A/N: Another intermission to cover a couple floors. Review Time.

To Isshion: A pleasure to entertain a Kitsune, and I'm sure Nagi would take you up on that offer if possible.

[Nagi]: It would be a great learning experience!

[Daora]: I wanna fight it... let me fight it!

[Artorias]: And this is how we get cursed for all eternity...

To HikkiNEET: I've taken the time to consider your advice, honestly, I thought to use the capitalisation for Argo's inflection to spice things up a bit, so really, if multiple people find it jarring I'll change it, but I've written up to 40 chapters so far and I'm not feeling too thrilled about combing all of them. As for my 'anime' style of writing fights... yeah, I won't change that. It's how I've written for years so it's just my style, sorry, but that I won't change. But again, I wholeheartedly appreciate your criticisms.

[Artorias]: Eh, can't please them all, chief.

[Nagi]: It is worth keeping a mental note of regardless.

[Artorias]: Just don't mention it to the Rat.

Enjoy

|Floor 12|

The seabound floor was an unexpected twist on the normal state of the floors below, a large island took up the south-eastern side of the floor, the rest surrounded by a deep blue ocean, though only the distinct horizon with a black spire was of any interest. That, and a few islands dotting the waters, the main gimmick was the sea battles themselves.

As a harsh, black storm overtook the waters closer to the labyrinth's island, the thunderous roar of cannon fire over the actual thunder and lightning could be heard. Standing at the quarter-deck, with Nagi as the 'quartermaster' and Artorias as the defacto 'Captain' as Daora was wrestling with the sails while battling a few wayward 'Pirate Scavs' that had hopped on board when the ship next to them sank beneath the black waves.

Kirito, Asuna, and Argo were also on-board, battling the pirates or manning the various points of the ship. Artorias called out, her wet hair flung to the left in the harsh wind, various waterspouts beginning to form in the ocean as she put on a black captain's hat, waving her arm down toward the deck as a few NPCs were present to man the Brig. "Kick the Scavs off, Numbnuts! As for the rest of you, half on the foremast half on the main!" She gripped the wheel of the Brig with sturdy hands. "Let's outrun this hurricane!"

Nagi, despite the hectic conditions, managed a wary smile. "You've been wanting to say that since we made it to this floor, huh!?"

All he got was a hearty laugh, a flash of purple lightning behind them to illuminate Artorias' pink eyes and sharp grin. "Captain Artorias couldn't ask for a better storm!"

"Right... let's do this!" Nagi left his post, leaping down to help Argo with lowering the forward sails to reduce their chances of being smashed against any of the vacant ships surrounding them. The Brig groaned, cutting through the large waves as the bow dipped, sliding down a large wave as it steadied out to climb a lower wave, but the Brig tore through it all, a sword against the wind and sea.

The wind was harsh for Argo, her cloak billowing behind her as she nearly slipped but was caught between Nagi's arms, himself using a safety rope to anchor himself in case Captain Artorias needed them to adjust the sails again. She blinked up at him, then smiled. "Couldn't keep yer hands clean off me, HerO?" She teased in the desperate situation.

"Can't help it," He returned without thinking, his heart and mind racing as the ship rocked up and down, Daora sliding past them on his haunches.

"Hey, Artorias!?" Kirito yelled behind them, only for a louder voice to boom over the high-action music and hurricane.

"That's 'Captain' to you, Blackie!" She snapped and his face fell.

"Uuuuugh, Captain Artorias... massive wave dead ahead!" He swung his arm forward, true, as the bow dipped again, all of them could see it through the dark skies. A large, pitch-black wall of roaring water was barreling toward them, and two waterspouts tore through a smaller ship to their left, barreling in their direction. "We're gonna be torn to splinters at this point!"

All he got was a maniacal laugh, one Argo sweatdropped for. "I think he's lost iT," She admitted.

"Turn us around, Artorias, now!" Asuna yelled but the Brig wasn't steered away, in fact, Captain Artorias said something even crazier.

"Captain, Princess! Raise all sails, we're piercing that Rogue Wave!" So that's what it was, but the name wasn't their concern, it was the deranged idea the ship could withstand the force of a massive wave directly. Then again, with the waterspouts closing in, did they really have another choice? "Wanna listen or you wanna drown, don't flip-flop!" She snapped after a pause.

"Fine, fine... let's move, Asuna!" Kirito waved, rushing to the mainmast to unravel the sails while Nagi skipped around with Argo, undoing the sails on their mast while Daora slid down the sloped ship before it leveled out again, grabbing two ropes to pull the forwardmost sails free. Since it was SAO, the whole tediousness of managing the sails was a mere pull or knot away from changing the sails' state.

Without much more than a gamble, a crazy Captain, and a whole Brig-load of luck, the clearers braced the masts, tied to one another as the ocean's body steadily came closer, blotting out the light for a brief moment, the titanic roar of nature crashing down upon them.

|Floor 13|

A molten landscape overtook the south of floor thirteen, much like the number, the floor felt unnaturally unfair. Staring up north in a highlands capped with snow, it led down toward a brief forest that dissolved into a scorching desert filled with quicksand. And now, a hellish glow of an active volcanic world settled that notion of misfortune.

Before the party was a large lava moat, small deposits of basalt and hardened magma floated on the surface, creating an unstable pathway across, however, their focus was not on the treacherous but ultimately safer pathway, rather, the molten river stretched between the two landmasses.

