Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Dec 21, 2022

“Go left! Go left!” The panicked scream sends Echo into a quick dive to avoid another spout of angry blue flame. Nerius the evil tree thing had been a bit more of a challenge than they had been expecting. The last few attacks to it had brought its health dangerously low, but that brought about its own issues. All of the trees in the small grove that the boss called its lair had all animated to help keep their leafy overlord alive. 

Some sort of reflective shield had been giving them the most trouble, as actually hitting the boss had become something of a rarity. They had been fighting this thing longer than any of them would care to admit, and people were starting to slow down with fatigue. Formations had broken some time around when the second health bar had depleted and everyone was just trying to survive at this point. Echo found himself back to back with Griffin once more, utilizing the shield he carried to protect his flank as he continued to charge again and again at the underlings. Griff was great for shielding and you could always count him for support. As he pulled aggro, he caught the flash of silver from Nox’s new strange cleaver like weapon

“For Isengaurd!!!” the scream comes right before the pick end of her weapon catches into the bark of an Elder Treant to his left and drags it to the ground. “Looks like meat's back on the menu boys” the growl sounds over exaggerated and is followed by a manic giggle before the hacking begins and he has to look back to his own fight. 

“For the last time Nox,” Malin shouts out behind him “Them knowing about menus implies the existence of orc restaurants and you are not allowed to quote that scene until you accept it!” The two descend into laughter as they continue to dance around Echo in a now familiar routine. The three ebb and flow like the waves on a clear day, powerful, synched, and ready to knock you on your ass the moment you let your guard down. 

This had been the norm since that first night in Horunka. These three against Aincrad, with the occasional visit from familiar faces. Asuna and Kirito were there to help them take this boss down just as they had been for the last two. The rest of the players present were not anyone that was memorable. Things had been so difficult as everyone began hurtling towards the end goal now that they had beaten the first obstacle in their way. Echo could only hope that they wouldn't lose steam before the end, this was only the third floor boss afterall. 

Switch after switch, the exhaustion is beginning to hit hard as they had been fighting this battle for about 15 minutes. Though they continues to fall into easy and comfortable rhythms, they were all starting to feel the drag. Echo wiped away the perspiration gathering on his brow and couldn't help but feel jealous that the other players didn't seem to have to deal with the same issue. Salt burning his eyes and drawing attention to the black slowly creeping in at the edges make him realize just how little rest any of them had taken over the last few weeks since Illfang was defeated. It had been nonstop clearing, leveling, and mapping for the “Byte Me” party, and glancing at his party members, it was easy to see that it they were all feeling it. 

A quick glance at that damned tree, Nerius, showed that there was hope of coming out the other side of this. There was the smallest sliver of health left, they were so close. So close to the end, and yet it seemed as if no one could gain a hit. The overgrown salad seemed to have erected some sort of shield. Any attacks that were directed at the main entity were bounced back, players tanking hits from their party members from misplaced hits to the shield. Rocks, branches, and other dead Treants were fair game and were also launched around the grove by the creature as it fought aggressively through literal death throes. 

Things went black for a few moments and Echo came back to himself, laying on the ground with Nox forcing a health potion down his throat, and Griffin standing over him, shield in hand, keeping the two safe for the time being. As the healing potion began to work, sound slowly returned to a world he hadn't even noticed had gone silent. Taking a deep breath and allowing his head to fall back as his health slowly returned to him, a horrific sight greeted him. Nerius the Evil Treant was reared back for a breath attack, wooden cheeks expanded to the point of splintering, bows bent and snapping as the monster’s eyes met his. And then there was nothing but blue flame. It reminded him of home in a way. A Blue light so pure, so bright and unmatched, for just a moment, he was staring too long into the familiar sheen of his General’s lightsaber. The impending heat brought him back to the here and now. A quick glance at his party’s health bars told him that none of them would be walking away from this. 

A sheen of bronze streaks overhead, reflecting a brilliant green as Griffin takes up his position before them, Aspis raised in their defense. The flames hit, and the world goes still. Flames meeting bronze in a standstill, then, a shift in the dirt. Griffin’s feet slip back, slowly being pushed back by the bout of infernal flame. Nox is up in an instant, slamming into her brother and bracing him as best as she can, but it is a small shield, and such a daunting force. Their feet continue to slip back, health slowly draining from the flames overflowing the edges of the shield. While the flames licking at them are significantly weaker, they are in constant contact with the siblings, draining the last bit of life that they had been hanging onto. 

A third body slams into their huddle as the party becomes whole behind that small bronze disk, shining like a sun. HP is dripping away, but they are no longer sliding. Griffin looks to them both with a nod, and together, they take a step. And then another. Screaming as they push back against the attack that has seemed to go on forever, they start making some headway. Step by agonizing step, health point by health point, the shield flashing as it’s durability is brought to the brink, finally, it happens. With a crack of the sound barrier, the shield shatters, and the attack doesn't end, but rather is reflected in the same way the bastardized treebeard has been reflecting their own attacks.

