A/N: I hate armour/clothing descriptions. Review Time.
To MeMyselfAndI82907: PoH is messed up in general. And yeah, mystery orange player will be touched upon in the future, I like what I've jotted down for him. As for Floor 25's incident, oh... we'll get there. Also, best summary of Argo and Nagi, I approve.
Enjoy.
|Dec. 31st, 11:42|
|Sword Art Online, Floor 5, Shiyaya|
It had been a long day of work for both the skilled fencer Asuna, and the mischievous info broker, Argo. After a little battle to the death involving a banana and bundle of herbs, the two girls resided back to the large dark elf bath. While staring up at the ceiling, Asuna's curious mind wandered back to two days prior when they eventually found Argo alongside the wayward Artorias looking for the same broker and Nagi.
Inside the safe room, before the two had welcomed the trio happily, Asuna saw it, if only briefly, how close the two were overlooking Argo's menu. Asuna knew they were friends but Argo almost never spilled info so secretive given her job to sell info, even extorting people she knew very well. Yet that was the first time she saw Argo appear almost like an entirely different person.
"Argo?"
"WhazzuP?" The girl perked up, looking over at the fencer.
"Nagi, you two are close, right?" Asuna's lips formed a thin line, trying to word it in a way that wasn't so blunt. "Like... he came down into the Catacombs with Artorias to look for you too, and I've seen him with you a few times like when we discussed the issue with Nezha and the possibility of a PK if the incident went south?"
Argo grinned slyly, "Nyehehe, what's there you wanna know about lil ol' me and Mr HerO?"
Asuna knew it'd come at a cost, but bit the bullet on that one, "You looked really happy when we arrived at the safe room in the Catacombs so I-" It was a blur of steam, finding the girl's hand pressed to her own lips. It was astounding how quick Argo was - more so was the faintest coloration on her nervous cheeks.
"Th-that's quite the hefty p-price, A-ChaN," Argo replied with a faint stutter, zipping back to her place in the bath while curling her hair away from her eyes. "Nagi's gotta good head on his shoulders, he worries a lot, and forgets about his own issues for another, plus that ol' smile of his that never seems to dull when... uhh..." Argo trailed off as she realized she, of all people in Aincrad, was going off on a tangent.
Asuna just giggled behind her hand, seeing the cute smile that split the broker's often crafty expression. "W-What's with that responsE!?" Argo blurted out, splashing the water around her.
"S-sorry, I'll not pry, promise!" She snickered, seeing the red hue on Argo's puffed cheeks.
"Where the heck did that all spill out of...?" Argo could ponder further, and the more she did, the harder her heart's tempo grew. "Let's just get back on topiC,"
Mananarena was a dusty place built within the remains of an ancient mine. Stores and buildings lined the quarry-like depression into the earth, with the wide maw of a mineshaft dungeon located at the bottom. Various staircases led around in a spiral or through shortcuts between the levels and buildings.
On the outskirts of the subterranean city, Nagi was using a single, stone protrusion as target practice. He continued to use his basic sword swings, attempting to increase his reaction time either on the air or the pillar. Each successive strike was met with visible lag when he tried to angle the flow in the opposite direction, mimicking his sword skills.
Every thrust, unsheathed strike, or twirl to grip and fling Yozora in the other direction had to be quick and precise, it wasn't a matter of strength but reaction, competing against the automotive system for sword skills was a trick that would be near impossible to master in a day, so he resigned himself a single hour from two days prior onward to perfect his combat skills.
"HeyO~!" Argo suddenly materialized on the pillar with her elbows propped on her knees, placing her chin against her palms.
"YaAH!" Nagi lost his balance, faceplanting the pillar as he slid down the rough structure with a groan, resulting in a boisterous laugh from the Rat above who leapt down to see the red mark down the middle of his face. "...how are you so good at that?"
"You'll never know with that half-assed 'Detect' of yourS," Argo whistled, picking him up by the shoulder as he stood to brush his face. "Whatcha up tO?"
