Brigandia
Kirito woke up, startled. He blinked fast, trying to eliminate the sleepiness in his head. Immediately after that, he glanced at the sky and sighed in relief. He didn't sleep too much. Maybe only three minutes.
He looked around the clearing, looking for monsters. There weren't any. He let out a breath that turned into a small steam cloud in the cold. Then, he looked at the sun about to rise on the horizon, deciding it was time to move.
He turned to the improvised tent that he mounted overnight -heck, even calling it a tent was being generous. It was just a big piece of cloth sustained by four sticks he managed to collect, barely protecting him from the cold. Thankfully, Kirito was prepared for that and brought the thickest blankets he could find.
Even then, Yui didn't seem very good when she woke up from her slumber. Her nose was as red as a tomato, and coryza fell from her nose. Even with the thick clothes he bought for the little girl, a big bonnet, in particular, covering most of her head, she had caught a cold.
"Ugh..." groaned the little Traveler. "I feel awful, Daddy. What's this feeling?"
The swordsman helped her get up.
"This, sweetie, is what we call getting -UAAAAAH!" yawned Kirito. "Sorry, I feel exhausted."
Indeed, the Swashbuckler wasn't in the best condition.
After passing through the Fairy Gate, he and Yui had taken care to assess the area in search of an unlikely, but not impossible, error of Yui. Upon confirming they were close to Susukino, Kirito dispatched a message to Klein, who likely went back to Akiba with Asuna.
Then, he decided it was better to set up camp for the night and let Yui rest. Moving in the dark was dangerous, even more in unknown territory. After all, besides the takeover of Susukino by the PK Guild of Brigandia, he barely knew how things were in the region of the Ezzo Empire. If he were alone, he could try taking the risk, but he couldn't take that risk while accompanied by his daughter.
Besides that, he still needed to confirm how much time they had to look for Silica, and Yui was the only one capable of doing so with her analysis skills.
"Yui, I know you must be feeling awful-"
"My nose is dripping with liquid, my body hurts, and my head is heavy."
Yep, a cold.
"But we need to analyze the gate. Do you have enough strength to do that?"
The girl sniffed her noose but nodded.
"I think so. Just give me a second..."
She closed her eyes, focusing. A few moments later, she managed to turn into her small pixie form.
"S-s-so c-c-cold!"
Of course, neither Kirito nor Yui considered that the girl would get colder from turning into her small, fae-like form, lacking the foresight to remember that her dress in that form wouldn't be reliable in protecting against the cold.
"Crap!" said the Swashbuckler. "Switch it back!"
However, conscious of her duty, the girl focused on the Fairy Ring, calculating the gate's schedule with ludicrous speed. Upon finishing it, the girl dropped to the ground, trembling as she returned to her human form.
"Why?" groaned the AI.
A few minutes later
It didn't take long for Kirito to set up a fire for the two to stay warm. It was still early in the morning, so he figured they had some time before having to leave. He glanced worriedly at his daughter.
"Are you alright?" asked the swordsman. Immediately, he reprimanded himself for having asked that question.
Yui was anything but fine. If the AI looked ill after waking up, she now looked positively miserable.
"I always wanted to be human. I never thought that the cold would be a problem."
Kirito nodded understandingly. Yui had never felt cold for real until today. His first winter in the Underworld had been a shock, as not even Alfheim's Jötunheimr, based on the nordic realm of giants, was as chilly as a cold day in the Sword Mastery Academy.
Now that he thought about it, he wasn't feeling too affected by the weather, right? Yui was shivering even with all the covers he bought for her, yet he was barely trembling. Was that a perk of being an Adventurer? He wondered if it worked in hot weather as well.
"You get used to it," said Kirito. "Not even the worst winter I've seen. One time, it got so cold in Saitama that the only way to walk through the street was with ice skates."
"Sounds difficult," said Yui. "Even more if you're not adept at skating."
"It was," recognized the swordsman. "I had to get out during that time to pick up some computing books, and I lost count of how many times I had fallen on my ass by the time I got home."
Yui chuckled, to which Kirito smirked. Nothing like a light story to increase the mood, even one as silly as that.
"I guess this is one of the things I'll need to get-ATCHOO!"
The little girl sneezed with too much strength and covered her father's figure with phlegm. Wordlessly, he picked a tissue from his magic bag and passed it to the AI.
"Sorry, daddy," said Yui, red ears.
"It's alright," tranquilized Kirito. "Not the first time someone sneezed on my face. Once I ate one of Suguha's phlegms and got ill from that. Anyway, do you feel better now, sweetie?"
Hesitantly, the Mental Health program nodded.
"A bit. Still cold, though. I think I'll be able to move in a few minutes. We have more or less seven days, eight hours, thirty-four minutes, and nineteen seconds until the return gate opens. Still a lot of time."
The swordsman crossed his arms.
"Seven days, huh? So we return at Christmas?"
The AI nodded. The shoulders of the swordsman relaxed, and he glanced distractedly at the sky, lost in thoughts.
"Is everything alright, daddy?" asked Yui.
"Yeah," replied the father. "Just thinking that I won't be able to pay respect to them this year."
Yui nodded, recognizing to whom her father was referring.
Even among their circle, it was a very hidden fact that Kirito, during Christmas, went to a graveyard in Yokohama's district of Kanagawa and put flowers in six relatively new graves. Yui was sure that, besides she and the swordsman, only her mother, Klein, and Leafa knew of his escapades to visit the Black Cats.
"It's alright," said Yui. "I'm sure they'll understand if you aren't there. And you can always do the homage here."
Kirito looked at the forest, lost in thoughts. Then, he sighed.
"Yeah, I guess you are right," said the father, not looking too convinced.
He lifted from the ground.
"Well, I'll prepare things for the trip. No time to waste, right? Do you think you'll be ready to face the cold? As a forewarning, if this works even remotely like the game, Akiba will be filled with snow by the time we return."
"Fuuuunnn..." mumbled the little girl in a surprising demonstration of sarcasm.
"Hey, don't get so down now," said Kirito. "I'm sure we'll be able to heat ourselves with tea...that will taste like nothing...and be pretty much like drinking hot water with herbs..."
The Swashbuckler glanced at the sky, sad.
"Well, that was the happy thought of the day. I'll shut up and go to work."
A few minutes later, the duo was on the road, riding Kirito's summoned Kiso horse.
While not as fast as other options, the Swashbuckler decided to summon the beast because it was the more discreet option overall. Most of his horse whistles were raid prizes, and any experienced player would immediately notice him if he entered the region of Susukino mounted in a Tosa or Ushi species. Meanwhile, while still being a dungeon prize, the small Kiso was also more common, especially in the Ezzo Empire.
