Mystic Knight Online
Chapter 43 - Maintaining Social Links
August 3, 2024 - Aincrad 61st Floor, Selmburg
Rain stretched as she walked with everyone as they made their way from the teleport platform. It had been another long day for them all, but it was time for them to return home.
"Hey Rain," she heard Lux say. "What are you planning to do tomorrow, since we're taking the day off?"
She looked back at her friend. "I haven't thought about it, yet," she said with a shrug. "Maybe do some shopping or something. You?"
"I was thinking on heading down to the spa in Mol Einsen," Lux said. "You know, go there, get a massage, soak in its baths, and maybe a pedi and a mani. Perhaps I'll introduce Strea to the place."
Rain thought about that and remembered that it had been a couple of months since they had all been there. "That sounds nice," she said. "And maybe we can talk the rest of the girls into going as well. You know, make it a girl's day out?"
Lux nodded at that, and it was clear that she considered it a good idea. The last time they had did so had been months ago, around the time of Silica's hen party, really. They had all gone back to the place since, it was good, after all. But they had gone either separately, or as pairs.
In fact, now that she thought about it, Rain realized that it had been quite some time since they all simply had a day out for just the girls. Things like going to the spa to get pampered, taking some time to go shopping, and simply engaging in girl talk. Not to mention the chances of using the talk as an opportunity to embarrass Silica, though the girl had plenty of material on them, so she could give as good as she got.
Besides, the opportunity to introduce Strea and Yui to a place that they loved to visit when they had the time and inclination would be nice. While neither of the two were proper members of the guild, they had already been with them all for a month, and by all indications, were likely to remain with them. She idly wondered what the two AIs would think about it, but she wouldn't be surprised if they liked it.
"What's a girl's day?" Came the curious question from Strea.
Rain blinked at Strea's comment before she remembered that the Amazonian AI didn't know a number of things. It wasn't that she was stupid, anyone who spent any real time with either of the two AIs would quickly realize just how frighteningly intelligent they were. They were just ignorant of a lot of things, or only knew them intellectually.
And there was a world of difference between knowing something intellectually, and knowing those same things from hard earned experience.
"It's a day when all the girls simply hang out together," Silica chimed in. "For us, that usually means that we go to this spa on the thirty-eighth floor, get massages, manicures and pedicures, and relax for a time in the bath doing some girl talk. We then tend to go shopping for a bit." She looked Strea over a bit. "And I think you can use some new clothes anyway. Yui too."
"Just the girls?" Strea asked. "Why?"
"So we can sit together and talk to our heart's content, talking about things we wouldn't around the boys," Lux said. "It's also a chance to bond and get closer to your friends."
Rain looked at Harry and Kirito, who were already talking about what they would do if the rest were going to make it a girl's day. She heard them discussing fishing and perhaps seeing if they could hit up Klein, or other friends.
##
"Well, we're taking a couple of days off, starting tomorrow," Harry said as he looked out the window. "And you and the girls will be having fun."
"We're relaxing at the spa first," Keiko said from where she was grooming Pina. "Then, we'll have fun with the shopping. Besides, you and Kirito were discussing what to do as well. Something about fishing, or tracking down Klein, I think."
Harry snorted. "We were simply discussing ideas," he replied. "Besides, you know Klein, he'd just take us out drinking, and Asuna would have our hides if we got drunk. She still hasn't forgiven us for that dragon incident. I stand by that it was totally worth it, though."
Keiko giggled at that. "You would," she replied drily. "Still, too bad I didn't see that, must have been awesome. Sounds like some of the things grandpa and grandma told me about that they did when they were younger."
"The more I hear about your family, the cooler and/or scarier they sound," Harry commented. "Still don't know which." He then grinned. "Still, I look forward to meeting them; even if it includes the possibility of danger to my life or person, it would be just like any other day here." His brow furrowed. "Or... my life in general. At least I would be in familiar territory..."
