AN: Told y'all the regular schedule still applies. Here's the promised Saturday update.
Also, this is where the content rating I used starts to make sense. Nothing explicit, of course - this ain't Ao3.
"Good job! Knew you were gonna get somewhere quickly, Kibaou."
His party turned to me as I clapped sincerely, with a hearty chuckle.
December 15th, 2022 – roughly 4:15AM AST. Kirito, Asuna and I accompanied Kizmel, a dark elf NPC who we weren't supposed to be able to save yesterday, into this cave – really a spider nest – to find definitive proof that there were spiders disrupting the elves' missions. We found one piece of proof related to the quest: the cape ornament from a missing, likely dead, dark elf scout.
In the meantime, Kibaou brought his party into the cave for an unrelated quest, in order to form a guild afterward – one he would call the Aincrad Liberation Squad. And they had killed the nest boss, Nephila Regina, the queen spider.
"What are ya doin' here alone, SAUER? Even if you can make it, there isn't any benefit, is there…?"
I shrugged. "Not really. There's only one thing I'm here for at all."
The pointy-haired leader folded his arms. "Yeah? What is it?"
I pointed to a gleaming object on the ground at the party's feet. "Tell me what that is, first."
"Huh?" He turned around as another player tapped it, and read the label which popped up.
"A Queen Spider's Poison Fang…?"
Kibaou turned to me again. "You see something like that in the beta?"
"Oh, it's not at all relevant. I just have an idea for something silly I could do with it."
"Silly, huh? Uh… You can have it."
I tilted my head, slightly surprised. "You sure?"
"Yeah. Even if it's actually worth like, 20,000 Cor or something, you deserve it just this once. Only because Lind and I'd be dead without your quick thinking. Yes, I'm admitting that."
The player who picked it up, tossed it over, and I caught it, stashing it in my belt pouch.
"Thank you, Kibaou. I will remind myself of this at every opportunity."
"You're welcome. See you at the next proper raid, I assume." And without much hostility past initial suspicion upon making my presence known, he took his party onward, and I returned to mine.
"What did you get there?" Kirito asked as we headed back up the stairs.
"Queen Spider's Poison Fang. The commander should be pleased to see that she's out of the way."
Kizmel nodded in agreement. "The cave will generate enough spiritual energy for a new ruler to be born after a minimum of three hours, but the effort made will be greatly appreciated."
I barely managed to contain another chuckle. I loved the idea of a lore explanation for respawning.
"Anyway, let's make our way back." I checked the time in my 'Mystic Tome', as Kizmel had called it when she saw the player menu – 4:20AM. I refused to let myself laugh so easily.
We left the cave, fought the respawned spiders outside, and continued fighting most of the other enemies between there and the south end of the forest until we reached the rock passage. From beyond the rims of the floor discs, a faint purple glow indicated the coming morning.
We passed through the misty passage and into the camp again. I took a deep breath as I switched my equipment out for casual clothes, designed by Koishi in black with similar red accents to what I had requested on the leather armor set she made for me. Kizmel eyed us in envy at our Mystic Scribing charm, not having invisible storage of her own.
"Kirito, Asuna, SAUER. Will you deliver the memento you discovered in the cave?"
I nodded. "Sure, we can do that."
"Thank you," she replied as she looked away from us, "The scout who died was of the commander's blood… I do not wish to intrude upon your report. Forgive my selfishness."
I sighed and cupped my hand atop her shoulder. "It's not selfish to remember others. We'll give it to the commander."
She turned her head back to me with a weak smile. "I will rest in the tent. Call upon me if you should need my services."
Kizmel stepped out of my arm's reach, and the party list in the upper-left chimed as her HP bar and name slid smoothly out of my vision. With a salute as the metallic parts of her armor clanked, she proceeded to the right corner of the camp.
I turned to Kirito and Asuna with a smile. "She's likely to join again at some point."
They nodded, and we went to the command tent. The dark elven commander barely emoted more than brief silence as we presented the emblem. The questlog updated again.
"Now that we know the threat," the commander finally spoke, "I would ask you to defeat the spider commanding the nest. Show us something which will indicate that it has been dealt with."
"As it happens," I promptly answered, retrieving the queen spider's fang from my pouch and setting the item on the table, "That had been on our minds when we were there."
"Excellent, how efficient," the commander remarked. We each received a choice of items from yet another collection, and the three of us chose a belt pouch with magically-expanded capacity. The questlog updated again, this time moving us to the third chapter, and we left the tent, also having received XP and Cor as was typical. Outside, dark elves were becoming active again.
