Yasu sighed lazily, perched in her tree as usual. Since the establishment of the Round Table, Shiroe was very busy, understandably. Each time she would go by his office, he was either covered in piles of paper work or out running errands. As such, she decided to drop by the youngsters to give them a good lunch before going about her usual routine to see the Villain. She watched below as Akatsuki and Naotsugu held a training session by a small river-side with their newest guild members, Minori and Tohya. The skies were bright and the air was crisp, it was a good day to be outsi-
Wait. I can't think that. We aren't in the real world…this is just a game. This isn't real. I can't forget that.
"AHHHH!" The young Tohya gave a rather cute battle cry as he charged the plant-like Triffid monster, "Head Splitter!"
A bright yellow slash went through the monster as it closed off its mouth in a defensive position.
"I did it!...huh?" His body stiffened as his confused face gave everything away.
"I can't move…I'm in trouble!" He yelled as the plant rushed at him, its sharp toothed mouth wide open.
"Purification barrier!" Minori cried, casting two intricately detailed yellow shields appeared to guard the two against the two simultaneous attacks.
From the corner of her eyes, she watched the Assassin and the Paladin bound into action to guard the youngsters. Akatsuki's Assassinate and Naotsugu's Aura Saber made quick work of the lower levelled monsters- a sweep of disappointment washed by the sibling's faces as they watched the higher levels dispose of the monsters in one attack.
Naotsugu gave a broad smile. "Let's take a break!"
Yasu grimaced as a sudden, sharp pang of pain hit her chest.
My familiars…?
Indeed, her mana consumption had slowed, indicating that something was wrong. She glanced at the hungry group a few feet away before looking down at the woven basket she was holding.
I'll have to tell Shiroe after…
Yasu lithely jumped down, the plush grass under her cushioning her fall. The Sorceress strolled across the field towards the Log Horizon members.
"Sayu-san! Good afternoon!" Minori waved happily at her.
"Sayu-nee!"
Akatsuki nodded in her direction
"I brought lunch." Yasu held up the basket like a peace offering.
"Ah, thank you, Sayu-san!" the Paladin smiled even more as Yasu began putting down the picnic cloth.
The group immediately reached for the sandwiches, eagerly distributing plates and cups. As Naotsugu bit into his sandwich, his eyes lit up brightly before releasing the girly squeal.
"Is…is this…MAYONNAISE?!"
"Indeed." Yasu stated calmly, placing a sandwich on a plate for Tohya.
"IT'S BEEN SO LONG SINCE I'VE TASTED IT. Did Chief make this?!"
"No, Nyanta-san was busy this morning so I just put this together quickly before coming here."
"Your sub-class is Chef, Sayu-san?" Akatsuki inquired through bites of her sandwich.
"It is. I love baking in particular." She smiled politely.
Yasu looked over at Tohya who hadn't touched his sandwich at all, "Is this not to your liking, Tohya-kun? I could run back to my apartment and grab something else…"
"No, Sayu-nee. The sandwich looks delicious, it's just…I'm sorry, Senpai, I..."
Naotsugu wiped his mouth before cutting him off, "Samurai have long cool downs and sometimes after casting a spell, they can't move afterward. Did you forget?"
"I knew it in my head but I just…" Tohya bashfully rubbed the back of his head.
"Shiro asked us to look after you guys, so we'll be cracking down on ya!"
"Thank you, Senpai!"
"Thank you!" Minori chimed in, determination stapled across her face.
"Good! First, Tohya, as men, we can talk about boo-"
A swift round house kick from Akatsuki sent the sturdy Paladin flying as Yasu quickly moved to cover Minori's ears.
"Boo-?" the two questioned.
"It's nothing." Akatsuki said with an obviously agitated look on her face, "Don't worry about it."
"Let's finish eating so that we can get you guys back to training." Yasu suggested, with a twitching smile on her face.
"I said we'd crack down on you but we can't teach you much about Shrine Priestess techniques…" Naotsugu wandered back, his hand supporting his back where Akatsuki had kicked him away.
"That's okay! Shiroe-san told me everything I need to know." She held up a memo labeled 'Shiroe Memo.'
"If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me. I am of the Sorceress class, after all."
