A/N come on people leave a review let me know what is up.
Ghost Town Forty-fourth floor. February twelfth
"Lady Mai," Klein spoke up. "We have brought you to the town, as instructed by Argo, we will leave you here, if you need us to take you back we will be…" he stopped and looked around. "At that Bar." he pointed at a run-down bar that had a pair of ghost NPC's sitting in front.
Mai knew this was a rule, ever since she first saw him at the brothel and then watched him at the 'trial' of her former boss, she had learned Argo was basically the Beast's keeper. She had asked about him and where to find him.
To everyone's surprise Argo answered, free of charge. She even paid to hire the guild Fuurinkazan to escort her through the forty fourth floor since she was under level.
But Argo made it clear she was to meet him alone, and she warned her that he would probably not give her a warm welcome.
Mai moved through the town and went to the last building, it looked like a run down and rotting hotel, HoH carved into the front door. She went to the door and pushed on it, it swung open.
"Hello?" she called out as she entered.
A deep growl was her only reply. Mai stopped and stood still as the three headed Cerberus named Pup-pup came out of the shadows.
"Hello Pup-pup my name is Mai I have come to speak with your master."
The dog did not reply, but it did however look to Mai's left, She turned her head and gave a small gasp as a massive hand wrapped around her throat and picked her up pinning her to the wall. After a second she relaxed, this was also something Argo warned her about.
"Can I help you?" he asked not kindly but not rude ether, if Mai had to guess, she would say he was curious
"My name is Mai, I am a submissive girl and I am here to ask you to be my master," she told him. Argo made it clear, no games no bullshit.
"How did you know I was here?" he asked.
"Argo told me and made sure I got here safely."
"Why would you need help?" he let her down and turned away.
"I am only level twenty, this floor is too big for me to solo," Mai replied as she walked up behind him just to his right.
"Who brought you?
"Fuunrinkazan, Argo hired them to escort me here, and if you decided you don't wish me to stay," she gave a small bow as she mentioned his choice on whether he lets her stay. "They are to take me back; they are at the bar in this town."
Beast walked through a door into another room she shrugged and followed 'he did not say no…yet'
The next room did not belong in the house or the floor, it was clean, a warm fire going in the fire place. The colors were deep reds and blues, simple but very homey. In the kitchen Beast was making his lunch, simple sandwiches and juice.
Mai was not stupid she watched everything, his food was basic, just enough to fuel the animal most people she spoke to about him said he was. She knew looks were deceiving, she was standing in the den of probably the most feared 'good guy' in SAO second only to 'The Black Swordsman'…maybe.
"I am a killer," Beast started as she quickly looked towards his voice, he sat on the counter eating his sandwich. "I hunt player killers, find them and simply kill them."
Mai did not reply she stood there giving him her full attention, Beast had to admit, she was disciplined.
"I am level eighty-two, I grind hard so when I meet a player I am ready for them," he continued. Mai gave a short jerk when hearing his level but remained quiet. "If you travel with me you will be a target, you will need to power level to get to at least fifty."
He did not say she could not stay, Mai took this as a good sign.
"Tomorrow we will get all the quests you have skipped, if you thought life as a hooker was tough, get some sleep and tomorrow pack a lunch." he hopped off the counter and walked to her. Taking her arm he led her to a small bed room.
"You sleep here for now, remember the ladies in my care…are different then any other you may have met."
He closed the door and locked her in her room. Beast looked down at his dog. "Guard."
Beast slipped into the back door of the bar and found Klein and his guild there waiting, Klein himself was standing at the window watching. Beast knew Klein was a good natured, honorable man, normally with a smile and a joke(generally bad one's) ready for his friends. So to see the solemn stone look on his face just showed that he took this situation very, very seriously.
"Are you sure about this?" Klein asked as he turned back to the room, Beast just hid in the shadows.
With the rest of Klein's guild sitting at the bar was Argo.
"Yes, Beast has a mission," she replied. "But he is getting strung out, this woman may be able to help him regain his balance."
"That," Beast spoke as he stepped into view. "Is yet to be seen."
The men in the room jumped at his voice, Harry one had his hand on his weapon causing Beast to stop.
"Is it wise to draw on me?" he asked them.
Dale stood up "We are not weaklings, you maybe The Beast, but we are Fuunrinkazan, and we fight as a team."
Beast nodded, "True but is killing me really worth losing at least one of your guild mates?"
"Harry sit down before you fall down," Klein 'joked' hoping to defuse this little fight. "You have been shaking like you need to pee since we got to this town.
The rest of the guild laughed, as they started teasing their friend who was blushing red and muttering about an 'evil scary town'
"You may leave, tomorrow at seven in the evening she will be at the teleport on the tenth floor." Beast told the men. "If she is not she will be dead."
Klein walked towards him, "If you kill her, or intentually get her killed, we will dance and we will test The Beast verses Fuunrinkazan"
"That…is why I trust and respect you Klein." Beast replied calmly.
Klein nodded and motioned for the others to follow. After they left Beast ordered a bottle and two glasses from the Ghost barkeep.
"What are you doing Argo?"
Argo just took her glass and drank, as she pulls a small message crystal from another pocket and pushed play.
'Argo if you are receiving this then that means the boys and I have died' Ryoko's voice filled the room. Beast almost lost his seating and his breath.
'I have given Beast a message like this, and a mission. Help him but watch him, I have learned that before he was a soldier, a dedicated one the scars on his body are evidence of that. I believe these months here with me and the boys have healed him in a way nothing else could, it was fate that brought us together.
You know what kind of woman I am, we had that long talk about five days ago. He needs another, if he does not have one he will become un-balanced, he will forget to live as he fulfills my mission for him.
