Chapter 150 -Time

"Y'know, I'm quite bummed we don't get to use the key in the last floor after all the work to get it."

"Don't be, just means we gotta break our backs some more on this level. And by 'we' I mean ya."

Drifter rolled his eyes at Argo. Unfortunately the gesture was lost to the info-broker as she had her back turned to him while Yuna combed her hair - Drifter already knew it was a lost battle to ask why they insisted on doing that when there was no such thing as hair knots in SAO.

"Look on the bright side, Dri-bou. Ya get to use yer new weapon. Pointy Stick 3.0. Pointer than ever."

"Stay still, little rat!"

Argo gestured with her head to the trident she knew was in Drifter's hands, and Yuna scowled and hissed at her, causing Argo to freeze. Unlike Drifter, when the songstress called her 'little rat', it wasn't a term of endearment.

"Quests are annoying."

"Yer playin' an RPG, Dri-bou. Quests are kinda their thing."

"Alright, alright. I just immensely dislike long, seemingly unending questlines. How's that?"

"I'm hearin' lots of big words, but they all just mean the same thing. Ya lazy."

"I'm going to mess up your hair."

"No, you are not! I didn't spend this long trying to tame Argo's curls for you to waste all my efforts!"

"Oh oh. Someone's in trouble."

Argo turned around with a smirk, but a particularly rough comb made her lose all her sass.

"Yes! Both of you if you don't stop bickering!"

Drifter and Argo decided that it would be best for their health if they shut up. Someone laughed from the side.

"I knew Broken Spear Drifter was whipped, but I had no idea Songstress Yuna also had you on a leash, Argo the Rat."

A woman wrapped in black clothes and wearing a veil was sitting cross-legged under a shadow. Yuna glanced over and smirked discreetly.

"Argo just has a good self-preservation instinct, unlike you. How many times do I have to tell you to drop the titles when you are with us? Hum? Shadow Blossom Akari?"

It was the ninja's turn to scowl and fall silent, and Yuna grinned. Drifter also hid a smile, while Argo didn't bother to smother her giggles.

"Yep. Don't let Yu-chan's good girl image trick ya, Akari-chan. She's as devious as they come when she wanna be. Like when she asks ya to come over to brush yer hair but it's actually 'cause she wants to get some intel without puttin' out the cor for it."

The info-broker raised an eyebrow, but Yuna didn't falter, and shrugged unabashedly.

"Hey, can't blame a girl for trying to save some money. Besides, I do find combing someone's hair soothing."

"Why not do Dri-bou's then?"

The spearmaster opened one eye from where he was resting with his back against a tree, and shrugged.

"She did that already, multiple times. But according to Yun' I am a bad subject. So she needs other victims, and you were dumb enough to say you were free."

The songstress glared at him for the comment, but Drifter just went back to pretending to be taking a nap. The less involved in this conversation he was, the better.

"You move around too much, dummy. Or you fall asleep. One of the two. Either way, not a great conversation partner, and brushing someone else's hair is all about bonding. And... Done! You look pretty, Argo!"

"I do, thank ya very much, Yu-chan!"

"Cough- Shameless- Cough!"

The info-broker immediately jumped on Drifter, who rolled away, trying to escape the feral little rat. They ended up on a heap on the ground as both tried to tickle the other, undoing all of Yuna's hard work. The songstress face-palmed.

"Children."

"One of them is your boyfriend."

Akari pointed out from her spot. Yuna just waved her hand.

"And the other is the top information broker in Aincrad. Do you disagree with me?"

"Nope. Children is a spot-on assessment."

The ninja laughed, stretching her upper body. It was unusual for her to be fraternizing with the Reavers, but this was their first night on the 24th floor, and she happened to be with Argo when Drifter called the younger girl over. She hadn't run away quick enough, so she got dragged over too.

Not that she was really complaining. As much of a loner and introvert that she may be, Akari couldn't deny that she enjoyed Argo, Drifter, and Yuna's company.

"Well, it's your turn! Come here!"