"Let's get our crafting done, in the meantime," I suggested as I pointed to the smith's tent, "My new claws and Asuna's new rapier."
Asuna nodded, and then after a few seconds, Kirito too. As we headed over, the former spoke.
"You know, I'm sure it will come by the 11th floor at the latest, but I would like to someday piece together information for myself. You two have helped me a lot for things like, what materials to use for making a weapon, or how to beat a certain kind of monster."
Kirito stopped, and as she noticed, she did too, then myself. She grinned at Kirito.
"Uh… You seemed to know enough about upgrading materials without our help."
The fencer shook her head at his response. "Only because I memorized important details from the strategy guide. I don't know anything that isn't written down in a textbook. It's the same as I was before I came here."
I nodded in agreement. "Experience beats out merely absorbing words and pictures, no question."
Asuna pointed at me. "This guy knows. I don't follow Black Yeti's business happenings or whatever, but SAUER here wouldn't have been with them for as long as he seems to have been, if he spent all day reading about how to program video games."
Kirito tilted his head. "Hm… You're right. And you've never had a weapon forged before."
"Ah, that's one thing we should point out," I interjected hastily, "Unlike upgrades, crafting doesn't have an outcome of failure. Something will always be made."
All four shops were grouped together in their own tents. An item shop tent, the seamstress, the leatherworker, and the blacksmith. The rarest wares were displayed at the front of each tent.
Of course, these tents were only large enough to contain a standing space for the attendant, the counter they stood behind, and their workspace behind them. Upon seeing us, the slender dark elf smith snorted and returned to work.
"Ladies first," I invited Asuna, and she approached the counter.
"Excuse me, could I ask you to forge me a new weapon?"
The smith snorted again, but the shop interface appeared before Asuna nonetheless. It displayed terminology which NPCs would never parse for the sake of immersion.
"Oh, but first," she vocalized as she detached her Wind Fleuret's sheath from her belt, handing over the sword within, "Please convert this sword into ingots."
Silently, and without a snort, the elven blacksmith took hold of the sheath and removed the Wind Fleuret from it to inspect it. The polish when it was new, was replaced by the luster of its upgrades.
He nodded and then tenderly placed the rapier in the forge – square and bricked, unlike the kind players could carry portably, like Nezha. Without a bellows to stoke the flames, the fire within was colored a magical blue-green. It was likely that the tents could collapse freely like a player-owned Vendor's Carpet, as would befit the elven charms. The fire turned the silvery blade bright red, then after a period of glowing from tip to hilt, it flashed brightly before revealing its new form as one rectangular block eight inches across.
Of course, I knew this metal from my own crafting investments: Argentium. This fantasy material formed as an alloy when the original metal of the weapon drew metallic elements from the other materials used to upgrade it. It had a silver hue like the adamantine from D&D.
The elf retrieved the ingot in a gloved hand, and gave it to Asuna. She returned her eyes to the shopping interface which she made visible to us, and navigated its menu. She hit [Create Weapon], then [One-Handed Weapon], [Rapier], and then the material selection menu appeared, splitting her inventory's eligible materials into categories.
Upgrading weapons took 'base' materials and 'additives', but crafting new ones took a 'core', which was the ingot. We had ores to make ingots from the spider nest, but the Argentium would be in the spotlight this time. And then twice again immediately after.
After choosing base materials, additives, and the core, the final Yes/No box appeared, alongside the cost of creating the weapon. Asuna thanked the blacksmith, and pressed 'Yes'.
Two leather sacks and the ingot appeared on the work platform. One sack contained the base, the other containing additives, and both were tossed into the forge, the sacks burning away and leaving behind the red-gleaming materials.
I heard Asuna whisper to Kirito, but couldn't make out the words. Noticing motion at waist level, I glanced down and saw his hand trapped within hers. I held back a chuckle. Maybe she's trying to siphon his luck for the weapon, I thought.
The blacksmith then set the ingot into the furnace again, and it sparkled. Once well heated, he removed it with his gloves left hand and placed on the anvil, right hand spinning his hammer as he then began rhythmically striking the metal, every two seconds. The number of strikes directly represented the level of quality from the finished weapon. To forge something basic like the initial Small Sword would take five hits, and to make something equal to the Wind Fleuret would take 20. Watching the strikes pass that number, we knew it would be better, but Kirito's breath hardened as the count passed 25.
He was still using his Anneal Blade +6, and a weapon equal to the fresh quest reward would take roughly 30 hammer strikes to forge. The smith continued far past it, to forty, before the ingot shone brightly and morphed in shape, before releasing a flash of light, behind which laid a new rapier.
