On Floor 2, near the main settlement of Urbus…
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Looking up at the sky above, Shirou couldn't help but wonder if the ground below the 3rd Floor was really blue.
"What's wrong Shirou?" Shimizu asked, wondering what Shirou was looking at.
"It's nothing. I was just thinking of something stupid." Shirou answered as he looked at the area in front of him. "Kirito messaged me as soon as I came up to the 2nd Floor, but where is he?"
"Who knows? Maybe he got caught up in something." Shimizu began to giggle at the thought of Kirito getting into some type of mischief.
"Ah, there he is." Shirou spoke up as he noticed Kirito looking around before running towards Shirou.
"Sorry I'm late." Kirito spoke while trying to catch his breath.
"So, what was so important that you called me here?" Shirou asked, not giving Kirito any time to relax.
"Well, the thing is…" Kirito then began to explain the predicament he placed himself in. "Despite becoming a Beater, Asuna still wants to be my party member, but I don't want to expose her to anymore danger than she's already in."
"So?" Was Shirou's response.
"Huh?" Kirito answered. "So, what?"
"I don't see the problem." Shimizu chimed in as she looked at Shirou.
"You don't see the problem?!" Kirito was stunned to say the least but shook his head and continued. "Can you let her party up with you for a while, at least until this whole thing blows over?"
"Can't guarantee she won't kill you the next time she sees you." Shirou smirked at Kirito who shivered rather noticeably.
"KIRITO!" A voice rang out so loud that Shirou and Shimizu had to cover their ears.
"All yours!" Kirito screamed back as he went to the teleporter and vanished from sight.
"Where is that boy in black?!" Asuna, a young girl of light brown hair, and hazel eyes angrily asked as she looked around. Her armor was a simple dark red leather tunic with a lightweight copper breastplate and leather pants with boots that went up to her knees. Upon setting eyes on Shirou, Asuna walked up with heavy steps and calmed herself down. "Hello again."
"Hi." Was the only thing Shirou responded after seeing how quickly Asuna calmed herself down.
"Have you seen Kirito?" Asuna asked, her voice seething with hatred while still wearing an endearing smile. "He rushes off without warning, then breaks apart our party, despite my attempts to make him create it again." Seeing a red haze begin to glow around her, Shirou began to shiver.
"Well…how about you party up with me and Shimizu for a while?" Shirou asked, unsure of the girl's response. "Then when you do see Kirito again, you can give him good punch that'll give him no choice but to stay with you?" Shirou answered with a wide grin.
"Sure. I like that idea." Asuna answered with smug grin, before stretching her hand out. "The name's Asuna. Thanks again for taking care of Hinata and Makoto back on Floor 1."
"I've been wanting to ask, how do you know the twins?" Shimizu spoke up after she jumped on Asuna from behind her after welcoming her to their small party.
"Their my cousins." Asuna answered.
"Ohh, is that so?" Another voice spoke up which spooked both Asuna and Shimizu, but Shirou was unfazed. "No reaction this time?" Argo asked as she noticed Shirou as calm as a lake
"Nope. You've done that so many times on Floor 1 that I've gotten used to it." Shirou began to chuckle. "Because of that, I decided to raise my Detection skill and saw you coming before you even spoke."
"Grr… I'm going to have to raise my hiding skill then." Argo was not pleased by that but began to smile.
"What?" Shirou, now worried that he may have dug his own grave began to feel his own demeanor change.
"Remember that bet we made back in the Town of Beginnings?" Argo tried to make Shirou remember every conversation he had back on Floor 1.
"The Martial Art... You found it?" Shirou, now stunned, could only look at Argo in shock. "But it's only been two days since Floor 2 had been opened.
"I'll bet you 5000 Col you can't beat the quest in under 3 days, what do you say?" Argo taunted Shirou as she began to stand on her tiptoes to meet Shirou's eyes.
"You're on." Shirou took Argo's hand and began to run off. "I'll be back, 5000 Col richer!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself!" Argo yelled back to Shirou as she sent a message to Shimizu.
Opening the message, Shimizu read its contents.
