A/N:
Some of you have wondered what exactly lies behind the gates that lock away the elven trees, and why exactly it spells doom for Aincrad. All are fair questions, but I'm not about to reveal everything. Where's the fun in that? Gotta keep it cryptic and mysterious enough to keep you questioning. Rest assured that your questions will be answered in due time.
Now on with the show! Here's Chapter 32!
Asuna did her best to land softly.
With a soft *thud*, she and the others landed on the tree holding the Fallen Elf encampment, having swung over from another tree using grappling hooks. She'd have to compliment Lokuss for showing just how useful those things could be, and not just in terms of navigation. She looked over and saw that while everyone was stowing their grappling hook, Lokuss had instead wrapped most of the rope around his forearm and had the hook ready to deploy at a moment's notice.
She saw that grappling move he pulled off during that first fight with the Fallen. She looked forward to what other surprises the loremaster had in store with that grappling hook.
Sharing a silent nod with the others who accompanied her - that being Kirito, Yuna, Kizmel, and Lokuss - Asuna followed as Kirito led the way and slipped in a gap in the camp's fenceline. Now that she was closer, she could hear just how much of a fluster the Fallen were in with the rest of the Renegades assaulting the front gate.
"Filthy humans!"
"What do they hope to accomplish? We outnumber them!"
"Watch out for that archer!"
Good. Her group hadn't been noticed yet.
"Come on." Kirito whispered over his shoulder. He gestured towards the nearby tents on their side of the camp. "Pair up and spread out. Look for clues. Anything helps."
Asuna went into one tent and Kizmel followed. Just before she ducked into the entrance, she saw Kirito, Lokuss, and Yuna run into another larger tent. The inside of the tent she and Kizmel were in was relatively modest, furnished only with a table and a few chairs. There were some barrels off to the side, but those looked like regular storage for foodstuffs and the like.
The papers on the table itself looked far more promising.
"Here." Asuna whispered, walking up to the table in question. Unfortunately for them, the papers were in a state of disarray, either from lack of organizational skills or possibly having been scattered in panic once the attack began. Kizmel took the other side of the table and together the two began to skim and rifle through the papers.
Battle plans. Useful, but not quite what they were looking for. She pocketed them anyway.
Troop roster. Not very helpful. She let them be.
Correspondence with the Forest Elves. They looked lengthy and they likely wouldn't be conclusive of any betrayal. Kizmel took those anyway.
Arsenal inventory. Not important.
At the bottom of the pile, Asuna found a letter addressed to the officer in charge of the camp. She saw a name but paid no mind to it; Lokuss would probably know more. All that was important was the fact that the letter mentioned 'preparations' and keeping the Forest Elves unaware.
Bingo.
"Here." Asuna said, holding the letter up. Kizmel smirked and gave a nod before taking one last cursory scan of the room for anything else.
"I think we're done here." Kizmel said, bringing out her sword and shield. She edged closer to the entrance to the tent and peered outside. "They're still fighting out front, and I don't see Kirito or the others."
A quick glance up at her HUD confirmed that Kirito and the others hadn't sustained any kind of damage, so it was unlikely that they'd run into trouble. Meanwhile, Kizmel was scanning their surroundings, on alert for any trouble that they might run into while out in the open like this.
"We need to get out of here, where are they?" Asuna murmured. She quickly crept to the tent she saw Kirito and the others disappear into and poked her head in. Inside she saw Kirito and Yuna waiting patiently - though their expressions were anything but - as Lokuss poured over every letter and parchment on the table in front of them. Not looking to draw any unnecessary attention, she whispered with some urgency. "Psst! What's taking so long?!"
"There's a lot here!" Lokuss whispered back. He glanced up and seemed to notice the pointed glares he was receiving. He stopped actively reading and started hastily shoveling papers into a satchel from his inventory. "Fine, lemme grab these and we'll get going!"
"Hurry!" Kirito hissed before looking over at Asuna. "Any luck?"
"We found a few documents that looked promising." The fencer explained, popping her head back out of the tent to quickly survey the outside before popping her head back in. "We should hurry, though. I don't know how much longer they can keep them distracted."
"Lokuss, we need to go!" Kirito said, waving him and Yuna over. The songstress and loremaster quickly shuffled over and together the combined trio exited the tent. Kirito looked around, taking stock of their surroundings before he pointed towards the same gap in the fence they'd used to enter the camp. "Let's go! Asuna, message Sinon and let them know to retreat in 30 seconds. That should give us enough time to get clear."
