"We'll do this as one!" - Speech

'I so, so hate you…' - Thoughts

"The game is done." - Flashback

*Whoosh!* *Tzzz!*- Sound effects

'`Chapter 9: For Anyone'`

He's confusing, this was no doubt.

Constantly taking risks had worried everyone to no end. And yet, he would never stop doing so if it does indeed benefit the people.

He sees himself as the pawn in the game of a king, and would put himself in danger to save those of which he believes he can.

Daft does him no justice. Oblivious is far too weak of a word. Why can't he see that he is indeed the king?

Floor 48: Lindarth

"Asuna, why are we here again?" He asked with disinterest, trying to adjust this new, uncomfortable shirt around him. The greaves particularly felt too out-of-place.

"Because my friend, who is a blacksmith, is working here, and if by chance, she could forge you some armour along the way," she said with a smile.

"For your information, that simple outfit I made was stronger than even Klein's armour," he scoffed, still intent on just leaving, but the girl's ironclad grip on his hand rendered his efforts to just leave futile.

"True that," the man in question nodded. "I mean, it lasted all the way since we've been fighting on floor one! Ain't that something?"

As of currently, Nier and his guild had taken a trip to the town of Lindas—courtesy of Asuna there—that many would mistaken for some sort of farm town, had there not been the church and number of medieval houses with its own watermill.

While reluctant to do so, there were three reasons as to why Nier agreed to come with Asuna here.

One, the lack of clothes and armour was still more than enough to turn a girl's face red with embarrassment. Though he seemed unaffected by it, and thankfully enough the guys seemed no worse than him, none of the girls could maintain their eyes on such beauty—obviously, none of them dared say that to him.

Two, the strawberry blonde's friend had apparently set shop here, operating as a blacksmith. Quick research all lead to a girl named Lisbeth, who was known to be extremely good at making both armour and weapons. She could craft whatever her customers required of her, and that was more than enough to get him curious.

Three, if there were clothes that need sewing, then he had to look no further than Ashley, a fellow tailor who had ascended the ranks and made a name for herself. Even so, the fact that she had made a policy for herself so to only take custom jobs of interest and to only use the rarest materials was considered skeptical, but he supposed he could give her the benefit of the doubt and see how good she was.

In any case, the guild, consisting of ten members up til' now, including Yui, were going to need a place with a lot of space. There was no way any simple inn was going to house all of them, judging by how freaking large they were, so Asuna—yet again—proposed that they stay in the rundown houses somewhere on the outskirts of town.

While it was certainly quite a distance away from the main town, Nier supposed it was fine. It was free, so that was all that mattered.

In any case, Nier was on his way to Lisbeth's shop, with Yuna, Asuna and Klein accompanying him, leaving the rest to watch over their temporary base.

"Seriously though, I don't get what's so wrong with me wearing nothing at all. I mean, it's not like I possess curse marks on my body or anything," the boy sighed for the second time today, surprised that he hadn't done more than that.

"Look… You may not know this, but not wearing your clothes in public is not normal," the girl mumbled some other things the last part, but all he could catch was 'hot…', which made him wonder what she meant.

It was certainly an amazing trait, for sure. The ability to tell the temperature of something just by looking at it. That would help very much, he thought.

And as always, he was wrong, though no one would really tell him that.

*Creak!* *Ding!*

"Lisbeth!" The rapier-wielder greeted with much energy, smiling brightly.

Taking a good look inside the shop, Nier was practically amazed with what he was seeing. A variety of weapons and armour were on display left and right, crafted out of good iron and other materials that he wasn't too sure about.

And while he would have dared to think that this Lisbeth person was indeed someone who was possibly a buxom woman with a mind of a genius, never in his wildest thoughts would he have expected a cute-looking girl with coloured pink hair with what could be mistaken for a maid's outfit.

"Huh. Not who I was expecting," he blurted out. "Forgive me, no offense."

"None taken," the girl, Lisbeth, waved off his concerns with a bright smile. "And hey Asuna! Good to see you doing well."

"Yup! And you seem so yourself as well," she nodded back, gesturing to the little group behind her. "I'd like to introduce you to some of our guild members. Nier, Klein and Yuna."

"I see. Nier, leader of the famous guild called «Blank», and sometimes called that as well," the pink-haired girl teased, earning a curious look from the boy.

"Really? I never really heard people calling me «Blank» before. Does everyone have a title that I'm not familiar with?" He asked, wondering about that.

"Oh, why yes indeed," the blacksmith smirked as she gestured to each of his friends. "Asuna here is called the «Lightning Flash» due to how quick she is, that man friend of yours is the «Wandering Samurai» and that girl is… well, she doesn't have a title yet."

"Seriously? How come I've never heard of these titles before this?" He scratched his head, possessing a look of confusion on his face.

"You're always busy looking out for others or training us whenever those sort of things happen. Or you're probably out in the fields killing monsters or taking care of requests," Yuna giggled in amusement, though none of which she's said has been a lie.

No one could deny that he was a busy bee. Constantly busying himself with something, whether it had to do with the welfare of somebody else or just wanting to get stronger. And that desire only grew stronger with the battle against «Mechonis», which, while not certainly looking to be the case, had actually exhausted him terribly.

That new «Sword Skill» of his was immensely powerful, considered to be OP at times. And it was both good and bad.

The good thing about «Birth From Bytes» was that it was a skill that unleashed as many combos as it possibly could onto the enemy, with each strike equivalent to the strength of ten regular attacks. It was certainly overpowered, if you took into account that even one normal attack from the boy was enough to kill a «Drunken Ape». And it only ran off on just half of his total SP, so he could use it twice, before needing to recharge it.

However, the bad thing about it was that it also ran off on his stamina, unlike normal «Sword Skills», which would usually result in him tired out at the end of the attack. There was certainly no way he could use two of that in a row. What's worse was that, as demonstrated in the battle, if he did indeed fall due to exhaustion, then there was no way he was going to be able to recover quickly.

