Hey, we're back! Yaaaay...What's with that reaction? Nothing, don't worry 'bout it. Whatever you say. Let's just get this show on the road. Sure.
The sun rose to wake me up, as it always did, and I struggled out of bed. My menu showed that I had a message from Rain and Lux.
[Are you okay? What happened last night? -Rain]
[Yeah, I'm fine. Just got my life threatened. Nothing important. -D] I switched to see what Lux wrote before Rain replied.
[Hey, I heard you had to defend your girlfriend's honor. -Lux]
[She's not my girlfriend...but yes…-D]
[What do you mean your life was threatened!? -Rain and Silica] Oh boy...this is gonna be a thing.
[Argo says otherwise. -Lux]
[Well, as far as I'm aware, I'm as single as can be. I'm kinda scared knowing that I'm being shipped. -D]
[It's Argo don't worryyyyyyy]
[Lux? What happen?] I'd continue to focus on this conversation, but Rain and Silica burst through the door. "Okay! Ground rules! It doesn't matter if the party can just walk into the others' rooms, we knock!" I yelled, very much startled.
"Do you think that matters right now!?" Silica asks me, face unnaturally serious.
"Seeing as how I JUST woke up? Yes. Anyway, basically he said to leave whichever one of you he's stalking alone, I countered him by turning his phrase against him, and then he dropped one of those cliche ominous warnings and left." As I finish saying that I just notice that I have over fifty unread messages. "Oh, what kind of mess did Lux get herself into now?" I asked, opening the first, which was just an exclamation of pain. The next thirty or so were of a similar nature.
"What did Lux do this time?" Silica asks, her palm becoming acquainted with her face.
"Um...from the sounds of it? Falling out of a tall tree."
"Proklyat'ye. Why would she be in a tree?" Rain asks with a heavy sigh.
"Probably a quest with Kirito, if I had to guess."
[Apparently, she slept there for the night. -The rat.]
"How did she...Argo's outside the window, isn't she?" I asked, and the two girls nodded. I turned my head to Argo latched to the window frame smiling like a loon. "I'll open the window…" I sighed, sliding the window open.
"Nyehehe. Thank ya kindly, now then...Two thousand Cor." she says whilst landing on the floor of the inn.
"This is just like what happened last time. I'm not paying for info I never asked for from you." I growled.
"And if ya want to keep using my services you will. 'sides I'm sure you wanna hear the rest of the story, no?" She asks with her usual cheshire grin.
"I'll pay it." Rain said as I fumed.
"Excellent. That covers Lux's debt." Argo chuckles. Okay, now I'm just salty.
"So that wasn't even! I!" I hit a boiling point but then felt...calm. "Huh...So, this is what becoming so angry you come full circle is like."
"Lux was the same when her boy toy wouldn't cover her debt." Argo says absentmindedly.
"...I hope she falls even harder in that fucking tree…"
"Um, D? You, uh, didn't say that in English…" Silica whispered.
"Seems like ya have your own problems to sort out...Seeya!" Argo calls out, jumping through the window.
"Sorry about that, Rain. I'll pay you back. If anyone should take responsibility for Lux, it's me." I said, opening a trade menu. She refuses the trade while shaking her head.
"It's fine, don't worry."
"I hate when people say that. It makes me worry more." I said while opening my message menu. [Hey, thanks for getting Argo to trick us into paying your debt. -One angry boi]
[sstilllll faaaaaaallinnnnng heeeeere debttttt? Whaaaat ddddebt?]
[The 2000 that you couldn't get Kirito to pay for you.]
[and there goes half my health. Annnnyway, he did pay it for me though… -one confused gamer.]
"That bitch!" I shouted. "I swear to any god or being willing to listen, I'll get you for this!"
"What…?"
"We've been had!" I roared, getting out my axe. "According to Lux, Kirito did pay that money."
"That con artist!" Silica screams in English.
"M-Maybe we should all calm down...She must've had some reason. She has made it clear that she never does anything just because." Rain says, trying to placate us.
[I'll consider what you gave me payment and tell you this. You have been had, but not by me though. -the rat.]
"...You know, I'd laugh right now, but that's being overshadowed by all this UNYIELDING RAGE!" I shout as loudly as I could.
[Um...what did lux do this time? -Klein]
[YES!]
[...Okay then. Have a nice day.]
[D...Why are you yelling? -Kirito]
[BECAUSE YOUR GIRLFRIEND GOT ARGO TO CON US OUT OF TWO GRAND!]
[S-She's not my girlfriend!]
[I think you ruptured an eardrum. -the true con artist.]
[You're going to wish that that's the worse thing that'll happen the next time I see you.]
[Please refrain from yelling to that degree. You have triggered mobs that normally would not normally be active. -Administration]
'Whelp...I did a thing. The admin is mad at me for aggroing every mob on the floor, I threatened Lux with maiming, and everyone else that messages me is very confused." I say, brushing off my hands. "I think this game is getting to me."
"What!?" Silica yells, hands over her ears. "I can't hear anything!"
"What did you say!?" Rain asks in turn. Just then, Klein barges into the room.
"But seriously, what the hell did she do?" He asks,seriously worried.
"She got Argo to scam us for her." I grumbled.
"Oh yeah...We we're talking about that earlier. We took bets on your reaction. Looks like I'm 50 Cor down."
"Hehehe...You what?" I ask, raising my axe.
"You know you can't hurt me in a safe zone...right?"
"That'll make what I want to do all the more therapeutic." I took a step towards him.
"Woah woah woah! Uh look, I uh...it was Lux's idea. I just went along with it because I thought it'd be fun."
"*sigh*...Alright, just...I need a breather...Maybe a therapist...again…"
[Big Sis Argo is always here to listen. -Argo.]
[I might just have to take you up on that later. -D]
"I'll hold you to that." Argo says, her head poking up from the windowsill before disappearing again.
"Maybe it WAS a good idea for us to take today off." Rain muses, hand on her chin.
[i don't think angering admins counts as a day off. - Lux/Argo.]
"No...Don't send a message through Argo...No more money should be spent today, unless it's for relaxation purposes." 'That's right, keep yourself calm. No more insanity for today. You used up your quota.' Okay brain, that's rude, but true.
"On a different note, what are you three doing today?" Klein asks.
"Before she left, Lux suggested that we talk to get to know each other better." Silica says. "Maybe we can start there?"
"Yeah, you should really do that." Klein says with a smile. "That's the only way a team is going to work together well. I'm lucky my party is full of the guys from back home. I'll leave you to it. Have fun." Klein left as swiftly as he entered, leaving the three of us in an awkward silence.
"...Do we want to move to a cafe or something?" I ask, trying to break the tension.
"That sounds like an excellent idea." Rain says with a smile. There was, according to the rumor mill, a nice little place that has a good amount of privacy from table to table on the other side of Tolbana, so I led us there. The booth had wood panels separating them from the booths besides it, and even had this sliding panel. "Interesting choice."
"Knowing that a certain rat could be lurking around any corner, having some form of privacy is enough to put my mind at ease enough to talk freely."
"Paranoid much?" Silica giggled.
"After last night and this morning? Absolutely."
"This morning? What else happened this morning that we don't know about?" Oh Silica, why'd you have to ask?
"It's uh...It's kind of uncomfortable to talk about…"
"We aren't going to judge you for anything. Ya obeshchayu." Rain adds.
"Um...well…" Ugh...I can feel my face getting redder and redder. "It turns out that...Argo ships us…"
"What's shipping?" Due to the water the hostess had left us after we were seated, I was currently covered in water from Silica's spit take.
"...Thanks Silica…"
"I'm sorry! It's just...It's so funny! I know what shipping is, and I'm twelve!"
"Shipping is when someone believes that the two people they 'ship' should be in a relationship." I explained. After seeing Rain become as red as her shirt, I continued. "Of course, they don't have to! That's not how it works! Haha...ha…" Oh god, I'm bad at this.
"Is dating me such a bad thing to you?" Rain asks in a tone I'm not sure how to describe.
"No. No! Of course I would date you! It's just...we've only known each other for a few days, and that's definitely not enough time to form any kind of relationship outside of something vain. I wouldn't want to do that to anyone, let alone someone I know and care about."
"Hahaha!" Okay, I wasn't expecting laughter from Rain. "V zaklyucheniye! A guy who gets it!"