Minori nodded eagerly, "Thank you, Sayu-san!"
Yasu smiled warmly; Minori was such a sweet child, the older Sorceress couldn't help herself from feeling a little attached.
"Hey, Sayu."
"Mmm?" She turned her attention to the Paladin.
"Why don't you join Log Horizon? You're always hanging out with us and helping us with things." Naotsugu blinked curiously.
Yasu smiled, "As much of an honor as it would be, there are other matters I would like to settle before I officially join a guild."
Like getting everyone home in one piece…
"Ah, well, I'm sure Shiro will keep Log Horizon's doors open for you any time!"
"You are too kind." Yasu cleaned up some of the used napkins, "I made fruit salad for desert, please help yourselves."
The pleasantries of lunch ended too soon as Yasu, Naotsugu and Akatsuki found a couple of goblins for the kids to train on as they watched from a short distance away. Watching the children train made Yasu's gaze soften in nostalgia.
You guys...
"YASU! WATCH OUT!" Jizen half screamed.
Yasu winced at his loud voice, narrowly avoiding the Skeleton's attack.
"Your loud voice is hurting me more than the attacks, Jizen."
"Oh…sorry." The honey-blonde hair boy laughed.
"Can we get through this dungeon please? I'd like to log off and start my homework." Kenko said quietly through his mask.
"Pay attention guys. There's another group heading our way." Seikatsu's Magic Light wandered out in front of him, reflecting the metal armor of an enemy, "Jizen, provoke it, Kenko, Yasu, get ready to attack. Seikatsu, stay on guard."
"NOW!"
"Villain, may I have a word please?" Yasu inquired after their brief guild meeting he'd just gotten out of.
"Of course." Shiroe looked much more laid back without his white cloak on in just his black knitted shirt and khaki pants.
As the pair entered his office, she closed the door quietly, unsure of how to start their conversation.
"There is a disturbance I must check out, far away from Akihabara."
"A disturbance you say? What does that entail?" A look of concern flashed by his impassive face.
"On the day we met, I sent out a few weak familiars to scout the forest surrounding this town. They are small sneaky little things so most monsters or players won't pay much mind to them but not long ago, one of them was destroyed," She walked over to a map on Shiroe's desk pointing at the Western border of Akihabara, "The area is too far away for any adventurer near here to wander. While there are a number of possibilities I can think of, I don't have solid proof of them, so I am intending on going to find out what it is myself. Would you mind keeping handling Akihabara on your own for a few days?"
"Nothing odd in the Southern area?"
"Not that I am aware of." She crossed her arms.
"Good. I may not be here by time you get back. The Round Table made a Summer Training Camp for those under level 40. I may need to attend as a trainer."
She nodded, "We will keep in contact then, Shiroe-san."
Four days flew by since the Sorceress left Akihabara. Yasu flew through the forest, raven hair whipping behind her. She learned a new feature- one she found a joy to use.
I really took this for granted when it was just a game.
She grinned mirthfully as she weaved through the branches- enormous, glowing white wings, much larger than her arms sprouted from her shoulder blades as they carried her through the air. Feeling the actual breeze on her face made her feel more alive than she ever had sitting behind a computer screen. Her extra limbs were something she'd accidentally stumbled upon whilst trying to run faster- she didn't think she had the ability to summon them after the Apocalypse.
It all feels so real…
She glanced back at her feathery limbs as they beat in a slow, rhythmic manner.
If memory serves, these will also come in very handy in the future.
She neared the area her familiar had fallen, her mana resonated with its corpse. She slowed her speed, wings disappearing as her small feet touched the ground.
Somewhere around here...Huh?
The area of the forest she landed in was thick, bordering jungle like features. Several kilometers away was the beginning of a large mountain which cast a great shadow over the entire area. The air was heavy with humidity as she took a deep breath in. Numerous heavy vines appeared as though they were growing there without any disturbance for years except for a few. She crouched down to one- the integrity along the vine looked normal except a single portion of it was broken down almost as though someone stomped on it. She traced her hand along the bark of a tree- more abnormal marks, this time as though someone had been sharpening their weapon against the trees in the area. Most of the trees had scars of missing bark and sharp indents. Yasu followed the trail her firefly had followed to find one of its wings torn off, the embodiment of mana fallen on the ground. She cupped her hand around it to pick it up as gently as possible, examining the damage.
