Stories of Aincrad [IC]

[The Tophat Empire]

OOC can be found here

---

Date: Unknown
Time: 1530
Location: Floor 3, Carningsby, IPF HQ

---

Wiking sat in his office, as he usually did, filing paperwork. He did not mind it, both he and his second in command liked the almost draconian paperwork, altho it had risen in volume as the guild had expanded, from a humble start with 5 players, to now, over 60 officers at his disposal. He gave a feint smile as he once again realized that his custodian helmet wearing officers where now a not to uncommon sight, and there where few that had not at least heard of the IPF. He looked at the clock, checking the time. "half past three, well, that means i am done" he thought as he rose from his dark wood arm chair. As he walked towards the door out he opened his menu and opened his menu and equipped a long black overcoat. Over his black waist coat and back tie. It dawned on him that he always never wore color, at least never outside of his home, not that it bothered him, he knew there was at least one more who never did. A player that went by the nickname of "The Black Swordsman", who it was, or why he had this name, wiking did not know. Nor did he particularly care.

He opened the door out of his office, and started to walk towards the exit, as he passed one of the players sitting at what looked like the main reception he said "I am leaving for now, have a nice day, standard procedure", the receptionist nodding, replying with "Yes sir, good day". Making a small nod as wiking left the building. Directly outside he was greeted by a officer, standing by the door. The officer saluted and said "Good day Commander."

"Good Day" wiking replied back, taking a imidate left he started to walk down the street, thinking to himself what a peculiar world this was, this death game, on one hand we have the clearest, constantly trying to beat this game, and they were making progress, it was just a few hours ago that they managed to beat the boss on floor 16, and now, now they were smashing their way through floor 17. "Well, such is the nature of this world." he muttered, taking a pause before saying the last few words.

"Welcome, welcome to sword art online" he quietly said to no-one

[Charlia]

Here we are again...

The girl was very... red. By which is meant, she had long red hair and a red combat outfit, one that left her freedom to move quickly in and managed to offset her physical appearance--which could certainly have been described as 'beautiful'--to add an element of danger. Although had she been wearing a dress, she still would have managed to look dangerous, if one looked into her eyes. They were wide and icy blue, although under the light color were darker, hidden depths, as though an abyssal ocean had frozen over and there was a monster hiding beneath.

She had spent time in the company of others for a while in the game of death, and even found someone she had thought was... something more than a friend.

But one day she had suddenly found herself betrayed and alone. There had been no explanation, she didn't even know what had happened. She had just suddenly been... alone.

Her name was Charlotte Noble, but she called herself Noblemind. As the players had advanced through the floors, she had become a bit of a legend, in her own way. She showed up at boss fights to help, but once the boss was defeated she was gone. And very few people even knew who she was... She was a master at masquerades and hid a dark secret that she had told only one, before he had vanished.

Her face twisted in anger as she remembered how betrayed she had felt. She'd closed herself off again. Once bitten, twice shy, so it is said, and she had been twice betrayed.

Enough! He is of no consequence now. He will die with this world, wherever he is, and good riddance to him and his false declarations of love.

I should have known--No! I am Noblemind. I will not dwell on these thoughts. They are of no more importance to me than the past. They are the past.

'The past is where we put all of the bad things that have happened.'

Truer words were never spoken.

[United States of Indonesia]

Infinity Twilight Brigade HQ
Town of Beginnings, 1st Floor
Afternoon (Unknown date)
Josua

---

Josua just got back for a few hours from the 16th Floor raid with his guild. It was pretty tiring. Being a frontline guild, his was one of the elite frontline guilds active in raids. Not to mention, his guild was one of the few that have the most high-leveled players in the game. The guild, Infinity Twilight Brigade, was already famous for their first campaign in the 6th Floor boss raid, and the latest raid made them even more renown across the ranks of the surviving players. However, with only 24 members, he knew that the future floors will get even harder & such a small amount of players will not be able to hold the line should they keep on like this. He then planned to start recruiting again.

He was at the balcony on the rooftop of the guild's HQ, staring at the blue sky. He loved to stare at the sky ever since he was in high school. As he stares into the view, Lucia approached him from behind. "Sir?" she said to him. "Ah, Lucia. What is it?" he replied as he turned around. "I-it's nothing... I just wanted to say good work on today's raid..." she said. "Thank you. Also, you guys did good back there." he said to her. "Ahh... T-Thank you sir..." she replied while blushing. "Hohoo.... Why are you blushing then?" he asked her while hugging her from behind, teasing her. "EEEPPP~!!!!! S-Sir?!" she reacted as her face became even more red. "Captain, you shouldn't tease her too much." Cruade said as he walks over. "Awww..... But she's just too cute and all....." he said to him. "CUTE???" she said in embarrassment. "Although I agree that she is cute, you shouldn't tease her too much." Cruade replied to Josua. "YOU AGREE??" she said while became even more embarrassed. "FINE...... Geez.... You're such a buzzkill, you know..." he said as he let her go. "Anyway, now that you two are here, I'll say this to you two." Josua said to both of them. "I'm planning to start recruiting again... You two, tell the others. This is a priority mission, and it starts tomorrow. Got it?" he continued. "Understood, Captain." both of them replied. "Good. Now both of you are dismissed. Good work for today." he said. "Thanks, sir!" both of them said as they leave the rooftop.

After all that ruckus, he continued his stare at the twilight sky. "When will I be able to see you again..." he said as he began to walk back to his room. "You, the girl who disappeared in front of me... In my dream..." he continued as he entered his room & slammed on his bed. The feelings began to surge again inside his heart, as he closed his eyes & fell asleep. The feeling of loneliness...

