Disclaimer: See previous chapters, they explain that I'm only playing in this sandbox.
Mystic Knight Online
Chapter 9 - Waking Up the Scrubs
April 2, 2023 - Aincrad 27th Floor, Ronbaru
Harry gazed at the lights of the hundreds of residences which made up the cavern town, simply enjoying the serene beauty of the sight. Unlike other towns which had a teleport plaza, Ronbaru was notably lacking in shops, having a few which carried nothing special, instead having several inns and hostels, giving the town the appearance of a place for a player to stop for the night and little else.
Then again, the quality of the accommodations were nothing to sneeze at, especially when combined with excellent food and drink. Outside of a few meat dishes which had a smell and taste resembling pork, something he had very little inclination to eat since the end of his first year at Hogwarts, he had nothing to complain about.
He was simply taking in the sights as he waited for Silica to finish changing and come out of the inn, and the peaceful atmosphere was certainly something he could appreciate.
"Well, you seem relaxed." Silica said from behind him. "Also, I like the look."
Harry turned around and looked at Silica as she walked up to him. She had on a simple white peasant blouse and long green skirt. She had also let her hair down from its usual twin tails and was wearing it loose. Harry had settled on wearing a simple light brown tunic that was belted at the waist and black pants which were tucked into a pair of light leather boots.
Both of them still had their weapons belted at their waists from long habit.
A flicker of movement indicated that Pina was lazily flying around them, occasionally perching on an eave or windowsill.
"And you look lovely as well," Harry replied.
Silica smiled at him in response before coming beside him. "So, want to check out that place Asuna recommended?" She asked.
Harry looked around at the sights. "Why don't we walk around a bit before heading there?" He asked, offering his hand.
Silica gave a small blush and a shy smile before taking it.
##
Silica found herself enjoying the walk around Ronbaru. The apparent lack of shops and many businesses might make the town less desirable for front line fighters at a first glance, but it also provided a relaxed atmosphere that was similar to, but distinct from, Coral's. She could see why Harry seemed to like it here.
She would also admit that the cavern town had its own beauty, with the interplay of oil lamps, candles, and the internally illuminated crystals that players were calling crystalights providing an ambience of a town at night. They stuck to the main thoroughfares, handily avoiding the maze like alleys and branches, just simply walking. If she didn't know any better, she might have been convinced that they were on a date.
They stopped in the central plaza where the teleport gate was located to listen to an NPC bard play a few songs. Most of them were fairly standard fare, but a few were actually fairly catchy and she found herself clapping at the end of the performance. She saw Harry open his menu and materialize a few col coins to give to the bard and and decided to do so herself.
She had gotten into the habit of doing simple courtesies like that with NPCs based on how Harry interacted with them. Both of them knew that the NPCs weren't real, but really, simple courtesy wasn't that hard to demonstrate. At the same time, it did end up having some small benefits. Their service at various places had improved slightly, their rooms at inns they stayed at for more than a few days smelled fresher and the sheets were softer, the bath's water was just a little warmer and more relaxing...
Little things that actually made living in Aincrad more bearable, and all of it due to simple courtesy.
She looked at Harry who gave her a questioning look.
"Why don't we head to that place Asuna recommended?" She asked.
His stomach growled, which caused her to giggle. Harry gave a sheepish nod and he took her hand in his.
The two of them walked on to get a meal and continue their night.
##
Argo stepped out of the shadows after they left and had come to the floor to meet with some contacts and spied the two of them taking a stroll afterward. She was surprised to see them fully out of armor like that, though she would admit, they had picked some nice choices in their clothing. Nothing formal, but it wasn't the type of clothing that would be worn with or under armor.
Well, well. She thought with some amusement. Looks like our little knight is taking his princess out on a date if they're dressed like that, and Silica should let her hair down like that more often. She would admit that the two of them looked nice, not to mention cute together like that. Well, I should give them their privacy, but I wouldn't be me if I did. So, let BIg Sister Argo follow you two and see what you do.
