Chapter 108 - Moonlit Black Cats

The party's names were Keita, Sachi, Tetsuo, Sasamaru, and Ducker - staff, sword, mace, spear, and dagger respectively. They were all in a guild called Moonlit Black Cats, about 16 or 17 years old, and friends in real life. They were also mid-level players who ended up on the 12th floor by a twist of fate and some arrogance and brashness, and that was what Drifter focused on and cut off their introduction. He really didn't need their whole life story, and he felt like he was going to get it if he let them go on.

"Wait, stop. Repeat what you just said."

"Uh?"

They were on the same spot where the Moonlit Black Cats - what a mouthful - had been attacked by the Stone Giants. Drifter had stabbed his halberd into the ground and was using it as a backrest. The other three Reavers were also in more-or-less relaxed states - meaning: alert to their surroundings and ready to jump into action at any moment, but chatting and snacking on some of Asuna's sandwiches.

The Black Cats - that's what Drifter was going to call them - couldn't be quite so calm. Ducker and Tetsuo seemed torn between silent admiration of their idols and begging for autographs. Sasamaru was more placid, but he was looking between his spear and Drifter's halberd as if comparing their equipment, and unhappy with whatever conclusion he arrived at.

Their guild leader, Keita, was another story. He was nervous, but it was the kind of anxiousness Drifter often saw in clearers and other high-level players. He was aware of their surroundings, and knew his party was in over their heads.

The sword-and-shield girl, Sachi, was another odd one. She was distinctly uncomfortable with her weapon choice, and Drifter saw a little of himself on her. It almost made him call her over to talk, but Keita's story was more important at the moment. Drifter raised a hand.

"Repeat it, 'cause my hearing must have gone bad. It feels like you just said you were taking a gander around the 12th floor's main town and stumbled upon a multistage quest. Not unlike Elf War, from what you are saying. That's already pretty unbelievable. And then you and your guild, who are still leveling on the 8th floor, mind you, had the insanely stupid - no offense - idea of going through with it. Here. On the 12th floor. That about sums it up?"

Keita and his friends flinched. When Drifter put it like that, it really did sound like a very idiotic thing to do.

"W-Well... Yes? We got very excited and... I'm sorry."

The staff-user bowed his head, and the rest of the Black Cats followed suit. Drifter sighed in exasperation and put a hand on his forehead.

"You don't got to apologize to me. Or anyone really. It's not like I have any right to scold another guild unrelated to Reaver's Requiem. I'm still going to, because what you did was unbelievably stupid and almost got you all killed. You would have all been goners if we didn't happen to be nearby. Quests are important, especially ones that span multiple floors like the one you got, but they are not worth dying for. Remember that. If you want to make it far, or even just survive, be smart. Everything means nothing if you die."

The Black Cats kept their silence. Drifter could see that at least a few of them were mulling his words over, and he hoped he got through to them. Drifter was no saint, but he didn't want more people dying because they didn't have anyone to tell them to stop and think. He turned to the other three in his party.

"Guys?"

Vallerk grimaced but nodded. Agil also signaled his assent. Merida smirked and punched him on the shoulder.

"We are too nice for our own good."

Drifter scoffed.

"Truer words have never been spoken. Alright."

Getting up and pulling out his halberd, Drifter stored it away on his back.

"Keita, right? Here's how things stand: the information from the multi-floor questline campaign is invaluable to the Assault Team, but Reaver's Requiem and the other frontliner guilds don't have the time to follow it. I know from personal experience how lengthy those campaigns are. Whether the Moonlit Black Cats choose to complete the questline or sell the intel of how to start it to someone else, it's not really our problem."

He paused to see if the staff-user was following him. Keita seemed like a smart guy, and Drifter could see the gears turning in his head. After their close shave with death, the guild leader certainly knew where their abilities stood. Drifter pressed on.

"That being said, my morals and the nagging Yuna will give me won't allow me to leave you guys like that, so we are gonna escort you to wherever you have to take the dwarf, and then to a safe zone. After that, however, you'll be on your own to decide what to do."

"Hm, sorry if Drif comes across as brusque, Black Cats, but our efforts need to be focused on clearing the floor. We'll give you some pointers while we are together, though."

The spearman glared at Merida, but the blue-haired girl stuck out her tongue at him. Drifter rolled his eyes.

"Why not? But let's get moving soon. I don't want those Stone Giants to spawn again and catch us by surprise."

"A-Alright!"

Overjoyed by the possibility of some one-on-one instructions from SAO legends like Broken Spear Drifter and Merchant Warrior Agil, the Black Cats were quick to jump to their feet. Keita was pretty sure players from a guild like Reaver's Requiem weren't going to fall so low as to try and steal their progress on the questline campaign, so he happily shared their current objective: to get the dwarf NPC alive to a mining town in the center of the floor.

Despite how he had been acting, Drifter was very considerate of the Moonlit Black Cats guild members along the way. He gave pointers to Keita and Sasamaru, both of whom entered under spear skills like him. He also allowed the Black Cats to take the final hits on many of the mobs they came across, hence raising their experience by quite a bit. The party knew it was extremely rare to have a group of elite frontliners willing to power-level them like that, so they enjoyed it to the fullest.

