|Aug. 20th 13:15|
|Sword Art Online BETA, Floor 2, Town of Urbus|
Nagi sat on a barrel in the corner of the teleport gate plaza of Urbus on Floor Two. The entire city was excavated from a flat-topped mountain and rests in a crater. The city gates and walls rest on the outer rim of the crater. Like all district settlements, Urbus has a main street that runs north-south.
Nagi had quite the expression on his face, right leg across his left thigh as the menus hovered around his furrowed brow and creased frown. "So I need to... play Bejeweled to achieve the best possible stats? Whaaaaa?" The Crafting System was a character, to say the least.
With one swipe of his hand, the tabs vanished and he was left with his weapon materializing from the menus. It was a standard katana, though to be honest, he appeared to be the only user in Sword Art Online with the mastery to unlock the extra skill for one-handed swords.
"-I told ya, info comes at a cosT!" Over to the left of the elevated plaza, Nagi followed the voice toward a park bench where a group of three near-identical players were corraled around one person who held their hands up close to their chest in an attempt to defuse the situation. "And there's no certainty either so I ain't selliN'."
Nagi's frown remained as he approached the group quickly, his steps barely noticeable until he was behind the trio, placing a firm grip on the middle player, effectively pulling the conversation toward him. "Huh? You want some-" His masked expression was hard to read but his eyes were visible behind his ninja aesthetic, eyes pinpricks when he saw the firm glare on Nagi's face.
"Please, stop harassing her and leave," Nagi's tone remained the same, holding the player's shoulder with a vice-like hold.
"Oi!" The one to the right tried to intervene but an arm extended to stop him.
"Are you kidding me!? Look at his number, plus that on his waist, idiot!" He hissed under his breath as the pair took note of Nagi's digits that were set to visible, 'Lv. 15', he forgot to turn the setting off; Not to mention the katana strapped to his belt at the moment. With his hand up, the middleman's gaze deadpanned. "You know what? Not worth it," He gave a short bow to the Info Broker. "Erm, sorry for the trouble."
"Uh, surE?" She didn't have a modest reply.
With that, he just left his companions to stare in flabbergasted shock at their leader's withdrawal, the pair following slowly after as Argo continued to blink rapidly. Seconds ago it looked like she'd have to make a hasty escape, and now, she was met with that same, kind expression from before.
"Hey, Argo, you okay?" Nagi greeted, a question mark popping beside his cocked head at her silent, surprised expression. "Argo?"
The girl finally snapped out of it, chuckling boisterously as her arm slithered around to wrap over his shoulders for a side hug. "It's been a week but man are ya a sight for sore eyes, Mr Hero! NyahahA!" Argo's cackling drew strange looks from other players but Nagi smiled pleasantly.
"I'm just glad you're okay, they seemed like trouble," Nagi commented, the broker letting go with her hands behind her head.
"Nah, bit on the mouthy side an' all but nothin' new in the line of dutY," Argo dismissed with a wave, instead, she gave Nagi a lecherous stare up and down, tapping a finger off the hilt of his weapon. "Last I checked, mastery for this takes quite a lot of -" She paused, realizing the weapon she was directing wasn't a trick of the idea. "You mastered it in a weeK!?"
"Oh, right, yeah," Nagi looked pleasantly ignorant, patting the katana. "I spent a few nights ranking up the mastery to see what might unlock, and it said I could use katanas and their subsequent skills trees-"
Argo grabbed his haori, shaking him back and forth despite the few inches difference between their height. "Spill it, every detail, leave nothin' out, hear mE!?" Her eyes practically pulsed with yen signs, drooling a little. "I can sell that data for the right price, I-I'll go sixty-forty, whatever ya neeD!"
However, her greed didn't register as Nagi spent a good few seconds staring at Argo's face, under her autumn locks her small cheeks bore a pair of striking whiskers. Argo, on the other hand, slowed her ramblings, staring back into his emerald-black eyes.
"You look... different," Nagi spoke under his breath.
Argo's inner lightbulb brightened. The girl's face crinkled into a smirk, her whiskers twitching, "Is that how it seems to you? Never know, I might be wearin' nothin' under herE." She tugged at her cloak and shirt, revealing some skin.
"Huh?" Nagi poked her cheek. "These, where'd you get them? They look very 'you'."
Her smirk subsided for a blue aura, eyes deflating off to the side. She wanted that juicy info and if this was her price so be it. "...I... can't get rid of 'eM," Her words were muttered but Nagi was close enough to hear.
