Floor 5 - Chapter 4 - Resolutions

December 28th, 2022, 19:19pm - Floor 4, Border Lake Shore

''Are you okay back there?'' - Jet asked, fiddling with some furniture, as his partner was sat on a blanket behind him, blindfolded to avoid spoiling the surprise. He'd felt like a complete pervert when he'd asked her to put it on... despite the noble intentions, he hadn't made himself all that clear what was going on, and well... he quickly had to elaborate on what was going on, and save himself from being on the receiving end of a swift stabbing...

Anyway, that had been 2 hours ago, and Koharu was getting slightly bored now...

''You never said where we were going, and I'm currently blindfolded, so...'' - A voice inside Koharu's mind told her to just roll with it, even after her partner's earlier faux pas. After all, it wasn't like she hadn't had similar thoughts herself...-''NOPE! Be quiet!'' - She quickly shushed the voice in her head, before it said something to ruin her reputation. To alleviate the boredom, she decided to try and extrapolate where she was from the very few clues she'd gotten. Let's see... she could hear a sea breeze, so that meant she had to be somewhere near water, and she was currently sitting on a blanket, so... maybe some form of beach? She placed a hand onto the ground, and pulled up a handful of sand, the feeling of it against her hand being unmistakable.

''It'd ruin the surprise, so...'' - She could hear Jet rustling against something, and yelping in surprise, as she smelt something in the air - an unfamiliar scent, but quite a vinegar-y one at that.

''Are you okay?'' - She asked, unaware of Jet shaking his hand frantically, and mouthing every curse word in all three languages he knew...

''Yeah, just... a bit hot, that's all.'' - For reasons that can only be described as 'teenager', Koharu bit her tongue, and fought against making some form of comment after that. They'd only been dating 3 days after all, and as it turned out, both of them got flustered incredibly easily. Flirting whilst cooking was a recipe for disaster, after all. - ''Okay... you can take your blindfold off now.'' - Koharu fiddled with it momentarily, before realising she had no clue how to remove it. Fortunately for her, Jet had realised the stupidity of his past statement, and came over to remove it for her.

As the world came back into view, she looked out to her surroundings. Much to her surprise, the lake on Floor 4, where she'd suggested would be a romantic setting for a date, was the main sight that she could see. It was actually even more beautiful in the twilight, the setting sun producing a bright orange glow on the lake itself. ''Wow, it's... wow.''

''I've got to admit, it looks even nicer than I thought it would. That wasn't the main surprise though...'' - Jet held a hand out, and helped his partner up, as she saw the table set up in the sand, and looked towards him in surprise...

''Wait, was that why you blindfolded me?''

''Yeah, not because I was a pervert, thank you very much...'' - Koharu looked away slightly ashamed, as Jet started laughing - ''You know I'm joking, right? Easy enough mistake to make. I wasn't very clear, at all. Anyway, 'nuff about that'' - Jet swapped to a posh voice, and tried to put on his best impression as a waiter - ''Would milady like a seat?'' - Jet pulled the seat back, to let her sit down. She continued to watch out over the lake, the setting sun proving a mesmerising sight. Jet took the chance to materialise two bundles of newspaper, and handed one to Koharu, who looked at it slightly wearily...

''Hope you enjoy it, it's not much, but...''

''What is it?''

''Fish and chips. Figured out how to make it with the ingredients we have. Hopefully, it tastes like it does IRL...'' - The trepidation in Jet's voice was fairly obvious, and as such, he took the first bite of his...

Without blowing his own trumpet, he'd say he got it spot on! A momentary flashback to his youth, sat on a beach in Weston-super-Mare with either Sam or his family, and watching the world go by, and he seemed confident enough to invite Koharu to try hers. Koharu looked towards Jet, and took the leap of trying the food. Tasting it, she could understand why she smelt vinegar... there was certainly enough on there. Still, it wasn't like anything she'd had before, even if it wasn't particularly her style, but she could definitely understand why Jet would favour something like this, especially if it reminded him of home. What she hadn't noticed was that, in the time it had taken for Jet to basically finish his meal, Koharu had barely touched hers...

''Anything on your mind?''

