Suto had a bit of a fun time during Jason's conversation, if only because he enjoyed mocking the English speaker a bit. Normally he would be perfectly polite, but with the stress of what was coming weighing down on him he needed some sort of release. Still, he did it for the most part beneath his breath, whispering to those beside him whenever something that baffled them came up. The translator imbedded into the game was just sad in its effectiveness, it missed an awful lot by the sound of things. They knew a [i]little[/i] English, granted, yet hardly enough to keep up with a fluent speaker. Suto was able to follow the gist of the conversation through Nero and Kenshin's remarks, aside from his own quips he remained silent himself. Luna kept quiet too, in part not keen on speaking and the other being simply too nervous. The unsettling nature of combat was still hanging heavily over her. They were about to encounter a boss, or a pseudo-boss, she supposed. A boss meant trouble, and the loss of someone, or perhaps multiple someone's. Needless to say the death of Yari was still effecting her, casting an ominous shadow over the entire group that threatened to engulf each and every one of them were they not at their peaks. Luna silently demanded of herself to make not a single mistake, not a single hair out of line. So long as she could keep to that, and the others as well, they were all going to be fine. ---- [center]The next morning...[/center] ---- The battle with the dragon was upon them at last. Collectively everyone had opted to take the evening to recuperate and plan, gather their wits and get a meal in as well. Waking refreshed then the party was as prepared as they could be, and with the dragon's lair before them it was at last time to finish the quest. Inside they were greeted with the sight of an enormous cavern, spires of rock protruding from every which way. Stalagmites and stalactites if Suto remembered rightly, it had been a while since he'd learned of those. He knew the words of course, but not which was which, so he kept his mouth closed to save face. In the center of the room stood the woman they were searching for, unguarded albeit chained up. Everyone knew of course what was going to happen upon her freeing, yet they had to do that in order to initiate the final part of the quest. Kenshin went right on ahead and freed the girl, letting the NPCs comfort one another as the players prepared for the battle that was to come, and it indeed come. The dragon wasted no time on making an entrance, making liberal use of a grandeur fire, its black scaled hide shining like an obelisk, and the white crown gleaming in the artificial light. Mordred, Slayer of Kings. Well, Suto mused, it was a pretty good thing none of them were kings. The battle began in earnest almost immediately, Kenshin and Alphard leading the charge. Seeing as both of them were lightly armored and more suited for single targets Luna and Suto would play support, switching out when need be in order to relieve the more armored players. When their turns did come each managed to land a succession of quick blows, both with daggers and throwing picks alike, but neither could inflict a lot of harm. Simply put their play-styles made them far better at singular encounters, and not ones against an opponent like this dragon with high defensive stats. Regardless they tried to do their part, hammering Mordred with as many strikes as they could before retreating. This process would repeat for a little while, and slowly but surely they were whittling down Mordred's health. If this kept up they would most certainly triumph. However, this was Sword Art Online, nothing was as easy as it seemed here. One moment you could be on top of the world and the very next it would come crashing down around you, crushing you beneath its enormous girth. This was going to be one such situation. Things went downhill as soon as Kenshin had switched in with Jason. In spite of having fair full health Jason opted to step back, letting in his counterpart get in a few flourishes. With the dragon's health precariously low surely it would have been fine, they should have been able to land the final blows. A snowballing of disastrous effects began to unfold, and would ultimately lead to the loss of yet another life. In the midst of his overhead, leaping strike Kenshin was knocked aside by the dragon's head, sending him careening away. Normally he would have been fine, having more than enough health and armor to sustain a blow like that. As the game had other plans the player was instead sent the way of a stalagmite, soon finding himself impaled on the formation. All of the armor in the world did him no good then, his health steadily decreasing as he fought to free himself. Never to show mercy the game continued its assault, determined to destroy yet another part of their group. In spite of their efforts to draw Mordred away the dragon insisted on finishing off his prey, a rather uncharacteristic move even for a unique monster. Everyone could only watch as the quest's boss reared his head back, engulfing Kenshin in a disgustingly brilliant flurry of flames. In the brief yet powerful attack their friend was all but melted away, and when the fires subsided sure enough nothing remained, save for a single ring that fell to the floor. While Alphard went into an emotional breakdown the others rallied over their comrade's death, angrily striking at the dragon all at once. The combined efforts proved to do the trick, and in spite of the hits taken the dragon was soon no more. A banner rose into the air congratulating the party on a job well done, and a small fanfare signaled the quest's end. Like the boss before it was a hollow victory, no one cheered or congratulated the other. The room was filled with a heavy atmosphere, no one quite ready to speak or even acknowledge their spoils. Suto just stood by as the others went around them, staring at the stalagmite which had ultimately ended Kenshin's life. This wasn't fair, that shouldn't have been able to happen. To make their friend be impaled like that just seemed too coincidental, too precise to have randomly happened. He refused to believe it had been a freak accident, it had to have been somehow planned by the game. How