Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Log Horizon. This is a fanfiction used to help with my writing skills and the fact I enjoy writing stories like these. All I own is the ideas and sub-plots used to make this fanfiction and explore Log Horizon and Naruto in a different way. Also, don't own any of the games and anime I make reference to in this story, but still got to give homage to video games since this is technically a video game fanfiction as well.
"Sensei, are you sure you're alright?" Shiroe looked up from his map at Akatsuki. Even though she was expressionless, her constant movements around Las Boss showed her worry towards him. She looked for injuries on their healer, though there were none to be found now.
[I'm fine. Even my MP is back up... Ah! Shiroe, ledge over there is unstable.] Las Boss pointing at an area before them.
"Right." Shiroe marked his map and looked for a detour. "If we take this tunnel, we can get back to the main path." Shiroe pointed at a large tunnel just before the spot Las Boss pointed at.
"Heh. So you weren't lying about seeing the status of areas. You're such a cheater!" Naotsugu grinned, back in his armor as they were trying to get back on schedule for the rescue.
[It's not cheating. As a game master, one of the jobs I had to do was make sure the data of the game was not corrupted for various reasons. Actually, I am one of the GMs focused to bug fixing as there are some just who focus on keeping players in line. Hence the extra menus I have to check things like data for environments and such to find and fix bugs and glitches... Though, they changed with the Catastrophe. I did not realize they were still doing the same thing, but of real life information instead of computer data.] Las Boss glared at Naotsugu.
"Ah. That's right, the character you are in is one of your main three you use. Wait, does your other avatars have these menus?" Shiroe asked, getting confused looks from Akatsuki. "Oh, I forgot. GMs usually have characters specifically for work and then ones for playing. Some GMs were probably in their playing accounts when we got stuck here."
[They do. Being a GM is my hobby, so I don't mind all my accounts being work related.] Las Boss was looking ahead, keeping an eye on his menus for hidden dangers. [Oh… That does make me wonder. What has happened to our other characters? You weren't able to contact Naruko or Sandaime Hokage before.] Las Boss turned to face Shiroe and the others.
"…" Shiroe suddenly went into thought.
"Huh? What do you mean? I only have this one I am stuck in now." Naotsugu asked, confused.
"The same for me." Akatsuki, for once, agreed with Naotsugu.
"I have one other character that I played Elder Tales and got to test out on the beta." Akatsuki and Naotsugu looked at Shiroe with shock. "I was lucky to be able to play it as a kid and was able to keep her once I opened my Japanese account. She is on the test server connected to the American Server. Though, it does make me wonder what has happen for those with multiple characters. I mean, we were confirmed to be missing in the real world, but the game developers can't see which character we are in."
[Indeed. I know at least several people ended up in my characters by mistake without directly playing. It makes me wonder who else could have been unlucky to be near a player with multiple accounts.] Las Boss sighed, crossing his arms while looking away.
He's really regrets the situations. Shiroe through, also lamenting on their lack of action. He has been keeping up contact with Shika and Minori while on their journey. He explained the full situation to Shika with finding she was mature enough to understand the urgency. This is the test run. If we can't save Serara and her friend, there is no way we will be able to save the others.
Shiroe noticed Las Boss pouting, [It does make me worry as we haven't seen any new players either. There hasn't been any updates on the forums since we found it. However, there was a notice on the forums warning not to touch the computers of players who have disappeared.]
That's right. Shika and the others ended up trap due to trying to help Boss. Shiroe thought, looking at his map. Could it be they lost control of the game? They must be focused on stopping anymore victims to not be posting on the forums the last few days. Or, have the developers lost control of the forums as well?
"Maybe it is just something to give us false hope festival." Naotsugu sighed, frowning. "The devs probably reacted quickly to give us a means of communication and it failed."
"Ah, that is true." Shiroe said, nodding, And explains why only Las Boss has been able to use the forums. It might have been frozen for the real world. Shiroe has tried several times to use the forums. Yet, it was still stuck to where only Las Boss could use the forums. But, that also solidify that we might be on our own. Not with just finding a way back to the old world, but with how to live in this new world.
"Though, maybe Naruto can hack the forums since he still has access?" Naotsugu asked looking at Shiroe. "Sure, he does not have a keyboard, but if he has access to his GM stuff, Naruto should be able to hack it."
[I can hear you, Bakatsugu.] Las Boss pouted at the Guardian.
"Don't you start, too, with that." Naotsugu glared back at the Druid, "You could seriously overpower what has cause our situation if you have gain control over the servers!
"True. But when you put it that way, it is a double edge sword." Shiroe sighed, looking at his map. Not noticing the confusion from Naotsugu and Akatsuki. "We are almost to the exit."
"Good, but what do you… Huh?" Naotsugu blinked as all four found their surroundings had changed. They were still in the ruins, but a purple mist was surrounding them as they were just before the stairwell and the lighting shifted to a greenish tint. "What is this? Lag?" Naotsugu asked, confused.
"No. We switched zones." Shiroe said. They moved forward and discovered the reason of the zone change.
