:: Author's Note ::
Back again with another chapter! Sorry this one took so long to post, but I've got other projects I've been working on as well. In addition to my original series on Tapas.
I want to include a slight trigger warning for this chapter. It's nothing terribly serious, but if you're uncomfortable discussing the subject of anorexia, then be forewarned, it makes a small appearance in this chapter.
With that said, I now present Chapter Eight!
:: End Note ::
The climb up the mountains of Floor Two was fraught with peril for the adventurer's in Kirito's party. Or at least it would have been were it not for most of them being so grossly overleveled. Still, Asuna was enjoying herself; clearing large monsters off the cliffside path with relative ease, enjoying the fresh mountain air and the gorgeous savannah view in the valley below.
Unfortunately, all fun was about to come to an end. As off in the distance, they heard a sound that made their blood curdle. The party came to a dead stop on the cliffside path, everyone suddenly becoming very nervous. Asuna picked up on it almost immediately, her own nerves starting to fray.
"Everyone here that?" Diavel asked while drawing his sword.
"Yeah, but I really wish I hadn't," Argo commented glumly while preparing her claws.
Pitohui equipped her naginata and prepared for battle. "Fuck, I hate these things. Why us?"
They heard another noise off in the distance. Some sort of shrill, screechy batlike noise.
"Oh dear God…" Chrys shivered at the sound. "If I decide to just hurl myself off this cliff, will anyone hold it against me?"
"I'll be right behind you," Gatrie insisted. "These things are the bane of my whole damn existence."
"Okay, you guys are scaring me," Asuna spoke nervously while drawing her rapier. "What exactly are we up against?"
"The single most irritating monster in the whole game," Diavel declared while narrowing his eyes towards the horizon.
"Okay...Kirito? Wanna translate?" Asuna turned to him, starting to get panicky.
He slowly drew his sword as a swarm of what looked like birds descended upon them. Only...they weren't birds.
"Cliff Racers."
They were beset upon by large scaly winged creatures that appeared to be modeled after pterodactyls. The first thing Asuna noted about these particular enemies was that she was having the damndest time hitting them. It felt like no matter what she did, her weapon wouldn't connect. Another thing she was very quick to notice was that these things were freaking everywhere and their loud, screechy cries were particularly grating on the ears. And given the frankly absurd volume of them, she was becoming far more familiar with the sound than she would have preferred to be.
"Back!" Pitohui shouted angrily while jabbing at the annoying buzzards with her naginata. "Back you screechy featherless abominations!"
"Fucking hell! Why do their hit boxes have to be so damn small?!" Gatrie shouted while flailing his axe around ineffectually.
"Design oversight!" Kirito called back while cutting his way through cliff racers, though even he seemed to be struggling to hit the nimble flying creatures. "It's gonna get patched!"
"Jesus Christ, they're everywhere!" Argo insisted while flailing her claws around like a cat trying to catch the red dot. "Someone make that screeching stop! It's boring into my brain!"
"Why are there so many?!" Asuna shouted after finally managing to take one down. "This is absurd!"
"Their spawn rate is twice what other monsters are on this floor!" Diavel shouted back while blocking one with his shield.
"Also gonna get patched!" Kirito assured.
Having finally had enough, Argo clasped her hands over her ears, ignoring the small chips to her health she was taking from the winged creatures. "Gyah! Fuck this! Let's just run for it!"
Diavel pointed towards the road. "Everyone up the cliffs! We'll lose them in a cave!"
"You know these things can follow for miles right?!" Kirito shouted as they made a run for it.
"I'll take that chance! Just run!" he insisted.
Merida tugged on her husband's arm desperately. "Come on, Honey! We need to run! This screeching is giving me a migraine!"
"Darling, in this armor this is running!"
They fled further up the cliffside, hacking their way through cliff racers as they went. Yet for every one that they destroyed, ten more seemed to take its place. The angle by which Asuna's blade could actually hit the damn things was almost impossible to calculate and it felt like blind luck whenever something would land. The situation almost reminded her of a different tale she knew. One that she learned in school. The story of Sisyphus, in which a man was forced to push a giant boulder up a hill only for it to roll back down for all eternity. Fighting these things was basically that. Except the boulder was screeching, had painful claws, and was probably carrying diseases as well.
As if that wasn't bad enough. They could apparently follow you to hell and back. And after nearly twenty minutes of nonstop running while that hideous screeching clawed at her brain, Asuna was seriously considering logging out simply for the madness to stop.
Yet it never came to that. Finally, mercifully, they reached a cave that tore aggro off of them. Bringing the ceaseless calamity to a well deserved conclusion. Exhausted both mentally and physically, they decided to set up camp in the cave. Their shelter having been designated a safe zone by the game's programming. Free of monsters and a place where no aggro could be pulled. Aside from other players, there was no risk of danger here.
As night fell they quickly got a campfire started and began setting up tents they constructed using materials gathered in the field. Whereupon Asuna learned more about how construction worked in the game.
"So you can build pretty much anything you want anywhere in Aincrad?" she asked while helping the others set up tents and wooden benches around the fire.
"Within reason," Kirito explained. "Houses and small structures can be built just about anywhere, but that doesn't mean they'll stand. Structures built in the wild can be destroyed by players and monsters without dire repercussion. Only buildings constructed in a town or city's safe zone will be protected by guards and monitored to keep monsters from attacking the structure."
"But that can get pricey," Diavel added. "You have to buy land within the city or town you're planning on building your domicile in. Which means you have to pay monthly taxes based on how many acres of free space you own within that town's territory. If you can't pay, then your property gets repossessed and goes up for public auction. Where a crafty player can buy up the property, scrap it for cor, and resell the land back to the town or another player at a profit."
"That's not taking into consideration the potential risk of building a pricey structure in a town that gets taken over by orange and red players," Kirito continued. "In which case the property gets looted and you lose just about everything."
"Not to mention all the skills you have to have leveled up just to build a basic one story house," Argo insisted. "It's one of the least profitable professions in Aincrad right now. Aside from building workshops and stores for artisan players, there's really no market for it."
She smiled at the thought. "Still...it might be nice to own your own property somewhere. A place to call home when you're done adventuring for the day."
"I agree." Merida curled her hands around her husband's arm and hugged him tightly to her chest. "We're looking for a spot to build our first home. We have several places in mind, but nothing concrete yet."
"I still think that spot on Floor Three would be perfect," Gatrie murmured to her.
"Let's not start that here. We'll discuss it later," she quietly whispered back.
"For the most part, players only build up their Construction Skill enough to make camping equipment," Kirito commented. "That's its most practical use."
"Well that and the subset skill Woodcarving," Diavel admitted. "You need that one to make the handles of certain weapons."
Asuna blew a breath through pursed lips. "My heads spinning again."
Diavel chuckled at her in understanding. "I know it's a lot, but try to compartmentalize. No one here is saying you have to understand how all of it works."
"Your best bet is to figure out what aspect of the game you want to focus on the most and go from there," Argo insisted. "Once you've got that established, then you can worry about what comes next."
"Well, I know I want to master this rapier," she established first and foremost. "And I want to help Kirito become King. But aside from that, I haven't really thought that far ahead."
"Well I've got good news for you then," Diavel declared brightly. "You've got all the time in the world to figure it out."
"Part of what makes this game so great is figuring out what you want to do while you play," Merida offered while taking Gatrie by the hand. "In a way, it allows those who lost the ability to dream a chance to do so again."
"I love it when you get profound, Baby," Gatrie praised her.
"A chance to dream again…" Asuna repeated to herself, a light blush creeping over her cheeks.
Truth be told, there was one more dream she had for this new world. But she decided to keep that one to herself. At least for now.
