered him as part of the battle. Unhesitantly, he threw away his usual setup. 「Leadership」? That would not save them. 「War Cry」? Who would even listen to him? He was no longer a guild master. Instead, he was now a simple warrior fighting to protect his comrades.
“When was the last time I fought on the front lines like this?”
He could not remember. He once prided himself in his ability, the ability that had laid the foundation for the creation of Vanguard. Yet, once the guild grew, never once did he use that prided ability. Instead of protecting his comrades on the front line, he sat in the back and coordinated them.
Thus, he was helpless to save them when the Abyssal Ape tore them apart. He could only dumbly watched as the guildmates he trained were tossed like rag dolls.
Firmly gripping his shield, he placed it between his enemy and himself. Being up this close to the Abyssal Ape, a scent of death pervaded the air. The monster charged him. A black fist swung down. The lone warrior braced himself as a small light filled his shield.
Clang.
The stones rumbled. The man wavered unsteadily on his feet. His shield arm was numb. Next to him, the Abyssal Ape’s attack rested in the ground. In fury, the monster swung his other fist. The warrior once again activated 「Guard」.
Boom.
The fist smashed into the ground. The warrior flew and crashed into the ground a couple of meters away. Yet the Abyssal Ape did not pursue him. In confusion, the monster looked at its hand. The blow was not a solid one. With a tinge of respect, it looked at its latest prey.
Warm healing light wrapped the warrior. Getting up, he gave the healer a quick look of gratitude before turning to face his foe. He had only exchanged two blows, yet he already knew the situation was helpless.
His stamina would not hold up with continuous uses of 「Guard」. Yet even activating 「Guard」 and trying to parry the blow by angling his shield, he had still taken massive damage and been blown away.
With grim resolve, he approached the Abyssal Ape. Silently, the two measured each other. The monster was the first of the two to move. It unleashed a fury of blows towards the human. Unlike earlier, the warrior had no intention to stand his ground. With the agility of a man free of the plate armor that always weighed him down, he ducked, dodged, and parried the attacks.
Clang. Clang. Woosh. Clang.
Each successive attack caused his whole body to shudder. He had lost all feeling in his arm. His mind desperately overworked itself. He watched the ape’s fist draw backwards, traced the path that the fist would follow, and placed the shield in the middle of the fist's path. Angling both his body and the shield, he braced himself.
Moments before the Abyssal Ape’s fist was about to collide with his shield, the warrior activated 「Guard」. As the furious tons of force slammed into his shield, he let part of the force carry him out of the fist’s path.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Continuously, he parried the attacks. Every second 「Guard」 was activated drained more stamina. To keep up with the monster, the warrior could only activate 「Guard」 at the last second. The instant he failed to activate 「Guard」 in time or the instant 「Guard」 failed to activate, he would die.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Craters dotted the area. His footing became unsteady. The Abyssal Ape’s assault continued unrelenting. Seconds felt like minutes. Minutes felt like days. He was reaching his limit. Both he and his shield were battered.
A scream resounded from nearby. For a brief instant, he lost focus. By the time he regained himself, it was too late. The fist was too close. His shield would not make it in time. With no other choice, he activated 「Castle of Stone」.
For the first time, the Abyssal Apes fist struck him squarely. Even with a 3x defense increase, he felt like a truck had run him over. The warrior felt a sense of weightlessness. A great wind tore at his clothes.
Boom.
He smashed heavily into a wall. The fight was over. Using the art had only delayed the inevitable. He couldn’t even stand up. 「Castle of Stone」’s aftereffects were hitting him. In return for a 3x increase in defense for 10 seconds, it slowed down movement by 90% for two minutes. Dazed, he looked at his surroundings.
He had wondered why the healers had healed him less and less often. Now he knew why. The endless waves of monsters were overwhelming. Unbeknownst to him, the rest of the survivors were slowly picked off. Those that remained held their last stand next to the same wall that he had crashed into.
The only reason he had not encountered any of the waves of monsters was because of his close proximity to the Abyssal Ape. Even as fellow monsters, they kept a distance from that beast.
With a start, he came to a realization. He could not find the girl who had saved him. With her appearance, she should be easily found in a single glance. Yet no matter how much he looked, he never found her.
The shield in his hand suddenly felt heavier. The pain from his wounds hurt more. Looking at the Abyssal Ape slowly saunter its way toward them, he gave up. He could hardly lift a finger as it was. He never had any hope to begin with. He had fully realized the futility of his actions with his own body. From the posture of the others, he knew they had given up as well. The one spark of hope on the battlefield had long since been extinguished.
Resignation filled him. Slowly the world lost its color. The hand holding the shield relaxed. The ape grinned savagely in delight. A helpless bystander, he waited. The warmth in the world slowly disappeared. The reeking odor of death returned in full force.
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Thud.
