A/N: Chapter finished March 24, 2006. Hehe...it's been such a LONG TIME! Oh my...and now it's almost the "ber" months. Many, many apologies for keeping you all waiting...it's just that I've been UBER-BUSY since, well...for the longest time. Plus the net's been on and off again. Been planning to have this up since April/May, but...there. I'm a bit "free-er" now, hence the update. Anyways...shout outs!

> .hacker Aeroa - Thanks lots for reviewing all the same, even on the second chap! Here's the next update...
> Yuriel367 - Well, that'll be cleared up in thecoming chapters, of course...I think...maybe...
> elnrith - Wow thanks! I'll try to update sooner then. Tho the every chapter review isn't really mandatory...
> Cerberus - Here's the update! Thanks for the review!
> General Cloud - I hope you don't mind waiting too long in case updates don't come very soon... thanks for the review!
> Paola-chan - I'm glad you're enjoying the story! Here's the next chap...
> ShadowsXareXallXIXhave - long name. Anyways, I'm glad you think the story's interesting...and hope you enjoy the next chapters!

Man...I shouldn't let reviews pile up like that... And without further ado, here's the next chap. Hopefully the next one won't take as long to write / post.

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CHAPTER 3

Traverse
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As the field portal faded to nothingness, out of the surrounding gravel appeared five gargantuan monsters more than twice the size of Kite. Lumbering masses of stone they appeared to be, much like golems, with fists that seemed even larger in proportion.

And yet the Twin Blade showed no sign of fear as he charged at his enemies.

Taking a few seconds to quickly change his blades to the Fishskin and then summon Merrows as a preemptive elemental-critical strike, severely damaging two of the foes in the process, he then cast Rig Saem on Blackrose and Ap Do on himself before finally sprinting forward; Blackrose rushed straight ahead in attack. It was an effective tactic, which was being used with much success by them for sometime now.

Once again, combined with exceptional teamwork from the two, it was proving its efficacy. Not a minute since the start of the fight, only two of the behemoths were left standing, though even that was easily remedied by another summon from Kite.

Blackrose scoffed. "Was that a little too easy, or are the other players who come here just either dumb or really underpowered?"

"Must be..." Kite replied, referring to his partner's latter words. Based on what Locke had mentioned earlier about most players not being able to return, he had expected the monsters to pose more of a challenge, even for them. So far, their standard tactics worked just fine; perhaps there was more ahead, he guessed.

A sparkling gold chest appeared shortly after, signifying that they had indeed defeated all enemies necessary to obtain the first item. Having opened it carefully, Kite took out a shining block of gold.

"That's definitely got to be the ingot," Blackrose said excitedly, starting for the tower. "And now for the rest. This should be a piece of cake!"

Having put the gold bar safely away, Kite followed her up the first set of stone steps.

'That was really odd,' he thought, 'those were high-level monsters all right, but they hardly put up a fight...oh well, maybe our strategy was just that effective...'

They were at the bottom floor. Looking up, Blackrose took a sharp intake of air at what they both saw: about a hundred or so – too many to count – of the same monsters they had just defeated roamed the one massive black, stone staircase that spiraled around the structure's only, colossal room. It didn't help that enemy bats also circled the air above.

"This has got to be a joke..." she uttered.

Kite shuddered in silent agreement. Taking down five of the brutes had been an easy matter, but even his partner knew that this was something different altogether. His former confidence faltered, and he figured he could tell what it was that stopped all the previous players from getting very far into just this simple treasure hunt...

Clearing his head, he shook himself to new resolve. 'This isn't the time to just stand here...' he reprimanded himself as he noticed one of the enemies finally notice their presence and let out a long howl.

Quickly, Kite cast Ap Do first on Blackrose and then on himself.

"Let's just go!" he shouted as he began sprinting up the stairs. Though he was almost always the one to stick with reason and logic, as well as more conservative, thought-out and well-formulated plans, this was one time when spontaneity and quick judgment were more called for.

Although a bit hesitant, Blackrose soon understood his unspoken plan, and dashed after him. They would just barrel their way through – a crude and dangerous plan, yet it seemed the more sensible choice in contrast to standing ground and battling every single opponent; it would save a lot of time, stamina and healing items. They still had two other quest items to retrieve and the dungeon to deal with afterwards.

