Chapter 62: The Hunter and The Hunted

PoH:

"Well, well… Things are going well, aren't they?" PoH chuckled deeply. He loved how his voice echoed menacingly off the walls.

In the room with him were his two followers. Both from the real world as well, they had risen quickly up the ranks, hitting level three recently.

Xaxa responded with an answering laugh, distorted by the mask that he had taken to wearing. He had found some magical goggles and combined them with a skull mask in order to create his ominous visage. On his lap was a special one-of-kind gun that he had personally requested and overseen the creation of.

"Things are proceeding," Johnny replied in his high voice—at least it didn't crack this time. "But we still need to trap those girls. I need payback for last time."

"Ah," PoH frowned, thinking about his ignoble defeat. "We will have another shot at Hestia familia, don't worry."

"Urgh… Anyway, I still want those Vermis spikes that I was promised! The darts I could make with those… Can you talk to that new girl for me?"

I hate talking to Revis… PoH was not often scared of people. He had grown up unwanted and ready to be killed at any time. This job in this game had been a death sentence from the beginning. More than the gods, Revis disturbed PoH. He could tell that she would kill him instantly with no warning or regret if it suited her needs.

"Don't hold your breath," PoH grunted. Feeling restless at mention of the red-haired monster, he shot a glare at his lackeys. "So, where are those two newcomers at?"

"Be here soon," Xaxa said. With a few deft motions, he finished polishing his gun and reassembling it. Sighting the scope, he stared down the barrel of his sniper rifle. "Boy is solid. You'll like him."

"Boy?" PoH raised an eyebrow. "The other is a girl?"

"Hehe, oh no. She's a whole woman."

Xaxa's words piqued his ingenuity. PoH had heard that these two were also from his world. That made this woman a rarity indeed. Japanese women were typically quiet and obedient. Finding them gaming was rare, even rarer were the ones that found their way to Orario's underground.

Just as he was musing on it, a sharp knock rang at the door. "Come in," PoH drawled in his scariest voice. With a sharp scrap as the rusty hinges were forced into motion, the thick door swung open.

Entering confidently was a young man with a cocky smile on his lips. Following behind him was an even taller person whose eyes hidden deep in a cowl were nervously scanning the different corners of the room, analyzing threats.

"So, you two think you deserve to be making plans?"

PoH's rough greeting caught them off guard, but the boy recovered quickly, shrugging with a wide smile. "Nah, I'm just here to have fun. I've heard you're good at that."

Sliding forward off his chair, PoH drew his gun and placed it against the boy's forehead. The boy tried to react but froze when PoH proved too fast.

"Ahaha… It seems I was right."

"You're a tough one," PoH declared. Spinning his gun and pocketing it, he stuck out his hand. "I'm PoH, the leader around here for this motley gang and the armament faction of evilus."

"Morde," the boy responded, his handshake firm and commanding.

This one will be useful. PoH was even able to stifle his hatred of Japanese people around him. He could tell looking into those sinister black eyes that Morde had a penchant for fun very similar to his own.

"And you," PoH turned his gaze to the woman. Even with a clock covering her body, it was impossible to hide the fact that she was a woman. Her large breasts bulged and gave it away. Even if she had been smaller, the shape of her mouth and the red gloss on her lips was evidence enough.

With his enhanced senses, PoH could of course make out far more than that, taking in her entire face despite being in a room with only one dimly lit candle.

"I…" Licking her lips, she wrung her hands nervously. "I heard that I can make some quick cash here."

Quick cash? PoH's hand twitched towards his gun. Johnny and Xaxa laughed out loud at the stupid comment.

"You a petty thief girl? Huh? Could just have walked over to the red-light district and spread your legs if you wanted money."

"Ohhh! That's a good one boss."

"Hah, with her looks I wouldn't mind paying a few thousand col myself for a ride."

PoH had to give the woman credit at least for standing her ground. She reacted with the calm mannerisms of someone used to hearing these things.

"Not petty money, real cash. The kind that buys apartments in Babel. The kind that gives a girl power."

The way she slurred the word brought a smile to PoH's lips. Oh yes, she would be a good tool as well. Anyone lusting after power that badly would be easy to steer and direct with a few promises. She was a different breed from the rest of them, but she would serve his purposes well.

"Now," PoH spoke authoritatively, returning to his chair. "The two of you aren't wanted yet, and we are going to keep it that way. There are a few uhh… problems, that I need you to befriend."

Laying out his plan, PoH felt his excitement rise. Soon I will have those self-righteous children begging for mercy!

