If I say that there was a double experience event over the weekend for one of the games I play, would you forgive me for being... almost five days late on my update? No? Yeah, I thought not... ^-^'

I slowly swallowed a mouthful of my tea, debating whether or not the glacé aroma was something I should look into getting used to. "Where do you get these leaves?" I asked, inhaling the muted sweetness.

"It's a special plant that only grows in the swamp lands," Mitsui started, taking a slow pull before refilling her cup. "There's been some difficulty collecting them the past few weeks. Another side effect of those goblins going where they shouldn't." The heiress let out a long sigh, placing her cup back into its accompanying plate with a clack. "I appreciate everything your group is doing for us, Lady Asasaki."

"Don't worry about it," I said. "If what you said before is correct, we have powers and abilities that haven't been seen in ages. As such, we have an obligation to help out." Unfortunately, the majority of people would likely never be able to bring themselves to care about the citizens of this world. As rare as it was to come across one that acted 'human', it felt wrong to ignore the plight of the NPC's.

MItsui gave a thankful smile. "We're going to be sending a small group of guards to go explore the fields across the river." She moved a handful of armored figures over to the plains we had recently crossed. "Now that the threat there's been neutralized, we'll be able to have our scholars take a look at whatever it is they were trying to dig up." The redhead, natural according to her words, picked up a blocky carving of a horse and placed it on the region marking the east swamp. "I know there's still the mines on the northern side of the mountains that need to be clear out, but do you think your group would object to heading out to the swamps first? Aside from making sure there are no goblins in the region, there's the issue of all the abnormal creatures that have been popping up."

I took another sip, letting the sweet liquid rest in my mouth a few seconds before swallowing. "I'll see what I can do. Tensions are kind of high right now, but I'm sure the others wouldn't mind heading out there."

"I heard a little about what happened. Do you want to talk about it?" The woman leaned back in her seat, gazing at me curiously.

"I don't really know what there is to talk about." A blatant lie. Even if I personally felt there was nothing noteworthy about the incident, that didn't mean Klein or the others were unaffected. "We made a plan for me to to go on ahead and take care of the mounted units. I did my job and then when I was looking over the situation I noticed that their leader was still in the area. Naturally, I took it upon myself to dispatch him while the others were busy with the fodder."

"All by yourself?" The look Mitsui gave me was a mix of admiration and disapproval. "That sounds like it was quite the risk."

I shrugged. "It needed to be done. Besides, everything turned out fine." I met her gaze, refusing to display anything that might resemble remorse.

She hummed ambiguously. "It sounds to me that you're more experienced than most in the ways of fighting. I've seen that sort of behavior before. In the guards the end up helping out with the Explorer force when they're short on hands; nearly all the Explorers go through it." Mitsui shifted, her body shifting into what could be read as a defensive posture. "I hate it when that happens. They leave the city as men but when they come back, it's scarred and broken."

I fought to prevent my lip from twitching, instead focusing on her word choice. "You call them guards. Why is that? From what you've said of them, they seem more like soldiers than simple guards."

She shook her head. "Soldier implies that we need to protect the interests of the state. It's been so long since we last had contact with another region, our forefathers decided that it would be best if we disbanded our army."

Mitsui looked at the ornamental weapons resting along the northern wall. "It's true we put them through training to keep the peace and how to use their equipment, but only a few people who ask for it are trained to the level that would very expected from a proper military force. Namely men like the ones that escort cargo."

"Where are all the guards stationed?" I asked, internally bemoaning my failure to take note of all the proper institutions around the city.

"In the southeast and northwest corners. They were set up that way so citizens wouldn't have to go too far to report anything. Not that things occur that often, but there are still incidents from time to time that require outside assistance."

"So they're more of a police force than anything," I stated, looking over the placement of models on the map.

"Yes, that would be a fair assessment." After a moment of silence, the redhead motioned towards the sheathed weapon resting on the couch beside me. "That doesn't look anything from our region. Where did you get it?"

"I found it in a cave near a town called «Urbus»." I waited to see if she had a reaction to the name. "It handles nicely," I continued, deigning to let her explain her shocked response on her own time. "The weight is closer to the tip, but because of that it handles like an axe more than a sword, but it can still cut throughout the entire length." I leaned forward and rested a finger on the map, tracing the border. "Quite useful really. Some of the monsters there have thick skins that can't be damaged through easily."

"Sounds like the people there have adapted to their region." A look of longing settled onto her face, the woman staring at the map in silence.

"Lady Mitsui." It felt taboo to bring this up; a secret I was privy to but had no right to discuss. "You've mentioned that you lost contact with others. How long ago was this?"