[Sindrya]

17th Floor
Several Miles Outside of Belluno
The Open Seas

"So, why are we doing this again?", Zai asked. He laid himself on the boat that was used by him and his guild members for a quest. His black armor glinted in the sunlight. There's a bored expression painted on his face, and expressed through his nose-picking.

Vin, the (apparently) most good-looking out of the group, with his white hair and "Knight in Shining Armor" build (yes, they exactly nicknamed their own character builds; Zai's was "Berserker" build, Vin as described before, Afa the "Red Mage", Rei the "Sharpshooter", and he doesn't really remember PPD's, but it was something called "Master Thief") responded to Zai's question. "A quest, something about the town's Chief, the missing ships, needs money and items? Ring a bell?"

Zai sighed. "No, I remember that. What I'm talking about is," he slowly rose from his position. "Why are these morons fishing in deep waters?!", he yelled, pointing at PPD and Rei, who sat together at the opposite end of the boat, holding what looked like a fishing rod on their hands.

"Because we have the Fishing skill, that's why", he answered curtly. PPD only nodded along.

"I mean, this is deep waters!", Zai said exasperatedly. "Fishing rods don't work in deep waters! You have to use fishing nets!", he complained.

This time, it's PPD's turn to answer. "Well, this is a game, you know? Game mechanics are what's working in this world, not normal life's laws." His rather cheerful tone made Afa, who was sitting on the edge, chuckled to himself, while Zai looked at them wide-eyed.

"... Oh. That's right.", he muttered. "Sorry, guys. I mixed up the game with reality again.", he said apologetically, returning to his original position; laid out on the boat.

"No problemo.", Rei answered nonchalantly. "After all, if you're trapped in a Virtual Reality game with no way to get out for a fucking long time, with the possibility of getting trapped for life, even the sanest minds will go crazy."

Everyone fell silent. That's right, Zai thought. It's been a long time since we're trapped here. I've even lost track of how many days had passed in real life. He rubbed his chin. Wonder how our bodies out there are holding up. When we finally get out of here, and back to our life, we might've been uglier than before.

A tug on PPD's fishing rod, followed by his shout, broke Zai from his thought, and the silent atmosphere around them. "Woah, this is a big one!", he exclaimed, feeling that the fish he caught is trying to drag him off the boat. Without any command, the whole squad rushed to help him pull the fish out of the water. Then suddenly, snap! The rod broke.

"... What the hell?", Zai muttered.

Then, all of a sudden, a huge, green-tinted underwater beast, with darker green stripes along its back (reminded Zai of a watermelon), came bursting out of the water near them, causing the boat they're in almost toppled over due to the waves it made. On its right hand (don't fishes usually have fins?), was the hook of PPD's line. The whole team gulped, the whole atmosphere became cold.

The beast roared, and slammed its hands onto the boat, causing it to break in half, and the passengers to drown.

On everyone's <Quest Tab>, the words appeared:

<Sunken Ships Mysteries>, active.

New Quest: <Sunken Ships Mysteries: Deep-Sea Battle>: Accepted.

"Well", Zai started. The whole team, now slowly drowning, despite not feeling it hard to breathe because of the Quest Item <Deep-Sea Charm>, looked at him.

"That was indeed a big one."

[Tracian Empire]

Somewhere, on a tavern on the 17th Floor of Aincrad

This small tavern was rather empty, not that surprising considering the hour of the day. Most people go to taverns either during day in order to eat, or at night, in order to spend some good time. Right now, in the afternoon, only a couple players were present , most of them in small groups of a small persons. There was only one player sitting alone at a table, a player that coincidentally, was also attracting the attention of the other players around him, since he was... rather strange.

He was indeed rather strange, and no, it wasn't necessarily because he was Western. After all, despite their small number, there were quite some Western players in Sword Art Online, most of them even taking leading places among the clearers. It also wasn't because of his black eyes and black hair, or because of his reputation as a rather infamous beater, a former beta tester who was usually accused of cheating, their name combining the words beta tester and cheater, no. It also wasn't because he was sitting alone, since maybe he was waiting for someone, or because he had a rather large glass filled with something clearly alcoholic that he was avoiding to drink, just looking a it. No, it was most likely because of the clothes he was wearing. It was true that there were many players wearing clothes in a single color. Red, white, green, they were fairly common, especially if they were the uniforms of a guild. There were even rumors about a certain beater that was only wearing black, Kuro no Kenshi, the Black Swordsman. But he... was wearing only gray clothes, including a rather long, gray scarf and a gray coat. But.. everything he was wearing except for his belt and boots was gray, and even those were gray, but a darker nuance than the rest. But gray... every color means something, tells something about the person wearing clothes that were colored like it. And gray... gray was a completely unemotional color. Detached. Neutral. Impartial. Indecisive. The color of compromise, neither black, nor white. Calm, motionless. Stable. Quiet, reserved. It wasn't exactly a color worn by many people... and having someone wear only clothes of that color.... well, it said many things about him. Yeah, it really said a lot, and most of those things were true.

And here he was, Dremo, once again sitting alone, undecided if he should simply drink something like he used to, or try something else. He was one of the leading clearers, more or less. A solo player, he was usually rather quiet and reserved, and he didn't like to work together with other players unless it was really necessarily. He had some friends among both clearers and normal players, and he was fairly known by some, but especially ever since what happened on Floor 7, he was more and more closing in himself. So after all, spending the afternoon alone in a tavern wasn't that unusual for him...

