A/N: As it stands, it's April 1st but this ain't a joke, I swear. I'm back, and Arc II - Rise of the Shinobi, is ready! I'm thankful for your patience, but before that, review time.
To RubixJr: I'm happy you think so, the more the merrier!
To MeMyselfAndI82907: Yeah, I kinda got drowned in work and uploaded the bonus and chp. 10 back-to-back, understandable you missed it. But yes, new sword fitting of a shinobi!
To Frosty Flower: Good to know my story catches your eye, may the wait be over!
Enjoy!
Intermission - Reason for the Whiskers
|Dec. 4th 16:15|
|Floor 2, Town of Urbus|
"Argo, go now," It wasn't often the broker in question saw her adorkable companion get serious, nor make her use the term 'adorkable' in her thought process, but this was one of those times. Soon as they left the teleport gate, Nagi ignored the black spots dotting his vision, hand on his weapon. "I'll divert their attention."
"On iT," This was routine. After their personal talk, the pair opted to stick together once more, the events of Floor One's boss not far behind them, yet in that time, Nagi had acquired the very thing he wanted the second Floor Two became available, only now others were itching for that knowledge too.
Two flashes followed, and Nagi's posture stiffened. The second two men dressed like discount ninjas appeared, their bandanas moving from their lips. "Wait, it's him, gozaru!"
"My employer says to buzz off," Nagi warned, slashing at the ground, since the Anti Criminal Code couldn't lead to any harm, the attack instead struck their chests, causing the two players to fly past others arriving in shock, seeing them collide with one another. Sheathing his sword, Nagi twirled on his heels and broke into a sprint.
The whole chase across Urbus was a headache, despite Nagi's efforts to throw the two off their tails, the pair were catching up quickly, their own Dexterity as high as Argo's, meaning Nagi was starting to fall behind, closer to the wannabe ninja. Thinking on the fly, he slashed and kicked a few loose barrels, baskets, hanging ornaments to throw them off.
"The scent they're giving off... it's the same guys from Beta," Nagi vaguely recalled, they were back, and probably after the same intel, Argo refused to sell back then due to inconsistencies. One of which led to Nagi being stuck on the quest for days.
They now stood outside of Urbus by the time Nagi realized it, tucked between the highlands within a gorge, since Urbus was atop a large plateau, it meant there weren't many places to run other than out the gate, through ravines, or off a cliff. But this also meant they were outside the protection of the safe zone.
Argo was already there, looking around the rocky walls for an escape, exhausted and frazzled by the whole affair.
"Tomo, it'll be fine," She perked up from under her hood, seeing Nagi's face scrunched up with a fierce determination as he drew his Perilous Fang, the white tint reflecting off the afternoon sunlight. "They won't get past me."
Before she could reply, the pair arrived in a blur, recoiling as the longsword was prodded toward them. In response, they withdrew their scimitars. "Made it," With a sigh to Nagi's right, a black-robed player landed on the rocks just above them, using the height advantage to survey the area. It was Kirito.
"Who are you, gozaru?" One of them asked.
"A spy of another clan, gozaru!" The other to the right assumed.
Their bodies were completely covered in dark gray cloth armor. On their heads, they had a bandanna hat and a pirate mask, the same gray color. If you look closely, it could be called the "Ninja" style, done very skillfully and original. Looking at them like this.
"Hmm, uh... You guys are probably the Fu, Fu... Fuud, no, Fuuga, no, that doesn't sound right..." Kirito scratched his chin, trying to piece their name together. Even Nagi was drawing a blank, smiling slightly.
"I thought it was fudge..." He admitted bashfully.
"It's Fuma, gozaru!" The left one snapped.
"We are Kotaro and Isuke of the Fumaningan Guild, gozaru!" The right one, Kotaro, stomped his foot.
"Ah, that's it." The boys clicked their fingers as one.
"As a government secret agent, I certainly can't ignore such an act by the Fuma ninja..." Kirito bluffed after taking the time to consider his options, but Nagi saw how his left hand waved, gesturing for him and Argo to step back further into the gorge. Nodding curtly, Nagi shuffled back, grabbing Argo's hand to tug her away.