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"While I'm busy with Shirou and the quest would you mind going out and taking notes on the mobs on this floor so I can update my guidebook? I'll have Shirou pay you."
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Trying her best to hold back her laughter, Asuna looked at Shimizu skeptical at what she was about to get herself into.
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Several Minutes Later…
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"Up there." Argo answered as she managed to run at the same speed as Shirou while trekking up a steep mountain path and seeing a small wooden hut at its peak.
"Alright. The time limit was 3 days, right?" Shirou confirmed what he had heard before.
"That's right, and if you win I'll personally pay you 5000 Col." Argo slapped her own chest proudly.
"Alright, let's get on with it." Shirou then knocked on the door of the hut.
"Who is it?" A very thin old man answered the door.
"I heard I can learn martial arts here, is that possible?" Shirou asked, as he noticed the question marker on top of the old man's head turn into an exclamation mark.
"It is. Could it be you are interested in the way of the fist?" The NPC asked.
"That's what I just said." Shirou began to smile embarrassingly.
"This way then." The old man emerged from behind the door and lead both Shirou and Argo to several human-sized boulders. Without any warning, or sound, the old man jumped up into the air and landed on one of the boulders. "Your task is to break a boulder. If you do, I'll teach you my martial arts skills. That is it."
"Seems simple enough." Shirou answered, only to hear Argo giggle. "What's so funny?" Shirou asked as he turned around to face the Rat.
"Your face." Argo couldn't stop herself from giggling and began to full on laugh.
Looking into the water from a small stream that flowed from the top of the mountain behind the large field of boulders, Shirou noticed whisker marks painted on his face.
"When did that happen?!" Shirou was more surprised about the marks appearing so suddenly on his face that he didn't necessarily care that Argo was laughing at him.
"I guess you'll be called the Rat as well if you don't finish this quickly." Argo then began to walk away. "See you in 3 day, Shi~rou." And with a skip in her step, Argo vanished down the mountain path.
"Whatever, let's get this over with." Then Shirou made his way back to the large boulders'. "So I have to crack one in half, right?" Shirou asked as he looked back towards the old NPC.
"That is correct." The NPC answered.
"Can you also teach me how to move like that as well?" Seeing the NPC confused by his wording, Shirou rephrased himself. "The movement you used to paint these whisker's on my face, can you teach me?"
"I most certainly can." The old man slapped the stone beneath him. "Just crack the stone."
"Alrighty, then." Cracking his virtual fingers, Shirou pulled back his fist and brought it forward with a mighty force.
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Several Hours Later…
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"WHY CAN'T I FIND HIM?!" Xena yelled to the top of her lungs as she finally entered the 2nd Floor after taking a few days to try and find Diavel on the 1st. "I thought we'd be able to fight alongside each other for a good while." Sighing in defeat, the young ginger-haired girl made her way towards the town of Urbus. But before even seeing the gate, she noticed both Kibaou and Lind speaking with two women. Wondering what was happening, Xena decided to approach.
Getting closer to the action, Xena noticed Shimizu and Asuna speaking with both Lind, the leader of the party known as DKB, Dragon Knight Brigade, and Kibaou, leader of the party known as ALS, Aincrad Liberation Squad.
Lind was a man who was an avid admirer of Diavel and decided to style his appearance in Diavel's likeness, sky blue hair, and wore a silver armor that consisted of a chest plate and shoulder pad with a blue tunic underneath. He formed the party DKB in order to fulfill Diavel's wish in saving as many people as they can from dying, but after the Floor 1 Boss Fight, Diavel vanished.
Kibaou on the other hand, formed ALS to also fulfill Diavel's wish in clearing SAO as quickly as possible. Both groups had their reasonings for starting their parties, but each had different goals in mind.
"So, you don't know where he is?" Lind spoke up as he placed his hand on his hip.
"After Argo took him…" Asuna spoke. "We haven't heard from either of them, but if you want, I'll message you when I get a hold on either of them."
"Their looking for who? Shirou?" Xena thought to herself as she stood where she was. "If I remember correctly, Shirou was that man who saved Diavel from Illfang, right?" Remembering the man of silver-blue hair, appearing with a white light around him as he saved Diavel, caused Xena to blush a bit. "Stop, just stop. You don't have time to think about other people." Just as Xena passed the talking group, Lind turned to see the young girl in the red coat.
