Chapter 56 - Reaver's Requiem

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Sorry for the long period of silence, people. And thanks to all the well wishes and messages. I still have a lot to do, but I should have enough time to write properly. If I don't, then there will unfortunately be another delay, but I would rather that than giving you a half-assed chapter, and I suspect you all think the same. Also, my parents had a wonderful party. Once again I want to thank everyone for their support!

END OF AUTHOR'S NOTE

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Three days later, Drifter and his party were still in Rovia. The reason they hadn't crossed the lake to meet up with Kizmel and continue the << Elf War >> campaign yet was simple: there was a field-boss in the lake.

A small party of four had been the one to discover the field-boss, a gigantic and ancient two-headed turtle named << Biceps Archelon >>. To advance further on the floor, the players would have to defeat it.

The 4th floor was so different from the beta that Argo, Kirito, and the other beta-testers considered all their previous information invalid. No one had expected the field-boss, especially not the party who discovered it. All they had wanted was to get a headstart on the floor's exploration, so they had gotten the simplest boat they could from Romolo. When they encountered the field-boss... None of them made it back.

In view of that, a strategy meeting had been organized, set to happen now in the pier of Rovia, after which the frontliners would set off to fight the field-boss. It wouldn't be an easy battle. Just to get there, they had to fight several aquatic monsters. Thankfully, the players didn't need to go into the water, as the mobs would jump on their boats, but the fact that each ship was basically its own little battlefield, signified it would be hard, if not impossible, to cooperate with other parties.

"Thinkin' hard, Dri-bou?"

With a start, Drifter directed a glare at Argo, who had at some point made her way next to him. The petite info-broker grinned, knowing that this time she got him. He sighed.

"We are going into a fight against a boss we know almost nothing about, and in unfavorable conditions, little rat. I'm worried."

"Hm, I know. Believe me, I'm even more uncomfortable than ya with it. I couldn't find jackshit 'bout this field-boss. But it killed four people already, Dri-bou. We can't wait until it kills more to act."

"Yeah... You should start the meeting, Argo. Everyone who's gonna come is already here."

"Roger that, Dri-bou!"

The spearman chuckled as Argo mock saluted. Before the info-broker walked to the front of the crowd, he laid a very gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Don't be hard on yourself, little rat. They were clearers, and we are frontliners. We all know what we are getting ourselves into."

The girl made a small noise of affirmation, then shook Drifter's hand off. He knew she would never stop blaming herself for the players who died. He knew because he was the same. All the higher-leveled players were. It was hard not to feel the responsibility when you were stronger than the majority of the players.

Standing in front of the frontliners, Argo didn't show a spec of unease. She had always been a bit of a wildcard, and a resolute one. The way the conversation stopped and everyone looked at her, a girl who barely reached their chests, with respect, was quite unnerving for those who didn't know who she was.

"Aight, folks, listen up! We know close to nothin' 'bout this boss, so y'all will have to stay on your toes, got it?"

"What DO we know, info-broker?"

Argo threw a disdainful glare at Kibaou for his unnecessary interruption, but answered all the same.

"Like I said, not a lot, Kibaou. From the little we could see, the boss has at least three attack patterns - it could be more, but we don't know. First, it can bite - and it has two heads, so it can target two ships at the same time. Secondly, it has those huge fins, and it uses them to create waves and knock people down. Finally, it also has a charge attack. If ya think it's coming, get outta the way. Remember, we are talkin' 'bout a twenty-meters long two-headed turtle here."

"Talk strategy, Argo the Rat."

Why Lind saw the need to use Argo's nickname in conjunction with her actual name, Drifter had no idea. But he could understand his impatience. They hadn't lost anyone to a boss fight- be it a floor boss or a roaming one - since Diavel died. Not that the demise of the unfortunate party could be blamed on them, but it still put pressure on their shoulders.

"Unfortunately, there's not much. Y'all will be split into thirteen' different ships. Ya can't simply climb on top of the field-boss - don't even be thinkin' of tryin' that, it would only end in death - so y'all have no option but wait 'till it attacks to counter. The DKB and ALS have the largest ships, and also the sturdiest, so ya are responsible for tanking the heads, with four others as support. The rest should encircle the turtle, and attack its fins when they are exposed."