Being the faster character, Kite led the way for most of the climb. Instead of slashing at the oncoming monsters, he shoved them off the edge to the hard floor below. It wasn't a particularly difficult strategy; they progressed even quicker when Blackrose was able to catch up and run alongside him, though there was the problem of some of the enemies running after them after having gotten back up.

"Won't they be a problem...?" Blackrose asked between labored breaths, momentarily looking back down the stairs. They were just little more that halfway to the top.

"..." Kite didn't give a verbal reply. Luckily, Blackrose didn't see the 'I'm still working on that part' look on his face. Already, he was feeling a little worn out, and there was still some ways to go before they would reach the top. The slight distraction from the task at hand gave him time to think, though.

'They just don't give up, do they?' he thought irritably, taking a glance back himself. While those that fell from the more elevated heights still remained motionless on the ground, broken to pieces, those that had been shoved off from the earlier steps were now trailing them; and there was a considerable number. Kite calculated that it might take a while until they might catch up; speed wasn't one of their advantages.

He then looked up. There wasn't any door or barricade of any sort that might prevent the monsters from reaching the top.

Still, he decided to stick with the plan. 'Let's just try and make this quick...'

The pair continued further up, to the point that it was dizzyingly high. There were less of the monsters as they ascended, and Kite was feeling more and more hopeful, albeit more and more tired as well.

"Y'know...what?" Blackrose said, panting for air, "Sometimes...this level...of realism...sucks..."

Kite nodded in silent agreement, too busy pushing another golem out of the way to voice a reply. He had to put more effort in shoving them out of the way; he was starting to really feel the fatigue setting upon him.

He chanced another look back. 'Is it just me, or are those golems getting faster?' He thought. For a moment, their pursuers seemed to be moving more quickly than before. It was a little hard to ascertain, as they were well behind...or below, rather...the twosome.

Kite simply shook his head and continued running. 'It couldn't be...must be my imagination...'

Less than thirty steps and four golems now separated them from the tower's summit. "We're almost there..." Kite uttered.

"Then let's get this over with!" Blackrose shouted and took off ahead. Kite could only watch his partner run up to each of the golems in succession and simply bash them over the edge with little trepidation and a strength he assumed she had exhausted earlier.

"Wow...and I thought...you were tired already..." be panted as he caught up with her at the top.

"I...yeah..." her answer was distracted; she was staring fixedly at something further on. Kite's eyes grew wide in wonder when his gaze followed hers.

A lone pedestal stood before an open passageway that led to the massively wide concrete bridge outside. Even though there was supposed to be an active volcano just outside and no other windows, the area felt cool and as if a chilly wind was blowing.

Atop the pedestal, floating in a pillar of soft luminosity, was a rolled-up piece of parchment.

"That must be the scroll of All Skill..."

Kite wondered whether Blackrose was aware that she was stating the obvious.

Feeling most of his stamina return, he gingerly took the scroll from its place. For a moment he contemplated whether to open the paper and see its contents, but eventually decided against the notion, keeping the scroll safely away.

"Hey, aren't we going to see what it says?" the Heavy Blade asked.

Kite shook his head. "We were just supposed to retrieve it, not to pry." Once more, his analytical side was fully in charge.

"Good point. Whew...I'm still winded from running all the way up here. Let's just take a short rest, 'kay?" Blackrose said as she leaned on a part of the wall beside the aperture.

Kite nodded, and made his way to the near end of the bridge, beside Blackrose. As he neared, he could feel the gradually rising heat of the volcano outside; he had almost forgotten about that, given how cool it seemed inside.

"Who would've thought this event was so difficult?" He stated, staring towards the structure at the other side.

He noticed her shrug. "Maybe that's why nobody's been able to finish it yet. I mean, there's still the dungeon and all."

"In any case," Kite patted his knapsack, "just one more to go. Then we can head back to..."

"Aahh!" He was cut off by her scream. Blackrose practically leaped from her place, a shocked expression on her face. For half a second, Kite entertained the thought that she looked kind of cute like that, but then a loud thud made him quickly turn to face her source of alarm.

He too almost jumped in surprise.

One of the golems they had bypassed earlier stood before them. Its stone exterior was crumbling away, revealing a thin and flexible, yet utterly grotesque, form underneath with claws long enough to serve as functional scythe weapons. From Kite's assessment, this enemy was much quicker, more adept at combat, and much, much deadlier than before; he guessed that even he would have a hard time against it one-on-one.

