So, next chapter... and I finally get to wrap up this particular part of the story. Given that this was originally supposed to be a minor two-chapter section, it really got out of hand...
Anyway, Akinym, Sinon and their helpers just took care of the final boss for their quest, so let's see what happens after that.
Disclaimer: I don't own Sword Art Online Re:Hollow Fragment or Sword Art Online in general.
The two skeleton monsters, one goblin and one lizardman, which formed a boss monster that had given a group consisting of a small clearing guild, a duo of partners and a beast tamer, all belonging to the Assault Team, and another party of five an incredibly hard time, broke into small polygonal shards. In fact, they had put up a fight comparable to floor boss battles – at least it felt that way to those who had participated in this battle. Regardless, now that it was over, the remains of even such an opponent vanished into nothingness, and they gave way to triumphant cheers.
Klein: Great job, all of you! That was one hell of a fight, but we did it without losing anyone! [looks at Kem'Pal, slightly dejectedly] That is, of course, except for one of our lizardman comrades.
An uncomfortable silence fell over the group. Sure, they were all aware that their casualty was a nameless NPC, which was hardly enough to arouse any grief. However, the players were also aware – albeit to a degree that varied from person to person – that Kem'Pal was an NPC with above-average intelligence and expressiveness, so none of them wanted to create an awkward atmosphere by disregarding the lizardman general's feelings.
Speaking of Kem'Pal, now that their remaining enemies had disappeared, the group of lizardmen came over. They were led by Kem'Pal. However, the lizardman general seemed awfully content.
Kem'Pal: Thank you for your concern, Klein-dono, but please, don't let this dampen your spirits! To die on the battlefield is just another part of the way of a warrior, and if I allowed the death of a comrade to lower the morale of my allies, it would reflect poorly on me as a commander. I alone have to shoulder that burden. At the very least, you can be happy about your victory!
For a moment, Akinym wanted to take this opportunity to step forward and thank everyone for their cooperation, which he considered to be the least he should do. Since this was all about a quest he and Sinon were doing, it actually pained him a bit to admit it, but without the help of every other party in their group, they wouldn't have succeeded in this battle. In fact, without key players such as Klein or Silica, this would've ended badly, especially for Akinym himself.
However, Akinym remained silent when a certain thought occurred to him: They weren't done yet, were they? He quickly checked his inventory, and the Cursed Fleece of the Ancestral Ram was still there, which meant that they still had something to do to finish this quest. Thus, he looked around the area, searching for anything out of the ordinary that might give them a hint. Sinon noticed what he was doing, and she caught on to the underlying thought, so she began looking for anything related to their quest, too.
It didn't take them long to spot what they were looking for at pretty much the same time. An NPC had appeared at the furrow they had dug earlier. One after another, the rest of their group noticed that Akinym and Sinon's eyes rested on something, and they all turned to face that NPC.
Klein: Hey, is that… That's a quest NPC, right? Well, I guess you still need your reward, don't you? [casually] Well, what are you waiting for?
Akinym and Sinon exchanged a quick glance before walking over to the NPC. Upon closer inspection, they realised that this was the goblin NPC they had met yesterday. A look at the NPC's name confirmed it: This was Aetus, the ghost that protected the Fleece of the Ancestral Ram.
Akinym: So… We've passed your trial.
Aetus: Indeed you did. I admit that it's quite the surprise. When I saw you in the chamber where I hid the Fleece, and you proclaimed so boldly that you wanted to prove yourselves, I thought that you would die for sure. When I picture all the brave warriors I've seen come and go throughout the ages, not a single one being able to claim the Fleece, it makes me wonder how you, who aren't even very impressive, could pull it off…
What followed was a lengthy display of how much Aetus apparently belittled Akinym and Sinon while they just stared at the NPC in annoyance. Sinon even shouted at Aetus midway through the monologue, telling the goblin to shut up. The rest of the group could only watch with wry smiles.
Aetus: Alas, not only have you survived, you've even defeated the cursed guardians I prepared for you. I have to acknowledge your great deed.
Sinon: So… We're finally done?!
Aetus: Precisely.
A moment of silence followed… while nothing was happening. It made Sinon's eyebrow twitch. Given everything that had happened, Sinon simply wasn't in the mood for these NPCs fobbing her off with short replies just because she hadn't said the exactly right words.
Akinym [slightly exasperatedly]: Well, in that case, will you lift the curse on the Fleece now?
Aetus [slightly solemnly]: Very well. As promised, I shall do that. [stretches out its hands] Please give me the Fleece so that I can start!
Akinym followed the instructions, converting the Cursed Fleece into an object and handing it to Aetus. It lit up brightly for a brief moment, but that was all. Frankly, some of the players thought that it was a bit underwhelming. The Fleece didn't even look different.
Akinym didn't care about that, though. He took the item from Aetus and checked its description. It read, "Fleece of the Ancestral Ram". Sinon, who took a look at the description window, too, couldn't help but smile.
Sinon: We did it!
Some cheers resounded among the players and NPCs in the back row.
Klein: Haha, quest clear!
Well, yeah… Quest clear. However, what did that mean for Aetus? The NPC was about to answer this unspoken question.
Aetus: Now that the Fleece is in your hands, there is nothing left for me to do in this world. My time of rest has finally come. Warriors, for better or worse, I leave the Fleece to you. Whatever will happen because of that is none of my concern anymore.
As if to emphasise the point, Aetus suddenly lit up and shattered into polygons. Frankly, none of the players had expected to see the death animation on this seemingly ordinary NPC.
Well, the confusion lasted only for a brief moment, and once it had settled, Akinym stored the Fleece in his inventory and turned around to face his helpers.
Akinym: Alright, as Klein-san said before, this takes care of the quest. Thank you for your help. Honestly, you were a great help.