Besides that, it was also a surprisingly comfortable mount. That helped too.
It didn't take too long for the duo to find a road. While Kirito hadn't much knowledge about Ezzo's geography, he did know that Fairy Gates, when not located in dungeons, are positioned close to roads, facilitating people who go through it both ways. With Yui's help, it was easy to get out of the woods, and a few minutes later, they were on their way to Susukino.
"It's so beautiful..." commented Yui, looking at the place, wondered. Kirito had put her on the front to guarantee she wouldn't fall off the horseback.
The Swashbuckler shrugged.
"Do you think so?"
It wasn't that Kirito didn't think the place was good-looking. Quite the contrary. It's just that he was paying more attention to the road ahead and the surroundings.
"The Ezzo Empire it's not exactly a place to tour through," explained the swordsman. "This place has more Party-level monsters than other places."
"Party-level?" asked Yui.
"It's similar to other games," said Kirito. "You have the normal monsters and the bosses, right? Think of Party-leveled monsters as minibosses."
The girl nodded.
"I see. So is the kind of enemy one would rather face in a group rather than alone?" deducted the Traveler.
Kirito nodded.
"I can deal with the lower-leveled ones, but Ezzo has many high-level Party monsters that require six Adventurers to defeat. I would rather not have to face a Frost Giant. Those are a real pain in the-"
It was subtle, but Kirito still got it. The soft sound of bushes moving. Without any wind.
He pulled the reins while unconsciously moving one of the hands to the sword.
"Daddy...?"
"Who's there?" asked the swordsman, pulling out one of his Swords of Revealing Light, the other hand in the rein.
The bushes stopped trembling. From there, a small child appeared, hands raised into the war.
"D-don't hurt me!" gagged the boy, the voice indicating his youth.
The shoulders of the Swashbuckler relaxed a bit, though he didn't put his blade back on the sheath. He took an analyzing glance at him. He was a level 19 Adventurer, barely higher than his friends in Akiba. Looking at his saggy clothes and small blade, the teenager assumed he was an Assassin.
"Why were you hiding?" asked Kirito.
Once again, the boy gagged an answer. "I-i thought that you were one of those Brigandia guys!"
The older boy raised his eyebrows.
"Yui, keep an eye around."
The little girl nodded, taking her eyes out of the conversation to look at her surroundings.
"What's your name?" asked Kirito in a calmer tone. Noticing that the boy kept staring at his Sword of Revealing Light, he put it away. "It's alright. I do not wish to hurt you. Please, tell me your name."
The boy gulped.
"I'm Daisuke, seven years old."
The eyes of the Swashbuckler widened a bit. "So young! And is Daisuke his real name or his nickname?" Considering that the boy seemed shaken, it was hard to say. For now, Kirito decided to work with what he had.
"Now, Daisuke. I do not wish to hurt you. All I want is to ask a few questions. Now, are you traveling on foot?"
The boy nodded.
"That's no good," said the swordsman. "You'll take hours to get to a village. So, here's the deal."
He opened his bag and picked up one of his older whistles.
"This item can summon a mount to help you move around faster, but there's a recharge time on it. I can give it to you along with directions to a safe place in exchange for information about Susukino. Is this alright?"
The little Assassin sniffed. Then, he nodded.
"I can do that, mister..."
Kirito was about to say his nickname but hesitated.
"Kirigaya," said the Swashbuckler. "You can call me Kirigaya."
He noticed Yui looking surprised at him. He made a gesture for her to keep watching, which she did.
"Now, I heard that a guild named Brigandia is controlling Susukino. Is this correct?"
The boy nodded.
"Yes. That Monk with the funny name is their leader. Demi-something."
'Demiqas,' thought Kirito. So far, it matched what Klein said.
"How bad are things there?"
"Real bad," said the child. "Lots of people joined Brigandia for safety. Big numbers and lots of pressure. They were making people give their money to them and not letting anyone outside other Brigandia members out of the city. Whoever didn't obey was either thrown out of the walls, sending them to the Church, or taken away. They did this a lot with girls."
Kirito had to take a deep breath before continuing.
"What about the entrance? Do they restrict who gets in the city?"
Daisuke glanced suspiciously at the teenager.
"Why would you enter there? Are you a baddie, mister Kirigaya?"
"Far from it!" exclaimed Kirito, shaking his hands. "In truth, I have sort of a mission there. And, if I have the opportunity, maybe smash the nose of the bastard ruling the city. But I need to know everything."
The Assassin looked at the Swashbuckler, eyes narrow. Then, he spoke:
"They were allowing people to enter, but it's a trap. The only ones that can get out are merchants. Even then, they need to pay the guards to do so."
'Bribes,' thought Kirito. It seems that some things never changed. "So, how did you get out?"
"I managed to hide below one of the carts when they were passing. While I fell in the middle of the way, I managed to avoid the archers in the city by going deeper into the forest, and I avoided their trackers by staying inside a fallen tree trunk. Then, after being sure that nobody was following me, I found this road. Then, I walked until I found you. I was scared because the Brigandia guys sometimes patrol through the surroundings to catch some prey."
"I see..." mumbled the Swashbuckler. He kept silent for a bit before talking again. "What you did was very brave, Daisuke. I'm unsure if I would get the guts to do that if I was your age."
The teenager passed his whistle.
"Here. Be sure not to break it. So don't do stupid things like letting your mount take too much damage or sit in the whistle. Understood?"
The boy nodded.
"Thank you, mister Kirigaya!"
After saying that, Daisuke blew the whistle. A few seconds later, a black mare appeared on the road.
"This one is a bit on the slower side," said Kirito. "But she stays a long time before needing to disperse. So, you can stay on the road for a while. Keep following this trail, and you should end up on the Shuparo Barrier. If my memory does not fail, the soldiers there tend to be friendly to Adventurers."
The boy nodded.
"I'll never forget your gentleness, sir!" said the Assassin. "I hope we can meet again. Heya!"
With those parting words, the boy and his newly acquired horse left father and daughter behind.
"Will he be alright, Daddy?" asked Yui.
"Probably," said the Swashbuckler. "Monsters don't tend to go on roads like the ones where we are. Something about ancient magic that was cast on them to help travelers go fast to their destinations. Even if he gets unlucky in finding a quest-related mob, Assassins have great skill in hiding themselves, which makes them strong when alone. All he needs to do is to stay out of fights, and his trip will be smooth."
Yui looked in the distance, where Daisuke and his house started to disappear on the horizon.
"I hope so," said the AI. "He seemed nice."
"Yeah," replied the teenager. "Godspeed, young Daisuke."
He climbed back on the horse.