Sheathing his katana, Nagi threw a few light punches, "Training, trying to increase my own reaction time," He tapped the pillar next to him. "This is my trusty training partner,"
Argo gave it some thought, brow raised before her leg suddenly swept under his, dropping the Shinobi onto his behind once more. Leaning over him with her finger out to boop his nose, she grinned a laugh, "Nyehehe, you gotta loooong way to go, HerO," Patting his head, she helped him up again before yawning. "Anywho, need ya to buckle up for somethin' biG,"
"Big?" Nagi cocked his head, noting Argo's subtle dreariness. "Wait, did you go ahead with those Boss Quests? I could've helped if you asked?" He frowned slightly but the broker brushed it off as though it were another day at the office, patting her stomach.
"Nothin' a bit of cake and Col can't fix - now-now, we gotta get back to town quick, I have somethin' to show yoU," Argo hinted with a wiggle of her brow and twitch in her whiskers.
"What's that?" He inquired but her finger tapped to her lips.
"Sur~pri~sE~" The Rat sang away, and willingly her companion traced her steps toward the quarry city.
"We're raiding the Floor Boss?" Nagi kept his voice down but his eyes broadened in bewilderment. Since the Catacombs, Kirito had revealed that one of the frontline guilds, ALS, were planning to raid the boss during the New Year's celebration planned between the guilds, if that happened, it could mean the collapse of DKB.
The pair were stopped outside a blacksmith shop, Nagi placing a hand on his chin with a firm crease in his brow. "Even with our teams, we'd need more players even just for two parties, this is a little thin..."
Argo nodded expectantly, waving a finger, "Exactly why we'll need to call out all the stops, got Kii-bou and A-Chan gatherin' allies as we speak, I'm out to do some shopping and you're the other cog in this little machinE," Argo nudged, grinning away without worry.
"I guess I can call Artorias back from his relic hunting, and there's a few others..." Closing his eyes, he let his mind wander to an envisioned scenario. If the boss was the same as Argo had described to him, their goal was to play half the team tanking blows from the boss with another team handling DPS, the more players the better off this risky strategy could be. "...I can see it working, but I'm worried if things do change significantly like the Fourth Floor or this one's Field Boss..."
Understanding her partner's concern, Argo shoved him through the door a little too hard, knocking him onto the floor. "Nyehehe, whoopS," She stuck her tongue out in a silly manner. "But that's why I came to grab ya, consider this a little material encouragement... and my thankS,"
He didn't understand what the Rat meant by that, the blonde strolling up to the blacksmith counter to retrieve her order, simultaneously opening a trade menu with Nagi who saw two items of undisclosed nature in 'Gift Boxes'. Her eager eyes and nudging hands egged him to accept the gift. Once he did, two items immediately materialized onto his body.
Recoiling on reflex, Nagi's legs and torso began to change under a silvery-blue particle effect. "Argo... y-you really...?" His words crumbled like paper, seeing the sheen replaced with a light suit of armour.
His feet and shins were left braced by silver plate-metal with his black trousers tucked in. For his chest, he wore a breastplate that narrowed down toward several plates covering his abdomen, his shirt underneath with two plates on his sides and against his back. When he checked the stats, the name 'Evernight Armour' appeared, the stats three times above his equipment from Floor Three. It increased his speed while maximizing strength with defense.
"B-but the material cost for this armour... it's..." She put her finger up, appearing aloof.
"I said it's a thank you, don't stress over it, 'kaY?" Argo almost looked reserved when she spoke, rubbing her neck. "Ya put yourself through a lot, I'm not for the frontrunner's, I accept that, but you gotta be there to pull through when things start to crack, that's what you're good at, don't let some ol' pricing bother yoU," Then a softer smile adorned her face. "You are strong, NagI,"
Just that last part alone made him huff a laugh, bowing his head to hide his eyes behind his arm. He couldn't let his emotions go, instead, he threw his head up with a grateful smile that could banish the darkness of the Floor under its light. "Thank you, I... I'll do everything I can," He opened his Friends List, flashing the Rat his determined guise, "For both Guilds, let's beat this Boss!"
"That's the spirit, HerO!" Argo chirped, flicking through her Memos for a shopping list. "Alright then, let's get our butts in geaR!"
"Right behind you," Nagi concurred, sending out his messages. He gave one last look to Argo sorting her items, feeling a warmth spread through his body at seeing her confident smirk. Truly, he felt completely blessed to have her fighting beside him.