«Cure», his ability to heal himself from any status ailments and restore his health, did not branch out to his stamina, so there was a flaw there. Once he gets out of here, he'll make sure to fix that.

In any case, just as Nier was about to say something to Yuna, a lightbulb popped above his head, reminding him of something that he wanted to ask Lisbeth.

"Lisbeth," he called, earning her attention. "I actually have a request for you. It's nothing hard, really. Just want you to check up on a sword that I picked up from a boss battle."

"Huh. Sure, I can help," she retreated to her counter, folding both arms and resting them on the counter, looking curious. "Where is it?"

"It's here," he tapped on a few buttons, before the weapon materialised before him. And daresay, it was so impressive, that it elicited gasps from the others. Even he himself had a look of surprise.

A beautiful weapon crafted of a strange red iron that Lisbeth swore she had never seen before this. It was a lone hilt, with a large circle in the centre of the body, the blade itself protruding upwards. And yet, it didn't seem necessarily sharp, which was a strange design all on its own.

Taking the sword from his hands, she was surprised that it was lighter than how it looked. She, or anyone really, would have mistaken it for a buster blade.

"Huh. Certainly didn't expect it to be light," the boy spoke. Hey, did she just read her mind? Wait a minute—

"Don't tell me you never pulled this sword out of your inventory before this?" She asked with an eyebrow cocked.

"Nope. He's been keeping it in his inventory all this time, so that's why all of us were pretty much surprised. None of us have seen anything like this," his best friend spoke in his stead, shrugging. "So, what's it about?"

Tapping on the information of the weapon, the details certainly had her curious.

"It says 'A weapon of the divine, and the only one that can match the «Mechon»'," she read, visibly surprised by what it said. Certainly one not to be taken lightly, if anything.

"The only one that can match the «Mechon»? That's strange. We didn't face any difficulties during our fight with them on floor fifty-five," Yuna pointed out, hums of agreement from the rest of her guild.

"That's definitely a strange description, but I suppose it has its own lore," he shrugged. "So hey, how strong is it?"

"Hang on…" Wondering what she meant, it didn't take long for her to suddenly bring up a new menu, one of which had him wondering what it was.

As far as he knew, looking at a weapon gave you several options; to either return it into your inventory, to look at its description, or to discard it. And yet, looking at her now, there was a new menu on display.

Everyone leaned in closer to look at what it was.

"Umm… it's strange. There's this section called «Monado Arts», and it's got this long list of skills, if you could call it that," she spoke out, earning questioning looks from the others. "Look, I get it. It doesn't make sense, but I'm not kidding. There's «Buster», «Shield», and other things."

"Really? Well, certainly something to look into later," the boy was certainly not expecting of such a sword to be given so much attention, but he supposed it was fine. Taking it back from Lisbeth, he gave her a slight bow. "Thank you for taking a look at it."

"It's nothing. I mean, first person to look at something this cool, so who am I to complain?" The smile she had on her meant that she wasn't at all annoyed, so that was good. "So, where are you guys hanging out at right now?"

"We have a base outside of town. We're currently staying there because our numbers are too big for any inns here to house," he explained, Asuna nodding.

"Right. With us four, there is a total of ten people. Even so, we haven't decided on where we actually want to build our base, so we decided on moving around here and there until we can finally decide on a place," she added to her friend's words.

"Wow, guild's steadily growing. You guys planning on growing any bigger than that?" She asked as she took a look under the counter, the sound of iron and coins tinkling could be heard.

"No, not by a long shot. If anything, I'm only intending to open my doors to those of whom we've fought alongside, or possess a connection to any of our members, either by familial or just as allies," he shook his head, earning a look of confusion from her. "Say for instance… Yuna, here."

"Yes?" She blinked, not expecting the topic of the conversation.

"Our recent members are Nautilus and Strea, both of whom are her friends and have fought with her during her temporary alliance with «Knights of Blood». As such, they were given the chance to join the guild," he explained, earning himself a hum of understanding from the pink-haired girl.

"Huh. Seems okay, so far. But you sure you're okay with that sort of way? What if your guild gets too big?" She asked again.

"I'm fine. So long as it's easy to maintain, I wouldn't mind," he shrugged.

There was a strange way that he phrased his words, but she could sense that he wasn't lying. Just as she was about to ask him something, the sound of a plate shattering above them could be heard.

The group of five looked up there, all confused except Lisbeth.

"Sorry. Just some friends of mine," she spoke. "They're bunking in with me currently."

"Let me guess. They're being chased by the higher-ups due to some form of traitorous act, in their eyes, and require a place to hide?" Though Nier's suggestion had a light jesting tone, hinting to the fact that he was merely joking, the look of surprise on the blacksmith's face was more than enough to say otherwise.

"Wait, how do you know?" She leaned forwards, eyeing him warily.

"Uhh, I was actually just kidding," he blinked, not sure what to say in this situation. "It was just a shot in the dark, really. I wasn't actually expecting my guess to be right."

"Lesson learned, never ever mess with the kid. He's just too smart for his own good," Klein sniggered, his friend rolling his eyes in response.

*Tk tk tk…*

There was the sound of footsteps, before the door somewhere to the side, which connected this room to the floor upstairs, swung open, revealing a little girl with pigtails, light brown hair and wide brown eyes.

Well, she was certainly still older than Yui, Nier thought.

"Lisbeth! We're in trouble!" She cried out, the pink-haired blacksmith jumping slightly at that.

Despite knowing that none of this was certainly his business, Nier was quick to make due for the room upstairs, his friends trailing behind him.

Reaching the end of the corridor, he pushed aside the door, revealing a woman with red hair, dressed in a simple white tee with a black skirt, clenching her wrist with her left hand as a dagger was planted on her desk.

And it wasn't hard to say that someone must have tossed it through the open window to the right.

He didn't waste any time looking out, quickly scanning the area for any signs of players. And yet, all there was for the eyes to see, was the vast stretch of greenery and trees, the sun dipping past the horizon and dyeing everything yellow.

