Chapter 15

December 5th, 2022

"It's all your fault!"

"No, please it wasn't!"

"Hit her! Hit her harder!"

"Make her bleed!"

Jemza blinked her eyes letting them adjust to the light in her room. She waited a few moments letting her heart rate return to normal before taking a deep breath and letting it out. Swinging her legs towards the side of the bed she sat up and ran a hand down the front of her shirt. If this were the real world there was no doubt it would be covered in sweat, but here in Aincrad, nothing like that existed.

She could see sunlight beaming down onto the floorboards from the window across from where she sat. A quick glance at the corner of her peripheral vision showed the time as after ten in the morning. Far later than she anticipated sleeping and most likely very late to meet Jayce. There was no indicator of a message and he hadn't knocked on her door which meant either he left without saying anything or was too hesitant to wake her.

After walking across the room she leaned on the frame of the window looking out over the front of the Inn. She giggled and shook her head seeing a man in a black hooded cloak looking around impatiently while he leaned on one of the wooden supports. Swiping an index finger downward she opened the system menu and switched to the Inventory tab.

Moving away from the window she tapped once on the Remove all outer clothing button causing her t-shirt and shorts used for sleeping to disappear from her body. A mirror was situated above a small table nearby and she stood in front of it turning a few inches each way to look over her own body. Bodily injuries and blemishes didn't exist in SAO, but from time to time she felt the self-conscious pull to verify it herself. The Nerve Gear mapped out the entire body of the user which always made her scared just how much the headset could replicate.

Like all the other times she checked before, the girl in the mirror that stared back at her was devoid of any physical flaws. In many ways it was painful looking at her own reflection. It was a constant reminder of what she could have been if things were different. At least here, in Aincrad, none of that mattered. For as long as they were trapped here she could find bits of happiness. With that thought the girl in the mirror who stood in nothing but her underwear smiled with the knowledge that being free from this world would not be coming anytime soon.

Tapping on each piece of equipment and clothing in the Inventory tab materialized them onto Jemza's body. Before long she spun in front of the mirror happily content with how she looked. Her dagger appeared on her waist as she returned to the window looking down at Jayce who continued to fidget impatiently clearly waiting for her. She rested a palm on the glass closing her eyes.

"I guess we all have pasts that haunt us…right?"

Ten minutes later Jemza bounded down the stairs of the Inn two at a time hitting the landing and bouncing off the wall to reverse her momentum and run out the front door. NPC's and players alike within the ground floor of the Inn watched her in confusion until the door slammed shut behind her.

"I'm so sorry, I'm late!" The hooded man turned towards her voice and a look of relief crossed his face.

"We didn't actually set a time so it's no big deal. Next time we can settle on a time." Jemza nodded in agreement looking around at the town. Players and NPC's moved about since it was well into the morning. Shops and Craftsmen were open for business and numerous players poured over the services and wares offered. It seemed like even more players from the first floor had found their way up here overnight.

"Were you waiting long? What time did you get up?"

"Eight." Jemza's head slowly turned towards him her mouth slightly open.

"You ate and everything though right? Maybe went shopping?" Jayce stared back at her blankly as if unsure how to answer her questions.

"No, thought you'd want to eat together." His answer only served to make her stare of disbelief grow larger.

"Have you been waiting here for me? For over two hours?"

"Yep." Her mouth closed and her face turned completely red as if she were holding her breath or a large amount of pressure was building up inside her face.

"Hah! Idiot." If only there were items that allowed pictures to be taken. The look on his face in that moment would have been worthy of capturing. Complete and utter shock with a mixture of dumbfounded was exactly what was splayed across him. Without waiting for a response she marched away swinging her arms enthusiastically, head held high.

"Next time I won't wait then princess." Jayce muttered from behind as he caught up to her.

"Was that sarcasm I detected? Dare I say that you are joking around and being funny? Who are you and what have you done with the real Jayce?" Jemza spun walking backwards pointing her finger accusingly at him.

"What's the plan then? We won't have any real information on this floor for another day or two. At least not until Argo releases her strategy guide." Jemza spun forward letting his clear dismissal of their playful banter go and thought about it for a few seconds.

"Let's stay close to Urbus and see what level the creatures are. Considering we didn't even see everything on the first floor things may be too high here and we'll be forced to go back down."

After stopping to grab something to eat, the pair walked along the cobblestone road heading East until they reached the edge of the crater the town was built into. As they stepped out of the town limits the protection afforded in the Safe Zone of Urbus was gone and they were susceptible to everything. Ahead of them large open fields of savannah stretched as far as they could see. Boulders of various sizes dotted the landscape here and there, but otherwise the second floor was an open field.

"Wow…"

"Yeah, wow is right." Jemza had to agree with his sentiment. The duo was once more overcome with awe at the sheer ability of the Nerve Gear to provide such a world for them to live in. Or, to be more precise, a prison.

The pathway leading up towards the East entrance of Urbus wound down the side of the flat topped mountain it was built into opening up into the savannah. It took a bit of time to navigate the road down, but once they were free from the mountain, nothing but flat grasslands stood between them and wherever they wanted to go. To the South, a small distance away, they could make out the movement of large creatures milling about. While remaining aware of their surroundings they closed in until the cursors above the animals began to register.

Large cow-like animals roamed around the savannah bending their necks down to graze on the grass below their hooves. Twin horns protruded from their heads making for very dangerous weapons if they charged. Both Jemza and Jayce looked at each other and smiled because above the animals a pink cursor hovered indicating the two were still above the level of these creatures.