Ais:

"Hiyah!" Stabbing the minotaur clean through the chest, Ais backflipped away from the gout of blood and disintegrating body to land gracefully next to Lefiya and Asuna.

Her initial plan had been to simply help out some of the lower-level recruits with the monster train. Upon entering the fight however, everyone else had stopped and backed away, putting it all on her.

Unable to leave until now, Ais felt an embarrassed heat touching her cheeks. She had never expected to feel such ambivalence directed to her from members of her own familia.

Astraea familia feels more comfortable at this point…

Forcing that thought away, Ais reminded herself that it was Loki and Riveria that had taken her in and cared for her until now.

Unconsciously, Ais sought out the elder elf in the back party, guiding the wagons and the supporters. She stuck out like a rose in a wasteland. A splatch of beauty and grace in a sea of mediocrity. Catching Ais' stare, she only returned a sad smile, unable to do anything.

"You were great!" Lefiya intoned loudly, for the sake of the silent familia members listening in. "It is a shame that those who need more help didn't stay to learn from you."

"L-Lefiya…" Ais protested the words quietly.

"You're right," Asuna continued, completely overriding Ais' quiet objections. "Our familia's coordination needs work."

Ais hung her head as the two elves stared down the tense glares that were directed their way. For the first time since her early adventuring days, Ais felt helpless; forced to rely on the protection of others.

As the group slowly moved on, two more figures split the column, approaching them. "Aki… Astrid…"

Astrid nodded politely from behind her sister. Anikitty however, walked straight up to Ais, hands on her hips. "Can you do me a favour?"

"Umm, sure?"

"Raul says he thought he felt someone watching us. Can you go check it out?"

Is that the Astraea girls? Aki did not know that they were following along to help deal with Revis if the strange girl that knew her mother's name was around…

As soon as she thought about the encounter again, Ais felt her blood heat. I need to level up… I am… too weak.

"I will go."

"Hold on!" Lefiya protested, pushing between them. "Aki, you know that Ais is the last person who should be going off by herself!"

"…I know," Aki leaned in and whispered. "Finn specifically requested you do it. Thinks it may help your reputation…"

"So that's why you look so grumpy. Still, we told Finn about Revis. Why would he make this decision?"

Does he know about Astraea familia? It was the only answer that made sense. Finn's thumb must have given him the confidence to make the call. Deciding to make the call to trust her leader, Ais nodded.

"Where did Raul sense it?"

"The side passage at the next intersection."

"Is Raul running scouting?" Asuna asked.

"Ah," Aki shook her head with a baffled expression. "I don't know why he volunteered for it. Maybe trying to… never mind."

Make up for Bete's absence. Ais thought. Their familia was now missing a lot of fast vanguards. It was the contingent that took the most losses in the fight against the dragon.

Wincing from the damage that she had caused, Ais nodded once. "I'll go."

"Me too." Lefiya spoke up, stepping forward.

Ais knew from the stubborn set of her jaw that Lefiya would not be discouraged.

She'll be useless against Revis though…

"I'll come help as well." Asuna declared. "I am not needed here."

Aki smiled. "I figured that would be the case. Here Asuna, Finn told me to give this to you."

Ais looked on as the cat girl handed over a forearm length blade of bright-blue metal.

"It's beautiful…" Asuna spoke reverently, taking it. Feeling the blade, her eyes widened further. "It's magical?"

"Protection against Revis." Aki smirked. "Use it wisely."

"W-Why me?" Asuna asked, paling slightly.

"It isn't exactly a compliment," Aki laughed, "Ais can fight straight up, Lefiya has strong tracking magic. You…"

"Have neither," Asuna sighed, nodding. "I understand." Attaching the blade to her waist band, Asuna turned to Ais and waited.

With her two elven followers in tow, Ais nodded goodbye to Astrid and Aki and took off at a quick jog. Quickly getting to the front of the party, Ais waved at Finn who returned the gesture and took off. She found Raul half a minute later at the entrance to the supposed corridor. The plain looking boy was just standing there, staring into the dark depths with a frown on his face.

"Raul…"

"O-Oh, Ais… F-Finn actually sent you?"

"Un," Ais nodded.

"Oh."

"…?"

Raul blushed awkwardly. The two elves chuckling to each other just behind Asuna.

"W-well, take care! I'm sure I'm just jumpy…"

"You should… trust yourself, Raul." Ais forced the words out. The boy at least seemed to not hate her. That was good. Ais hated those glares from her familia.

"S-Sure! Umm, bye!"

"Is he really level four?" Asuna asked as he ran away.

"He is pretty strong. Finn is grooming him for the position of next familia leader."