"Rosalia!" He heard Yuna call out. Turning around, the two girls shared a moment of surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"A-Ahh, it's nothing…" The redhead replied, uncharacteristically nervous, unlike the time when she was confident and brave back when they fought against each other.

"Did you meet her during your time in Heathcliff's guild?" The boy asked, earning himself a nod from the girl.

"Right. She was one of the officers Nautilus, Strea and I had to fight before we were allowed to leave the guild," she explained briefly, attention returning to the redhead. "But that aside, what's going on?"

"She's being hunted," all heads turned to the voice at the doorway, revealed to be Liz, who was frowning. The first time, the boy noted since he got here. "There's been some… stuff going on, so she's in trouble now."

"Then there is no argument over the fact that you're not safe here," he pulled out «Binary», equipping it. "Klein, you and I are to search the area clean. Asuna, Yuna, take the three of them to our base, and quickly. I doubt anyone who attacked you will give you the time to escape."

"What? Then what of my shop?" This was the only place of which Lisbeth was proud to call home, and losing it would mean the lost of almost everything.

"Close it. If there's any players coming around, then sorry, but you're not going to do business with someone potentially after your heads around," he shook his head, not able to see that happening. "Come on, pack your things. We're leaving."

Reluctant to leave her shop, Lisbeth and her two friends did as they were told, getting their belongings with them before they followed after Asuna and Yuna out, with Klein and Nier covering the area without so much time wasted, trying to find any red players.

Despite having upgraded his «Detection» skill, Nier could sense no players in the area, which meant that they must have left already.

Troubling, but justice will play its cards someday. Time was all they needed for now.

Floor 48: Outskirts of Lindarth

"Checkmate," Sachi's voice was confident as she moved the rook to the front, capturing the enemy king and disabling any sort of advancements. The look of disbelief on Nautilus's face, or Nau-Nau as Strea puts it, was priceless.

"Whoo! That makes it Sachi's fifth consecutive win in chess!" Argo clapped, the others sharing a look of amazement. Despite her being challenged solely by the young swordsman and Agil, that still meant something.

"T-Thanks. But I doubt I'd get anywhere against Nier," she chuckled, everyone else nodding in unison. Being the smart ass he is, chess is probably gonna' be second nature to him."

"Pshaw!" The previous member of the «Knights of Blood» giggled at her blue-headed friend, wearing purple battle armour, unlike her previous matching reds and whites. She liked this one more, since Nier picked it out for her and it actually suited her. "You just need to have more faith in yourself!"

"R-Right..." The bluenette nodded.

*Creak…*

"Oh, they're back!" Strea bounced in her spot, beaming when a familiar brunette entered the building, before a confused frown formed on her features the moment she took notice of the red-haired woman. "Rosalia?"

"Who're they, Asuna?" Agil asked, subconsciously keeping a hand to the hilt of his axe.

"Long story. We'll fill you in once Nier and Klein gets back," she answered swiftly, not missing the action in the slightest. Mouthing an apology, Agil relaxed once more.

It didn't take all that long for their monochromatic-haired leader to come back, his samurai friend just beside him, both sharing tired looks and swords in hands.

The boy spared no time to lie down on the mattress on the ground, waving in the air once before falling asleep.

"Whoa, that's quick," Asuna blinked, not expecting him to go out that fast. "Well… since Nier's out, I suppose I'll tell you guys."

So they talked. Talked about the turn of events. About why these girls were going to stay here in the meantime.

Her friend, Lisbeth, added more to the story. She had met Rosalia and Silica on floor thirty-five while she was on one of her search for some rare ore. It was then that the three met, the two being chased by «Laughing Coffin».

Aah, no wonder they were hiding.

"Wait a minute. They tried to kill Rosalia in a safe area. Surely, that wouldn't have worked," the large man pointed out, everyone turning the fact over and over in their heads and realising that it was true.

"You're right…" The once-was sleeping boy rose to a sitting position, yawning as he scratched his head. "That… was merely a warning. A reminder that more is coming, and that you won't be safe once you step foot out of these lands."

"Seriously..?" For once, the woman genuinely felt afraid, never once expecting herself to be targeted by some dangerous men. Looking down, she bit her lip.

Great, she thought. She's made two friends, and is troubling them as well as another guild. And not just any simple guild, but one that is lead by the powerful and famous «Blank», the guild being named the same thing as well.

"Actually, something does make me curious. Something that you haven't necessarily told us," the boy crossed his arms, looking straight at the woman, who now was looking at him attentively. Those eyes were reading her, searching for the most minute changes in her body movement and the like. "Tell us, why is the «Laughing Coffin» after you?"

That question had raised curious heads, and soon all turned to Rosalia. In fact, even Silica and Lisbeth were unaware of such reason, given how they too looked at her, wanting answers.

"…I was a member of it once," she admitted, shocked gasps pouring in from every direction, albeit the boy. "But never once did I actually kill! Fine, rob them and leave them armless, yes, I admit it. Criminal, selfish and inhuman. Yes, I did indeed do all that, but I would never take another man's life for as long as I live. It wouldn't do well on my conscious…"

"Rosalia…" Silica blinked with a frown, unable to believe all this. She's partied with her for a short while, yet she had never thought of it to be this bad.

"I see. So, in their eyes, you're a stray who's a threat to them, all because you may be able to expose their whereabouts and the like," he nodded, understanding a bit of these madmen's mentality. It was certainly difficult to reason with such creatures, much less understand the way they think. "So you escaped in hopes of not becoming part of them?"

"Yes. And yet, it seems that they were intent on keeping their members part of them," she grimaced, face expressing a bit of disgust and fear. "…Or be rid of them."

There was silence right after, the time used up for the boy to think up on a few things.

One thing for sure, there was no way they could just throw her under the bus. That was both cowardly and practically inhuman, both of which clashed against his ideals; he wanted everyone to live, even if they were heartless bastards such as the «Laughing Coffin».

But then came the problem of keeping her with them. They'd have to be vigilant at all times, and, added to the fact that their base was currently on the outskirts of the town, therefore being out of the safe zone, they're free to kill her off even in her sleep.

