Duality

by Catoust

"The only difference between a Hero and an Idiot is what people say after the fact. Heroic tales are only heard more often because they make better stories."

25. Prominence

I honestly felt really bad about this chapter. The moment I seperate from Kirito and Asuna I just felt such a huge relief; I'm honestly pushing it towards the idea that I just spent too long on the 6th floor and got burnt out by it.

---

I took a deep breath, movements dictated by my exhalations. This early in the morning and with their usual work unavaliable, only a few NPC's were outside completing simple chores. As much as I wished to have slept in, my body demanded a strict schedule and wouldn't let me so much as laze about without having completed a workout.

"Think you'll be able to help us out today, Dai?" The 'spirit' that had taken a liking to me chirped happily, moving its wings gingerly. Through only a single night's rest the feathered dragon had healed significantly, no longer needing the splint the elder of Mare Village had fashioned for him. "Just make sure you take it slow. You seem like you're pretty experienced, so make sure you listen to your body, alright? If worst comes to worst, don't be afraid to scamper up a tree until the coast is clear." The dragon gave off the impression of being deeply offended, tail agitatedly flicking side to side.

"Look, I just don't want you to end up becoming a liability again. I don't know why you've taken a liking to me, but I'm a fighter. That means I'm going head first into dangerous situations if you can't-" I let out a sigh, keeping my leg out to stabilize myself before retracting it. "I want it on the record, had you not been recently injured and were your pain tolerance completely unknown to me, I would totally smack you right now for that." I gently nudged the dragon off my head, helping it lounge across the back of my neck like a living boa.

With my modified morning routine completed, I headed back into the home of our reluctant host, padding across the flooring without a sound. Entirely worthy of being called a xenophobe, Elder Hayabusa had only given us a single room to rest in, that being a storage room that required some effort to make it habitable.

I crouched down and began prodding the gently snoring girl, my finger tapping various parts of her face twice before moving on to another region. "Asuna, wake up. We need to get started." My attempts continued on for perhaps a full minute before she garbled out a barely understandable mismash of sounds. "I don't care that you want five more minutes, I need a response from you before I leave." Eventually I resorted to pinching her nose closed and covering her mouth. Despite the lacking necessity for oxygen, most people in here still had their brains hardwired to craving air, and the sleeping girl was no different.

"Bwah!" She jolted up, splayed arms a clear expression of her emotions. "Asasaki, what was that for!?"

"It was a method of rousing sleeping people up, one that's much preferable to cold water, boot covered kicks, and stealing away blankets." I poked her forehead, pulling out a simple loaf of bread and sackful of salted meat. "It's not much, but it's breakfast. I'm sure if we meet up with Kirito he'll be able to procure something more tasteful, but the kind Elder doesn't seem willing to part with any of his stores." I huffed, instinctively flicking Daiquiri's forelimb when his tail whapped me in the cheek. "I'll be waiting outside. Try not to take too long, alright?"

A decent twenty minutes passed before the teen joined me, doing her best to chase away the last remnants of her slumber. "Please tell me there's a good reason we're up and about before seven?"

"We'll have a good twelve hours if not more of sunlight?" I pushed off the cobblestone wall, changing my pace every so often to help accommodate my quietly chirping passenger. "That and the skies are clear for the time being. I'd rather not deal with overcast as much as possible. I had enough of that yesterday."

"You really don't like rain, do you?"

"I swear I answered this question last night," I grumbled. "Anyway, our wayward companion sent a message while you were sleeping. He worked through the night to get his side of the quests done, and since he's so thoughtful he managed to grab enough supplies for the two of us to finish the quests once we head into his part of the mountain." Internally, I wondered whether or not the quests would even be around for us to accomplish on account of our seemingly special status as the pioneers of the sixth floor.

"How many hours of sleep is he working on?"

"According to him, he went to bed around one in the morning. He set an alarm for quarter past seven, so we'll meet him later on. Our goal right now is to get to the entrance of that temple lovely Hayabusa was talking about, working our way through whatever inhabitants have decided to set up shop within, and find out what's causing the blockage for the waterfalls they use for their mining."

"What do you have against that Elder anyway? You didn't seem to have issues with anybody else." She trailed off, eyes moving to the side in a manner I had associated with her recalling something.

"He's xenophobic and has way too much pride in his tribe's origins. That spells trouble no matter what way you look at it." The girl stopped talking after that, the only sounds accompanying us thereon out being her occasional yawning and the tapping of our sheathed weapons against our garb. "Try and wake up a little more, okay? Being on the main path we should be fine, but we still don't know exactly what's around here." With a nod, Asuna slapped her face twice, inhaling deeply before schooling her features into something more alert.

For having been stated as an important cultural site, the courtyard leading up to the large temple was extraordinarily reclaimed by nature. Once upon a time it must have been a wondrous sight to behold. Now moss and vines unabatedly grew upon the broken pillars and crumbling walls, perfect handholds for both myself and the nimble «Raucous Infiltrators» roaming the grounds. Threats eliminated, I cut my blade to the side, mechanically wiping its faces on the functionally worthless cleaning cloth over my right thigh armor before sheathing it. "Think Kirito will arrive before they respawn?"

"I'm not sure." Asuna gave her own post battle flourish, holding her sheath steady with her left hand as the blade slipped in. "It took us close to thirty minutes just to even find this place, and since he's on the other side of the mountain his path might be more difficult." The girl's shivers prompted me to create a fire in an alcove close to the entrance. Protected from the nipping wind that flew over the surrounding forwards and with a clear view of the grounds, the two of us waited for the beta tester to arrive.

When snoring once again commenced, I shook my head and stepped onto the cobblestone path, directing Daiquiri to show me what abilities he had. With his wing recovering but still functional, the feathered dragon was capable of temporary flight, having to rely mostly on his surprisingly agile footwork to traverse. While in the air, the pink and green dragon relied mostly on dive bomb tactics, using beak and claw to assail his targets. He also demonstrated a healing ability of some kind, though from what I could gather it seemed to be on a very long cooldown. "At least I know why your wing healed up so fast." Daiquiri trilled happily, leaping off the top of a pillar and gliding onto the face of another before scampering up it.

"Are you talking to yourself again?"

"No, I'm talking to the dragon I picked up. Asuna fell back asleep so I thought I should take the time to see what the 'Great Spirit' could do." I turned around and gave the noiret a smile, giving him a quick once over. "No changes to your armor, but it seems like your entire wardrobe's gotten a makeover." Where before Kirito's clothing seemed light but durable, his clothing now made him look every bit like a thickly bundled winter model. Where he a decade older, I would have shamelessly taken a picture of him for idle gossiping later on. "Any chance you brought enough to share with the rest of the class?"

"Don't worry, I managed to get a set for you and Asuna. Part of why I was up so late." The teen quickly initiated a trade with me, a set of soft blue clothing appearing in his window. "I don't exactly know what colors you like, so I thought I'd just go with something blue like your armor."

"Kirito, my armor has a green tint to it, not blue." I stared at him blankly, accepting the trade as an afterthought.

"Oh, sorry. I guess I was more tired than I thought when I placed the orders." He took a step back and looked at me intently. I in turn gave a small flourish to show off my new look. "That or it was a trick of the light. Right now it's clearly a green tint, but if I'm not paying attention the white of the metal makes it seem kind of blue."

"If you say so. Go ahead and wake Miss Shooting Star up, I'm going to see what sort of tricks I can cook up with Daiquiri here." Ten minutes later, the three of us stood before the looming doors of the temple, Kirito taking his usual spot in at the forefront of our group.

"The temple's supposed to be the remnants of an ancient civilization. Apparently it was the first surface living area once the Tarragon-Human treaty got finalized. With all ancient tech, let's assume there's going to be a puzzle of some kind waiting for us. Probably a bit of backtracking here and there, a very specific type of enemy or three, maybe even a mini-boss on the way out." Kirito laid a hand on the doors, the stone doors slowly shuddering outwards to reveal a dark passage.

Asuna gave a mix of a scoff and a sigh. "An instanced zone. How wonderful."

"Sounds like this place'll have a lot more Kilometers per Liter once the other swordsmen arrive." I pulled out one of my last remaining torches as a precaution, uncertain as to whether or not the depths would be lit. "Did those quests of yours give any more advice, Ki?"

