A/N:
This story has officially passed 100 followers! It might seem like a small milestone compared to other stories, but I appreciate it nonetheless!
Some of you have requested a rough schedule of when I upload new chapters, and I'm happy to oblige. I try to upload one chapter every Friday at 12:00 AM PST/PDT. I'll try to keep that up, provided I can keep this momentum going. My apologies in advance if there ever comes a time when I hit writer's block and can't keep up with my weekly promise. Just like many of you, I also get mildly frustrated when I don't know when a story is going to update, so I think it's important for me to let you all know my current plan as it stands. I also have absolutely no intention of abandoning this story, so rest assured that I'm going to see this story through to the end.
While I'm at it, thanks to everyone who's left reviews and feedback! I always enjoy reading everyone's reviews since it gives me an idea as to whether or not people are enjoying the story. It's been a real treat sliding into those DMs with some of y'all with all the speculation and feedback getting thrown around. Hell, some of you have even given me ideas to implement in my story, so suggestions are always appreciated.
With that out of the way, enjoy this next chapter of Unyielding! Here's hoping it meets expectations!
Ironic.
That was the only word Asuna could decide was appropriate for the situation. Fifty of the top players of the game, many of whom had fought together since the 1st floor, were now on their way to Rovia, which according to Kirito was the main town found on this floor. They would be the ones to unlock teleport access to this floor, the 4th floor, a bonus for defeating that evil treant boss on the 3rd floor. Based on what she'd heard from Argo, Leonn, and Sinon, the clearers were a group of players that many aspired to join, well respected among the thousands of players still surviving in the floors below. This was a group of warriors, the best of the best, the cream of the crop.
And right now they were all floating down a river in inner tubes.
Upon reaching the 4th floor, many among the raid group were unsure of how to deal with the rivers and bodies of water that surrounded them. Sure, players could swim, but their avatars were subject to exhaustion just like their real bodies. This in itself wouldn't be a problem were it not for the absurd amount of heavy armor and items that weighed their avatars down, making swimming difficult and unsustainable over an extended period of time. Fortunately, Kirito found that the island was equipped with enormous fruit that, with a little bit of preparation, doubled as floatation devices. A few well-aimed hits and several bouts of laughter later, every member of the raid party was equipped with their very own fruity inner tube.
Not everyone was so enthused, however.
"Are we there yet?!" Kibaou shouted from further downstream, flailing about in the water in a vain attempt to speed himself along. He and the Aincrad Liberation Squad had insisted on taking the lead since they had been in charge of the 3rd floor boss raid, a request Asuna thought was absolutely stupid. The ALS prided itself on its lack of beta testers and as such had no one who could lead them to the next town. Yet another example of Kibaou's ego taking precedence over his sense of logic.
"No, Kibaou. We're not there yet." Lind said with an exasperated sigh. "According to Argo, this is completely different from the beta, so even the beta testers don't know."
Asuna looked around to get a better view of their surroundings, partly to try to spot this riverside town, but mainly to gauge the reactions of those around her. The ALS, just like their frazzled leader, were impatient and all too eager to leave their floatation devices and reach town. The DKB had taken a calmer approach, choosing to voice their discontent with overly audible sighs and grunts. Fuurinkazan and the Braves chose to take the extra time to talk amongst themselves about what to expect from this floor, comparing battle strategies and combat tactics.
Her own group, however, was another story.
Leonn and Liz were talking among themselves. More accurately, Liz seemed to be giving Leonn yet another scolding, undoubtedly about the condition of his maul.
"I swear, it's like you enjoy undoing all my hard work!" Liz exclaimed, hiding a smirk.
"It's my fighting style, Liz!" Leonn refuted. "How am I supposed to block without my weapon?"
"You could always use your face instead." Liz suggested before looking Leonn in the eye and giving a grin.
Asuna was pretty sure at this point, Liz just enjoyed teasing Leonn for the lack of his treatment of his weapon. Not teasing like Argo - that was easily a form of cruel and unusual punishment - but good-natured ribbing nonetheless. Surprisingly enough, Leonn seemed to be up for the verbal sparring session.
Leonn gave a laugh. "Right. Because this mug isn't ugly enough as it is, right?"
