Kirito sighed, relieved to have some time alone. Ever since he went back Mayzer had been clingy and scolding in turns. He was glad to have his friends back but he thought it would be better to let her calm down for a few days while they were completing this job. It was a way for them to avoid the KBO leader for a while since the duo said he had been present at some of the meetings. He couldn't understand why Mayzer was so hung up on him. Yeah, Kirito agreed that he was kind of weird, but other than that he couldn't detect any malice. Not that he mentioned that, the last time Arkus disagreed with her about the knight he got riddled with needles that got stuck in his armor. Every once in a while Kirito would still pull out a stray bit of metal. He didn't have any metal armor so he would just keep his opinions to himself.
Right now each of them were just wandering the Forest of Wandering on floor thirty-five, where they heard the red guild they were after, Titan's Hand, was looking for a new target. Their contractor, the former leader of a guild called the Silver Flags that was recently wiped out had come to the front lines to beg for any of the players there to go after the red guild that had killed his friends. He had used all of the last of his money to pay for a transport crystal keyed into the coordinates of the prison used to keep red player away from everyone else. Kirito had a personal stake in this, seeing another guild killed was a painful reminder for him, and his party was happy to follow and help him out. It was much easier searching the forest for the red guild with three people instead of just him. That plan was just a bit stupid, as Arkus had pointed out, Mayzer nodding along in the background.
He was so deep in his thoughts that he almost missed the cry of a player in danger. He sped up and was just in time to see a group of [Drunk Apes] surround a small player, one having just whacked a small mob into pieces. The girl seemed overcome by grief and Kirito finally stepped in, easily dealing with the three monsters. He walked up to the girl asking if she was alright. "I'm fine, but Pina…" He looked at the glowing feather left from the slain mob. "Pina?" "She was my best friend." The girl sniffled, tears continuing to leak out. A flash of recognition flashed in his eyes, "You're a beast tamer, aren't you?" She nodded, seeming downtrodden. He smiled, not only could he help this girl, but the item needed to bring Pina back was super rare to get, with very exacting conditions for it to spawn in only one place. Irresistible bait. "Hey, what does that item say?" The girl checked, reciting the name, [Pina's Heart]. "There' a way for you to bring Pina back, you know?" She looked up, startled. "R-really?" He felt slightly bad, taking advantage of this girl's tragedy before he reminded himself he was helping her this way. "Yeah, there's this item called a Pneuma flower on floor forty-seven that can revive a dead familiar." "Floor forty-seven?" Her hope looked like it had started to die. "Well, maybe someday…" "The thing is, the item only works if you use it within three days." At that he could see all hope die from her eyes. Not wanting to see more tears he hurried on saying, "I would offer to go get it for you myself, but the flower only blooms if the dead familiar's master is present. So, I guess I would just have to escort you through the fields to get it." He rubbed the back o his head, embarrassed as she looked at him adoringly. "You, you would do that?" "Well, yeah. Besides, my friends and I have some business to settle on that floor anyway. Plus, my friend has a familiar of her own, so she wouldn't mind helping yours out. But, if you're coming to floor forty-seven, you'll need better gear. Take this." The girl gaped at the high-quality equipment she got sent. All of it was enhanced in some way, and she didn't even know you could buy things like these, they must have been custom made! He just brushed it off as some old stuff his friend had tinkered with and he never got around to selling, and refused any attempt of hers to pay for the kingly gift he had given her.
He led her back to town and was headed to the inn to introduce Silica to the others when they got stopped by a couple of guys who apparently were part of the party she left in the forest. After acting as a meat shield to deter the fan-boys, they continued to walk along when they were stopped again, but this time by someone much more interesting. "Rosalia." Silica said, staring at the woman who had drove her out of the party. Kirito just stayed quiet as they talked, not missing the gleam of greed in Rosalia's eyes at the mention of the Pneuma Flower they were going to go after. She was very attractive, he had to admit, but he could see why Silica got more attention. The air of danger and seduction clinging to Rosalia like a perfume was stunning, but it would also serve to scare away most male players. He only broke in when she started taunting Silica, "I'm sure it's not that hard. She'll do fine, now if you'll excuse us we have some friends to meet." And with that Kirito steered Silica around the red haired woman and back to the inn, not stopping until they were seated at the table with Arkus and Mayzer.