"Generations ago," she admitted, resting her cheek on a hand. "Our records indicate that we were once part of a much larger kingdom on a massive span of land called a continent. It was so large, it took more than a month to traverse on foot. But at some point, in the middle of the night, a wall of light burst skyward around the region, and the lands around Tolbana and the Black Iron City were transported into the sky. The majority of people these days aren't aware that this isn't normal. They're satisfied with this life, trapped within this valley and staying within their birthplace."

She sighed heavily. "It's so sad. For over a hundred years our way of living has barely changed. Little more than the gears in a clock. We might get an adjustment every so often, but for the most part we're left to our own devices." Mitsui placed her cup down and started fiddling with the statues placed around the map. "I'm jealous of you, Lady Asasaki. As one of the fabled Swordsmen, you've been granted the privilege to explore the lands that were once connected." She smiled ruefully.

"And all that that entails," I added. "But what's stopping you from going through the tower? Now that we're here, I'm sure you could find somebody willing to escort you through the tower."

"Maybe one day. But right now I'm needed here. Perhaps when the goblin threat is neutralized I'll take you up on your offer." Mitsui held out her hand, motioning towards the empty cup on my right, smiling apologetically. "I hope I don't offend you when I say I have paperwork I need to get to."

"None taken. I know full well how important maintaining records are." I stood and gave her a hug. "I'll see you next time."

"Take care." The inheritor of her namesake corporation stepped through the door by her desk, allowing me a brief view into what looked like a kitchen.

"Why is today a lazy day?" I grumbled as I exited the building. The guard in the foyer saluted me as I passed with a crisp snap to attention. "Thank you for your work," I told him, giving a salute of my own. The man quietly returned to his previous position, offering no other signs of acknowledgment.

The skies were crystal clear on this morning of December 14. Not a cloud in sight, both on the horizon and the painted ceiling above us. While I talked with Mitsui and handled anything she tasked us to do, Klein and the others had headed into the eastern mines, stating that

Truth be told, I had my suspicions that it was an excuse to spend some more time apart from the day before. Klein still seemed to be disturbed by whatever he had realized, refusing to talk to me much aside from furtive looks and grunts in response to my questions.

"Bah. I might as well enjoy the day while I can." I sprinted across the street, easily scaling my way to the top of a two story building overlooking the majority of «Tolbana». From the roof top I could over the northern wall, all the way towards the forests that divided the Tower from the farmland.

"I wonder how those two are doing." During the trek up to the Mitsui headquarters I tried to send a message to Kirito and Asuna. With no limitations for trying to contact somebody between floors, I felt it safe to assume they were busy in the Tower on the second floor.

My gaze fell to the city below. It was surprising to me that the amount of activity seemed to have increased from when we had made the push that first month. Where the NPC's moved about with clear purpose, the players currently inhabiting «Tolbana» seemed more like tourists, taking their time and enjoying the sights. There were still people who were geared for combat, but they seemed much more relaxed than the fanatic testosterone filled children that followed Lind and Kibaou.

I leapt off the building, enjoying the few moments of free fall. Were this reality, my trip would have been nothing more than scant seconds of ecstasy before ending up as a void of nothingness.

Thankfully, this world operated under a different set of rules. So long as I was in a safe zone, the piece of coding that determined whether I had the right to live wasn't in effect. It didn't mean pain didn't exist, however. It was true that the pain that should have arrived after run through by a piece of steel would never come, but the initial sensation of something pressing against your body would be very prominent. So long as contact remained, the feeling of a warm hand or uncaring armor would let itself be known.

My train of thought ended as the ground rapidly approached. With both instincts and muscle memory guiding me, I tucked into a roll upon landing, taking a moment to regain my bearings.

The rooftops of «Tolbana» were arguably harder to navigate than in «Urbus». The majority of the streets were designed as two way paths for carts to travel through. Differences in elevations this far out meant that I had to take multi-story falls or climb my way up buildings depending on where I wanted to go.

Obviously, travelling by way of ground was the better option, but I wanted to let loose and enjoy myself. Heaven knew I'd have to confront Klein and the others about what was bothering them.

I padded over to the edge of the building, taking in the sight of the plaza. Similar to the one in the market square, this one had a lone but ancient tree resting in the center, its roots gently morphing the ground. To the north a modest chapel made from stone brick stood, a gaggle of teens resting on the steps leading up to it.

Looking at them like this makes me feel like an outsider.

I peered at the ground below me, making sure that the pathway was clear of any traffic before leaping down.