"Really?" Nagi sounded genuinely surprised
Argo flopped to the bench again, Nagi sitting down next to her as she ran a hand down her cheek with an exhausted smile. "I've been in a bind for days now, an' I can't remove 'em less I beat a quest I found - since then, everyone's second cousin knows about little ol' me, just for all the wrong reasonS..."
When Argo turned to Nagi, he was holding his hand over his mouth, and she saw his body trembling. "Are... you laughiN'?" Her tone was an odd mixture of surprise and irritation.
"S-sorry, it's just..." He put his hand over his mouth, showing his mirth. "It just explains what I've heard for a while now, the rumours anyway."
"Eh?" Her expression took a blank.
"Someone called 'The Rat'-" An anvil slammed onto her shoulder. "Who's an info broker-" Another dropped atop the other, her head near her legs. "-with autumn-tinted hair." A feather sailed down, and Argo was left defeated and depressed. "And-"
"Okay, I get iT~!" She whined, waving her hand in his face as she flopped onto the bench, placing her hand over her face.
Some time passed, and his shadow loomed over her with a hand lowered to her own. "Want me to help?"
She blinked, looking from his infectious smile to his offered hand a second longer.
There is an exceptionally high towering mountain on the southern edge of the floor, which is a small clearing surrounded by cliffs, a spring, and a lone tree. It took a teleport to the village closest to the dungeon entrance and a walk for nearly an hour but the pair finally traversed the pass into the hidden sanctuary in the mountain.
"We made iT," Argo declared, brushing aside a bush as they stepped into an open field dotted with large boulders. "They say the path to heaven is paved through hell, wonderin' if that's true noW," Argo looked no better than when they left the small village up the mountain.
"Is it really that bad?" Nagi felt a little nervous now, though the refreshing breeze compared to the dry air at the foot of the mountain felt better. "Hrm..." He paused as her hand rested on her popped hip, smiling slyly.
"You gettin' cold feet on me, HerO?" She cooed only for a rush of wind to pass him, the boy's uncertainty replaced with confidence. "Huh?" She turned to follow. "Huh?"
"I'll give it my all!" He declared with a fist to the sky.
Argo just shrugged a smile, following closely as a small hut resided on the opposite end of the boulder field. There, an old man with a tall staff stood by, waiting for their approach with a gold question mark icon above his head. The old man had bushy eyebrows obscuring his eyes with a long, grey beard and a white robe over his body.
"Fwo, Fwo, Fwo! Do you wish to join my school child?" His hand stroked his long beard. "If you clear my trials I shall bequeath unto you Martial Arts, the core of this style. Fwo, Fwo, Fwo!"
Nagi turned to Argo, then to the large boulder nearest him. The Rat approached and wrapped her knuckle off the surface. "If you wanna know, just crack this stone in two, that's aL',"
"Is that it?" Nagi didn't see the issue here, so he turned to the Old Man. "I accept your offer!" He bowed his head as the Old Man hummed.
"The road of training is long and fraught with peril, are you prepared for that?" The Old Man asked as the quest appeared.
|Are You Sure?|
|-Secret Test-|
|Yes or No|
Nagi tapped 'Yes' and the quest marker changed, the Old Man jumping much higher than someone his age should be capable of, landing on a boulder with his staff waved down at Nagi. "Fwo, Fwo, Fwoh! Very well, child, then you shall break one of these boulders! But,"
"Eh?" A gust of wind flew by Nagi, behind him, the Old Man held onto his katana.
"You will not have the use of your weapons until you complete my trial I will have hold of your weapon," He declared, clutching the sheath and blade as Nagi shot his wide eyes back at Argo, the Rat chuckling with a sweatdrop, hands held up in defense when Nagi realized something important.
Her weapon was missing.
"You... you..." He zipped into her face looking as though his worldview shattered. "YOU DIDN'T MENTION THAT!?"
"Nyahaha... would you believe I forgoT?" Argo grinned ear-to-ear as Nagi deflated, her hand patting his head. "There, there, I haven't left this floor for days since I found ouT,"
"Found out what?" He grimaced.
"Young man, you must attempt this trial bare-handed, use your fists, your feet," The Old Man tapped his bald scalp. "Or even your head if you must, fwo, fwo, fwo!" He cackled. "Oh, also, until you split the boulder, you may not leave this land or traverse its labyrinths, thus, you must bear the sign of your trial."
