[SP-F3] Lost in the Woods (Search for the Hoya)

[Alkor 0]

The third floor was safe enough for someone like Alkor, who had made his way up to the ninth floor and braved the boss encounters there. The difficulty scaled much lower, and the prospect of losing all his HP was negligible. That also meant the rewards would be meager by comparison, but sometimes, it was nice to shift gears.

And, his head still wasn't quite right. There were things he needed to sort out for himself. The person he pretended to be once, and the person who he actually was were incredibly different. Alkor still could not believe how unprepared he was to face reality.

Had his family known this? Had they tried to help him, and had he resisted change- to his own detriment- at every turn? That realization was perhaps more harrowing than the all the subsequent problems combined.

He was his own worst enemy.

In Aincrad, you had the power to fight creatures and obstacles that were unthinkable, unimaginable in the world outside. All of that potential, all of that strength, but what good was any of it if he couldn't tap into that power and strike down the real face of all his problems?

The Forest of Wavering Mists lost visibility with each step, but the glowing quest marker faintly lit the way as he approached the destination he'd been looking for. Alkor knelt down on one knee before the young girl, who looked pleadingly up at him. 

"Oh, thank goodness," she sobbed. "You have to help me, you just have to!" 

"I'm here," he consoled her. "How can I help?"

The NPC didn't care about his problems. It had its own. That was the beautiful thing about Quests: they had a beginning, a middle, and an end. Simplicity in resolution. It wasn't like life. 

The appeal seemed more clear now, when he thought about it that way.

"Deep in the labyrinth," she said breathlessly. "My brother, he went in to look for the treasure that's rumored to be inside, but he hasn't come out. It's almost been a day, and I keep hearing things..."

"It's alright," Alkor held his hand out to bid her stay where she was. "I'll find him. You wait for me. I promise, everything will be fine."

Would it? Was it so easy?

Alkor didn't have a choice.

 

Alkor level 29

590/590 HP 58 Energy

10 DMG 1 Blight 3 EVA 48 MIT 

Blightsteel: T2 Demonic Curved Sword [Cursed | DMG | DMG | Blight]

Nightmare Bomber: T2 Perfect Light Armor [MIT | MIT | EVA]

Vagabond's Mark: +3 Evasion T1 Perfect Trinket.

Rank 5 Curved Sword Rank 3 Light Armor Athletics Mod

Edited July 5, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

The walls didn't move, yet the fog writhed in a way that made them sinister. Every few steps he glanced back to see that the path was obscured, and he had no way to know he would make it out safely. Though he felt safe on the third floor, that was only relative. A misstep could spell death in Sword Art Online. That was true no matter where you were. The only exceptions were the safe zones. 

This was, absolutely, not a safe zone. 

His mind began to wander as his footsteps and breathing became the only sounds all around him. Marble floors and walls reverberated with him, pulsing like one massive heartbeat. It was enough to fray a man's sanity.

He'd promised the girl: but the girl wasn't real. Her brother wasn't real. Alkor was. The only one of them with anything to truly lose was him. He placed a hand to the cold, hard wall and closed his eyes. 

Steady, he told himself. It can only overwhelm you if you let it.

His heartbeat had elevated and his breathing turned ragged. When he listened to himself, he realized how simple it was to lose to the augmented reality. Because of the NerveGear, everything he experienced felt like it happened to his own body.

It wouldn't be as easy as telling himself to calm down.

Another sound broke the meager silence he'd found. Clattering, like the hooves of a horse, perhaps? It seemed faint, but heavy. It was slow, but drawing closer. His eyes moved toward the hallway ahead of him, still consumed by mist.

Whatever came from it, he resolved to fight. It wasn't just about promises anymore. It was about facing himself, and overcoming the mechanism that told him to retreat. To move forward, Alkor had to stop looking back.

And he knew it.

[Alkor 0]

Alkor drew his sword slowly, his concentration set on calling no attention to himself. If there were creatures in here, with the environment as it was he was at a disadvantage. The floor mobs were weaker, it was true, but if there were many of them or he was not cautious, it didn't matter. He could get trapped in the Labyrinth for weeks, months, starve out, lose his mind...

