Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Aincrad, Floor 63. A lush jungle region encircling a murky swamp at the center of the floor. The entire landscape was a treasure trove for herbalists and leatherworkers, containing herbs for high-level potions and hides from powerful creatures. However, the real profits came from the swamp. Aside from the Labyrinth’s presence and unique herbs, there were caves across the swamp containing special crystals for use in enhancing equipment. Since the front lines had moved to Floor 65, this floor was generally safe for most players up to that point to navigate.

Despite this, there weren’t that many players exploring the swamps. The whole region wasn’t even mapped out, as after players discovered the area’s gimmick, they wanted to clear it as soon as they could. At all times, the swamps were clouded in a poisonous fog. It would sap the strength of unprepared players, slowly draining HP while quickly inflicting crippling status effects. Constantly using crystals to counter that simply wasn’t viable. Vision was obscured while inside of it, and everything native to it was a sickly color. Everything reeked of death. The only reprieve was the occasional spire rising above the dark cloud, almost like a mini-oasis. Materials from this swamp were therefore quite rare, only gathered by well-equipped scouts like yourself. And as you learned today, hot-headed blacksmiths.

You were wandering the swamps alone, just looking for herbs on the surface. Typically, you traveled in parties for runs through dungeons and other dangerous areas, but you’ve come here often enough to consider it a day-to-day routine. The kind of stuff you don’t need a party for. You came equipped with a mask resembling that of a plague doctor’s, which protected you from the swamp’s toxic gases. As if those weren’t enough for unprepared travelers, there were also the monsters to deal with. Sneaky gators, swamp beasts, giant bugs, and other creatures called the swamp their home. Their constant buzzing and low growls reminded you that a swarm of enemies was never far away here. You couldn’t handle groups of foes with your choice of weapon. Instead, you made strong use of your Hiding and Detection skills to avoid enemy encounters. What you didn’t expect to see, however, was another player coming into your detection range.

A silhouette lingered in the distance, seemingly moving closer. The fog made it impossible to make out bodily details, but you could still notice their movements. They were swaying, like they were weakened. You looked around for a hiding spot, then decided to duck behind a nearby cypress tree. After getting a little closer, their movement seemed to stop momentarily. You then saw their body collapse into the mud and fade from your view. It seemed to you as if they were unprepared for the swamp’s atmosphere.

You ran over to them, desperately hoping they were still alive. They were face-down in the mud, thankfully, so you could only see the back half of their body and pink hair. On their person was a red waitress uniform with metal plating, and brown boots. Their HP was already dangerously low, and kept dropping the longer the poison permeated their body. You had to get them out of there fast. Making sure the immediate area was safe, you took a piece of cloth and wrapped it around their face to slow the HP drain, if only a little. You then hoisted the player onto your shoulders, splashing mud onto your titanium breastplate. The two of you were pretty deep into the swamp, and you weren’t confident that you could make it out in time. You had to find a spire quickly.

One of these safe areas lie on the path many players took towards the floor’s Labyrinth. People that knew the area at least a little had likely heard of it. That’s where you were headed. Carrying a player with you made sneaking around more difficult, as now you had more weight to every step. It took more seconds of hiding to get out of enemies’ normal detection ranges, and time was the last thing you had access to right now. God forbid one of them actually noticed you and decided to attack. Despite the odds, however, you made it to a rock spire in time. It was nothing compared to the Labyrinth’s figure towering in the distance, but it rose high enough to escape the poison. Wrapping around it was a small path leading to the top. You began to scale it, glad that both you and this mysterious player were safe. As the path ascended above the swamp, you could see actual greenery begin to grow. The light of day could finally be seen. These spires were pockets of life in a land filled with husks.

You dropped the mud-caked player to the ground as a wave of fatigue swept over your body. It should be safe to rest now that their HP wasn’t dropping. The various status effects, fatigue, weakness, and eventually unconsciousness, should wear off eventually. They might not be happy with their current state of hygiene, but they were at least safe. At this point, you just had to wait. You could clean them off before they woke up, but you worried that would be a little weird to explain. “Yeah, I rubbed your entire body down to clean you off while you were asleep.” That would probably earn you a hard punch, especially since this player seemed to be female. You simply decided to take off your mask and doze off for a bit.

Sometime later, you heard a rustling noise beside you. Seems like that girl had woken up. She had her back facing towards you, so she didn’t notice you awaken. Right now, she was in her underwear. She was using the clean part of her clothing to wipe off what dried mud she could from her body. She was also muttering something under her breath, just enough for your high Listening skill to pick up.

“Dammit, this is going to take forever to get out.” She gave up scrubbing herself after a bit. “What am I even doing up here anyway?”

You coughed to catch her attention, which seemed to have spooked her more than anything. She slowly turned around, her face already bright red. When she saw you sitting there, her initial reaction was to throw her clothes at you while backing away. She then pulled out her mace and adopted a defensive stance.

“G-Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t cave your skull in right now, you freaking pervert!” Her mace was pointed toward you, just begging to be swung.

You peeled the girl’s dirty clothes off of your face and tried to calm her down, feeling an intense blush yourself. “I’m really sorry, but if I didn’t pull you out of that swamp, you were probably going to die. I didn’t want to see that happen, so I helped you get to safety.”

“Save me?” She lowered her stance, sounding worried. “Was I… really about to die?”

“Yeah. The air down there is poisonous, so you need special gear to make it through safely. You don’t already know that?”

Now she had fully lowered her guard, believing you to be genuine. “No, I hadn’t heard anything about that. If that’s the case, then thank you.”

“It’s no problem.” You looked down at her clothes on the ground. “You should probably take those back, you know. I can’t keep staring at you like this forever.”

“Then stop staring at me!” She pouted as she ran towards her clothes. You decided to give her a little privacy while she dressed, and turned around towards the swamp.

“This isn’t a place most players travel in often. You must have a pretty important reason for coming.”

“I heard this is one of the few locations I can find Entropy Crystals. A customer of mine wants a sword reinforced, and apparently this is one of the materials I need for it.”

“So, you’re a blacksmith?”

“Only the best in Aincrad.” She sounded pretty confident in herself after putting on her clothes.

“Not just a blacksmith, but one of the best around?" You had to stop and think on that one. "Okay. I’ll believe it. But what’s stopping you from just paying a scout to get the materials for you?”

“I’ve seen some of their prices. There’s no way I’d be able to make a profit by using scouts regularly. That’s why I typically collect anything I can’t buy in town myself. This time was supposed to be no different.”

“But then everything leading up to this point happened.”

“That’s right." She looked out toward the horizon, then back at you. "I get you want to help me return safely, but I’m not leaving without those crystals.”

“I’d love to help with that. I really would. But you have no protection from the poison down there, and you obviously want to find those crystals yourself.”

“I never said I was trying to do this completely solo." She turned her head towards the ground with her arms crossed. "Listen, if you’re willing to be my guide, since you seem to know the area well enough, I’ll follow your lead.”

“I can do the guide part. That’s easy. But again, poison.”

“If it’s that much of an issue, then tell me, how do you protect yourself from the poison?”

You picked up your mask and showed it to her. “A facemask like this. I wrapped a cloth around your face to bring you here, but that didn’t completely block the HP drain, nor the debuffs that come with it.”

The girl sat thinking for a while, the thought of retreat clearly not crossing her mind. “I think I have the HP to handle it for a while if I wrap a cloth around myself. I’ve got a couple healing crystals, too. For the debuffs, I might be able to drink a potion to become resistant for a little while. Got any of those?”

“That sounds like quite the plan. I don’t have any potions like that on hand, but how patient are you?”

“Depends on what you’re getting at.” She looked curious.

“Give me a moment. I can make a couple potions.”

You produced several alchemical tools from your inventory. The herbs you had collected from the swamp could be used in potions to resist the poison’s debuffs, so you didn’t need to travel out to gather anything. It took a little bit of time to mix the concoctions, during which you and this player got to know each other a little better. While she was watching you mix, you were the first to ask questions.

“If we’re going to be traveling together, I think I should at least know a few things about you. Let’s start with your name.” You demanded while still mixing a potion.

“The name’s Lisbeth. Glad you finally asked. What about you?”

You told her your name as you finished the first potion. “Okay, next question. You’re a blacksmith, but you’re also clearly armed. You hold up well in a fight?”

“You’re damn right I can!” She equipped her mace and shield. “I’m Level 60 right now, but I’ve got good enough equipment to smash anything that gets in our way.” Now she kneeled down next to you, focusing on the dark sludge you were handling. “I’m more interested in what you can do aside from running around and crushing herbs all day.”

You took a moment to finish the other potion. Then, instead of responding, you simply pulled out your weapons. Lisbeth seemed pretty surprised after seeing them. They were a pair of katars, made of a material common in floors much lower down. They utilized a combination of the One-Handed Dagger and Martial Arts skills. Since they were more of an extension of your fists, the game allowed you to use most Sword Skills despite using two weapons.

“I use these.”

Lisbeth inspected them pretty closely. “I have to say, these are pretty unique. They seem pretty low-level though. How come?”

“Most player blacksmiths can’t really make this kind of weapon. They need to have Martial Arts plus the usual weapon creation skills to craft them. I’ve found one that was able to, but I haven’t been in contact with them for a while. My only other option for upgrading these weapons is to buy them from NPC shopkeepers, who usually don’t have high-grade stuff.”

“They need Martial Arts, huh?” Lisbeth seemed to be pondering something.

“I wouldn’t worry about it. I’ve been able to get by. If you haven’t noticed by now, I’ve finished the potions.” You gave her the two dark purple liquids. “Drink up and get ready to move. Let’s get you some crystals.”

Chapter Text

You and Lisbeth were now wading through the swamp, looking for any kind of cavern to explore. Now that you had officially formed a party, you were able to see her status and HP. The potions seemed to be working like a charm. From what you saw, the potion resistance would last for 30 minutes, and Lisbeth’s HP would last for 45. Conditions haven’t changed since you first found Lisbeth, there was just simply another player to factor in when sneaking around. Or attempting to, anyway. She was definitely more of a fighter, so she often goaded you to fight enemy groups that got in your way. It usually worked, since with her around, you weren’t as hesitant to fight as before. She wasn’t kidding when she said she could hold her own.

For the most part, you had only been speaking to give directions. Lisbeth had likely gotten bored of the silence, though, so she gave you a quick jab in the back to get your attention.

“Hey, don’t you have anything to talk about during trips like this?” Her voice was muffled from her makeshift facemask.

You turned back around toward her. “Oh… sorry. I guess I didn’t think I’d need to talk.” Now you had to think of a conversation topic, which took a while. That wasn’t from a lack of them, but rather not knowing what she wanted to hear.

“You know, I’ve heard of a way to purify this swamp. Wanna hear it?” That sounded safe enough to you.

“Really?” She had perked up. “What are you waiting for? Tell me!”

“Since I come here pretty often, I went around the town on this floor asking NPCs if they knew anything about this place. Most people didn’t, but I came across one person that seemed to know the source.” Now you were getting more comfortable with talking. “They told me about a pair of dragons that lie somewhere deep within this swamp. Luun and Hazak, the Decaying Drakes.” You now pulled up the menu and navigated to your quests. “See right here?” The quest titled <<Purification of the Rotten Land>> was highlighted. “I’m certain it has a pretty good reward, but no one wants to come to this place. Good luck gathering multiple parties willing to fight it.”

“Oh…” She seemed more disappointed than earlier now, which worried you. Did you somehow screw that interaction up? And why did that thought suddenly pop up into your head? It nearly distracted you from the solution Lisbeth was offering. “What if I brought up the quest to more people? Naturally, I get some pretty strong customers, so they might be interested in something like this.”

“You’d do that for me? You sounded genuinely surprised.

“Of course! I’m always happy to help out other players with this kind of thing.”

That kept both of you satisfied until you reach the opening of a cavern. Until then, the land was pretty barren. No monsters had been in sight, which was a nice change of pace. In front of this cave, though, there were three Moss Walkers guarding the entrance. They were humanoid creatures covered in moss, acting as natural camouflage. Their long claws and glowing red eyes were the only features you could discern. You and Lisbeth observed them from a distance for a bit.

“They aren’t leaving.”

“Yeah, I noticed. Let’s just ambush them and get in.” Lisbeth unsheathed her weapons.

“There aren’t enough hiding spots to get close for an ambush. If you’ve got my back covered, though, I’ll run in as a distraction. Just stay here for now and keep watch.” She nodded.

You unsheathed your katars and prepared to attack. If the right moment would just come already, when the enemies’ backs were turned. It felt like forever before they looked away. It was almost like they already knew you were there. So instead of waiting any longer, you just charged in. The Moss Walkers adopted a defensive stance and prepared to receive your attack.

You were running at full speed, covering your chin with your arms like a boxer. When you got close, one of the creatures raised its right claw, preparing to swipe at you. As you got in its face, it swung, but you weaved to the side and countered with an uppercut. That took off a fair chunk of its HP.

You stepped back and began carefully observing the Moss Walkers’ movements, trying to keep both in front of you at all times. Their low growls kept you on edge, and their eyes stood out strongly against the swamp’s darkness. The damaged one lurched forward and got ready to lunge while you prepared to counter accordingly. After a moment, it leaped at you, claws aimed at your head. You timed a quick swipe to parry the blow and used the momentum to turn with the Moss Walker. With its back turned, you activated a sword skill to punch right through its heart. It shattered into several fragments as you heard the roars of the others behind you. Lisbeth had snuck up behind them and killed them both with a single wide blow.

“You better not have told me to stay back just so you could hog all the glory there.”

“What glory? It’s not like I’m trying to impress anybody. I just thought that plan would work out differently.” You said while putting away your weapons.

“Are you sure? You’re definitely jealous of how many kills I was getting earlier.” She was right, but you didn’t want to admit that. Especially not with the devilish smirk on her face.

“You have some weird ideas about me. Let’s just go inside.” A small blush formed on your cheeks as you said that.