"So, what did you find?" Mayzer starts, lazily eyeing Silica while feeding bits of charred meat to Fitzgerald.
The little bearwol had most of her attention and Silica's as well. Silica hesitantly asked if she could pet him, and when Mayzer motioned her to continue, she stroked the little monster on the head. Fitzgerald abandoned the meat and toddled over to her, cuddling into Silica's chest. She got a bit teary at the gesture of affection, but continued to pet it, tuning out the conversation around her.
"Not much, but I picked up Silica here when I heard she needed help getting an item on the forty-seventh floor. I figured it wouldn't be too much trouble since we were headed there anyway." Kirito said casually, picking out a drink from the menu as he talked. "Oh, would this have to do with a certain rare flower?" Mayzer asked, grin starting to curl around her lips. Kirito nodded and tilted his head at the younger girl, "She lost her familiar when she split from her party and was left alone in the Forest of Wandering. The other girl in the group, Rosalia, is a real piece of work." Both Mayzer's and Arkus's eyes sharpened at the name and both nodded, getting the message. The probable leader had been identified, now they just had to lure the rest in.
"Well," Mayzer yawned, stretching her hands above her head, "it's about time to get to bed. You want to take a room for yourself here Silica? Or share with me?" "Um! If it's okay with you, sure." Mayzer led her up the stairs to the room they would be sharing and let her in, giving her the key to the room. "In case you need to go out for whatever reason, I don't usually leave during the night so I don't need it." She nodded and sat on the bed, watching with interest as the girl sat in the middle of the floor and pulled out all sorts of scientific looking items as well as bundles and jars of different materials. "Sorry if things get a bit smelly, I just have to refill our crystal supplies. We went through quite a few of them before coming down here." Silica nodded again, curious as to what Mayzer was doing. She took the other girls cue and switched into a more comfortable outfit, choosing a short nightshirt instead of completely stripping to her underwear she would have done if she were alone. Mayzer had simply changed into a large soft button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up she had stolen from her brother, thanking herself for working on her theft skill, even though she didn't use it often.
Fitzgerald crawled off her lap where he had been napping and into Mayer's lap, waiting her for the signal to heat the mixtures his mistress was making. She tapped him on the head and he dutifully spat out a thin rod of flame, warming up the bowl she held in front of him on a pair of tongs. At the next tap he closed his mouth, shutting off the flame and watching as the glowing glob separated into four red healing crystals, happy that he had gotten it right again. He hated when he made the crystals explode, as his mistress always shielded him and got more scars as a result. He was the one who was supposed to protect her, not the other way around!
Silica watched fascinated as the pair made a myriad of crystals and other items. She saw healing and antidote crystals, transport crystals, different colored jewels that were then cut and set in different bands and rings or left as is to sell to item shops or be set in armor or weapons. About the time she had finished another jewel they heard a knock on the door. "Come in!" Kirito and Arkus walked in, Arkus sighing heavily and muttering, "I should have known you would have taken my shirt." Mayzer put away all her items and they all crowded around the round table in the middle of the room.
Kirito pulled out a mirage sphere and set it on the desk, opening it to show the map of the forty-seventh floor. "Wow, it's so pretty." Silica exclaimed, as she watched the pretty yellow particles of light dance around. "Yeah. So we should start out from this town and head down this path-" he stopped mid-sentence and Mayzer suddenly shot towards the door, slamming it open and chasing after the shadow that had retreated as soon as she had gotten up. Her arm shot out as she stopped in the middle of the hallway, and she walked back into the room and dropped back into the chair.
Arkus and Kirito gave her a look, "What, I'm not allowed to deter eavesdroppers?" Mayzer asked, arms crossed over her chest. Silica looked between them, confused, "Eavesdropper? But you can't hear anything in an inn room unless you knock. And what do you mean deter? She didn't do anything." "You can listen without knocking if your listening skill is high enough, and you didn't notice the needles in her hand? What did you lace it with, Paralysis?" Kirito explained to Silica, gesturing to Mayzer who held up the needles she had between each of her fingers. "Nah, that would be boring. I laced those with a drain poison, so his health is going to continue to go down. I had made it antidote resistant with a HP cap. So he isn't going to die, but he'll definitely worry about it." That, and they had to be sure that the red guild knew where they were going and be there to ambush them. They would probably have the whole guild there to ensure they had the number advantage, these guilds were cowards like that.