[Mundeo]

Floor Seventeen: The High Seas

Not so far from Wild Hunt's ship, about a league off, another vessel cut through the waves. No, not just one ship, an entire fleet! The Aincrad Liberation Force, known just as "the Army" has finally been able to build themselves a desirable fleet after reaching this floor. Each appointed captain had to complete a time consuming questline just to get the permission to build or buy a ship, and they had a fleet of seven at the ready. At the front of the armada was the Ferdinand Magellan of this task force, a soldier that actually goes by the alias Magellan. It makes sense that he named the flagship the Trinity. He was a man of the seas who was finally in his element, and this floor will be no more than a simple task to conquer.

The entire crew was brought to alert as something appeared on their Quest Tab. A mission has been activated, a battle on the high seas, or the deep seas in this case. The winds became brisk, and off in the distance, the shadow of a great beast emerged from the depths.

"The Tidehunter has revealed itself!" A soldier cried out. The objective of the fleet as of now has been split. One half says that they should head right towards the dungeon, the other half saying they should complete a chain of side quests called Sunken Ships Mysteries. They have already conpleted the first mission, each of the captains having acquired a Deep Sea Charm. Several others have been acquired, through different means, and they were given to the most promising soldiers on each ship. Since they finished the first quest, they only had to see the beast to begin the second one. Now that they next quest has been activated by another party, the Army can now take part in the battle themselves.

Weapons were raised, and battle cries were roared as the armada changed its course to the sunken vessel. The winds battered the sails, and the waves crashed against the wooden hulls. When they reached their destination, those who were to depart equiped their charms, and dove into the depths. The captains of each of the ships, including Magellan, led the party into the drink, but among the lucky few who weren't captains was Ryuichi Arashi, called Kensai, the Fire Sword.

The party descended down towards the ocean floor until their feet touched the rocks and sand below. Beside them was the party that commenced the battle, an orange guild called the Wild Hunt. They looked like a bunch of teenagers, sending chuckles through the soldiers. Certainly they would need the Army's assistance.

[Tracian Empire]

Even if he would have loved to, he couldn't stay in this tavern forever, especially if he had no intention to drink anything. Too bad.... he liked taverns like this because usually, there were only a few people inside, and he had no intention to stay near many other people. Or even worse, to meet with someone he knew... he really hated that. Especially their attempts to help him, or to invite him in their guilds. He hated to be pitied, for what happened to his friends and his guild, for his loneliness, for playing as a solo player. He was sure that the intentions of those people weren't bad, they wanted to help him, but he didn't want any help. That's why he tried to avoid them in the past months or so, meeting them only when necessary, during boss raids and so, claiming that it was because of the hate against the beta testers, which was of course, a lie. Yeah, there were still people who hated or didn't trust former beta testers, especially those who openly admitted to have played in the beta, like Dremo, but it was clearly much better than compared with the beginning. But even so, especially after what happened on Floor 7... when he was too late again...


Trying not to think about it too much, the black haired player payed for his consumption, even if he let the glass untouched, and stood up, ignoring the people that were looking at him, leaving the tavern, and starting to wander on the streets of the Venice like city. The way he was dressed was clearly attracting attention, since it was really unfitting for this type of weather, but even so, he continued to walk without paying attention to anything. Just walking... nothing else mattered..

[Charlia]

Even if he would have loved to, he couldn't stay in this tavern forever, especially if he had no intention to drink anything. Too bad.... he liked taverns like this because usually, there were only a few people inside, and he had no intention to stay near many other people. Or even worse, to meet with someone he knew... he really hated that. Especially their attempts to help him, or to invite him in their guilds. He hated to be pitied, for what happened to his friends and his guild, for his loneliness, for playing as a solo player. He was sure that the intentions of those people weren't bad, they wanted to help him, but he didn't want any help. That's why he tried to avoid them in the past months or so, meeting them only when necessary, during boss raids and so, claiming that it was because of the hate against the beta testers, which was of course, a lie. Yeah, there were still people who hated or didn't trust former beta testers, especially those who openly admitted to have played in the beta, like Dremo, but it was clearly much better than compared with the beginning. But even so, especially after what happened on Floor 7... when he was too late again...


Trying not to think about it too much, the black haired player payed for his consumption, even if he let the glass untouched, and stood up, ignoring the people that were looking at him, leaving the tavern, and starting to wander on the streets of the Venice like city. The way he was dressed was clearly attracting attention, since it was really unfitting for this type of weather, but even so, he continued to walk without paying attention to anything. Just walking... nothing else mattered..

She hated crowds. There were too many people around her for her to be comfortable, and she was lost in thought as she walked. Alone and abandoned, she'd become perhaps even colder than before, after the one person who made her better had disappeared. Her fragile psyche had shattered again, and she had once more fallen into the role of Noblemind, the mask of cold that let her hide from feelings and pain.

Unfortunately, being lost in thought had some side effects, one of which was running into someone. Someone that, she realized in shock, she knew. She remembered him from the earlier floors. One of the few people who knew who she was, who had seen her, who had talked to her. Stunned, she simply stood there, her mind racing as she tried to decide what to do...

[Tracian Empire]

Even if he would have loved to, he couldn't stay in this tavern forever, especially if he had no intention to drink anything. Too bad.... he liked taverns like this because usually, there were only a few people inside, and he had no intention to stay near many other people. Or even worse, to meet with someone he knew... he really hated that. Especially their attempts to help him, or to invite him in their guilds. He hated to be pitied, for what happened to his friends and his guild, for his loneliness, for playing as a solo player. He was sure that the intentions of those people weren't bad, they wanted to help him, but he didn't want any help. That's why he tried to avoid them in the past months or so, meeting them only when necessary, during boss raids and so, claiming that it was because of the hate against the beta testers, which was of course, a lie. Yeah, there were still people who hated or didn't trust former beta testers, especially those who openly admitted to have played in the beta, like Dremo, but it was clearly much better than compared with the beginning. But even so, especially after what happened on Floor 7... when he was too late again...


