For once, the landscape proved to be quite pleasant. Even though today's exertions took me to the 20th Floor as a favour to our friends in «Last Remnant», our forested surroundings didn't blot out the high sun. The forest canopy and foliage wasn't as tightly packed as those we had travelled through on the 3rd and 8th Floors of Aincrad, and I found the warm rays of an afternoon sun quite invigorating! I had to admit that this was a welcome change. Although I had enjoyed the «Elf War» campaign quests, specifically the early chapters, the prevailing mist of the 3rd Floor had quite annoyed me, and that was before I even recalled the 8th Floor.
Those suspended bridges- No, not going there! I've had enough of bridges. And death-inducing falls from said bridges. No, no! Moving on.
It was a lovely change of pace to be out in the sun, with a pleasant breeze kissing my cheek, rather than moist mist or high winds that would likely cause wind burn in the real world. Or heights. NO! No more thinking about that. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts. Think happy thoughts. Warm apple tart with cream on the side and custard. Playing with my cats. Kicking Arashi in the shin. Venice, on the canal, with a setting sun. I exhaled, felt my calm return, and smiled.
"Asuka!"
"Yeah?"
Risa was the woman who addressed me. In the intervening weeks she had replaced the «Medium Metal Armour» Kishi had referred to as the «Tortoise Shell» with an impossibly protective piece of armour I could best describe as a chain mail bikini top. From the waist down she wore shiny bronze that gleamed in the sunlight, that covered every inch of skin, but how in the name of all creation anyone could look at the top portion and think "yeah, that'll protect me" was utterly beyond me. If the walking talking testosterone gauge that was Johnny could see side-boob, then it was highly inappropriate. And this was one of our Tanks! Suffice to say I felt far more comfortable and at ease when I stood behind the giant Benkei, whose armour was «Heavy Metal».
"We'll be leaving in five!"
"Okay! I'll be along shortly."
We were currently making our way through the «Sunshine Forest» for the third time, which was a dungeon location on the 20th Floor. As usual the five-person «Last Remnant» guild were out running the various dungeons for eventual inclusion in their "Dungeon Delver's series", which was a factual strategy guide they sold to fellow players. The series covered dungeons usually eschewed by the front-line community, and thus weren't included in Argo's own strategy guides, and had been marketed recently as a compliment to Argo's established guides. In addition, they were quite expansive and covered information ranging from monsters and accepted strategies to overcome them, known monster drops including rare items, whether certain chests restocked after a set period of time, secret areas, traps and the stats and Skills necessary to avoid them, lore mentions, and quests that used said dungeon as a location and what quests these were. My job, as you'll recall, was to help with trap detection and avoidance, and I was making notes on that very subject which would be handed over to Alisaie when Risa had called over to me.
With my points jotted down, I jogged over to my party.
"Ready."
«Stay... behind... me.» Benkei said to me, signing in sign-language. «You don't… like insects.»
«Thank you, Benkei.»
He really was a sweetheart.
As Benkei had alluded to, the prevalent monster encounter in the «Sunshine Forest» was a Bug-type creature identified in-game as a «Killer Mantis», which was big, and green, and - to quote Arashi - downright fugly. These monsters skittered about on four spider-like legs and attacked with two limbs I could best describe as scythe-like, so you can imagine my reaction considering I disliked anything bug-like on account of my real-life allergies. Damnable insects! Why was it always insects!? Ugh. Still, they gave good experience and cor: 352 EXP and 190 cor respectively, so we made a point of beating down each one we encountered, just to be thorough. Oh, goodie! That said, it wasn't as if the «Killer Mantis» was the sole creature to be found in these forests. Just like any forest there was no shortage of critter, fantastical or not, to be found, with one in particular being of particular note. This creature was known as a «Canim Stalker».
It wasn't quite a werewolf, which I was quite familiar with thanks to their prevalence in film and television, and it wasn't quite a man, either. It was certainly anthropomorphic, but it looked altogether more human than I would expect for a werewolf. After our first run through the dungeon and I had returned to my own guild for the night, I had asked Kishi about it. As usual, he was able to cast some light on the subject.
We had talked about it over our evening dinner.
"You said they were called Canim?" I could see flashes of nostalgia reflected in those green eyes. These were happy memories. "Hmm, sounds like Kayaba's borrowed from more than just myths and legends when he crafted this lovely floating castle of his."
"How do you mean?" I asked.
"Well, have you ever read Codex Alera? The first book was released back in 2004, with the sixth dropping a little later; in 2009, if I remember right. Back in our school days Arashi and I ran a tabletop RPG using its setting. The Canim were a race of walking-talking wolves, who happened to be vicious fighters. I role-played one, actually."
He looked momentarily sad, though I couldn't be sure how much of it was feigned on account of Sword Art Online's tendency to exaggerate emotion. Still, it seemed feigned.