"Can you explain?" Silica asks, confusion making her face scrunch.
"I work at a maid cafe part time, and boys are always asking me out by the time they go to leave."
"The headband makes so much more sense now." I mutter, looking at the accessory that is still on even though she was wearing casual clothes.
"I like that you're always wearing it! It's cute. What do you think, D?"
"Uuuhh…"
"Stop teasing, him, Silica. We're supposed to spend the day together, no?"
"Fine, spoil my fun. Do you do anything special in the real world?"
"No, and not because I don't want to. There's some...circumstances that keep me from doing anything, and I've figured that maybe I shouldn't share it so easily."
"Is it about your leg?"
"Silica, I'm going to ask this nicely, okay? Where did you hear about that?"
"L-Lux rambles when she's tired, and when I asked about you when we shared a room…"
"Of course it would come up. Ah well. Looks like the cat's out of the bag. My right leg might as well not be there, so there isn't much I can do. Honestly, since I moved here to Japan, I've been thinking that I could teach English. Who better than a native, right?"
"That's the spirit!"
"Argo! How do you keep doing that!?" I...yelled in a not-so-masculine way.
"A girl needs her secrets." The informant giggles. "Ya know it's not really gamer etiquette to talk about real life."
"If we don't know what each other is like in life, then how can we know what we'll be like in here, where how we really are can be hidden easily by a facade?" I counter.
"Settle down, old man."
"Looks like you're Si-chan's punching bag today."
"Si-chan?" Rain asks, humming. "That's different. I like it."
"I've never had a nickname before." Silica agrees, nodding her head.
"Well, I'll get goin'. Don't want to interrupt ya."
"You can stay if you want, Argo. Everyone needs a day off every once in a while."
"Sorry, but no can do. Gotta keep the freshies from getting themselves killed."
"By raking them over the coals?" I ask, laughing a bit.
"Of course. Wouldn't be me otherwise." With her signature cat-like laugh the informant left.
"Um...I have a cat." Silica says, getting the conversation back to where it was supposed to be.
"Cool. What's her name?" I ask.
"Pina. She used to get into the jar of peanut butter anytime someone would open it." Silica laughs, and we laugh with her.
"I'm glad to know doing goofy things like that is a general cat thing, and not just mine." I comment.
"That makes me feel good about mother's choice to get a dog." Rain adds.
"Dogs are nice, but the rumble I feel when my cat is laying on my chest is too nice." I counter.
"But you can't play with a cat outside, or have that security dogs can give."
"...We're not going to agree on anything regarding our chosen pets, so let's move on, shall we?"
"This isn't over." Rain huffs. The waitress came and gave us all some tea cups and a fancy porcelain kettle. Something seemed to change in Rain, and with a smoothness that could only come from practice, the girl poured us each a cup of the light brown fluid. She quickly seemed to realize what happened and turned from us bashfully. "Hehe...force of habit." Since I'm not the biggest fan of tea, I opted to read my book and let the girls enjoy their drinks. Too bad that was ruined once I hit a part of the novel that was eerily familiar.
"That's quite the scowl." Rain states.
"This book is just a cheap knock off of a book from the outside that I'm a big fan of."
"Have some tea." Silica suggests, pushing the cooling cup closer towards me. Lifting the cup to my lips resulted in a strange bitter flavor filling my mouth. "I get the feeling you don't like it."
"No." I reply, shaking my head and closing my eyes tightly. "No I don't."
"Oh hey, you guys actually are bonding!" Lux of all people says.
"...What do you want?" I grumble.
"Uh...Well ain't this lively…" Lux mumbles to herself. "Sooo, what'd I miss, well other then D's rage breaking."
"Well, I found out you told Silica something I'd rather tell people myself in your sleep deprived state." I start. "Then Argo gave Silica a nickname."
"Huh...Neat...Can't stay for long. Only came back to stock up on potions. Also, Kirito says hi." She says as if just remembering.
"Then why are you here at a cafe?" Silica asks.
"Argo." She responds with in a matter of fact tone.
"Of course." We say in unison.
"Oh, we did talk about shipping!"
"Silica, no! Don't pull the pin on that grenade!" shout, but had the feeling that it was already too late.
"Going to stay out of this one. Don't want to step on any landmines." Lux says...almost maturely.
"Who are you and what have you done with Lux? The Lux I know isn't this mature." I say, laughing slightly.
"I'm a tired Lux…" She says, yawning. "Haven't slept since...when did I go with Kirito?"
"Yesterday." Rain answers. "And Argo said you were asleep in a tree at some point."
"Oh, that. I actually managed to fool her with that. Shook her off. Too tired to deal with the rat."
"But tired enough to get her to take money from us? I don't mean to burst your bubble, but D wasn't the one who paid." Silica says.
"Huh...Who did then?"
"I did." Rain answers, waving a hand. Lux just sighs and gives Rain the Cor she paid Argo to her. "Thank you."
"Next time, let D take the fall, K?" Lux asks, letting out another long sigh
"I would appreciate it if there wasn't a next time. This is not the time for petty pranks. Not while our lives are on the line." The Russian girl explained.
"Uh, sure...fine...Ugh, you sound like my papa…" Lux says lethargically.
"Wait, if D's the team mom, does this mean Rain is the team dad?" Silica asks innocently.
"And you're the little sister!" Lux cheers, suddenly perking up and hugs Silica.
"Kirito's that weird uncle that no one knows what to do with when they're around." I chuckle.
"That's not nice…" Lux mutters, separating from Silica. "Ah! The time! Uh, I've gotta go." Lux says in a panic before rushing off.
"I'd like to point out that even if she said it was mean, she never said I was wrong." I comment, holding up an index finger.
"So I'm the little sister?" Silica asks, her head tilting.
"Rain, I'll leave that to you. I don't have siblings." I say, raising my hands in surrender.
"But your the team mom aren't you?" She says with a smirk.
"That would only be a fair point if she were to have been the group's kid."
"Since you two love birds can't decide, I'll do it for ya." Argo says standing up from a table. "Yes Silica, out of the group, you are the the little sister. Not that it's a bad thing. It suits ya." Argo explains. Her catlike grin still everpresent.
"W-We aren't…"
"Argo, we agreed that it isn't like that. Not now, at least." I explain calmly, seeing as how my very red friend didn't seem able to.
"Two hundred thousand Cor." She just says in response, straight faced, before turning her attention back to the now starry eyed Silica.
"For what!?" I ask, baffled.
"This time, it actually is Lux's debt…"
"I'm not saying your a liar, but let me check." I message Lux, asking about the debt.
[Hm? Oh yea. Care to pay that off for me please?]
[And why should I, after the stunt you pulled today?]
[Otherwise argo will ruin our lives...I'm not joking.]
"So confirmed with her, D?" She asks, smirking.
"Unfortunately…" I open the trade menu and give the saleswoman the money. "I will be taking my pound of flesh out of her later for this, though."
"Touch my client and I will ruin you." Argo says, her face strangely serious.
"Am I gonna have to explain figures of speech again? I really hope not, and it's not like she isn't making my life hell in the process. Why would you even sell her anything of she can't pay for it?"
"The national bank of D, Was her explanation."
"I once again wonder why I'm friends with her."
"Don't let it get to you, okay?" Rain says, reaching over the table and patting my shoulder.
"I just want to know what happened. After her talk with Klein, things were better. She was talking to me and treating me like she would before all this, but now it's like someone turned back the clock."
"Oh! Oh! I know the answer!" Argo cheers, hopping up and down with her hand raised.
"And what, pray tell, is that answer going to cost me?"
"Don't worry, let big sis Argo share with you a story…" She says, chuckling. "To make a really long story short...According to my sources, Lux likes the man clad in black." She says.
"So, something we already know?" Silica asks rhetorically.
"Kirito...I don't know if he's gonna be a good influence for her...they're both gaming nuts, and Kirito doesn't person as well as you'd think...I trust him though, so there's that." She says, a faint normal smile on her face.
"I could tell that when he was first teaching me, Lux, and Klein about sword skills. He was about as awkward with new people as I am. I really hate this, I do, but she seems to have more fun with him than with me, so if this is the cost of her happiness, well…"
"What we talkin' about?" Klein asks, putting an arm around my shoulder out of nowhere.
"Where is everyone coming from?" Rain asks, looking around.
