Sword Art Online: Desert Army
Rewards
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"Time?"
"We have 11 minutes left."
"Eh, that's enough time." Klein waved his hand, dismissing the air. "Plenty of time. Right Kirito?"
Kirito looked up from his mini-map and pointed toward the city, "Yeah, and Silica is right over there. It shouldn't take too long to wrap things up."
Silica's position dot pulsed a bright green on Kirito's map, pinging subtly from just outside the city scape nearby; around the bend.
"Then let's get moving. We're on a time limit aren't we?" Sinon asked, already mounting her Rapitaru.
"Yep, and we don't want to miss it." Asuna agreed.
The two girls began galloping toward Silica, leaving Kirito and Klein coughing in their literal dust cloud.
Sputtering a few breaths, Klein mounted his red Rapitaru and rode up to Kirito's side. "You know, at what point did we lose control of the group?"
Kirito chuckled and pulled himself onto Blake's saddle, "Klein…we were never in control."
He took off, followed closely by Klein in the direction the girls went.
Klein made his way forward to match Kirito's strides and kept pace with his mount, "Hey, what do you think the bonus reward could be?"
The swordsman glanced at his friend and shrugged his shoulders, "Could be some weapons and armor, considering this whole place is built and managed by blacksmiths."
"O-oh, yeah. That'd make sense…" Klein trailed off, "I wonder if they'll upgrade armor we already have? I spent forever getting this stuff!"
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Kirito tugged on the collar of his coat and smiled, "That's the thing with MMO-RPG's. You always grow attached to your gear and it's hard to trade up at times." He reminisced back to the Blackwyrm Coat he wore in the final months of Sword Art Online. Man, that thing was amazing for stealth.
If it weren't for the game being, well, a 'death' game; for lack of better words…he'd feel better with trying to re-create his old avatar look. But things are different now.
Also, Yui was complaining that Kirito's old avatar hairstyle was too spiky to sit on.
So he had to switch up anyway.
"Well, I don't know about you…" Klein pointed up to his forehead and gave his toothiest smile yet, "I've had this headband style since day one. And there's no way I'm changing it up now" As if to accentuate his claim, the evening sun ran a golden ray across his headwear.
The accessory literally gleamed with every word.
"What about you're bandana-"
"Ah, uh up up!" Klein silenced Kirito's retort, "They count as the same thing. I checked." He smirked, crossing his arms.
Well, whatever floats your boat I guess. Kirito thought as they approached a small hole in the wall.
"Klein, don't you think these people have enough holes to repair?" Asked Kirito as his Rapitaru climbed through it.
"H-hey!" Klein followed suit, "Not my fault. If anything, blame hard head here. He's the one that smashed through it."
Klein's lizard growled and stood tall as it stepped out of the opening.
*Bang*
"O-ouch! Hey!" Klein rubbed his scalp, nose scrunching up in pain. "What's the big idea, are you trying to kill me?!"
The red Rapitaru screeched and shook his head. His lunges not wavering as they dashed through the alleys of the city.
"Alright alright, don't rub it in. I've had enough for one day." Klein responded to the lizard-leader's reaction.
"Did…did they just have a conversation?" Kirito muttered to himself.
"Yes, it appears they did." Yui's voice responded to his question, her tone in slight disbelief.
Kirito looked down to meet the small eyes of Yui. She was peaking up at him from just outside the confines of his coat pocket.
"No! You can't go and eat whatever you want!" Klein's voice dully echoed off the surrounding sandstone buildings. "And I don't care if you're the 'leader'." He then accentuated his point with physical quotation marks, "It's stealing!"
"They are definitely having a conversation." Kirito confirmed. He even noticed Blake nod in agreement, her head staring at the red pair dashing in front of them.
Klein suddenly looked up then over his shoulder, making eye contact with the three of them, "U-uh, w-what…what're you all looking at?! This is totally normal." He was trying to justify his actions.
"N-nothing!" Kirito sputtered out before taking the reins and speeding up, "Let's just catch up."
He passed the samurai and took the lead, eventually making it into one of the streets and getting a glimpse of the girls.
Sinon waved him down then pointed toward a stray group of Rapitarus down the street. They were rampaging a stall in the market district and chowing down on whatever food they could find.
She and Asuna were a few meters away from them.
Klein caught up and slid out of the alley, grinding to a stop aside the black swordsman. "Why'd you sto-"
"Oh." His brown eyes took in the scene in front of them.
As quietly as they could, Kirito and Klein rode up to the girls and appeared at their sides.
"Wanna try to round them up?" Sinon asked in a hushed whisper.
Kirito looked back over to the five lizards and grimaced at the torn up tarps and shattered wooden crates. "We have to try. We've got six minutes left." He responded quietly.
