Chapter 11 – Promises and Partnerships
May 16, 2023
11th Floor
Kirito opened his eyes as he finished teleporting to Taft, the main settlement in the 11th floor of Aincrad. The night sky hung above the city, the moon working with the street lamps to keep the city illuminated. He shrugged off a cold breeze and started to walk slowly towards Moonlit Black Cats' headquarters: a small inn near the middle of the city.
As he was walking, he spotted one of his teammates dressed in his usual attire – dark yellow clothing underneath plate armor. Kirito walked silently towards the player.
The player saw him coming and nodded at him. "Good evening, Kirito."
He nodded back. "Sefton. What are you doing at this hour?" He asked.
"Oh, I was just window shopping at some of the NPC shops." He replied. "It's pretty relaxing, actually."
"I see…" Kirito muttered.
"How about you? What have you been doing?" Sefton asked.
"Just taking a walk, enjoying the scenery." He replied coolly. He was actually returning from fighting monsters at the Labyrinth of the highest floor. He has been doing this every night to keep up with the clearers as the EXP he gains from killing monsters at lower floors with the Moonlit Black Cats was nowhere near enough.
"Really? I should try that one of these days." The player mused. Then, he looked at the night sky. "Regardless, it's getting pretty late. Should we head back to the base?" He asked.
"Good idea." The black-clothed swordsman replied as they headed home.
They walked slowly at the cramped streets of Taft. The large European buildings made the road narrow, but it also provided players with inns, NPC shops, buildings that players could rent and set up shop, and so much more.
What Kirito told Sefton wasn't a complete lie. After completing his nightly excursions, he would walk slowly and take in the subtle atmosphere of the bustling city. It comforted him after the stresses of nightly high-level solo play.
As they were halfway home, Sefton saw someone he recognized. "Hey, Kirito…isn't that…" He trailed off.
"…yeah, that's her." Kirito replied.
"She looks a bit…down." Sefton frowned. "I don't know if she wants to talk to anybody, but I feel that we should at least try." He suggested.
"Mm." Kirito replied, following Sefton's lead as they saw her rounding a corner. The two of them caught up, and they found her sitting absently on a nearby bench.
As they walked towards her, she noticed the movement, and slowly turned her head to the side. "Kirito-kun? Sefton?"
Kirito silently nodded. Sefton walked a bit faster and stopped near where she sat. "Are you alright, Sachi-san?" He asked. Sefton has a knack of picking subtle cues in a person's expression and gestures, so when Sachi looked reluctant, he backed away slightly. "If you want us to leave you alone, we'll just be on our way." He quickly and politely added.
Sachi smiled back. "No, it's fine. You could stay. I just…" She trailed off, saying nothing more. It was pretty obvious that she wanted to confide in them, so the two players stayed silent as Kirito walked to Sachi's left and Sefton walked to her right, patiently waiting for her.
After a few short moments, she put her closed hand to her chest and took a deep breath, then she turned to the two. "Have you two ever thought of running away?" She asked.
"Running away…from what?" Kirito asked slowly.
"From this town…the monsters…from the black cats…from Sword Art Online."
Kirito and Sefton narrowed their eyes momentarily, and then their eyes widened as they both came to a realization. "You don't mean…suicide?" Sefton gasped.
"That might be okay." She replied absently. As both of them were stunned speechless, she smiled and shook her head. "No, sorry. That was a lie. If I really wanted to die, I wouldn't be here in the safety of the town, would I?"
As her two guild mates made relieved sighs, she continued speaking. "Hey…why can't we leave this place?" She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "Why do we have to die, even though it's a game? What's the point of it all?"
Sefton was once again out of words. Kirito however, had something to say. "I don't think that there's a point." He replied, his face stern. Sefton tried to say something different compared to Kirito's answer, but deep within himself, he agreed with his statement, so he just nodded.
A few more moments passed in silence. Kirito looked up at the night sky as Sefton and Sachi stared into space. Sachi seemed to relax her legs down, only to hug them even tighter as she took another deep breath. "I'm afraid of dying." She muttered. "I'm scared, so scared that I haven't been able to sleep lately…" She shivered, tears threatening to fall from her eyes as he hugged her knees.