"Rest in peace Lupin." He exclaimed finally.
Feigned. Called it!
"... You stole that from Harry Potter!"
He managed to look momentarily shocked, as if the whole idea of him stealing the name of a fantasy character was preposterous! That was when he shrugged his shoulders.
"... Guilty, as usual."
"... Why did I have to fall for such a geek?" I whispered.
"Say what now?" He asked, an alarmed look falling across his face.
"Never you mind!"
I had to marvel at Kishi's knowledge sometimes though. Sure, it mostly concerned games and books, and things connected by games and books, but he certainly knew his stuff in that limited field. He also had a few surprising anecdotes about life in general, though I'd never tell him that. His head was big enough as it was, and I feared that if it got any bigger we'd never fit him through a dungeon door again.
"What exactly did this Canim do, anyway?" He asked.
"It was no vicious fighter." I admitted. "Sorry, but it was rather weak. Lupin would likely have been very annoyed. This one ran about with a cloak, almost hunched over, like it was scurrying about looking for something. It did drop this though."
He reverted to a child marvelling over the latest new toy.
"Oh, shiny!" He exclaimed with a childish clap of his hands.
"You're doing this on purpose now, aren't you?"
"Maybe."
What I materialized was a weapon-set that was a sub-category of «One-handed Dagger» known in-game as «Hidden Blade», but it had some extra conditions attached to its usability. For one, you needed the aforementioned Skill equipped in addition to «Martial Arts» which, in a way, made it similar to the case presented by Benkei's «Flail» and Ryne's almost exclusive use of «Chakram». It took the form of two blades mounted on the underside of the wrists, and an additional two blades attached to the sole, with the blade poking out a little ahead of the person's toes. Not very fashionable, sure, but who was I too judge? I was running around with my entire left-arm covered in ugly metal, and Risa had the bare-face to wear a chain-bikini. Don't even get me started on Ryne! This particular example of «Hidden Blade» was called «Obsidian Fang» with the blades seemingly made from roughly cut obsidian stone, blackened, with a reflective and decidedly jagged cutting edge. Since I couldn't equip it I didn't know if it would override the physical appearance of any gloves or boots you wore, but I suspected this to be the case.
Given I had no experience of games before Sword Art Online I was quite pleased by my ability to make educated guesses like that. Again, don't tell Kishi. Big head syndrome.
"Never seen the like in the beta." Kishi admitted, suddenly serious. "I'll message Argo and see what she can turn up about it. If it goes well, it might be a good option for the twins. They've already got «Martial Arts»."
"Right, I'll leave that to you. As for me, I'm calling it a night. We're running the dungeon again tomorrow, but we should all be back for the evening. Maybe we could take it easy, grab something to eat then?"
"It's a date!"
I was brought fully back into the present by Sasakibe.
We had just finished mopping up the last of the monsters and were in the process of finalizing the details of our run. Risa was locked in conversation with Alisaie, no doubt comparing notes, whilst Johnny was contemplating whose backside held more appeal: Alisaie or Risa? He had long ago stopped ogling mine, especially when I let it slip in casual conversation that I was the cause of Arashi's scars and that, as a child, I had a terrible habit of breaking conkers with my father's work tools. When the big guy messaged Arashi for clarification the response paled him significantly, though he never made me privy to the particulars of that message. Regardless, it worked. Johnny, thoroughly fearful for his danglers, returned his unwanted attention to his two real-life friends.
I had far more time for Benkei who, as usual, was quiet, though he always had a big grin for me when I approached him. I had been teaching him sign language you see, as one of my aunts was deaf, and I figured he would benefit should I teach him. Inside dungeons one couldn't communicate using the in-game messaging system - which I was now a master in, I'll have you know - so Benkei was especially put out. The giant was an absolute softy at heart and had been so traumatized by the first day announcement back in November 2022 that he was rendered mute. Even in spite of that the big guy had looked out for me more than he probably should. Those «Killer Mantis» for example? They never so much as glanced in my direction when Benkei was around. His use of «Fighting Spirit» ensured this whilst keeping our HP bars healthy.
«Good work today.» I signed, with deliberate slowness. «I really appreciate it.»
«Thank you... Asuka.»
«I'll drop by tomorrow for lessons.» I added.
«Looking… forward… to it.»
The pauses showed that he still wasn't quite familiar with this new method of communication, but he was really trying hard, and learning fast. He'd be having full-blown conversations with me in no time flat!
My silent conversation with Benkei was interrupted by Sasakibe however.
"Here, this dropped for me earlier." It was another «Obsidian Fang». "You said Kishi thought they'd be ideal for the twins? If so, you'll need two."
"Thanks, they'll be delighted."