'Tsk… How troubling,' he narrowed his eyes as he looked out the window, overlooking the plains. What were they supposed to do?

And then, as if he were a man to have been struck with an idea in the showers, an idea of his own popped into his mind, one that was both safe to them all and would rid them of their troubles.

He returned his attention to his guild.

"I have an idea, though you won't like it," he began, and sure enough no one liked it.

And when he said no one, he wasn't kidding. Let me emphasise on that.

No one liked it.

Finished with all his talk about how it would only put him in the field of danger, while maintaining a safe proximity for the guild, everyone were deep in thought, pondering.

When Asuna opened her eyes, however, he did not expect the look of seriousness, much less her tone.

"Nier is to be put under lock-down. He is to be kept in the base, unable to leave the area until further notice," she spoke, not joking around. "And members are to rotate between themselves to guard him, ensuring that he does not leave."

"H-Hey! I don't remember making you Vice-Commander or anything!" He sweat-dropped with a shocked look.

"Umm, don't you remember? We practically chose her as the Vice-Commander because you said 'whoever thinks they're up to the task can do so'," Klein butted in, earning nods from everyone.

Nier sweat-dropped, that part of detail slipping his memory because of how insignificant he thought it was. And now, it was coming back to bite him.

Figuratively, of course.

Now, knowing that when Asuna used such a tone, he knew that she was completely serious. Joking around was not really a trait of hers, compared to the shy Sachi or the carefree Yuna. Then again, looking at them, despite their soft looks, equal determination shone in their eyes as it did in the strawberry blonde's own.

He sighed. He's going to need to explain again.

"Look, it's as they say. 'Face the obstacles head-on to rid yourself of your fear', or something alone those lines," though he knew it wasn't going to work with them, his thoughts were confirmed once they all gave a shake of the head. And in perfect unison, no less. "Seriously?"

"Nier, it's a risky plan, both to you and us. We're not letting you meet the «Laughing Coffin»," there was a hint of fear, well-masked by the amount of poison that laced through her words. She sighed. "Plus, you'll be doing this alone. Surely you know how dangerous it is?"

"Well, sure, it's certainly a risk if they discover my true identity, but I doubt they would be able to so. I've never really exposed myself in public all the time, so I doubt they'd catch onto me that fast," there was logic behind his words, but none of them were willing to give in. "Look, this is our only chance."

"What do you mean? We could just find someplace safe and make base there," Silica suggested.

"Unless you'd rather rotate between each other to guard each other's backs at night, just to keep out any intruders, I'd rather this be the way. I mean, none of you are going to be in danger, and with my skills, I'll easily put them down. Kill two birds with one stone. Or, in this case," he pointed at himself, smiling. "One human."

"Nier! We're not sacrificing you, no matter how much you ask of it!" This time, out of everyone there, it was Yuna to have reacted first, eyes wide with fear. There was nothing to hide it this time, and he could see it quite well. Even her body was tense as she suddenly reached out to him, holding onto his arms as if he was about to leave.

Blinking in surprise, as everyone else were, it took her a moment to understand what had just happened. And when the information clicked in her, a blush formed on her face as she started sputtering incoherent sentences, pushing away from him.

He was not sure what to say in this situation.

"Nier, why are you so willing to go so far for me?" Rosalia suddenly asked, sounding sad. There was no mistaking the fact that this boy was far too kind, even to strangers such as her, who had admitted to committing sins towards others.

"Because if I don't, who else will?" He scoffed, as if it was so obvious. Her surprise was understandable, urging him to continue. "Look, I don't want PoH, leader of the red guild, to spread his mentality to other players. At the end of the day, all we'd get amongst us is a bunch of murderers, so I don't want that. As such, I may as well take matters into my own hands."

"What? But you're seriously going up against a whole guild. How the heck are you supposed to survive, much less defeat them?" Lisbeth spoke next.

"Simple. The idea will come to me, in due time," he shrugged, earning sweat-drops and sighs from the others. "But I stand firm with what I said. I see this to be the most effective way of getting rid of the red players. We bring them down, then I'll send them off to imprisonment. Easy as that."

Easier said than done. No matter how much of a genius he was, there was just a lack of understanding towards what his friends felt.

Such example was when Yuna was literally forced—though she would never admit that, as she adored him to even say that—to join the «Knights of Blood», and he did not understand why his friends were initially disappointed. In fact, the reason was still a slight blur to him, but he did not dwell on it for too long.

Such selflessness was ultimately recognized as pure recklessness. As a means of thinking that himself was not as important as the lives around him, that he was just a mere pawn to a grande scheme.

How blind, yet admirable he was. To place himself in the ranks of the lowest of the low, constantly working his best to help the others. It was no wonder why the «Blank» grew to be famous as it is now in such a short time.

Still, why couldn't he see the dangers behind such an operation?

Again, it was his strong belief that such a plan would carry out smoothly, and that he would be able to make it out alive. Was it stupidity? Naïveté? Or perhaps both? To most men and women, they would certainly say that, but to those that truly understand him…

It was Nier trying to save everyone. His fear.

"…At the very least, let one of us accompany you," Asuna finally agreed with such a decision, though the heavy feeling in his gut did not fade. The potential of him getting hunted was still high, after all. Even then, with someone else with him, it would at least put her at a calm state of mind.

"Oh, no. I am not risking it. I've no doubts that they'd recognize you in an instance, and as such, I'd rather not have you exposed by accident," he shook his head, the idea sour on his tongue. "I work better alone."

"But you're not alone. We've been fighting as a team, and we've done so much better than ever, right?" Yuna pointed out, smiling.

"W-Well, that is true, but—" He was cut off before he could finish.

"Then let one of us go with you. Please?" She would have loved it if it was her, but if it wasn't, then at least he wouldn't be alone—still, if it was her…

"I'll go," a young voice spoke, and in no time wasted, all heads turned to the source, disapproving looks of fear and worry written on their faces.

"No. Yui, there is no way I'm bringing you with me. It's far too dangerous, and I'd feel comfortable with everyone else here watching over you," he shook his head, unable to accept it.