Asuna smiled and shook her head before turning her head towards the other girl in the group. Sinon, conversely, was being her usual silent self. The archer seemed to be relaxing on her own, but even Asuna could tell that she was still vigilant for the possibility of an ambush. Sinon's attention to detail and sharp eyes were nothing to scoff at, even during times like this. Her bow wasn't drawn, but she was nonetheless on high alert. Asuna realized that Sinon, and to a lesser extent Nezha, were the best players suited for an immediate defense in case of attack at this moment.
Kirito was perhaps the oddest sight of all. He wasn't impatiently complaining. Nor was he formulating battle strategies with the other guilds. He wasn't even making idle chatter with his friends. What he was doing completely baffled Asuna.
He was napping.
Here they were, working their hardest to fight on the front lines, putting their lives on the line every day, forced to shoulder the responsibility of freeing thousands of people, and her leader had the audacity to nap? Her party leader was completely reclined in his inner tube, feet dangling out in front of him and suspended above the water, hands interlaced behind his head, and he was just snoozing away. To say that Asuna was upset would be putting it mildly. With some difficulty, given the awkward way she was sitting in the inner tube, the chestnut-haired fencer paddled her way over to Kirito.
Asuna cleared her throat. "Ahem."
Kirito cracked one eye open, noticing her presence. "What's up?"
"What are you doing?" Asuna asked rather pointedly.
"What does it look like?" Kirito asked rhetorically, closing his eyes again.
Asuna frowned and crossed her arms, which if she were standing would look imposing. Given her current situation, however, the pose lost a bit of its gravitas. "It looks like you're slacking off, Kirito. Shouldn't you be trying to take this a little more seriously?"
"Maybe." Kirito opened one eye again to look at her. "There's not much we can do while floating down this river to Rovia. I'm just taking a little time to relax and enjoy the weather."
"Huh?" Asuna couldn't believe what was coming out of her party leader's mouth. Sure, she had to admit that the weather was damn near perfect right now, with clear blue skies and the sun at just the right height in the sky to warm the skin without outright burning it, but this was so unlike Kirito. The entire time she'd been grouped with him, he always took combat and game mechanics so seriously. He always fought with a fierce determination and Asuna had gotten the impression that Kirito really truly wanted to escape this game as soon as he could. Where was this coming from?
"It'd be a waste to let a day like this go by without enjoying it." Kirito closed his eyes again and let out a deep sigh.
"Did you forget what's going on?" Asuna chided him. "Every day spent here is another day lost in the real world."
"True…" Kirito trailed off a little before continuing. "...but we're not in the real world right now. We're alive in Aincrad."
That last statement threw Asuna for a loop. He wasn't wrong, per se. They were still alive, though their bodies were likely withering away in some hospital somewhere, and in the meantime their consciousnesses existed in Aincrad. In a technical sense, he was entirely correct.
A gentle breeze ran across the water, lightly caressing Asuna's hair and face as it wafted by.
"See?" Kirito asked, still keeping his eyes closed in contentment. "Doesn't that breeze feel good?"
"Oh come on." Asuna scoffed, her face turning into a mild scowl. "The weather's always the same."
"If you took the time to sit back and relax, you'd understand." Kirito said, readjusting his hands behind his head, likely to make himself more comfortable.
Asuna glanced around at her surroundings, taking a moment to really experience everything going on around her. The sensation of cool water drifted across her fingers as they dipped into the water below. Behind her, she could hear the faint sounds of laughter as Klein and the rest of Fuurinkazan joked around alongside Orlando and the Braves. Lastly, the feeling of the warm sun gently licking across every inch of her skin, perfectly balancing out the cool breeze and cold river.
"If you're worrying about overshooting past Rovia, don't." Kirito said, as if he sensed her hesitation. "Leonn, Liz, and Sinon seem to be alert and I doubt they'd let us drift off."
Asuna blinked before looking around once more. For all of their good-natured ribbing, the people she traveled with were close friends and he was right, they would never betray her trust like that. She was also feeling pretty exhausted from that fight with ((Nerius the Evil Treant)). Maybe a nap wouldn't be so bad after all.
Noting that her black-haired friend seemed to have fallen asleep, Asuna decided to lean back and rest her head against the section of inflated fruity tubing behind her. It was warm and firm, like a pillow that had been left in the sun. She draped her arms along the curves of the inner tube, letting her fingers graze the water's surface. Lastly, she relaxed her legs and stopped kicking, letting them float along with the current.
It felt good. She hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time, actually.