"Only that the temple usually gets sealed to prevent any animals from going to where they shouldn't."

"Which means that if we're going to have to fight our way through it, there's probably going to be those gorillas and monkeys inside." Asuna drew her rapier, expressing a moment of despondence.

"Don't worry about it too much. You have two tanks to defend you. Worst case scenario, we run away to another hall to pot up before tackling the problem once more." I hit the button to ignite the light, holding it forth proudly. "Plus Daiquiri's able to fight now, so that's yet another more distraction." I grinned cheekily and stepped through the runic haze, internally cheering upon realizing the only source of light at the moment was from the entrance behind me. "Keep that heal ready once you can use it again, okay, Dai? We're pretty good with maintaining our health, but if any of us get hit hard I want you to do what you can, alright?" The dragon chirped in what felt like understanding, nuzzling against my cheek.

"As usual, I'll take point. Asasaki, stay in the middle and try to provide as much light as possible. Asuna, follow up on my targets when it's safe. If you can't find an opening, take down whatever you think you can handle."

"I'm not some weak newbie who doesn't know how to Switch, Kirito. I can fight alongside you. I've been fighting alongside you." The boy in question gave a quick apology, not bothering to retract or modify his statement. In the silence that followed as we walked, I couldn't help but wonder if I had missed out on an argument at some point.

"Kind of weird how there isn't any lighting here, isn't it?" I stepped to the side, raising the torch to examine the reclaimed walls. Beneath the growth there didn't seem to be anything of importance, only the aged carvings of the late architects. "I mean, normally there's magically lit sconces to allow vision, but if somebody has to hold a light at any given time?"

Kirito turned around to look at me, purposely standing at the very edge of the lit region I provided. "I think I'll have to stop by Urbus after this. If I remember correctly, they sell lanterns that you can attach to your belt. It wouldn't be the best lighting, but it'd be something."

"One of the guys in Fūrinkazan is a cheapskate and found a shield back in Tolbana that's designed to carry a lantern alongside the normal protection. It's basically a modified gauntlet. Stats on it were worthless though, but I guess it's to trade off the functions." As we continued walking, I gestured towards a sunbeam peering through a gap in the ceiling. "Think that'll play a part in the future?" A sudden pressure against my head caused me to stumble a few steps to the side. Glaring at the now airborne feathered dragon, "Oi, what was-"

"Asasaki, cover!" Kirito and Asuna began running to the other side of the hall, Daiquiri flapping after them.

"What's going on?" I glanced forward and muttered a curse, diving into a roll. Behind me the thrown boulder cracked into the ground, rolling forward several feet before stopping against the wall. I sent the torch into my inventory decisively, mentally calculating the distance from each wall to the opening the projectile had come from. "Get ready to receive! Dai, follow me!" The tingling in my legs became stronger when I stepped onto the wall, my body reorienting for a proper landing.

On top of the roof, a single «Armored Behemoth» beat its chest proudly, the two stone plated monkeys beside it jumping up and down in a cutely menacing way. As one the duo scampered towards me, fangs bared as they leapt. The one on my right was grabbed mid air by an extended limb, the squeaking monster used to bat its companion away. With a quick spin, it was succinctly throw down through the hole, Kirito's voice faintly calling a command in response.

My body jerked to the side, a large rock the size of my head blurring past. "Would you quit throwing stuff?!" I leapt over the hole and drew my blade, rolling forward into a simple jab upon landing. The tip barely broke skin, and any thoughts of a follow up had to be discarded when the smacked Infiltrator repaid the debt by latching onto my skull and setting upon me with weak but rapid strikes. It screeched loudly before leaping off, an incredibly strong fist sending me rolling along the worked stone.

A curse leaving my lips, I leapt backwards onto my feet, green and blue tinted bubbles swiftly floating up around me in conjunction with my raising health bar. "Thanks, Dai. Hold back for now, only attack what's on me as a distraction, alright?" The dragon chirruped, moving higher into the air and circling around. "Round two, boys." I charged at the two modified animals, a side stepping dodge turned into a spinning slash that carried me behind the leader.

When I turned around, I was greeted by the sight of my dragon friend attaching onto the face of the Behemoth, beak slamming into its eyes multiple times before crawling onto its back and flying into the air. Instinctively I ran in, my lead leg chambering in and unleashing a system assisted sidekick and knocking the brute through the hole. The remaining monkey screamed and threw itself at me. Unable to dodge in mid air, I skewered it with my blade and hoisted it into the air, slamming my fist into its head over and over until it digitized.

"Dai, down!" I leapt towards the opening, free hand catching the edge and allowing me to swing my feet against the ceiling. Pushing off, I shot towards the floor, converting the momentum with a roll and launching onto the back of the roaring behemoth. «Tormenting Reaver» shlicked through sinew and plating, the beast twisting side to side in an attempt to throw me off.

"Asasaki, why did you-" Whatever Kirito was trying to said went unheard, the enraged beast plucking me off its back and slamming me into the wall like a child throwing a tantrum.

That was a mistake. Locked against the floor by a Stun effect, I could only watch as the beast reared back and threw another bone shattering bunch, the plated fist pushing me deeper into the ground. Dual screams of righteous anger were let out, my teen companions setting into the beast with calculated abandon. The last hit on the monster came from Asuna, the opening for her «Oblique» provided by Daiquiri.

"Why are you so utterly stupid?!" The red head justifiably shrieked. She thrust a potion towards me, face set in a scowl so deep I briefly entertained the thought of teasing her about her locked expression.

"Seemed like-"

"A good idea at the time? You really need to stop having good ideas, Asasaki." Kirito crossed his arms, his frown a no less reprimanding mirror of Asuna's.

"Look, I'm alive, aren't I? We beat the monster, and all it cost was a single potion." I chugged the liquid down, uncomfortably used to the bitterness of the restorative.

"If a plan means somebody gets in the red, it's not a good plan." Asuna placed her fists on her hips, leaning forward into my personal space. "I don't care how used to you are with throwing yourself in harms way, every time that happens my heart stops. I'm way too young to have to worry about heart attacks, so you better quit it."

I grit back a sigh, taking the distraction provided by Daiquiri roosting upon my head to compose myself. "Yeah, sure. No more taking risky moves to provide openings, got it." Internally I complained about their behavior, only ceasing upon realizing I had been treating the game exactly like a game. In the real world, if any of my subordinates had been acting in the way I had I would have torn into them for the better part of a half hour, perhaps pushing into a full hour depending on how close to death they had gotten. One of the most important rules I had pressed onto my units at all times was to not be a hero; and attempting to be a hero was exactly what I had been doing.

The rest of the exploration went by fairly silently. It felt a little awkward to me, but my companions seemed more concerned with not getting ambushed by anything everytime we came across a hole in the roof. "Hey, so-"

"Asasaki, I swear to god. The next words out of your mouth better be about something inconsequential. Every time you speak it's always predictive about the situation, and those predictions usually turn out right."

"What, raising flags? Me? I would never."

Kirito raised a finger upon seeing Asuna's expression falter, entering his 'teacher' mode. "Raising flags means saying something and that exact thing either occurring or the reverse of it occurring, usually in movies, games, and other media. If I were to talk about how I want to survive through this so I can finally see my hypothetical wife and kids at home, if I were to wind up dead it could be said that I rose a death flag. Asasaki's predictions in this case are honestly on point though; I'm not as precise as her conclusions but everytime she points something out I usually have some concern about the same thing."

"Just look at it this way, Miss Comet. Me pointing stuff out, like that section up ahead that's clearly less dusty than everything else, gives you a split second-" I chuckled, golf clapping when Asuna jerked away from the obvious trap. "Eventually you learn to pay attention to the inconsistencies like that. Normal gaming might not be as dramatic as traps in real life, but fall prey to something enough times and eventually you learn to either expect them in advance or deal with the patterns as they come."

"We're here." Kirito strode forward, giving the vast room a once over before swapping out weapons. The shadows failing to match up with the circular openings towards the ceilings indicated an overhang of some sort, likely for protection against rainfall. There was a bit of a timeless quality to the room. Even with watermarks and other clear natural features marking the walls, something about the area made it feel like we were peeking into a world long past.

