Chapter 117 - Loss

How did you search for treasure in Sword Art Online? You followed the map, that was how. The dashed line led to the big, attention-catching 'X'. Then, you just had to dig the treasure and you were set. Simple as that.

The problem with that plan was how many things were trying to kill you along the way. First flocks of seagull-like monsters that dive-bombed you, and humongous crabs that climbed aboard your ship and used their wickedly sharp pincers better than most clearers could wield a sword. And that wasn't mentioning the Underwater Treants and Crystal Octopuses that grabbed the boat from underneath and held it in place and damaged it until someone jumped overboard to cut off their limbs and free the ship.

And when you finally completed your sea voyage, amongst all those perils, and landed on an island or half-submerged structure, you realized you weren't even close to finishing your adventure yet.

This floor had to have the largest variety of mobs Drifter ever saw. He counted four different types just on the ocean, and half as many again on land.

But the monsters weren't the worst part. Mobs you killed and were done with it. But each island was also filled to the brim with traps. From the simplest pitfalls and poisoned darts, to logic puzzles that tried to fry you with electricity if you didn't give the right answer or complete them fast enough.

The Reavers had just met one such puzzle, and Drifter spun his spear to parry an arc of lightning. A metal spear wasn't the best counter to the trap, but he had already discovered through painful experience that it was worse to let the electricity hit him directly.

"Three tiles to the left, Sasamaru. The one with the leaf-like emblem."

Sinon's keen eyes found the key to disarming the trap, but instead of simply shooting an arrow at it, she guided Sasamaru to strike it with his spear. After all, this was the perfect place to train their new members.

It took two tries, mainly because Drifter let a lightning ray slip past his guard, so Kirito had to jump in front of Sasamaru to protect him. But the spearman - and it might be time to start calling Drifter a spearmaster, just because now he wasn't the only spear-user in Reaver's Requiem - finally manages to hit the emblem, deactivating the trap.

"Sorry about that, Sasamaru. Those things are trickier to catch than they look."

"A-Ah, no worries!"

The former Moonlit Black Cats were having a bit of a hard time adjusting to Reaver's Requiem's rhythm. It wasn't unexpected, as there was a large gulf between clearers and frontliners, not necessarily in skill - although that too - but in mentality.

"Oh? That one is mine."

Drifter was about to speak up and give tips in spear-handling to Sasamaru when he spotted a new type of monster spawning not far away. His eyes lit up, and a grin stretched his face.

Without waiting for the others to answer, the spearmaster dashes forward to meet the new mob. It was a humanoid creature, which looked like a skeleton, but covered in flowing sand. Its name was Cursed Death Scavenger, but more than the mob itself, what piqued Drifter's curiosity was the weapon it was wielding.

The older Reavers rolled their eyes when they saw Drifter clashing directly with the mob, spear against spear. Asuna pushed Sasamaru and Sachi forward.

"Pay attention, you two. The next one of this mob that spawns is yours."

"Huh?!"

The two spear-users had their eyes open wide, not understanding why the fencer was putting them on the spot like that. Asuna just shrugged, and it was Nautilus who explained what was happening.

"Drifter doesn't have many quirks, but this is one of them. Whenever we fight against a spear-wielding mob, he insists on facing it alone."

"I would say it's one-third a challenge, one-third to prove himself, and one-third to learn. Well, dueling humanoid mobs like this is also good training in itself, I would say. They have a lot more HP than a player, and can also use skills."

"We won't be putting you against one alone right at the start, though, so don't worry. You can face the next one together, and you just need to call out if you need help."

"You too, Keita. You use a staff, but it's still broadly in the same category. You will be on your own, though."

"Waah?! Why me?!"

Seeing the evil smirk on Yuna's and some of the others' faces, Keita realized that his new guild could be petty sometimes. Still, he dutifully turned to watch Drifter.

The spearmaster was really going at it, and it was clear to anyone who was the more skilled one between him and the Cursed Death Scavenger.

"This... Why does the mob feel so pitiful?"

"Putting a simple AI against Drifter... It's just outright bullying by this point."

Ducker, Tetsuo, and the others commented while they watched Drifter once again dodge an attack by moving his head just a little to the side, and at the same time counterattacking with a jab that pierced right through the mob's neck. Sachi's eyes opened wide in surprise.