"Alright, everyone ready?" Nagi twisted his head left, then to the right.

"Let's do this!" Daora smacked a fist into his open palm twice.

"I'm seriously beginning to question how anyone made it this far," Artorias shook her head, no less ready, although reluctant.

"Never give up!" Nagi was the first to dive forward, his right foot pressed against the rubbery surface of the magma, anymore force and his foot, now on fire, would break the surface. So in that second his left struck the magma, his right leg thrown out ahead of him in an irregular, but effective stride. "Never give up! Never give up! Never give up!" His screamed at himself.

Steadily behind him, Daora charged full-tilt, surpassing Nagi's stride by just simply sprinting across the molten surface, splashing glowing-hot orange gel behind him, his feet on fire too. Artorias was a few feet behind them both, yelling angrily and in a panic to help her drown out the fact three idiots were sprinting over a river of lava like a couple of hot potatoes.

"Rrraaaaaaaah!" Daora slammed his stomach into the shoreline of the volcanic river, his feet burning hot as his health fell into the yellow. Immedately, he summoned a large enough stack of water bottles that they buried him, pouring their contents onto his feet.

"Yaaah!" Nagi was next, drawing on all the strength he had in his right leg, swinging his arms to vault the last few steps, landing to a stumble into the ashen soil, burying his feet in the dirt to pat out the flames in a panic, sweat rolling down his face.

"Motherfucker!" Artorias was last, scrambling away from the shoreline to press her back against nearby ridge, tossing off her boots to slap them against the ground before their durability could crumble away, uncaring for her health dropping into the dark orange, closer to red. "I swear to God! If that Rat makes us do something like this again, I'm tossing her into the river myself!"

Nagi would defend his girlfriend, but he was far too exhausted and simply fell into the dirt. The quest for fire-proof boots was depressing and ironic.

|Floor 15|

Of all of Argo's many clients, agreements, and meetings, this one had her most on edge for various reasons. Sat within a small cafe called the Fistful Light, the outside was dark, stained by black clouds through a box window. Argo sat in a booth on a red cushioned seat, a rectangular table between her and her most hated player-type. A Ninja.

That's not to say she hated Shirayuki, just this particular kind of ninja before her, the kind that rubbed her the wrong way. An oil lantern gave some illumination to the broker's steely expression under her hood, right hand tapping against the table, her left hidden from view, intertwined with her bodyguard's to reassure her and keep her from losing her nerve.

Across from her, decked out in a pitch-black garb of cloth with leather barding, equipped with a black wrap that left only the eyes exposed, a red insignia stitched into the forehead, the kanji for 'Blade'. Their hands were clasped on the table, two drinks half full on either side. Standing with this 'ninja' was their own personal bodyguard, glaring at Nagi who kept a neutral but otherwise constant awareness of his and Argo's surroundings.

"Lemme see if I heard ya right, the Fumaningan Guild want to broker a deal with mE?" Argo arranged the pieces carefully in her head. "Equal fare on info and I get access to a dozen more sources of intel for a feE?"

"Yes, correct," The leader of the Fumaningan guild, a player literally named 'Sekiro' nodded once. He was a man of few words, but at least he didn't verbally yell the word 'gozaru' constantly like his followers. "We provide services, for a price, and both parties ally."

"Temptin' offer there, dunno though, yer guys aren't what I call 'reliablE'," Her two facts were laid out with a raised finger. "One, they harassed me on unconfirmed intel, I don't barter with half-truthS. Second, yer guys are underlevled for my likin', especially for newly opened floors like this onE,"

Nagi had discussed, and convinced, Argo to think of this opportunity rationally. Her best informants were himself, Kirito, Asuna, ALS, and DKB. The latter two were often hit or miss since they relied on the Rat's guides at critical points such as boss information, so really, that left the odd whisper between brokers, most of which hated or were in competition with Argo.

She had to keep her face straight the whole time, and that feeling of a warm hand connected to hers was a reassuring notion. She squeezed it slightly, then brought her gaze forward as Sekiro spoke. "Understanble, the world changes, new horizons are near, the best of both worlds."

"I think he means while we focus on the higher floors, any changes or smaller quests we gloss over can be handled by them," Nagi whispered next to her hood. "And as compensation, you get first take of said quests as a fee, if not for Col that is?"

"Correct," Sekiro blinked.

Argo pursed her lips, lidly staring around the cafe that was mostly empty at this time. At the end of the day, she would have them off her backs and make them work for all the hassle they've given her back on Floor Two. "...and intel regardin' the quests and items will be sent to mE?" Argo pressed this more than anything, she can't sell information already told. "And most importantlY..." Her eyes hardened on Sekiro. "If I catch so much as a lie in yer messages, you'll regret iT."

The weight of human lives far usurps false intel. With a firm nod, Sekiro extended his hand. "Agreed; my clan will uphold this, for the sake of lives, for our freedom."

Nagi smiled lightly, dropping his stern look as Argo sighed reluctantly, she still felt off working with the same guys that gave her quite the headache from Beta and the official game, but at the same time, their stealth skills were useful for her job. And if her web grew, the more Col she'd rake up.

Extending her hand, Argo the Rat's information bureau, and the Fumaningan Guild, struck a truce.

End

Another skip, another collection of moments from our three idiots across Aincrad. From a battle with the sea, a lovely stroll across magma, and a new partnership with an old nuisance. I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; seeya in the next chapter, Players!