There were murmurs of agreement and quiet nods from the frontliners. Drifter looked to their new trio of friends, who would be joining them - after three days of watching them, he was convinced Yuuki, Ran, and Merida had what it took to stand at the frontlines. But today's battle would be their baptism of fire, their practical test, per se. Even the ever-cheerful Yuuki was somewhat subdued.

"Anyone got anything else they wanna say?"

When no one said anything, Argo clapped her hands, a grin on her face which Drifter could tell was fake from a mile away, but which probably came across as mischievous for the rest.

"Aight then, get to fightin', ya lazybones! I expect to drink turtle soup before nightfall, ya hear me?!"

Several players, Drifter included, chuckled at the obvious attempt to diffuse tension. But it worked, and that's what mattered.

The crowd split up, each party or guild going to their own boats, Drifter's included. Liz, Yuuki, Ran, and Merida would sail with them. They were already inside when Drifter spotted Argo jumping on their ship. He raised an eyebrow.

"You are coming along, Argo?"

"Nah, I'll leave the fightin' to brutes like ya. Just came to see how y'all are holding up."

The info-broker cackled at the good-natured complaints Yuna, Kirito, Asuna, and the others made at being called brutes. Seeing through her worries, Drifter ruffled her hair.

"Just another day on the job. Leave it to us, little rat. We won't disappoint."

"I'll be countin' on ya then, Dri-bou. And Kii-bou!"

"Yes! What is it, boss?"

The curly-haired girl pit on a haughty expression in response to the swordsman's teasing, but her eyes betrayed her mirth.

"Bring my Reavers back safe and sound, will ya? I don't want my investment to go down the drain."

"I'll do you one better, Argo. We will bring the last-attack bonus back to you to commemorate our first battle."

"Ya said it, not me. Don't disappoint a gal."

Just like always, Argo came and went as she pleased. After winking to Kirito one last time, she jumped down the side of the sailboat, and disappeared within moments in the crowd that had been slowly forming to see them off. With a quick glance, Drifter recognized many clearer parties, as well as more than a few low-level players.

By now already used to having others stare at him, Drifter turned around to raise an inquisitive eyebrow at Kirito. The others were also looking at the young boy, who flushed.

"Talking big, hum, Kirito? That's unusual for you."

"Err... Heh. Please, don't tease me. I just thought it would be a nice motivation."

"And a nice trophy too, no?"

"Yeah, that too. But mostly it's to celebrate. You know, the establishment of our guild."

Hearing the almost hesitant tone with which the swordsman spoke, Drifter couldn't help it. He laughed out loud, attracting more than a few stares from nearby players. But he didn't care. Unsure as he obviously was, Kirito was still doing his best to lead the guild they created merely yesterday.

Reaver's Requiem. Deciding on the name hadn't actually been that difficult. At least, nowhere as near as Drifter thought it would. Despite the almost somber undertone behind the name, no one had any objections when Sinon suggested it. They were called the songstress' party by many, after all. And instead of an imposing name like Aincrad Liberation Squad or Dragon Knights Brigade, Reaver's Requiem suited them much better.

For now, there were only seven people in the guild. Drifter, Kirito, Asuna, Yuna, Nautilus, Sinon, and Lizbeth. They had mentioned the possibility of inviting Argo, Agil, Wolv, Namate, and Shigio in passing, but ended up not doing so.

Argo would've rejected them outright, they knew. The info-broker was a blunt - and even rude - person, who didn't like to have any strings attached to her. Besides, she would say that joining a guild would hurt her business, and she wouldn't be wrong. Lind and Kibaou, for once, would trust her a lot less if she officially became part of Kirito's group.

As for Agil and his band of merchants, the party had discussed and decided now wasn't the time to invite them. Much like Drifter and the others wouldn't have joined the DKB and ALS - and they were asked to more than once - the big man and his friends also enjoyed their freedom.