They look like they're just a bunch of regular kids. Like the concept of being trapped doesn't even apply to them.

I slowly made my way to the tree, resting against it so that the church took up my view. It was calming, being here. With the sound of birds chirping in the branches of the oak tree, it was becoming harder to keep my eyes open.

I'm sure the others will message or track me once they get out.

A yawn escaped my lips.

Maybe when I hit level 20 I'll pick up a support skill. Something I can do whenever I get bored.

I nestled into the tree, adjusting my body slightly to mold into the natural contours. "Today's such a lazy day," I whispered.

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

A small hole in the foot traffic opened up around us, the people recognizing a reunion. I beamed and dropped my bag, holding my arms out wide.

"Auntie Dawn!" The bundle of joy leapt into my arms. Even though the girl was only a few inches shorter than me, that didn't stop me from swinging her around.

"It's so good to see you again, Rachel!" I set the seven year old down, holding her hand in my right while I picked my bags back up. "Look at you," I cooed, guiding her back towards her family. "You must have grown three inches since I last saw you. How have you been?" I raised my head to greet my sister and her husband, embracing them in a hug.

"My teeth are falling out!" She cried jubilantly, hopping to her father's side. The brunette grinned, poking her tongue through the space where her upper left canines should be.

"She's been so excited about finally growing up," Mark said, ruffling Rachel's hair.

"Just wait until she hits puberty. Won't be so excited then, will you little one?"

I chuckled at Eltanin's remark, hiding the laughter behind my hand. "How have things been with the family?" I asked, following their lead through the airport.

"Same old, same old," She responded. "Aunt Marissa's found yet another young stud to tote about, Uncle Stefan's managed to rope in yet another round of graduates into the business, not that anybody's complaining. And I think you'll be happy to know that all those flowers you planted back on the family manor are blossoming wonderfully." My sibling adjusted her glasses smugly. "I'm also continuing my reputation of maintaining my grades. I'm not getting A's as much now that I'm in the classes for my Major, but I'm happy with consistently getting B's."

I smiled and bumped my hip into hers, sending her stumbling to the side a few steps. Back in grade school she had been obsessed with maintaining a 4.0 GPA. She'd mellowed out since then, but she continued to rub it in my face whenever she scored better than me. "How about you, Mark? Anything interesting from work?"

Since his time in high school, Mark had been a junior firefighter. After his graduation he became a full hire and had been climbing up the ranks, becoming the captain of his station by his mid twenties. There was a lot of suspicions from the family regarding their relationships when they two first started dating, but it was obvious to anyone that the love between them was real.

"Nothing too special. Houses burn, people become distraught, said people are also grateful for the work my men do to save their loved ones and belongings." The 31 year old smiled and responded to something his daughter was pointing out. "I've been doing a lot of talks at the schools around the city on my job and how students can help out if they're interested. Most of the time they don't really pay attention, but some of them look at me like I'm a hero from a comic book." He chuckled, shaking his head.

"Daddy, I need to go to the bathroom." Rachel tugged on her father's arm, pointing towards the sign.

"Do you mind waiting for her dear?" Eltanin hugged his arm, leaning into his shoulder. "I want to talk to my sister for a bit."

"Sure. Where do you want to meet up?"

"How about the Starbucks closer to the entrance?" My fellow blonde pointed towards the visible sign of a green and white two tailed siren.

"Okay. We'll meet you there." The two shared a quick kiss before Mark led his daughter over to the bathroom, patiently waiting outside the woman's restroom for her.

"She doesn't like being escorted inside anymore?" I asked, recalling the few times I had to go with her.

"She's 'a big girl now'. We'll still wait outside for her, and she knows to screams if anybody tries anything, but we felt we should respect her wishes." I always found it amazing how patient Eltanin was with her step-daughter. The first few years that they were a family were incredibly stressful for the two. I was lucky enough to bypass that struggle by introducing myself as Auntie.

I smiled gently. "I hope she doesn't become a problem when she grows up. You guys are doing really well with her."

She gave me a soft look of gratefulness. "You want anything?"

"Just a scone and some water, if it'd be no problem." I was fine with coffee, but it was far too expensive, more so at an airport, to get it out of the house even if people could prepare it in ways you normally wouldn't be able to.

"Warmed, right?" It was a habit of mine to get my baked goods at any cafes warmed when possible. It was always a pleasant surprise to have her double check my preference.

"Yes, please." I took a seat in one of the corners, the construction of the painted walls granting us limited privacy while still able to see through the upper glass portion to the rest of the airport.

"How are you holding?" She questioned, keeping an eye out for our order. "Emotionally and mentally, I mean."