"Him? Really?" Asuna raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

"Enough. Let's go." It was only the sixteenth floor of the dungeon, but Ais started to feel the tension of the deep floors started to rise in her. The latent power of a first-class adventurer beginning to manifest itself.

Hiding her presence, Ais darted silently along the tunnel, followed by the other two. To her surprise, Asuna was able to keep up well, her footsteps nearly completely obscured. Lefiya meanwhile, was struggling. There was an inconsistency in her gait that released a noise every time her left foot fell.

Bringing them to a stop, she turned to frown at the elf, Asuna mimicking her. Without even being told, Lefiya blushed in embarrassment, averting her gaze.

"Le…fiya?"

"S-Sorry," she apologized, voice pitched low, so it did not carry.

For now, they should be fine. The dungeon environment still had its normal patterns about it. Still, Ais kept an eye on the passage further down. The memory of her previous defeat fresh in her mind.

"Is this related to your recent disappearance?" Asuna asked piercingly.

"Ahaha… yeah. I messed up my leg a bit."

Ais frowned. "We will move more slowly then."

"So what were you doing?" Asuna pressed as Ais started at a careful walk.

Ears perked up, half of her attention on the cavern, half on the conversation behind her.

"I-I was just training."

"Ehh? And why did you do that in the dungeon? I was the one Riveria forced to do meditation since you ran off."

"Ahaha…" Lefiya laughed awkwardly. "I was going to come back…"

"Oh, just tell us."

"Ugh, fine…" Lefiya took a deep breath. "I ran into Bell Cranell and we trained together."

Ais staggered, her head whipping around. The bell. That blinding white light. Looking up into his heroic visage, red eyes gleaming with determination in the low light…

"Ohh," Asuna chuckled evilly. "I see how it is."

"T-This is why I didn't want to tell you! You're taking this the wrong way!"

"Am I? Looks like Ais agrees and is ready to fight you for him."

Getting called out, Ais turned to Asuna and blinked, confused at the words. "Why would I fight Lefiya?"

Asuna sighed heavily, touching her forehead. Then sticking up a finger she spoke in a lecturing tone reminiscent of Riveria, she said, "You emotion-addled adventurers need to pay more attention to your expressions. Your repressed emotions are written plain-as-day on them. The two of you have fallen for Bell after being saved by him."

"Fallen…?"

"I-I did not!" Lefiya yelled, going straight over Ais' confused question. "We just have a confusing relationship! I didn't want to admit to it!"

Instantly, the two elves shut up, faces paling as they realized their mistakes. The monsters around them had reacted, noticing and begin to adjust to the intruders in their midst.

That was not what Ais noticed. At the very edge of her hearing, she heard a quiet expletive. A human-made sound. It had nothing of Revis' sultry tones though. This was purely masculine.

Without an explanation, Ais took off at max speed. "Awaken tempest, Ariel!"

As her armor manifested, Ais knew that the other two had no chance of keeping up. It did not matter. With a dismissive backhanded swipe, she bisected a minotaur in her path, jumping straight through the two halves, the blood dispersing around her, not a single drop marring her body.

In moments, Ais had closed the distance to where the voice should have come from. Skidding to a halt she found only an empty room.

"What…? But where…?" Lowering her blade, Ais looked around the empty room and found nothing. Not a single trace to indicate that there had ever been a person here.

"Ah… Ah… Ais! Did you find them?" Asuna asked as she arrived, Lefiya following behind a few seconds after.

"No… They disappeared somehow. I think… we should return to Finn."

Getting a bad feeling, Ais gathered together the elves and shepherded them back to the main path. Taking one last look back at the dead-end room, she shook her head, not understanding what was happening.

Argo:

"Heya Kiri-boy. Still doing paperwork?" Sauntering into the room, Argo gave the black-haired boy her winningest smile.

The stare that met her gaze from the papers was the look of a middle-aged man stuck in the middle of a loveless life with no goals or ambitions left to him anymore.

"K-Kiri-boy!?"

"Ar…go?"

"D-Did you spend twenty years in a hyperbolic time chamber!? What happened to ya?"

"Hyper what now? No, never mind." Setting down his pen he waved at the chair across the desk like some self-important regional manager. "Take a seat. What do you need from me?"

"Oi, oi, Kiri-boy!" Argo yelled, slightly panicked. "Where did my naïve little boy go!? Why is there a depressed middle-aged man there instead!?"

"The boy was suffocated to death by mountains of paperwork." Kirito replied flatly.

And yet, in his expression… Leaning forward over the desk, Argo kept her face flat as she asked the question in a monotone. "So, what positions did you take Asuna in?"