"Fuck if I know. Well, Klein, we were talking about how Kirito basically reversed all that hard work you put in with that talk of yours because she likes him." Klein deflated a bit as I told him what was going on.
"Give me like...ten minutes." He says obscurely, walking off strangely.
"Is anyone else worried? Because I am." Silica says, looking out the door.
"What the hell do you two think you're doing!?" Wow, Klein is loud, though I don't think he was as loud as I was earlier. "Lux! D is nothing but kind to you, and, with the way you treat him, he may just be a saint! Yet you just sit there galavanting around with your crush while treating them like shit! And Kirito, I know you aren't the greatest with people, but I thought you were enough of a good person to keep her from being awful, yet it sounds like you're encouraging it!"
"This is the Klein you've been talking about?" Rain asks, eyes wide as the probably older man continued to rant and rave at the duo.
"Huh...I didn't think he had that kind of side to him. I could sell that if he makes it big." Argo muses, money signs in her eyes. The angry voice slowly faded, and when the redhead came back, he had company.
"Hey, D? Mind standing up for a second?" Klein asks with a knowing smirk.
"Sure?" I was soon embraced by an upset Lux, if my slowly wettening shirt was anything to go by.
"I'm sorry." Kirito said, bent at the waist at a ninety degree angle.
"M-Me too…" Lux says, voice muffled. "I...I shouldn't have been doing what I have been. I even lied about Argo shipping you and Rain to tease you."
"What are ya talkin' 'bout? 'Course I do." Argo laughs. "They flirt without even trying! It's great!"
"Hey Klein…" I say, equipping my axe. "Take this and put me out of my misery."
"Nah, I kinda like seeing things from this angle." My "friend" replies. "I wish we had some way to take pictures. I didn't think people could get any redder than my hair."
"Heya, Lux? Ya gonna let go of ya friend there? I think Kii-bou might be getting jealous." Argo teases.
"It's not just me!" I cheer, raising my arms in victory.
"S-Shut up!"
"I'm not jealous, Argo." Kirito chuckles.
"Should we take this somewhere else? Clearly this booth isn't enough for our group." I suggest, sweeping an arm around.
"Sorry, but I came here to get something to eat." Argo replies.
"Argo just triggered a flag." Kirito states.
"Whaddya mean, Kirito?" Klein asks. To answer him, all I did was pull an empty pot out of my inventory. "...Oh."
"Someone find a spot. Imma do a thing." I say, leaving to go to the inn's kitchen. Due to the fact that boss monsters drop better stuff, I had a higher quality meat to work with, and getting some spices from the rare player market would make sure whatever I make would be better than normal. Once I was back at one of my favorite places, I got to work on one of my newest recipes; a roast pork tenderloin. I made a dry rub from Aincrad's versions of rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper and tossed in some cubed potatoes and carrots so they can be sides that stewed in the juices of the meat.
[How long is it gonna be? -Lux]
[An hour. I'm pulling out all the stops, so this should be really good. Maybe you can share those cookies I gave you with Klein like I said.]
[...]
[You ate them all already, didn't you?]
[...Yes. They were really good...Are you mad?]
[No, just disappointed. Good thing I've been keeping the other two dozen for when we were all together again.]
[Okay. I'll let everyone know.] I set an alarm in my menu and took a nap. When it went off, I removed the dish from the oven and stashed it in my inventory. I walked around towards a nearby hill that had a large tree shadowing it, and saw several people flagging me down.
"Hey. Got food." I announce, revealing the pain and setting it down on the blanket that someone must've set up. "I'll slice it up and we should be good."
"This is a high level recipe. How did you...?" Argo asks, staring at the meat.
"Someone has a cookie addiction, and making the problem it causes go away has been helpful."
"It's only a problem when I'm all out." Silica says in flat tone.
"That's is not a healthy habit to have, Si-chan." Rain scolds, pointing a finger lazily. "What will your parents think if you did this IRL?"
"They wouldn't like it." The young girl admitted.
"So, what are you guys going to do?" Klein asks as I slide him a plate of the meal. "I know Kirito and Lux are going to do more quests, and Argo will be Argo, but I've got nothing for you three."
"Nosy, aren't ya, old timer." I quip. "I haven't really brought it up, but I'd like to go into the dungeon for this floor."
"Oh? Ya have my attention."
"Argo, I'm not going to pay for anything. The mobs there should be comparable to the adds in the boss room, if your guide is anything to go by, and I want to see how I compare to them now. If they're too much, it's time to go back to the grind out here in the fields. Otherwise, it's spelunking time."
"You want to go into the dungeon alone." Lux states more than asks. "D, I've never taken you for an idiot. Gullible and naive at times, but never an idiot."
"It's not a very good idea." Kirito agreed.
"I didn't want to volunteer anyone for something they didn't want to do." I counter. "It's risky enough as is, going into the dungeon this soon, no matter how leveled you are. There's too many variables, and I'm not betting others' lives on my ability. Not yet." No one said anything afterwards, just silently eating the meal I made.
"There's risk you have to take, as a player and as a person." Klein started. "You may not be strong enough to take something on, but that's the point of parties, to do what you can't do alone. Trust them with your life, and they'll trust you with theirs." He says, looking at the two members of my party. "Have some faith."
"We have your back." Rain says. "Your idea is a good one...for all of us." Lux reached up and tugged on Kirito's sleeve.
"I know we have some quest you wanted to do…"
"We can go into the dungeon with them."
"There we go. That's how things should be." I could hear Klein whispering.
"Thanks everyone. Let's do this. We could all use some training together, so we can really work as a team, and if we can find the boss room, we'll be one step closer to home."
"I'll talk to my friends. Having two parties there in case a field boss is in there would be better." Klein says in his normal volume.
"Nice to see that everyone's bein' friends. Thanks for the meal, D. It was good." Argo says, standing up with a cookie in her hand. "Gotta get going though. I got a meeting that I have to go to. I'll be back later though."
"How come she's called [The Rat] when she looks more like a cat?" Silica asks once the informant left. "She even laughs like a cat girl in anime."
"Let's just say it's a nickname well earned and leave it at that." Kirito answers vaguely.
"Has anyone else picked up a skill besides D and his cooking?" Klein asks.
"I read that you can tame some monsters, and I was thinking of getting that when I can." Silica says quietly.
"Now that we're back in town, I want to start [Tailoring]." Lux says. I whistle innocently. "Why are you whistling?"
"D started working on [Tailoring] last night." Rain, why? Lux inhaled deeply before exhaling.
"...Okay. There goes that idea..."
"Hold on, Lux. Hold on. I wanted [Tailoring] for the armor aspect of it, which I'm sure you don't care for nearly as much." Lux looks me right in the eyes and glares.
"You are going to commit crimes against fashion unless someone stops you. At least I won't be bored."
"Hey, wh-?"
"Klein, she's absolutely right. My wardrobe Outside is mainly jeans and t-shirts."
"Yeah, Lux is taking [Tailoring]." Silica nods, and Rain nods with her.
"Thanks, guys. Real reassuring."
"Hey, at least you're trying." Klein says. "I've got to go though. My friends are asking to meet up and go over what happened today, and I'm gonna ask them about tomorrow."
"See you later, Klein." Kirito says, waving as he leaves. "How are we going to split the rooms? We have two now, if I remember right."
"Boys in one room, of course." Rain says, smiling.
"...This should be interesting." I mutter, taking a small glance at my new roommate. "There isn't really much to do, so why don't we go back to our rooms and get used to our new situations?" I turn to see that the girls had already left. "Well okay then."
"You should put points into [Searching]."
"I've got all my slots full, Kirito. Figured having an even balance between combat skills and crafting of some kind would be better in the long run."
"I see. That makes sense." The black clad member of our group stands up and starts walking back towards the inn.
"Life is going to be so much fun now…" I groan, packing up the mess everyone left and went "home". Kirito was in full gear when I opened the door to our room.
"Do you still use the greatsword, or did you change to the axe you got from that boss?"
"Axe, and I should probably work on that."
"There's still daylight. It'll take a while, but there's a spot nearby where we can grind your axe skill up. You'll need as many sword skills as you can for the dungeon."
"Ugh...So much for a work free day, but you have a point." I say reluctantly. Kirito stands up from the bed and leads me to the a field a ways from [Tolbana]. "I just have to use it, right? Does it really matter how?"
"Just have it equipped and use the axe. Why?"
