Sword Art Online>17. Captive Queen

Kirito:
How about you?
Feel like fighting?

Kagemune:
No thanks, pal.
My magic skill's gonna reach nine hundred soon, so I'd rather not die just yet.

Kirito:
At least, you're honest about it.
How about you, miss?

Leafa:
Guess I'll pass too.
But next time, you're going down.

Kagemune:
Oh. Then next time, I'll make sure to bring more friends along.



Kirito:
Hey, what's up with those flames?

Leafa:
Shh. They're Remain Lights.
The players you killed can still hear you.
Okay, now we can talk.
So, what do you want?
You want me to thank you? Run away?
Or do you wanna fight?

Kirito:
If we break down what just happened, it's one of those "knight in shining armor saves the princess" moments.

Leafa:
Huh?

Kirito:
You could burst into tears and throw your arms around me.

Leafa:
Oh, piss off, loser!

Kirito:
Nah, I was just kidding.

Yui:
No way! I won't let you do that!

Kirito:
What? Stay out of sight!

Yui:
Mommy and me are the only ones to allow to hug Daddy.

Leafa:
Wait, Daddy?

Kirito:
Who, what? Nothing, no.

Leafa:
No way.
Is that one of those private pixies?

Kirito:
Sort of, I guess.

Leafa:
Mm-hmm...

Leafa:
Then, how about you tell me what a Spriggan like you is doing wardering around here?

Kirito:
I guess I got lost.

Leafa:
How could you get that lost?
Spriggan territory's way to the east.
God, you're weird.
Anyway, thank you for saving me.
I guess I should introduce myself.
I'm Leafa. Nice to meet you.

Kirito:
I'm Kirito. And this is Yui.

Leafa:
Okay then, Kirito.
Do you have any plans today?
I mean 'cause if you don't, I can buy you a drink as thanks.

Kirito:
A drink sounds awesome.
And if you don't mind, I'd like to pick your brain about some stuff.

Leafa:
Like what kind of stuff?

Kirito:
Just more about this world. And especially, about the tree.

Leafa:
Oh, you mean the World Tree?
Yeah, sure.
I might not look like it, but I know a lot about this game.
There's this neutral village to the north of us.
It's a little out of the way, but we can fly there.

Kirito:
Okay, but... what about Sylvain?
Isn't that town closer to us?

Leafa:
You really don't know anything about this game.
Sylvain is Sylph territory.

Kirito:
So?

Leafa:
You're not Sylph.
If you're in their territory, you can't attack them, but they can attack you.

Kirito:
As long as I don't do anything to provoke them, no one will attack me.
And you're be there, Miss Leafa.

Leafa:
Huh, just call me Leafa.
And if you really wanna go there, I'll take you.
I can't guarantee your safety though.
Let's get flying!

Kirito:
Wait. You mean you can fly without using a controller?

Leafa:
Of course. Can't you?

Kirito:
I just learned how to use this thing so I'm still trying to figure everything out.

Leafa:
Well, there's a little trick to doing it.
Come on, turn around, but don't access your controller.

Kirito:
Okay.

Leafa:
Can you feel where my hand is touching you?

Kirito:
Mm-hm.

Leafa:
Imagine you've got virtual bones and muscles here, spreading out into your wings.
Then try and move them.

Kirito:
Virtual bones and muscles...

Leafa:
Yeah, just like that.
You got it!
Okay, now try doing the same thing only harder.
Go!
Oh, no...

Yui:
Daddy!

Leafa:
Kirito, are you okay?

Kirito:
How do I make it stop?!

Yui:
I'm sorry, Daddy. That's so hilarious.



Kirito:
Wow, this is awesome!

Leafa:
I know, right?
Looks like you're starting to get the hang of it.
Now, follow me!

Kirito:
Okay.

Leafa:
Take it slow until you get better at it.

Kirito:
Don't worry about me. We can go faster.

Leafa:
Okay.
Huh?

Kirito:
Is that the fastest you can go?

Leafa:
Don't blame me if you crash.

Yui:
I can't go on. I need a break.

Leafa:
You're the only person I know who can handle flying at this speed.

Kirito:
We made it.

Leafa:
Hey, we're gonna land at the base of the central tower, okay?
Wait, Kirito. You do know how to land, right?

Kirito:
No, not really.

Leafa:
Ah, nah, oh crap. Too late now. You're on your own!

Kirito:
Wait, what? You're kidding me!



Kirito:
That was so not cool.

Leafa:
Stop whining already. I can heal you.
(Chanting a magic spell)


Kirito:
No way. This is magic?