Sinon: That's true. [slightly surprised and exasperatedly] Actually, I hadn't thought that I'd ever see you save the day, Klein, [calmly] but I was mistaken.
Hearing these words, even if they probably weren't meant entirely seriously, Klein put on a shocked, somewhat hurt expression.
Klein: Oi, just what kind of image do you have of me?! [haughtily] Of course I can take the lead when working with such a small group! I've seen often enough how Asuna handles a raid party, and it's not just her, you know? A seasoned warrior such as myself has seen more than enough battles! [seriously] You just have to keep a cool head and focus, always keep an eye out for unexpected changes, and be swift and determined when giving commands! You just gotta let those under your command do their jobs, and in order to do that, you only need to know what they're capable of…
Klein kept rambling about what it takes to be a leader for a while. As some sort of reward for a job well done, the others humoured him at first, but at some point, Sinon just had enough.
Sinon: Yeah, that said… [slightly happily] I think we have to thank you the most, Silica!
Silica: M-me?!
Klein: Oi, why are you cutting me short like that?! I was just getting to the really good part!
Dynamm [exasperatedly]: It's your divine punishment for going overboard, Leader. [slightly reassuringly, to Silica] That said, don't sell yourself short!
Klein [dejectedly]: Ugh, shot down again… [casually] Well, whatever. [reassuringly] I think they're right, Silica-chan, you've done an awesome job today, so you can be proud of that!
Silica [slightly nervously]: I… I only tamed the two ox monsters, though. And in the main battle, I did hardly anything. I only kept one of the skeleton monsters in check for a short while.
Akinym: That may be true, but it also means that you've done an important job, and… In all honesty, I – I of all people – can say for sure that we couldn't have done it without you. At the very least, I wouldn't be here if you hadn't acted so quickly and decisively when it mattered, so… Thank you.
All the praise made Silica feel quite awkward, and Akinym's words took the cake. Silica didn't know what to make of them, though. Akinym showed hardly any emotions, mainly because he didn't want to make a fuss, so he had just said what he had had to say. Alas, it confused Silica a little nonetheless.
There wasn't much Akinym could do about that, especially since his mind wandered to the next matter at hand. He turned towards Ascending Moon.
Akinym: You did a good job, too! That last attack was pulled off by you, and I think you did overall well.
Tsukuyomi: Do you think so? [slightly awkwardly] I think we barely held our ground.
Akinym [shrugs]: The more I see happening on the frontline, the more I get the feeling that being in the Assault Team is all about barely holding your ground all the time. After all, it still means that you succeed at the end of the day.
Tsukuyomi didn't seem completely convinced, and he wanted to speak up again, but ODE stopped him with a firm pat on the back.
ODE: Why that humble attitude all the time, Tsukuyomi-kun? As our leader, shouldn't you be proud? And happy? I mean, this means that we'll probably get to join the Assault Team now, [to Akinym] doesn't it?
Akinym [nods]: Given your performance, I think I can openly recommend your admittance. You should become official members after the next floor boss battle.
Tsukuyomi [slightly nervously]: W-well, in that case… [relaxes, happily] Oh, what's the harm? You're right, ODE! Guys, we finally did it! Let's give it our all as members of the Assault Team, so that we can clear this game as soon as possible!
Following Tsukuyomi's declaration, the other members of Ascending Moon cheered. Akinym watched the scene in silence. It was good to see them like that, but he didn't think too deeply about it. After all, there was a different matter on his mind now.
Sinon: So, I guess that means we finally have the material we need, so…
Akinym: Yeah, it's time to return to the lion's den.
Sinon [slightly exasperatedly]: Do you have to phrase it like that?!
Akinym [dryly]: Is there anything wrong about what I said?
Sinon: No… [mutters] And that's exactly the problem.
Not long thereafter, Akinym found himself again in the shop area of a certain tailor workshop in Koyornos on the 90th floor. He and Sinon had come here immediately after they had finished their quest on the 95th floor. Needless to say, this was the workshop of Ashley, who had been delighted beyond belief when Akinym had presented her with the Fleece of the Ancestral Ram.
Ashley had gone straight to work. For starters, it had turned out to be possible to cut the Fleece into four pieces, each of which could be used as a base material for crafting leather armour. Thus, Akinym and Sinon had decided to let Ashley make tops and pants for the two of them.
Surprisingly, Ashley's initial draft of their new gear was good. It wasn't showy as Akinym and Sinon had feared. In fact, after a few more adjustments, they considered the designs she had proposed a good compromise, so they had given her the green light.
Right now, Akinym was waiting, but not for the crafting of his set of armour to be finished. That had already been done. Normally – that is, in the real world – he couldn't have expected such an order to be finished even after a day. Undoubtedly, this was yet another one of these times when this sort of thing proved to work much more conveniently in SAO. However, regardless of the generally fast manufacturing process of clothing in SAO, Akinym still had to give Ashley some credit. She was very skilled and had finished this commission even faster than most tailors could've done it, even though she added embroidery and other embellishments to their new outfits.
What Akinym was really waiting for was Sinon trying on her new armour. For that purpose, Ashley had led her to the fitting room in the back. Akinym had to admit that he was curious how it would look on his partner, but he figured that he'd find that out soon enough.
In order to keep himself from getting bored, Akinym thought about what he and Sinon should do next. By getting their new armour for free, they had saved a lot of money, so they could freely focus on their next steps without too much worries about financial restrictions.
Now that he thought about it, Akinym figured that they even could've covered their expenses for the quest information they had bought from Argo if they had sold her their newly acquired information on the dual monster mechanic and the Rot DoT effect. Information on either of these two things could prove to be a lifesaver one day, so it was probably quite valuable. Alas, Akinym and Sinon had allowed Klein and his guild, Silica and Ascending Moon to sell that information in order to compensate them for their help.