I let out a long breath. "Honestly? Pretty annoyed. Part of me wishes I kept quiet and hid it from the doctors, but the other part of me knows how much trouble that could have caused if something set me off."

Eltanin laid her hand over mine, squeezing gently. "Sis. I want you to know that Mark and I are more than happy to put you up for a while. But if you end up staying more than a couple months, we'd like for you to help out with rent or something. It won't be much, but between my schooling, public transportation, and Rachel we'll be kind of strapped."

"I understand." I returned the gesture, glad that as standoffish my sister acted towards me sometimes she still made attempts to show her affection in whatever small manner possible. "I'll figure something out. If nothing else, I guess I could get a job at a McDonalds or something."

She reached over and cuffed my shoulder. "Shut up. You're far too good for a place like that. Now a Starbucks on the other hand, I wouldn't mind. Especially if you could try and get me in on your employee discount." Eltanin grinned devilishly, the light glinted off her eye.

"Fine, fine. I'll look into becoming a barista for you." The two of us broke into soft laughter, interrupted when her name was called.

"I love you, Dawn."

"I love you too, Sis."

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

I arched my back, moaning quietly at the sensations before slumping back into the tree. Based on the shifted shadows I had slept around two hours. A blessed amount of time that was honestly undeserved. With a yawn I rolled onto my stomach, taking in the feeling the the sun and grass before jumping to my feet.

"Guess I'll explore the fields out north day." With no notifications for my inbox, I assumed that the others were still busy in the mines. That or trying to come to an consensus regarding my perceived slight.

"Hey, Lady! Are you busy?" I slowly turned my head to look at the brown haired teen, his appearance sparking a sense of recognition.

"Not particularly," I responded, continuing my stretches.

"Great! Would you mind helping us out with a quest?" The teen gave a valiant attempt at a personable smile. Unfortunately for him I had far too much experience in dealing with false expressions to possibly fall for

"Depends on what it is," I offered non-committedly.

"My friends and I are trying to better gear ourselves. We tried taking on the wolves in the «Forsaken Forest» but we only managed a few kills before we turned back." The child laughed with dramaticized embarrassment, scratching his head.

"Fine. I suppose I have nothing better to do today." I pulled open my interface, tapping on the light blue button for the «Friends» section. "A few conditions though." I sent over a friend request, glancing at my system log in my bottom left that read #Keita has accepted your request!#

"First, you show me where the quest giver is for this. Secondly, any «Perfect Fangs», «Sharpened Claws», or «Glorious Fangs» we get go to me. You guys can keep everything else, including the cor and xp." It was arguably a poor deal for myself. Xp was important in this world, and any bit of cor was useful cor. But the wolves in the forest surrounding the Tower here on the first floor though were incredibly useful for the rare drops you could get from them that could enhance two weapon parameters at once. If I even got five total it would be well worth however long assisting them would take.

"Er, alright." The brunet offered his hand. "The quest giver's over in a small home over by the south eastern markets."

I motioned for him to lead, swapping over to my «Steel Kopis» as we walked.

After the required conversation with the relevant NPC (a small trader that had many connections) , Keita brought me towards the northern gates, calling out to the group gathered by the gate. "Heeeey!" The teen waved his hand joyously, running up to greet his companions. "You guys ready for another crack at this?"

"Hell yeah! We'll get everything we need today for sure!" An excited blonde jumped into the air, landing with his hands clenched in front of him.

"What levels are you guys?" I narrowed my eyes in bewilderment. Unlike Keita who had a set of unrecognizable leather armor, the four other teens had a mismatch of thick cloth and leathers that exemplified the phrase 'patchwork quilt'.

"The others are at level seven while I'm currently at nine," Keita responded, moving to the center of his group. "I traveled to Tolbana with some people a few days after the first floor was cleared, so that's why I'm at a higher level than them."

My face scrunched up in pained disbelief. While I was certain we ourselves were around that level when we first arrived in Tolbana, realizing that there were people who had only just reached that point was hard to digest. "What about your gear?" I asked, pointing towards their outfits.

"We got all our gear back in the starter town," a patient looking teen taller than Keita stated.

The energetic one dressed in yellow spoke up again, an extremely pleased grin on his face. "It took us days of selling fruits and hunting monsters to get all this! Between food, costs for staying in an inn, and supplies, I thought we'd never get something for everybody."