Worse, several were already beginning to gather in the area. Judging from how many there were earlier, Kite's instincts told him only one thing...

"Run!" He shouted as he dashed outside. Blackrose sprinted alongside him, starting at the same time he did, if not a little earlier.

The monstrosities gave chase. Their appearance betrayed their actual abilities, though. Kite soon found his earlier speculations a little off as their pursuers ran only as fast as they did, only very slightly faster at most. Still, he didn't want to see whether they were as good in combat as he thought they were; one lucky miscalculation was enough.

"Kite! Heads up!"

The Heavy Blade's warning came in time, as Kite was just barely able to dodge something that flew right at his face. Overhead drifted several ravens and buzzards, which dived down in attack every so often. While not particularly dangerous, they were capable of delaying enough for the atrocities behind to catch up.

"Oh, this is...soooo...cliché!" Blackrose wailed in frustration, struggling to keep up. Kite was thankful that the bridge wasn't as long and winding as the spiral staircase; the fatigue that had supposedly faded a while ago was slowly returning.

'Not much farther to go...just a little more...' Kite repeated over and over in his head, fighting not only exhaustion and the occasional flying pest, but also the sweltering heat. As they continued on the bridge, the temperature seemed to rise with each step. It was a stark contrast, and a rather sudden one at that, from where they had begun.

And then, in a moment of sheer clarity, Kite got a sudden feeling of déjà vu. Quickly, he cast Ap Do on Blackrose first, and then on himself.

"Hey thanks!" The spell worked to great effect; they were gaining a considerable lead. By now, only a fourth of the total distance was ahead of them. Strangely, though, it seemed only to get even hotter, even as they had already passed the volcano's center.

Looking ahead, Kite noticed that there was a drawbridge at the end, a solid steel block that stretched for more than ten meters along the length of the bridge as its continuation, and was chained to both sides of the heavy iron frame of the high stone wall ahead. It was a little hard to see at first, but it grew more visible as they neared.

"Kite!" He judged from her tone that she had seen it as well. "How are we going to get that thing up in time?" She shouted anxiously, with an underlying tone that bordered on panic, as if their only means of refuge seemed simply out of reach.

But Kite looked prepared even for this situation. "We don't pull it up! Stay near the edge! Charge up a powerful slash...we'll cut the chains as we run past!"

She blinked, looking first at him and then at the chains. "Are those even, uh, breakable?"

Kite looked again. The links were solid steel, rather large, and probably very durable. But he also saw something else. "Trust me! It's going to work!"

He could see that Blackrose was still incredulous, but she lifted her sword nonetheless. "All right...I trust you..." she said, almost a murmur, but Kite heard every syllable.

They were almost at the makeshift steel floor that was the iron door. Positioning at opposite corners, with Mimiru's Sword and both Two Together poised to strike, the Heavy Blade and the Twin Blade counted down at the same time.

"3...2...1..."

With full force, both struck out, and, just as Kite had predicted, the chains broke and gave way. The heavy iron began to fall from beneath their feet.

"Jump!" Kite ordered, more out of mere excitement than giving an actual command. He knew that Blackrose knew what to do.

They leaped as far forward as they could, and landed safely on the stone floor of the fortress.

A crumbling noise made them turn in time to see the entire bridge falling apart into the molten lava below, taking with it whatever creature still standing on it.

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"That turned out pretty well..." Kite mused, looking out at where the wide expanse of passageway used to be. It had been a few minutes after they had reached the other side, but they still sat on the very spots they had landed.

"I'll say..." his partner replied, "Though how did you know that cutting the chains of the drawbridge was going to work? All I could think of was trying to raise the darned thing."

Kite laughed. "Actually, it kind of reminded me of when I went treasure hunting one time with Rachel. It was in a magma dungeon, and we were being chased by dozens of monsters. There was also this drawbridge, just like now. The chains were rusted, so I knew they would break with enough force..." He beamed, pleased with his astuteness and glad that they were both safe.

"Oh..." her tone didn't sound impressed. If at all anything, she seemed a little dejected...or annoyed. "...that's nice." She stood up and began walking.

Kite started after her. "Hey, don't you want to rest some more first? I think we're pretty safe for the moment." A long corridor led the way to their next destination, and no enemies were in sight.