As I remembered it, Lisbeth took 31 strikes to finish Pressure Cell, my scimitar. And Kahn forged my boomerang, Convection, in 25. Each still had to be upgraded to keep up with Asuna and Kirito's upgraded weapons, and while I did get some on both, they weren't maxed out.
The blacksmith picked up the new rapier and ran a finger along the slender blade.
"…Good sword," he commented, catching us all off-guard just by actually speaking. He then reached over to a rack of sheaths and retrieved a bright gray one, sliding the rapier in and handing it over to Asuna as Kirito let go of her hand, so she could take the sword. She bowed in gratitude.
"Thank you very much."
He snorted the third time, finally. I chuckled as I took Asuna's place at the counter.
"You do some fine work, good sir. I would be honored to see it again."
He snorted again, but then followed it up with dialogue. "What will interest you?"
I grinned as I retrieved my last two Wind Fleurets from my inventory, both maxed out in upgrades.
"I'd like these melted down, to start."
He snorted as he accepted them, removed the sheaths, looked them over, and placed them both in the forge. Just like Asuna's old sword, they were converted into Argentium, a speed metal.
"Alright. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like a new weapon."
He slowly nodded as the shop interface opened. I didn't expect to see the option, but it seemed like NPCs designated as non-combatants could have infinite skill slots, as long as the skills matched their career or role. Sure enough, [Metal Claw] was an option under [Two-Handed Weapon]. And as I had predicted, two separate objects would mean two of the same core material. Two Argentium ingots.
The sacks accompanying the ingots were bursting at the seams with base and additive materials, as the blacksmith tossed them in, and then the ingots. It would be weird to see a claw hammered into existence in real life, but the morphing would only take place after the hammering stopped.
And in the case of these claws, the hammer stopped after the 39th strike. After the bright light and subsequent flash, two silvery knuckle braces with blades extending beyond the knuckles, rested on the anvil before the elf. He picked them up, and took a moment to adjust the position of his fingers.
"Not too often you see someone use these…"
I chuckled again as he handed the claws to me, and I immediately stored them in my inventory.
"My gratitude could not be described within the hour."
This time, he responded with a slight chuckle of his own, before returning to his forge. I shrugged, turned to my companions, and we returned to the middle of the crafting quarter.
"Let's look at that sword, huh?" I jested as I looked toward Asuna.
"You want to see the properties, I assume?" she giggled softly, holding it in both hands.
She tapped the sword to show its properties, making the window visible to us afterward. True to its crafting sequence, while its level was +0, the remaining upgrading attempts read: 15/15. The name read «Chivalric Rapier».
"Well, then – this will get you to the fifth or sixth floor, at least. You'll start to make players jealous without them seeing a boy by your side."
I then immediately cackled at Asuna's reaction, even as she stomped my foot. I then grabbed her woollen cape as she tried to leave.
"What, wouldn't you be grateful that people don't have to see us around you?"
She turned to us again and I immediately shared Kirito's terror. Fortunately – or unfortunately, it became clear – she noticed how suddenly my expression changed, and resumed her earlier grin.
"What made you so certain that you had to confirm the sword's quality?"
I glanced at Kirito, and chuckled awkwardly. "Well, you know how there is no failure outcome for forging new equipment?"
"Yeah?"
"There is one variable for the outcome, but it can be tracked by the number of hammer strikes. The more hits it takes to finish the weapon, the better it will be."
"Oh…? Were you counting them, then?" she asked.
Kirito nodded, and then I did. "Forty, for you," I answered, running a finger down the side of my Pressure Cell, "This baby took 31 to make."
She blinked. "Wait… What about those claws?"
I showed her the window of the properties. "Razor Knuckles. They took 39 strikes. But they get fewer upgrade attempts – ten is still big on this floor, but it's not 15."
Asuna stared down at her rapier as she hooked the sheath to her belt. "Okay. Now, I want to take a moment to remind you two…"
I raised an eyebrow as she hesitated.
"…When I left the Town of Beginnings and headed for the labyrinth, weapons were only good for however long they lasted. I bought a bunch of Iron Rapiers, didn't care about a single one of them. Threw them aside when they wore away. But that was how I felt about myself… at the time. I would push on as far as I could go, until there was nothing left of me to continue."
She cracked a small smile as she continued, tracing a finger over the knuckle guard of her rapier as gently as she spoke.
"I don't know how we can expect to clear 100 floors… But you two showed me that there is some reason to believe it. By showing me all the ways that I can increase our chances of escape. My new sword must be maintained as regularly as any person should maintain themselves."
Kirito nodded. "Yeah… You're right, people have to work inward before they can work forward."
I chortled. "That's the most eloquent thing I've heard you say in five months."