Wearing pseudo ninja hoods, Kotaro and Isuke's eyes lit up brightly. "Bastard, are you from IG?"
"...Ahh?" Kirito didn't have a real response to that, so he leveled a dark glare to them, noticing his ploy had finally worked its magic as a small sparkle of blue light emerged behind the two ninjas. "I'd turn around if I were you!" He warned in a low voice.
"You think we're going to fall for this stupid trick, gozaru?" Isuke chuffed once.
"I'm serious, turn around!" Kirito yelled, while he wanted this plan to work, he didn't wish any actual harm on the pair, Diavel's death was enough to put him off thinking of the idea for a while now.
Kotaru and Isuke turned their heads, and at the same moment, they slightly jumped. Because right in front of their noses and eyes a new intruder appeared, there was a tall annoying cow. A Trembling Ox. Its shoulders were at a height of two and a half meters. While its stamina and strength were low, what was really problematic was the large target area and duration, which made it very hard to change during combat.
"Boooooo!" The cow howled.
"Gozaruuuuu!" The pair shouted a little higher than normal, and the two ninja quickly fled the gorge, chased all the way home by the charging Ox.
"You waited for a mod to spawn due to our stationary location," Nagi was impressed, he might've thought of that soon but not when he was currently focused on Argo's safety. "Thank you so much, Kirito!" He threw his head down in respect.
The 'Beater' landed before them, sheathing his Anneal Blade with a slight smile. "Hey, no worries, can't have a reliable broker and frontline player drop this quickly, right?"
Two small arms reached out and hugged both Nagi and Kirito tightly from behind. Then came a calm, quiet voice, unlike Argo's usual tone, having been silent until this point. "...you two are so cool, Kii-bou, HerO,"
Then she smirked, hopping back with a soft smile but curious brow. "But isn't Li'l brother breaking the first rule of the information dealer trade?"
Her reply made Nagi snort a laugh, seeing Kirito stumble back with a flustered expression, his lack of communication skills from the real world showing through. "'b-brother'...? 'Infomation dealer rules'?" Stumbling with his words, he lowered his arms, exhaling. "Right... well, you owe me, anyway,"
It was one of those rare few times Argo was willing to part with info for free, since news from Nagi and other Frontline players spread like wildfire of Diavel's death, and the rise of the 'Beater' in a black coat, Kirito. So, as a form of thanks for protecting the other former testers, Argo agreed to sell him whatever he wanted to know just once.
"What's with the whiskers?" Kirito asked the million yen question, the staple of the Rat herself. And the source only Nagi knew of personally.
She blinked, leaning forward with her eyes narrowed curiously, right brow raised. "Is that all? Well, Kii-bou, just gimmie as sec to remove the painT," That made Kirito blink widely. Of course, he knew they were fake, but as to 'why' she painted them on was what kept prodding in the back of his head. Plus, this was to air out the tension with all the hectic events in recent hours.
Kirito's face was a picture, he would be the first - no, the second to see the Rat's untainted face, was there so weird sub-meaning when he thought that? By then, his brain functions reached critical mass.
Then Argo paused, a cheeky grin stretching the whiskers as she crossed her arms, "...After thinking it over again, I will change this information to something else! I'll tell you about the secret skill on this flooR!"
"She totally chickened out," The boys thought with a sweatdrop.
"I said that I would part with any information ya want, and I keep my word. But Kii-bou, you have to promise me one thing. Regardless of the outcome...don't blame mE!" Her finger pressed to his cheek with a stern nod.
"...Just now, you said the same thing to those ninjas. But what does it mean? For you, the one who sells information about secret skills, it shouldn't matter whether customers are grateful to you or curse you, anyway, no one will know about it..." He reasoned.
Argo answered his question with a wide smile. "For this information, I must charge a fee, Kii-boU."
Reluctantly, Kirito sighed and nodded along, raising a hand. "Okay, I swear. I swear to God... no, to the Cardinal System, no matter what happens, I will not hold a grudge against you."
With a shake, the deal, and Kirito's fate, were sealed. Nagi was just Argo's bodyguard, but he had to staple his lips shut for his friend's sake.
|Dec. 7th 12:00|
|Sword Art Online, Floor 2, Town of Urbus|
Several days have passed since Floor One was finally cleared. Meanwhile, at a small outdoor cafe at the edge of Urbus...