"Whoa, boy… That's big." Naotsugu whistled as they found themselves face to face with a giant rat monster that was blocking the stairs. "Was that in the game before?"
"It does not have a specific name…" Shiroe said, narrowing his eyes. The level of the creature was sixty-eight. "Is it a mutation of the Ratman?"
"So… This is one of the new Novasphere Pioneers monsters?" Akatsuki asked while Las Boss nodded while putting his whistle to his mouth.
[New party rank monster. I don't know much about this one as I was not part of its team. Since it's best to guess it is from the Ratman line, it probably debuffs a lot and is not as powerful as it looks.] Las Boss readied his spear.
"I see… It's a bit risky, but we have no choice." Shiroe adjusted his glasses, "Eliminate it."
"Alright!" Naotsugu shouted as all four moved away from each other, Naotsugu taking the front line. "Over here, big guy!" Naotsugu shouted, activating Anchor Howl and making huge rat focus on him.
"Stealth Blade!" The rat roared when Akatsuki got a blow to its back.
"Cross Slash!" Naotsugu followed up with his own attack as the beast was stunned from Akatsuki's attack.
"Fierce Mold!" Las Boss hit with his own physical attack, causing spores to burn at the rat's fur as he dodged the rat's tail.
Fighting is a lot harder than in real life. Shiroe thought, focusing on the menus, "Boss, heal the tank!"
"Healing Wind!" Las Boss shouted while moving back and engulfing Naotsugu with green light.
"Thorn Bind Hostage!" Shiroe shouted, his spell unleashing the magical thorns onto the rat monster.
"Hah!" Naotsugu cut one of the thorns before the monster roar and slammed him into the wall with Naotsugu in its claws. "Ow! His defense is still high after your attack, Naruto!" Naotsugu shouted, jabbing his sword into the monster's hand, trying to get it to let go. "Shrimp! It's up to you!"
"Don't call me that!" Akatsuki shouted, jump up to ready her attack from above.
To make sure she can't miss… "Mind Shock!" Shiroe shouted, unleashing a purple ball of energy that hit the rat monster. The rat monster gripped its head in pain.
"Agh!" Naotsugu cried out as the monster threw him away.
"Willow Spirits!" Las Boss shouted, aiming at Naotsugu and catching him before he hit the wall or ground again.
"Thanks!" Naotsugu sighed in relief while hanging from the wall. Las Boss began to heal him while the vine spell kept him in place, tooting his whistle in acknowledgement.
"Keen Edge!" Shiroe shouted, Akatsuki's blade glowing with his magic. That should do it.
"Assassinate!" Akatsuki shouted, slicing the rat monster right in half along with cutting all the other vines. The monster collapsed to the ground. Items spill out around its corpse as Akatsuki whipped her blade to get the blood off and sheathing the blade back into its sheath.
"Heh heh! Victory Festival!" Naotsugu chimed, free of the vines now and doing a victory sign. Las Boss did a little victory dance that hit Naotsugu's head before posing. "Ow! Don't do that!" Las Boss answered with a whistle toot. "You're quite a comedian, aren't you?" Naotsugu growled while Shiroe and Akatsuki chuckled.
"Good. Now we just need to get back to the surface." Shiroe said as Las Boss, Akatsuki, and Naotsugu quickly collected the loot. They began their ascent up the stairs while Shiroe found himself lost in thought.
I took Maryelle's journey just to clear my head and think along with test to see if we are ready to take on Hamelin. Shiroe thought, his brows furrowing in frustration. I been so focused on trying to find a solution, I have lost sight of the feelings of those around me again. I am being just selfish so I can escape the city. But I can't sit still and watch everything go down in flames around me. I have to find solutions.
Shiroe exchange a glance with Las Boss who grinned at him. If he tries to hack the forums now, it could mean a third strike against him. We have no idea what the punishment is now. Boss could really die as the result. I am not about to ask him to do something so risky to find out what is going on in the real world. The real world is the least of our worries at the moment. Shiroe let out a sigh. If things keep going on the same path, will I be able to move forward and stay the same?
"Found the exit!" Naotsugu shouted as Shiroe snapped out of his thoughts to see the light almost blocking the figures of the three before him. Shiroe grabbed Akatsuki and Natosugu's hands as they helped him out of the dungeon. "Agh! So bright!" Naotsugu whined as they were all blinded by said light.
"We've must have been down there for a while." Akatsuki asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Brrrr." Shiroe could hear Las Boss' teeth chattering.
"It's cold, huh?" Shiroe said, realizing the chilly wind. However, as their eyes adjust, they were greeted with an amazing view of the sun coming up on the horizon of sea before him.
"Amazing," Shiroe gasped as all four of them stood there in awe.
"Beautiful." Akatsuki said, smiling at the morning rays. "It's much different from seeing it through a monitor."
"Finally passed the hard part! But, this is just like the old times festival!" Naotsugu grinned at the others, "This is what really makes adventures awesome! Well, that and panties!"
"Shut up, Baka." Akatsuki glared at the Guardian.
