Shattered: A SAO Tale (Sword Art Online)

After Drifter's speech, the rest of the duels passed in similar fashion. The frontliners trounced the KoB players, some more kindly than others, with several of the Reavers taking turns.

The crowd had been a lot quieter. It seemed like that, for the first time, the normal players were starting to realize just in how much danger the frontliners were willingly placing themselves for their sake. Hearing it straight from the mouth of Broken Spear Drifter was a reality check bigger than even the 25th Massacre.

Heathcliff didn't care about any of that. His real identity was that of Akihiko Kayaba, Sword Art Online's creator and sole game-master, so he knew better than anyone how dangerous the life of a frontliner was.

What Heathcliff was not, at the moment, was a happy man. Sure, he knew the players he recruited to form his Knights of the Blood Oath, while seemingly very skilled, were only so when in comparison to normal players. All the true elites, the cream of the crop, had long joined the Assault Team and were standing across the plaza from his guild.

But Heathcliff, for all he monitored the frontliners, hadn't expected them to so throughly stomp the players he spent so much time and effort in raising.

He thought that, since he, who knew everything there was to know about SAO, had personally trained them, the KoB players would at least be able to hold their own against the frontliners, if not win.

How very wrong he had been. While some duels had been closer than others, even the less well-known members of the Assault Team had won quite handily. Too easily for him to argue that it was because Broken Spear Drifter was purposefully matching weak against strong in their weapon selection and fighting style.

And now it was his turn, since he was the only KoB player who hadn't been called forward and fought yet. Heathcliff would admit, he was curious as to who Drifter planned on matching him.

Maybe the spearmaster himself wanted a go? It wasn't a secret that he didn't like the KoB guild leader. Although, a spear wasn't very well matched against Heathcliff's heavy-sword and crucible-shield.

Of course, the guild leader didn't consider even for a moment that he could possibly lose. Forget the system protections he had in place, which made sure Heathcliff was unbeatable, he had years of experience on the other players. After all, there were many aspects of Sword Art Online he couldn't trust others with, and had personally tested.

Still, he was curious. And angry. So Heathcliff stepped forward by himself, catching everyone's attention. He would not be called to the front like a little kid in a classroom.

"You."

The crowd followed Heathcliff's pointing finger, and exclaimed in surprise.

"Huh? You want to fight me?"

Nautilus pointed at himself in surprise, but Heathcliff nodded. Not Drifter, or Kirito, or Asuna. His choice was the player formerly hindered by an FNC, Indomitable Knight Nautilus.

He had several reasons for that choice. First and foremost was his curiosity. Nautilus was the one and only player to overcome his FNC, which intrigued him.

The other motives were actually more of reasons not to chose some other player. Drifter was too perceptive, he might notice something wrong if he fought Heathcliff one-on-one. Asuna had already fought today, and Heathcliff didn't want to make it look like he was taking advantage of that fact when he won.

Kirito's was harder. The black-haired swordsman was one of Heathcliff's two candidates for the role of protagonist of SAO, or the hero of the story. The other being Yuuki, obviously.

It wasn't Heathcliff who chose who to give the Dual Blades Unique Skill to, but Cardinal. Which was why it was such a surprise when two of them popped up.

But none of that changed the original plot Heathcliff came up with. The user of Dual Blades had the best reflexes in SAO. They, whoever they might be, were going to be the ones to fight the Demon King - Heathcliff himself after he betrayed the Assault Team - in the end.

Or, at least, that was the plan. Several variables had popped up that he hadn't expected. But that was normal, and it only made the game more fun.

Still, Heathcliff wasn't willing to battle Kirito or Yuuki here. Not yet. Their fated fight would come, but only at the right time.

"May we start? It appears Broken Spear Drifter has more tests planned afterwards."

Taking a position in the middle of the circle, Heathcliff stood with his back straight. His aloof complexion inspired respect on others.

But Indomitable Knight Nautilus wasn't looking at him. The ash-haired player glanced at Drifter, and only after the spearmaster's nod did he step forward to face Heathcliff.