He fished around in his cloak, and in a flash of white light, something wet struck Nagi's face, the boy stumbling back as he touched his cheeks. Fishing around in his inventory quickly he spawned a handheld mirror, once it materialized, he saw that he too bore a striking feature.
"I have whiskers!?" His own flabbergasted face stared back with Argo in the background.
"Look at that, they really suit you, nyahahA," She teased.
"This sign will not vanish until you complete your training," The Old Man smiled before he sat down with his legs crossed, his quest ongoing for the pair.
"Wait, so how long have you been stuck on this floor?" Nagi pivoted slowly like a rusted door toward the redhead who scratched her own whiskers.
"Couple of days... since floor seven was unlockeD." Argo admitted, chuckling as she scratched the back of her head with her eyes closed. "Kinda have to rely on sources for info, and other networks outside SAO to get my juicy info, talk about rookie mistake, righT!?"
"I'm stuck on this floor until I break a boulder that's a level below Immortal Object?" He couldn't believe it, he had effectively soft-locked himself in the Beta that only had eleven days left. Slumping against the rock, he slid down to the grass. "So what now - eh, Argo?"
She was walking away, waving over her shoulder. "I'll come visit ya, Mr HerO!" That cheeky grin of hers made his desperate voice whine.
"Argo!? Ar~go~!" She wasn't listening, leaving him alone with a valley of boulders and nothing but his bare hands.
This was Nagi's starting point of the Martial Arts quest.
On the First Day...
"Hmph! Hmph! Hmph!" Over and over, his fists struck the boulder in the same spot, he would get tired and simply try again, striking endlessly with his own music playing on his menu's 'Extra' screen, keeping his rhythm from wavering even for an instant. Endlessly, his fists struck the unbreakable surface, the smallest of cracks beginning to emerge.
On the Second Day...
"One, two, three, strike!" His actions repeated themselves fluidly. Striking with a right hook, then a left, followed by a roundhouse kick, the cracks webbed, becoming wider, spreading further but it only covered a minute section of the impressive surface area. "Hah... come on, work harder!" He berated himself, shaking off his haori to lessen the burden on his body. "One, two, three, strike!"
On the Third Day...
Argo yawned as she strolled into the field through the woods, checking messages on her screen as she zoned out. Rubbing her chin, she stopped as she realized something was amiss. Upon one of the boulders, a sleeping bag was set out with a small outdoor cooking pot left on a smothered campfire.
When she closed her tabs, she inspected further, one of the boulders had various cracks across its surface, all in random points from various attempts with fists, feet, and even a head-shaped indent. "Hm?" She peered up at the midday sun, then to a disturbance from the forest to her right. Brow quirked, she scooted around the boulders to investigate.
Through the bushes, a red diamond icon swung up, and Argo yelped as her body leapt away on reflex before two entities could collide with her. Towering before her was a 'Trembling Ox' and a high level one at that. Argo gulped, half expecting to be beaten into the dirt so badly she'd respawn back at the nearest village. However, its head pivoted forward, hooves clawing at the dirt.
"Huh?" She followed its red eyes to... "Nagi?" She murmured as her humorous smile stretched speculatively. "No, wait... he can't be serious!?"
The brunette looked as though he went headfirst down a ditch and through a river off a waterfall. His equipment looked battered and close to breaking, sweat staining his face as he held his haori in both hands, flicking the onyx fabric once as his steely stare fixed itself toward the overgrown cow.
Nagi didn't say a word, flicking his haori again as the Trembling Ox mooed loudly, thrashing its head around as it levelled its scalp toward Nagi. He waited, the thunderous steps of the Ox drawing closer as he spun around, sweeping the cloth over its eyes as it stumbled, slowing its charge as it looped around a boulder, snorting sharply.
The boy kept on his toes as it ramped up its charge again, blindsided by the haori again. Although, the head snapped left, catching Nagi's waist, sending the player flying across the dirt, his health taking a plunge into the yellow though he quickly rolled back onto his knees, diving right while kiting the monster as it skimmed its face on a boulder.
Taking a long breath, Nagi closed his eyes, taking in the coppery scent flooding the grassland, the wind was calm so he had a perfect indicator. Holding his haori wide, he waited, taunting the hooves closer while the scent intensified. "Concentrate, take in everything you've seen and apply it," It was a technique Nagi had fostered over the years in various games, including real-life to multitask. Expanding on his parallel processing.