 Flames engulf the branches in brilliant blue flame as it screams. The last of its health is gone in a flash and the husk of the tree remains for a few long seconds, empty eye sockets staring accusingly at them before being claimed by flame and crumbling to ash. All three crumble to the ground in a heap, red flashing in the top left of their view, and panicked beeping telling them that they are all in a bad way, but as the sparkly banner spouting congratulations appears, none of them can find it in them to care. All three getting an item drop window, accept it quickly after reading it, and looking at each other with tired but victorious grins

“Holy shit, we did it” Griffin breaths out, looking more than a little worse for wear

“We did” Echo confirms with a strong grasp to Griff’s shoulder, lending physical support as if to also remind himself that they were in fact there and alive after such an encounter.

“Can you imagine how much it would have sucked to die right before Christmas? That would have been lame,” Nox giggles under her breath, but it leads Griff to stiffening and slowly turning to face her 

“Excuse me?”

“What?”

“What do you mean, ‘Die right before Christmas’” Griffin has a look bordering on panic developing at Mach speeds across his face.

“Uh, its the 21st. So like, its ya know, right before Christmas,” Nox seems confused and awkward in the answer, clearly not seeing the issue

“What’s Christmas?” Echo obviously is also not seeing the problem

Going completely white, their tank begins to sputter “What's Christmas? I mean, its- I don't- almost” Nox had described the look as blue screening or ‘404 Griffin not found’ the last few times he had sported a similar look, but none had been quite this profound. The look persisted for longer than normal, before he snapped out of it with a concerning intensity “Give me all your Cor” It wasn't a question, his face cold and hard as stone

Nox, who had been checking her inventory turns with a befuddled look “And why would we just hand it all over?”

“Just do it, please? It would mean a lot to me,” The resulting staring contest was more than a little intense. Nox’s gaze searching Griffin’s wide pleading eyes. In the drawing silence, it looked like Griff was about to give in, before Nox crumbled. 

“Ugggh, fine! You know I hate it when you pull out The Eyes ” She runs a hand down her face and meets Echo’s amber stare “We are better off just complying,” she turns an aggressive point to her sibling “I am keeping at least 200 Cor for snacks and lodging! Who knows what you are up to and when you will be done,” 

The transfer is quick and once Echo transfers his Cor to Griff, it totals at about 20,000 Cor. Not any grand amount, but the group had been regularly updating and maintaining their equipment while also paying room rent. They had been renting the second floor of a house in Tolbana from a farmer. He was kind enough to charge them only 80 Cor a night. Their equipment costs is what had really been running up their expenses. With as often as they were dungeon diving, they were replacing or repairing equipment on an almost daily basis, and buying healing crystals at an egregious rate. It had taken them a long time to gain the 20,000 that they tentatively left in Griffin’s manic hands. 

No sooner had all of the Cor been successfully transferred, was he in a dead sprint out of the boss room and into the woods of floor 3. The two remaining members of the party watched him go warily, only pulled from their thoughts as the sound of the next floor opening rings through the grotto. 

Echo shrugs in Nox’s direction and motions to the newly open gateway to 4. “It makes sense that we keep advancing while he is doing whatever it is he has planned” 

Nox smiles and moves past him “from what i remember, 4 was a dust bowl. All canyons and sand. It is my least favorite floor. I don’t like sand,” a strange look enters her eyes, and Echo feels a little hesitant “Its coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere” The look on her face is expectant and joyful, and He cant help but feel that he is missing something. Feeling compelled to say something he responds

“I'm not a fan either. It used to settle into the cracks and joints of my plastoid” The blank and confused blink he got for his effort further clues Echo in that he has missed something.

“Oh,” Nox shuffles a bit awkwardly “Yeah, i can see how that would be annoying,” she turns and quickly moves through the gateway to the fourth floor and He follows behind, feeling just as awkward and realizing that Griffin’s constant stream of chatter filled a lot more of the silence in the party than he had originally realized. 

Stepping into the bright daylight caused most players to shield their eyes for just a second. Echo took a moment, face turned skyward, to soak in the sun after spending so long in the perpetual twilight of the floor 3 woods. Soft splashing, the gentle lapping of waves on a sandy shore filled the air. With a final deep breath of sunlight, his eyes fall to the luscious greenery draping itself over the ground, and up the sheer cliffs surrounding them. 

