Shattered: A SAO Tale (Sword Art Online)

The 26th floor boss raid was almost laughably easy. Worryingly so, in fact. And it wasn't just because the frontliners were comparing it to the floor below.

No, it was a pattern that after a checkpoint floor - the 1st, 10th, 20th, and 25th until now - the following floor would be comparatively easier. That was because Cardinal knew that the players were likely to suffer heavy losses on those floors, so they needed a break.

But they were never that easy. Even with less than 90 frontliners and the moral still on the low end of the spectrum, the Assault Team had completed the raid flawlessly, without even one close call.

Rather than be glad about it, Drifter and the other frontliners were feeling anxious. An unforgiving SAO they could deal with, it was something they were used to. But an easy SAO? That was new, and new things were scary.

It took them a while to identify why they felt like that. But they eventually did. And it was simple: it felt like a trap. Like Cardinal was luring them into lowering their guards again so it could pull off another 25th Massacre.

But as much as they hated that thought, there was nothing they could do. Cardinal would do what it wanted, and all the players could do was prepare for the worst, even if it was never enough.

"Hey, Drifter! Someone's looking for you!"

The spearmaster looked up from where he was sitting with his back against one of the many glowing crystals that dotted the 27th floor - they were surprisingly soft and warm.

The first day of explorations of the new floor had gone okay. Nothing major happened, which in itself could be a good thing. But apparently it wouldn't be an entirely calm day - boss raid aside - if Keita's shout was anything to go by.

Gently dislodging Sklica, who had dozed off on his lap, Drifter got up, not forgetting to take Pina, who was napping on his shoulder, and putting her next to the tamer.

"Who's it?"

"Heathcliff."

The spearmaster paused in his steps, then squared his shoulders.

"He lasted longer than I thought he would. Where is he?"

Keita leaned against his staff. As a normal clearer, albeit a Reaver, he wasn't entirely aware of all the ongoings of the Assault Team, but he knew the Knights of the Blood Oath were a prospective frontliner guild, set to join any day. And apparently today was the day.

"Someone from his guild, a shifty-looking guy called Daizen, messaged me. No idea why me exactly outta everyone. He says Heathcliff is waiting in that cafe by the plaza."

"The one left of the teleporter?"

"Yup."

"Alright. Thanks Keita. Can you do me a favor?"

"Shoot."

"Ask Kirito and Asuna to get Lind, Shivata, Klein, Orlando, and the rest of the company."

"Sure thing."

Drifter nodded to Keita, who set off to do what he asked. The spearmaster looked around for Yuna, and found his wife deep in a discussion with Ran, Yuuki, Sinon, Shigio, and Wolv. They had made a circle near a fountain and seemed to be trading opinions on the best dessert spots on Aincrad. A very important conversation he was sorry to disrupt.

He approached them and placed a kiss on top of her head, making Yuna smile. Wolv, Shigio, and Ran grinned, while Sinon fake gagged, which didn't really translate when she had Yuuki sitting on her lap. Especially when the younger twin rolled her eyes and kissed the archer right on the lips.

Drifter had to smile at that too. Sinon and Yuuki were good for each other. An unusual couple for sure, but they completed each other - and Yuuki enabled Sinon's mischievous side, much to the horror of everyone else.

"Hm, songbird, I'll be gone for a while. Heathcliff wants to talk."

That caught the others' attention, and they sat up. They all knew Heathcliff, even if they hadn't talked to him much, or at all. The man was a fox. Cunning like one, at least.

Yuna blinked, turning around to face Drifter fully, then her eyes sharpened the way they did when she got protective over her husband.

"Want me to go with you?"

Drifter kissed her forehead and shook his head.

"It's pretty obvious what he wants. I already asked Keita to ask Kirito and Asuna to get the Assault Team leadership."

"Look at you! Delegating. Never thought I would see the day."

Shigio smirked, and the others chuckled, especially when Drifter rolled his eyes without trying to deny it.

"I had to learn how to do it someday, didn't I? But seriously, it will be okay. I might not really like Heathcliff, but he is a player. We'll hear him out, go through the proceedings, and I'll let you know the results either way when we are done."

Ran and the others nodded, with Sinon sending Drifter a look. Out of all the Reavers, she was probably the one who disliked Heathcliff the most. He reminded her of something in her past - no one pried further after she said that.

The original party of six, plus Yuuki and Ran, were the only ones who knew the whole story about Sinon's past. But everyone else could tell it was something that hurt her deeply.

There were a few others amongst them who had painful pasts too, so they recognized the look she got whenever their lives outside came up. They knew better than to pressure her.

"We will be waiting, dummy. Don't come back too late."

"Got it. Love you. Bye."

"Love you too."

"Yeah, we love you too, Drif."

The spearmaster smiled at his wife and rolled his eyes at Yuuki. It would be worse if she didn't actually really mean it. That innocent look on her face would melt anyone's heart.

