Chapter 3: The Devil's Friends
Upon exiting the dungeon, Kureha, Shiro, and Rei were met with a familiar, although unwelcomed face. Itsuki stood there, offering a friendly smile. Shiro folded his arms and stepped back while Kureha and Itsuki talked.
"Hey Kureha, I see you and your friend survived!" Itsuki said. "I was a little worried about what happened to you after we parted ways." He shook at head and shrugged, "Our route was just littered with traps. My companions lost all of their HP and I thought I was doomed."
Shiro chuckled, "Thanks to you, I had a fun time. Also got a rare item." He motioned toward Rei and gave a cheeky grin.
Flabbergasted, Itsuki started to inspect Rei for a moment. "Is this what you found after we parted ways?"
"Yes, indeed!" Rei responded, proud as ever.
Jumping back, Itsuki spoke in shock, "You're an ArFa-sys, aren't you!"
"Allow me to revise your statement," Rei retorted. "I am a Type-X, rare even among ArFA-sys Units!"
Lamenting at his bad luck, "...Jeez. Why is it whenever I drop bread, it always lands butter-side down?" Itsuki took a deep breath and smiled, again. "So Kureha, you're its master?"
"Nope," Shiro responded with a shake of his head.
"Well, a lot happened..." Kureha stammered in embarrassment. "By the time I got there, Shiro had already registered."
Nodding his head, Itsuki's attention turned to Shiro. "Oh, so the newbie's its master. Shiro, I wish I had your luck," he said with a warm smile.
What are you playing at? Shiro thought. "No, you really don't," he replied.
Suddenly, Kirito and Asuna intrude on their conversation. Offering a friendly wave, Kirito greeted them. "You're back," he said. "I knew we'd run into you if we waited here."
"We were wondering if you would like to join us for a party?" Asuna asked as she sent virtual invites to them, through the player interaction screen.
"It's just a small gathering with friends," Kirito explained as he placed his hand on his hip. "I'd like to ask you more about your ArFA-sys. What do you think?"
I think you're out of your mind. I just got this thing thirty minutes ago! What makes you think I know any more than you, right now?
Taking a deep breath, Shiro shrugged, "I'm afraid I'm gonna have to decline. I got... a side quest to do. One involving ArFA-sys, over here."
Rei turned to Shiro, "But ther-" he was interrupted by Shiro slamming the palm of his hand on Rei's mouth.
"We should get going immediately. Alone," Shiro insisted as he pushed Rei out the door. He quickly followed.
Kureha shouted for Shiro to return, but to no affect. With awkward tension in the air, Kirito nervously chuckled and spoke to Itsuki. "Oh, you're that guy we fought before..."
"It was a true honor to be able to fight Kirito the Photon Sword wielder," Itsuki sounded impressed with how things turned out. "My friends got wiped out an I would've been too, if time hadn't run out." He offered his usual warm smile to Kirito and Asuna, "So, are you friends with Shiro?"
"Something like that," Kirito answered. "He's one devil of a player. I'd like to see if we could be, though."
Nodding his head, Itsuki placed his hand on his chin, thinking aloud. "I see," he murmured. "Shiro got an ArFA-sys and the attention of one of the top players... He's probably the luckiest person in the world, right now."
Extending the invitiation, Kirito asked, "Itsuki, would you like to join us, too?"
He shook his head, "I'm afraid I'll have to pass. I already have plans with those friends who accompanied me, today."
"Ah, then how about you, Kureha?" Kirito asked.
She laughed nervously, "Sure. Sounds like fun."
Shiro practically dragged Rei through the back alleys of Glocken. The dark corners of the only safe-zone in all of GGO were still dangerous. It is here that the information market designed for veteran players, is built. One misstep, one slip of the tongue, and you're a target for life. Despite the dangers, Shiro persisted as if he's been here before.
He slammed his fist on a metallic door, "Drago!" Shiro shouted, "Open the damn door!"
It cracked open a bit. The inside was dark and all you could see was a single red eye. "Who told you about me?"
Looking around, Shiro noticed a few shift in the shadows. "I know what happened to Yokoni. I'm willing to sell that information to you."
