Sword Art Online: Phantom Reaper || SAO OC

3 - Brush With Death

February 25th 2024 - 10:42pm

Kirito had been watching over the unconscious Nyx for just over three hours now. He'd tried to wake him up several times but he hadn't budged an inch. Now he sat just scrolling through his menu. He hadn't noticed that Nyx, who lay behind him at this point, had silently sat up.

He looked around trying to figure out what had happened to him. He looked behind him, and noticed someone sitting behind him.

"You're still following me around?" he muttered sarcastically.

Kirito looked up from his menu at Nyx, who had an annoyed expression on his face. He stood up, not answering knowing it was apparent to the both of them. "You can tell Asuna I don't need a bodyguard."

"So you're telling me I should've left you out here to die?"

Nyx looked up at Kirito with a puzzled expression, waiting for him to finish speaking. "I can't do that. If someone's in any kind of danger, I help them... I can't just let them die." Kirito's voice trailed off, his words only confusing Nyx more.

"Did I look like I was in danger?" questioned, trying to understand what the famed 'Black Swordsman' was doing wasting time chasing him around.

"When Laughing Coffin had you surrounded, you definitely looked like you were in trouble."

Kirito looked at Nyx, who looked like he couldn't understand what he was talking about. "Laughing Coffin?"

"They're a murder guild. A large group of red players who spend their time killing players, just for the fun of it. We started hearing about them early last month and they've been making quite the name for themselves ever since." Kirito paused, letting the information sync in before continuing "Those guys that had you surrounded were members of Laughing Coffin."

Nyx's expression changed from confused, to shocked, and then dismayed. He looked up, seeing the bottom tip of his own orange cursor "Red players huh?" he let his thoughts wonder for a moment, before standing up and facing Kirito, extending a hand to him. "If that's the case, then thank you."

"Don't mention it. Still though, you should at least get somewhere safe."

Nyx shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, pointing to his cursor. "I can't really do that, now can I? Even if I could get to a safe zone, I don't have any teleport crystals."

Kirito pulled up his menu and opened up a trade request, offering him 5 teleport crystals and health potions each and asking for nothing in return.

Nyx looked up at him surprised, still not understanding why he acted the way he did. He opened his mouth to protest, but Kirito raised his hand to stop him "You can't restock in the towns right? Then take it."

"Are you sure you should be helping someone like me?"

"Probably not, but I have a feeling you're not as much trouble as you make yourself out to be." Kirito's brash tone caught Nyx by surprise and he fell silent.

Being unable to refuse, and understanding that he needed them he accepted, and with that Kirito turned to leave raising his hand to wave goodbye.

"I should be going now. Be seeing you."

"So... I guess I owe you now, don't I?"

Kirito shook his head at the suggestion before replying "Don't mention it." and walked away leaving a confused Nyx behind.

__________

February 25th 2024 - 11:28pm

Nyx let out a loud primal scream as he dealt the killing blow to an ogre who burst into pixels upon being defeated. With that ogre killed, he wiped out every enemy in the cave he'd been grinding in.