A large tree stands in the middle of the roughly circular clearing. The sound of the gentle waves echoes gently through the cavernous walls, coming from a path leading down a small canyon. Hoots and hollers fill the air as the clearing group rushes to explore the new area. A few pause in confusion, and his thoughts go back to the strange sand conversation from just a few minutes prior. He turns to see a befuddled look upon his party member’s face as she looks around in concern and maybe a touch of wonder. 

“It was supposed to be a desert” she mutters under her breath, looking at him with a shrug, seeming lost on what to do now that the terrain was so vastly different from what she was expecting.

Distantly noting that Kirito and Asuna were already booking it down the path with strange contraptions they appeared to be trying to inflate, most of his focus remains on Nox and the people in their direct vicinity.  While many took the time to rest and celebrate in small groups now that the boss of 3 had been defeated, there were a few who were looking around for anything useful. Many of those who were looking began to gravitate towards the tree, and this is what led him to make the connection that the strange things were growing from the tree, and appeared to be an inflatable floatation device. They were far from even the basic devices that any nautical transport had back with the GAR. These don't even auto inflate, if the huffing and puffing of players was any indication as they worked to manually inflate them. 

Nox shifted uncomfortably on her feet, and he noticed that she placed most of her weight on her right leg more often than not. He remembered hearing General Skywalker talk a bit about sports and how athletes would sometimes favor a side. Nox and Griffin had both alluded to competitions of sorts, and there hadn't been any visible lasting injuries so far with the group, so that seemed to make the most sense. Just another thing to file away about his teammates. He wondered if they would ever get to a point where they would share more about themselves outside of the banter and strange world they found themselves in. They both seemed to know everything there was to know about his past, though Nox still rolled her eyes anytime it was mentioned. Her tone said that she was just humoring Griffin’s insistence that he was a character from some popular media. 

Looking around once more, it became increasingly clear that their next move should be to follow the path to the water, and see where it leads. Grabbing two rings, he began walking the path. It took him a few moments to register that for the first time, Nox was not walking alongside him, but rather behind him. Almost as if keeping him as a shield between her and the encroaching sound of waves. It was more than a little out of character for his rather brash friend, and his stomach stirred at the blatant show of discomfort. 

Turning to face her, everything seemed wrong. Nox’s shoulders were slumped, her head tilted downward, and her arms were crossed at her stomach. It was rather strange to see. Even when processing grief, or in the terror of battle, she always had her shoulders square, chin up, and determination in her eyes. Something was very wrong indeed. 

“Nox-” he started, just as they reached the water, and the first of the waves brushed the toe of his boot

“ Ican’tswim ” the words are pushed out in a single breath, and her eyes still don't meet his. Feet shuffle and her weight shifts in that peculiar way again.

There is a moment of silence as the two stare at each other for a prolonged period before he lets out a confused “O-kay?”

There is another pause “Okay? It's not okay! We are in a water-based level and I can't even navigate it” she cries out, distraught at his seeming dismissal of her issue.

Realizing his mistake quickly, his eyes go wide and he holds his hands up, and subsequently the swim rings, in a peaceful gesture “Oh, no, I didn't mean anything negative by it. I just mean that limitations are ok. It's really not a big deal,”

“It feels like a big deal! I mean, I'm honestly terrified! I don't know what I'm doing and this could be it for me. Washing out, no pun intended, on floor 4 like some sort of-of noob” her arms are no longer around her, and are now waving erratically as if to punctuate her point. “I mean, how lame is that? Held up by a little water after all of the work we have put in. All the big talk of making it through for the other players,” She has begun pacing the small section of beach, and her breathing is quickening to concerning degrees. “And I can't. I just can't. It’s not, I mean, I just- can't” The signs of an impending panic attack are like a blaring horn, and Echo knows he has to ground her before she catastrophizes herself to oblivion and back.

Placing down the swim rings, he gently grabs her wrists and meets her eyes, stopping her pacing with a soft smile “Hey, Nox. Can we take a second to breathe together?” He softly places one of her hands on his chest and takes a dramatic breath in so that she can feel the expansion of his lungs. When he lets out the breath, slow and methodical, it is obvious that she has seen through his ruse, and decided to go along with it anyway. Her unimpressed look is overshadowed by the fact that she has begun breathing in time with him, and her previously taut shoulders have relaxed just a bit. 

“That’s it,” his encouragements are met with more begrudging looks “Udesii, good” with their breathing synced, and frayed nerves calming down she takes a moment to center herself, eyes locking with his.

“It just never came up, ya know,” He nods, knowing that this is something she has to get through at her own pace. “I was a figure skater, and my parents were so caught up in it all. It was all conditioning, and stretching. Dance practices and long haul skating sessions. Swimming just….wasn't on the table. And then the next thing I know, I’m a teenager, and the attack, and it just became an even bigger thing. I know I could learn,” closing her eyes tight for a moment with a shuddering breath, it's obvious that the whole thing has knocked her off kilter and she is needing to recenter once more “I know that I could learn. But after everything happened I found other things I was good at, things that were in my comfort zone. It was just easier, and didn't seem important,” the words come out soft, regretful, and full of shame.