Without explaining, the noiret stepped onto the platform in the center and plunged the sword into the pedestal. There was an audible click, and suddenly the lines on the platform I had thought to be mere decoration glew an aged white; at the same time, the previously empty sconces scattered throughout the room lit up with a soft blue flame. After a quick examination of the platform, I surmised our situation as utter copyright infringement.

"At this rate, that might as well be your catch phrase." Asuna stared at me with a calculative gaze. After a moment she shook her head, joining Kirito at the front of the room.

"Whether or not this room-"

"Temple," I interjected. "Though at this point it might better to call it a shrine." I thumbed towards the sword, its current position qualifying as 'enshrined'.

"Whatever it is, it's obvious we're going to have to clear out each of these paths." Kirito pointed at each of the three hallways placed throughout the room. Once upon a time they must have been colored, but time had since worn away the pigments and turned everything into the same clay white shade.

With a start, I stepped back onto the dias, crouching down to more carefully observe the sheath. "Hey, Kii? A question. What sort of conversation happened when you got this sword?"

"Something along the lines of how it might prove useful against hostile Tarragon's. I didn't really get much more than that."

I huffed and fingered the three indents, referencing them to the three pathways. "Dungeons here don't usually make you backtrack, right?" I pulled open my quest log, looking over the notes regarding Elder Aeren's tasks. Ignoring my companion's queries, I continued looking between the three subjects, shaking my head upon arriving to a conclusion. "Remember what I said about those stones being magical?" Swiftly overriding Asuna's protests, "I'm pretty sure those stones Aeren had us retrieve are related to this place. Maybe a 'spare key', so to speak." I prodded the sheath with my foot. "Three stones, three slots. If inserting the sword caused a change, it's safe to say that those stones will cause a change as well."

The girl scoffed and rolled her eyes. "We're seriously going to have to gather those stones again? Ugh, whatever. Kirito, I don't particularly care for another gathering quest, so let's just shoot through these, alright?"

"Er, right." Kirito gave a short burst of nervous laughter, reflexively raising his hands at Asuna's irritated tone. "Asasaki, is there anything else you can figure out from this room?"

"Remind me to ask you about that sword later on." I stepped over to the left wall, eyeing the designs. "The craftsmen here were pretty detailed with their work. The material's nice and durable too." I moved to each of the walls, double checking just in case.

"I don't understand, why aren't we just picking a hall and working through them?"

"Asasaki's probably referencing a game series called The Legend of Zelda. One of their most popular installations had a temple very similar to this one. A sword embedded in the ground, a stone slab that needed three orbs to open a door. You're right in that we could probably just work our way through everything, but it'd be nice to have some information beforehand on what we should expect."

"Courage, Power, Wisdom," I stated, starting from the left, I pointed to the halls in a counterclockwise motion. "The first has something to deal with distance, whether metaphorical or otherwise, the center has a lot of boxes and 'spot the difference', and the right has to deal with judgement."

"That's actually pretty-" Kirito stepped towards the wall I had designated as Courage, pausing after a moment. "I don't know how you managed to figure that out. It all just looks like designs to me." When he stepped back towards the dias as I suggested, he coughed in realization. "Anyway, do you think these rooms are meant to be dealt with by a single person?"

I hummed, considering what he meant by that. "Possibly. It would make sense. But let's move as a group for this one. If it turns out only one of us needs to deal with it, the other two can always head back. Beside, we're in a party. If something comes up we can always just send off a message."

Acknowledging my words, the teen continued leading, our footsteps echoing down the hall. The path led slightly downwards, eventually becoming steep enough to change to stairs. When we finally stopped descending, we found ourselves in a large chamber. Nature had grown to the point where it was hard to tell what was the original design and what was merely a happy accident.

"Kids who do parkour would have a field day with this place," I muttered.

Beside me, Kirito nodded, patting me on the back happily. "We'll leave this to you then. You have both «Sprint» and «Acrobatics», so I'm sure you can handle it."

"Dai, go with them. I should be fine by myself. Besides, that 'Power' hall might need your help." With quick offerings of good luck, two teens and a dragon started back the way we came, leaving me all alone in the literal jungle gym.

I stared out at the room, arms crossed as I took in the repeating background music. There was very much a sense of time standing still, percussion and woodwinds combining vapidly. Only a few measures in I turned the setting completely down, the ambience succeeded by a howling wind coming from the holes in the ceiling. "Time to get to work."

Making my way across the elevated platforms was surprisingly challenging. The designers, whether from the story of the game or the architects of historical binary, were cunning in their placement of useable terrain. A handful of times I had used the system assist to cross a wall or surviving flat topped pillar, only to slip at a section that somehow maintained zero grip throughout the decades.

It was almost exactly as I reached the halfway point that long vines were thrown down the various holes in the ceiling, numerous stone plated monkeys sliding down and attempting to work their way through the puzzle in whatever manner possible. Despite having previously fought them before, they seemed to have no interest in my appearance, only reacting with angry shouts or harmless attacks to ward me off.

"20 cor says they attack me if I find that stone." Musings aside, there was still the difficulty of the last portion of the course. Should we fall, the vines that had been tossed down had become checkpoints of sorts as well as simple cheats to swing from platform to platform, but at the moment neither myself nor the five luckiest Infiltrators were able to figure out a way across.

This is better than nothing, I suppose. I leapt back several pillars, spinning around on a single foot and drawing my blade. Instantly all eyes turned to me, limbs twitching in anticipation of what I was going to do. Fear at the unfavorable odds quashed, I forced the magic of the system into my limbs, propelling my body forward with every step. On the last pillar, I ducked underneath outstreched limbs and shrieks, launching forward with all the strength I could muster. Halfway through the jump, I unleashed the gathered energy for (Uppercut), physics momentarially ignored and pulling me upwards. The combined forces allowed me to land at the second to last row, the outermost portions of the pillar crumbling under my weight as I pressed against the wall.

When I turned around to observe the situation, every single one of the corrupted monkeys began hopping up and down, a few oddly hurrying up the vines they had used to drop in. Their actions didn't make much sense until I managed to traverse two more pillars towards the center of the room. One of the vines that was approximately three-fourths the height of the room had replaced the one resting close to my previous hurdle. From it, the four monkeys that had left the hall were forming a chain, the mass of bodies slowly adding more and more length.

"You are so totally unfair!" I yelled, gripping tightly to an obelisk. The previous one I had leapt to, like others before it, had crumpled at the lightest touch. Before I would have accepted my fate and slid to the ground, but with the swarm of enemies working together I dare not accept such a set back. By the time I managed to get close to the end, a cheering, black furred monkey flew past me, glee on its face as it oriented its body to land feet first.

Without hesitation I fired off a Sprint aided «Reaver», kicking back the monster upon recovery. As much as I wished to enjoy the copper green statue of a dragon, the shrieks and screeches behind me promised nothing but pain if I overstayed my welcome. With a few half hearted curses at my pitiful strength stat, I managed to procure the green orb from the grasp of the statue, immediately plotting my course back through the horde.

As useful as utilizing the platforms would have been, the amount of planning I would have needed to access each one without stacking abilities required far more time than I had. Thusly, I had settled for only taking a few steps along the wall before kicking off and launching myself at an open space on the floor. Though the orb was no longer on my person, tucked away safely in my inventory, the monkeys didn't seem to care and maliciously charged at me, bodies throwing themselves at me without any care for precision. After all, with the ability to form a rug or curtain wherever they went, eventually one portion would cover the stain.

I twirled around and threw back one of the infiltrators, utilizing the brief reprieve to step onto the broken stump of a pillar. Using Acrobatics more than Sprint, I pushed off one pillar to ascend to another, the system propelling me upward in a manner I could only replicate in my dreams. At the top of the pillar, small stones began impacting my back, a redundant incentive to rush the last of the way into the hallway. Against my expectations, none of the unnatural animals followed my through.

"I'm beginning to agree with Asuna's stance of you being a bad luck charm if that's how you're leaving that room." Kirito looked up from whatever screen he was working on. In the background, Asuna had finally managed to convince Daiquiri to play with her, the two running (in the case of Daiquiri, flying) around in a game of tag.

