The next afternoon, on the fourteenth floor

"Ah, the scent of the forest... I haven't smelled it in a while.

"It's kind of comforting, isn't it? Especially after being in a volcano."

Japan. Desert. Beach. Volcano. That's been the last four settings we're embarked upon as we continue our adventures up the floating castle of Aincrad. Asuna and Koharu are right, we hadn't been in a forest setting since the ninth floor, though technically it was more "snowy mountainside" themed. In that case, the four of us hadn't been in a "forest-themed" floor since the third floor, well over a month ago.

It's late January, too, and the winter of the real world is not reflected here. That's more evident in our attires, which I must say, I love my brand-new gear. Having worn and upgraded that beginner's armor as far as it will carry us and a little more, it's nice to have something fresh on us.

My new armor set is red and black the Twilight Warrior's gear, a reward for completing the Elf War Campaign back on the ninth floor with Koharu, Kirito, and Asuna. It was our last quest as a party before we split in half after beating the floor boss and journeying to the tenth floor, but I didn't equip the reward until last night. Koharu, Asuna, and Kirito are the same; their armors are also gifts from the queen of the dark elves we aided, but we promised that we'd put the armors on together when we couldn't remain in the beginner sets.

I don't know the names of the gear the others' wear, but they're practically the same: Kirito's in all black with a jacket, Asunas in a red and white battle dress, and Koharu now wears a breastplate underneath her red clothing. I think the girls are happier than I am to be in something new. Probably for fashion purposes.

"Forests smell this way because of a chemical called "phytoncide," right? Not sure if that applies to the forests in Aincrad, though..."

"I don't think they went as far as synthesizing a chemical like that, but this is still such a lovely place."

Why do Kirito and Asuna know about this...phytoncide chemical? I never heard of that in my life. Then again, I never lived in close proximity to the forests back home in the southeast United States or now in Tokyo, Japan. I'm an urban baby and I know the girls are. My senses of detecting children of money goes off constantly around Asuna, given that I am that myself, but it hasn't made a decision regarding Koharu. Based on the bits I know of her in her real life, I think she has some money to her name.

So why do they know about the forest that much? Did they learn it between the third floor and now? Did I miss that lesson despite us being together almost all the time? Hmm...

"So, where are we?" Asuna, at the lead, stopped and materialized her map. We've been here for short while — the thirteenth floor was conquered around an hour ago, and the four of us resumed our unsaid duty to open up the current floor for the players not in the labyrinth. That's been the one constant since we split apart, as if it doesn't feel right unless the four of us reach the Teleport Gate together. That said, we're in no rush, taking our sweet time to enter the main city somewhere.

That's not because we're four slackers. After we made to the tenth floor, all the knowledge we had of the beta, including the general location of towns (if the map itself was the same as in the beta) became useless. From the eleventh floor to the hundredth, each time we ascend a level, we're in unknown territory. We just hoped we were heading in the right direction.

"Stream of Whispers... Hm, why 'whispers?'"

"Let's have a listen," I suggested. We paused and listened to the atmospheric sounds of the forests. It still amazed me after nearly four months — six if we count my participation in the SAO beta — that the NerveGear is able to simulate sights and sounds of any environment we've traveled before almost perfectly as they are in the real world. Or at least how'd I'd imagine some places to be, like the volcanic region or the desert. If only this wasn't a death game, then this would be a paradise away from the troubles of reality.

Recently I found myself wondering if that's a blessing i disguise. For example, I met Kirito and Koharu in the beta and rejoined them on the first day. Now Koharu and I promised to play SAO together, and during a period of my life that left me feeling lonely (of my own choosing), I couldn't find it in myself to say no to her. The old Kirito was a handsome showoff, but I could admit he had skill equal to me.

But the last three months would have been different. I highly doubt I would have been this close to Kirito. It is unlikely Asuna would have encountered us, or at least not in the capacity she does now. As for Koharu, I do not think our partnership, if it still became one, would be as tight as it is now. Every trial that made us who we are and brought us once before as a team would not have happened.

Oh, and Kirito and I's real appearances would not be the people the girls see now.

"Ah! I hear water!" Koharu pointed to the east, in which I did hear the sound of running water. "It could be a stream, maybe. Heh, I'm sure it's sparkling clear!"

"You know what they say about places with nice water — the beer is good too. Klein and Agil are gonna be happy about this."

"Yeah, if there were even any places that sold beer here in the first place, though."