Trying not to think about it too much, the black haired player payed for his consumption, even if he let the glass untouched, and stood up, ignoring the people that were looking at him, leaving the tavern, and starting to wander on the streets of the Venice like city. The way he was dressed was clearly attracting attention, since it was really unfitting for this type of weather, but even so, he continued to walk without paying attention to anything. Just walking... nothing else mattered..

She hated crowds. There were too many people around her for her to be comfortable, and she was lost in thought as she walked. Alone and abandoned, she'd become perhaps even colder than before, after the one person who made her better had disappeared. Her fragile psyche had shattered again, and she had once more fallen into the role of Noblemind, the mask of cold that let her hide from feelings and pain.

Unfortunately, being lost in thought had some side effects, one of which was running into someone. Someone that, she realized in shock, she knew. She remembered him from the earlier floors. One of the few people who knew who she was, who had seen her, who had talked to her. Stunned, she simply stood there, her mind racing as she tried to decide what to do...

Not paying attention, the black eyed boy almost ran into someone, or better said, that someone almost ran into him, stopping right at time though. Just as he was about to say something not exactly nice to the player, Dremo stopped. Even if they were in a crowd, people were still supposed to be.. careful... and then, he suddenly recognized that player. It was... someone he knew. More specifically, a player he had met on one of the lower floors. Even more specifically, a certain red haired girl, with a reputation... one of the few people he really didn't want to meet right now... since she was usually kinda scary... but yeah, he couldn't just ignore her... probably..

"Well, well look who's here...", Dremo said in his usual calm way, looking at the female player who seemed to be stunned, probably thinking what to do.. "Noblemind herself... long time no see.". Somehow... it did seem like something had happened to her.. she seemed to be.. a little different from how she was back them. "So, how are you? And where is Shojiro, weren't the two of you always together?.."

[Charlia]

She hated crowds. There were too many people around her for her to be comfortable, and she was lost in thought as she walked. Alone and abandoned, she'd become perhaps even colder than before, after the one person who made her better had disappeared. Her fragile psyche had shattered again, and she had once more fallen into the role of Noblemind, the mask of cold that let her hide from feelings and pain.

Unfortunately, being lost in thought had some side effects, one of which was running into someone. Someone that, she realized in shock, she knew. She remembered him from the earlier floors. One of the few people who knew who she was, who had seen her, who had talked to her. Stunned, she simply stood there, her mind racing as she tried to decide what to do...

Not paying attention, the black eyed boy almost ran into someone, or better said, that someone almost ran into him, stopping right at time though. Just as he was about to say something not exactly nice to the player, Dremo stopped. Even if they were in a crowd, people were still supposed to be.. careful... and then, he suddenly recognized that player. It was... someone he knew. More specifically, a player he had met on one of the lower floors. Even more specifically, a certain red haired girl, with a reputation... one of the few people he really didn't want to meet right now... since she was usually kinda scary... but yeah, he couldn't just ignore her... probably..

"Well, well look who's here...", Dremo said in his usual calm way, looking at the female player who seemed to be stunned, probably thinking what to do.. "Noblemind herself... long time no see.". Somehow... it did seem like something had happened to her.. she seemed to be.. a little different from how she was back them. "So, how are you? And where is Shojiro, weren't the two of you always together?.."

"About as well as I ever am," she said coldly. "And... Shojiro's gone." The name brought back a clawing pain to her heart. She had been so happy for those few fleeting days. And then... he had just... left. No explanation. She hadn't seen it coming, which was almost as bad as the betrayal itself. Hadn't she always prided herself on being wary, never letting herself be hurt again? And then, just because an old friend had returned, she had just fallen for him like that! It was no wonder he left me, she mused. I was so pathetic and weak.

No more.

[Sindrya]

Floor Seventeen: The High Seas

Not so far from Wild Hunt's ship, about a league off, another vessel cut through the waves. No, not just one ship, an entire fleet! The Aincrad Liberation Force, known just as "the Army" has finally been able to build themselves a desirable fleet after reaching this floor. Each appointed captain had to complete a time consuming questline just to get the permission to build or buy a ship, and they had a fleet of seven at the ready. At the front of the armada was the Ferdinand Magellan of this task force, a soldier that actually goes by the alias Magellan. It makes sense that he named the flagship the Trinity. He was a man of the seas who was finally in his element, and this floor will be no more than a simple task to conquer.

The entire crew was brought to alert as something appeared on their Quest Tab. A mission has been activated, a battle on the high seas, or the deep seas in this case. The winds became brisk, and off in the distance, the shadow of a great beast emerged from the depths.

"The Tidehunter has revealed itself!" A soldier cried out. The objective of the fleet as of now has been split. One half says that they should head right towards the dungeon, the other half saying they should complete a chain of side quests called Sunken Ships Mysteries. They have already conpleted the first mission, each of the captains having acquired a Deep Sea Charm. Several others have been acquired, through different means, and they were given to the most promising soldiers on each ship. Since they finished the first quest, they only had to see the beast to begin the second one. Now that they next quest has been activated by another party, the Army can now take part in the battle themselves.

