A/N: I both love and hate these, but I'd rather not miss showing something of the previous floors, even if I'm speculating on their contents. Review Time.

To Isshion: Glad you approve. Evet's meant to be like the opposite side of the coin to Nagi, so it won't be the last of time. I can see Isshi sharing similar traits of intelligent A.I like Kizmel and Shirayuki so it's not beyond the realm of possibility. As for 'magic', I'll work something out when the time comes, maybe artefacts or a form of 'magic'.

[Nagi]: Utilizing both a polearm and sword is quite the task too...

[Artorias]: Not to mention ranged attacks via a bow with both potentially proking Frostbite.

[Kirito]: There's also the problem of her A.I being as smart as other examples, so underhanded tricks won't cut it constantly.

[Fynch]: Ya know? Hearing you three really nerd it out is probably the most normal thing today, hey, not judging, pretty crazy that you're all on the same wavelength.

Enjoy.

|Floor 17|

Inside the thick, humid jungles of floor seventeen, Daora continued to hack and slash the vines from his path, a few branches smacking Artorias' shield as she regretfully followed the idiot. "You sure this is the direction of the temple? I've seen that tree that looks like it's laughing at us twice now."

"Hmph! My navigation skills are perfect for this area, just watch me," Raised a thumb of confidence, then disappeared into the trees above with a yelp. He had triggered a snare trap, one of the many issues players had with this jungle floor.

"Pfft, hahahaha, how's that perfect navigation skills holding - yah!" She let out a girly yelp, bobbing upside down with her leg caught in a similar trap, Daora crossing his arms at her with a mocking huff.

"Uh, you guys okay?" Below, to make matters worse, was Nagi, blinking up at them with genuine concern as he side-stepped the traps to get here.

"Nothing happened?" Daora grumbled under his breath.

"Not a word," Artorias muttered, swinging by Daora.

|Floor 18|

"Run you sons of bitches, run!" Artorias dove over the snowbank on a makeshift snowboard which was just a large piece of bark from a tree. Nagi did the same on a larger square piece as he tried to skirt around the trees and boulders jutting out from the mountain slope, Daora on the back swinging his ax at the giant clumps of ice and snow hurdled at them.

"Hahahaha, come and catch us! Hold me steady, underling!" He bellowed, swatting another ball of ice back at the giant polar bear that stood on its hind legs, using large, ice-covered claws to roll up boulders of ice and snow as it chased after them, using the curved claws to toss the spheres high.

Artorias spun around on her snowboard, grabbing a nearby tree to swing herself back up the mountain, slamming her board against the monster's face, "Switch!" She called, twirling back onto the snow without losing any momentum, dodging a row of trees.

"Hyrah!" Whirlwind sent forth a blizzard, creating an audible clang as it shattered the blue ice reinforcing the bear's right forearm, watching it tumble and crash into a tree. "Haha, the perfect shot!"

"Good work, now hold on!" Nagi declared, the trio flying through the air after hitting a sharp ramp in the snow, the afternoon sun reflecting off the mountain.

|Floor 19|

"How many is this now?" The Black Swordsman, Kirito, inquired, right knuckle against his cheek as he watched the flash of sword skills on the training grounds of floor nineteen's main town, the cool morning air settling in as he yawned. "Four now?"

"This is the third," Nagi answered, handing his friend a coffee while Argo recorded the whole ordeal with a cheeky grin, herself sipping her tea happily next to Nagi on a bench.

The small yard was between two white buildings, a red one boxing it in, the only way inside was through a red brick archway that led out onto the main road, a wall obscuring it from view. It made for the perfect hideaway for duels. Like the one currently on display for the group. Daora was fast asleep on the wall above them, snoring as he played at the sky in his dreams.

"Yah!" Klein grunted, shoved back after defending against Horizontal Square as the rose-colored blade slashed through soon after, so he countered with Ichimonji, his bright orange katana ringing against the face of a black grave shield as it applied a sudden impact to the blade, deflecting it. Klein was stunned now. "C-crap!"

"Predictable," Artorias didn't even huff, she just punctured the man's red chestplate with two rapid slants, Snake Bite flinging the brown-haired man off his feet as the duel concluded, declaring Artorias as the winner. She closed her eyes as she sheathed her longsword, a round of applause from her adoring crowd, so she took a bow. "Thank you, be here all week."

"Maaaan, thought I had you this time," Klein wasn't wrong, per se, he last five seconds longer than the last two matches. Artorias squatted down to meet his eye, a frown etched on her face. "Tell me, how are you so freakin' good at this? You basically have Kirito's reaction time!?"

"Lots of practice... and some other personal things," Her eyes glanced off to the side before coughing into her hand. "No one expects you to be as awesome and flashy as me, that's a given, but you need to pick and choose what sword skills suit you best. Against mobs, you're a natural, but with players is all about outsmarting them, a mind game anyone can win."

He crossed his legs at that point, nodding to every word before the young man in a woman's body rolled her shoulders. "We've got time for one more match, land a hit, and I might tell ya how to get a date with a girl."

"You serious!?" He jumped to his feet, a fire in his eyes. "Let's go, I'll show ya what I'm made of!"

"Is that all it took?" Kirito raised a brow, shaking his head.

