The Rogue Reaper (Sword Art Online)

Part 9: Labyrinth of Peril

Nelchael led the party to the entrance of the labyrinth, a maze of tunnels built into the side of a mountain. The dungeon's entrance was distinctly framed by a massive arch of stone that made anyone standing under it feel completely dwarfed. A large campfire burned brightly nearby, softly crackling as the fire's embers offered some momentary warmth to the party.

"Item check," Noct ordered. The sound of multiple system menu chimes in unison rang out, and everyone quickly counted their healing items and double-checked the condition of their equipment. They'd made a quick stop at the item shop before meeting to restock, but a routine check was rarely skipped in this death game.

"Everyone got Teleport Crystals?" Noct asked.

They all held up blue crystalline prisms that shined in the light from the fire.

Leaving Kael, Taira, and Lashette behind as backup, they entered the dungeon.

The labyrinth's interior was a linear, straight tunnel with walls made of stone. They wouldn't have been able to see their hands in front of them if it weren't for the dim light from the torches placed on the walls. The torches were sparsely placed; as if the person who put them up was worried they wouldn't have enough to light the entire corridor.

Akari shivered and walked closer to Noct, holding her arms close to her in an attempt to stay warm. "How much longer is this tunnel?"

Noct's eyes took an eerie green glow as his «Night Vision» skill kicked in and allowed him to see into the darkness ahead. "There's still a ways to go. We're not there yet," he said. "There's some monsters ahead; stay in formation."

"Roger. Keep your guards up, everyone," Zephyr said from the front of the group. He held a lantern and a dungeon map, which despite being mostly blank he checked it every few minutes. Noct guessed it might be a habit of his to keep checking it, since so far the map data was just one straight passageway. "No traps so far, which is nice, but no hidden treasure either."

Three armed undead warriors blocked the way, standing in a widened area that split into a fork in the tunnel. As the party approached, the skeletons raised their swords and buckler shields, the rattling of their rusted armour pieces echoing against the stone walls.

"Finally, monsters! It was getting boring!" Nelchael said, running to the skeleton warrior on the right, while Zephyr got the attention of the one in the middle. Noct drew his own sword and aimed a «Sonic Leap» at the leftmost monster's head, launching into the air and slicing through the top of its skull with a midair somersault. As he landed behind the monster, Akari was already tearing through its torso with lightning-fast slashes, and she finished it off with an «Embracer» skill, where her arm shot forward, driving her blade through its chest.

"Switch off with Zephyr! I'll get the other one," Noct said, dashing to the other side of the room as soon as the immobility from the end of his skill wore off.

"Got it!"

Nelchael's hood remained covering his face even as he traded blows with the farthest skeleton warrior. As the monster's shield absorbed a strike from Nelchael, its sword took on a blue glow. In response to the incoming attack, Nelchael grabbed the chain that was attached to the hilt of his sword and used it to spin his weapon in front of him in the defensive skill «Spinning Shield». The high speed whirling blade formed a light green shield that deflected the skeleton's slash and sent sparks into the air as the swords clashed.

Noct struck at the skeleton, shattering the bones of the skeleton's ribcage with a crunching sound. He was about to swing again to take off its head, but before he could, Nelchael's blade flew through the air and plunged through the skeleton's helmet. The skeleton stopped in place for a second as its HP fell to zero, and then crumbled to the ground when Nelchael yanked back on the sword's chain to retract it.