"Exposed buildings tend to do that. All sorts of looters and other hoodlums want to get in on the action." At Kirito's gesture, I inserted the last orb into the slot. The last lines of the platform lit up with a bright green light, the missing portion of the two staircases rising from the ground and completing the path. "Couldn't you two have just leapt up that?"

"Tried that. The slightest pressure caused it to fall back into the ground for a couple seconds." Kirito shrugged apathetically, idly calling for Asuna as we began moving up. "I'm more of a computer gamer than a console. What do you expect from here?"

"Could be anything." I gazed up at the roof of the temple, wondering what purpose the troughs at the edge of this floor could had served aside from water collection. "A stone guardian, a golem of some kind, a Fallen Elf, an enhanced version of the Behemoths or Infiltrators. There's a lot of stuff going on here and but not much in the way of long term foreshadowing. Not really, anyway."

As we approached the stone doors, Daiquiri flew out of Asuna's arms and onto my back, clicking angrily. "Whatever it is, let's just say it's not going to be fun." Kirito and I opened the door in unison, weapons drawn as we rushed into the room. What greeted us was a massive scaled chicken, a mad gleam in its eyes as its head slowly rose.

Asuna immediately squeaked, swift steps bringing her behind the male swordsman. "Kirito, plan please!"

"Run!" Helpless against the charge, the three of us seperated. The beak of the cockatrice slammed into the hard wall, a glaring «Immortal Object» screen popping. Without waiting for any orders, I leapt onto the back of the Tarragon, plunging my sword along its spine and running forward. Deftly I crossed the red line partially up its neck, maneuvering with the sudden buck to land on the floor.

"Oi, Children, plan!" I called out, motioning for Daiquiri to move to a flanking position.

"Asuna, stay back and look for the weak points, I'll keep up the damage. Asasaki! Do what you can!"

Without explaining herself, Asuna suddenly jolted out through the doors. As much as I wanted to call out her name, Kirito's onslaught had forced my to run over and catch Daiquiri's launched form, courtesy of a conditional knock back.

Put a little trust in your subordinates. You might find they'll surprise you.

I let out a soft breath at the memory, guiding my dragon companion to assist Kirito. The three of us did what we could to whittle away the bipedal dragon's health. Where my fighting style appeared geared towards utilizing my opponent's body against them, Kirito's was a brute force flurry of slides, ducks, and side steps.

Rolling to the side, I sprung up and tore into the neck of «Vern, Broken Cockatrice Lord». Above me, Daiquiri latched onto the side of Vern's head, beak turning the whites of its eye into a crackling red mess of data. Another AoE roar was unleashing, the momentum from my recovery only stopping when I nearly slid out the door. The pommel of a sword was suddenly thrust in front of my face, Asuna gesturing frantically for me to take it. "Key Item." Immediately understanding, I swapped for the weapon and charged back in, body twisting furiously to deal as many attacks as possible.

The instant I noticed the tensing animation for another screech begin, I jammed the blade into the cockatrice' upper leg, bracing myself for the incoming strike. Upon recovering, "Ki, Left leg! Go all out!"

With Daiquiri continuing to distract the beast with mere pinpricks from beak and claws, Kirito's limbs flashed out, the simple almost ivory blade gouging chunks of health with every system aided strike. Soon enough the scaled beast fell, the digitization process starting from the outer portions and working its way in before shattering resolutely.

I held an arm out for Daiquiri to land out, the feathered dragon requesting praise before resting along my shoulders. "That was some good thinking on your part, Asuna." The teen grinned, explaining her realization to Kirito. "By the way, how many scales did you guys get?" My finger hovered over the spoils of war. Even for a quest boss, possibly even a mini-boss, fourteen «Ancient Scales» was a lot for a single monster to drop.

Kirito casually let the forged dragon fang hand by his side, acting as if his usual post fight motions hadn't resulted in sliding the blade into a non-existent sheath. "Fifteen over here."

"Thirteen for me." Asuna glanced to the side nervously. After a moment, I felt it best to attribute her behavior to a sense of uselessness. Whether through fear, lack of information, or seeing that Kirito, Daiquiri, and I had a system, the rapier user had never truly entered battle, only stabbing out the first few times we managed to get Vern to smash into a wall.

I could only shake my head in disappointment. Perhaps gathered together, the thirty two pieces might be able to be forged into useful armor combined with some ores or bars, but I didn't feel comfortable asking the two for their shares, even if I was fully willing to compensate them for it. "What's behind door number one, Kirito?" Regardless of still being in the green, I chugged down a potion as I neared the now accessible door on the opposite side of the room. It was entirely possibly, nay, certain, that there would be a fight with a Fallen Elf when we arrived at the end.

"The resting place of some of the Tarragon leaders. The villagers here regard every single one of the dragons beyond this door as spirits of the highest order." The black haired swordsmen nodded towards Daiquiri. "If it wasn't for how his kind tend to wander the mountain relatively often, I'd say that the game only let you meet him because of some special condition or something."

"I doubt we're that special to warrant a custom quest line, even if we are the first people here." I glanced to the side, pulling my coat a little tighter to ward off the cold. "Gar'veni notwithstanding."

"Hey, look! Snow!" Asuna danced ahead several feet, throwing her hands out to catch the falling flakes. "I guess we're pretty high up now, huh?"

"It's also the weather. We were a lot higher back in the Wind region, but it was warmer there." I stepped over a thin stream of still flowing water, tapping my chin in thought. "Over there it was more muggy than the rain here. Wait, that sounds wrong." I stepped over another stream, lip twitching when Kirito's boots splashed up ahead. "The weather there was more tropical than here. The sun beat on you strongly when it was available, and when the clouds were around there was a hint of the humidity sticking to you. At least there was a bunch of wind from the local valleys that kept us cool, otherwise it'd be exactly like a rainforest. Over here, it feels more like we've had a few days of rain in a row. Nice, cool, and refreshing, even with all the trees around."

"Weather aside, you should come take a look at this." The redhead tugged me over to the edge of the path, pointing down at a collection of water caused by several stones collected at the exit. "Think you can get down there safely? I'm pretty sure that's the source of the blockage Elder Ryu wanted us to clear."

"That," I trailed off hesitantly. The water wasn't frozen, but the layer of snow resting on the banks were rather dissuading. "You know when you exhale you can see your breath?"

"Is that a request for me to do it?" Kirito eyed me, taking a partial step towards the slick drop.

"No, I can do it. Just," I handed the teen a lit torch, sending my armor and outer clothing to my inventory. "I hate polar bear swims." Clad only in my undergarments, I dove into the pool, a mantra of how I was only living in a virtual realm and not reality my only defense against the breathtaking chill of the water. It took a handful of tries and numerous resurfacings, but eventually I succeeded in safely clearing the blockage, a pair of unashamedly dry hands pulling me onto the now exposed shore. "Th- thanks." I immediately began putting my clothing back on. As if sensing my troubles, Daiquiri glided down and snuck into my coat, chittering concernedly.

Asuna's head peaked over the edge of the short cliff. Gazing up at her, I noticed the path Kirito had taken to come down. "While you two are warming back up, would you mind telling me what's up with this music?"

Kirito's tilted head prompted me to change my muted setting. After a moment we both gave our input on how the distorted song, the notes feeling as if they were shifted down a key.

"A Minor key then." The girl frowned, briefly disappearing before popping back up from a standing position. "If it feels distorted to you guys, and since I'm getting a sense of wrongness from it, it has to be a Minor. Major's are supposed to feel light and happy."

"Is everything studies with you?" Though my teeth had stopped chattering, I still felt unwilling to move. I unashamedly watched Kirito scale the cliff, half heartedly attempting his path and failing to take more than three handholds before sliding down.

Talking over Kirito's concerned remarks towards me, "Since we don't have textbooks here, the best I can do is recall all the studies I can and try to apply it everywhere. I might not learn anything new, but at least I can stay on top of everything." Asuna snorted, giving Kirito a side eye. "But if you think I'm bad, you should sit in on some of our meals or whenever we go shopping together. Kirito thinks he's being secretive about it, but he has yet to realize that his random mumblings are totally about volume, mass, and the per unit values of health restored, damage per strike compared to the average repair cost, and other terminology."