"H-Huh!?" Blushing rapidly, the veneer of maturity was stripped away in moments. "W-What are you talking about!?"

Letting out a nasally laugh, Argo pushed a stack of papers to the side to clear off a portion of his desk and slid unto it, so she faced Kirito, one of her feet on his armrest.

"You almost had me Kiri-boy. I honestly thought for a moment that the responsibilities of your position had further hardened you."

"It has," Kirito answered leaning back. His unfocussed eyes gazing at the ceiling were clearly looking back at one of his numerous life-changing events. "I don't get to nap anymore; I don't want to. I'd rather use any free time to talk to my familia. I am losing my appetite for large amounts of food…"

"N-Not the naps!" Argo gasped. "The horror."

Kirito gave her a lazy glare.

Argo was internally shocked though. During their early days of adventuring together, Kirito often complained about the dungeon having a lack of good napping locations to take a break while adventuring.

"Fine, fine, I'm just being dramatic. So, what's up?"

Argo paused, not taking the offer to move the conversation on. Instead, in a rare moment of sincerity, she laid a hand on Kirito's cheek. "Kiri-boy, don't stretch yourself so thin helping everyone else that you forget about yourself… That's what happened with Ishtar."

If it was possible, Kirito's eyes darkened further. To Argo's surprise however, he did not shun her contact. She struggled to repress the urge to caress him further.

"You don't understand Argo, I simply no longer need those things."

"What are you talking about? You love those things; your eyes shine when—"

"I love my girlfriends more." The bold declaration getting a slight flush from Argo who sat captivated by him. "This paperwork is not torture because I can't stand doing it, or struggle to do it, it is torture because I cannot see them, laugh with them, touch them…"

Her slight heating became a full-on blush at the longing in his voice. Her usual tough demeanor was fleeing as her middle school upbringing was starting to break through. Hastily, she retreated her hand and looked away. The action now felt crass and insensitive with his clear love for the other girls.

"Ahaha, sorry Argo. Guess I made things pretty awkward. Umm, so… why are you here?"

"W-Why? Maybe just to see what embarrassing things I'd get you to say this time. After all… I may sell this conversation to interested gods!"

"That would have worked half a year ago, not now. I heard briefly from Sachi and Mikoto about the shooting incident. I assume this is about that?"

Sighing, Argo gave up on the teasing. Resting her chin on her hand, Argo ended up leaning forward so that she was looking down at Kirito, his upraised black eyes staring at her intently.

I could kiss him from here… Argo put that possibility from her mind. That path had stopped being a possibility when she abandoned him the first time, choosing instead her familial obligations.

"Ah, something like that. Here, look at this." From her belt, Argo withdrew the pistol hidden there, holding the black metal weapon between the two of them.

"You have it…" Kirito breathed. With a tentative hand he reached out and stroked it. To his questioning gaze, Argo nodded, and he grabbed the handle.

"I've been reaching out to my contacts, compiling information about guns in the real world. There are a few interesting things in there that I thought you should know."

Kirito barely seemed to hear a word that she said. Holding the gun, he sighted down it with a one-handed grip like the protagonist of an action movie. "It's heavy…"

"Heavy?" Argo tilted her head. "I mean, it is metal…"

Kirito was already shaking his though, handing it back. "Not its weight. Do you have bullets though? I want to get shot at."

"Y-You want to…" Argo gaped at the boy, forgetting entirely about the gun getting passed over to her. Grabbing his shirt, Argo dragged him up they were almost face-to-face. "Are you stupid? Your girlfriends would chain you to your bed if they heard this idea. Actually… I'm kind of surprised that they haven't already…"

Kirito blushed at that. "Could be a fun vacation…"

"Focus!" Argo snapped despite it being her fault.

Placing the gun that Argo was ignoring on the table, Kirito shrugged. "Sachi confided in me what happened. How she froze when faced by the barrel, terrified of her life because of her pre-existing biases against the weapon."

"Tck. Well, if I can create some blanks or rubber bullets—"

"Not good enough," Kirito shook his head. "They need to be real. I have to be punished for screwing up. Besides, I'm level four Argo. Plus, Liz's armour will protect me. I know she is in a smithy right now cooking up something even better."

Frustrated, Argo shifted her grip of Kirito's shirt to her left hand and picked up the discarded gun with her right hand, Pressing the barrel to his forehead, Argo hissed out her words. "Are you sure you want to be fooling around with these things?"

"Do I have a choice?" He responded, not looking flustered in the least. "People from our world have brought guns here. Not ancient rifles, but with modern upgrades and technology."

"Tsk," Argo's mind wavered, unsure how to press the topic. "Why do you trust me so much anyway? I could have been sent here to kill you."