"And I'd worry for you just the same," she sighed. "I… know it's selfish, but I need to learn. I can't always keep hiding behind other's backs. Like Yuna-nee. She may have started off as your «Synergist» and «Medic», but now, she can fight perfectly well."

"Ahh… Crud," he bit the inside of his cheek, contemplating between letting her come with him or not.

Having her come with him was not a huge problem, per se. It was the fact that they would be crossing enemy territories was what scared him immensely. The thought of losing her to them…

No. Shaking his head, he would not let the image of blood and a severed head enter his mind. She was going to return to everyone, safe and unharmed, and he'll make sure his sword and bow will keep her that way.

"Nier, I think she should go with you," Agil voiced out his opinion. "I mean, the girl's a «Saboteur», though we may not really know how it works. But still, she'll be a big help to you, so let her."

There was a slight pause, Nier bringing up his hand to stop everyone else from talking. He needed time to think about this.

As he hopes, the plan should work.

His guild will be moving forwards, and he'll take down «Laughing Coffin», or as much as he could—his friends' words had him rethinking on fully eradicating the guild, which would probably be difficult to accomplish.

He thought, and thought, and thought, and what could have been years in his mind translated to only one in-game minute, the sound of wind and birds outside this rundown house giving a bit of sense of peace.

Then his eyes opened.

"Fine," he nodded, all heads showing smiles now. "Then our plan is this. All of you are to remain here. This building is in the range of the town's safe area, so nothing bad will happen here. Yui and I will be looking for «Laughing Coffin's» base and try to hinder their progress, and possibly get rid of them. We'll be able to stop them from pursuing Rosalia in the long run since they would be too focused on rebuilding themselves, and cut down their numbers."

"You don't intend to kill them, do you?" Klein's question was met with worried looks from everyone, but the monochromatic-haired boy returned it with a look of thought.

He had already known that, were someone to try and take his life, then he would need to retaliate. If he'd have to stain his cognitive hands with their own pixelated blood…

He didn't know whether to feel scared, terrified, or plainly worried. He's been killing monsters, so to go after a man this time would surely be a different thing.

And Kayaba's already solidified the fact that whoever died in this world would indeed die in the real world. So if Nier killed someone, he'd…

He'd…

"I don't know," he answered genuinely, both parts of his subconscious clashing against each other and enacting an equilibrium. "On one hand, I see the need to put them down for good. And yet… the other tells me to put them behind bars, and enact justice upon them in the real world."

It made sense, didn't it? Proper trials could be carried out, and no one could complain.

But they killed people, and for the sport of it no less. Surely taking their lives himself wouldn't be bad?

But if he killed them, then the blame of their deaths would shift to him. And then he'd be the one behind bars.

Aargh, everything's so confusing!

"Okay, okay! How about this? We'll just sort things out later, alright? For now, just do what you want to do and stay here. Don't even think about stopping us now," he instructed, earning reluctant nods from everyone. "Good. Yui, pack up. We're going out on an expedition."

The Next Day

As everyone stood outside of the rundown houses they had been using as a sort of base for the meantime, now they were forced to bid their farewells to the two that stood adjacent to each other. Yui, a girl who had just recently joined them, and Nier, their leader, possessing a look of confidence.

Man, even in a bad situation, he could remain optimistic. What people would do for half that confidence…

"Nier, you sure you're fine wearing just that? The armour's not going to last, you know," Lisbeth huffed, the boy shrugging.

"It's more than fine. A simple bleached dress shirt with grey trousers, with just elbow pads, knee guards and a cloak," these words described what he wore, and truth be told, he looked like some rogue. "It'll keep me concealed until then. Not a bad choice, if I do say so myself."

"Well, it certainly is better than wearing nothing…" Klein noted, everyone else making sounds or gestures of agreement.

"Hhaa…" He rolled his eyes. "Well, Yui, are you ready?"

"Of course," she nodded.

"Then let us be off," he turned on his heels, cloak trailing after him. She didn't hesitate to follow him, despite knowing that the dangers to come would put their lives on the line.

She trusted him. When has he ever failed them?

"This is still a bad idea, and you know it…" Agil had a worried look, unfaltering despite having seen enough young men march off to their deaths in this game. Nier was a good friend, so not worrying about him was difficult.

"I know. But you know him," there was a hint of melancholy behind Asuna's laugh, one that others could understand. "Once he decides on something, he's never going to take 'no' for an answer. That's just how he is."

"Damn… I just hope nothing bad happens to him," the samurai muttered, wishing that he could've tagged along. But with Yui there, he supposed nothing too horrible could happen.

There was a collective sighs from everyone there, watching as the outline of their friends slowly blurred into the trees, before becoming nothing. They were now untraceable, and all they could do is progress up the floors and wait things out.

It was several painful minutes before they started moving out, sending silent prayers towards their leader.

And Rosalia, Lisbeth and Silica were surprised by just bow much they respected and loved him. Was he truly that admirable?

That Night—Floor 27

Every guild were kind enough to give off information as to where their bases would be located at; «Knights of Blood» were on floor fifty-five, Nier's guild had specified that they hadn't decided yet, and some others had their own places.

Now, of course, being a red guild meant that everyone would be hunting you at every chance they'd get. So of course, it meant that they had to keep their locations a tight secret, no matter what.

And of course, what better way to start than not sharing your guild's base location?

Seriously though, PoH, leader of the «Laughing Coffin», had left no clue, or even a riddle as to where to find them. How were people supposed to be members then?!

It was this moment that Nier began thinking as to whether he should have just remained with his guild, taking the time to gather information before blinding jumping into the fray.

Insert: facepalm.

Nonetheless, he's already here, and it would be a waste to go back. All that time down the drain, and for what? No. He'll just have to make do.

*Grroaaan…*

Oh yeah. Food.

"Yui, what would you like?" He asked as he manipulated his inventory, pulling out «Monado». He traced his fingers along the edges. Smooth, unlike any other swords he's touched.

"Oh, I don't mind. Anything's good," she shook her head, wrapping the cloak around her tightly.