His body tensed as the chittering sounds rattled around the corner, and he reflexively began to lift his weapon. Alkor sprang off the balls of his feet, fully committed to the motion. Only one sound, a single clack accompanied his onslaught, but it was enough. The shadow snapped to look in his direction.

"Huh...? Augh!" The small boy, tapping at the wall with a rock twisted with a start as Alkor darted toward him. The Swordsman had to shift his own body a full ninety degrees to prevent the blade from skewering right through the child, and because of that, they both collided with the wall and fell to the floor in a heap. "S-sorry mister!" the boy bleated nervously as he clambered across the stone floor to his feet. Alkor rose slowly, only more visibly composed.

"You're running from something?" he questioned. It was the only thing that made sense. The boy's demeanor reeked of anxiety. "What happened?"

He had not forgotten the girl outside, or her request. This boy had to be the brother, but somehow, Alkor doubted that he found treasure. "I went in looking for... it don't matter now, that ain't what's in there..."

"What did you find?" Alkor asked.

A guttural sound, like snorting and braying permeated the maze. The boy flinched and scrambled to hide himself behind Alkor. He felt the heat in his chest rising. What was it? What was coming for them?

Was he strong enough, alone? 

Should he run?

The mist around them roiled, as though it were suddenly ablaze and rising with the heat. Where before it looked like a gloomy, sunken temple it now seemed like a hellish cavern.

Alkor matched eyes with the beast as it turned the corner, fixing him with a wicked and toothy grin.

<<Hoya Minotaur>> burned brightly over its head, significant of a Quest Boss.

 

Alkor: 590/590 HP | 58/58 E DMG: 10

Hoya Minotaur: 45/45 HP DMG 30

Edited July 6, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

Too late, now.

The boy cowered behind him, and the beast was within view. If he'd had a moment to cut and run, it was past him now. Alkor put the myriad thoughts behind him. There was the Swordsman and his enemy, and nothing else.

Between them, a cold marble floor echoed their footsteps. It was a welcome staccato, a background music that played an upbeat, morose dirge for the creature and the man, one destined to die.

The Minotaur had an axe, large as Alkor was, and swung it with might easily equal to its massive size. The Player moved with swiftness to match, and their movements created a whirlwind of sparks as they parried one blow after another.

While the Minotaur was intimidating, Alkor had skill. 

It wasn't the one sided battle it might have been, under any other circumstances.  Alkor dropped his body low and ducked under a powerful swipe of the axe, readying his Sword Art, and his body moved in a flurry of wild slashes that punctured and inflamed the Minotaur's form as his overpowering strokes prepared it for the final blow.

Alkor spun through, and as he emerged on the opposite side of the creature, it exploded into streams of data. He looked back to the boy, huddled close to the wall, and called out. "It's safe, now."

"W...what?" The boy turned to see Alkor standing alone, showered in a hail of blue dust. "Did you just kill it?"

"Nevermind that, we need to-" Alkor stopped, the the child rushed forward. 

"We can't go back yet," he protested. "I haven't found the treasure. We need to find the treasure," he pleaded.

Alkor blinked. It had to be part of the quest. "Okay," he agreed reluctantly. "Alright, we can look for it. But stay close to me."

Alkor: 590/590 HP 47/58 E

Hoya Minotaur: DEAD

 

Alkor activates <LEGION DESTROYER>

A CRITICAL hit!  Alkor's <Blight> triggered

#ID 157423: 10 Base × 11 = 110 Damage to Hoya Minotaur (45 - 110 = -65) 

Hoya Minotaur dies

[Alkor 0]

The boy did exactly as he was told, and Alkor regretted telling him immediately. Like a small child terrified in a haunted house, he gripped the leg of Alkor's pants and walked in time with his movements. "How did you get so strong, mister?"

The question came suddenly, and Alkor glanced down in surprise. It seemed like the child was making an attempt to take his thoughts off the situation. Non-player Characters in Aincrad had wills and thoughts all their own, and personalities to match. It made things so odd when dealing with them. This situation in particular reminded Alkor of how he had so readily tried to play the hero, with Lessa, with Mari... with so many people, and ultimately, failed to clear his greatest hurdle. The boy looked back up at him now, curious.