Once the group was done setting up camp, Pitohui helped Asuna cook dinner for everyone. With Coper out of the party, their cooking lesson went without a hitch and the group was treated to perfectly grilled meat. After which, Pitohui surprised the party by going into her inventory and equipping a guitar. Or at least, the Aincrad equivalent of a guitar. According to Kirito, the instruments in this game worked a little bit differently than they did IRL. By increasing your Music Skill, anyone could produce music with the instruments in game just by strumming them.
That said, the Music Skill was something primarily used by roleplayers. Not budding artists like Pitohui. Which was why you had the option to manually disable this feature and play the instrument as it was meant to be played. Something that she had taken up doing in her off time.
After checking to make sure it was in tune, she strummed it a few times before settling into a relaxing melody. Quietly singing an acoustic version of one of her favorite American songs. As the group settled in around her, she began to sing in a sweet, gentle voice.
"Talking away. I don't know what I'm to say."
"I'll say it anyway. Today's another day to find you."
"Shying away. I'll be coming for your love, okay."
"Take...on...me."
"Take...me...on."
"I'll...be...gone. In a day or two."
Argo laid on her side next to Pitohui as she sang, a content smile on her face. Merida got nice and cuddly with Gatrie. While the others found spots around the cozy campfire to quietly enjoy their friend's performance.
"Needless to say. I'm odds and ends."
"But I'll be stumbling away. Slowly learning that life is okay."
"Say after me. It's no better to be safe than sorry."
"Take...on...me."
"Take...me...on."
"I'll...be...gone. In a day or two."
"In a day or two."
Upon finishing the song she set the guitar down and everyone clapped for her. Pitohui blushed fiercely at the praise, looking just the tiniest bit self conscious.
"Your voice is absolutely beautiful, Pitohui," Asuna complimented.
"Right? That's what I keep telling her." Argo insisted before turning and smiling at Pitohui. "You should play one of your pieces next."
She frowned, seemingly withdrawing in on herself. "I don't know…"
"Come on," Argo pleaded while nudging her encouragingly. "Your music is so good. It's a shame you don't play it more."
Pithoui bit her lower lip nervously for a moment before hesitantly picking up the guitar again. "Well...okay. Maybe just one."
They fell back into silence again as she willed her hands to move back to the strings and begin playing.
"If I ever were to lose you. I'd surely lose myself…"
But then she stopped. As if her fingers just wouldn't move anymore. After a moment, she sighed dejectedly before resting her head on the guitar.
"God, I suck."
Argo groaned in frustration before shaking her head. "No, you really don't. You just need to build up your confidence a little more."
"Easier said than done. I keep getting in my own head. It's like…" She growled in frustration before knocking her fist against the wood. "God, I can't even put it into words. It just sucks, is all."
Merida frowned at her in concern before pulling away from her husband's arms and sitting up. "Is everything okay, Sweetie? You've been behaving like you've had something on your mind since we left the wagon."
"It's really nothing," she assured, a slight melancholy in her voice. "I was just thinking about what Kirito said today is all."
At that both Asuna and Kirito perked up in intrigue.
"What you said about feeling more alive in here than you did in the real world. Was that true?" she asked him sincerely.
He nodded. "Yeah...it was true."
She bit her lower lip in thought for a moment. "I think I kind of get it."
"Pitohui…" Argo was about to intervene but she stopped her.
"It's alright," she assured. "Just about everyone else in the party already knows. I don't mind them knowing too."
Pitohui set the instrument down and took a deep breath before speaking.
"I understand how it feels to be belittled by other people for something you can't help," she explained while talking directly to Kirito. "Back in Highschool, I would get picked on constantly for my height."
"Your height?" Asuna asked in perplexment. "I don't get it, you're at least as tall as me. That's not that short."
Pitohui shook her head woefully. "This is just my avatar. IRL I'm only four foot eight."
"Her height has always been a sensitive subject for her," Argo explained in a compassionate voice. "Even in college she didn't like people commenting on it. Which they did constantly."
"I don't understand," Kirito spoke quietly. "What's wrong with being short? My sisters not that tall and she's pretty popular at her school."
Argo looked at Pitohui who kept her gaze on the fire, deep in thought. "Do you want to tell them? Or should I?"
After a moment of silence, Pitohui took a breath and spoke.
"I was never supposed to be this short. When I was twelve...I developed an eating disorder," she spoke in a low hushed tone. "I'm not sure what triggered it exactly, I just remember feeling...ugly all the time. No matter how healthy I ate, or how little I ate, I just felt bloated and unattractive. So I just stopped eating."
"Oh Pitohui…" Asuna placed a hand up to her chest, a look of deep concern in her eyes.
"Were you being bullied?" Kirito asked. "I know what that's like."
"That's the stupid part, I was one of the most popular kids at my school," she continued morosely. "I wasn't under any pressure to better myself or fit in. I already was fitting in." Pitohui sighed. "I have no idea why I felt the way I did. If it was stress from school or what...I just felt ugly. All the time."
"I know I've told you this before. But you have no reason to feel shame for that," Merida insisted. "Eating disorders are as much a choice as Kirito's autism is. Sometimes, it just comes down to unlucky brain chemistry."
"Well either way, it didn't change the fact I put myself in the hospital four times. I stopped menstruating, very nearly killed my kidneys, it got so bad I had to be taken out of school and put into a rehab center. All because I was too stubborn to listen to my Doctors." She lowered her head in shame. "It took almost three years but eventually, after a lot of therapy and finding the right medication, I got better. But...being malnourished for so long stunted my growth. I'm twenty three now and I haven't gotten any taller since I was twelve." She curled her knees up to her chest. "When I started going back to normal school again, I thought maybe my friends would be supportive of me. Instead...they just made fun of my height."
"I still don't get why the hell they would be that insensitive," Gatrie insisted, sadness in his voice.
Kirito frowned knowingly, pain in his heart. "It's because...they thought it was her fault."
Pitohui nodded sadly. "Maybe they were just teasing me. Maybe they thought it was cute. I don't know. But to me, my height is nothing but a constant reminder of one of the most embarrassing and humiliating ordeals of my entire life. Every time someone brings it up it's like they're taking those three years I spent starving myself and rubbing them right back in my face." She finally gazed back at Kirito, sincerity in her eyes. "That's why I felt so awful calling you a freak like that."
He smiled at her and shook his head. "You meant it as a term of endearment so...there's no reason to feel sad."
"I'm so sorry that that happened to you, Pitohui," Asuna spoke with gentle sincerity. "But the important thing is you got better, right?"
Her expression only seemed to darken further. "I did...until I didn't."
They all frowned worriedly before listening again.
"High school was rough but college was even worse. Because I had at least hoped that maybe people would be more understanding there." She shook her head. "But I was wrong. It felt like all anyone was ever going to see when they looked at me was my height. I felt powerless and…"
Argo placed a hand on her arm. "Want me to finish it?"
Pitohui nodded pitifully. "Yes please…"
Argo sighed despondently before turning back to the group. "She had a relapse. Not nearly as bad as when she was a child. But enough so that she had to quit school."
"What hurt the most was how disappointed my parents were," her eyes began to glass over. "I'd been doing so well and…"
"Hey. Hey…" Argo pulled her into a hug. "It's alright. You don't have to talk about it anymore."
Pitohui took a moment to calm down before gently pulling away and wiping her face. "It's okay." She took a breath to steady herself before continuing. "Anyway...I just wanted to say Kirito, I understand what it's like to feel trapped in a body you don't want."
He nodded in understanding. "Thank you for sharing that with me. And your music too. You're very talented."