"Come on," said Kirito. "We have a gate to cross."
Kirito couldn't help but feel nervous as they approached the walls of Susukino.
Until then, he had been able to keep a cool head. Even when Daisuke appeared, he didn't show any signs of how anxious he felt.
Now, however, they were at the front of the enemy base, what his years playing games would define as a "Point of No Return."
These were his thoughts as he silently watched the gates of Susukino.
Yui, the good girl she was, was sitting in the same bush as her father was, watching the building ahead silently.
"This is it, right?" asked the Traveler.
The swordsman nodded.
So far, their trip wasn't riskless per se - Kirito still couldn't figure out what would happen with Yui if she died -but they had the luck of not crossing with anyone after the meeting with Daisuke -a lucky stroke, he could say.
Now, however, they were at the wolf's den. At least before, Kirito had the small comfort that he would reappear on Akiba if he got killed by a patrol or a random high-level monster. The moment he put his feet inside the territory inside the walls, his spawn point would be in the city's Church. And, if his suspicions were correct, this was as good as being dead.
He closed his eyes, taking another deep breath. He was in riskier situations before.
"But never with someone near defenseless," said a small voice in his head. "Or that you had such an emotional attachment."
"Shut up."
"I didn't say anything," said Yui, confused. "And Mommy told me that this was a forbidden phrase."
Kirito blinked.
"You have forbidden phrases?"
"She said it was rude," replied the little girl. "And that I should never say this to another person. Unless someone's being an idiot, in which case, some phrases are alright."
"Seems like your mother, alright," chuckled the swordsman.
He breathed once more, then turned to Yui.
"Alright, I'm ready. Let's make this happen."
He opened his Dazaneg's Magical Bag.
"Now, get in."
That was Kirito's master plan to avoid oddity, exploiting one curious aspect of that world he had noticed since the moment he put his hand in to pull the Appearance Reset Potion. The bag was spacious inside.
And he didn't mean that it had more pockets or anything. It was very spacious. When he took a moment to analyze it better, he estimated that his bag could fill a living room full of equipment. Not only that, but once he put something inside, as long the bag had enough space, weight became negligible.
If Kirito were a man of science, he would probably be shocked at the blatant breaking of the laws of physics. However, he had been busier experimenting with the bag. And he figured out some of the limits of the magical item. There seemed to be some limit to the size of the objects you could take, for instance. The biggest thing he managed to absorb was a table that he used to demonstrate the power of the container to Isaac, and even then, it barely fit. And the bag couldn't hold most living beings either: some minor ones like squirrels were fine, but he couldn't put anything that outsized a wolf pup.
However, what if something could reduce its size and return to normal proportions inside the bag?
Well, you had one hell of a loophole.
So, Yui entered the bag with her small fairy frame. Then, she expanded to her original size and made all that she could to be comfy.
The result? Forty extra pounds that Kirito barely felt, and a Traveler hid in the last place one would think looking.
He took one last breath before getting out of his hideout. He made the best neutral face he could muster, then entered the road, coolly walking.
He got out of the forest. In the distance, Kirito made a silent analysis of the guards. Close to his level, one or two below. The Swashbuckler deducted, by how bored they looked, that they had been at that spot for some time. 'Good.'
The boy kept walking until reaching the gate. Naturally, the guards only noticed him while he was under their noses.
"Halt!" said the guard on the left, a burly Guardian with a breath smelling like alcohol. "Who are you to get here all dandy?"
Kirito tried to look confused.
"Dandy? Excuse me, but what's going on? Why can't I enter Susukino?" he asked innocently. "Who are you, people? I get out of the city for a few days, and suddenly it feels like I'm in the Warring States. Geez!"
The other guard, a Swashbuckler with messy blonde hair, looked at the Swashbuckler suspiciously.
"You are from Susukino?" asked the man.
Kirito lied with as much ease as he breathed.
"Yes," he declared, going over his fabricated story. "I appeared in the city once all this madness began. I didn't know what happened to my party members because I didn't find them anywhere after day one. When this happened, they were at Akiba, preparing for a raid. So the next day, I decided to go to Akiba by horse, figuring it would only take a few hours."
The Guardian shook his head.
"Poor bastard. Didn't you realize that things are different now?"
"I didn't," said the black-haired Swashbuckler, weeping. "The roads now take time to travel, and the monsters are scarier than ever. I barely managed to escape with life from a wolf ambush."
"Ah, it would have been faster to get killed," declared the messy-haired Swashbuckler. "Didn't hear that there's no permadeath here?"
The boy made his best sheepish look.
"I had read about that Death Game, and-"
The Guardian raised his hand.
"You made the comparison, right? Yeah, I read a book about that place too. We're luckier than those bastards, right?" he laughed dryly.
'I can't contest that,' thought the swordsman bitterly as the guard continued talking.
"Anyway, I'll be generous and tell you what happened. Brigandia decided that it would be better for us to control the city rather than a bunch of sneezy-ass rude NPCs. So Demikas, our boss, took control, and now we are the safety force of the city. Think of Susukino now as a haven."
Kirito could see clearly that the guard was spitting bullshit over bullshit but didn't call him on it. After all, the Kunie provided most of the safety services in the big towns of Theldesia.
If Kirito lied with as much ease as he breathed, that guy lied as if he was having a stroke.
"We are accepting of visitors, alright," continued the Guardian. "But you see, outsiders have to pay a fee to enter Susukino now."
Kirito bit his lip, considering his options.
"A fee? I see," said the swordsman. "How much?"
"Hm...let's see. How about fifty thousand gold?"
The swordsman nearly stumbled.
"Are you kidding me?!" roared the boy. "Fifty thousand gold?! Forget robbery; this is straight-up embezzlement!"
"We don't make the prices," said the Swashbuckler.
Kirito fumed. Sure, he had more than enough money to pay the bribe (he refused to call it a fee), but that was ridiculous. He could buy enough potions to fill his bag with that much money!
His bag shook slightly. He assumed it was Yui, remembering why they were there. The boy sighed, trying to emit an air of tiredness, which wasn't too hard, considering how badly he slept.
"Alright. I will..." the teenager began, putting his hand on the Magic Bag.
"What seems to be the issue?"
An Elf Sorcerer seemingly appeared out of nowhere behind the two guards. And, seeing as how they jumped, it was someone important.
"L-L-Londark, sir!" said the Swashbuckler. "I didn't know that you were passing by!"
"I had to take care of some dissident NPCs in the region," said the Sorcerer. "And what I saw was nothing less than a mugging. Not even that, but badly done, even!"
"You see-"
"No! I shall hear no more! I shall design you two imbeciles to a function more adequate to your position. Get out my face!"