"Roger." She replied, pulling up her menu while running. She quickly composed a message to Sinon while she squeezed through the fence opening. Just as she hit 'send', the others were already equipping their grappling hooks and scanning for a suitable place to latch onto. "Sent."
"Good." Kirito said with a nod as he lobbed his grappling hook and prepared to swing across. "Let's get out of here."
"HEY!" A voice rang out from behind them. Asuna glanced over her shoulder and saw a lone Fallen standing on a nearby parapet, looking directly at her half of the Renegades. "Intrud - ECK!"
The Fallen scout was interrupted abruptly as Lokuss expertly threw his grappling hook and wrapped it around the elf's throat. With a smirk and a mighty tug, the loremaster pulled the scout down over the wall. Quick to pounce on the opportunity, Asuna shot forward and impaled the scout with her rapier just as he collided with the ground, instantly shattering him.
"You are quite handy with that hook, Lokuss." Kizmel said, clapping the loremaster on the back. He stumbled forward and gave a friendly grin before retrieving his grappling hook. "Quite impressive, indeed."
"Thanks, Kizmel!" Lokuss beamed as he lobbed his hook on a branch and swung over to the other side alongside Kirito.
Asuna, Yuna, and Kizmel were quick to follow, and the quintet safely landed on the other side and ducked into some nearby bushes. Meanwhile, the sounds of fighting began to fade as the other half of the Renegades retreated from their battle. A quick glance up at her HUD confirmed that while Liz and Leonn had taken a decent chunk of damage, the distraction team as a whole had taken relatively little damage.
"Shall we?" Kizmel said, gesturing in the direction where the base camp rested.
Time to do a little research.
"Fascinating." Lokuss mumbled, flipping through page after page of the stolen notes.
"... Is it, though?" Nautilus asked, a hint of sarcasm seeping through. He was immediately met with a pointed glare from Yuna, and he quickly shut his mouth to avoid further irritating the songstress.
Asuna sighed with amusement as she sat in the elven tent. Kizmel had been gracious enough to let the Renegades stay the night after their heist, and now she and Lokuss were pouring over every sentence, every written word of the stolen correspondence with wide eyes and rapt attention. Meanwhile, the rest of the Renegades were relaxing nearby and away from the desk the loremaster and the Dark Elf were sharing presently. After spending much of the past two days following the 7th floor boss fight trekking through the arboreal wilds and fighting Fallen Elves, Asuna felt mentally drained.
What she wouldn't give for a hot, steamy bath right about now.
She didn't have a problem. She could stop any time she wanted.
Asuna lazily looked over at the others, who were in similar states of lethargy. Yuna and Nautilus were sitting together and having a conversation with Leonn and Liz, about what she couldn't really hear. Sinon was nearby, leaning against one of the wooden supports in the tent, idly reading a small book while occasionally adding her two cents to the conversation. Geeou and Silica were playing with Pina and Gryd; rather, the dragon tamer was playing while the swordsman was watching in amusement as he reclined in his chair. As for Kirito?
Her fearless leader had fallen asleep next to her and was resting his head on her shoulder.
The Asuna of several weeks ago would have become bright red in the face and flush with embarrassment and anger at even the implication that she was comfortable enough with Kirito to allow this. While she did feel a little warm - okay, maybe a bit more than a little - right now, something had changed between then and now.
Now? Now she didn't mind.
In fact, she'd never openly admit it, but she found a small bit of comfort in it.
Over the past several weeks, as she and Kirito led the Renegades through floor after floor, the two had grown quite close. As his second-in-command, naturally she was constantly around the black-haired swordsman and had gotten comfortable being around him. She'd started to open up a little around him, and likewise he'd done the same around her. She genuinely enjoyed his company, a sentiment she never thought possible back when she first met him on the 1st floor. While Liz and Sinon were her best girl friends, she came to the realization recently that Kirito was undoubtedly her best guy friend.
It was a welcome change compared to her real world social life.
"That's it!" Lokuss suddenly shouted, jarring everyone out of their lazy stupors. Asuna felt Kirito slowly stir and lift his head off her shoulder.
She giggled and gave a sassy smirk. "Nice of you to join us, Kirito."
He looked up sleepily before realizing the position he was in. Asuna took a small bit of amusement as a twinge of red dusted his cheeks before he cleared his throat.
