4Quest Log: Anubis Fury
Break through the 7 gates of the Underworld
Enter the hall of Judgement
Optional: Balance the scales with the tainted blood (100%)
Optional: Become Ammit (2/2)
Slay the false Gods (3/7)
Destroy the ties to this plane 1/4
?
The hallway that Asuna and Kirito are following, as the only one not mapped out, opens up to a large room on the third floor of the building. Against the walls are bookcases, a few couches placed around in front of the massive window.
"We're almost through." Asuna whispers. "This is the highest floor excluding the tower."
"That's assuming there aren't any basements or subfloors." Kirito whispers back, making Asuna groan.
"You couldn't just let me have my moment of relief, could you. You had to be all reasonable and logical."
They walk to the bookcases and trail along them, checking the spines for any indication of their origin or purpose.
"I think that one is Frankenstein." Kirito says, pointing to a brown cover.
"That might be Lovecraft, over there." She adds.
"Do you think Kayaba stocked this place with books on Demons and Necromancy?"
"It sure looks that way."
"But there is no magic in SAO." Kirito protests.
"Strange, isn't it? It doesn't sound like him."
"Well, maybe he didn't make this part."
"You think someone slipped these by him?" Asuna asks.
"What other explanation is there?"
"Maybe someone who lives here added them." A strange voice says, interrupting their moment. "Greetings, Asuna the Flash and Kirito the Swordsman. I'm honored that the two strongest players would take the time to wipe us out. Unfortunately, you're not going to succeed."
"What makes you think that we won't beat you?" Kirito asks, drawing his sword and stepping forward in a challenge. The man smirks,
"Because I'm not alone." Blinding pain crashes into the two of them as a poisoned throwing pick hits them. Besides the man in front of them, another steps into the light.
"I think you know who we are." He smiles, crouching in front of their fallen bodies. "We did meet a few floors down lot too long ago. A dreadful set of murders, by a ghost no less!" he laughed.
"Johnny Black." Kirito spat.
"Aw, he does remember!" the other crooned. "And me?"
"XaXa." Asuna snarls.
"Yes," He smirks, "You would remember me. I had so much fun with your little recruiting party. Of course, one of them was going to join us, so really I did you a favor."
"As much fun as it would be to let you recover from the paralysis and fight us, well, that just wouldn't be our style. Enjoy death!" he giggles, drawing out a knife and raising it up.
What the members didn't know was that Kirito had grown since then and had gotten some interesting effects from the side quests he ran. One of which, reduced the duration of poisons. Asuna was still stuck, but he was free to draw his sword.
With a clang he caught the descending knife.
"Looks like he's better than you thought, Johnny." XaXa laughs.
"Shut up!" the murderer hisses, whirling through some attacks at the black swordsman. "I'll fix this in a moment." Normally, Kirito would be fine facing even one of the lieutenants of the Laughing Coffin, but he was hamstrung by one thing: Asuna. Until she recovered, he was stuck defending her body. He knew that the moment either of them got an opening, even if XaXa wasn't fighting him, she was dead. It was a stalemate, Kirito unable to use most of his normal attacks, as they would leave Asuna open, and Johnny Black unable to overcome his defense. It seemed the clock was on Kirito's side until XaXa got bored.
"This is taking too long." He complained, drawing his claws. "I'll help you take him down, but the girl is mine alone, deal?"
"Deal." Johnny agreed.
Caught between two opponents, Kirito's defense was quickly being overwhelmed. There was just too much for him to block, too much for him to account for. His health bar started dropping in small chunks, being eaten away faster than his healing was regenerating it. He was in trouble.
Asuna could only watch with wide eyes as he was driven away from her, his health bubbling away.
Quest Log: Anubis Fury
Break through the 7 gates of the Underworld
Enter the hall of Judgement
Optional: Plunder the treasures of the unworthy
Optional: Lead the pure to the Land of the Living (43/43)
Destroy the ties to this plane 1/4
Slay the false Gods (2/7)
?
Agil and Klein wandered, searching down corridors that had obviously been looted before. Everywhere they went was deserted, the walls cleaned, and the drawers ransacked. Without the players, the natural mobs started creeping back in. They quickly realized that if there were zombies or skeleton's wandering around, then no one living was there. They eventually found a ladder in the corner of the floor, hidden behind a false back of a dresser.
"This is the weirdest thing." Klein says, pausing on the rungs. "Who builds a secret ladder in their castle?"
"Just climb." Agil grumbles, shoving at the man's foot.
"You've got to admit, it's bizarre. It is completely out of the norm for this dungeon. In all of the games I've played, in every book I've read or show I've watched, not once has there been a secret hidden ladder in the necromancer's castle. Not once. You know what does have secret passages and ladders? B-rate spy movies. Necromancer's don't sneak around. This is totally immersion breaking. I'm going to complain."
"Yes, dear Kayaba, in addition to my previous complaints about you locking me in a death game along with everyone else, I'd like to criticize your dungeon design in regard to the necromancer's castle on floor 19. Despite being home to a sorcerer, who local legend says summoned a demon, it boasts hidden ladders, which do not belong. I'd appreciate if the next time you trap me in a video game and threaten my life, you take the time to properly design your environment instead of slacking off on the details." Agil snarks.
"Dude. You wrote that in your head?"
"My wife likes poetry." He mutters.
"I think the ladder is ending."
"Well, do you see a door?" Agil asks.
"No."
"There has to be one."
"I'm not seeing one! We're trapped in here, in the dark. Start climbing down, unless the dungeon collapsed down beneath us and we're stuck in here until Kirito clears the game- and-" Klein panics.
"and what?"
"Found it." He says, all of the panic draining from his face. "It's a lever."
"I hate you." Agil says.