Weapons were raised, and battle cries were roared as the armada changed its course to the sunken vessel. The winds battered the sails, and the waves crashed against the wooden hulls. When they reached their destination, those who were to depart equiped their charms, and dove into the depths. The captains of each of the ships, including Magellan, led the party into the drink, but among the lucky few who weren't captains was Ryuichi Arashi, called Kensai, the Fire Sword.

The party descended down towards the ocean floor until their feet touched the rocks and sand below. Beside them was the party that commenced the battle, an orange guild called the Wild Hunt. They looked like a bunch of teenagers, sending chuckles through the soldiers. Certainly they would need the Army's assistance.

"Uwoooh!", Zai cried as he took a swing at the large, green beast. His large sword, which on other situations would have cut the beast in half by now, can only manage to cut a gash on the beast, which instead of harming it, only made it angrier. Plus, given the fact that he and his friends were underwater, and standing on sea floor, their movements are practically slowed. "Shit!", he yelled.

Vin took a slash at the beast with his rapier, cutting the back of its "knee". Out of all of them, Vin was the second fastest (the first was their guild's "Master Thief", PPD), because his build was all-around balanced between attack and mobility. Afa bashed the creature's head with his staff (no mean feat, since the beast was as tall as Yao Ming), and finally, Rei and PPD used their combined attack: Back-and-Front Assassination, in which the both of them stabbed their target's head from both directions.

And the beast still managed to swat them away like they were flies.

"We're slowed down in here!", Vin frantically yelled. "No fucking shit, Sherlock!", Zai commented, rather irritated at the fact that the guy had just noticed it just now. Their eyes were focused on the beast. It's not like the beast did a number on them either, but still.

Then suddenly, Afa yelled. "Guys! We got company!"

Everyone cast turned to look at him, which continued by their eyes following at the direction where his finger is pointing. Apparently a number of strangers decided to join in the fun.

"What the fuck?", Zai asked. "I thought we were the only ones accepting that quest!"

"To be frank, I was thinking the same, too...", Vin responded.

Rei squinted at the newcomers. Those uniforms... I've seen it somewhere before...

"Oh, it's the Army.", he concluded.

Everyone went silent. Then, "What?!"

"We got the Army as competitors?!", Afa panicked.

"Shut up, maggots!", Zai yelled. "Focus yourself on taking on the Tidehunter first! If we can take it down before them, then when the Slithereen Guards came in, we can have a head-start!"

He readied himself, positioning into a battle stance, facing the Tidehunter. The Tidehunter bellowed, causing ripples to appear around its mouth. "Yeah, fuck you, too!", Zai responded to the roar, before charging at the Tidehunter, eager to give it another swing.

[New Hunteria]

17th floor.

Markith walked down the street. Looking at the npc vendors and their fake programmed smiles. turning down an alley way to get to his shop quicker. As he was walking he heard a sound he was all too familiar with. The sound of a blade being drawn.
Markith sighed. "If it's a fight your looking for.. i'll gladly oblige."

A hooded figure walked towards him and sent him a duel request. Markith nodded towards the street and accepted the request. "May i ask why you are doing this?"
The figure pulled up it's sleeve showing the mark of a red cursor guild, One Markith owed money too. Markith drew his sword and shouted at the figure. "Prepare yourself." Markith stood still waiting for the opponent to attack.

The figure ran and slashed at him.
Grinning, Markith blocked the sword and slid his leg under the opponents tripping them.
Markith stabbed at the opponent and landed the hit. Doing a surprisingly high amount of damage.

The figure gasped at the amount of damage and quickly forfeited the duel. Running off into a back alley.

Markith swung his sword around him before sheathing it and walking off to his shop. "Too easy."

[Tracian Empire]

Not paying attention, the black eyed boy almost ran into someone, or better said, that someone almost ran into him, stopping right at time though. Just as he was about to say something not exactly nice to the player, Dremo stopped. Even if they were in a crowd, people were still supposed to be.. careful... and then, he suddenly recognized that player. It was... someone he knew. More specifically, a player he had met on one of the lower floors. Even more specifically, a certain red haired girl, with a reputation... one of the few people he really didn't want to meet right now... since she was usually kinda scary... but yeah, he couldn't just ignore her... probably..

"Well, well look who's here...", Dremo said in his usual calm way, looking at the female player who seemed to be stunned, probably thinking what to do.. "Noblemind herself... long time no see.". Somehow... it did seem like something had happened to her.. she seemed to be.. a little different from how she was back them. "So, how are you? And where is Shojiro, weren't the two of you always together?.."

"About as well as I ever am," she said coldly. "And... Shojiro's gone." The name brought back a clawing pain to her heart. She had been so happy for those few fleeting days. And then... he had just... left. No explanation. She hadn't seen it coming, which was almost as bad as the betrayal itself. Hadn't she always prided herself on being wary, never letting herself be hurt again? And then, just because an old friend had returned, she had just fallen for him like that! It was no wonder he left me, she mused. I was so pathetic and weak.

No more.

To say the truth, Dremo was surprised. Yeah, Noblemind was the very definition of coldness, but even for her... the way she was acting right now was really, really cold. Even colder than ice. But of course, a couple of seconds later, he quickly realized why she was acting like that.. Back then, it seemed that she was warming up to Shojiro, and Shojiro disappearing... well, it was clear why she was that cold right now. It probably really affected her, even if it was hard to say from her emotionless appearance.

"Oh..", the black eyed boy said, remaining quiet for a few moments, unsure on what to say next. "I don't think that he... well, died, so did you two break up or anything?"