The difference between those situations and this one, was that the boy was a character in a game. Alkor had the option to treat things that way. 

No.

Not this time. "Practice," he replied. "Lots of practice. You don't get strong without working for it." Alkor placed a hand on the boy's head and ruffled his hair. The child gave a grin. "Do you know anymore about this ruin?"

"I've never gone far in, and this is the first time I've ever found... anything like that." he spoke of the Minotaur, but he didn't call it by name. "And I'm not... totally sure that it was the only danger in the maze."

"Makes sense," Alkor took a deep breath. The Labyrinth wasn't inherently dangerous, and the Minotaur hadn't been either. He felt like it would be safe to proceed. "Alright, we'll push through and get your treasure," Alkor gave him a thumbs up.

The boy returned the gesture with a bright smile.

[Alkor 0]

They rounded a corner and the mist seemed to abate. It was dark still, but there was enough dim lighting that they did not need any skills or items to see. The boy seemed a bit unsettled by their surroundings, which Alkor took as a cue to stay on guard. "Ever been this far in?" he asked.

"No," the boy shook his head. "Never got anywhere the mist didn't go. Seems really weird that it would just stop." Alkor looked from the boy toward the dark hallway ahead.

My thoughts exactly.

They continued along the pathway until the light seemed to flicker, just a bit. The light ahead of them was blue, rather than the normal orange and yellow behind them. All around them, the walls were alive with etched runes, all words Alkor could not comprehend in a language he did not know.

He concentrated on the path. In his mind, words began to form. It was as though he had thoughts, but they were not his own. At first they made no sense, but gradually as they walked, Alkor began to understand.

[Alkor 0]

Before the castle took to the skies, we walked upon solid ground. Before the people were segregated by layers of rock and dungeon, they intermingled. Before they were taught to hate, people knew love.

Alkor shivered as the implications washed over him. The birth of Aincrad was a tale that the developers never told, though they spoke of intentions to hide the Lore inside of Sword Art Online for people to search for, if they felt so inclined.

Man and Elf alike worked tirelessly to build a world where anyone could come, work, live, and be happy. But like all in all things, there was strife. Elves were different. Because they were different, men fostered fears and doubts.

Though they began as small, these dark thoughts grew.

He reached the end of the hallway and looked around. It was lit up like a lantern, encircled on all sides by the strange runic text. "Man and Elf," he whispered.  "I get the feeling that this runs deeper than just these ruins."

"Oh, that's right," the boy blinked. "You're not an Elf, Mister. We don't have a whole lot of non-Elves around. Travelers come through often, but..."

"It really makes you wonder, right?" Alkor asked. "What does this place have to do with all that? Is it just a written history? Does the treasure you're looking for have something to do with it?"

"And why was it guarded by that big mean bull guy?" the boy tilted his head.

[Alkor 0]

When the Elves learned of the resentment, they feared for what might happen to them. Humanity was flourishing in number, and the number of Elves remained constant. For a time it did not dwindle and they lived in a fragile harmony, but as ages went by the difference grew larger.

At that point, the two races diverged. One could not reconcile its fear of the other, both born of a failure to give their doubts voice. Their civilization split in two, and soon all of the intermingled culture was torn apart as fear turned to hate and mankind cast out Elven influence.

Soon after came war.

Alkor had heard many such stories, and not just in Aincrad. The differences between people grew into rifts, and distrust ran rampant. People waged war over belief systems, fighting behind the ideals on which lay the foundation of their very souls. It was a poetic tragedy, but one firmly rooted in reality.

He experienced the same thing with his own doubts. The anxiety told him to internalize everything and to never speak out or ask for help. Eventually, he always told himself, the problems went away...

...but now he began to wonder about that.

Did they?

In secret, some Elves and some Men eschewed the intolerance of their kin. They met and discussed industry, plant life, the future, the past, and sought to retain something of a unified knowledge between them. Some of them fell in love, and chose to depart their homelands to seek a world where they could be together.

Alas, here you see the end they found.

[Alkor 0]

"Our dream died here." 