He turned to me and silently blinked a few times. Asuna then burst out laughing.
"Ahh, that's what we need – reasons to laugh. We need to find those opportunities to laugh."
She then regained her composure to return to a serious tone. "But we can't do that if we're silent about the things that bother us. Which, now that I say it that way… SAUER, you made a risky call talking about my family. But I needed to get that off my chest. Thank you."
I flinched at my name, and then again at the gratitude. "U-Uh… Y-You're welcome…?"
She snorted at my confusion, and lingering nerves. "Of course, it'd be best to vent over food, just as we did then."
Kirito chuckled nervously. "Funny that you say that – you first mentioned your original nihilistic view of your play style, when I introduced you to the sour cream on the bread."
Her nostrils flared in amusement. "You're right. I guess it's a distraction, of sorts."
I nodded with a smile. "Anyway, while we're here, let's get some of those attempts used up."
Asuna shrugged. "What about the materials for it?"
I grinned at Kirito. "She didn't actually ask you about the LA Bonus?"
He flinched at my words. "You… Fine. I was gonna reveal it now, anyway."
He then navigated his menu and materialized a black leather bag with a bull brand on the side. Predictably, Asuna grimaced upon seeing the logo.
"Isn't that the mark of the cow-men from the second floor? It better not have anything weird in it."
I laughed as Kirito pulled a metal plate from the sack, one by four inches, as I then explained. "It's weird in the sense of being, uh… unusual, at least. Cattleforge Planks. One boosts the upgrade chance to 95%. At least, when used on a weapon under +10. And you can choose any stat."
Kirito sighed. "There are 17 of them in here. Asuna, you take five. I'll use two for my last attempts."
Asuna turned to him, arms folded impatiently. "What about SAUER?"
The boy turned to me with a glare, surely feeling like he was being called a 'beater' again, and he heaved a defeated sigh.
"Alright. How many more attempts does your scimitar have?"
I quickly checked its properties. "It's got seven more, and it's a +5 right now."
"Alright. We'll get it to +10, and that's it. Anything left, we save for later."
I scratched the back of my head. "If you're gonna put it that way, I may as well just finish up my own Anneal Blade's last two attempts. Then I can use it to forge something a few floors later."
He shook his head. "Fine. Do those, but still put one more on the scimitar."
And so it was. Asuna's Chivalric Rapier was increased to +5, mine and Kirito's Anneal Blades to +8, then my Pressure Cell was increased to +6. Kirito also convinced me to top out Convection at +4.
That left six more planks. Planks of any metal could be combined into a full ingot, but I wasn't sure if that applied to these. Not that Kirito would let me test it. That aside, I kept upgrades simple when it came to each of the five stats: one each for Heaviness, Quickness and Sharpness – determining the damage to target equipment, the speed of attacks, and the weapon's damage, respectively – then I would evenly distribute upgrades to Accuracy and Durability, the former automatically adjusting the player's aim toward a monster's weak point.
"One day, I'll find an equivalent material to give you," I offered to Kirito, "There has to be something else besides a drop only available less than a tenth through the game."
"There should be something," Kirito agreed, and turned to Asuna, "And you helped me beat Colonel Nato and could have gotten the LA yourself."
Asuna smiled and nodded. "I'll still give you the next rare drop I get."
I cupped my chin in my hand. "Still, the blacksmith's proficiency seems pretty high for this floor."
Kirito turned to me with a chuckle. "You've demonstrated a way we can learn about this camp."
Dining and business were at the east side of the camp, the barracks and storage in the west. It was odd for such a big place to be instanced for every separate party. Regardless, we made our way back over to the tent we'd seen the most, and I parted the entry flap just enough to call inside.
"It's Kirito, Asuna and SAUER again. May we enter?"
The voice within answered fast. "Certainly. I was just about to finish preparing breakfast."
In we walked, and Kizmel lifted herself from the cushions. And then my avatar seized up entirely.
This was not FNC like it was for Nautilus – this was just how I normally reacted if faced with the sight before me, in person. It also happened when she was pressed against me as we hid from Kibaou.
The elven knight before us was in little more than a thin, black night dress which was fairly open in front and left just enough to the imagination to remain within the game's 14+ rating. The ratio of uncovered to covered brown skin was overwhelming to my sense of human morality.
Finally, I mustered my voice. "We're just here to talk, for the time being."
"In that case, we can do so while we eat. Have a seat and I will fix your portions."
She gestured to the soft furs on the floor and turned back to the stove.