An experienced Adventurer? The cut isn't very clean…
She looked around the forest again. No- there were too many marks on trees. Monsters? It was certainly a possibility but the artificial intelligence system wouldn't allow something like this…would it? Very few monsters of the game traveled in packs together. A few pair of footprints suspiciously led down into a cave at the base of the mountain. Her large, keen eyes scanned the area for any other clues.
Footprints? It might be a trap but I guess I'll have to check it out anyways. Better me than anyone else. It's been a few days so it's hard to tell what kind of prints these are.
"Magic Light!" A warm orb of green illuminated the dank, clammy path ahead of her. She had to be careful not to slip from the amount of moss growing in the area.
This isn't any dungeon I remember…It just looks like an ordinary cave…
She continued her cautious pace, the face on her light completely contradicting the dark, dank atmosphere she was in.
Something isn't right. If this were truly just a cave, I would have hit a treasure box or some enemies by now…
As the Sorceress lowered her foot to take another step, she felt the stone shift under her weight and press down lower than it normally would. The light from the entrance faded slowly as the rumble of a stone door closing echoed off the walls.
Oh cra-!
The floor beneath her gave way as she suddenly felt herself falling through the cold darkness, her sudden shock breaking her concentration for her light. A breathless scream left her lips as she descended into the blackness of a trap.
"Ugh…my head…" Yasu clutched the side of her head as she examined herself. The fall itself didn't take off that many health points but it was enough to knock her out for a few minutes.
I could have landed a little more gracefully. I need to keep that in mind next time…
She winced as she stood up, dusting her side off. Her green orbs dilated as she took note of how dark it was.
"Magic Light! Heal!"
A warm forest green light emitted from her body whilst the small ball of light appeared, illuminating the dank, dreary walls once more. The spell wore off as her HP gauge filled to a full 100%. Before her stood a large, black metal gate with ominous carvings along the tall, thick cage like structures. She narrowed her eyes at it as a sinking feeling of "DO NOT ENTER" emanated from the entrance.
A raid gate…?
She squinted to see the markings on the metal a little more had to blink several times to have her eyes adjust to the darkness again. The one step she took forward was enough to get the ground shaking as the gates opened. It disappeared into the ceiling as though someone was pulling it up before the lights in the circular room ahead began to light up one by one.
A trap raid?! This wasn't implemented in the game yet! I thought we confirmed with Hisash-
Before her, the earth groaned in pain as a large, clawed hand erupted from the center of the room with an Earth-shattering BOOM. A quick feeling of dread was replaced with instinct as she quickly drew her choice of weapon, a simple black staff. The end of the staff had a white gem at the end, encased by some smooth branch-like structures that grew out of the sides of the weapon. At the end of one of the lower branches of the staff, before the diamond-like gem was another smaller black gem that shimmered like obsidian. In her left hand, she held a simple silver dagger with an emerald embedded in the hilt, its blade was very slightly longer than a normal dagger. She held it facing downward as a defensive weapon.
At least I'm the only one down here. Better me than anyone else from Log Horizon…
The gigantic pale-green scaled beast let out a terrible screech as it outstretched its dirty claws. The top portion of its body was almost human like, with breasts like a woman, normal neck and arms, excluding the claws and its extra pair of arms beneath its broad, shoulders. Its head resembled that of a cobra, with a hooded head, slit pupils and a hissing tongue that flickered out every so often. The bottom portion of its body was that of a snake, smooth and scaled. Its powerful tail made the raid room quake in fear as the ancient columns that held up this underground cavern moaned uncertainly. In each of its four hands, it held a long sword, each slightly different in their own respect. The boss's information box hovered above her head. Lamiya, Lv.91.
The Sorceress stepped forward into the room, quickly interpreting the type of attacks this boss would use. The end of her staff iced over slightly as she readied her first attack.
"Come!" She yelled at the raid boss, taking an offensive attack stance.
The Snake-lady gave a horrible shriek, charging at Yasu for a full frontal attack.
Maybe I won't have too terrible of a time with this one.
She smiled almost mischievously.