They finished planning out the next day and the boys left, wishing them good night. Silica laid on the bed, staring at the wall in the dark, and looked over the edge at Mayzer, who had made up a pseudo-bed on the floor and was lying on her stomach, hands folded underneath her and her face to the side. "Um, Mayzer? Are you awake?" "I am now. What is it?" Silica heard her mutter, her head not turning to face her. "Oh! Um, would you mind, I mean, if you wanted-" "Ask before I fall asleep again." "Um, would you mind, sleeping up here, with me?" Silica whispered her cheeks gaining a faint red color. She jerked back as Mayzer's head appeared over the edge, her eyes narrowed with sleep and hair loose and ruffled as she looked at her. There was a beat of silence before she disappeared back down to the floor before crawling into the bed next to her, a blanket and Fitzgerald in her arms. She settled down next to Silica and cuddled down into the mattress, in the exact same position and Fitzgerald next to her side. Silica smiled and laid back down, curling up on her side and drifting to sleep.
Mayzer woke up uncomfortably warm. She tried to shift to her side but was unable to due to the hot bands of soft flesh encompassing her chest, pinning her arms in place. She stayed still for a moment, gathering her thoughts and figuring out where she was, before heaving up and around, dumping Silica on the ground as she broke her hold. Silica yelped as she landed hard rubbing her butt where it had hit the wooden floors. Mayzer simply sat up and ran a hand through her hair and yawned. She looked down and saw Silica giving her an incredulous look. She raised one eyebrow and said, "I have personal space and like to move in my sleep, so I don't appreciate people sleeping right next to me." "What about Fitzgerald?" Mayzer pointed at him, over on a pillow in the corner, "He knows when to move."
Nothing more was said as the two girls got dressed and moved to go down stairs. Mayzer held up her hand and went over to the room the boys slept in. She knocked on the door, and when there was no reply she took a deep breath and at the top of her lungs yelled, "OI! TIME TO GET GOING! LET'S GO!" Silica heard two thumps and a few seconds later the door opened and she had to duck a thrown jug that Mayzer had leaned out of the way of as it sailed past them and crashed into the wall, immediately shattering into glowing polygons. Arkus was glaring at them, clad only in a pair of loose sweatpants. Silica blushed and turned away, barely hearing him growl at Mayzer, "Will you shut up for once? Some of us actually like to sleep for more than five hours at a time." Mayzer sighed, "Are you going to get up or not?" "Fine, just give us a bit." She stepped back as the door closed and a few minutes later both the boys stepped out, ready to go.
They headed down the stairs and had breakfast in the inn, eggs and sausage with hash-browns with chopped up meat in a small bowl for Fitzgerald. After finishing up they left, Arkus and Mayzer splitting off from Silica and Kirito, saying they would meet them on the forty-seventh floor after they finished some errands. As the pair was teleporting away, Mayzer and Arkus turned around and went back into the middle of town, spitting apart and each headed down a different street. While Arkus was to go to the main hideout to make sure there would be no stragglers left behind during the ambush, Mayzer headed back to the inn, selecting her tracking skill, her eyes gaining a green sheen as the skill activated and she found the trail of colored air that marked the powdered crystal she had laced one of her needles last night with. It was the real reason she had attacked eavesdropper. The powder was a new type of crystal she had been experimenting with. It had been intended as something to mask a player from mobs, but she hadn't managed to figure out how to get the right effect. The effect of being able to be tracked after so many hours if you have a high enough skill was a nice side effect. She followed it to a different inn, and then to the transport station, where she teleported to floor forty-seven and picked it back up, leading her to one of the gates that opened into the fields of flowers, all of it in a wash of green except a bright red trail of red. She followed the trail with her eyes, meandering down the same path they had agreed to follow last night, the same one Kirito and Silica had gone down earlier that day. "Anyone left at the base?" "A few, I'd just dragged them down to the prison." Arkus said as he walked up beside her, leaning on the same pillar she was, an arm stretching above her head. "Didn't even give much of a fight. Guess all the 'strong' players are out there to make sure they get the flower." He remarked, tilting his chin to point at the fields, where a lane of trees next to a bridge could be seen. The red trail lead to the shadows of one of trees where she could see the outline of a player highlighted in red, doubtlessly only one of many waiting for their quarry to show up.
