Floor 5 - Chapter 1 - Treasure Hunt
December 27th, 2022 - Floor 5 Teleport Gate
The town of Karluin. Once upon a time, the town had been a centre for industry, an industry that tore lives apart, and the jewel of an empire's wartime ambitions, developing machines and creatures imbued with the magic of the natives. Now reduced to nothing more than a mausoleum for those that developed their weapons, and an relic to warn people of the mistakes of the past. The disrepair of the town had led to a unique problem in modern times though - many of the weapons had gained their freedom and escaped to the surface, prowling the outskirts for those unwary travellers, the unexpecting warriors or any unfortunate citizens who left the town...
''Well, this is...hmm...''
''It's a bit... creepy, isn't it? It's really different to all the other floors we've been to anyway, and not just because it's so dimly lit. It's like a ghost town... it's kind of sad.''
''It's kind of interesting though, Aincrad once had actual technology, and wasn't just a quasi-feudal system. Wonder what caused all that to collapse though, maybe that Great Separation thing that Kizmel mentioned?''
''Nyehehehehehe'' - The faintest laugh could be heard in amongst the mists. Jet and Koharu both glanced towards each other, and fought back their laughter. The Rat popped up behind them, with no real reaction from either of them...
''Awww, you two used to have the best reactions! What happened...''
''I'd give you an E. Must try better next time...''
''That's a bit harsh... that was probably worth a D at least, Jet.''
''I miss the days when I could get the drop on ya!''
''We don't...'' - Both said in unison.
''I hear you two are an item now... as in, together together. Wanna confirm or deny that... wink, wink!''
''Did you just say wink, wink?'' - Koharu raised an eyebrow at the Rat.
''No point denying it.'' - Argo squealed, causing Jet to attempt to plug his ears.
''Two down, two ta go...'' - Argo muttered, as both Jet and Koharu looked towards each other apprehensively.
''How much did you bet on us getting together, Argo...'' - Koharu voiced the couple's thoughts.
''I would never bet on my friends!'' - Argo feigned offence, the smaller girl becoming more skittish under the questioning.
''Whatever they're giving you, or you're losing, I'll double it.'' - Jet reminded himself of how he dealt with his sisters, and how easily they caved to cold, hard cash.
''250 Col.''
Koharu looked genuinely annoyed, and Jet, being somewhat smarter now, inched away slowly, before Koharu pulled him back... ''Really? We're worth that little to you?''
''That was the double amount...''
Both Jet and Koharu looked like disappointed parents towards the Rat, who was currently withering under their glares... ''I'm actually disappointed, Argo...''
''Nyehehe, anyway! I've got a little mission for ya both!''
''Naturally.''
''Hey! Not my fault yer the most reliable people here! Plus I need ya to babysit someone...'' - A ginger haired girl clad in blue appeared from behind, and looked rather unhappy.
''I don't need babysitting! You asked me to help you!'' - She spoke, the slightest hint of an accent in there. Jet recognised it vaguely, as somewhere in America. A little strange, given she looked Japanese, by any means. Maybe he was just hearing things...
''What is this, gang up on lil' old Argo day?'' - The Rat laughed, as the new girl glared towards her, whilst Jet just rolled his eyes.
''Why not, you do it to us all the time...'' - Jet muttered, as Koharu glanced towards him, her glare telling him to shut up.
''So, Argo, who's the new girl?''
''I'm Phillia, nice to meet you both. I've heard a bit about you both, but I kinda didn't think you'd be...''
''Quite so good looking?'' - Jet joked, striking the most unflattering pose possible.
''Jet!'' - Koharu elbowed her partner, to get him to knock it off.
''Quite as tall. You're massive!''
''Anyways, strokin' of Knight-boy's ego done...'' - The jab elicited a slight huff from the aforementioned knight - ''All three o' ya's, eat this...''
''Hmm? It's blueberry of some form, it's-mmm - delicious though. Both sweet and sour. If this were real life, my tongue would be blue by now...'' - Jet stuck out his tongue to check. No, his tongue wasn't blue, but he did resemble a rather odd looking dog currently.
''Now take a look around... tell me what ya see...''
''Coins!'' - Phillia's eyes lit up, as the ginger girl sprinted over, and picked up three old coins. The old coins resembled English 2p coins in terms of size, but a fair bit thicker.