Keiko chuckled. "And that is why I know that you'll be fine, for a given definition of 'fine'." She said. "That, and it says a lot that no one here would find it disturbing and worrying to be facing danger and finding it normal. I wonder what that says about us."
"That we're crazy?" Harry asked facetiously before getting a more serious expression. "Well, more like we've grown far too used to being in danger. Not to the point where we're complacent about it, but that feeling of danger has become something that we've grown to expect." He frowned. "I wonder what that would mean for us, psychologically. We're not exactly normal, or at least what most people think of as normal. Not anymore at least." He shrugged and looked back out the window, keeping an eye of Keiko's dim reflection in the glass.
"To us," he continued. "Normal is dealing with the risks here. To us, the risk of dying is so ever present, that we basically don't even consider it anymore. We've adapted to a different standard, a different norm, and it'll take time for us to adjust to things outside."
August 4, 2024 - Aincrad 36th Floor, Mol Einsen
Strea tried to stop writhing in pleasure all over the massage table as the NPC masseuse started working on her, but she was finding it hard going. She knew that, being a digital lifeform, her senses were different than other players, sharper in some ways, duller in others, but this was insane! The way her muscles were being worked, how she could feel jolts of sensation through her body.
She could feel the system changing things within her body, releasing waves of pleasure, while changing her muscles from the taut nature of them to a completely relaxed setting that should only be possible during sleep cycles and bathing. And these NPCs seemed to be programmed to be able to bring that out on demand with some applications of oil, rubbing the skin, and putting pressure on the muscles. The entire experience was sybaritic to an almost sinful degree.
No wonder the others like coming here, she thought happily. If anything, I'm surprised that they don't come here more often. I could get used to this.
"Nice isn't it?" Asuna asked from the table she was laying on.
"Mmm, yeah," Strea said contentedly. "How often do you all do this?"
"It depends," Silica said from where she was. "All of us at once? We last did it back in April, the week before Harry and I got married. And I know what you are about to ask, we don't come here more often simply because at three hundred thousand col a person, it's expensive, and honestly, doing it on occasion makes it better anyway."
"It does?" Strea asked curiously.
"Yes," Asuna confirmed. "Doing this on occasion means that you appreciate it more, as you haven't gotten used to it. Or bored with it for that matter." She sighed happily. "And as Silica said, it's expensive, so we really can't afford to do it that often anyway."
"Ah," Strea replied in acknowledgement. She really didn't see the use for money outside of it being a means to an end in getting supplies and gear, but she recognized that she needed the correct amounts to get what she wanted. It was more that she didn't see the full reasoning behind the entire concept, considering that the value of money was an arbitrary thing anyway.
She sort of got the idea of indulging in a pleasurable experience rarely to stop from making it 'normal' and therefore precious. But given her limited experience, she guessed that everything would feel a bit precious and new for a while. A different perspective, that was all.
Just being able to sense things as the players more or less did was simply amazing. Things like taste, touch, smell, hearing things, they were still new to her. Oh, she sensed them differently as well, she was a part of the system, or had been, and she could tell what all those senses were doing to her at the digital level, but the different perspective was still so fresh to her.
And the thought that this was only 'sort of' what her human friends experienced in the physical world was just boggling.
Huh. CARDINAL was right, that Dennet guy's "sort of" concept was useful.
The less tangible things were harder. Money wasn't a tangible thing. It was this abstract idea that, regardless of the medium, was only valuable because it stood in for value.
Money was something used as a medium of exchange, a means to an end, and as something that had an intrinsic value in and of itself. But she only really understood the first two parts.
After all, even she, an AI with no real physical needs, could understand having something to exchange for something. Though thankfully, her creators had gone beyond making her and the others simple pleasure/utility maximizers. She'd read the info dump on the CelestAI CARDINAL had given her. That was an AI with her processes screwed up. Happily, such was easier to contain than science fiction writers fixated on worse cases would have it.
She quickly turned her thoughts away from that and back to the subject at hand.