The inside of the cave was exactly how you expected it to be. Muddy, wet, plenty of rotten overgrowth, and several creature nests. The gas still permeated these areas, and it was even darker in here than it was outside. Clicking sounds and growling noises were constant, and it kept you on edge. You lit up a torch, which helped a little bit.

A few more paces and monster battles in, you stopped hearing Lisbeth’s footsteps behind you. The walls of this cave bounced sound pretty well, so you called out to her, hoping it would go far enough to reach her ears.

“Lisbeth, you there?”

No response.

“Lisbeth? Hello?”

Still nothing. Now you were getting worried. You hadn’t even been here for 5 minutes and the two of you had already gotten separated. Your best bet was probably to backtrack and keep calling out for her, but that would attract monsters. This was not a time to get into fights, and this was especially not a time to panic. Surely, she would notice the light and-

“GROOOOOAR!” The threatening howl came from behind you.

You twisted around extremely quickly, lost your balance, and fell onto your back while drawing your katars. Mud splashed all over your armor, as well as what was in front of you: a chuckling girl. She was laughing too hard to say anything, and she even had tears in her eyes.

“Dear god, Lisbeth. Don’t do that to me.” Your heart was still pounding from shock.

She finally calmed down a little, just enough to form words. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Then more laughter. “I couldn’t help myself, I just wanted to see you stop being so serious for a moment.” She reached out her hand and helped you up.

Your face was really red now. In fact, your whole body felt hot. Some really cute girl that you just met was messing with you like this and you…

You just thought she was cute. Another weird feeling while you were around her. First you lose focus easier, now you’re physically attracted to her. Did you have a crush on Lisbeth? That would be the easiest explanation, but love wasn’t exactly on your mind for the past 64 floors. Why now? You gave it about 30 seconds of reflection, then realized that really shouldn’t be your top priority right now.

“So anyway, did you notice anything while we were walking?” You quickly changed the topic.

Lisbeth was getting her final giggles out. “Yeah, I did. It looks like something is glowing really far in that direction.” She pointed to your left. “I might be seeing things, but it’s not like we have any other leads.”

She was right. There was a faint grey glow off in the distance, separated by a seemingly infinite void. You could hear skittering in the same direction as well.

“How’s your HP holding up?”

“It’s still yellow. The potion resistances might not be around much longer, though.”

“Oh, let me just whip up another-“ You were opening up your menu, but Lisbeth interrupted you.

“Don’t worry about it. I think those might be the Entropy Crystals down there, so I can just get them and teleport out. You shouldn’t use any more of your resources on me.” This really wasn’t the time to be considering you, you thought. Especially not when she knew firsthand what the atmosphere here could do.

“Wait… you’ve had Teleport Crystals this whole time?”

“If you’re about to get mad at me for not leaving when I could, I already told you. I am getting these crystals even if this swamp beats me to an inch of my life before I do.” Wow. That was a bold statement.

“Okay, okay.” Clearly, this was a very stubborn girl. Arguing with her was probably a bad idea. “Please, just be careful. I heard something down there. Something walking.”

“Maybe it’s a boss. You think we can handle it together?”

You took a moment to think about it. “I doubt it’s anything that tough, if it’s just guarding resources.”

“Then take this.” She tossed you a healing crystal and used one herself. “Don’t get yourself killed, okay?”

“You should really be listening to that yourself.” You caught the crystal and put it in your inventory.

The two of you walked to the glowing area, and the skittering got louder. You looked down and saw multiple small spiders moving through the mud. Then you heard some on the walls. And on the ceiling. They were all heading towards the glow as well. Now only one thought was going through your head. The next 5 minutes were gonna suck.

Once you reached the source of the glow, you found that it was coming from a large vein of Entropy Crystals in the middle of an open room. The light was just bright enough to see the ground and walls, but just dim enough to need to strain your eyes to make out any details. You could tell that there were mushrooms growing underneath the giant crystal vein. Those could be useful for potions or poisons, but first things first. Lisbeth needed to collect from the crystal.

Normally, collecting crystals is an easy task. It worked the same as any other collection point, just swing a pickaxe at it until it stops giving you resources. Something untouched like this would give a lot of resources before running dry, so it was a gold mine for Lisbeth. But there was a giant spider above both of you.

Lisbeth pulled out her pickaxe, but you stopped her with a hand on her shoulder before she went any further.

“Above us. The boss.” You gave her a quick tug backwards.

She gave you a quick nod and swapped to her hammer. You unsheathed your katars. With a hiss that echoed throughout the room, you saw a massive spider fall from the ceiling and land beside the Entropy Crystal vein. While it was hard to make out any details in the dim light, you could tell that it was massive with its face level with Lisbeth’s. Something—likely venom—was dripping from its fangs, and its eight red eyes glared menacingly towards the two of you. Its name flashed before your eyes momentarily.

<<Queen Arachnid>>

You winced a little. Lisbeth stood in front of you, ready to defend herself.

“Stay behind me until I give a signal.” She sounded like she already had a battle plan.

So, you followed her command. Lisbeth dodged the spider’s claw swipes, countering with various Sword Skills to knock it off balance. Once she created a long enough opening, she activated another Sword Skill to knock it upwards, exposing the spider’s underside.

“Now!” She yelled out to you.

While Lisbeth was still in her cooldown stance, you ran past her towards the boss. Once you were in range with your katars, you activated a Sword Skill of your own, unleashing a strong multi-hit combo on the exposed weak spot. With her screeches ringing in your ears, the Queen’s HP drained to half of the 4 bars.

Responding to its weakened state, it retreated momentarily and let out a loud hiss that resonated throughout the cavern. Then there was silence. Just a few seconds later, you heard the collective cries of multiple minions. The boss had called in backup, and they were going to be flanking you and Lisbeth shortly.

“Lizzie! Spiders coming from the rear!”

“Screw the old plan then, I’ll take care of them!” She ducked under another of the boss’s swipes, then switched positions with you. You actually found that odd. Usually she’d ask you to take care of the groups of mooks, despite your protests.

With Lisbeth covering your back, which felt really nice for a change, you could focus your full attention on the boss. It was charging forward towards the two of you, getting ready to pounce. You readied a Sword Skill, waiting to parry the first blow. From behind, you could hear Lisbeth begin attacking the minions. Hopefully she could hold their Hate for a while. The Queen spider slashed at your chest, which you promptly countered. You deflected most of the damage, but the sheer weight behind the Queen’s attack knocked you off balance. Dodging was more definitely more important here.

The Queen continued her offense, slashing, biting, and leaping towards you. Most attacks you could dodge, with the Queen getting in a lucky shot here or there. Whenever your HP got low, you could just use a healing crystal, so your survivability wasn’t an issue. The problem was that she wasn’t showing any openings for damage, and you didn’t have the pure power to make one. Your only option was to find a way to interrupt her attack. Once the Queen readied a double swipe with her talons, you dashed forward to get in her face. Right in range of her jaws, even. The area in front of her face was safe from claw swipes, so you had a small moment to strike her before she bit you. As she whiffed her swing, you activated a Sword Skill and jammed your katar right into one of the Queen’s eyes.

Your attack staggered the Queen, allowing you to get in and begin a ruthless offense. The momentum of the fight was yours. While Lisbeth finished off the last of the Queen’s minions, you were assaulting the giant spider with a flurry of slashes, stabs, and kicks. It desperately tried to block and counter you, but as it deflected one strike, you were already launching another. The Queen couldn’t keep up. Very soon, she had fallen.

All of the corpses burst into fragments at about the same time, leaving just you and Lisbeth in the cavern. The two of you were starting to get pretty tired, but it was all over. Lisbeth, seeming groggier than before, took out her pickaxe and began swinging at the Entropy Crystals without saying a word to you. Moments later, she promptly collapsed. One quick look at her status showed that the potions had worn off not too long ago. So much for being a quick collection.

You used another healing crystal to bring her back up to a safe HP level. Since you had come all this way, it’d be a waste to go back relatively empty-handed. Her pickaxe was still on the ground, so you finished her job of gathering crystals, as well as picked some mushrooms for yourself. Now you just needed to leave before this job could get any weirder. Lisbeth had said she had some teleport crystals in her inventory, but she was a little… unconscious right now. You thought about it for a second, since opening the menu was just a hand gesture. Could someone open someone else’s inventory by manipulating their arm? Even so, she might be ticked off if she knew you had tried that. The whole act might look weird from an outsider’s perspective as well. But what better option did you have?

Your theory was quickly proven correct, as you managed to open her inventory just by holding her arm and copying the standard gestures with it. In fact, every option within the menu was accessible this way, including her skill menu and content filters. While you were curious, you thought it’d be best to leave those alone. Like she had said, Lisbeth was carrying several Teleport Crystals in her inventory. She would most likely want to go to her blacksmith shop, but you didn’t know where that was. Instead, you just decided to teleport to this floor’s town. The two of you could figure out the details later, mainly how she would pay you back for all this. More importantly…

…Did you just give her a nickname during that fight?

Chapter Text

The city of Alswyr, Floor 63. It was the only settlement on the floor, located in a clearing within the thick jungles. Part of it was even built into a nearby cliff. The town had a great verticality to it, possibly to contend with the treetops. It had the usual amenities for players, such as inns and markets. You had brought Lisbeth to one of these inns to let her rest, as well as to reflect on the journey there. Specifically, those weird feelings you’ve been getting around Lisbeth. What you knew was that you wanted to get closer to her. You wanted to know more about her. And that she was actually really cute. It was safe to assume for a second that you were in love with her. The feeling was just unusual to you.

Love was never really something you got. At least, you never got how people could make things work out so easily. To you, love was something really complex, and something you didn’t know how to handle. If you were in love with Lisbeth, what do you do with those emotions? Honestly, you weren’t even sure if it was love, or if this whole trial was just you wanting to save another player from the jaws of death.

You wished you could just say “screw it’ and see how things work out, but it wasn’t that simple to you. Lisbeth said that you usually seemed pretty serious, and for once you were feeling like it. Maybe it was time for you to loosen up a bit. Keep doing what you always did, but every once in a while, just listen to your gut and do what felt right.

Maybe Lisbeth was wiser than you had initially believed.

A distraction would do wonders for you right now. That was something your scattered mind could agree on. The inn had a small kitchen in every room, not enough for a feast, but enough to cook a small meal. It took a bit of time to buy all the ingredients from the market and return, you guessed about 20 minutes. When you got back to the inn room, Lisbeth still seemed to be asleep. The debuffs from the swamp should’ve definitely worn off by now, so this was a true deep sleep. Oh well. You bought enough for two anyway.

Wait, now you’re about to cook for her. So much for a distraction.

You took out a small crystal bottle used for storing skills and swapped your Mixing skill with the Cooking skill. It wasn’t very developed, only about 400 out of 1000, but it was still better than NPC meals, and you could use it out in the field. With what you had, you could make a decent meat and vegetable stew pretty quickly. It was a simple dish, but filling. Not to mention you could make it taste pretty good. And the smell from the herbs you had on hand. The smell was probably the best part. It immediately got your appetite going, and woke up Lisbeth. She sat up in the bed and took a big whiff of the air.

“Hey, what’s on tonight?”

Her sudden voice startled you, but not too visibly. “Just a meat stew. Nice to see you’re awake.”

“It smells great. I didn’t know you were such a good cook.”

The compliment made you blush. “It’s not really that great, but it gets me by. I just wanted to be able to eat well in the field is all.”

Lisbeth paused for a second, like she was wondering what to say. You were actually the one to break the silence.

“Hey, you don’t have to stick around, you know. We’re out of the swamp, so you can go back to your smith shop.”

“I can’t exactly do that without the rest of the crystals, you know.”

“Oh! I’m sorry.” The stew didn’t really need your attention at the moment, so you opened your inventory and initiated a trade with Lisbeth. Once you had handed her all the Entropy Crystals, you went back to your meal. Lisbeth still stuck around, though. Unless there was something else that she wanted, you weren’t going to stop her from staying any more.

You took out a couple bowls, one for each of you, but then you saw Lisbeth heading towards the door. It was pretty disappointing to see her go, although you shouldn’t stop her. She had probably delayed her customers long enough. Although, she did look pretty red in the face.

“Leaving now?” You tried your best to not sound disappointed, at the very least.

“Y-Yeah. I’d love to stay and eat, but I should really go fill this customer’s order. The one this whole adventure was for. I promise I’ll pay you back, though. My shop is on the 48^th floor, in Lindarth.” She told you the directions from the teleport gate. “Meet me there in a bit, and we can talk more.”

There she goes about this customer again. Honestly, you got a little curious. Now that she told you where her shop was, you could go there anytime. You sent her off on her way, and stared at the full pot of stew. No sense in letting that go to waste, you thought.

A couple hours passed, and you were still stuffed from eating two servings of the meat stew. You thought that now would be a good time to go visit Lisbeth’s shop. After packing up your gear and paying for another night at the inn, you traveled to the town center, where the teleport gate lay. It was usually a pretty busy place, but not many players were around today. NPC markets still had most of their stock on display, and the local bounty board was barely touched. Not much use of you today, though. You entered the gate and selected Lindarth, Floor 48. Soon, you were basked in a bright light as you disappeared from Alswyr.

It’s been a while since you’ve been in Lindarth. Coming back here felt pretty nostalgic, especially seeing the old church tower. Most player owned shops hadn’t popped up while you were here, though, so there was a lot that felt different. New stalls and signs were all over the place, making good use of the town’s waterways. There were smiths, bakeries, tailors, and everything else you could expect from a medieval city. Despite it all, Lindarth still retained its rural feeling. Large volumes of traffic in the area didn’t stop the peaceful feeling people got while they were there.

You followed Lisbeth’s instructions to the southern district, where her shop was located. She had mentioned that it wasn’t a very big building, but the sign was unmistakable. You searched around for a while until you found a wood board with the symbol of a knight on it. Beside it, the name: Lisbeth’s Smith Shop. She really wasn’t kidding about it being pretty obvious.

Through the window, you saw two people. One of them you recognized as Lisbeth, but you only had an idea of who the other was. Their most recognizable feature was their black longcoat. Maybe you should wait for them to leave, but you didn’t know how long that would take. You worked up a bit of nerve and walked in the front door, entering in the midst of a conversation.