"T-thanks, Asuna." Kirito quickly muttered before turning his attention to the exuberant loremaster in the middle of the room. "What's he so excited about?"
Asuna shrugged. "No clue, but I have a feeling we're about to find out."
"What's got you so excited, Lokuss?" Leonn said, standing up and walking over to the table. He rested a hand on the back of Kizmel's chair and leaned forward a little to look over their heads at the documents sprawled out before them. "You find something?"
Kizmel nodded, her attitude noticeably more calm and composed compared to their newest acquaintance. "Indeed. Lokuss and I have enough evidence here to prove that the Fallen Elves are using the Forest Elves to gain access to the sacred trees. I know not what for, but it cannot possibly be good. They intend to betray the Forest Elves once they have possession of all of the keys."
"Can't say that surprises me much." Sinon said, pushing herself off the wooden support she'd been leaning on. "They always struck me as the manipulative kind."
"They're super creepy." Silica chimed in, her eyes never leaving Pina and Gryd.
"So what's our next step, then?" Asuna asked, standing up to join the others at the table.
Kizmel laced her fingers together and looked contemplative. "There are two options for us. The first is that we sit back and let the Fallen betray the Forest Elves and hope they weaken themselves in the ensuing conflict."
Asuna grimaced. While that would leave the Dark Elves in a stronger position, relatively speaking, the chance of the Fallen emerging victorious and proceeding with their plan did not sit well with her. Sure, it was just a questline, but Kizmel would be affected. That wasn't an option.
"I don't like that option." Asuna interjected. Many around her looked surprised for a moment before she explained. "If the Fallen win, they may go forward with whatever plan they have and I doubt that would be good for anybody."
"Agreed." Kizmel said, nodding along. "Which is why I will propose to my superiors that we arrange a meeting with the Forest Elves and alert them of the plot."
"That's bold." Geeou said, uncertainty clear in his voice. "How do you know they'll agree to a meeting, or even trust the information we give them?"
Kizmel sighed and looked over at Lokuss, who held a similarly forlorn expression on his face. "We don't know, but I'm afraid all we can do at this point is try."
"That's better than nothing." Yuna said, ever the optimist. "Is there anything we can do to help?"
"It will take a day or two for me to run the information up to the 9th floor and attempt to receive approval to proceed." Kizmel said as she shook her head. She then gave a small smile. "I will also seek information regarding this floor's guardian."
Asuna saw Kirito give a nod and a smile. "We appreciate that, Kizmel. Any information would be incredibly useful."
"So what do we do in the meantime, then?" Nautilus asked, crossing his arms.
"Well…" Kirito hummed, cupping his chin. "Until then, we spend that time leveling up. We might even be able to catch the field boss battle this time around. Unless anyone has any other ideas?"
There were none. In fact, most of the Renegades looked pleased at the prospect of helping fight a field boss. Since they'd been so caught up with the Elf War campaign quest for the past several floors, they hadn't had much chance to join in on the fun.
If tussling with large player-killing monsters could be counted as fun, that is.
"If… it's alright with you, could I join?" Lokuss asked as Gryd sauntered over and hopped onto the table, sitting himself down next to his master. "I'm no Clearer, but if I'm going to be of any help during this campaign quest I need to keep up. Level-wise, that is."
Kirito looked around the room, his eyes making contact with everyone else's. It was a gesture they'd all grown accustomed to during their time as Renegades. It was a silent expression, a question that simply meant 'any objections?'. The funny thing about spending most of one's waking hours around the same group of people is that one gets to understand non-verbal cues as clearly as the spoken word.
Clearly not seeing or sensing any objections, Kirito turned to the loremaster. "Works for us. You are pretty handy with that grappling hook, in any case."
"Great!" Lokuss practically exclaimed before he calmed himself.
Kirito smiled as he turned to address Kizmel. "Meet back here in two days time?"
Kizmel nodded as she stood up and made to leave. "Agreed. I hope to have more information by then. Be safe, my friends."
As Kizmel left the room, Kirito clapped his hands together and scanned over the nine people (plus two familiars) before him. He wore a smile laced with just the faintest trace of that inner fire of his. That was another thing Asuna had grown to learn and like about him was his sense of determination. He was dead set on not only clearing this game, but making sure everyone came out the other side in one piece.
"Let's get to work."
Just when Argo thought the people of Aincrad couldn't get any stranger, now she was presented with this.