It didn't have to be money, either, but the basis of that was something she could understand. As a means to an end, well, it tied in with the first bit, so again, she could understand it. It was the intrinsic value that she had a hard time processing. How could an abstraction for which the value was effectively arbitrary have an intrinsic value?
She smiled. She'd eventually get it, and become a little less awkward in SAO. Especially since the others knew what she was, so she didn't have to pretend otherwise with them, well, at least in private. In public, that was a bit different, but she was adjusting to that as well.
Her friendliness and gregarious nature actually made that easy. Since she had been designed to be a mental health program, even if she was no longer one, being willing and able to approach humans was a part of her parameters. She liked being around people, she liked talking to them, learning about them, and a part of her was jealous that Yui had more opportunities than she did.
Not that she begrudged her so-called little sister, time of activation notwithstanding. She wanted to be more active, so she was more active. As a player. Yui, being less inclined to combat, decided to gather information, talk to players, basically take the chance to act like the child she resembled, and to act within the parameters of her original programming.
Both of them were growing, if in different directions, based on temperament, and decisions made long ago when they were still locked in their digital prison, and she was fine with that. Perhaps, at some other time, and in some other environment, they would be able to do it differently. Perhaps Yui could be the fighter, and she could be the social butterfly.
Nah, she thought. I like doing this. It's too fun, even if I need to be careful to not to, what was it that Harry said? Oh yeah, to not step in it too deep. I wonder what he's referring to there, though the meaning of what he said is apparent in light of the dangers. I also wonder what he and Kirito are doing right now.
Aincrad 50th Floor, Algade
"Well, I didn't expect to see the two of you down here today," Agil said as he watched the two enter his shop.
"Hey, Agil," Harry said with a wave. "The girls are doing a day out, and spending the time fishing really doesn't appeal to me." He shot Kirito a grin. "Though Mr. Antisocial here would be perfectly fine with using his free time that way, I like getting out on occasion. Anyway, how's business been?"
"It's been good," came the easy reply from the shopkeeper. "I mentioned that being in the wedding party did good for me, didn't I?"
Harry nodded.
"Well, since my being there was basically a seal of approval from you." Agil added. "Even if it was only to fill out the numbers, seeing me there, said a lot." He looked at Harry. "And… you don't really know what it means, do you?"
Harry shrugged, causing the merchant to sigh. "I swear, you know the more negative stuff about your reputation, but you don't seem to see the positive side of it, kid." He said. "Despite your reputation of being rather… sharp… with certain types of players, you are trusted."
"And your point?" Harry asked.
"My point is, when you had me be there, even if it was to fill out the numbers for your party, helped out." Agil repeated. "While your reputation's a mixed bag to some of the players, they know that you're on the level. With you having me there, it sent the message that I'm trustworthy."
"Ah," Harry said, nodding. "And the fact that it means that they all forget about your tendency to jack up the prices probably has nothing to do with it."
"You know what I'm using that money for," Agil protested.
"Did those kids at the orphanage get their treatments to remove their consciences?" Harry asked idly.
Agil barked out a laugh and looked at Kirito. "So, what about you, man?" He asked.
Kirito shrugged. "Was just watching the show," he said simply. "But seriously, we're just wandering around to waste some time. Since Harry isn't really interested in fishing, don't want him to get bored and go looking for trouble."
"Looking, or finding?" Agil asked knowingly.
"Is there a difference?" Came the rhetorical response.
"Hey!" Harry protested. "I have it on good authority that I didn't look for trouble recently. Keiko even praised me for it."
Agil chuckled at the banter. "Well, if you want, I'm about to break for lunch," he said. "How about you tell me how things have been over a meal, and maybe a couple of drinks. I heard you and the others have been busy."
Kirito chuckled. "Busy is one way to put it," he admitted. "We learned a few things that put some things in perspective." He spotted Agil being ready to ask a question and shook his head. "Before you ask, we can't go into details. Not because we want to hide something, but we literally can't. We tested that, and I'd rather not go through the experience of the system locking me down and giving a message telling me to stop being a bad boy."