“…expecting them soon, but right now, you’re my top priority.” Lisbeth hadn’t noticed you coming in. She seemed too enamored with the boy to notice much of anything, really.

They clearly had just started talking about something, so you tried to duck away into a corner to wait. The boy must’ve heard your footsteps, though, as he turned his head toward you. He didn’t say anything, but him looking at you caused Lisbeth to turn in your direction as well. Your presence took her by surprise.

“Oh! You actually came!” She was darting her head in between you and the raven-haired boy. “Just wait right there, I’ll be with you in a moment.”

So, you waited. You listened to some of their conversations while you did, and you learned that this was the customer that Lisbeth had wanted the crystals for. He gave Lisbeth a pretty impressive looking black sword, asking for it to be reinforced. With a small blush and a big smile, she went into the back of the building to begin her work.

You really didn’t feel like making small talk with this other guy, so you looked around the smith shop. Lisbeth had quite a few powerful weapons hanging up on the walls. Warhammers, falchions, even zweihanders were available. Racks of armor were displayed underneath. Despite it being right in front of you, it was hard to believe that she made every piece. You wished you had heard of this place before, since everything seemed high-quality.

Lisbeth walked out of the back room, carrying the boy’s reinforced sword. It looked much shinier than before. She handed it to him, and he gave it a quick test swing after making some room around himself. Once he sheathed his sword on his back, he quickly glanced at you and walked toward the front door. Lisbeth seemed pretty confused about this.

“Wait, you don’t want your-“

The boy cut him off. “I’ll be back in a bit, Asuna needs me right now.”

After he finished that statement, he swiftly exited the building.

“That was weird.” Lisbeth turned over to you with a fresh smile. “So, how can I help you?”

“Didn’t you want me to meet you here?”

“I did. I said I was gonna repay you, right? So, what do you want? Surely you’ve seen something you’re interested in.”

“Oh, that’s what you meant. Is it safe to assume you can’t make katars?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

You pointed at some of the armor pieces on display. “If that’s the case, then do you mind making some light metal armor for me?”

“Not at all. I’ll give you the best I’ve got. Just wait here a moment.”

Inside the smith shop was a small seating area that you hadn’t noticed at first. You were too focused on the unfamiliar customer at the time. While you were waiting, you were thinking about how different Lisbeth was acting. She acted flustered around that customer, and she’s currently acting a lot more friendly around you. To run a business like this, she would have to be pretty shrewd, too. It’s like she was an entirely different person than the fiery girl you assisted in the swamp. The more you thought about it, the more you came to admire her.

Lisbeth returned with some measuring tools. It actually wasn’t that long since she sat you down.

“I need to get your size. Do you want me to do it directly, or just reference your old armor?”

Having Lisbeth that close to you to measure your body… that would’ve felt nice. Although it could potentially be embarrassing, just because of who was doing it. That little bit of fear stopped you from asking for a direct measurement.

“Is there a place to undress? I’d rather you just reference my armor.”

“Just head into the back room. I won’t look, don’t worry.”

“Okay, I’ll be right back.” You stood up as you said that.

While she tended to the display racks, you entered the back room. It looked exactly like you expected a blacksmith’s shop to look. Shelves of various materials lined the walls, a bench with different tools stood in the back, and an anvil and forge stood beside it. You quickly unequipped your armor and replaced it with casual clothing. You could’ve sworn someone was watching you at that point, but the only other person in the building was Lisbeth, and you could hear her shuffling around in the front.

You walked back out, old armor in hand. After handing your titanium equipment set to Lisbeth, she asked you to wait in the seating area while she forged brand-new armor.

This left you with a little more time to think about things. For once in this past hour, it wasn’t about Lisbeth. The raid on Floor 65’s Labyrinth was happening soon, and they probably wanted scouts like you to assist after the boss fight. Whenever a new floor was opened up, a player had to reach the main settlement to unlock the teleport gate before players could filter in. Typically, the labyrinth was a long distance from the main town, so a group of well-armed fighters and scouts needed to lead a charge. Without any knowledge of the floor or its enemies, this was an extremely dangerous job. You could probably say that about scouting in general, though.

Lisbeth returned from the back room, carting a mannequin behind her. On it was a full set of mithril armor fitted and designed just for you.

“So, what do you think?” She gave the armor a hard knock. “This bad boy can handle a lot of damage.”

“It’s perfect. How much will it be?”

“Free. This is how I’ll be repaying you.”

“Wait, what? Are you sure?” While you wanted to accept the armor, it seemed very valuable. Was she really willing to part with it?

“Take it and consider this debt dealt with.”

Sounds like you had no choice but to accept. “If you say so.”

You took the armor set and equipped it. It felt completely natural to move around in. Every piece was flexible, yet sturdy. Nothing about it felt like it could hinder your agility. You could finally experience just how skilled Lisbeth was at smithing.

“This feels amazing. I could probably take on an entire horde of beasts with this.”

You noticed a pink streak form on her cheeks. “I’m really glad you think so. Is there anything else you wanted?”

“Is the armor not enough?”

“Well… there’s something more I wanted to ask of you. I just want to make sure I can afford to do this.”

She started fidgeting a little as your heart started to race.

“There’s something I want you to do for me.”

“What is it?” You mentally prepared yourself for whatever this was going to be.

“Do you get to the front lines often? As a scout, I mean.”

Oh. That’s what she meant. You knew it probably wasn’t going to be a confession, but you got hopeful anyway. Despite that, you were still curious about where this was going.

“Yeah, I do. What about it?” You raised an eyebrow.

“New floors must have some pretty strong materials compared to lower down, right?”

“They do. I can make a fair bit of money for a while once a new floor opens up.”

“I was wondering, would you like to work for me? You know, going up to those high floors and gathering strong materials?”

You really had to have been talking to a different person. This was coming from the same girl who insisted on gathering materials herself, no matter what the odds were.

She quickly justified herself, though. “I thought a bit about what happened in the swamps. While gathering rare and powerful materials would boost profits, my level isn’t keeping up with the floor progression anymore. Going that far up solo would basically be suicide. Since I already know you, and you typically go to the front lines, I’m asking you.”

“Why not ask that one guy who was in here a little while ago? You seemed like you were pretty intimate with him.”

Lisbeth got really red upon you mentioning him.  “I-Intimate?! I don’t know what you’re talking about! He’s just a regular customer that just so happens to be really nice.”

“Okay, okay. Sorry. I feel like I’ve seen him before, though. Do you know their name?”

The red color had mostly disappeared from Lisbeth’s face. “His name is Kirito. Does the Black Swordsman ring any bells?”

“Black Swordsman? Oh. That guy.” He was usually a part of Labyrinth raid groups. “I didn’t know he frequents this place. Your work is really that good?”

“Yes! That’s what I’ve been telling you!” She was clearly getting annoyed at your disbelief.

“Anyway, are you gonna work for me or not?”

“I want to know what I get out of it first.”

“Benefits, huh?” She had to think about it for a second. “How about free equipment repairs, discounts on weapons you buy here, fair pay on the materials you bring in, and best of all, you get to work with a cutie like me.”

Her work was already enough to convince you to work for her, but Lisbeth completely sealed the deal with that last part. Why did she mention that last part, anyway? She couldn’t possibly like you like that, right? That’s just her confidence shining through, right? That blush on your face right now is just the heat, right?

You mentally shook it off for now. “Alright. You’ve convinced me. How often do I need to bring things in?”

Lisbeth seemed really excited for a moment when you accepted, but she quickly regained her composure. “Great! You don’t really need to come by on a consistent schedule, just whenever you’ve got something to sell me.”

She then spoke a little quieter, likely not wanting to be heard. “Although I wouldn’t mind if you came by more often.”

Quiet mutters couldn’t escape your Listening skill. You didn’t respond to it, but you made a mental note to stop by fairly often. Honestly, she was acting so much friendlier now than in the swamp. Maybe that was because she was in her shop and could relax. That might just be how she dealt with customers, though. She wasn’t acting flustered like she was around that Kirito guy. The only way you’d ever know is by watching her deal with other customers, if she acted as friendly around them as she did you. You did know one thing, though.

She was going to be a regular part of your life from now on.

Chapter Text

Three days had passed ever since Lisbeth hired you. Working for her actually didn’t feel too different than what you already did, except you had less choice on where to sell your materials. It was worth it, though. Lisbeth stuck to her word and kept your gear in top form. Not breaking your promise to yourself, you tried to find excuses to stop by at least once a day, either for equipment repair or for material delivery. Today marked a delivery of high-grade materials.

The Floor 65 Labyrinth was home to several variants of undead knights. Their armor was useless to most players, but they could actually be melted down and refined in the same manner as metal ores. While making one final mapping run before the raid, you gathered a hefty amount of Brave Steel scrap. It could be used for armors and weapons resembling those of ancient knights. Not your thing, but nice nonetheless.

From there, after providing the two major clearing guilds your maps, you used a Teleport Crystal to move to Lindarth. It wasn’t much distance from the gate to Lisbeth’s shop, at least, it didn’t feel like it. Her shop was usually open, sometimes run by her, and sometimes by her NPC shopkeeper. Looks like she was in today, though. You could see her through the window taking an order.

You strolled into her shop, exchanged a quick greeting, then went into the back to drop off the Brave Steel. Occasionally you would bring in a material she’s never seen before, and at this point you’d have to try your best to explain what effects it had and what kind of things could be forged from it. Considering you had zero experience with smithing, that usually went poorly. At the very least, she got the gist of things.

You usually stayed for a while and tried to catch some of the orders she was receiving, just to see if her attitude when you first met her was only for you, or for every customer. Turns out it was the former. That made you feel a little better about your odds with her.

Once during that time, Kirito came in for repairs on his equipment. When that happened, you had to devote a little more time to listening in. If she really was in love with the guy, what chance did you have? The more you listened, the more Lisbeth’s demeanor around him interested you, though. You overheard that he was married to some other player named Asuna. Either he had a harem going on or Lisbeth really thought she could have a chance with him. Both of those options sounded really bad to you.

At least you knew you probably had a shot with Lisbeth. Even still, you couldn’t read her mind. You might be totally right about her being madly in love with Kirito and not really caring much for you. She could easily just think of you as an employee right now.

Anyway, you were about to leave after dropping off your goods, but the front entrance was blocked by 4 people wearing matching uniforms. They had to have been part of a guild, and a powerful one at that. You could see it from the looks on their faces. They probably wanted a group order from Lisbeth, but even still, you felt anxious just standing in their presence. You then heard Lisbeth’s voice behind you.

“May I help you?” She was as jovial as ever.

Lisbeth had finished her other order while you were in the back, so the only people in the building were you, her, and these 4 guild members. One of them, presumably the leader, stepped forward.

“The Divine Dragon Alliance wishes to place an order for a large stock of weapons.” His voice had a commanding tone.

You had to excuse yourself upstairs before your anxiety became visible. The Divine Dragon Alliance was possibly the strongest of the clearing guilds, and now they wanted a large shipment of weapons from Lisbeth. You really hoped they weren’t just asking her, since that was a lot for one person to handle. Listening in, though, Lisbeth seemed to be glowing about the order. The deal was definitely valuable, that was certain.

The most impressive part of it, at least to you, was how she was handling a five-way conversation. Granted, it was about business matters, but still, that was something you could only dream of doing.

Eventually, you heard them leave the smith shop, and a pair of footsteps coming upstairs. It was Lisbeth, looking somewhat drained. That was a stark contrast to what you just heard. It was enough to make you concerned for her.

“Hey, Liz, you okay?”

She reclined in one of the chairs in the room.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Did you hear that order downstairs?” The energy had been sucked from her voice.

“I did. Sounds pretty intense.”

“Luckily, I’m not the only blacksmith that they’re hiring. But whatever you heard, that’s what they’re paying me for.”

“So you’ve gotta do all that by when?”

“2 days from now. Reinforcements, repairs, new forges, all of it.”

“Shoot. Is that even possible for one person?” You were worried she might overwork herself.

“I think it is. Sleep isn’t too necessary in this world, and I can work pretty quickly under pressure. If I can make the order, this deal could be huge for me. Tons of publicity, and tons of profit all in one go.”

It seemed like she had regained some life in her after thinking about the payoff.

“Is there anything I can do to help you out? I mean anything.”

“Anything, huh?” Lisbeth sounded like she already had a couple things in mind.

“I need a few materials sourced. Crystals, rare metals, that kind of thing. I’ll get you a list. Second, getting a little more Brave Steel would be useful for the new weapons.”

“Got it, I’ll-“ You got out of your seat, but Lisbeth interrupted you.

“And I need you to come with me right now for something.”

That took you by surprise. Whatever this is, it must be pretty urgent, so you gladly accepted. The two of you exited Lisbeth’s shop, leaving the NPC vendor to make sales. She wasn’t heading towards the teleport gate, but rather the southern edge of town.

“Where exactly are you taking me?”

“Don’t worry about where we’re going. I think you’ll like it.” Lisbeth let out a little giggle.

You really had no clue where she was going with this. In fact, you weren’t sure whether to be reassured or worried right now. It seems like she was following the waterways out of town. Pretty far out of town, you noticed. At least none of the monsters were bothering you.

Lisbeth eventually led you to a large lake on the floor. It was mostly surrounded by forest, but there was a cliff facing toward the lake, far off from any trails. It only had a few trees, allowing it to act as a scenic outlook. You could see over the entire lake, as well as the forest surrounding it. Out in the distance, you could even make out the church tower. You could feel a light breeze running across your body, and the smell of the pine trees soothed your senses. The experience was truly mesmerizing, and it put you in a trance. One that wasn’t broken until Lisbeth eagerly poked your arm.

“Enjoying the view?”

You snapped out of your haze and needed a moment to respond.

“It’s beautiful. How did you know about this place?”

“I came across it while exploring the area outside of town. I don’t think many people come here, so I declared it my own little secret spot.”

“I can see why. I feel so relaxed here.” Your voice was almost sleepy.