"Thank you. It smells good." Following my response, Asuna and Kirito nodded as the three of us sat down and watched Kizmel stir the pot. At least, I watched – I saw Asuna leaning toward Kirito out of the corner of my eye.
"Stare too long, and you'll trip the harassment code," I heard her hiss into his ear.
"Huh? I thought that was only for physical contact."
I chortled for at least a couple seconds at him admitting he had been staring. The harassment code would typically activate when significant and emotionally-unreciprocated physical contact was in progress against a player or NPC. The first offense would automatically shove the offender away, displaying a warning popup after, and then offences afterward would teleport the offender into the Black Iron Palace in the Town of Beginnings.
At one point last month, some players tried to test the imprisoning teleportation as a method of escape from other dangers, at least until crystals were available on higher floors. But the effort necessary to exit the prisons of the palace, combined with the unpleasant electric shock effect accompanying the teleportation, was not worth it. Kirito had bought this information from Argo.
I could hear more whispering from Asuna, but couldn't make out the words. However, the rhythm between words allowed me to assume she was counting. Then, she punched him. I used my palm to pin my jaw shut, and pinched my lips together with my other hand, just to avoid laughing.
Kizmel turned back just as I let go of my face, and smiled. "You three seem to be good friends."
We were served a starchy crop of some kind, tuned between rice and wheat. It was boiled in milk, seasoned with nuts and dried fruit.
"This is really good," Asuna commented, "I never thought I'd get to eat oatmeal here."
I raised an eyebrow. "This is oatmeal, huh? I might have to give it a try when I get back home."
The fencer nodded. "Yes. The texture's a bit different, but the flavor is spot-on."
"Ah, so you eat milk porridge in your human towns as well? I did not know. Perhaps someday…"
Kizmel trailed off from her speech, then finished her oatmeal. "Anyway, you three wanted to ask me about something?"
"Right, right," I chuckled after swallowing a spoonful of mine, "We've had some work done by the blacksmith here. He's amazing at it. What is it that makes him so skilled?"
Kizmel tilted her head with a slight smile. "He's talented, but fickle. While he does have moments of masterful work, he will often outright refuse pushy or misguided orders."
Kirito nodded. "That makes sense. His time would be everything here."
"In a sense," Kizmel agreed, and noticed Kirito scraping his plate, "Looks like you really enjoyed the breakfast I made."
Asuna giggled as he stared down at the plate. "I can't blame him. That was delicious. Thank you for the food."
I chuckled as I finished last. "It's one of those things you really have to savour. I loved it."
Kizmel smiled more visibly as she took our plates. "I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it. I will make much more tomorrow morning. Now, what will you be up to next?"
Kirito answered for us. "We'll actually need to return to the human town for now."
"Hm?" I lifted my head at Kirito's statement. "What do you need to do there?"
He hesitated for a moment to phrase his answer in-universe. "I'm going to see how our fellow lost outlanders are doing. How they're planning to reach the next floor."
"Ah, fair enough," I replied in understanding, "You two go on ahead. When you've got something to report which needs my direct involvement, Kizmel can charm me to town – can't you?"
The dark elf nodded. "I can do that. And would you two like me to do that for you, now?"
"Not this time, thanks," Asuna declined, Kirito concurring with his hand, "Kirito and I will make our way through the woods as we will be able to keep our minds sharp."
Kizmel nodded. "Very well. Safe travels to the two of you."
Asuna then turned to me. "What are you staying back for? Is there anything I'm missing?"
I shrugged. "There's nothing to learn out there, that can't simply be relayed to me. My memories of the visions will guide me, otherwise."
Asuna looked like she was about to rebut my claim, but hesitated. "Hm… It might be a good idea if I were to let you do this. In case we have trouble making it back without Kizmel's familiarity of the general area…"
I chuckled and opened my menu, referred to by Kizmel as Mystic Scribing. "Here – the camp should remain visible on the map. I can't imagine it would be omitted just because you're outside of it."
The dark elf nodded. "We know by now, that we can trust you. So, you will be able to find your way back whenever you need it."
Hearing this, Asuna scrunched her face at me. I knew what she was thinking about my reasons for staying in the camp without her potential intervention.
"…Alright. We'll let you know if we need you. Just make sure you're ready to answer."
I sat upright with a grin. "When have I disappointed you? …Don't answer that."
Asuna returned the grin as I cut her off. And then, she took Kirito out of the camp.
Now that we were alone, the name-tagged Dark Elven Royal Guard stretched and turned to me.
"So… How are you going to spend your time here?"
I leaned back, looking the elf up and down with a smile. "Why don't you tell me more about these elven kingdoms, and their relationship with this colossal castle?"
She nodded and sat down beside me, giving me an eyeful of her figure with her proximity.