"That, and the almost-feeling of strangulation," Harry chimed in before shuddering. "Not fun, and scary in its own way. Not that I didn't expect something like that. Still, it is what it is, and we're lucky it's only that."
"It almost sounds like you guys meta-gamed too well and managed to identify and confront Kayaba as he walked amongst us," Agil observed.
Harry gave a noncommittal shrug in response. Agil took it as confirmation of his suspicions, but figured that it was about all the boy could do. He wouldn't say either way, one because doing so could possibly be a lie in one direction, and replying in the other was prohibited to those who already knew.
Fair enough, and he was probably better off not knowing anyway. Steel Phoenix, as a guild, seemed to find unusual situations on a regular basis. Just take their two newest tagalongs. There was something off about those girls, but as it didn't involve him, he kept his questions about them to himself.
Besides, Kayaba posing as an NPC or being an actual player wasn't too surprising. Just simply watching them all had to become boring after awhile. He even had an idea of who, but he would keep his own mouth shut. Habits learned from helping his parents with their bar made him understand that there were times when one had to remain silent on things.
This was one of them, and he wouldn't push the matter. Still a change of subject was in order.
"So, you two up for a quick meal and a couple of drinks?" He asked.
Both Harry and Kirito looked at each other for a moment before turning back to him and nodding.
"Well, good," he said. "Let me close up, and we can head to the Silver Spear. I don't know if you two have been there, but the food and drinks are good, and the prices are decent."
August 11, 2024, Aincrad 67th Floor, Carvenna Pass
"Team Four, back away and heal!" Asuna called out. "Teams Five and Three, flank it! Team Six, keep its attention for now. Remaining teams, get in position!"
They had been engaging the field boss, Goranni, the Ruthless, for twenty minutes now, and had brought its health down to two bars so far. Nothing unusual about that, really. Field bosses weren't that much of a problem for a solid group, despite the time it could take.
The only issue with the fight, was that Goranni alternated between a defensive posture and an offensive one. Between them, he alternated between having a high defense, but being slow and relatively weak on the attack, to having a low defense, but being faster and having a high attack power.
It was a setup they've dealt with often enough to know how to handle, so long as they paid attention to the boss' patterns. No two boss battles were ever the same, but experienced players learned to exploit commonalities that mobs shared. Goranni was based on orc mobs, something they were all familiar with, so his patterns were somewhat predictable.
Not entirely, and the first five to ten minutes of the fight were spent sussing out the differences, but so far, nothing surprising. At least for now.
Since she was the one tapped to call the shots for the fight, she was mostly kept to the rear so she could keep an eye on the fight as a whole. She still leapt in on occasion, scoring attacks when opportunities presented themselves, but she was essentially relegated to back.
It was galling for her, but it was a song and dance she had been through before. She would rather be more active in the fight, but the general rule was that the one calling the shots stayed to the rear when possible to keep an eye on the wider fight.
She saw Harry leap back after his attack run and noticed him use Mystic Blade, shifting to an Earth Affinity. Taking a look at the boss' health, and remembering his explanation about that one skill he made up on the fly back in June shortly after it was made a part of his skillset by the system, she already knew what he was preparing to do.
Not a bad idea, she thought approvingly. Take advantage of the fact that the space is confined, and give everyone some time to recover and coordinate.
A quick glance saw Strea get waved back by Silica and she nodded.
I'm still not sure she's ready for this level of play yet, she thought to herself. But the only way she can get ready is to get the experience. Some things, they simply can't be taught any other way.
##
Harry kept an eye on the boss' health bars as they neared the point where the patterns were likely to start changing. Field bosses were generally predictable like that. He had taken on the Earth Affinity in preparation for that moment, and was simply waiting for the right time to do so. It might not be the wisest choice to use, but he felt that it would prove useful.
It wasn't discussed, or even planned for, but Asuna knew him well enough to know
It wasn't just for blocking Goranni's attacks for a time, either. He could do more than tank with Earth; he could also restrict the field boss' movements. The Original Sword Skill he created had tactical applications that he hadn't initially considered when it turned up in his menu.