Sitting in her favorite first floor cafe, located on the rim of the central plaza, the Rat opened her menu and scrolled until she found her notes. Note-taking was a feature not many utilized, in her experience. Traders and merchants would use it for bookkeeping purposes, while the occasional Clearer would use it to help organize their thoughts when it came to group roles and raid designations. Argo, however, used it for its intended purpose.
Collecting and sorting of information. Any and all information.
She scrolled through her notes, an almost endless deluge of text that to anyone else would have been an incomprehensible labyrinth of words and scribbles. Argo had a system though, and one she was navigating with ease. Within seconds, she found the section she'd titled "The Shadow".
"Here's your tea, Argo." A voice rang out from the side.
Argo turned her head, her eyes lingering on the notes for a moment before shifting and focusing on the young woman approaching with a tea cup in hand. The Rat couldn't help but smile; when she'd met the server approaching her table about a month ago, she'd made fast friends with the spunky little firecracker. There was just something about her personality that she just clicked with.
The server in question was a remarkably short woman - easily a few inches shorter than Argo, and the Rat was on the shorter side as it was already - and had a thin frame. What she might have lacked in curves, her voluminous, curly light brown hair made up for in spades, which right now was currently tied up carefully in a high ponytail. Since hair couldn't actually fall into food here in the virtual world, Argo guessed the fact that her hair was pulled up was a leftover habit from the real world.
The server's dark amber eyes stared at Argo. She arched an eyebrow sassily. "Well, you gonna take it or do I have to drink it for you too?"
Argo laughed, causing the server to smirk in kind. She reached over and took the teacup and saucer gratefully. "Thanks, Tai-chan. Was just distracted by yer hair and I've always wondered. Why the ponytail? I've seen you with it down when yer not workin'."
The server, Tai, huffed in annoyance and crossed her arms. "Meh, it's partly a habit and also because of my husband. I tried telling him hair doesn't fall into food here, but no. We gotta keep it tied up."
"How is the hubby, anyway?" Argo asked with a smirk. She set the saucer down on the table in front of her before turning her direction back to Tai. "You two still savin' for a cafe of yer own?"
"Yep!" Tai said, looking prideful. "We'll get there someday. Until then, he's enjoying his job as a chef again."
"Again?" Argo asked curiously.
Tai thought carefully for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. "Eh, doesn't really matter if you know, I guess. I know you won't sell the info. He and I used to work at a real life restaurant before all this happened."
"Huh." Argo hummed, glad that the spunky waitress had so much faith in her professional integrity. "That explains a lot."
"Yep!" Tai grinned again. She then abruptly turned and started to walk away, giving a casual wave towards Argo while she did so. "Lemme know if you need anything!"
"Will do, Tai-chan." Argo chuckled.
With that, she turned back to her notes on the vigilante she started calling "The Shadow." It might have been a bit melodramatic so far as monikers go, but how else would you describe a shadowy do-gooder on a crusade against PKers? This same vigilante was reported to attack and ambush PKers from the shadows like a ninja. It wasn't just the combat style either, it was also the fact that this person was also always dressed like a ninja.
Argo took a sip of her tea. She smiled at the pleasant taste, but then a thought crossed her mind that caused her smile to droop slightly.
A ninja. Now that I think about it, I haven't heard much about those idiots from Fuumaningun for a while now. If it's not one of them, maybe they'd know who this vigilante is.
Minimizing her notes for the moment, Argo pulled up her friends list and began to scan over her vast array of contacts. She could do what she had in mind by going to the 3rd floor herself, but then she'd have to make her way back down to the 1st floor again and she really didn't feel like hoofing it back and forth right now. She'd just sat down for a cup of tea and she wasn't about to get back up again and waste it. Finding the contact she was looking for, she opened up a message window.
[Argo: Mind doing me a favor?]
She waited. She knew they'd be busy in the markets right now, probably busking and performing for an audience. While she waited, she scanned over the cafe's interior and sipped at her tea, nursing it for every ounce of flavor she could squeeze out of it. She wasn't sure if she had Kayaba or Tai's husband to thank for how soothing the drink was.
Her eyes glanced upward to see that her contact responded. Finally.
[Pankratz: You caught me at a good time, love. How can I help you?]
Argo rolled her eyes. God, even over direct messages he was an incessant flirt.
[Argo: I need you to look up something. Can you check the guild registrar for me? I need to know Fuumaningun's roster.]
[Pankratz: The roleplaying guild? Not sure why you're looking into them, love, but your wish is my command. Give me a few minutes to head over to the registrar's office.]
