Looking For Something Real (Sword Art Online)

9. The Trouble With Guilds

Chapter 9- November 5th 2024 "The Trouble with Guilds"

75h floor- Labyrinth

I had been trying to clear and map this labyrinth for nearly three weeks straight. As a solo player at this level staying alive was hard, let alone mapping a dungeon. The monster attack algorithms and patterns were hard to decipher to say the least and even two battles against the same mob were wildly different. I spent most of my time on the defensive just trying to survive encounters. If it hadn't been for my style of fast counter attacks I likely would've been perpetually trapped in a never ending defensive fight, destined to be killed when I made a single mistake.

It should have been time to call it quits and join a guild, yet I couldn't bring myself to do it. Maybe Asuna was right and I was just too stubborn or stupid to be able to, I was now the last solo player on the frontlines since Kirito joined the Order of the Blood Oath after all.

Perhaps the largest obstacle was actually the way I conducted myself when it came to people I would call friends. In the real world I was a loner and even in here I could count the people I would call a friend on one hand, hell on three fingers. Somehow it just didn't seem right to join a guild to fight day in day out with people I barely knew. So I continued to push on as a solo player.

As I rounded a corner I came to yet another set of stairs. Compared to other labyrinths this one was just huge. It seemed to have never stopped climbing higher and at this point had it conformed to real world physics I would have passed the next floor entirely. Or so it felt anyway. However this proved to be the last of the steps as at the top an ominous black door loomed. "Finally" I whispered to myself as I readied the corridor crystal and teleported out.

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Materialising back in Granzam I started to make my way up the winding path to the steel tower, the home of the Order of the Blood Oath. Normally I would take map data to Asuna, but she and Kirito were off on their honeymoon so it only seemed right to drop it at off at the strongest guilds headquarters. As I approached the large gates a single player standing guard halted me.

"What's your business with the Guild?" he asked. It seemed to me like this player was taking his role very seriously but I had never seen him on the assault team so I figured he was an intermediate player.

"I've got map data to share and a corridor crystal to the boss room" I replied. Perhaps in hindsight I should have been a little more cautious with the information but at this point I just wanted to be rid of it.

The player looked shocked and eventually stuttered out "C-come with me". He escorted me within the tower and then up a staircase. I never want to see another set of stairs ever! I thought to myself. "Wait here" he ordered as we made our way up to a large wooden door. The player knocked quietly and entered. As I waited for his return I looked at my surroundings. The walls were covered in large flags with the guilds icon embossed on them and the floor had a pristine looking red rug laid out. To me this all just seemed too grandiose. See this is part of the reason I'm solo I thought to myself Guilds really do take themselves too seriously.

Eventually the guard returned through the doors. "The council will see you now" he said, holding the door open. As I entered I noticed how this room was even flashier then the last. The walls were covered in large windows and banners hung from the ceiling. At the other end of the room was a table, behind which five people sat. The only one I recognised was the man in the middle though, Heathcliff. The leader of the Blood Oath and a skilled player in his own right. I had always wondered why he was absent at so many boss fights given his skills.

"I know you" Heathcliff said as I approached. "You are a member of the assault team correct?"

"I am, we've fought together against every boss fight you have turned up to". Upon saying that the other four men behind the desk grumbled but Heathcliff remained silent. "I'm just here to drop off map data and the teleport crystal to the boss room" I continued.

"Very good, we'll send a scouting party right away to assess the boss".

"I wouldn't do that" I interjected. Again I got grumbles in response before Heathcliff put up his hand.

"And why is that?" he asked.

"The last boss wouldn't allow players to teleport out, if this one has the same mechanic your scout team could be killed before being able to escape. Hell there's probably even more traps inside."

Heathcliff was silent for a while before responding. "We'll send twenty players from the assault team, that should be sufficient to scout the boss, protect each other and exit the room without any casualties." The other members nodded in response. "You may leave now, thank you for the information."

I turned to leave the room but my desire to speak my mind overpowered me. "I think you're making a big mistake" I said through gritted teeth.

My response came from one of the four other 'Council' members. "If you want to have a hand in decision making then you should talk to your guild leader. But since you are a solo player that isn't an option now is it?" Every fibre of my being wanted to shout back at the man, to defend myself for being solo. But at this point I had given up on defending myself. All this experience had proved was that being in a guild was not for me. So solo I would stay.