"You won't die."
"Eh?" Sachi gasped as she and Sefton turned to the black-clothed swordsman as he looked into the sky. "Really? How can you say for sure?"
Kirito continued. "The Moonlit Black Cats is a strong guild. Our margin of safety is well above average. Plus," He turned his head to face the two, "Sefton, Tetsuo, and I are here. Right, Sefton?"
The forward tank was a bit startled upon mention of his name, but he quickly recovered and nodded his head vigorously. "Absolutely." He said, determination palpable in his voice.
"See? You have nothing to be worried about. I'm sure the clearers will beat this game eventually. But for the mean time, you'll be safe. I promise." Kirito assured her.
Sefton steeled himself. "You have my promise as well, Sachi-san. And I will carry that promise to everybody in the Cats." He smiled at her. Kirito was impressed by his declaration.
"You guys…" She looked at Sefton, and then at Kirito. The tears that she was holding back finally fell, and she sniffled once and wiped the tears off her face. Then, she looked at the two. "Kirito-kun…Sefton-kun…thank you. Thank you." She said while giving the two of them a radiant smile.
After a few moments, Sefton spoke up. "It's getting pretty late. Let's head home." He extended his hand towards Sachi.
"Okay." Sachi replied, extending her hand to hold his.
But before their hands touched, they heard a faint rumbling noise. They turned their head to the source of the noise, and they saw Kirito guiltily looking away while cradling his stomach.
"Pfft…hehe." Sachi started giggling. Sefton also started snickering. Kirito hid a smile, successful in breaking the tense atmosphere.
"There's an NPC restaurant nearby. Open 24/7. My treat." Kirito announced.
"Well, there's not a lot of things worse than going to bed hungry. Let's go." Sefton said as Sachi nodded. "Well, it's the first time in a while that you treated us to food."
"If you weren't treating us to food so much and weren't buying equipment that does little else than looking cool then maybe you won't have an issue with budgeting." Kirito replied cheekily as they started to walk.
"But it's cool!" Sefton replied indignantly. Kirito and Sachi both smiled at his childish reaction, relieved that someone like him is their ally. While he has a tendency to have difficulties in managing his Col, at the end of the day it's not really that big of an issue. Plus, the rest of them could see whether the equipment is really bad or not. Kirito himself was a bit impressed at the equipment he once thought as inefficient, as Sefton enjoyed success with some of it.
The three of them walked side by side, the petite spear-wielder in the middle of the two vanguards – the swordsman clad in sleek black, and the swordsman clad in dark yellow under steel. Their playstyles and personalities might be different, but they felt comfortable with each other, a bit more compared to other people in their guild. The feeling was mutual, but not romantic. For each of them, the other two were like siblings.
They walked on silently, each one of them contemplating.
Sachi looked at Kirito, then Sefton. Then, she smiled and looked forward. While fear still lingered within her, courage and determination welled up inside her as she stood side by side with her two friends. Kirito - sometimes distant but is always helpful, his knowledge of this game proving invaluable in making the whole guild grow. Sefton – naïve, sometimes childish, and polite to a fault, but he is a reliable support that made her feel safe, even in the heat of battle.
She knew both of them for less than a year, and yet, they promised to protect her. While she was too hesitant to do the same at this time, she made a promise to herself that she would to her absolute best to make their job at least a little bit easier.
Sefton had a neutral expression, but he felt anxious. He might have said a bit too much. Can he really protect them? He snuck a glance at Sachi, admiring her resolve. While he too felt nervous in battles, his large HP and armor made him feel safe. To abandon his armor in favor of sheer offense is something that he would be too scared to do, and he has nothing but respect for his two friends. Kirito is proficient in being both a DPS and an unconventional Tank. He does so much damage and while he's not really taking hits, he kept on keeping the aggro by dodging and weaving blows and generally being up close and personal. It gave him chills just watching him fight.
He shook his head and steeled himself. Since he understood how scary combat is, the least he could do would be to make his friends feel as safe as he could. He clenched his hands. His goal has been set, and his promise has been made. Time to make sure he kept it.