Stretching her arms over her head was Philia, the treasure hunter yawned a smile at her successful venture into the Catacombs, gathering quite the plentiful haul with that Blueberry Tart treat Nagi had revealed several days ago. She even leveled up twice because of it, now a steady Lv. 17. All of a sudden, her friends' message was prompted under her gaze, drawing her to accept the message from the very same katana wielder.
Na_gi: Hey Philia, big ask but do you want in on facing the Floor Boss? It's paramount for the future of the frontlines.
Her hand curled away from her holo-keyboard in shock, quickly zipping her hed around to ensure no one could magically read her private message. To hear that, let alone be asked to join on such a venture made her heart tremble with excitement and worry. "He wouldn't be asking if it wasn't serious, and 'the future of the frontlines'? That's definitely bad..."
Philia: Fill me in when I get there, the town through the Catacombs, right?
Not even a few seconds after she sent that.
Na_gi: Yes, thank you, I'll explain it once we're all here!
That tiredness that washed over Philia suddenly dissolved into vigor.
Down in the town of Rovia of Floor Four in the market district. Yuna scanned the various necklaces available in front of her with a child-like wonder and twinkle in her eye. Beside her, switching out his equipment was her childhood friend - under the user of Nautilus - who perked up when a notification appeared.
"From Nagi?" He had met the positive swordsman back on Floor One during the first week, with his help, Nautilus had acquired the Anneal Blade +4 that brought him and Yuna all the way to Floor Four at their own pace. Of course, that weapon was no longer useful according to the Guidebook in his inventory but it still sat there as a memento.
"You too?" Yuna perked up over his shoulder, displaying the same request from the swordsman. She pressed her concerned face closer. "What should we do?"
He frowned, carefully going over the request in his head, eyes to the sky above, although it was hardly worth debating, smiling confidently at the brunette beside him. "He helped us out, think it's time we returned the favor, right?"
Yuna gasped with delight, giggling with a smile, "Mmhm!"
In a forest clearing, a short distance from Mananarena, the members of the Raid congregated as two more arrived to greet Nagi who waved them over. Nautilus, who wore a standard suit of iron armour tinted a brighter silver with a sword and shield smiled brightly when he saw the player standing next to Nagi with a disgruntled expression as always. Beside him, Yuna wore hard-boiled, leather armour instead over her clothes with a pale blue rapier.
"Sorry if we took long, we had her help us navigate the Catacombs," He prodded his thumb back at the treasure hunter, Philia, waving over at Nagi as she continued to chat with Agil's 'Bro Squad' as he called his team.
"That's fine, we're still waiting on Kirito, plus I just got here helping Argo with supplies," Nagi shook the boy's hand as Yuna ran up to Artorias who raised an inquiring brow.
"Hi again, Miss Artorias, you look as strong as ever!" Yuna grinned before jolting back from the finger flicked an inch from her forehead, spotting the lighter crease on her forehead.
"You've both gotten stronger... good," Was all she said but Yuna smiled bashfully with Nautilus sharing a similar expression of gratitude. Then Artorias nodded her head toward a young man with plain parted bangs and slightly droopy eyes. "Seems Nezha actually kept his word, given the incident on Floor Two with his 'Legend Braves'... ugh, what an awful name," She pinched the bridge of her nose as Nagi chuckled.
"He'll be a big help then," Nagi encouraged, seeing the redhead roll her eyes.
"I'm sure..."
Out of the other members. Agil had brought along his friends too, Wolfgang a two-handed swordsman in leather, Lowbacca the two-handed ax wielder in light plate metal, and Naijan in thicker plate metal with a two-handed hammer.
From the Aincrad Liberation Squad was Liten in full steel armour dotting every inch of his or her body, obscuring their identity, wielding a mace and silver shield, their head bobbing between the conversation, and one of the higher-ups of ALS; A man roughly in his thirties wearing light armour with the distinguishing green colors of the guild held onto his halberd, speaking with a member of the Dragon Knights Brigade, Okotan.
A man he spoke with, Hafner, had grey eyes and silvery-blond hair tied back into a ponytail with a thin piece of string, arms crossed with full-armor bar a helmet, and the handle of his greatsword visible past his bluish-purple cloak. The other member of DKB is Liten's companion, Shivata, wielding a longsword and shield with his head exposed to reveal his sharp brown eyes and gelled back hair.