''They're Karlul coins, and those are the lowest value. They're 10 Col. Silver and Gold are more, obviously, but they tend to only be in more... difficult areas.''
''That's why you asked us then?''
''Yep, Phillia here's a treasure hunter, but she's not that strong a fighter yet. So I said I'd get one a' my agents to help her!''
''Agents?''
''Yeah, you two. Who'd ya think I meant?''
''Naturally, the info broker has agents now... poor saps who fell for the lie that we get rewarded handsomely for our work. Quite a sad story, really...''
''Hey! I pay ya both handsomely! Stop libelling me!''
''Heh. Payback for earlier...'' - Jet gave the Rat a shit-eating grin, as the conversation carried on...
''Anyways! Not only are there coins around, but there's also jewels lying around...''
''Jewels!'' - Both Phillia and Koharu's eyes lit up. Sometimes, it really did feel like being back home...
''They're said to be remains from a lost time, this floor's famous relics. There's tons of 'em, just lyin' about the place...''
''Umm, so won't most have been picked up by now? It's been, what, 6 days since this place opened up?''
''You'd think, but nah. Most people headed for the quests... and then got very stumped. Even Kii-boy and Aa-chan ended up running round in circles till yesterday, and one of 'em actually knew about this...''
''Huh, so there's no time to waste then!''
''Umm, Argo? How are we seeing these relics? We couldn't see them before, and... oh, right. That tart gave us a buff, didn't it? It makes sense, I suppose. Blueberries are supposed to help improve eyesight.''
''You're starting to get it now, Ko! So, between all three of you, go collect what ya can whilst the buff is in place, an' I'll let ya keep the relics, and won't charge ya for the info either...''
''Okay, who are you, and what did you do with Argo?''
''So ya wary of my kindness, eh? Nyeheheh... Anyway, there were plenty of relics here in the Decayin' Ruins. Luck determined what ya got though - treasure, or junk. Back in the beta, there were players who gave up on levelling, an' chose to set up camp here. Guess few could resist the allure of the easy money...''
''I can sort of understand people who'd keep trying for a jackpot when the value's randomised.''
''Sadly, it's a part of human nature, addiction is...'' - Jet looked down at the ground, seemingly angry at something. Koharu held her partner's hand, not for any apparent reason, or even because she knew it calmed him down, just because it felt like that was the right thing to do in that moment.
''Say somethin', knight-boy?''
''Just ignore me, and carry on.''
''Okay then, remember what I told ya about the coins? The more valuable ones drop in more dangerous areas? Well, the same applies with relics too. Basically, keep your heads on a swivel. All of ya's. You two, I know the monsters up here shouldn't be a bother for ya, but don't get overconfident, will ya?''
''Don't worry, we'll do as we normally do...''
''That's what worries me! I heard about yer little exploit with Wythege, Jet...''
''It was either die, or risk death. I made a calculated decision...'' - Jet lied, pretending he had actually thought about it, and not just froze up momentarily...
''Sure ya did, Knight-boy, sure ya did... anyways, I'll meet ya back here when the buff runs out. See ya's!'' - Argo disappeared into the smog around them, leaving the three of them stood there.
''Guess we've already eaten the cake, so there's no getting around it...''
''May as well, who knows, might find something valuable.''
''Off we go then!''
About an hour had passed by, and the treasure hunting trio had finally run out of luck with the buff, it having expired a few moments ago. With that in mind, they returned back to the teleport gate, where Argo had said her group was waiting. Jet wondered to himself who ''her group'' was, but assumed it was Kirito and Asuna, and left it at that...
''Oh, there they are...''
''Oh no...'' - Jet noticed who was stood there. A redheaded samurai, and a purple haired, stupidly large blade wielder. Koharu began laughing under breath, whilst Phillia just looked confused...
''You know them?'' - Jet nodded, as he prepared to make a dash for safety, knowing his sister wouldn't let him go without interrogating him over his new relationship...
''Jet!''
''Oh no. Time to put Plan B into action...'' - Jet turned on his heels, as Koharu grabbed hold of her boyfriend's arm, and dragged him forward, to meet his fate.