"Can you maybe sound a little less frustrated about me paying attention to how far each cor goes?" Student Kirito's defense (read: whinings) was utterly demolished in the face of Disciplinarian Asuna's scoldings. Remedial lessons are highly suggested.

I coughed, shushing my thoughts on their interaction. Feeling I could no longer use the dissapaiting numbness as an excuse, I clambered up the rocks, patting Daiquiri on the head in appreciation for his efforts. Continuing up the trail led us a single time around the mountain. This high up, we were able to see a good portion of the other four regions despite the haze of falling snow.

Across the inactive volcano in the center ringed by a plateau was the Wind region, the temple in the sky we had departed from vaguely visible even from here. To our left, the Fire region sprawled out before us, rivers of lava bending throughout blackened land. To the right, a sea of sand undulated. At the farthest reaches of it a layered cliff housed the lone Tower in the area, its presence daring all who looked at it to attempt to cross its unforgiving landscape.

Asuna stepped beside me, arms folded under her chest. "It's so weird, isn't it? Four distinct areas all within a ten kilometer radius. I mean, is this sort of thing even possible in reality?"

I nodded minutely, the stillness in the air only accentuated by the corrupted timelessness whispering at the edges of my senses. "Have I mentioned that I'm really not looking forward to what's ahead? I really hope I have."

"You haven't said anything like that so far, Asasaki. Now come on, you two. The sooner we get done here, the quicker we can head out to the next region, where it's warmed." Kirito crossed his arms at us, looking out at the horizon one last time before continuing the trek upwards.

When we finally reached the top, we were greeted by three shallow pools of water holding a fairly large plinth in their centers positioned in the cardinal directions with the entrance pointing north. What was surprising was the two thickly bundled humanoids tending to an unmoving oriental dragon in the eastern pool. In the west pool, a similar looking serpent lay still, its scales the same empty gray color as the Behemoths and Infiltrators.

The moment I placed the purple crystals protruding from the latter's body I drew my blade, motioning for my companions to do the same. "Kirito, Asuna, those two are bad news. Whatever they're doing, we need to stop them."

"On the contrary, Swordsmen, it would be in your best interest to help us." The thinner of the two stepped away from the pseudo shrine, their boots sloshing through the water. Despite his coy smile, his striking purple eyes made it impossible for me to trust him. "You have questions. I have answers." The fallen elf smiled a tad wider, the minute change in his features reminding me of a glib salesman.

"What are you doing here?" Kirito demanded.

"Quick and concise. How boorish. Very well, if you truly must know, we are conducting experiments on the so called spirits of this region." The system refused to identify the elf, only a horrendous green question mark slowly twirling above his head. "Being older than ourselves, we thought it a worthwhile endeavor to see how they would react to refined crystals. Unfortunately, it seems their biology is not suited for such things, though they have shown quite the interesting traits if I do say so myself." The elf eyed my blade, meeting my gaze for a moment before increasing his smile by a hair.

"What sort of experiments are you doing?" Cue Asuna, who seemed to have not been paying attention, though it was more likely she spoke improperly rather than truly spaced out.

"What is that human phrase I have heard centuries ago? Ah, yes. Curiosity killed the cat."

"But satisfaction brought it back," I countered. Though my weapon was now sheathed to comply with the seemingly peaceful air, I still kept my hand wrapped around its hilt, ready to pull it out at a moment's notice.

The elf chuckled. "How quaint. But as much as I wish I could share, I cannot tell more. I am already breaking a splendor of rules speaking to you in this manner. But perhaps," The elf slightly looked away, the three of us undoubtedly in his peripheral. "Evolution occurs given enough time. Sometimes the survivors become apparent over millenia, other times less than a century."

I barely restrained myself from snarling, making the connection from the perhaps dead dragon and the modified animals we had come across.

The quest giver's companion stepped over, the red particles on his gloves slowly fading away. "The work is done. We should return tomorrow for the results."

"Thank you. Excuse us, Swordsmen." The two stepped away, stopping to request that we do nothing to the dragons on the east and west pillars.

A few seconds after they left I whirled onto Kirito, barely contained rage tainting my features. "And tell me why we didn't immediately attack them?"

"He was a quest giver. Even if he is a Fallen Elf, the system doesn't just assign that sort of status without a reason."

"And haven't you ever heard of a corrupt politician? They might entice you with honeyed words, but when it comes time to deliver all they offer is vinegar if not worse." I scowled, ignoring Daiquiri's furious chitterings.

"Hey, don't get mad at me. I just took the best path that I thought we should take. If you really felt that strongly about it, why didn't you just act instead of waiting for permission? You're an adult, aren't you?"

"Uh, guys?"

"I may be an adult, but you're the more experienced one here in terms of gaming. Everything I know is from old school arcade stuff and puzzle based RPG's. If you didn't want us doing something, I assume it's because you have a plan." Daiquiri slipped out of my coat at that moment, his cries my only signal of his location.

"Isn't there a pretty common English saying for that sort of thing? 'When you assume you make an Ass out of You and Me'."

"Guys, could you please stop fighting real quick?"

"We're not fighting, we're very heatedly discussing-" I trailed off, silently drawing my blade. "Oi, Kirito. Tell me you have a plan better than 'run' and 'hit it 'til it dies'."

Kirito shakily drew his blade, taking a stance beside me."How about improvise?"

"Was afraid you'd say that." The corrupted serpent I had thought dead roared, the sound forcing all four of us to flinch back. "I'll draw its attention! You two take what openings you can! Daiquiri, stay back for healing!"

«Karushin, Corrupted Ancestral Tarragon of Strength» blurred through the air, its form slinking between me and Asuna. In its wake the air bit into my exposed skin, the sensation very similar to that of road burn.

"It has a damaging Aura!" Asuna shouted, running to the side. "Dodge ahead of time!" Kirito mirrored her actions, the three of us forming the points of an equilateral triangle.

"Oi! Bastard! Look at this nice, tasty snack just offering itself up to you! Come and get it, bitch!" My left hand snapped out, a tiny pebble thrown with one of the basic throwing skills that every player had. The strike had the intended effect, Karushin's gaze swiveling onto me. The transformed dragon tensed. The moment it twitched forward I leapt to the side, my sword braced outward at chest level. As expected, the metal tore along the dragon's entire side, the damage it dealt to me returned in triplicate. "Kirito, go!"

The teen Sprinted forward, setting upon the grounded serpent with a few system aided strikes before preemptively backing off. "Five second recovery! Aura radius assumed 1.5 meters!" Asuna repositioned herself, eyeing the dragon intensely. When I had originally asked her why she shouted things like that, she stated that Kirito had told her to keep track of damage, skills used, and timings to help expand her mechanical knowledge. For the instances where going in and dealing damage wouldn't be favorable, informing her allies of such things would be more than a worthwhile trade.

The false air in my lungs were expelled in a single breath, a clawed hand suddenly pulling me along the rock wall and grinding my health away. The moment I unceremoniously landed in one of the pools a curtain of green and blue bubbles flowed up around me, my health increasing with the ascending effects. "The fuck was that?!" I leapt onto my feet and splashed through the chilling water, moving back into position.

"Language!" Asuna pulled out a potion in her free hand as a precaution, mouth fervently muttering something inaudible. "Unknown conditions for Grapple, attack lasted four seconds! Unknown follow up!"

"Cut back on the useless chatter! Asasaki, take the sword! I'll draw aggro." Kirito tossed the now unequipped «Paradox of Peace» over, drawing his usual weapon from his back. A stone of his own made the dragon turn its ascent downward, the beast spiralling down before shooting forward. A hasty Block was forced into a Parry, his weapon causing sparks as every scale and crystal shard ground against the metal.

"Draw aggro, he said. Take the sword, he said!" I leapt onto the dragon's former resting place, my tingling body falling flush with the stone against my own will. My dropping health bar informed me of what happened, a hazy warning barely reaching my ears through the piercing roar. Ignoring both the cry and soft whispers of my innermost self, I took a step and flipped backwards, the rushing body of Karushin jerking me forward. I wrapped my legs around the serpent's body, plunging the dragon forged sword in with as much strength as I could muster.