The guards looked fearfully at the Sorcerer and obeyed his orders, running away like children that had their ears pulled by their mothers.
'Someone in a position of power,' thought Kirito. That was the conclusion he got about Londark.
Much to the Swashbuckler's surprise, the Elf respectfully bowed to him.
"My most sincere excuses," said Londark. "The actions of my guild were inexcusable. As their second-in-command, I shall provide that they will suffer because of their behavior."
"This seems awfully gentle," said Kirito. "How can I be sure you're not with those two clowns in a scam?"
The magician seemed to reflect on it before nodding.
"A fair point. Alas, I can guarantee that I'm not with those guys. That kind of jackassery it's not good for the image of Brigandia. As if it wasn't already in the mud," he mumbled the last part. "But that's beside the point. For a more personal reason, those two were troublemakers, and I wished to punish them. Is this an acceptable answer?"
Kirito reflected a bit, then nodded.
"I suppose so," replied the Swashbuckler. "I'm sorry. It has been a long journey, and last night was tough. Do I have to pay something to get in, though?"
"We have a fee," said Londark. "But it's only 500 gold."
"Jackasses," snarled Kirito. "Forget leeching. Those guys were in for my blood!"
"As I said, I'll provide that they get their just desserts at the best of my capabilities," replied the Sorcerer. "With that said, I still need your fee to enter the city."
The Swashbuckler nodded, passing the coins to the Sorcerer.
"Why the fee, though?" asked Kirito.
The Elf frowned.
"It was one of the first measures that Demiqas, my fri-" he stopped himself. "My boss installed it when he took power. Can't let anyone enter Susukino, after all."
Kirito bit his inner lip. 'Not good. In the way he phrases it, they seem to be going into a us against them scenario.'
He knew how complicated those types of scenarios were. It was likely that if he caused too much trouble, Brigandia would like to have a word with him. Wonderful. As if he didn't already need to watch his steps.
"I see," Kirito managed to say. "Well, I suppose I need to find a place to rest. By any chance, do you know some spot where the food is not complete and utter crap?"
"Tough luck," said Londark. "Food here tastes like salty rice balls, and I would kill a giant with my bare hands for some ketchup. There is a place where beer tastes better than water, though. Look for the inn Crimson Boar if you're interested. I warn that some boys like to go there to get rowdy, though."
"I think I can deal with some noise," replied the teenager. "I shall take my leave."
He noticed that Londark opened his mouth again, but at that point, Kirito felt that he was already calling too much attention. So, he left the Sorcerer in the dust, a rude gesture for someone that helped him, but necessary.
Maybe he gathered some suspicion that way, but it was for the better. He noticed that Londark didn't bother to look at his sheet, and one needed to be face-to-face to see other people's stats.
At least that encounter provided Kirito with some information.
'Crimson Boar, huh?' he thought. "Maybe it's worth giving it a look."
"Is everything free, Daddy? I wish to start by making an overall scan of the city."
Kirito glanced at his bag, opening it just a bit.
"One minute. Then back to the bag."
His answer came with Yui zipping to the skies above the city. He noticed that the girl still trembled a bit from the cold, but thankfully it wasn't as bad as it was at the beginning of the morning -likely because they were closer to the middle of the day. That said, judging by how some People of the Earth are acting, it should still be damn cold.
After a long minute of walking to avoid calling attention, Yui returned to the bag. Shivering, but otherwise fine.
"We need to solve your clothing issues," he muttered before focusing on more relevant topics. "So, what do you have?"
The girl took a second to recover from the cold experience.
"I...only have some general data, daddy. Susukino is pretty big," she began. "Not as big as Akiba, but I still counted at least 5000 people present here."
Kirito nodded. That checked out with some of the few modern -ok, a bit of old, but so far reliable -knowledge he had about Elder Tale.
"Any relevant areas for our search?"
The girl took a second to organize her thoughts, then said:
"There are two main ones. One of them is an area with many Brigandia members to the east. Maybe a personal HQ for their guild. If possible, it would be better to avoid it for now."
The Swashbuckler hummed.
"And the other?"
Kirito could feel the discomfort in his daughter's voice when she answered:
"There's an area with an overwhelming amount of female Adventurers and People of Earth to the west. That must be..." she didn't finish, letting her father end the line of thought.
"...I see. Thanks, Yui. Stay cool there, alright?"
'This is what I'm feeling the most right now,' reflected the girl, trying to stay comfy in the inside world of the bag -which wasn't too difficult, considering that Kirito had put some pelts inside the bag to allow the creation of a makeshift bed for herself.
She ignored the sound of a fist hitting a stone wall. Her father needed that time for himself, after all.
The more Kirito wandered through Susukino, the more disgusted he became.
At first glance, it was like Akiba. The current Akiba, mind you. So, there were People of Earth talking with each other, people wandering aimlessly through the streets, and so on.
However, Kirito felt something he didn't feel when wandering through Akiba in his many expeditions to find Lisbeth: danger.
It was subtle at first, but the Swashbuckler was experienced with dangerous situations, so he soon felt the underlying tension of the streets. The inhabitants regularly looked to the sides, fearing someone would pounce on them for unknown reasons. Most Adventurers did this likewise -some with worried glances, others with hunger in their eyes.
It was easy to localize who was with Brigandia and who was not, even without analyzing their status.
If Kirito had to surmise how it felt to walk through those streets, he would say miserable. All he felt was disgust. 'If I didn't need to be stealthy..."
"HELP! HELP!"
Kirito jumped, glancing at an alley in the street. Approaching it, he saw a struggle. One Woman of the Earth desperately tried to escape the grasp of her captors, two Adventurers. A man and a woman. A quick analysis revealed them to be at level 90.
"Labrys, shut this damn girl up!" grumbled the man, a burly Monk, who was more annoyed than anything at the struggles of his captive.
The girl obeyed, approaching the woman and putting a necklace connected to a chain on the People of the Earth, futilely struggling against the bind.
"No damage? The last thing we want is to be interrupted again," said the woman. A Kannagi, according to Kirito's analysis. "Stupid guards..."
The man nodded.
"The great 0ni Zuka doesn't commit the same mistake twice," he claimed.
Kirito himself wondered why the system of slavery was even functional. He had occupied himself in the last afternoon in theorizing the how. Never did he consider such a simple system.
People of Earth were weaker than Adventurers. That was a fact.
Guards were stronger than Adventurers. That was also a fact, as their armors, made and powered by Alv technology, adjusted themselves to be automatically stronger than any Adventurer. Very important to enforce peace in non combat zones like big cities.
The thing is, they could only detect combative actions. In other words, moves that actively harmed other people. So, stealing, fighting, and imprisonment. Even if Hamelin had managed to fool the last one, the Swashbuckler could still understand how they tricked the system.