Smiling innocently, Yuna patted the grass in front of her, telling Akari to scoot over. The ninja raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, no. Good try."

Yuna's smile fell and she pouted. Pointing at Akari with her comb in a 'threatening' manner, she delivered a promise.

"One day I'm going to see what your face looks like, Akari. Mark my words."

The ninja laughed in response, and went back to watching the sun set down. Yuna's pout increased until she felt a pair of strong arms come up behind her and embrace her navel.

Smiling sweetly, the songstress laid her back on her husband's chest, then snuggled closer. Drifter tightened his hold on his wife, resting his chin on her shoulder and kissing her cheek. She almost purred.

"I'm guessing you won your tickling war with Argo?"

"Still undefeated."

Yuna giggled, especially when Argo stalked over, looking worse for wear, and glared at the couple. Neither fell to the bait, and the info-broker huffed before plopping down next to them.

The foursome spent the next several minutes in silence, watching the sunset. Akari was a little ways away from the other three, but she was doubtless part of the group in this moment.

"Aincrad's sunsets are something else."

Argo sighed, scooting closer to lay her head on Yuna's free shoulder. The songstress put an arm around the younger girl.

"It's beautiful."

---------------------

November 19th 2023, morning.

"Back, back, back, back, back! Watch out!"

Drifter slashed upward with his trident, barely deflecting the incoming attack from the floor boss. The shockwave from the giant wood club smashing on the ground still sent him flying.

Head ringing, the spearmaster got up. The boss of this floor, the aptly named Drowned Ogre Chieftain, was all about brute strength. Even indirect hits like this one hurt.

Still, Drifter would take a straightforward boss like this over the likes of the 10th floor boss any day.

The 24th floor had been nothing to scoff about, but it also hadn't been anything special. As it seemed to be the trend with the floors in the 20s, it had a lot of water in it, and the mobs reflected that feature.

Case in point, the floor boss. The main labyrinth mobs were Drowned Ogres, along with two variants of selkies. No one had died fighting them or exploring the tower, which landed this floor in the 'easier' category.

Well, no matter how easy it may be, it was only in comparison with other floors. The boss was still very much deadly should one be careless.

A mighty swing of the club sent a group of ALS players sprawling down. While Yuna's music could boost their defense, it unfortunately only applied to the Reavers, and the ALS members were sent to the yellow zone in an instant.

Thankfully, the Drowned Ogre Chieftain wasn't nearly as fast as it was strong. Survival instincts honed after countless life-and-death battles saw to it that the players jumped back to their feet almost instantly, scattering before the boss could land another hit on them.

"Sinon, did you find it yet?!"

"I'm looking! It's not the head, heart, or joints! I need it to turn around!"

Grimacing, Drifter exchanged a look with the archer. They were already over halfway into the fight, and Sinon had yet to find the boss' weak point.

Maybe it didn't have one. Some mobs didn't. But they would continue looking until the battle was over.

The spearmaster glanced around the room. The frontliner forces were still mostly organized. Drifter made a decision.

"We are rotating left! Orlando, Klein, collaborate with us! Agil, Liz, Yuuki, Ran, Kizmel, Wolv, I want you to go in and hinder it. Hack at its legs, make it follow the spin. Kibaou, Lind, pull back for a moment, let us try something! Kirito, Asuna, hang back with me. We have to get a clear view for Sinon."

If it were anyone else, there would have been some hesitation to follow their orders. But it was Broken Spear Drifter shouting. He had the unconditional trust of Reaver's Requiem. Hero Orlando and Klein would also lay their lives at his hands without a moment's hesitation.

The trust and respect the rest of the frontliners held for him was also unparalleled. If it had been Kirito trying to assume command of the raid, even if just for a short while, there would have been complaints. Hesitation. The stigma of a beater still hung over him, even if unconsciously.

There was no such thing with Drifter. When other players looked at him, they saw the titled player, SAO's best spearmaster, someone who had surpassed every obstacle in his path and fought harder than anyone else. In the heat of the battle, even Kibaou and Lind obeyed him.