I could do nothing but smile gently. If it'd taken them as long as they were suggesting, I had my work cut out for me. "My name's Asasaki, by the way. I'll be helping out guys out on this quest." I gave a two finger salute, my age more than my height making me feel very much out of place. "I use a one handed curved blade. I can keep some monsters under control if you let me do my own thing, but I'm perfectly fine operating under your orders if you already have a set battle plan." The five shared a brief look

"My name's Ducker!" The excitable boy with the yellow beanie jumped towards me, wielding his dagger in a way that easily belonged on the cover of an anime or manga poster. "I'm going to be the thief of our group!" He swung his weapon around in a reverse grip three times, ending with a sloppy flourish that he was inordinately proud of.

"I'm Tetsuo," the tallest one said. "I guess you could call me our group's forward?" He rubbed his head in embarrassment, unsure of himself. "I use a sword and shield." The purple themed boy pushed out his chest, smiling happily.

"Hey there!" A curly brunet waved, a pleasant look on his face. "You can call me Sasamaru. I'm one of the damage dealers in our group. I use a spear." Clothed in heavy green clothing, the teen offered me a cheery thumbs up.

"And this here is Sachi." Keita clapped his hands on the girl's baby blue clad shoulders, startling her. "She's another one of our damage dealers. Don't take offense if she doesn't talk to you much. She doesn't do very well with strangers."

"Keita!" The girl slipped away from her leader, hiding behind the chuckling shield user.

"Hey, it's true," he responded. "You're always hiding behind someone whenever we have to talk to someone, even when they're an NPC!" The boys shared a round of chuckles. "Now that we've got all the pleasantries out of the way, let's get going. We're going to need as much time as possible if we want to finish the quest today. " The group gave a hearty cheer, filling out the gate in a loose huddled mass.

I stared after them for a few seconds, processing the fact that I had essentially volunteered myself to be an over glorified baby sitter. "Hopefully I don't need to worry about them too much," I grumbled.

Having been exposed to more gaming terminology, I realized it was a slight mistake to refer to the unforested region north of Tolbana as a field. Using that term would imply that monsters should spawn in them. In reality, it was more of a large area of rolling plains. Meant for farmland, windmills occasionally lined the dirt roads like street lights, their white sails slowly turning in the wind.

If any monsters did spawn, they were nothing more than low level farm animals such as cows, goats, and the occasional domesticated, hairless pig. There were rumours of chickens spawning, but 'nobody sane would dare attack them' according to Klein. It was only when you got closer to the tree line that monsters like wolves, bees, and the odd mutated plant became more common.

"I'm going to follow your guy's lead for the time being," I stated when we entered the woods. "Like I mentioned before, direct me as you please. If you don't let me know what you'd like me to do then I'll just make sure nobody gets into trouble."

Keita nodded his understanding. "Same thing as last time, guys. Tetsuo, take point. Sachi, Sasamaru, stick to his sides. Ducker, Asasaki, take any openings you see. I'll help out where I'm needed."

A chorus of grunts responded to his orders. At the shield man's lead, we slowly made our way through the forest, their patchwork of garish armor completely destroying any chance of evading ocular detection.

/ ~ /

I flicked my sword to the side, harmless redirecting the wolf's paw. When we first encountered them, I was fully prepared for an annoying running battle with the creatures, forced to utilize the terrain and continually swapping aggression to maintain our health. As it turned out, the tells for their strikes were blatantly obvious, and it was more an exercise in patience than anything else.

"Sachi, nail it!"

The girl cried out in surprise and lunged forward awkwardly, still unused to her weapon. It was fairly sad if I was being honest. They fought with zeal, but it didn't change the fact that they were completely untrained in combat. Their attacks were arguably acceptable, but the only time they even remotely resembled fighters was when they used Sword Skills and even those seemed poorly executed after being exposed to those on the front lines. I dropped to the ground in response to a beastial growl, catching myself with my right arm and launching my aggressor through the air with a mule kick.

The lupine crashed into the other wolf that I was handling. Keita hadn't asked me to, but their formation was meant for single target control; a stark contrast to the adaptable buddy system Klein drilled into our minds with mealtime theory and on the spot mix ups to our composition when not exploring new areas.

I leapt back onto my feet and took a quick scan of the area. Unlike the forests near Horunka, the monsters in the Forsaken Woods were prone to wandering away from the area they spawned in; it was how we stumbled across these wolves after all. On top of that radius, their range of aggression was fairly far, a trait I suspected was designed to create a sense of urgency when travelling through this region.

Keita let out a cry, the smack of wooden staff against bone and tissue reaching my ears. The use of a staff was a questionable one, but during our time on the mountain Kirito had explained to me that the results one would normally expect from using blunted vs bladed weaponry had been reduced to less extreme point. There was obviously certain things that were stronger than others, such as a mace or war hammer on skeletons, but it wasn't such a significant disadvantage that it was required to go out of your way to change for every situation.