Scraps of bread and some sort of pale meat littered the street in proximity to the herd.
Such a waste of food. I bet it would've tasted pretty good. Kirito's mouth began to water, but he immediately snapped out of it when one of the lizards leapt up onto the counter.
Its yellow slit eyes snapped around before landing on the four fairies.
"Whatever you do, just…don't…move." Klein spoke through clenched teeth.
"That only works with T-Rex's." Asuna corrected him, but remained still.
They all locked up to the best of their abilities, even their mounts ceased all movement.
Maybe they can't actually see-
The lizard on the counter suddenly whipped its tail into a support beam and let out an oscillating roar. Behind him, the four Rapitarus suddenly stopped what they were doing and looked up.
All their eyes landed on the green lizard standing on the counter, then moved to stare at what he was looking at.
"They see us, they see us, they see us!" Klein rapidly spat out, gripping his reins tightly.
"We're literally a rainbow in a sandy street. No duh they would see us." Asuna spoke sarcastically, her Rapitaru shifting back and forth under the gaze of the other herd.
"Maybe they're friendly?!" Klein asked.
It was a valiant effort, it really was.
Like a legion of deer, the Rapitarus took off in the opposite direction. Spooked and frantic, they tore down the street in a single stampeding group.
"After them! We'll redirect the group to their pen!" Kirito called out, surging forward and giving chase.
Sinon and Asuna split off to the side, diving into the nearest alley and disappearing around the corner.
"They're going to try and cut them off." Klein yelled, quickly following behind Kirito. "I need to get to their front. I know where the pen is!"
Kirito nodded and whipped his reins, "Come on Blake. Let's show these guys just how fast we can be."
His black Rapitaru suddenly pulled forward and lowered her head, their top speed suddenly increasing.
«Blake now level 2!»
«New ability unlocked!»
Giving the pop-up message a once over, Kirito dismissed it and promised himself to check Blake's stats when he had time.
"I'll get you through, don't worry!" He called back to Klein, who was slowly falling behind.
They rounded the bend in the street and caught site of the small stampede. Three tails swished back and forth at the rear of the formation, and two were dashing at the front.
"We're going to push right through that formation." Kirito stated, patting his lizard on the neck. "Once this is all over, I'll get you an extra slab of meat."
At the promise of a delicious treat, Blake ducked forward and fell in line with the back set of Rapitarus. The two at her sides took notice of her, and for a moment had conflicting gazes. As the two growled at the newcomer, the leader looked back and whipped its tail into one of the stubborn raptors.
They immediately shut up and looked forward, leaving Blake alone.
Blake rolled her eyes and kept pace with the formation.
The stampede took the next turn and continued down that street. As they ran, Kirito noticed two bright blurs appear.
Off to his right, a pale blue rider appeared out of an alley and rode at the right side of the pack. As Sinon took her position, a white blur leapt from a low building's rooftop and landed to the pack's left side.
Asuna's position effectively boxed the Rapitarus in.
Now, all they need it a guide.
"Switch out, Kirito!"
Klein's voice ripped through the wind from behind. Kirito immediately slipped out of the formation and left an opening in the stampede's ranks. The samurai took advantage of that and sped through it, dashing in between the two at the front and taking the lead.
Blake trailed at the back of the pack, ensuring that none of them escape.
"Time for a little detour." Klein spoke down to his Rapitaru. The red raptor looked back and roared, immediately gaining authority and enforcing his presence.
The previous leader of the stampede whined a bit, but fell back to be in line with the one at his left.
Lifting the reins, Klein pulled to his right and rounded the next corner. Thankfully, the rest of the herd followed his lead and fell back into formation again.
With the team of four being their security walls, they quickly approached the outer farming district and found their way into a large clearing. The ground to the right and left of the street was filled with rows of green stocks, and at the end was the pen; just past the plots of corn.
High walls and a steel gate sat dead ahead.
"That's our destination. Let's not mess this up!" Klein called back to the three teens behind him.
"How do we get the gate open?!" Kirito yelled from the back.
Right, the gate. Its recently upgraded doors of steel sat solidly still and locked tight.
More importantly, it was closed.
"If we lose momentum, there's a chance we lose control of the pack! Do you think there's anyone there to open the doors for us?!" Klein asked, not slowing down.
As they moved past the ends of the corn fields, they were suddenly engulfed in a mass of Rapitarus. All around them, the remaining ten lizards came out of nowhere and encompassed their smaller pack.
"Where did these guys come from?!" Asuna asked over the sound of pounding claws.
"They must have been led here!" Sinon called out, trying to maintain her position and not be overwhelmed by the new lizards encompassing her.
"Silica!" Klein yelled, looking up into the air.