To get back to the topic of Akinym and Sinon's potential next goals, enhancements for their new pieces of equipment were obviously a high-priority option. Keeping that aside, there was, of course, also the fact that neither of them had got a complete set of new armour, so getting other pieces of armour was another possible goal. As for what pieces… Well, gloves, for instance. However, Sinon still preferred to use her special archer's gloves, and Akinym had obtained a pretty good pair from a treasure chest on the 92nd floor, so…
Well, there were also boots… Believe it or not, but boots were always something to keep on the list of equipment to look about for. The reason for that was that functionality was a huge issue when it came to footgear. There were many different utility additions, and there was no clear rule regarding which of them was "best" - it depended entirely on circumstances.
Among other things, one major reason for that was that wearing comfort was particularly important regarding boots. In the early stages of the game, a lot of players had overlooked that, and as a consequence, they had had to deal with their feet becoming numb after long walks, which had turned out to be a major hindrance in battles. Aside from the usual ways of improving wearing comfort such as the add-on "Soft Interior", there was a variety of enhancements that would pay off depending on the terrain. For instance, "Waterproof" was downright necessary when traversing any kind of wet area.
There were many other aspects that had to be considered aside from accommodation-related matters. For instance, there was the add-on "More Grip", which… well, did exactly what the name suggests. On slippery surfaces, it was vital to have that additional function. However, this enhancement also had a downside: It decreased the user's Agility. Therefore, using boots with this effect was disadvantageous when the improved grip wasn't needed.
As a consequence of such considerations, Assault Team members, who had to deal with all kinds of environments, had a wide range of different boots at their disposal. In fact, there even were craftsmen who specialised completely in footwear. Anyway, this also meant that Akinym and Sinon were well-provided in that regard.
Given that Akinym couldn't think of any improvements regarding armour that he and Sinon would have to make anytime soon, he wondered if getting a new weapon would be a good choice. Sinon generally couldn't acquire new weapons easily, and her bow, Ullr, seemed to be pretty good as it was, not to mention that it could still be enhanced. Akinym's favourite spear, on the other hand, had been fully enhanced, and it still wasn't cutting it anymore. Given that the lizardmen were famous for their metal refining and smithing techniques, which would be accessible after the war campaign, it might be possible to get a new, powerful weapon from them. Akinym also remembered that he still had some valuable ore left that could be used as supplementary materials.
The rustling of the curtain that hung over the door to the back area snapped Akinym out of his thoughts. When he took a look, Ashley had entered the room again, and she pointed at Sinon, who was following her, in a completely exaggerated, dramatic manner.
Ashley: Behold my masterpiece! A piece of true, unrivaled art!
Akinym had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. Was Sinon some sort of model who wore her newest creation? Actually… Now that he thought about it, that description wasn't too far off the mark.
Well, keeping Ashley's usual overly flamboyant attitude aside, Akinym had to give her some credit. He had seen the draft, but seeing the design now that Sinon actually wore the armour, he absolutely had to admit that it looked good.
Sinon's new battle attire – aside from the old pieces she kept – consisted of a black shirt, a small metal breastplate, a long green coat she wore over that and a pair of black shorts. That is, extremely short shorts, which barely covered her hips and a tiny section of her thighs. Actually, those were hotpants. It is just that Akinym had no idea what kind of different pants there were and how they were called, and he didn't care about that anyway, so he simply used the term "shorts".
Sinon's coat was so long that it reached down to her shin. In fact, the coat covered more of her legs than her pants did, and now that he actually saw how this looked on her, it weirded Akinym out a little. Anyway, the coat was open at the front, and there didn't seem to be any buttons or a zipper to fasten it up, but overcoats in SAO usually were like that. The jacket Akinym was wearing at the moment wasn't different in that regard.
Unsurprisingly, Ashley had embellished Sinon's coat quite lavishly. For starters, she had sewn some velvet-like fabric on the coat, which gave it a "vine and leaves" pattern. Ashley had also embroidered the coat with golden thread. For instance, she had "marked" the attire as her creation by embroidering the word "Ashley's" in a quite extravagant font on the coat right over Sinon's chest.
The hem of the coat had been embellished with fur, similarly to Ashley's jacket, but this part of Sinon's outfit wasn't actually Ashley's idea. This was just a part of the system's design for this piece of equipment. To be honest, this fur was the only part of the getup that resembled the Fleece of the Ancestral Ram, although the fur on the completed product had a different, much darker colour, so it was really just a minimal resemblance.
As already implied, Ashley had used the rare feature of adding a metal plate to Sinon's attire. It was rather lathy and barely covered her breasts. Just adding a metal plate increased the respective piece of armour's Defense based on the alloy that had been used, and also made it harder to inflict a deep wound at the spot that it covered, so by placing that metal plate over her chest, Sinon reduced the risk of sustaining a critical hit. However, this breastplate had actually been added to replace Sinon's chest protector. Ashley had thought that "her design looked more elegant" this way.
Akinym's overall assessment was that the overall dark colour scheme and the modest ornamentation without too many frills suited Sinon well. The coat, in particular, gave her appearance some kind of huntress vibe in his opinion, which was mainly because of the green colour and the nature-themed embellishment. The golden embroidery and the light silvern breastplate stuck out, but it wasn't so bad that it ruined the overall picture. The only thing that bothered Akinym a bit was the shorts, which didn't suit Sinon as far as he was concerned.
Sinon herself, on the other hand, didn't seem all that excited.
Sinon: Well, thanks for the… introduction, I guess. [mutters] Honestly, what's with all the ruckus about some clothes? [says aloud] Anyway, [looks at Akinym] it's your turn now.
Ashley [claps her hands, excitedly]: YES! I've been looking forward to this! [grumpily] It's time to get rid of [looks at Akinym's clothes disdainfully] this, [happily, excitedly] and to replace it with a true piece of ART!