Kirito smirked at that. "Give me a little credit Argo. You're my best friend."

"Ohh, best friend, eh? That's a pretty lofty title to give a shady spy from Hermes familia."

Without warning, Kirito's hand closed around hers, lowering the gun from his head. "I never saw you that way Argo. I've never resented your choices, or the way you dragged me into helping you."

Sniffing, Argo had to blink away the tears. Dang it! This wasn't supposed to happen! If she didn't do something quick, Argo would collapse, the hardening of the last year getting undone by the gentle darkness that offered her an escape.

"Here, keep the gun and another magazine. This gun has no safety. After each shot you need to manually recock the hammer. We assume that this is a newer model since the bullets slide in one after another without need to slide it into the barrel."

"Can you just give this away?" Kirito asked surprised, sufficiently distracted.

Hopping off the desk and walking back around the desk, Argo waved away his concerns. "I recovered it, I can do what I want." At the door to the room, Argo sent him one final look and a sly smile. "Do be careful, getting shot hurts."

Without waiting for a reply, Argo fled the room and then Miach familia home where Kirito was holed up during the repair of his actual home.

Rain:

"Please remind me… why are we doing this again?" Rain put all of her exasperation into her sigh.

"I believe because we volunteered." Philia answered succinctly, stroking the handle of her short sword.

Rain gritted her teeth, finding the words she wanted to say. "I just wanted to be useful to Kirito. I didn't think the way we would help him most was by getting expelled to doing walkthroughs of the city!"

"To be fair, you were struggling to keep your clothes on," Philia chuckled. "I think work would have gotten very derailed."

Rain's irritation was high enough that she didn't even blush only clicking her tongue. "The guild owes us for this. We aren't employees, we can barely answer questions about anything! What if the bank manager challenges us?

Philia fingered the green armband with the guild symbol imprinted upon it. "Calm down. Remember Kirito's and Lili's explanations? The guild will owe us. We will be in their good books after this. They are desperate for extra manpower and aid during this transitionary period."

Rain grunted in understanded. Looking down at her own armband, she scowled at it. "Green is not my colour. I swear when I see Kirito next…"

"You'll pull him into bed with you?" Philia smirked.

Rain tapped a finger against her lips. "It's not that easy though. If only Orario had love hotels like Japan…"

Philia gave her a sideways look. "Are you really that jealous of Asuna or…?"

"We've had this conversation a thousand times," Rain whined, stepping around a drunk adventurer whose body odor was contaminating a region larger than she would have believed possible. "It isn't jealousy… I just want… that confirmation."

"…Same." Philia agreed after a contemplative moment. "And we do it as promised, right? Together? No running off like Asuna and—"

BANG!

"Huh?" Rain looked over and found the source. It was from the bank just ahead that they were heading to. "Oi, isn't this exactly what happened to Sachi and Mikoto?"

"Seems similar," Philia nodded, loosening the blade from her sheath. "I get the feeling we will be encountering random guns very frequently from now on."

Rain grunted in agreement. "Well, shall we enter? That is our destination."

"Oh, I suppose so…" Philia answered casually. Only her squinting eyes gave away her stress. "What if it's a hostage situation?"

"Hmm… Idol?"

"That's a bit of a gamble but… Well, may as well go determine if it is one first."

Nodding to each other, Rain moved in unison with Philia darting around the forming crowd and arriving at the base of the marble stairs. Located in one of Orario's richer districts, the bank had marble stairs leading up to double oaken doors which had been slammed shut.

Ignoring those, Rain leapt over someone's head to arrive at the nearby window. With the shrubbery lining the building biting into her, she stood on her tiptoes to gaze through the elevated pane.

The interior of the bank was as she expected. Similar to the guild set-up, the bank had a line-up what funneled personage to the front where they would meet with one of the secretaries. Those with more involved needs or appointments would go to the back behind the stalls to where the bankers would see them in private booths.

Now, similar to the movies she had seen, the customers were huddled on the ground while the workers hid behind their stalls. The robbers were obvious as the only people standing, and the only ones with guns. There was no similarity in their dress, however. One was a woman in a flowing dress for shopping, not fighting. Two were men in suits, one rich, the other threadbare.

All however had donned masks, trying to obscure their features. One thing Rain could determine was that this was premediated. Still, how much planning went into this? There was little chance that they would avoid the Ganesha elites when word spread.

The front door cracked open. "Hey, we know you're out there, guild employees! Get in here or I'll kill one of these people!"

"Tsk. Philia was right of course." Forcing the bushes aside, Rain sauntered over to the door. "I'm here."