Above them, the small form of a Cait Sith fairy flew through the air with glistening wings. Beside her, Pina glided with a string of boar meat clenched in his claws. The ends dangled behind him and snagged the attention of the lizards below.
As they approached the gate, the bar holding the entrance closed receded into an encasement of metal and a crack of light broke through the center of the steel doors. The massive gate slowly creaked open, and on the inside stood the last remaining members of the party.
Liz stood beside Leafa, both holding matching blacksmith hammers and temporary goggles over their eyes. Around them was a large cage, and behind them was a secondary steel gate; the cage acting as a buffer between the outside and the inside.
The two fairies smiled proudly and bumped fists before stepping to the side and signaling someone up above. With a wave of the hand, the secondary gate began to lift upward and create an opening to get into the walled off pen.
Dirt paths and dry trees appeared on the other side, revealing a perfectly clear runway for the Rapitarus to charge into their constructed habitat.
"So that's where they were!" Klein realized.
He was wondering why they didn't join in on that boss fight.
The whole stampede narrowed down and filtered into the gateway with instinctual precision, not a single lizard slowing speed in the slightest. Klein's Rapitaru crossed the first dirt path, leading the pack through a few scattered trees and quickly entering a clearing.
Above them, Silica flew to the other side of the pen and landed on the walkway connected along the top side of the back wall. From there, she pet Pina's head and took the string of meat from his small clutches.
"Alright!" She called out, "Eyes on me!"
Holding up the boar meat, she immediately caught the attention of every Rapitaru below. One after another, then the rest of the lizards in seemingly synchronization, all raised their heads and lifted their snouts into the air.
The four fairies still mounted below nearly fell off their Rapitarus in the process.
Slowly, she waved the tender food through the air; wafting its scent around. With every sway, the snouts below gravitated toward it.
"You can close the gate now." Silica stated calmly, still maintaining all attention.
With her order spoken, the inner and outer gates closed simultaneously. Of course, Leafa and Liz were already out of the cage and sitting on the wall opposite Silica; just above the gate.
Someone was probably behind the scenes, within the walls next to the entrance, working with the mechanisms that access the doors.
"Wow, and I thought I was the only beast tamer of the group." Silica laughed, looking down at the party members below.
Her eyes flicked between her friends below; each one surprisingly sitting on a lizard that matched their usual color preference.
"Yeah, well. We're not on bad terms… if that's what you mean." Klein spoke and rubbed the back of his neck. His red Rapitaru seemed to agree with him and let out a chattered roar.
Her gaze then turned to Kirito, and he merely shrugged at her curious expression. To her surprise, Kirito's Rapitaru seemed to be one of the only female lizards of the pack. And, from what she could tell, it was giving her a strange territorial look.
"They're actually quite friendly." Asuna commented from her place, her albino raptor mingling with the others around it.
"Of course they are! They're the most loyal pets you will ever find!"
A voice shouted out from behind everyone. Sitting at the edge of the wall, above the gate, was Vel. Her goggles were nestled into her pink hair and a wide toothy grin crossed her face. The heels of her black boots bounced off the stone wall as she idly kicked her feet.
"I didn't notice her there. When did she get here?" Liz asked in a hushed whisper, trying to get her words past the pink haired blacksmith to Leafa.
Apparently the girl appeared out of nowhere between the two fairies.
"I have no idea." Leafa mouthed back.
"No silly, I flew up here. You two were just too busy admiring Kiri-" Vel was silenced by a swift hand to the mouth.
Her sky blue eyes looked down and realized what had prevented her from talking. She followed the arm to her left and met the dangerous eyes of Leafa. Dashing them to the right, she also noticed the amused glint in Liz's eyes; albeit slightly embarrassed.
Looking back, she understood the warning strongly given and pried the hand clasped over her lips. With relative ease, she got it off and continued.
"Anyway, like I was saying. After these two stared at Kirito-" Vel ducked the combined swipe of Liz and Leafa, letting herself slip off the wall and hovered forward with her wings. "I sat down and came here to show you this!"
She extended her arms and opened her hands. A large message opened above her showing off a timer in large golden text.
«59:26»
Above that appeared the all familiar completion text.
«Quest Complete!»
«Bonus Reward: Re-Callable Mount»
"I can't believe you guys were able to complete ALL that stuff in an hour. You even killed that boss!" Vel gasped and the message disappeared. She kicked the air excitedly and took a deep breath, "You were like, KAPOW! And he was like, KAPOOYAH! And then the boss was like, ERG! WHY YOU DO DIS!? And then I was like… I NEED POPCORN!"