in the world were they supposed to compete against something like that? As if the game weren't bad enough already now there were situations that could rend them helpless and as good as dead. Fighting back and dying was one thing, you had a chance then. Kenshin was dead as soon as he was impaled though, that wasn't fair, it wasn't right, and it pissed him off. So intently focused on the spot of their friend's demise he scarcely noticed another person had joined them, only turning when he heard Nero speaking to someone. Staring at the cloaked player curiously he wondered where in the hells she had come from, and why she hadn't helped if she'd been here the whole time. It may have been unfounded, but Suto was directing some of his anguish and anger towards the newcomer, in part blaming her for what had become of Kenshin. With a look of daggers he followed the figure towards the exit with his gaze which promptly widened seeing a familiar face there. He couldn't be mistaken, it was that girl from the other day, the one he had comforted. How in the world was she here, and alone too? Before he could so much as voice a question however both players left, letting the group get back to their misery. Exhaling heavily under his breath Suto looked over at Alphard who was still grieving, and understandably so. She and Kenshin had been close, that fact hadn't been lost on any of them. In a world where people could literally disappear in a blink of an eye relationships meant everything, more so even than in the real world. So to lose someone that you loved, he couldn't fathom that pain. Sure, he had loved Mizuki, but not in the same context that these two had with one another. Not content with letting anyone bear the agony on their own Suto went to Alphard, kneeling beside her wordlessly for a moment as he stared at the ground. There was nothing that could be said to make this okay and he knew it, but he desperately wanted to say something. All of the death around them, two dead friends now, it was evident that the wear and tear of SAO was getting to them. "He's still with you..." he offered, looking at Alphard with a sad smile as he gestured to the ring. "Keep it with you at all times and you've never completely lost him... He'll be like a guardian angel from now on, you know?" It was a lame attempt at comfort, but he really didn't know what more to say. Regardless Suto remained where he was, willing to offer whatever aid he could. ---- [center]A few hours later...[/center] ---- This inn was quickly becoming a place of misery and heartache. Both times they had returned here it had been under grievous circumstances, it was definitely then time for a change of scenery. That was going to have to wait for the time being as Nero had slipped off, and the group wanted to wait for him to return before departing. This time no hollow celebration was going to remedy their moods, and in spite of all their accrued wealth and other spoils there was no satisfaction with what had been accomplished. All for some stupid NPC, Suto remarked bitterly. Sat alone in his own room he had his hands folded in his lap, head hung low as he stared at the floorboards beneath his feet. They had taken on the quest to save an NPC, someone who would respawn if killed. They had lost a friend in the aftermath of the battle, but that damn collection of numbers, she was fine. She would have been fine even if they failed, that wouldn't have changed. Harboring a fair bit of resentment was an understatement, at the moment Suto loathed the game and all it stood for. He wanted to clear it now, if for no reason else other than just to spite it. To show that they were better than it and could triumph even in the face of unjust battles and unorthodox traps. They [i]would[/i] survive, and they [i]were[/i] going to beat this game, he was certain of it. Come hell or high water he'd drag himself through it, half dead if need be, to see the end. What's more he was determined now to take a burden upon himself, one that perhaps was a bit excessive. He was already a clearer, at the forefront of the battles as it were. Now however Suto had another calling, one that may in fact be his downfall some day. He had survived thus far for a reason, and he had the experience of dangerous battles to keep him that way. Therefore, he reasoned, he should be helping other players in whatever manner he could, that would be his goal from now on. He'd still clear floors, but this would become his ultimate motive for becoming stronger. Luna on the other hand had no such illustrious or lofty goals for herself. In spite of doing her best in training she wasn't proving to be much of a force in the battles they undertook. Perhaps it was just her class, maybe she should have gone with more of a damage dealer. She had her two handed skill on top of her throwing skill, yet she felt incompetent with a blade. Now she too felt incompetent with throwing items, having not had any sort of impact in their latest encounter. Indeed, useless was probably the best word to define herself right now. She had broken down after Yari's death, done nothing to avenge Kenshin's. Even before that she had nearly died, and constantly needed saving on someone else's behalf. What more was she then other than a liability? She was a clearer, yes, but only because of those who she associated herself with. On her own she'd no doubt be back on Floor 1, living her imprisoned life away amongst those too scared to progress. All of her efforts, her ethic and her tireless hours spent training, what were they for? She was a failure as far as she was concerned, and failure was a terrible thing for her. For anyone really, but particularly for a girl whose parents emphasized success. Failure was the ultimate shortcoming, and she had achieved it and then some. Blinking away tears as they continued to slip down her cheeks Luna pulled her knees tighter, hiding her face against them as she curled up in her bed. Maybe she should just resign from being a Clearer, live away the rest of this game in the safety of a town. Maybe it would be cleared and she would return home, or maybe not. Either way at least then she would be safe and wouldn't have to see her friends die. And someone actually capable could take her place.