"You sure? Last I checked, you seem to have a strong distaste for herbs, and favour spicy things amongst other things," he smiled, noticing the way her body stiffened. 'Bullseye.'

"Y-You noticed?" She was surprised that he actually noticed all that, and just from a few days of lunch and dinner, no less.

"Of course. It's necessary to keep track of my friends' likes and dislikes so to prepare for things like this just in case," he shrugged. "Think about it. Feeding Klein a single lettuce will be near impossible to taming a dragon larger than Pina."

"Heehee! That's so true!" She giggled, the fact being so hilarious. He smiled, happy that he got that over. Now to get the food.

"So, spicy roast for you. Just wait here, I'll be back soon enough," he stood, leaving «Monado» by her side. "If anything, just scream really loud. I'll come over just as quick."

Nodding in understanding, she waved him off as he departed deeper into the woods, leaving the small cave they had made camp in.

Grasshoppers, wind, danger. Sounds that brought music to the background, the sense that anything could basically pop out of the bushes and kill him. Though, whatever would be going for his head, be it player or «Killer Mantis», would need to try hard.

Plus, «Null: Damage» would keep his health intact, no matter what.

The search wasn't all that long, as he soon stumbled upon a «Wild Boar» or two, and his bow alone made quick work of them. Now, off to find something to make it spicy. If chilli and pepper doesn't grow in this damn game, then he was more than sure that he was going to make a substitute for those two.

Asuna's done it before. She basically invented soy sauce in this game using whatever ingredients she found. Well, if she was going to play that way, just she watch.

Just she watch…

Returning to the cave with a handful of items on him, getting dinner started didn't take long at all, and soon enough, the two enjoyed roast pork, with a touch of hot pepper to go with it—who would have thought they grew on this floor?

And though the girl smiled from ear to ear, face warm as she enjoyed such a treat, Nier enjoyed it just as much, though the urge to spit it out and find water to fill his whole mouth with was quickly becoming a need at this point.

What the hell? How is Yui not spewing fire at this point?! She's basically impregnable to spicy food!

Gulping down the last of his portion, muttering shaky thanks to the Almighty, he pulled out his canteen and downed every last water down his throat, allowing it to wash away the painful burn on his tongue.

What felt like horror soon turned into simple bliss as the smoking fire was extinguished, now replaced with a comfortable, yet numbing sensation on his tongue. Who would've thought Kayaba implemented even this into the game?

"Hey Nier?" The boy put away his water canteen, wiping his lips with the sleeve of his shirt. "Why did you make this plan?"

"Because the problem we have at hand is too big to be ignored," he answered, explaining further. "I don't intend to trouble my guild. If we were to go all together, I'm afraid it may reveal all of our identities, and that may as well spoil our chance to keep progressing. We're still, though not necessarily, helping out to clear the upper floors."

That answer had massive holes in them, and as far as she knew, he wasn't one to lie. It was just that he intends to twist his words to mean something else, when there was a completely different reason so to why he did something.

So she thought. Thought about why he volunteered to break the «Laughing Coffin» all on his own. Why he ordered his guild to remain away from the battle, and to remain hidden until further notice. Why he was reluctant to bring anyone with him.

There were puzzle pieces scattered; his words that left his lips. And soon enough, as she connected them together, only then did they start to match with that fear of his.

"You're afraid of losing them," she concluded, sighing. He sweat-dropped at the reaction. Was he really an open book at this point? "I don't see what's the problem of bringing everyone along. We'd be able to take them all on together, and not risk getting defeated."

"But news travel quick, Yui. Think about it. If their spy catches word that we're out to hunt them, then we'd be dead quicker than even I can forge a lance," he muttered, logic behind his words both clear and hazy at the same time. How does that even work? "What I really mean, is that they'd flee from the floor they were previously residing on before we'd even have the chance to capture, because they know we'll be coming for them."

"Well… That does make sense," she hummed, unsure of what to say anymore. It made sense, and she could understand why he went so far, yet there was a desire to point out the flaws in his words. To just… not put him in harm's way.

The fire flickered, wood that supported it quickly turning into black ash. Smoke was not too plenty, so breathing would not be a worry.

The night itself was peaceful, silent even. There was nothing that would pose a threat to them, or, more accurately, Nier, since he was the one who did all the fighting. Yui, still unable to fight anyone, was asked to remain by the side, and she did so, albeit hesitantly.

Although, she could help him out with her task as a «Saboteur», but she never really told him how he did it.

Could she trust him with such a secret? She desperately wanted to, but the fear of being secluded from him, and possibly everyone else, had sewed her lips shut, keeping all the secrets inside.

She was an enigma, a person of whom her origins weren't clear. Yuna, Strea and Nautilus found her by chance, and took her in out of sympathy.

Who wouldn't? In fact, she doubted that she would just look away.

You come across a little girl, hurt and alone in a forest, unable to fend for herself. Unless you were a really heartless bastard, you would take her with you, watching over her until she is properly healed.

Thinking back now, she wondered what would have happened to her if she never met the songstress and her friends. She wouldn't be able to be part of «Blank», and she'd never be able to meet all these amazing people.

How lonely…

"Umm, Nier?" She looked up, a timid look present. "C-Can I tell—"

*Twak!*

"Get down!" Before everything could be translated into proper information for the young girl, Nier had basically tossed himself at her, pushing her to the ground as he remained atop of her, feeling the arrow bounce from his back, dropping to the cave ground.

An arrow. Not his arrow. Someone else's arrow.

Someone was attacking them.

'No…' Biting back a snide, Nier rushed out with an arrow hitched on his bow, pulling it back before letting loose at a random direction.

As far as he knew, no one really used an arrow. But the scream that came after was certainly not dangerous.

"Eeeh!" It was one that belonged to a girl, high-pitched and so afraid that any attempt at retaliating was immediately pushed down, replaced with the need to crouch.

"Show yourself!" The boy shouted as he kept the arrow to his bow, aiming at where he could sense the figure. "Don't play games with me! I may like games, but I am not going to play hide-and-seek with you!"