Old times. Shiroe thought, remembering back during the days of the Tea Party. All the adventures they took along with their leader. Finding new things, as Kanami said, was the best part of adventuring... No. It still is. Shiroe smiled, remembering when it was a game. All of them working together and enjoying themselves even though it was not a true guild. He especially remembered their leader, her unbiased love of having fun no matter what process used to get it and leading them into chaos. Shiroe slightly jump, snapping out of his thoughts at a thud on his back. He found Las Boss had slapped his hand onto his shoulder.
[Feel a lot better now that you have some fresh air in your lungs instead of ink?] Shiroe looked at Las Boss, wide eyed at the cheerful grin on his face. [A view just like this is great to clear out the clutter.]
Shiroe let out a little chuckle. He knew the whole time. Shiroe looked back at the horizon. "We're the first ones to see this scenery of this world." Shiroe looked at Akatsuki and Naotusgu. "We are also the first Adventurers of this new world. So, let's go and explore." Shiroe offered, seeing the smiles on Akatsuki, Las Boss, and Naotsugu. They knew as well… Then, I need to do my best. I need to see what this world we are in has become.
"Then, let's head to Susukino. Serara-san is waiting on us." Shiroe said with a genuine smile. Thank you, you three. I guess I would never have been able to adapt as well to this new world without you.
"Yeah! This is just our first prize!" Naotsugu chimed, acknowledging Shiroe as Akatsuki and him cherished the scene before them. Shiroe answered back with facing the east and blowing his griffon flute along with Las Boss who dismissed his summoning.
We need to keep going forward or else we will never move at all. Shiroe thought with seeing the Griffons coming towards him. However, he snapped out of his thoughts when a familiar xylophone tone hit his heads and saw the menus showing Maryelle was calling.
"Yes, Maryelle?" Shiroe asked, putting his hand to his ear while hitting the answer button. The others looking at him with confusion. It's too soon for another update call.
"Shiroe-san? Good thing I reached you! I need to ask you a question." Shiroe's heart sink, hearing the distress in Maryelle's tone.
"What is it? Has something happened to Serara?" Shiroe asked, hoping they were not too late.
"No. Serara is just fine. However, I remember the girl with Serara was named Naruko. However, I also remembered Naotsugu calling Boss Naruto. We found two people looking for someone called Naruto and wondering if you know Boss is this Naruto or it's this Naruko in Susukino?" Maryelle asked, her cheerfulness unable to hide her worry.
"Naruko is in Susukino?" Shiroe asked in shock before realizing something. "Who is looking for Naruto?" Shiroe asked, wanting to make sure of who is asking.
"Two adults. There avatar names are Iruka and Kaka-Inu. We rescued them from being PKed by a guild known as Hamelin." Shiroe blood began to run cold and his mind went into hyper drive. Various scenarios running through his head. "One is a teacher and his students were captured by the guild. He has one unaccounted student who is named Naruto. We want to at least help him find that student."
"Las Boss is the student they are looking for." Shiroe answered, noticing the looks from the other members of his group. "Please don't have them or yourselves do anything risky till we get back. Let's us get Serara back to Akiba first."
"Right. Thank you, Shiroe. I can at least ease their minds with telling them Naruto is safe. Bye." Maryelle said, hanging up.
"They know of Hamelin now, right?" Naotsugu asked, frowning as the griffons landed. "Worried festival?"
"Yes. However, though I am worried for Crescent Moon… Naruko is in Susukino." Shiroe said, adjusting his glasses.
"Didn't you try to contact that character a while back?" Akatsuki asked, a hint of confusion in her voice.
"Correct. And with what Maryelle told me, all of the people who were with Shika and trapped in the game are in Akiba. There was not enough to add Naruko." Shiroe said, his tone becoming as cold as ice.
"Wait… Does that mean she has become an AI?" Naotsugu asked, his eyes widen in shock. "Like in a computerized human festival?
[Maybe not so much AI, but she is human like the NPCs are now.] Las Boss pointed at his text boxes.
"Right. That would also give the explanation of her possibly not answering the Voice Chat. She doesn't know how as she might believe she is a true Adventurer." Shiroe said before moving and petting his Griffon which was getting restless. "However, if Las Boss just said is true. This world might not be the Elder Tales we know, in fact, far from it. And, if we don't find a solution soon to at least Akiba... The effects could be far more damaging than we first thought." Shiroe looked back at the trio with him, his grim frown matched by the others.
[Then, what are we waiting for! Let's go save Serara and Naruko!] Las Boss hopped onto his Griffon, holding a fist up. [It's time to test what we learned and see what we need to improve on for the bigger match in Akiba.]
"Right! Time for victory festival! Not for despair festival," Naotsugu shouted, getting to his Griffon.
"Alright. Let's go. We still have a few days before reaching Susukino." Shiroe got onto his Griffon, helping Akatsuki up onto his own. But… Is Naruko really an NPC now? Shiroe thought as their Griffons launched into the sky, flying towards the horizon before him to Susukino.