"Hey, you!" Lind called out, startling the young ginger-haired girl.
"Yes?!" Xena's voice cracked as she responded back.
"You were Diavel's partner back during the Floor 1 Boss fight, right?" Lind asked as he approached, with Kibaou just behind him.
"I was…" Xena, still stunned that they were even talking to her, spoke rather lightly.
"Have you seen him?" Kibaou spoke up.
"No. I haven't." Xena's voice dropped. "I tried looking for him back on Floor 1, but I haven't seen him anywhere."
"Is that so?" Then Lind stretched out his hand. "If you'd like, would you care to join my party, DKB?" Lind asked with a proud smile.
"Hey, no don't join them, join ALS instead!" Kibaou spoke up right after Lind gave his offer. "You shared a drink with Diavel, just as I did, so we share something in common. Join ALS, and I can assure you that you won't regret your decision."
"Hey, don't go making promises you can't keep, Kibaou!" Lind began to argue with Kibaou.
"The same can be said about you!" Kibaou barked back.
As this was going on, Shimizu and Asuna approached the startled girl.
"Why not join us?" Shimizu asked. "They're going to be at it for a good while."
"Sure." And with that, the trio of girls walked away while the men continued to argue.
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Walking out onto the field of Floor 2…
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"So…" Still stunned at the fact that there were players who were willing to accept her, Xena was still a bit short-fused in her head. "What are we doing?"
"Oh, Argo asked us to get the fighting patterns of the mobs on this floor." Asuna spoke up.
"Oh, is that so?" Xena spoke up rather absent-mindedly. Seeing this, Shimizu spoke up.
"You alright?" The brunette asked.
"Huh? OH, well you see…I never thought people would actually fight for me." Xena responded to which Shimizu began to giggle. "It's not funny, I don't know how to react!" Then feeling a hand her head, Xena looked up to see Shimizu smiling down her.
"Shirou…despite gathering people's hate, the same as the boy in black, they still rely on him, you saw that, didn't you?" Xena nodded after Shimizu spoke. "Being the best doesn't necessarily mean others will rely on you, but if you prove to others that you can be relied on, others will naturally come to you."
"Like me." Argo spoke up as she appeared once again out of nowhere. As the trio froze from the Rat's reemergence, Argo looked around to see everyone scared out of their minds. "Is that going to be your reaction every time I appear?"
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A few minutes later…
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"My name is Xena. It's a pleasure to meet the infamous Argo." Xena introduced herself as she bowed to show her respect. Argo on the other hand was frozen from seeing a girl like Xena. Embracing her quickly, Argo spoke.
"Where did you find a beauty like her?!" Argo asked the two older girls.
"She just came with us." Asuna answered, before looking around. "Where's Shirou?"
"He's currently working on the Martial Arts Quest I briefly mentioned." Hearing this, Xena looked up from Argo's embrace and spoke.
"Is it that quest that gives you whiskers once you accept?" The ginger-haired girl asked.
"You know it?" Argo asked as she looked down at Xena.
"I'm a beta tester…" Freezing and stopping herself from speaking, Xena covered her mouth, only to see the three girls smiling.
"You have nothing to fear, I, Argo the Rat, am also a beta tester." Argo spoke softly. "And if anything you've probably heard the rumor about me."
"You?" Xena, now curious looked up to Argo.
"I was the one that did the quest during the beta but failed to figure out how to remove the marks from my face, hence my nickname." Argo gave a big smile. "So anyways, how's it going with the mobs?"
"We were just getting started." Asuna spoke up as she removed her rapier from its sheath. "How many is enough?" Asuna spoke as she looked over her shoulder.
"20 of each mob." Argo answered confidently.
"Understood." Shimizu twirled her spear as she followed Asuna, with Xena right behind the two.
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Back at the mountain top…
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Despite a day passing of his 3-day bet, Shirou was still trying his best at breaking the boulder that the Old Man NPC was sitting on. After spending a day knocking and listening to all the sounds that the boulders gave out, Shirou determined that the one the NPC was sitting on was the one he needed to focus on, but even after a day, the silver-haired boy never got anywhere farther than a small crack in the boulder's surface.