The Ancient Tarragon shrieked and crashed into the ground. Upon recovering I ran up to its head and began hacking away, offering no quarter to the health bar-less creature. With a jerk and a roar, the corrupted being sent me flying into another pool of water. The significantly lower health bars of my companions notified me that they had experienced the same strike, the open window having suddenly been cut short.

"Damage Counter AoE present!" Asuna called out. "Catalyst amounts unknown!"

"If you don't know information, there's no need to say so!"

I kip'd forward onto my feet, suppressing a shudder from my soaked clothing. "Doesn't seem like it has an enrage mechanic," I muttered. "Is this just a DPS rush?" I rolled to the side to avoid another charge, downing a potion now that I had gone under fifty percent. "Hang on for three minutes! I don't want to risk getting too low against this thing!" All three of us began attacking when I next brought Karushin down, retreating at Kirito's call.

With another roar, ribbons of visible energy whipped all around, a mind bogglingly complex symbol appearing underneath the dragon. Despite our best attempts, each of us were tagged by one of the ribbons, a status icon appearing over our ribbons upon contact. Listed at 0 stacks, every time a stack was applied it would cause our movement and attack speed to be reduced by 1%. Upon reaching 20 and for every new stack thereafter, there would be a chance that we would suffer Paralysis.

For some twenty five minutes we hesitantly continued this pseudo bullfight. Only upon my accidental discovery that standing in Karushin's vacated pool would remove stacks did we start fighting with zeal. Unfortunately the water was a double edged sword; stand too long in it and we would end up with the stars of a hypothermia debuff. When the beast was finally killed, all three of us were well under 60% and suffering from both the lingering effects of «Blighted Aura» and «Hypothermia». We decided to take care of the former first. Once each stack was removed, Asuna told Kirito to step out of the water and quickly requip his gear while we did the same.

"Bless you for realizing that equipment status can get refreshed by putting it into our inventory." I adjusted my coat for Daiquiri to squirm into, treating his compliant form like a large plush.

The redhead in question kicked at a piece of the now slain dragon's plinth, the object having been destroyed during one of its forced descents. "You can thank Kirito for that. It was a trick they figured out back in the beta."

"I honestly forgot about it until Asuna complained about her soaked clothes yesterday." The noiret looked over the slumbering Ancient Dragons, spending much more time on the remaining corrupted one. "Think we should kill it while it's still insensate?"

"Should I be concerned that you're casually talking about killing something in its sleep?" I ignored the hypocritical words flowing from my mouth, countering the internal reproach with concerns regarding Kirito's slowly corroding youth. "But yes, we should." Daiquiri grunted, jerking head convincing me to turn around. "Hey, guys? I don't mean to alarm you, but there's another dragon awake and staring at us."

"Om-nenna on am, onok amay on eu in aw ukaknek ag nesami-etta atihsed." I blinked and looked back at my companions. Equally confused faces responded to mine, and the almost omnipresent voice spoke once more.

"How disappointing. It seems the ancient tongue is not known to you. No matter. I am not so prideful so as to force you children to adjust to my customs." Daiquiri struggled out of my grip, shooting forward and landing upon the dragon's place of rest. "It is good to see that the relations between our children and humans are still strong. You were wise to bring your ally along." The dragon lifted its head and looked across the way, dipping slightly when it realized the state of its companions. "Swordsmen, I am still weary from my slumber. If you would please put my brother of his misery before he awakens." «Garoshi, Ancestral Tarragon of Knowledge» then began ignoring us, conversing with Daiquiri in the odd language it first began using.

"Kirito, you have a stronger strength stat than me and can actually use one handed sword skill. You mind doing the honors?" Without a word the teen took the blade back and shattered the corrupted dragon's matrix, the resulting pop up notifying me that I had accumulated enough experience for another level up.

"A century passes and yet your method of growth still remains the same. At the very least, you three seem to show signs of training and not pure enhancements." The dragon rose slightly, appearing very much like the statue I had stolen the orb from. "Swordsmen, why are you here and not the descendants of my pact keepers?"

Kirito coughed and stepped forward. "We require the blessing of the skies. The acccords of old are being forgotten across the entire region and we have been tasked to restore them."

"By slaying my brethren and their kin? How very much like your kind. But I suppose being the last survivor of my bloodline it falls to me to uphold the ancient promises. Show me your wings then. And be quick about it, if you will. This mount is no longer safe for me if what this one has to say means anything."

When Garoshi saw our gliders, its eyes narrowed in a very good replica of a sneer. Without verbalizing its thoughts, three translucent pale blue orbs shot out of its mouth and impacted our gliders. Each of them briefly shimmered as if they were about to be destroyed, but at the last moment the fragmentation ceased.

"There. Their essences have been imbued with my energy. In the words of your kind, they shall truly embody the word 'Glide'." Garoshi slow lifted off its pedestal, floating through the air before stopping inches away from my face. "Child. The smell of your training grounds lingers on you. You should reactivate your ancient technology as soon as possible. Your kind are far too worthless without them."

Daiquiri chirped and flew into my chest, nuzzling against my cheek. Soon after, the dragon flew off and landed at the nape of Garoshi's head, tucking into the scruff of the larger dragon's fur. "Finish your tasks here before moving to the other areas. Help yourselves to the scales in our pools. I doubt there are any experienced enough yet to utilize them, but perhaps somewhere, eventually, you can craft armor from them." Without another word, the remaining ancient dragon ascended into the air, deceptively slow despite the ground it covered with every passing second.

Asuna turned away from the retreating dragons and coughed."Kirito, what quest were you doing anyway? Asasaki and I had 'Mine Restoration."

"Ah, I was supposed to check on the status of the temple guardian." Kirito coughed. "That quest actually gave me a few dozen scales, cockatrice though and not the «Ancestral Scales» laying in the pools. Once Asasaki's finished collecting stuff we can head back down. Speaking of which," Kirito stepped into the pool and stopped beside me, dropping scale after scale directly into his waiting inventory window like myself. "How much stuff can you carry, anyway? Do you have inventory expansion or something?"

"I'm cheap and replacing all the empty space in my guild inventory. I'm sure the guys will appreciate the materials." With a decent amount collected, perhaps enough for two or three full sets of armor, I moved out of the water and refreshed my equipment. In the back of my mind I felt a longing emptiness. After a moment of thought I realized that Daiquiri had indeed been doing something more than acting like a very friendly pet. "Shall we get going?"

{ } - { } - { } - { } - { } - { } - { } - { } - { } - { }

I rested my head on my palm, staring out at the forests below. Not too long ago the rain had stopped, and with the clearing skies I was able to fully appreciate the landscape. Asuna had gone with Kirito to finalize the «Residual Testament» quest, promising to share in full detail the backstory behind the weaponized dragon fang. In my other hand the holder of my attention sat, the message void of its usual typographical faces.

#Come back to Rovia. Group meeting at Mitsui's.#

Subsequent messages to all seven of my thankfully living guild mates failed to elicit a response even after ten minutes of waiting. With no other information to work on and with my teenage companions busy talking inside the elder's home, all I could do was uselessly muse on what could have occured.

"Are the trees really that interesting?"

I leaned back to look at Asuna, giving an impish smile before rolling onto my front. "It was more the flocks of birds that flew from tree to tree every so often. You usually don't see birds even if you can hear them, so it was a welcome change of pace."

"Back in the beta, if you had ranged weaponry you could try and snipe one of them down. It was pretty tricky since they had great senses, but their meat was usually of a higher quality than any local monsters. Pretty much any peaceful animal that you had to go out of your way for had a better taste once cooked." Kirito smiled briefly, shaking the memories away. "But we're all wrapped up here. Our next goal is to head a little up the mountain for a better jumping point into the next region. There's a bunch of drafts there we can use to get there safely, but because of how hot it gets it'll be in our best interests to change to something less insulated."

"About that," I dismissed the message and stood, dusting my clothing off. "I actually need to head back to the fourth floor. Something came up with the guild." I gave an apologetic half shrug. "It was nice hanging with you guys while I could though."

"Same here." Kirito stepped forward and extended a hand, laughing a bit nervously at some realization. "It might be best for you to travel with us though a bit more though. I'm sure you could get back to the wind region from here, but without any drafts to take advantage of you might end up too low and have to walk all the way back to the Scavenger's Base."