It never passed through Kirito's mind that it couldn't detect other criminal actions besides those.
He stood still, observing the scenario ahead of him, until the Kannagi noticed his presence. She brandished her staff in a warning movement.
"Oi! What are you looking at, shitface? Get out of here!"
Kirito wished to do something. He really did. It didn't sit well letting those guys get away with that. Deep down, however, he knew it wasn't his fight. Fighting now meant putting the mission at risk.
A memory flashed in his head. That day, in which he left a friend behind because his fear stopped him from raising a helping hand.
'And once again, you leave someone who needs help behind.'
Kirito ran away. He didn't hear the mocking taunt of Labrys, telling him to run away like a coward. Nor did he hear the moanings of the People of the Earth, begging desperately for help.
The swordsman remembered appearing in the middle of a blind alley, hurling. The swordsman had avoided eating much -he couldn't die of hunger, and the food was as bland as paper, so there was no reason to enjoy that. Even then, there was enough to form an ugly gray mush in the ground.
"Daddy?" asked Yui. "How are you feeling?"
The swordsman managed to let out a weak smile.
"Usually, people start by asking if someone is fine."
The Traveler left the bag's safety to stare at her father in her minuscule form.
"I am not human," replied the AI. "And you're not alright, and this is a fact, not an opinion."
She glanced at the vomit below her, grimacing at the smell.
"Ugh, I don't like that my nose works now..." she mumbled before shaking her head. "The point is! What you are feeling is amongst my area of expertise. Please, Daddy. Tell me what's wrong."
The swordsman needed a second to think before answering his daughter:
"Everything. Everything is wrong."
While Sword Art Online and other derivative VR games arguably marked his life more, Kirito had a soft spot for Elder Tale. When he was younger, he had bounced from MMORPG to MMORPG, trying to find a way to escape reality. Elder Tale had been his home the longest before the SAO incident. A place where he had made real friends, from the brute yet deceptively cunning Isaac to the woman-attracting Samurai named Soujirou. He had formed a guild, something that nowadays he was aversed but yet did in the past. He fondly remembered the countless raids he fought as a solo and as a member of the Black Swords, of the tour he did through the planet. He fondly remembered all of those events.
Akiba wasn't too bad, as it was depressingly familiar to Kirito. He could handle it.
But to see Susukino turn into a den of malice and sin. That was when it dropped the pin on the swordsman.
That place he cherished wasn't the same anymore.
'Another feeling I'm all too familiar with,' he thought bitterly. As if he needed a reminder of how easily dreams could become nightmares.
"Sorry," he grumbled. "I was caught off-guard by that, sweetie. It's as if someone put a dog inside your house, and when you returned, everything was bitten, wet with spit, had shit on it, or all the above."
"This is what happens when you have a dog?" asked Yui. "Then why does auntie want one? I wouldn't like that munching on the hardware of your computer! It's where I live!"
Kirito could point out that the odds of a dog eating wire and circuit plates were very low, but he kept quiet.
"To sum it up, I'm upset over this," he said. "But it's not anything to worry about." Hopefully.
The AI gave an analyzing glance before nodding.
"Alright," she said. While Yui still wished to press further on the issue, she knew that her father would speak more when he was ready. "I'm here for you, Daddy."
With that, she returned to the inside of the bag.
"I know..." he mumbled.
The swordsman sighed, continuing his walk through the city.
Eventually, night came around. And Kirito couldn't be happier after passing through the utter mess that was Susukino.
While he had the information about Yui over the regions in the city, he didn't want to explore it right now. Yes, part of him wanted to rip the place apart, pick Silica and get out of there, but he had to be patient. Maybe it was paranoia, but he felt someone had been watching him soon after his nervous breakdown in the alley.
The teenager gripped his bag nervously, looking from the corner of his eye for hidden enemies. It was mostly an act to help him think as he pondered who that stalker was. Someone that noticed Yui? A slaver? A member of Brigandia looking for an easy buck? Part of him thought it was tempting to call Yui to scan for the pursuer, but he knew she couldn't keep her form for much longer before needing to recharge.
No, he needed to solve that alone.
He glanced around, trying his best to look casual while at it. How close was the-
"Hello."
"Agh!"
Kirito didn't jump upon hearing Londark's voice. Not at all.
"Where did you come from?!"
"I have my ways of moving around," replied the Sorcerer. "Mister...Kirito, is that correct?" He asked, looking at Kirito's stats
"Yes?" said the swordsman, a bit unsure. If Londark knew that name, he might have known who Kazuto was.
Thankfully, the Elf shrugged.
"I don't know if you know, but that name is a pretty dangerous thing to carry around. I heard a lot of rumors about a player with that name."
The Swashbuckler decided that it was the moment to play dumb. He could barely believe his luck!
"R-r-really?" said the Swashbuckler, laughing nervously. "I had this name for the longest of times, and suddenly my friends began to say something about being legendary or some crap like that. I saw some books about the guy with my name, but I don't know what he did, although I read that he was involved in that Death Game."
Londark nodded.
"Yup. And I heard that he got caught in all sorts of issues. I don't know if luck is a factor in this place, but I would change names if I were you."
"I shall consider it," said the black-haired teenager. "Now, answer me this: why were you following me?"
The Elf shrugged.
"You looked a bit suspicious at first. Then, you vomited in the streets, and I couldn't help but take an interest in you."
Kirito felt his ears reddening, but part of him was relieved. He didn't see Yui after all. They must have gotten lucky and picked an angle where he couldn't see the fairy. Inwardly, the tension that built in his stomach disappeared.
"I passed through some guys..." said the Swashbuckler. Better to leave the details vague. "I got a bit nervous after, so I couldn't help myself."
Londark frowned a bit but nodded.
"Hm, yeah. Brigandia wasn't the most friendly guild, even when this was only a game. Everyone is so tense because of how things are going now."
"Tense is a way to describe this..." grumbled Kirito. "I decided to walk a bit through the city. It's way bigger than I remembered being in Elder Tale."
"Yeah," recognized the Sorcerer. "I was surprised too. I can barely remember half of the names of these stores, and there are many more inns. The Crimson Boar is such an example. The more known inns these days tend to be somewhat dangerous places."
"Drunk people?" asked Kirito. At the weird glance of Londark, he rushed to explain. "I had a healing item that was alcohol-based. The next day I woke up feeling like a thousand bricks had fallen in my head."
The Sorcerer winced.
"Yeah, you'll need that visit to the Crimson Boar. It's a pretty quiet place overall. I stood there on the first day before reuniting with my guild. It helped me organize some ideas in my head."