"In the long-distant past," she began to exposit for me, "The world was split into the forest elven kingdom of Kales'Oh, the dark elven kingdom of Lyusula, the human Alliance of the Nine, the underground realm of the dwarves, and other groupings of races. While there were skirmishes at times along the way, the land was at peace."
She stared at me for a moment as I admired her aesthetics. "But one day, something happened, and one hundred varied regions from around the world were cut in circles from the earth and lifted into the sky. The circles measured between less than three, and just over ten kilometers across."
I nodded in understanding. "Stacked in a conical formation, from what I can tell?"
I was sure I could see a slight hint of red on Kizmel's face as she realized I was listening and paying attention. She answered with a smirk.
"Yes. Forming the gigantic floating castle in which you… spontaneously appeared, if I remember?"
I nodded, and she continued. "This castle held its countless towns and villages, mountains, forests, and lakes which sat on these circles, and never again returned to the surface. The magic powers allowing the old civilizations to flourish were lost, and with them, the nine kingdoms of man. Most towns reverted to maintaining themselves, and the floors lost contact with one another."
"Isolated by the vicious monsters in the towers connecting them?" I asked.
"It seems as if the tops of the towers are locked from the inside."
I chuckled in understanding. "Well, the way is open for the lower two floors."
"I'm sure your wanderers will continue to reconnect floors." Her eyes tracked mine as they travelled across her body. "A great length of time passed. Legends and tales of the Great Separation still exist among the two elf kingdoms, the only two to remain intact since then…"
I slowly sat upright. "Knowing how much there is to see up there, on the higher floors, makes me significantly more interested in seeing it all. That includes the rest of your kingdom."
Kizmel smiled again. "I am pleased to hear it. Is there anything else you would like to know?"
I glanced down to the floor for a moment. "Aside from the emotional weight, is there anything that changed for you, since Tilnel's passing?"
She tilted her head. "How do you mean…?"
I scratched my head for a moment. "A lot of the things my father would have taught me, had he not departed from my world thirteen years ago, were eventually taught to me by a female figure other than my still-living mother. It was… odd, to learn it all from her."
She nodded slowly. "So, you mean… Tilnel's role, in my everyday life?"
"Y-Yeah, something like that."
She leaned back to think for a minute. "Hmm… There is not much to tell. She and I would not have interacted much during our missions, and our downtime together was limited to conversation, not counting the time we would eat, sleep, and bathe."
I absentmindedly commented on the latter. "Bathing becomes so much easier with company."
She smiled as she sat upright to look at me. "It does, doesn't it? All those hard-to-reach places…"
I chuckled nervously at her responsiveness to a topic so sensitive to humans like myself.
"I could really do with that kind of help…"
She nodded again. "You know, we could be a good help to each-other."
I froze up again. That isn't what she's saying, a nagging thought insisted. I slowly turned to her.
"T-That's true…"
She then stood up with a stretch, and I was certain I saw her very briefly bite her lower lip, before offering her hand to help me to my feet.
"Why don't we see just how helpful we can be to each-other? That spider nest took a bit of a toll."
My eyes widened at her invitation. "Is that a trick question?"
The dark elf tilted her head as her outerwear appeared on her. "Trick…? Do you not trust me?"
I raised my hands in front of myself. "Oh, I trust you, without a doubt! I-I just wondered if… Maybe, you were trying to test the limits of how much you could trust me…?"
Kizmel blinked once, as her onyx eyes seemed to drift slightly. "Should I… have reason to not put my complete trust in you?"
My face reddened as I tried to save this opportunity. "N-N-No, no! I just wasn't sure if you were."
She firmly gripped one of my raised hands and pulled me off of the cushions, onto my feet. I was far from prepared for this motion, and failed to counteract the force to keep my balance. Luckily – or possibly, unluckily – she realized this and caught me in her arms, keeping herself upright as I found myself tightly pressed against her figure again.
"My, my. If you have this much trouble with your legs when I'm your only company, I'm sure to be amused when you step on the slippery floor of the bathing tent."
Amused? Was I really being teased by an NPC? Would she really be entertained at the expense of a player whom she was designed only to assist?
For the time being, I set aside the concept of this being a game, and just decided to hope that her initiation of the interaction would mean I was safe from the anti-harassment precautions.
We arrived at the bathing tent, and both stepped inside. I glanced at Kizmel to double-check that all of this was what she intended, and she simply stared. I stood by the tent flap for a moment as she walked over to the counter featuring pots of soap and shampoo, then she turned back and grabbed my hand, dragging me with her.
"Come on, get lathered."