Akinym [sighs, thinks]: Talking back isn't worth it, it would only make her ramble even more. Just swallow it! [says aloud] Alright, let's get this over with!
With that, Akinym followed Ashley to the dressing room in the back area. He was actually quite surprised when he saw the room. It was small and empty except for a simple mirror. Compared to the shop area, it was so plain that Akinym could hardly believe his eyes. Would Ashley – this flamboyant, obnoxious woman who only seemed to care about appearances – really furnish a room like this? Well, Ashley had deliberately decorated this part of her workshop so sparsely. She "couldn't allow the décor of the fitting room to overshadow the beauty of her creations".
Anyway, Ashley gave Akinym his set of new armour via trade request. The first thing he did with both pieces was to read their description in order to see how the stats had turned out.
For starters, the base stats, whose types were determined solely by the exact kind of item, were even higher than Akinym had expected. Sure, Ashley had already enhanced these two pieces to +5, but even when he took that into account, Akinym figured that this equipment could keep up with Last Attack Bonuses on the current floors. By the way, it was actually possible to craft different sets of leather armour from the Fleece of the Ancestral Ram, and they all put focus on different attributes. Akinym had chosen the variant that prioritised Agility and Vitality, whereas Sinon had put the focus on Strength and Dexterity.
As for bonus stats, Akinym got boosts in Status Ailment Resistance, Paralysis Resistance and Defense on the top and in Status Ailment Resistance and Critical Hit Evasion, which might cause critical hits to be treated as normal hits with a certain probability, on the pants. Normally, even the type of bonus stats would've been random, but Ashley had a certain Sewing mod that allowed her to choose those types from an item-specific list. By the way, getting the second bonus stat on his pants had failed, and if that hadn't happened, this additional attribute would've been a boost in Paralysis Resistance.
Even without that, the increase in his resistance parameters was clearly enough to satisfy Akinym. In addition to those bonus stats, each of the two new pieces provided a boost in Status Ailment Resistance as a base stat. His vulnerability to status ailments such as paralysis had bothered him, but it shouldn't be as much of an issue anymore now that he had this new equipment.
Incidentally, as bonus stats on her new equipment, Sinon had got boosts in Strength and Status Ailment Resistance on the top and in Agility, Dexterity and Sword Skill Cooldown Reduction on the pants.
Sword Skill Cooldown Reduction was a very rare attribute to get as a bonus stat, and there weren't even many kinds of equipment that could have it to begin with. Sinon didn't have that many Sword Skills, and some of them even had a pretty long cooldown, so she had wanted to take this chance to do something about that. She had also tried to get that attribute on the top, but luck hadn't been on her side. Akinym, on the other hand, didn't rely that much on Sword Skills, so he had focused on getting attributes that would help him in his role as the defender in their party.
That takes care of the numerical values, but on top of that, this new equipment also came with a long list of additional effects, which stemmed from the variety of high-class supplementary materials that Akinym and Sinon had been able to provide. Akinym went over the list of added attributes in that category: Waterproof, Soft Interior, Soft Exterior, Cold Resistance, Heat Resistance, Easy Comfort Maintenance (which decreased the amount of time and resources actions such as washing or drying the equipment would take), Easy Durability Maintenance (which decreased the amount of materials that were needed for repairs), Embellishment, Slow Deterioration (which decreased the rate at which Durability was reduced due to attacks or anything like that) and last but not least Stain Resistance.
While Akinym was checking this, Ashley gradually became impatient.
Ashley: Get a move on already! You can stare at these dull numbers all day later, but right now, you should behold the beauty of my creation!
Akinym [sighs]: Okay, okay!
Thus, Akinym closed the description of the items and went to the status window, albeit begrudgingly. He was about to take off his current top and pants to put on the replacements when a thought occurred to him.
He looked over his shoulder, directing his attention to Ashley. Was she… going to stand there and watch him changing?
Akinym: Do you mind? I'm about to get changed here!
Ashley [flatly]: Didn't you listen? I don't mind that at all, I even want you to!
Akinym turned around again with a frown. At this point, he wasn't even surprised to get this reply. He considered kicking Ashley out of the room (literally, that is), but this might've triggered the anti-harassment code, so he abstained from taking that measure. However, Akinym couldn't help but wonder: Why did the system allow Ashley to act like a creep, but it prevented him from treating her like one?!
In the end, Akinym could only sigh in defeat. It may have been scant comfort, but Ashley only cared about seeing the clothes she had made, so she would completely ignore the figure of Akinym in his underwear. On second thought, this only made the situation even weirder, though.
Regardless, just in order to get this over and done with, Akinym took off his current top and pants and quickly opened his inventory again, so that he could select the new gear and equip it.
A moment later, Akinym could take a look at the new pieces of clothing in the mirror in the room. The first thing that caught his eye was the new colour. Much to Ashley's dismay, he had insisted on colouring it grey, but Ashley had taken the liberty to use a different shade. Instead of the former dull grey, which was – according to Ashley – "the colour that only suited the sky on a rainy day", she had settled on a rather dark shade of metallic grey.
Ashley had embellished Akinym's new coat similarly to Sinon's, although she had chosen a zigzag pattern for him. Furthermore, since Akinym had also refused to let her embroider the coat with gold thread as she had done with Sinon's, Ashley had taken care of the embroidery with silver thread instead, following Sinon's suggestion on a compromise.
The coat had been tailored in the general style of a pea coat, It also meant that it could be fastened up. This also happened to be the default state, so nobody could see the dark grey shirt Akinym wore underneath it.
He tried bending over – whether it was forward, backward or to the side – and twisting his body and arms. As far as Akinym could see, the new armour didn't get in the way too much no matter how he moved, which was very important to him. This was also the reason why Akinym had passed on any metal components. While the additional layer of defense could come in handy, the metal plates might've hindered his movements, and for Akinym, that would've been the bigger issue.