Alkor read the words out loud, because suddenly it felt like he could. He traced them with his fingers and tilted his head. "That's what it says?" the child asked. His green eyes burned with intense wonder as the sentiment sent shivers down his spine.

"Yeah," Alkor responded quietly. 

It was a strange thing to think about. People always talked about keeping their dream alive, especially in their darkest moments when all their hope was disappearing. Dreams were those impossible things that mankind clung to in order to keep them moving forward, even when life wanted to pull them under.

To say their dream was dead felt so final.

"Dreams don't die, do they?" the boy asked. Alkor blinked suddenly. "That's not something that can die, is it? A dream, I mean."

Alkor considered the question. "I don't think it's something that anyone wants to happen."

"But it can?" There was a strange hope in the boy, like he didn't want to believe it. He seemed to want Alkor to reassure him it was not possible. "Mister?"

 

[Alkor 0]

The walls shifted around them, and Alkor pulled the elven boy close. Damn it, is this a trap? It could easily be part of a triggered event, but that meant they had unlocked certain criteria to progress. They hadn't done much more than journey this far into the Labyrinth and defeat a Minotaur...

...perhaps that was it. The Minotaur may have been the guardian that kept the gate, and wandered aimlessly through the ruin. Much like the ancient Greek myth of the Isle of Minos, where the son of the King was hideously disfigured and had the head of a bull, so his father forced him to live beneath the palace and wander a maze for eternity. It made sense to conclude that was the inspiration for this quest, and yet, some things were different.

There were no Elves in the real world version. There was a King, and estrangement from his son, but there was no deeply rooted hatred between Mankind and another sentient species. Why did they choose the Minotaur, then?

When the makeshift lift ground to a halt, the walls shifted again. The blue light grew and eerie yellow color ahead of them. Alkor bid the boy stay behind him. "I get the feeling we're going to find out real soon," Alkor said, "what really happened here."

[Alkor 0]

The stone felt almost alive as they walked. There were no deviations from the path, but ahead of them remained pitch black. It seemed to become more visible as they moved toward it, but behind them it grew darker. Was this some trick of the light, or was the system messing with him?

In order to preserve our legacy, we crafted tools, trinkets, all manner of items that utilized both Human and Elven craftsmanship and married them in a harmony that would endure ages we were doomed not to.

The space ahead of them lit up with golden light, and in the middle of the room, knelt facing away from them, was another beast. <Hoya Minotaur> burnt over its head.

Because our own people rejected us, we decided to reject them. It was a sad way of thinking and in the end, perhaps it was the greatest of our failures. We wanted to perpetuate love and acceptance, but when our darkest hour came, we gave into the hate around us.

If you made it this far...

I am sorry. If you survive, anything that is left is yours to take. If you do not... perhaps, on the other side, we can become friends.

Hoya Minotaur: 45/45 HP | 30 DMG

Alkor: 590/590 HP | 58/58 EN | 10 DMG

Edited July 6, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

The runes that glowed gold now illuminated the room in its entirety. Images depicting the fall of their civilization burned like on fire. The Elf child clung to Alkor in terror as things that made no sense occurred all around them. In his mind, Alkor could hear the screams and the scene of the slaughter became all too real. These Minotaurs were the horrific legacy left behind by those who were spurned.

He turned to gaze upon the Hoya Minotaur, and it slowly rose to its feet and hefted its axe. The beast turned red eyes to gaze upon the boy, and Alkor next to him. There was no recognition in its movements. There was only duty.

Alkor ushered the child away, toward the far wall as he drew his blade and placed himself between the child and their assailant. It was more important now that he did his own duty and faced the Hoya.

Their blades clashed, but Alkor was not so quick this time as to fully avoid the powerful downward stroke. He managed to get his blade in the way and shunted the first stroke, but the follow through slice took him off guard.

The attack caught him across his midsection and deal some damage, albeit his armor soaked the majority of it. Alkor recognized, if he had tried this when he was much weaker, it would have been a death sentence.

That also meant he had grown stronger.