Strea raced forward, and hugged the new couple, as tightly as she physically could. Both Jet and Koharu regretted not making an escape now, as she began her questioning - ''Oh my god, you actually did it! You two actually got together! Argo told me... and little brother, we're gonna have words about keeping secrets from your older sis, aren't we?''
''I'm not keeping it a secret... I asked her out, she said yes, and we haven't been on a date yet. Thus, not strictly together yet.''
''Strea, can you let us go? We're both going red...''
''It's not red I'm worried about... it's when we start to turn blue!''
''Alright Strea, let them go please...'' - Klein spoke, being the voice of reason... for once.
''Heh, sorry, just happy for you both. But that wasn't what I meant about secrets... the whole boss fight. You could've been killed!''
''So could you in any fight we've been in.''
''Glad you two are doing well, by the way. I won't try to hug kill you, if that's okay! I should probably admonish her for that...''
''Oh, yeah, you are actually the leader, aren't you?''
''Yeah, I can understand why people forget... Strea is, a presence sometimes...''
''That is the biggest understatement since 1982, but yeah. She is a bit... intense, sometimes.''
''What happened in 1982?''
''Jumbo jet lost all 4 engines in an ash cloud, pilot comes over the intercom and says 'I hope everyone's okay, we're just having some difficulties. We've lost all 4 engines, and I hope you aren't in too much distress. We'll be landing soon.'' - Jet recounted the tale to Klein and Phillia, whilst Koharu tried to wrestle Strea off of her...
''Yep, that is an understatement.'' - Both Klein and Phillia agreed with that assessment.
''British humour there. Even when facing death, we will laugh in it's face... Strea, will you please get off my girlfriend already?''
''Hah! You admitted it!'' - Strea cheered gleefully. Jet slapped himself for giving his mental sister yet more ammo.
''Yes, alright, can we please get onto a topic that isn't death or our love lives?''
''Finally, last thing I needed is Strea revealing anything about our-ANYWAY!'' - Strea glared towards Klein, with a look that would kill lesser creatures - ''You guys have seen the monsters on this floor, right?''
''Uhh, yes? The undead monsters...'' - Koharu shuddered as she said it.
''The mummies were fine... it was the ghostly ones that were annoying me. It's a little disconcerting when your sword just goes straight them...''
''Aww, is Jet a little scared of ghosts...'' - Strea tried to tease her brother, as Jet rolled his eyes and explained.
''No, it's just annoying. Klein, did any of you give her anything with caffeine in it, because she's being more irritating than usual?''
''Hey!''
''No, but something has just struck me...'' - Klein ignored Strea, who'd muttered something about her hitting him in a minute, and carried on - ''We've spent this time being more focused on clearing this, getting the EXP and Col, right?'' - A smattering of agreement from people - ''We're kind of getting used to this world, and that feels weird, right?''
''It does a bit, yeah. Even knowing that if I run out of HP, I'll die in real life, I sometimes forget it in times like this, and the past few days. It just feels like... I don't know, a brief respite of normality for once. It's just like Kayaba said, we kind of start to think of this world as our reality...''
''I suppose so, yeah. I mean, I just think of it this way - we're gonna die some time, right? Live whilst we can. Go where you want, f-screw who you want, and be the you ya want to be. If we die here, we die. If we die IRL, we die. It's not like we get a restart out there, and we don't get one in here either. Funny thing is, I can actually understand why people enjoy it in here - I mean, this is one hell of an adventure, right? I became a reporter because I wanted to go see the world... and I'm seeing an entirely new one now! It's kind of amazing!''
''Huh.''
''Okay, anyway, back to the topic at hand. Ghosts. Have you three heard about the rumours?''
''Uhh, enlighten us?''
''Apparently, there's a real ghost going around this floor.''
''Bullshit.''
''Wait, seriously? After everything we've seen, and that's what you choose to be skeptical over?''
''Yes, it's probably someone pulling a prank. Normally is, anyway.''
''I think it's ridiculous too, but the guy who saw it? I'd bet my boots that his fear wasn't faked...''
''Maybe he mistook one of those Wraiths for one?''
''He's the leader of, well, a rival guild, I guess, but he wasn't scared of the undead. How he described it, he said he'd seen a gloomy guy look towards him, then disappear... Kinda creeped me out just watching the guy shake...''
''Now that's a juicy bit of info!'' - Argo leapt out from behind another conveniently placed pillar, causing everyone but Jet and Koharu to leap vertically in surprise...