''Oh, no, sorry, it's just... I was just thinking.''

''You know, if you aren't hungry, I'll happily eat it! Anything I can help with, or just... stuff?''

''Just thinking about how much my mom would've fussed over this. My first date...'' - Koharu smiled at the thought, but Jet could see the sadness her eyes projected.

''Heh, same here. God, I'm dreading the response I get from my mom when I get home, and tell her I've got a girlfriend.''

''Yeah.''

''Umm, Ko? Did I say something, or?'' - Jet couldn't help but notice his girlfriend used the past tense to describe her mother. Maybe he was overthinking it, but he could've sworn that the way she spoke about that subject sort of suggested she wasn't around anymore.

''Huh? Oh, no. Anyway, the food's nice. Just not my usual sort of thing, that's all!'' - Koharu gave a soft smile towards Jet, who decided not to pry any further.

''I'm glad you it's good, I made us desserts too...'' - Jet couldn't help but stifle a laugh, as his girlfriend popped up, the slightly mournful look in her eyes, replaced by one of intense hope... and all it took was the offer of sweets! Maybe that was a way to ensure the negotiations went faster - just feed everyone a metric ton of cakes, and hope they were too stuffed to actually bother to do anything other than sleep.

December 29th, 2022 - 16:55pm - Floor 1, Blackiron Meeting Room

''Well, it's approaching 5pm, so I think we should call it a day now! The same time again tomorrow, everyone?'' - A collection of groans and yawns filled the room, as everyone began to leave the talks for the night.

If Strea had been worried that having so many large egos in one place would generate clashes, she needn't have been. Asuna, in her role as mediator, had seen to that. For a girl who only barely came in at over 5ft, she certainly had a presence... the type to make wannabe kingmakers fall back into line. Immediately, as one poor sod from a smaller guild could attest. They'd not spoken again all day, probably for fear of the wrath of Asuna. The first day of negotiations had been about as productive as Jet had expected though. They'd managed precisely nothing so far. Well, other than boring the hell out of Jet, and making the perfect cure for insomnia, that is. Jet looked down at his 'notes', to see a particularly detailed drawing of an F-4K Phantom II, but nothing of any real importance. Nothing had been said that fit that category anyway!

''Ah, Jet, Asuna, can I have a word with both of you?'' - Jet just shrugged, as he stood up. Asuna acted slightly more politely, and less like a half dead secretary. ''Of course.''

''Thank you for this. I realise that I may not have appeared trustworthy, and well - I wasn't. I should've been upfront about my intentions with the Heroes of Aincrad.''

''Yeah, just a little. Strea was... less than pleased, shall we say? The odds of her joining the HoA are slightly less than the odds of, say, Kayaba introducing jet fighters into Aincrad...'' - A brief image of a battlefield being ripped up by an F-16 popped into Jet's head, before being incredibly glad that Kayaba wasn't that much of a sadist...

''That low, huh? I suppose I only have myself to blame there, but could you tell her that the offer won't be withdrawn? She's certainly something... different. I can't place it, but it feels like she's seen this type of thing before.''

''Yeah, something like that. Look, Diavel, I'll be level with you. I'm not joining the HoA either. I won't make Koharu's decision for her, but I won't. Not because I don't believe in it, because I get where you're coming from. I really do, but I prefer my own freedom, if that makes sense. I'll help out with you guys if you need it, but I won't help in any way that I wouldn't offer to any other guild, and I'll let that be known to Kibaou and Lind when I get chance.''

''I appreciate your honesty, Jet. I can't say I'm not disappointed, but it is your decision to make after all. Asuna?''

''I could do with some extra time to think about it. However, that isn't a yes, but neither is it a no. We'll see you tomorrow, Diavel.'' - Asuna made sure to make her position clear as crystal, as her and Jet walked out of the room.

''Let me guess, Diavel's stunt did a fair bit to shake your confidence too?''

''I believe a leader should lead by example. Constantly changing your objectives to suit an unclear agenda isn't something that will endear a leader to most people. Arguably, it'll be the exact opposite.''