Alkor: 590/590 HP | 56/58 EN 10 DMG | 48 MIT | EVA 3

Hoya Minotaur: 45/45 HP 30 DMG

 

 

ID# 157577 Battle: 5 MOB: 7-3 = 4

<misses all around>

Edited July 6, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

This time, their blades locked to the outside of their bodies and the Minotaur leaned in close. Alkor shifted his weight to put the weapons between them so that the creature could not exploit its size advantage or any natural weapons. Sword Art Online had proven there were such mobs, even if they did not start to learn or adapt until much higher floors. 

Alkor had seen death, so he knew better than to take it lightly. No, he wasn't in danger- but he was learning that some risks were different, and held more weight than others. The child cowered near the other side of the room, hidden behind what appeared to be a dias.

As the Minotaur and Alkor danced, the Elven boy noticed the golden medallion seated there. "Woah..." he mouthed the word in awe.

Sparks shed between their blades rained heavily down on the floor, and Alkor rolled away from a powerful, downward slice meant to cleave him in twain. He looked to the boy, and called out. "Stay hidden!" he barked. "We can look around when it's dead!"

The child scurried back behind cover quickly.

Alkor: 590/590 HP | 55/58 EN

Hoya Minotaur: 45/45 HP 

 

ID# 157596 Battle: 2 MOB: 3

<misses all around>

Edited July 6, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

The Hoya came around, spinning its axe at top speed in a full, cleaving arc. It tore from the ground upward and around, and Alkor twisted his body out of the way. Narrowly he vaulted over the stroke, turning a tight somersault over the creature's arm.

Unfortunately, due to his lack of aptitude for the acrobatics skill, what he could manage was limited to his own physical prowess. He alighted on the ground as the stroke went wide, but before he could orient himself to follow through, the beast made a full step and turned to face him again.

"This thing's a lot tougher than the last one," he grunted as the beast lifted its axe again, and brought it sundering down at Alkor. He danced backward and away from the attack with relative ease, but there was no room to advance.

Too much pressure.

Alkor smirked. It meant that he was putting a great deal of pressure on the beast, but also told him that he needed more to push things to the final stretch. 

Alkor: 590/590 HP | 54/58 EN

Hoya Minotaur: 45/45

 

ID# 157632 Battle: 1 MOB: 1

<miss>

Edited July 6, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

Two more powerful strokes, both met with air. They collided with the floor and clattered away as Alkor practically danced away from each attempt on his life without a scratch. The beast swiped madly, growing more frantic as it realized how far beyond its abilities this swordsman was.

Alkor may have been more skilled, but the creature had no will of its own. It was a slave to the code that told it to fight, even if it knew it could not find victory. For a moment, Alkor found some sadness in that.

There had been times in his life where part of himself seemed broken that way. It felt like the way he had been born got in the way of things he wanted to do. It kept him from fully facing adversity.

Until he had no other choice. Much like this Minotaur. Live or die. That was the harsh hand they'd both been dealt.

But Alkor? Alkor could step beyond it. That was his decision. 

 

Alkor: 590/590 HP | 53/58 EN

Hoya Minotaur: 45/45 HP

 

ID: 157639 BD: 3 MOB: 1

<misses all around>

 

Edited July 6, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

He exhaled sharply as his feet and knees hit the ground. His eyes opened, and Alkor could see the target in his mind now. His heartbeat slowed down, almost to a halt. There was nothing at all, not even a sound. He took a firm grip on the hilt of Blightsteel and exploded into motion. 

The wild Swordsman went airborne, and in the next instant, the Minotaur rose to face him. The axe wound round, moving to cut off his advance, but Alkor's power moved beyond that level now. His acceleration carried the sword forward with even heavier weight than before, and when their weapons collided, the Hoya's blade splintered at the point of impact. 

Completely broken, the Hoya Minotaur threw out its arms and roared. If it were going to die, it would die gloriously and meet death on its own terms. It had waited here, born of hatred, and tasked with keeping everyone away from the treasure left behind by the ones who created him. For the Hoya, this was freedom.

This was as good as the beast would ever get.

Blightsteel bit deep. The damage struck true, and the creature inflated like an over full balloon. For a moment, it almost felt like the Hoya was thanking him as it burst into streams of data. Alkor watched them fall around him like spring rain, and he sighed.

"Now you are free," he whispered.