Argo approached Nagi who was trading off-hand equipment for Yuna and Nautilus to borrow for the battle, the others doing much the same. "HeyO, Kii-bou shouldn't be long now, probably tryin' to avoid bein' chewed up by that charmin' guy from DKB,"
"How big's our window then?" Philia asked, the girl inquiring about the time crunch between them beating the Floor Boss before DKB get there first and steal the Flag of Valor.
"Long enough to give us a few test runs to iron out any mechanics that have been tweakeD," Argo pinched her fingers close with a wink, patting Nagi's shoulder. "But if all's good we ride home with a boss under our belts and less friction for the two guilds to worry abouT,"
Nagi's team craned their head together like a crank to see the black swordsman putting his hands up defensively, keeping things neutral with Okotan easing the gap between the two. Just then, Liten jogged up to the group, helmet clanking in Nagi's viewpoint. "Hello, again,"
"Hi - w-wait, you remember me?" The echoed voice sounded surprised by that, pointing at themself with Shivata standing close behind them.
"When did ya know this guy?" He asked, with a hint of something Nagi couldn't quite place, akin to shock.
Their head nodded as Nagi tapped his nose, "You were with that other girl under that archway back when this first started, I remember you two, is your friend okay?" He inquired about the girl he offered the bag of supplies to, recalling his words.
"I know it hurts, but try to stay strong together, okay?" He suggested, standing up. "You're stronger together,"
The 'girl' behind the armour stood a little straighter, "She is, and thank you, the first few days were a lot to handle at once, I honestly felt like there wasn't much I could do," She held her head up, fist clenched to her breastplate. "Now I know I can help,"
Nagi closed his eyes with a chipper smile of satisfaction. "That's good to hear, I hope I can meet her again too someday,"
"Mmhm, she'd like that! She's the one that helped me make my armour!" Liten exclaimed, turning to Shivata standing there blankly. "Oh, right, sorry, you two never really met huh?"
"This's the guy you told me about?" Her head nodded like an eager student to her upperclassman, and the man dropped that strange look he was shooting toward Nagi for a calmer demeanor. "So it was you, Nagi, right?"
"Yep!" He raised a thumb.
Behind them, Argo rolled her eyes. "Always too kind to see it..."
"He's an odd person, but I suppose that's not a bad thing," Artorias agreed with the other three nodding in unison.
Just then, Hafner slapped Kirito on the back roughly, "Well, Blackie, me, and Oko have explained our motives to the group. Before we get this shindig on the road, why don't you tell the group why you're leading the charge?"
"Wh-what!?" Kirito looked like a deer in headlights, turning to address everyone watching patiently. From what Nagi was told from Artorias, they too had encountered suspicious players that had been sowing seeds of discord and even organized the Aincard Liberation Squad to raid the Boss in an attempt to take the Flag of Valor before DKB. If that happened, or the opposite, the mutual ties between the two guilds would crumble from a lack of trust. So they needed to beat them.
Clearing his throat, Kirito explained, "Well, it's the same as Hafner and Okotan... and probably everyone else here. The ALS and DKB are the two wheels that run our progress forward through the game. If they aren't attached by the center axel, or we lose one of the two, the whole cart grinds to a halt. I figure the only way to prevent that is to beat the boss before the ALS does... that's why I gathered you all here,"
Other than those that knew the truth or partial pieces, nodding in agreement, even those still unsure of the Beater's motives. Just then, Liten raised her hand, making a soft 'clank'. "Um, Kirito, I've been meaning to ask... if you're concerned about the state of the group, why don't you just join a Guild? I'm certain that given your skill, you'd be placed as party leader in either guild immediately,"
Liten raised a valid point that rose few murmurs though Kirito seemed to have a plan, rubbing his nape with an awkward smile. Nagi knew it was due to his status as a 'Beater' the scapegoat Diavel gave his life to ensure would come to pass for all Beta Testers. So it only made sense for him not to join a guild, especially ones run by those that didn't like him.
"Well, you see, Lind and Kibaou said that if me and Asuna were to join guilds, we'd have to join them separately," Kirito lied, but the majority took that as an acceptable answer. Nagi's face curled into a smile with Argo hanging off his shoulder by a hand, cackling as Asuna's face went completely scarlet in fright.