Ashley: Marvellous! With such an exquisite attire, you actually look presentable!
Ashley even began to jump around excitedly. The way she was basically dancing around him while "beholding her masterpiece" was so off-putting that Akinym considered taking out his weapon to knock her out with it. That was a well-known loophole to attack someone inside the save zone without triggering the anti-harassment code.
Well, before Akinym lost his temper to that extent, Ashley stopped and ran out of the room.
Ashley: Now then, follow me and show my masterpiece to the world so that everyone can admire it!
Akinym sighed in exasperation. Honestly, to think that such weirdos existed in this world… Well, he still wasn't sure whether Ashley was the worst one of them all or came in second place. Not that the two cases differed in any meaningful way.
Shortly thereafter, Akinym stepped through the door at the back of the shop area in Ashley's store. Sinon was waiting there, already looking at the door with her arms crossed. A mere moment ago, Ashley had directed her attention to the "presentation" similarly to the way she had done this with Sinon before.
Despite Ashley's energetic announcement, Sinon kept her response down to a simple hum.
Ashley [slightly exasperatedly]: Hm, what's this?! Is there nothing you have to say about my brilliant improvements? [slightly upset, points at Akinym] I mean, look! He actually looks like a human being who can show himself in public now!
Akinym walked around the counter while he was desperately trying to bite back any comments that came to his mind… only to fail.
Akinym: Ugh, it is exactly because of those remarks that we don't humour you! Honestly, why do you think we'd even want to talk to you if you constantly spout such nonsense!
Ashley [turns away peevishly]: Hmph, how rude! You really don't know how to appreciate my outstanding work! Now that I think about it, you didn't say anything about the outfit I've made for your partner, either. Honestly, how can the two of you be so blind to fashion?! [sighs] I wish there was at least someone here who understands my pain…
Unbeknownst to them, there had to be some deity out there who had already answered Ashley's plea. That was because someone was rushing towards the store at incredible speed. If the house hadn't been perfectly soundproof, they could've already heard the rapidly approaching noise of someone running straight towards the front door.
But since they didn't, everyone inside Ashley's shop was startled to the point that they jumped a little when the entrance door was suddenly flung open. Their confusion only intensified when they saw that the person who had burst into the shop was Asuna… and that she tumbled into the building with disheveled hair and an expression of desperation on her face.
Asuna: ASHLEY-SAN! WAIT! I have to give you…
It was only when Asuna almost bumped into Sinon that she stopped… or rather than that, she froze completely for a moment, staring blankly at the other girl. Frankly, it quickly reached the point where Asuna's state worried Sinon… and the others, too.
However, this tense atmosphere vanished in an instant when Asuna suddenly threw up her arms and let out a wailing groan.
Asuna: Sinonon! What did you do?!
Sinon [confusedly]: What did I do? Asuna, [desperately] pray tell, [slightly confusedly] what are you doing?! That's what I'd love to know right now!
Asuna: I came here to help you, of course! I was busy with team evaluations this morning, but I hurried up and finished it as soon as possible, and I came here right away!
Sinon: That's… nice and all, but you know that our battle took place on the ninety-fifth floor, right? Now that we're here, it's already over anyway.
Asuna [shakes her head] No, not with the battle! With the design of your outfit!
Sinon: Huh?!
Asuna: I wanted to make sure that you'd look good! [dejectedly] But now that I'm here, you're already wearing… [points at Sinon's clothes] THAT!
Akinym and Sinon exchanged a glance, checking if the respective other one had any idea how to handle this. While he was at it, Akinym also looked over at Ashley, who was nodding sympathetically as she listened to Asuna.
Sinon: Asuna, I'm perfectly fine with this! [mutters, slightly annoyed] Well, almost perfectly… at best. [says aloud, slightly sternly] The point is that this is the design I've chosen, and even you couldn't have changed that!
Asuna: But it's not cute, Sinonon! Just look at how plain it is! And what's with all the green and black?! You should've dyed it pink!
Sinon [exasperatedly]: Asuna, this is already… [flatly] Wait… [in disbelief] Pink?! Asuna, is your NerveGear malfunctioning and affecting your mind? Or why do you think I'd ever dye my battle gear pink?!
Asuna: It would look good on you!
Sinon: It would look ridiculous! Seriously… What's next? Shall I call my bow "U-chan" and specialise in hunting monsters in a pink wasteland?!
Asuna: Normal optical camouflage doesn't work against monsters anyway! Therefore, you can choose whatever colour you like for your equipment, so what's wrong about making it look cute?!
Sinon: I just don't want it!
Asuna: But why? I mean… Ashley-san, couldn't you have done anything about this?
Ashley: I wanted to come up with a much better design, but these two are beyond any hope when it comes to style! [dejectedly] I know that I did everything I could, but to think that I couldn't make more out of this once-in-a-lifetime chance… It's so frustrating!
Hearing that, Asuna walked around Sinon and then straight up to Ashley.
Asuna: In that case, we have to do something about this! At the very least, I want to get her some cute clothes, even if it's just casual wear!
Sinon [slightly upset]: Asuna, are you actually listening to me?!
There was no response… or to be more precise, Asuna and Ashley replied by doing exactly what Sinon didn't want them to do: Asuna opened her menu, went straight to Notes and chose the option to create a draft for clothing designs, so they could get to work right away.
Asuna: It absolutely has to be pink! And it shouldn't be anything tomboyish, but something cute and stylish. Hm, maybe a sundress…
Ashley: Oh, that would be wonderful! It's been a long time since I got to make one of those! Also, I think that the first design I've made for her combat gear would be a good reference. I wanted to use the symbols of the suits of cards as a pattern, you know? [slightly grumpily] But she said that it would be "too flamboyant"! Can you believe that, Asuna-chan?