She slipped back into the shadows and discretely followed them. She watched as they walked to a restaurant and entered it. She considered looking through a window, she was good at doing those things without being noticed, when she saw the two led to one of the tables on a veranda.
Good, it saved her the trouble, since she could watch them from the shadows where she was. She settled down to watch, a small smile on her face.
Those two are good for each other, she thought. And they look cute together.
April 9, 2023 - Aincrad 11th Floor, Taft
Silica watched the inn's patrons as she waited for Harry to arrive. He had gotten dragged off by Argo for something when they entered the town, so she had decided to wait at the inn they would be staying at. She did a quick check of his status and saw that he was fine and was actually on his way back to Taft.
She wondered what Argo had needed him for, and then shrugged. She'd just ask him when he got back. Knowing Argo, it could be anything from some interesting information, to something important. Or, she could have done all of that just to make it look that way, it was hard to tell with her.
We might want to do it somewhere more private though, She thought. If it's serious, Harry won't want anyone listening in. And... I'm beginning to think of him as Harry, rather than Hadrian.
She pushed that thought out of her mind and gave Pina a scratch between the wings and listened to the contented sounds as her pet ate a small dish of meats that she ordered and had placed on the table. While Pina seemed to positively love peanuts, the feathered dragon would basically eat anything, and being a dragon, that meant a definite preference for meat.
She brought up the inn's menu and looked at the various drinks available. Taft's inns had a fairly decent selection of wines and ciders, and a few palatable non-alcoholic beverages as well, to choose from. She settled on one of the sweet ciders and waved down an NPC waitress to place her order.
A few minutes later she sipped her drink as she checked on where Harry was and noticed that he was in town, meaning he should be by shortly. She heard a cheer coming from a nearby table and shook her head in amusement as she saw a bunch of teens who couldn't be much older than her raise their cups in a toast. She was about to turn her attention back to her drink when she spied someone she did not expect to see sitting with them.
What's Kirito doing there? She thought to herself as Harry arrived. And how did I either miss him arriving, or not notice him when I did?
##
Kirito really didn't know what to do as the party he helped toasted him him. Frankly, it was only because he was in the area and saw that they were in trouble that he even did so. A few minutes earlier or later, and he wouldn't have been around. He only culled some of the mobs to take the pressure off of them so that they could regroup. Once they had, they were able to handle the rest of the mobs fairly easily.
It wasn't as if he had taken out an entire army of mobs and saved their lives. He simply helped a little.
"Man," one of the members said. "If it wasn't for you, those mobs would have had us for lunch!"
Kirito shrugged. "I was in the area." he said. "You guys looked like you could use a little help, so I helped." It was as simple as that in his mind.
"Still," another said, the apparent leader if he recalled. "Thanks for that. By the way, I'm Keita. The others are Tetsuo, Sasamaru, Ducker, and Sachi. We're all in the same guild, The Moonlit Black Cats." He said as he indicated the rest of his party.
"It was no problem," Kirito replied with a smile. "I'm Kirito."
Keita nodded with a smile. "Well, thanks again, Kirito." He then seemed to think of something. "Um, this might be a little rude, but can I ask you where your level is around, or what floor you're normally on? The way you handled those mobs was… impressive and rapid, to say the least."
Kirito blinked at the question and scrambled mentally for an answer. He thought about hedging things, maybe underselling his level a little bit, but that option was quickly snatched from him.
"He's a front line clearer, probably the strongest there is." A girl's voice said.
Kirito looked past the party and saw Harry and Silica walking up. The rest of the guild turned and saw the pair.
"What are a pair of kids doing here?" Came the question from one of them. Ducker, if Kirito remembered Keita's introductions right.
"Helping with the clearing," Kirito found himself saying; and when he wondered why, the reason surprised him. In fact, it was how novel the reason was that surprised him.
He considered the two young frontliners friends, or at least friendly.