Before she was even aware it was happening, Asuna drifted to sleep.
"So… you wanna do it or should I?"
Sinon rolled her eyes as she stood alongside Leonn and Liz, the latter of the two having made the suggestion, as they sat on a dock overlooking the river. It had taken the raid group the better part of an hour and a half to slowly drift down the river and find Rovia, the 4th floor main town, during which time the trio took the time to talk with their friends in Fuurinkazan and the Braves. Sinon had actually found the ride down the river to be very relaxing, even if she was constantly on alert for mobs and other dangers. It was a welcome reprieve for the constant action she had to endure during the fight with the 3rd floor boss.
"I think Sinon should do it." Liz said, giving an evil grin.
"Me?" Sinon asked, giving the blacksmith a curious look.
"Yeah." Liz said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Leonn and I have blunt weapons so we're not going to be much help. You've got a bow and arrows."
"She's got a point." Leonn said with a quick nod of his head. "You could probably hit them both at once. I've seen you fire off two shots at the same time."
Whatever relaxation Sinon and her two friends felt apparently paled in comparison to that of Kirito and Asuna, who were now reclined in their inner tubes and bobbing up and down in the water, just a short distance away. Both the black-haired swordsman and the chestnut-haired fencer were out cold, having dozed off on their way down the river. The trio had pulled their friends near shore so that they wouldn't drift off, but they hadn't woken them just yet.
They would never get another chance like this again, and they knew it.
"Hurry, before they wake!" Liz said, giving Sinon a few playful pokes.
"Alright, alright!" Sinon said as she drew her bow. She nocked two arrows along the bowstring and aimed carefully. Her usually neutral expression started to morph into its own smirk, mirroring that of her two companions.
This was going to be fun.
She let the two arrows fly, watching them wizz through the air before each of them found their target: the inner tubes themselves.
*POP!*
Both inner tubes exploded, instantly waking their riders and plunging them into the water, which fortunately for them was only a few feet deep. However, that didn't make their reactions any less predictable or hilarious.
"AHHH!"
"What the hell?!"
The drier trio immediately burst into laughter at the prank they'd pulled. Sinon was hunched over, one hand on her side while the other still gripped her bow. Leonn was leaning on his maul with both hands for some semblance of stability while he laughed. Liz had foregone any sense of composure and was rolling on the ground laughing, smacking it every so often with her hand.
Sinon looked over with watery eyes to glimpse the reactions of their two friends. Asuna looked a mixture of angered and flustered while Kirito was outright glaring at them. After a moment, the two looked at each other. Asuna's hair was sopping wet and was drooping over her face haphazardly. Kirito looked equally drenched and was stock still for a moment before frantically reaching in his shirt to remove a small fish that was caught inside, quickly flinging it back into the river. Asuna was the first to break, her angry face giving way to a smirk, then a stifled laugh. Kirito broke soon after, joining the rest of his party in complete laughing fit.
After a minute, Leonn wiped a tear from his eye and motioned the drenched duo over. "Whew, that was good. Glad you both were such good sports about it."
"Sorry!" Liz said while trying to catch her breath. "W-we just couldn't resist."
"I have to admit, I was absolutely livid at first." Asuna said before looking over at Kirito. "But then I saw the fish and I just couldn't hold it in anymore!"
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Kirito said with a smirk. "Lesson learned though. We'll just have to pick somewhere away from water for a nap next time."
"That was nice." Asuna said, looking back at the river and their deflated inner tubes. "It was good to relax for at least a little while. Maybe under a tree next time."
"Oh...?" Liz trailed, pouncing on the opportunity. "Are you two planning on a next time?"
Almost immediately, both Kirito and Asuna flushed beet red. Kirito looked away hurriedly, while Asuna froze up. Leonn gave Liz's arm a light tap with the back of his hand while Sinon just rolled her eyes.
"Nevermind her. Let's go find a room and get you two dried off." Sinon said, ushering them over. "It'll give us time to talk about our next steps."
"Agreed." Kirito said with a nod, taking the lead into town. "If the town layout is the same as the beta, there should be an inn nearby we can stay at."
Leonn caught up with Kirito and the two started talking among themselves. Sinon couldn't really pick out exactly what they were talking about, mainly because at that point Liz and Asuna joined her near the back and decided to strike up a conversation themselves.
"I've gotta say, when I first met Kirito I didn't expect this." Liz said.