''How does that not get you?!''
''She does it every time. Just repeat the word Battersea to her, and she stops...''
''Okay then, Argo... Battersea!'' - Strea said with some force, as Argo just glanced towards her in complete confusion... - ''Huh?''
Strea turned towards her brother, and gave him the same look as Klein received earlier - ''Jet...''
''Thank you Kayaba for making sure that the ASA aren't a thing in here!'' - Jet looked towards his sister, and prepared to run, knowing what she'd do next...
''Unfortunately for you, neither are Scotland Yard... which will make finding your corpse a lot harder!'' - Strea pulled out her broadsword, whilst grinning maliciously, and Jet, realising precisely how screwed he was... made a run for it, leaving behind a dust cloud.
''Okay, so whilst those two try to murder each other... gimme all ya got on the ghostly dealings...''
''Are you planning on becoming a paranormal investigator too, Argo?'' - Koharu smirked, finally getting the ability to tease Argo, as payback...
''No, but think about it this way - 'member that the Elves had invisibility cloaks?''
''Uhh, did they?''
''Elves?''
''Yeah, we were with them for a while... and I definitely don't remember that bit...''
''Didn't ya... oh wait, nah, that was Kii-boy and Aa-chan who found that out. Ignore me. Yeah, they do. What if that's a key to clearin' this floor? Oh, good to see you alive, knight-boy.''
''I have appeased the she-devil that I call my sister...''
''You told her you'd buy her cake, didn't you?''
''No... but that is useful advice. Cheers Klein.''
''Right then, where were we?''
''Invisible elves.'' - Both Jet and Strea looked a little confused. That wasn't a joke, was it?
''The Dark Elves have an invisibility item. Argo thinks the ghost might be a Dark Elf, and could help us clear the floor.'' - Koharu explained in a slightly more detailed way than Argo, filling in the siblings on the current working theory.
''Ah. So, if it's an NPC with a camo coat, nice and easy, job done. What if Argo's off the mark with something, and it's actually a player? I dread to think what damage a player that can disappear at will could do...''
''That sorta item never appeared in the beta, or at least I never heard of anyone gettin' one anyways.''
''Still, if that sort of item does exist, what kind of man would I be to refuse?''
''The kind who doesn't get put on a register.'' - Jet quipped, too fast for him to actually have thought about it... Strea burst into laughter, and both Argo and Phillia stifled their laughs. Koharu looked vaguely disturbed, though whether that was at her boyfriend, or the thought of Klein with invisibility, no one was sure. Klein just looked thoroughly unamused.
''Can we talk about something that isn't ghosts, please!?''
''Okay then you three, let's see what ya bought back, shall we?'' - Jet, Koharu and Phillia summoned their individual hauls, and passed them over to Argo, who ran off to somewhere...
''She is actually gonna come back, right?''
''I hope so, else I'm getting a load of mouse traps for her.''
A few minutes later, and Argo had returned to the group, sans their haul, leaving a very unhappy looking Phillia, who seemed to readying a dagger at the Rat. Whilst Jet wasn't entirely opposed to Argo having her comeuppance, she was still a friend... though what that said about him, he wasn't sure, and he'd fight on her side, should it come to it. Something told him that Koharu had gone through the same process, as she reached down for her rapier...
''Okay then, I've took yer haul to the appraisal NPC, so ya can stop been on edge! You wanna know what you got?''
''Go for it.''
''27 Bronze coins, 16 Silver and 1 large Gold coin. An E class jewel, and two C class jewels, so that's 2600 Col right there... plus an A class jewel, which means your combined haul is worth - drum roll please - 11,720 Col!'' - All three of them looked completely surprised at that.
''Wait, so that means we each get about 3905 Col each?''
''Err, give me a second to work that out?''
''Wait, how did you work that out that quickly, anyway?''
''Good at maths?''
''Knight-boy's pretty close, 3906 Col each, with 1 Col left over. Not bad for the time ya put in, right?''
''That is pretty decent... Jet, you are not doing this often. We already have one gambling addict in our family, for the love of all things holy, do not make it another...'' - Strea went deathly serious, and Jet, for once, understood his sister's concern. Their mother's knack for literally betting on the wrong horse had nearly screwed them over more times than they could count, and Jet really didn't want to become like her in that regard...