Her tone was softer, here – almost maternal. Yet her voice still had a hint of a giggle. I sighed and opened my 'Mystic Tome', selecting the option to remove armor, then standard clothing, and then finally underwear. I kept myself twisted slightly away from Kizmel, still second-guessing myself.
As my eyes were averted, I heard a jingle. I glanced to my side, and saw Kizmel in a silky black suit which was just thin enough in the right places to show her brown skin beneath. And then, with another jingle, and a light sparkle, it was gone as well.
My fingertips rattled on the counter as my fingers spasmed anxiously. I could no longer feel the air flowing in and out of my virtual lungs. Not a single vertebra of my spine seemed to function.
You've come this far, stop being a little bitch. I slowly began to listen to myself as Kizmel dipped her hand into a pot and retrieved a thick, creamy liquid, before spreading it on her skin. A surge of suds formed a coat of white foam on her back. As I looked back up to her face, my eyes met hers.
She must have seen some sort of nerves within my expression, and before I knew it, she scooped another handful of soap from the pot and had applied it to me herself – the texture of her hands, however, only proved to petrify me further.
"Well? Into the water. Come, now."
As her skin left my shoulder, I regained sufficient control of my body, turning my head to watch her approach the tub. With a deep breath, and a mental reminder that I just have to scrub her back, it should be over after that, I followed her; sliding gingerly into the water as she did.
Just then, I received a notification. I opened a message from Kirito.
[It looks like Lind's Dragon Knights have sided with the forest elves.]
I glanced at the timestamp on the message. They've only been gone for ten minutes!?
Worse yet, I'd been trying to find a way out of my current situation for just as long?
I sharply inhaled, held it for a few, and then slowly exhaled, as I leaned back against the tub. Then, another message came through.
[One of the guys with him... I have a suspicion that he is another beta tester.]
I contemplated the idea for a moment and then replied. [There's no way Lind knows, right?]
Another reply. [I can't imagine. If you need to know, he wears a chain coif.]
I sent another back. [Seen someone wearing one before. With Kibaou. Anything else?]
Kirito got back to me just as I pressed Send. [He's directing them to take the guild quest at the same time as the spider chapter of the elf quest. And the next boss meeting is this evening.]
Boss meeting? Surely the Field Boss, right? While I thought it, I didn't type it. I just sent him a simple response of [Gotcha, I'll be there.] before closing my window.
Then, I got another message. [By the way, you were right about generating new elves.]
I didn't reply. I just smiled knowing Kizmel would now be unique to us, and closed the window.
Then I remembered where I was. And I had to breathe again. Finally, Kizmel noticed.
"Why are you so tense, SAUER? Is this why you asked about my trust?"
I slowly turned just enough to see her in detail. Then looked away. "M-Mostly, yeah."
She smirked as she gripped my shoulders, turning me away from her. I cooperated, and then she proceeded to begin on my back first.
"Do you human warriors not normally bathe together?" she asked as I shivered at her touch.
"Not men and women together, no. We do a lot to resist the temptation of the flesh."
"Our temptation is not so difficult to overcome," Kizmel replied as I flinched at the furry brush she used, "The knight's manor at the palace has separated bathing quarters, but this is a battleground. We cannot expect luxuries akin to home. Though we bathe in groups, if necessary; we do not mix. Marriage must come before any serious intimacy."
I flinched as I felt her leaning on me again. "Do you feel more comfortable around me, as a human, than you might with other elves?"
She was quiet for a moment. Then… "I have been plagued by strange dreams of late."
"Dreams, huh? Like what?"
Her hands slid away from my back as I processed the concept. "I believe they are dreams about the time you came to my aid when I was fighting the forest elf knight four days ago. The strange thing is that what happens next, is totally unlike what really happened."
I turned around to her. "The outcome in my old visions of the future, differed from reality as well."
She leaned back. "Oh? Were you and Kirito dressed differently in the vision? Without Asuna?"
I nodded. "A handful of men were with us instead. Kirito saw it another two times, without me."
"I saw the dream multiple times, too. If you'll overlook my rudeness, your skills are not what they proved to be in truth. Your companions fall, and in order to save your lives, I unleash all of the protections of the Holy Tree, which gives elvenkind life. The enemy is slain, but I perish as well."
I sat upright and turned to her. "I saw it as such, too. Kirito's additional visions showed the same outcome each time, but with different companions."
Kizmel sat upright as well. "That's how I saw it, too! You weren't there the other times. But I know your face and Kirito's were so sad as I lay on the ground."