Kirito also held a neutral expression, but he had mixed feelings. He felt closer to them, and at the same time, that closeness brought guilt, as he still hadn't revealed his true level yet, even though Sachi laid her feelings bare and it was the first time he saw the soft-spoken Sefton that determined. However, he shook off this feeling weighing him down and focused on his goal that he set a week ago. It's the least that he could do.
Though, after they reached the restaurant and had a hearty meal, their worries seemed to ease, and when they went home, they felt eager to take on the battlefield and live for another day.
***
Loading…Complete
***
June 21, 2023
My coat ruffled wildly as I weaved in and out of a Blood Wolf's attack. It was pretty fast, but I've seen and killed faster monsters. After its attack, I charged at it relentlessly until I killed it.
That's another one down. I slapped the dust off of my cape as I sheathed my polearm and walked onwards, arching for more enemies.
The Wolf Plains in the 28th Floor has proven itself to be a very reliable place to get stronger, even though the front line's currently at the 30th Floor. The plains are populated solely by Blood Wolves. They were similar to Dire Wolves, but they were stronger, faster, larger, and sporting two tails and blood-red skin. However, they are the only monsters that spawn in those plains so there's no need to worry about other monsters with different attack patterns. And hey, I've got more than my fair share of experience in battling wolf-type enemies, so I can kill one no problem.
I took a look at my left where the sun was setting, tinting the land with a saturated orange hue. Either my virtual eyes were very strong or the game designers purposefully reduced the glare, but I felt like I could stare at the sunset for a long time without my eyes hurting.
I sighed and adjusted my coat. After one last minute of gazing the scenery, I shook myself awake and moved on. While I could stare at the setting sun and relax for a long while, I'm almost about to level up. Time to pick up the pace.
And with that, I cut my thoughts off and darted to the side, dodging an attack from a Blood Wolf that leaped from behind me.
***
Cue Music: Red Alert 2 OST – Grinder
***
Rolling to the side, I quickly unsheathed my glaive and activated a Weapon Skill, Splitter Leap. It was a one-hit Skill consisting of a very hefty charging stab that dealt moderate damage but covered a lot of distance. Sure enough, it hit the wolf, toppling it over and sending it tumbling a short distance away.
As I had to wait out its brief post-motion delay, I hear a familiar barking behind me. Well, I guess we're doing this again, huh?
Only this time, I'm stronger. A lot stronger.
As soon as my post-motion delay wore out, I heard the wolf behind me starting to run. Remaining calm, I drew a Throwing Knife and threw it at the wolf in front. It survived with quite a bit of HP left, but it was left stunned for a while. Good enough for me. Standing still, I braced myself and waited.
As soon as the wolf behind me was in optimal range, I activated Fierce Descent, jumping upwards to evade the attack and landing directly above the wolf's back, running it through with my glaive and forcing it off of its legs.
I jumped off of the wolf waited out the post-motion delay. The delay was enough for the wolf to recover and prepare to lunge at me.
A minor setback, if you could call it a setback at all.
As it started running, I observed it absently, my delay almost finished. While it bared its fangs at me as it sprinted like a speeding bullet, its menacing characteristics do nothing to shake my psyche.
The delay ran out and I regained the ability to move while the Blood Wolf was still a fair distance away, which sealed its fate. As expected, it lunged at me as soon as it was in range.
I retaliated by countering with a Pale Derision. The blade of my glaive stuck the wolf, completely dissolving it into particles.
I turned my attention to the first wolf. Its front leg was crippled and it was limping towards me. Not taking any chances, I quickly killed it. With that wolf done, I turned around to face the rest of them.
Only, there wasn't any of them left near me.
***
End Music
***
…
Huh. Could've sworn that there were three more.
It only took a moment for me to realize. I smiled wryly and rubbed the back of my head.
Well, there were three more…like, seven months ago.
I opened my Player Menu and checked my stats. While my weapons' durability decreased ever so slightly, I did not lose even a single point of HP.
I exhaled briefly, closed my Player Menu, and walked.
Has it already been seven months? Man. On one hand, time flew by really fast, but on the other hand, I feel like I've lived here my whole damn life.
I heard the sounds of battle coming from nearby, pulling me out of my thoughts. I'm pretty confident that whoever's fighting these things probably knows what they're doing, but I'll check it out regardless.