''Agreed, wasn't planning to.''
''Strea, I'll make sure he doesn't anyway. Still though, this jewel is really beautiful.'' - Koharu held up the jewel to the moonlight, and the light refracted through the jewel, creating a stream of colour inside it. - ''It's like a kaleidoscope.''
''It's a shame these jewels are monetary items. Can you imagine a ring or necklace with one of these?'' - Jet glanced over to Phillia, who understood what he was thinking, and nodded to him.
''You wanna cash them in, or?''
''All but that one, yeah.''
''Huh?''
''It's only, what, 1000 Col, right? Keep it, Koharu. Call it a late Christmas present.'' - Jet gave his girlfriend a smile, as the adults in the - well, courtyard, looked on, with looks of understanding...
''You-you really don't have to, you know? What about splitting it fairly?''
''Eh, I'll take the loss on mine, I don't mind. I'll make up a thousand in a few days anyway by this point...'' - Koharu reached up and wrapped her arms around her partner's neck, kissing him quickly, whilst everyone watched on in surprise, or in Strea's case, glee.
''Oh yeah, you two definitely aren't dating.'' - Klein spoke up, instantly ruining the moment.
''Smooth moves though, knight-boy...'' - Koharu went bright red, and began stuttering an excuse, whilst Jet went straight for insulting Argo...
''Shut it, Rattus Rattus.''
''Still, that should be plenty of data to add to the guidebook now. I shall go and add mine to the pile, and I'll be back with your rewards in a few!''
''Well, now that's done... should we start looking into that ghost? I mean, there's five of us here, that should be enough right?''
''Yeah, about that? Can ya hold off for a bit, I wanna do some more digging into it first.''
''That's fine, we'll be off grinding for a bit. Jet, Koharu, Ginge, what are you guys gonna do?''
''Uhh, we're probably gonna do the same then.''
''We'll see you in a bit then... no copping off behind the pillars, you two!'' - Strea teased, causing both Jet and Koharu to go bright red, as she walked off laughing...
About 45 minutes had passed, enough to allow Jet and Koharu to get more used to fighting alongside Phillia, whose smaller weapon made her more suited for hit and run attacks, where mobility was key, and allowed Jet to take up the vanguard, acting as the shield for the group, and drawing the enemy's fire, whilst the girls whittled away at their HP. A few runs of testing the timing against certain enemies, and the trio had gotten it down to only needing a few words to bring down their enemy. A message from Argo had been received, and the two groups reunited back at the Teleport Gate, where the smaller girl began explaining what she'd found...
''Okay, so there's two locations they've been sighted - here, near the labyrinth, and here in the underground cemetery. The first one I know as one of my informants from ALS told me they'd stopped a mysterious guy, and their body just disappeared into thin air. Poof, gone. Shook 'em up a little, I think. The other one is the one Klein told us, but what we do know is that they've been spotted multiple times in both areas. Best plan, we split up for a bit, and check both at the same time.''
''An underground cemetery, huh? Sounds like a place for the undead to show up...'' - Koharu looked around, her eyes darting around, looking for something that wasn't there. Jet noticed, and grabbed her hand, raising a small smile to her when she looked towards him.
''You scared, Ko?''
''I-I'm not! Besides, they should be human! And I've got Jet with me!''
''Well, there ya have it, you three. You're takin' the catacombs, we'll take the labyrinth.''
''Well, it's a shame we can't take the catacombs! Tell us if you find any rare relics, will ya?'' - Jet waved to them, as the trio set off towards the catacombs.
''You three, just a heads up, there's a giant mid-boss in the catacombs too!''
''Yeah, we're researching that too, but the ghost's our priority at the moment.''
''If there is an item that can make us disappear, then that'll help us with the boss. Just need to figure out how to get it though.''
''We'll cross that bridge when we get to it.'' - With that, the trio headed towards the catacombs...
The trio made their way to the catacombs, each with varying degrees of enthusiasm - Phillia being the most optimistic, hoping for treasure and answers, Jet maintaining a stance of realism, and secretly hoping for answers to the ghostly mystery, whilst Koharu seemed the most on edge, and least talkative as they headed towards the dungeon...