Kirito wanted to know about those ideas, but he refrained from speaking. No use in losing the goodwill of his host.
"Anyway," replied the Elf. "You are close to the place. All you need to do is turn right in the street and find the plaque with the head of the, well, you know."
"Pretty self-explanatory. But thanks," said Kirito, turning to go away. However, he couldn't stop himself and turned back. "Before I go, I want to ask you one thing."
The Sorcerer looked at the Swashbuckler. He could feel the change in tone in his voice.
"What's your opinion over the NPCs?"
The Elf scratched his chin.
"Does it matter?" replied Londark. "At the end of the day, even if they seem..." he paused, trying to find a word to describe them. "...lively, they are insignificant for our overall objective at the end of the day."
"And what is our objective?" inquired Kirito.
The Elf blinked.
"Why, to return home, of course. Or would you rather prefer to stay in this world?"
"Of course not," answered Kirito, maybe a little too quickly. "It only came to my head that the inhabitants could know more about our situation." A half-truth. Kirito hadn't the opportunity to ask around, but he was sure that some more magical-oriented people could have information about their situation. Probably. Maybe.
The Elf Sorcerer huffed.
"Whatever. The point is that the people are clueless. When they aren't looking at us with fear, we receive stares as if we were some rare creature."
Kirito frowned, remembering that one talk that Klein had. From what the swordsman understood, in the public's perception, most Adventurers were silent and emotionless before the Catastrophe. Of course, he couldn't say that to Londark.
"Hm..." the swordsman scratched his chin. "Well, if you asked me, maybe you shouldn't focus so much on the goal right now. Otherwise, you'll miss the one tree you look for in the forest."
"What are you, eighty?" sneered Londark. "This seems like the classic cheap wisdom of martial arts movies. The only ones that can save us from this place are ourselves."
The swordsman shrugged.
"I only say what I see," he defended. "It's your call if you listen to it or not."
"Well, there's nothing to see here," huffed Londark. "Only a big bunch of nothing. When things calm down, and Demiqas..."
The Sorcerer stopped.
"Uh, what were you saying?" asked the swordsman.
"Nothing of your business!" the Elf said, ears red. "Okhaveagoodnight!"
With that, the vice-leader of Brigandia disappeared.
'What was that?' wondered Kirito before ultimately shrugging it off. Hopefully, it wouldn't be anything important, right?
Right?
...
"Ugh, no point in thinking about that," said Kirito, more to himself than anyone else. That was a long day, and he wanted to rest before entering dangerous territory.
Thus, his feet dragged him to the Crimson Boar inn.
The place was pretty clean, surprisingly.
Outside, the inn seemed very ragged. The wood clearly showed its age, with some board's varnish peeling out and the head of the namesaking Crimson Boar having a pinkish coloration instead of the vibrant red that the name would imply.
So it was a big contrast when Kirito entered and found a standard bar. It was well-maintained, and the lighting was good. A hearth burned, the smoke going out of the chimney.
In short, it reminded him of the most generic RPG bar conceivable.
"Hey," said a gruff voice. "What do you want?"
Kirito glanced at the Dwarf behind the counter. The barkeep, he assumed. He seemed to be in his forties, but it was hard to say for sure: Elder Tale followed with the old trope that dwarfs had longer lifespans than humans. He could be one hundred years old, for what he knew.
"The cheapest food you have and a cup of water," said the swordsman. "Together with a room for the night."
The barkeep grumbled.
"Lina, one porkchop!" he barked at the cook. The Dwarf turned back to the Swashbuckler. "Thirteen coins. Ten for the room, three for the food."
Kirito moved to pick up the money in his bag, counting the coins. He was about to pass it before hesitating, picking three more coins and passing them to the barkeep.
"A party member of mine is about to come. We will share the room, but I'm paying for her meal."
Thankfully, Yui understood the call. While the barkeep counted the coins, Yui flew out of the bag and, noticing a barely open window, went out into the streets.
"You sure you want one room, sonny?" asked the Dwarf. "We only have one bed per room, and we're mostly empty," the inn owner gave a sharp grin. "Or do you want a good time with a-"
"Finish that sentence, and no matter if Kunie come here, I'll make you eat steel," replied Kirito calmly. "For that matter, she is family."
The barkeep raised his hands.
"Alright, chill, chill!" he said. "Why are you so nervous anyway?"
At that moment, Yui entered the inn and-
"Soooooo cold!"
Of course, even that moment outside in her pixie form was enough to be hurtful for the little AI.
"Daddy, I feel so cold..."
Kirito couldn't help but take his daughter's hand and take her to the hearth.
"Hey, you'll be fine, sweetie," said the Swashbuckler cooly. "Stay close to the fire, and the cold will disappear."
Meanwhile, the barkeep watched the scene with his mouth wide open.
"Wait a minute, Adventurers can reproduce?!" howled the Dwarf, confused.
Kirito picked up a few more coins from his bag, throwing them at the confused Earth People. The businessman noticed that it was way more than his average fee.
"This is only a part of what I'll pay you for your silence," said Kirito. "I'll pay twenty times the value of my stay if you don't open your mouth about the presence of this girl."
Before the Dwarf could stop himself, he replied:
"Thirty times."
The Swashbuckler barely hesitated before picking a bag that, from the sound, was packed to the brim with gold.
"Good, mister...what's your name?"
The barkeep blinked.
"Arthasson."
"Arthasson," repeated Kirito. "Rolls in the tongue. So, Arthasson, this is the price for your silence. Are we clear?"
The Dwarf picked up the bag, shaking it up and down. Upon feeling the weight, he nodded.
"From my mouth, nothing will come. Lina, make one more plate!"
Kirito smirked.
"Hold your horses. I still need some things to come out of your mouth."
The boy took a few more coins from the bag. Arthasson's eyes widened.
"Tell me everything you know about the slave market."
The Dwarf visibly winced.
"Mister, that place is no good for anyone but those brutes of Brigandia. I passed by the other day and saw one of your kind dragged to that place. Not a pretty sight. I don't know what happened with the Adventurers, but most seem to be at each other's throats."
"It's...hard to explain," said the human. That situation gave him bad memories from his time in the Underworld. "But, to sum it up, the Adventurers are in an existential crisis. That's the best way I can describe the situation."
Arthasson shrugged.
"Still don't get it. Still, as long as you pay me well, my inn is open for you and your..." the Dwarf paused a bit, glancing at the trembling Yui. "Daughter, " he concluded.
The boy sighed.
"Thank you."
Arthasson raised an eyebrow.