She deactivated the skill and looked at her brother, "So, are we getting involved?" "Nah, I think Kirito's got it. On the other hand, we better make sure no one tries to run."
With that, they both set off down the path, keeping silent and unnoticed by the group waiting in the trees, splitting to come from both sides as Kirito and Silica approached from the fields, Silica oblivious of the danger and Kirito unconcerned. He stopped her on the bridge, and gave her a transport crystal, telling her to transport back to town if something goes wrong. Dramatic little brat, she thought, overhearing him, he knows damn well they can't touch us. As she was creeping closer to the trees, the woman she guessed to be Rosalia walked out of the shade, and listened to her poor attempt at intimidation. Sure, if they were actually at a lower level, it might have worked, but as it were, Mayzer just wasn't impressed. Kirito explained how a red guild worked to Silica, saying that their green cursor members acted as bait while the others handled all the dirty work. It fitted Rosalia's personality well, Mayzer thought. The woman seemed more like the type to delegate any difficult tasks to subordinates than to fight herself. As it went on she readied some needles, scoffing at Rosalia's attempt to rationalize her behavior. Dead is dead in this game, and the fact that it is uncertain whether we actually just wake up should just make a person more hesitant to attack another player, not justify it.
She watched as the rest of the guild appeared and almost snorted in amusement at the reaction to Silica calling out Kirito's name. Luckily Rosalia didn't believe it was the beater who fought on the front lines in a team of three, saying, "Do you see anyone else here? Of course it isn't him. He would never leave the front lines for some nobody like her, especially without the rest of his party! Now kill him, and take everything he owns!" Following her orders on instinct, they charged at Kirito, blades glowing with various sword skills. Silica cried out, but thankfully didn't run into the middle of it. As expected, Kirito's battle regeneration kicked in and all the red player's attacks didn't even cut off a tenth of his HP before it returned to full. They stopped as they entered the stunned part of their attack, the few seconds after an attack where the system froze your body after an attack. Even when they could move again they were rooted to the spot with shock and disbelief as Kirito explained how he was so far ahead of them in comparison of levels, at a whopping level seventy-eight, that his battle regeneration made it so they could continue to attack him the rest of the day, and it wouldn't even matter. Unfair indeed, Mayzer thought as she lined up her shot, it's a good thing most PvP killers aren't that high a level or there would be a lot more murders. The red players kept still as Kirito brought out the warp crystal, recognizing the fact that there would be no consequences for anyone that thought to simply kill them. Rosalia on the other hand, turned and ran, confident that she could come to no harm as long as the swordsman wished to stay green. She didn't even get five feet before she dropped to the ground, unable to move as the paralysis effect of the needle buried in her neck kicked in.
Mayzer appeared from where she herself had been hiding and dragged Rosalia's body next to Kirito, handing her over to Arkus who had come up to them as well and sending Kirito off to escort Silica back to the inn, taking the warp crystal for herself and activating it when he was out of range, taking them and the red players to the prison where the guards were waiting for them. They were quickly escorted to holding cells, one of the guards carrying Rosalia's body and dumping it onto a bed in one of the cells, yanking out the needle and returning it to Mayzer. The pair said farewell and left, heading back to the inn to meet up with Kirito. They got there just in time to witness Silica's dragon, Pina, be resurrected. It was a cute thing, light blue with feathered wings and red eyes, about the size of a house-cat. Not as cute as Fitzgerald, but still pretty cute.
They said goodbye and left, Mayzer adding Silica to her friends list before leaving with the promise to meet back up for lunch and some training. Silica seemed excited and was chattering happily to Pina as she walked back to the transport station, more determined than ever to get stronger.