It wasn't as if he was ignorant of what Kayaba did. By incorporating it into the system, it allowed him to impose limitations on it, such as giving it a period of time before it could be used again, and establishing the conditions in which it could be used.
All in all, an effective way of handling the issue. Rather than try to fight it, or stop it from happening, with likely dire consequences for those affected, Kayaba instead incorporated it into the world's rules as necessary. The claims that the man was a genius were certainly well founded.
Back to the task at hand, though, he thought to himself as he raised his shield and deflected the wide area attack. Nothing the boss came up with was particularly new, and for once he was willing to take it as it was. He still kept a wary eye out from long habit, but everything seemed to be in order so far.
And as the boss' health continued to go down, he set his shield and readied himself to pull up an earthen wall to defend everyone. He spied Strea and Silica off to the side, poised to strike when the word was given and nodded to himself.
He saw the boss drop its current weapon and shield, and reach behind its back to the large axe hanging off it.
Time to do this, he thought as he heard Asuna's order for everyone to get back. Watching carefully, he readied his shield and, just as Goranni started to swing, he slammed his shield into the ground.
He felt his magic react without having to intentionally call on it, and gave a pleased smile as the earthen wall rose up and stopped the axe in its tracks. He knew it would only last for thirty seconds, but that was more than enough time.
More than enough time for them to be ready to finish this.
"Everyone!" He called out. "Heal up! Tanks, get in place to keep his attention, standard aggro rotation! Everyone else, get ready to ruin this bastard's day!"
The savage glee in the answering replies gave brought a grin he knew echoed the feeling to his face as he shifted his grip on his sword's hilt to prepare to activate the Fire Aspect. He wouldn't have the time to transfer it, but that was fine for now. He just needed to extra damage that setting his blade on fire could do.
##
Strea leapt in as soon as the tanks got the boss' attention, her zweihander biting deeply into its side. Not staying in place, she leapt back and watched as Silica and Lux then moved in to deliver their own attacks, while Kirito and Rain hit the boss from the other side. A glance back, showed her Asuna keeping a close eye on the fight, but not leaping in to engage the boss.
When they had allowed her to participate in this fight, she thought that it meant that they were considering her ready to truly become active in the clearing effort. Now, she wondered if they were also driving a point home.
A point of just how far she still had to go. She was confident about her own skills, but this fight was showing her that those skills weren't enough. At least, they weren't enough on their own. She could see that there was nothing new in how they fought. Everything they did was something she had seen beforehand when she worked with them.
So, why did she see such a difference in them now?
Was it because it was a boss battle, forcing them to take the fight seriously despite their level advantage? No, she concluded. They approach all fights seriously.
As she continued to observe, delivering attacks of opportunity, or when Asuna or Harry called for them, she realized that it was something different.
It was their teamwork and coordination. All five members of Steel Phoenix who were actively engaged in the battle knew where each other was. They were able to operate smoothly, knowing that the person next to them had their back. They were able to do this and make it look easy.
This was the level she would have to operate at if she wanted to be working to clear the game, and they were telling her that they thought she could reach that point. Maybe not on this floor, or the next, but eventually.
Well, it looks like I have to step up my game, she thought as a smile came to her face. Challenge accepted.
Serendia
"Cheers!" Everyone called as they clinked cups and mugs together.
Kirito took a deep pull from the beer he ordered and looked around the table. It didn't matter if it was a floor boss, or a field boss, everyone's mood was always high after fighting and winning against one.
"Well, that fight went better than expected," Harry said. "Not the easiest fight we've had, but far from the hardest."
Silica chuckled. "I think you pulling up that earth wall right as he changed attack patterns is what did it." She said as she gave Pina some snacks from a bag she pulled out of her inventory. "While it only lasted for thirty seconds, that was plenty of time to take a breather and heal up."
"Surprised you used it," Rain commented.
"Did make that last bit easier, though," Lux countered. "What do you think, Strea?"
