Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I am sure that all of you have noticed that the logout button has been removed from the main menu. I assure you that this is not a bug in the system.”

The light of a lone lantern shone on a slender silhouette. The trees of the park rustled in a nightly wind and several pale moths flittered towards some white flowers that only just had started to bloom, opening while the rising of the moon gained strength. It would have been a sight of captivating beauty. Instead he felt like how he’d imagined an insect to feel when gazing at needle-shaped teeth from within a Venus Flytrap. Caught. Trapped. And about to be slowly digested by his prison.

“There is no longer any method to revive someone within the game.”

Head in his hands, Himura Kenshin, now known by his in-game name Battousai, tried to convince himself this was all a horrible dream. As time continued to pass as if nothing had happened, despair feasted on that hope. And yet, it was the only explanation that made sense.

“There is only one means of escape: complete the game.”

It hadn’t sunk in yet. Even hours later, he couldn’t quite belief he was trapped along with ten thousand others. Well, less than ten thousand if Kayaba was accurate about the deaths.

Kenshin took a shuddering breath. He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. He wanted to break something, preferably the system keeping them trapped. If wishes were horses we could swamp all of Aincrad. Which, obviously, was not happening.

You’re panicking.

Why yes, he believed he was. Who wasn’t? He didn’t know fighting. He barely knew how to swing a blade. Holding a shinai and stepping a precise form for whacking someone on the head counted for nothing in a death game. And being a beginner he never really got around to sparring.

I won’t be turning up for kendo for a while…

And wasn’t that a cheerful thought? That had been expensive and a history student didn’t have much to spend to begin with. Not that he’d be spending anything anytime soon. Except maybe the virtual equivalent of money. Which reminded him he had to figure out how things worked here.

He rubbed his face in a vain attempt to dispel the weariness, as if it was some grime that could be rubbed off. He called forth his menu, glad he’d at least figured that one out during the so called ‘tutorial’. He regretted wasting time sightseeing but how on earth could he have known?

He sighed and looked at the transparent screen and the number it displayed. The sum seemed so small. Inadequate. But it would have to do. With some effort he heaved himself off the bench and wandered into a random street in search of a place to either sleep or continue thinking without chance of being disturbed.

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Kenshin blinked at a heavy wooden beam holding up a stone ceiling. Weird. Normally his sight was blurred by sleep when he woke up. Also weird was that he didn’t recognize the sight above him, nor was there an alarm playing an annoying tune next to his head. He slowly sat up and looked around.

The room was very plain, bordering on barren. Bare walls made of the same smooth grey stone as the ceiling and floor. A simple wooden bed with nondescript white bedding, and a wardrobe and nightstand in the same style. A small cracked mirror hung on the wall and a crudely woven rug was on the floor.

It took a long moment for his brain to wake up fully and recall how he ended up here.

His face fell, yesterday’s reality finally crashing in. Throwing off the blanket he got up and walked to the mirror. His own face stared back at him, the tiny imperfections from the real world erased from the virtual representation of his face. No sleepy eyes, no tangled hair, no imprints from the creases in his pillow. Idly he wondered it that also meant no need for brushing his teeth. He might have appreciated the lack of hassle if it wasn’t a reminder of the battle of life or death Kayaba had trapped them in.

Which reminded him he needed to learn how to fight as soon as possible. He’d had a plan for that when he bought the game, figuring he might as well see if one of his hobbies would count for something here. He’d even practiced a little bit, before Kayaba’s insane announcement, so he knew he could earn money and items by defeating – ‘killing’ didn’t feel right under the circumstances – monsters.

Trouble was, he barely knew anything else about the game, except that his sword would glow when getting in certain positions and somehow make his attacks more effective.

But he knew something about Sword Styles. And he had come here in the hope to revive one.

He had found it in a part of the library storage that hadn’t been touched in years. It had intrigued him. A style of legends. Written down by one of the few masters, Seijuurou Hiko; real name unknown, to preserve his style even when there were no wielders. Seijuurou Hiko, who was as legendary as his style thanks to assumed immortality. But the manuscript had explained that the name was more a title than the name of a single person. Every master of the Hiten Mitsurugi had called himself that. Hiten Mitsurugi, the Sword of the Heavens, the style whose techniques he had wished to reconstruct within the game. He still would, but now for far more dire reasons.

For without it, I might not survive.

A tremor of fear passed through his heart. He took a deep breath. Time to start practicing then.

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It was vexing how difficult it had been to find a blade that somewhat resembled a katana. In the end he had found a relatively straight scimitar which had cost quite a bit more that he’d initially been willing to pay. He consoled himself by reminding himself of the admittedly very favorable stats according to the free guide book he’d managed to pick up. The book was his greatest find and had explained everything he had wanted to know, and quite a bit he hadn’t but still found very useful.

Like the skill slots. It had taken him most of the day to decide which were the most important – fighting skills he’d ranked first and instruments last; honestly, who’d have time for music in a game of death? – and he’d decided on «One-handed Curved Blade» and «Acrobatics» as both were vital components of the Hiten Mitsurugi.

He even had found a good spot. Secluded, out of sight, and one weak mob spawning far away enough to stay out of the way until he was ready.

So now all that was left was putting his memory to the test.

Kenshin took a deep breath and brought the first form before his mind’s eye, the inked figures depicting the motions sharp and clear after hours of analyzing them and animating them in his head. How odd how his pointless fascination for Seijuurou Hiko’s manuscript might mean he got a chance at actually surviving this game. Hell, if he managed to master it he might even be able to aid the process of ending it!

Calm. Deep breath. That was the future, and a hopelessly optimistic future at best. He had to be in the here and now, so the kata would be flawless. It had to be flawless, if not for his life then only to pay homage to the Style.

Mind in the present, he moved.

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That, Kenshin thought, was too close.

How close, he didn’t want to know. Beneath him the tree swayed in the cool breeze, making him tighten his grip on the branch he sat on. He didn’t dare look at his health bar, but carefully took a potion from his inventory. He knew he was in the red.

He grimaced. It would be a while before he had his health back. He didn’t look down as he didn’t wish to be reminded of the pack of wolves beneath him, now that his weapon was gone. The sound of shattering usually evoked a feeling of victory, but this time it had been as if someone poured ice water down his back. How he’d been foolish enough not to keep an eye on the durability he couldn’t figure out, but it had been a good wake-up call.

Wish it’d called a little earlier.

Slowly he started to scroll through his inventory, dread like an icy stone in his stomach. He didn’t remember buying a spare blade, which, proven by the situation he had gotten himself in, was Stupid. With a capital S.

And deadly, if he couldn’t find something suitable among the many drops.

He hit the end of his list and felt like crying. Nothing. Damn it.

His only hope would be someone passing by and willing to help him out, but as this was a remote part of the forest the chance of that was close to nonexistent.

Maybe the wolves will go away on their own?

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Many hours later he had to conclude they didn’t. Oh, some had left, sure, but always a few remained to keep watch. They had smelled weakness and refused to let prey escape. And Kenshin knew they were faster. Slightly, but unfortunately enough to make a meal out of him.

Kenshin shivered. He’d been stuck here all day and evening was falling. His food was gone, he was miles away from safety and he was really starting to get tired. The only reason he wasn’t aching from cramp on top of that was because he was still inside a virtual reality.

And, despite the looming death, he was bored out of his skull. He had climbed around a bit to get a look of his surroundings, but staring at forest had gotten old quite fast. Birds had been more interesting, but they only made him feel a poisonous jealousy. The squirrels were better. They couldn’t fly away from their problems either.

And there went another one, hop, hop, hop, from branch to branch, sometimes making magnificent leaps. It was like watching acrobats.

Wish I could do that with «Acrobatics», Kenshin thought mournfully as one made a particularly spectacular jump from one tree to another. Wolves can’t climb.

It was like turning a kaleidoscope. One moment an unsolvable mess, the other the tiniest hint of hope.

Mobs kept to their assigned areas. And there was forest till the very edge of the great plain around Starting City. Mobs on the plains were slow to attack. And he could outrun most by now.

A few moments later the wolves stirred on their watch, as if smelling their prey was about to do something suicidal.

Attempting to gauge the distance from his tree to another, Kenshin tried to ignore them.

I’m insane. Crazy. Utterly nuts.

But what choice did he have?

Taking a deep breath he carefully got in position. Bend forward. If this goes wrong I’m dead.

He ran.

Step, step, step, jump!-

Like the squirrel, he used the thick branch as run-up, and then as springboard. Leaves rustled like a storm wind. Beneath him the wolves howled angrily.

It worked! A shock went through his legs as he landed on another thick branch. He almost slipped, but some panicked flailing with his arms restored his balance. Now keep up the momentum!

Heart in his throat, he looked for the next place to jump from. Running again, small jumps prelude to a bigger one. And leap!-

The wolves gave chase.

He gasped as his foot slipped on a treacherous piece of moss and grabbed a nearby branch. For a moment it seemed the chase was over, but then he managed to get his feet back under him. Stay steady…

All too often quick reflexes were all that kept him from plummeting to his death. But after a while he started to get the feel for when to watch his footing and when to look ahead to plan the next series of leaps. The pack didn’t like his lack of lethal clumsiness.

After a mile or so he could finally breathe a bit easier. He’d crossed to border of the wolves’ territory and now they were withdrawing. Having no mobs hot on his heels was heaven for his strained nerves.

Not that he would take the road now. He didn’t want to invite other mobs to have a try.

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Kenshin had never been so happy to see his ugly, plain room as that night. Near death experiences were a wonderful way to put things in perspective. Cold stone really wasn’t that terrible when you almost got eaten.

He’d have loved to just crash, but his nerves were still too jittery to sleep. At the same time he was almost drunk with relief. I got away. Nearly died but got away anyway. He had to remember to keep practicing his squirrel-escape-route. I’m alive!

First thing in the morning, he vowed, he’d go looking for two good swords. He’d never go anywhere without a spare again.

Idly he started scrolling through his menu. His inventory was almost full. He’d have to sell stuff as well.

Tap, tap, tap, huh, who knew there were so many options? See progress, sure, why not?

«Acrobatics» two levels up in last 24 hours. 23% till next level.

Kenshin stared. «Acrobatics»hadn’t leveled once in the two previous days. How on earth did this happen?

Squirrel-escape-route?

Well, it did make copious use of the skill, yes, but two levels up? With already 77% for the next fulfilled? No way.

I think I need to sleep on this, Kenshin thought wide eyed. If this was true he’d have another good reason to practice tree-jumping.

He curled up on his bed, mind racing with possibilities.

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Kenshin looked around, frowning. The whole city was full of players. So many refusing to leave the safety of Starting City’s borders. Kenshin shook his head. How on earth were they supposed to beat the game if no one dared to give it a try?

Some people passed him and Kenshin felt his heart get a little lighter. One player was wearing armor and a menacing looking bardiche, and his companion carried an elegant glaive. It was obvious these two had ventured into the surrounding area of the city.

Kenshin smiled. So I’m not the only one.

Not that he’d really believed that, but it was nice to have it confirmed.

He resumed his search for the market. He was sure it was around here somewhere. At the market he’d find some NPC’s to sell his drops to, and hopefully it would earn him enough for some good swords.

Turning a corner, he blinked. A whole host of people, players, as they all had the green cursor, were sitting on small mats by the side of the road, items stalled out in front of them. What on earth? Was that how you were supposed to sell stuff?

“You look surprised. First time in the market district?”

Kenshin turned to the speaker, and then looked up. A long way up. “Um…”

The tall, not to mention broad, man smiled at the look on his face. “Nice to meet you. My name is Agil.”

“Ken- I mean, Battousai. You know this place well?”

The big man nodded. “Yeah. I’m trying to encourage players to step out and train, but most don’t want to without improving their equipment. So I often come here to find bargains.”

Agil gave him an appraising look. “You look like you started grinding a while ago, but where’s your weapon? In your inventory?”

Kenshin grimaced. “No, it broke.”

Agil whistled. “Wow, you’re lucky to be alive then. Most don’t have time to re-equip in the midst of fighting.”

Kenshin shifted uncomfortably. “I didn’t have time either.”

“Then how?”

Kenshin muttered, embarrassed, “Hid in a tree.”

Agil burst out laughing. “Sorry, sorry. It’s not that it’s a bad idea,” he snickered. “It’s just…”

Kenshin sighed. “It sounds funny.”