She blushed at his words. "Thank you." A small smile finally formed on Pitohui's lips. "Music helped me cope with my eating disorder when I was younger. I've...always found comfort in putting my feelings down into song." Her frown returned. "Even if I'm not that good at it."
"Oh bullshit," Argo insisted. "You're an amazing musician, Pitohui. I keep telling you that. You just need to have more confidence in yourself."
"I'm not like you, Argo," she responded glumly. "I wasn't as strong as you were at your school."
Argo shook her head. "We still had to deal with the same breed of asshole growing up."
"What do you mean?" Asuna asked curiously.
She rolled her eyes. "It's really not a big deal. Just some idiots I had to deal with in highschool."
"She's deflecting again," Pitohui insisted. "Argo had a rumor spread about her in highschool that really hurt her."
Asuna frowned worriedly at Argo. "Feel like talking about it?"
She shrugged indifferently. "I don't see the purpose. My story isn't nearly as bad as hers. I didn't have any kind of medical condition growing up. Teenagers are just assholes."
"You should still share," Pitohui insisted. "At the very least, it would make me feel better if you did."
She sighed. "Well...fine then." Argo sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. "My story isn't anything special. I dated a guy my freshman year who got pissy when I ended it after catching him cheating. He went around the school spreading a bunch of bullshit about me being 'easy' and…" Argo's expression darkened. "...well you know how vicious the gossip machine can be."
Asuna decided not to comment. After all, until a very short time ago, she was a part of that gossip machine.
"I've made peace with that shitty part of my life, and you should try to as well," she said to Pitohui. "Because I really would love to hear your original music on a big stage one day."
Pitohui finally found her smile again. "Only if you'll promise to keep promoting your art."
She nodded happily. "It's a deal." Argo glanced over her shoulder, a suggestive look forming in her eyes. "In the meantime...we should explore this cave for a bit."
Pitohui bit down on her lower lip thoughtfully before nodding. "Well...okay. Why not?"
Argo took her by the hand and the two scampered off deeper into the cave. Causing Merida to sigh at them.
"I really wish they would be honest with each other."
"About what?" Kirito asked curiously.
"About the feelings they share," she answered. "It's obvious those two love each other very much. Yet they insist they're only friends."
"Are friends not allowed to love each other?"
Asuna shook her head at him. "No, they are. But Merida is saying that they love each other as more than just friends."
Kirito seemed genuinely shocked by that statement. "They do? How can you tell?"
"Because this isn't the first time those two have gone off to 'explore a cave together'. While in the party," Diavel said while adding parentheses with his fingers.
He narrowed his eyes at him before imitating the motion. "You did the air quote thing. What's the subtext I'm supposed to be getting here?"
Asuna leaned over and cupped a hand over his ear before quietly whispering to him. Kirito proceeded to go wide eyed, his cheeks turning dark red.
"Oh…" He turned around and looked at where Argo and Pitohui had scampered off to. "Is it okay that we're here?"
Chrys chuckled at him. "It'll be fine."
"So, I don't get it. If they have feelings for each other, doesn't that make them a couple?" Asuna asked. "They certainly act like one."
"Officially they're just friends who like to fool around," Diavel explained.
Merida shook her head at that. "Those sorts of relationships never work. At least not very well. Someone always ends up getting attached."
"In this case it was both of them," Gatrie added.
"So then why not just be honest with each other?" Kirito asked.
Diavel sighed glumly. "Why indeed? I don't have a clue what their deal is. But it's not really my place to comment."
Asuna furrowed her brow in thought before looking back towards the cave. "Maybe they're just afraid."
The group considered her curiously.
"It's obvious that they care about each other. But...if their friendship means even more, why would they want to risk that?"
Merida sighed, deciding to save her judgements for herself. "I just feel like they could really do a lot more for each other if they were a bit more open with how they feel."
After a moment of silence, Kirito smiled. "Maybe in here...they can be."
Asuna returned his smile and nodded approvingly.
"Maybe...just maybe."
The city of Urbus rested within the crater of a large flat mountain. Roughly three hundred meters in length running north to south, Urbus was protected on all sides by natural cliffsides. Any player who needed to sneak into the city would have to have a fairly high strength and stamina stat if they hoped to climb all the way down the steep embankment into the city proper. Though that was only really necessary for red players. As Diavel was merely orange, they could still make their way inside relatively unimpeded.
Relatively.
Upon approaching the Northern Gate of Urbus, two guards in full heavy chainmail stopped the party. Drawing their swords and barring entry with their shields.
"Halt! You've been selected for a random customs inspection," one of the helmeted guards declared in a voice full of authority.
"Keep your hands by your head while your goods are inspected," the other guard declared.
"Err...what's going on? What did we do?" Asuna asked while keeping her hands up close to her head.
"It's a customs inspection," Kirito explained while one of the guards gave him a patdown. "This happens whenever you're in a party with an orange player."
"The NPCs will go through our inventory and check for stolen goods or contraband," Argo explained while the other guard patted her down.
"What qualifies as contraband?" Asuna asked next.
"Anything stolen from someone's private property or pickpocketed," Kirito answered. "Also, certain drugs and potions."
She quirked a brow in disbelief. "There are drugs in this game?"
"Well...sort of. They won't get you high or anything like that," Diavel admitted. "They just offer rare and powerful stat bonuses that you can't get from a normal potion."
"Moonsugar and Skooma are two of the most popular as they offer huge bonuses to strength, speed, and agility stats," Kirito picked up where he left off. "There's also Red Spice, Fisstech, and Hissap to name a few."
"So why are they illegal?"
"Because they're addictive," Argo commented. "Don't get me wrong, you can't get addicted to this stuff, but your avatar can."
"Anyone who partakes of a certain drug too much will incur the semi-permanent status effect of Addicted," Diavel explained. "Which means you suffer from negative status effects until you take more of the drug."
"If you go too long without it, your character goes into withdrawal," Kirito continued. "Eventually, it'll start sapping away at their health until they slip into a coma."
"Which translates into days or even weeks spent out of the game," Chrys added.
Asuna considered this new information while one of the guards gave her a patdown. She lurched a bit upon feeling his hand get just a little too close to her rump.
"Hey! Easy buddy!" she rebuked him harshly.
Pitohui chuckled at her. "Oh relax, it's not like they know what they're doing."
"This is just the animation they go through while searching through your inventory," Argo explained before adding with a cheeky grin. "Besides, you're only getting groped virtually."
"For what it's worth, it makes me uncomfortable too," Merida assured in a more sincere voice.
"Try to think of it like going through airport security," Diavel offered.
Asuna smirked at him. "Should I be expecting a cavity search then?"
"I didn't say American airport security," he responded without missing a beat.
They all laughed at his joke when a thought suddenly occurred to Asuna.
"Does the equipment of dead players count as stolen property?"
Diavel chuckled at her. "Funny enough, it does not. It's classified as loot according to the game's code. So we should be in the clear."
"So long as you checked to make sure Coper's inventory wasn't sketchy that is," Argo commented.
He blanched at her words. Meanwhile, one of the guards began patting him down.
"Diavel...you did search through Coper's inventory first, right?" Pitohui asked him nervously.
"Eh heh heh…" He laughed nervously, sweat forming on his brow.
Argo sighed wearily. "Oh sweet Jesus."
"What is this?!" the NPC guard declared before removing several items from Diavel's inventory. He then ran over to a nearby table where the items appeared in a flash. Revealing at least a dozen bottles of skooma in the Renegade Knight's possession.
"Contraband! Surround the criminals!" the other guard declared before brandishing his sword and shield.
A contingent of guards burst from the two watchtowers next to the gate and surrounded them.
"You have committed crimes against Aincrad and her people. What say you in your defense?" the lead guard growled at them.