"Because if what I read is right, greataxes like mine are meant for tanking, which isn't exactly something I have any real experience with. Sure I've blocked and parried, but I've mostly stayed on the offensive."
"Doing that would build experience for it, and I can do what I'm good at too."
"So, I block and all that for a while as you cut them down, and then I can move on to the hits once I unlock more than the few basic sword skills. That way we both can get some work in. If I have to, can I borrow a few pots?"
"Why? Did you not restock after the dungeon?"
"No, I planned on doing it tomorrow. Well, from how I've been playing, I want to prioritize parrying over blocking. It's riskier, but the opportunities it can open up in a fight could be crucial."
"That's true, but it doesn't line up with how Lux explains your experience."
"I played an old game, where PVP can pop up almost anywhere, and parries with reposts was a saving grace." I say like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"...*Sigh*...Fair enough, and the same principle DOES still apply." Kirito really put me through the ringer with this area. It was swarmed with wolves, and while it was perfect for my parry practice due to their speed, the fact that they put me on my ass more than I put them on theirs in the first two hours really says something. "Have you gotten any skills?"
"Yeah, and I think that Kayaba added in axes like these last minute in comparison to other weapons. They don't seem as detailed in their description as the skills from my greatsword."
"The game IS called Sword Art Online."
"Was that a joke? You can joke?"
"O-Of course I can! Anyway, how many?"
"Two. Besides [Whirlwind], [Cleave], and [Broad Horizontal], I've got one called [Cross] and another called [Vanguard]. [Cross] is a downwards vertical strike followed by a horizontal one. [Vanguard] seems to be the first of my dedicated tank skills. You deflect a hit to the side before slamming the head of the axe into the target."
"Hm...A two-hit skill and a counter. Interesting. Time to test them out."
"Yup." The two of us grinded well into the night, leveling the weapon skill and earning some mods, most of which were devoted to sword skill cooldown, and one that increased my agro pull. "I think that's good for now, don't you?"
"Not as much as I'd have liked to, but since we were not only grinding your skill, but getting you used to a new weapon, it's fine."
"Then to bed we go. I don't think I could go on any longer without rest of some kind." I, well, whine, wanting to go to sleep.
"Sure." It was a slow walk to the inn, because we were trying to actively avoid mobs, but it was still early in the night so it wasn't that much of a loss. With the street lamps lighting up Tolbana, I could see a cloaked figure sitting on a bench near the door of our inn. "She's here for you."
"She? Right, Argo did say she would sit down and talk with me."
"Good luck with that." Kirito chuckles, waving a hand lazily as he walks into the room.
"Heya, D. How's it goin'?" Argo asks, patting the space on the wood bench next to her.
"It...could be better, all things considered."
"Oh? Do tell."
"Well, I seriously lost my temper today, to the point that I got a message from Administration."
"Kayaba messaged you!?"
"Yeah. Apparently I managed to set off every passive mob on the floor, all over a stupid little prank…"
"That means...He…" I can't quite pick out what Argo's saying, but it sounds like she's debating with herself. "D, I need you to stay very calm. Big Sis Argo is about to tell you some bad news." She takes a deep breath. "One hundred and thirty seven people died today. That's a little over double what the daily average has been for the past week, and reports have been saying it was because normally passive mobs started attacking players."
"Wait...I…?" I look at my hands, which were trembling. "I killed all those people…"
"No you didn't. If they were smart enough, they would've known that those mobs were around in the first place."
"Lux?" I ask, looking around.
"Up here." Lux was hanging out of her window above us, smiling. "Don't worry, your girlfriend is asleep."
"She's not my girlfriend..." I argue weakly. "Wow, that came out pathetic. Maybe I should just join up with the others that are hunkering down in the Town of Beginnings. Seems like I'm just going to get more people killed."
"Sure, go on back to the town, and if our lot dies because we're missing our tank...well you know the rest." I clench my fists and turn away from her.
"She has a point, as blunt as she was. You're whole role is to keep people alive. I doubt anything like this will happen again, and I'll make sure this doesn't get to the public."
"I...thank you, Argo. That means a lot."
"So, you done crying?" Lux asks from above.
"I think I'll be alright. I'm not gonna jump or anything, that's for sure."
"Good, and just remember, you've already saved someone in this game."
"Yeah. Yeah, I did. Goodnight, Lux. Goodnight, Argo."
"'Night, D. See ya around." Argo gets up and leaves, fading into the darkness that the flame lamps can't light. Lux went back in and shut her window. I returned to my room to find that Kirito was sound asleep and taking up as little room on the bed as his body would allow. I followed his lead in order to keep from anything weird happening. Since it wasn't the most comfortable position, it took awhile for me to fall asleep.
After a month, things hadn't gotten any better for us trapped in Sword Art Online. The death toll had reach two thousand, and there's been no news about anyone finding the boss room. With Kirito as our sorta accurate guide, we were able to get a lot of tower mapped over the course of the month. Due to some rumors that I asked Argo to confirm, I went to the Town of Beginnings to check out an up and coming player blacksmith that was said to be pretty successful at their craft this early on in the game. Lux was making me, saying "you need to actually wear tank gear". After an hour of searching, I found a girl with brown hair and pink eyes sitting on a rug with a fire pit of some kind off to the side.
"Are you Lisbeth?" I ask, gaining the girl's attention. "I heard that you're one of the few player blacksmiths that are competent and was wondering if you could help me out." She looks me over a bit before shaking her head.
"Sorry, but I only make speed based weapons."
"Oh, well I guess it's a good thing I didn't come to you looking for an axe then, though I WAS hoping to get my axe upgraded."
"I can upgrade it, that's no problem. Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"Armor, if you can. Something protective, yet won't slow me down too much. I was told to tell you 'something for an OT', whatever that's supposed to mean."
"..." Lisbeth was quiet for a while. "I should be able to get you something." She opens up her menu and starts scrolling.
"Hey, um, if I gave you stuff from my menu, could you use those instead? I have a lot of materials cluttering my inventory, and I feel like this can help us both."
"And how does this help me?"
"How often do you get to work with drops from the dungeon?"
"You have my undivided attention." I traded her most of the mats I had gotten from our dungeon crawling. "Give me some time, and I'll have the armor ready. What do you"
"How much do I owe you?"
"Ten thousand for everything." The girl immediately went to work after I paid her, upgrading my weapon first. Now it was plus five,three sharpness and two durability. The armor she made was simple in design, consisting of a solid dark grey chestplate with matching gauntlets, grieves, and shoulder armor. "Thank you for your business."
"No, thank you, and keep the materials. You can make some gear for other people too." I didn't give her the chance to respond as I walk back to Tolbana. Once I got there and back to my room, I stuck on the new gear and moved around to get a feel for it. Our group was sat at the table, and everyone was decked out in new gear, though Lux's was the most drastic change. She had on a white cloth shirt that drops to about the bottom of her thighs with sleeves a bit longer than the whole arm and hand, a short black skirt, black leather heeled boots and black metal claws. Silica had an open red coat over her armor, Rain had a new sword that had a vine shaped gold hilt, and Kirito had gotten a simple black jacket.
"Now you look like a tank." Lux comments.
"And you look like you're ready to go shopping at the mall with your friends." I say, laughing a bit afterwards. "I'm a little bummed out, but since you are now in the speed class of weapons like Silica, I'd suggest that you two give her a visit. She specializes in speed weapons, according to her."
"Well, he did say I looked like I was going shopping. What do you say, Silica? Want to give this girl a visit?" Lux asks the smaller girl.
"Sure!"
"You're looking for a girl named Lisbeth. Pink eyes. Hard to miss." I explain, describing the noticeable traits of the blacksmith I was just at. The two got up and left for the town of beginnings. "And there they go. At least with this she's doing something at least a little normal. The way she's gotten so...obsessed...is worrying."
"Lux is probably just getting used to SAO."
"Kirito, she was getting bent out of shape when we ran into Rain because she was fighting the field boss that we were searching for."
"Fair enough."
"You got any plans, mister busy body?"
"I don't have to tell you everything, Mom." Kirito jokes. "Argo asked me to help her investigate a rumor of a hidden logout spot in a cave. Anyone who goes there is never seen again, but Argo is suspicious."
"Huh. I can see why she'd want to look into it. Say hi for me when we meet up, would ya?"
"Sure, D." Kirito left, leaving just me and Rain.