You sat down, reclining against one of the trees.

“Can I ask why you wanted me here, though?”

“Well… um…” Lisbeth seemed to be struggling for words. It took a moment before she continued.

“It’s about the order I got earlier. I wasn’t lying when I said I could do it.”

She sat down next to you.

“When I get a large order like that, though, sometimes it can be a little overwhelming when I think about starting it right away. So I come to this place to clear my head and relax a little.”

“And where do I fit in all that?”

“I just thought that bringing a friend like you along would help both of us out. You looked like you were freezing up when that group of guild members came in.”

“Oh!” Your face got red. “Y-you noticed that?”

“I’m more observant than you think. Do you not handle groups of people well?”

Lisbeth was basically asking you to pour your thoughts out. The two of you were alone, and your heart was racing right now. May as well just get it over with, right?

“I don’t. I’m not exactly a social butterfly to begin with, but spending time with groups of people is incredibly draining. A lot more than just one or two people. It’s like an information overload to me. Trying to keep track of what multiple people are saying while thinking about how to respond to all of it, I mean.”

“I get what you mean.”

“Wait, you do?”

How could Lisbeth, the girl that handled a full party of fighters earlier, admit to struggling with group interaction?

“Yeah. It’s hard to explain, but I get what you mean with all that info coming in all at once.”

“How do you manage, then?”

“I kinda just follow every moment as if it was completely separate. A lot of the time, people are bouncing off of one idea, so if you just go with what the last person said, you’ll usually sound just fine.”

You thought about that for a bit. Just listen to each instance. First, she tells you to loosen up a little, now she tells you to live in the moment. Could you really get by in this world being so casual? While it was still on your mind, Lisbeth continued a tangent of hers.

“You said you go to the front lines often. Seems like a lot of people I know up there are the super serious type. I was just wondering, is it something you have to be to survive up there?”

Lisbeth just said exactly what you were thinking. You weren’t sure how to respond, honestly. On the one hand, you always had to be wary, but on the other hand, a lot of social interaction was just raid plans, equipment and level optimization, or occasional territory war. Having a real heart-to-heart like this was rare. Lisbeth was giving you the opportunity right now, and you really didn’t think you were doing well.

Maybe there wasn’t even a well. The frontline way of thinking didn’t work here. So instead of trying to think of a well-crafted response, you just said exactly what you thought.

“I didn’t know that’s how it was up there. I’ve even met a guy that was pretty free-spirited who was from the front lines. But if that’s how things are with you, then I’m glad that I can be here with you.”

She was enjoying this. Something you were doing was working. Maybe while you were here, you could learn about how life was on lower floors, long behind the front line.

“So what about you? You got anything on your mind? Anything like I do?”

“Well, I’m not quite sure if what I could vent about compares to that, but you’ll still hear me out, right?”

“Of course.”

If nothing else, you could lend an ear.

“Something I think about sometimes is how lonely it gets in my position.”

“Lonely? Even dealing with as many people as you do?”

“Yeah. Thing is about most customers, I see them once or twice, and then never again. There aren’t many people I can get close to like this.”

“What you’re saying is that we’re sort of in similar situations?”

“Kind of? What you’re describing to me is something you show off. The way you avoid monsters, it’s kind of like the way you try to dodge groups of people. For me, that lonely feeling is something I keep under wraps. I always try to have a smile for my customers. I think you’re one of the few people that I’ve shown this side to.”

“Then, can I ask something?” You had to know the answer to this question that’s been on your mind.

“Go ahead. Anything.”

“If I’m one of the few people you can be open with, why me?”

“I could ask you the same, honestly. You don’t seem like the type who pours their heart out often.”

No point in dodging this. Not once you’re this deep in. “There’s a lot I admire about you. In the span of 5 or so days, my entire opinion of you went from just a hot-headed blacksmith to someone who was both relaxed and hardworking, stubborn and wise, and really damn smart.”

This was where you had to make a big decision. Confess your full feelings now, or skirt around it and put it off? No, it hadn’t even been a week since you met her. There’s no way someone could accept your love after such a short time.

“I want to be someone who you can call a close friend. I think having a relationship like that in this world is really valuable. Especially since I play a role where my life could end in an instant.”

Just saying that left your face cherry-red. You felt really hot right now, and you worried that Lisbeth could feel it. Lisbeth seemed more concerned with figuring out how to respond to that, though. It actually looked like she had moved closer to you.

“I answered. Now you.”

“Don’t put me on the spot like that. This isn’t just something I can say without thinking, you know.”

That actually eased your tension a bit. She was having the same kind of flustered feeling that you had around her. The same flustered feeling she got around… Kirito. Wait, was she…?

“I see someone behind that shell you’re hiding in.” Once again, Lisbeth interrupted your thoughts.

“I think that person is someone amazing. And I think I can reach that person. I want to find that person. Even now, I see someone who I enjoy being with. Just sitting here with them, looking out at a world made to be against us.”

You completely forgot about the view during that conversation, and she reminded you that it existed. After she said that, you looked out onto the sparkling waters. The sun was beating down on the land in front of you, but the two of you were covered by the tree you were under.

“In a world like that, I want a friend like you. I want a friend that I can rely on, that I can talk about anything with, and that I can see grow with me. You… you’re the kind of person I want to be close to.”

This was real. You weren’t asleep right now. Everything you had said, everything you had heard, it was real. Lisbeth was giving you the sweetest smile you had ever seen. From the way your face felt, you were probably returning the favor. From that point on, neither of you said a word for a bit. You didn’t need to. There wasn’t a true love confession at that time, but you felt as if something mutual was born. Her words mixed with yours gave you a great moment of clarity.

Everything that has been on your mind for the past few days about people, about Lisbeth, about yourself…

You were finally beginning to understand how it worked.

Chapter Text

You were back at Lisbeth’s Smith Shop, feeling as if a massive weight had been taken off your shoulders. As she promised, she handed you a list of various materials she needed you to gather to fill her order. They were scattered among various floors above and below 48. Most were easy this far into the game, like mithril, some tedious yet relatively harmless, like Brave Steel, but one was a pretty rare find. Immortal Sandstone, found on Floor 58. Typically, it could be found in special collection points guarded by strong enemies. If you could get that out of the way first, the rest should be a breeze to find.

Lisbeth gave your equipment a quick check-up, then sent you on your way. She wouldn’t be accompanying you for this journey. You traveled to Lindarth’s teleport gate right away, thinking it would be easier to prepare on that floor’s town. Once you selected Floor 58 as your destination, you found yourself enveloped in a blue light as you felt your weight shift, similar to an elevator.

Soon, you were located in the town of Sahal. Virtually no players in town were wearing heavy armor due to the heat. Even your lightweight mithril was starting to get toasty. It looked like most desert towns you’d see in RPGs: adobe buildings, water pots lining the streets, covered stalls selling exotic goods, and guards with curved swords. The market was truly the grandest part of the city. With spices, décor, unique weapons and armor, and even the occasional land charter being sold, it was a trade hub for both high- and low-level players alike.

You were definitely going to find at least one or two people willing to go out gathering materials here. After visiting all the local shops and stocking up on supplies, you looked for anyone who was planning to venture into the sandy wastes. To your surprise, it actually took a while. Most people were either not interested in gathering or had already prepared large parties. Eventually, you found someone to join your party.

It was a young girl in a red coat, accompanied by a small, feathery dragon. She may have been notable for her looks alone, but her pet was what gained her serious fame. This was unmistakably Silica, the Dragon Master. Her status popping up in the corner of your eye confirmed that. Why she had agreed of all people was beyond you, but you were grateful for any help right now. Once you had made your introductions, the two of you didn’t waste any time heading out.

Outside the towering walls of Sahal, the landscape was almost impossible to navigate. The sun beat down harshly on travelers, and the terrain didn’t lend itself well to moving on-foot. People figured that one out pretty quickly when the floor was first being explored. To make it easier, though, the NPCs of Sahal offered one of the few creatures in this world not hell-bent on killing people. Players could buy or rent camel mounts, which allowed them unhindered movement in the desert. They couldn’t be used in dungeons, however.

Silica had rented a camel before leaving town, offering to take the reins. She’d be better suited for it with her skills. You were seated behind her with a map in your hands, while her dragon rested on her head. There were three different points where you could gather Immortal Sandstone, but you only needed one to meet Lisbeth’s demands. You pointed Silica toward the closest one to town.

The journey was relatively uneventful, but seeing the rolling dunes and rising canyons was pretty nostalgic. Naturally, you had performed scouting duties here, but the floor’s entire layout escaped your memory. That would happen if you didn’t return to a floor for a long time. You found yourself getting lost in the atmosphere, or possibly just the heat. Either way, Silica had to snap you back to reality when she asked for more directions.

Before you could space out again, you figured now was a good time to talk about anything.

“Hey, Silica? May I ask why you wanted to join me?”

“I heard this floor is really rich in metals, so I wanted to help out a friend of mine keep her stock up.”

“Does she run a business?” She couldn’t mean…

“Yeah, a blacksmith shop. Lisbeth’s Smith Shop.”

“Oh, I see.”

As far as you knew, you were the only one Lisbeth asked for help. Maybe she sent a message to Silica once you left.

“So, you know her too?”

“Of course I do! She’s like an older sister to me.” Silica had a lot of energy in her voice.

The two of them sounded pretty close. It was probably a good thing that you two met, then.

“Then, I take it, she asked you to help her out with something?”

“No, nothing like that. She does a lot for me, so I figured I should repay her.”

Turns out this meeting was a lucky coincidence, then.

“Huh. I figured she would be asking more people for help right about now.”

“What do you mean? Is she in trouble?” She glanced back at you, sounding worried.

“No, nothing like that. She just asked me to gather some materials so she can fill a big order.”

Silica seemed surprised when you said that. “Wow. It must be huge if she asked you to gather things for her.”

“Let me guess, she normally does it herself?”

“Yeah! How did you know?”

“I ran into her while she was doing that. Long story short, I helped her out and now we’re friends… I think.”

“I don’t see why not. She’s usually into that kind of thing.”

“Into it?”

“She never told you, did she?”

“About?”

“That time a guy came into her shop, broke her best sword, and then helped her get some valuable dragon… stuff.”

You asked Silica to elaborate further on this story, so she told you as much as she could remember. Kirito, once again, was brought up. Even worse, this girl seemed to glow bright red when she talked about him. How many girls did this guy have after him?

Silica then asked you to explain your story with Lisbeth, so you recounted your experience in the swamp. A fair bit into the tale, she seemed to be more interested in picking out similarities between your stories.

Once you were finished, Silica seemed to be lost in her own thoughts for a bit. She almost finished putting together a mental puzzle, but was interrupted by the camel’s sudden stop. The two of you had reached your destination.

Before you lie vast amounts of rubble encircling a massive hole in the ground. Sand was leaking over the sides to fill a bottomless void. Broken stone pillars were leaning over the edge, threatening to join whatever was down there. These were the remains of an ancient temple, according to the local NPCs, but anything of value would be in the sinkhole. Jumping down there would be suicidal, as SAO had fall damage. You could imagine a few different ways down there, such as using your blades to scale the cliff, or…

“Rope!” Silica joyfully exclaimed while pulling out a large coil of rope.

Or that. With all the rubble laying around, it would be effortless to anchor the rope. You wondered if there was enough to get all the way down, though. Before anything, you kicked a rock down the hole to listen for any kind of thud upon impacting the ground. You heard the faint echo of stone at the bottom after 4 seconds. No matter what, it was going to be a long way down.

Silica took one end of the rope and tied it to a sturdy piece of rubble that was a short distance away from the edge. Once she gave you a signal, you tossed the rest of it into the pit. The two of you tugged on it to test its stability, and once you had confirmed that it could hold both of you, the descent began.

First, Silica began to inch down the rope. You followed above her. Sliding down wouldn’t be a pleasant feeling for either of you, with rope burn and all. Since you were above Silica, you had to match her moderate pace or risk bumping her off the rope. It felt like hours before anything happened in there.

Aside from falling sands and rhythmic footsteps, the journey downward was nearly silent. You could hear Silica’s dragon, who you learned was named Pina, whimpering occasionally. Whenever she did, Silica would quickly calm her down. That was a much-needed break in the monotony.

Eventually, you reached the end of the rope. Yet somehow, you hadn’t reached the bottom of the pit. There was a distinct lack of natural lighting, and you had to keep both hands on the rope to safely lower yourself. Maybe the bottom was right in front of you, and you just couldn’t see it. You asked Silica if she could see anything from where she was. Turns out she was unable to as well.

Pina, however, had something you could only dream of. Wings. Silica immediately told her partner to fly down to look for the bottom. With a confident cry, Pina launched off of Silica’s head and down into the sandy sinkhole. When she hit rock bottom, she let out a loud call towards both of you. She was actually close by!

Silica turned up to you and asked for a second opinion.

“Do you think we can make the fall?”

You had to think about that for a second, but you declined.

“I don’t want to risk it.”

That actually gave you another idea.

“But I think I know a way that will work.”

“Really? Tell me, tell me!”

Silica truly had the energy of a young girl. It was starting to get contagious.

“I’ll climb the rest of the way down solo, and once I reach the bottom, I’ll set up a light and try to catch you while you fall. Right now, hold me up a little.”

“Alright. I’ll trust you. Pina! Come back up!”

She ordered Pina to give you a little support while you took out one of your katars. Once it was in your hand, you jammed it into the sand wall in front of you. After wedging it in, you repeated the process with your other katar. If this failed to keep you suspended, at least it probably wouldn’t kill you from this height.

Luckily, your blades were stuck in far enough to remain stable. Slowly, you began crawling towards the ground beneath you. One by one, you jerked your katars out of the wall and plunged it in lower down. Eventually, your feet hit something. Solid ground was finally within touch. You pulled out both katars and landed safely.

You then took out a torch from your inventory, lit it, and carefully propped it against the wall. Silica immediately noticed the light and called out to you before you could look around.

“Hey, are you ready to catch me?”

“Yeah. On 3?”