"Hm... Now that you mention it, I haven't noticed any in a while." Not that us four teenagers have been looking for places that sold beer, but Asuna and Koharu are right. Aincrad did have place that sold "alcohol," which in truth are products that the NerveGear simulated the effects of actual alcohol by manipulating brainwaves. As such, those drinks are restricted by age. However, that doesn't mean I cannot "be intoxicated" — there were reports that, if one believed themselves to be drunk, they will be drunk. I haven't tested this out, of course.

But in the city of Crait, the thirteenth floor's main town, and in the outlying villages, we hadn't seen a single restaurant that sold beer. The men must be depressed about that, so it might be their hope this floor has some to celebrate our victory over Alaz...or to mourn the losses ALS and DKB suffered. Alaz was no joke of a boss — up until that point, we had conquered seven floors without losses. Seven floors have passed since the most critical loss we've suffered — Diavel, the knight who initially brought us all together and died a hero, sacrificing himself in the fight against the fifth floor's boss, Fuscus the Vacant Colossus.

One day, I'll offer a toast to him.

"Hey, we're here —"

"Oh! It's just as master said! The travelers have come!" We just found the stream Koharu heard when a man in a purple robe leapt out from the woods to the path and approached as if we answered his prayers. Since his indicator was yellow, we read him as an NPC. I might be a little twitchy after the last time Koharu and I were surrounded by trees back on the eleventh floor, but there's no chance we're in danger from some guy dressed like a herbalist.

"Excuse me," Koharu, who recognized this was an opportunity for some sort of quest since there's a question mark above the young man's head, spoke to the man, "are you looking for someone?"

Before answering her question, he must've realized what he'd done and spooked us, so he bowed apologetically. "Sorry if I startled you. I'm the apprentice to a healer who cares for the sick around here. He told me that the first travelers who pass through the gate would be quite powerful, so I've been waiting for their arrival."

The gate, which must be the pavilion doors that separated the fourteenth floor from the thirteenth, were opened by the four of us, but that was hours ago. Logically, this quest was set only for us and truly began now as we met the NPC, but remove logic and you have a guy who waited in this area of the woods for over an hour if not much longer, not even knowing if we'd walk his way. I don't know if he's programmed that way or, if he's one of the special AI we've come across, decided on this method himself.

"A healer... So someone like a doctor?" Asuna's eyes flicked up to the question mark, looked to the rest of us, then to the healer's apprentice. "Do you need our help?"

His jaw dropped. "Y-you can tell already? Wow, you guys are the real deal."

"Well because of the ico... Uh... I mean, it's written on your face."

Nice save, Kirito. Feeling this is one of the typical healer-related quests, I poised a question to the apprentice. "Are there any sick people around? Are you low on ingredients?"

The apprentice shook his head. "No, not that. My master's conducting a ritual to appease the forest spirits. I'll need your help with that instead."

Kirito nodded and turned to me. "Oh, that reminds me of the wise Native American 'medicine men' who have knowledge of medicinal herbs and communicate with spirits."

"True. We learned that in my American History classes. That does simplify things."

"So you're familiar with healers? That makes explaining things easier, then!" The apprentice stepped aside and pointed behind us. "I'll need you to head west of here."

"Is something supposed to be there?"

"There should be something." He sighed, his shoulders drooping. "I'm still an apprentice, so I can't tell you the details. But I'll explain everything once you get there I'll go on ahead!." The man departed as quickly as he came, leaving us confused and intrigued at the same time.

Once his form was hidden by the forest, Asuna cleared her throat. "That was sort of vague, wasn't it? I'm still not sure what he needs our help for in the first place."

"This sounds like one of those kinds of quests that have a nasty surprise lying in store after you accept them."

"Yeah. Everyone on the lower floors doesn't seem to have caught up to us either. Hear anything from Argo."

I shook my head in response to Koharu, and so did Kirito. Asuna was about to do the same, but changed course as she raised her right finger up. "I just got a message... 'Heard about what happened with ALS and DKB. Must've been rough. They won't be headin' over until the funerals are over."

I still remember the shock that permeated the faces of Koharu, Kirito, Asuna, myself, and everyone who watched as the fire serpent Alaz the Blaze Shooter unleashed its powerful attack. It summoned a blue fireball over its head, and obviously we assumed it would be an AOE attack. Lind, Kibaou, and Heathcliff, leaders of the Dragon Knights Brigade, the Aincrad Liberation Squad, and the Knights of the Blood Oath, all called for a retreat toward the walls, which were relatively safe zones within the boss chamber. We always coordinated those spots for players who needed to rest and heal.

