Timeless [Yuuki Konno X OC]

Chp. 46 - Down in the Dark Below

A/N: Over 10K views let's goooo~! Thank you all so much for this, always a riot to see my story creep up to the Top 10 ranks among stories with much, much higher numbers than mine XD. Enjoy the chapter!

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[Alfheim Online, New Aincrad, Floor 20]

[Malzeno's POV]

The depths of the Echo Chamber were as dark and damp as I remembered. Strips of milky-white light fixed into cracked smooth stone or the occasional, embroiled column. Doorways rumbled, splitting in half diagonally. 

Hallways and chambers remained infested with Undead Wanderers, the rot caged behind eroding armour forged from cogs and gears, more machine than flesh, their spears inflicting poison and defence down. The larger spaces contained the heavy stomps and rumbles of Discarded Golems, forged from the walls themselves, marked with red prints and a single orb for an eye.

My arms felt heavier, my legs dragged as I kept my distance, unloading arrows into the undead and their shambling brutes. The Sleeping Knights made it look like child's play compared to the last time. Strange, even my arrows are capable of so much more, was it just my new playstyle or did my attacks simply hit harder than back then?

I didn't speak unless needed, being here made my heartrate uneasy, a few times the AmuSphere's warning appeared to remind me I could logout at any time. Pix... her attacks were as deadly as a blizzard with the precision of an archer. Her katana was heavy and cut through monsters like air.

Finishing off a golem alongside Yuuki, the purplette smiled to Pix, but I could tell she was holding back a lot for me, it was in her eyes. "That was awesome, you're really good with a katana,"

"No more than anyone else," Pix was modest, approaching a new doorway as it unsealed itself, the room's trap no longer active. "My defence is quite low, but alternatively I have much greater DPS than my friends,"

"Hit and run tactics then," Yuuki guessed, the silverette nodding to her query.

"Although I have to admit, I wasn't expecting such extensive damage from you, Malzeno," She eyed me, even just addressing me at all filled my heart with relief but a bottomless bit of pain and dread. "Those coatings you use aren't like anything I've encountered before,"

"He's maxed out his Mixing Skill, he's invaluable to us," Siune complimented, making me smile slightly.

"It's nothing anyone else can't do," I didn't want to brag, even as a joke. "I'm... not comfortable with a sword,"

"You've used one before?" Pix inquired, tilting her head back to look at me while we walked.

"...a long time ago... a-a memento for a while," Steadying my voice, I marched up beside her. "I've been using a bow since, and given the less-than-stellar look on archers, I thought of new ways to expand my capabilities. I had... a good teacher in regards to long-range battle,"

Pix nodded in understand, "Sounds as though you doubt your own abilities," Her comment made me flinch, she could see through me even now? This really is a cruel joke. "I can't speak for others, but in my opinion, judging a person based on their preferred weapon is idiotic, honestly, their teamwork is what really matters. If they can't cooperate, they're a liability,"

"Yeah..." Don't I know that? "After all, I let all of you die,"

"Say... what are the others like?" Nori asked, likely to lighten the mood, all I did was try and tune it out, marching on ahead of them to follow a rough route I memorized. But my memories of this dungeon were suppressed for so long they came out blurry, good thing Pix was here to correct me.