"Wh-why would you say that!?" She shrieked.
Liten nodded soon after, "Ah, I understand... that's beautiful!" Stars danced around her helmet, hands cupped together at the lovely gesture.
"Between that or his 'wheel axel' talk, I dunno which is funnier!" Artorias snorted behind her hand, holding her stomach.
Asuna then snapped around to Argo with a glare, cheeks flushed. "Don't you dare, Argo! If you were to sell that to anyone…!" The brunette didn't want to imagine the gossip.
Argo just leaned back with a grin, finger wagged in the air knowingly, "Nyahaha, I know that, A-Chan, besides… Kii-bou might just be onto something there,"
The Rat then smiled sweetly, eyes closed with her hands cupped into the shape of a heart, the sight surprising Kirito, Asuna, and especially Nagi and Artorias. "The power of love can overcome any guild regulations after all!"
Artorias and Kirito snorted a laugh, Asuna and Nagi appeared stumped by the sudden mood swing, "Who would've thought Argo could be so girly…!?"
"Cute..." Nagi kept that to himself though, hand obscuring his reddening cheeks
"I'm beginning to question your methods of 'shortcuts', Argo!" Artorias squawked, hugging the very face of the towering fortress wrapped around half of the labyrinth tower. Never had her fingers gripped a surface for dear life, huffing heavily as she tried not to look down. "Don't look down, don't look down..." Her pink eyes traveled down the pale blue stone. "BOSS, I'M LOOKING DOWN!"
"You're fine, there are pillows at the bottom!" Nagi, who was behind her, reassured, though given the distance from the surface it was hard to say if the large pillows Argo bought were going to take the brunt of a fall from this height. "You can do it, you're almost there!" He said while waving one fist up encouragingly.
In order to fully bypass the maze that blocked the entrance to the ancient facility housing the great Floor Boss construct, lore-wise, Argo had gone and pulled an all-nighter completing the Boss Quests to unlock a key for a hidden ladder within the wall of the massive maze, thereby excluding twenty percent of the dungeon too. On the downside, they were large blocks of blue stone sticking out of an extremely fatal drop from the wall.
"He's right, grab my hand!" Kirito, who had taken the lead, offered his hand to the frightened swordsman who really committed to the 'girlish' mannerisms when her fear kicked in. The second she was in reach of his fingers, she launched herself like a cobra into his arms, rolling away from the edge as her chest heaved. "Um... your welcome?" Kirito smiled dubiously.
"Never. Make Me. Do That. Again." Artorias seethed every word with a scarlet face to match her armour, back pressed against the nearest surface. "I'll admit it, I freakin' hate heights, alright! I'll take dungeons, traps, anything other than that stupid rock-climbing BS!"
Nagi rested his folded arms on the edge, peeking up beside Kirito's boots. "It's okay," His eyes met her green face, zipping a finger over his mouth. "We heard nothing, right, Kirito?"
"Heard what? This view's really something," He shrugged innocently, the pair hearing her gulp a sigh.
"...thank you," She breathed calmly again as Nagi spun around on the top of the wall to see the others attempting the climb in their own anxious ways.
After another ten minutes, Kirito and Nagi hoisted Argo up last, the group patting themselves on the back for their first trial completed, Artorias still clung to the furthest spot from the edge, which happened to be the labyrinth tower facing north. Nagi had his fair share of experience with exploring their maze-like layout, all were relatively different depending on the floor.
Floor Five was an orthodox cylinder layout, a third wide as it was tall. And again, thanks to Argo's all-nighter clearing the Boss Quests, they had sliced two hours off their time, being twenty percent of the way up. Both he and Kirito shared a look, Nagi nodding to him as he led the raid party forward.
"Thanks, Argo," The Beater said softly to the curling blonde head turned his way.
There was a small lapse of surprise in Argo's blinking gaze though it slowly morphed into her sardonic grin. "Don't be silly, we're just gettin' starteD,"
"Good point..." Kirito took a deep breath.
Traversing a small walkway along the maze's wall, the group found a small observation deck leading into the labyrinth through a doorway. There, everyone sat down for a break, knowing what lay beyond the door to be a challenging expedition.
