SAO:PoA - Chapter Two

Floor 1, January 29th, 2023 The Royal Knights walked thought the city, near the great wall surrounding the city a small inn. Several more players were staying there. Nine o’clock, time for dinner. As it was an economical inn, each user had room for him or she alone and there was a common food for all the users in there. The Guild sat down of a table, eight of them on the sides, and one on the head of the table.

Galant usually used that place, but he was trying to comfort Guinevere, Lance was sitting there.

“Guinevere, we must be strong”

“I know I must, I can’t. I want to stay here please.”

“I don’t want to look at you as time passes by. You will slowly die from the inside. Be strong play…”

He would have continued, but a short, yet solidly built man with sienna, spiky hair man that had just entered the inn talked, he spoke with Kansai dialect accent. He had and strange smile and bearded the symbol of Aincrad Liberation Force, The Army, on his body armor.

“I am searching for the Royal Knights” where are they?”

Guinevere cried, she got up from the chair and ran towards her bedroom, with her hands covering her face.

“GUINEVERE PLEASE STAY!”

She did not came back.

The man asked one again.

“Does anybody know the Royal Knights!?”

“We are here”, said Galant with a disappointed voice.

“I finally meet you can I sit there?”

“Do it if you must.” Galant said. “Percival can you go with Guinevere? As soon as I finish this I will go with her.”

“You don’t have to ask” Percival followed Guinevere

The stranger sat on the other head of the table.

“I would prefer to speak to your leader, not to all of you”

“We don’t like secrets, if you want to say something, say to the entire guild.” Said Galant

“Why am I speaking to this punk!?” He said as he got up.

“Because that “punk”, as you called him, is our leader, Galant” said Dagonet, as he got up, tired of the stranger’s manners “So you better present yourself, be polite, or leave.”

The man surprised, sat down. He talked to Galant.

“I am sorry. My name is Kibaou. I come in representation of the leaders of the army to deliver message to you. The Army wants you on their troops, marching as a special team, due you have shown great skill on this game.”

“We are not interested on your guild” Galant answered.

“I have to ask you please to join us, we are the strongest and biggest guild by now.”

“I do not believe it so” Lance said “Your guild has already received critics for tax collection from players from this floor; we are not interested on extortionists.”

“My second in command is right” said Galant ”Yet, I would have an alliance with your guild”

“Galant!” said Lance.

“We will not take command from you, but we will give you a hand with the clearing of next levels”

Kibaou smiled once more, that same strange and fake smile.

“Then, second matter, we are preparing the team for the boss battle.” “Where and when?”

“Central Plaza, tomorrow 1:00pm.”

“What is known of the boss?”

“Not much. His name is Belphegor, the rage king; he does not have weapons, fights with its claws, teeth, body and powers. That’s all I know”

“What is the plan?”

“Tomorrow we shall see, I don’t know, but for now, I think you will need that shield. You know how to use it?”

Galant smiled.

“We will see soon enough, if that is all you have to say leave us, we have internal matters to discuss” Galant took his glass and started drinking from it.

“Of course.”

He got up and without even offering his gratitude or saying goodbye he left; with the same fake smile he entered the inn.

Galant put the glass on the table and got up he went to the same place Guinevere was. Lance followed him. Once they entered the door of lance started an argument. “The hell where you thinking to help those idiots.”

“Still yourself Lance, I talked only for knowledge.”

“About what?”

“The boss battle, I knew he was hiding something.”

“So you did it just for information.”

“Not exatly.”

“What?”

“We are a small guild Lance, we need help.”

“We are strong.”

“Guinevere is not, we must protect her for now, understand my position”

“What will you do with her?”

“I do not know, I what her to be strong, but if she is not, she can’t be on field of battle, she would be on danger and a heavy weight for the guild. She is important for me”

“I know, but with them?!”

“They are by far the strongest guild that will make this faster.”

“I don’t trust them.”

“Neither do I, so keep an eye on them.”

“Ok”

Lance was leaving.

“You better know what you are doing, if something happens to you, Guinevere…”

“I KNOW”

“Ok, take care of her.”

He left. Galant continued as he entered her wife’s room. Percival was speaking to Guinevere; he got up and spoke with Galant.

“She needs you Gal, more than anything else.”

“Yes”

“I will leave you two alone”

“Percival, thank you” he offered his hand. Percival grabbed it.

“Go”

He left.

Galant looked at Guinevere weepy eyes; she was seating on the bed she was smiling to him. Galant crouched and grabbed her hand.

“I am sorry; I was too bad with you.”

“And I am too weak. I am also sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry. From now on, you will not be participating with the guild in the frontlines, you will stay here.”

“Sure?”

“Yes, you can”

Guinevere hugged him.

“Thank you.”

“What did that player want?”

“His name was Kibaou, from the Army. He wanted us to join the guild. I refused, but I made an alliance with them, I knew he was hiding something, he told me they are preparing the team for the boss. Tomorrow we leave”

Guinevere opened her eyes, impressed.

“You really have to go?”

“I gave them my word, blood and honor. It speaks of the man, especially on these days that this is forgotten.”

“Ok” she answered with sadness.

“Let us sleep, I am tired.”

Galant got up changed his clothes as Guinevere did the same. They laid down on the bed holding hands as they began their pursuit of dreams. Thought Guinevere could not dream, she was to troubled, thinking of tomorrow’s boss battle and what would happen to him.