"If you guys are done cheering, you should help me out!" I reprimanded, tossing a wolf over me mid attack. Keita directed his companions to assist with that target, alternating between concerned and amazed looks when he could spare the time.

When my next opponent charged at me, I sidestepped its attack and hooked my left arm around its upper torso, leaping onto its back and rending its throat with my kopis. The beast carried me closer to the others, managing to keep its pace for a few steps before dispersing

"You guys okay on health?" I asked once I stood up. Being able to see their health bars, I could simply throw a potion their way if I felt it was necessary, but I wasn't quite willing to share the associated level of trust and consideration I had attached to that action from my time with Klein. When they all responded, I rejoined their group, folding my hands behind my head for their next orders.

The next few hunts progressed much in the same way. I'd take it upon myself to control extra monsters while Keita and his friends whittled down a single target until it fell. The few times we had a single monster I followed Keita's directions, feeling very much like I was participating in life sized chess with his single, verbal commands. When we finally took a break a few hours later, Keita and his friends sitting away from me, I sent a successful message to Klein detailing my situation.

After an eternity of poorly hidden glances, the leader of the teens finally worked up the nerve to talk to me. "Miss Asasaki?" He began. "We were wondering… That is," he made several more aborted attempts, finally speaking when I cleared my throat. "What level are you?"

"Level 16," I said, not meeting his gaze. "Don't think the reason why I can deal with those wolves so easily is just because I'm more than double their level though. There's more to this world than just numbers. If you don't know how to stare death right in the eye you won't be able to get very far." I huffed. "Of course, don't throw yourself right at death either. Bravery and stupidity go hand in hand. What you get labeled as is only determined afterwards."

"Oh," he said simply.

"Was there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?" I pressured, not wanting to deal with his hesitation.

"Er, what do you think of us so far?"

"What do I think of you guys so far?" I repeated, taking a moment to compose my thoughts into something significantly less condescending. "Your friends are very good at following your orders. You yourself have a very clear understanding of how things need to be done with a firm grasp on making sure everybody benefits from each encounter. At the same time, it's exactly that that's your problem. For learning purposes, what you're doing is great, and there's very little I would change aside from your choice in monsters. But at some point, you're going to need to go over everybody's role in great detail so that you're not always telling them what to do." I leaned back on my hands and stared at the beams of light filtering through the treeline.

"It's nice that you're looking out for them, but at some point you won't be able to help them out. They're going to need to have some independence of their own. What if I wasn't around when you guys went out today? I know you did this previously, but obviously not with much success if you asked a complete stranger for assistance." I looked up at him, waiting until he met my gaze before speaking up again. "What would you have done differently had I not been there? When there was more than once monster?"

"I would have had Tetsuo and Sasamaru take one creature while I handled the other with Sachi," he answered without hesitation. "Ducker would help out with me since Tetsuo's the only one with a shield and can handle taking more damage."

I commended him for his reasoning. "That right there is another problem though. As you guys are now, you're perfect for taking down single monsters. But what happens when a group of monsters shows up? Somebody's going to be forced to tank damage when only there's only one person suited to do so. All your armor is a complete mess, too. Oh sure, it's better than just the starter chestpiece you all have, but overall it's terribly inefficient." I gestured towards my own protections, idly noting that the armor my companions and I used would need an upgrade if we wanted to safely progress through the higher floors.

"Once you can afford to, you need to decide on how to optimize your equipment. People who are going to take damage like Tetsuo need to consider wearing metal armor, whether it's something relatively light like scale male or pieces of armor like a breastplate and pauldrons if not full out plate. Damage dealers like myself or Ducker should look into only wearing leather armor; if we get bogged down by our equipment we won't be able to move around as quickly as we need to. Because we don't prioritize health or armor ratings, our best defense is not being hit at all."

I looked over at his companions, jabbering animatedly about something. "I'm sure you already know this though. Even if I can't see the numbers, by appearances alone it looks like Tetsuo and Ducker are aware of their roles." I held back a groan. "How much of that was redundant information?"

"Not all that much," he admitted sheepishly. "I don't really do much gaming. Most of us don't, really. We're all from our school's computer club, not gaming club. The five of us only tried this out because Ducker and Sasamaru wanted people to play with.

I looked away. It was worrying how many people had never experienced something like this before. It was a more common sight in the portal towns, but seeing groups of people head out only to return a few hours later due to inexperience wasn't an uncommon occurrence. "What about the guide book?" I prodded.