''Yeah, I'll agree with that. All being shifty achieves is a group of people who see it as a perfectly legitimate way of boosting their own power. Definitely not a good idea here, where we've got no real safeguards against it. Anyway, I'm off, I said I'll go help Rain in the orphanage, need to earn my keep somehow.''

''Don't you have an apartment?''

''Uhh, not any more. Sold it for some extra cash, just after Christmas. Figured I'd use it to get an apartment a bit closer to the frontlines.''

''Smart idea.'' - Jet could just sense the sarcasm in Asuna's tone. In fairness to him, how many people would've predicted the circumstances that would occur after he'd done it... Whilst she was doing that, Jet noticed Asuna looking as if the world had started spinning rapidly - ''Umm, can I ask a favour?'' - She asked, a tone of indignity evident.

''Of me?''

''Do you think they'd be okay to have another lodger... I'm kind of, well...'' - Asuna fidgeted, and Jet clocked exactly what she was trying to say.

''No Col?''

''I spent it on equipment upgrades, before we came down here, and well...''

''I'll ask her, I doubt she'll turn you away anyway.''

December 29th, 2022, 20:49pm - Floor 1, Town of Beginnings Orphanage

''Well, that's all of the little 'uns off to bed now.'' - Jet walked towards the kitchen, and made himself a cup of tea, a stroke of normality in a twisted mess of a world. Still, it wasn't like the last few days had been a failure, and the fifth floor had been cleared with no losses at the end of the day. Diavel had expressed interest in forming a new guild, one where it's members led by example, and fought for those who couldn't fight. All very noble, but the problem had been that both the ALS and DKB had... opinions on that matter. Whilst both Kibaou and Lind had been ecstatic at the thought of Diavel back on the frontlines at first, neither had been particularly happy with the suggestion that this new third guild, provisionally named the HOA, or Heroes of Aincrad, which felt a bit too ego jerking, if Jet had to be honest. If he was being honest with himself, he could entirely understand where both Kibaou and Lind were coming from - having your best members swiped away from you was a sure fire way to sow dissent amongst the ranks. Strea had shown more concern than usual over the political machinations, but as it turns out political machinations were unbelievably boring... so much so, that Jet had taken to messing about with the in-game music player to give himself something to do, whilst deliberations occurred. He found it quite funny to play ''The Room Where It Happens'' at the time... Asuna however, not so much. He supposed she wasn't a fan of Hamilton.

''You look exhausted Jet... and she doesn't look much better.'' - Currently, Asuna was spread out across the sofa, mumbling something to herself, as she tried to sleep. Honestly, he had to thank the girls for going out of their way to let them stop here whilst the talks were ongoing. Rain took up the seat next to him, as he sat down to drink his tea.

''Eh, you know how politics are. Give me a sword and shield any day.''

''About the other night...''

''Rain, can we talk about this elsewhere. I... need to get some stuff of my chest, and I'd rather she not know what happened.'' - Jet held his thumb to the sleeping Asuna, who just mumbled again, but probably not in response to Jet.

''We can use my room, it's fairly out of the way.'' - That sentence automatically made Jet feel uncomfortable. He knew Rain was only being nice, and that she wouldn't try anything, knowing about his and Koharu's recently established relationship. That did precisely nothing for his heart though, which was currently beating at an abnormally high rate per minute, as they walked towards her room. It was only about 50 feet away, but that felt longer than any battle Jet had ever taken part in...

''I'm not interjecting, right?''

''Nope, I only really get to talk to the kids, Sanya and Sasha, so... what's up?''

''What happened on Christmas Eve? I wasn't misreading that, was I?'' - Sometimes, he wondered if he was clueless, or just really prone to overthinking things. Both was the answer he often reached, and combining that with the potentially infinite myriad of other problems...

''I... yeah. I thought that maybe, if I got my feelings off my chest that, well, you've seen enough films to know what follows.''

''Yeah, sorry about that. I... god, I sound like a complete arsehole now, but...''

''I know. You fell for Koharu. It kind of made me sad to realise it, but it made me realise that life isn't a fairytale, and Prince Charming isn't gonna come waltzing through that door, and save us all. But, watching you two, it did make me realise something. Whenever you were around her, there was this, like a glint, in your eyes. I never saw it when we were alone... ''

''Sorry.''