I jogged to the source of the noise which was on the other side of a hill. As soon as I reached the top, my face relaxed.
"Come here, mutt!" Exclaimed the red-haired player, as he led a Blood Wolf Leader to a wider space. His two guild mates were beside the wolf, flanking it on either side. Compared to a Blood Wolf, a Blood Wolf Leader is bigger and has three spikes protruding from its back. I've avoided farming this particular type as a solo player like me can't gain the bonus EXP it gives when killed by a group.
Eventually, the wolf lunged at the player. In retaliation, the player activated what I assumed would be a one-hit Katana Weapon Skill designed for counterattacking, as the Blood Wolf Leader died and disintegrated in one fell swoop.
Well, seems like Klein and some of the members of the Fuurinkazan's working hard. Klein sheathed his sword and sighed. Then, he abruptly opened them and looked somewhat confused, probably noticing that someone was watching them. He looked at my direction, saw me, and smiled. "Hey! Riwet!" He turned to the others, second-in-command Dale and spearman Issin. "Hey, guys! The one and only Cobalt has graced us with his presence!" Dale and Issin waved back.
I ran down the hill and got closer to them. "Come on. Enough with that." I said as I made an exaggerated scowl.
Klein got closer and started slapping my back. "You might not like it, but you've been the talk for quite some time, you know." He explained with a mischievous grin, before dramatically raising his hands and making a grasping motion. "Once an unassuming spear-wielder, the left-handed solo player only known as "Riwet" has successfully finished off the 25th Floor Boss with unrelenting force." His face broke into a chuckle as he recited the newspaper article that put me in the spotlight. "Don't worry. Even if everyone forgets, we'll keep the legacy of the Cobalt living." The three of them got a good laugh at that.
"Ugh…." I groaned. "Yeah…that's...a thing. But…I also heard about you guys." I sighed. "The Fuurinkazan - a guild of clearers-oh sorry, I meant "gentlemen" - forged by fire, led by the stalwart samurai Klein. How in the world did you convince Argo to write that?"
"Well, if I told you that I said to Argo just to write that which is the plain truth, would you believe me?" Klein asked expectantly. I just stared blankly at him. "No? Okay then. I guess I was in the right place at the right time to get a dogged player off of the Rat's back. She said that she'll add it as a way to get female players to notice u-*Ahem*- I mean, a good way to advertise our guild."
"…" I have no words to say. I turned to Dale and Issin. "You guys got something to add?" I ask, hoping for a sensible reply.
"Actually, there is." Dale started. Issin nodded wordlessly. Finally, I can get some common se-"I like the way you emphasized the fact that we are gentlemen." Dale said. Issin nodded wordlessly.
"…"
"What?" The two of them asked.
"…never mind." Well, if nothing else, they get along like peanut butter and jelly.
I was about to say something else, but I stopped abruptly when I sensed movement from the other side of the hill, getting closer to us. The three of them also noticed. Three Blood Wolves and Three Blood Wolf Leaders emerged from the top of the hill, their eyes trained on us.
"Well then, gentlemen, it seems that we have to deal with some small fry." I declared. "Or should we make a gentleman's retreat?" I suggested. They might have a good reason to retreat for now, and while I'm no stranger to killing groups of wolves, this particular combination could be tricky.
Fortunately, Klein grinned eagerly. "Are you kidding me? Let's get 'em." He declared, unsheathing his Katana as the others followed suit.
With that, the four of us charged at the wolves. I was able to aggro the three normal wolves while they handled the Leaders.
I danced around the three, dodging the trio of red dogs. While I can dispatch them quickly like I did before, I don't want to get used to that kind of reckless strategy, so I performed a slow and methodical approach, using my glaive to poke at them from a safe distance while I patiently waited for an opening.
"Let's bunch 'em over to that side!" I heard Klein say.
The strongest members of the Fuurinkazan were having a blast at dealing with the Leaders. It's already pretty impressive that each of them could hold a Blood Wolf Leader on their own, but they can seamlessly transition into fighting as a group.
As expected of a clearing guild that hadn't lost a single member since the start of SAO.
I killed my targets at the same time as Fuurinkazan did, the four of us none the worse for wear.