"Kirito...why are they surrounding us too?" Asuna asked while gripping the handle of her rapier.
He pointed above him. "Look at your icon."
She gazed up to see her player icon had gone from green to orange.
"Guilty by association," he explained. "If one player in the party gets caught with drugs, we all get caught with drugs."
"I cannot believe you forgot to check his damn inventory!" Argo chided Diavel harshly. "Diavel, what the hell were you thinking?!"
"I wasn't," he admitted with an apologetic smile. "Sorry everyone. I fucked up."
"So what's the plan here, Ki?" Chrys asked.
Kirito looked around at the guards. Each one was a level forty elite iron NPC. Far above anything any of them could possibly hope to match. No doubt about it, they were in a jam.
"We have...three options," he admitted somewhat nervously. "We can either pay off the fine for the contraband."
"There's at least fourteen bottles of skooma there, Ki. No way are we paying that off," Argo insisted.
"Hell, I've only got several thousand cor left," Gatrie admitted.
"Option two. We draw our weapons and try to fight our way out."
"And then promptly get our butts handed to us," Pitohui replied. "I can't even see their level. No way in hell are we gonna be able to beat them."
"So what's option three?" Asuna asked nervously.
"We say I yield, at which point we'll be teleported to the..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Kirito and the rest of the party vanished in a flash of blue light. Having been teleported directly to the Urbus City prison. With their task complete, the City Guard reset to their default positions.
There were a lot of things that Asuna was expecting to happen when she first put on the NerveGear and entered the world of SAO. Ending up in jail was not one of them. Yet here she was, sitting by her lonesome in a dank dark prison cell, her weapons and gear now replaced with dirty prison rags and metal shackles on her wrists and ankles.
She took a moment to look at her surroundings. Which consisted of little more than three stone walls, a wrought iron prison cell, a small cot to sleep on, and a stool. As the gravity of her situation sank in, Asuna sat on her small cot and rested her head against the cold hard stone. Blowing an exasperated breath through pursed lips.
"Well great. So now what the heck do I do?"
"Pst! Asuna? Asuna are you over there?"
She heard a familiar voice call out to her from across her cell. Asuna sat up and ran over to the bars before peering through them. Over in the cell opposite of hers a familiar face smiled through their own set of bars.
"Merida!" Asuna exclaimed, relief in her voice.
Merida nodded, the chains shackling her wrists together jangling slightly. Like Asuna, she was dressed in prison rags and little else.
"Glad to see you're okay. Where are the others?"
"My husband is with me," Merida explained before stepping aside to reveal Gatrie standing behind her.
"Hey Asuna," he waved at her cheerfully, his chains rattling.
"As for the others, they must have gotten sent to a different cell block," Merida surmised.
"So how did you two end up in a cell together?" Asuna asked.
Merida giggled before waggling her ring finger, revealing the silver ring was still there. "Married players share everything together. Even prison cells apparently."
"There's no one in the world I would rather be locked up with," he spoke to Merida with a charming grin.
"Oh now don't you start, Mister." She blushed deeply at his comment. "Now's not the time for flirting."
He shrugged. "It's not like we have much else to do. We're stuck in here until we either escape or our sentence is up."
"How long is that going to be exactly?" Asuna asked while looking around through her cell bars.
"I'm not sure," Merida admitted frankly. "I've never been arrested before. Neither has my hubby."
"Yeeeah, I'm completely out of my depth here," Gatrie chuckled while testing the strength of his shackles. "Kirito or Diavel would be able to answer your question."
A thought occurred to her. "Wait...can we still send private messages in jail?"
"I'm not sure. We didn't think to try that," Merida admitted, sounding slightly embarrassed.
Asuna opened up her menu and selected her inbox. Sure enough, the function still worked. Not only that, she had apparently already received a message from Kirito.
:: You okay? ::
She flipped open the keyboard on her menu and typed back a response.
:: I'm fine. Are you okay? ::
It didn't take long before she received a reply.
:: Yeah, Pitohui, Argo and I are in the same cell block. :/ ::
Which meant that Diavel and Chrys were likely together as well.
:: So what do we do now? I'm not sure how I feel about spending the rest of Beta in a jail cell. ::
:: We're working on a plan. ::
:: How can I help? ::
There was a short pause before his response, as if he were considering that very thing.
:: Meet Diavel at the mines. ::
:: What mines? ::
:: No time to explain. Ask the guard. ::
She huffed in annoyance.
:: What guard? ::
:: At the far end of the hall. :P Prompt is Hey Guard! ::
Asuna peered through her bars and looked around. Sure enough she saw a prison guard sitting at a table over on the far right end. She then quickly typed a response.
:: Okay got it. But what about you? ::
:: Gotta move, no time. X.X Tell the others the plan pls. ::
She sighed before replying.
:: Will do. ::
:: Sorry I'm not more help. :( ::
Asuna smiled at that.
:: You're plenty of help already. The least I can do is try to stand on my own two feet. :) ::
She then closed her menu and turned back to the other cell. "Kirito says we need to meet everyone at the mine."
"Okay?" Gatrie looked totally confused. "What mine? And how the heck does he expect us to get there?"
Merida frowned. "I don't have any skill in Lockpicking."
She thought for a moment before turning to the NPC sitting down the hall. "Hey Guard!"
The guard stood up and walked over to her cell. "What is it, Prisoner?" he asked in a taciturn voice.
Asuna was presented with a list of spoken prompts. The weirdest of which was the option to seduce the guard if her Charm Skill was high enough. Deciding to ignore that for now, she sifted through prompts until finding the one she wanted.
"Why am I in jail?"
"You have been imprisoned for crimes against Aincrad. Your charges include…" The NPC paused for a moment. "...smuggling, possession of contraband, trafficking. These crimes have accrued you a sentence of two and a half weeks."
So basically they were stuck there until the end of the Beta if they didn't get out. Just great. Asuna searched through prompts again.
"What will happen to me while I'm here?"
"Prisoners in Urbus will be expected to work every day for their keep. Behave yourself and do your part and you may be released early."
"What sort of work?" she asked next.
"Beneath the city of Urbus there is a large mine that runs through the mountain. Prisoners will spend two four hour shifts working in the mines. Once in the morning, and once in the evening. After which you will rest in your cell."
Sheesh! Hard labor on top of a rinky dink prison cell with no daylight? If this wasn't just a game, it would be pretty brutal.
"What if I can't make it to the mines?"
"Exceptions are made for prisoners with special needs," the guard explained.
"That's the game's way of saying players who need to log out," Merida clarified.
"When is the next work shift?" Asuna asked next.
"The next work shift in the mines will be precisely one hour from now. At which point, the Taskmaster will come for you. You will remain in your cell until then," the guard then added with a rather perturbed look on his face. "Don't get any funny ideas, Prisoner."
She looked behind him and addressed Merida. "He can only respond to the prompts, right?"
Her friend nodded. "Right."
Asuna smirked upon hearing that before addressing the guard again. "Listen up, Buttface. My friends and I are gonna bust out of this hellhole and there's not a damn thing you can do about it."
The guard didn't respond. Gatrie proceeded to chortle. Which caused Merida's eyes to roll.
"You two have the same sense of humor it seems."
"That's all I needed to know, thank you," Asuna spoke with false politeness in her voice.
"Behave yourself, Prisoner," the guard commanded gruffly before turning to leave.
With the guard gone, Asuna leaned against the rails again and sighed. "Well...looks like we're stuck here for a little while."
"It would appear so, unfortunately." Merida sat down on the floor alongside her husband before cuddling up in his lap with her head resting on his chest. "But at least we're in good company."
Asuna smiled at her before sitting down and resting against the bars of her cell. "That's true."