''Huh? What have you got to be sorry for, I was the one who kissed you, I was the one with the unrequited crush, and I'm the one who just... invited... you back to... oh no.'' - The same realisation that Jet had minutes earlier finally struck Rain.

''Forgiven on that one, don't worry. No, I'm sorry I never noticed earlier. If I had, maybe I could've let you down a bit easier, and...''

''You're too sweet for your own good sometimes.''

''First time anyone's ever told me that.'' - The usual description was 'extreme doormat' instead.

''I mean it though. We offered you a place to stay, because you're my friend. You insisted on helping out around the orphanage. You find out that I have a crush on you, after you have a girlfriend, who already knew I liked you, by the way, and then worry about how I might feel about it. Skewed priorities, but sweet, nonetheless.''

''I just realised... I never got you a Christmas present.'' - Jet opened his inventory, and pulled out a short sword. - ''Here, take good care of it. It might be important...''

''Then why would I be the best person for it?''

''The text says that each of the three swords represents a value in Lyusulan culture and folklore. I think this represents you perfectly - it's called Charity.'' - Rain took a few swings of the blade, and to say it was an impressive weapon was an understatement. It easily outperformed her current Anneal Blade, without question.

''Spasibo, Jet. It's amazing... still though, perhaps we should get out of here, lest people get the wrong idea...''

''Yeah, definitely... I'm dreading what would happen if Asuna saw that.'' - And who should be waiting outside the door, with her ear to the lock...

December 31st, 2022 - 07:10am - Floor 1, Jet's room, Orphanage

The knight had never been quite so happy to be alone, even if it was only momentarily. Asuna, when she'd gotten an idea in her head, turned out to be absurdly stubborn, and continued to question him on what had actually gone on with Rain, despite being repeatedly told the truth- BANG, BANG, BANG...

If this was Asuna, Jet looked at the nearby window, considered defenestrating himself to escape her. He opened the door to reveal...

''Miss me?'' - His girlfriend. Well, that mat underneath his window had just been rendered utterly pointless.

''Always. Didn't help that I had to deal with Asuna for two days straight...''

''I don't get why you two constantly fight...''

''Opposites attract, similar people clash?''

''Nope, that's not it. Also, Strea's having a New Year's party, and we're invited.'' - Jet stood stock still, remembering the last NY party that Strea hosted, back home... he tried his best to get some of those images out of his head, and- hang on, why was his eye twitching, again? - ''Oh, she also said that you are coming, like it or not, and, I quote, 'I know you Jet, and that means make a damn effort for once.''

''I guess I can't argue with this one, can I?''

''We don't have to go if you don't want to?''

''Nah, I know her... she'll just hunt me down, if I don't. Still, I don't get what she means by make an effort... it's not like I have any proper formal clothes in here!''

''I suppose so, I mean, I have a dress in there, but that's it really. It's not like either of us had a reason to get formal attire, is it?''

''Nah, and she knew that... anyway, what did you do for the past two days?''

''Oh, Sachi and the Black Cats invited me to help them out with levelling for a bit. They're getting better, but I think a good teacher would serve them better. I said I'd ask if you'd give them some help on getting more proficient.''

''I'm probably the worst person to act as a teacher...''

''You were looking after the children in the orphanage the other night, weren't you?''

''Not the same thing though, really.''

''Give it a try, you never know, you could be a brilliant teacher...'' - Jet let out a mirthless laugh. No one in their right mind should look up to him, in his opinion. A bloody idiot, thrown into circumstances at the deep end, and just barely staying afloat. Not an ideal teacher, really...

Later that day - Town of Beginnings, Strea's Lodgings (formerly known as Klein's Apartment.)

''5! 4! 3! 2! 1! Happy New Year!'' - The year that had just gone, 2022, had been... well, there was no other way of putting it - it had been a mixed bag. On one hand, Michael/Jet had found love, discovered some important things about himself, and actually gotten some friends. On the other, all of that had taken becoming trapped in a video game to find, which, depending on who you asked, probably overshadowed the positives a little bit. Still, 2023... it'd be a year of change. Jet would become an adult, he'd continue to fight his way through the world of Aincrad, and he'd do all of it alongside his girlfriend...