But it was on Sachi that Drifter focused - not for any reason that would make Yuna jealous. He had observed her for some time now, and it was easy to notice that she didn't know how to use a sword and shield. Even for mid-level players like them that was strange, as she should have, by all rights, been playing with those weapons for a while now.

Hence, Drifter concluded she had changed equipment for some reason. And, after a few whispered words with Keita, he understood why. Sachi had changed for her party. Simply put, the Black Cats were lacking someone who could take the front and block mobs, and ended up deciding that Sachi should fill that role.

Normally, that was when Drifter would stop asking questions. Party composition was up to the party leader, and it wasn't any of his business. But, again, Sachi reminded him of himself, so he asked anyway.

"What weapon did she use before?"

"The same as Sasamaru. A long spear."

Drifter raised an eyebrow. So that was why he felt such a familiar sensation when he looked at Sachi. She was using the wrong weapon, much like he had on SAO's first day. So... Did that make him the Meowlen in this situation?

"Sachi, here. Let me see what you can do with this."

"M-Me?!"

The girl fumbled and almost let the backup spear Drifter threw to her fall. She timidly looked at Keita, as if confirming she could obey Drifter. After all, it had been a party decision for her to change her weapon. But the staff-user just waved his hand.

"Go on, Sachi. We all know you don't like to fight close quarters. We didn't have an option before because... Well, none of us are really good, are we? But if Broken Spear Drifter thinks you have potential with a spear..."

Potential? It was still early to say that, but Drifter withheld his words for now. Maybe Sachi really did have potential. Or maybe she didn't. Either way, he needed to see her use a spear before coming to any conclusions.

"What spear skills do you have?"

"Ah, Vertical, Horizontal and variations, Sting, Rage Spike, Double Tap, and Snake Bite. Just those."

Drifter nodded. Those were the normal skills anyone with a relatively low level of mastery of the Two-Handed Spear and One-handed Spear skills would have.

"Copy me."

Raising his halberd, Drifter performed a simple slash. Sachi mimicked him. Then he did two stabs in a row. So did she. Pierce, cut, swipe. He went through all the basic motions with Sachi just a beat behind him.

Then he started doing the hard stuff. A sequence of attacks at the empty air, a flurry of motions getting faster and faster, even with the heavier halberd.

At first, Sachi still managed to follow him, but after one or two minutes she started to fall behind. After four, she was so lost she simply lowered her weapon and watched. Drifter was performing 3 attacks in the time it took her to make one.

He went on for another three minutes, in a deadly dance to no music. Spins and stabs and slashes and torsions and even elbows and kicks. Never a skill, just pure technique.

That was what Drifter hoped to impart to Sachi in the short time that they had. The proficiency in her skills could be raised through time and effort, but she would only really go far if she had the basics down.

When he stopped, panting slightly, Sachi wasn't the only one staring at him, though her eyes were the widest of all. In the end, while Drifter hadn't used skills, he made moves that looked just like it. They were beyond her comprehension.

"T-That was... Incredible. How did you do that?"

"Practice. And a lotta risking my life."

Drifter said so matter-of-factly. This was the truth all frontliners knew, and there was no sugar-coating it unless you were trying to harm some clueless player. Training and sparring only took you so far. Unless you were willing to put your life on the line, you would hit a wall and stop there.

"Skills come with time and effort, Sachi. But you can't rely on the system for everything. Frontliners forge their own path. Follow."

Spotting a Rock Crab ahead of them, Drifter raced to meet the monster in combat. Sachi hesitated, scared of the huge creature, but went after him in the end. Drifter instructed her as he dodged a pincer.

"Never stop moving. With small and nimble enemies, you need to be quicker than them. With big and slow ones, you just need to be faster than their attacks. Pay attention to details. You can almost always tell where an attack is coming from and what type it is by watching the subtle signs. A twitch, the flexing of an arm or tail. Doesn't mean you are always able to dodge it, but you will be better prepared even if you are hit."

Putting his words to practice, Drifter's eyes narrowed and he saw the slight shift of the Rock Crab's legs. By the time the huge claw came smashing down on him, Drifter had already moved out of its path and retaliated.

"The spear is a long weapon. That's your biggest advantage. Attack the enemy from where they can't reach you. Be precise. Despite the length of a spear, the tip is incredibly small. The faintest of touches can change the trajectory and point of impact. Don't just stab wildly. Use your waist, torso, shoulders, arms, elbows, wrists, hands, fingers. Even your fingertips. Integrate everything and your prowess will be multiplied."

It was hard, and Drifter knew that. There was a reason he was SAO's best spearman. His control over his weapon was unmatched, and, frankly, astounding to all those in the real world who had even the slightest experience with a spear. Several experts had tried to reproduce Drifter's actions, only to end up chalking it up to the Cardinal System's aid.

Sachi wasn't too bad, however. She was shy and timid and scared easily, but once she concentrated, Drifter saw visible improvement. He very much doubted she would ever make it to frontliner level, not because of skill, but personality. She wasn't fit for the Assault Team. But maybe becoming a clearer wasn't impossible.

Drifter always pushed for more clearers. As long as you were smart and knew your limits, it wasn't nearly as dangerous as being a frontliner.

There were many who would likely disagree with him, especially the fallen clearers. But Drifter would still advocate for more players to raise their levels and join the clearers on the top floors. Every soul in Aincrad needed to contribute if they wanted to escape.