"I'm fine." She snapped, though not that blatantly, leaving Kite wondering again what the matter was. In any case, he followed after her without another word.

They didn't have to walk long; a large room was at the end of the corridor.

Kite looked around. To his left was a large door, bolted shut. To the right were iron cages that were bored into the wall, though all of them were empty.

Straight ahead was a huge stone statue that stood about fifteen feet tall, with still much room to spare above it. It looked like either an ancient siege machine, or a stone gorilla of sorts, or a rusted construction vehicle with giant front pillars to anchor it down.

He then looked up...and gasped.

At first, he had thought that a skylight was above, and that the sun was illuminating the room. Now looking more closely, it wasn't from outside that the light was streaming from, but from the inside...from the single, glowing sphere that hovered near the ceiling, at the very center of the room, the one he had mistaken for an overhead window. While the orb itself emitted only a faint radiance as he looked straight at it, the light was enough to make the entire area seem as if it were in the open air.

"Pretty..." Blackrose said in wonder.

"That's..." Kite began.

"...the Orb of Pure Light!" They both finished.

No sooner had they spoken, that the room began to tremble and shake.

"W-what's...g-g-going on!"

'Wait...did I just see...that?' Kite thought he noticed the stone statue move. 'Or maybe it's just my...'

As if to mock his presumption of imagination, the golem's eyes shone a bright red.

'No...don't tell me that's...'

It became clear that the cause of the short quake was the movement of the now very mobile Mekaniism. Taking another look, Kite noticed that it wasn't made of stone, but rather of steel...it was an automaton, a robot. It was apparently the guardian of the Orb of Pure Light.

"Aw that was so predictable!" Blackrose yelled, glaring fixedly at their newfound enemy.

'Oh yeah...she's mad...' Kite was just a little afraid...of his partner. Her eyes showed only pure rage, and he was, for just this once, thankful that he wasn't the one she was frowning at.

Blackrose took a bottle of something from her inventory and downed it in one gulp. Kite soon recognized it to be some Warrior Blood. Not stopping for a second, she drank another, this time some Knight Blood.

"Don't just stand around there like an idiot, Kite!" She shouted, charging forward in full attack.

The Twin Blade was rather stunned, but even before he figured what he was doing, he had already cast Rig Saem, Rig Geam and Ap Do on Blackrose. The way things were already going, he figured he'd been relegated to position of caster, though he really didn't find that status very unpleasant; it was often employed, anyway.

The Heavy Blade fought with absolute recklessness, so much so that Kite had to keep up a steady stream of Ol Repths to keep her from fainting. While she didn't need healing, he experimented on elemental summons, finding, though rather not surprisingly, Lanceor to be the most effective. Mekaniism hit hard, but not all that fast. It took a long time to whittle down its hit points, however.

Soon enough, the familiar Data Drain indicator appeared.

"Hey; it can be Data Drained!" Kite exclaimed, a little surprised that it was possible.

"So what are you waiting for!"

Wasting no more time lest he infuriate his partner more, or lest she might end up as a ghost because of his idleness, Kite immediately raised his right arm.

At once, the invisible bracelet blazed to life and shot out a light that enveloped the guardian. As it faded, all that was left was a small pipsqueak that Blackrose promptly and very unceremoniously kicked out of the room, as well as an empty ornamental vase.

"Now what could this be...?" Kite asked, taking the item.

A knowing look passed over the Heavy Blade's face, but was gone before Kite could even notice. "Let's keep it. It's pretty, anyways."

The glimmering ball of light slowly descended from the ceiling until it was within reach. Kite carefully plucked it from the air, and set it with the other two quest items.

"That's it." He announced, as the nearby doors swung open almost automatically, leading the way out. "Let's get going back."

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The trip back was very uneventful, there being no monsters at all. Both of them were thankful, however; after all they had gone through in getting the gold ingot, the scroll of All Skill and the Orb of Pure Light, both felt very much in need of a break...at least before the dungeon.

"Here's a thought..." Kite said thoughtfully as they walked along the plains of the level field. "How long do you think it's been since even first setting out after we had talked with Locke?"

Blackrose replied tiredly. "Are you kidding? It felt like it's been a whole day! I'm really worn out..."

"Would you believe...only twenty minutes?"