"Well, less helping with the clearing, at for least today, and more taking a little time to work on some of our less used skills," Harry replied. "That and farming up some fairly rare mats."
Keita blinked. "Wait, you two are clearers, and so is Kirito?" He asked with some surprise.
Harry nodded. "I'm Hadrian, and my adorably deadly companion is Silica." Silica elbowed him in the gut with that one, to which he merely grunted.
"He sometimes forgets the deadly part even as he mentions it," Kirito noted with a smirk.
"He's quipping again," Harry stage whispered to Silica.
"I did warn you," she murmured back.
Harry shrugged. "Anyway, I'm actually surprised Kirito. You're being social, and Asuna didn't force you into it? Progress."
Kirito dignified Harry's comment with the only appropriate reply and flipped him off. Harry only grinned in response while Silica simply gave a sigh of amused exasperation.
"Ignore him, he thinks he's being clever and witty." She said to the others.
"I'm not?" Harry gasped. "Why didn't you warn me?"
""It warns others about you," Kirito said, before taking a drink.
The lower level players didn't seem to know where to look, or want to believe their eyes. They all had this image of clearers in their minds, Kirito guessed. They probably thought that clearers were supposed to be serious, grim, and focused. Not cracking jokes at each other's expense, spotting lame one liners to kill a bad mood, or just generally using humor like they did.
There were clearers like that, but most had long since starting using humor, sometimes grim humor appropriate for walking up to the gallows, but still humor, as a coping mechanism. With them constantly risking their lives and knowing full well that their next trip out of a safe zone could be their last, they needed something to help them remain sane.
"Are… are clearers always like this?" Keita asked himself.
Harry chuckled. "Not all of us, just most." He said drily. His expression turned serious. "So, our comments to each other aside, what's the occasion?"
Sasamaru gathered himself. "Oh, Kirito saved us from becoming monster food when we were in the Dark Forest."
Harry looked at Kirito, who nodded. "Where in the forest?" he asked curiously.
"Near the tower," Tetsuo said. "We could see it, but we were ambushed by a lot of mobs."
"It was where you, Silica and Klein's group took on the field boss." Kirito said helpfully.
Silica winced. "You mean where this idiot," she pointed to Harry. "Decided that stabbing a giant snake's brain through its mouth was a good idea."
"Hey!" Harry protested.
"One of it's fangs went clear through your arm." Silica told him.
"I got better."
"That's not the point, Harry."
Kirito and Harry blinked.
"I thought only Argo called you Harry, Hadrian." Kirito said.
Harry shrugged. "Eh, I've told people they can call me Harry more than a few times. Besides, Argo doesn't do formal, and Harry is used informally for quite a few names." He looked at Silica. "I'm surprised that it took five months before you did, Silica."
Silica tried to cover the blush that bloomed on her face and nudged Harry. "The Japanese don't become familiar so easily."
Kirito shook his head. "You two might want to stop before you two end up convincing another group that you're a married couple." He shot out, amused.
The two of them blushed and Harry gave him a two finger salute.
Kirito smirked. Point to me, he thought.
"Anyway, you were saying you all got ambushed?" Harry asked, clearly trying to change the subject.
Keita blinked and gathered himself. "Yeah. We tried to get away, but we were blocked from leaving."
"Yup, that's the place all right." Silica said drily. "And let me guess, you didn't have a Teleport Crystal."
Keita nodded.
"Word of advice: Each of you should always have at least one." Harry said. Before Keita could protest he held up his hand. "I know they're expensive, but those things have saved both Silica's and my own life several times when we bit off more than we could chew ever since they became available."
"Well, there was that one trapped room in the twenty-seventh floor labyrinth where it didn't work." Silica added.
Harry nodded, wincing. "Looking back, the entire thing should have screamed 'trap' to me. Hidden room, treasure chest, no mobs in the immediate area? That should have been a warning right there." He admitted. "Good thing we still keep potions on hand. When the room sealed and it filled with mobs, crystals didn't work until we killed them all. And I mean all crystals, not just teleport crystals."