"I can't believe you left Kirito on the mountain... how long ago?" Nagi inquired after nearly spilling his tea.
"Today's the third day, so far, no dicE," Argo snickered at how Kirito reacted to her just walking away. "I could've sold 'em the intel on how to beat it earlY..."
"But you didn't," Nagi sighed into his palm.
"NaH~!" She cutely sang with a peace sign up, donut in her mouth.
Nagi ran his fingers through his hair, looking at his equipment, swapping out his steel plating for 'silver armour'. "I completed it on the first day thanks to that exploit with the bull but now you can't even leave the mountain..." He worried Kirito was probably losing his mind up there.
"Ya sure you're up for this? I know you want to make headway on your extra skill but straight after several quests since yesterdaY?" Argo pressed with a slightly concerned hitch in her tone.
"It's alright, once I've gotten the material needed I'll be taking it easy for the rest of the day, promise," Nagi's reassuring smile forced Argo's hand to flick the map down for them both.
"Outside town between the route to the labyrinth is a ridge overlookin' a valley, used to be an ol' fortress overlook but nothin' spawned in the areA," Argo explained, leaning back on her chair. "Buuut, durin' Beta I inspected the area a bit, lots of scorch marks and the like, probably to be used for a secret boss hinted in an alpha streaM,"
Nagi smiled, tapping the map, "Then we'll look there first," He pressed the 'Yes' button, sending over his payment to Argo who mused at the funding.
"Pleasure doin' businesS," They shook on it, picking up their weapons to leave.
The material was called 'Blackened Steel', so far, no Mob on Floor Two was capable of dropping it, this led Nagi and Argo to deduce the material may be a new spawning item excluded from Beta. If their hunch was correct, that would be valuable info for players, as well as forging Nagi's first katana.
Their journey didn't take them too long, avoiding the hostiles in the area as they wandered through the western side of the Floor, their destination bordering the wastelands which were much more dangerous in the first few days of the floor's opening, several players had died trying to explore the region.
Leading across a flat-topped mountain across a ravine was a bridge leading toward a ridge facing the wasteland, at the peak stood the fortress, not a soul to be found outside its stone-brick exterior. Only fire pits and the occasional abandoned, broken weapon with large hoof tracks in the dried dirt.
"Something tore through this place..." Nagi commented, seeing the large, red doorway of the fortress was torn open, the middle of the doors folded and splintered by something wide. "Something, very big,"
"That's how it looked in Beta, no players' mentioned it yeT," Argo added, the pair using 'Stealth' to avoid aggroing whatever could appear as a form of an event trigger. Argo led the way, brushing between old battlements and ditches to hug the wall of the fortress, its face sloped sharply. Argo tapped a finger to her lips, making Nagi nod as he crouched.
Approaching the gate, Argo's Detection didn't trigger so she kept low as their heads poked inside. The courtyard was trampled, old barriers of pointy branches were crushed, barrels and carts left splintered or lit on fire. The only standing structure of the rectangular courtyard was the watchtower against the fortress's only building that faced the cliffside.
"NothiN'..." Argo's frown deepened, something about this place made her skin crawl just by being here. "Come oN,"
"Right," Nagi stopped hiding as they entered, inspecting the surrounding carnage. "You don't think the Devs just left this place unfinished?"
"It's possiblE," Argo waved a hand slightly, "Abandoning old tests and props within the game is usually hidden outside the map but there are exceptionS," She tisked, rolling her eyes with a hand on her hip. "Guess it's back to the drawin' boarD,"
"Don't feel bad," Nagi reassured, picking up some useful materials left around the smashed barrels. "I wanted to craft a katana over buying one from the store, you didn't need to help me investigate but you did, so thank you,"
Argo's blank frown slowly began to warp into a smile, closing her map after jotting down the location as a 'blank'. "You're such a sweet talker, no wonder girls fawn over ya, nyahahA,"
"Ugh, don't remind me..." He became flustered, shaking his head at the few times he overheard the compliments. "Eh?" Nagi sniffed the air, getting a whiff of ash and burnt wood.