"The what?"

"The guide books put out by Argo." I flicked through my inventory and pulled out the two week old edition of Argo's First Floor guide, letting the teen look over it. "She puts one together for each floor. It's a general overview of what's available. Item shops, quest start locations and known rewards, monsters and what you can get from them. The start of each edition includes a list of new mechanics being introduced on the floor. The first floor edition is special in that is includes a primer on how to survive this world."

I waited a few moments, giving him time to digest the info. "The more stuff comes from people willing to check everything out. Argo pays for new information, so it's worthwhile for people to go out of their way to explore if they're into that sort of thing." I leaned back, observing the other people currently resting. Like Keita and his friends, their armor was a mismatch of styles. A few people had something organized, but they were the minority.

I guess not everybody was so lucky enough to get a quest that gave a full set of armor.

"Do you mind if I keep this?" He asked, looking up from the pages.

"A little bit. That's not the most recent edition though, so I don't know what's outdated or missing. When we get back to Tolbana I'll show you where to get one. Unlike the rest of Argo's services her books are free, so you don't need to worry about saving up for each edition.

Knowing that the male was about to be busy for several minutes, I decided that it would be worthwhile to talk with the rest of his companions. Whether due to some perception of me being a scary superior or just uncertainty, their conversation petered out as I approached. "How do you guys feel in regards to fighting?" I asked, figuring it wouldn't be a bad idea to see what I could do to stack the odds of survival in their favor.

"It's pretty scary," Ducker said without hesitation. "But I trust these guys to make sure I can get in without any trouble!" He grinned and wrapped an arm around Sasamaru. The other males expressed much the same thing: that it was strange going up against things so ready to bite their faces off. Curiously, Sachi diverted the conversation before it came to her turn, asking Ducker with false enthusiasm what he thought about the full body metal armor somebody at the other end of the clearing was wearing.

"It looks cool, but I dunno if that's the kind of look I'd go for if I wanted to wear heavy armor. I mean, come on! He looks like an english toilet for crying out loud!"

I closed my eyes in mirth, attempting to pull forward the instructor persona I used whenever I chaperoned for my nieces and nephews.

This is going to be my whole week, isn't it.

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

I returned the waves with an exhausted smile, some energy returned when I noticed the new armor Harry and Dale were wearing. "Is that what you guys have been doing? Collecting ore for some new equipment?" I sat down next to Choryu, exchanging simple pleasantries with the dagger user.

"Yeah. All the metals we've saved up are basically useless now in terms of upgrades, so we thought we might as well put them to good use." Dale prodded at a piece of the fish scale looking armor on his torso, the half ovals overlapping like the tiles of a roof. "A shame our skill levels didn't transfer over at all. We're starting completely over again at 0."

"That just means we need to go fight some trash mobs to level you guys back up, doesn't it?" Issin grinned, pointing his spoon at the chef. "I for one, wouldn't object to heading back into the Tower here. There's some player artisans I saw on the way back that seem like they might be a good fit for that long term business plan Little Miss Ninja was going on about."

"Plus, with them being newbies we could try and leverage access to materials they'd have to wait a while for, once we return to the higher floors." Kunimitzz pulled away a handful of his bread loaf, the crust crackling between his hands.

"You guys are so evil, taking advantage of the beginners like that." I snickered, bringing my hand to my mouth. "Are you sure you aren't actually salesmen back in the real world?" My companions stared at me for a brief moment of uncomfortable silence. Surprisingly, it was Harry who broke his composure first, deliver a wonderfully deadpan line.

"Yes, Asasaki. We're all actually businessmen from the same corporation. I'm of course the most recent hire and we've been working on converting Choryu here into our ways." The now full plate wearing teen grinned slightly with satisfaction when I finally chuckled.

"Speaking our of little ninja, what have you been up to all day? I know said you were in the woods for a quest, but you never elaborated on that."

I met Klein's gaze, humming quietly. "Some low level players ended up roping me into doing helping them out with a material collection quest. They were completely inexperienced though and I ended up teaching them a lot of the basics." I massaged my neck, the soft spikes of annoyance lancing through my mind once again.

"I think that's very kind of you, Miss Asasaki. The lower level players here have a bit of a grudge against those on the front lines. Some of the ones we came across in the mines were complaining about how we were poaching on their land and should return back to the front lines." Choryu sipped at his drink, an odd, sweet, pinkish liquid that he said had a muted bitter aftertaste. "Nobody complained once we got past the torchlight though. Seems they weren't ready to go that deep."

