In an inn near the teleporter on the 11th floor of Aincrad, Agil, Wolv, and Shigio were sitting at a table, while Drifter, Kirito, and Asuna sat opposite them.
It felt official, almost like a job interview, although it was unclear who was interviewing who. Agil, normally stoic and steady, always with an easy smile and booming laugh, looked both uneasy and serious. Wolv and Shigio were the same, and kept glancing at their leader.
Drifter frowned. Then his expression eased. Now he was sure what this meeting was about. And he could also understand why it was hard for Agil to start it, considering Namate's death had been just yesterday. But in SAO, there was no time to waste, and the big man understood that. Grief, pain, sadness, you spent a few hours on these, maximum. Then it was back to fighting.
"Hey, guys. How are you holding up?"
Kirito was the one who opened up the conversation, but even he winced at the bland question. Agil just shrugged.
"We always knew being frontliners wasn't going to be just fun and games. Namate knew it too."
It was the kind of response someone used to seeing people die gave. Like soldiers, such as Seijirou, who was watching the meeting from the real world. Or like SAO players, which was what they were. Whatever the reason Namate joined the Assault Team, he knew the risks, and accepted them. So they just nodded.
"We'll strive to make sure he is the last."
"He won't."
"No. But we can try."
It was Agil's turn to nod. The big man collected his thoughts for a few seconds, then took a deep breath and spoke.
"You asked us to join Reaver's Requiem once, Kirito. We should have taken you up on that then, but we didn't. Maybe if we had... Things would have been different. I don't know how much, or if it would be for better or worse, but they would have. Now... It's too late. But is the offer still standing?"
Agil wasn't shaking. He wasn't begging. If Kirito rejected, it wouldn't be the end of the world. They would still be frontliners.
There were a thousand questions Kirito and Drifter and Asuna could have asked Agil here. Why now and not before? What would they do if they agreed? And what if they didn't? Would three men really make that much of a difference? Was it worth it?
Kirito didn't ask any of those questions, because he already knew the answers to all of them. The Black Swordsman looked at Asuna and Drifter, his seconds-in-command, not girlfriend and friend. They nodded, and he stood up and offered a hand. Agil gripped his forearm, and Kirito squeezed back.
"Always, Agil."
It was simple like that. And again, it all boiled down to the fact Drifter and the Reavers trusted Agil and his friends with their lives. There were many, and yet precious few, that the Reavers trusted that way. Each other, of course. Agil, Wolv, Shigio, and the deceased Namate. Argo.
Even Fuurinkazan and the Legend Braves weren't quite there yet. They were close friends, no doubt, but it was not the same yet. Drifter trusted them to have his back in a raid, even with his life during a battle. But the same could be said about all the Assault Team. Even Kibaou and Lind, if push came to shove. But it was not the same.
Agil and Wolv and Shigio... Drifter had no doubt they would always be there when he needed them. Be it in Sword Art Online or the real world, he knew he wouldn't even need to call them. They would be there.
So really, it was simple to accept them into Reaver's Requiem. And it was equally easy for Agil and the others to integrate into the guild, because everything they would be willing to do for Drifter and Kirito and everyone else, they knew the Reavers would also do for them.
"Welcome, Agil, Wolv, Shigio!"
Asuna jumped up to hug the three men, who grinned and hugged her back. Kirito caught Wolv and Shigio's hands and arms in the same strong grip he gave Agil. And Drifter smacked the black man on the back.
"The others will be thrilled, Agil. And we'll be unstoppable. Can you imagine it? Liz, SAO's greatest blacksmith, and also SAO's biggest scammers... I mean, merchants! If we add Argo into the fold, it won't be long before we can swindle enough people to buy an entire floor to ourselves!"
"Prick."
Agil grumbled, but he was smiling now, a true grin for the first time in two days. The others laughed at Drifter's exaggerated claims - even if they were only partially untrue.
"First things first, we should join the others. Or we can hunt on our own, we got a full party."
"Slightly unbalanced towards the offensive, but feasible. Shigio's just gonna have to work overtime. What do you think, Kirito?"
"Let me message Ran, see how they are faring."
Shortly after, Ran messaged back saying they were doing well enough that she had already split them up into two parties, one led by her and the other by Sinon. Kizmel had declined to lead in favor of acting as a secondary tank for the archer's party.