"Are you going to ask me if I am doing anything?" Rain asks in a teasing tone.
"Nope, just if you were hungry. It's still pretty early." For some reason, my response made the smirk she was wearing grow.
"Correct me if I am wrong, but it sounds like you're asking me out on a date."
"That...That is not what I was doing. I got the recipe for muffins recently, and I've been itching to make them. Has Lux convinced you to mess with me every chance you get?"
"Why would you say that?"
"Because of everyone here, I know her best."
"...She may have said something in passing."
"Ugh...of course. Well, our breakfasts aren't going to make themselves." The rumbling sound from my companion only reinforced the fact that it was time to eat. The kitchen that was normally empty quickly became my playground as I made a batch of what was as close as I could get to blueberry muffins. "And now we wait." I say, wiping my hands and pulling out my sewing kit.
"How has your [Tailoring] coming?"
"I think it's going good, but as Lux said, they don't...look good." I say, taking a pair of leather gloves out of my inventory. They were mostly brown but had patches of black on the palms. "See? And they aren't all that great stat wise either. I tried making a scarf like this one, but it barely did anything compared to this NPC bought one." Rain swiftly took the gloves from my hands and slide them on.
"They're comfortable, and it feels like there's fur inside."
"I used wolf pelt as the base and used boar skin to reinforce it." I held out my hand to take them back, but she didn't move to take the gloves off.
"I want to keep them."
"But they're pretty much useless."
"Then make a better pair. Until then, these are mine."
"I know you're playing me, but challenge accepted." I spent the half an hour it took for the muffins to cook trying to complete Rain's challenge, focusing solely on my task. The pair I ended up happy with were primarily brown like the pair on Rain's hands, but had red leather from a dungeon boar running along the length of each finger that spread out from the red palm. The defense boost, compared to the numbers on our stats, wasn't much, but it was higher than my scarf, so I'll take it. "Here. Try these on for size." I say as the alarm rings. Rain takes them and I remove the muffins from the oven.
"Thank you." She says, putting them on.
"No problem. Now we let these cool for a minute or so, and we should be golden." The baked goods cooled, and we each took one. "Bon appetit."
"Vkusnyye, as always."
"Thanks. I try my best." We ate our breakfast in relative silence, simply enjoying our meal.
"What else do you do, in the real world? Lux says you cook there, and with the way you read…"
"Curious about little ol' me? I'm flattered. Well, Mom taught me sewing, though it was less fabric and more someone's skin, but it's kind of the same thing…?"
"No, D. No they are not."
"Seems similar enough, at least here in SAO. I used to go hiking, but that's out the window, but since moving here to Japan, I got back into fishing."
"There's a fishing skill, from what I've read."
"Nah. I want to keep that special for back home. It's one of the few 'sports' I can still do." I answer, getting out some meat and vegetables to make some chicken(?) sandwiches. It tasted like chicken, so…
"Will you ever tell us the full story? Lux said you mentioned how it happened to Klein."
"Yeah, of course! It's just...Lux had a point that day. I told someone I just met in a game an important part of my real life, and that's not something I should galavante about. It's not that I don't trust you."
"But you want to make sure that you're ready to share that." Rain says, cutting me off. "I understand."
"What about you? Anything fun?"
"...I sing…"
"Really? That's awesome! Can I hear something?"
"Why are you so excited?" Rain asks, laughing as I bounced on the balls of my feet.
"Rain, back home, I went nowhere without headphones playing music. I play tenor sax. Music is a fundamental part of my life, and I miss it dearly."
"Hehehe...Hahaha! With an answer like that, how can I refuse?" After clearing her throat, Rain began to sing a song in Russian.
"Wow...that was fantastic." I mutter as she finishes.
"D-Do you think so?"
"I wouldn't lie about this. You're more musically talented then I could ever be. Hell, I bet you could go pro once we get out of here."
"I HAVE always wanted to be an idol."
"...Yeah, I'd pay money to hear you sing." I say after thinking for a bit.
"Nyahaha...A girl tells ya her dream, and ya aren't even curious?"
"Nope. Everyone is entitled to their own dreams, for whatever reason. It's not my place to judge. Hello, though, Argo."
"Heya. Why are you two having this conversation in the kitchen?" The catlike girl asks.
"D was making breakfast and lunch, and we had time to kill." Rain says nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders. "Why are YOU in this kitchen?"
"I heard you two flirting and was waiting to see if it was going anywhere." I turn my head away from Argo to look at Rain to see her rolling her eyes, and I felt myself do the same. "See? You even react to teasing the same."
"It's been a month, Argo. Enough is enough." I groan. "And even if this is retribution from Lux, I only did it for a few days. This is too much."
"Our love lives should be ours to decide." Rain says in what I think is agreement.
"Fair enough. Anyway, I was just dropping in. Seeing how everyone was doing before meeting up with Kii-bou."
"Didn't he leave to meet her already?" I ask Rain.
"Yes, he did."
"I'll see ya later then."
"I really don't get it." I sigh. "Sure, we get along well, but I think this is the first time we've actually spent time alone together."
"Ya znayu, but people will see what they want to, and one of the first things you said to me does not help matters."
"Sorry again about that."
"It's fine, really. Please stop apologizing for it." Things grew quiet before an idea came to mind.
"Hey, since I've got lunch done, is there anything you want to do?" Rain looks like she's about to answer before Lux bursts through the door, with Silica on the floor behind her.
"Boss room…! Someone found…! Go now…!"
"So much for us doing something." Rain mutters as Lux takes the time to actually breath. I walked over and lifted Silica off the ground, though she was so out of it that she just flopped around in my arms.
"Let's take this somewhere else." I suggest. "She's not exactly in the best condition to be anywhere but in bed."
"I...I'm going to have to apologize when she wakes up." Lux says, shoulders falling as I took her up to the girl's room and set lay her down.
"Since you're calm, explain what happened." Rain says, crossing her arms.
"While we were visiting that blacksmith, thanks by the way, when Argo messaged me saying that some party found the boss room. The meeting is a few days from now to get a raid party together, apparently."
"I won't let Silica go." I say as I feel the scowl on my face grow. "Not only is her weapon not suited for bosses, as we've seen, but neither is her demeanor. I don't want to put her through that. None of us players should have our lives on the line, but someone as young as her? No way in hell."
"She's not helpless." Lux growls.
"She's a kid, and I'd rather get blown up a second time than let this place take her!" I shout, slamming my hand against the headboard.
"Looks like I came at a bad time."
"Klein, you get your ass in here right the fuck now!"
"Getting in the room." The older man responds to my demands. "You should really keep the language in check though."
"That...that was new…" Lux mutters.
"I'm sorry. That was uncalled for."
"You have a point." Silica says. "I don't belong in boss rooms. Not yet, at least. Thank you for caring."
"I'm glad you're being so understanding about this. So, what're you doing here, Klein?"
"Kirito expected something like this to happen, so he asked me to take her spot in your party during the raid."
"How could he?" Rain asks. "D doesn't really yell or anything like that."
"They've lived together for most of the month. Kirito probably some things that even I don't at this point."
"Okay, enough about me. What's our game plan for all this? Busting our asses until the raid isn't a good idea, but so is completely sitting on our laurels."
"The likelihood of making any kind of significant progress in leveling is low at this point, except for Lux." Rain states. "We'd be better off, for the most part, stocking up on items and gear."
"Fine. I'm going to build up my [Claws] so I can have some more sword skills for the boss." Lux says, leaving.
"And I really need to go tell the guys about this. It should be fine, since they said they didn't want to fight this boss, but I still think I should let them know." Klein adds. "But I can also do that in a bit."
"You should talk to your friends, Klein." Silica says, sitting up. "We've seen how you can procrastinate."
"Fair enough. Didn't think I'd be lectured by a kid today, though." He chuckles. "I'll be back." That left just the three of us.
"I should probably go stock up on potions before I forget. Again."
"I'll come with you. You owe me a shopping trip." Rain says, laughing afterwards.
"Wait why?" I ask.
"You asked what I wanted to do today, right? I wanted you to take me shopping."
"Suckered again, huh?" Silica asks in between bursts of hysterics.
"Hardy-har-har. Laugh it up while you can, Silica. Ready to go, milady?" I ask dramatically, holding out an elbow.
"Oh? And what's this?" Rain replies, seemingly catching on.
"If I'm to pay for your whims, then I should escort you too, no?"