I leave you this money to help you help him,
Your Friend, Ryoko.
Beast sat in silence.
"You are out of Balance; I have looked for a while now, for a woman like Ryoko, not to replace her, but to help her help you." Argo finally spoke.
"Tomorrow, seven P.M." was all Beast replied as he stood. To leave.
The next morning when Mai woke up, she did not remember when she fell asleep. Looking at the clock it said 5:54a.m. and she quickly rolled out of bed and into the adjoining bathroom for a shower. Once done she returned to her room, and went through her menu and put her armor on. It was the first time since last summer she had worn it.
It was leather with a few metal pieces in certain places, her top was a tight fitting sleeveless leather vest with buttons halfway down the front. Normally she left them unbutton and did not wear anything underneath to show off her cleavage, now however she put a sports bra and tank top under it and buttoned it up tight to the neck.
Next was her skirt. It was short, barely reaching just above mid-thigh and had a slit up each side to the hip, sexy to many but also functional this gave her more freedom of movement when running. Under her skirt she put on a pair of short-shorts to prevent the common panty shot.
Next came the leggings. They were thick cloth or thin leather depending on who you asked, and went from her feet all the way up to just touching the hem of her skirt. She moved from her leg armor to a pair of finger-less heavy leather gloves and a set of fore-arm protectors that went from the gloves to her elbows. The arm guards had small strips of metal to add extra protection.
Then came her boots. They were a pair of riding boots with a slightly raised heel, a narrower toe and the tops reached halfway between her foot and knee.
Last came a pair of shin and knee guards, that matched into the boots well and like the fore-arm guards also had small strips of metal.
Looking her self over in a mirror she smiled, and started to stretch out getting use to the armor again. She knew this outfit could look sexy and erotic but she also knew, Beast was not looking for that today. He planned to work her and she was sure he would prove to be a tough task master.
Standing up she turned towards the door and stopped, Beast was standing there watching her.
Three hours earlier.
Beast woke quietly, he had returned to his home two hours after his talk with Argo, hearing Ryoko's voice put him in a state of mind and he decided to kill some undead before returning.
When he returned he found his house guest asleep, Pup was lying in front of her door and would not leave it. Sleep came fast and deep for him that night.
When he woke he showered and dressed for grinding, he planned to work this girl hard. He had just finished making their meals for the day when he heard her shower going. After it quit he went to her door and looked in. She did not notice him as he watched her.
This was the first time he really looked at her body, the day before he just watched her face and eyes. Now he looked at her as she started to dress, she was average height. Her hair was dark purple, one of the in-game dye jobs and looked silky smooth as it reached down to her mid back.
Her body was firm and toned, she would be petite in America, but in Japan she was very athletic.
He watched her put her top on, she had large B's or small C's breasts, but he smiled as she used the Bra and tank top and buttoned up her vest 'good she knows this is a work day'
He nodded as she put the shorts on under the skirt.
As she finished with her shine and knee guards and started her stretching he got a good look, 'perfect ninja assassin outfit, question is can she kill a human'
When she turned and finally saw him she froze, Beast just took her by the arms and made her face the mirror again.
Taking her hair in his hands he began to braid a platte down her back, he stopped and opened a menu and she got a trade notice from him.
Opening it he gave her a steel ball about the diameter of an American quarter, she held it with a confused look on her face.
"Hand it to me," he ordered.
He took it from her offered hand and held it up, with the tip of the braid in his other hand.
"Now watch," he then showed her how to braid it into her hair at the very end in a way that it was both hidden and not going anywhere.
He turned her to face him and took her hand and held it up in front of her face about a foot out.
"Turn your head to the right and then whip it to the left."
She did and the steel ball slapped into the palm of her hand, she also noticed her life points dropped by five when it struck her flesh. Mai just smiled.
"Weapon?" Beast asked and Mai brought out her short sword.
It looked like a Wakizashi but a little shorter, it was just about one or two inches longer then a Tanto.
"Looking to use a Katana?" Beast asked calmly.
"No sir, I prefer the shorter one-handed blades" she replied as he gave it back to her.
She sheathed in and placed it on the back of her hip, for a quick reversed handed draw.
He turned and left the room with her following.
5:15p.m. Floor Eight-teen.
Beast watched as Mai went to her knees panting for breath. After they left he noticed her armor was in good shape, but not good enough for higher floors, so the first stop was a leather and light armor smith he knew and had them make a set that looked like Mai's, only stronger.
While it was being made he led her to the tenth floor where she told him was where she stopped doing quests.
They started on the grinding at 8:30 that morning. He ran the quests; literally he never slowed down as he rushed all of them. They never stole a kill from another player, but he made sure she killed every one as they could when they came across it.
He suspected that Argo told her about the Double Xp trick, because she was using it from the start. She never complained or whined, she just fought through the pain as she kept up with him.
At 12:15pm they reached floor twelve. Stopping to get her new armor, Beast saw she had gained four levels.
He nodded but did not smile. Speed was not her weak point, she was blindingly fast and her sword skills and style worked well for her. He decided to step it up.
Floors twelve through seventeen were as a speed that was pushing insane. Every mob, mini-boss, and quest were hit. Beast had her switch between her sword and her throwing items; he even had her work on her unarmed Martial Arts skill.
"Nine hours since we started," Beast spoke. "How many levels have you gained?"
Mai breathed and stood back up regaining her composure as she checked.
"Thirty-one, I have gained eleven levels," she answered.
"From now on we only do quests that have good benefits; you are ready to grind level forty-four,"
He led her to the teleport for her to meet Argo and Klein.
A/N thanks to Draco for the edit.