"Right, let's go then. Ran said the flying snake thingies are called << Ocantus >>. Sinon can shoot them down, which simplifies the whole process, but we got Drifter."
The spearman started, then understood what his guild leader meant. He hefted his weapon over his shoulder with a grin.
"You got it, Kirito. It's a good way to practice my aim, if nothing else."
They walked through the south gate of the city. Kirito with his one-handed long sword already out. Asuna had her fingertips gently resting on the hilt of her rapier - Drifter knew from experience how fast she could draw it. The spearman himself was holding his << Caldea Fana >> loosely by his side. The spear had been with him since the 3rd floor, and it was past the time to change it, but Liz's enhancements made it just every bit as good as the weapons he found on the 10th floor, so he was still using it.
Agil's trio was even more heavily offensive-oriented than them. Of course, there was Agil's door-sized double-axe, which had to weigh more than Kirito and Asuna together. Wolv carried a warhammer which was just slightly smaller than the axe. Shigio was the only one with a shield, a medium-sized square one, which he complemented with a mace.
"There. Drifter, on you."
The spearman followed Asuna's pointed finger and saw one of the mobs lazily flying circles ahead of them. The << Ocantus >> was about four meters long, head to tail, with scales in dark hues of green and blue. The wings were covered in feathers, instead of the membrane-like limb Drifter had been expecting. It had no rear legs, but it did have two sets of curved claws near the front of its body. The creature looked like someone had taken a big snake and glued chicken wings and legs to it, magnified a few times.
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"Okay, here it goes."
Drifter didn't need to heft his spear and find its balance - he knew it by heart. Curling three fingers around the butt of the weapon and letting it rest on his forearm, he brought his arm back, then heaved and slingshotted it forward.
"<< Serpentcoil Impale >>!"
The shout was for dramatic purposes. His << Caldea Fana >> glowed and flew towards the << Ocantus >> much faster than a simple throw could propel it. The spear spun, and it would have fallen short of the mob by about three meters, but Drifter felt more than saw the skill correcting its path.
"Giiiizz!"
The << Ocantus >> hissed loudly when Drifter's spear flashed past it, puncturing a hole clean through its left wing. The monster struggled to maintain its flight, its other wing beating madly, but eventually fell, at about the same time Drifter recalled his weapon through the menu, and Kirito shouted at the party to attack.
It wasn't a fair battle. Kirito and Asuna were the first to reach the << Ocantus >>, his sword glowing red with a << Vorpal Strike >>, hers the light green of an << Oblique >>. Agil was next, an overhead slash Drifter recognized as << Earth Sunder >> almost bisecting the mob in two.
Despite not having been in the same guild before, the Reavers and Agil's party had fought together so many times their coordination was on point. While Kirito, Asuna, and Agil were attacking from one side, Wolv and Shigio had already moved around to encircle the << Ocantus >>, and Shigio knocked it back down with a << Tremor >> as soon as he saw the mob trying to take flight again. Wolv went for a << Double Cleave >>, just for the damage.
Drifter wasn't idle either. He had hung back just in case the Ocantus >> managed to break free from his party members. << Serpentcoil Impale >> put too much of a strain on him for Drifter to use it multiple times in a row, but he wouldn't need that skill. A well-placed << Sting >> followed by a downwards << Dirty Play >> would pin the mob down and ensure it was permanently grounded.
It didn't even get to that. He saw the << Ocantus's >> HP falling rapidly under the unceasing offensive, so he threw a << Snake Bite >> over Shigio's shoulder, then swept up, decapitating the mob.
The entire battle lasted less than two minutes. Incredibly fast, even by their standards. Drifter was under no illusions Kayaba had suddenly had a change of heart and lowered SAO's difficulty, however. For any normal party, the flying mobs would be a highly threatening enemy. No hidden weapon and throwing pick would bring them down.
A pity Reaver's Requiem just so happened to have two walking loopholes. SAO's only archer, and also the only spear-user with an actual throwing skill. Drifter had no idea why no one else had managed to unlock << Serpentcoil Impale >> - and he did try to teach others - but I was what it was. Maybe only Nezha's chakrams would have a chance of cutting an << Ocantus >> out of the sky.