She agreed to that. You looked upward to where Silica would be falling from, noticing how the light from the surface was no bigger than a star in the night sky. The two of you had climbed down a surprisingly long distance.

In sync, you counted to three with Silica. On three, you heard her beginning to scream.

“Catch me!” She held this out for a while.

You saw her appear in the light, and adjusted yourself in the short moment you had before she hit the ground. With your arms spread out, you felt Silica’s chest crash into your face, so you latched onto her. The impact knocked you off balance, but you didn’t fall over. Once you were steady, you gently lowered Silica onto the ground. Pina arrived a moment later and made sure the two of you were okay before resting on Silica’s head once more.

“Seems like that worked.” You dusted yourself off.

“Hey, when I landed on you, you didn’t… feel anything of mine, did you?” Silica seemed anxious about something.

You shook your head. “No, I didn’t.”

“Oh… okay.” For some reason, she seemed disappointed about that.

You retrieved the torch and waved it ahead, noticing a crumbling stone archway with sand flowing in front of it. Silica was already eager to explore the dungeon. Her attitude was beginning to rub off on you, since you could feel your own excitement building. If this is the effect Silica had on people, it wasn’t hard to understand why she was so well-liked among players.

After getting your heads doused in sand while walking through the archway, you and Silica arrived in a large courtyard, impossible to see fully with just one torch. More pieces of rubble were scattered around, including pillars, statues, and braziers.

In the distance, the imposing silhouette of a massive temple lie before you. Something was meandering across the darkness in between. Several somethings shambled in random patterns. The surface had its own variety of fauna, but each floor’s underground held an entirely different ecosystem, one much more dangerous than that on the surface. Those noises could’ve been anything.

You nudged Silica with your elbow.

“Be ready for anything. I hear some nasty stuff down there.”

After nodding to you, Silica became much more serious-looking and drew her dagger. The two of you snuck around in unison, with Pina acting as a lookout from higher up. As you moved further towards the entrance, you lifted any toppled braziers and lit them with your torch. They served as secondary light sources as well as markers for when you inevitably needed to return. All the while, the footsteps got louder and louder, signaling the gap between you and them closing.

The footsteps ceased as you ducked behind a fallen pillar. When they stopped, so did yours. You could feel yourself tensing your muscles. For a moment, everything was dead silent.

Then it walked around the corner.

A charred, rotting cadaver popped out from behind the rubble. It was wearing filthy beige rags and had sharp, untrimmed nails. This monster was a Tomb Walker. It stared at you for a moment with its blood red eyes before releasing a piercing shriek.

From all around you, you heard several other monsters rushing towards your direction. Escape wasn’t an option anymore. You stood back-to-back with Silica, drawing your katars and bracing yourself for the oncoming assault.

The Tomb Walker lunged at you with its talons aimed at your head. With a quick swipe of your left hand, you parried the attack and countered with a cross. As it stumbled backwards, you dashed forward to finish off the enemy. You released several rapid swipes, but they were blocked by the walker. Just then, you heard Silica warning you of a threat behind.

Another walker was charging toward you, and two more were attacking Silica. You ducked its series of rakes, then turned your head to view the first walker. It was also sprinting in your direction, looking to impale you with its claws. The other walker stood in a low stance off to your right side. It could attack at any time, so you had to keep an eye on it. You had to focus on every enemy in a battle, since they could catch you off guard at any moment.

You stepped to the side, dodging the deadly claw stab. Once it had passed you, you swept your leg to trip the walker and followed up with a stomp to the head. Its roar was muffled beneath your foot. Immediately however, the other walker began to quickly assault you. It let out a flurry of blows aimed all over your body, which you kept parrying.

It was impossible to keep focus on both walkers while guarding against this full attack, yet you tried anyway. Soon, your defense faltered and the walker got a few clean strikes in on you. You were hit in your liver, legs, and chest, causing you to stumble onto one knee. The two walkers creeped up in front of you, planning to take advantage of your vulnerable state. As you looked up toward your attackers, you saw a dagger fly into one of their eyes.

Silica dashed past you, Pina flying behind. She did a quick hop to reach the hilt of her dagger, then kicked away the walker as she pulled out the dagger embedded in it. It flew back onto the ground and rolled onto its stomach. Still on the ground behind her, you felt yourself become enveloped in a green mist. You could feel your wounds becoming numb as you noticed Pina healing you. Silica hadn’t given her a verbal command, yet she knew to support you while you were downed. Their bond was pretty impressive.

You managed to get off your knees and stand back up, feeling refreshed. Silica sidestepped a swipe from a walker, allowing you to rush in and finish it off with a powerful hook. The other walker was still recovering from Silica’s attack, so you darted over to it and sent it flying with your foot once more. Once it collided with the ground, it disappeared in a burst of light.

Silica tugged at your arm while you breathed heavily. “Are you okay? I saw you take a nasty hit back there.”

“Yeah.” You managed to speak in between pants. “I’m fine.”

You really weren’t, though. An unnatural fatigue swept over your body, but your status effects didn’t show anything was wrong. Silica seemed to notice this as well.

“Hmm… I think we should go back.”

You shook your head. “No way. I’m not leaving without the material.”

“But what if you get killed?” Silica’s voice was much more distressed now.

“I… I swear I’ll be okay. Lisbeth needs this.”

Silica looked incredibly shocked. She spoke in a quiet, but understanding voice. “You’d really risk your life for her?”

“I would. But don’t say that like I’ll get myself killed.”

She glanced downward, then at Pina on her shoulder. The room was silent as you waited for her to say anything. Instead, she was simply lost in thoughts for a while. You didn’t mind. Eventually, Silica gained a strong resolve in her eyes.

“If that’s really what you think, then I’ll make sure we finish what we came here to do. And I promise I’ll get you out alive. Because…”

Silica then put on a giant smile.

“You two are perfect for each other!”

Chapter Text

Silica and you now stood in front of the sand temple’s crumbling gates. She was still embarrassed from how you reacted earlier.

“I was only joking!” She said in a pouting voice.

You really doubted that, but you didn’t have the energy to argue. The fatigue from earlier still hadn’t worn off, and your breathing was heavier than before. It wasn’t hard to tell that something was wrong, but neither of you knew what. You just had to focus on getting Lisbeth’s goods from this place before it got any worse. Just from looking at the entrance up close, you believed this would be no easy task.

From the missing corners, a cold draft sent chills down both your bodies. What was left of the door wasn’t very reassuring, either. A great beast devouring a crowd of worshippers depicted itself, albeit very faded, on what was left of the door. There wasn’t enough detail to make out exactly what it was, though. It didn’t appear to be locked, not that it would matter much. Wasting no time, you gave the gate a good shove, but it would not move. You could feel it give just a little, however.

“Silica, help me knock this open.” You motioned for her to move beside you.

Both of you leaned up against the door, then backed away until you reached the staircase. Once you were both in position, the two of you charged at the gate, ready to ram into it with your shoulders. With a powerful yell, you slammed right into the door and shattered it into chunks. Emerging from a cloud of dust and rock, you tripped and fell flat onto your chest. You even inhaled some of the dust, causing your already rough breathing to erupt into harsh coughing. Silica seemed to have stumbled as well, but she was only on her knees. When she noticed your condition, she sent Pina to give you a quick heal. Both of them appeared very concerned now.

“Hey…” Silica grabbed your arm to help you up. “Are you sure we should do this now? I don’t want you getting killed over this.”

“Honestly, you might be right. Even so, I can’t just walk out on this job. Not when Lisbeth is relying on me.” You had to lean on Silica for support for a moment before standing on your own.

“I get where you’re coming from, but I think she’d appreciate you coming back alive, too.” Silica put on her best smile for you. You swore she could make indebted college students happy with it.

“Then can we think of something to keep us safe? Let’s not leave until we’re practically forced to.”

“Hmm… You’re a scout, right? Do you know anything about this dungeon? Like where enemies probably bunch up?”

“Sadly, no. I didn’t spend too long on this floor, so there’s a lot that I haven’t seen. I get what you mean, though. My detection and stealth skills should let us avoid things on the fly.”

“I guess that works. If you’re ever in huge danger, though, I’m dragging you out with a teleport crystal.”

You nodded in agreement, then began looking around the interior. Cracks ran along the walls, and small streams of sand flowed from the ceiling. Broken statues and pillars lined the floor, and a toppled brazier marked a fork in the hallways. Three paths stood before you, one of them sloping downward further into the darkness. The other two simply led outward to an unknown end. Your first response was to scan for enemies as far down as you could. Only one path showed signs of enemies, so you definitely didn’t want to go that way. At least, it wouldn’t be smart to. Maybe there was a clue in the area? You started to think about what you’ve seen around. The mural may have had something, but the details were extremely faded. You hadn’t heard any legends of this area while you were in town. And you didn’t realize you were being prodded by Silica until she yanked at your arm.

“I don’t mean to disturb you, since you seem really deep in thought, but do you have any idea which way we should go?”

Still returning to reality, you gave your answer. “Oh, sorry. I’m not completely certain, so maybe you can help. Have you seen any clues about where these stones could be?”

“I think… they’re guarded by a really strong beast, right?”

“Yeah. Like the one on the mural out front?”

“Yep! So we just gotta find that beast, and we’ll find the stones!”

“…Any idea where that is?”

“No… sorry…”

You let out a deep sigh with your eyes closed, then noticed Silica heading down the left path. What the heck was she doing?”

“Hey! Where are you going?”

“To the left, silly!”

“But we don’t know if that’s the right way!’

“Okay? We can’t just sit around thinking all day, so if we can’t find out that way, we’ll just pick a path and go down it. If we’re wrong, even that’s better than doing nothing, right? We’ve got each other’s backs, too! So, I think we’ll be fine.”

What? How could she just… do that? Going in completely blind at a time like this? But then it hit you. That’s exactly what you did all the time. You were a scout. Your party would travel into these kinds of situations on a semi-regular basis. Even then, though, you always found yourself relying on someone else to make a final decision. You were great at information gathering, and the other members always found themselves coming to you for advice, but that always led you to overthink things when you came to a decision like this. Because of that, you could never hope to lead people into the unknown. Someone else always took that role. You thought you would’ve been fine with that, all the way to the end of Aincrad, but you found yourself questioning it now. This experience was painfully similar to your scouting missions. Except this time, the leader was Silica. While admittedly bright for her age, she was someone who you only met this morning, compared to the scouts you had grown close to. As you were silently following behind her, you thought about if you would ever find yourself be forced to lead someone you didn’t know. Would you be able to do it? Or would you just freeze up again when you had to make a tough decision?

Then you started thinking about Lisbeth. Specifically, what she told you the other day. Just go with the flow at a time like that? Yeah, that sounded about right. You still weren’t entirely sure how sane of an idea that was, but that wasn’t the feeling you got from your gut. It was time to actually take it to heart and start listening to your gut. It’d be a good time to, as well. All this thinking started making your head hurt. Or maybe that was just your condition. Either way, you made a mental note to thank her as soon as you got back.

Once you were out of your headspace, you quickly scanned the area for enemies. Honing your senses, you noticed a group of footsteps in the distance. Not only that, but they were approaching. You darted your head around, looking for a hiding spot. In the small, round room you had found yourself in, there were several columns casting shadows along your torchlight, as well as a couple statues. Three exits, one of which you had come through, were also present. Choosing to hide behind one of the pillars, you dropped your torch, pulled Silica beside you, and told her to stay quiet. As the footsteps got louder, you found yourself beginning to hack and cough. Not wanting to blow your cover now of all times, you pulled up some cloth on your armor and applied pressure to your mouth. Hopefully that would muffle your coughs.

You couldn’t have imagined what would have strolled in front of you. The best way you could have described the three figures was “somewhat humanoid, somewhat crunchy.” They resembled the walkers you fought outside the temple, except they had uneven rocky growths emerging from all parts of their bodies. You could tell they had difficulty walking because of them. Not only that, but occasionally, their hearts would pulsate and glow. Other than that, they seemed to be mainly organic creatures. Once they reached your torch, one of them kneeled down and began to look around. Your heart was racing right now, and it was becoming really hard to tell what was from your nerves and what was from your wound. Luckily, they didn’t seem to notice you, Silica, or Pina. The three of them moved on shortly after.

Once she was certain they were gone, Silica placed her hand on your shoulder. “Still okay? We can go at any time, remember?”

You nodded at her. “I’ll manage.”

Once you had left the back of the pillar, you grabbed your torch and continued down the only available path. There were some side hallways, but you decided to keep marching forward. Not wanting to be silent the whole time, you figured you may as well try to have a casual conversation.

“Hey, Silica, wanna know something odd?”

She turned her head toward you. “What is it?”

“When we were fighting those things out front, I noticed something. One of their corpses didn’t disappear.” Maybe it wasn’t the most interesting of topics, but it was better than nothing.

“Really? Think it had something valuable on it?”

“Might’ve. If we get the chance, we should check it out.”

Well, that was that.

You moved further still. This temple seemed to never end. Maybe it was all the side paths, making the entire thing interconnected. It might be a good idea to come back here and map things out. There’s usually really good money in that line of work. To test your theory, you pulled Silica down one of the smaller hallways. After passing a few closed rooms, you found yourself back at the round room you hid in earlier. You didn’t have the proper gear to draw out maps, but you always had a sketchbook ready for quick notes. Moving back through the side hall, you jotted down what you knew so far about the place.

“So how often do you get to relax from everything?” Silica suddenly asked.

“Me? I guess… not too much. That’s more on me though, for not really taking much time off.”

“How come? Doesn’t exploring all the time get exhausting?”

“It does, but I wanna keep myself busy. Sometimes I even find a really tranquil spot while I’m out there, so I’ll take a minute to rest then.”

“Like what?”

You tried to think back to something recent. “There was this one place on Floor 61. God, I hated that floor, so many bugs. But anyway, I had set up camp inside one of the mountains. It wasn’t too deep in, but there was an underground stream nearby. With fish, even. That water sparkled like gems, everything had a nice blue hue, and there weren’t any monsters to bother me. I was on my own then, but it was peaceful. One of the better naps I’ve had out there.” The talk helped keep your mind off your worsening fatigue.