“Very.” The dark man smiled.

“Do you know a good place where I can sell my drops?”

Agil nodded. “You’ll need a new weapon after that too, right?”

“Yes.”

“I trade quite often. Maybe I got something that you like. What kind of weapon do you use?”

“One-handed curved blade. You’re a merchant?”

“As a side job.” Agil was scrolling through his inventory. “I try to do my own part in clearing this game. Get most of my merchandize from that. And help people out when I can. Most are just scared and need a helping hand to get started.”

Kenshin nodded in understanding.

“Ah, got something here. Just a moment.”

Bemused, Kenshin watched as Agil unrolled a small carpet on which he placed several curved blades. He reached out a hand to pick one up, but found that he couldn’t lift it. “What is this thing?”

“It’s a Vendor’s Carpet. No object on it can be moved by anyone but the owner. Handy, no?”

Kenshin nodded, eyes gliding over the different weapons. There were four, three which fit his criteria on shape.

“What are the stats of those?”

Several long minutes of clumsy haggling on his part later, Kenshin had the blades he wanted and Agil had most of his drops. The African man was the one who got the bargain, but Kenshin didn’t really care much. The man needed it if he was helping others.

And these were really nice swords.

Time to visit those towns he was talking about.

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A dash, swiftness enhanced by «Sprint» till it bordered on unnatural, and the satisfying sound of shattering. Learning the Hiten Mitsurugi had become a lot easier when he’d been able to add a new Skill.

It wasn’t perfect. Hell, if Seijuurou Hiko had been alive to see him he’d probably be killed for butchering his style. But it worked, and with every battle he became a bit stronger. Already he was faster than any mob he’d met and even though he utterly failed at the more acrobatic kata – which he still lacked the speed for, not to mention situational awareness – the simple basic techniques seemed enough to confuse the creatures every time. And the fights often didn’t last long enough for them to adapt.

Which was good as he still didn’t want anyone to see him go flat on his face every time he botched a move. And that was way too often for his tastes. Which in turn meant he had to completely rely on his own skills to get out unscathed. But he managed.

Most of the time.

Let’s just say he learned to appreciate healing potions most thoroughly.

Wandering on he ran into several more mobs until the sounds of distant battle reached his ears, breaking him out of his routine. Curious Kenshin went to investigate.

In the nearby clearing danced a figure in dark blue and black, wielding a one-handed sword against a group of wolves with admirable efficiency. Kenshin continued to watch the other’s style, which consisted of fast chains of Sword Skills and jumping in and out of reach of the beasts. Kenshin wasn’t an expert, but he could see the other rarely bothered finding the most favorable position to strike from. Anathema in Seijuurou Hiko’s opinion. He surmised the other had no highly detailed manuscript written by a very demanding Sword Master as guide. He couldn’t entirely suppress the tiny spark of jealousy.

Soon the battle drew to a close, the dark-clad solo-player coming out victorious. As the last opponent shattered into polygons the player finally noticed the spectator in the trees. Kenshin guessed he had his hair color to blame.

“Who are you?” he asked when he realized Kenshin wasn’t going to speak first.

Jumping from the branches Kenshin bowed in traditional greeting, amused when the other blinked in surprise before hurryingly mirroring his gesture. He knew most no longer bothered to remember the mundane formalities, but as a history student he liked reminding people from time to time. And the reactions could be quite entertaining. Entertainment was rare these days.

“My name is Battousai,” Kenshin answered, mindful to introduce himself by his in-game name.

“Kirito,” the other responded, looking slightly surprised when he realized Kenshin was alone. Kenshin felt the same. Up close it was clear Kirito was young, barely old enough to be allowed to play even when dying hadn’t been lethal.

“So,” Kirito began awkwardly, “Why were you watching?”

Kenshin shrugged, feeling slightly awkward himself. “I heard fighting and got curious. You use Sword Skills well.”

“Thanks…” the other raised a brow. Kenshin didn’t respond, self-conscious. He wasn’t about to tell a complete stranger he liked traveling by tree because it simultaneously trained his «Acrobatics» and his situational awareness. Kirito nodded, acknowledging his wish to remain silent.

They took the re-spawning of the wolves as a good excuse to break the increasingly uncomfortable silence. They didn’t speak as they fought, but afterwards some tension had been expelled with the quiet teamwork. Enough for another attempt at conversation.

“Lunch?” Kirito suggested. Kenshin smiled and agreed.

Deciding the trees offered the safest resting places they climbed onto a thick branch and amiably sat together as they ate their bread. Kirito had some very nice cream to put on the bread and Kenshin in return contributed some apples he’d found that morning. It was quite relaxing.

“So why did you become a solo player?” Kenshin asked, curious.

Kirito looked uncomfortable. “In the Beta I played solo all the time. I don’t really know how to work with a group. And with the chance of death…” the teen trailed off , wary eyes daring Kenshin to comment. The redhead just shrugged. The Beta testers had written and regularly updated the guide book, and there was only so much a small group of players could do for the whole. He knew enough history not to hold it against them. He told Kirito so.

A relieved smile took some of the seriousness out of his face as shoulders lost some of the tension. Kenshin couldn’t blame the teen for being worried. He heard some of the less flattering comments regarding the Beta testers. If things got much worse the whole situation could get out of hand dangerously fast.

“You know,” he added, “I won’t tell anyone if you don’t want me to, alright?”

“Thanks.” Kirito nodded, losing a bit more tension. “Why did you go solo? You aren’t a Beta tester, now are you?”

“I’m trying to reconstruct a Sword Style. And don’t really enjoy people watching me practice. I fail a lot.” Kenshin answered, feeling a bit embarrassed. It sounded a bit silly when said out loud. Kirito hummed in understanding.

Not long after they parted to continue their leveling in solitude. But not before Kenshin got Kirito to accept the friend invitation. Kenshin felt a bit better after the young teen promised to send a message when he needed someone to talk to. Not that he was that much younger but it just didn’t feel right to leave the boy without offering anything. At least this way he could keep tabs on the other solo player.

Idly he wondered whether he should go to the First Floor Boss Strategy conference. But no, his version of the Hiten Mitsurugi wasn’t good enough for a Boss battle yet. He’d only get in the way.

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“That blasted Beater! I still can’t believe the gall of that guy!”

Kenshin sighed inaudibly. The discussion behind him had been going on for ages. Well, discussion wasn’t the right word. Pity-party for five? Verbal anger venting? Anyway, it had become old ten minutes in. And they were well past the twenty minutes point now. He understood things hadn’t been ideal during the First Floor Boss raid, but to keep stressing it…

“Who is this Beater?”

Apparently not everyone shared his opinion.

“Don’t know his name, but it’s a kid. He wore black pants and a blue shirt, but now got a black coat to go along with it, a Last Attack bonus. Real short. Wields a one-handed sword without shield. And you wouldn’t believe his arrogance. Just after Diabel died too!”

Sword, black and blue, short… Kirito?

No, probably not. Kirito hadn’t been comfortable admitting he had been in the Beta, even when he suspected Kenshin had been too. So why would he in front of a whole raid party? It was unlikely.

Kenshin shook his head and paid his meal. Time to return to practice.

Chapter Text

 

“-and now people are forming guilds. There is some safety in numbers, I suppose, but I'm not sure whether I’ll join one or not. There are certain advantages to know you got comrades to fall back on, especially with the recent appearances of highwaymen on the first and second Floor. But to be honest, I don’t think I’ll be able to trust a stranger with my back anytime soon, after overhearing some people talking about being betrayed by a temporary party member. Fear is keeping people separate. I am sure that if we knew we could trust one another things would be a lot easier, but alas, human nature isn't that reliable-“

Kenshin bit his apple, continuing typing with one hand. Writing things down helped put them into perspective, and the history of the conquering of Aincrad might be important when they returned to the real world. It wasn’t as if he had something better to do during breaks.

The sound of wind chimes interrupted his process as his alarm went off. He quickly ate the last bites. Lunchtime was over and it was time to continue exploring the 4^th Floor.

He dusted himself off and jumped of the stone pillar that had been his resting place, a dazzling four-hundred-and-ten feet above the ground. Kenshin was very glad he had started practicing with big trees and had climbed the colossal sequoias of the third Floor, otherwise he would have never dared to jump over the deep gaps between the pinnacles. Lightly he landed on one of the lower ones, descending with their declining height. Looking from this high over the Floor it looked as if a termite colony of monstrous proportions had been building tall nests between the already existing stone columns, which reminded him of a visit to Bryce Canyon when he was ten. Huge rock spires pointed aggressively to the ceiling that was the next Floor, the valleys filled with grass, low shrubs and from time to time a tree, forming bright green splashes in a landscape of dusty yellow ocre.

At this hight he had uninterrupted view of the panorama beneath him. It was hard to believe that this world had been created by one man. It became even more unbelievable when he considered the many, many Floors yet to come, just as detailed and just as vast as this one. It was mind boggling.

A shadow glided over the ground below and the loud cry of an eagle echoed through the valley. Kenshin drew his sword just as the over-sized bird of prey swooped down, claws as long as his upper arm out to throw him on the rocks below. It almost succeeded, making him stumble on the edge, the three feet wide pinnacle not even close to offering enough room for footwork. He leaped away before he could lose his balance completely, diving deeper into the forest of stone, forcing the bird to slow down or slam against unforgiving rock.

The mob turned out more agile than he expected, giving chase with far too much ease for his liking. He yelped as a swipe from one of the claws forced him to make a near-somersault to escape the brunt of the damage. Still, he could feel artificial ivory draw two red gashes across his hip, an uncomfortable burning feeling radiating from the red stripes until the System let them fade away. His feet hit the next column, allowing him to change directions and vault over the beast's back, sword out to carve deep into digital flesh and Hp.

Vindictive joy coursed through him as the eagle screamed its displeasure to the sky.

Take that!

The feeling quickly fled as the bird's wicked beak snapped shut mere inches from his nose.

Damn-

More stone beneath his feet, allowing him another jump. He was at a huge disadvantage, forced to fight on his opponent's own terrain. The only thing that hindered the bird was it's size, the deep brown wings a bit too wide for the narrow gaps between the pillars, brushing against stone with the sound of fluttering paper. It made pinpointing it's position a little easier and kept it from reaching full speed.

The creature screeched as he twisted in the air, his blade biting into talons that were way too close to his back. It fell back a bit, gaining altitude for another assault and giving him a short moment of reprieve.

Kenshin's eyes flew over his surroundings, searching for the best place to start his offense from. A wider plateau formed by several columns not yet fully separated by wear and wind offered the best foothold. He hurried to reach it as a loud cry heralded the next attack.

He had to dodge several swipes, earning multiple wounds when he couldn't completely avoid them in midair. His HP dropped to yellow, eliciting a few choice swearwords. Then Kenshin felt the plateau beneath him, offering the room he needed to step around the blow as the beast came crashing down upon him. Standing just behind it's left wing he was in the perfect position to finally return fire, allowing him to decorate the dark feathers with several glowing gashes before the eagle fled over the edge into the air.

Kenshin smiled with grim excitement.

If you wish to strike, dodge.

Another dive, this time both beak and claws aiming for him. Stepping forward and a bit to the left he slipped between both, ending up next to the neck. His sword rose, his body turning towards to beast to give it more speed, and the resulting downward swipe drew a distinctive collar around the feathered neck. A Critical Hit.

The eagle let out a choked scream, it's health sinking deep into the red zone.

Kenshin turned his blade and followed up with an upward swipe, adding a second collar to the first. The beast shattered.

With a relieved sigh he sheathed his sword. A quick look around, however, had his shoulders slumping in defeat. Three more were coming.

… That's not fair.

He yelped as he narrowly dodged two sets of claws and hastily drew his sword.

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A new floor, a new city to explore. Kenshin smiled as he wandered the streets of Myrena, the biggest city on the 17^th Floor. Also the place were the newest teleport gate was located. The whole city was bursting with players. The atmosphere was pleasant, laced with excitement and optimism, as it always was when the clearers had gotten another step closer to ending the game.

A familiar face had him turn his head. Was that?-

It was. “Mr Arai! How are you?”

The older man turned. “What? Oh, it's you. Don't tell me you need an upgrade, I'm on vacation.”