"Lina! Bring a beer here!" Before Kirito could protest, the barkeep barked: "It's on the house. Most of the Adventurers that frequent this inn are dismissive of my wife and me. You are the most cordial person that entered the Crimson Boar this week. So, you take one in the house."
The boy hadn't the heart to say that everything tasted the same for him, so he said:
"Thank you."
"I should be thanking you," replied Arthasson. "Yer living proof that not every Adventurer is a silent killing machine. The most interesting sight of the night for me."
Kirito couldn't help but wonder how exactly the People of the Earth saw the Adventurers.
After a tasteless but fulfilling meal, Arthasson led the father and daughter duo into their room.
"I chose a pretty far one," said the Dwarf. "Most customers stay the closest possible to the fire during the winter to heat themselves, so no one should bother you too much. I'm also providing some fur blankets as a courtesy."
"Very grateful," thanked Yui.
The Dwarf smirked.
"No issues, little lass. You'll soon be warm. I'll be right back."
The barkeep went through the corridor, screaming for his wife to pick up the blankets.
"I'm almost grateful that your little ploy failed," said Kirito. "Else, we would have a cold night."
"I still slipped up," replied the girl. "We need to do something about my lack of clothes. At this point, I'll pick-ATCHOO!"
The AI sent another impressive wave of phlegm on the floor. She sniffed.
"I thought I was over with that..." moaned the AI.
"Trust me on that, Yui: it never goes away the easy way," said the swordsman.
The girl grumbled, obviously unhappy with her predicament. She lay down on the bed, trying to make herself comfortable. Kirito was about to do the same when he felt something pinging in his head.
He recognized the sign. Someone was trying to use telepathy to communicate with him.
He made a motion to open his menu. Even with years of virtual immersion, he still had difficulties adapting to the former menu of Elder Tale, as many menu functions worked differently from the game. One such example was Tele-chat.
In the game, that was the name given to the voice chat function. In lore, it was a way that Adventurers used to communicate from far away distances without risk of interception, which wasn't wrong, only limited by the perception of the inhabitants of Theldesia. Unfortunately, text chat didn't exist anymore: he only discovered that yesterday when he tried to call Klein to tell him about the successful trip through the Fairy Ring, resorting to using the Tele-Chat for a short, sweet message: "We are here."
Besides that, that method of communication had a few drawbacks, reminiscent of how it worked in Elder Tale: you could only message people in your friend list, for instance. Kirito hadn't time to explore other details, but it didn't matter, as he had all his friends on his list.
He raised an eyebrow when he saw his ID of Klein. And, alongside it, he saw one of the weirdest sights since he appeared in that world.
"What the-"
Kirito blinked at the caller ID. It was Klein, alright. But, besides the written information, a chibified version of the Samurai waved at him, a dope smile on his face.
The Swashbuckler blinked, extremely confused, before accepting the call. He touched his ear with two fingers.
"Hey, Klein, what's up?"
"Hey, my dude!" said the Samurai. The quality of transmission was remarkably smooth, thought Kirito. Maybe the benefit of having thoughts as the line. "How are you doing there?"
"I should ask you that," said the swordsman. "After all, you were the one to call. I was almost expecting Asuna to communicate."
"She wanted," said the Samurai. "But Recon and Leafa got lost going back to Akiba after farming, and she had to take the night turn as well. They are already back, however. I then decided to talk about how things are going around here."
"Good," said Kirito. "But I recommend not talking much. Walls have ears, after all."
The Swashbuckler could imagine the Samurai shrugging.
"Nah, man, don't worry. First of all, good luck for someone to interpret a one-sided talk, what to say about a telepathic one. And you know I'm very cautious about this kind of stuff. You are the one that gets in trouble."
The teenager huffed but didn't answer.
"So. How are things there?"
"Honestly? Not very different from when you left," said Klein. "Sojiro passed by our base today. We changed our base of operations to the West Wind Brigade's complex. They have many rooms available because many of their members weren't in Elder Tale when the Catastrophe happened."
"Catastrophe?" asked the boy.
"It's a term I heard from one of the People of Earth today. It's referring to our situation, which I agree is a complete catastrophe. But anyway, we moved from the building to the West Wind Brigade. We decided to do this because it put us closer to the Black Sword Knights and, of course, the West Wind. Nazuna split some tasks to help us get around the town and watch Hamelin while sending some weaker members to train. As I was more used to fighting, she chose me as one of the instructors..."
Klein kept babbling about how his day went, but Kirito noticed his friend's voice trembling a fair bit as if he were nervous about something.
The Samurai was telling how he and one of the West Wind girls were tallying a suspicious element -the girl was a beauty, he added -when the Swashbuckler asked:
"Is everything alright?" Before the older man could answer, Kirito shot: "Be honest, dude. We have known each other long enough for me to say something is troubling you."
Klein went silent for a few seconds before sighing.
"You know me way too well, dude," said the Samurai tiredly. "It's about what we talked about yesterday."
Kirito made an effort to remember. What did they talk about that-
Realization struck the swordsman.
"The situation in Minami?"
The boy could imagine his friend nodding.
"Nothing changed about the situation..." started the Samurai. "But I can't help myself. I am worried about the guys."
And Kirito couldn't blame him for that. All the group's members were friends that Klein knew for an infinite amount of time more than Kirito.
"If it's about protection, you don't need to worry," said Kirito. "Soujirou is someone that won't falter in keeping others safe from danger."
Of course, for all the ribbing he did, the boy knew that Klein understood that. He was good with people, after all. 'Certainly better than me,' thought the boy.
"It's not about that," said the red-haired warrior. "Even if Fuurinkazan is the group I have known for the longest time...It doesn't feel right. Sorry, but I can't leave when a friend is in danger."
'Aah.' So that was the issue. Kirito knew well that although Fuurinkazan was the group he spent the most time with, Klein also used a significant amount of time with that group of teenagers, so much that he seemed, at times, more like a big brother. The boy didn't know much about his friend's family, but from the tidbits he had, while not on bad terms, they weren't very close.
One time he jokingly called them 'his second family,' which wasn't too inaccurate to how the group worked most of the time: Agil was the dad, and Asuna was the mother hen trying to reign some of their friend's crazier ideas - mostly ideas that he had.
So, for Klein, it was more than leaving a friend behind. It was abandoning someone he saw almost as a sister.
The boy licked his lips. He felt tired from conversing, even if he hadn't moved his mouth a single bit since the start of the Tele-Chat. Who could tell that thinking about talking would be so tiresome? What should he say? He sighed. Asuna was way better at this than him.
An idea popped into his head.
"Who is leading the investigation?"
"Huh?" said Klein. "Well, Nazuna is doing most of the organization with her network," the Samurai refused to refer to the group's name. "But on the field, the one doing the most work is Asuna."