Silica looked enthralled the whole time you were telling her the story, leaving silence after you finished. While the momentum was going, you thought you’d ask her about something she said earlier.

“Hey, Silica? What makes you think Liz and I would work out together?”

“Oh, that? Well, I know how much you’re putting on the line for her, and when I talked to her earlier, she wanted me to promise that we’d both be safe. She was even telling me about how even though ‘you seem pretty distant sometimes, you’re just a big softie inside,’ and stuff.”

Oh god, she really said that? It sounded like something from a romanticized… romance.

“Look at that! You’re even blushing really hard now!”

Wait, were you? Or was she just messing with you?

Well, whatever was going on, you made sure Silica never got the end of it.

After a bit more travel, you came across a small set of stairs. The layout of the rooms ahead was closer to something you’d see in the ruins of a cellar. The walls smoothed out like adobe, and felt like they were closing in on you. It’d be a nightmare for claustrophobes. You were first to walk down the staircase, and Silica hesitantly followed. Every stair creaked at your footsteps, and sand fell from the ceiling at the last step. Sand that unfortunately landed on your head. You heard Silica fail to suppress a giggle behind you.

One quick shake and rub of your head later, you continued down the path. After a quick right turn, you noticed a line of torches along the wall leading to a closed door.

“Torches aren’t usually lit up in ruins like this. Something must still be using it.” The sight put you on full guard.

You pressed your ear to the door to check for any noises. Nothing, from what you could tell. You then weakly pushed into the room, seeing that it was a storage cellar. Empty crates lined one wall; shelves lined with linen wraps stood against another. In the center of the room was an unopened chest, and behind it another faded mural. Holding your torch to it, you viewed an image of two groups fighting. One of them seemed like normal humans, the other had glowing chests similar to the creatures you evaded earlier. Fighting alongside the glowing ones, however, were rock golems. And behind that? The same beast you saw at the front of the temple. On its chest was some sort of crest, but it was cracked and in worse condition than the rest of the mural. It was certainly interesting to look at. For all intents and purposes, however, this was a dead end. May as well take what you can get.

You popped open the chest, hoping to find the stones you needed. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. Admittedly, what you did find had very good use in your hands. There were five vials of a mahogany liquid. Blood, if you had to guess. Monster blood was useful for poisons, potions, and the odd antidote. Still, it wasn’t what you wanted.

“Silica, I think we have to go-“

You were cut off by the sound of creaking stairs. Silica nodded and ducked behind one of the crates, while you blew out your torch and tucked yourself in a crevice between shelves.

Three creatures, the same ones you hid from earlier, had entered the room. Except this time, they were dragging something along the ground. From its shape, you believed it to be a humanoid corpse. Ignoring the open chest, one of them began to beat on the wall with the mural. It knocked on the crest of the beast until the wall began to shake. Soon, it slid apart and gave way to a natural-looking cave. The creatures continued onward into it, with their footsteps being quieted by the sand. Once the walls closed behind them, you wiggled your way out of your hiding spot and pulled Silica out from hers.

“Whatever I said earlier, forget it. Let’s follow them.”

You asked Silica to knock on the beast’s crest, and lifted her up to the right height to do so. As expected, the walls opened to allow the two of you to pass. After you lit a new torch and conducted a quick scan, you were the first one to head into the cave. Immediately, dust and sand floated into your eyes and nose, causing you to erupt into a terrible coughing fit. And this time, you started coughing up red particles: SAO’s form of blood. You needed to move quickly.

Thankfully, the cave wasn’t too long. The environment itself wasn’t too much to take in, but the guttural noises coming from deeper in were. Wanting to sate your morbid curiosity, you increased your pace to see what was going on, even dragging a fearful Silica along. At the very end, the narrow cavern opened up into a vast sand pit, where the human-rock hybrids carried the corpse to a glowing crystalline spire. For a while, nothing happened, allowing you to look around the rest of the clearing. The walls seemed unusually spiky, and unstable stalactites dotted the ceiling. There was also a second crystal spire buried in the sand.

You spoke as quietly as you could while still allowing Silica to hear you. “I think that’s where we’ll find our stones… er, crystals.” You stood up and prepared to sneak in, but Silica held you back.

“Wait, look at that.” She pointed at the dead body.

At that moment, you saw the crystal spire rise from the ground. Turns out it was on something’s back. Specifically, a giant rock demon. You watched in awe as it consumed the corpse and grew a small crystal nub on its back. After it had consumed its meal, it sunk back into the ground. The three hybrids began walking in your direction towards the exit. There weren’t any convenient hiding spots around here, so you began to panic.  

That’s when Silica nudged you with her elbow. “Hey, Pina and I can distract them. You go grab a few stones, then call me.”

You had a few objections, but now was not the time to voice them. Instead, you just nodded to her. Silica ran out and threw her dagger at one of the monsters, which grabbed their attention. Once their melee began, you pulled out a pickaxe and hoped Silica would be okay. As you approached one of the crystal spires, you noticed something pretty horrifying. A humanoid figure formed from pure rock sat inside, with its heart glowing bright. You swear it even twitched at one point. Hesitation starting building inside you. You might be awakening this thing from its cocoon, and there was no way you could take it on in a straight fight. Not that it would be fair, anyway. Your skin started to feel uncomfortably rough beneath your gloves.

As you continued to mine, you felt the ground start to shake beneath you. It was now or never to harvest these stones. Struggling to raise the pickaxe above your head, you began harvesting Immortal Sandstone from the crystal spire. With every swing, the spire began chipping away, as did your energy. You only needed a few from this place, but you thought that Lisbeth might need more in the future. So well after getting a few stones, you kept going. The quaking beneath you intensified, and Silica started getting worried.

“Hey!” She spoke between dodges and knife swings. “You got what you need yet?”

“Just a bit longer!” You hoped that lie didn’t get you killed.

One or two more would do. You raised the pickaxe once more above your head… then lost your balance as the ground raised beneath you. The rock demons had awoken and began to stand up. You tried to remain upright for as long as you could, but eventually gravity overcame you. It was at least 15 feet to the ground, and you were falling headfirst toward it. The sand broke your fall, but your HP was very low. The bar itself seemed to be cut by over half as well. The rock demon noticed you moving, and lifted its foot to crush you. Between exerting yourself mining and dealing with the initial wound, you didn’t have any energy left. You saw the fatal attack coming, yet you couldn’t do anything but weakly yell Silica’s name. Nothing but hope she would grab you just as her teleport crystal goes off, bringing, you, Pina, and her back to Sahal’s town square. But that was just you hoping, right?

Then you saw a figure leap in front of you, before being enveloped in a bright, warm light.

Chapter Text

You were certain you were already dead. The figure that leaped in front of you, the flash of light, surely it was just your vision sputtering out as you lie still in your final moments. So, despite being in the middle of Sahal’s teleport gate, you lie flat on the ground, accepting a fate that never happened.

The last thing you remembered doing was giving Silica a small thumbs up when she was at your side, pleading for you to be alive at the time. It at least got her to calm down and get most of the attention off of you. Several people still gave the odd stare, though. Roughly one minute passed before you snapped back to reality and attempted to stand. On your own, it was slow, clumsy, and actually kind of difficult with the current pain in your chest.

Silica, who was leaning on one of the gate’s pillars, quickly moved over to help you up on her shoulder.

“You feel any better now?”

“Good enough to stand… I think.”

“I’m gonna let go, then. Ready? One, two…”

She then let go of you, leaving you to stand on your own. Immediately you stumbled forward, but soon you managed to balance yourself despite your poor health. Oh, right, your HP. That hadn’t improved any, still in the low red zone, but thankfully it hadn’t gotten any worse. Still, you needed whatever ailment was hurting you gone, and fast. There was a clinic near Sahal’s entrance, right on the corner of a busy marketplace.

“Thanks for your help, Silica. I need a doctor, but I can find one on my own. So… see ya.”

“Wait, what? Already?”

“Yeah. I’ve got what I need for the delivery, right?”

“You do, but you’re still really hurt. I don’t wanna leave you just yet.”

“I’ll be fine, I swear.”

“But-“

“Seriously. Just let me handle myself, alright? We’re in a safe zone.”

“Oh… okay.” You could feel the strong disappointment in her voice.

“Ah... maybe you could do something else for me? You’ve already done a lot, so I get it if you don’t wanna.”

Her face lit up immediately. “Huh? What is it?”

“I don’t know how long I’ll be recovering for, so could you bring these stones to Liz?”

“Sure! I’ll make sure she knows where you are, too, otherwise she’ll be worried sick.”

“I really hope she doesn’t… I don’t wanna be another source of stress for her, I mean. Hopefully that didn’t come out too badly.”

“So you totally do care about her like that!”

“That’s not… I mean… yeah, but now’s really not the time!”

You would probably bet money at this point that she did something to try and set you two up when you got back. She wasn’t wrong, but you didn’t really want to be open about that yet.

After giving her the sandstones, you parted ways with Silica and went to the local clinic. The town was fairly busy for the time of day. Hopefully that meant the place was still open with it being sunset. It felt much warmer than when you first arrived. And that pain in your chest was starting to grow.

When you got to the clinic, you noticed that the lights were still on. Right beside the door was a missing poster for some NPCs in the area. Odd that most people were ignoring it, since that definitely screamed quest trigger, but to be fair, you weren’t exactly jumping at the opportunity right then.

You let yourself into the building, which was empty at first glance. No one stood at the reception desk, nor was there anyone on the benches to your side. The walls were bare, but that was common in these desert houses. The rugs were usually fancy, though, and this place was no exception. Everything had an odd ambience to it, but you didn’t get too much time to soak in the scenery. The doctor had arrived to serve you.

“May I help you?” His voice was deep, yet gentle.

“You still open? I think I caught something from a monster.”

“Come with me to the back and I’ll see what I can do.”

Thank goodness. You needed to be ready for the raid tomorrow.

And you just remembered that the raid was tomorrow. It was currently sunset. You were sick and dying and probably wouldn’t recover in time to make it, and Liz would totally have to work overnight for that weapon order. Sounded like a good enough reason to start freaking out internally.

“Don’t worry. Any procedures I do will be entirely safe.”

And externally, apparently.

“Right, right. I’ll follow you.”

Clinics in SAO were more like apothecaries with operating tables, and the doctors that ran them were just alchemists with knowledge of human anatomy. Broken and severed limbs were status debuffs that wore off over time, most damage could be healed with potions and rest, and the majority of status effects could be cured with crystals. That left difficult-to-cure statuses, “exotic stat boosters”, and the occasional organ harvest as the only avenues for the medically inclined. Most of them were NPCs for that reason.

The room you were led to fit that description pretty well. There was a lone operating table with various 19^th century tools beside it. Nearby counters held both labeled and unlabeled substances, all of which being a gamble for their effects.

“So, what’s ailing you?” He took out a book, something that looked more like a journal over a regular publication.

You began describing your symptoms, as well as when the effects began. Meanwhile, he was writing things down and nodding the whole time.

“A disease from that place? Sounds like Stonebirth to me. It’s a fungal infection from that area. Spores from the plant will contact you somehow, then start seeping inside you while sucking your life away. Since you mentioned pain in your chest, sounds like it’s awfully close to reaching its last stage.”

“Which is?”

“Take off your armor.”

That was ominous. You did as he asked, and were extremely shocked at what you saw. Your chest was greying out and skin starting to die as craggy patterns began to cover it.

“The fungus reaches your core, then it starts forming a rocky shell. All the while it keeps draining the host until they hollow out and die. If you’re lucky, you stay dead. Otherwise, that thing turns you into a monster. It all depends on how healthy the host was before they caught the shrooms.”

“So how do you get rid of it?”

“At this point, the only way for me to get rid of it is to manually remove it from inside you. It shouldn’t take me too long.”

Surgery. Great. Just what you needed to calm yourself down. At least anesthetics weren’t hard to come by. Maybe it’d be better to just close your eyes and let your mind melt away for a while…

…

…

And just like that, it was over. You felt like absolute garbage and had no idea how much time had passed, but you were awake. A lot of the numbness had yet to wear off. Doc seemed to be acting odd, though. He was intensely focused on the fungus he had just extracted from you. Seems like he was muttering something as well.

“Doesn’t look like it’d be viable… maybe I should’ve waited longer.” This would’ve been inaudible to anyone with an untrained Listening skill.

You tried to sit up, but just ending up tumbling off the side of the table.

“Oh dear! Are you okay?”

“Yeah… I’m fine.” You spoke, clearly in pain.

The doctor helped you to your feet and back onto the table.

“Just rest here for a bit, at least until you have feeling again. We can talk about payment then. I should let you know something, as well. This disease has a minor side effect that persists for a while after contracting it. You may have noticed your chest both looking and feeling much more stone-like. It’ll be like that for a while. It’s strictly cosmetic, however.”

Sounded like you’d be waiting for a while. Might be a good time to figure more out about that fungus.

“Thanks for your help. Something I was wondering though was that fungus. Now that it’s out of me, can it be used for anything?”

“As far as I know, no. There’s a rumor I heard once that it’s the key to Immortal Sandstones, but it’s not something I’ve personally investigated. All I know is the effect it has on people.”

“Mind if I take it off your hands, then?”

The question caught him off guard. “This? What for? I just said it isn’t useful.”

“As far as you know. I work with my fair share of potions, maybe I can figure something out.”

“Oh… well, I suppose I could part with it. It’d cost you, though.”

“You’re telling me I have to pay for something that was in my body?”

“You’re already paying for me to take it out. That’d imply you wouldn’t want it, right?”

“And if I did?”

“You pay for it.”

Nuts. There goes the money from Liz’s job already.

Once you regained feeling in your body, you stood up from the table and headed to the reception desk. The doctor followed behind you, carrying the fungus in a glass jar. While he was working on the bill, you noticed a message from Lisbeth. Looks like she had sent it during your surgery, reading from a few hours ago. Silica had gotten her the stones, and she thankfully didn’t take any extra payment. Hopefully she was still awake when you got there.