Kenshin smiled at the gruff tone. Arai was one of the best blacksmiths in Aincrad, but not what you'd call sociable. He was fair though, and very good at getting the necessary materials for whatever weapon you wanted. He was the man Kenshin went to for his business.

“That's alright, Mr Arai. Your last work is still performing well. How is your son nowadays?”

Kenshin had never met Arai's son, but knew the guy was responsible for him being in the game. A father-and-son bonding activity gone horribly wrong. The son, Seiku, was one of the clearers. Kenshin suspected it was in part because of guilt.

Arai grunted. “Idiot is still putting himself in danger, but he hasn't died yet. Had to kick him into a reliable guild to make sure he'd have backup when he finally jumps into a snake-pit he can't get out of on his own.”

Kenshin raised a brow, just a tiny bit worried. “May I ask which guild?”

Arai gave him a look and snorted. “Merchant's Guild. Might as well give me a hand while he risks his neck.”

Kenshin nodded. That was a good choice. The Merchant's Guild was well known and well watched. People would notice immediately if something was off.

“Well, I don't know about you but I still got things to do before nightfall.”

Kenshin gave a slight bow at the rude dismissal, unperturbed. It was just Arai being his usual self. “Have a good day.”

Arai just gave a short wave as he disappeared into the crowd.

Deciding he didn't feel like being jostled around Kenshin discreetly slipped into an alley stacked with crates and other stuff. From there on it was easy to reach the roofs. A cool breeze tugged at his long hair as it danced over wooden rooftops, bringing with it the scent of moist forests and dew. From up here he could catch glimpses of the big river that divided this Floor in half, along with some of the many tall waterfalls, the water glistering like silver as it poured from pale grey cliffs, feeding the countless ferns and mosses growing in every nook and cranny the Floor had to offer.

It was beautiful. Why Kayaba insisted on souring that beauty with imminent death he couldn't understand. Few would pay attention to it now. What a waste.

Jumping from house to house Kenshin entered a more domestic neighborhood. At the center was an elegant little church with a small cemetery, surrounded with nicely kept hedges and a few trees. It looked very peaceful. Maybe he'd try to get a room here. There had to be a NPC offering one somewhere, it was exactly the kind of neighborhood that was meant to provide lodgings. Another leap carried him into the foliage, which rustled as he stepped onto crisscrossing branches. Then something fluffy hit him in the face.

Kenshin yelped and almost fell, grabbing hold of the thin branch above him to steady himself. Violet eyes met bright blue ones. He blinked.

A cat. A cat whose tail had hit him as it clawed at the branch it was clinging to. The poor creature was on the verge of falling and mewled pitifully. Hastily Kenshin grabbed the slender animal, carefully freeing its claws from the wood.

“Now how did you get up here?” Kenshin asked the cat as it clung tightly to his clothes. Gently he petted the animal's soft storm grey fur. Naturally, he didn't get an answer.

Climbing through the dense web of branches wasn't very easy with both his hands occupied, but by now his balance was more than up for the job. Having not a single worry about height helped as well. «Areas» were wonderful that way. Soon enough his feet touched grass-covered ground.

Then he discovered the cat refused to let him go. Kenshin sighed. Just his luck. Maybe he had to take it somewhere? Probably worth a try. Petting the cat he picked a street started wandering. He had to find a room anyway.

In one of the streets he found a small grocery shop and took the opportunity to restock his supplies. It even had a small bakery area that sold pastries. They weren't cheap but he felt like indulging himself. There weren't many sweet dishes in Aincrad, though the number increased with almost every new Floor, as if Kayaba was rewarding their hard work. A thought that infuriated many and one that Kenshin preferred to ignore.

And the cat was still holding on to him. He didn't really mind. The purring was quite pleasant to listen to. He crossed a small bridge that had a crystal clear stream gurgling underneath it. Ah, three ways to go, now which to choose?

“MayBell!” Startled, Kenshin turned towards the source of the shout. An old lady was shakily hobbling his direction, traces of tears on her wrinkled face. Probably an NPC. The cat in his arms meowed and wriggled out of his grip.

Smiling, the woman dropped her walking stick and sunk to her knees to embrace her pet.

“Oh, thank you, young man! Thank you for bringing back little MayBell,” the woman said, holding a happy MayBell to her chest. Huh, so this was the NPC that was connected to the cat.

Kenshin nodded courteously as he helped her up. “It was no problem, madam.”

“Dear me, are you one of those travelers? The ones that recently graced our city with a visit?” the NPC asked, leaning on his arm.

“I am indeed.”

“Really now? That must be exciting. Do you already have lodgings, perhaps?”

Kenshin shook his head, having a good idea where this was going. Not that he was going to protest. On the contrary. “Not yet, madam.”

“Well then,” the old lady smiled, “I must insist you come with me. My children have long since moved out, but the rooms are still there. For bringing back my dear MayBell, you can use one of them for as long as you wish.”

Kenshin raised an eyebrow, surprised by the generousness of that offer. Was there a catch? “But madam, that is way too much payment. It was no trouble.”

“Nonsense! My house is too big for just MayBell and me. The room is yours.”

“Alright, madam, if you truly insist. Though... please excuse me my rudeness, but I can't help but sense an ulterior motive.”

The lady laughed. “Ah, right you are, young man, right you are. You have to forgive an old woman for grabbing her chance to get herself a bit more company. It is nice to have someone to talk to during dinner.”

Kenshin laughed too, finding that price quite acceptable. Not for the first time marveling how lifelike Kayaba had made his NPCs. The responses sounded natural even when he knew they were programmed.

Letting the woman lean on him he let her guide him to her home. It was a small half-timbered house, with white painted wattle and daub between a sturdy dark wooden frame, like most buildings in the city.

“Come in, dear, come in. Lets see, do we still have something to eat? The rooms are upstairs dear. Why don't you take a look? MayBell, go with him otherwise he might get lost.” She clapped her hands. “Oh, my. How rude of me. I haven't even given you my name!” She gave an embarrassed laugh. “Forgive me, it's the age. My name is Majalis. You can call me Mary if you want.” The «NPC» beneath her health bar was joined by «Old Lady Majalis».

Kenshin smiled at the old lady's cheerful chatter. “Pleasure meeting you, Mrs Majalis. My name is Battousai.”

“Battousai. Oh dear, I hope I'll remember that. Now shoo, and let an old woman cook. Just follow MayBell, she knows the way.” Kenshin could hear her continue babbling to herself as she disappeared into the kitchen. A warm body pressed against his knee as MayBell looked up at him and mewed as if asking, what are you waiting for?

Kenshin shook his head in amusement and followed the grey cat up a narrow staircase. The rooms turned out to be small but cozy, each having a single bed with white blankets and cheerfully colored patchwork quilts on top. All items showed signs of wear, befitting the image of having belonged to an old lady's children. Each of the two bedrooms had a window that either looked out on the street or on the small garden behind the house. Kenshin choose the streets as he was seeing enough green outside the city walls. He smiled. For something he got just for bringing back a cat this was a great reward.

He wondered who the other room was for. It was probably up for rent, or another quest reward. Not that he would call finding MayBell a quest. Maybe, if he hadn't stumbled across the objective, he would have had to search the whole city to get the reward? Hmm, quite likely, now he thought about it. It made sense.

With a mew and a flick of her tail MayBell curled up on his bed, allowing him to explore the house on his own. On the same floor was a small bathroom and a narrow closet containing spare blankets. Another staircase let to the master bedroom and a room that looked like a cross between a sitting room and a study, containing many books, knickknacks and keepsakes. Downstairs was the same. It was what you'd expect from the home of an old grandmother, which was exactly what Mrs Majalis looked like.

“Dinner is ready,” called Mrs Majalis cheerfully, clearly happy with the additional company. Like a mother remembering having her children at the same table.

Dinner consisted of a thick, meaty stew and dark bread, a dish he hadn't encountered on previous Floors. It was one of the tastiest ones yet. During dinner Mrs Majalis kept acting like the loving grandmother, smiling and laughing, telling tales of her children's younger days.

And it was such a convincing illusion. Kayaba's dream of having created another reality seemed to have come true. Kenshin sighed dejectedly. Even if she was just a bunch of data, he couldn't help but feel affection for the absentminded old lady. With NPCs like her it wasn't difficult to imagine why some people tried to live life as if they weren't the victims of a madman's plot. As long as you didn't look to closely, it was easy.

A soft furry head nuzzled his hand. Kenshin couldn't keep the soft smile from his face when MayBell purred as he scratched her behind her ear in return.

He wouldn't take the easy way out though. For the freedom of all players, Aincrad needed to be defeated. Tomorrow he'd continue working on that.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Step, leap, tree trunk, tree branch, twist into the perfect position, and slash!

The familiar sound of breaking glass was loud as three mobs shattered as one. Kenshin sighed and sheathed his katana. He had been quite surprised when an Extra Skill had appeared, but «Katana» had proven its worth already.The Japanese swords had very favorable stats towards speed and agility which helped a lot with achieving the next stage of the Hiten Mitsurugi. He could now pour a lot more exp into his Agility stat as the katana’s razor edge didn’t need a lot of strength to deal significant damage.

As a result the jumping was finally going right. High time too, as his «Acrobatics» was almost at its halfway point. The biggest problem now was the battoujutsu. The System just wouldn’t allow it the way Hiko described. He sighed. He still had a lot to figure out.

With a casual leap he once more resumed his wandering. Traveling through treetops was almost as easy as walking nowadays. The foliage rustled gently as he moved through and the wind played with the loose fabric of his clothes. He had tried some of the lightest armor for a little while, but it cut way too much into his maneuverability. By now his dodging was as good as armor anyway.

So now he was wearing off white hakama over a short dark blue kosode, which allowed him an amount of movement that was just wonderful. And as a bonus it fitted Hiko's time period rather well. As a history student he couldn’t help but appreciate historical correctness.

Tree, tree, sand trail- Ah, a party. Small one. It was surprising how often you ran into people, considering the size of Aincrad was and how few ventured into unchartered territory. He often found it best to avoid them, unless they needed help. As these guys were just walking it was safe to assume they didn’t. He turned from the road, intending to see about some clearings further into the forest.

“Whoa! Hey, Wait!”

Startled, Kenshin stopped. Huh. It wasn’t often that people spotted him. They just weren’t used to looking up.

“Wow, that’s quite amazing,” the shortest of the three said. Kenshin looked down upon a girl with whiskered cheeks and mischievous eyes. “Are you a solo?”

Kenshin shrugged and sat down on his branch. “Indeed I am. Who’s asking?”

The girl grinned. “I’m Argo, they call me the Rat. And these are my temporary bodyguards Mario and Luigi.” The boys waved a bit embarrassed. Kenshin blinked upon noticing their red and green caps. And had to suppress a laugh, out of courtesy only allowing a small smile to curl his lips. Obviously Super Mario-inspired. But he guessed there were worse things to imitate.

The girl’s name, however, caught his interest. “Argo the Rat? The information broker?” He had heard of her of course. She was famous – or infamous, depending how you looked at it – but he’d never needed her services so never bothered to seek her out. And now she was standing before him. Such a small world, Kenshin thought, not without a hint of sarcasm. 22 Floors really didn't add up to that much.

At her nod he raised an eyebrow. “So what is a broker doing out here?” he asked, honestly curious.

“Hey, sometimes you want a piece of your own information, you know?” she replied with a grin. Kenshin nodded in understanding. “You’re gonna introduce yourself too, or what?”

He smiled and leaped down. With a formal bow he said, “My name is Battousai. It’s a pleasure meeting you.”

“Oh, fancy,” she bowed back, slightly ridiculing the formality with friendly teasing. “So what are you doing out here?”

Kenshin shrugged. “Just leveling.”

“And the trees?” one of the bodyguards asked. Mario, if he remembered correctly.

“Same, only for another skill.” Kenshin replied, slightly embarrassed. At least he wasn’t clumsy anymore.

“Oh! Now that’s a good idea.” Argo grinned. “I give you two-hundred Col if I’m allowed to sell it.”

Kenshin blinked. “Er… Okay?” A message popped up in his face. You received 200 Col, From Argo. Accept?

He hesitated at the suddenness, before pressing Yes.

“Cool!” Kenshin watched bemused as Argo’s pleased exclamation was followed by rapid typing. She sure was fast. It left him wondering if he’d done something wrong with the trade. Was it too cheap? Though it was not as if he needed the money…

He looked at the guards. “Is that normal?”

