Sword Art Online - Alternative Reality

New Look, New Home CHP. 3

The strange scent of freshly made pastries filled the area as the even stranger enemy in front of me swung its 'scythe'. Resisting the temptation to take a bite out of the weapon, I used Slant against what would normally be its chest, staggering. Normally this is where my partner would step in, but seeing as she was still mulling over something by the wall of the caves we were in with our two companions for this quest, it was up to me to finish this comical mob. From here I could move into a combo sword skill that could finish off this 'Candy Reaper', but since our companions were still chowing down, it wouldn't hurt to delay the fight a bit longer. Using Slant again with my other sword, I managed to cut off one of its multi-colored arms.

Shrieking as it staggered backward, the comical-looking reaper used its remaining arm to reposition its scythe in a defensive position, but without both its arms, its posture was unstable. Hearing the sounds of wonder from my right, I took a glance at my 3 party members.

To the sides with a yellow cursor over them were children barely 8 years old, a girl named Hanel and a boy named Gregel. When we first started this quest to rescue the town mayors children from a blind monster that took them away after tempting them with sweets, my more educated partner said it was a reference to the child story 'Hansel and Gretel', not that I remember how it went, but I don't remember a 'Candy Reaper' showing up at any point.

The kids were eating some of the sandwiches Asuna made in preparation for this quest after one of their stomachs grumbled. As if that was a trigger, the 'Candy Reaper' showed up, a mix between an astral and ghoul type-mob. It didn't have any legs and floated around, but that was the end of its 'creepy' factor. Its face was painted like a clown and its attire was brightly covered with strange pieces of candy glued on. Even its scythe's blade was made out of some pastry, although it still packed a punch whenever I received one of its blows.

Asuna focused on defending the kids while I took the mob who summoned 'Candy Skeletons' as support. At first, the kids began to go wild and wanted to take a bite out of them, but (un)fortunately, Asuna's sandwiches calmed them down. Despite being on the 56th floor, our levels and gear were strong enough for me to solo the event, and since we were alone, I was able to freely use both my swords.

During this, Asuna took the kids over to the wall and began going through her inventory with an incredibly serious expression. Turning my attention towards my partner, I couldn't help but stare as she shot cross-legged on a stalagmite that acted as a bench. Despite the dim lighting, her figure seemed to glow vibrantly and her chestnut brown hair glistened as if it were made of silk. As if sensing my gaze, Asuna looked up from her menu and gazed back at me when her eyes shifted to my left.

Kirito, on your left.

Although I was totally focused on the mob that I had yet to finish off, I sent a silent thank you to my partner and raised both my swords to intercept the scythe the swung with a vengeance. With its attack blocked, I used one of my recently unlocked skills 'Crimson Splash' and finished off its first HP bar. I heard Asuna give me an exasperated sigh, but her smile never faded.

After 10 more minutes of back and forth and the occasional signal from Asuna, the final event boss went down. With a good amount of proficiency earned and a sandwich for a reward, we made our way back to town and finished off the last quest we had on this floor. For some reason, Asuna had a weird expression when we said our goodbyes but didn't elaborate further when I asked her what was wrong.

It was now 6 in the evening on March 13th, 2024. The frontline was already on the 57th floor above us, but we had a 'good' reason to still be roaming around on the 56th. A reason that with any luck, the fantastical fencer had already forgotten so that we could avoid it entirely.