For Koharu, the New Year signalled something to her. The start of the new her, her own person, not bound by her family's expectations of her, someone unafraid to speak up for fear of the consequences, and the her that she'd always wanted to be! Her father's words held no significance in Aincrad, and if he wanted to think of her as a failure? Well, let him. It wasn't like he could anything over her in here, not really.

''So, 2023...'' -

''You know something? I think this is going to be our best year...''

''You ever heard of jinxing something, Klein?''

''Yes, but I think it will be.'' - Klein looked over towards the members of his guild, and back towards the smaller group of new friends. Sometimes, traumatic events pulled people closer together, and that was one thing that definitely described Aincrad...

''Whatever it is, I can say one thing it won't be...''

''Go on?''

''It's not gonna be boring, that much I can tell you all.''

''Trapped in a death game, and things becoming boring is what bothers you?''

''It was this thing called a joke, Asuna... if you want to find one, try looking in a mirror sometimes.'' - The sound of air being drawn in filled the room... only to be broken by laughter - ''I'm kidding, but seriously, we're gonna be stuck in here a while, try not to be tense all the time. It helps.''

''Oh, by the way... I've got shomething to ring in the New Year!'' - A wave of dread came over both Jet and Klein simultaneously - ''Follow me outshide!''

As the group followed the slightly drunk Strea outside, they noticed a number of bottles set up in a formation, with rockets stuck in them, alongside a load of sand to make sure the bottles didn't tip over when their payload is fired off...

''That... doesn't look safe. At all.'' - Asuna, being the smartest person in the room, in her humble opinion, chose to stand as far back as was absolutely possible. Kirito, Koharu and Jet all decided on similar courses of action, given they all enjoyed not being very dead.

''Nott aat aall, it's perfectly shafe, shee?'' - The slurred speech didn't fill any of them with confidence, and Klein elected to be the person to launch the rockets. Probably for the best, and for everyone's continued existence.

''Fire in the hole!'' - Ten streaks launched upwards, and exploded in one of the most lacklustre displays anyone had ever seen.

''Not exactly London, really, is it?'' - If it was, then the words 'someone's back garden, in East London' would've been needed to complete that sentence.

''Nah... hang on!? You know what the London NYE celebrations were like?'' - Jet looked back towards Asuna in surprise. Considering her occasionally haughty attitude, it hadn't been all that much of a surprise that Asuna had travelled around a fair bit, but London on New Year's Eve? That wasn't cheap. At all.

''We went once. My family had business in London, so we spent Christmas and New Years there. It was certainly different...''

''London is. We only went to the fireworks once, and it was after Strea got her first on air gig. Dad wanted to go cheer her on, Mom told him not to be quite so daft, and we settled for just going and watching the fireworks instead.'' - The aforementioned girl was now 5 pints deep, and dancing on the sofa, pulling Klein with her, much to his chagrin. Jet just held back his laughter, as the samurai wannabe mouthed something to the group - 'HELP ME!' - if Jet's lip reading was any good.

''She really can drink, can't she?''

''Yeah... genetic trait, I think. She's banned from every pub on the Gloucester Road, where we're from. I think she holds that as a badge of honour, in all honesty.'' - Jet thought back to having to get on the night bus, just to go and pick his sister up from whichever hellhole she'd been kicked out of that time, and shuddered. The people you saw on the 75 at night, really did lend credence to the theory that people on public transport were either chavs, lunatics, both or about to stab you, and he'd done that frequently, aged 14. Sometimes he wondered how neither he nor- how he'd not been stabbed yet...

''That's both somewhat impressive, and absolutely horrifying.''

''Well, that's Strea for you.''

''Can I ask you something?''

''Depends.''

''You don't like me, do you?''

''Uhh... this is a trick question, isn't it?'' - Unlike anyone else, who Jet could be reasonably sure of their intentions when speaking, Asuna was hard to read. She often kept a neutral expression, which meant that avenue was out, and she always carried herself properly, so that didn't help either.

''No, I'm being serious. I constantly get the feeling that you have a problem with me, but no one can think why.''