This... This was probably how other people felt when talking to him, Heathcliff realized. Not exactly disregard. But disinterest. As if they weren't that important. As if he wasn't that important when compared to Broken Spear Drifter's orders.

Being ignored was not a novel feeling for Akihiko Kayaba. But it was something he never experienced since he became Heathcliff. And he didn't like it.

Unsheathing his sword, Heathcliff took on a more tense fighting pose. Before, he simply wanted to win. Now, he started to realize that becoming the leader of the Assault Team might take more effort than he initially thought.

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Drifter watched the two players get in position for the duel. Nautilus was still as calm water, the weight of several thousand battles behind him making sure he wasn't the least distracted by the crowd.

The ash-haired player knew that Heathcliff would be far better than the other KoB players, but Drifter had full confidence that he could win.

Until he saw the look on Heathcliff's face, that is. The spearmaster wasn't sure why or what, but something had changed. There was a restlessness behind the grey-haired guild leader's eyes that wasn't there before.

"Start!"

Despite Drifter's shout, neither player moved. To the untrained eye, it looked like they were just staring at each other. Some of the spectators went so far as to venture a guess that they were looking for gaps in the other's defense.

Drifter knew better. He could see the slight twitches from Nautilus and Heathcliff, as if they were about to pounce but rethought it. Which was exactly what was happening.

Each time one of them thought they saw an opening, the other already covered it, or it was simply a trap. In this situation, the one to make the first move lost.

Honestly, Drifter felt conflicted. It was normal that Nautilus was like that. He was one of Aincrad's elites. A founding member of Reaver's Requiem, the titled player Indomitable Knight, and holder of the Unique Skill Indomitable Might.

But to think that Heathcliff, an upstart who appeared out of nowhere not even 10 floors ago, was also at that level was, in one word, mind-boggling.

On one hand, that upset Drifter because he didn't like Heathcliff. On the other hand, the sheer potential of the grey-haired player ensured he would be a key character for the Assault Team in the future, and a valuable powerhouse for their escape.

As the seconds dragged by, the crowd started to whisper and get restless. The frontliners uncrossed their arms and leaned forward.

"Ha!"

The standoff could only last so long, and Heathcliff caved first. For all his calm demeanor, he didn't have Nautilus' sheer experience when it came to fighting.

Heathcliff attacked with a straightforward stab, which Nautilus parried, returning a cut of his own. Like the blade-user, Heathcliff chose to believe in his defense instead of agility, and blocked with his shield.

Nautilus didn't let go of the offensive, throwing a wide overhead slash that forced Heathcliff to raise his shield to block, only for the Reaver's own shield to smack against his chest, sending him tumbling back.

By the way Heathcliff's pupils constricted, Drifter gathered he had not expected that. Which wasn't that surprising, really. Nautilus' way of fighting wasn't exactly orthodox.

Most shield-bearers only saw the item as a tool to block attacks - which, to be fair, was its primary purpose - and, on occasions, to channel stunning skills.

Nautilus took it beyond just that. To him, the shield was as much a tool of defense as it was a means of attack. And Heathcliff clearly hadn't been expecting that.

The KoB guild leader was pushed to the defensive, Nautilus' blade continously striking at him, not exceedingly fast nor heavy, but relentless, seeking the smallest crack in his guard.

Heathcliff could analyze Nautilus' fighting style and patterns through the broadcasts all he wanted - and somehow Drifter doubted his red and white counterpart had done even that, he was too arrogant to think he needed it - but experiencing it in person was a whole different story.

Before he gained his Unique Skill, a lot of people overlooked Nautilus. That's because, even though he was a titled player, Nautilus preferred staying in the background. He rarely made big moves, his contribution to the Assault Team coming mainly in the form of supporting other players. Many even questioned if he deserved his title and Indomitable Might.

Now that he had the undivided spotlight, the ash-haired player was showing everyone why he was a frontliner and the holder of so many things they could never get their hands on, squashing any doubt others had about his capabilities.

It was only 50 moves into the battle, most of them by Nautilus, that first blood was drawn. The Reaver managed to slip his blade past a gap in Heathcliff's shield and pierce his abdomen.

It wasn't a heavy blow, and only about 10% of Heathcliff's HP disappeared. However, the attack also served as a sign.