The eye shifted up and down, examining Shiro and Rei. BAM! The door slammed shut. There was this moment of silence before the sound of gears turning and wind whining from inside. When it finally opened, a short man in a brown cloak hastily forced the two of them inside.
Again, the door slammed shut. The cloacked man pushed the two of them, motioning for Shiro and Rei to walk through the warehouse. Nothing but dust, cobwebs, crates and, shelves were filling this building.
They climb up a set of stairs and were shoved into an office. The cloaked man slammed the door to the office and then proceed to sit in the comfortable looking chair, across from them.
"Master, are you okay?" Rei asked as he helped Shiro stand.
"Yeah thanks," Shiro responded. "Next time you do that, Drago, I'll shoot your kneecaps off."
Although the hood covered his face, the cloaked man clearly raised an eyebrow to that comment. "You say you know what happened to my best client. Explain."
Walking to the side of the room, Shiro grabbed a red book and shrugged as he flipped through the pages. "You could make a lot more money in this game, selling these artifacts." He closed the book and placed it back, picking up one with a green cover. "But no, you're a man of asthetics."
Drago, the cloaked man, remained silent as Shiro flipped through the pages of the book. "Your name isn't even Japanese. You chose an Italian translation of the word Dragon. A mythological creature of knowledge and power, in the West."
Without skipping a beat, Drago lunged from his seat toward Shiro, combat knife in hand. Shiro threw the book at him, but he dodged it and managed to place his knife at Shiro's throat. "White hair. Male. Red coat..." Drago saw the devilish grin on Shiro's face. "Overconfident."
Pressing the knife on Shiro's neck, "This is a private zone. I can kill you and steal that ArFA-sys AI, if I wanted." However, the Red Devil's smile never faded. "But before I do, I need you to talk."
"Better start asking questions then," Shiro retorted.
"There are other methods," Drago stated. "My last client was rough, cocky, but always had a plan. He wasn't trying to be the best, but he clearly had the talent. But he didn't make many friends. Why would he tell you anything?"
Shiro shrugged, "Maybe you should stand down and let me talk, like civilized gents." With a sly movement of his left hand, Shiro armed himself with his pistol motioned for Rei to do the same, with his right hand.
"Civility is overrated in GGO. You'll die often with that attitude," Drago stated, ignorant of the two's idea.
"Being generous was plan A. Here's plan B," Shiro fired his gun three times in Drago's stomach. Once released, thanks to shock, Rei opened fire on Drago's head.
Falling to his knees, Drago looked up at Shiro looming over him. He turned his head and saw Rei guarding the door, armed with his own gun. "I see... offer friendship with one hand while arming the other. Much like-"
"Yokoni?" Drago looked at Shiro in surprise, "I know. I'm him."
"What?" Drago asked, clearly astound by this revelation. He then laughed as he lied on the ground. "You never do things the easy way, do you?"
Shiro motioned for Rei to stand down. "It wouldn't be fun if I did." He then helped Drago stand up and it was as if the bonds between them shined throughout the room for the first time, in Rei's eyes.
Clapping his hand, Drago summoned two more chairs. The three of them sat down and talked. Even though it's been only three days, to them they spoke as if it's been a lifetime. Shiro recounted the events that lead to the banning of his previous account, Yokoni. Meanwhile, Drago informed Shiro that people have been assuming that Yokoni was a hacker and finally got caught.
"Even if you were to find the guy who black listed you, I doubt the admins would reinstate your account," Drago lamented.
"There has to be something!" Shiro shouted. "I didn't work my way up to have it taken away from me at my moment of victory!"
Drago shook his head, "I'm afraid it's impossible. The playerbase's opinion is more important than one top player's reputation. Everyone thinks you're a hacker. Even if you proved them wrong, that rumor would remain," he explained as he took a cup of tea out of his inventory and sipped it. "So, if Zaskar removed your account from the black list and allowed you to keep playing, that'd only look bad for that."
"So that's it?" Shiro asked. "I'm doomed to go through the annoying trials and tribulations all over again?"
"It's not all bad. You're a smurf, now. And, most importantly," Drago pointed to Rei, who sat quietly in his chair. "You got the rarest item in the game, right now. Everyone is pining for it!"