Sighing as his hand was still in the position of the crack in the boulder's surface, Shirou looked up to see the Sun shining again. Falling down to the ground, Shirou landed with a heavy thud, but he didn't mind, as his thoughts were elsewhere at the moment.
"I guess a day has passed." As he laid down, Shirou began to rub his knuckles, as they were a bit sore from all the punching he had done throughout the night. "Guess I'll take a bit of a nap and get back to it in the afternoon." Closing his eyes, without realizing, Shirou passed out quickly.
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4 Hours Later…
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Up and at it again, Shirou was once again punching the boulder as quickly as he can. Ever so often, he was seen giving a few good kicks, but after his kicks, he stopped.
"They're good kicks, but they're not landing how I want them to." Shirou spoke to himself. "Just what am I doing wrong?" Hearing a low bellowing sound, Shirou turned his attention away from the boulder to see a couple of oxen grazing on the mountainside. "Were there so many oxen before?" Shirou asked the old man as he looked up at him.
"They graze from time to time." The NPC answered as he continued to sit on the boulder with his staff standing straight on the boulder. Shirou's eyes then widened as he came to a sudden realization, the young man opened his menu and began to message someone.
Just outside the town of Urubs, Argo was busy placing the new info she grabbed from the trio of ladies, when she saw a message pop up in her window.
"Oh, got a message from Shirou." Hearing Shirou's name, Shimizu turned around. "He's probably telling me he's going to give up." Opening the message, Argo spoke out. "Might have figured out how to…" Argo froze and let her voice trail off as she read the words she saw.
"Argo? You alright?" Without warning, Argo began to run in the direction both she and Shirou took just the day before. Wanting to see where she was going, Asuna, Xena and Shimizu ran after the Rat.
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Several Minutes Later…
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Trekking up the path as fast as they could, Argo, still leaps ahead from the other three, made it to top faster, but became out of breath as she reached the top.
"Why…the rush…Argo?" Xena asked as she made it to the top before the other two women.
"He…better…have not…" Argo spoke through her breaths as she rose to her feet and stumbled her way to the grove of boulders just behind the hut.
Arriving at the location, they noticed an ox stumbling away while Shirou stood confidently in front of a boulder. Looking over his shoulder, Argo noticed a boulder broken in half, while the NPC just sat on the ground behind the broken boulder, just looking up at it in shock.
"H-how…?" Argo asked, stunned at how quickly Shirou solved it.
"I like puzzles." Was all Shirou answered.
"Be clearer!" Argo exclaimed as she grabbed on to Shirou's shirt. "How did you complete it so quickly? And in a day no less?!" Giving his explanation, Argo's eyes went from widened shocked to dumbfound.
"The NPC said I had to crack the stone, never said I had to use my fist." Shirou started. "Secondly, the oxen…" Shirou spoke as he turned around to see the oxen grazing high on the mountains. "If I know anything about farming, oxen or cows don't like grazing on hill or mountains, but instead valleys." Seeing his reasoning, Argo realized how the young man before her solved the quest. "Though I'm sure the oxen were never around when you did it during the beta, huh?"
"That's right. So it begs the question, if the cattle weren't here, how would you solve it?" Argo asked.
"The NPC." Shirou answered as he pointed towards the NPC. "He was sitting on the answer all along." Moving closer towards the cracked stone, Argo noticed how brittle it was. "I was on the right track when I chose the boulder, but I guess it just depends on how hard or accurate you hit it."
"How did I not notice that?" Argo spoke to herself. "Was it like that during the beta?"
"He was very careful in choosing a boulder for the test." Shirou answered as he walked up from behind Argo, who was still studying the boulder. "My guess is, he always wanted someone to learn his martial art skill."
"That's right." The NPC spoke as a message board appeared before Shirou.
"He wants to tell a story, you guys down to listen?" Shirou asked as he looked back at everyone, who nodded, then to Argo who began to smile widely. "Alright then." Clicking the Yes button, the old NPC man began to walk around before he eventually made his way to the group.
