10 “…I WAS REALLY TRYING TO GET IT,” ASUNA SULKED as we climbed the spiral staircase to the fourth floor. “Huh? Get what?” I asked. She pouted even harder. “The Last Attack bonus, obviously.” “Ah…r-right…” “Your sword skill and mine hit at the exact same moment at the end. They were both two-part combos, and my rapier has more attack power than your sword, doesn’t it?” “Y-yes…” “So how did you wind up with it? Logic states I should have gotten the LA.” “Um, well…I’m guessing that maybe my attack hit just a teensy-tiny bit faster than yours maybe?” “No! It was simultaneous!!” She turned her head away in a huff and sped faster up the stairs. I hurried after her and tried to change the subject. “Besides, remember when we were talking on the last staircase? I was mentioning how combat in SAO is like an, um…what was the word again?” “A concerto!” she snapped, not bothering to turn around.
I pointed at her cape. “Yeah, that! The concerto is the thing where one instrument plays the lead, while the rest form the backing orchestra. I assumed that it was a reference to one versus many in combat, but maybe I was wrong…” “…Oh?” Asuna replied, slowing down so she could look sidelong at me. “What does it mean, then?” “Umm…well, you’re always alone, even when you’re in a party or raid…but when you’re in trouble, there are people around you to help you out…” “…That’s about the last thing I’d expect you to come up with,” she said honestly. I had to agree. I must have still been a bit loopy from the adrenaline of my first boss fight in a week. Asuna glanced exasperatedly at me, let out a brief sigh, and smiled. “In that case, the lead player in the third-floor concerto wasn’t you or me.” “…Huh? Who was it?” “Kizmel, of course.” I had to agree. In nearly every battle during the ten quests of the campaign, Kizmel’s overwhelming strength was the primary factor. She supported our endeavors at every turn. The concerto of the third floor, played on the stage of that deep, deep forest, undoubtedly featured the dark elf knight as its star. “…We’ll see her again, won’t we?” Asuna mumbled. I had no answer at first. A chalk-colored door appeared ahead in the distance. The DKB and ALS were still down in the boss chamber, conducting a dice-rolling tournament to see who would receive which piece of loot. Once again, it was our job to be the first to open the door to the next floor and to send Argo a message notifying her of the boss’s defeat. With thoughts of the next floor in my mind, untrod upon by the foot of any player, but somewhere containing our dear friend, I said… “We will. I’m sure of it.”
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