With nothing but time on their hands, the three of them talked at length about each other. With Asuna doing most of the talking. Merida and Gatrie learned she and Kirito were a bit younger than them. Both being eighteen respectfully. Merida prodded a little more into how she met Kirito upon which Asuna happily divulged the story.
"So what made you decide to leave your friends like that?" she asked curiously.
Asuna shrugged. "Honestly, I'm not sure. It was kind of an impulsive decision at the time but…" She smiled. "...it worked out for the best in the end."
Merida nodded happily. "I'd say so. Getting to meet you has been an absolute delight."
"That's sweet of you," Asuna replied gratefully.
"Not only that, you brought us closer to our dear Kirito," she added. "I know it must have been difficult making that choice. But for what it's worth, I think it was the right decision."
Asuna nodded in agreement. "Me too."
A long silence followed, whereupon Gatrie groaned in complaint.
"Dear sweet Buddha this is so hideously dull."
Merida rubbed his shoulders for him. "I know you're getting antsy, Sweetie. But try to relax. It won't be much longer."
Just as Merida promised, it wasn't long after that when a contingent of guards appeared in the corridor. Being led by a severe looking woman in ornate armor.
"Prisoners! Stand up straight and prepare to move. The next work shift in the mine is about to begin."
"Finally," Gatrie declared in relief before standing up alongside his wife.
The guards proceeded to unlock their cells and open them. Allowing the three party members into the hall.
"Form a line and keep step!" the Taskmaster commanded. "Disobey and you'll regret it."
They began walking in a line, surrounded on all sides by guards, their chains rattling with every step they took. Despite knowing full well this was a game, Asuna couldn't help but feel slightly anxious about this. The immersion factor was real as far as this part was concerned. For just the briefest moment, she almost forgot where she was and legitimately started worrying about her friends. But of course, as soon as she started worrying, one of the NPCs would blurt out one of its clearly scripted lines and she could rest easy knowing they weren't in any legitimate danger.
If the scripted NPC dialogue didn't make it obvious enough, Merida and Gatrie's goofy as all hell roleplaying helped to completely destroy any sense of legitimate danger Asuna might have felt.
"Oh Darling, what ever shall we do?" Merida spoke in a falsetto while clutching her shackled wrists to her chest. "Imprisoned for crimes we did not commit. How could this world be so cruel to a pair of newlyweds?"
"Fear not, my Love," Gatrie declared, trying damn hard not to crack up in the process. "For our vows shall triumph over all. Even in this darkness."
"Hold me, my Darling," Merida responded dramatically while falling into his arms. "Though they may torture us both, to be without you, only that would be torture."
Asuna couldn't help but chuckle at the display, campy as it was. The three of them were led to another cellblock where the Taskmaster repeated her dialogue and the cells were opened. Two more prisoners in chains walked out, revealing two more members of their party.
"Diavel, Chrys!" Asuna exclaimed happily.
Diavel chuckled in embarrassment before waving, his hands bound just like theirs. "Heya guys. Fancy meeting like this."
"Where's Kirito and the others?" Merida asked while looking around.
"Escaped," Chrys commented matter of factly with a shrug of his shoulders.
"What? They ditched us?" Gatrie sounded slightly alarmed.
Diavel shook his head vehemently. "No. We're already working on an escape plan. But Argo, Pitohui, and Kirito are the only ones in the party with the Lockpicking Skill and high enough Stealth to get past the guards. So the rest of us are gonna have to use an auxiliary route."
Asuna nodded in understanding. "What do we have to do?"
"First we need to get to the mine. I'll explain the rest once we're there."
The Urbus mines were a sprawling labyrinth of tunnels containing veins of different ores ranging from iron, silver, as well as a few veins of gold. While the players imprisoned here couldn't keep any of the ore they retrieved, they could use the mine to level up their Mining Skill as well as the smithing tools provided to craft basic amenities and level up other useful skills as well. Doing so was supposed to reduce their sentence gradually, but that strategy wasn't a luxury any of them could afford.
Upon reaching the entrance to the mines, Asuna and the others passed through a gated checkpoint where their shackles were removed. They were then lined up in a single file whereupon the Taskmaster addressed them.
"Alright Prisoners! Eyes up front!" the Taskmaster demanded. "Since I see some new faces, I'll give you the rundown. This is the Urbus mine. In here, you're expected to earn your keep." She started pacing in front of them as she spoke. "Don't think we'll let you just rest on your laurels. In here, you'll work until you start throwing up smelted bars." She stopped directly in front of Asuna. "You got that?"
She was given a series of prompts to respond with, ranging from polite to outright disrespectful. Asuna couldn't help herself, going with the snarkiest one she could find.
"Sorry, I'm a little deaf in this ear. Could you perchance speak louder, Miss?" she responded with a cheeky grin. The rest of her party snickered at the fencer's choice of response.
The Taskmaster scowled at her horribly. "Don't get smart with me, Runt. In here, I'm in charge. Keep it up and I'll have your tongue cut out."
Okay, try as she might to write this off as just a game. That one did actually unnerve her. Asuna turned to her friends.
"Can she do that?"
"I'm not sure," Diavel admitted. "But is that really a theory you want to test?"
Asuna chuckled nervously. "Maybe not."
"Alright! Open her up!" the Taskmaster commanded. Whereupon the wrought iron gate leading into the mine creaked open and the group was ushered inside. The gate closed and locked behind them, leaving the five party members to their own devices within the mine.
"Okay, we only have a few hours to set this plan in motion," Diavel declared. "Kirito gave me the rundown of everything we need to do to fix this."
"I still can't believe we're stuck in here," Gatrie admitted while shaking his head. "Even removed from the party, Coper is still causing us nothing but trouble."
They all chuckled.
"So what's the plan?" Asuna asked.
"According to Kirito, the NPCs in here will mostly ignore us so long as we don't draw a weapon on them or try to go somewhere we're not supposed to be. So we're free to meander about however we need to," Diavel began to explain. "There's an auxiliary exit that leads to a cave system in the back of the mines. But it's blocked off by an iron gate that's always guarded."
"Okay? So how does that help us, exactly?" Chrys asked.
Diavel grinned at him. "Kirito is working on getting us that key. Meanwhile, Argo and Pitohui will retrieve our confiscated equipment for us. Once they've done that, they'll sneak through the city and into the cave. Where they'll meet us on the other side of the door. All we have to do is lure the guard away from the door before they get there."
"So how do we do that?" Gatrie asked.
Diavel turned to Merida. "What level is your Charm Skill at?"
Asuna was actually enjoying herself mining ore and watching her skill rise. Chrys even offered to teach her a bit about smithing but ultimately she declined. There was no way Asuna was gonna be able to wrap her head around all those skills for it to be practical. But maybe if she got better at mining ore, she could get discounts on her gear by providing the raw materials. At least it was something for her to do while they waited to execute the plan. Asuna had just finished delivering a load of ore to the smelter when Diavel came and tapped her on the shoulder.
"You ready to get out of here?" he asked with a slick grin on his face.
She nodded happily. "I'm ready when you are."
Diavel gestured with his head for her to follow. "Then right this way. Merida should be setting up as we speak."
"So how is this gonna work exactly?" Asuna asked as they began walking towards the back of the mine.
"There's a type of skill known as Persuasion that has multiple subsets such as Intimidate, Inspire, or in this case, Charm. As it so happens, Merida is something of an expert when it comes to Persuasion."
Asuna chuckled at that. "Well...she does already have Gatrie wrapped around her little finger."
He laughed. "The skill only works on NPCs. Not that I think Merida would have much trouble persuading anyone." Diavel shot her a slick grin. "You'd make a pretty good Charmer yourself. Lord knows you've already charmed me."