He levelled his bow towards a tree, firing straight at its trunk and hearing a crunching sound coming somewhere nearby. Never did he let his weapon drop, kept at a stance where, should the person try close-combat, then he would be able to adapt quickly.

"O-Okay!" She finally forced out, scared. While he may indeed feel bad, it was necessary that he do this. "I-I'm coming out…"

Slowly, grass and flowers parted to the side as the girl stood, revealing a girl with long white hair, a slim stature and a simple rapier clipped to her waist, a bow in hands, wearing a simple tunic with greaves and elbow guards.

Relaxing slightly, the lad put away his bow, swapping it for an open hand now. Walking towards the girl, who visibly took a few steps away from him, he extended a hand, her screwing her eyes shut at the thought of him hurting her.

But then nothing come. She waited, waited, and nothing came. Letting one eye to open up, all she saw was his hand, not at all dangerous.

"I won't lie that I don't trust you after that stunt you pulled, but at least let me hear you out," his voice was stern, yet there was a subtle hint of gentleness behind his words.

Breathing slowing down, she took his hand, standing up.

"Come with me," he tilted his head towards the cave, pulling her slightly.

Nodding mutely, she allowed the boy to bring her into the cave, another person in there. Mouthing a simple 'Hi', she sat down, unable to contain the anxiety bubbling inside of her.

Realising that she was indeed nervous, which was certainly logical for almost anyone that's just almost been killed, he pierced a long stick through the last cut of meat he had on him, letting it sit above the fire.

Curious, the girl eyed every of his movements, noticing just how confident he seemed to be as he rotated the stick slowly to allow every inch of the meat to be treated by the flames. Half an hour, or half of that passed, and suddenly the stick of hot meat was in front of her vision.

"Eh?" She blinked.

"Eat," his tone wasn't necessarily a demand. It was more like a father telling his child to settle down for dinner. "I can tell that you haven't eaten before."

"N-No! I'm fine, really!" She shook her head.

*Grroaaan…*

Her words were betrayed by the loud moans that emanated from her stomach. Blushing, she averted her gaze to the ground, taking the stick from him. Whimpering a soft 'Thank you', she began digging in, savouring the food. She really hadn't eaten for quite some time, it seemed.

After some time later, when the stick was picked clean of anything, and a stomach had been tamed, Nier began speaking once more.

"Who are you?" He asked, crossing his arms as he sat opposite of the two girls.

"L-Lux," she answered, not meeting his eyes as they talked. Still too afraid, apparently.

"What is your purpose here?" He moved onto the next questions, eyes leering so. "To kill us?"

"W-What..? No!" She denied such an accusation, looking hurt. "I-I thought there was a mob inside here, s-so I fired, because…"

"To scare them away, or to at least kill them. You were planning to make this a temporary residence, I presume?" His question was met with a nod. "I see…"

Mind taken off by a particular subject, his eyes drifted to said item, which took form of a makeshift bow that hung around her body, worn out from overuse. The arrows on the quiver on her back didn't look any better, as if they were slapped put together at the last minute.

Taking this into account, he looked at her once more, bringing the topic of her secondary weapon up.

"You wield a bow," he said, earning her attention. "Who taught you?"

"O-Oh. Well, no one, really…" Lux replied with a soft voice, though she was interested in the subject. She was just too shy to show it.

"Strange. While it isn't wrong to wield the bow, it isn't exactly common either. In fact, most players tend to stick to the close-quarters weapons. Why'd you start using it?" That part had him curious, with a look of nervousness being emitted from the girl.

"W-Well, it's uhh… Umm…" Fidgeting in her spot, she wondered as to what she was trying to say, until she screwed both eyes shut, no longer looking at the boy. "Y-Y-You did…"

"Hmm?" A multitude of possible responses had been sitting on his mind, all shattered as the answer came in the form of those two, simple words. "Me?"

"R-Right. You're Nier, leader of the «Blank». Most people t-tend to call you that as well," Lux was unsure whether or not she could speak her mind out, but decided to have a go at it anyways. "E-Everyone knows you. You fight with a sword and a b-bow, so I thought…"

"Really? I was expecting for you to choose it because it had a distant advantage in contrast to the other weapons," he hummed. Surely, that wasn't it, right?

"That, a-and you're a big inspiration to me, sir. And to most of the other low-levelled players as well. We all want to be as strong as you are," her smile was genuine, surprising him. "Everyone looks up to you, sir. And that's why I wanted to start wielding the bow as well."

"Cut the 'sir' part, please. I'd rather be referred to as Nier," he chuckled. "You don't need to be so tense around me."

"A-Alright, Nier," she nodded, finding it to be like a dream to be talking with her idol like this.

"Tell me. Is this handmade?" He gestured to her weapon.

"Huh? R-Right. Bows weren't being made back then, so I crafted this all on my own," she handed the arc of bow to the boy, watching as he inspect each edge of the weapon.

"Hmm… The string isn't strong anymore, and there are cracks in the wood. Nonetheless, it would be wise to refrain from using it as a melee weapon," his words were analytical, serious even, though she couldn't help from sweat-dropping at the last part. Not like she was going to hit anyone with the bow. That's not what they were made for, after all. "Still, with a bit of fixing here and there, it should be back to its original state."

"Right. Thank you," she nodded, taking her bow once more.

"Well, it's getting late. We'd better get some rest. Yui," he gestured to the ravenette, who smiled back at the silver-haired girl. "And I will be leaving soon to the lower floors. We intend to search for the «Laughing Coffin»."

"W-What?" That statement unnerved her, and she could feel the colour drain from her face. "Y-You're kidding..?"

"I'm not. They're currently targeting one of our allies, whom is under the care of my guild. I intend to at least disrupt their system so to draw their attention to rebuilding themselves so to lose focus on her," he explained.

There was a feeling in her gut that he would succeed, despite the odds stacked against him. And the desire to help him only grew as such.

But this was a dangerous cause, and there was no certainty that they'd be walking out alive.