Thankfully, having already run this particular dungeon twice before over the last couple days, our journey through the third time took next to no time at all, with it more-or-less being old-hand to us, as Sasakibe would say. There was still plenty of daytime left, of which I was thankful. This was more a fine-tuning kind of run where Alisaie narrowed down everything she needed for her guide than a proper run where we picked the place clean like a scavenger kicking clean an animal's corpse.
Ugh, I've spent too much time around Arashi, lately. What kind of comparison is that!?
"Asuka, dear girl, we can't thank you enough." Sasakibe noted. "Here, and you earned every penny."
I always liked the jangling of a coin purse, but when you used the trade window, it just wasn't the same, as it went directly into my personal funds. Not a word to Shiro! I listen to enough of his jibes about my obsession with treasure.
"Thanks. Let me know when the next run is, okay?"
"Will do!" Alisaie added, before Sasakibe could reply. He looked thoroughly chastised by this rude interjection, and I giggled despite myself. "Well make sure you guys get a copy free of charge!"
I could have done any number of things from there. Kishi, Shiro, the twins, and Ryne were on the Floor below us farming mobs in the labyrinth, whilst Arashi and Jiro were running a few prospective recruits through dungeons on the lower Floors. I think they were in the «Thousand Snake Castle» down on the 10th Floor, but I had to admit to being somewhat unsure. I hadn't taken part in the guild meeting as I had already promised my aid to «Last Remnant».
Instead of joining either group I set my sights elsewhere. You see, I had somewhere more important to be.
Rather than remain on the 20th Floor I opted instead to teleport down to the 11th Floor. I had spent a good deal of time with Kishi and the others lately and I had been neglecting something else, which wasn't particularly well-known even amongst my guild. You see, young Raixas was, at his core, a very shy young man. He may act confident and brave around the twins, especially Sheila, but who doesn't act a little braver than usual when you're trying to impress someone? The truth remained that he was a 13-year-old boy, and the truth remained that he was alone and not used to having someone he could talk to or come to with his problems.
He grew up his grandparents, after all, and they were an entirely different generation. I'm sure they loved him very much but chances are they didn't understand him. Shiro and I had been getting him used to the idea that he could confide in us, so when he asked to meet me away from the others I couldn't refuse him.
«Just finished up with Sasakibe and co. I'll be along shortly.» I messaged, privately.
«Thanks for this.» He replied.
Taft, the premier town of the 11th Floor, was absolutely packed to bursting with two-storey stone buildings and tight little stone streets, which created something of a navigational nightmare. Back when this Floor had first been opened you could barely walk down the street without some arrogant prick from the front-line running his mouth. To be honest, I was amazed the place hadn't gone like London had during the aptly named Great Plague which, of course, led into the great fire. The main difference was cleanliness but keeping people, and buildings, this jam-packed seemed like a bad idea to me. In addition to the tightly-packed nature of Taft the town also sported a drainage canal that was, by some fluke of the architecture, concealed from prying eyes. This was what made it appeal to me but only because it made Raixas feel more comfortable.
Raixas, who sat within the shadows with his back against the stone wall, waved at me shyly as I approached.
"Asuka! Thanks for coming."
"No problem." I replied evenly, but I had to know, so I asked. "What's with all the secrecy, though? What's the matter?"
"Well, um, you see… Hmm. This isn't easy to talk about."
One of my pet peeves regarding Sword Art Online - and I touched on this earlier - was the way that the so-called "system" showed emotion, whether it was happiness, sadness, anger, or, in this case, hesitation. I wasn't a gaming genius like Kishi or a programmer for some big tech company like Jiro, so I wasn't even going to pretend that I knew what mechanics made the system act in this way, but the system exaggerated emotion of all kinds. So, even when you consider that he was standing in the shade, when Raixas's face went the colour of a succulent tomato I wasn't sure if he was just that embarrassed, or if the system had exaggerated his response.
I assumed the former and adopted my most understanding tone of voice.
"You can talk to me, Raixas. What is it?"
"... Kishi told me you know all kinds of things." He said, whispering low. Idiot; Kishi, not Raixas. "So I thought you'd be able to help me. Ryne means well, but she would only poke fun, I can't ask the twins without it being awkward, and the guys would only laugh at me."
I doubted that: Raixas had a lot of misconceptions about Kishi and the others, and most of them stemmed from Kishi and Arashi trying to be clever, like telling everyone that Kishi was Sheila and Elise's elder brother. I knew it was a scare tactic for Loki, but come on. It wasn't necessary. But Raixas didn't know them like I did; not yet, at any rate. I didn't really need to kneel down in-front of him. There wasn't a vast difference between us in terms of height, me being a certified short-arse and all. Arashi's words, not mine. I really needed to kick him sometime shortly, only this time it wouldn't be in the shin. But I did so anyway and I cupped his chin delicately between my thumb and index finger and turned his head towards me so that his turquoise eyes looked right at me.