''Fine, I don't have a problem with you, per se. It's just the whole attitude you occasionally snap into, it almost feels like you look down on us plebs. I know that I'm being unreasonable, and that I should just grow the hell up about it. But, despite that, it does show sometimes, like when you decided I was seemingly insignificant enough to leave me tied to a tree...''

''Oh. I suppose I can see where you're coming from. I never really looked at it that way, I guess.''

''I'll be honest, that fills me with confidence. It means your brain isn't as frazzled as mine.''

''An actual compliment for once? Wow, Strea was right, you are changing...''

''Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, Asuna...''

''I'll try not to look down on you, as that's uncalled for, especially given we're all in the same situation here, and I'm sorry for the whole tree thing. I kind of realise how disproportionate that was now...''

''You know I'm not annoyed about tying me to a tree, right? It was just forgetting I was there that annoyed me...''

''Oh.'' - Asuna stifled a laugh - ''I'm glad, because it was kind of funny...''

''Yeah, it was. Felt like something my mates would've done, so...''

''Friends then?''

''Sure.'' - The odd friends raised a glass of something, and toasted to it - CRASH - as poor Klein got nearly thrown into the roof. Both Jet and Asuna winced at the now Klein shaped dent in the plaster. At that moment, Jet thanked any gods for safe zones...

January 1st, 2023 - 02:09am - Town of Beginnings, Jet's Apartment

Eventually, the party had ended, and everyone had returned to their abodes. It's there where we pick up our tale, as the couple are sat in Jet's bed, having gotten somewhat changed for the night.

''So... 2023, huh? Got to admit, it's not gone quite the way I expected this year to start, this time last year.''

''Can you imagine if someone actually had predicted it?''

Jet put on his best impression of someone else, and decided to properly chew the scenery. He may or may not have had some of the definitely-not-alcohol that Strea had also downed 9 pints of. - ''Imagine if they'd missed it too! 'All my life, I dreamt of this... and I missed it by being someone else!' Ahh, sucks to be them...'' - Koharu, who'd also had some of the booze, but nowhere near the same amount as the siblings (in other words, she was still able to walk in a straight line.) giggled at the very bad impression, and decided that her boyfriend represented the best pillow right now. ''Jet, I know now isn't the time we should do this, but...'' - Unfortunately for Jet, she wasn't suggesting what he maybe, slightly, perhaps was hoping she was suggesting, and the monkeys in his mind went back to their typewriters to produce their next magnum opus. ''I don't want to leave you, not now, not ever. I know it sounds clingy, but...''

''Thank god that was where you were going with that... I've got no idea how to disable the ethics code.'' - In one sentence, Jet had managed to ruin that moment incredibly thoroughly. Still, for the monkeys, that really was a magnum opus... just not of the kind he'd have liked.

Later that morning, Strea would ask why he had a very red face, and a conveniently Koharu's hand shaped mark in the centre of it. He lied, and claimed he'd done it to cure his hangover... which was in fact, a complete non-issue. The slightly pissed off Koharu, on the other hand? Let's just say, Jet was paying for food for the next eternity, and possibly beyond. Was that a small price to pay for his indiscretion? Not really. Did he deserve it? Almost definitely.

Elsewhere, that morning...

Day... however many of being stuck here. The purple haired girl looked back, and saw nothing but sand and water. If she expected to, she was sorely mistaken - she'd just took out all of the monsters there, and they didn't respawn quite that quickly. She thought back to the first few days of her existence here in Aincrad, and looked down in shame. All of the things she'd heard about beta testers, and here she was, embodying them all. She'd decided to save her own skin, and left her best friend behind - and she wasn't even sure she was still alive. She was strong, but... you could be the strongest person ever, and yet still fail in a situation like this. She glanced back, in front of her, and saw three people in black cloaks. The first was holding back, allowing his two subordinates to take the lead.

''So, who are you?'' - She asked, hesitantly.

''Oh, just people who know about you. How would you like to get a bit stronger, Mito, wasn't it?'' - Mito looked up, and saw their cursors. Orange. That was a blatant warning sign that she might be in trouble now. Outnumbered three to one, and these thugs didn't look low level either... she kept her hand in position to reach for her scythe, should she need it.