"Plan?" The man beside her asked quietly and she turned to face him grinning wickedly.

"Stabby stabby." It didn't matter the danger involved or that they didn't know what the creatures were capable of. This was different than when they fought the Little Nepenthes. There was an understanding between Jayce and herself after last night. She could go all out knowing that he would protect her, and the same held true that she would not hesitate to stand beside him against whatever came. They weren't just helping each other to gain a rare drop or complete a quest anymore. They were partners now.

"Go!" Jemza leapt forward on his command sprinting ahead as fast as her agility parameters would allow. The animal, which now that she was closer, looked more like a bull than a cow turned and lowered its head. It snorted loudly and pawed at the ground, a universal sign that it was about to charge. Reaching down she unsheathed the Moonlit Silver Dirk from her waist rolling it between her fingers.

This was what it meant to be alive. The bull charged forward churning up dirt and grass in its wake. Mere fractions of inches before the twin horns gored into Jemza's chest she sidestepped nimbly letting the animal pass by her. Placing her hand on the pommel of the dagger she thrust the blade into the side of it drawing a glowing red line from its shoulder to half the length of its torso.

"Hah!" She continued her rotation activating a sword skill piercing the bull's hind quarters before it could fully leave her range. It staggered slightly unable to stop from the charge it had initiated. In a rage the animal shook its head wildly plowing forward towards Jayce who stood waiting, his sword held high.

Jemza watched as he mimicked her movement stepping aside before it could connect with his body. His sword glowed brightly for a moment beginning the predefined movement set for the sword skill Vertical. The blade chopped downward cutting into the back of the beast's neck. It crumpled under the weight of its body sliding along the grass a few feet before shattering into fragments of light. She jogged back towards him slipping the dagger back into the sheath on her waist.

"The experience is a lot better than the forest by Horunka. Two dagger strikes and a one hand sword skill took it down. We can do this." Jayce said sheathing his sword. Jemza came to a stop before him and nodded.

"Yeah, and our stats seem more than enough to avoid the charge attack." Jayce didn't seem to be paying attention to her as she spoke; his gaze wasn't even on her. She turned towards where he looked noticing a humanoid figure running towards them.

"Hey!" A younger looking male, probably in his teenage years ran over waving a hand. The two walked forward meeting him as he caught his breath. A green cursor above his head meant he was another player on the floor with them.

"Everything alright?" The young man didn't seem like he was in trouble, but the way he ran over still made her concerned that he knew something they didn't. With some luck perhaps he was a former beta tester going around helping people like her and Jayce. An axe was hanging from his waist as well as a small shield slung up over his back. A light breastplate of either iron or steel covered his torso for protection as well.

"Oh yes all good thanks. Saw you over here fighting these creatures and needed to run over to let you know that we got it under control." Jemza brushed a strand of her hair back over her ear and glanced at Jayce who was already looking back at her questioningly.

"You have what under control?" He asked while turning back to face the young man.

"We know how frequently they Pop and are following a set route to maximize experience. That one you killed is going to throw off our timing." A creature Pop was a term used in online games to define when an enemy creature or Mob as they sometimes were called appeared. As Mobs were defeated they would reappear after a set amount of time keeping the game filled with plenty of creatures for players to hunt.

"It was unattended and not in combat with anyone so I'm not sure what the problem is. There seems to be plenty of them." Jayce continued. The young man's face went from a friendly smile to a deep frown.

"Ah, well that just won't do. Like I said we have their spawn timers down to a science. We were taking a bit of a break to eat when you happened upon them. An honest mistake no doubt." Whoever this teenager was now began to irritate Jemza. He was talking like he owned the creatures out here.

"There was no mistake. It was a valid creature not in combat that we killed. We will continue to do so. We have no intention of attacking anything you are already fighting, but if we find them unengaged then it's ours." Jayce's hood turned slightly towards her as she spoke, but not enough that she could see his face. The player looked back and forth between them a few times before snorting once, shaking his head.

"Come on girl, it doesn't have to be like this. I've been nothing, but polite about this so just find somewhere else." What was irritation a moment ago was full blown rage now. Jemza's eyes grew and her hands balled into fists.

"Listen…kid." Jayce began using a similar manner of speech the player had used towards her. "You don't own this place. It's a big area and from the sounds of it you and your friends know what you're doing. This area is close to Urbus so I'm sure many other players will find their way here. I think it's time to learn how to share."

"I guess there's no helping it then. I tried to be polite." The smile returned to the young man's face, but it was one that put Jemza on edge instantly. It wasn't friendly and it certainly wasn't one that showed he was helpful. Jayce remained silent, but she noticed a slight movement under his cloak beside her. Was he preparing to draw his sword?

Attacking another player was unheard of since the death game of Sword Art Online began. While you were safe within towns or other designated Safe Areas, out here in the wild anything, including players, could freely attack you. Doing so would change your cursor from green to orange. This meant that the player had committed some sort of crime. They would be unable to enter towns until the cursor returned back to green. The greatest crime, which earned the player a permanent orange cursor, was killing another player. A common "crime" in all MMO games, but here in SAO where the death of your character meant the death of your body in real life meant something far more sinister. Murder.

"Heh, good luck." The player waved casually and walked away in the direction he had come from. Jemza relaxed slightly watching him leave, but beside her, Jayce still seemed on edge.

"You alright?" His hand appeared from within his cloak like he had in fact been prepared to draw. He continued to watch the other player walk away before turning towards her to respond.

"Yeah, I just have a bad feeling about him." The only positive thought in their minds was their comfort in knowing they were beside each other and not alone.