Kirito looked at Harry sharply. "You mean there's a trap that blocks crystal use?"
Harry nodded. "I spread the word out on it, it happened a couple of days ago."
Kirito nodded. "That explains why I haven't heard of it then." He said. "I've been down here farming some mats and some stuff to sell to Agil. Still, that's bad news if there are more traps like that."
Harry shrugged. "So far, that's the only case, but better for people to know about a new kind of trap, just in case. Still, I don't think it's going to be a common one."
Sachi decided to speak up. "Um, what makes you think that?" She asked.
Harry looked at everyone present. "Because it wouldn't be fair, at least this early." He explained. "Say what you want about Kayaba, but SAO has been fair for the most part. Most things can be handled if you're prepared and careful, even when you don't know what to expect. It's those occasions where the game isn't being fair that you have to watch out for. It's one of the reasons why it's now recommended that you should be at least around ten levels higher than the floor number."
"I wondered about that," Ducker said. "That came down shortly after the twenty-fifth floor was cleared, right? Was it really as bad as the rumors say it was?"
"It depends on what the rumors say," Silica admitted. "But it was bad."
"How bad was it?" Tetsuo asked.
Harry looked at everyone and sighed. "That's where SAO stops taking easy on players, and believe me, it's taking it easy on you down here." He said simply. "Before then, you could get by fairly easily if you were careful, but there?"
He gave a bitter laugh. "On the Twenty-Fifth, you have to know what you're doing. If you thought the Dark Forest was bad with traps, well it is, but those traps aren't lethal, just annoying. On the Twenty-Fifth, we ran into a dozen lethal traps just getting to Stahlhold to activate the teleport gate. And that doesn't even count the number of ambushes."
"You know, I still haven't gotten that Moshi Moshi," Silica mused.
Harry snorted as everyone but Kirito looked confused.
"Moshi Moshi?" Keita asked, confused. "What?"
"She figured out that the Twenty-Fifth was going to be bad before we got there," Kirito explained. "The previous few floors were, looking back on it, rather underwhelming, which any experienced gamers would normally take as a warning sign. In other words, she called it."
"But since everyone was so focused on clearing, they didn't think about that, just counted their lucky stars that things were looking like they were getting easier." Harry added. "Big mistake."
"Yeah, I'll say." Ducker said. "I heard that about two hundred people died on that floor."
"Well, that's true, Argo confirmed it." Silica said. "Well, this is getting depressing, anyone have an idea of a change of subject?"
Keita got a thoughtful look on his face. "You know, we could probably get some tips and maybe learn a few tricks from you guys." He said.
Harry looked at Kirito, and then back to Keita. "You mean some training, right?" He asked.
Keita nodded.
Harry looked thoughtful. "Well, outside of our usual, I don't see a problem with it." He looked at Silica and Kirito. "What do you two think?"
Silica shrugged. "I don't see a problem."
Kirito had a thoughtful look on his face. "What about floor bosses, not to mention keeping our levels current?"
"Hmm, good point." Harry acknowledged. "I don't mind sitting out the occasional floor boss, it's not like Silica and I do all of them anyway. Though, considering the progress on Floor Twenty-seven, they'll probably find the boss room and scout the boss in the next few days. I was planning on being a part of that one, but it's no loss to me if I'm not." Silica nodded in affirmation.
"As for levels, I know you like to do solo work, but Silica and I, while not averse to it, prefer not to do so. Not after the Twenty-Fifth at any rate. Frankly, I'm surprised that Asuna hasn't put a leash on you about that yet."
"I sent her a message," Silica said helpfully. "She's been wondering where you've been for the last few days." She got a thoughtful look on her face and turned to Harry. "You know, having her along for this might help. What do you think?"
Harry nodded. "You know, she just might. God knows she needs a break from the front lines, and it means we can alternate out. We'd have to work out the details, if that's the case. Well, we can sort that out after we know what we have to work with." He looked at Keita. "Now, I have a few questions for you. Silica, Kirito, feel free to chime in as well."