“Hey!-“

Luigi shrugged. “Beat me. We’re only along for this trip.”

Argo pouted. “I’ve got a few contacts who pay me for every scrap of leveling advice I can find. I promised to message them as soon as I got something new.”

Luigi frowned at her. “You do realize you’re saying that in front of the guy you just ripped off, right?”

Argo looked genuinely insulted. “I didn’t rip him off! If I did he’d never sell me info again. It’s just that the advice ‘traveling through trees helps train certain skills’ isn’t worth much. You’re only leveling a secondary skill after all.”

“… Secondary skill?” Kenshin asked.

“What, it isn’t? For most it is.” Argo looked very interested. “Which skill are we talking about, by the way?”

“Acrobatics.”

“Oh, that makes sense. Most people don’t choose that skill though. Focus more on Battle Healing and things like Parry and Sprint.”

Kenshin nodded. He had considered choosing one of the healing skills too, but he was getting so good at dodging he rarely needed it. The bits of damage he did get were easily solved with healing crystals or potions. “I’ve got Sprint too.”

“Yeah, it is considered one of the most useful non- aggressive fighting skills. But why did you choose Acrobatics?”

“I had an idea.” Kenshin said evasively, not very eager to explain his reason to someone who lived from spreading information. “It works well enough.”

“Something that involves jumping through trees?”

Kenshin nodded awkwardly, aware that Argo caught his evasion. “You can’t hurt what you can’t hit.”

Argo laughed. “Too true! I’d kind of like to see it.” She tapped something in front of her. Default setting it may be, but it was always an odd sight when you couldn't see the screen people were manipulating. “Ah, look at the time!” Argo yelped. “Hate to break up this chat, but we really need to get moving if we want to complete this quest.”

Again a message popped up in Kenshin’s face. It was a friendship invitation.

“Just accept and I can message you. Or you can message me if you need to know something.”

Kenshin nodded and pressed Yes. It wasn’t a bad idea to add a reliable information broker to his contacts.

He smiled and waved as she rushed off, almost literally dragging her bodyguards with her. “Good luck on your quest!” he called to their backs. He received a wave and a distant “Thanks! You too!” Odd girl, but he kind of liked her. Though her nickname hinted at a part of her personality he didn't know yet.

Oh well. Time to check out the clearings.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Kenshin decided he loathed traps. After a falling stone had blocked the tunnel he had just come through he had been forced to wander until he found another way out. This was his second day in the «Padparadscha Caverns», and the only reason he was sort of coherent was because he'd found a safe zone somewhere past midnight. After spending hour upon hour on high alert sleep was an absolute necessity.

And all because of a quest. Really, Kayaba made absolutely no effort to endear himself to the players. Granted, the quest promised a 'marvelous reward' as the NPC put it, but he didn't think it was worth being trapped for. Especially not in the caverns that supposedly lead to the Field Boss. Why had he accepted again?

He sighed and rubbed his eyes.

As soon as he realized it would take a while for him to find his way back, he had sent a message to Argo and Kirito. Unfortunately, as he was in an unmapped area of the Caverns neither could help him. He hadn't really expected it anyway. Argo had sold him some sincere advise regarding survival in the caves though, and it had already proven useful. Who knew this area had certain signs to indicate a nearby safe zone? Apparently, traps like the one he ran into weren't rare. Kirito had been caught in one too, but had found his way back after two hours. Kenshin wished he had been that lucky.

Carefully he inched around another corner. The mobs in this area really liked ambushes and Kenshin's reflexes might be good, but being careful was mandatory in Aincrad if you wanted to survive.

He blinked at the incredible sight that greeted him. This particular cavern was so big you could drop a cathedral in it and still have room to spare. It was a good thing the stone of this area spread its own light, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to see the ceiling. Even if the lack of real shadows did weird things to his depth perception. Huge stalagmites rose from the floor, mirrored by equally huge stalactites hanging from the ceiling. In some places they met, creating pillars ranging from as thin as his wrist to as wide as two cars. And never mind this was completely the wrong kind of stone to create these formations, it was an impressive sight.

Ever cautious, he wandered inside.

Apparently, not cautious enough.

Fire roared from above, turning the tunnel he just stepped out of into an oven. Heat struck his back and without thinking Kenshin dove for cover as something massive entered in streams of howling wind. A quick but focused look behind him showed a timer above the entrance, counting down two minutes. He guessed that was the time before he could leave through there again.

A loud growl echoed through the cavern, snapping his attention back to the monster that just dropped in through a hole in the ceiling. He had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from swearing. A dragon. Big one too. It was a cross between a Western dragon and a Chinese dragon, with a long sinuous body the color of red hot metal and golden whiskers. Its wings were folded tightly against its sides and Kenshin wondered if they would be used in the upcoming battle.

«The Guardian Luwantaloc» was it's name and it wasn't happy. “Who dares disturb me?!”

So this is the goal of the quest, Kenshin mused, surprised at the Flag Mob's ability to speak. If the NPC was right then this creature would be guarding three treasures, and every time it was defeated you were allowed to choose one as a reward.

Then he saw the health bar, and swore loudly and thoroughly in the privacy of his own mind.

Oh help... This had been a really, really bad idea.

What did Hiko say about this kind of thing again? If your opponent's range is bigger than yours, get in close? Kenshin eyed The Guardian's legs. Those claws looked nasty. And its body could easily crush him. And the wings would probably pack a punch as well. Right. Proved that Hiko's manuscript was indeed from the real world. It didn't have instructions on how to slay a dragon. He sighed. Aincrad just wasn't Meiji Japan. Open door it might be, but it was surprising how often you ran into the door jambs.

Time to improvise.

He took a deep breath and drew his sword.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

“You blasted human! For now you win, but I will have my revenge! As long as I live you'll never find the Chrysocolla Caves!” With that odd statement «The Guardian Luwantaloc» fled into the shaft it had come from. Kenshin blinked, exhausted by the fight. That hadn't been what he'd expected when the dragon's HP was about to hit zero. Oh, well...

It was a thoroughly singed player that finally trudged up the stone steps at the end of the cavern to sit down with a weary sigh. I'm alive...

He hadn't been that scared since the incident with the wolves. Hell, he'd probably been more scared than the incident with the wolves. Luwantaloc was a Flag Mob meant for multiple teams, not for solos. It was only thanks to his skill at dodging and the aerial acrobatics of the Hiten Mitsurugi that he could still curse the Kayaba for not telling him that before he almost went up in flames. And the dragon wasn't even dead yet. What it was talking about he didn't know, but he knew he'd better return to the safe zone soon.

Those treasures better be good.

Taking the final steps he found three alcoves forming a crude semicircle. Each held one pedestal with one of the treasures on it. A black egg as big as his head. A big transparent crystal, its color a deeper version of the stone the cavern was made of. A small hoop meant to tie hair with, made of an almost glass-like substance.

Tapping the items gave him the descriptions. His jaw dropped. Okay, maybe these treasures were worth it.

The egg, «Egg of the Healing Wind», would give birth to a creature that blew healing air if a player with the right skills carried it around for a certain time. Unfortunately only interesting for Beast Tamers. Kenshin wouldn't have minded a companion, especially if it could heal. It would have saved him a lot of potions and crystals.

The crystal, «Pure Padparadscha Sapphire», was an ingot that was incredibly hard and durable. Only a skilled smith could forge it, but the resulting tool or equipment would have a mindbogglingly high durability. It was a pity it would also require an average to high Strength stat, and while Kenshin's wasn't bad he had poured way to much exp into his Agility. Still, with a couple of levels he'd be able to meet the requirement. Worth to keep in mind at least.

It was the third treasure that caught his eye. Seemingly insignificant compared to the other two, «Padparadscha Hair Cuff» would decrease the «Post-motion» period to two thirds of the original time. Plus the «Cooling» period of the Sword Skills was reduced as well. All it required was for the wearer to have hair long enough to use a tie on. Thoughtfully he tugged on his red ponytail. And grinned.

Well, Kenshin had to give Kayaba credits for creating worthy rewards for nearly any kind of player. The egg was wonderful for someone who was already a Beast Tamer or had some Skill Slots to spare, the ingot for the more strength-based players, and the cuff favored fast fighters.

Carefully he picked up the small hoop and replaced it with the plain leather strap that had held his hair together till now. The cool weight against his nape was reassuring. The other alcoves had become shadowed, and an experimental touch revealed a glass-like barrier had formed to protect the other treasures till The Guardian's next defeat. The alcove of the hair cuff had become almost black.

Time to get out of here.

It took about an hour for him to return to the safe zone. He wasn't entirely comfortable sleeping there but after the battle with Luwantaloc he really needed rest. He just hoped no other players would pass by.

Slowly he started to type a message to Argo and Kirito. 'I'm alive. Have finished The Guardian quest. Don't do it without multiple teams, I almost died. The Guardian said something weird though-'

A couple of minutes later he received a message back from Argo. Congratulations on not dying. I think you just found the Field Boss. How much do you want for the map data?

“Oh,” Kenshin said faintly. “Great.” He put his head in his hands and just breathed for a while, reminding himself, yes, he had survived, no matter how close it had been and that he would have never willingly faced Luwnataloc alone had he known. He could understand why some clearers retired from the frontlines after a particularly close brush with death. He sighed. He was alive and giving up now would be nothing but cowardice. The right precautions would make this the first and final time he made such a mistake. He nodded to himself. He would make sure of that.

He started typing again. He'd better start high, she was good at haggling. 'As I almost got killed for it I say 80% of the total sum it earns you is fair. You get the easy part after all-'

 

Chapter Text

Kenshin huffed. In real life his lungs would have been on fire by now, but the System translated the out-of-breath sensation to a slight burning ache in the chest and a compulsion to breathe hard. If you had the strength of will to ignore them they were barely a hindrance. Which he was very grateful for. He would have lost many of his battles otherwise.

It had been almost a week since his near fatal encounter with The Guardian and still he had difficulty shortening the interruptions between his moves. The System had very thoroughly ingrained the «Post-motion» period and the «Cooling» period in his fighting style, and the habitual pauses were very persistent. He couldn't allow even a trace of them to remain if he wanted to reap the full benefits from his victory over the Field Boss. Slowly he blew out his breath.

Again.

The moment his foot crossed an imaginary line a monster shot forward, a sleek, otter-like creature with a long snout, gangling legs and the dangerous preference to hunt in big packs. This pack had counted over twenty animals, lunging from the bushes with almost frog-like leaps. To fight them you had to be fast and in the possession of quick reflexes. If he didn't manage to cut down on his reaction time he'd be in serious trouble.

Gritting his teeth, Kenshin forced himself to push past the urge to freeze for longer than necessary. Overriding reflexes that told him he shouldn't be able to move yet demanded a never wavering concentration, like trying to get a stone out of your sandal in the midst of running. And in this situation landing flat on his face was the least of his worries.

Repeating attacks faster than he should have been able to, his sword drew a web of silver in the air, spilling bloody polygons like strewing dry rice. One of the beasts came in low, snagging his ankle. He faltered, fighting to stay upright as two others moved in from his left and right, fangs and claws aiming for his back. One he dodged and the other he hit in the chest by lowering his stance and ramming the hilt of his blade in the narrow ribcage. The creature yelped as the blow threw it back were it came from.

Twisting his blade he tore through the spine of the one mangling his leg, shattering it in glassy rainbows. Whirling around, arm straight in an theatrically wide swish of his blade, the pale blue glow of his Sword Skill tracing a graceful arch through three of the creatures that had all leaped at the same time. He allowed himself a short moment of pride. Three in one wasn't something he managed often.

Then the world blurred again in lightning reflexes and flickering steel.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Kenshin looked around the plaza. It was mostly deserted this early in the morning. Normally he'd be on his way to the frontier now, but this time he was waiting and had been for the last ten minutes or so.

"Hey, Battousai!"

Ah, there she is. He'd been getting worried. "Greetings, Miss Argo." 

The girl paused, a slightly surprised look on her face. Kenshin raised a brow. "Wow, now that's a first," she muttered. 

"What is, Miss Argo?" 

"Someone being polite enough to call me 'Miss'. Most of the time it's just 'Argo', or 'Rat', or 'Hey, you!'," she said with some incredulousness. "No one says Miss. Not in-game." 