"I-I wasn't sure before, but he is dodging before the mob even launches the attack, isn't he? How is he doing that?"

The founding Reavers beamed proudly, and Yuna grabbed Sachi's arm.

"You've got good eyes, Sachi. You are right, he is reading their moves and acting before they can. That's why we told you to watch carefully. This is SAO's best spear-user. Broken Spear Drifter."

"When it comes to spears, no one beats Drifter. Not players and not mobs. Spear arts are so deeply ingrained into his bones that he knows what you are going to do before you do. In one-on-one fights like this, it's rare to have a mob touch Drifter even once."

"Watch his eyes."

It wasn't quite that simple, because Drifter kept moving, and fast. But once they did manage to focus on his face, Sachi, Sasamaru, and Keita followed his gaze, and realized what was different.

First of all, Drifter's gaze rarely stopped in one place. It kept flickering from the Cursed Death Scavenger's hands, to his wrists, arms, elbows, shoulders, torso, waist, face, legs, feet. Basically its whole body, one part at a time. Just a fraction of a second on each, almost imperceptible.

Secondly, the one spot Drifter's eyes spent the least time on was the mob's spear. Which at first seemed counterintuitive to Sachi, since the weapon was what you had to watch out the most for, right? She certainly never took her eyes off the enemy's weapon when she fought.

But then Sachi realized that Drifter didn't need to watch the mob's spear all the time. He already knew what was coming and where the strike would land, because he could 'see' the mob as a whole.

"Is he... Predicting the scavenger's attacks? By seeing how it moves its body?"

"Nothing so logical. Like we said, no one knows spears better than Drifter. It's instinctive. And it's also why Drifter can't do the same with swords or axes or daggers. Even against a staff-wielding enemy it would be difficult, Keita, because despite being in the same category, the range of attacks is different."

"And it's only against mobs that Drif can make it look that easy. Their patterns are set, after all. It's much harder against a player who can think freely."

Just in time to hear Nautilus' remark, Drifter finished the fight with a fake Snake Bite. He hadn't used any skills during the battle, only replications of them. The spearmaster turned to his ash-haired friend and spoke with an overly sweet voice.

"Aww! Thanks, Naut! I really appreciate the vote of confidence."

The titled player, Indomitable Knight Nautilus, did the very mature thing and gagged. Drifter laughed loudly.

"Seriously though, don't let him talk me up too much, Keita. Any of us could do what I just did. You will too someday. Just gotta train hard."

The staff-user's eyes trembled before he took a deep breath, and conviction filled them. Drifter grinned. That was it. Keita had just changed from a promising clearer to frontliner material.

"Now, shall we see what the treasure is?"

"Let's!"

The easily excitable Yuuki and Silica led the charge, and thoroughly dismantled the handful of Cursed Death Scavengers that popped up along the way. Drifter grinned at the duo, and continued to teach the new Reavers.

...

The treasure turned out to be another map. Or, at least, part of one. They needed 3 other pieces before gathering a complete map, which would lead them to the entrance of the labyrinth.

"Hmm. I'm sending this to Argo, and I'll get her to see if any of the other guilds have the corresponding pieces. The faster we complete the map and beat this floor the better. Any complaints?"

The Black Swordsman looked at his guildmates, who all shook their heads. If this was a normal game, then they would keep the map to themselves, since the other guilds would be their rivals. But this was SAO.

"Alright then. Onwards to the next spot."

"That gothic-looking building we saw from Maclanta? I think the Legend Braves are there already. Orlando argued with Kibaou for first exploration rights."

Drifter opened his HUD and checked his last messages with the boisterous guild leader. Orlando insisted that the others called him by his title - Hero - which meant that, obviously, nobody ever did, if only to see him sulking.

"I don't think he will mind if it's us, but the drops are theirs by default. We just need the map, if there's even one there. Actually, it would be even better if they already found it, and it's a different piece than ours."

"Sure. Can I take a look at that, Kirito?"

Kirito shrugged and passed the piece of parchment. Drifter took it, but put it back in the guild inventory a moment later. The entire thing was a foggy, blurry mess of scribbles. Only if they joined all four pieces would the map reveal itself. The spearmaster scratched his head.