A shiver shot down Argo's spine at that moment, and Nagi's eyes hardened immediately. "Copper..." His murmur forced her to dawn her new equipment, a pair of claws onto each hand, Nagi drew Perilous Fang, standing close to Argo toward the right corner of the fortress's building where an exterior structure resembling a stable expanded beyond the wall.
*BOOOSH!*
The stables were immediately ripped from the ground, a fiery visage sending planks and straw flying with embers setting them ablaze. With a ferocious bellow, a black bull swept onto the scene. Its body resembled any other ox-like mob on Floor Two, only it had large, thick horns set ablaze as it swung its head angrily, eyes glowing blood-red.
/NM Scorching Bull - Lv. 18\
"It's two higher!" Nagi warned as Argo was four below it due to her concentration on intelligence gathering over leveling. "Argo, stay back!"
"Don't have to tell me, twicE!" She ran back and quickly hid with her 'Stealth' skill as the bull locked onto Nagi, swinging its head high before charging toward the swordsman.
Nagi stood patiently before rolling under the sweep of the horns, twirling to carve two gashes through its hide, "Horizontal Arc!" He hopped with his left hand back onto his feet, pivoting as the Scorching Bull used its left horn to wench itself around sharply, charging again. "Time to try it out," Dashing toward the boss, Nagi leapt over another thresh, 'Kick-Step' triggering him to land atop the bull's back as his sword flashed blue. "Horizontal-!"
Striking in a criss-cross within a single frame, Nagi landed beside the bull, avoiding its kick to deliver two more strokes, leaving a burst effect from the contrails, "-Square!" His confidence faltered as his nose caught the sudden shift in the coppery scent, forcing his body onto the ground to avoid the horn from impaling him.
The boss spun across, bringing its forehooves high to slam the ground where Nagi once laid, his body rolling away into a crouch as he held his blade over his shoulder. "Sonic Leap!" The pair clashed, burning horns against steel as the pair contested. Unfortunately, Nagi's skill fizzled out, and the Scorching Bull swung left, dragging the boy with him as it threw its head backward, flinging Nagi into the air before colliding with the dirt. "Ow..."
Once he stood up, the bull circled him, spreading flames as it ran for a wide turn, charging toward Nagi swinging its horns left and right, forcing him to jump to the side, avoiding the horns as it stomped, dragging itself across the ground to attempt another ram. Nagi spun around, sprinting until his feet scaled the wall, bounding over the boss until he landed at its tail, the bull crashing into the wall.
Another rising slash ran parallel with the first, 'Vertical Arc' marring the bull's flank when the legs sprung out, clanging against Nagi's sword, the right horn whipped around to slit across his stomach. "Ack!" The cow's muzzle hoisted Nagi onto its head, flinging him across the courtyard, instigating another charging rush. "In that case..." Using the momentum to roll, Nagi countered with his sword drawn back, flooding with light. "Vorpal Strike!"
Orange and blue clashed, embers scattering around them as their health bars dropped, in the corner of the courtyard, Argo spectated in silence, unknowingly putting her hands together as Nagi swallowed the contents of a potion while the Scorching Bull mooed again, suddenly entering a frenzied state, kicking and thrashing every part of its body to dissuade Nagi from approaching.
It suddenly turned, striking against Nagi's posture as the boy slid back through the dirt again, unable to withstand the force and flames together, the burn meter rising as it chipped away at his health bar. Swinging right, Nagi pressed his foot against its head, propelling himself away from the bull's tantrum, his throat dry as he panted.
He let the bull charge again, leading it to slam into the edge of a wall. Dazed, Nagi brought his sword high, leaving a three-point streak in the form of an Arabic '4' through the air, the powerful slants tossing the bull onto its side in pain. "Savage Fulcrum!" In the back of his mind, Nagi understood that once he obtained the materials needed to forge his katana it would mean converting his straight sword into a required material, in a way, it was his last fight with this weapon that helped him make it to Floor Two. "If we're parting ways, then I'll unleash the most powerful skill in your arsenal," A grin split his grim expression.