The catacombs felt a lot less like the catacombs Jet had seen in media - the skulls poking out of the walls were thankfully absent, and he wasn't being shot at, for once... he really wished he'd done more digging into catacombs than playing through one level on Modern Warfare 3, now he thought of it.
A drop of what everyone hoped was water narrowly missed all of them, and Koharu was the one most alarmed by it - ''It's really damp down here, isn't it? What is that ghost doing down here though?''
''I doubt it's searching for treasure, it seems a bit... barren.''
''Maybe they're grinding down here? Only thing I can think of...''
''Maybe they're trying to get stronger to fight the floor boss... we can't leave them alone if they are, right? I mean, it must get lonely down here, especially if they've been fighting down here for a long time. It'd be great if we could find them though...''
''I think we'll have to look in every nook and cranny though... and this place isn't small.''
''We'd better get started then...''
Elsewhere in the Catacombs...
Liten silently cursed herself for allowing herself to end up in this situation, as her mace turned another Mouldy Mummy into dust, whilst the young girl she was watching over tore another asunder with her dagger. She hoped for a miracle to allow her to break the encirclement, her armour would easily allow her to hold up in a prolonged fight, but the young girl was another matter...
''They just keep popping up! There's no end to them. I'll draw their attention, and you run for it, okay?''
''I can handle myself. What are you planning to do?''
''I've got high vitality, I can get through them.''
''Aren't you scared?'' - The armoured girl was starting to shake, as she stood ready. Unfortunately, shaking in plate armour does tend to be very noticeable...
''I'm shaking... from excitement.'' - Yet another Mummy disintegrated as it was hit by a mace strike. - ''Just go already! If I can stay calm, I'm sure my defence status will be enough to handle this...''
Koharu launched a thrusting strike onto another Wraith, bringing her total up to 13 of them downed by her, and meaning she was leading the group in kill total so far. She'd taken to counting them as a way of trying desperately to ignore the smell of mould and rot emanating from her surroundings, whilst her boyfriend shouted something about the French, not that she understood what he was going on about, whilst Phillia seemed to be growing increasingly bored, as no treasure dropped, just bits of tissue and a few very small stones.
''Ha! That would be my- fifteenth now, what are you on, Ko?''
''Uhh, seventeen I think.'' - Her thinking was interrupted by the sounds of blades clashing in the distance - ''Someone's fighting over there, maybe it's the ghost!''
''Either way... off we go!''
''They don't look like ghosts...'' - Phillia stated the obvious.
''Not yet anyway, but they definitely don't look like they've gotten this. Everyone on the same page here?''
''Agreed.''
''Koharu, your lead or mine?''
''I'll let you and Phillia take the lead in the fight, I'll cover them, got it?''
''FAB Ko.'' - Jet and Phillia launched into the horde, the knight covering the hunter, as their respective blades tore through the mummies, whilst Koharu ran over to the armoured person and the child.
''We'll help you! Can you protect the girl?''
''Thanks, I've got it! You take care of those guys!''
A brief fight later, and all of the horde were taken care of, allowing the trio to regroup...
''Is everyone okay back here?''
''Yeah, thanks to you three, we are. You kind of saved us, so thank you.'' - An uneasy silence came over the group, as all of them fidgeted around. - ''Umm, sorry to ask this of you, after... you know? But, can you take her somewhere safe please? I've got to meet up with my friends. I'm sure they'll worry if I'm really late.''
''You aren't friends?''
''We just met here. I never actually introduced myself, I'm Liten. How about you?''
''I'm Koharu, that's Jet and that's Phillia. We were... just passing through, and we heard clangs.''
''I've heard of you guys, you're pretty prominent players on the frontlines.''
''We're not that great, we're just doing what we can. But seriously, are we that well known?''
''Maybe not that much by common players, but I'm a member of ALS, so I get to hear about top players all of the time.'' - The armoured person turned to the young girl. - ''Umm, might I ask your name?''
''Mater. Nice to meet you too.''
''Mater, it'd be better if you join a party and work together from now on...if you're interested in joining a guild, the ALS and DKB are always recruiting, and both are good. Just, don't be reckless, okay?''
''We'll see her back to safety, don't you worry...''
''Thanks. I leave the rest to you. I'll make sure to thank you properly someday!''
''He was kind of blunt, but seemed like a good person.''