"The entrance to the tower, huh? I hope this floor boss isn't like Wythege or whatever it was called. That was not a fun fight."

Drifter unconsciously rubbed his right shoulder, where the 4th floor boss had ripped off his arm. There was no pain, not now and not back then, but it had been extremely disconcerting.

A small hand grabbed his, and Drifter smiled at Yuna, his bad thoughts vanishing at the sight of his girlfriend.

"We might want to pass by Maclanta first, Kirito. Those traps did a number on our equipment, and we also wasted quite a few Paralysis Heals. Plus, the city is on our path anyway."

Agil pointed out, and the black-haired swordsman nodded. They had plenty of potions and crystals, but it was a habit for frontliners to always restock when they had the chance. You never knew when you were going to get locked into a long fight.

Liz also nodded her assent and added her thoughts to the discussion while fiddling with her menu.

"I have my anvil, but the repairs will be better if we use a proper forge. I hope there's something like a portable furnace on the later floors."

"We can always dream. Maclanta it is, then. Anyone who needs repairs goes with Liz. Agil, Wolv, you are in charge of supplies."

"Roger that, boss."

Reaver's Requiem went back to their ship, and the trip back to Maclanta was uneventful - in the sense that nothing more than normal mobs appeared. Drifter knew that at some point Teleport Crystals would become mainstream, but he hoped that time arrived sooner rather than later. It would save a lot of time.

It was forty-five minutes later that they docked at Maclanta's port. Feeling mischievous, Drifter sneaked up on Yuna, then lifted her in a princess-carry, and jumped over the side of the boat.

"Aaahhhhh!"

The fall was of less than 3 meters, but Yuna screamed for a good 10 seconds after they landed, just out of fright at being suddenly picked up. Her arms shot up to grab Drifter's neck, and refused to let go.

"Hahahahaha!"

"Hehehe... What a set of lungs, Yuna. Haha!"

It was only when everyone burst out laughing, including Drifter, who was still holding her, that the songstress realized she had been the target of a prank by her boyfriend.

"Hahaha... Ouch! Ah, I'm sorry, Yun'! Hahahaha! Pl-Please stop biting me! Hahaha..."

Her face burning, Yuna refused to look at anyone, and wiggled out of Drifter's hold before grabbing his arm and biting it. It didn't hurt, but he acted like it did to placate the angry girl.

"Don't do that again..."

"Hah... I won't, I won't. It was just too good of a chance to pass up. I promise I won't do it again. I love you, my songbird."

"Love you too."

When she eventually relaxed the hold of her teeth on his arm, Yuna immediately buried her face in Drifter's chest and mumbled. Drifter embraced her and ran his fingers through her hair, whispering in her ear. Yuna flushed even more, if that was even possible.

"Should we give you two some private time? We can come back here in, say, half an hour? If you think that's enough."

"Imma kick you, Agil."

"Hahahaha!"

The couple didn't need to respond to the teasing, as Asuna made good on her promise and went over to shut up Agil the violent way. It sure was a sight, watching a petite young girl chasing a giant of a man around the pier.

Everyone laughed again, and even Keita and the others joined in. That the older Reavers could play and joke around so easily lessened the pressure they were feeling from joining such a top-rate guild. Drifter smiled at that, still comforting Yuna.

"Ugh..."

The moment was interrupted by a soft groan, which was almost lost amidst the laughter. Drifter started to turn his head. The sound that came next halted everything completely.

It was a terribly familiar sound. One every player had heard at least once. That every Reaver had heard multiple times. Too many to forget. The sound of glass shattering. Of a life being lost.

"Merida?"

Drifter had frozen in his tracks, but Yuuki's pained whisper restarted his brain. He let go of Yuna, and whipped his head around. Kirito, Asuna, Agil, Wolv, Shigio, Silica, Vallerk, Keita and his friends, were all in front of him. Nautilus, Kizmel, Sinon, Yuuki, Ran, and Merida had been behind him.

Nautilus and Ran were still there, eyes wide in the horror of having witnessed something Drifter didn't. There was Kizmel, frozen mid-patting of Feredir. Sinon and Yuuki, with their hands covering their mouths.

And Merida... Wasn't there. Where the blue-haired, cheerful girl had been standing, now there were only flickering shards.