Asuna tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"I mean he's got a bit of a reputation as a jerk." Liz said with a frown. "Even though a lot of people saw what happened after Illfang, most people are quick to badmouth him. Truth is, I was expecting a cocky little jerkface who didn't care who he stepped on to reach the top. He's not like that at all, though. He's a decent guy, at least so far as I can tell. He knows his stuff but isn't an ass about it."
"Well, not many beta testers are open about their knowledge because of Kibaou's stunt on the 1st floor. I haven't had the chance to get to know any other beta testers outside of Kirito and Leonn, so I can't say how they behave with it." Sinon said before shaking her head. "I get what you mean though."
"Honestly, the whole Beater thing is probably the only thing holding him back from taking a more active role as a front-line leader." Asuna suggested. "He's definitely shown his leadership skills during all three floor boss fights so far."
"Never mind the fact that he doesn't want to be a leader." Sinon said. "Ever since Leonn and I met the guy, we've tried to break him out of his solo-ist mentality."
"That still makes me angry thinking about what you two told me with the plant mobs." Asuna said with a huff.
"Wait, plant mobs?" Liz asked, clearly not understanding the reference. "What happened?"
"The night after Kayaba dropped the news on us, Kirito decided to take a quest at one of the nearby towns." Sinon said, thinking back to that night. "He knew it was dangerous. Dangerous enough to possibly kill us, but he wanted that ((Anneal Blade)) quest reward because it would last him a few floors. Instead of letting us help him, he decided to tackle the quest by himself so that if things went badly, only he would die and we would be safe. He didn't want to potentially kill us."
"How bad was it?" Liz asked.
"Oh, easily dozens of them, all trying to swarm him because another beta tester tried to MPK him." Sinon explained. "Didn't work, obviously, but Leonn and I had to dive in there ourselves to rescue him and drag his sorry ass back to the tavern."
"Hope you tore him a new one for that stunt." Liz said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, it was mostly Leonn though." Sinon clarified. "I wasn't exactly the most talkative person back then."
"You still aren't." Asuna joked, earning her an amused look from the archer.
"Really? Leonn?" Liz said before staring forward at the two men leading ahead of them. "He never struck me as the scolding type."
"He's not." Sinon said, whipping her attention away from Leonn and over to Liz. "He might seem like a bit of a smart-mouth who'd rather solve his problems with that hammer of his, but there's more to him than that. He and I know each other IRL and I can tell you that he cares more than he lets on."
"Kind of like Kirito." Asuna added.
"Exactly." Sinon said with a nod. "That's why those two get along so well, I think. They both care entirely too much about others and would rather hide it than let it show. Kirito hides behind his reputation as a Beater and Leonn hides behind humor."
"They seem to take different approaches to keeping people safe." Asuna said, placing a finger on her chin as if in deep thought. "Kirito keeps people at a distance and Leonn recklessly uses himself as a shield."
"I can see that now…" Liz looked pensive for a moment, looking down at the ground in front of her while they walked. After a few moments, she broke the silence. "Why doesn't Kirito want to lead?"
"We're not sure…" Asuna said, uncertainty laced in her voice.
"I think he's worried that he won't be able to protect everyone." Sinon ventured a guess. "That ((Anneal Blade)) debacle was because he didn't want to be the cause of any deaths."
"Being a guild leader like that probably comes with that extra responsibility too." Asuna said.
"People are going to die if he doesn't take charge, though." Liz said, causing both Sinon and Asuna to look at her with startled expressions on their faces. "Think about it. Diavel wouldn't have been the only casualty on the 1st floor if Kirito hadn't intervened, he stepped up and took charge on the 2nd floor, and his strategy helped knock the boss down on the 3rd floor. I'm not saying he's the answer to everything, but the front needs him."
Before either Asuna or Sinon could reply, Leonn looked back and waved them over.
"We're here." Leonn said, pointing towards a large building in front of them. Inside were a number of npcs as well as a handful of players who were probably also looking for someplace to settle for the night.
"We're coming!" Asuna shouted before she whispered towards Liz and Sinon. "I've got an idea. Follow my lead."
The ladies jogged up to meet up with Leonn and Kirito. Just as they were about to walk in, Asuna tapped Kirito on the shoulder. The black-haired swordsman, now mostly dried from walking in the sun, turned to face the fencer.
"What's up, Asuna?" Kirito asked.