“I have brothers,” Echo starts kind of stiffly. He was always a little unsure how to interact with nat-borns, but his time with Phoenix and Griffin had improved it at least a bit. “We were supposed to do this training course, but none of us could figure out how to work together. We all had strengths and weaknesses, and through our stubbornness, we brought out the worst in each other. Again and again we failed, bigger mistakes, with more ridiculously bad outcomes with every attempt. Blaming everyone else on the squad for their slip ups, or weakness, instead of acknowledging our own, and uplifting their strengths. It took the threat of….well, that doesn't matter. The point is, we had to learn to trust in our strengths, and lean on our squad to overcome our weaknesses” Sunset eyes bore into cool green with a burning intensity, bringing his next words into stark focus and cementing their importance 

“Lean on me”

The simple statement held a conviction that would make anyone feel like they could take on any challenge. The intensity of a single statement was enough to push away the fear, at least for now, and Nox found herself nodding shakily.

“Okay”

The early bright afternoon sunshine had turned into a warm golden glow in the hours it took the beach to clear out of players. Word had spread quickly of the newly open floor, and people had flocked to the opening area in droves, each grabbing a ring and moving to the water, making for the new town. The goal had been to wait for most of the crowds to move on to keep too many people from seeing as Nox worked through the fear.

Echo’s idea was simple, and extremely effective. He had fashioned a makeshift bottom to the swim ring, keeping it a bit more enclosed. She would sit in it, while he swam and towed her along. 

“So, kind of like a lazy river, but you will be with me the whole time?” she asked as he set the ring in the water, and slung a rope over his bare shoulder that was tied to it

“I'm not entirely sure what that means, but if its something you are familiar with and comfortable with, all the better”

Nodding slightly while avoiding looking too long at his exposed torso “yeah, its a thing from like water parks. Ma-I mean Griffin took me once when I was 17. I wasnt able to do much, but we were able to relax in this contained waterway. Super shallow so the not being able to swim thing wasnt as big of a deal. And you sit in the tube and it brings you round and round with the current. We were in it for hours” she smiles to herself.

“It sounds like a good memory. Hold onto that, and know that it will be just as safe. I’ve got you. I will be right here the entire time”

Wading into the water to about knee height, she settles herself into the tube and feels more than a little ridiculous as he tugs them deeper in. Her body begins to tense as the water reaches his hips, and he moves to swim with the current. Taking deep breaths, she tries desperately to focus on the memory of a silly summer day with her brother. It doesnt take all of the anxiety or fear away but at least it is a start. When the emotions get too big, she turns attention to Echo gliding through the water, pulling her closer to the safety of land and the next town.

His form cut through the current effortlessly, as if this was something he did every day. The setting sun reflected a brilliant gold on the water, making it look as though he were Adonis swimming in ambrosia. He really was a vision. Tearing her eyes away she tries to focus on something that wont send her spiraling again, either into anxiety, or into emotions and thoughts she was not giving names to at this point. 

There is a point where there is a small section of rapids that nearly upend the swim ring Nox is precariously perched on, but just as he had promised, Echo is right there to provide stability, and a comforting hand to hold. Its only a few minutes after that, that the city comes into view, and Echo tugs her ashore, hardly seeming winded. Reaching out a hand once again when they reach shallow water, he all but lifts her out of the tube with the strength he pulls her up with. She nearly stumbles after not being properly upright for the better part of a half hour.

The final vestiges of sunlight cast the world into glowing relief around them. Blues and purples mixing with vibrant pinks, golds, oranges and reds as the sun cast out its last few rays. The white marble city that had been nothing impressive in the beta was now alight in the growing twilight, painted all the colours of the sky and standing proud against the lake. Small gondolas traversed waterways and the whole place held a beauty, a magic, neither had seen before. So bewitched were they, neither noticed that their hands were still clasped in the dying light of day.

Dec 24, 2022

It had been an uneventful few days. They had been moving through the city doing small odd jobs, and occasionally venturing out to explore a bit. There was a forest to the Southeast that provided ample opportunity to hunt and gather resources to sell once they were back in town. It was a nice slow down from the ruthless pace they had placed on themselves since the clearing of floor 1. 

As it was, they were taking a small break from another fetch quest in the city. Sat on a bench with various foods spread between them. They had grown more comfortable with each other in the last few days working alone together. There had always been trust, and the comfort within teammates, but this was different. They were more aware of each other in a personal way, rather than just friendly professionalism. It was…nice. 

At least it was until a message popped on both of their UI access panels that only contained coordinates