"I'm? The voice asked suspiciously. "Where's your partner."

"Here."

Rain whirled at Philia's voice, glaring at the girl as she approached.

Philia ignored her, instead pulling on the cracked door. As it swung open, Rain was faced with half a dozen muzzles. Hands reaching out, their assailants pulled them in, shutting the doors behind them.

"Why aren't they wearing the guild uniforms?"

"They have the armbands though…"

The muffled voices of the robbers were filled with a nervous tension but still confident.

"Idiots!" The female hissed. "Don't you recognize them!? These girls are high-level adventurers!"

The men around her tensed, backing up and raising their guns. It was not them though that stopped Rain from jumping into action, it was the woman with her gun pointed at the head of a child. The half-elf boy sitting and sniffling quietly.

"Why do you want us?" Rain asked confused. "We are here to confirm with the bank that they have not… Ah, I see."

The robbers chuckled, gesturing at Rain to move further into the bank. Obeying, Rain sauntered further in. She felt oddly distant about the situation. She did not feel like her life was in danger, nor was Philia's. There was a bit of consternation about the innocents that were trapped in the crossfire, but no strong emotions.

"What are we going to do?" Philia hissed; her voice barely audible.

Based on the lack of reaction from the robbers, Rain assumed that she successfully avoided their hearing range.

Considering the question, Rain walked around the line-up and headed for the back of the bank. She had never been here before but had a general idea of what she would find.

Walking along the row of glass-walled offices, Rain aimed for the staircase at the end of the way. Another two robbers were standing there waiting for her.

"What is this?" The robber drawled in a deep voice. "I was not told that Infinite Blade would be here."

Rain barely recognized her second name. Being greeted as such was confirmation that this man was a citizen of this world.

"Volunteering for the guild." Rain smiled brightly at him. "If you let everyone go, I'll give you an autograph."

"An autograph…" His companion murmured. "Hey boss, that's a pretty good deal, I mean—"

"Shut up!" Striking his companion on the top of the head, he glared at Rain through the slits of his mask. "That includes you girl. Another word and we will kill a hostage."

Rain hit herself mentally. She hadn't really meant to put idol into her words. Actually, she didn't think that she did. The companion was just an idiot who had forced her into silence.

"Why are you doing this?" Philia asked for Rain. "You can't possibly think that this will work."

"Oh, and why is that?" The man laughed. "Loki familia is gone and Ganesha familia is distracted."

"And what about Hestia familia?" Philia smirked. "Can you even deal with us?"

The man gave her a stoney stare. No laugh, no cocky expressions. Gesturing to the stairs, he pointed at Rain. "You come, if I say anything shoot Sharp Knife and one of the hostages."

"…Stay safe." Whispering the words to Philia, Rain arrived at where the men were standing and turned the corner to go down the stairs. Laying at the bottom in front of the vault door was a bank worker, a gash in his head.

Kneeling down beside him, Rain checked his pulse, ensuring that he was still alive. The man groaned, his eyes flickering slightly as Rain touched him.

"This is the manager." Rain spoke up to the man that followed her down.

"I told you not to speak."

"Oops." Standing up, she turned to face him. "You know that I can't get you in. Only this man can."

"Obviously. But the guild provides legitimacy. We won't be stealing the money; it will be given to us legally from the guild's holdings."

Is this man an idiot? Rain wondered. She struggled to even connect the dots. She had thought that they wanted the list she carried of things that she was supposed to confirm were still in the vault.

That seemed to be wrong though. The man handed over a piece of paper that Rain took with a confused look. It was as he said, a contract of withdrawal.

"Umm, you want me to sign this?"

"Yes," he smirked. "After I have legally obtained the contents of the vault, I will sell it back to the guild for even more profit!"

Ah, he's been lied to. Rain realized. The true mastermind must be a master of manipulation. Possessing a charisma and influencing ability that Rain struggled to comprehend. A skill maybe?

"Get a move on," he ordered, approaching the door. Taking the key from his pocket that he had taken from the manager, he opened the vault.

Raising an eyebrow, Rain shook her head and began using the guild seal to sign his papers. Eyes flicking through it, she gaped upon reaching the bottom. There it was, written out in plain lettering, the man's name.

Arthur 'Anvil hands' McNaughton. The very English sounds were hard for her mind to process, but it did not matter.

"Hey," Rain asked as he entered the vault with a sack, "what does your title mean, Anvil hands?"

"Huh? Oh that. It's how I got my level up. Held a Hard armored with one hand and beat it to death by hitting the shell on the opposite side with a hammer."

"Oh, so the force exerted by the stabilizing hand was like an anvil… I see. Why did you quit adventuring?"