[Charlia]

"About as well as I ever am," she said coldly. "And... Shojiro's gone." The name brought back a clawing pain to her heart. She had been so happy for those few fleeting days. And then... he had just... left. No explanation. She hadn't seen it coming, which was almost as bad as the betrayal itself. Hadn't she always prided herself on being wary, never letting herself be hurt again? And then, just because an old friend had returned, she had just fallen for him like that! It was no wonder he left me, she mused. I was so pathetic and weak.

No more.

To say the truth, Dremo was surprised. Yeah, Noblemind was the very definition of coldness, but even for her... the way she was acting right now was really, really cold. Even colder than ice. But of course, a couple of seconds later, he quickly realized why she was acting like that.. Back then, it seemed that she was warming up to Shojiro, and Shojiro disappearing... well, it was clear why she was that cold right now. It probably really affected her, even if it was hard to say from her emotionless appearance.

"Oh..", the black eyed boy said, remaining quiet for a few moments, unsure on what to say next. "I don't think that he... well, died, so did you two break up or anything?"

"If we did, I was never made aware of it," she replied, still cold. "He just vanished. No explanation. Nothing. I should have seen it coming, but I didn't, and that was that."

The sudden betrayal. She closed her eyes, and when they opened again, he was gone, and it was like she'd been stabbed through the heart. Who would care about her now? No one else had ever cared. Without Shojiro, her life had quickly returned to the monochrome, monotonous task of survival. There was no color in her world anymore, nothing but gray, black, and the red of blood.

Of course, that was only when she was awake. When she was asleep, the nightmares were vivid and colorful. Red for blood, blue for sorrow, the dark, cold eyes that chilled her soul, that horrible whiteness cutting through the comforting blackness of forgetting, overwhelming agony that could not be described in terms of mere colors because all she saw was white and black during the pain, strobing back and forth, one dripping into the other, melting away, washing over her as she wept, cutting into her and tearing her apart the way very little could. A different sort of pain... The nightmares were more real than her waking life, if it could be called a life. She was so tired of it, all of it. But she kept pushing forward, because once she escaped from this death game she was going to go back, she was going to avenge herself, and then, only then, could she rest in peace.

[Mundeo]

"Uwoooh!", Zai cried as he took a swing at the large, green beast. His large sword, which on other situations would have cut the beast in half by now, can only manage to cut a gash on the beast, which instead of harming it, only made it angrier. Plus, given the fact that he and his friends were underwater, and standing on sea floor, their movements are practically slowed. "Shit!", he yelled.

Vin took a slash at the beast with his rapier, cutting the back of its "knee". Out of all of them, Vin was the second fastest (the first was their guild's "Master Thief", PPD), because his build was all-around balanced between attack and mobility. Afa bashed the creature's head with his staff (no mean feat, since the beast was as tall as Yao Ming), and finally, Rei and PPD used their combined attack: Back-and-Front Assassination, in which the both of them stabbed their target's head from both directions.

And the beast still managed to swat them away like they were flies.

"We're slowed down in here!", Vin frantically yelled. "No fucking shit, Sherlock!", Zai commented, rather irritated at the fact that the guy had just noticed it just now. Their eyes were focused on the beast. It's not like the beast did a number on them either, but still.

Then suddenly, Afa yelled. "Guys! We got company!"

Everyone cast turned to look at him, which continued by their eyes following at the direction where his finger is pointing. Apparently a number of strangers decided to join in the fun.

"What the fuck?", Zai asked. "I thought we were the only ones accepting that quest!"

"To be frank, I was thinking the same, too...", Vin responded.

Rei squinted at the newcomers. Those uniforms... I've seen it somewhere before...

"Oh, it's the Army.", he concluded.

Everyone went silent. Then, "What?!"

"We got the Army as competitors?!", Afa panicked.

"Shut up, maggots!", Zai yelled. "Focus yourself on taking on the Tidehunter first! If we can take it down before them, then when the Slithereen Guards came in, we can have a head-start!"

He readied himself, positioning into a battle stance, facing the Tidehunter. The Tidehunter bellowed, causing ripples to appear around its mouth. "Yeah, fuck you, too!", Zai responded to the roar, before charging at the Tidehunter, eager to give it another swing.

The uniformed soldiers only took a brief glance at the players that arrived before them before turning their attention to the Tidehunter. Those orange players think this is a competition, that this is just some kind of underwater sport. In a sense that was partly true, this specific regiment saw little action ever since they arrived at this floor, and saw the arrival of the aquatic behemoth the perfect opportunity. If they want to compete, than so be it.

With their weapons drawn, the soldiers charged at the Tidehunter. They did not appear to be menacing in any sort of way. They ran in slow motion, their muscles struggling against the weight of the water. Out of all of the soldiers, two stood out amongst them, Magellan and Kensai. Kensai's armor looked slightly different from the usual Army uniform, taking the appearance of a cloak instead of metal armor, but he still donned the typical army helmet. His build was meant for speed over everything else, and although he still moved at a light jog of a pace, he was significantly faster than those around him. On the other hand, Magellan prepared for an underwater clash by equiping armor that gave him an immunity to the slowing effects of the water. He charged far ahead of everyone with sword in hand.

When they neared the monstrous Tidehunter, Kensai propelled himself upward through the water while Magellan stayed below. Kensai gripped the hilt of his sword, which was still in its sheath, and in one swift motion unsheathed the blade and slashed. A long gash opened across the beast's chest, and it swung and Kensai with its fist. Because the slash hit, his special ability came into affect, allowing him a small speed boost. When the fist neared him, he propelled himself backwards before landing back on the ground. At the same time, Magellan stabbed at the Tidehunter's shin before being knocked back.