Kirito let the girl go on her tangent as he read through the quest completion message in front of him. Turns out, he didn't get to keep any of the materials the group farmed from the Burrowing Maws. I guess she needed all she could scavenge for the city's storage supplies. Just how much did those raiders take from them? Kirito thought. If only he could find some information on who was doing this, then maybe he could find out what's really going on here on this island.
He digressed and scrolled further down, there was a large sum of Yrd and experience instead of any item rewards. The only physical item was the bonus mount.
Heh, he knew exactly which mount he'd be choosing.
Dismissing his message, he reeled back from the sudden reveal of Vel's childish face just behind it.
"And then you and Klein over there dove into that thing's mouth of pokey teeth!" She exclaimed, her voiceless drawling suddenly forming coherent words in Kirito's mind again.
"I can't believe you two did that!" She giggled, leaning in a bit and ignoring any sense of personal space.
If one were to look around, they would see the venomous glares of a few certain fairies. Luckily, Klein was safely sitting just out of range from their radioactive presence. He and his fierce red Rapitaru could only whine and hope the whole thing blows over smoothly.
The rest of the Rapitarus seemed to slowly back away and sink into silence, giving each of the girls a wide birth.
It was strange; a whole pen of restless and hungry chattering lizards, all going eerily quiet in the span of seconds.
"How'd you know that the fastest way to take out a Broodmother is from the inside?" Vel asked, finally leaning back and hovering a small distance away.
She knew what she was doing.
"U-uh, Sinon actually got eaten by one." Kirito explained, looking to the archer behind the master blacksmith.
Vel turned and stared at the blue Cait Sith, eyes brimming with bewilderment. "No one ever survives a trap like that." She mumbled, looking at the girl with a renewed image of glory.
"A-actually…" Sinon cleared the sheepishness from her voice and blinked, "Kirito and Asuna killed it before I was dragged underground… thankfully."
"She even yelped." Asuna cut in cheekily.
"What?!" Sinon sputtered, Cait Sith ears heightening to full alert, "I-I did nothing like that!"
"Sure you did. I was the one who caught you remember?" Kirito chuckled, further proving Asuna's claim.
Well, that was kind of hard to forget! The way your arms- Ugh, I need to stop thinking about that. Sinon blushed as her thoughts escaped her; the scene still fresh within her mind.
Whatever retort she was going to respond with was only going to make things worse.
"Ah…" Vel smiled, "I get it." She flew over and poked one of Sinon's heated cheeks, "You're all so helpless…"
She leaned in and whispered into the Cait Sith's fairy ear, "I'll stay out of it."
Sinon's blush deepened as the blacksmith leaned away. The small girl's teasing was strangely akin to a certain other pink haired blacksmith she knew. Perhaps they're related?
Or just very similar in personality and race?
"Do we get to pick our mounts?" Kirito asked, hoping to dispel the silence.
Blake whipped her tail and shook her head, already hoping for a positive answer. She's grown fond of the spriggan on her back.
Vel's scruffy pink hair lagged behind her as she whirled around. Her shiny blue eyes locked with pristine ebony, and her smile never faltered. "Of course!"
The dusky green leaves on dangling branches rustled in the light breeze that blew by. The Shoestring Acacia trees that decorated the city's inn created a warm, welcoming atmosphere for the visiting group of fairies. The tall structure, being made of sandstone and wood, spanned across a large block in the housing district.
It was almost reminiscent of a fancy tropical hotel. The entrance started with a wide arch way that lead into a courtyard. Gardens of small ponds and desert trees graced the two sides of the cobbled stone pathway. At its end was the entrance to the inn.
Multiple balconies above it glowed with orange light. Some of them were dark and unlit, signifying that there were rooms available. There must have been at least seven floors, and potentially an area to lounge at on its roof.
The setting sun sent dancing rays of light through the moving branches around them, each strand of light flickering wistfully beneath the fairies' feet. No clouds took residence in the sky, leaving it completely bare and an unobstructed sea of red and yellow.
"I can't believe a desert can be this beautiful at times." Asuna sighed, one of many who were looking up into the sky.
"Just wait until the stars come out." Vel replied from the head of the group. "Imagine a sea of countless lights, far beyond what you could count, and the brightest moon of the year. It'll be amazing."
"That sounds incredible." Leafa said, her hands clasped together in front of her chest. "We should totally check it out tonight."
"Sure." Klein agreed for the group, "And in the meantime, we should all relax. We've had a long day."
"Oh, by all means go ahead and relax." Vel turned around after reaching the entrance to the large inn, "You're our guests of honor after all. Seriously, you've done more than you know for our city."
From within the entrance, Asaki stepped out and approached the group. Her brown ponytail swayed a bit and her long twin daggers glistened in the dissipating sunlight; their red steel appearing crimson in color.