Asuna [slightly contemplatively]: Suits of cards… It might work if we give them a pretty style. Well, the hearts would certainly be cute, but what else can we do towards this end? Maybe we can… [determinedly] Frills! There absolutely have to be a lot of frills!
Ashley: Yeah, that would be a good idea, too. And maybe…
They kept discussing various ideas like that. Meanwhile, Sinon could only watch with dread.
Sinon: Ugh, what is wrong with these two?! [whispers, to Akinym] Don't you have any idea how to make them stop?
While Akinym wasn't happy that Sinon tried to foist finding a solution to this issue off on him, he could overall understand it – he even sympathised with her. However…
Akinym [whispers, flatly]: Do you think there's anything I – or anybody, for that matter – could say here to talk them out of this weird obsession to dress you up?
Sinon [slightly annoyed]: In that case, you could've at least left out the details. I don't need to be reminded of Asuna's strange hobby! Ugh… What to do?
Just like Sinon, Akinym gave it some thought… and he came up with something quite quickly when he took a look around and noticed that the front door was still wide open.
Akinym: You know, since we don't have to pay for our new equipment, we're actually done here, so there's no reason why we couldn't just leave.
Sinon turned towards Akinym with an expression that combined disbelief, suspicion and exasperation.
Sinon: You just want to ditch them?! I mean, I get the idea, but… [slightly sternly] Seriously, that's just rude!
Akinym [dryly]: So you want to wait here and see their "glorious creation"?
Sinon grimaced at the thought. With a sour look on her face, she glanced over at Asuna and Ashley for a second before turning back to Akinym, who only gave her a somewhat quizzical look, which seemed to ask what she wanted to do now.
Sinon: Point taken…
Mere moments later, Asuna wanted to tell Sinon something about the design she was currently working on with Ashley, so she looked over her shoulder.
Asuna: This will be great, Sino…
Asuna froze when she noticed that Sinon wasn't standing behind her anymore. Once she had fully comprehended that fact, she turned around completely and took a quick look around the shop… only to realise that she and Ashley were the only ones inside now.
A few seconds thereafter, Asuna dashed out of the building.
Asuna: SINONOOOOON!
Asuna hastily searched the street for her "prey", and she spotted Akinym and Sinon entering a small alleyway not too far away, so she immediately gave chase.
Said alleyway wasn't one of those gloomy back alleys that could be found in Arc Sophia, which were the kind of place nobody would want to enter in the real world, but it was still nothing but a plain, narrow connection between two larger streets, and its most noteworthy feature where some relatively big recesses in the walls. It was also apparently empty, so Asuna figured that the two she was following had noticed her and sped up in order to escape.
Therefore, Asuna quickly ran to the other side of the alleyway, and she looked into both directions, trying to find the two players. They were nowhere to be seen, though. For a second, Asuna was unsure what to do. In the end, she decided to continue the chase, so she picked one direction and ran down the street.
Asuna: You can run, Sinonon, but you can't escape your makeover! It's for your own good!
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Asuna, there were two players in the alleyway she had just passed through. These two had concealed their presence with Hiding, and they had waited for her to run through while they had been staying in one of the recesses to avoid getting in the way. Now that the sound of Asuna's rapid footsteps and her shouts were steadily fading, the two of them could breath a sigh of relief.
Sinon: I think she's gone. [slightly exasperatedly] Honestly, why is she so obsessed with this?!
Akinym: Beats me. Maybe the two and a half years of being trapped in this world are finally getting to her, and she's losing her mind?
Sinon: It wouldn't surprise me at this point… Anyway, since the coast is clear, I guess we can deactivate Hiding again?
Akinym [slightly contemplatively]: I don't know. Asuna-san will probably keep searching the town for us for a while. It would be pretty bad if we ran into her, especially after we went through the trouble of misleading her like this.
Sinon: That's true… I wouldn't want to meet her… anytime soon. Frankly, I think I'd have to avoid her forever to escape, but that's not an option, isn't it?
Akinym: Well, I guess you're right. Although I think that it would still be a good idea to stay away from her until she calms down. And you'll probably have to find some way to humour her at least a little.
Sinon: Great… So, what shall we…
Sinon stopped talking so abruptly that it began to worry Akinym a bit after a few seconds. He figured that something had come to her mind, and she was just thinking it through now, but he wasn't sure what would get her to fall silent like this.
Sinon: Actually, now that we're on the ninetieth floor, why don't we go to our… "special spot"? There's… something I'd like to talk about, so why not do that at the… usual place?
Akinym had to admit that it made him curious. What might Sinon want to talk about all of a sudden? Well, given her previous behaviour, he figured that it was at least somewhat important, and the resting area where they often held their confidential talks was as good a hiding place as any.
Akinym: Sure, why not?
Thus, they went straight to the resting spot in the far west of the 90th floor they frequently visited at night. Just to be safe, they hadn't deactivated Hiding until they had stood right in front of the teleport gate with Asuna nowhere to be seen. However, it wasn't until they had reached this remote location that the two of them felt completely safe.
Now that they were there, Akinym immediately took a seat on one of the benches. Meanwhile, Sinon kept standing for a moment and looked around the area. It had been a while since the last time they had gone there during the day, and she had the impression that the atmosphere of this place was quite different. At night, this place had a certain serenity to it, and since it was located at the very edge of the map, the clear view at the skybox also made it perfect for stargazing. During the day, however, it was more like… Well, let's just say that Sinon couldn't help but think that it would've been the perfect spot for a relaxed family picnic.
Privacy may have been the initial reason why Akinym and Sinon only came here at night, but it wasn't really an issue now. The area around this resting spot had been a somewhat popular hunting ground around the time when the Assault Team had reached the 90th floor, but by now, there were many better spots for leveling, farming and whatnot, so it was unlikely that anyone would disturb their conversation. Well, at sunset, this place was still quite popular with couples, although there weren't enough of them in SAO to occupy it every day, and it would still be a few hours until the sun would set, so there was hardly any risk of anyone walking in on them while they were having a heart-to-heart.