Kenshin just shrugged, not showing a hint of the amusement he felt at her reaction. “Politeness requires just a minor effort, so I have no reason not to be. Now, I believe you called me here to aid you in a quest. ” 

Snapping back to attention, Argo nodded. “Right. All the drops you get are yours, with the exception of our goal. I shall pay all the healing stuff you need, unless you're being deliberately reckless. You get 5% of the profit and some good info on useful quests, or 20% if you really can't find anything to your interest. Do we have a deal?” 

Kenshin smiled. “I believe we already agreed on the terms, Miss Argo, and I am still satisfied with them. Are you prepared to go then?”

She grinned. “All ready and itching to leave. Come on, we need to be on the 25^th, in the Southern village Gévaudan. It seems Kayaba dived into European legends for that one.”

Kenshin frowned slightly. The 25^th was the current location of the frontline and it was the toughest Floor by far. Most of the Floor consisted of poisonous swamps and was stuffed to the gills with traps and powerful monsters. “What do you plan to do about the poison?” 

“I've stocked up on the antidotes and we're picking up a good medicine mixer along the way, plus another frontliner. Don't know if you know him. Does the name Kirito ring a bell?” 

Kenshin smiled. “I met him once.” 

“Really now?” Argo asked, interested, but also with an unexpected flicker of wariness in her eyes. “How come?”

“We ran into each other while training and decided to take advantage of the company to have lunch. It was quite pleasant.” He raised a brow. What was it that got her so on edge? 

“Have you fought together before?” 

“Just one battle. Why the interest, if I may ask?”

Argo shrugged. “Well, you two will be working together on this so if you got issues with him I'd like to be aware.” 

“Why would I have issues with him?” Kenshin asked, honestly curious. “He didn't seem the most sociable, but he was pleasant enough to be around.” 

Argo blinked. “You don't know? You mean you haven't heard-” she clamped her mouth shut. For a moment she chewed her lip, before saying, “Well, that makes things easier I guess.” 

Kenshin frowned. “What is it that you expected me to know? Did he get in a row with the wrong people?” 

“Something like that... Look, I don't wanna tell you. It's Kirito's business and it doesn't matter. Wasn't his fault anyway. Thing is, something happened and a lot of rumors got started, and now almost every high-level player is convinced Kirito is almost as bad as Kayaba, only with a lot less weight to throw around. It's giving him a hell lot of trouble.” 

Kenshin nodded. “I see. You don't have to worry about me, Miss Argo. I have nothing against him.” 

“Good.” She grinned. “Now come on, the quest doesn't complete itself!” 

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX 

“So you’re a full time information broker, right? What’s it like?”

Argo smiled. “Lots of work, lots of people to keep track of, and even more stuff to remember. But it’s fun.” 

“Do you still fight often with all the research you have to do?” 

“Oh yeah, you bet. These weapons ain't for show you know? I might not be a clearer but I'm well above mid-level.” Argo grinned, patting a set of claws hanging from her belt. 

They were almost at the point where their other party members would be waiting and had filled the time with small talk. It had been interesting enough. Argo could be quite talkative when she wasn't charging for everything and seemed to derive an almost inappropriate amount of amusement from trying to fish information out of Kenshin without paying. Nothing malicious, just for sports. Kenshin had of course attempted to return the favor, though he had to admit her greater skill at it. 

“Oh, look! There they are!” 

Kenshin looked up, and indeed there was the young teen he recognized as Kirito. With him was an a young woman with long, black hair. Kenshin estimated her to be about twenty. She was a surprising appearance, especially considering the low number of females in Aincrad. A beautiful lady, but her eyes were guarded despite her seemingly open expression. Her loose clothes did not hide the slender dagger at her side. 

A dagger, huh? And throwing picks, if his eyes weren't deceiving him. An unusual choice. Seijuurou Hiko hadn't been fond of dagger users. Melee weapons meant their wielders weren't afraid to get up close and personal, and daggers hinted at secrecy and sneak attacks. Plus Argo had mentioned a medicine mixer, and Kirito hadn't exactly struck him as the right type. 'Medicine and poison are two sides of the same coin, their difference only defined by the dose in which they are administered', or so the alchemist Paracelsus had once claimed, though not exactly in those words. An unsettling idea, as was the combination with the throwing picks. With a dagger as her main weapon he understood her need for a long range attack, but if poison truly was involved, well...

He shook his head. His imagination was running away with him. Hiko's time had been grim, filled with death and betrayal. Low some might have sunken, stooping to the level of thieves and bandits, yet in Aincrad none had reached the level of murderer, as far as he knew. Though both Hiko and history had taught him a lot of skepticism regarding human nature. In a world with no active law enforcement, steeped as it was in desperation and violence, it was just a matter of time before someone cracked.

Ah, but that was neither here or now, and hopefully never. Instead he had to applaud the lady for her creative approach to battling mobs. If she was good enough to deal with the 25^th Floor her method had to be effective indeed. 

“Alright everyone, let’s do a round of introductions. As I called you all here I assume you all know who I am and what I do.” Argo grinned at them. 

Kenshin smiled and bowed to the dark haired lady. “Pleasure meeting you, my name is Battousai. As far as Miss Argo has seen fit to inform me, I am here in the role of guard and front line fighter. I'm afraid you are the only one I have not met before." 

The lady answered with a small smile, returning his bow with far more elegance than he ever could. “Well, I'll have to rectify that then, don't I? My name is Megumi. I am here as both fighter and healer, as well as to fulfill a certain requirement of the quest.” Kenshin nodded politely. So he had been right. He wondered about the requirement. 

Kirito shifted a bit uncomfortably and made a quick half-bow. “My name is Kirito. Same as Battousai, I guess.” 

Argo clapped her hands, grinning. “Now all of you know each other, its time you all know what this quest is about. We will travel to Gévaudan, which lies within the Southern Swamps, about a mile from the edge. The quest is about slaying the beast that haunts the village after which we'll have to return with proof of our success. Once we've gotten the quest we will go to the Blue Fire Forest, where the beast is supposed to have its den. That is near the center of the Southern Swamps. There we'll have to gather the ingredients for a special poison, which we need to kill the beast. In the meantime Kirito, Battousai and I will have to be on the lookout, because the beast might attack while Megumi is still busy brewing.” 

“Sounds dangerous,” Kirito said. 

Argo nodded, face grim. “It is, but the quest allows no more than a single party. I actually asked two others to complete the group, but they had a change of heart about an hour ago, claiming that they didn't trust the whole thing with the way the Floor was designed. I'm willing to give it a try with four, but certainly not with just three, so if you no longer wish to go say so now.” 

Kenshin frowned and noticed Megumi was nervously chewing her lip. “Excuse my rudeness, but at what level is everyone? I myself am at 37, close to 38.” And rude it was. One of the unwritten rules of Aincrad was that you didn't ask for another's progress, skills or their life in the real world; with the last one being the most taboo of all. But he really wanted a good estimation of their chances. This time being solos paid all of them a favor, as they could walk away after this and never meet again if they so wished. After a few weeks the knowledge would be useless. 

“38, almost halfway 39,” Kirito said. Surprisingly high, even for a clearer. Kenshin carefully ignored the discomfort in the other's eyes. Having such a high level player among them would only work in their favor. Though he was getting quite curious about the incident that had made the boy so unpopular. 

“35,” Megumi said. 

“And I am 34, almost 35.” Argo finished, weighing the danger. “It might be doable, since most of us are good individual fighters. We can do a short trial run to see how we work together. What do you all say?” 

They looked at one another. Kirito said, “I have no problem with a trial.” 

Kenshin nodded. “It would be a good idea. What do you think, Miss Megumi?” 

Megumi gave a weak smile. “We could at least try it out. If it doesn't work we can call it off.” 

“Then it's decided. Anyone suggestions for the location?” Argo asked. 

Kenshin smiled. “Well, as you are the information broker here, I suggest you pick a good area, Miss Argo. I am quite sure you know one.” 

She grinned at him. “Damn right I do. We'll get a bit of a late start, but we can spend a night in Gévaudan if we have to. Are you all familiar with the Muskeg Plain?” 

They all nodded. The Muskeg Plain laid on the western side of the main city and was the most solid area of the entire 25^th Floor, aside from the cities and villages, which was quite sad if you thought about it. Though offering the lowest chances of poisoning, it made up for that by having many monsters that burrowed underground. Along with the danger of a sudden collapse into waterlogged tunnels, the creatures were terrifying in the way they attacked from below. It was a good place to see how everyone handled difficult situations, while at the same time allowing them to keep an eye on each other without too much problems. 

“Well, then what are we waiting for? Let's go!” With a few quick moves Argo send them all an invitation to join her party. One acceptance later, Kenshin saw their names appearing underneath his own, including their health bars. His first real party. Dangerous it might be, but he couldn't suppress the anticipation he felt as he wondered how well they'd work together. 

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX 

«The Muskeg Plain» was an odd place. First sight classed it as a plain covered with moss and short grasses, the monotonous sight broken by sparse trees. A second glance however, revealed those trees to be stunted and often dead, and the small pools of water lying around to be stained dark red. Despite the grassland appearance it was like walking on a huge, wet sponge at best. At worst you could step onto seemingly solid ground only to discover the muskeg was just a thin organic crust on top of a body of water. Quite a few players had been lost to drowning as they slipped beneath the surface and didn't manage to come up in time because of the layer of vegetation. 

The only plus was that the open nature of the area allowed you several hundred yards of almost unhindered sight around you. Which was a lot more than other areas. 

The small group trudged through it, each having switched their usual footwear with thick boots reaching well past their knees to keep the slightly acidic water from nibbling on their health. It wasn't exactly dangerous, but if you spent too long exposed to the mild acids it could put a «Numb» status effect, a very much watered down version of «Paralysis», on the affected area. And as the affected area would be in this case their feet it would mean a big limit on their mobility, even more so in combination with the spongy ground.

Kenshin wasn't fond of the 25^th Floor in the slightest. For proper speed you needed something solid to take off from, and solid ground was exactly what the 25^th lacked. Trees could provide some, but those too were sparse on the plain. Basically, the 25^th didn't favor him at all. Because of that he hadn't explored a lot. It just wasn't safe. Which now added the danger of an unknown, treacherous area to the mix. He was glad he wasn’t alone.

Another step and for the umpteenth time he sunk halfway up his calf in the soaked vegetation. It was as tiring as it was tedious. 

With his Search skill activated he scanned the ground and the surrounding area. He wasn't the only one who'd invested in that skill. In fact, all four pair of eyes currently displayed the yellow hue of the activated skill. And with good reason. 

“Drekavac!” Megumi yelled. 

Eyes snapping in her direction, he felt «Search» guide his eyes towards the suddenly revealed red cursor. It hovered above two gleaming eyes beneath an innocent looking lump of moss some twenty yards away. The moment the monster realized it had been discovered it let out a terrible scream and jumped out of its hiding place, dripping streams of dark water as it opened its jaws wide to reveal razor teeth. It's large dog-like body was hurled through the air by its powerful hind legs, which resembled those of a kangaroo with curved daggers for claws. 

Hindered by the soppy ground, all of them spread out a bit to give themselves some room to fight. The beast let its frayed tongue loll out as it sped towards them, its broad paws stopping it from sinking too deep, allowing it to accelerate worryingly fast. 

Halfway it was met with four throwing picks, courtesy of his companions. It was obvious which one of the three was most adept at handling the weapons, as Megumi managed to throw one with each hand in quick succession. In addition to that Megumi's smaller picks gleamed in a way that indicated they were coated in something. The monster stumbled and shrieked as all four struck sensitive places, Megumi having aimed for the eyes, and Argo and Kirito using the opportunity to bury their picks in the gullet the Drekavac had so generously exposed. 

“Nice shots,” Kirito complimented their potion expert, not taking his eyes of the wounded mob. With a bit of luck Megumi's excellent aim had taken the Drekavacs sight out for a couple of minutes. All of them used the opportunity to get their weapons ready, Megumi carefully picking one other metal pin to bury in the beast's hide while it was down. The throwing picks themselves didn't do much damage, but could interrupt a mob's attack if used well. And Kenshin was curious what her poison would do. 