Alkor: 590/590 HP | 47/58 EN

Hoya Minotaur: DEAD

 

ID# 157640 Battle: 10 MOB: 5

<Hit! Alkor used Melee Slash! Super CRITICAL hit! (10 × 9 = 90) 45-90 = Hoya of Minos dies!

[Alkor 0]

The boy stepped from behind the dias and called out to Alkor. "You did it!" he cried out. "You beat the Minotaur!" He stepped out from behind the dias, and it began to turn. As it did, it slowly sank toward the floor. The boy snatched the medallion from the dias before it could disappear, and the room opened.

The walls opened up and a vivid scene unfolded all around the two of them. Nature, more beautiful than anything seen on Earth for thousands of years. Buildings mortared and built with gold. Vines and ivy grew all along the surface and sought to reclaim everything the civilization had left behind. In the strange lighting, the voice seemed to take form, and Alkor saw the face of an old man.

"In my time, I was a King," he told them. "But I was a King destined to lead my people into ruin. We sought a golden age. We turned our eyes toward beauty and away from struggle. Our decision to turn away from our collective societies and live as our own Kingdom at first did not draw any attention at all."

The child stepped toward Alkor, gilded token in hand, and hid behind him. "There were so few of us, we thought that our people would not care that we left to live as we chose. But so often, as it goes, men seek what they do not have. Word of our prosperity reached the ears of humankind."

[Alkor 0]

"The Greed of men is notoriously well known. Elves are perhaps less motivated by wealth, but their disapproval was just as much a drive to action. Humanity raided our coffers, stole away our gold, and spread it out across the vastness of our world. Whether from spite or some other reason, we had our labors taken from us. Then when the Elves ravaged us, they left only ruins."

Alkor placed a hand on the boy's head but did not take his eyes away from the King. If another attack came, he had to be ready. The boy passed something into his hand, and Alkor turned it over between his fingers. It was cold and hard.

"We built this Labyrinth in hopes of preserving our memory, but protected it with creatures that would destroy anyone who sought after it. The paradox is not unclear to me in retrospect. Perhaps we deserve to be forgotten."

He looked down only after the broken man lost himself in silence. He had to be sure the boy was... yeah, the Elf Child was fine.

Edited July 6, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

"You, who have come this far, please." The grave look on his face felt so genuine as his words reached for Alkor. He almost wanted to reach out a hand, as if he could pull the man through time and console him. The wrenching sensation in his heart would not be appeased however, and the King continued. "I implore you, remember the lessons we learned. Do not seek to fight back against hatred with hate. Seek to be understanding and accepting, and look for hope, not into the darkness of despair."

Alkor looked down at the object in his hand as it grew warmer. The King's voice resonated. "This pendant belonged to my family, the last great treasure of Minos. Everything else has been stolen, destroyed, or lost to time. When you hold this item, remember that it represents love, compassion, and hope. If you give it as a gift to someone dear, it embodies those sentiments. Use it to perpetuate the ideals we wanted to embody."

The King closed his eyes. "And now, we entrust the future to you," he said quietly.

With that, the Labyrinth began to shrink back to its normal, dark state.

[Alkor 0]

He led the boy back through the maze in relative silence. Both of them seemed to churn over the message, solemn and sad as it had been. The boy felt safer next to Alkor, and remained a healthy step away. In turn, Alkor had grown used to the closeness, so he infrequently checked to be sure the Elven boy was nearby.

"You want to have this?" Alkor lifted the Hoya of Minos and held it out to the lad. The child shook his head. "No way, you earned that," he said with a soft smile. "And somehow, I don't think I could live up to that kind of legacy."

"Sure you could, kid," Alkor smirked. "Look, there's the exit. Your sister must be worried something fierce."

"Oh, that's right!"

"You're back!" she called out almost in time with his recognition that the girl had been separated from him. They rushed into each other's arms and embraced. "Oh, thank you, mister! He's safe! Thank you!"

"It's not a problem at all," Alkor told them. "Now, don't go wandering into any more Labyrinths, okay?"

The boy laughed. The girl smiled. "We won't!" they assured him together.

And Alkor left the ancient ruin behind him.