The group also noticed a few upgrades from the last time they saw her. Now, she was wearing a sleeveless grey shirt with white bone shoulder guards and feminine bone chest plates. Each piece was connected by black leather straps, keeping her armor light and mobile instead of the heavy steel she wore before. Her black leather bracers fit snugly on her forearms and her equally black combat boots seemed to match them. Above those was a white gladiator styled light cloth skirt with some strips of steel running down its length.
Her brown fingerless gloved hands held a short stack of silver keys.
"Hello again." She smiled, stepping up to Vel's right side.
"H-hey." Klein was the first to respond, followed by a heartfelt barrage from the rest of the group.
"I'm sorry to tell you this, but there were only three rooms available." Asaki held up the three silver keys, each lightly held between her fingers. "So you'll have to work out the rooming arrangements. Each room has two beds."
In reality, it shouldn't really matter who sleeps in the same room as whom. This is a virtual world. Only the avatars sleep here, and by that they log out of here; going into a sleep stasis of data ready to be reloaded.
At least, that's what Kirito and Klein realized.
As for the girls, they seemed to get a little antsy under the looming face of realization and possible scenarios.
"You know what. I'll be the first to say it so we can just get on with the night…" Klein spoke up before taking a breath. In a flash, he was at Kirito's side and slammed a rough hand down on the teen's shoulder.
"I call Kirito!"
A series of slowly turning, shocked faces came into view as Klein looked around for any immediate objections.
"Sure, I guess. It doesn't matter anyway." Kirito piped up, moving away from the samurai.
"F-fine, then… then I call Sinon!" Silica exclaimed. Beside her, Sinon seemed to snap out of some sort of haze and looked for the source of her name being spoken.
Off to the side, Liz silently reached out of frame and pulled a surprised Asuna into her chest.
"Well that's great and all…" Leafa spoke, her being the odd one out, "…but where will I sleep? There's only six beds."
Why are we even trying to figure this out? It's not like we need to lie down to log out. Kirito asked himself. Although the small buff you get for sleeping in an inn's bed is fairly worth it.
"You can sleep with me." Silica decided to share her own bed with the sylph.
"Cute… I'm glad you all figured it out, but we must be going now." Asaki interrupted, "Vel has a city to run. And I am her personal body guard, so where she goes; I go."
"Yeppers!" Vel giggled and hopped down the stairs, "Such fun."
Asaki stepped down the stairs in a much more graceful manor. As she passed them by, she handed Kirito the silver keys and continued down the cobble path.
Vel followed suit soon after but slowed to a stop beside the spriggan.
"Good luck." She whispered under her breath before flashing him the peace sign and running off.
For what? Kirito wondered as the young girl caught up to Asaki.
Deciding not to read too far into it, he turned and grasped the keys in his hand. "So… Let's go check out our rooms."
He made his way through his friends and was the first to begin climbing the stairs. Behind him, Klein quickly stepped up after him and the rest fell in line after that. The group made their way through the door way and had a look around.
Their sandy boots echoed and clicked on the reflective marble ground; the black and white surface contrasting the golden pillars that rose to meet the lobby roof. At the center was a fountain of crystal waters and swirling design.
Above that was an opening in the ceiling. That opening was rimmed with surrounding railings, each balcony being on a separate floor form the one below. As the fairies walked beneath the architecture, they gazed up and saw all the way to the seventh floor.
"Welcome to the Golden Dragon." A female's voice softly echoed in the quiet lobby.
Kirito's eyes dropped form gazing above and turned to the front desk; behind the polished stone stood a young woman with long wavy blond hair. Her lilac eyes had a glint of mischief in them, despite her seemingly salamander appearance. She was wearing a red half-leather jacket and a black undershirt, beneath that was a pair of black tight shorts.
His vision was obstructed by the reception desk so anything below the waist of the NPC, he couldn't see.
"The name's Yang, what can I do for yah?" She continued.
"I'll handle this." Klein muttered to Kirito before snagging the keys and approaching the desk.
"Hi, we're travelers here to stay the night. We'd like to know what floor these rooms are on." He spoke smoothly, going so far as to rest a lazy elbow on the counter and lean against it coolly.
"Oh, a hot salamander like you already has silver tiered keys? Those are all the way up on the sixth floor." Yang explained. "If you want, I can call my sister to help you to your rooms." She continued before leaning in a bit and placing her hands on the reception desk.
"Or, of course. I could help you settle in."
Klein locked up. His act was flawless, he knew that. What he didn't expect was for the 'cool' guy act to actually do something. Usually this was the point he'd get shot down.
Kirito stepped around the man and carefully took the keys from his sweaty palms, "The room numbers are fine. Thanks for the offers though."