Staggering, the Drekavac rose, shaking off bits of moss and grass. It shrieked at them again, but the staggering was quite promising.

“Paralysis?” Argo asked, watching with tense curiosity. 

Megumi nodded. “And a Damage over Time. The last one had a stronger version of the former. I only use that one when I have a clear shot. It's difficult to get the ingredients.” She drew her dagger, holding it close to her body. In her other hand she held one of the largest throwing picks Kenshin had ever seen. It was also the most common, with the highest chances of disrupting a mob's charge.

Kenshin smiled, a tense edge making it a bit grimmer than usual. “Well, guess I have to earn my place on the team as well,” he said lightly. 

Two steps – more jumps, really – and he launched himself into the air, letting the speed of «Sprint» flow into the simple «Acrobatics» skill High Somersault. In the real world it was an impossible move, but in Aincrad the high jump, combined with the somersault, carried him almost seven yards up and eleven forward in a virtual version of the Ryuusuisen Zan, the leap and downward stab that was one of the techniques of the Hiten Mitsurugi. It had taken him ages to figure out how to make it work and he didn't want to know what kind of muscles Hiko had needed to pull it off in the real world. 

He was rewarded with the monster's scream as his katana sunk for two-thirds into the area between its shoulder blades and neck, biting deeply into the beast's health. The slippery fur, soaked in water and slime, offered almost no proper footing. Realizing this, Kenshin jumped backwards before it could start thrashing and make it impossible. A reverse High Somersault carried him back to his comrades, yanking his blade out of the heavily muscled torso. He landed with a wet splat, almost ending up flat on his back as the ground kept his feet immobile, not allowing him to properly correct his balance. 

“Nice,” Argo commented. 

When the beast charged it was sloppy and not nearly as fast as it should have been. Kirito and Kenshin were waiting for it, shattering the charge with strong single-hits. Argo and Megumi immediately tore into its sides as it suffered from the delay. Megumi handled her dagger with the skill of a surgeon, raking up critical hits as if they were nothing, while Argo attacked with the ferocity of a wild cat, red claw marks like a glowing net on the dark fur. 

It was difficult to fight the creature with their mobility impaired, but Megumi's creations leveled the field a bit. The beast retreated. When it swung it's head to pick a target, Kenshin whistled loud and high, drawing the mob's aggro to him like a fish on a hook. Hiko had always favored dodging over blocks, making playing target quite a bit safer. It allowed you to attack while your opponent was busy recovering from meeting a lot less resistance than it expected. 

A single step to the side was enough. Add to that a Sword Skill in the opposite direction and you dealt quite a lot of damage. 

Behind him Kirito brought the Drekavac to a full stop by stabbing it straight in the nose. The girls dove for the free shots at the beast's sides. 

Three rounds of similar attacks and the Drekavac shattered. That it had taken that long was testament to the resilience of the mob compared to those of previous Floors. And this was just an ordinary one. Kenshin sighed. Honestly, even with everyone's level way above what should have been normal at this point they still had trouble. If he would have had any doubt left Kayaba didn't give a rat's ass about the players this would have erased it. 

“Well, that went okay, I guess. Let's take two hours and then decide whether we want to give the quest a go. Everyone agreed?” Argo asked. 

They all nodded, a bit more optimistic in their chances now they successfully cleared the first hurdle. 

In the two hours they encountered several more Drekavac and a really aggressive monster called «Mudskipper», a creature that existed in the real world but was blown to gigantic proportions by Kayaba, who also took the opportunity to add several long, sharp spines that excreted a powerful acid. There had been a really tense moment when the mob managed to knock Kirito onto a piece of ground that collapsed into a deep pool. Weeds had immediately hidden the hole from sight and for a moment they had feared they had lost him. Then Kirito turned out to be creative when pressured. Kenshin didn't know the Sword Skill, but once initiated it had carried Kirito six yards in a straight line, well out of the water and onto semi-solid ground. 

Everyone had heaved a sigh of relieve at that. And had shown absolutely zero mercy to the monster. 

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XX 

“Alright everyone. I think the trial was a success. Tomorrow is the real thing and damn, we're going to kick ass.” Argo cheerfully raised her glass. “To a fruitful partnership!” 

Kenshin smiled and they all mirrored her gesture. “Cheers!” 

It was just past dinnertime and they sat gathered in the only tavern in Gévaudan. The village itself had turned out to be a curious wooden version of a small French village, each house placed on raised platforms. Maybe it was to keep out the water, or maybe because there wasn't enough solid ground to build a house on. Almost all paths were gangways, crossing over fetid pools of turbid water. The forests that covered this area of the Floor were a gnarled mix of ancient mangrove and old dawn redwood, and most of the ground that wasn't swallowed by water was either slippery clay with weeds, or much like the muskeg plains. 

Soon their conversation turned from the village to the previous trial expedition. Kenshin complimented the girls' fighting styles. Megumi had, in the end, thrown all poison darts she was willing to spend on a trial unless it was an emergency – especially seeing how they were capable of dealing without – and they all had been quite impressed when they realized exactly how big a difference her poisons made. Argo happily seconded his opinion, temporarily interrupting her self-appointed mission of dragging the quiet Kirito into the conversation by full force of teasing jabs. 

“Well, Mister Battousai, you yourself pulled some impressive stunts as well,” Megumi responded teasingly, smiling in a way that would have many male hearts skipping a beat. Kenshin just smiled back, having plenty experience getting teased like that. The girls in college had been throughout when testing whether the stereotype of blushing redheads was accurate. One of them had even been bold enough to confess that after the first time she was in mostly because he looked so cute when confused. That had been an uncomfortable conversation. On his end that was. For the girl it had been just the latest attempt to turn his face as red as his hair. 

Megumi's friendly flirting was nowhere near close. With twinkling eyes he played the picture of humility and said, “It was nothing great, Miss Megumi.”

Argo snickered. “Like defeating that Field Boss was 'nothing great'?” 

Kenshin really didn't need to be reminded of that. Hastily he shook his head. “I just got lucky,” he argued. Argo laughed at him. 

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX 

I just got lucky. 

Kirito didn't believe a word of it. 

Neither did Argo. 

Luck might have played a part, but it certainly hadn't been the cause of Battousai's victory. Kirito knew, having faced The Guardian himself. Not alone, mind. Luwantaloc had been a powerful one. The only positive in that entire battle had been that the dragon hadn't used its wings to fly, merely creating gusts of winds to make people lose their footing and as an extra set of limbs to attack with. Despite that it still had been strong enough to keep three parties busy. Fighting it alone? He knew he could be reckless, but he wasn't that bad. Soloing a Field Boss was plain asking for trouble, unless you had a really good advantage over them. It made him wonder whether Battousai was suicidal, something that unfortunately wasn't as rare as it should be in Aincrad. 

Argo snickered at Battousai's lie. “Aww, Battousai, you're being too modest!~ By the way, you still haven't told me how.” 

Megumi smiled like a vixen. “Oh, now that sounds like an interesting story. Please do tell.”

“I didn't know it was the Field Boss,” Battousai muttered. 

Kirito raised a brow. “How could you not know?”

“Well, in the first place, it was part of a quest. I hadn't planned to get into a fight that dangerous. And it wasn't as if it was just sitting there, waiting!” 

Okay, fair enough. Kirito had witnessed the Field Boss' arrival himself. Not the best thing for your nerves. “So it was an accident.” 

Battousai nodded. “Had I known how strong it was I wouldn't have went through with it. I'm not suicidal.” 

Kirito smiled. Well, that answered that question. And if he read the smiles of the others right they'd been thinking the same. Battousai noticed and gave them all a quietly reproachful look. 

“So how did you win?” 

Battousai hummed thoughtfully. “Well, the dragon was fast, but it was too big to be nimble. And there was a lot of cover.” 

Kirito nodded. The stone formations were the only reason why the tanks had survived. A shield didn't help a lot against fire blasts that big. 

Battousai shrugged a bit helplessly. “I focus on speed and agility. And I've gotten very good at dodging. I still had to use up my entire stock of potions and crystals. The dragon could attack from so many angles...” He shook his head, crimson mane swishing with the motion. “Anyway. I tried to get behind it. The tail wasn't nearly as accurate as the head, and every time I managed to jump on its back I could get a few good hits in. I was lucky its neck was too short to make the full turn, otherwise it probably would have seared me straight off.”

“... You jumped on its back...” 

Battousai looked embarrassed. “Just for a few seconds. It would immediately start thrashing. Keeping your balance on a moving creature isn't easy, even when you don't bother trying to remain in one place.” 

“I'll take your word for that,” Argo said wryly. “But sheez, you're unbelievable. Where did you get such an insane idea?” 

“I just think of the most difficult place for the mob to attack or defend from.” 

A thoughtful silence fell at that. “Huh, so that’s why you focus on speed,” Argo said. 

Megumi blinked at her. “Care to explain?” 

“Well, if you want to make use of an opening in the defense you have to be fast enough to reach it. And the biggest opening is often at the back. Only that is the most difficult because everything always tries to keep their opponent in front of them. Am I right, Battousai?” she asked. 

Battousai gave a pleased little smile and nodded. 

“Huh. Must work pretty well then.” Kirito observed, making a mental note to take some time to mull over that strategy. The few fights they'd participated in had made it very clear that their styles were vastly different, but fact remained that Battousai had taken the least amount of damage of all of them, despite often being the first to directly engage the monsters. From the corner of his eye he caught Megumi looking equally thoughtful. “Don’t suppose you have some advice? Improvement is always nice and seems like you’ve thought a lot about it.” 

“Well,” the redhead said thoughtfully, “Maybe. But your style is a lot different from mine. You focus more on creating openings through heavy assault even though your reflexes are good enough for dodging, while I focus on reaching the openings that are already there.” He nodded to himself. “Right now you often spent at least one Sword Skill on creating an opening. I myself find it better to dodge, as in the wake of an attack the mobs are the most vulnerable. They too suffer a Post-motion period and often have their own Cooling time. Personally, I rarely need more than that to land a blow.” 

Kirito hummed thoughtfully. It was definitely worth a try. And from the looks on Argo's and Megumi's faces, they too were thinking of ways to utilize that. 

Because that was the real key to surviving the frontlines. Not level or aptitude for wielding your weapon – though those played major roles too – but the ability to think on your feet and utilize strengths and weaknesses without the aid of the System. Adaptability. Most imagined epic movie-like battles when thinking about fighting with a blade, at least at first. And most of the time the first style they thought of was confrontational. Dodging nearly always came second to blocking – foolish really; Kirito hadn't survived by taking every hit aimed at him – and for some inexplicable reason carried a slight stigma of weakness and cowardice. 

Battousai wasn't weak by any means, and certainly no coward either. You needed nerves of solid steel to dodge attacks as narrowly as he did, sometimes leaving not even an inch of space between skin and severe damage. It had been kind of nerve wracking to watch him fight, but there was no denying the effectiveness of placing himself in such close range. The wounds he created were nearly always long and deep and the bright glowing red the System gave a severe injury. 

Kirito wasn't going to overhaul his whole fighting style – he doubted Battousai's style would suit him anyway, he was too straightforward for that – but less damage was always good in his book and maybe it'd get the Knight's of Blood's Vice Commander off his ass. Though there was barely any form of relationship between them, Asuna seemed determined to at least see him performing to the best of his abilities. And she'd been nagging him about recklessness ever since the first Boss raid. It was nice she cared but also quite exasperating. He was a solo, he could take care of himself just fine. 

“Well,” Battousai said, rising from his seat, “If you'll excuse me, I think I'll retire for tonight. What time will we leave?” 

Kirito stood as well, stretching as Argo rattled of a time that was close to too damn early. In Aincrad stretching was always an odd sensation, given there were no real muscles to pull taunt or joints to pop. Instead it ran a nice, almost fizzy feeling over his skin. He yawned as he ambled up the creaking stairs after Battousai. They'd be sharing a room as the Inn didn't have a lot and there was already an other group of players occupying the others. At seven they'd be leaving to have as much time as possible to gather the ingredients and for Megumi to create the necessary poison. 

Anticipation snaked through his gut at the thought of the Beast. A Flag Mob. On the 25^th that might very well equal a Field Boss or even a Floor Boss. He understood why Argo had wanted him and Battousai to join; why she'd wanted solo's to join. All of them had proven they could stand their ground in the face of unfavorable odds. And Battousai's unconventional style combined with Kirito's own ability to interrupt even a Floor Boss attack on his own, really offered them a good chance at succeeding. 