Kensai turned towards the geoup of teenagers who were fighting the Tidehunter as well. They did not look happy to see the Army there. "We're only here to help" He called out to them.

[Tracian Empire]

To say the truth, Dremo was surprised. Yeah, Noblemind was the very definition of coldness, but even for her... the way she was acting right now was really, really cold. Even colder than ice. But of course, a couple of seconds later, he quickly realized why she was acting like that.. Back then, it seemed that she was warming up to Shojiro, and Shojiro disappearing... well, it was clear why she was that cold right now. It probably really affected her, even if it was hard to say from her emotionless appearance.

"Oh..", the black eyed boy said, remaining quiet for a few moments, unsure on what to say next. "I don't think that he... well, died, so did you two break up or anything?"

"If we did, I was never made aware of it," she replied, still cold. "He just vanished. No explanation. Nothing. I should have seen it coming, but I didn't, and that was that."

The sudden betrayal. She closed her eyes, and when they opened again, he was gone, and it was like she'd been stabbed through the heart. Who would care about her now? No one else had ever cared. Without Shojiro, her life had quickly returned to the monochrome, monotonous task of survival. There was no color in her world anymore, nothing but gray, black, and the red of blood.

Of course, that was only when she was awake. When she was asleep, the nightmares were vivid and colorful. Red for blood, blue for sorrow, the dark, cold eyes that chilled her soul, that horrible whiteness cutting through the comforting blackness of forgetting, overwhelming agony that could not be described in terms of mere colors because all she saw was white and black during the pain, strobing back and forth, one dripping into the other, melting away, washing over her as she wept, cutting into her and tearing her apart the way very little could. A different sort of pain... The nightmares were more real than her waking life, if it could be called a life. She was so tired of it, all of it. But she kept pushing forward, because once she escaped from this death game she was going to go back, she was going to avenge herself, and then, only then, could she rest in peace.

"Oh..", Dremo said, repeating the same word in such a short interval, while trying to fully comprehend what Noblemind had just said... since she did seem to have warmed up to him, Shojiro suddenly disappearing without a trace would have certainly really affected her.. and this was probably she was so cold and scary right now. While he didn't exactly like that Shojiro guy, mostly because he seemed to be just too arrogant, together with his guild members. But even so, he didn't seem to be the type of person to do something like that, especially since he and Noblemind seemed to have become a couple at a certain point. Strange... now that he was thinking about it, some time really passed ever since he had last seen Shojiro and his guild on the frontlines... they had simply just vanished at a certain point, not that anyone had really noticed their absence. Especially with so many players dying all around, and after they had... simply stayed and watched during the boss fight, claiming that the monster was far beyond their level.

"Well, he probably had a good reason for doing that... or not.", Dremo said after those few moments of silence. Yeah, of course, he was a frontline player, a beta tester and such, one of the players really risking their lives on the frontline every day, but Noblemind... let's just say that she was one of the few players whom he was partially afraid of her, since she was just so... cold, unpredictable, and scary. Considering her behavior, he was really surprised that she hadn't become an orange player... yet. But even so, she was one of the players he relatively knew more, and one of the players that didn't seem to care too much about his beater status, even if they couldn't be considered friends... he wasn't even sure that she had any friends.

"Well, I would ask if you're okay... but I don't think that you'll want to answer that.", the beta tester said, trying to somehow avoid the question. Even if he was usually fairly quiet and reserved, he could still sometimes get worried about the people around him. "Are you still a frontline player? I can't say that I saw you at many of the boss raids, but I wasn't too careful either."

[Charlia]

"If we did, I was never made aware of it," she replied, still cold. "He just vanished. No explanation. Nothing. I should have seen it coming, but I didn't, and that was that."

The sudden betrayal. She closed her eyes, and when they opened again, he was gone, and it was like she'd been stabbed through the heart. Who would care about her now? No one else had ever cared. Without Shojiro, her life had quickly returned to the monochrome, monotonous task of survival. There was no color in her world anymore, nothing but gray, black, and the red of blood.

Of course, that was only when she was awake. When she was asleep, the nightmares were vivid and colorful. Red for blood, blue for sorrow, the dark, cold eyes that chilled her soul, that horrible whiteness cutting through the comforting blackness of forgetting, overwhelming agony that could not be described in terms of mere colors because all she saw was white and black during the pain, strobing back and forth, one dripping into the other, melting away, washing over her as she wept, cutting into her and tearing her apart the way very little could. A different sort of pain... The nightmares were more real than her waking life, if it could be called a life. She was so tired of it, all of it. But she kept pushing forward, because once she escaped from this death game she was going to go back, she was going to avenge herself, and then, only then, could she rest in peace.

"Oh..", Dremo said, repeating the same word in such a short interval, while trying to fully comprehend what Noblemind had just said... since she did seem to have warmed up to him, Shojiro suddenly disappearing without a trace would have certainly really affected her.. and this was probably she was so cold and scary right now. While he didn't exactly like that Shojiro guy, mostly because he seemed to be just too arrogant, together with his guild members. But even so, he didn't seem to be the type of person to do something like that, especially since he and Noblemind seemed to have become a couple at a certain point. Strange... now that he was thinking about it, some time really passed ever since he had last seen Shojiro and his guild on the frontlines... they had simply just vanished at a certain point, not that anyone had really noticed their absence. Especially with so many players dying all around, and after they had... simply stayed and watched during the boss fight, claiming that the monster was far beyond their level.

