Chapter 9

December 3rd 2022

The science behind how the Nerve Gear work was a mystery to Jayce. Virtual reality was not a new concept and in fact had evolved rapidly over the last ten to fifteen years. This announcement of a brain interface device like the Nerve Gear was beyond expectation. Full immersion within a virtual environment that allowed a complete sensory experience was what it offered. On that level it most assuredly delivered and exceeded all expectation. If only the entirety of the ten thousand users weren't being held hostage.

Jayce took another bite of the bread he was served on the ground floor of the small inn. The fact that it tasted exactly like a loaf of fresh baked bread was what made him start wondering about the Nerve Gear and just how it functioned. Not only the taste, but the texture while chewing it was completely identical to the real world. It made him wonder what else might exist in the game as far as food was concerned. He dared to hope that he would come across a hamburger at least once.

The creaking of wood made him look towards the staircase noticing Jemza slowly descending. He gave her a quick nod before returning back to the bread he was breaking pieces off of and eating. He watched her as she seemed to hesitate before approaching him. His chewing slowed to the point where his mouth all but stopped moving. She seemed torn between joining him or saying something.

"There a problem?" He tried to ask in a more polite tone than normal. After yesterday's dangerous encounter it was time to try and be more vocal with Jemza. Regardless what happened out in the woods, without her he was certain he wouldn't have made it. Her lips tightened as she shifted her weight back and forth.

"Um…" She trailed off looking back towards the stairs. In the real world her actions were similar to a child that had to use the bathroom, but here in Aincrad no such urges existed. He didn't even want to think how his real body was handling that in the real world. In the spirit of turning over a new leaf with his temporary partner he figured it would at least make her laugh.

"Gotta pee?" He was wrong. She stopped fidgeting and stood facing him before stomping forward and grabbing the back of the chair opposite from him.

"No! You…why didn't you wake me up?" Jayce resumed chewing the bread and swallowed it. What was this girl's problem now?

"I wasn't aware you needed me to be your alarm clock. I think you can set something like that up in the system menu." He responded breaking off another piece of bread. Her face was beginning to change from the light pink shade to a darker red. Warning lights began to erupt in Jayce's mind as he noticed her complexion shift. She was very angry about something, and from what little he knew about women he was confident that when angry…stay out of their way.

"Not that! Last night!" Things began to click into place little by little. She wasn't upset that he hadn't woken her up this morning. She was upset he didn't wake her up last night when she fell asleep on his couch. A woman falling asleep in the room of a man she had only met the night before. Jayce dropped the bread on the plate and quickly threw both hands up apologetically.

"It wasn't like that! After you fell asleep I left and purchased a second room. I never went back into that room I swear it." It was the truth. After Jayce put the blanket over her he had debated passing out on the bed, but when he looked back at Jemza who looked so comfortable he didn't have the heart to try and wake her. The same reservation she now was angry about had been on his mind in the moment last night. So, he left the room to her since it was paid through the night and rented out a second for himself.

"You did?" Her features softened dramatically at his explanation which in turn helped to reduce the level of fear rising in his mind. He kept his hands up defensively nodding quickly.

"I'm really sorry I didn't wake you, it's just that you looked so tired. I should have woken you up." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath blowing it out in one go. When she opened her eyes again everything about her seemed to have reverted back to normal.

"Thank you for being a gentleman then." She pulled the chair out and sat down across from him. The NPC waitress came by shortly after she sat down and headed towards the kitchen after Jemza requested the same bread Jayce was eating.

"Are you still alright to lend a hand? If not, we can always go back to the Town of Beginnings." He asked because he wasn't completely sure on if he was ready to brave the forest again. If she had reservations, then he would never go alone.

"Yeah, I'm good. Argo sent me a message this morning. She said if run into any with fruit growing on their bodies, avoid them."

"She say why?" Jemza shook her head and shrugged.

"No, just to avoid them. She seems like a nice girl." Jayce snorted trying not to spit bread everywhere.

"She's an information broker, she'd sell her own stats for the right price." He responded. Jemza smiled and waved at the waitress who set a plate of bread down in front of her before returning her sight back on the man in the hooded cloak.

"Perhaps, but she's still very nice. She didn't charge me anything and even gave you free information last night."

"Or it means that she learned something about you for free and felt like she owed you something to make up for it."

"Ridiculous I only met her last night and barely spoke a word to her." Jayce looked up from the plate so he could look her in the eyes.

"You stayed in my room last night." He pushed himself back having finished the bread and headed for the door. "I'll meet you outside when you're done eating." He left her sitting with her mouth half open. Before he was even out the door she had the system menu open to the messaging tab, furiously typing away at the keyboard to what he assumed would be a message to Argo.

It only took five or so minutes before she shuffled out the door of the inn. Jayce was looking at a sword that a merchant was selling. He handed the blade back to the NPC merchant and approached the white haired girl. She had a downtrodden look and shook her head back and forth a few times before looking up at him.

"That girl is a crook."

"Had to pay her to stay silent didn't you?" Jemza nodded sighing deeply.

"Yes, but not with money." Jayce raised his eyebrows falling in line beside her as she trudged along the path in town.

"Oh? What did she want in return then?" Jemza glanced at him out of the corner of her eye before returning her focus ahead.

"It's personal." Jayce nodded deciding not to press her any further. If it was personal, then it was most assuredly none of his business. Besides this was only their second day together and once this quest was completed they would most likely go their separate ways. There was no reason for her to feel comfortable enough to talk to him about personal matters.

Without saying anything about it to one another they were already walking in the direction of the forest where they could find the Little Nepenthes. It really did feel nice to walk next to someone. It felt even better knowing that he had survived yesterday's encounter after saving Jemza's life. Under the hood he grinned imagining how cool he must have looked diving in front of her heroically. Regardless that he was terrified, and wanted to cry in the moment, now that it was over he allowed himself the moment to mentally pat himself on the back.

He glanced at her as she walked using the edge of the hood to obscure his eyes. She had to be at least twenty years old. Maybe a few years younger than him, but he wasn't sure. Her body looked athletic and the way she walked indicated that she was a very active person. Since the Nerve Gear mapped everyone's real body and faces into SAO it meant that although the girl next to him was a digital recreation, she still looked like this in the real world. Her facial features were also hard to ignore. In a word, Jemza was one of the most beautiful women he'd met. Her eyes were especially striking. Just like right now, it was nearly impossible to look away when she stared back at him.

Just like right now…staring back at him…she could see him. He quickly jerked his head straight so that he was looking towards the forest ahead of them. If there were a way to shrink further into his cloak he would have done so by now. An immense amount of guilt filled his mind at that moment. Jemza was risking her own life to help him on a dangerous quest and he was staring at her like a piece of meat.

"So, Alchemist, are you confident we will be successful today?" The white haired girl asked. Less than a day ago he threw himself in front of her to save her life. The ultimate sacrifice for another person, yet he was still just "Alchemist" to her. Which of course meant that she most definitely noticed him staring at her just minutes ago.

"Ah, yes I'm sure it will go well." He answered her quickly. She nodded stretching her arms high over her head.

"Good. I would like to avoid a repeat of yesterday. Watching you jump in front of me with your arms and legs flailing was like a fish jumping out of water. Not the most graceful spectacle, that's for sure." Jayce tried to cling to the heroic portrayal of himself he had been enjoying before, but her words snuffed it out leaving him walking slower with his mouth hanging open.

"That…that's…"

"Let's go Alchemist we have a sword to earn!" Jemza called from up ahead. Jayce kicked at the ground following along. The price of incurring the ire of a woman was indeed quite steep. A lesson all men learn, sooner or later.