Argo was at the edge of her seat, the Ox was inches from pummeling Nagi against the boulder and he refused to move or even open his eyes. That's when she saw it, his exhaled breath as the sweep of onyx covered the Ox's face, blotting out its sight from the boulder it was led straight into, a pair of emerald-black eyes staring back as it struck the boulder with a resounding 'clap' similar to thunder.
The cracks split wide open, sending tremors through the boulder as the Old Man raised his head with a joyous chuckle as the stumbling Ox collapsed on the other side. Nagi blinked a few times, seeing the boulder split in two before crumbling into chunks at his feet.
"Thatta-boy, HerO!" Argo pumped her fists in celebration
"Ho-ho-ho~!" The Old Man hopped down as his staff touched the broken fragments, the now docile OX stumbling back toward the forest in a daze.
"Did I... do it?" Nagi panted, still processing the situation set before him as the Old Man approached, his quest marker green now.
"Well, as promised, I shall return your weapon," He tossed it out from under his cloak, Nagi almost failing to catch it as his muscles relaxed after what felt like an eternity of late nights chipping away at the boulder. "You have tested your fist, your kick, and at last, your head, so may the teachings serve you well on your journey, young man."
"Thank you!" Nagi bowed his head as a reward tab appeared, and his level increased with a shimmer and shine.
Side-Quest Complete!
Secret Test
Main Objective
*Destroy Boulder
Savana Highlands | Reward 375 Col | Extra Skill: Martial Arts
"Let's try this out...!" Nagi took a step toward the larger half of his crumbled boulder. Giving the skill tree a quick look he invested points in the first skill available. Then, taking a running start, his right foot began to glow light blue much like his sword skills. "Martial Arts - Crescent Moon!"
He dove backwards on his left, striking the shattered boulder with the tip of his right as it left a rising crescent of blue through the air, splitting the boulder fragment in two as he stumbled back. A giddy smile plastered itself to his cheeks, "Woah, haha, amazing!"
"Leave it to the Hero to figure it ouT!" Argo patted his back suddenly, giggling mischievously between her teeth. Then she cast a sly look Nagi's way, rubbing her thumb and ring finger together. "How's about we barter? Name your price for all this info an' I'll make it worth your whilE?"
"Sure, one second," Opening his menu pre-selected on a message screen he tapped a few buttons on a keyboard then flicked the 'send' button. Argo blinked, staring at the notice as it expanded to reveal to her the details of the quest into various sections, practically three pages long. "I made sure to jot down anything I thought was useful, though I'm not certain all of it matters," Nagi admitted with a shy smile. "I just started writing and couldn't stop, heh heh,"
"Hold on, hold oN," Argo waved her hands with a bothersome frown. The sight of him looking fresh out of hell left a bitter taste in her mouth, "I don't do one-way deals, what's your price, I did kinda dump this quest in your lap for three dayS?"
Nagi knew that, but his smile remained. "But I got a pretty amazing skill tree out of it, plus, I did take breaks," He then rubbed his now whiskerless cheeks, flashing two peace signs. "I kinda liked the whiskers,"
"Pfft, hahaha!" Argo clutched her stomach in a fit of laughter that confused Nagi, his head cocked to the left. Shaking her head, Argo sighed with her hands thrown dismissively. "You're a strange one, HerO," The Rat then regained her frown, holding a finger up with her eyes closed. "I'll accept you're generous donation to the cause, BUT, I'm payin' for a drink, we squarE?"
Nagi threw on his haori, giving her a reassuring expression. "Square," He held his hand out to shake on it, her's just slapped lightly to his before tapping the backs of their hands in succession, leaving him to raise a brow.
"Now let's leave this stupid mountain alreadY," Argo grimaced, already regretting taking this quest herself without ever completing it. "Bunch of wasted hours that I'll never get back, I'll just tab it 'till launcH,"
"But the quest for yo-" Her fingers tapped to his lips.
"Nah, besideS," She spun around, mimicking Nagi's peace signs with a radiant aura around her cheeky grin. "I'm likin' 'Argo the Rat' as a handle, nyahahahA!"
The sight made Nagi chuckle behind his hand. "Well, it's been a pleasure doing business with you, Argo the Rat,"
She jokingly shoved him to the left, rolling her eyes.
To Be Continued...
The hidden Martial Arts quest is completed with some hard work and dedication, and a hint of Argo's frustration. Next time, we'll be getting some real action with another important character and some background on Nagi too. I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; seeya in the next chapter, Beta Testers!
003 - Sword Art Royale
Nagi is invited to a small competition between players. And meets the undefeated player...