"Did you ever figure out what you're supposed to use that branch for?" Asuna asked in response.
Kirito frowned, crossing his arms. "No, I haven't figured it out yet. I don't know what I'm supposed to do with this thing and it's driving me crazy."
"Why don't you ask Argo?" Asuna suggested. "If she doesn't know, maybe she knows someone with an answer."
Sinon's eyes flashed with recognition as she looked over to the chestnut-haired fencer. Asuna was trying to get Kirito away from the group so they could talk to Leonn alone. After all, they'd probably need his help to convince Kirito to take a more active leadership role on the front line.
"Go track down the Rat while we reserve rooms for tonight." Sinon said. "She's probably up here already exploring the town since the other guilds just unlocked the teleporter."
"They've got a point." Leonn said, stroking his beard in thought while unwittingly playing into the ladies' plans. "If it has something to do with this floor's boss, we'll need every advantage we can get."
"Fine, fine, you've convinced me." Kirito said as he started to walk towards the center of town. He pulled up his menu, probably to start a conversation with Argo, before looking over his shoulder. "I'll let you know what we find."
"You'd better!" Leonn shouted after him.
Once Kirito was well away and out of earshot, Sinon turned towards Leonn. "Ok, a couple of things. First, don't stroke your beard like that again; it's not long enough for you to pull that off. It just doesn't look right."
"Wow." Leonn said, seemingly taken aback. "Damn, alright. No more pensive beard stroking."
"I think it looks very mature and thoughtful." Liz retorted with a small smile.
"Thank you!" Leonn said, flashing the blacksmith a grin before looking back at Sinon. "Second…?"
Sinon gave Liz a confused side-eye before continuing on. "Ok… second, we need to talk. All four of us. It's about Kirito."
"Well that doesn't sound ominous at all…" Leonn's brow furrowed. "Why do I get the feeling this is a conversation that should be behind closed doors?"
Sinon gestured towards the door while Liz pushed Leonn from behind. Asuna followed right on their heels as the quartet entered the inn.
Sinon's face was remarkably neutral.
"Because it is. Now let's get a couple of rooms. Then we'll talk."
"What do you mean you don't know?"
Kirito couldn't believe what he was hearing, and based on Argo's thoughtful expression, she wasn't particularly proud that it had come out of her mouth.
"I mean I don't know, Kii-bou." Argo reiterated as she poked the branch in Kirito's outstretched hands. "I've never seen anythin' like this before. How'd you get this thing again?"
"It dropped from the 3rd floor boss, but it wasn't a last attack bonus and no one else got it so far as I know." Kirito explained.
"Oh yeah, I can guarantee you none of the other clearers came to me with something like this." Argo said with a scoff. "Not that any of the idiots from the ALS or DKB would even think to ask me. God forbid either of them be caught associating with a beta tester..."
Kirito couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Well, do you have any idea how to figure it out?"
"Well, lemme see if one of my merchant contacts is available. Maybe an appraisal will drop some clues." Argo said before scrolling through her friends list again before her finger stopped suddenly and her signature grin crossed her face. "Actually, scratch that. I know just the guy to go to."
"Ok…?" Kirito trailed off, watching as Argo got up from her seat and started walking off down the street. Kirito quickly stored the branch and followed.
"Yeah, this guy's already made a name for himself as one of the top merchants and appraisers on the front line." Argo said with a mischievous grin. Clearly the Rat was withholding some information here, which wasn't entirely unexpected, but something was up.
"You're hiding something, Argo." Kirito stated, giving her a dubious look.
Argo recoiled in mock offense. "And ruin the surprise? Wow, Kii-bou! Didn't know you were such a killjoy!"
"Fine." Kirito sighed. "How close are we?"
"He should be set up somewhere around here." Argo murmured, pulling up her map. "That's what he told me, at least."
Kirito took the opportunity to look around while the Rat stumbled through her private messages and map. The town of Rovia reminded him of port-side cities in the real world, particularly Venice with its canals and bridges. He'd never been there himself, of course, but that particular city had quite the reputation and was undoubtedly the inspiration for any number of canal cities in other games and media. There were NPC-run gondolas roaming the canals and the buildings were a bright white, giving the city a fresh and light feel. As he and Argo continued walking along the streets towards what he assumed would be the market, Kirito found himself appreciating the town's aesthetic.