And yet, looking at the two guild members, friends, conversing with each other as if there was nothing wrong so far, had her wondering just how confident they really were.

She could only imagine just how hard his guild members tried to persuade him from doing this.

The fire in the cave right now could be a symbol of his determination, ever burning despite how dark it was. It sounded fitting, a perfect description of this strange boy with black and white hair. And his little friend there, well… Maybe she and the rest of the guild were the wood that fuelled the fire? That they were the people who continued to support him through thick and thin?

She didn't dare think of herself as a skilled poet, but she'd like to think that it was beautiful.

Nonetheless, she supposed herself indebted to the boy, considering that she almost killed him and Yui, even if not by purpose. And as such, she settled on following the two.

"Umm… If you don't mind?" Both heads turned to her, possessing looks of curiosity. "Can I come with you?"

"No. Out of the question," he answered almost instantly, looking stern. "This is an extremely dangerous procedure. If possible, I'd rather avoid dragging others into our problem."

"N-No, it's fine! I really want this!" She wanted to come. To think positively, it would be her chance to learn from the boy whom she idolises so much. "Please..? Just this once!"

He was already contemplating on the idea, finding himself too hesitant in taking her with them.

Then again, she doesn't seem to have anyone else with her, so leaving her alone would spell trouble for her. Lord knows what sort of people she may meet, and he could only imagine how many of them were friendlies.

And how many of them weren't.

"Hhaa… Fine. You can come," he rolled his eyes at the overjoyed look she now had, but couldn't hold back the smile when Yui rushed over to the girl's side, hugging her strongly. "But! You must at least promise me to not die, alright?"

"O-Of course! I'll be in your care!" She nodded, pale skin tinted with red.

"Alright then. As of right now, you're one of us, so look out for each other," the girls nodded at his words, eyebrows raised once he yawned. "Hwaauh… Excuse me… Sorry girls, but I'm tired. I'm hitting the hay early, if you don't mind."

And the group of three were asleep not even an hour later, all tuckered in for the night.

The Next Day

Nier had gotten up early, making sure that nothing came into their cave. Activating «Libra», he had wasted no second, constantly making sure that nothing came close to where they were. The girls were still asleep, and anything could attack them at their state—there was no way he was going to let anyone or anything harm them as such.

Not that he'd let even a hair be plucked from them.

He wanted to go get some food, but that meant that he'd have to leave the area. And there was no way he was going to do that, so he decided to hack some food into his inventory.

'A sword, and a bow… Should I try other things as well?' He thought, wondering if just these two weapons were going to be fine.

A distinct feature he noticed about the game, was that the game strictly limited the players to one-handed weapons, except bows, spears and katanas, since those required both hands.

It was something that puzzled him, despite it being just a simple feature so to possibly keep the whole game at a level field of fairness. Think about it; wouldn't it be crazy if someone could battle others using two swords, or two separate weapons in hands?

It sounded strange at first, but then realised that the reaction level of the players in this game are a perfect parallel to human's natural reactivity. As such, were one able to react faster to certain stimuli than others, then that meant that they'd be able to…

Wait a minute, he's read something about this.

Argo had been kind enough to share him a couple of secret info that she managed to pry from the servers before they had dived into the game—scratch the 'kind enough' part, she'd do anything from him—and one particular topic stuck out to him.

«Dual-Wielding», which was supposed to be a «Unique Skill», was bestowed to players who could surpass the gaming's reaction system, of which they were able to adapt to situations much faster than any other players and act at a speed faster than most.

To put it into simpler terms, per se, players were only allowed a specific time to react to certain things. Like, being hit. However, players who could surpass this system would be able to evade at a better rate than normal players.

This was certainly something that interested him, yet, as far as he knew, there had been no news of any players with this «Unique Skill». It worried him to no end as to whether it would have fallen into the wrong hands, but since Argo's gotten no news about it, it must mean that it hadn't been implemented into the game at all.

'Huh. If anyone's gonna' dual-wield, it should be Asuna,' he thought, knowing just how fast that girl is.

Oh well. It's not in the game, nothing that he could do about it. As far as he knew, he was unable to dual-wield, despite trying multiple times before this. He decided to leave it there afterwards, getting breakfast ready for both him and the girls.

The fire died last night, but a simple flicks from stones and a flint he found laying around in the cave soon had it singing crackles once more.

Last night, they had roast meat just like that. This time, however, he'd rather they'd get something a bit more enjoyable, so he thought.

What could he make? Sandwiches? Maybe, but he didn't have bread on him. Rice dish, out of the question—he didn't have rice to begin with. Stew? Hmm, maybe, but he'd need a lot of ingredients, and he wouldn't want to break the game more than he already has—though he was a hacker, he still wanted to experience the challenges of the game, and wanted to be fair as much as he could.

So he sat back, thinking what he could do. At this rate, the fire would be dead long before he'd get anything started.

Finally, he decided to entrust the girls with the cave for just a moment, rushing out as quickly as he could and trying to find any ingredients that he could get his hands on.

He returned, carrying plants and other things between arms and pits, in hands and even on his head, all balanced out and brought to their temporary residence.

Nier had got the cooking process down quickly, and soon enough, the girls were stirred awake by the scent of stew in the air, which had them staring at the fire in the centre, with a large pot on it.

And who else tending to it than their friend?

"Good morning," he greeted with a smile, stirring the contents of the pot. "Breakfast. I hope you don't mind «Ragout Rabbit»."

"«Ragout Rabbit»? Isn't that the really rare rabbit creature?" Yui asked, as innocent as ever. The older boy nodded back. "Ehh? But it's so cute!"

"And it's delicious," he remarked. It was hard to get a hit on, but he was lucky enough that his precision with the bow was better than anything else. "Don't worry about things and whatnot. Just enjoy the taste of it."

The girls weren't sure what to really say, so they waited for their meals to come to them. Soon enough, bowls of warm food were on their laps, and needless to say, this morning was one that they would never forget.

Even Nier looked happy enough, mostly because of the stew if not anything.

Characters' Age:

Lux: 12