"Why of course."
"Okay, okay, I get it!" Silica shouts as the two of us start laughing loudly. "It's not funny when it's happening to you."
"Seriously, ready to go?" I ask, opening the door and catching my breath.
"Yes." Rain answers, giggling still.
"Do you really want me to pay for everything you want?" I ask as we walk through the market, scared for my wallet.
"Of course. I need to get the usual potions and stuff...As for anything else? We'll just have to see what I find." She answers with an index finger on her chin. The first thing we did was stock up on potions. I was also forced to buy a new pair of boots, as stereotypical as that is, and I had to pay for her sword upgrades.
"I feel like you guys are all abusing my kindness…" I say through gritted teeth.
"Then why don't I repay the favor next time?" My companion suggests. "That way, it's just friends doing each other a favor."
"I...That's fair...I guess."
"Is it not?"
"Well, seeing as how next time is probably going to be on the next floor, it'll be more expensive than what I paid today."
"It's fine, don't worry."
"If you're sure." I sigh, shaking my head. "Anything else?"
"Nothing that I can think of. You?"
"Nope. I think I have everything. I got my potions, my gear is up to spunk, and I've got enough materials to make food and improve my [Tailoring] for a while." As I finished, I grabbed ahold of my scarf.
"Planning on working on that?"
"Yeah. Lux would tear me a new one for getting sentimental over a piece of starter gear, but I like this old thing."
"She takes this a little too seriously. There's nothing wrong if it's something like an accessory." Ran says. "I don't think black is your color though."
"It really is more Kirito's thing, but it's all I have to work with. From what I saw in the crafting menu, there's nothing this floor drops that I can use to make anything even remotely better."
"I have an idea." Rain says, opening her inventory. "Try using this."
"...That's a skirt…"
"Yup!"
"A skirt that you've worn."
"Mhm!"
"Why?"
"It was a drop from a field boss from a while back. It might be good if you break it down first."
"Oh. Well, thanks Rain." I checked my menu and saw that it was close to noon. "Want lunch? We're near that hill from that one time."
"Sure! I'll message the others to meet us there."
"...Okay…"
"Is something wrong?"
"It's nothing, don't worry about it. Go ahead and give them a ring. I'll go set up, since I still have that blanket." I walk off, leaving Rain on her own. The blanket came out of my inventory flat and ready to use, and I set the sandwiches onto a plate.
"What's gotcha down?"
"Oh, hey Argo. It's nothing. Sandwich?" I ask, holding one up for the informant.
"Sure, but you don't frown. Scowl and grumble, but never frown."
"Yeah, figures I couldn't get anything past you. It might be easier to just boil it down to trying to prove myself. I planned on spending the day with Rain, to show Lux, and maybe myself, that I can actually interact with other people without a third person, and improve my friendship with her while I'm at it. Turns out it can never play out the way I want it to."
"Well I think you're doing fine. Ya bring your own strengths to the table, 'specially since you got that axe."
"Yeah, but this is still an MMO, and combat isn't everything."
"You know, you could've just talked to me about that." Lux's voice says from behind me. "See? This is why I baby you. You've always tried to shoulder things."
"Well one of us needs to be responsible." I quip.
"Dude, you need to chill. Rome wasn't built in a day." Klein comments, putting a hand on my shoulder. "So, about those sandwiches…"
"Go ahead, Klein." I chuckle. "Everyone else too." The food was consumed quickly as we chatted aimlessly. We all went our separate ways, which resulted in me spending the rest of the day tearing down the gift Rain gave me, somehow making it into a scarf, and adding other materials to make it viable. The scarf was incredibly long, reaching the middle of my back even though I wrapped it around my neck several times, was primarily red with yellow diagonal lines on it, and boosted my defense rather than my agility. The two days before the meeting flew by almost as quickly as cooking does.
"Ready?" Kirito asks, equipping his best gear in our shared room.
"As ready as I can be." I reply, adjusting my scarf. "Anything I should look out for during this?"
"The axe Illfang uses eats away more stamina when being blocked than the sword he uses later into the fight."
"Fun. Good thing I dumped more than usual into it recently. Well, better not keep the ladies waiting."
"You do know Klein is down there with them, right?"
"I know what I said."
"...I don't get your sense of humor."
"Most people here in Japan don't. I think they started a club back at school for trying to figure it out." I say dryly. The two of us made our way to the waiting group, who also had Silica with them.
"Took you long enough." Lux grumbles, yet the fire in her eyes spoke a much different story.
"You know, not everyone is as excited about risking their lives as you are." Klein comments.
"It's better to be excited than scared though, right?" Silica asks from her seat at the table between bites of bread.
"She has a point." Rain adds. "Though we should be going. The meeting will start soon, and it is across town."
"Dammit, D!"
"I had to make some finishing touches, okay!? If you're in such a rush, let's move!" I shout back at Lux, running out past everyone and leaving Silica in the dust left in our wake. The meeting was taking place in the arena on the side of town closest to the dungeon tower, which meant we didn't have much time before it started. There was really only space for the five of us in one of the rows farthest from the guy with blue hair and armor standing on what was currently a stage.
"Hey, everyone! Thanks for coming. My name is Diavel, and in this game I'm a knight. I know you might be discouraged about the fact that two thousand people have died already, but I believe that with careful planning and determination, we can beat the first floor." The man says.
"Two thousand huh...Less than I thought." Lux comments grimly.
"It's sucks knowing I had a hand in that." I say quietly.
"Thinning out the herd I say...yea...sure…." Lux adds, causing Kirito to turn his head to her in shock. "What? There's something good in everything...Anyway, shush. The blue guy is going to talk again." She says pointing at Diavel.
"With the help of the beta testers-" Diavel was cut off by a pineapple that should've been under the sea.
"Beta testers!" He yells, storming his way down the stairs. "Beta testers are the reason we're stuck in this game!"
"Dammit, Kibaou, not again…" Diavel groans.
"He...he does realize how stupid he sounds, right?" I ask, pointing at the now named Kibaou.
"Sojiro, what the hell are you doing!?" Lux quietly shouts.
"Um, speaking my thoughts out loud quietly in order to attempt to process the insanity of the man standing before me? Why?"
"We don't question the little people...Besides, I think everything is gonna be just fine." She says with a small smirk.
"You just signed our death warrants." Klein states dryly.
"I doubt it will be that bad, Klein." Rain counters.
"Look, I've witnessed the results of that phrase in real life. I'm not taking any chances."
"Just trust me." Lux says, raising a finger to point at the rising giant of man.
"If I may interject." The man says in a rumbling deep voice.
"And who the hell are you?" Spikes McGee says aggressively.
"I am known by many names. Mountain Slayer. Thunder Lion. The Chocolate Axe. But you, you may call me...Tiffany."
"That's a...very masculine sounding name."
"Shouldn't be. It's a woman's name."
"I don't know how to talk to you."
"Good. Then shut up and listen."
"I want to get to know him." I whisper. "He seems awesome."
"Oh yea? Me and Tiff go way back to day...three?" Argo says, leaning on to Kirito's shoulders. "He's a cool guy, you have good taste in friends."
"...What about Lux then?" I ask in a joking tone.
"I mean...friends shouldn't hide stuff...so up to you?" Argo says, chuckling at the end.
"Oh fuck…" I mutter
"What's Argo talking about?" Klein asks, turning to me.
"Nothing Klein. Nothing at all. Look, black guy kicking around a pineapple! Entertaining, no?" Lux says, trying to distract the man. I guess Argo was right. I DO know how to pick friends. "Also Argo, two thousand Cor says you shut up on that topic for now." Lux adds giving the money over.
"Sure thing, nyehehe…"
"Okay, we're seriously gonna have to have a talk after this. Agreed? Agreed." Klein says matter-of-factly.
"Ok, so any ideas!?" Diavel says catching our attention.
"We could hit it till it dies?" One guy suggests before high fiving his friend like he's a genius.
"And Illfang would hit you until you die." Kirito says grimly.
"Annnny other ideas?" The knight asks, looking hopeful.
"Guerilla warfare?" I ask more than suggest.
"Are there even any gorillas on this floor though?" One guy asks.
"Not...not the animal. The hit and run stuff. The reason why America's a thing." I sigh.
"Let's try the guide book...ok?" Diavel asks, looking through the book. "Nope...nope…oh hell no!" He starts saying as he reads through the book.