Asuna turned away and blushed before shoving him gently. "Stop…"
He snickered at her. "Sorry, force of habit."
They made their way to the back of the mine where Merida and the others were waiting for them. A couple yards away, an iron gate stood between them and freedom. A single guard standing in front of it.
"Are we set?" Diavel asked.
She nodded. "I'm ready to go when you guys are."
"According to the last message I got from Kirito, he and the girls should already be on the other side of the gate. Once we take care of the guard, then they'll get the door open. Merida, are you ready to go?"
"Mhmm!" she responded in a chipper voice. "Just give me the word."
He nodded. "Alright. Gatrie, get into position. Merida, do your thing."
The two lovers kissed each other for luck, whereupon Gatrie ran to an empty room and hid in the corner. Meanwhile, Merida took center stage, fixed her hair and sauntered up to the guard. He immediately scowled sourly upon seeing her approach.
"This area is restricted, Prisoner. Get back to work."
Merida twirled a lock of her hair through her fingers and batted her lashes at him while swaying her chest. "I'm sorry to bother you, Good Sir. I just thought that maybe you'd like some company?"
After a tense moment, the guard's expression finally relaxed into a lecherous grin. "Well...why not? I could use a bit of distraction."
Merida took him by the hands and began leading the guard away. Asuna meanwhile, poked her head out from the corner she was hiding behind.
"So what happens now?"
Diavel placed a finger over his mouth. "Shhh. Keep it down."
She clasped a hand over her mouth and whispered. "Sorry."
"It's alright. This is just the most delicate part of the process," he explained. "As she lures him away, his suspicion meter is going to slowly start to fill. Now, given how high her Charm Level is, it won't fill up quite as fast as with most, but outside noise could cause it to rise faster. Once it hits maximum, he'll draw his sword and attack."
Asuna bit her lower lip, already she was feeling nervous for her friend. Off in the distance, Merida kept her eyes firmly locked to the guards. Monitoring the progress of the suspicion gauge from the periphery of her vision as she slowly lured him into the room where her husband was lying in wait.
Suddenly, the guard stopped, his eyes narrowing sharply. "Wait a minute, where are you taking me?"
"Uh oh." Diavel gulped. "Skill check. This could be bad…"
Despite the guard's sudden suspicion, Merida remained cool as a cucumber. She offered the guard a dazzling smile before swaying her chest tantalizingly for him.
"There's something I want to show you, Sir. Something in private."
Another moment passed and the guard finally smiled again. "So it's like that, huh? Very well. I'll play along."
The party visibly relaxed, all of them sighing in relief as Merida continued to guide him into the room. When she finally managed to lure him to the spot they'd picked out, Merida slowly removed the guard's helmet. Whereupon Gatrie made his move. He slipped out of hiding and slapped on a chokehold, using his high Strength Stat to slowly knock the guard out cold. He stopped struggling in Gatrie's vice like grip before going completely limp.
Merida hopped up and down excitedly while clapping her hands together. "Ahh! I did it! Did you see me, Baby?"
Gatrie grinned at her. "Are you kidding? I couldn't tear my eyes away from you if I tried."
She giggled at him before posing. "Do I make a sexy distraction, Darling?"
He pulled her in by her waist and kissed her fiercely. "The sexiest, my Love."
Diavel, who was now standing in the entrance to the room, cleared his throat abruptly. "Hate to interrupt, but that status effect you put on the guard won't last forever. We should probably get moving."
With the guard disposed of the group made their way to the iron gate. A figure clad in black armor and a matching trench coat approached from the other side, an approving smile on his face.
"Kirito!" Asuna beamed at him.
"I see you managed to get rid of the guard," he observed, clearly impressed.
Diavel nodded. "Did you manage to get it?"
Kirito smirked at him before pulling an iron key from his trenchcoat. He passed the key to Asuna through the bars who quickly unlocked the gate and swung it open.
"Come on everyone, let's go!" she waved for them to follow.
"Freedom!" Gatrie declared happily. "Man, it tastes so sweet!"
Argo opened her inventory, whereupon a large brown sack appeared on her shoulder which she immediately slung to the ground, glad to be rid of the extra weight. "You just had to pick the heaviest loadout in the game, didn't you Gatrie. I had to dump off a lot of loot just to lug this around."
He chuckled awkwardly before opening the sacks inventory and retrieving his gear. Dawning his heavy armor, axe, and shield once more. After they escaped from the mine, the group took a moment to regain their lost equipment. Which Pitohui and Argo had meticulously snuck through the guards barracks to find. Picking open the confiscated items chest and snatching everything that was taken from them. They then had to meticulously make their way out of the city before fighting their way through the monsters in the cave they now stood in. All things considered, Asuna felt she drew the long straw for this assignment.
After opening the sack's inventory, Asuna selected the item marked confiscated gear whereupon all her items were returned to her. She quickly requipped her armor and rapier, glad to be free of those prison rags.
"Okay, so we escaped the prison. Now what?" Chrys asked.
Diavel was about to answer when a thought occurred to him. "I...have no idea." He turned to their most experienced player. "What's the plan now, Ki? We may not be in prison anymore but our notoriety level means we can't teleport to the Town of Beginnings. We're still gonna miss the End of Beta Event."
Kirito shook his head. "Not necessarily. All we have to do is reset our notoriety levels before the event ends."
"Bribing a corrupt official is out of the question now. The cost alone is more than we could afford," Diavel insisted.
"And none of us are strong enough to do any of those super risky assasination quests either," Chrys mentioned. "If we get killed, we'll just end up in the Black Iron Prison and be right back to square one."
"Any bright ideas then?" Gatrie asked with a shrug.
Kirito turned to Argo, who grinned knowingly at them. "There's another way."
They all perked up in intrigue at her comment.
"Every city has a thieves den," she explained. "It's basically a place where players who like to get into trouble but not too much trouble gravitate to."
"So it's like a criminal haven?" Asuna guessed.
She shook her head. "Not exactly. Thieves dens won't let you in if your notoriety score is too high. They're not really meant for player killers." Argo then added with a grin. "Just those of us who occasionally like to get into a bit of mischief."
"Certain crimes only affect your notoriety score if you get caught," Diavel explained. "Player killing will always affect your score, but smaller crimes like theft and smuggling can be done by green players without turning them orange. So there's a little more wiggle room there."
"Thieves and smugglers are considered to be a more honorable form of criminal than bandits and murderers," Argo continued. "For that reason, each major city has a thieves den where players who want to become career thieves or smugglers can gather to make connections and fence stolen or smuggled goods. If you get good enough at it, the thieves dens will even offer unique services. Such as, say...a master forger who can write us a full letter of pardon that will instantly reset our notoriety scores back to zero."
Diavel chuckled at her. "Now we're talking. Lead the way our feisty little cat burglar."
She rolled her eyes at him. "Oh yeah, like I've never heard that one before."
"There's one more thing we'll need," Kirito declared before going into his inventory and pulling out a pile of cloaks. "Everyone put one of these on."
"What good will these do?" Asuna asked as he passed cloaks out to each of them.
"Equipping these will conceal your identity. Making it more difficult for guards to spot you," he explained. "That said, because we did just escape from prison, this city will be on high alert for us. So they'll be looking into any suspicious characters. We'll need to move carefully. Asuna, you'll want to stick with me."
They each equipped a cloak and threw the hood over their heads. Upon concealing her head with her own hood, Asuna noted she'd incurred the Anonymity passive effect.
"Is everyone ready?" Kirito asked.
They all nodded, their faces obscured by the hoods of their cloaks. With all of them set to go, Kirito dawned his infamous assassin's mask, concealing his own identity as well before leading them out of the cave.