Since I had a shield, I joined up with the shield group at the time to protect those without special defenses. But Alaz outsmarted each of us. It slammed that giant fireball into the ground, but it didn't explode on impact. It was absorbed by the igneous floor. Only Kirito realized what was about to happen, but by the time he said anything, it was too late.

A pillar of blue fire erupted from the ground and swallowed anyone at that point of the wall. The resulting panic didn't help either, and not even Asuna — who calmed the panic during the first floor's fight — was powerless. But order was restored with Heathcliff, who kept his cool in the heated chamber and commanded us on what to do.

As for how we defeated Alaz, we had a guy who knows how to throw a chakram real good: Nezha of the Legend Braves, who also was a hero in the fights on the second and fifth floor. Koharu and I got the last attack on the boss directly, and Nezha destroyed its core.

DKB only lost one man, someone we met earlier on the floor and only had a conversation with as one of our new friends, Eiji, was seeking recruitment into DKB at the moment. ALS lost two, and KoB were all accounted for. Diavel's death aside, in which that was more of a rushed raid and without the adequate numbers, the Assault Team strove to be sure we had all the information we needed to fight safely. That was the first time since combating King Asterius that we went in without knowing about critical attacks or changes to the fights themselves.

"'Lemme know if ya hear about any good quests! I'll be headin' over once I'm free!'"

Pushing those horrible thoughts aside, I got us back in gear. "Let's gather some intel for now."

Kirito nodded. "Sounds good. Let's head out when we're ready." We took a five-minute break by the running stream, then headed west in pursuit of the apprentice.

"All this surrounding forest reminds me of Kizmel," Koharu nostalgically murmured, stopping as a result. "She and the others were NPCs, but it's hard to imagine they're just stay put without any sort of event."

Kizmel was the dark elf knight the four of us got to know during the lengthy Elf War Campaign quest. It took place over multiple floors, from the third to the ninth, and was the highlight of the time the four of us spent as a party. Koharu and I haven't visited Kizmel since we left the ninth floor and ended the quest, but we were told we're forever welcomed to the castle of the dark elf queen and to come visit Kizmel.

Joining her, I turned to the trees. Our first encounter with Kizmel was on the third floor, a woodland of its own. I don't really have the same level of reflection as my partner as it took me longer to warm up to Kizmel due to her AI nature. However, I still miss the beautiful knight in my own way. "I'm sure they're doing fine,"

"Yeah. The Queen, the Commander, and everyone..." She remained crestfallen, so I reached out and patted her head. The strands of black hair tangled up between my brown fingers as they oscillated along Koharu's scalp. I let it go on for another second or two, and just in time before Asuna happened to notice us.

"Why'd you stop? Did you find something?"

"Oh, no. This place just reminded me of the third floor. And...you know."

Asuna breathed in understanding, smiling as her eyes take in our surroundings. "That was around a month and a half ago yet it felt like a long time ago. But a lot has happened since then, didn't it?"

"It has. When I think of that, I remember who I was back then...and how I am now. Then again, we've all changed since we met Kizmel?"

"You and I, maybe. I cannot speak for the boys, except that they've become less useful after leaving the tenth floor."

Koharu giggled along with Asuna. "That is true."

"Excuse us beaters for not knowing what lied beyond the doors to Kagachi's domain," I shot back.

Kirito chuckled. "Reminiscing is fine and all, but don't forget to keep your guard up. This is a new floor we're on. Who knows what wonders lie in store."

"I had a feeling you were going to say something like that," Asuna snapped.

"Hey, it's hard to let your guard down when you're actively seeking fun, right?" He looked at me for support, but I wasn't willing to agree with him fully. I shrugged, which he found acceptable and turned around. "Come on, let's go!"

"We're almost there. I wonder where that healer's apprentice is?"

After half an hour of uninterrupted walking, Asuna closed the map we've been following to our marked destination. It's not unusual for us to move around freely on the new floor and not engage enemies, but usually we found the main town and its Teleport Gate within an hour. This is the longest the four of us hadn't activated the Teleport Gate since Kirito convinced us to go for the start of the Elf War Campaign rather than go to Zumfat on the third floor. We never did open that gate, if you're wondering.

On the flip side, it is unusual for us not to have encountered some monster of some kind. Even if we didn't fight it, to not have seen one is bothersome. Yes, I looking a gift horse in the mouth. On the third floor, we fought a powerful forest elf after taking Kizmel's side; on the fourth floor, we were chased by a fish down a river. I can't name a time that we went to unlock the gate without some sort of misadventure.