Three, then. Three players with the abilities and equipment to facilitate the hunt of 11th floor mobs by several degrees. Clearly, Drifter's theory that the first 10 floors were just a tutorial was still holding strong. He would even go as far as to say that the 10th floor boss battle was a checkpoint, and not just signaling the end of the tutorial. 10th floor, 10 out of 100. Round numbers. It seemed valid to think that it would be harder than most. A true checkpoint, to make sure players only climbed higher when they were strong enough, and not through sheer dumb luck.
A true checkpoint, which required lives as the price to get through.
"Good work, everyone. Wolv, that was great timing with the << Tremor >>. Drifter, you can come in earlier next time."
"Yes, ma'am."
Drifter smiled cheekily to Asuna, who rolled her eyes. She was making the rounds, patting people on the back, while Kirito went through the spoils. He didn't find anything interesting, so they went back to hunting.
------------------------
Despite the broadcast, despite the warnings circulated by the Assault Team, despite Argo printing it in bold red letters on the cover of her 11th floor guide... Despite all that, people died. And not just a few.
The mood of the strategy meeting for the 11th floor boss raid was somber. The two dozen people in an inn's private room all had deadly serious expressions plastered on their faces. From Kibaou and his two vice-leaders, Lind and Shivata, Klein, Orlando, Kirito, Drifter, and Asuna, down to the leaders of independent parties.
"54 deceased players. I confirmed it on the << Monument of Life >>. I can say with surety that 41 of those were on this floor. Mostly medium to high-level players - six clearers only, in the tower. Of the other 13, eleven died by mobs, though I don't know which or where. It's the remaining two that worry me."
Argo was giving the briefing, showing a list of names that did nothing but add another weight to their minds. The leading figures of the frontliners and, indeed, all of Sword Art Online, kept their silence.
"Those two were player killings."
"Morte."
Kibaou spat the name in a growl which would have intimidated even a floor boss. Because if he could call Kirito a Beater and blame Diavel's death on him, then Morte was his responsibility.
Argo snuck a glance at Drifter. She knew they would arrive at that conclusion, but she couldn't not include it in the briefing. The spearman took a deep breath and took a symbolic step forward.
"No."
Every eye turned to him, and Asuna grabbed his wrist, worried. But Drifter shook off her hand and smiled reassuringly. The truth was important in this case. Vital, even.
"What do you mean no, Drifter?"
"It wasn't Morte, because he is dead. I killed him."
He stared straight at Kibaou as he said it. Drifter saw the shock, surprise, and shame on his face, appearing in turns. The ALS leader pursed his lips, joining the others in their stunned silence.
"When?"
Eventually, Shivata spoke. And the question was indeed when, not why or how. They already knew the answer to the first, and the second didn't matter.
Drifter looked around. He saw some fear and disgust. Mostly shock. No reproach. His gaze found Shivata again.
"Some weeks ago. He found us first. Moved and threatened us, and said he would kill us one by one. I believed him. His cursor was darker than when we had last seen him on the 5th floor."
He let that sink in. It would be too much to say that Drifter didn't care about what the other people in the room thought of him. But he didn't think what he had done was wrong. It had been necessary.
"I went after Morte, and found him. I had him on the tip of my spear. I could have arrested him. I wasn't sure I wanted to. But he made the choice for me. Threw himself into my spear and called me a murderer."
His last sentence brought about another long silence. Not just from the players, but also the people in the real world he didn't know were watching. Seijirou. His family. He probably wouldn't have admitted it if he did know. But he didn't, so the point was moot and he had just told the world he had killed another person. If Morte could even be considered that.
"Good. He is wrong, Drifter, but you did good. Morte wasn't a player. He was a monster."
Orlando. The boisterous leader of the Legend Braves spoke quietly. Gravely. But he reached out and put a hand on Drifter's shoulder. Squeezed and nodded. Others around the room echoed his words. Not all. Lind kept quiet. But Shivata also nodded to Drifter, and Kibaou stared at him with the barest hints of gratefulness.
"But if it wasn't Morte, that means we have at least one other red player around."
"Probably more. After Drifter took care of Morte, I checked the << Monument of Life >> periodically. 27 player killings in total. 26 without counting Morte. So we either have a complete psychopath who murdered 20 people, or we have more than one red player on the loose. I don't know which one is worse."
Argo's words brought the meeting's mood to a new low. But they recovered quickly, and the info-broker spoke again.
"I have Fuumaningum looking into it. Meanwhile, we have to focus on our job. A scouting party found the boss room. Let's get to planning."