Yang leaned back and seemed slightly disappointed, "Okay! You're in rooms 117 through 119. Please enjoy your stay. Oh and are you sure you don't want Ruby to show yah around?"
Looking over to Klein, Kirito realized he wasn't going to get anything out of the guy. So, he turned to the rest of the group and traded glances.
"Sure, I'd like to know more about this place." Asuna was the first to consult the question.
Silica nodded her head in agreement, "A tour would be nice."
"I'm in. It sounds like fun." Leafa continued the train of interest. "And I'd really like to meet this sister of yours."
Kirito then looked to Sinon and she seemed to avoid his eyes. "I… actually just want to see the rooftop and check out the view."
Yang clapped from behind the counter, "Then it's settled!" She turned and knocked on the door behind her, the sharp thuds echoed off the lobby walls and finally stirred Klein back to life.
"Huh, what just happened?" He sputtered out, nearly falling over from the sudden reality check.
"You scored us a tour guide." Kirito filled the hopeless man in.
"I-I did?"
The door behind the counter opened and Yang stepped to the side. "Whaf if iph fyang?" A fifteen year old girl asked, or tried to at least. She appeared to be eating something crunchy.
Crackers? No. Cookies? Maybe?
The girl named Ruby had short shoulder-length black hair; with a red tint to it. She also wore a simple dark red t-shirt.
Like her sister, she also sported salamander cloth; although she favored a skirt rather than Yang's tight shorts. Below that she wore a black pair of combat boots.
Swallowing hard, the young girl cleared her throat and realized more hotel guests had arrived. Her silver eyes quickly took in all the new fairies standing behind her older sister and squealed with glee.
"Oh my gosh! You fairies are from the mainland aren't you!?" Ruby asked excitedly. She zipped around the desk with the speed of a sylph and seemed to be checking everyone out.
Their weapons, that is.
"Katana, mace, daggers- Whoa! Is that a bow?" She whirled around, eyeing the pitch black bow resting on Sinon's back.
The Cait Sith turned a bit and stepped back, "Y-yes?"
"That's so cool." The young girl cooed before whirling around again.
"If you think that's cool, you should see some of the designs I came up with in my shop." Liz bragged to the girl. "You're lookin' at a master blacksmith here."
Ruby's eyes widened and she turned to the pink haired girl, "Really?!
"Hey uh, sis?" Yang asked, flawlessly grabbing the girl's attention. "Can you show some of these fairies around a bit?"
Realizing what she was doing, Ruby quickly subtracted herself from the group and stepped back over to her sister. "Sure, I guess. Who wants to see the ball room?"
Asuna, Liz, Leafa, Klein, and… Yui? The small navigational pixie fluttered out of Kirito's pocket and sat herself down on Asuna's shoulder.
"There's so much architecture that I haven't seen anywhere we've been yet. I'm going to check it out Daddy." She explained herself, giving Kirito a small wave.
"That's fine. It'll give you some time to spend with Asuna." Kirito smiled back.
He then pocketed one of the keys and handed the other two to Sinon and Asuna. "Here, I'll probably just walk around for a bit. You guys can go ahead and look around, I guess. This place is pretty impressive."
The day seemed to be drawing to a close. So he wanted to see if he could go back into town, or find someone here at the hotel, that could tell him what was going on. Who attacked this place? Who's been taking advantage of the people on this island?
Is this enemy going to end up being the World Quest Boss?
Kirito understood what the Cardinal System could accomplish. He experienced it first hand when Jötunheimr was still part of this world.
It's the most powerful system to ever take residence in an MMORPG.
It's unpredictable, efficient, fair, and most of all… it's fresh. That last quest was new, fun, exhilarating, he wants more of that. Playing these games with his friends has become a huge part to his everyday life. This, alongside school and programming, has been what he turns to when he's free or bored.
Why not make the most of it?
Plus, it's always fun to fight all new enemies.
"Okay, we'll let you know if we find anything interesting." Leafa replied from beside Silica.
"Yeah, no pressure." Klein stated, "We'll meet up on the rooftop after sundown."
Kirito nodded and split off from the group. With a wave over the shoulder, he worked his way back to the entrance and left the hotel.
He had some time.
Stepping down the stairs, Kirito made it down to the cobble path-
"Hey."
So much for running solo. He turned around and looked up the stairs.
"Any chance you're heading into the market?" Sinon asked as she walked down the steps.
Kirito put a little thought into where he was actually planning to go. The market does sound like a good place to start. "Yeah, I was planning to ask around about what attacked this place."
Sinon's boots made contact with the path beside Kirito and she smiled, "Good. I'll come with you then… as soon as I buy more arrows."
"I'm surprised you lasted so long with the ones you did have."