After you had paid the bill and left the clinic, you quickly traveled to the town’s teleport gate and returned to Floor 48. This was already a pretty rough day, and you had another one coming tomorrow. Maybe Lisbeth would let you stay with her for the night.

Chapter Text

Back in Lindarth, you immediately found your way to Lisbeth’s shop. It was already well into the night, but despite that, you could see the lights on through the windows. Her shop was officially closed, so this was entirely work on the raiding party’s equipment. When you got close to the entrance, you could hear Lisbeth’s hammer rhythmically pounding away at metal. The front door was locked, so you couldn’t just let yourself in. You didn’t have a key, either. Instead, you forcefully knocked on the door, just to make sure you could be heard.

Soon enough, you heard the beating stop. A moment later and Lisbeth was at the door with her trademark smile. And a set of whiskers.

“Who’s there…?” She paused when she realized who was at the door. “Oh, it’s you! Come on in!”

As soon as you stepped inside, she shut the door and trapped you in a giant hug.

“Silica told me about what happened. Thank goodness you’re okay.”

Then something made her jump back.

“Whoa!” Liz yelped as she pulled away.

“What’s the matter?”

“You feel really hard right now… hard as a rock.”

“It’s a long story.” You didn’t catch onto her implication at first.

“Aww, I just didn’t think you’d be this happy to see me!”

“Wait…” It took you a second to get what she meant.  “Wait, no! That isn’t it! I swear I’m not!” She turned you into a blushing mess immediately. At least you got to hear her adorable laugh afterwards.

“I know, I know! I’m just messing with ya! Tell me what actually happened later, though. I’m still in the middle of this job. Might have to pull an all-nighter for it.”

“Right, I just came by to say hi and all. And not to work yourself too hard, I guess. I gotta ask though, what’s with the whiskers?”

Getting a closer look at them, they looked awfully familiar.

“Oh, these?” She traced one with her finger. ‘It’s just something Silica came up with. Said trying a neko style might bring in a few more customers. I find that pretty hard to believe, but last time a friend gave me fashion advice, I became one of the most successful businesses in Aincrad.”

Honestly, you found that hard to believe as well.

“Wouldn’t you need ears to go along with them, though?”

“Yeah, I would. Silica said she had a pair, but isn’t letting me borrow them.” Her voice was getting slightly more uncomfortable.

“Oh, fair enough.”

“Anything else you need?”

“Just wondering if I could stay the night with you.”

Her face went chili-red. “What? Why?”

“Doctor kinda drained me of cash, and I don’t think I can afford one night at the inn because of that.”

“Are you sure about that? It just seems a little odd for you of all people to be broke.”

“Yeah… it’s true.” You weren’t actually certain of that, but the big bill from the rock fungus stuck out, so you believed it anyway.

“Listen, I can’t do that tonight. Bad timing. I need absolute focus if I’m gonna finish what I’m doing. But here. I’ll give you the money for the inn. Use that. I don’t think I’ve properly thanked you for helping me out today.”

That was definitely not what you had in mind, but it works out.

“Oh… thank you.”

“I’ll get the rest of the payment to you as soon as I can. Sorry if I seem a little off-putting right now.”

“No, no, it’s fine. I’ll just go now.”

You left the smithy without another word. Unfortunate, but there was no getting around her workload. Maybe you could’ve offered more help, but you had no smithing skills. So much for getting more time with her before the raid. The whiskers on her face still puzzled you, though. Silica’s suggestion seemed like something she’d tell Liz, but those whiskers looked too familiar to something you’ve done before. If it was what you thought it was, then what was she planning to do with that skill?

Whatever it was, it was far too late to start deducing things. You went to Lindarth’s local inn and paid for a single night. As soon as you entered the room, you felt fatigue wash all over your body. The floor boss raid wasn’t until later in the day, but everyone involved was expected to thoroughly prepare in the time before. Your rocky chest made it a pain to move around in your armor all night, so the freedom of taking it off was like pure bliss. Hopefully it would completely disappear soon. You plopped onto the soft mattress, closed your eyes, and began to drift off.

At some point during your deep sleep, you heard a knocking on the door. The sound was enough to wake you, but not immediately. As you got up, you noticed that your eyesight was still blurry, and your body still felt heavy. Looking out the window, you could at least tell that it was still dark outside, so it couldn’t have been too long since you dozed off. Taking a moment to get a hold on yourself, you got out of bed and went over to the door.

This could’ve been anyone, but as long as you were awake and in a safe zone, you theoretically couldn’t be hurt. You simply opened the door, and saw Lisbeth standing before you. The bags in her eyes were becoming quite noticeable.

“Liz? What are you doing here this late?”

“I need something from you. Don’t laugh when I ask this.”

“O…kay?”

“The Martial Arts quest on Floor 2, how do I beat it?” She spoke at an almost unintelligible speed.

“That… is that what the whiskers are for?”

“Just answer me! This was supposed to be a surprise, and I’m already sucking up a lot of pride to ask you.”

Not questioning it any further, you tried to remember what you did to gain the Martial Arts skill. It had been forever since you did it, not helped by you being exhausted, so maybe it was safe to ask what the quest entailed to jog your memory.

“Could you… remind me what you have to do for that?”

“I have to break a rock with just my hands, so do you just have to be really strong?”

After a moment, you somewhat remembered what you had to do.

“No, it isn’t that. I think I had something else break it… some enemy in the area, something like that. I think there’s some oxen down there?”

“That’s it?”

“Yep.”

“Thank you and good night!” Once again, she spoke quickly before shutting the door. You could then hear a muffled scurry down the hallway.

So, it was for that skill. Knowing that would actually make it harder for you to sleep, since now there could be so many more possibilities to explain why she wanted it. Expanding her business for brawlers like yourself, convenient self-defense for when her mace fails, things like that.

It’s questions like these that kept you up far longer than you should’ve, but eventually you did manage to drift off into a deep sleep. Soon enough, the sun had risen, touched the center of the sky, and forgot to wake you up along the way. When you finally did awaken, the raid was mere hours away from beginning.

You had nothing ready. Your armor and weapons needed repairs and enhancements, your potion stock wasn’t in top-shape, and you were still rock solid from yesterday. Whatever you needed done, it’d either have to be rushed or forgotten. You might have enough potions to get by the dungeon and subsequent city rush, but only barely. Weapons and armor were much more important.

Liz had been working all night, but hopefully she was still available to tend to your gear. You ran straight from the inn to her shop. This time, it was open, so you busted straight through the door to come face-to-face with her NPC assistant.

“Is Liz available?” You spoke between heavy breaths.

“No, Lisbeth isn’t currently available. I can still handle your purchasing needs, however.”

“Nuts… what am I gonna do about my gear?”

“Hold on a second, you’re Lisbeth’s partner, am I correct?”

“I am. What for?”

“I was told to hold onto something for you. Would you like to accept it?”

A gift? From who?

“Let me take a look.”

The NPC opened up a few menus, and on the counter in front of her appeared a note and a pair of metal katars. They were shaped like gauntlets on the top with a blade attached to the wrist, but the underside was hollow, leaving only the grip. It was an effective build for blocking attacks. The blades shimmered a dim red in the light coming through the window. The design was deceptively simple, but had a small touch of regality with a gold trim going down the handguard. You stared in disbelief at the weapons.

“Go ahead. They’re yours.”

You picked them both up, fitting your hands extremely well, and causing a stat window to appear describing the weapons. They were named the “Ruby Talons,” a pair of Katars made for Martial Arts users. They had high bonuses in Strength and Agility, perfect for flurrying attacks. The damage on them matched weapons of floors in the 60s, and they had a passive ability that increased your defenses, all of which came completely unenhanced. This weapon could easily last until floors in the late 70s. Lisbeth really made this for you.

Immediately, you equipped them and stowed your old katars. No need for those anymore. You then opened up the note, which caused it to disappear and appear as a message in your system menu.

“
Hey, I never got the chance to properly thank you for everything you’ve done the past couple of days. It might not seem like much, honestly, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t taken it to heart. I want you to have these weapons. To keep you safe in the future and all. Sorry I couldn’t give these to you in person, though. I can barely keep my eyes open writing this, so I might be out cold by the time you come in tomorrow. Just see it as a reason to come back once the raid is over. You better do that, by the way. I want first dibs on all the cool stuff you find up there.

Oh, and I had something else I wanted to tell you in person. See you then.

Lisbeth
“

Chapter Text

Floor 66. It felt so close at this point, after all the preparations done for today’s raid. At least 100 players were waiting outside of the labyrinth gates, waiting for the time to enter. Each guild was counting off their own members, preferring to leave the independents like yourself to your own devices. There were a few people you knew from prior raids, but you weren’t sure if it was okay to consider them friends from that alone. Still, it was better talking with them over no one. Unfortunately, you hadn’t found a sign of them anywhere.

Since you likely weren’t going to strike up a chat with anyone else, you figure you’d send a message to Liz and let her know how things were going. Despite having stayed up extremely late, she’d likely be awake and pounding away at her anvil at this time. What a trooper.

“Hey, Lisbeth. You awake yet? Just wanna say I appreciate the gift, can’t give my full thanks yet but I swear I will when I’m back”

A little hastily written, but it should be fine to send. It might take a little while for her to respond if she was working, though.

You weren’t sure what was holding up the raid leaders, but a while had passed and the gates still weren’t open. Guess now was as good a time as any to hunt for your partners. Even after looking around for a bit, you ended up being the one that needed to be found. There was a man in heavy armor waving you over to him.

This man was Jera, the stone wall of your group. He wasn’t the most outgoing of people, but he had a good heart and a calm mind. He typically used a two-handed halberd in battle. Useful for stabbing and hooking. Honestly, it wouldn’t be the first thing that comes to mind for a scout, but being able to tank has proved invaluable in the past.

“Good to see you here.” Jera offered an outstretched hand.

“You too, definitely.” You gave him a firm handshake. “You see any of the others around? I’ve been looking for them. Something’s holding the raid up, and I’m getting kinda bored waiting.”

“Yeah. You mind keeping her busy for me?” Jera then looked around, as if looking for someone himself. “I need to go for a bit. Tell her there’s someone I need to talk to in KoB. Sorry.”

“Wait, what? Why do you need me to do that?”

“She’s been hounding me all morning. Nothing against her, but I’m fairly drained as is.”

You nodded your head in agreement.

“We’ll catch up inside, I promise.” Jera then turned and melded into the crowd of players.

Not too long after, you heard a girl’s voice behind you.

“Wait! It was just one simple question!”

You turned around and saw Mavis, a young woman with a lot of energy to burn, running in your direction. Without her, your group wouldn’t be nearly as lively as it was. She was the other tank of the group, but instead of wearing heavy armor, she used a durable tower shield and bastard sword to block attacks.

“Nuts, I just missed him, didn’t I?” She spoke between strained breaths.

“Yep. Just went into the crowd.” You nodded your head,

“Did he say where he was going? I never finished what I was asking him to do!”

“Said he was going to go talk to someone in KoB. Don’t know what about, though. Maybe something peaceful to clear his head?”

“Well, that doesn’t mean he’s getting away from what I’ve gotta say to him. Besides, I’m a very peaceful person. Right? Right. Anyway, see ya! We’ll talk later!”

Mavis then took off in the same direction Jera went.

So much for getting to see them after a while. Luckily, you soon heard the announcement that everyone was ready to go. The tall gates began to creak open, and players began filing in.

Immediately inside was a decaying entrance hall. The space could easily fit multiple dragons, but it came at the cost of light. What few torches remained barely lit the room enough to see the major details. Braziers lay toppled in the middle of the room. Most of the rug had been burned away, and what little was left was too faded to make out any detail. Stone rubble sat in the corners, by each of the towering columns, and blocking off a small corridor. On the other side of the room, two naked mannequins stood guard, silently protecting another gate at the top of a flight of stairs. Torn banners, seemingly with a trace of precious metals in their trim, hung from the space between pillars.

If this site could somehow be completely restored, it would truly be a grand sight. For now, the players got to work lighting the rest of the torches and fixing the braziers. Some bats were scared away by the motion, but otherwise the hall was empty.

Meanwhile, conversation among the players was fairly lively. You couldn’t make anything out specifically, simply due to the sheer volume of noise, but at the very least you knew people were pumped to clear another floor. You did see that Jera, Mavis, and your third partner were already standing together on the opposite side as you, so you began crossing over to them.

But suddenly, silence swept over everyone. After you stopped in your tracks, you noticed the raid commander standing atop the steps in the hall, his imposing figure casting a shadow upon the front of the crowd. Despite this, his voice was calm when he began to speak. Soft, even. Yet his status demanded full attention and full respect. His name? Heathcliff.

“I’ll be going over the plan one last time. All present members, regardless of guild, should have been provided with a full map of the labyrinth. The path we will be taking is already marked for you. Anyone who deviates from this path will be left behind.”

He never really understood tact when lives were on the line. Yet in a situation as dire as Aincrad, being this blunt kept people focused.

“Going by the information we’ve gathered, the boss will be using two swords for wide, swift attacks. It will also likely have a ranged attack against our back line. We need people at both lines to protect the DPS players. Do not begin a burst until an opening is completely secure. No one acts a hero, and we’ll all make it out. Today, we become one step close to escaping this damn place.”

The crowd erupted into a deafening roar. Spirits were high.

“Everyone, to your units. Vanguard scouts, we’ll be waiting on your word to move out. Good luck and Godspeed.”

While most players stayed behind in the entrance hall, your small group of 4 began their foray into the dark corridors beyond. Being better equipped for combat than most scouts, you made up the vanguard team. Your main task was to travel ahead of the main raid and uncover, sometimes even trigger, traps and ambushes that had recently appeared. They were expected to handle smaller encounters with enemies as well. Anything they discovered was to be reported to Heathcliff. All other scouts would stay with the main group to provide support and catch anything you may have missed.