Diving away from the horns again, Nagi ran to put distance between them, the bull charging after him as it slammed its head down, ramming through the tower as it collapsed atop the beast, leaving it stunned under the several pounds of debris. Taking this definitive opportunity, he stood nearest where Argo remained hidden, the girl's eyes following his movements, widened in surprise.
"One-Handed Sword," He swung the blade over his left shoulder, a light blue aura surrounding him, flowing through the air as he swished down, releasing a steady stream of light. "Esoteric Skill!" His eyes contracted in constant focus.
The Scorching Bull dug at the ground with its hooves, bellowing once more with its horns sharpened against the walls as it charged, flames covering its whole body from the debris. Once in range of the skill, the ground under Nagi erupted in a pool of blue light, propelling him above the bull, sword clasped in both hands. "Raaaaaaah!"
The skill slammed in a vertical crescent, stunning the bull, his body moved inhumanly quick, slashing upward to parry a horn before drawing the blade under his left arm again, striking in a slant from left to the upper right. A flash of white made it harder for Argo to track, hearing four consecutive strikes ring out, creating a square against the bull's forehead. Nagi was relentless, bringing his sword down from above his left shoulder, drawing a parallel slash from his right thigh, then a horizontal that led straight into a spinning slash.
The boss reeled back in pain onto its hind legs, the light swirling into a vortex around Nagi's straight sword before lunging toward the exposed chest. He blinked, realizing he stood behind the bull, leaving a massive streak of light through the monster's torso, dividing it in two before exploding into millions of shards.
With the post motion fading, Nagi stumbled forward, exhaling gently under the raining glass, "...Nova Ascension," His rewards appeared, along with the fabled 'Blackened Steel'. Nagi gave Argo's slack-jawed expression a kind smile, "I won, heh,"
She just blinked a few times, eventually breaking out laughing with Nagi.
After returning to Urbus, the pair located the nearest blacksmith that could forge new equipment, fortunately, the weapon Nagi wanted was able to be crafted on Floor Two. Entering the required materials, including his trusty Perilous Fang +4 that would bolster the stats further, the two stood back, Argo with her hands behind her back while Nagi stood almost like a statue.
"Hey," Her hip nudged him, offering a sly grin. "It'll work, trust your bestiE,"
"I do, I... just can't wait any longer," He admitted, causing her to snort a laugh. A light flashed, the single, molten ingot on the blacksmith's anvil beginning to warp and convert into two items briefly under intense light. "It cost nearly 10000 Col, and one rare item drop to make..."
"Here's yer order, lad," The NPC announced as the glare faded, revealing the successful forging of Aincrad's first crafted katana.
The sheath was a deep navy with a white cap on the end and three white threads bound to its body by the guard of the sword. Nagi took the weapon, placing his hand on its white handle beneath the black woven grip. With a tug, the blade swung free with a satisfying 'shing'. From within, a katana with a blackened surface emerged, even Argo gave a whistle at the sight.
|Item Obtained!|
|(B Katana) Yozora +2|
Nagi was memorized by the katana, giving it a few test swings that forced the blacksmith to repeat the line, 'Watch yer swings'. "It cost a little extra to upgrade it to +2 Durability but the stats are suited for attack speed and 'posture', I guess that means it can block stronger and more attacks, so taking durability was a must, right?"
"CorrecT," Argo clicked her tongue, admiring the stats herself. "Now ya can level up that Extra Skill, plus with it bein' a katana you get that bonus stat to increased posture whereas Rapiers increase posture break, pretty neaT," She concluded, patting his back. "That'll conclude our business as-"
"Found you!" The tarp covering the blacksmith's shop flung back as Argo broke out in a sweat. Behind them, Kirito had appeared, panting and fatigued as he pointed down at Argo hiding behind Nagi. "You dirty little Rat, you left me up on that mountain to die for three days!"
"Yer alive, Kii-bou, I knew you'd do i - nyahaha!" She cackled, avoiding his lunge. "Now-now, don't want that ol cursor to turn orange, do wE?" The way she wiggled her eyebrows made his right eye twitch.
"I'll get you one day, I swear!" Kirito huffed, noticing Nagi with his new weapon, his fatigue taking a backseat momentarily. "Woah, so you got yourself a katana?"