Speaking of which…
Akinym: So… What exactly did you want to talk about?
Right. Sinon had to agree that this was what they were here for, so she should stop dawdling. She took a seat on the opposite bench, looked calmly at Akinym and opened her mouth…
...only to close it again seconds thereafter while her expression became a bit insecure. Sinon may have known what she had to talk about, but she wondered where she should actually start. Akinym used his usual approach of waiting patiently for her to speak, so she had time to think, but Sinon couldn't come up with any particularly satisfying idea even after a minute.
Sinon [thinks]: Mrrgh… I guess I should keep it simple and just say it. Otherwise, I'll probably only end up overthinking everything. [says aloud] Okay, this is about what happened yesterday.
Akinym: Yesterday… [slightly annoyed] Wait, are you bringing up the issue with Fuurinkazan again? I think I've said clearly why…
Sinon [upset]: That's not the point! Or actually… It is to some extent. [slightly sternly] But the real problem is what you've said towards the end! Does "it's not like you don't have something you won't tell others" ring a bell?
Akinym was taken aback at first, and he tried to remember what exactly Sinon was talking about. It took him a moment, but he figured it out.
Akinym [suspiciously]: What about it?
Sinon [annoyed, mutters]: What about…
Sinon swallowed her discontent and looked at Akinym with an expression that seemed quite calm at first glance. However, there was also a glint of uneasiness, which became apparent when Akinym took a closer look.
Sinon: Do you have any idea how it feels to hear that from you – you of all people?
Sinon's question only bewildered Akinym at first, and he tilted his head slightly to the side with a confused look on his face. Was there something wrong about what he had said despite the fact that he should've known better? As far as he could tell, his assessment had been right on the money, though, so Akinym had no idea what Sinon was talking about.
Akinym: Isn't it true, though? I mean…
Sinon [annoyed]: God, it's… [slightly upset] Yes, and that's exactly the problem!
This only confused Akinym even more. It was bad that… he had been right?!
Sinon [sighs]: Listen, I know myself that I'm keeping that incident in my past a secret from the others, and that I couldn't come clean about it even if I tried, [sternly] but that doesn't mean I like it! This is… [slightly dejectedly] hard for me, you know? Do you think I want to lie to all of them – to Asuna and the others? It's just that when I imagine how differently they might think of me if they knew, I… [slightly hurt] And I thought that you would understand that! So, to hear you say that to my face so nonchalantly, knowing fully well what you're talking about…
Hearing that, Akinym lowered his head and grimaced. In fact, he looked as if he had just bitten into a lemon. Now that Sinon had pointed it out, what she had said made sense, and Akinym couldn't have denied it even if he had wanted to.
Akinym: Yes, you're right. That was… inconsiderate of me.
Sinon [slightly huffily]: Well, it's good that you realise that… but honestly, why would you say something like that in the first place?!
Sinon had said the last part more to herself than to Akinym, but Akinym felt addressed.
Akinym [slightly exasperatedly]: That is because I really wasn't happy about your constant nagging. Yes, I'm calling it "nagging" - because that's how I see it! Honestly, the situation was as it was, and while we're talking about things the respective other one should know: I think you should be aware that I can't stand indecisiveness when it comes to such important decisions!
Now that he mentioned it, it was Sinon's turn to feel abashed about her ignorance. He was right… Sinon knew well that Akinym had to deal with his own issues due to his personal experiences, and because of that, he absolutely couldn't allow himself to let feelings of sympathy or anything like that get in the way of decisions which he knew had to be taken.
Yeah… Judging from everything Sinon knew about Akinym, he probably hadn't liked keeping information from Fuurinkazan and tricking them into helping his own party to get the Fleece of the Ancestral Ram. If, however, he had revealed the true nature of the situation to them and it had caused them to abandon him and Sinon in any shape or form, and if that had led to problems which would've caused them to fail, so that they wouldn't have got the Fleece or this new equipment which they were wearing now, they might've eventually encountered a situation in which they would've needed said equipment. Maybe others could've somehow come to terms with the price they would've had to pay in that moment, but Akinym of all people probably couldn't have forgiven himself for not making the decision he had made to prevent such issues.
Sinon had to admit that she was so occupied with her own worries and issues that she had completely ignored that… again.
Sinon: You're right… I have to cut you some slack. It is just that all this sneakiness and secrecy rubbed me the wrong way. I… can't bring myself to be completely honest to them – not yet – but it doesn't mean I like it, so when you were trying to deceive Klein and his guys as if it was nothing, that was just…
Akinym [slightly reassuringly]: I get that. Really, I'm in no position to blame you, either.
Sinon [sighs, slightly tiredly]: I guess it's true what they say: Communication is the key in any kind of partnership. I thought it sounds a bit cheesy, but actually, it's surprisingly true.
Akinym [dryly]: I'm not sure about the "surprisingly" part… [calmly] but you're right. I'll try to be more thoughtful when it comes to this from now on, [seriously] but I also have to ask you to voice what actually bothers you in such situations more clearly! My field of expertise is still dealing with factual problems, not with emotional ones.
Sinon [slightly annoyed]: After this, you really don't have to tell me that twice! [calmly] But I guess it's true that I have to find a better way to deal with such problems than just becoming huffy…
Sinon leant back on her bench. She felt relieved that they could settle this dispute, although she was surprised just how easy that had been. It seemed that Asuna had been right after all…
Speaking of which, Sinon remembered how she had felt when Asuna had advised her to talk things out with Akinym as soon as possible. On an intellectual level, she had agreed with her, but Sinon hadn't felt comfortable with the idea of bringing this topic up again. She had figured that she would be able to work with Akinym as usual if she kept up a professional attitude, so her initial idea had been to wait at least a few days until she would completely calm down. Sinon had compared it to the way she had hesitated to tell Akinym about the post office incident despite her willingness to talk with him about it eventually. In other words, she had figured that she would feel truly ready to bring it up at some point, and that there was no issue with waiting a little.