Keita blinked as Harry looked at him. Did they seriously work that out so quickly, and who is this Asuna they mentioned? He thought. "Oh, um, right." He said. "Go ahead."
Harry nodded. "What are the specialties of each of you? Weapons, basic skill layout, things like that?"
Keita took a breath. "Well, Tetsuo is our tank, while the rest of us deal damage. I was thinking of getting Sachi to pick up a shield to help him," he caught Harry's look. "Um, what?"
"Nothing, continue."
"Well, outside of Ducker also being our specialist in finding and disarming traps, that's about it in terms of specializing."
"Yeah, I still need some practice with that," Ducker said sheepishly.
"Well, we have a handy dungeon nearby to help with that." Silica replied drily. "There are a few pointers we can give about spotting them as well."
"And that's all?" Kirito asked.
Harry shook his head. "Not everyone's like you, Kirito. It took Silica and I weeks of research before we had an idea of how we wanted to develop." He looked at the Moonlit Black Cats members. "What about skill layouts? And if you need to change them, do you have Crystal Bottles of Kales'Oh so you don't lose progression on your other skills in case you need to change them?"
"Crystal Bottles of what now?" Sasamaru asked.
Harry sighed. This is going to take a while. He thought with a mental sigh. I also hope that Silica doesn't ask me what Argo dragged me off for. I don't want to let slip that The Rat had decided to give me The Talk.
April 14, 2023 - Aincrad 15th Floor, Fairwind Plateau
They had picked this spot to train some of the Moonlit Black Cats members because it had very few mobs and was relatively isolated, being near Aincrad's edge. Getting here was a bit of a different story, but that was actually part of the point. The mobs were fairly weak for the floor, something the lower level players could handle, while also allowing them to see a distinct difference when they got done.
Asuna looked at the pair of Moonlit Black Cats members she was training with a neutral expression as she evaluated what she had seen. Harry was right when he said that this group had probably survived as far as they did more through luck than skill. Oh, they weren't bad, but the simple fact was that they weren't at the point where they should have been. The front lines would have eaten these kids alive, she thought.
She saw Harry off to the side showing Tetsuo some tricks to use with a shield, with Sachi watching as well. He showed how the shield's position and angle affected how it blocked and deflected attacks, and how important things like stance and footwork were. Harry didn't have the build for a tank, his smaller and lighter frame worked against him, but he at least knew the basics and regularly practiced them. They formed the core of his own style of fighting, after all.
Sachi would probably benefit from his instruction even more than Tetsuo, as she had nothing to unlearn, unlike most shield users. Harry's style was counterintuitive to those who thought in game mechanics. Well, she would benefit once she got past the fact that she seemed to be scared of just about everything, not that it was necessarily a bad thing.
Of all of them, she's probably the only one who really understands how dangerous it is outside the safe zones. Asuna mused to herself. Get her past the fear and give her some self-confidence, and she will do well. Ah, well, Hadrian should be good for that. And Silica as well, now that I think about it. Well, provided she's suitable for that style.
As for her, she was working with Sasamaru and Keita on spear skills. She had picked up a spear to use as an alternate weapon and needed practice with it anyway. Keita was doing well, but a spear didn't seem appropriate for Sasamaru. She would have to think on that, and talk with Kirito about it.
"Ok, good work with that, you two." She told them. "Keita, you're doing fine as is, but you need to work a bit on your footwork, there were several times I could have knocked you off balance with a simple push. Sasamaru, remember that sword skills activate only when the weapon is in the proper position, so study up on what those positions are and practice them."
Kirito and Silica had dragged Ducker off to the Dark Forest field dungeon on the eleventh floor to work his trap detection and disarming. I wish them luck with that, She thought before turning her attention back to Keita and Sasamaru.
Aincrad 11th Floor, Dark Forest
"So, you see what I mean by the tells for traps now?" Silica asked Ducker. "Even without the trap detection skill, a lot of traps can be spotted by simply looking around and spotting something that seems out of place. It doesn't work for all of them, true, but it works for a lot more than people think."
