After some more explanations/exposition
The group had relocated once again to the nearby forest to test out the unusual rewards they all -sans Argo- had received. But stayed near the edge in case things went awry, as seems to have been happening lately.
"So…what's the plan here? Just kill some mobs to see if things actually work?" Klein couldn't help but to ask. Turning towards both Kirito and Argo as he did.
Both shrug as they reply "Yeah basically. Cardinal is normally pretty good about this sorta thing but sometimes things don't 'xactly line up. If ya get my meaning."
"So as a result we need to see if the items actually can do what they say they can. And seeing if the plant monsters are particularly weak to fire or not is a side bonus." Kirito finished what Argo started
Looking rather excited, Dynamm takes this opportunity to exclaim somewhat excitedly "Sounds fun, let's burn all those creepy plant things to ash!"
Followed by Kunimittz interjecting "Oi, don't get too excited or we might cause a forest fire or something. Actually, are forest fires even a thing that can happen in this game? It does seem to appreciate its realism more than I expected."
Shrugging again Kirito answers "I haven't seen or heard of any forest fires, but as I mentioned earlier magical items were really rare so it's possible that the only people who had them either weren't of the fire variety. Or they avoided causing any scenes like a forest fire with them."
With that little back and forth finished, they proceeded to do what they had intended to do: see if the items actually worked as intended by killing lots of monsters.
An hour or two later
"These new weapons are definitely really cool, their stats are a lot higher than our old stuff and the slow effect is really helpful, even without following up with a fire attack!" Gushed Anna, quite happy about her new bastard sword.
"And then when you blast them with a Firebolt, they flail around for a bit before dying. It's pretty great, though I prefer holding my sword with both hands instead of holding the tome." Added Klein, also in a good mood after the slaying of monster plants.
"It works fine for me, though I have always preferred a one handed style in these sorts of games. So using the other one to get the damage bonus is pretty nice." Last to interject was Kirito, who like the others enjoyed purging the aberrations with fire.
They continued chatting about their experimentation/farming session for a few minutes before returning to where Argo was to report on the results of said experimentation/farming session.
"So, going off you guyses faces I'm guessin both the magic books and the weapons worked as intended?" Argo asked while raising an eyebrow
"Yeah, both do what you'd expect and what quite enjoyable effects they are! The oil does actually slow things down, not just make them more flammable! It's great!" Dynamm nearly shouted in his excitement.
Not expecting the sudden energy Argo blinked a bit in surprise before recovering "Well that's good to hear that they actually work. So the weapon description was literal, but what about the book? Did it actually inform you about a magical system that wasn't a thing before this?"
As the one who spent the most time messing with the magic system Kirito replied "Yes and no, upon equipping the tome the first time we found we could use a fire spell called Firebolt by looking at a target and saying the name. Which as you'd expect causes a bolt of fire to be launched at the target. However there was no sudden understanding or knowledge to go with it. Apparently you have to actually read the tome in order to get that knowledge. More interesting then that however, is that I saw other spells referenced while skimming through it that weren't available to cast. I don't know what is up with them though."
"Very interesting, very interesting indeed Kii-bou. Perhaps you need to learn how to cast them manually? Or that you aren't a high enough level in order to unlock them? Or maybe they are just for show? But I doubt that Kayaba has never been a fan of fluff or useless stuff before. So there's more then likely something to do with them." Argo looked deep in thought while pondering on these questions and others
Shaking her head, almost like she was trying to shake away the questions she then continued "Well whatever that is all about it does confirm that apparently hidden requirements are a thing so we need to be on the lookout for those in addition to whether or not some quests are no longer repeatable. Both of which are very important it seems. Keep me updated if you guys run into any more stuff like this will ya? And I'll do the same."
"Definitely, according to Kirito over here the equipment we got has stats comparable to or better than the original reward. And that's before the debuff effect and the magical book is included. So yeah if all the other special rewards are like this then finding out what they are will be very helpful. Though if those quests stop being repeatable that could very easily create a problem in the progression tree of gear of other players."
Klein paused before directing his next sentences to Kirito "Hey Kirito, you said the Anneal Blade was a sword people normally used up until floor 3 right? So hopefully there will be something else that people can get to take its place. Or we might have a problem on our hands here"
It took a sec for Kirito to understand what Klein was getting at before understanding dawned on them "Oh, oh. You are talking about how there's always quests people do to get gear to then move forward right? The general trend of progression of like every rpg ever? Yeah, the sword was generally used until floor 3 but not too many people knew about it, or used it so I wouldn't consider it a major problem if others can't get one. However if this trend applies to a lot of other quests then I could see it becoming a problem. Will definitely be worth keeping an eye on the situation."
They discussed the details and potential problems for a while longer before exchanging contact information and going their separate ways.
About 3 weeks later
The group was out doing a quest to hunt some sort of unusually large wolf that had been terrorizing the local population, and was said to make its home in the nearby dark woods. As a result they had spent the last 3 or so hours trying to hunt it down, without being hunted themselves by the lesser wolves that were abundant.