Kirito's party was playing a dangerous game here. They understood that perfectly well. As it was explained to Asuna, they were essentially breaking a cardinal rule of surviving as an orange player. That rule being, never under any circumstances re-enter a city you just finished busting out of jail from.
Whenever a player, or group of players, managed to escape from a city's prison, the city was thrown into high alert. Essentially, this was a temporary status in which the city's guard presence was effectively doubled, during which time the escaped convicts would be searched for by the garrison. It was always a far better idea to simply get out while you could, whereupon the city's alert status would return to normal after twenty four hours in game.
But time wasn't a luxury they had. Not if they wanted to fully enjoy the end of Beta. Getting a letter of pardon was the best shot they had at fixing their notoriety scores, which meant they had to get to Urubus City's thieves den.
This was a lot easier said than done. As Asuna was quick to find out, walking through a city that was actively trying to hunt you down wasn't like taking a stroll through the park. You were constantly in danger of being spotted by the guards. At which point, there wouldn't be any second chances. They would attack, and the party would be wiped out.
The situation was dicey enough as is, which was why the party decided to split up into groups of two. With Kirito and Asuna sticking together. The Black Swordsman helped guide the much more inexperienced fencer through the city. Teaching her how to use the games Blend mechanic to walk through the streets unnoticed.
"When trying to avoid your pursuers, discretion is key," Kirito explained to her as they walked through a crowd of people. "You have to be able to walk through the streets freely, seen yet unseen. Blending in with the crowd."
As they walked through the crowd of people on the busy street, Asuna noted that she'd acquired a new passive effect in addition to Anonymity. Blend.
"As long as you're in a group of people while wearing a cloak, hood, or mask, you'll blend in," he continued. "Meaning you'll be invisible to guards."
The crowd began to disperse and the Blend effect vanished.
"Without the Blend effect, however, you'll immediately go back to being detectable," he cautioned.
Sure enough, a group of guards rounded the corner of the street and one of them spotted Asuna. A yellow suspicion bar appeared above his head that slowly began to fill the closer he got to her.
"Over here." Kirito waved her over to a nearby stool. Whereupon they both sat down. Once again, the Blend effect returned to her HUD. The guard's suspicion bar slowly decreased before vanishing entirely. He left with the rest of his contingent, passing right by them in the process. Asuna breathed a sigh of relief as they passed.
"As you can see, sitting on benches also gives you the Blend effect," he explained. "There are other ways too. Hiding in hay bales, barrels, certain bushes. Always be on the lookout for good hiding spots."
"God, this is tense." She was clearly on edge. "It feels like I've got eyes on me everywhere."
"We're wanted fugitives," Kirito insisted. "This city will remain on high alert until it's satisfied we've either escaped or are dead."
"Is there anything we can do?" she asked candidly.
He nodded before standing back up and blending in with the crowd again. "We need to reset the city's alert status if we want to enter the thieves den. Right now we've got too much heat on us for that to happen."
"So how do we reset the city's alert status?" she asked while following him.
He pointed above his head. "Check your HUD. Next to the health bar, you should see a red icon."
Asuna checked her HUD. Sure enough, there was a small red circular icon with the image of an eyeball emblazoned upon it. She noted that a sliver of the icon appeared to have been faded, as if a small pie shaped piece had been removed.
"That icon indicates the city's present alert status in regards to you. Until it's decreased to zero again, the city will remain on high alert. The thieves den won't open for you and the city guard will continue to hunt you."
She nodded in understanding. "Alright, so how do we decrease this alert status thing without simply having to wait?"
"We can expedite the process by doing one of three things," he explained while holding up three fingers. "First, there are wanted posters of us put up all throughout the city. Tearing them down will decrease the city's alert status." Kirito pointed towards one a few yards away. "There's one over there. Tear it down, but be discreet. If a guard sees you doing it, it'll instantly alert them to your presence."
"Right." Asuna left the crowd before walking briskly up to the wall in question. Upon seeing the wanted poster up close, she noted that it bore her likeness almost eerily well. After glancing over her shoulder to check for guards, Asuna proceeded to tear down the poster, whereupon it vanished into light particles.
"Not a very flattering image anyway," she commented before rejoining Kirito in the crowd. Upon blending in, she noted that tearing down the poster barely seemed to scratch the city's alert status.
"This is going to take forever even if we all pitch in," she insisted. "Is there anything else we can do?"
Kirito nodded before rounding the corner and entering a new crowd. "This way."
She followed him. Whereupon they arrived at a small square where a man was addressing a group of people on a wooden podium.
"Evil haunts our fair city! Convicts have escaped the prison and now stalk our streets! We must aid our most honorable watchmen in casting out these demons! They must be put to death with all haste!"
"Who's that guy?" Asuna asked Kirito from the crowd below.
"He's a town herald," he explained. "It's their job to distribute news to the citizens of the city."
She quirked a brow at the preachy NPC. "He doesn't seem to be a very big fan of ours."
"That's about to change."
Before she could ask, Kirito made his way through the crowd before stepping up onto the podium. The herald regarded him warily, whereupon Kirito whispered something into his ear before slipping him a small bag of cor. With their business concluded, he hopped down off the podium and the herald began talking about something else entirely.
Asuna smirked at him knowingly. "A bribe."
He nodded in confirmation. "If your Persuasion Skill is high enough you can bribe the town heralds to stop denouncing your name. Which will also decrease the city's alert status."
She checked the icon again. Sure enough, it had decreased noticeably more than just tearing that wanted poster down. Yet still, they had a long way to go.
"If we all pitch in, we should have this thing cleared in no time," she spoke enthusiastically.
"There is one more thing we can do," he spoke in a slightly more hushed tone. "Killing a public official who bears false testimony against us will greatly decrease the city's alert status. But it has to be done with utmost secrecy."
She quirked a confused brow at him. "Hold up. Wouldn't killing more NPCs just increase our notoriety?"
He shook his head. "Not in this case. These officials falsely claim they witnessed us committing crimes we had nothing to do with. They traded dignity for coin and will not be missed by the general population."
Asuna nodded in understanding. "How will we know where to find one?"
"My Tracking Skill is high enough to spot them." He looked around. "But finding them in a city this size will still be difficult."
"So what's the plan from here?"
"We comb the city," he answered. "While I look for an official to assassinate, you keep tearing down wanted posters. With any luck, the others will already be doing the same. So this shouldn't take too long." His voice suddenly became serious. "Just whatever you do, don't get caught. Not only will that increase the city's alert status, but the guards will instantly go on the attack."
"What should I do if that happens?" she asked nervously.
"If a guard makes your identity, just run," he insisted. "Try to break their line of sight and find a hiding place. A bench, a haystack, anything."
Understanding what she had to do, Asuna began making her way through the crowd alongside Kirito. The more she Blended the more Asuna noted her Stealth Skill was increasing. A fringe benefit of being on the lamb in such a way, she guessed.
As they walked the streets together, Asuna tore down every wanted poster she came across. After roughly thirty minutes of doing this, she noted that they were still a little over halfway to where they needed to be. During this time, Kirito turned his Tracking Skill on, causing his eyes to glow that eerie neon yellow color again. After a bit more walking, he came to a stop.
"There's an official." He pointed to a random NPC wearing blue trousers and a vest over silk pantaloons. "Stay here while I take care of him."
She nodded in understanding. Whereupon Kirito drew a small ebon dagger from his belt and began slowly making his way behind the NPC. Asuna bit her thumb nervously in anticipation as he kept a low profile, stalking his quarry like a well honed killing machine. Off in the distance, she spotted a wanted poster. Asuna ran over and tore it down.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"
Panic swarmed her senses as an alarm began to blare on her HUD. She turned sharply to the right to see that a contingent of guards had drawn their swords and were about to charge. She'd been made!