"Raixas, you can tell me anything."
This was it: a genuine trust or don't trust moment, and I was delighted when the dice landed on trust.
"... Would you teach me how to dance?"
Wasn't expecting that, of all things.
"That's it? That's what all the secrecy was about?" He nodded twice. "Oh, Raixas."
He looked absolutely terrified! You know, when I got back I was going to give all of them in «Brightscale» a damn good talking too. He was on the verge of running, his lip was trembling, and his small frame was shaking. What kind of experiences had this boy had in the past that he couldn't feel comfortable asking someone a question like that? Then it struck me - and I kicked myself for not realizing it sooner. Sheila had mentioned off-hand that he disliked his hair; something about only his grandparents complimenting him on it. She had also mentioned how he spoke about bullies when he defended her against that idiot Loki, and how angry he sounded.
He had been the victim of bullying himself in the past, pure and simple, and he was still struggling with it. This was a matter of trust and building up his own self-confidence.
"I assume that this is for your «Dancing» Skill, right?" I asked.
He looked stunned. He was probably wondering when the jibes would begin, poor boy.
"... Partly." He answered, still whispering. "The «Pre-Motions» use actual dance moves, and the only one I've been able to work out on my own has been «Healing-waltz». And it's been so useful! There's so much more I could do with it. But I don't know what a box step or a feather step is. It was bad enough figuring out a heel turn!"
I sensed something… I don't know… deeper. So I encouraged him to share.
"... My grandmother says that she met my grandfather on the dance floor. And, well, I thought it would make me feel closer to them, somehow, now that we're stuck here."
Everyone, no matter their age, yearns for their parents - or their equivalents - comfort in times of duress. That was a universal truth.
"... I can dance, and I'd love to teach you. On one condition."
He looked terrified again and this time I hugged him, and when I spoke I did so softly in his ear.
"Don't be afraid of talking to me, even about embarrassing things. I promise I'll listen and if I can help, then I'll do it. Even when we clear this game, and we're back in the outside world, you can talk to me. Okay? Have we got a deal?"
I felt his arms tighten around me.
"We do!"
I reneged on my planned evening with Kishi - firing him off a quick message of apology, mind you - and instead took Raixas out for a meal down on the 2nd Floor after our first dance lesson, which had run almost three hours. It was the strangest dance experience I had ever had in all my life; there we both were, stepping through sludge and dirt, obscured all the while by the shadow of Taft's drainage ditch. If this had happened in the real world we'd be covered from heard-to-toe in dirt and grime, and would certainly have smelled rather ripe. There was indeed some benefits to the virtual world.
He didn't know where I was taking him and looked thoroughly confused when I led him through the back alleys and side-streets of Urbus.
Either he hadn't spent a great deal of time in the main town of the 2nd Floor when the Floor had opened up, or he had just genuinely missed it, but I took him to the same establishment that Kishi had taken me to back when I could rightly be called green-as-grass. What was it Arashi had called me? Oh, yeah! A noob. «Moo Moo Milk», if you remember, was the Italian-themed restaurant that sold the aptly called «Moo Moo Cheesecake». This was the food item that gave the damage-over-time buff that lasted for 24 hours.
This was a new one on him, which I had fully expected.
"I never knew this place existed!" Raixas exclaimed. "Oh, it's Italian. Sweet!"
"I suggest you save room for dessert. I promise you won't be disappointed, even if you dislike the flavour."
The decor hadn't changed, nor had the NPC waiter, and given its location the place was deserted. We were the only customers. It was early March and it didn't take long for darkness to fall, even with the way Aincrad sometimes fudged up the seasons. The lighting was more widespread inside to account for the time of year, but the atmosphere inside was unaffected. In no time flat our salads were before us, followed by our main course of kebabs - they were growing on me, I had to admit - and finally the dessert, which Raixas had allowed me to order for him.
He found the «Moo Moo Cheesecake» rather overwhelming, but admitted that the buff was very useful. That was when I explained the takeaway variant to him.
"Ah, so that's how you always seem to land so many DoT's!" He exclaimed. "I thought you'd found an exploit."
"I'm not Kishi, you know."
It was well into the late evening when we finished our meal and returned to our base on the 19th Floor, but just before we were about to enter the inn Raixas stopped short.
"Asuka… I'd like to thank you for today. Not just the dancing, and the meal, but all of it. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Now come on, it's time you were in bed, young man."
It was probably the easiest time I had ever had convincing a teenager to go to their bed. As he climbed the stairs he met Kishi and Arashi halfway, with the former ruffling his hair. When Kishi reached the bottom he looked at me and smiled.
"He seems to have a spring in his step again." He noted. "Anything you need help with?"
"... No, I think I have everything well in-hand. Expect me to bust some delicate areas over the next few days though."
Even Arashi visibly gulped.