Just when they were contemplating calling it a day, a deafening howl tore through the air, followed shortly by someone yelling in response to the challenge.
"Well, sounds like we finally found the overgrown doggy. Hopefully whoever is there doesn't kill it before we do." Klein said, while already moving towards the disturbance.
"Hopefully they aren't alone, fighting such monsters by yourself is unnecessarily dangerous. Enough people have died as it is, and it's still the first floor!"
"Charging a boss alone? Who does that remind you guys of? Perhaps a certain flame slinging swordswoman?" added Anna while tossing a teasing smirk Kirito's way.
"Hey! It's been at least a week since I've done anything like that. And you're definitely one to talk, Ms "Aggro a bunch of mobs trying to get a multikill". Then we have to kill all the things you pulled." Kirito was understandably indignant about the slight
"Can we focus more on the person who might be in danger and less on the bickering you two? We have things to do." In a rare turn of events, Issun was the one to scold them for their shenanigans
""Sorry Issun"" they both chorused, while running through the woods.
About a minute later they finally enter a clearing…..only to see a massive silver and black wolf trying to dislodge a female player from its back, to little success. From what they could see, she seemed to have lodged some form of weapon in its mid-back before it started thrashing around. As they continue to get closer its name appeared in their hud: Seikos, Scourge of the Shadowed Woods
"Yeah, that's definitely the wolf we were sent to kill. When they said 'large wolf' I thought it would be like a regular wolf mob but a bit larger. Not friggin 10 or 11 feet tall! Well whatever, let's attract its attention with a little fire shall we? Everyone get into position." commanded Klein
"Can't say I was expecting this either, but good plan. Trying to get close while it's thrashing around like that would be rather dangerous, though we need to be careful to not hit the person on it." Added Kirito before launching a Firebolt right into the giant beast's face, singing its fur and setting some of it on fire.
Seikos, being a giant wolf monster, was obviously angered by this and stopped trying to unseat the annoying human and charged right at Kirito, aiming to crush them beneath its paws. While Firebolts from the other members of the party splashed across its body giving it an even more monstrous appearance of smoldering flame on a dark body.
As it neared its target, its momentum was suddenly impeded by the two pitch black spears jammed into its legs held by Issun and Kunimittz. Followed by Anna and Klein carving into the beast's legs, then the 4 of them withdrawing before it could retaliate.
Seeing an opening they had created, the figure atop it ripped out their weapon then plunged it back in and dragged it down its back before finally anchoring themselves once more further down its torso.
While this was ongoing, Kirito took the opportunity to land some more Firebolts against its sides and legs before joining the others in attacking its legs. "This seems to be going well, but I doubt it's going to go down easy, nothing with a name ever does. Everyone stay on guard for anything strange."
Almost like it was waiting for a cue, Seikos suddenly let out another piercing howl forcing everyone who could to cover their ears to try and block out the noise. By the time they took note of their surroundings once more, they realized that a few of the local wolf monsters had shown up in the clearing. Presumably in defense of the largest one.
"Something strange...like summoning a pack of adds?" Not one to pass up an opportunity for some sass, joked Anna. Before nearly getting bit by one of the adds while distracted by said joke
"Yes, exactly like that." was followed by an exasperated sigh from Kirito
"Ok. Issun, Kunimittz, Anna, and Dynamm try to keep the boss occupied. Kirito, Harry One, and I will deal with the adds. We'll switch if necessary."
The group broke and then moved into the new formation specified to cover each other and deal with the mobs.
The battle raged on for another 10 minutes or so, with the boss summoning more wolves once more. Before the great beast shattered into polygons with one final howl, causing the person riding it to fall unceremoniously to the ground with a little poomf. Now that they could get a look at her, she didn't appear much out of the ordinary, another player with regular gear and short black hair. Though her choice of weaponry was a bit unusual for killing such large enemies, she wielded a dagger in one hand and seemed to have a collection of throwing darts on her person for easy use. Though upon closer inspection she did look kinda familiar to Kirito, but as they hadn't finished getting up yet they couldn't make out her face.
"Ugh, I should've expected that but I didn't. Thank you for the help though, I had also thought it would just be a somewhat larger wolf, not a legitimate boss monster." The currently still unnamed player said while dusting themselves before turning towards them. "So who are you….guys...wait a sec. What are you doing here Suguha?!"
Finally having a good angle to see her face, and hearing her say Suguha's name it clicked for Kirito who she was. "Sinon?!"
A/N I know that Klein is generally portrayed as more of a comedic relief character, but I feel like that while he might not be the most intelligent guy ever. He is still decently skilled in leading people and understanding mechanics once he knows about them. Considering he's canonically been the 'leader' of his friend group for some time before canon, and how he manages to keep all of his friends alive through the death game. So figured I would play into that aspect of him, since no one has to my knowledge.