"Thanks to Argo, though now I'm broke," He said happily, deflating. "Yeah... I need to do some quests so I won't be joining you for the Field Boss,"
"It's fine, try doing the Martial Arts quest," Kirito suggested though a sour frown appeared afterward, crossing his arms as he hummed. "Though, it'll probably take you the same amount of time to complete it-"
"Oh, I already did it, actually," Nagi replied chipperly, seeing Kirito's expression becoming unreadable, jaw unhinged.
"HaAh?" His voice was a little higher.
Argo grinned nervously. "Uh oh..."
The dark-haired player tapped his chin. "It wasn't easy, I still had to make enough damage in the boulder otherwise the ox wouldn't shatter it, so about three days ago before you helped us with those ninja guys I managed to shatter it using aggro on an Ox mob, corraling it into a boulder,"
"You mean... that's... all it took...?" Kirito's body drained of color, trembling on the spot as his spirit left his mouth. "Three... whole... days..."
"Nya haha haaa... well Kii-bou, seeya around, we've gotta get to our next meetin', pass on a good word to A-Chan for uS!" Argo chuckled anxiously, tugging Nagi away by the forearm, the boy sharing sympathy for Kirito looking so spirit-broken.
"Godspeed, my friend," He prayed, walking next to Argo now that they were 'far enough away' to avoid the 'Beater'. The two stopped for a bit, Argo rubbing her whiskers.
"Dunno if me takin' off my whiskers now will be a fair trade for Kii-bou's spirit mendiN'," Argo admitted, hands behind her head. "Whadda think, HerO?"
He yawned, smiling tiredly, "You shouldn't mess with him like that all the time, if you catch someone like that on a bad day he might hate you for it," Nagi zoned out for a second in thought. "Then again... Kirito never really struck me as the kind of person to hate his friends, even if they torment him passively,"
"The nose-knows, eH?" She nudged, hearing him chuckle under his breath.
"I'll tell ya about that... some... time..." His eyes began to droop a little.
"Hm? Nagi - oomph!" Argo stumbled, catching her foot on the building behind her to stop from falling as her face turned a little red from Nagi landing on her chest. "H-hey, watch where - huH?" Her brow rose when she found him completely passed out, falling asleep while walking.
"Zzz..." The combined over-taxation of quests and sword skills had left him mentally fatigued. Argo was just thankful it wasn't outside a safe zone.
"The things I do for yoU," She rolled her eyes, adjusting his body to rest against her back, he was taller so his feet dragged but a small inn wasn't far from their location. "The Argo Delivery Service is leaviN'," The Rat joked, dragging her guardsman through town as if she had knocked him out to kidnap him.
"Uhh..." Argo's eyes traveled to the left of her, recognizing one of her more regular clients in red staring at her with Nagi passed out on her back. "Do I even want to ask what, who, and why?"
"You'll be charged for iT," Argo gave a creepy smile in return.
"What the hell, that makes it sound much worse!" Artorias gawked, grabbing Nagi by the arm to throw onto her shoulder, arms swaying at her bare lower back. "Y'know what? I'll just save you the humiliation of trying to drag him; where to?"
"There's an inn nearbY," Argo appeared aloof, hands raised in perplexion. "Got himself mentally fatigueD,"
"Right, is that why he decided to nap against your chest? Talk about comfort," Artorias smirked slyly, taking pride in seeing the business-first broker's face turn a little pink under her hood as she muttered. "What's this startling revelation to rock the heavens? Is the great Argo the Rat flustered cause her buddy copped a feel~?"
"..." Argo kept walking, Artorias chuckling to herself as she followed.
"I'll keep that bit of intel between us, 'kay?" Artorias clicked her tongue, seeing Argo's head bob for a nod.
To Be Continued...
Finally, Nagi obtains what he needs to use Katana sword skills! And Artorias makes another appearance just to mock Argo after she mocked Kirito. We'll be making our first jump of floors as Nagi won't be participating in the Elf War campaign.
As for Nagi having Nova Ascension and Phantom Rave, that's due to his mastery of 1H Swords but he won't be using them anymore… probably. I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; seeya in the next chapter, Players!
012 - Carpenter
Arriving in Floor Four's main town of Rovia, Argo and Nagi gather intel together...