A couple yards away, Kirito was inches from driving his blade into the official's back when all pandemonium broke out. NPCs began to flee the area as an alarm bell blared through the city. Kirito looked up at his HUD to see the city's alert status had gone back up to seventy five percent. Thinking fast, he plunged his dagger into the officials back before he had a chance to take off. Decreasing it down to twenty five percent. He then dashed towards Asuna, who was slowly backing away from the guards.
Asuna tripped backwards and fell on her bottom. The elite enemies looming over her, their stats too high for her to even see. As they descended upon her, Kirito jumped in front of Asuna and pulled a small round object from his coat. He threw it on the ground, whereupon they became enveloped in a plume of noxious smoke. The guards began to cough and flail around aimlessly, impaired by multiple status effects at once.
"Run!" Kirito shouted before drawing his sword and charging the guards.
Her feet acted on their own and stood Asuna back up, whereupon she began running in the opposite direction. Ignoring the sound of steel clashing against steel in the background. Running purely on instincts she didn't even know she possessed.
As the sound of fighting faded into the distance, Asuna turned sharply to the right and fled down a smaller alleway. Whereupon she felt her legs start to go numb, as if weighed down by sandbags. She finally stopped to take a break, leaning over and gasping for breath, her lungs burning from the exertion. That damn alarm still blaring over her HUD.
"This way! After her!"
Asuna gasped upon hearing the unmistakable sound of metal boots clanking against the stone road. Thinking fast she quickly ducked into another, even smaller alley and continued to run. Her legs started to go numb again, feeling more like lead weights at this point. Until at last she was forced to come to a stop.
"What on earth is going on?" she spoke allowed, before finally noticing the empty green bar just below her health bar screaming at her with its blinking light alarm.
If she had to guess, that meant she was out of stamina. Asuna had been dead sprinting that entire time to get away, and though she managed to gain some distance, her legs now felt like they had cement blocks strapped to them. She began desperately looking around for a place to hide. A basket, or a bench, or anything. But nothing around her looked familiar. And trying to hobble around on her cement block legs right now wasn't getting her anywhere. Her stamina bar was taking its sweet time to refill, and the sound of metal boots gaining on her increased in decibel with every frantic turn of her head she made.
Suddenly, Asuna was snatched by a surprisingly strong grip. She squealed in surprise before being pulled into a small shed.
"Hey! What are you-Mmph!"
Her words were cut off by a firm hand clasping sharply over her mouth. "Shhh, keep your voice down. They'll hear you."
Upon recognizing the voice of the one holding her tightly by the waist, she stopped squirming in his grip and went wide eyed.
"Dyuvuhul?" She mumbled through his hand.
He shushed her again before finally removing his hand from her lips, his gaze narrowed sharply on the small crack in the shed's double doors.
"Search the area! Find her!"
Outside, the guards had finally caught up and were now searching the area. The alarm on Asuna's HUD had gone from a loud blaring beeping noise to a dull pulsing sound, its color turning from red to yellow.
"No sign of the criminal here," one guard declared before sheathing his sword.
"Must have gone somewhere else."
"They got away. For now."
One by one they called off the search and sheathed their weapons. When the last of the guards finally left, the alarm on Asuna's HUD vanished entirely. With the immediate threat gone, she suddenly became glaringly aware of the way Diavel was holding her. His arm tightly gripping her waist. Her back pressed firmly against him. Her butt...somewhere else. Asuna's face heated up like a thermometer and her heart started beating incredibly fast in her chest.
Diavel breathed a sigh of relief. "That was a close one. For a second there I thought our goose was cooked."
"Umm...you can let me go now," she murmured quietly, her face scarlet.
"Huh?" He looked down at where his hands were. When it finally dawned on him what he was doing Diavel quickly let her go.
"Oh! Oh man, I'm so sorry Asuna," Diavel apologized profusely.
She quivered slightly in embarrassment while desperately trying to get the redness in her face under control. "It's...it's alright."
While she pulled herself together, Diavel peeked outside of the shed. "We'll need to stay here for a minute until the coast is clear, but I think we should be alright."
"Where's Chrys? I thought the two of you were together," she finally managed to ask after turning around in the small cramped quarters.
"We got seperated in the crowd," he explained. "When I heard the city's alarm bell start ringing I fled in here."
"That was my fault," Asuna admitted while hanging her head shamefully. "I tried to tear down a wanted poster and a guard spotted me."
He smiled at her before placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it happens. What's important is you got out of there alive."
She smiled at him, her cheeks turning red again. A tense silence filled the air, whereupon they both turned away, clearing their throats abruptly.
The awkward moment was broken as a thought occurred to her. "Wait a minute, what about Kirito?"
"I can still see his health bar, so it looks like he's fine."
She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness...I was really worried when he took on those guards."
Diavel chuckled and shook his head. "Even as grossly overleveled as those guards are, a player like Kirito could still hold his own. At least enough to get away. He'll be alright."
She nodded. "Good…"
Another tense silence followed. Despite him having let her go, they were still uncomfortably close to each other given the cramped nature of the small wooden shed they were sharing.
"So...still having fun?" he asked in an awkward manner.
"Y...yeah," she replied meekly.
He chuckled nervously and then cleared his throat. "Good. That's...good."
Yet another silence followed. The tension was so thick they could cut it with a butter knife.
"Can I ask you something?" Diavel finally spoke.
"Sure…"
"I overheard Merida say you're not wearing an avatar, is that true?"
Her heart skipped in her chest. "Umm…"
"Hey, it's cool if you don't wanna tell me. Law of Nunya and all that." He chuckled awkwardly.
"N...no. No." She shook her head assuredly, her cheeks turning slightly pink again. "I don't mind you asking. It's true. I'm not wearing an avatar."
Diavel considered her more thoughtfully, seemingly becoming flustered by this piece of information.
"Can I assume then...that Asuna is your real name, too?"
She nodded shyly, biting her lower lip. "It is…"
After a moment of silence, he spoke again. "Wow…"
She shut her eyes tight, going scarlet. "Is it really that weird?"
"No it's just…" He shook his head in disbelief. "...I wish I was half as brave as you."
Asuna looked up at him, her heart starting to beat madly in her chest. "What do you mean?"
"Well half of this game's appeal is the anonymity aspect," Diavel admitted. "You can be whatever you want to be. Yet...you seem pretty comfortable in your own skin."
A small smile formed on her lips. "I guess that's because I am."
"Well...it's inspiring to see."
She remained silent, turning her gaze away and biting her lower lip as if considering something.
"The thing is, I've been meaning to thank you," he continued in a low tone. Displaying an uncharacteristic level of shyness. "I know we haven't known each other for very long, but our little group already feels a lot...closer because of you. Especially in regards to Kirito."
Asuna slowly looked back into his eyes and leaned up on her tiptoes, subconsciously getting herself closer to him.
"I just wanted to say...these past few days have been really..."
The door to the shed flew open and Asuna screamed like a little girl, flailing her arms sporadically before hiding behind them. Chrys blinked at her in bewilderment before shifting his gaze to Diavel. A look of permanent confusion on his face.
"Are you guys okay?" he finally thought to ask.
"Yeah!" Diavel scratched the back of his head while laughing nervously. "Yeah, we're great! No problems here."
Again, Chrys just stared at him. Completely at a loss for words. Finally, he pointed down the street.
"Coast is clear. I thought we might start looking for the others."
"Great idea!" Asuna insisted before bolting out of the shed.
"Onwards and upwards!" Diavel declared before bolting as well.
Chrys watched as they took off. His eyes narrowed at them both consideringly.
What is with those two?