"If you have time, could you stop by the Karluin markets and deliver something for me?" Without missing a beat Asuna sent over several weapons and materials that we had gotten along with a notable amount of cor. "I have a deal with somebody who maintains my equipment. Cheaper prices in exchange for bringing her supplies to mess around with."

I hummed in appreciation. "It's nice hearing that other people have started working so closely with those in production. Skills slots being such a limited thing, the merchants can't exactly get the highest quality materials safely." I took note of the items she had given me, moving the unique ones to a seperate box for the time being.

"Her name is Lisbeth. Last I remember she should be in the eastern district of the city. Sh should be set up in one of the old stalls instead of using the usual carpets. Brown hair, yellow outfit. You'd probably miss her in a crowd. Oh, she has a sign set up on the counter so you can't miss that."

"I'll make sure she gets them." The trek up to the launch point passed by quietly. A few monsters had wandered onto our path, but between the three of us they fell quietly.

"According to Argo, the thermals are mostly wherever the lava flows are. I don't know how strong they are, but hopefully you'll be able to find an entry point somewhere." Kirito pulled out his glider, taking a step closer to the edge. "It's a shame you won't be able to help us out with the rest of the floor. I think you'd have really enjoyed the rest of the quest line here."

"Probably everything except for that sandy region. I've had enough of that stuff for a few lifetimes." My own glider appeared in a flurry of particles, the frame braced along my forearm and head. "You two be safe, alright? It's only been two days, but we went through a lot. I'm sure it's going to take a bit to readjust to a two man instead of three."

"We'll be fine. We're used to this sort of thing, just like you're used to putting yourself into dangerous situations to complete the goal." Asuna smiled cheerfully. If she meant any insult, it was well hidden.

The three of us stood a bit awkwardly for a few seconds. I was certain their thoughts were mirroring mine; that of the other party being fine but an instinctive fear of not meeting again. With a quick breath I shoved those thoughts away, merely raising my free hand in farewell before leaping off the cliff.

Compared to my previous flight, this one was significantly more stable. On top of the lessened vibration from the replaced wood, Garoshi's blessing had made the wind less biting. The goggles were still required from the passing wind, but my clothes and exposed skin felt more like I was in a constant but pleasant breeze instead of an impending dust storm.

"Basically looks like a highway," I murmured. The veins of molten rock below lacked the whites of headlights, but the yellows and oranges could easily pass as tail lights. In silence I bobbed up and down the air, taking advantage of a patch of updrafts while I scouted for an entry into the valleys. On my second pass I noticed a section of the rock face I could land on and thusly scale. It took some time, but after half an hour of arduous climbing I finally arrived at the top.

For a moment I merely stared at the horizons. On one side lay a network of canyons happily sustaining vegetation. On the other, a floor of blackened earth and charcoaled remains housed lava flows, sparse regions of remaining combustables set ablaze by the heat. As I continued comparing the opposing regions, I realized that the ripples in the air were not simply the result of the heat. Instead, a barely noticeable curtain of arcane script lazily danced down. "Guess this place was supposed to be bigger, wherever it came from."

Realizing how much time I had wasted just standing around, I resummoned my glider and leapt down, taking advantage of the much more visually appealing whirlwinds to regain altitude. Eventually I landed on the alcove I had napped in the previous morning, a group of other players excitedly pointed at me before moving across the bridge. A few short leaps later, I realized that a rather significant amount of players had started entering the sixth floor.

The majority of them wore the colors of the Liberation Squad and Dragon Brigade, but mixed among the armored forces were the usual non-combatants eager to explore the newest region. Idly, I realized that I stood out as much as them with my uniquely hued armored.

"Oi! Asasaki!" A thick arm towered over the crowds, its owner beaming before maneuvering through the crowd with the same arm guiding the way. "How've you been, man? Haven't seen hide nor hair of you since we fought Bezalel."

As per usual, Agil's staggering clap on my back sent me forward a few feet, my fellow veteran apologizing once he realized I wasn't strong enough yet to handle his greeting. "I've been doing alright. Spent most of the past few days hanging out with Kirito and Asuna." I let the two handed axe user lead me through the streets, trusting that he knew more about the carved out city than I did.

"Those two? That's a little surprising. Have a falling out with the rest of Fūrinkazan or something?" Without much fuss, Agil motioned for me to head into the cafe, pointing out a free table on the veranda.

"They went off into the western plains of the fourth floor while we were dealing with that golem boss. The mountain pass is a pretty annoying place to go through even as a group, and since I was all by my lonesome on the other side of the mountain they decided to just let me do my own thing while they continued exploring. Apparently something happened since Klein wanted me to return for a group meeting today." I took a seat on the other side of the simple wooden table, recognizing a few meals being served around us as non-tarragonian lizard meat.

Without hesitation, "Is everything alright?"

"I'm sure something happened." I gave a small shrug, thanking the NPC with an extra few cor on the table before sipping at the tea. "Everybody's names are still lit up if that's what you're asking. Klein wasn't too forthcoming with the reason. My guess is that they're travelling back through the plains and can't find a moment to rest."

"Wait hold on a minute, isn't that pass supposed to be filled to the brim with sahuagin? I thought Argo's book said that only a group of at least twelve people should make the attempt through."

"This was only a few days ago, plus, Argo's books are more recommendations than end all, be all. Besides, all of our equipment and levels were high enough that we didn't really need to worry about being overwhelmed. Plus, we had Harry as our strategan. Between him and our usual groupings, nothing too troubling happened." I looked to the side, gazing at the passing crowds. It would forever amaze me how vibrant each portal city became after each opening. There was still a significant portion of the population that stuck to the first and second floor, but with each defeated boss that number grew smaller. "Speaking about people, I don't suppose you happen to know a person named 'Lisbeth', right?"

"Can't say I do." The former military journalist happily shoveled another spoonful of cake into his mouth, grinning at the taste. "Why, somebody hire you to play messenger?"

"Delivery, actually. Asuna wants me to give her some supplies. In exchange, the next time the two meet Asuna gets to have a discount on maintenance and any new equipment this 'Lisbeth' happens to have."

"That's a darn shame, you having a person you need to sell those mats to. The guys and I are starting to dabble in selling items ourselves. It's mostly materials we collect on our own, but a few people have been willing to trade stuff to us in exchange for cor. Mostly the players who haven't gotten into a guild. They don't exactly have a use for the more exotic stuff."

"Seems like you guys are making a decent profit if that third slice means anything." I slowly curled my pointer away, mirroring his amused grin at the aforementioned confectionary.

"It's not as much as we could be making, but with our prices we definitely have an edge on the other traders." The man bellowed, his laughter momentarially catching the attention of everybody near us. "We're not as consistent as we'd like, but we've already gotten a few customers each who's asked us to message them whenever we set up shop."

"I'll keep that in mind next time I want to off load stuff." Another sip. "Wish I could stay and talk more, but I really ought to head back to Rovia."

"Hey, no worries. We can always just set up a date in the future to sit down and talk. S'always a pleasure speaking English again." Agil raised his mug to me, the man taking a hearty swig from it as I turned to leave.

Thankfully, Agil had brought us to a place fairly close to an NPC seller. News of the floor's opening must have still been slow to pass; when I purchased a guide for the sixth floor I had the privilege of paying two hundred cor, a necessary requirement to help keep the books publishing.

Zealous as always, even though the public had been here half a day at most, there was already a full two pages dedicated to the quests that could be completed within the city alone. The most important piece of info to me was the copiable map at the back of the book disguised pamphlet. Once that was acquired, my progress towards the warp gate was only slowed by the realization that both Gar'veni and Garoshi had made a place for themselves in the ruined alcoves around the plaza. Players surrounded them in groups, and wave after wave they trotted off. As I near the portal the ancient dragon suddenly met my gaze, its tail suddenly moving to cover the tiny pink and green quadruped resting on its shoulder.

For a moment my vision went dark. The next, I was greeted by the clay white of Rovia. The warm sun along with the soft music made me close my eyes, a longing desire to nap blanketing over me. I didn't open my eyes again until another pair of footsteps landed beside me, a party cheerily passing through and heading towards the markets.