I sighed as I brushed the dust off of my coat. "Amazing. I wish I had teamwork skills that effective." I said to them.
"Says the guy who had the time to ogle at us while being smacked around by three wolves." Klein replied, smirking.
I shrugged, then scanned the perimeter. "Well, this part's done."
"Yup. We're ready to move on. Wanna join us? We got room for one more." He offered.
Well, why not? I was about to say yes, but a notification popped up. "Hang on for a second." I opened my Player Menu. A message?
My eyes widened as I saw the name of the sender. I quickly read the message and replied that I'm on my way. "Uh, sorry, something came up." I said to Klein as I closed my Menu. "In fact, I should get going right now."
"Okay." Klein shrugged. "Must be something pretty important."
"Yeah…" I trailed off. "Anyways, I'll be going now."
"Sure. See you later."
I bowed as the three of them said their goodbyes and moved further down the Plains. When they were a bit far away, I took out a Teleport Crystal. Before I teleported, I looked up at the night sky and gazed at the moon. While there were little to no clouds to hide it, it took the shape of a crescent, filling part of it with darkness.
After I teleported to the main city of the 26th Floor, I walked to the direction of the KoB's headquarters, contemplating.
I wonder what Heathcliff wants with me?
I arrived at the front of the KoB headquarters. A KoB member was standing outside, waiting for someone. Well, looks like they sent someone to get me.
"Good evening, Riwet." He greeted me as I walked to him.
"Good evening, Ichi." I greeted back. "I came here because Heathcliff messaged me?"
"That's right. He's expecting you, but a meeting suddenly came up. Let's go inside and wait." He said.
"Okay." I followed Ichi inside the KoB HQ, which looked like a house. When I was inside, I got some weird looks from the other KoB members, but after a short while they shrugged and continued with what they were doing.
"You can sit over there." Ichi said as he pointed to a couch.
"Thank you very much." I replied as I sat. Ichi also sat on a nearby chair. I opened my Player Menu and sorted out my stuff while I waited. Hmm…I should probably resupply later after this is done.
After I've finished that, I closed my Menu and leaned back on the couch. "So, anything new happening today lately?" I asked, stretching my limbs.
Ichi sighed. "Well, the Leader of the Divine Dragons Alliance is currently talking to Heathcliff-san right now. Get this: The DDA leader "demanded" a meeting." He explained, baffled.
"Hmm." The Divine Dragon Alliance. In terms of power, this guild rivals KoB. However, it's due to the fact that they've been known to hoard both information and farming areas. In addition to that, a certain rat told me that, in quite the contrast to KoB's intensive recruitment process, the DDA lets all kinds of players into the guild, provided they make frequent contributions to their treasury. They're definitely not the kind of people I wanna hang out with. "Well, enough of that. How about you? How are you holding up?" I asked, changing the subject.
"Nothing much, to be honest." He shrugged. "I've got everything I wanted for now."
"That's good."
"What about you?"
"Same as you. Lots of stuff I gotta get done and lots of things I need to level, but yeah, no problems for now."
"That's good to hear. It's important for us clearers to keep tabs on each other. Everyone's counting on us."
"Right." I replied.
After a couple more minutes, the door opened and out came three players wearing the DDA uniform. Their equipment was brimming with rare items.
As they walked near me, I looked at them briefly and went back on minding my own business. After a few moments, another player emerged from inside the room.
"Asuna-san." I greeted the sub-commander.
"Riwet-kun." She returned the greeting. "Come in. You too, Ichi."
We both stood up and entered the room. The room's pretty empty, save for two nearby chairs and a desk on the far side of the room. One of the chairs was placed in the center of the room, while one was on the side. Behind the desk was three more chairs, two of them occupied.
On the left chair was Heathcliff with a neutral expression on his face.
On the right sat Wilhelm with an equally professional look on his face, but the tense atmosphere emanating from him was alleviated as he flashed a friendly smile at me as soon as we made eye contact.
Asuna went to them and sat on the middle chair. "Take a seat, please. Ichi, the chair on the side is yours."
"Yes, ma'am." He replied to Asuna as I silently walked to the chair and sat.