"Hey, I took out an entire raid party with a single clip. I think I'm more than capable at managing my ammunition." She responded, cat ears twitching in the breeze.
"Yeah well…" Kirito turned and headed toward the archway, "Not everyone can slice your bullets."
Like hell anyone can. Only you can do that, no one else is stupid enough to try. Sinon followed after and the two took a right after the exit.
"The market place shouldn't be too hard to find." Kirito said as he opened his map. There were a few markers in their proximity. One of which was the Golden Dragon emblem for the hotel behind them, and the rest for smaller inns and taverns within the area.
He zoomed out a bit and checked the area map for the entire city, "It looks like there's a cluster of shops down on the west side. Could be the market place."
"Anything for an archer?"
In between a couple sword symbols, there was a single bow emblem. "Yep. We'll head there first. Maybe the fletcher knows something."
Blue iron arrows glistened in the falling sunlight as the two walked the streets of the market. A few other players have seemed to find their way to the island, and eventually into the current city as well. Those random players were scattered and moved around, stall to stall, sifting through high level gear.
"What was with him anyway?" Sinon asked.
"Well, we're not exactly locals."
"Doesn't matter." She sighed, "He kicked us out as soon as you started asking him questions."
"Maybe it's a touchy subject?" Kirito suggested.
Sinon shook her head, "He was scared."
Kirito took a breath and stepped up to the next stall. Sharpened swords and axes lined the walls at the back, and smaller short swords and daggers were laid out in a display case at the front.
"Looking for a nice weapon, spriggan?" The vendor asked. His tattered brown shirt scrunching up as he crossed his beefy arms.
"Depends. We're looking for the name of who attacked this city."
The vendor shifted his stance and rested his hands on the casement in front of him, "Kid. If you're not buyin', then you might as well move on."
"Hey, all I need is a name." Kirito tried to question further, but the man turned and disappeared somewhere behind a curtain.
"Kirito." Sinon leaned against the weapons case and crossed her arms below her chest, "I don't think you can haggle NPCs in this game."
The teen rubbed the back of his neck and looked away, "We know that the NPCs on this island have more advanced AI than back on the mainland. So their response algorithms could be different as well."
Usually, an NPC would detect certain key words in phrases the players say. And then they respond with their own related response and act accordingly.
These AIs are different though. Kirito and the group have literally had a conversation with Vel, and she's just an NPC. She's even up to date with their quest activities and, somehow, about their stats and profile information as well.
"We can always ask Vel." Kirito offered.
Sinon shook her head, "She might be busy."
"Later then? Maybe when we log on tomorrow?"
Actually. I might as well ask. "Speaking of tomorrow…" Sinon began, hoping the others will hold up their end of the bet. "We could meet up and see if there are any dungeons in the area."
Oh yeah, I guess I did promise her back in the first town. "Sure. A place like this should definitely hold some awesome loot."
Sinon inwardly smiled. Well, a bet's a bet. The others can't get involved, I hope.
Kirito looked away and searched the street for anyone with asking. So far, no Info Brokers were here yet. The NPC merchants don't seem to be talking. Maybe that guard at the gate could know a thing or two. He seemed pretty peeved at what was going on.
Checking the time, the sun had already set and the daylight was fading quickly. He promised Klein he'd meet up with the rest of the group on the hotel's rooftop tonight.
Breathing in, he took a breath and sighed. "Let's just see what Vel knows tomorrow morning. For now, let's just head back." Kirito glanced around and noticed the abundance of stars rendering in. "You did say you wanted to check out the rooftop after all."
Sinon looked up and uncrossed her arms, "We might as well. And yes, I did say that. The view is probably amazing, plenty of lines of site."
"What are you planning to do, snipe someone with your bow?"
Holding up an imaginary bow, Sinon drew the string back and aimed it at Kirito. "Hey, thinking like a sniper is good practice. For all we know, this city could get attacked again. And now we're here, and we can do something about it."
"Man, that pool was amazing. Three waterfalls, two water slides, and a hot-tub?!" Klein sighed in bliss and fell to his back, "I know what I'm doing tomorrow."
The stars above winked and brightened. A barely noticeable orange glow bordered the horizon, but the sky was still as bright as ever. The shining white moon sat on the furthest sand dune, and all around it were shimmering reflections of silver sand.
A cool breeze ruffled his collar as he brought his arms up, clasping his fingers behind his head. The rooftop at his back was cold to the touch now. Its temperature quickly dropped the moment the sun vacated the sky.
"You can do that. Or… you can join Silica and I on the track out back. It's perfect for training our new mounts." Asuna's voice was carried in the wind. It sounded distant, yet somehow felt closer than it sounded.