Shiro looked at Rei as if for the first time. "You can remake your stats, get your gear back, and climb the player rank ladder even faster than before," Drago informed. "However, you will never get Rei, here, ever again." He leaned back in his chair and put away his tea. "I think you're better off than before."
"But Rei... what can you do?" Shiro asked.
Startled at first, Rei answered in confidence, "Almost anything a player can. I level up as you do and can use any equipment in the game. That is, as long as you allocate my stats correctly to correspond with the weapon you wish me to have."
Standing up in excitement, Drago slapped Shiro on the back. "You have an ally that will do anything you want him to do, and can cover all of your weaknesses. Let's not forget that they'll be with you no matter what! You can't ask for a better comrade!"
"That is... almost unbelieveable," Shiro said, shocked at the reality of it all.
Drago recieved a message and smiled, "The best part is, you're already a famous player; because of Rei, over here." He showed a video of video game news network, featuring VRMMOs. They were talking about a new player that found the rarest item in GGOs latest event. "And without the bad reputation of Yokoni, you can use this to your benefit; to hurry along and speed up your progress, to reclaim your throne."
"This is all... a lot to take in," Shiro muttered.
"I know!" Drago replied. "It's a major shift in your percieved character, but you're a clever guy. Use it to your advantage." He laughed as he sat back down, "You're now the Red Devil. Convince people that you're more than what you seem! After all, the trickster that is the devil, was a charisimatic character. You'll be stuck as Shiro for the rest of GGO, hopefully. Don't let this opportunity go to waste."
Shiro stood up and nodded his head. "I think I can come up with something. Provided we keep our previous deal."
"Info and gear," Drago smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
As Shiro left Drago's warehouse, he turned to Rei. "So, what now? Want to check out that party that Kirito invited us to?"
Excited, Rei quickly nodded his head. "This would be my very first party ever, Master! I wanna go! Let's go! Right now!"
"Alright then, but before that," Shiro went through his inventory and tossed a white and gold cloak on Rei. "That was my constalation prize in the event. It's better gear than what you're currently wearing."
Rei hurriedly equipt the armor. His face was now covered by the hood, but it didn't seem to aflick his ability to see. The two then travelled to Kirito's privately owned home.
Ringing the bell to Kirito's home, Shiro was surprised at how fast they responded. He lied, explaining that he finished the "quest" he was on and they travelled up an elevator to Kirito's place. Once inside, everyone gave cheers and welcomed the two of them.
Shiro saw Kureha befriending several female players, off in their own little corner. There was a large man talking to a hairy guy in red. Shiro told Rei to have fun. Rei went off to talk to a girl with pigtails, next to Kureha.
A girl with short cyan colored hair approached Shiro. "Hey, is it true that you dodged Asuna's bullets while fighting Kirito? I didn't think a beginner could pull off something like that..."
Sinon... ranked number thirteen on the player list. Not good... "It was luck... mostly."
"Hey, maybe you're actually, like, crazy skilled!" A girl with long purple hair interjected. Her name was Yuuki. "What's your favorite weapon? Can you use a Photon Sword?"
"I prefer handguns," Shiro said as he pulled out his UFG, "And this."
"Oh... What's this...?" Sinon asked as she stared at the weapon. "I've never seen this weapon before. Where'd you get it?"
Holstering his gear, Shiro folded his arms and proudly said, "It's an unimplemented item! Only the rarest of the rare. Gifted to me by Rei!"
"Wait," Sinon was astounished. "Can an ArFA-sys really give you something like that?"
Hearing his name, Rei jumped in to the conversation. "Yep. It's an ability a Type-X can only use once. I have lots of other abilities, though... I think..."
Yui, the short girl that hung around Asuna and Kirito questioned Rei. "You think? For an AI, you sure don't know a lot."
Kirito became curious and inspected the weapon, asking Shiro about its firepower or speciail abilities. Agil, the weapon's expert, quickly figured out that it's a movement enhancement item. "Something like this would change the tactics in GGO," Agil affirmed as he offered a price; to which, Shiro declined.
After Agil's rejection, Lisbeth, the girl with short pink hair; quickly berated him. She stated that the UFG was probably priceless and that Agil should be ashamed for trying to rip off the newbie.