''He?'' - Jet asked, questioning whether his hearing was seriously defective.
''Mater, it's not safe here. Why don't you come back to town with us?''
''I'm okay. As long as I'm not surrounded, I'll be fine. I just messed up earlier.'' - Koharu took on the tone of a concerned parent, as she spoke to Mater.
''It's okay to mess up in a normal game, but SAO is a death game. Mater, you don't know what could have happened if Liten, or us didn't turn up. There may not be a next time.''
''Is that why you're trying to be my guardian? My life has nothing to do with other players. I'm used to being alone. Really. You can go on your own.''
''It doesn't mean we can't show concern, you know...''
''We couldn't let a child face danger alone, especially one we know.''
''I think I understand. You are telling me that you want to protect me, and make sure that I survive? So that you can feel good about yourselves?'' - Jet fought back the urge to tell the girl precisely what he thought about the devil spawn in front of him, but luckily for everyone else, his girlfriend seemed to be a lot more tactful about it than he was.
''I suppose that's true. We might want to feel good about ourselves, other than protecting you Mater. I don't want to feel regret for not helping someone I could have. Do you think you could indulge this selfish inclination of mine?'' - Well, that was certainly far less... aggressive than he'd have gone with. His speech probably had a lot more resisting the urge to strangle the kid in front of them, and coming up with polite ways to tell them to get lost if they were going to be like that...
''I understand how you feel, but I'm afraid I cannot go with you.''
''Why? Don't you trust us?''
''I know that you aren't bad people, but I have other things to do. It's a problem of my priorities. I am, however, grateful for everything you three have done for me, and for being concerned. Please take this.'' - Mater handed Koharu a small ring, a black stone thing that honestly looked awful, if Jet was entirely truthful.
''What's this?''
''A sign of my gratitude for saving me.''
''We can't take this, you're a player as well, right? Isn't this important to you?''
''I've determined that it's more valuable to hand it to you, rather than in my possession. I'm just leaving it where it belongs.''
''You certain on that?''
''Yes. Col and items have no use if you don't use them, and before any of you ask if I plan to use it, the answer is no, else I wouldn't have given it to you. I've already made up my mind. Alright, I will be going. Keep making correct choices, and we'll meet again...'' - The young girl disappeared right in front of the trio, causing no end of confusion whilst they worked out what had just happened...
''Ahh, that's how! There's a hidden passage in this wall.'' - Phillia poked her head into the passage, before pulling out and coughing from the dust, masking the faint sound of footsteps. - ''Far too small for any of us to pass through.''
''I guess she was confident in her skills because of that passage. But still, she was... quite, hmm, peculiar...''
''That's putting it nicely. She reminded me of a less tolerable version of my younger sister, only with even fewer social skills. Which is an achievement in un itself.'' - Jet rolled his eyes at that discovery.
''Is that a bad thing, if she reminded you of your sister?'' - Phillia asked, with no knowledge of the knight's family, other than the killer hug monster that she'd met earlier...
''It's not always a good thing to remind you of a sibling, Phillia.'' - Jet loved his sister, but he had to admit, her nature to take things absolutely literally had caused some major issues on occasions.
''She felt kind of, umm, I don't know how to put it? Different, I guess...''
''Something about her did feel off, I think you're right. Can't put my finger on it though...''
''She didn't seem like a bad person though, so I hope she gets back safely.''
''Agreed, and on that note, we should head back. See if the others had any luck.''
''Still, I reckon that tunnel was how the ghost escaped, it had to have been, right?''
''I think we've ruled out that Mater probably wasn't the ghost though. The ghost was supposedly an adult man, not a female child, after all...''
''One more piece of the puzzle I suppose... wonder if that ring's got anything to do with it, though. Kind of a strange thing to give someone, after all.''
{Author's Comments}
Normal service has resumed, after Christmas, and I am glad for it. It's time for Floor 5, and for the most dingy and dreary floor in SAO, and I mean that in the good way.
Considering that the first part of Floor 5 involves treasure hunting, I kind of felt it was a missed opportunity not to bring in Phillia. So I did. Honestly, it changed very little in the grand scheme of things, surprisingly.
As always, thanks for reading, and follow, favourite, PM or review if you enjoyed it, or even if you didn't, any comments are appreciated.