Monstrous Compendium Ch 11 Ficbit – Sparks

Unequip.

Blurry snakevision vanished; the writhing sense of serpents squirming from his skull finally gone, as the mask with Connlan’s bloodstone fell away.

I’m me again. Thank goodness.

It’d been hard, passing the last three weeks as a medusa; listening to the taunts of human players, the well-meant welcomes of youkai, the creeping nightmares of, what if the mask gets stuck?

Because it might have. Player-made enchanted items always, always had a chance to fail. And this one had been enchanted under Argo’s hands, using Connlan’s bloodstone as its heart; the bloodstone Stheno wanted him to have, and claim, and be.

We couldn’t risk anything less. Less than one player in a thousand has what it takes to be a medusa. Beniryuu would never believe Stheno would let another youkai get their claws in me.

And Kirito couldn’t risk taking the mask off, in case the exploits and spells he’d used to stymie Cardinal’s watching systems weren’t quite enough. Three weeks.

But it had come off. If he lived, he’d have to give Argo a box of the best sweets. Though she might have warned him about the snakevison headache. Ow.

There wasn’t any other way. We had to smoke him out. As long as Beniryuu thought even one clearer was still human, he’d never have let his guard down….

Ice went down his spine, the warm aura of courage shredded by pure terror. He’d never. Ever. Seen such thunderous fury on a humanoid face. Literally thunderous; SAO’s emotion engine had sparks crackling over Heathcliff’s head from a mini-thunderstorm.

He’s having a bad day, an impish part of Kirito’s mind pointed out. Let’s make it a worse one.