"It's not exactly like I did it for free," I admitted, thanking the NPC when my food arrived. "In exchange for all the experience, gold, and most of the items, I'm getting all of the weapon upgrade materials from the wolves we have to kill."

"And we're the corrupt salesmen?" Dynamm muttered, raising a brow..

"It's not as if I can't catch up by fighting some monsters elsewhere." Part of me wanted to tack on that I would likely have done it by myself, but after the debacle of yesterday I wanted to be cautious until we dealt with it properly. Those kids were structured for single target fighting, not the dynamic, fluid fighting we can pull off." I snapped my fingers, smoothly raising my pointer from the same motion. "Speaking about monsters, Mitsui wants us to go check out the swamp lands first, instead of checking out the northern mines."

"My quest log doesn't say anything about that," Harry commented, flicking through his interface.

I quickly referenced my own log, having completely forgotten about it. Regarding the 'Regional Woes' quest line, the information gave only the basic, simply detailing to explore the five areas in the northern half of the first floor. "I don't know if something like that was important enough to change the information. Also, even if there was a change we weren't partied up, so it wouldn't have transferred over." There was also the small doubt that interactions with Mitsui most likely wouldn't be written down by the system. I knew in my mind she was an NPC, but my conversations with her felt far too 'human'.

"If that's what Mitsui wants, I suppose we can go head over. Did she say why?" Klein asked, reading over something.

"She's sending some researchers and scholars to take a look at whatever those goblins were looking at. She's worried there might be a force in the swamps and she wants us to take care of them if there's anything. Basically glorified security detail and a kill quest. If we don't come across anything, then she wants us to reduce the monster population there. A lot more creatures there have been growing past their normal size and they've been making it difficult for workers there to do their job."

"Two hundred yen we end up coming across a big, fat goblin living inside a hollowed out tree," Issin whispered to Klein.

"I might not join up with you guys for a day or two," I added. "It really depends on how long it takes for me to help those kids out with their quest. I'd feel bad if I didn't finish up their training on how to fight properly."

"No worries. Just send us a message when you're all done." Klein gave a smile before turning towards Harry, referencing something from Argo's guidebook.

I'm surprised nobody mentioned the fight yesterday.

The seven males seemed to be in good spirits. As far as I could tell, my near death incident seemed to have been completely forgotten. A yawn escaped my lips. "I think I'm going to head up to my room. I dunno why, but I'm feeling pretty tired.."

"Must be because you were probably doing more work than you were used to. PUG's are generally like that," Klein remarked off-handedly. "Do you mind if I swing by your room tonight?" He asked, realizing who said that.

"Sure. If I fall asleep, just keep knocking until I wake up, okay?" I stretched my arms out before standing, bringing my dishes over to the front counter. Like last time, the inn we had chosen was fairly out of the way. There were certainly more players around, but not so many that it could be called full.

"So when are we heading up to the third floor?" One of the patrons asked.

"Wait, they already beat the 2nd floor boss?"

"Yeah, just happened a few hours ago. Heard from one of my friends who was in the raid group. You know apparently one of the most influential players was using small throwing hoops as a weapon?"

"Seriously? Do you think that means we'll be able to use proper ranged weapons?"

"I doubt it. The distance on those things were pretty short. Besides, could you imagine what it'd be like if we came across monsters that regularly used ranged attacks? It'd be a nightmare."

I should send a message to Asuna-san and Kirito. Must have been quite the story.

I flopped onto my bed, relishing the feel. It wasn't quite a spring mattress or memory foam like the ones I used back in America, but it was much better than sleeping on the floor. "Christmas is in nine days, isn't it?" I whispered, manually removing my clothes. Ordinarily you'd need to utilize the menu to do such a thing but as Issin and Kunimitzz discovered, the moment you deactivated the morality setting a whole slew of things became possible in regards to tactile functions.

"Sorry, Rach. Looks like I'm going to miss your play." I pulled my shirt over my head, dumping it at the side of my bed with the rest of my armor. "And your birthday. And our family picnic at the manor." I closed my eyes, pleading my mind to stop thinking about what I would be missing across the world.

"Don't worry, though." I pulled the simple blankets around my body, curling up into a ball. "I can't die yet. Not until you get married." I yawned, drowning myself in the wishful fantasies of the future. "And most definitely not before I get married…"

Not sure when the next update will be. I'd love to say that it'll be this upcoming Friday-Sat 22-23, but I dunno if I can crank out something in that time frame. I'm also really partial to a Friday-Sat upload date, but we'll see how it goes. At the latest, next update should be the following week of 29-30.