Klein pulls the lever and the door swings open. Dancing around his attackers, Kirito is fighting for his life not far away in front of the window. Asuna is fallen on the floor on the other side of the room, paralyzed. Kirito suddenly cries out as one of the attackers get in a solid hit, dropping his health bar deep into the red. Klein feels something rush past as Agil roars forward, axe still in its sheathe. He doesn't bother drawing the weapon, just shoulder checks the man with claw gauntlets into the window, which shatters. Klein slices the other man's hand off in a sneak attack. Kirito, now that he has back up and isn't so pressed, as well as the disadvantage Johnny is now in, messily decapitates the murderer.
"Thanks guys." He says, as they all peer out the window.
Down below, XaXa is on the ground, limbs twisted and broken. He'll regen, but they can hear zombies being drawn out of the maze.
"That's fitting." Klein says, turning to walk away.
"I can't do it. Even if he deserves it, we're better than that." Kirito says, drawing a throwing pick and sending it down. Before the zombies can get to him, XaXa shatters.
"Kirito!" Asuna shouts, rushing over and throwing her arms around him. "You're alive!"
"Yeah, we all are." Agil says, resting a hand on Kirito's shoulder and on Klein's.
"One last enemy." Kirito says, looking at the door to the tower.
"We're almost done." Klein says, seeing another rock in the middle of the floor.
"Another one?" Asuna groans, flipping through her inventory and pulling out the largest sword Klein has ever seen. She draws back and slams it down, with him and Agil shouting
"Wait!" They brace for the rumbling, but nothing happens.
"What?' she asks, putting the sword away.
"The last one of those we hit collapsed the basement. We nearly didn't escape in time." Agil explains.
"I'm guessing you lead the massacre in the dining hall?" He asks, Kirito, who affirms.
"What massacre?" Asuna asks sweetly, grabbing Kirito. "There was no mention of a massacre when you ran into me."
"I- there- was- it was just- I mean- jumped down- pretended to be the necromancer- taunted them- only thirty or so-" he stammers.
Ding! The quest updates, and they all pull out their menus to look.
Quest Log update: Anubis Fury
Break through the 7 gates of the Underworld
Enter the hall of Judgement
Optional: Plunder the treasures of the unworthy
Optional: Lead the pure to the Land of the Living (43/43)
Optional: Balance the scales with the tainted blood (100%)
Optional: Become Ammit (2/2)
Slay the false Gods (7/7)
Destroy the ties to this plane (3/4)
End the curse
"Just PoH left." Klein says.
"Four against one." Agil adds.
"It doesn't seem fair." Kirito frowns.
"That doesn't matter. What matters is he dies." Asuna declares, marching to the door. She leads the party up the stone steps to the very top.
From the parapet, hangs a cracked bell with no clapper. A man stands, leaning on the railing.
"So, you came. It seems we are done, it is over." PoH says calmly, turning to face the four players allied against him. He could attack, but what was the use? He couldn't beat any of them alone. Well, maybe the red one. But together, he stood no chance. So, his cleaver remained sheathed.
"When I saw the quest, I knew it was only a matter of time until we were attacked. When our spies told me of the monster on floor 59, I realized there really was no time at all. Tell me this, would you have come if that creature hadn't spawned?"
"No." he admitted. "I planned to ignore the quest. To stay focused on clearing the game."
"I see." PoH smiled. "Then the system truly had it out for me. The moment we dared to break his precious rules, Kayaba decreed we should die. After all, what are the whims of man to a god?"
The roof is silent for a moment before the hiss of a drawn sword breaks it. Asuna stands with her rapier drawn. "You have to die. For us to escape, for the game to be cleared, you have to die."
PoH smiles. "Yes. But, humor a dying man his last request. On the edge of the roof is the last crystal holding this place intact. I've watched your progress, I've seen the quest spawn them. You can kill me and destroy it before running for the entrance as the castle crumbles around you. Or, you can humor my request." He holds up a hand and the chain on it rattles. The metal links connect him to the railing. "This is the key to the bindings." He demonstrates, before tossing it to Agil. "You all go down and exit the building. When I see Kirito wave, I'll destroy the last runestone."
"This could be a trap." Klein warns.
"Yes, I'll admit it sounds like one. But, I know I'm dead. Kayaba, the god of this world, had decided that I am to die. Yes, I could trick you and try to escape. But he would simply have something, likely the jackal on the 59th floor, chase me down. I'm sure I could evade it for some time, but not forever. It would get me, and I would be dead all the same. Instead, allow me my choice. Let me determine my own death." His voice hardens, "I won't give Kayaba the satisfaction of killing me. I'll do it myself."
"I'll trust you. Enough to spite him as your last breath." Kirito says, turning for the stairs. "C'mon guys. It's over."
The doors at the entrance open, and the party looks up at the tower. Kirito waves, and they faintly see movement. The whole stone fortress rumbles and shakes, and with a cloud of dust, comes down. The quest updates one final time.
Asuna holds in her hands a new cloak, black and red. It is better than her KoB one, even before she burned it. Wrapped in it is a new rapier, the Feather of Truth.
Kirito holds a blood red sword, with a giant ruby inset in the hilt. "It's called the Sanguine Veritas. Blood Truth."
Klein has a new bandana, one that provides armor. He is nearly in tears.
Agil smiles, no new rewards dropping for him. It's not until far later that he realizes that he has a new permanent buff, that his attacks do a bonus against undead.
Lastly, A large gem appeared to Kirito. It was the size of a basketball, looked to be carved of quartz. It was mostly clear, with an amethyst embedded in the center. A piece of onyx was in the center of the amethyst, giving it the appearance of an eye.
"Horus' Vision, "Kirito read off, "The look of the Avenger sends Anubis back to his realm and clears the way. One time use item."
"Let's go to the 59th floor. We have one last thing to do."