"Why?" Anvil hands laughed as he tossed a bunch of coins in and a weird translucent blue statue. "Same reason everyone else does. It's a shit gig disguised as a get rich quick scheme. The guild taxes us relentlessly, the gods steal a bunch… In the end we are all left to suffer in the dungeon until we die, no escape from the system of torture…"

Rain felt bad for the man. Genuinely. The system of adventurers was a self-replicating one in Orario. Mid-tier adventurers have families or use the abundant brothels to supply the next generation. The parent or parents die in the dungeon leaving the child penniless. That destitute child is then forced to go into the dungeon continuing the cycle.

"There must have been something though."

"Hmm, yeah. My mates and my girl were drinking too much. We thought we could enter the colossal tree labyrinth at only level two… They all died."

"And to honour their memory you became a petty thief?"

"…Ah, they'd be proud of me." He responded in a low voice, stopping the relentless looting. Tying the bag, he walked back over to Rain and stuck out a hand for the papers which she promptly handed over. He paused as he walked past her. "These assholes are the ones really getting rich from the sacrifices of the adventurers. But you know that clearly."

"Why do you say that?" Rain responded guardedly.

From up close, he turned to look right into her eyes. She did not know what he saw, but she could see his passion. It burned bright; a fire ready to ignite Orario.

"You didn't oppose us at all. You could have ignored the hostages and cut us all down. We both know that what we are doing here is justified."

"That's…" Should I agree with him?

As Rain waffled, he leaned in a little closer. "I'll pretend to take you hostage as we retreat. You can meet the guys who hired us for the job, join up. You'll rise quickly with your skills. Can do some real good for this city."

All passion and no brains…

Having been given a unique option, Rain nodded. "Yes please. I want to change the world." This time she did give him a wink, trying to turn on her idol ability.

It seemed to work as his eyes lost some of their fury. "Ahh, yeah, come on."

Walking in front of him, Rain barely felt the gun on her back. It was not pressed in to give her a real sense of being threatened. As far as she could tell, the man trusted her completely.

"Rain!" Philia yelled out as she appeared. "What is—"

Silencing her with a hand, Rain shook her hand. "I'm being taken captive. Please don't try to follow."

"..." Philia gave her a disbelieving stare and Rain winked as the man's lackeys stared at him in confusion about the truth of Rain's claims.

"We are late!" He called, handing over the massive sack of valuables. "Let's go!"

Getting led away, Rain waved goodbye to Philia and followed along out onto the streets where they made their getaway.

Silica:

"Huh?" Overhearing the conversation, Silica ran over. "Did you say Rain was taken!?"

Shakti, Shakmi, and Ardee all turned to stare at her. Withering under the sisters' stares, Silica forced herself to stand still and wait.

"We've been too busy studying monster taming," Shakti declared. "Things are proceeding in the city that should not be. The strongest familias ignore these issues and shove them unto us."

"Is this really that important?" Ardee asked, "I mean, it's just a robbery. Why are we all talking about it?"

"It isn't just a robbery," Shakmi broke in, flicking her sister's forehead. "This is an oddity. Banks were always safe due to their increased protection and security. This robbery must have been exceptionally well-planned. Timed perfectly to get the vault list as well."

"Taking Rain is a mistake though," Shakti shook her head. "A second-tier adventurer is a dangerous force for low-level thugs that rely entirely upon their new weapons to control."

"So why aren't we rescuing her right now?" Silica complained. The conversation was somewhat interesting but ultimately pointless. Standing in the foyer of Ganesha Familia's home, Silica stared down the three sisters while the messenger shuffled awkwardly.

"Shall we?" Shakti asked, looking at her younger sister. The dynamic between them was one that Silica had yet to figure out. In this case, it did not matter. Shakmi was captain, and it was all up to her.

"Ah… let's. Come Silica. We will rescue your familia member."

"Astraea familia took off today," Ardee said. "I'm going to catch up to them and let them know that things are developing on the surface."

"Good idea," Shakti nodded. "I have things that I want to look into. Good luck on the recovery."

As the two sisters took off, Silica was already dancing from foot-to-foot, Pina resting calmly on her head.

"Gerd, lead us. You have a pursuit squad in place I imagine?"

"Yeah, a tracker has the trail." The messenger agreed, nodding.

Hearing that, Silica relaxed somewhat. It seemed like they would be able to find Rain easily enough. Finally, she remembered something that she had never asked about as they took off. "What about Philia? Is she alright."

"The angry half-prum?" Gerd grunted. "Ah she's fine. Stalking around in a rage, grumbling about idiots."