He trusted his gut feeling. Tomorrow was going to demand everything they had.

Chapter Text

 

It was dark outside. Very dark, the lanterns that had lightened the paths during the evening having been extinguished sometime during the early hours, and the forest canopy too dense to let any of the very first morning light seep through.

06:00.

An hour before they had to leave. In Aincrad, plenty of time. Argo descended the stairs, hoping a certain redhead was an early riser like her. There was something she wanted to know and as a information broker it just wouldn't do to have others listen in on that info.

She grimaced, knowing that what she wanted to ask could be a very touchy subject. She hoped Battousai was as relaxed a person as he appeared to be. If not, well.... It was unfortunate Gévaudan wasn't classed as an «Area» and thus would allow fights between players. She had stepped on people's toes before. It hadn't been appreciated, to put it mildly.

Nervously she fingered her claws before opening the door that separated the stairs from the rest of the ground floor. It took only one cursory glance to spot him, his bright red hair standing out like a beacon in a room dominated by browns and greens. He appeared to be typing something.

Argo frowned. Whom would he be messaging at a time like this? Her background search hadn't revealed anything incriminating, but then again, it hadn't revealed much of anything at all. Battousai was a very elusive player.

She shook her head. She hadn't gotten this far by jumping to conclusions. But being on guard never hurt.

Plastering a cheerful expression on her face she dropped in the chair next to him. “Good morning!”

She received a serene smile in return. “Good morning, Miss Argo. Did you sleep well?”

“Eh, well enough. One of your friends in trouble?” Argo asked with a nod towards where Battousai's hands hovered as if placed upon an invisible keyboard. Which was exactly the case, really.

“Oh, no. I just like to keep track of things for myself. Every world should have its written history.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Hobby of ya?”

Another smile. “My major, actually.”

The other eyebrow rose as well. History student. Huh. Not exactly what you'd expect from someone that good with a sword. Though she supposed that went for a lot of them.

“Sorry, didn't mean to bring that up,” Argo said, genuinely apologetic. No one wanted to be reminded of what they might never return to.

Battousai shook his head. “That is alright. You didn't know.”

Curiosity got the better of her. “Can I read it?”

Battousai gave her an amused look. “Fishing for free information this early in the morning, Miss Argo?”

She grinned at him. “Always. But I can pay you if you want.”

He hummed. “And what would you offer me?”

Naturally, that question was the opening shot for a few minutes serious haggling. Battousai was getting better at it too. It seemed she had involuntarily given him some lessons on the way here. Now that was just unfair.

Argo hadn't forgotten what she came to ask, but opportunities existed to be taken. And a historical record of Aincrad sounded interesting.

“Hey Battousai,” she asked nonchalantly while having him scroll through his notes as she couldn't manipulate his screen, even if it was now visible to her. She had expected more of a diary-like document, but instead he had dozens of dates and observations on the mentality of the people around him, with a personal note thrown in here and there. He hadn't bothered to describe important fights, just jotted down when and where they were fought, how long they lasted, number of casualties and, if he could find them, names. Maybe she should start something like this too. It might become important when they finally managed to get out of the game. “Care to clarify something for me?”

Battousai blinked at her. “Is something unclear, Miss Argo?”

“Nah, it's about something else.” She eyed him, careful to keep her vigilance concealed. “I couldn't help but notice yesterday that you recover awfully fast.”

It was over in the blink of an eye, but for a moment he looked taken aback. He gave her a rueful smile. “Ah, you noticed then.”

She smirked. “It's in the job description.”

He chuckled. “I guess you're right.” Then his face became more solemn. “Unfortunately, the faster recoveries were an one-time reward. As far as I know there is no way to duplicate the effects.”

“Aw, now that's a pity,” Argo groaned, careful not to let the full extend of her disappointment show. It might make him make him hostile after her having questioned a special ability. People were so secretive when it came to unusual rewards. Especially among the high level players envy ran rampant like an out of control plague, which wasn't a good combination with rare stuff. More hair-trigger than the fictional avalanche. It made her job needlessly difficult.

Argo was glad she hadn't misjudged Battousai. And quite pleased he hadn't charged for the info, that was pretty decent of him. It was very frustrating to pay – no matter how small the actual cost – and get something incredibly vague, or worse, a here you got some spectacularly useless info, thanks for the money. She hated that kind of people. Though she had gotten fairly good at recognizing them.

“Ah, well, nothing for it, I suppose.” She gave him a sidewards glance. “So what are the requirements of a proper historical document?”

Battousai had a really nice smile, she mused as he dove into a long spiel about dates and locations and all the different characteristics of written history. Argo carefully hid a triumphant grin. Nyah-hah, you slipped up Battousai. He'd forgotten to charge for his little seminar. Now they were even.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

The sunlight hadn't strengthened enough yet to dispel the gloomy shadows when they set out, which suited Kenshin's mood just fine. There was a reason no one talked about the real world in Aincrad. It hurt too much.

It had been an accident of course, and Argo had apologized, so he really shouldn't be making a big deal out of it, but talking to her had reminded him of talking to an othergirl, less mischievous but just as interested in what he had to say and just as amused at his enthusiasm. Which was really a case of the pot calling the kettle black, in his humble opinion. Though if he said that out loud he'd just get whacked with a shinai. Nicely, of course.

He hoped she wasn't taking the situation too hard. It was a bit difficult to predict with her.

Shaking his head to dislodge the gloomy thoughts he forced himself to focus on his surroundings. He had offered taking head to explore, as his way of traveling spared him the effort of finding his way through the more swampy areas and allowed him to remain out of reach of the earth-bound mobs. The others had readily agreed, promising to keep an eye on him on their maps so they could come to his aid in a heartbeat should he need it. It was a little odd to realize exactly how reassuring the availability of reliable backup was.

The swamp was a weird place. Big trees with grey bark and lots of mosses, half of the time with their roots deeply embedded in slick mud, if not outright submerged. The remains of their predecessors laid haphazardly in the water and on the islands of vegetation that were scattered around without any particular order. Insects buzzed, and from time to time he caught the telltale rings on the water surface that betrayed the presence of fish, or at least swimming organisms. But those weren't the weird things. The weird things were the inexplicable bubbles in some areas, the oily sheen on the water, and, most of all, the nigh invisible, pale blue-and-yellow fires that danced above the reeking pools.

Swamp gas, if his memory of old biology lessons was not mistaken. Though he believed in the real world it almost never appeared in big enough quantities to produce lasting flames.

No wonder this place is called the Blue Fire Forest.

Which was worse news than suspected at first glance. Having gained some familiarity with Kayaba's way of thinking when it came to the Floors, Kenshin would bet the entire contents of his inventory that those flames could cause damage. And the whole place was full of them. One moment of inattention and you were toast. Or toast ed, at least. To top it all off they were near invisible in the daylight. He could only hope they'd stand out a bit more during the night. But even if they did... talk about dangerous terrain.

Of course, if this was a normal game it would make this merely a very challenging area.

Something splashed in the distance. Warily Kenshin approached the source, picking a thick branch hanging some thirteen feet or more above the dark pool the sound had originated from. Something sleek and black moved beneath the murky surface, big and silent and with a predatory grace that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. I don’t think I want to be down there.

A barely there ripple parted the smooth surface and for a single second two big greenish yellow eyes peered up at him from beneath a red cursor. Then they were gone and the water stilled once more.

Kenshin frowned, he was having a bad feeling about that monster. Best to leave and message the others to give them a heads up.

Something splashed beneath him and reflexes were the only thing that saved him from being knocked out of the tree by what looked like a ball of water. He yelped, dodging by a hair and flailing his arms to stay standing on the mossy branch. Heart racing, he whipped around, wide eyes drilling into the pool in shock, his unease increasing tenfold.

What the-?

The yellow eyes were back again, narrowed and displeased. Just as suddenly they were gone as the creature distanced itself from the surface, a glimpse of a short dorsal fin flashing through the water.

This time Kenshin saw the water coming, spat like a bullet out of a narrow snout. He ducked underneath it and drew his blade. The mob dived again, making Kenshin scowl in frustrated resolve. How on earth did one go about killing a sneaky sniper of a monster?

The next water bullet was parried with a flash of silver. Kenshin was glad to note that it seemed the creature spat ordinary water, instead of something more dangerous. Though the power behind it was ridiculous, making him almost lose his balance upon impact.

Gone again.

Thinking fast, Kenshin figured out a strategy. He only hoped he wouldn’t come to regret it. The next time the creature surfaced he was ready, plunging down with all the speed «Acrobatics» could give him.

The mob was fast, diving away and already halfway turned when Kenshin broke the surface, stabbing his blade deeply into the part of the body behind the dorsal fin. The mob trashed, tearing itself free from steel, escaping with a slash of its tail and more than two-thirds of its HP intact.

Damn it!

Kenshin jumped back, the water dragging at his clothes and weighing him down, the slight toxicity nibbling on his health every second he was in. Adrenaline rushed through him, almost making his hands shake in its intensity. He reigned it in with practiced ease. Too much nerves could kill you here. Plus, if he stayed in more than half a minute he knew he would receive the «Numb» status effect. Kenshin really didn’t need a «Numb».

Okay, so that didn’t work…

Just one feet from semi-solid ground he gave a startled shout, glad he had gotten so good at avoiding blows as having his head taken off by a violent sphere of water was not on his list of acceptable deaths. Still, in the corner of his eye he could see his health drop almost one-fifth from the graze, making his heart skip a beat from the resulting flash of terror. He quickly squashed the feeling, more determined than ever not to get hit again. With as much as he'd focused on Agility, his Vitality was at detrimental levels, something he had unfortunately no way of fixing without losing his edge against Kayaba's creations.

And he'd dare bet he was mere seconds away from receiving «Numb» from the water. With franticness that approached panic, he got out as fast as he could. Nothing like death snapping at your heels to give your feet wings.

Back on shore he didn’t waste time getting higher up again. At least from above he could look past the reflection of the water. This time he didn’t sit still, rushing across the web of branches above the pool, forcing the mob to surface again and again to try to take aim. With some difficulty he fished a potion out of his Inventory, a quick gulp from the purple liquid bringing his health back to its proper levels. Stuffing the half-empty bottle in the folds of his clothes he scanned his surroundings.

New plan, new plan... Ah. Yes, that might work...

A fallen tree laid half submerged in the water. Ever moving, Kenshin lured the monster till it was next to it. The moment it was in the right position Kenshin dove for the wooden foothold, mindful of the slippery coating of algae on the trunk, and slashed his blade through the water.

A flare of crimson was his reward.

Having a working strategy really made a big difference for your chances, Kenshin mused sardonically. He jumped across one of the narrow channels feeding the pool, already in midair when he spotted the ghostly, barely-there blue.

Ack, forgot the fires-!

The moment his feet touched the ground he jumped away again, peering at his health bar where the flames had nibbled a few points from. I hate being right…

Well, he’d learned his lesson. For the rest of the battle he was very careful to avoid the innocent-looking flames. Luckily for him the mob didn’t learn its lesson and kept falling for the lure, allowing Kenshin to chip off its health bit by bit without having to take to the water again. Kenshin grimaced at himself. That had been the worst plan he'd had in quite some time.

When landing the final blow Kenshin finally managed to focus long enough for the System to show him the name of the mob. «Sniper Fish». How fitting. Then it shattered, returning peace and quiet to the pool.

In the sudden silence Kenshin scanned the entire area with «Search», hoping to find one of the ingredients for Megumi's poison, recognizable by a yellow line around the cursor and something to do with poison in the name. This would be a good spot for one. His eyes fell on the web of small floating plants in one corner of the pool, the entire spongy mass topped with little yellow flowers on thin stalks. «Toxic Bladderwort». One of the ingredients, yes, but so common in the area they hadn't bothered picking it yet, especially because it had to be added to the brew shortly after picking. The recipe was incredibly vague.

No, one of the things he was really looking for was a «Venomous Water Willow», from which they needed eight leafs. But none of the trees he'd seen even resembled a willow.

Kenshin sighed. Out of the ten ingredients only three were known by name, and of course those were the ones they couldn't find. Typically Kayaba.