Argo waited patiently for several minutes while sipping at her tea. She looked over at Tai, who was now waiting on another table. She chuckled as she saw the woman's brow furrow and a tick mark appear on her head. Whatever the table was doing was apparently irritating the feisty waitress. She suspected it was professional courtesy that was keeping the brunette from thrashing the customers into an early grave. Finally, the response came in.
[Pankratz: Looks like the guild disbanded a few weeks ago. Did you still want their names, love?]
Argo blinked. When did that happen? She must have been slipping as an information broker, because no one told her that Fuumaningun had disbanded. Granted, the roleplaying ninja guild was notoriously unpopular among both casual players and Clearers due to their sketchy combat tactics, but surely something like that would have garnered attention in some fashion, right?
[Argo: Sure, send me the names anyway.]
[Pankratz: Of course, little mouse. Here you are.]
What followed was a small list of approximately a dozen names, with most names hinting at some facet of ninja society or culture. These guys really went all-out when it came to immersing oneself in their personas. Once she'd copied the names down into her notes, she sent another message to Pankratz.
[Argo: Thanks. I'll send you some Cor for your trouble.]
[Pankratz: OR you could let me treat you to dinner.]
Argo almost spit out her tea, but managed to force it down. When would this guy take a hint? She had only ever considered dating here in Aincrad with two different people, but unfortunately neither option seemed likely. As it so happened, both people had basically claimed the other, locking Argo out entirely. Well, not officially claimed, but Argo was not about to move in on Asuna or Kirito's territory like that. Plus it was much more fun to tease them about it whenever the opportunity presented itself. She and Leonn had a running bet on when those two would get together, so she had a vested interest in letting it play out naturally.
[Argo: Nice try, but no. Thanks for the info though. Try not to get in too much trouble…]
[Pankratz: Well, I had to try. I'll talk to you later, love. A bard's gotta make a living somehow, and I don't need some novice upstart claiming my spot while I'm gone. Toodles!]
Argo chuckled and shook her head. The irony of the situation was that he'd moved into the vacancy Yuna left when she joined the Clearers.
She sighed. At least she managed to get him to help. She opened another page of notes - this one dedicated to tracking debts - and made a note of the money she owed the frivolous bard. Closing it and pulling up the list of names Pankratz provided her, she scanned over the guild roster. She recognized two of the names in particular, belonging to those idiots who chased her through the wilds of the 2nd floor. She wondered if they ever found the martial arts quest themselves or if they just gave up. While she didn't have any of them on her friends list, she could at least do a little research to see who was still around. It wouldn't make sense to try to track down someone who was dead.
She finished off her tea and got up from her seat, pulling out a few Cor and placing them on the table. She waved at Tai, who had finally finished with the troublesome table and was walking her way. "Thanks for the tea, Tai-chan. You'll have to actually introduce me to your husband someday. Does he ever leave the kitchen?"
Tai smirked. "Nah, but he loves it. Only downside is he doesn't get to clean."
Argo had started to walk away but paused in her tracks. She gave the petite woman a curious look. "Wait, he likes cleanin'?"
"Yeah, he's weird like that." Tai replied before glancing back at the kitchen and donning a fond smile. "He's a hard worker; been that way since high school. I'll tell you all about it sometime."
Taking the opportunity to leave and get back to her mission at hand, Argo nodded and gave a cheeky grin. "Tell 'im I said hi anyway, yeah?"
"I'll tell him." Tai replied with a smile. A nearby table - the same table from before, Argo noticed - waved her down and immediately her smile turned into a scowl as she turned away. "Yeah, I'm coming! Quit yer yapping!"
Argo snickered at the woman's feistiness before leaving the cafe properly. With the list of Fuumaningun members in hand, she snaked her way through the crowds occupying the central plaza. Ever since the start of the boss fight broadcasts, the central plaza had become a social hub for all different kinds of players. She suspected many people used this as a social hangout spot to unofficially 'claim' areas they could seat themselves during boss broadcasts. As a result, the plaza was a crowded mess during most hours. Fortunately, Argo was small and quick enough to navigate her way through and finally find herself at the Monument of Life, the structure that documented with terrifying specificity the deaths of all casualties of SAO.