Something large and black fell. The Abyssal Ape froze. So too did the monsters’ slow advance. The despairing man stared at it blankly. Seconds dragged on yet he still could not comprehend what it was he was looking at. It looked like two halves of a giant black roc, but such a thing was impossible. After all, how could such a thing happen? Even the highest level players could not cleanly cut a monster in half.
A bell like laugh rang out from above. Powerlessly, the warrior’s gaze searched for the source of the sound. A glint of silver caught his eyes. Finally, he found her. He heard a collection of gasped breaths nearby. He paid them no mind. He imagined he had the same reaction when he saw her as well.
Her silver hair flowed in the wind. A soft smile totally out of place with the blood drenched battlefield adorned her face. The man completely forget about his imminent death. He could only stare. She had beautiful grey eyes. Helplessly, he compared the two. Unlike his savior, her eyes carried only carefree laughter.
Her face looked as if it was sculpted by the gods. Her every action was graceful and refined. With frilly sleeves, her pure white blouse fluttered in the wind. Coupled with her short black skirt and creamy white skin, she looked like an ethereal fairy perched on the edge of the clock tower.
Bringing her fair hands up, she carried a simple silver flute to her lips. As the first notes rang out, the world changed. The world regained its color. Heat returned to his limbs. The warrior struggled to his feet. A bright light filled his eyes.
The girl was a complete beginner. She had not the foggiest idea of the basics of music. The tempo was all over the place. The rhythm was inconsistent. Yet, just hearing her play brought a smile to his face. By no means could the song be technically considered good. Still, he thought the song was a masterpiece. Such contradictory thoughts arose in him.
The warrior rose undaunted. Even with a 90% movement reduction, he stood up and held out his shield. He would fight until death claimed him. Such a fire was lit in his heart.
She moved from one note to the next, as if dancing between them. Perhaps it was because of her complete lack of knowledge in music that such a song came out. Her song had no predetermined course. It would change tune and intensity as suddenly as the wind changed directions. It was the embodiment of free-spirited.
He took the first step. The horde of monsters shook themselves awake and resumed their attacks. In such a critical condition, he activated 「Undying Will」. His body felt lighter. Yet, the negative effects of 「Castle of Stone」 still dragged him down. Unconcerned, he unsheathed his sword.
The first of the monsters were closing in. Heat exploded in front of him. Arrows whooshed past him. Healing warmth covered him. Lightning rained down from the heavens. He grinned.
“Looks like I am not the only one who had a change of heart.”
With minimal movements, he intercepted the first hound's charge with his shield. Ponderously, he brought his sword to bear. As a second hound charged him, he blocked its bite with a small movement from his sword. On the other side, he continued to guard against the first hound with his shield.
Hearing her song, his heart felt lighter. The girl herself couldn’t be ordinary. He found the song filling his head. It carried him. He recalled the happiness he found when he first came to this world. There was more to this battle than despair. Her song reminded him of the warmth of being together with his comrades as they challenged a difficult dungeon raid. Unconsciously, he began matching his movements with the tempo itself.
He did not bother attacking. That was not his role. Two arrows flew out piercing the hounds head. Unperturbed, the warrior turned to face his next enemies. Healing warmth engulfed him and heat consumed his foes. His shield halted his enemies advance.
Kaw. Kaw. Kaw.
Several bird-type monsters screeched out in protest. A jolt of fear went through his heart. Her song continued on uncaring. Notice them! Stop playing the song and notice them! Desperately, he pleaded to the girl in his heart.
His pleas went unanswered. The song continued uninterrupted. Distracted, a hound jumped at him. By the time he finished off the hound, it was already over. Eight birds fell to the ground split into two. Yet he was given no time to ponder the significance of what had just happened.
“ROOOAAAAARRRR”
The battlefield shook with the ape’s voice. So loud was it, the voice drowned out the maiden’s song for a brief instant. He felt like a lump of iron dropped into his stomach. It couldn’t be! The Abyssal Ape slowly approached the clock tower.
The warrior’s blood boiled. Furiously, he advanced. Yet, the aftereffects of 「Castle of Stone] continued to drag him down. Each heavy step brought him forward. His shield crashed furiously against the waves of monsters. Yet, he was too slow. Far too slow.
Fire bloomed continuously around him. Arrows rained down constantly. Flashes of silver danced on the edge of his vision. The monsters pained death cries desperately echoed out. The remaining survivors attacked like madmen, but there were far too many monsters.
The Abyssal Ape made it to the base of the mountain. The effects of 「Castle of Stone」 ended. The warrior became a whirlwind of destruction as he lashed out with his sword. Slowly, he carved a path through the horde of monsters. Yet, the Abyssal Ape was already out of his reach. As the monster took the first step up the clock tower, it turned to face him.
He felt like cold water splashed on his face. The Abyssal Ape had a savage grin on his face, enjoying his despair.