"We could form actual balanced parties and rely orders through a stable command?" Lux suggests...everyone looks at her as if she was an idiot.
"Oh! There's this one, called the final solution and when the boss tries...oh god…anyone have any ideas...good suggestion by the way...whoever you are." He says pointing at Lux.
"I'd like to hear more about this final solution." A German sounding guy says, a bit too excitedly.
"We should NOT hear more about that." Rain comments. Lux, fed up, hops down to the bottom and looks at the group before taking a deep breath.
"Alright, get into three groups, Tanks, Damage dealers and Agility players. From there we will arrange the parties to make up for each person's weakness. Does this sound good to you Diavel?" She asks, to which he curtly nods. No one moves for a few minutes so he steps forward.
"You heard the lady, separate into those groups!" At his command, we all split up into the groups, and from there sorted into a party...probably because it was Lux doing the organizing. So far, our group was just the five of us because we were already pretty balanced with two damage dealers, a tank, and two [Agility] builds.
"I'll leave the rest to you Diavel." She says before hastily making her way over to us. "Why didn't you guys stop me?" She asks, hands shivering. Well...more like her whole body shivering.
"This is Karma." I say confidently. "That's why I didn't, at least."
"Karma." Klein says, nodding in agreement.
"I was too busy talking with Argo." Kirito says, sheepishly.
"I thought it'd help you?" Rain more asks herself then anything. Lux falls to the floor dramatically, starts to say something but stops.
"Uh, thank you...Lux was it? Anyway, from here I'll split you up into squads. Each squad will do a different task, but can be reassigned to help another squad and such if needs be." We got assigned to H with the duty of minion slaying.
"Hey...Should we find a drifter?" I ask. "We have a free slot, and it's not a good idea if anyone ends up going in solo."
"I came prepared for a situation like this! One minute!" He comes back a few minutes later, someone kicking and screaming all the while he was in view.
"Taking bets that he kidnapped someone." Klein says jokingly.
"I'm not the one being replaced this time!" I shout, staring Lux in the eyes.
"Try me, bitch." Lux says, before disengaging quickly. "I said nothing…."
"You said that loudly." Rain states.
"Oh look, another female...Attention there, not me?" Lux tries.
"Get your hands off me you pervert!" The cloaked girl yells, struggling out of his grip.
"Oh, well hello there." Klein says, making his way over.
"Klein, no." I say, putting my hands on his shoulders to stop him. "Mama D is putting her foot down. You can't even see her face."
"You think he cares?" Both Lux and Rain comments.
"I...I think I'm gonna care a little." The man in question says as I intensify my glare at him.
"Anyway, here's our back up...introducing, the Grand Wizard."
"There's a story behind this...isn't there?" Klein asks. Kirito pulls out a crystal.
"Courtesy of Argo." He says before activating it. "Yo, T-dawg. Any new gear, homeskillet?" I look around to see if Tiffany was still around. I've heard that way of speaking before, and want to warn him.
"What…?" 'The Grand Wizard' asks, as we're all staring at her blankly.
"D...care to tell her?"
"That is NOT how you talk to a black man." I say.
"But I want speak like his people…"
"It's...it's the same language though. You can't just step into a culture you don't belong to."
"Speak the truth!" The man in question shouts from...somewhere...
"Yo! Is that T?" She asks, perking up.
"Stay away from me!"
"Asuna, down." Kirito says.
"Why does our group always contain the crazies?" Lux jokes, while staring at me.
"What?" I ask. "Why are you staring at me?"
"Oh, no reason. Anyway, add her into the party once she stops...Uh, Kirito…? Kirito!" She says pointing the the woman dashing towards Tiffany.
"I got this." Klein says grabbing her cloak and yanking her back…ripping the cloak and shattering it in the process.
"I will bet five real world US dollars that this will go poorly for him." I say, having a feeling about what's going to happen next. The next few moments happen quickly with asuna rising to her feet then gut punching him a good few feet away. "I'm sad no one took me up on that." I pout.
"Anyway, I'm Asuna. Nice to meet you." She says as if the last few minutes hadn't happened.
"...D. Hi." I reply cautiously.
"So how do I join your guys party?" She asks, cutting off Rain's self introduction.
"It's easy. Just open the menu." Kirito says with a shit eating grin.
"I can and will stab you." Was her hasty response.
"Okay. Let Mama D learn you a thing." I say, walking up behind her. "Also, THAT'S how properly do what you're trying to do." I take her wrist and make her hold her hand up. "Point two fingers out, and swipe down. That'll open the menu." I made her body do just that. "See? Now, the party invite is in the icon that has the red exclamation point next to it. Just tap it and you're set to accept."
"Thanks! At least SOMEONE can be helpful!"
"I did try! But you wouldn't listen!" Kirito shouts in annoyance. "It's about that damn drop I got, wasn't it?"
"I told you I wanted the 1s."
"That's...not how that works." Rain says with confusion.
"Long story...Can we just focus and go fight the...and the raid party left us behind…" Kirito says, pointing that out.
"Raid ain't till tomorrow." Tiffany says from his spot hiding behind the tree. "I think he said something about sending the squad leaders the time as a reminder."
"Thanks, homie."
"Stop that!"
"What am I doing wrong?" Asuna asks, confused. "Oh wait…moving on...so can someone spot me some Cor…? Maybe a room…? I don't seem to have any Cor…" I could hear the faint catlike laughter of the perpetrator in the distance.
"Sure I can spot you some, wait...better yet, I can just sleep on the floor while you take the bed...I need the Cor for something." Lux says...strangely.
"Lux. Friend. I've been there. I've done that. Don't do that tonight."
"But I like doing that...Rather, I prefer it." She says, yawning.
"Doesn't seem like we have a choice in the matter." Klein says, chuckling. "Talk first, then sleep." He adds, looking at me.
"But I'm tired."
"I have to agree. There is something going on." Rain says, and Kirito nods.
"Um...what's going on?" Asuna asks, looking around confusedly.
"Some stuff happened earlier, and I'm getting to the bottom of it."
"Fine. Fine. Make it quick though." Lux says, dragging Klein and me along, the others following behind. "Here. Privacy." She shouts tiredly, closing the door to the room she shared with Silica and Rain.
"Hey everyone. What's going on?" Silica asks, though she gets ignored.
"So...where we gonna start?" Kirito asks awkwardly.
"D's really a girl, now LET ME SLEEP." Lux growls, curling up on the floor. The group stays silent for a few minutes, and I shuffle awkwardly in place before Klein speaks up.
"So what's it like?" He asks, his normal smirk rising again, arm wrapping around me and pulling me into a bro hug.
"Seeing as how it's my twin brother's body? Weird, and kind of creepy. We have similar builds and stuff, so his scan ended up working for me."
"Saaam, let me sleep…" The curled up lux cries out.
"You put me on the spot by just blurting it out. This is your punishment."
"That's a cute name, D!" Silica says happily, Klein and Kirito nodding in agreement, and Rain looks like she's still kinda taking it in.
"It's...kind of normal. I don't see why you think it's so special…" I awkwardly mutter.
"So you're who Argo was talking about!" She exclaims, as if the last puzzle piece had just been put into place.
"Slep..." Lux complains from her corner.
"...Doesn't this mean Kirito has been sharing a room with a girl?" Rain asks after her moment of processing.
"Yup! Wanna see some pics?" Argo asks appearing out of thin air.
"Pics? What pics?" Kirito asks nervously.
"Nyehehehe...Forty thousand Cor, kii-bou." Argo laughs.
"Kirito! Grab D and leave...before I…" Lux starts but trails off into mumbling before falling asleep.
"...Does this mean I gotta room with tall, dark and lonely here?" Klein asks.
"Tall? He's not tall." I comment, denying Klein's joke.
"Lux did say we would have to save up for a house...I think this was why." Silica comments.
"Um...I think I'll stay with you, Klein. Asuna can room with D then." Kirito says, not making eye contact with me for some reason.
"Why ya blushing Kii-bou~?" Argo asks cat laughing.
"Yeah. Why you blushing, buddy?" Asuna asks with a smirk.
"Let's just sleep...we do have a boss to kill after all." Klein says. Silica agreeing, pulling the blanket of her bed up to her chin.
"Slep!" Lux cheers in her corner. As I'm being dragged away by Asuna a message pops up in view.