"Riwet The Cobalt." Heathcliff smiled slightly. "I believe that this is our first time talking to each other outside of boss raids."
"Yes, that is correct, Heathcliff-san." I replied.
"Hmm." He nodded. "We apologize for the delay. We didn't expect the Holy Dragon Alliance to abruptly meet up with us."
I slightly raised both my hands. "Oh, it's nothing to apologize for, Heathcliff-san. The wait wasn't really that long and I got some stuff sorted out while I waited." I assured him. "Speaking of meeting up, what do you need from me?" I asked politely.
Heathcliff nodded. "Asuna-kun will fill you in on the details." He replied as he nodded to Asuna.
"Do you remember the forest on the 28th Floor? The one with the treants?" Asuna asked.
"I do. I also heard that there was nothing else there."
"Well, we found something." Asuna replied, opening her Player Menu and showing the Map to me. Let's see…most of them look the same…wait.
"…A dungeon?" I frowned. "How in the world did we miss that?"
"We didn't. Unless the whole clearing guild got sloppy, which is very unlikely, we would've definitely caught it." Her eyes narrowed as she explained further. "I've been consulting our Commander and the others about it, and we think that the best explanation for this is that this dungeon opened up after clearing the 29th Floor."
I was a bit surprised. "Really? It's the first time I've ever heard of something like that happening."
"Either it must be a new phenomenon, or it happened in earlier floors but we were too busy with the Power Play to notice." She mused.
"Hmm." I grunted in agreement. "So, I assume that that dungeon's related to why I'm here?" I asked.
The sub-commander nodded. "We want you to cooperate with the KoB in exploring this cave, as soon as you are ready for an excursion."
I tilted my head. "…why an outsider like me?" I asked.
"Currently, KoB is focusing their efforts on both clearing the floors and training new members. We have four people that are able to scout the dungeon, but we couldn't spare any more players. Our Commander suggested that we contact you first." She answered. I looked at Heathcliff for a moment, then quickly returned my attention back to Asuna. "Of course, you will be compensated. You will get a portion of whatever resources you find there. What do you say?" She asked.
"…Alright." I slowly replied. Well, the offer sounded pretty reasonable, but I feel that they're hiding some details from me. Well, it's probably a need to know basis. They're KoB, the most respected and most powerful clearing guild, so it's extremely unlikely that they'd stab me in the back.
Asuna was about to continue, but Heathcliff slowly held his hand out towards Asuna. "Asuna-kun, may I take a moment?" He requested. As Asuna complied, he turned his attention to me. "Riwet-kun?"
"Yes, sir?"
"It doesn't take much to know that you're hesitant. If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to tell us." He insisted.
Alright. If you insist. "Will all due respect, I feel that your reasons are a bit...off." I said slowly. If I were the KoB Leader, I'd keep this to myself and my guild for a little while to see what we can get from it. Even though we're having shortages in manpower, we can still wait for someone to free up their schedule and join in.
"Yes, they are." He replied bluntly and abruptly, catching me off guard. I could see that the others were also caught off guard. "It's a simple method of catching two birds with one stone." He said as he gazed at me. "Technically, we can just wait for a few more members to have a free schedule, but time is not a luxury we do not have. We want to explore the dungeon as soon as possible, but we should have at least a five-player party. And that's where you come in."
He leaned forward, his gaze intense, but not overbearing. "You asked earlier why an outside like you. Well, you don't have to be an outsider." He pointed out. As I digested what he just implied, his gaze softened slightly but remained fixed on me. "You have the skills and nerves to fight at the front lines as a solo player, and yet, you also have ample teamwork skills, as everyone in here could attest. You have also made numerous contributions to both KoB and the clearing group as a whole, and your relationship with us has remained consistently good."
Finally, he broke eye contact, closing his eyes and leaning back in his chair. "Of course, you don't have to accept right now, and you can still join us to explore the dungeon and go on your own way. However, I only request you to consider my invitation." He concluded.
I frowned, thinking about what I should say. Now, there's even less of a reason why I should doubt them. While my feelings about fighting solo haven't changed quite yet, this is a chance to work for the top clearing guild. I've seen and heard nothing but good things about KoB, with the only criticism is that Heathcliff doesn't seem to be that much involved in the guild. Regardless, his hands-off approach is probably him letting the other members improve. After all, when it comes to planning for boss fights, he's all up in it. I have almost no reason to refuse.