Leafa:
The Undine are the only ones who specialize in high level healing spells.
But that's an important one anyone can do, so you should learn it.

Kirito:
Different races have different skills, huh?
Does the Spriggan race have anything they're good at?

Leafa:
Well, you guys are good at treasure hunting and illusion magic.
Neither of those things are much help in battle though.

Kirito:
So, this is a Sylph town.
Man, it's beautiful.

Leafa:
I know, right?

Recon:
Leafa!
Thank God you're okay!

Leafa:
Oh hey, Recon.

Recon:
I knew you'd survive.
A Spriggan?

Leafa:
No, it's okay.
He saved me from those Salamanders.
This is my friend. His name's Recon.

Kirito:
Hey there. My name's Kirito.

Recon:
Oh, hi. Nice to meet ya.
Wait! What am I talking about? I take that back.
You sure about him? He could be a spy or something.

Leafa:
No, he's cool.
I'm pretty sure if he really was a spy, he wouldn't be such a ditz.

Kirito:
Gee, thanks a lot.

Recon:
Anyway, Sigurd and the others are waiting for you at the tavern.

Leafa:
Oh, that's right.
On second thought, I can't go today.

Recon:
Huh? You're not going?

Leafa:
Nope. I sort of promised Kirito I'd buy him a drink for saving me.
See you later!

Kirito:
Wait. You don't have to...

Recon:
Leafa...



Kirito:
Is that Recon guy your boyfriend?

Yui:
Yeah, are the two of you in love?

Leafa:
No! We're not in love...
W-We're just in the same party, is all.

Kirito:
I don't know. From where I was standing, you guys seemed tight.

Leafa;
Oh, whatever. I know him in real life.
We go to the same school and we're classmates, that's it!

Kirito:
Mm-hm...

Leafa:
Ahem.
Anyway, bottoms up!
And thanks again for saving me.

Kirito:
Those guys in the force were playing pretty rough.
Are gangs of PKers normal for this game or what?

Leafa:
Well, for one thing, the Salamander and Sylph races never got along.
But those guys were organized, and that wasn't happening until recently.
I don't know.
If you ask me, they're gearing up to try to clear the World Tree soon.

Kirito:
Actually, I was hoping you could tell me what you knew about the World Tree.

Leafa:
Oh yeah, you mentioned it before.
Why do you wanna know?

Kirito:
I wanna get to the top as soon as I can.

Leafa:
Join the club. Every player wants to get to the top.
You could say that's the Grand Quest of ALfheim Online.

Kirito:
What do you mean?

Leafa:
You know how you're limited in how high you can fly.
The fact is, none of the races can fly continuously for more than ten minutes at a time.
However, at the top of the tree is a floating city, and in it lives Oberon the Fairy King.
The first race to reach him will reborn as an advanced class fairy known as Alfs.
And what's cool about that is they'll be able to fly around for as long as they want.

Kirito:
That is cool.
It'd be sweet to fly for as long as I want.
So, how does someone get to the top of the tree?

Leafa:
At the base of the tree, there is a big dome.
That's the gateway to the Floating City.
But then, you have to get past the NPCs that guard it and they are super powerful.

Kirito:
They're that strong, huh?

Leafa:
Let me put it this way,
The game's been around for a year now, right?
No one's got past them.

Kirito:
Maybe everyone's missed the one key quest.
No, wait.
Maybe it's designed so that one race can't reach it alone.

Leafa:
Hey, you've got good instincts.
For now, everyone seems to think it's a missing quest, so they're out there looking for it.
But we have to work together to beat it, it'll never happen.

Kirito:
Why not?

Leafa:
Because it doesn't make sense.
Why would you help another race for the quest if they're the ones who get the reward?
Can you imagine anyone being cool with that arrangement?

Kirito:
Then, getting to the top of the tree is impossible.
What's the point in even trying?

Leafa:
No arguments here.
Flying is pretty addictive though.
Once you get a taste for it, you can't give it up.
You think, even if it takes years, some day.

Kirito:
But I can't wait around that long!

Yui:
Daddy?

Kirito:
Sorry. It's just that...
I have to get to the top of the World Tree as soon as I can.

Leafa:
Okay. What's the rush?

Kirito:
I'm sort of... looking for someone.

Leafa:
What do you mean?

Kirito:
No offense, but... it's hard to explain.
Thank you, Leafa.
All the info you gave me is really gonna help.

Leafa:
Wait. Are you heading for the World Tree right now?

Kirito:
Uh-huh. I need to see for myself.