In silence I walked through the streets. Only two floors behind the front lines, the people here were those who had fully dived into the concept of being stuck in a game world. They still took precautions like everybody else, but it was their expressions that were the most radically different. There was still a sense of joy, of hope. When parties left the city walls it was with smiles and laughter of spending a night on the town, not the illusory bravado of the walking dead.

A few minutes later I found myself standing outside the door to the Tolbanian's temporary residence, hand hovering a scant few inches from the wood. For an instant my breath caught in my throat, my mind supplying the image of my sister happily welcoming my surprise visit. But that will never happen. Not for a long time.

The door opened. My words as well as my partially raised arm were stolen away by the tugging hand. Off balanced and more than confused by the glee I saw, I had no defense against the head that snuck between my legs.

"Our Princess is back!" Issin's hands cautiously latched onto my lower thighs, helping me stay balanced upon his shoulders. A chorus of joyous greetings were raised, my fellow squad- no, guildmates all raising their drinks towards me.

"What's the occasion?" I gently tapped Issin's head, request going unnoticed.

"The dungeon was harder than we expected." Klein gave me a false smile, a damningly familiar hardness in his eyes. "We figured we'd let loose with a small party once we got back."

A quick headcount made me jerk forward, my unwanted mount stumbling slightly. "Where are the goblins?"

"They're out in the eastern forests with the elves. All the buildings here don't really agree with them."

Fed up with the situation, I freed myself from Issin's hold and flipped backwards into a crouch. "I'll admit, I don't think I've ever had a Japanese style party. Going out for drinks or a night on the town, sure. But a party?" With every word that flowed from my mouth, regret built up. Two pairs of eyes turned scandalous, their hands resting on my shoulders and guiding me towards the kitchen.

Beaming, Klein and Issin spoke in unison, the rest of our guild shaking their heads in pity. "Asasaki, you've never lived." Every single flat surface not taken by a plate of food was holding a cup of liquid. Suddenly I realized I the duo had set up a frat party and could only weep in gratitude that the effects of alcohol were nonexistent in this world.

{ } - { } - { } - { } - { } - { } - { } - { } - { } - { }

"How did I know that you were the one I'd find up here?"

I leaned my head back, the upside down view of a highly amused Klein filling my vision. "How did you know that you'd find me up here?"

"Ahp! I said that you were the one up here, not that I had a hunch you were up here." Klein joined me at the roof's edge, the same building that I had met Kibaou on back during the christmas party.

"You're getting semantical on me and I'm not sure if I'm just missing out because of an interpretation or if you actually have a point." I pulled my hood off, the gentle wind blowing my for once unpinned bangs around.

"There were rumours about a dark figure jumping around the rooftops floating around the bars. I figured as an upstanding model citizen and probably one of the highest levels in the region I should check it out."

"Didn't we just get done with a party like three hours ago?" I shot him a glare, relenting with a grunt of annoyance at his placating gestures.

"I'm a guild leader and I talk to Argo. There's people I'm supposed to keep in contact with and they just so happen to be underage and keep placebo'ing themselves into drunken stupors." Klein leaned forward as he spoke, a hand gesturing to emphasize his feelings. "That party was more for everybody else, you know." The red head huffed and propped his arms behind him. "After your comment the other day, I cut back on my indulgence. You're right about that, you know. How habits forming here might carry over once we get out. I don't want to get out of recovery and immediately want to hit up a bar every other night just because I'm used to the taste."

"How bad was it?" I muttered. When he made a questioning sound I cleared my throat and repeated my question, sounding far more clinical than I intended.

"Pretty bad. I know you're used to it, but despite our numerical advantage it wasn't uncommon for three or more of us to go under 20% every fight. Considering people normally call 30% a time to retreat, it was a pretty harrowing experience." Klein laughed listlessly, the action lacking his normal facial accompaniments. "Asasaki, the guys and I..." the curved sword user stared at me for several seconds, mouth twitching to form unspoken syllables. "We're thinking of quitting for a while."

I raised a single arcing brow, amused at the insinuation of being able to 'leave' our situation.

"Despite our level advantage, despite going in with two to one odds almost every single time, we basically got creamed each fight. If it wasn't Harry being halved before we got a single kill, it was Issin or Kuni getting their weapons pulled away by the sahuagin's tridents. Even the information on criticals and vitals that Choryu got didn't help us out. They were just too fast for us."

"Doesn't that mean heading back at a higher level?" I watched a cloaked figure that moved far too much like a certain information broker leap across the waterways, slinking between buildings and out of sight.

"If this wasn't a death game, sure. What I mean is," Klein coughed. With a deep breath, he pushed his chest out, putting on an air of authority that felt so right yet so wrong. "Fūrinkazan as a group is temporarily retreating from the front lines. We will be progressing through the floors at our own pace, but for some time we will be focusing on our basics. A house is no good if the foundation is unstable. We will be working closely with our mentor, Asasaki, in order to become capable fighters that everyone can depend on."

I clapped a few times, moving to face him completely. "Good speech. A shame you forgot to ask me about this." The moment he expressed a hint of confusion I waved my hand in my usual dismissive manner. "I'm helping you guys of course. What kind of teammate would be if I let you die to lack of training? I'm just poking fun at you is all I'm saying."

"You know, normally you'd pick a line out to needle me about or crack a joke about me acting like a middle schooler when I gave that speech. Are you alright?" Klein leaned forward into my personal space, laying the back of his hand against my forehead. "You've been a little on edge since you came back. Actually, now that I think about it, you've been kind of different since that massa- fight, on the third floor."

"You can't get sick in here, Klein. Status conditions from weather notwithstanding." I gently pushed him back with a finger, intently opening up from my previously curled position. "Let's just say that I had a revelation too. You guys became aware of your morality, I became aware of my suicidal tendencies."

"What-"

"You really can't say that me taking a major attack almost every significant fight is normal, right? I'm a squishy compared to you guys. I've been taking point in my groupings while in light metal armor while everybody else has either heavy armor or a shield. The fact is, I've been blatantly disregarding my own personal safety just because I figure I can take a few hits to deal worse." I shook my head. "You know that very first time I got stabbed? I expected to die, Klein. I should have died." I crossed my arms, nails biting into my palms. "I'm pretty sure something changed in my that day. I should have been hospitalized." I stared out at the horizon, shadowed plains turning into bipolar, invasive, unforgiving dunes. "Should have spent week if not months in recovery. And yet not an hour later I'm walking out and about doing more fighting or acting as if I'm on a camping trip with some friends instead of wincing at every motion because I should be freaking out about a goddamn piece of pipe sticking through my chest like I'm-" I flinched and pulled my legs back in, desperately willing the memory away.

"Hey, Dawn." Klein snapped his fingers, resting a hand on my shoulder. "You here, now. You're here with me, Ryoutaro. We're on the fourth floor of Aincrad, the portal city of Rovia. We just got done with a party with the rest of the guild, remember?"

I focused on his voice, closing my eyes and drowning out everything else. Maybe at my insistence, the man started talking about his real life. About a crush he had, about a few dates he went on. About the few parties he and his friends threw together at a karaoke place once they became of age and the various drinking games they picked up.

"And the last I heard of him, his daughter's supposedly been taking to jumping over a tree he planted in his backyard!"

I took another breath, slowly loosening up. "Thanks, Klein."

"Don't worry about it," he returned. "We're teammates. That means we look out for each other. We might not have the same relationship as Kunimitzz and Dynamm or Issin and Harry, but I still care for you."

I let out a soft laugh, a glimmer of mirth blossoming at an arguable 'third' confession.

Klein leapt to his feet and offered me a hand. "Hey, why don't we head down to the first floor? We went through a lot of supplies during the party. Actually, now that I think about it-" He cleared his throat, cutting off whatever he wanted to say. "Maybe we can hunt some boars or wolves. Who knows? Maybe you'll finally be able to one shot things like you said you wanted."

I stared at his hand, recognizing the distraction for what it was. "I think I like that, Klein." I reached up and grasped his hand, the man easily pulling me to my feet. "I think I'd like that."

---

At this point I'm going to be taking a break from writing the core of Duality. For a couple weeks I'm going to try and go back from the start and apply those edits I always talked about as well as write an interlude or two (one of which might be pure fun stuff by way of noncanon omakes/extras).

Regardless of what kind of progress I do though, the next proper chapter will come out May 4th.