''Pass. I can tell your 'strength' - it's just what you call attacking the weak.'' - She readied herself for the fight that she'd have to win. Not for her sake, but for everyone else's... it was time she redeemed herself, even if it was only in her own eyes.

''Now that is just libellous. Say, boss, how about teaching this girl a lesson about respecting her elders?'' - She couldn't see their boss's entire face, but the grin he gave would haunt her nightmares for years to come...

January 3rd, 2023 - San Diego, USA

''Hm, yes, I do understand. It's rather a tricky one, you see. It's not like you could just click your fingers and have them disappear, really...'' - Tellerby rolled his eyes. Politicians, always taking the easy way out... unsurprisingly, one of them, a particularly notable one in his home country had knocked up a servant, and well, he was a family man, you see. The voice of an older, better time. Apparently. It'd never do for that to be associated with his image, the evangelical lot would lynch him for it, and given they were his main backers? Only a minor problem... - ''I have an idea actually, Jacob. I'll send my best man over forthwith! It's been good doing business with you.'' - Tellerby put the phone down, and sighed. Why couldn't clients handle their own messes? A pregnant woman was not really a problem that a PMC should be seen dealing with... not if they wanted to do business anywhere. - ''Urgh, what a weasel. Can you believe people actually voted for him? Mind you, if he won, what does that say about his opponents...''

''Not a great deal. You called for me?'' - A tall, blonde man entered the room, clad in a full designer suit. The man was quite clearly native to the area, and spoke with a slight accent, as well as a sneering tone of condescension.

''Indeed, thank you for being on time too. You are aware of the game Sword Art Online, correct?''

''I don't believe there is a person on the planet who isn't...'' - He sneered towards his boss.

''Good, then I can skip the formalities. GDS are in the process of 'assisting' a Japanese company who want to create an entrance into the game to recover people.''

''I won't say I understand the technology, but is that even possible?''

''Almost certainly not in the way they expect, but still. An incorrect pawn is still a pawn nonetheless, and the person in charge of the research & development division has expressed interest in our assistance.''

''And you believe he doesn't have his own motives?''

''Oh dear god, no. From what I understand, our possible friend is-'' - Tellerby looked up, thinking of a diplomatic way of describing their new asset - ''-not a pleasant person.''

''I can't say I understand this plan?''

''I have my reasons. The main one, however? This.'' - A file was handed to the man. A file in Japanese, and marked as TOP SECRET...

''How did you get this? Project Alicization, huh? Building a bottom up AI... ambitious, certainly.'' - Too ambitious. Especially considering the timeframes set out in the document...

''Yes, it is, and just think what an army of these AI's could do for our forces. Imagine a swarm of fighter drones with a human level AI, or a flotilla of ships...'' - And unsurprisingly, Tellerby had delusions of grandeur. They were a reasonably large company, certainly... but that sort of expense or expertise was so far beyond them, it felt more at home in a video game. The blonde asked himself why his father ever thought that the sociopathic Brit would be a better fit for the company than his own son...

''From what I understand, they've barely even got a plan for this. I can't see what benefit this would bring currently...''

''Currently, none. But in a few years...''

''I see.'' - He didn't. But it was generally considered unwise to go behind your boss's back, especially when your boss was generally responsible for the less savoury elements of clearing up many a politician's mess. - ''What do you want me to do?''

''At the moment, set up a meeting with our friends in Japan. Oh, and ask my secretary to send in my 1 o'clock, would you, Gabriel?'' - Gabriel nodded as he walked out of the room, and towards the desk.

''Mr Tellerby asked for his 1 o'clock.'' - He informed the secretary, and walked off down the corridor.

''Miss Arsharvin? Mr Tellerby is ready to see you now...'' - The secretary called, as a young girl fidgeted, nervous of what was to come. Unbeknownst to her, she had every right to be nervous, but not for the reasons she currently had...

(Author's Comments)

Well, that's the first five floors done, which means... 95 to go. For my own sanity, I won't cover every floor after the Elf War Quest is finished, probably sticking to the IF floors, and maybe some others which weren't explored in canon.