Well, almost. "I'll help in exploring the dungeon." I spoke evenly. "As for your invitation, I'll need some time to consider." I'll need to think hard about this. First and foremost, I've promised myself to join Fuurinkazan should the time come that I ever want to join a clearing guild.
Also, now that I've talked to him face to face, my impression of him broadened. Sure, he seemed pretty sincere, but I still felt hesitant. it was probably just me being excessively paranoid. This ain't the Army that we're talking about. Man, I should really learn when to trust people. It makes me feel like an indecisive brat.
Heathcliff smiled slightly. "Of course. Take the time you need." He said. Yep, calling it right now. Not having the common sense to trust this guy right now's gonna weigh on my conscience. He turned his attention briefly to Asuna. "Asuna-kun, please continue."
Asuna nodded at her leader before facing me. "We'll start tomorrow afternoon, as the others need to sort out other duties. Will that work?"
I nodded. "Yes. That'll work."
"Alright. The six of you meet up here. Should anything change on your end, feel free to message us."
I nodded again. "Sounds good. Is there anything else?"
Asuna glanced at Heathcliff. When he shook his head, she turned to look at Wilhelm. He nodded and looked at me. "The guys are actually planning to resupply a couple minutes after this meeting. You wanna join us?" He offered.
"Sure." I agreed.
"Awesome. That's all from me." He said.
"And that concludes our meeting." Asuna announced as Heathcliff, Wilhelm, and Ichi stood up. Heathcliff exited the room silently while Ichi went with Wilhelm as the latter called for him. I stood up from my chair and walked towards her as she was busy writing something. "What is it?" She asked.
"Nothing much. Just saying hello." I replied. We're still fighting on the front lines, but ever since she joined KoB I very rarely get the chance to make some small talk with her.
"I'm doing fine, thank you for asking." She replied, smiling ever so slightly. That's good for her. "How about you?"
"Same old, same old." I answered. "You should team up with us more often. Kirito misses you." I said absently.
"Wh-what?" She looked towards me, flustered. "D-did he actually say that?"
I tilted my head. Why did she react that way? Did Kirito piss her off or something? "Sorry. He didn't actually say it, but he probably would." I added sheepishly.
"Hmph." She looked at her notes. "Well, I need to complete this. The four KoB members who are joining you should be ready now."
"Alright. Stay safe." I nodded at her.
"You too." She nodded back and proceeded to get back into what she was doing as I turned around and exited the room.
As I neared the entrance, four people were standing nearby. Two of them familiar.
"Hey, Riwet! Over here!" Wilhelm called me over.
"Wilhelm-san? Ichi? You two are joining for the dungeon?" I asked.
Both of them nodded. "Come on, I'll introduce you." Wilhelm walked closer to me and turned around to address the other three. "This is Riwet. I'm sure you've heard of him. He'll be joining us to explore the dungeon tomorrow."
"Riwet." Ichi said.
"Ichi." I replied.'
A player stood forward and grinned. He was wearing light armor over his uniform, with a rapier on his waist. "Name's Flynn. Nice to meet you." He said jovially. "Let's search every nook and cranny of this dungeon, aight?"
I grinned silently. I've heard of this player before. A speedy player with a knack at finding hidden treasures and traps. Apparently the HDA once tried to recruit him, but he refused. It shows why, because he still had plenty of dignity and fair play left in him.
As he walked back, another player walked up nervously. She was wearing typical medium armor alongside her uniform and had the tried and tested sword and shield combo. "H-hello. My name is Nairi. Pleased to meet you." She bowed.
I bowed back. I haven't really heard of her, and judging from her nervous gestures, I would have pegged her as inexperienced, but I knew better. Well, she might be, but she's good enough to be accepted by KoB so that's that. Or maybe she's just not comfortable talking to outsiders like me.
"Right. Let's go!" Wilhelm said as he opened the gates.
***
Chapter End
***
A/N: Good news! Unless something comes up, updates will remain more or less the same.
That's all for now. Thank you very much, and have a good one.