"I don't know how you do it, Sin. I really don't."

The archer laughed fondly, and hugged Yuuki closer. Drifter just waved his hand and turned away, missing the sly grin the couple shared.

...

Finding Heathcliff was easy enough. The older man stood out in a crowd, and there weren't nearly enough people in the plaza to call it that.

Nowadays, a lot of clearers and normal players had permanent residences on the lower floors. Not huge mansions by any margin, mind you. Usually small apartments with just one room, at most two. But it beat sleeping in different inns every night.

Funnily enough, the frontliners were the ones who didn't have their own homes. But that was because they were always on the highest floor, and always moving.

That would probably change when they finally saved up enough to buy a guild base, but, at least for Reaver's Requiem, that was a long distance away. A place large enough to comfortably fit 20 players cost more than all the entire Assault Team had put together.

Honestly, it would be nice to have a place to call home. That lakeside cabin on the 22nd floor came to mind, although it was far too small for Reaver's Requiem.

But getting a base would have to wait, because Heathcliff had already seen him, and gestured for Drifter to sit down across the table.

"Good evening, Broken Spear."

"Heathcliff."

The spearmaster kept his expression neutral, and a flash of annoyance passed over Heathcliff's eyes. He looked like he was going to say something, probably politely ask Drifter if he wanted to drink something, but changed his question at the last second.

"You don't like me, do you, Broken Spear?"

Drifter wanted to say 'yes' right off the bat. Especially because when he asked that, Heathcliff's eyes were still unchanged. Like he was just asking about the weather or Drifter's opinion on coffee. The complete indifference really didn't help improve Drifter's impression of him.

"I don't like or dislike you, Heathcliff. Like I once told someone, I don't know nearly enough about you to have an opinion."

The grey-haired player raised an eyebrow and took a sip of his coffee.

"I believe most opinions are formed long before you know anything about a person. Case in point."

Drifter snorted. Usually he disliked roundabout conversations like this, but this way might get his point across to Heathcliff faster, considering what they were here to discuss.

"Indeed, your first impression wasn't great, Heathcliff."

"Uhmm. May I ask why?"

Drifter stared at the player opposite from him. Heathcliff's expression still gave no clue as to his inner thoughts.

"You want to be a frontliner, Heathcliff. But you don't talk like one, you don't behave like one, and you don't look like one. You think you know what it is like, what is going to be asked of you. Do you know what I think?"

"What?"

"That you don't know anything at all about being one of us."

Heathcliff opened his mouth to answer, but Drifter cut him off. He wasn't done yet.

"And that's okay, Heathcliff. None of us became frontliners knowing what to expect. We certainly didn't know what it was like, because we were the ones who created the Assault Team. And if not knowing was your only problem... Well then, it wouldn't be a problem at all. We would teach. You would learn. It would be that or die, like everything in SAO."

Heathcliff's eyes narrowed. No doubt he was thinking back to his last conversation with the spearmaster and Kibaou.

"What other... Problems... Do I have?"

"You think you know. You've seen the broadcasts. You are a clearer. So you think it's just a step up. Just fighting floor bosses on top of everything else."

"And isn't it?"

"No. Not even close."

Drifter's gaze was deadly serious, his tone even. This was a warning every player should hear and take to heart, not just Heathcliff.

"I just needed to look at you to know you still think that, even after the 25th Massacre. And you are going to go on thinking like that. Until people die because of it. Maybe you. Maybe others. Likely both."

Unknowingly to him, Drifter hit a nerve. Because what the spearmaster was saying sounded a lot like the internal discussions Kayaba - not Heathcliff - had with himself. About his system-assured immortality and its fairness.

"Does that mean you are... Rejecting KoB's application to join the Assault Team?"

Suddenly tired of the mind games, Heathcliff changed the topic back to the real reason they were here. Drifter noticed, but chose to let it go. He already knew how this was going to end. And it was going to be exactly like he said.

It was a pity. Because just in terms of fighting skills, Heathcliff had the potential to be a titled frontliner. But his mentality was lacking. While he probably wouldn't blink when fighting a floor boss, he also wouldn't react to having one of his guild members die. And that was a big problem.

But Drifter sighed. Because while in a perfect world he would reject Heathcliff and the Knights of the Blood Oath without a second thought-- Sword Art Online was far from perfect.

"I alone don't have the power to accept or reject anyone from joining the Assault Team, Heathcliff. Definitely not from challenging the floor bosses, although that would be group suicide for a single guild."

"Then that means-"

Drifter got up.

"It means you are going to come with me, and you are going to have a chat with the heads of the Assault Team."

The spearmaster walked out of the cafe without waiting for Heathcliff. The Assault Team may need the KoB, but he didn't have to like it.

When compared to Heathcliff... Well, let's just say that Drifter almost missed Kibaou.