Until now, both players had been holding back, testing each other's limits. They had refrained from using system skills, relying only on normal attacks.

Now they were done with being cautious. Heathcliff was the first to use a skill, his sword glowing golden with a skill Drifter didn't recognize.

He could tell it was powerful, though, by the way Nautilus shuddered when it impacted his shield. We're it not for Indomitable Might negating knockback, the Reaver probably would have been sent sprawling.

As it was, Nautilus stood his ground, but a good portion of his health vanished, even though he blocked the attack.

Drifter's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. What the hell just happened?

For Nautilus to lose a such HP as he did, even - no, especially - after blocking and Indomitable Might's both passive and active effects, Heathcliff must have hit him like a floor boss.

Not even a full-on, no holds barred attack from Agil would do that much damage, but somehow Heathcliff, a sword-and-shield player, did. That just didn't make sense.

Even Nautilus hesitated in surprise, albeit for just a second. Then he was back on the offensive, chaining skills and normal attacks with the ease that only an experienced frontliner had.

It didn't do much good. Heathcliff's shield shone gold, and it was like Nautilus was trying to hack apart a thousand-year-old boulder. The other player's HP barely decreased. Meanwhile, each time he hit Nautilus, the Reaver lost a significant portion of his health.

Unique Skill.

Those two words crossed Drifter's mind, and suddenly it all made sense. The weird golden glow, the impossible attack and defense stats. The only explanation was a Unique Skill. After all, if even Reaver's Requiem had several, what was to say others hadn't it also?

Of course, Nautilus was also a holder of a Unique Skill, and he wasn't going down easy. But Heathcliff's health seemed to have stopped falling just above the yellow barrier which would end the duel, while Nautilus' was fast approaching that marker without any signs of halting.

In hindsight, it was inevitable. Heathcliff was as skilled as any frontliner, and he had let go of his arrogance fast enough that it didn't land him into an insurmountable disadvantage.

Meanwhile, with Heathcliff - wisely, Drifter would begrudgingly admit - keeping his Unique Skill a secret, Nautilus had already started this fight on the back foot, even if he didn't know it.

Nautilus' Indomitable Might was common knowledge, and even if the details weren't widespread amongst anyone but the Reavers, observing the boss raids would give enough clues that Heathcliff could come up with an strategy against it - that strategy being picked Nautilus instead of one of the other titled Reavers, since his Unique Skill appeared to counter the shield-bearer's.

It was a slightly underhanded method to win the duel, but no one - at least no frontliner - would complain - not in public. They, Drifter included, advocated for using any means necessary to defeat the enemy and escape, so they couldn't very well be hypocrites and call Heathcliff out on that.

The KoB players cheered wildly for their leader, and for their first - and only - victory of the day. The frontliners frowned.

It wasn't like they were angry with the loss. Heathcliff had clearly shown his capabilities, and the Unique Skill only made him a more valuable asset. But there was still a certain sense of dissatisfaction that they couldn't help but feel.

Nautilus' face was especially sour. It was bad enough that he was the only one who lost. But he couldn't even make sense of why he lost.

It wasn't Heathcliff's Unique Skill. That had been a surprise, but he could have dealt with it. There was something else, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. He felt like attacks that should have connected didn't, and blows that should have been dodged weren't. It was like just for a few fractions of a second, Heathcliff was playing the game at twice the speed while Nautilus was still stuck in the normal velocity.

Drifter's hand fell on Nautilus' shoulder, startling him from his thoughts. The spearmaster sent his friend a proud look that somehow conveyed everything the shield-bearer needed to hear. Suddenly Nautilus wasn't feeling was heavy anymore.

"Well done. To all of you. Especially to you, Heathcliff. I always knew you were good. A Unique Skill though..."

Drifter didn't complete his sentence, but he shot Heathcliff a look of begrudging acknowledgment that the other guild leader graciously accepted with a nod of his head.

"Team battles are next. 4 a party. Group up."

When the KoB players started joining in their usual teams, Drifter cleared his throat and smirked.

"2 KoB, 2 frontliners. Let's see how you adapt on the fly."