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"Several generations ago, Aincrad, before The Great Separation, wasn't always a castle in the sky. It used to be a castle in the ground. It height as tall as the tallest mountain. With its Ruby Palace shimmering in the daylight, no one knew where it came from or how it even got there. Some people claim it was always there, even before civilization began. Other say that humanity and other races came from Aincrad itself and populated outward."
Seen looking up at the sky, the old man took a deep breath before continuing.
"But one day, a man dressed in a red robe with golden lining arrived with an attitude fit for an arrogant king. The man's appearance was covered in shadows by his robe, and he claimed that he will rule Aincrad from its Ruby Palace and did so without any interference. No man or beast had been able to reach the top of Aincrad's palace, nor did they ever try. No one knows why, but as the cloaked man rose up, he left beasts' of his own creation behind on each land of Aincrad, in doing so his beast received ungodly powers and prowess from the land itself, stripping it of what magic it may have had. This allowed the beasts to create monster of their own image and allowed them to roam the lands we now live on. When humanity realized this, they took up arms and tried to drive them out, only for the monsters, the beasts had created, to return in droves of many. This is what caused The Great Separation, or so scholars claimed."
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"The mob respawns." Argo whispered to Shirou as she began to listen intently to the story the old man was telling.
"You might be right." Shirou answered as he looked back at Argo. "Let's listen more. I'm actually interested in the so-called Great Separation."
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Turning their attention back at the old man, they noticed him staring at his hands. But after a few moments, he continued.
"When the beast and its creations settled on this land, it was my ancestor who led an army against the one who gave itself the title of king. Itself, along with its General and Colonel, were a force to be reckoned with. Many people were lost during the battle, but in the end with my ancestors weapon, they were able to seal the three in the Celestial Tower."
Looking back at the Pillar that was just right behind him, the group looked up to see the Pillar the old man was looking at.
"For generations, it has been my families duty to find someone who can truly defeat the King and his commanders." Rising to his feet, the old man produced a ring-like object, that looked to be rusted, but still seemed sharp to the touch. "I decide to try and find an adventure such as yourself who might be capable of defeating this retched beast who calls himself a king. Please…I beg of you, defeat him and free Aincrad from its tyranny."
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"Do you have its name?" Shirou asked as he held onto the ring-like objects.
"Its name is…" As his mouth moved slowly and clearly, the group listened as the old man spoke.
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A few minutes later…
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"I never knew Aincrad had this type of lore." Xena spoke up.
"Neither did I." Argo followed.
"I think Shirou and I discovered this lore with Hinata and Makoto, back on Floor 1." Hearing this, Argo stopped dead in her tracks and looked back at the brunette.
"You did?" Argo spoke, now completely bewildered about this new info.
"Yeah, it's how we learned about Illfang's secondary weapon." Shirou responded. "If you want I can give you the location of the NPC who gave us the quest." Accepting the offer, Argo opened her menu to accept the trade from Shirou.
"I'm going to go check this out, you guys go to Kibaou and Lind about this new info you have on the boss." And with that, the Rat vanished into the wind."
"Let's get going." But before he had a chance to move, Shirou looked back at Xena. "I was caught up in the moment, and forgot to ask, but who are you?"
"OH." Xena responded. "I'm Xena, I was a partner of Diavel back on Floor 1."
"Well, Xena…" Shirou stretched out his hand. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm Shirou."
"The pleasures all mine." Xena answered as her small hand shook Shirou's large hand.
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Arriving at Urbus…
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Before arriving at Urbus, Shimizu had messaged both Lind and Kibaou to meet her outside the city gates. Arriving a few minutes later, the group noticed Kibaou and Lind arguing as they always were.
"Thanks for coming on such short notice." Shimizu spoke up as she approached the two men.
"Hey." Kibaou spoke up as he saw Shirou.
"Hey, Kibaou. Lind." Shirou acknowledged both Kibaou and Lind.
"So, why did you call us?" Lind asked.
"We found info on the boss." Shirou spoke up as he looked back at the Pillar the old man NPC was looking at. "And I believe we may have also found the location of the boss room."