"And that's why you don't need to worry," said Kirito. "Remember: how determined is Asuna?"
"...very much," said the Samurai after a few seconds of silence. After all, that was the girl who once surpassed the speed cap of Sword Art Online to save Kirito and passed through hell to stay with him after the assassination attempt from Johnny Black and the subsequent dive into the Underworld when the Ocean Turtle was under attack.
"More importantly," said Kirito. "Lisbeth is her best -and oldest -friend. If that's not enough reason to make her mad, then I don't know what it takes. And we both know well that Asuna works at her best when she's livid."
"Yes, we do," chuckled Klein, remembering the dozens of reunions where she voiced her dissatisfaction on how the frontline was performing in their advances to clear Aincrad. "Pretty bossy on her part, but damn, if it wasn't enough to make us work harder."
"That's the point," said Kirito. "Even if Asuna, for whatever reason, didn't give a shit over Liz's situation, we are an experienced crew. Together with good people like the West Wind Brigade and the Black Sword Knights, I'm sure we'll bring her back to us. Asuna's investment it's just the cherry on top."
The boy breathed, finishing his speech:
"And, most importantly, how do you think we would feel in making you choose between Fuurinkazan and us when you fought side by side with both?"
Silence. Then Klein laughed:
"Dude, come on! How am I supposed to take care of you when you do more stuff for me than the inverse?"
"You ask me this?" said Kirito, exasperated. "Maybe you are the worst problem magnet. At least I can get out of the mess I enter."
"Ugh! Harsh, but truthful," said Klein. "Thanks, Kirito. I knew that talking to you would help me. Tomorrow, I leave to save my buds."
"Better late than never," said Kirito. "Call me if you need anything else."
"I will. Thanks, Kiribro."
Kirito winced.
"Yeah, don't call me that, please. I feel that something just broke inside of me."
Klein gave a chuckle that the Swashbuckler could tell was filled with malicious intent.
"Can't do...Kiribro!"
"Screw you. I gave a heartwarming speech, and your payment is a bad pun."
"Not worse than yours!" quipped the Samurai merrily. "Oh no, I'm passing through a tunnel! Crrrick!"
"We are talking telepathically! And you are not remotely close to a dungeon for messages to be blocked!"
"Can't hear you. The interference is growing! Thanks, Kirito! Bye-bye!"
Before Kirito could say something, Klein shut the call.
"Call a way to cause mood whiplash," mumbled Kirito, unconsciously recognizing he was using his mouth now. "Or is it another trope?"
"Daddy?" said Yui. "You were talking with Klein for a long time. Is there something wrong with Akiba?"
He patted his hand on his daughter's head.
"Nothing that wasn't already wrong in there," he quipped. "Klein just needed help to make a decision."
He explained a bit about the dilemma that the Samurai went through in the last two days. However, he noticed that the little girl had a very snoozy expression, almost falling asleep.
"Ah. I'll explain tomorrow. You sure need some time in bed."
Right as he said that, Arthasson entered carrying his furry blankets.
"There you go! Damn woman, forgetting to bring the damn things from the storage..." He then glanced at Yui. "Sheesh, you need that sleep, huh? I suppose you can take care of the rest, boy?"
Kirito nodded.
"Thanks, Arthas."
"Don't call me Arthas," said the barkeep. "That was my dad. Anyway, I ask you not to call me for anything that requires going outside. I had enough snow for tonight."
Kirito wanted to ask more about that but decided that this was abusing the goodwill of his host.
"I will not ask anything more then, Arthasson."
The Dwarf let his shoulders down.
"Good, although I'm willing to give you a drink if you want it. I work until midnight, and my wife can make a damn good coffee."
"I'll consider it," said the Swashbuckler. Well, he saw that alcohol still was able to let people get drunk. Who can't say coffee wasn't able to give energy?
Arthasson nodded.
"Good night, boy," said the barkeep.
"It's Kirito," replied the boy. "You said your name, yet I neglected to give mine."
"No foul," said the Dwarf. "Well, good night Kirito."
With those final words, the owner of the Crimson Boar returned to his job.
Kirito took his place in the bed, hugging his daughter to give her more heat. He was about to sleep when she asked:
"Daddy? Do you think Silica is alright?"
He bit his lip.
"I don't know. Before, I was sure. But seeing how things are here..."
The father gulped a bit before saying in an assuring voice.
"I promise. We won't get out of here without Silica."
He waited for Yui to answer, only to hear her snores. Kirito hugged his daughter more tightly, wishing to feel as confident as he pretended. He remembered the final words he and Asuna traded before hopping into the Fairy Ring.
'You always put too much weight on your back...'
'Take care of yourself.'
'I'm sorry, Asuna,' thought the teenager as he felt himself losing conscience. 'But I don't think I'll forgive myself if I fail to rescue Silica.'
?
"Hey! Is anyone there?" said Silica for the umpteenth time since her imprisonment. She didn't dare to raise her voice, though: the fear of reprisal was enough that she didn't dare to attract the ears of many.
Yet again, for the umpteenth time, she wrestled against her bindings: no use. Everything was so tight that she could barely squirm her hands to her staff or knife, which meant being unable to summon or cut her way out. As if her morale wasn't already low after three days stuck in that dark -though she had to thank her enhanced senses for allowing her to see a bit in that scenario - enclosed and smelly place! She would accept the help of anyone to get out of that situation!
Grumble!
And she was still hungry! Not only was she unable to open her inventory, but she hadn't not even a piece of bread or a drop of water available.
'Is this how things end for me?'
Silica knew death was meaningless in this world: Adventurers would be brought back into the Church of the closest city. However, she could hardly call life in Susukino 'living.' She had never understood what the expression 'dog eat dog world' meant until Brigandia started the slave market.
And now she ended there, on a spot where nobody knows where it is, waiting for help that may come too late to mean anything.
And, for the umpteenth time, Ayano Keiko silently prayed for help.
'Lisbeth. Leafa. Sinon. Asuna. Kirito. Mommy. Daddy. Pina. Anyone, help me!"
The thought of Pina made her cry, remembering her beloved feathered dragon left behind in Alfheim. Ever since the two met, bar rare exceptions, they were always together. Even when she was alone, she always had Pina. Now, all she had was an unknown summon. She felt dirty thinking like that, but it was how she felt.
Her ears raised, hearing a familiar sound. Footsteps. Throwing caution to the wind, she screamed:
"Hey, over here! Help!"
Silence. Then, after a few seconds:
"My, my..."
Silica didn't know who was waiting for her outside her prison. But better there than here, she reflected with a bit of despair.
'If anyone is here in this world...please, I trust you to help me!'
But no one came.