The atmosphere surrounding the dreaded monument, unlike the crowded and noisy plaza she'd left, was always somber. The sense of sorrow practically hung in the air like a heavy sheet as mourners stood in silence at various positions near the monument, some gazing solemnly up at the stone slab while others hung their heads in shame. Out of respect for the dead, Argo retracted her hood, letting the brown cloth fall onto her shoulders. Slowly, careful not to appear overly eager or disrespectful, Argo made her way around the monument to check on the status of the members of Fuumaningun. Fortunately, all players were organized alphabetically, which made finding names that much easier.
Ando. Not a name she recognized, but it didn't matter in the end since they were dead. Ouch.
Isuke, one of the duo that chased Argo through the 2nd floor wilds. Dead.
Kotaru, the other ninja roleplayer she remembered. Also dead.
Wait.
What?
Three people dead already and she was only a quarter of the way through their roster. Argo started to feel a sinking feeling in her chest; was Fuumaningun disbanded because they were dead? She shook her head, dispelling those suspicions. She still had three-quarters of the roster to go through, and it would help no one if she jumped to conclusions.
Kuroi. That was another name she didn't recognize, but apparently they were alive. That was good; as much as she disliked the guild's antics, she didn't wish for their deaths. It also served to invalidate her earlier concerns.
However, as she went through the other nine names, she noticed a startling trend. It wasn't the fact that every name that followed belonged to the dead. As unfortunate as it was, death was a common enough occurence in SAO. That was just the way things were. Those who were reckless or brash, as Argo not-so-fondly remembered was characteristic of Fuumaningun's reputation, often died. No, that wasn't what concerned her.
What concerned her was that all of the dead members of Fuumaningun had died to PK's.
Player Kills.
"No way…" Argo muttered, unable to keep her thoughts private any longer. She immediately felt herself on the receiving end of some stares, most of them empathetic. The mourners nearby probably thought she was in disbelief over the passing of a friend. It wasn't entirely incorrect; she was surprised and in disbelief but these were no friends of hers.
They'd all died to PKers. How had this gone unnoticed? An entire guild wiped off the face of Aincrad by the worst kind of player. No, the worst kind of human. Wait, that wasn't right either. Not the bit about PKers being lousy humans; that part was true and Aincrad would be better off without them. No, they hadn't all died to PKers.
There was one survivor.
She quickly shuffled back over to the one name that remained. Kuroi. Whoever this person was, they'd apparently disbanded Fuumaningun, most likely out of grief for their fallen comrades. Survivor's guilt was probably at play here in some capacity.
Was this the mysterious ninja hunting down PKers? There was certainly a motive here, more than enough of it in all honesty. Having your entire guild decimated by Player Killers would be enough to send even the most passive and peaceful player to the brink. If Argo's suspicions were true, then this Kuroi had been driven not to depression like most people would, but instead onto a warpath. Everything seemed to be lining up.
Motive? Check.
Means? Possibly. Fuumaningun wasn't that far behind the Clearer force, last she checked. That would require further investigation, but if they'd survived this long there was a chance they were a strong player. Possibly Clearer-level.
Then there was the matter of rumors surrounding this person's appearance and behavior. If this truly was the last survivor of the notorious ninja roleplaying guild, it would certainly check out. The ninja-like garb, the formal manner of speaking, and many other factors were lining up incredibly well.
It wasn't solid confirmation, but it was a lead nonetheless.
The Rat stepped back out into the hustle and bustle of the Town of Beginnings central plaza. Closing her notes, she interlaced her fingers and stretched her arms out, cracking her knuckles. She walked off in the direction of the teleporter and pulled up her friends list. It would take some doing, but this investigation promised some juicy information. She grinned.
She had a mystery to solve.
A/N:
Not a whole lot of action this chapter, but we learn more about how the Elf War campaign is progressing. What could the Fallen possibly want with the sacred trees?
And, of course, just a snippet of some Kirisuna. If you're wondering why their relationship is moving along so fast, here's how I'm justifying it. Not only are they spending a lot of time around each other (which they've already done in Progressive, at this point and to my understanding) but they're having to work closely with one another as they lead the Renegades. Both are forced to be a least a little more sociable/extroverted just by virtue of being surrounded by their friends constantly. Also if we stick with the canon pacing here, they wouldn't get together until MUCH later in the story and I'm not having that. We're only on floor 8, dammit.
Even my patience has its limits.
We also got to check in with our favorite info broker, who's taken it upon herself to play detective. Should be interesting to see how that plays out and if/when she'll track down this vigilante.
Hope y'all enjoyed! Any and all reviews, as always, are deeply appreciated. Until next time!