"H-help!"

...I'm sorry, everyone. I flagged this one.

Up ahead on the beaten path is the apprentice, running and yelling for his dear artificial life. Right behind him is a mushroom monster horde, chasing after him like the paparazzi finding a movie star.

"Looks like the monsters went to greet him first!"

"There's so many mushroom monsters!"

"Maybe he's their type." Asuna uncharacteristically quipped, which drew our attention. She smirked proudly and drew her rapier. "Of course we'll save him, though. And this is the only pathway, so we've got no choice but to fight."

Kirito nodded and grabbed his sword. "We're more than enough to take them on. Let's go!" Following Kirito's lead, Asuna and Koharu leapt into battle while I lingered behind and focused on the sickly blue-colored shrooms. Their red cursors indicated that their names are Ashtray Musk, whatever that means, and they're slightly weaker than we are given the lighter than normal red coloration of the indicators. We're in the upper twenties in terms of level, so my lack of participation is not detrimental to the others.

But that's not why I stayed back. I believe Koharu can take care of herself nowadays, but I wouldn't let her fight by herself even if we returned to the first floor. No, I stay back to grab the frightened healer and shove him out of the way. "Stay there!" Terrified, he scooted to the nearest tree and sat there like a child in timeout. Ensuring he's out of the way, I grabbed my sword and place my shield arm in front as I addressed the remaining mobs that the others didn't slow down. "All right, you spore-bearing freaks. We can be mean to each other, or we can be fun guys."

...

...

...

Fwoooosh!

"Not fun, guys!" I jumped backwards to avoid the cloud of yellow spores fired into the air. I believe, based on color and prior RPG experience, those spores could paralyze me. I rather not find out yellow and purple switched out paralysis poison and typical damage over time poison.

As I landed, the shrooms didn't give me any time to quip any more, charging me like a mini-army of Goombas. I readied myself and attacked furiously. Most of the shrooms fell easily with two or three hits, so the threat wasn't their power, but numbers. Their attack patterns were simply, mostly bashing attacks with the prior spore status-inflicting attacks. But with my sword Imperial strengthened with as many upgrades as possible, the numbers against me doesn't seem that imposing as I fought my way towards the grouped Koharu, Kirito and Asuna.

Before I'm halfway there, though, the Ashtray Musks all stop attacking in unison. I glance at Koharu and the others in a moment of confusion, not knowing what to do. Then all at once, their bodies contorted and expelled pink spores across the forest atmosphere. My first guess was this was the poison attack, as the pattern was similar to the earlier spore attack on me, so I instinctively covered my nose and mouth before the spores were fired. However, my friends must've never seen this attack before.

"Wh-what is this?"

"Mushroom spores? They might be poisonous! Try not to breathe them in!"

"It's even worse than that... It's attracting more mobs! We're going to be surrounded! Run!"

"Let's split up!" I shouted as I ran through the mushrooms and grabbed Koharu's wrist. Asuna and Kirito caught my drift and we parted in opposite directions.

"Got it! We'll meet up in town later!"

"Don't do anything rash, got it?"

"You too! C'mon Koharu!" I released her and, in turn, started to trail behind a bit due to her character's athletic ability...if not her natural ability propelled her forward. We kept running for a minute through the dense miasma. When we finally broke through, we didn't stop running as the parade of mushrooms remained on our tail and a pink sea of spores remained ahead of us in left

"Gotta say, this is the worse entrance to a new floor the four of us had."

"I concur..." Koharu looked back, her teeth set to grind against each other. "Looks like they managed to draw away half of them. Let's get out of here before any more head over."

We can't keep running forever, that's for sure, and unfortunately, we have no clue where the first town on the fourteenth floor is. The worst part about mob-attracting attacks is that we're eternally drawing their aggro, and with no safe zone in sight, we're left to two choices on how to deal with the shrooms: fight them off or die trying.

The forest would be fine place to fight them, but they have the the mob-attracting spores and the overall environment suited for them surrounding us from all sides. If Koharu and I were to employ hit and run tactics, we could turn the tide, yet that's dangerous when fighting a large mob. Our best bet to victory is to get somewhere where we can fight them and manage their numbers at the same time.

"Let's go to a more open area."

Koharu swiped her hand a couple of times, then pointed in the air in front of her. In her eyes, her finger is on the holographic map of the explored area. "I think there's one over on the west side, not too far away. There should be less spores there too. Let's hurry!"