"Here we are!" Argo exclaimed as she walked up to a booth that had been set up near the outskirts of the market plaza, which turned out to be situated near the floor teleporter. "Agi-bou! Got somethin' here ya might be interested in!"
The large man behind the booth slowly turned and Kirito could now see that he was, in fact, Agil. Kirito gave a friendly wave to his merchant friend, who responded in kind before turning to face the Rat.
"You do know I'm older than you, right?" Agil crossed his arms while he glared down at the information broker.
"Yer takin' all the fun out of it again." Argo said plainly, looking disappointed but still snarky. "Kii-bou and I got somethin' for ya to appraise."
"Hi, Agil." Kirito said with a small smile.
"What's up, man?" Agil said, extending his hand out to the swordsman. "What can I do for you?"
Kirito shook the man's hand in greeting. "I had something drop for me during the 3rd floor boss fight and I'm not sure what it's for."
"What do you mean?" Agil asked with an eyebrow arched. "What is it?"
Kirito swiped open his inventory menu and manifested the branch in question. He held the branch out in his hands as the merchant clearer leaned forward to inspect it more closely. Agil grabbed the branch and began to lift it out of Kirito's hands, only for the branch to teleport back into the swordsman's hands.
"Whoa." Agil said, looking startled. "Never seen that before."
"Check out its details and you'll see why." Kirito said with a shrug.
Agil leaned forward again and gave the branch a single tap with his index finger. His eyes began to read the description before they went wide. "Soulbound? That explains a lot, actually."
"You've got the highest appraisal skill around, Agi-bou." Argo said, making sure to emphasize her nickname for the man, which in turn earned her a furrowed brow from the merchant in question. "Does it say anythin' else?"
"Hmm…" Agil hummed to himself as his eyes scanned over the window displayed. Kirito couldn't see exactly what he was reading, but he knew enough about the ((Appraisal)) skill to know that if the skill was leveled high enough, Agil could discern additional details. If it were a crafted item, he would be able to learn its owner and creator. If it was an item to be used in crafting, Agil would be able to tell which recipes could utilize it.
"Well?" Argo asked with some impatience.
"Looks like a crafting material for sure." Agil said with some hesitation before he cocked his head and took a step back, placing his hands on his hips. "Huh."
"What is it?" Kirito asked. He could tell that the merchant found something unusual, which was not something Kirito was looking forward to. He just hoped that the item wasn't cursed or something like that. Items being cursed was an old mechanic sometimes used in old-school roleplaying games to balance overly powerful or strong items. It had been years since a game had implemented something like that, but the idea of an item being soulbound was just as outdated, so the item being cursed wasn't impossible, necessarily.
"Well, it's used in blacksmithing, I can say that much." Agil started as his eyes read over the tooltip again. "What's odd is that the level of blacksmithing required only shows up as question marks. Same goes for the name of the recipe."
"What?" Kirito and Argo asked simultaneously.
"See for yourselves." Agil said, tapping on the window a few times to set its visual display to public so that others could see. Argo and Kirito craned their necks to read the updated description for the item.
[Branch of the Demon Tree. Soulbound. Having been corrupted by the promise of power and strength, Nerius the Evil Treant reigned over his forest for millenia, siphoning the nutrients and energy of his surroundings greedily. This powerful branch is all that remains of his arboreal reign of terror.
Crafting material. Requires Blacksmithing level ?. Used to forge ? ? ?.]
"See what I mean?" Agil asked, crossing his arms. "Never seen anything like that before."
"Hmm." Kirito hummed as he nestled his chin between his thumb and index finger. "Maybe I'll have Liz take a look at it. Although if the number of question marks is anything to go off of, her blacksmithing skill isn't anywhere close to being able to work with this."
"Well, it's somethin' at least." Argo remarked as she seemed to be taking notes of her own. "I'd suggest holdin' onto that for the time being, Kii-bou."
"Not like I have much choice. It's soulbound." Kirito replied before stowing the branch in his inventory. He manifested a pouch of coins and handed it over to Argo, who looked up at him with mild confusion. "That's the price we agreed on, plus a little extra if you let me know as soon as you find any information that would help with this thing."
Argo donned her signature toothy grin before snatching the pouch with alarming speed. "You got it, Kii-bou."
"Thanks for the help, Agil." Kirito said with a nod as he and Argo started to walk away, the former tossing a small coin pouch over to their merchant friend.