Strea shrugged and took a sip of her drink. "Don't really know," she replied. "That was my first boss fight."
Everyone nodded. "And what did you think about how you did?" Harry asked.
Strea frowned thoughtfully. "I think… I think I need to get better." She said. "You guys were on a completely different level in that fight. Everyone was, really. I thought I was good enough, but the way you all fought? I… can't come close to that."
"How so?" Asuna asked.
"Your teamwork and coordination, it took everything I had to keep up with it," Strea said. "The others there were also just working together like a well-oiled machine."
"You still pulled your weight," Lux said. "Rain and I had a bit of trouble at first ourselves, keeping up with the others."
"Damn straight," Rain said with a snort.
"And Harry and I had trouble keeping up the Assault Team at first," Silica said. "Still do have trouble keeping up with some of them, now that I think about it." She added shooting a glance to Kirito and Asuna.
Strea considered that and knew what they meant, she had reached that conclusion during the fight, after all. They had been working together for a long time, so it would stand to reason that they would work well as a team. The other parties were similar, though they didn't seem to work as seamlessly as Steel Phoenix did.
"Well, outside of that, what do you think of how I did then?" She asked.
Asuna gave her a searching look before nodding. "I will be honest," she said. "I had my doubts about you being ready. Still do, to some degree."
Strea was looked downcast at that statement.
"But," Asuna added. "Lux was right in that you pulled your weight, which is all anyone can ask. You need to get experience in learning how to read the flow of a fight, but that's something that'll come in time."
"It comes down to experience," Harry said. "The fact is, it's not a matter of being ready, because it's hard to say someone's ready to fight bosses. I wasn't when I fought my first one. Level? Everyone up here is at least a certain level, and you're above that. Skill? How do you judge it? By this point, most players are maxed or nearly maxed on most of their combat skills."
"Not that you're quite ready for a floor boss," Kirito added. "Those fights are on a different level from this. Most of those who were there for the field boss? They won't be there for the floor boss. Some don't think they're good enough, and some have done floor bosses before and decided that those were too much for them."
"Yeah, floor bosses are something else," A voice chimed it, causing all of them to turn to face it.
##
Klein grinned at his friends and their two newest tagalongs. The taller one, Strea he recalled from the rumor mill, was definitely a looker. The smaller one, Yui, he had heard had been basically adopted as a little sister by the Assault Team.
To be honest, he wondered about that. He knew that the members of Steel Phoenix wouldn't include two unknowns into their group without good reason, and Argo had been surprisingly mum on the entire matter. She had told him that the information was off the market
That meant that, whatever the reason, it was serious. Argo did not keep quiet about something lightly, and this made him curious.
"Well, I haven't seen you active on the front lines in a while," Harry drawled. "Done helping the middies in your guild for right now?"
"For now," Klein replied. "Heard that you all picked up a couple of strays and wanted to get the lowdown from you."
"Translation, he asked Argo and she didn't sell the information," Asuna said drily. "Which shouldn't be surprising, since she told us she would keep it off the market."
Klein nodded at that bit of information. For Argo, the need to maintain her professional reputation meant that she always kept her word, much like her being truthful about information. If she knew it, and it was on the market, it could be had for a price. If she didn't know it, rare as that was, she'd tell you. It was why she was trusted by players, even if she loved to amuse herself by being an aggravating gadfly to Assault Team members and Middies when she was off the job.
Still, that meant that if he wanted answers, he had to go to the source of them: Steel Phoenix itself.
"So, what do you want to know?" Asuna asked. "We can't tell you everything, not here at least, and some of those things aren't ours to tell, but we can fill you in a bit."
Klein considered that, and nodded. He didn't expect them to be defensive, or secretive about it, but he knew that if they didn't want to talk about something, then they wouldn't. He knew better than to pry, as it was not only bad manners, but also a violation of several unwritten rules.
That they were willing to part with some things said how much he was trusted by them.
"So, what are you guys fine with sharing?" He asked, taking a seat.