Ducker nodded. "I see what you mean. But if you can spot where a trap is most of the time without it, why have Trap Detection then.?"
"Trap Detection allows you to identify the kind of trap," Kirito said. "Not having the trap detection means that you need to trigger the trap to know what it is. Given that traps are getting progressively more lethal as you go up in floors, I think you can understand why that's a bad idea."
"That, and you eventually develop an instinct for things." Silica added. "Well, if you're alert and not tired."
Kirito snorted. "I take it that's why Hadrian and you didn't spot that one trap?"
Silica shrugged. "Maybe. Looking back, it was obvious, which annoys him by the way. Secret room, off to the side of a hall with no mobs, a treasure chest, and the fact that we looked into the room later after it reset and saw that the walls weren't right."
Kirito nodded. "Yeah, I see what you mean."
Ducker chuckled nervously. "You guys make it seem as if by that point everything is trying to kill you up there." He said. "You guys are making me nervous with talk like that."
Both Silica and Kirito looked at each other and then to Ducker.
"Good." Both said.
April 17, 2023 - Aincrad 8th Floor, Frieven
Lind watched as Schivata walked in. It had been over a month since he had been disgraced on the twenty-fifth floor, and been forced to lay low in order to let the furor die down. Argo had stopped her character assassination campaign weeks ago, but he knew that it would take time before he could undo the damage.
Until then, he would have to be circumspect. While he would love nothing more than to wring her neck, she wasn't the primary obstacle in his path.
"What have you found out about that boy's movements, Schivata?" He asked.
"He's been spending more time on lower floors, boss." His second replied. "Looks like he and the girl have found a group of mid-level players that they have decided to train."
"And this group?" Lind asked.
"They're a small guild, called the Moonlit Black Cats. There are only five members, and it seems that they were probably friends, or at least acquaintances, in the real world."
Lind considered that information and considered how he might be able to use it. Hadrian had a solid reputation now, and any attempt at using rumor against them would likely reach Argo. But that didn't mean that he couldn't use others against him.
"Oh, and boss," Schivata interrupted his thoughts. "It also looks like they got the Beater and Asuna in on it as well."
Lind nodded. "Thank you for the information, Schivata." He said. "Keep an eye out for anything else. I have to think things over."
Schivata recognized the dismissal and nodded, leaving the room.
##
While Frieven had little to offer, and the floor's ever present smell made it unpopular with players, he had to admit that the beer was rather good. It didn't quite make up for the smell, but it seemed to make it more bearable.
Schivata looked into his mug as he considered his guild leader. Lind's isolation here was not doing him any favors, and it allowed him to stew in his thoughts. Now that the initial uproar died down, he thought Lind would get back to working towards clearing, or at least working to repair his reputation.
Instead, he had members going out and gathering information, keeping tabs on the movements of the one he held responsible, Hadrian. What had been anger was turning into an obsession, as if he was simply biding his time and waiting for the time to strike back at the boy.
What was worrying to him, was if Lind decided to strike back using Silica. Schivata knew that Hadrian was protective of her, and tended to be rather vicious to those who did not take the hint when the girl made it clear that she did not appreciate their advances. Nothing lethal or injurious, but word had spread about how he drove off that one guy, Aaaa.
Not that the fat bastard didn't have it coming, from what Schivata had heard.
Still, if Lind decided to use the girl against Hadrian, and if he actually hurt her, Schivata had a feeling that the boy wouldn't rage or go berserk. No, if Lind did that, the boy struck him as the type who would simply draw his sword and butcher him. No words, no yelling, no threats; just simply going about it. And he wouldn't use a proxy, like using a mob to do an MPK. No, the boy was the type that if it came down to having someone killed, he would do it himself. Perhaps to take on the burden of guilt, perhaps not.
Schivata sincerely hoped it wouldn't come to that.