"Yeah, no problem." The merchant replied in kind as he caught the pouch. "Oh, before I forget, tell Sinon I got my hands on some better quality arrows than what she has if she's interested. I was able to haggle them down to a lower price from an npc merchant on this floor and buy some for her."
"Will do!" Kirito shouted as he and Argo left the market.
As the black-haired swordsman started walking back to the inn, he couldn't help but notice that Argo was still with him. In typical Argo fashion, she was furiously typing away to her various contacts and didn't seem to be paying Kirito much mind, but was nonetheless following along. He shot her a quizzical glance and was about to open his mouth to ask her something.
"Don't worry, I ain't stalkin' ya." Argo said with a grin, somehow still keeping her eyes glued to her interface. "It's been a while since I've seen the rest of your crew, so I figured I'd tag along."
"Alright then, I'll let them know you're coming." Kirito said as he pulled up his menu to start typing out a message to Asuna.
"Oh they already know I'm comin'." Argo said casually. "They told me to tell you that we're meetin' 'em on the 2nd floor of the inn, 3rd door on the right."
That's odd. Didn't think they would all get one room. Maybe they decided to reserve a larger room because it was cheaper.
The rest of the walk back was in relative silence, Kirito leading the way while Argo trailed behind, still engrossed in her network of direct messages with her contacts. Kirito started to wonder if there was ever a time that Argo wasn't working. Several minutes later, they entered the inn and headed up to the second floor and knocked on the third door on the right, as instructed.
"It's open!" Leonn shouted from inside. "Come in!"
Kirito opened the door to find his party spread out, seated on the three beds in the room. Asuna was seated at the farthest of the three beds, with Liz seated on the middle bed. Sinon and Leonn were sitting at the head and foot of the last bed, respectively. Kirito heard the door close and lock behind him as Argo took up the rear.
"Thanks for coming, Argo." Asuna said, giving the information broker a friendly smile.
"Of course, Aa-chan." Argo smiled in return, though her smile was significantly more toothy than the fencer's. "It's about time we talked about this."
Kirito did not like how this was shaping up. All sorts of red flags were popping up and Kirito's introverted tendencies were screaming at him that something was up. Firstly, there were three beds in this room, which meant that this room was not meant to occupy five people. Secondly, his party seemed to have been expecting Argo. No, it almost sounded like they had invited her. Lastly, there was an uneasy silence and tension that hung in the room, as if a difficult conversation was about to take place. He'd felt something like this once before when he talked to his mother and father about the truth of his adoption into the Kirigaya family.
It was uncomfortable then, and it was uncomfortable now.
"Kirito, we need to talk." Asuna said, gesturing for him to take a seat.
"Ok…" The swordsman trailed, walking awkwardly and slowly to sit next to Asuna.
"It's nothing bad, dude. You can relax." Leonn said with a chuckle. "We're not breaking up with you or anything."
Kirito let out a small sigh of relief. That did help to alleviate the tension a little, but for some reason Kirito still felt like he wasn't going to enjoy this conversation. He looked over to the door, only to find that Argo was leaning up against it nonchalantly, blocking any hope of retreat. Oh, they planned this out. He was not going to enjoy this at all.
"So what's up?" Kirito tried to say as casually as possible.
"We've been thinking. And talking." Liz started, clearly struggling to find the right words.
"We've been doing well as a group on the front lines so far, and none of us want to leave or change anything about that." Leonn continued.
Sinon audibly sighed. "Just tell him. You're both making it seem like a bigger deal than it is."
Asuna shifted in her seat on the bed to face him. "Kirito, we want to form a guild."
That's it?
"That's all?" Kirito said, feeling himself relax a little. "I'll admit, I've never been fond of the idea of being in a guild. I figured I was going to play this game solo, but that obviously changed and I'm okay with that. Now? I'm not against the idea, exactly. Having a guild storage would be helpful, and maybe eventually a small base we can rest at. I think we've done pretty well on our own, but if you all think - "
"I'm not done." Asuna said, cutting him off before he could go on any further. She looked him in the eyes and Kirito could feel the next part coming. He hoped that what he thought she was going to say wasn't going to be said, but the seriousness and determination in her eyes said otherwise. Maybe it was because he was getting to know his party better and better with each day they were trapped in here, but he knew exactly what Asuna was about to say. That didn't make it any less difficult and terrifying to hear, though.
"We want you to lead it."