"The power of love, Kii-bou, it's a real game changeR," Argo beamed, she knew that well herself.

|Floor 20|

"S-switch!" Nagi sliced along the metallic club of a fist with a watery crisscross, throwing the boss' arm backward as it grunted, stunned from the skill interruption. Argo swept in like a shadow, claws leaving a hail of amber scars from the legs all the way to the bright red dome of a headpiece, her left claw swung down in a spin to slash three massive gashes down the large torso.

"Ya need to disable its skill augmentatioN!" Argo yelled over the giant golem sweeping the air as its upper body spun around to club Daora whose face smacked into the glass window between them and Artorias, his body sliding down with a groan.

On the other side in a command room, Artorias had just finished shattering the power crystals to lower the experimental boss' attack strength, mobility, and reaction time. She shook the blue dust off her head, turning to Argo with a shrug. "Right, yeah... uh, how do I do that?"

She dove back as Nagi defended her, slashing with Whirlwind Slash to the golem's right arm, Daora swinging his ax in two horizontal strokes before spinning around to wind up a stronger uppercut, Lumberjack rippling through the beast's metallic body.

"Press the red buttoN," Argo instructed as Artorias spun around to the wall of red buttons blinking at her.

The girl recoiled with a gulp. "Wh - They're all red!?"

Argo's whiskers twitched. "Then press ALL of 'eM!"

And so she did, dragging her hands down like cat's claws to a scratching post until all the little red lights turned green. "Huh, can't believe that worked!"

|Floor 21|

On the outskirts of the town of Azuba, part of the sandstone town was a small oasis that dipped into a small collection of waterfalls and ponds below a sandstone wall roughly the height of a forearm. The wall overlooked the pools below, a few mobs spawning since it was outside the safe zone.

"Okay, like this?" Nagi inquired, placing his fingers on the guitar strings where his teacher instructed. Dressed in a white hood and cloak was the light-brown-haired singer, Yuna. The girl nodded with a pleased but firm smile, concentration apparent in her attitude.

"Yep, just relax your left hand, press to hard and the sound will be too stiff," She showed him by grabbing his index finger, easing the tension on the string. "Now, try to play the notes I gave you," He nodded, glancing at his menu with Yuna's message attached with the notes.

It wasn't perfect, far from it, but with the little experience Nagi had in the real world it was an acceptable tune. "Guitar is tricky," He commented, repeating the action while adjusting the odd way his fingers sat against the neck of the instrument. Yuna played her lute with greater care and a steady hand.

"It can be for beginners, and you said you can play other wood instruments, so it's a lot like a game, adapting your playstyle to a new set of controls," Yuna blushed slightly with a laugh. "Hehehe, sorry, that's just how I picture it, you know?"

"No, it's a good concept," Nagi played again, completing the sequence as he tried the next set of notes, moving his hand a little more but some of the notes came out dull, and he slumped. "Eh?"

Yuna giggled, strumming the same notes like it was second nature. "Like sword skills, it's all muscle memory, keep trying."

"Right!" He perked up, trying from the beginning again.

|Floor 22|

Just outside of Coral Village to the south of the floor's biggest lake. The team had recently finished fishing on one sunny afternoon, now with a crackling fire pit, and no mobs in sight, they sat down to enjoy their gathering for the day.

"What the hell, man, how are you this good at cooking!?" Artorias' mouth watered as she devoured another fish on her stick, tossing the bones aside as she drank another cup of lemonade with a gasp. "First there's the Princess and her apparent cooking skill, now this guy!?"

"Hahaha, never underestimate your leader's skills for cooking! I may not have a high proficiency yet, but I can cook just as amazing in the real world!" Daora proudly puffed out his chest, breath exhaled through the wolf head's nostrils.

"The texture is crispy and the hint of seasoning with the honey mustard sauce is the perfect balance of flavors, something so simple too," Nagi's eyes were sparkling as he ate at a much less ravenous pace than his redhead counterpart. He beamed up at Daora who squatted at the fire, watching the fish cook carefully. "You're amazing at this, Daora!"

"..." He stared at the radiant honesty coming from Nagi before waving his fist at him. "Grah, stop making me feel all warm and fuzzy!"

"Thank you for cooking for us today," It just went over Nagi's head, his complimenting almost making Daora overcook the salmon.

"Don't interrupt me!" He hollered.

"More please!" The two customers of his holding out their rectangular plates eagerly.

|Floor 23|

An NPC wagon was led back to the main settlement of floor twenty-three's marshlands, the land below the risen grassy bank safe from the marshes and swamps below, though most were just rich grass flatlands that surrounded the town.

The sun was beginning to set, and Nagi's party just returned from completing the main quest on the floor, obtaining the last bit of boss info for the Frontrunners in the latest issue of Argo's Guidebook. Artorias was sleeping soundly with her head down, covered in dirt, laying with their feet hanging off the wagon was Daora, hugging his carbon-black ax tightly.

Nagi kept himself awake so when they arrived in town they could jump off before they were taxed by the traveling merchant again and landed right back in the village they left in the swamps. He was tired too, but a pink blush found itself on his face with a tiny smile.

Argo leaned her head onto his shoulder, eyes closed with a similar expression, her cloak and his haori hiding their intertwined right and left hand, enjoying the close contact despite the risk of being discovered and eventually hounded by the others for answers. Right now was safe though, and neither wanted to voice the concern anyway.

End

Artorias and Daora are like two younger siblings bickering all the time and Nagi's the older brother looking out for them with a patient smile. I'm trying not to reveal too much of the skipped floor's environments as I may want to use some of them for future floors. I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; seeya in the next chapter, Players!