However, their boss battle earlier had taught her the hard way that it wasn't that easy. Her irritation at Akinym's remark had caused her to make a fatal mistake, and if it hadn't been for Silica… Sinon didn't even want to think about it. Seeing just how badly a dispute with her partner could end, she had resolved herself to put an end to said dispute as soon as possible.
That said, now that she had taken care of that, Sinon could finally relax. She even put on a small smile.
Sinon: Well, with that out of the way… What now? I mean, it's still early, and we didn't make any plans, did we?
Akinym: That's because I'll be busy with Council work. I'll have to meet with the guild leaders later, and I still need to prepare for that. [slightly contemplatively] Speaking of which, I'll also need to meet up with someone before that…
Oh, right… It was Thursday, so Akinym would have his regular meeting with the leaders of the small clearing guilds this evening. To be fair, clearing the 95th floor had been pretty difficult so far, and it required a lot of coordination, which meant that Akinym had a lot of work to do. Therefore, his usual schedule had been thoroughly messed up. He still had his scheduled meeting with the guild leaders, though.
On another note, Sinon wondered who this "someone" Akinym had to meet was, but she figured that it was none of her business.
Sinon: You're right. I guess there's no time to do anything else after all. It's not that bad, though. We got to do what we had to, and we got the new equipment that we wanted. [slightly curiously] By the way, regardless of what that tailoress weirdo said, why did you insist on dyeing the set grey? That question has actually been on my mind for a while now. At first, I had been speculating that your other gear just happened to be grey, but given that you asked for that colour specifically… Isn't that an unusual choice?
Akinym: I didn't pick it because people like it, you know? Well, at first, I chose it exactly because of the colour's plainness. It's simple, and it doesn't stick out more than I want. [slightly contemplatively] However, I've also come to think that it represents me pretty well.
Sinon: Huh? What do you mean?
Akinym: Well… If you had to name one player in this game who you think of as "morally grey", who would you choose? And who do you think most of the other Assault Team members would choose these days?
Sinon [slightly hesitantly]: A-ah… I see. I get it.
Akinym: It's how it is. [slightly teasingly] That aside, if all you wonder about is my choice of colour, I'm not surprised anymore that I only got a "hm" from you when you saw my new getup. [calmly] I did at least think that yours looks good. You stayed true to your overall colour pattern, and I think it suits you, especially now that the red parts are gone. With the nature theme and the rather casual look…
Sinon [slightly exasperatedly]: Cut it short, will you?! [calmly] Well, but thanks for the compliment. [exasperatedly, slightly worriedly] I think that the others will make even more of a fuss, though. Especially Asuna… Ugh… However, I have a hunch that Kirito will somehow piss me off the most.
Akinym [dryly]: At this point, that's just an educated guess, isn't it?
In that regard, the others were indeed quite excited about Sinon's new equipment when they saw it later. They weren't quite as thrilled to see Akinym's, though, at least after hearing that he was still dressed in grey.
It goes without saying that Klein bragged about his merit when it came to getting the required materials for it. It also goes without saying that the one who received the most praise for their contribution wasn't Klein. That was Silica, who was a bit overwhelmed by it.
When Sinon presented her overall assessment of her new gear, she also brought up that she didn't like the extremely short pants. Unsurprisingly, Asuna immediately said that she should've just picked a skirt instead, but that idea was shot down instantaneously, and it resulted in yet another minor squabble about Sinon's fashion sense.
Speaking of fashion sense and said squabble, Kirito tried to lift the mood, and he figured that the best way to do that was to make Sinon feel better about her shorts. Thus, he pointed out that girls only had the choice between such short pants or skirts when it came to armour in SAO. However, Sinon only replied that she already knew that, and that she didn't want to hear such a nonchalant comment about that from a guy to begin with.
Kirito ended up interpreting this as "a girl having fashion issues", which he considered to be something a guy would normally simply not get. Thus, in a particularly ill-advised attempt to "understand a girl's fashion sense", he mentioned that the pants "accentuated her legs". Needless to say, he had to suffer the consequences – a lot of exceedingly unpleasant consequences, that is.
In other words: It was just another afternoon in SAO for them.
...just as this was just another chapter of "The Hollow Instructor" for you readers.
The section about the usage of boots in SAO may seem a bit out of place and way too detailed for something that might not even come up again, but there's a bit of a backstory to it. When I was thinking about the different kinds of pieces of equipment, one thing that came to my mind was that boots might actually be the most multifaceted part of battle gear... and something that might easily be underestimated. Well, this also ties in with something I have planned for the field boss battle on the 95th floor, which should be featured in chapter 52.
Fun fact: The design of Sinon's new attire is supposed to resemble her current outfit from Integral Factor.
Yep, the stuff Asuna and Sinon are talking about when Asuna suggests that Sinon should dye her gear pink totally is a reference to LLENN from AGGO.
This "someone" Akinym has to meet will appear in this story eventually. That is, shortly after I finish all the stuff that's going to happen on the 95th floor.
On another note, I finally got to explain what's the reason behind my choice for the colour of Akinym's armour.
So... What's next? For starters, I'll write two short stories, which will both take place one day after the events in this chapter. One will be the story I've promised, which will be about how Kirito and the girls try to find a different way to finish the war campaign. The other one will be a little shopping trip with Asuna and Sinon, although it will mostly consist of the two of them reminiscing.
The next part of the main story will be the finale of the war campaign on the 95th floor, by the way.