Leafa:
Alone? That's crazy.
It's really far away and... you'll have to fight a bunch of monsters.
I know you can handle yourself, but...
Hey! If you want, I can take you there.

Kirito:
Thanks, but...
We just met, and I wouldn't feel right you coming all the way.

Leafa:
Right. Then, maybe you already know how to get there.
What're you gonna do about the guardians?

Kirito:
Well, I'll think of something when I get there.

Leafa:
Too late! My mind's made up.

Kirito:
Okay.

Leafa:
So, do you wanna meet up tomorrow?

Kirito:
Yeah, sure.
Then I'll meet you here tomorrow at 3:00 PM sharp.
Um, I have to log out now.
So when you're ready, you can log out in one of the rooms upstairs, okay?
Well, see you then.

Kirito:
Uh, wait!
Thank you, Leafa.



Leafa:
Hey! If you want, I can take you there.

Suguha:
Talk about a weird guy.
Kirito...



Yui:
I guess this means goodbye till tomorrow, doesn't it?

Kirito:
Yeah, but I'll be back soon. It won't be that long.

Yui:
Daddy.
Would it be all right if I slept next to you... just until you log out?

Kirito:
Yeah, sure. I don't mind.
You and me, we're gonna save Asuna.
Then we'll all go buy a house somewhere again.

Yui:
That would make me so happy.
You know, living with you and Mommy again would be a "dream come true."

Kirito:
It's not a dream.
I promise you I'll make it a reality.

Yui:
Good night, Daddy...



Oberon:
Right now, your face is more beautiful than anything, Titania.
The way you look like you're about to cry...
I wish I could preserve it and hang it up on a wall.

Asuna:
What are you waiting for, permission?
You can do whatever you want. I have no say in the matter.
You're the system admin after all.

Oberon:
Such cold words from such a pretty mouth.
Now have I ever laid a hand on you when you didn't want me to, Titania?

Asuna:
Stop calling me by that stupid name.
My name is Asuna, Sugou.

Oberon:
You're spoiling the fun.
In this world, I'm known as Oberon the fairy king.
There's not a player who wouldn't give everything to be the ruler of ALfheim.
And you are queen Titania, my breathtaking bride.
What more could you ask for?
So, as my queen, as my bride, when will you give your heart to me?

Asuna:
Never.
The only things I'll give you are disgust and hatred, and nothing more.

Oberon:
You're a stubborn girl, I'll give you that.
But you know... for a while now, I've been thinking romance is nice and all, but it might be more fun... if I just took you by force.

Asuna:
Stop it...

Oberon:
Of course, my dear. It was a joke.
I'll never really force myself on you.
I don't have to.
You'll start wanting me soon enough, I promise.

Asuna:
You're insane.

Oberon:
You won't be talking like that for much longer.
Right now, in this world, tens of thousands of players are enjoying this same.
But none of them have a clue about the true potential of the full-dive system.
Did you know that by expanding the brain's control regions, one could influence a person's thoughts, emotions and memories?

Asuna:
You can't! Technology like that is illegal

Oberon:
Oh, but you're wrong.
And in fact, several countries are researching it as we speak.
The only thing standing in the way is finding people to experiment on.
But one day, I was watching the news, and there they were.
Ten thousand ideal guinea pigs!
Mr. Kayaba was a genus, but he was also a fool.
All he wanted to use his technology for was his game.
He couldn't see the potential in it.
But I did. It wasn't too difficult to adjust the routers.
The minute SAO's players were logged out, I just grabbed a few from the flow.
Just like that, I had three hundred of my very own test subjects.
My research has taken great strides in the past two months.
I've been developing a technology that seeds memories with objects and uses them to control emotion.
My work is almost finished now.

Asuna:
You are crazy. My father would never allow that kind of research.

Oberon:
He wouldn't if he knew about it.
But it's been done in secret, just a small team and myself.
Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to sell it off.

Asuna:
To who?

Oberon:
An American corporation.
You won't believe how anxious they are to get their hands on it.
And soon, I'm going to sell it and RCT to them for as much as I can.

Asuna:
That won't happen.
I'll see to that.
As soon as I get back to the real world, the first thing I will do is report you to the police.

Oberon:
You wanna bet?
You're in the same boat as the other guinea pigs.
What? You haven't figured it out?
If I wanted, I could alter your memories too.
I'm on the way. Wait for my orders.
Don't worry.
The last thing I'd ever want to do is turn you into a porcelain doll.
But the next time we meet, I hope you'll be... just a bit more submissive, Titania.
Farewell, my love.

Asuna:
Kirito... Please save me...