Shaking his head, Kenshin returned to the trees. He didn't want to be here when the creature respawned. A couple of minutes later the filthy water disappeared from his clothes, leaving them immaculate once more. One good thing about Sword Art Online: you didn’t need to change clothes after getting dunked. Frankly, most dirt didn’t even stick, making people look fresh and clean even after hours of grinding. It was one of the few things Kenshin could still appreciate.

Spotting a good thick branch Kenshin took the opportunity to send his warning to the others and mark the best path on the map in bright blue, tagging the pool with a dot of blazing red. As they were a temporary party all data collected during the quest was shared among the members, which made scouting a lot easier. Plus, that way he didn't need to rejoin the group every five minutes to point out the right path. His little run-in with the Sniper Fish had lead him to a relatively dry path that seemed to be partly man-made but abandoned. He had taken the time to test it and though the wood was slippery and rotting, it was still sturdy enough to carry people and seemed to lead in the direction of their goal.

Kenshin shook some of his hair out of his face, reorienting himself in the labyrinth of vegetation that surrounded him, pausing one moment to enjoy the cool, humid air as an unexpected breeze removed the stench of decay from the air for a few precious seconds. He hoped the others had managed to find one of the ingredients during the time he had been away.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Steel flashed, reflecting fire and flames as it cleaved through near incorporeal opponents. Blue Fire Mosquitoes, Megumi thought with disgust, where on earth did he get the idea? The name suited the creatures. They were literally made out of fire.

Before her a swirl of dancing black took care of the brunt of the burning bugs, while behind her the Rat’s claws tore at any mob gunning for her back.

They’re all so good…

Megumi herself preferred fighting long range any day. Whenever she fought close range for more than a few minutes she always got too stressed for comfort, and sloppiness was a one-way road to death. One day, Megumi was sure, the stress would cause her to make a fatal mistake. And she didn’t want to die, she still had too much to live for. Too many things and precious ones left behind in the real world she couldn’t abandon.

I still need to tell everyone how sorry I am…

In a way, getting trapped in SAO had been a blessing. Her life had been nose-diving towards a terrible conclusion, and the few months before getting trapped here she had been dreading the day she could no longer outrun her fate.

At least here I have a chance. A chance to finish everything, to put an end to her peril without dragging her friends and family down with her.

After the small scuffle she wiped her hair out of her face and peered at the health bars beneath hers to see if anyone was in need of healing. Not that she really expected it, she had seen them fight yesterday and knew the Mosquitoes shouldn’t have posed much trouble after they'd all adjusted to the creatures' above-average speed. Personally she hated flying mobs, they managed to catch her off guard way too often. Though they were a bit better than actual ambush mobs. Those she downright detested.

She once more took note of Battousai’s health bar. Only the barest of damage even when traveling alone through this forest. How did he do it?

Dodging. As soon as this quest was over Megumi swore she would spend more time on that.

Though the other solo was very impressive too. Less mobile than Battousai, but she had never seen anyone deal that much damage in one hit without being a tank. Kirito seemed awfully young to be facing life-or-death situations, though luckily not as young as some others she had seen in Starting City. Megumi could deal with her own situation, but seeing children in-game always managed to fill her with grief. So many without adults to look after them, lost and abandoned as very, very few were willing to spare the time to aid them. Survival of the fittest was a terrible rule, but a true one nonetheless. Many felt they didn't have the resources to spare to aid those considered dead weight, and hate it as she might, Megumi could relate. It was difficult enough to survive without someone that helpless depending on you.

Megumi carefully concealed her thoughts when Kirito glanced in their direction. Wordlessly she followed when he took head once more.

Kirito's choice of blade was a bit of a puzzle. She had always heard one-handed swords like his were supposed to be wielded in combination with a shield. It was a curious deviation from the standard, though she couldn't really care when it was so obviously working for him. To each his own. Kirito was an excellent fighter despite his age and though it shamed her she was glad he was here. Players like him and Battousai reminded people they still had a chance to win their freedom.

Still, he really looked like a child. He must have been so scared when this whole mess started. Megumi wasn’t too proud to admit she had been. All she had wanted was to escape reality for a while, to lose herself in the simple world of a game.

A bitter smile twisted her lips. Well, lose herself she did.

Megumi shivered in remembrance of that first day. Right after the announcement she had been too shocked to leave the plaza before it descended into pandemonium. Screams, mass hysteria, a crowd pressing from all sides in a single-minded fit of terrified outrage- It had been pure, undiluted chaos.

It was only thanks to the System registering Starting City as an «Area» that on one had died in the panic and riots that followed.

Megumi had gotten herself lost trying to escape it all and had finally found refuge in one of the outer districts the masses had not reached yet. The days afterwards it was as if the entire city was shrouded in a veil of grief and mourning, depression and despair hanging in the streets like toxic smoke. The Monument of Life had been more of a Monument of Suicides with the number of names getting scratched out every hour. Megumi could understand perfectly well why so many Beta Testers had fled the area. No one with a bit of fighting spirit left would wish to remain in a city that was more like a morgue with that kind of atmosphere hanging thick like black storm clouds.

Still, Megumi couldn’t really bring herself to hate Kayaba. Life in SAO was so much more straightforward than real life, beautiful in its simplicity and design. For all its faults her life was better than before, and wasn't that just sad? Kayaba had given her time and a chance to fight without dragging down friends and family. She could never forgive him for the lives his game had claimed but she could forgive him for how he had changed hers.

A glance to the side showed Argo keeping a tight eye on her screen, monitoring the map with a single-minded intensity. A little while ago Battousai had almost given them a collective heart attack as his health had taken a sudden dive, but when no more serious damage followed they had opted against rushing after him. His message afterwards clarified matters, and Megumi hoped they wouldn't run into a Sniper Fish themselves. Anything that could hit Battousai when he was traveling over tree branches and alert for trouble was something she really didn't want to tangle with.

Activating «Search» once more Megumi scanned the forest and pools for the ingredients of the poison. Honestly, talk about troublesome.

A flash of yellow out in the water caught her eye. A... frog? Salamander? What it was didn't really matter. What mattered was the narrow, yellow border around the yellow cursor of the creature, signaling that it was both inactive and its death was required for the quest.

Not her fault that she sounded just a tad smug when she called out to the others. “Found one!”

Kirito and Argo eagerly joined her.

“Er... Not to be a party pooper, but how are we going to catch that one?”

They shared a look.

“My reach isn't big enough,” Kirito confessed. “My Throwing Skill isn't that high yet.”

“Hmm, neither is mine,” Argo agreed with a childish pout, tapping her bottom lip in thought.

Megumi sighed and reached for one of her small, uncoated darts. She didn't like having to throw her darts were she couldn't retrieve them. “Let me have a try.”

Argo patted her shoulder. “And if you don't hit we'll just call Battousai. With his jumping around he should be able to get close enough to draw that thing's attention.”

Megumi smiled and aimed.

The dart left a trail of green light in its wake. Megumi pursed her lips. Hmm, not as true as she would have liked, but a hit was a hit.

Argo sniggered. “Well, you've drawn its attention all right.”

The mob was indeed hissing and spitting, to the point of actually frothing at the mouth, its cursor switching from inactive yellow to dangerous red. It wasn't as frightening as the rage she'd seen in previous monsters, but it was enough to put her on edge.

Then it moved.

Black suddenly blocked Megumi's vision, startling her greatly. Kirito grunted as he parried the insane lunge from the beast.

Taking a step back to give the black swordsman more room Megumi pressed her hand against her chest and tightened her grip on her dagger, trying to get her racing heart back under control. Frog alright, even Battousai never jumped like that!

But now was not the time to be astonished. The monster was pressing them, though not as hard as it might have others. Who had been able to foresee that adding Battousai to the team would give them such an advantage? At least after having watching him fight they weren't too caught off guard by the erratic leaps from the monster.

Steel flashed and sung, and they had to be careful not to hit one another in their attempts to kill the thing.

«Poison Dart Frog». One throwing pick later Megumi decided she hated it. The poison she'd managed to hit the beast with was having no effect whatsoever. Which not only meant she had wasted a valuable tool, but also revealed a very worrying immunity to her highest level paralytic.

“Man, what a bothersome opponent,” Argo huffed next to her. “I'm so gonna charge for this.”

Megumi scoffed. “Can't we discuss that later?” Megumi asked through clenched teeth, trying to keep the mob from knocking her over into the swamp.

Argo snickered as she raked the claws on her right hand across the creature's thigh when it charged again. “Don't worry, the extra costs will be put on the buyer's tab. Is only fair.”

And froze, choking.

The thud with which the younger girl hit the ground echoed chillingly through Megumi's heart, freezing it for one breathless second.

Then professionalism overcame heart-stopping fear, kicking it aside in favor of doing something.

“Kirito, hold it off! Don't let it touch you!”

Kirito, who had started to turn at the sound of Argo's collapse, refocused on the beast with a tight, “roger!”, worry evident in his voice.

Megumi didn't have time to reassure him. One quick look at Argo's health bar revealed the problem.

Antidote, antidote, where's the damn antidote? Frantically scrolling through her Inventory she searched for her strongest antidotes to lift the array of Status Effects that now decorated the girl's bar. «Paralysis», «Poison», «Blindness», and the little skull symbol that indicated a severe Damage Over Time. Already Argo's health was plummeting. Seriously, what was up with this thing? Had Kayaba never heard of overkill?

There! Grabbing hold of the handful of bottles that appeared before her, Megumi knelt next to their downed party member.

“M-Megumi? Is that you?” Argo inquired with a faint trace of hysteria coloring her voice. The girl was doing an admirable job suppressing the sheer panic she had to feel right now, being utterly unable to defend herself against the mob she could still hear rushing around. At least Argo didn't suffer from «Deafness» as well. Missing two senses was bad enough; three would be unbearable.

Damn it, she's just a kid! Lying on the ground without the boisterous confidence Megumi had gotten to expect from the information broker, the truth was never clearer.

Curse you, Kayaba...

“Drink this,” Megumi ordered, pressing the poison antidote to trembling lips. Right now she needed to be strong for the girl. Megumi couldn't let her notice how bad her own hands wanted to shake. Argo's health was declining so fast...

Casting a quick look at the battle while Argo emptied the bottle with greedy gulps Megumi was relieved to see that Kirito was holding his own. Never had she been more thankful they were all solo players. Defending them put the teen at a disadvantage, but the beast hadn't managed to overpower the black-clad swordsman yet, and from its health was less than a third left. Kirito would win hands down if he could avoid touching the thing.

The moment the bottle was empty she replaced it with one of her best healing potions to combat the effect of the Damage Over Time. Three more seconds until the antidote lifted the Poison Effect. Once that was gone the Damage Over Time would end as well.

Bit less than half her health bar left. She's going to make it.

“Don't worry,” Megumi told to the quivering girl, “You'll be alright. The worst is over.” She got a shaky laugh when she pushed the next bottle in the row to the girl's lips.

“Tell me that when the fight is over as well, 'kay?” Argo murmured before gulping that one down too.

At that moment the sound of shattering filled the air. A glance over her shoulder revealed black and red standing side by side. So Battousai had noticed their peril and had come rushing. Megumi let her shoulders sag with relief, the presence of the two front liners reassuring like a warm hand on her shoulder when she stumbled, knowing the person supporting her wouldn't let her fall.

“Will Miss Argo be alright?”

Looking into worried violet Megumi offered a small smile, taking care to include the younger male behind the redhead as well. “She'll be fine.”

“'She' is right here, quit talking as if I'm not,” Argo said sitting up, her attempt at a little quip ruined by the small tremor in her voice. She rubbed her fingers, probably still feeling the lingering effects of the Paralysis. “Okay people, thanks for the save; lets not do that again. I think it's best if everyone wears gloves from now on. If Kayaba stayed true to reality then that thing got me through skin-to-skin contact. Does everybody have gloves?”

Everyone nodded and immediately went about equipping them.

Shaking off the last remnants of the Effects Argo got a steely glint in her eyes. “Aright, if I ever get my hands on that bastard-programmer I'm killing him. For now, I'll settle for slaying a beast. Everyone still with me?”

At the varying expressions of agreement Argo gave a grimly resolute smile. One couldn't be a clearer in SAO without the ability to bounce back from things like this. That went doubly for solos. And they were all damn good solos.

“Let's do this, people!”