“Run away!”
Desperately he called out to the girl. Death was coming for her. Surely, she knew that? Yet, the song continued. She appeared oblivious to her impending death. With mounting fear and rage, he watched helplessly at the Abyssal Ape’s progress. His sword grew even faster. Yet, despair filled his heart. He was too late. They had failed. The Abyssal Ape had finally reached its target.
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The black ape was furious. It had massacred adventurers left and right. None of them had been able to touch him. Ever since they realized that, they had all given up. Then she appeared on the battlefield. She had brought a few of the lifeless ones back to life. Under his command, she had disappeared under a swarm of hounds. That should have ended the matter, but those few ones she had helped were more annoying than the rest. Especially that foolish man. He had dared to go head to head against the Abyssal Ape.
The ape knew it was stronger. Its attacks should have sent the man flying to an early death. Yet they all seemed to glance right off of him. Under the ape’s rapid storm of punches, the man had endured. The Abyssal Ape’s pride was wounded. A weakling was causing it that much trouble. Finally the monster landed a satisfying blow and the man did not get up.
Gloating, the monster took his time walking over to the few weakling humans. The Abyssal Ape enjoyed watching the despair on their faces. The fight was over. The monsters had won. The annoyances would finally be put to rest. Those thoughts crossed the Abyssal Ape’s mind.
Then, the roc fell to the ground. Moments later, that cursed melody began to play. The ape almost lost itself in the free spirited music, but the monster quickly gathered itself. One glance at the humans before it quickly confirmed its fear. Their once empty glass eyes were now filled with fire and with renewed vigor, they fought back.
Hmmph, it's all that melodies fault. Well, the aerial monsters will take care of it, thought the boss monster. Expecting a fragile cry and the sudden cease of the song, the ape was caught by surprise when several birds crashed into the earth around him.
That left him no choice. Seeing as how killing their friends brought humans such despair, the Abyssal Ape decided to take care of the matter itself. The look of horror on the humans' faces when they saw the monster begin climbing brought a cruel grin of delight to its face.
The handholds were few, the wind fierce, but slowly the boss monster approached the source of the melody. Climbing higher, the wind battered the ape but it could do nothing against his tough fur. With a savage grin, he passed the face of the clock and reached the top. The monster froze.
Directly a few inches from the monster's face sat the maiden. Her beautiful visage showed no signs of recognizing its presence and her hands continued to play that enchanting music uninterrupted. Incredulously, the ape could only stare at the sight. Her long silver hair flowed carelessly in the wind and her poise was relaxed. She paid more attention to the wind around him than to the ape himself. Never before had it been slighted so but no anger arose at her behavior. She was like a part of the wind, uncaring of who it passed on its travels.
The Abyssal Ape quickly blinked and regained his purpose. The music and her beauty had caught it by surprise but the monster roused itself to its goal. Reaching out with its hand, the ape crushed the maiden.
Uncomprehending, the monster stared at its arm in confusion as the music continued unabated. The ape hadn't even felt the pain of losing half its arm. Furiously, it looked around for the intruder. Nothing but the maiden and the wind greeted his eyes. The monster intuitively knew that the maiden held no such power to hurt it.
With only one good arm to grip the clock tower, it could not crush the maiden without falling. Yet, the ape would not give up here. Though it could not find the intruder, the Abyssal Ape was now prepared for an attack. The maiden would die. Yet, the unknown foe could cause problems. Thus, the Abyssal Ape moved to a more advantageous location. It leaped onto the roof of the clock tower.
In midair, the black ape finally understood the intruder’s identity. The maiden herself was merely the bait. A savage gust of wind lashed out like an enormous blade. Striking the Abyssal Ape, the blade of wind split the monster in two. Gravity took over. The corpse of the boss monster fell to the ground in defeat.
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Thud.
A loud sound echoed through the courtyard as two giant black masses fell to the ground. The warrior stared in shock. Above, the song continued on, uncaring of the Abyssal Ape’s death.
As if that crash was the signal, a change occurred on the battlefield. From the desolate temples, small parties of adventurers surged out. A flash of shockingly bright pink appeared on the edge of his vision. He broke out into a smile.
She hadn’t died after all. He watched as she made quick progress towards his group along with the reinforcements she had brought. Under their combined forces, the adventurers now pushed back the hordes of monsters. Finally getting a brief reprieve, he approached his savior.
“I didn’t get the chance to say thank you for earlier. Thanks. May I know the name of my savior?”
She looked surprised to see him again. A small smile graced her lips.
“It is Camellia.”
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Ignorant of the ape's struggle and ultimate fall, the music continued on. As if spurred on by the song, the adventurers fought fiercely. Eventually, the music slowed down. The notes dragged out. Finally, the song ended.
As the last note died on the wind, the clock tower rang loudly throughout the plaza. A familiar torrent of light shone down from the heavens.