Silica almost smiled at the assurance of her safety. She could easily imagine Philia doing that. That led her to another thought, however. "Umm, no one has told Kirito, have they?"

"…It might be better if he doesn't learn quite yet." Shakmi replied after a moment of consideration. Her words echoing Silica's own thoughts.

Darting through the streets, Silica was surprised at how well Gerd was able to lead them. Even if she were to run at full-speed, Silica did not think that she could get through the city much faster.

"Are you level three Mr. Gerd?"

"Ah. Hit it awhile back. Not a great fighter, but I managed somehow."

"Do not let him deceive you," Shakmi warned. "Gerd has a fantastic list of skills. Item crafting, mapping, tracking, message memorization, speed. Plus, his accuracy with thrown weapons is top tier."

"Amazing…" Silica looked forward at the messenger's back. She reminded herself not to ignore people in Orario. Just because there is a small class of exceptional great heroes does not mean that the group below them aren't also incredible.

As they took another turn, Silica noticed something was wrong. Before she could ask, Shakmi spoke up. "I thought this was a bank robbery."

"It was. The thieves fled to Daedalus Street of course. We are posed at the entrance and are slowly setting up guards at the other exits."

"Ah, of course." Shakmi nodded.

Taking a deep breath, Silica prepared herself for a tense time. Sending out a thought to the absent Kirito, Silica drew her knife in preparation for the raid. Don't worry. I'll get her back.

Midori:

Taking a deep breath, Midori addressed the girl in the prep room with her. "Are you ready, Yukiko?"

"Ready? I'm not the one giving a speech."

Midori smiled at the young girl. She was pretty and would almost certainly break some hearts when she grew up. Even since the two of them met, the girl has continued to mature into a woman. In her speech patterns however, Midori was reminded of the timid girl that she had first met.

Well, it is only natural… Straightening, Midori pulled on her suit jacket. Whether her adjustments made it worse or better did not matter. All she wanted was a way to reduce her nerves.

"Ms. Kirigaya? We're ready for you."

Nodding, Midori followed the assistant out onto the stage. The bright lights of the cameras blinding her. Following on her heels was Yukiko. Midori heard the girl stumble slightly in her heels.

Not having time to help her, Midori approached the podium and tried to smile at the gathered dignitaries and reporters. It was a crowd of mixed ethnicities, many translators sitting beside them and even some earpieces for virtual translation.

Shuffling the papers with her notes that had been pre-placed, Midori greeted the assembled crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming today. The issue that is facing us is one that will not impact most of you. Like any car crash or localized disaster, people are free to look on, feel sad for a moment, and get on with your lives. I do not blame you for thinking that this situation is the exact same."

Taking a deep breath, Midori prepared herself. Let's go.

"This situation. The DOO problem is not like that. It will not be the exact same for everyone, it will not affect everyone in the exact manner… However!"

Smile fading, Midori glared at the cameras, hoping she looked determined and serious rather than angry. If her words came across as the ramblings of a grieving mother, she would be ignored and mocked.

"Don't think for a minute that this is going away. Not just the VR, but the overstepping by our government. Behind the aid and the new hospital is a dark secret. They are using our children, our friends, our family to conduct research.

This probably sounds insane, but isn't this whole situation? What I am calling upon this body to do is simple."

Scanning some of the faces, Midori was relieved to see no smirks or laughing. There was some confusion, some doubt, but nothing she could not work with.

"Call on the government for transparency. Demand that the people in their 'care' are open for visitation. In this era of technological revolution, as VR and brain interfacing threatens to take over our world, we need to maintain strict moral and ethical positions or risk allowing ourselves to fall into depravity as both a nation and a species.

"When our children and our grandchildren study the advent of brain interfacing, what will they say? That we allowed atrocities in the name of progress? That we did not protect our vulnerable youths? Or will they be able to say that we used every tool available to determine the proper path? Will you be able to tell the next generation that we stood by our morals even in the face of an imminent technological revolution?"

Closing her notes, Midori allowed herself to breath a bit. Picking up the folder, she bowed over the podium. "Thank you for hearing me out."

Managing to walk a straight path until she gone, Midori enjoyed a smattering of applause, but not a roaring ovation. She hadn't really expected one.

"Well, that was terrifying," Yukiko muttered once they got off stage.

Collapsing into a chair, Midori nodded. "Yes, yes it was… Did I do well?"

"I-I have no idea," Yukiko answered honestly. Placing a hand on her shoulder, the young girl stood there supporting her.

Comforted by the touch, Midori tried to relax, allowing her heart to beat slower. One way or another, she had jumped off the cliff. To rocks or safety she did not yet know.