With the last two, fear was also a factor. Drifter had admitted to killing Morte. Not that they thought the player would murder them if they didn't obey, far from it. They knew someone as righteous as Drifter would never turn his spear on innocent people, even if they were somewhat obnoxious.

Their fear was less logical. It drove them to follow Drifter's orders in moments like these. Because he had been willing to do something they couldn't.

The Assault Team moved like a well-oiled machine, every player a spinning cog following Drifter's command. They were compelled to, because despite what others thought, they knew the Broken Spear rarely surfaced. More often than not, it was just Drifter.

But at this moment, it was undeniably the titled player, Broken Spear, giving the orders. That portion of Drifter that was more than man.

"Three... Two... One... Go!"

As Agil and the others cleaved at the Drowned Ogre Chieftain's legs, Drifter started a countdown. Kirito and Asuna leaned forward, starting the activation of their charging skills. The spearmaster did the same.

To the untrained eyes of the audience in the outside world, the three of them were just blurs.

Sonic Leap, Flashing Penetrator, Comet Break. Savage Fulcrum, Triangular, Sky Render.

Six skills splashed against the boss' back, ringing against its crude armor and staggering the monster. In the rear, Sinon's eyes flashed, and two arrows flew. The Drowned Ogre Chieftain screamed in pain and anger.

"There! That chink in its armor, Drifter! Lower left quadrant!"

There was no better direction than the arrows embedded on the Drowned Ogre Chieftain's flesh. Drifter immediately swiped his trident up in a Cobalt Slice.

"Grrr!"

The boss growled, and Drifter frowned. A skill was a skill, and did damage regardless of the shape of the weapon, but a trident wasn't an ideal weapon for slashing.

Of course, he wasn't stupid enough to only notice this now, after half a month of using the drop from the Queen of Amihenta.

Whirling around to dodge a stomp, Drifter extended his right arm and stabbed the boss twice on the inside of its right knee. Double Tap wasn't one of his most favored skills, but when followed by Dirty Play, it made for a nice little combo, pinning down the giant ogre.

The stun only lasted for a second, but that was enough for Kirito and Asuna to dish out a not-insignificant amount of damage.

With the ALS, DKB, Legend Braves, Fuurinkazan, and the rest of Reaver's Requiem and the Assault Team joining in now that they knew the Drowned Ogre Chieftain's weakness, the raid proceeded at a much quicker pace.

15 minutes later, for a total of 40 minutes of battle, the Drowned Ogre Chieftain let put one last sorrowful snarl, Orlando's sword piercing its heart, before it shattered.

The first thing the frontliners did after the floor boss died was take a headcount. A collective sigh of relief escaped all of them when they saw no one had died.

The 24th floor boss raid might be on the easier end of the spectrum, but it was a boss battle nonetheless. Sometimes people died not because of inability or mistakes, but simply bad luck. Thankfully that wasn't the case this time around.

There was a lightness to their steps as the frontliners climbed the stairs to the 25th floor. So, obviously, Aincrad and Cardinal had to throw a curveball at them.

Instead of the sunlight shining through the exit that they were expecting, what greeted the Assault Team were flickering torches and long shadows.

Drifter frowned and stopped at the top of the stairs. So did the other players. All he could see of the 25th floor were earthen walls and a dark corridor.

"Well, isn't this nice?"

"Ominous is the word I would use, but sure. Let's go with what you said."

Agil and Klein's attempt at a playful banter fell short, the words echoing quietly through the corridor. Shivata grimaced.

"What are the chances it's just a nice, straight shot to the safe zone?"

"I would say less than zero. How are we doing this?"

The frontliners looked at each other. This was quite clearly a maze. Whether it stretched out through the whole floor or just part of it was the question.

Eventually, Kirito shrugged, trying to hide his apprehension. Unsheathing his sword, the Black Swordsman took the first steps forward into the 25th floor.

"We go right in. What else?"