Leafy was the girl with long blonde hair, tied in a pony tail. She spoke highly of Shiro's amazing luck, chalking it up to a miracle.
"You've always had good luck, haven't you?" Kureha commented toward Shiro.
Lisbeth and Silica then asked if Kureha was in a squadron. To which, Kureha replied that she's mainly a solo player. Further adding that she's only joined squadrons for hunts. Kureha would quickly abandon them, afterwards. Silica and Lisbeth asked if Kureha would add them to her friend's list.
It became clear that the females in GGO stuck together. There are, however, not too many; it would make sense to ban together. Despite the female populace increasing as of late, there still aren't too many. This was a political move, in Shiro's eyes.
Damn... indoctrinating Kureha. This is bad...
"Most squadrons only have male members, and I refuse to be a mascot!" Kureha proudly proclaimed. "I want to be valued for my skills! Because of that, I want to make my way towards the top!"
Both Sinon and Lisbeth agreed and laughed with Kureha.
Why am I here, again?
"Thanks guys," Kureha awkwardly said. "Erm... I've actually always wanted female player friends. So, I'm happy just getting to know you better..." She looked around nervously and smiled, "Wow, I don't know what to say." Kureha looked to Shiro, "Hmm, seems as though some of your luck rubbed off on me. Thanks, Shiro. Today was fun."
While the party was in full motion, Kirito discreetly invited Shiro outside, onto the balcony. They were high up in Glocken. You could see a majority of the city from this view. The crowded main street. The market. The alley. All of it was a testimony to Kirito's amazing skill and oversight on situations. However, Shiro trusted Kirito very little and decided to lean against the wall, away from the edge.
"Sorry for dragging you along to our little party," Kirito apologized. "It's a little noisy in there, isn't it?"
"Not really, but I'm not one for crowds," Shiro admitted with a shurg and a steel gaze.
Catching on to Shiro's attitude, Kirito tried to affirm Shiro that they're good people. "Some of them can be a bit abasive, but their hearts are in the right place." He offered a hand, "Let me introduce myself properly this time."
Shiro reluctantly accepted the handshake. "No need. I know who you are, Kirito, Photon Sword wielder."
"You seem like the kind of player to go at it solo," Kirito inferred. "You remind me of how I used to be. Zero friends." That remark felt like a wash pan landing on Shiro's head. "But I can tell, you're easier to get along with than how you seem."
I totally have friends! Just... not a lot...
Kirito continued, "You know, when I asked you why you defended that ArFA-sys? I could sense a strange familiarity to you..."
Did... did we fight before? I can't remember...
"I suppose I'm the type who likes to be efficient," he said, admitting what sounded like a flaw in his tone. "I usually think of things in a logical way. But there are time when my body moves before I have time to think. The logic tends to come afterward."
Shiro shrugged, "Where are you going with this?"
"I can easily see you doing something like that," Kirito confirmed with a nod of his head. "I think meeting that ArFA-sys unit was a huge deal for you." He then scratched his head and chuckled, "Well, this is just my thoughts. Sorry if I'm way off the mark."
"Eh, close enough," Shiro retorted.
Kirito laughed, "Well, that's good... You're really lucky, running into something so important on your first day."
Suddenly, a solemn look appeared on Kirito's face. He turned to face the city. To Shiro's confusion, he could feel the atmosphere change around the two of them. "There's one more thing I'd like to ask you," Kirito said.
"Oh? And what's that?"
"What do you think is the difference between VR and reality?"
That's a deep question. I never really thought about it. "The real world sucks. VR only sucks if you suck."
Shaking his head, Kirito went on, "Some say that VR is just an imitation of reality. I don't think so. I mean, we're living right here. Right now. We have the power to go anywhere in this huge world." He turned to face Shiro, "Isn't that exciting?"
Silence fell upon the two of them. Shiro didn't know how to respond. He shrugged and shook his head, "I don't know what to tell ya. I'm the wrong guy to ask, honestly. The line between the two is so thin, but so obvious."
Kirito was surprised to hear that answer. "Well, maybe your answer will change. Until then, allow me to be the first to welcome you to virtual reality!"
Great. I'm making friends with people that will later become my enemies. I really am... the Red Devil, Shiro thought as he shook Kirito's hand.