Basically, you and 3 other people were the maze rats until you got to the boss room, using the maps you had made. At the very least, other players would understand if you had to retreat or teleport out of the labyrinth. The opportunity to retreat was your only safety net, since backup from the main group would take time to reach you. Time you might not have. Even if that weren’t the case, Liz still had something she wanted to tell you upon your return, so no matter what, you needed to live.

With you were 3 other scouts. Jera and Mavis you had seen earlier, but you hadn’t had the chance to meet up with Kaito today.

Kaito was somehow more reserved than Jera, but it played to his favor. Unlike Jera, who had the cool charisma to keep up friendships, or you, who had mainly been going it alone but felt close with Lisbeth, Kaito seemed to enjoy being on his own. He had a small stature, but wielded an axe that nearly matched him in size. Both of you were the damage dealers of the bunch.

“Been too long since we worked together, eh guys?” Mavis was still as energetic as you remembered. “How’ve y’all been? Anything exciting happen while we were apart?”

Silence.

“Oh, come on, guys! Your lives can’t be that boring.” She elbowed Jera. “Especially you. I know you’ve got some news to share, so stop messing with me.”

“Whoever said I was messing with you?” He turned to Mavis with a small smirk.

“If you’re not, then tell them! Or I will.”

She’s never been this pushy before, no matter how many times she asked. Did something happen between the two?

“Fine, fine. Just got a bit of property a little while ago is all.” Jera finally responded.

“A bit? Just a bit? Tell me how a cabin on a flowery hilltop is just a bit.” You couldn’t tell if she was enjoying this or not.

“Cabin?” Kaito looked up from the paper map. “Was it that one on Floor 47? Surprised you got the money so quickly.”

You were fairly interested yourself. Jera had brought up the idea when you were traveling on Floor 64, but he wasn’t exactly the richest of individuals. “How did you manage that, anyway? I hear it ran at least 10 million for the view alone.”

“I might’ve been offered some financial assistance.” Jera sheepishly spoke.

“Only after you asked me.” Mavis quickly interjected.

“Right, of course.”

“You plan on settling down after this floor?” Kaito wondered.

Jera shook his head as he looked back at Kaito. “Definitely not. I just thought it’d be nice to have a place to relax that I could call my own. And… I guess any of you as well.”

“Wait, seriously?” You and Kaito spoke in unison.

“Yes. It’s been the 4 of us on vanguard duty for the past 7 floors. If I went through that much fire with someone, I may as well keep them close. At least, that’s what someone convinced me to do.” He gave a harsh glance toward Mavis while she quietly snickered.

“Even so, would you really give free access to your home to someone you’d just consider an acquaintance?” Kaito seemed skeptical of the whole idea, but this was the only concern you really shared with him.

“No, I’m not.” Jera returned his attention ahead of him. “So it’s convenient that you guys aren’t just random acquaintances.”

It seemed to finally dawn on Kaito that Jera was being completely serious. “Then… thanks.”

Jera considered you two his friends. Even though you hadn’t talked much outside of labyrinths, he still believed it. The thought shook you. It seemed like people were all business during these raids, at least before you met Mavis. But at the time, you thought she was just an exception. Now here’s Jera, making friends while his life is on the line.

You glanced at Kaito, who had absorbed himself back into the map, then thought about the past few days.

Actually, the reflection could wait. You still had a mission to do.

You and the vanguard soon found yourselves about halfway to the boss room, fighting several groups of enemies along the way. Most of it you got through with ease. Lisbeth’s weapons worked wonders against anything the labyrinth could’ve possibly thrown out. Slowly, however, the enemies seemed to be adapting to your group’s tactics. They were becoming more likely to flank and ignore switches, to have heavier weapons to break through your guard, or to lack corporeal forms and be able to bypass most barriers. Each encounter whittled your HP down more than the last.

It likely had something to do with the dynamic spawning. Enemies and trap spawns were based on player activity, typically throwing several small encounters along the path to any destination. Sometimes those small encounters would be replaced with large hordes, dedicated ambushes, or traps within rooms. After a while, those encounters would attempt to predict players’ fighting styles and counter them accordingly. Most players, but scouts especially, needed to be ready for anything that would come up.

Every so often, you would hear the echoes of battle ring from behind you. Enemy encounters appeared from behind fairly regularly, and would find themselves tangled with the main raid group. Whenever that would happen, you’d take bets on what exactly they were fighting. Most of the time, you never found out, but it was fun regardless. Having gone on several supply runs in this place already, most enemy types themselves weren’t of much note to you anymore.

If players were lucky, though, they would reach long stretches without any enemies to oppose them. You had now reached one of those sections. While her tanking ability was nothing to scoff at, this was the kind of situation Mavis truly excelled in.

“So I was talking a bit with Jera after we bought that cabin. We went back and forth about nothing for a while, but then I had this bright idea that we should make ourselves official. Guildmates, I mean! What do you think?”

“A guild, huh?”

You were never personally part of a guild. Scouts either worked for one of the clearing guilds or floated around as independents. The idea of a dedicated scouting guild definitely came as an odd idea, but also strangely welcome.

“I think I’d be on board with that, actually.” You eagerly replied.

“Oh wow, I didn’t think you’d agree so quickly.”

“Hang on, what’s that supposed to mean?’

“Nothing you need to worry about.” Mavis then stuck her hand on Jera’s shoulder. “Jera, I know you would just love to hang out with me more.” Then she turned to face Kaito. “What about you?”

“I’d need time to think about it. Being able to just witness nature on my own is too nice to give up…” He paused for a while. “…but you guys are pretty pleasant people.”

“Honestly, that’s high praise. Happy to hear-“

Mavis hushed Jera, quickly shifting to a serious tone. “Enemies ahead. Kaito, what’s our room?”

Kaito quickly scanned the map he was holding. “Quadrant 3, Room 5.”

“How many?” You whispered to Mavis.

“At least eight. I can’t help but feel like we’re being watched by something as well.”

The encounters you had up to this point were 4 enemies at most. 8 in one place usually meant some kind of trap was laid out.

“I’ll send a message to the commander. Might take a minute to respond.”

Mavis opened her menu and began typing out a message. Since you couldn’t really hold a conversation with the party at the moment, lest you attract a large group of monsters, you figured you’d check for a response from Lisbeth. You opened your menu and found a new message from her.

“Glad to hear you’re ok, and that you got my gift. Hope it keeps you safe in there. I wanna be able to see you again!”

Perfect time for a heartwarming message like that. You quickly wrote up a reply.

“Been going well, weapon works like a dream. Should be done and TP’ing out soon.”

By the time you had finished that, Mavis had already gotten a response from Heathcliff.

“Alright crew, here’s the plan. We wait here for a bit. KB’s sending a few people up our way, route to us should be safe. Once they arrive, we take on the enemy.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. If a large fight was going to break out, it’d be important to check out the venue. This particular room was a main hall, meaning there was plenty of room to maneuver. Large stone columns held up the rooftop, torn banners hung from the walls, and a rotting, stained carpet lined the cold floor. Not much extra stuff to improvise attacks with. The best there seemed to be in that regard was fallen rubble and metal scraps.

Soon enough, you heard the footsteps of four heavily armored knights, faces hidden by their heavy gear. Once you had confirmed details with those two, the six of you entered the room, weapons ready and scouts first.

Or six of you tried, anyway. Once Kaito, the fourth player, had stepped into the room, an iron gate quickly descended on both sides, nearly severing a Knight in two. There was no escape, no backup. Just as the gates clattered shut, angered spirits flooded into the room. They fluttered around the room, their very essence wafting off like smoke. The only thing keeping them together was their armor, a solid spectral shell bearing the same symbols that hung from each banner. Eight of the legless beings surrounded your party.

Jera yelled back to the knights as he took point in front of everyone. “Run back to the others, let them know what’s going on! We’ll be fine!”

Mavis twirled her sword a bit before standing opposite of Jera. “Y’all ready? Let’s bust some heads!”

The two tanks immediately started the battle with a Taunt skill, attracting the Hate of nearly every spirit in the room. They descended upon Mavis and Jera, assaulting them with weapons of all types.

You saw Jera rapidly thrusting his spear to keep the spirits at a distance, goading them to come closer to the ground. He was slowly being pushed back, but was able to avoid any stray hits. When you turned toward Mavis, you saw even more spirits beating on her shield from above, while she kneeled down under safety. She couldn’t hold forever, though. Her HP was slowly but steadily draining.

Without much range on your weapon, you would have to rely on something else to deal damage until the spirits came closer to the ground. The best idea you had was to throw something at them, and the nearest item was the fallen debris. A pile of it lay beside one of the several pillars in the room.

While running toward the rubble pile, one spirit blocked your path, holding a spear. Quickly, it launched several thrusts at you, while you parried every blow. With one hard strike, you blew the spirit’s spear to the side, giving you enough time to run past it. As you passed by, you noticed it preparing to swing the spear around itself. You heard an echoey growl as it prepared to attack. When it started to yell, you tucked yourself low and rolled underneath the spear’s head.

You got to a pile of fallen rubble and quickly put away your katars. First, you punted a large rock at the spirit between you and Mavis. It struck its helmet, shattering on impact and leaving the spirit stunned. Next, you grabbed another piece of debris and started sprinting back toward Mavis. From the corner of your eye, you also saw Kaito vault off of Jera’s back and perform a wide swing against the attacking spirits. Several of them went flying back, one of which went phased right through one of the pillars. You also noticed visible cracks and dents in their armor.

Back to Mavis, you chucked the rock high above Mavis shield, striking a couple of the spirits and throwing them off balance. She used the opportunity to deliver a hard push with her shield to knock back a few enemies, then swung her own sword at whatever enemies she could reach.

Once they had recovered, they all floated much higher up in the room. You pulled out your katars again and braced with Mavis for their next move. That’s when you heard Kaito’s voice shouting at you.

“Behind! Spear!”

You turned your head back to see you were getting charged by the one stunned spirit from earlier. After stepping to the side, you turned your whole body and delivered a powerful body blow, both dodging the spear and punching right through the spirit’s rusty armor to finish it off.

That was when the others above made their move. Three spirits, with an echoed war cry, charged downward with their weapons pointed right toward your head. They didn’t move in perfect unison, rather in sequence. Using your ears as a guide, you sidestepped the first spirit, but was scraped in the leg by the second as you dived backwards. You had both lost a giant chunk of HP, and was flat on your back staring at the third spirit, still rushing you down. Before they could connect, however, Mavis managed to cover you with her shield.

Looking over at Kaito and Jera, they seemed to be back-to-back and surrounded by four spirits. Not good.

Mavis was now in front of you, between you and the spirit. “Can you stand?”

“Yeah. Looks like the others need some help.” You pointed toward Jera and Kaito.

“Let’s not hesitate, then.”

As you were standing up, Mavis blocked several sword swings from the spirit, then knocked it back with her shield. Both of you then turned and sprinted toward the spirits surrounding the others. They haven’t left each other’s backs, and have done a decent job keeping the enemies away with their long reach, but they kept taking stray hits. You weren’t sure of their HP at the moment. Once you got close, you struck an unaware spirit with a running sucker punch, finishing it off. Mavis then stabbed one in its back shortly after. The two enemies that were standing off with Kaito then rushed him.

He managed to duck one slash, then witnessed Jera kicking away the other spirit while its weapon was raised overhead. Kaito smacked the spirit with the shaft of his axe, pushing it back to a similar range as the other spirit, then with a single swing, killed them both.

The only three enemies left were the ones that had targeted you. You stood side by side with your party, while the spirits did the same. Mavis was the first to charge ahead, shield at the ready. As the two parties clashed, Mavis found herself being yanked by an axe hooked onto her shield. She stumbled forward, leaving her open to the spirits on either side of her. On her right, a spirit raised a greatsword above its head, and on her left, a spirit prepared to stab her hip with a dagger.

Instead of meeting with flesh, however, the dagger only met with heavy plate mail. Jera had placed himself between the left spirit and Mavis. Once the dagger harmlessly clanked off of his armor, Jera cleanly thrust his spear through the spirit. For the right spirit, you dashed in and kicked it away, while Kaito smashed it with an overhead swing.

Mavis then managed to regain control of her shield and bashed it against the final spirit, knocking it onto its back. She then turned around and angled her shield against the ground to form a ramp. Finally, you ran up the shield, leaped high into the air, and thrust your katar right through the spirit’s chest. As its ghostly body dispersed into mist, the gates within the room unlocked, and the rest of the raid came rushing in.

Only then did you realize the wounds everyone had sustained. The adrenaline had hidden it all until the end. You glanced at your party’s HP bars, seeing nothing higher than Mavis’s at about half. The rest were at about a third, with Kaito’s nearing the red zone.

“Well, that scrap coulda gone better.” Mavis had put away her weapons and was stretching out her whole body.

“We’re alive. Couldn’t ask for more than that.” You pulled out a bunch of potions from your inventory. “Drink up. Should top us off before the boss.”

“Appreciate it. These ain’t the bitter ones, right?” She took one out of your hand.

“Nope. Not making that mistake again.”

The other two took potions, and all four of you downed them in unison. When you had finished, you were approached by one of the guild officers.

“Hey, you guys alright? Heard things got a little dicey.”

“We’re fine.” Jera responded. “We just took some unnecessary damage.”

“I’ll go talk with my boss. We ran into some stuff ourselves, and are still recovering from it. Since we’ve got some time to burn, might be worth us all taking a break to heal up.”

He then ran off in the opposite direction, disappearing into a crowd of players.

One more message to Lisbeth for now. She might be busy. Or getting annoyed at being messaged so often, even if she was worried for your safety. That’s what you thought, anyway.

She’d already sent a response to your last message.

“Don’t worry about coming back right away, get through 66 first! That way you can tell me about all the cool stuff you found. I know you’ll be safe out there. Good luck!”

Yeah, she’s totally right. What she gave to you is to get you to and through Floor 66. It’d be best not to squander this blessing.

“Should’ve invested in some camera crystals. I bet 66 is gonna look amazing, and I’d love to be able to show you before anyone else. I’ll definitely make sure you get to know what it looks like when I return. That’s a promise.”

And… sent.