Yuuki, Ran, and Merida also hadn't joined the guild, not because an invitation wasn't extended, but because the trio asked for some time to think. More accurately, they wanted to wait until after the field-boss fight to accept. While Drifter was quite confident in their capabilities, the girls themselves were somewhat nervous, even the happy-go-lucky Yuuki. They seemed to be afraid that, if they joined Reaver's Requiem but made a mistake during the battle, they would be kicked out. While he could have assured them that this would not happen - not every member of the guild had to be a frontliner - Drifter ultimately held back, and decided to let things play out. If one fight was enough to shake their spirits even more it happened, then they might not fit in their guild after all.

"Cactus-hair and Lind are leaving."

"Then we should set sail too."

"Aye aye, captain!"

"Hahahaha..."

Drifter could already see the first advantage of establishing a guild in the way Liz, Asuna, and Kirito joked around. It was a sense of unity you couldn't find in scattered parties. Not that their party had ever been anything if not united, but just the fact that they were an official, system-approved guild now, lifted their spirits. That was especially so for Liz, who could've long been considered an unofficial seventh - or eighth, if you took Kizmel into account - member of their party. The blacksmith had been positively shining since they invited her yesterday.

"We got algae boys incoming!"

From her spot near the bow of the ship, Sinon called out a warning. At the same time, three figures shot out of the water and landed on the deck, one of them with an arrow already sticking out of its body. The archer was getting faster each day.

The 'algae boys', as Sinon called them, were actually << Murderous Kelpies >>, a kind of human-shaped mob, whose body was comprised entirely of algae. Each of them held something similar to a pitchfork made of rocks and coral.

According to Asuna - and that particular piece of knowledge had caused more than a few heads to turn when the girl first said it - Kelpies were an old legend in Europe, a kind of monster made of algae, which took the form of a horse and attracted passerby to then drown them in their moors and swamps and eat them. Clearly, Kayaba had taken some creative liberty with the mobs, only to make them even more dangerous.

Sinon wasn't the only one who had improved, however. Over the past few days, the players << Murderous Kelpies >> several times. An important lesson they had learned was to not give the mobs time to group up, or they would become ten times more bothersome to deal with. As such, as soon as the monsters touched the deck, Drifter had already launched a << Comet Break >> at one of them.

The spearman had to admit, the visual effect of hitting a kelpie was probably the most pleasing of all he had seen in SAO to date. Because the mob's body was made of algae, his spear burrowed right through it, tearing the green strands and leaving a fist-sized hole behind. Then Drifter twisted his wrist and spun his weapon, which was still embedded in the mob, shredding more of its body.

With a shrill shriek, the << Murderous Kelpie >> raised its pitchfork to stab Drifter. Before it could do so, however, a broadsword cleaved through its arm. The limb fell to the ground, as did the weapon it was holding.

Drifter flashed a smile at Merida and Ran, who had come to aid him. Broadswords, like axes, had a higher chance of clipping- read 'cutting off' - limbs, as the blue-haired girl had so clearly demonstrated.

Nearby, Asuna, Kirito, and Yuuki were fighting off a second mob. The youngest of the twins had become really close to the fencer in the last few days. They had hit it off immediately, with the chestnut-haired girl taking to Yuuki as if she was the younger sister Asuna never had. Yuuki's actual older sister, Ran, was only too happy to see that, as the siblings had very few friends before they met the party.

The third << Murderous Kelpie >> was being dealt with by Nautilus, Sinon, and Liz. Yuna was playing one of her new tunes and supporting the group from behind the rudder.

In no time the mobs had been dispatched. A quick look around showed that none of the other frontliners' ships had any trouble either, and Drifter sighed in relief. It would've been very difficult to offer help in their current circumstances.

Ninety minutes and several skirmishes later, the... Fleet approached the center of << Caldera Lake >>. The two boats in the lead, ALS and DKB's main vessels, slowed down at the same time. No one said anything, but they knew the true battle was approaching.

A massive figure was slowly raising from the lake, tons upon tons of water streaming down its back in countless waterfalls, and creating massive waves in the until then still surface.

The Reavers, as the guild members had quickly taken to being called by others, clutched their weapons. A monstrous beast now stood before them, four pitch-black eyes greedily staring at the ships.

<< Biceps Archelon >> had joined the battle. And it fell to the frontliners to defeat it, otherwise they would never be able to advance in the 4th floor.