[Have fun- Administration. P.S. You're gonna enjoy tomorrow~]
"Asuna. I'm scared." I says as I get thrust into bed.
"Why, Sammy?"
"Kayaba just sent me a message that's all vague and creepy."
"Is it about synching your iTunes playlists? I had one before…"
"What? No! I use Google Music."
"Oh. Nevermind then...Should we not go to the boss tomorrow?" She asks worried?
"I'm the only tank, so...I'm gonna have to. Maybe it really isn't anything to worry about, and we can just go on with our lives."
"If you say so." The two of us changed into sleepwear, privately because I was still technically in my brother's body, and went to sleep. When I woke up the next morning, my chest felt...heavy…
"Ugh…"
"Good morning, sleepy head." Asuna says from the chair in the room with a hairbrush in her hand. Before long, the hairbrush was launched at my head. "That's for almost killing me this morning!"
"K-Kill you!?" I exclaim, then I noticed my voice. "...Kayaba…"
"Morning D- oh hey Sam...SAM!?" Lux starts tiredly whilst walking in before seeing me and shocks herself awake. "Kayaba?"
"Who else! Now close the door before someone sees!" I shout, realizing that since I didn't have a shirt on when I fell asleep, I was exposed to the world after I sat up in bed.
"I still don't get why or how you hide those things…" Lux comments, as she threw a shirt over for me.
"Thanks, and I've told you why."
"Asuna, after the boss fight, we need to make her more girly...because trust me...Sam doesn't act, talk, think or dress like one of us." Lux says as I pull the shirt she gave me on.
"I heard yelling, what happ...ened…" Kirito yells before slowly quieting. "D?"
"...Hey…" I say weakly.
"...I'm taking her out to get new gear." Asuna states, grabbing my hand.
"The scarf stays." I demand as Asuna literally drags me out of bed and into town. Rain and Silica looked very confused as I went by their door, waving.
"So...any preference?" Asuna asks.
"Pants."
"None of them are any good stat wise." Our local game fanatic says from the rooftop. "Sup?"
"Wait for us!" I could hear Silica yell.
"Pomedlenneye!" Rain yells being dragged along by the girl almost half her size.
"Please stop...People are staring…" I mutter.
"You get used to it." Asuna whispers.
"There's a reason I use binders…"
"And that's why you aren't very girly." Lux says while dropping down from her perch.
"Who says I want to be girly though. I'm fine the way I am."
"And how your brother tells me that you spend a long time staring at girly stuff, but not putting it on says that?" Lux asks, smirking.
"I am going to STRANGLE him, cafe be damned. Fine, yes, I like them, but look at these! I can't do that!" I whisper loudly, hands on my chest. The girls all look at each other before their own chests, then each sigh. After a few minutes of awkward silence the girls share a look. A look that scares me. Asuna and lux disappear somewhere while Rain and Silica start pushing me towards a shop. Time flies as does clothes as Rain and Silica forced me into outfit after outfit before finding one that they thought would fit me best. That resulted in my wearing a royal blue vest with a black shirt underneath, a royal blue pleated skirt that falls down to my knees, dark brown boots with a 3 inch heel with leather laces going along the back, and the scarf that I made.
"There you go. You look like an actual girl now." Rain says cheerfully.
"I feel ridiculous…"
"Mission complete." Asuna can be heard saying as the her and Lux enter the shop.
"Here, accept trade and equip." Lux says, sending over a trade. The trade containing...lots of underwear.
"Um...I can at least pick out my own underwear, Lux."
"No. No you can't. You left the camera on when getting out of the shower that one time we were chatting, and I've seen what you put on."
"You gave her a show?" Asuna asks. "Are you gay?"
"Considering how you disturbed my sleep...Let me answer that, ok D?" Lux asks, with a knowing smirk.
"I feel like my answer won't matter. Can we just...not talk about it in the middle of a public place where people besides Argo can eavesdrop?"
"Sam, you ARE getting out that closest one day whether you like it or not." She whispers to me before leaving the shop. I could only sigh at her stubbornness, as she headed to the boss room.
"We need to get the others, before it's too late." As it so happens, the familiar blue haired knight approaches us.
"Good morning. How's your group...Though I don't recall you being a part of it…" He says with a questioning glance towards me.
"Something came up with him, so they found someone to take his place…" Silica lies through her teeth.
"Oh, I see. That's...sad. On another note we have yet to be acquainted haven't we?" Asking the group. Silica leans towards me.
"You could just use your name...as your name is a bit...you know." She suggests before introducing herself to the man.
"...Sam. You can call me Sam. It's easier than the username my brother made me."
"Sam, huh? A pleasure to meet you." He says, smiling.
"Introductions are nice and all, but we have a problem. Pretty sure a friend of ours is marching her way to the boss room right now." Asuna says, interrupting any conversation the man may have wanted to continue. His face turns serious in an instant.
"I'll message the party leaders to gather, if your group goes on ahead I'll ensure we won't be that far behind." He says already that messaging people.
"Silica, go back to the room and get Klein and Kirito. We're going to go catch up." Rain orders to the girl, who moves once she's done speaking. The three of us began to run, only for me to realize I've never worn heels before, and ended up falling on my face.
"Just like the first day after my accident." I grumble, standing back up and trying again. There were many failures until I finally got the hang of it and caught back up with my friend and accidental victim, where we then proceeded to follow the Wolverine-esque path of destruction through the dungeon. "Okay. New rule. No more heels this big or higher." I say between large breaths of digital air. Asuna visibly pouts at that. "Oh, don't you pout at me. I think I lost more health tripping with these damn things than I have to mobs in the last week."
"Now is not the time for arguing." Rain states, going into the door that lead to the boss fight. Lux had cleared out a number of the adds that Illfang had with him, as well as taking out most of his first health bar. She was mid sword skill when a minion jumped at her from behind. Thinking quickly, I ran up and swatted it out the air with my axe.
"I thought you of all people would know not to be this stupid." I comment, bringing the blade of my weapon down on the prone kobold, killing it.
"You were pissing me off!" She roars, digging into the throat of another kobold minion.
"Because I wanted to talk about an IRL thing with friends in the privacy of our room?!" I ask, using [Cleave] to tear into another kobold.
"Because of everything!" She replies, bowling over a different minion. I hadn't noticed it, but Rain and Asuna had started mowing down the mobs that weren't near us. It wasn't long before the rest of the raid party stormed into the room and Diavel started barking orders. Since the mobs were effectively taken care of, we were able to switch entire squads in to deal damage to the boss. That only lasted until Illfang's health fell into the red.
"Squad H, fall back and heal up! Squad B, take over!" Diavel shouts, giving us room to prepare as a new wave of minions showed up. It was also the signal that Illfang had changed weapons. Kirito's eyes went wide as the boss drew his new weapon.
"Diavel! Get everyone away! That's not a Talwaar! It's a Nodachi!" Diavel seemed to pay him no mind as he not only let the teams fight as they were told, but barreled past them all time to attack Illfang on his own.
"What's he doing!?" Klein shouts.
"He's going for the last attack bonus." Lux says, calmer than I thought she would be in this situation. "And he's going to get himself killed." Illfang began leaping from pillar to pillar, before landing a devastating diagonal slash to Diavel's torso.
"Let's go." Asuna said, running in the direction of the boss and his victim. It seemed Illfang wasn't done with Diavel just yet, as he prepared another sword skill. The six of us were able to make it in time, and between Rain and I we were able to block it while Asuna, Lux and Klein drove him back. I wasn't paying much attention to what was said, seeing as how Illfang hit hard, but I noticed the mood of our group change as I heard Kirito stand up.
"Sam." I hear Kirito say. "Can you give us an opening?"
"Want me to parry master? Say no more." I chuckle, tightening my grip on my axe. Without a spoken command the six of us moved, setting up a chain of parries and counters. Rain, Klein and I blocked his attacks while Kirito, Asuna and Lux attacked. It took a bit of doing, and a close call with me getting hit by the follow up swing of a two hit sword skill that I had to dodge, but Lux's claws sank into Illfang's eyes and he shattered.
Woo! Boss fight done! Finally….Says the one who did very little for this chapter because he was on vacation. Shhh. Meh. I got it done, and just in time for when I wanted to, though I was hoping to get this out sooner. Fair? Anyway see you guys next time, seeya. You stole my thing! Peace!