The samurai looked up and saw the four girls taking two close benches to themselves. Their dimly lit figures resting at the other side of the rooftop, near the edge.
"That's a good idea actually." Leafa spoke up. "We can see what kind of upgrades we can get by leveling them up."
Klein let his eyes look back to the sky for a few more moments, the girls leaving his view. "Yeah, I guess Saraf and I learn to work together."
"Saraf?" Asuna inquired.
"Yep. I finally decided on a name." Klein sat up and stretched his arms. "What about you?"
"I… have given it some thought. But I haven't decided yet." She admitted, opening up her inventory and looking at her new equipped 'Mount' slot. She had the option to name her Rapitaru, so it had crossed her mind a few times already.
Klein nodded and pulled himself to his feet. "Good names are hard to come by." He stated simply as he looked around for another bench.
There were a couple stone benches spread out across the flat rooftop of the hotel. Off to the side, off centered, was the only protruding structure beside the raised stone ledge. It was the stairwell they used to access the rooftop.
Star gazing was just another option at this inn.
"Daddy!"
Yui suddenly flew up from Asuna's shoulder and looked off into the distance. Two dark figures flew through the air from within the city.
"So that's where Sinon went." Leafa realized.
"Maybe she was buying more arrows." Silica offered.
The two fairies touched down at the center of the roof, and immediately one of them collapsed onto his back. "Man, intelligence gathering is tough work. How do the Info Brokers do it?!" He sighed into the air, arms lying at his sides.
"Someone looks tired." Klein commented, towering over the dark spriggan on his back.
"We decided to ask around for any clues that'll lead us to who attacked this place." Sinon elaborated, although she sounded a bit disappointed and tired herself.
"I take it you didn't find anything?" Asuna asked.
Kirito raised his arm into the air and formed a fist, "Nope."
Liz got up and walked over to the ledge, something catching her eye. "Hey guys, I think the walls are nearly complete."
The others got up as she watched the last of the workers begin work on laying the stones.
"Well, looks like they've put our metal supports to use." Leafa pointed out, noticing that the outer walls were now reinforced with them.
"Those can hold their own against any invasion force." Klein spoke up from behind, "You girls did a nice job. I was thinking you had the easiest job."
"Oh, it was definitely easy." Liz laughed, "What do you take me for? How hard do you think it is to roll super heated steel into panels then merge them?"
"Sorry, my bad." Klein surrendered, playfully raising his hands in defeat. "In any case, it's been a long day. Let's log out and meet back up tomorrow."
The fairies of the group noticed the time and voiced their agreements. It was getting late. And most of them didn't even eat dinner yet, that meal was whole heartedly skipped a while ago.
As some turned toward the stairwell, the final stone brick fell into place. In the distance, the loose cracks in the wall glowed with a faint white light, before melding together and disappearing. All around the city, the walls coursed with a pulsating aura.
Everyone paused and turned to see what was happening. The light in the walls flowed downward and poured into the streets. White veins glowing brighter the closer they got to the central tower, and once they pushed into its base, the whole structure lit up.
The cylindrical spire swirled with energy before sending a column of blinding white light into the sky. Its speed sent it high into the air before it seemed to smash into an invisible wall. The aura split and spanned over the entire city, its edges dropping to meet the outer edges of the outside walls.
A dome of light formed before slowly fading away, and high above the city's center spawned the golden words that Klein and Kirito recognized almost immediately.
«Safe Zone Secured»
"Okay, that was so much cooler than when you explained it to us earlier." Leafa gaped at the shimmering letters in the sky.
"No kidding, that was awesome." Sinon agreed.
"Hah! See!" Klein crossed his arms, "We really weren't exaggerating."
The sound of a heavy door creaking open caused the fairies to turn around.
Kirito flinched under everyone's collected gaze, "What?" He asked awkwardly, door stopping halfway. "I missed dinner, I'm hungry."
Beta: demonic1556
Editor: Allix Stowe
Where is the motivation when you need it?
It seems to only roll around whenever it feels like it.
Anyway, time for a bit of an excuse train. This isn't a normal thing, delaying for so long. I'd decided to take a bit of a break after working hard on and posting an 18k word chapter for my main story. So that's what I did, and it worked out fairly well. Not a long break of course, just about a week of work then a week of break.
Now I'm sick. I'm pretty sure I've become reliant on creative writing. My body can't work right without the task of smashing words onto a page letter by letter. What has the world come to?!
Oh well, still coughing as I write this, but here I am. And I'm back to writing, even though I only do so when creating a chapter. I like getting these things entirely done within one or two sessions.
Less plot holes that way.
Review! You have no idea what they mean for an author. Favorite and Follow the story, plenty more chapters to come. I'm still a decent way off from the end goal.
Cya XP