"Asuna?" Nagi nudged the chestnut-brown-haired girl's shoulder. Seeing the glint in his eye, she smiled a little.
"Here you go, everyone," Asuna alerted after scanning her inventory with Nagi beside her. In a flash, a selection of items appeared.
A special delicacy of Mananarena, a jumbo roll of thin sponge cake with a heap of banana-flavored cream. Next to it, a set of piping hot tea and cups with a bowl of sugar and a jug of milk beside them. The whole group thanked the pair for the treat, serving our portions to the various groups. Artorias showed off the relics he appraised with Philia as they ate their slices by the wall.
Nautilus and Yuna sat close, the girl giggling as her best friend recounted something funny to her, his face flustered. By the edge with their legs swinging by were the resident Rat and her Shinobi. "I like this, seeing people who wouldn't otherwise have any reason to work together, enjoying themselves,"
"Ain't that whatcha want? Kii-bou toO?" Argo muttered as she chewed on her cake.
It was true, same for Asuna, the three wanted things between the two guilds to be mutual respect, their rivalry pushed them to rise to every occasion, so if one went behind the other's back, all that progress would dissolve in an instant. Then how would the floors be cleared after if knives were at everyone's backs?
"I think so long as there are two people willing to achieve a common goal then others will follow, so the more that share in that sentiment, the stronger people become," Nagi flushed a little, scratching his nape. "That's what I like to believe, even if it's a little silly, hehehe,"
Before Argo could voice her reply, she caught the eye of Kirito and how he was staring up at the dark sky close to Asuna, exciting her to clear her throat so he could stand and address everyone. "...Well, everyone, I think it's about time to announce my idea for group formation,"
Everyone quickly finished their plates as Nagi collected them back into his inventory, the teams assembled around Kirito. "A Team will be Artorias, Nautilus, Hafner, Shivata, Okotan, Lowbacca, Naijan, and Liten. For B Team, it's me, Asuna, Nagi, Argo, Philia, Yuna, Agil, Wolfgang, and Nezha. What do you think about that split?"
A murmur than through the group in their private thoughts with Shivata raising a hand slightly, "So, A Team are the tanks, and B Team's the attackers?"
"That's right," Kirito nodded.
"That goes against common theory, why didn't you split the teams' heavy units evenly?"
"We didn't quite have enough tanks to pull that off. Shivata, Liten, Nautilus, and Artorias are the only ones with shields, if we separated them into different parties we may not have enough time for potion rotation," Kirito held up two fingers to emphasize. "In that case, we should have one party with high defense maintain boss aggro, which should make it easier to manage HP. Of course, that will create a heavier load on our tanks..."
Shivata shook his head, "Don't worry about all that," He dismissed. "But if we have all the tanks together, we won't be able to manage wide-ranging simultaneous attacks. Won't that be a problem?"
"Well, just going off the beta, the golem boss of this floor doesn't have any area attacks like Breath. It has punches and stomps, with different timings for either side. As long as we manage its hate levels, a single party should be able to continually defend for us."
"Ahh, I see," Shivata crossed his arms, nodding.
To ease their worries, Kirito cleared his throat, "Of course, I'm going to scout out the boss first to check for any unexpected attack types. Once we start for real we'll ensure an escape route for when the boss's HP bar changes color, so we can dart out encase of any unknown patterns. Yes, we're fighting with only two parties, but we've absolutely got a chance, and I don't intend for us to lose a single member," Kirito affirmed that promise.
He held his hand toward Liten and Shivata. "So... to ensure Shivata and Liten's countdown party is a success and to ensure that 2023 is a year of hope of hope for all of us... let's pool our strength together and win this battle!" Kirito clenched his fist.
"Hell yeah! Let's do this!" Agil thundered, exciting a cheer from the parties.
Together, they'd conquer Floor Five.
To Be Continued...
Lots of new faces here, sorry that I didn't describe them I have to skim the Progressive Light Novel, and even then it's tricky to find the details, apologies. But it's time for the next big bad before we finally take a jump to Floor 10! I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; seeya in the next chapter, Players!
019 - Capture the Flag
As conflict arises between the guild representatives and Artorias, the world continued to thunder...