I smiled and turned away, allowing her to finish my back. "When I got to see you up close yesterday, that was when I decided that I couldn't let that vision come true. I don't know if Kirito feels quite as strongly that way, but I know I would never forgive myself if I had let you die, no matter which way that happened."
She took her hands off my back, and I heard her turn hers to me. "I like to hear that. Though I saw Kirito more often in those dreams, I've had more time to connect with you in my waking hours."
I chuckled awkwardly as I grabbed the brush, and immediately started scrubbing her.
"Through no fault of my own, of course."
Kizmel turned her head back with a smirk. "How are you so sure?"
I wiggled a little closer to her, trying to avoid strain on my shoulders and elbows. "What are you implying here, Kizmel?"
A hint of a giggle dripped from her tone. "What would you prefer for me to imply?"
I stared at her back, and sharply inhaled. "You know what? I'm just grateful that you seem to be grateful for my company."
The dark elf chuckled softly as I tried to get every sudsy spot quickly, to get this over with.
"My opinion of your presence, and especially your proximity, is more than just gratitude…"
Once she sensed that I was done, we rated each-other's scrubbing talent, got out, quickly dried, got dressed, and got back to her tent. Luckily, I had already used my only screenshot-taking item back when Asuna ate those Memed Buns – obtained through a glitch tied to enemies who shared their model with another on a higher floor, which was patched soon after.
"Oh, and if you're worried about what I said earlier," Kizmel said as we entered her tent, "Marriage must be approved by the queen."
I immediately sighed in relief, weight seemingly off my shoulders. Then I felt literal weight on my shoulders and breath near my ear.
"I didn't say I was going to stop you from finding out if she would accept a human."
I shivered at her gentle voice. "I d-didn't say I wouldn't have tried."
She grinned as I fell for her trap. "Will you try?"
I sat down and stared at her for a minute. "…I did say, no human had tried to become a knight. It may as well be the same for marriage."
She approached as her smile softened, and then with a swift 180, planted herself on my lap.
"I have reason to believe the summoned humans are different from the ones of our world's surface. Your presence is believed to be a result of another remaining human charm. A powerful one, if it summoned ten thousand of you. All to fight for the unity of the Pillars of the Heavens, right?"
Her long-winded question gave me time to relax after her cheeky stunt. "Y-Y-Yeah. I mean, in the v-visions experienced by eight hundred of those 10,000, we had opened the way to the tenth floor. We had almost liberated the tenth tower when we were forcefully shaken awake in our original world."
She nodded in understanding. "We have teleportation charms that allow us to travel between the floors, so we have no use for the Pillars of the Heavens that you humans are so fixated upon."
I chuckled as I leaned my head to the side, so her hair wouldn't be in my face. "We would be more than happy to have access to something like that if it would even work for us. If not, we would be more than grateful to have your assistance."
She twisted her upper body just enough to turn her head to face me. "I would be happy to oblige, provided you tell me about your home land, someday. About your families, and how you were all raised back home."
I leaned back with a smile. "If you're to join us, I'll have to teach you the nuances of our dialect, too. Amidst our efforts to understand the visions that a percentage of us had, we coined various terms, designed to assist in the tactical discussions for unifying the towers."
"I would very much like that," she replied, still smiling.
I then leaned my body to the side, so I could look into her eyes. "You know what? Let's get those flowers for the scout. I'm sure Kirito and Asuna would have found it boring."
She slid off my lap and onto her feet. "If you say so. We shall do that."
The third quest in this campaign was «The Flower Offering», which entailed gathering flowers for tribute to the dead scout from the first half of the spider quest. It only took half an hour, but with it being so uneventful, it would feel like an hour.
At 7AM, when I turned in the quest, and received the next, Kirito sent me a message.
[Don't do too much without us. You know how it goes from the beta.]
I chuckled as I walked out of the command tent. [At least you're both getting the rewards, too.]
[Just remember the ones where you get to pick something. We can't be there to claim them.]
I sent one more reply. [I'll keep that in mind. Don't worry about it.]
I remembered, at the very least, that the next reward-choosing quest was the sixth. So, I figured I would try to initiate it, at least, and then wait for the others before completing it.
For now, Kizmel would be my only help on these quests. But Kirito and Asuna would still get XP and Cor while in the party.
It might be a bit goofy for them if they were to level up during casual conversation.
AN: That... should be fine, right? We'll play it by ear - if I do end up having to omit that scene, you can find it on the Ao3 version of this chapter. My name is the same there as here.
I'm also not intentionally pairing anyone with anyone. I'm simply allowing a natural flow of interaction and reaction to take place, based on how well I understand the canon characters. Anything SAUER is doing, is pretty much just what he would do. Let's just see what happens.