"Well, he probably had a good reason for doing that... or not.", Dremo said after those few moments of silence. Yeah, of course, he was a frontline player, a beta tester and such, one of the players really risking their lives on the frontline every day, but Noblemind... let's just say that she was one of the few players whom he was partially afraid of her, since she was just so... cold, unpredictable, and scary. Considering her behavior, he was really surprised that she hadn't become an orange player... yet. But even so, she was one of the players he relatively knew more, and one of the players that didn't seem to care too much about his beater status, even if they couldn't be considered friends... he wasn't even sure that she had any friends.

"Well, I would ask if you're okay... but I don't think that you'll want to answer that.", the beta tester said, trying to somehow avoid the question. Even if he was usually fairly quiet and reserved, he could still sometimes get worried about the people around him. "Are you still a frontline player? I can't say that I saw you at many of the boss raids, but I wasn't too careful either."

"Of course. I'm going to get out of this godforsaken place, and finally complete my goal and my life. That's all there is left, now," she said, a hint of wistful sadness in her tone. Then it was gone. "I've been there at all of them. I've fought, and then I've moved on. There's no point in staying to chat or celebrate, so why should I bother?"

She paused, and a flash of pain cut through her eyes in a dark flash slicing through the icy depths.

"And to answer the question you didn't ask, no. I am not 'okay'. But that's hardly anything new," she finished, the ice having closed around her words again.

[Dijifuji]

The day was going the same as it always did for Havel. Spend some time sitting in outside of a crowd soliciting his services as a tank and making a messily some of col. Havel did not question why he was given a skill that forced him to only receive damage and not give out, he was happy that there was something he could do too help others out, The problem was his habit of making everything a joke. Ever sine he was a kid he had tried too make any situation funny as a coping mechanism, and in this super serious environment that meant he was making more enemies than allies. Sure he had met someone here and there that was nice too him and had even invited him too join a guild, Havel would have joined if not for a particular reason....

But now he was just sitting on the edge of the town on the 17th floor just watching the water. Sadly today he didn't make enough money too even eat so he was poorly out of luck. He watched the crowds, then the waves, then the crowds and this went on for a while. His stomach growled and he sighed. He was going too have too find a guild or something in order for him too eat.

He looked up at the sky and said out loud

"Ya know me, This is one of the times where I really miss having a nice cigarette...."

[Tracian Empire]

"Oh..", Dremo said, repeating the same word in such a short interval, while trying to fully comprehend what Noblemind had just said... since she did seem to have warmed up to him, Shojiro suddenly disappearing without a trace would have certainly really affected her.. and this was probably she was so cold and scary right now. While he didn't exactly like that Shojiro guy, mostly because he seemed to be just too arrogant, together with his guild members. But even so, he didn't seem to be the type of person to do something like that, especially since he and Noblemind seemed to have become a couple at a certain point. Strange... now that he was thinking about it, some time really passed ever since he had last seen Shojiro and his guild on the frontlines... they had simply just vanished at a certain point, not that anyone had really noticed their absence. Especially with so many players dying all around, and after they had... simply stayed and watched during the boss fight, claiming that the monster was far beyond their level.

"Well, he probably had a good reason for doing that... or not.", Dremo said after those few moments of silence. Yeah, of course, he was a frontline player, a beta tester and such, one of the players really risking their lives on the frontline every day, but Noblemind... let's just say that she was one of the few players whom he was partially afraid of her, since she was just so... cold, unpredictable, and scary. Considering her behavior, he was really surprised that she hadn't become an orange player... yet. But even so, she was one of the players he relatively knew more, and one of the players that didn't seem to care too much about his beater status, even if they couldn't be considered friends... he wasn't even sure that she had any friends.

"Well, I would ask if you're okay... but I don't think that you'll want to answer that.", the beta tester said, trying to somehow avoid the question. Even if he was usually fairly quiet and reserved, he could still sometimes get worried about the people around him. "Are you still a frontline player? I can't say that I saw you at many of the boss raids, but I wasn't too careful either."

"Of course. I'm going to get out of this godforsaken place, and finally complete my goal and my life. That's all there is left, now," she said, a hint of wistful sadness in her tone. Then it was gone. "I've been there at all of them. I've fought, and then I've moved on. There's no point in staying to chat or celebrate, so why should I bother?"

She paused, and a flash of pain cut through her eyes in a dark flash slicing through the icy depths.

"And to answer the question you didn't ask, no. I am not 'okay'. But that's hardly anything new," she finished, the ice having closed around her words again.

"You're fairly optimistic. It's been almost a year already, and we're only at floor 17...17 out of 100 floors. Who knows if we will ever get out of here...", Dremo said to Noblemind, noticing the hint of sadness in her tone. It was quick... but it was there. Even if she quickly returned to her cold behavior and speaking, just as she said, it was clear that she was not okay.... but well, it wasn't like he could do anything. Not only wasn't he the type of person who would be good at comforting other people, but it also really seemed that Noblemind wasn't going to accept anyone's help, and he could understand that. Another thing to think at later...

"So, what brings the infamous Noblemind to this wonderful, hot, and humid city? The leading guilds are still fairly away from the boss room.....", the black eyed boy continued, looking at the red haired girl in front of him. "Are you here to join the raiding efforts? Or are you here to hunt red players, or do any other... shady stuff like that?"

[Charlia]

"Of course. I'm going to get out of this godforsaken place, and finally complete my goal and my life. That's all there is left, now," she said, a hint of wistful sadness in her tone. Then it was gone. "I've been there at all of them. I've fought, and then I've moved on. There's no point in staying to chat or celebrate, so why should I bother?"

She paused, and a flash of pain cut through her eyes in a dark flash slicing through the icy depths.

"And to answer the question you didn't ask, no. I am not 'okay'. But that's hardly anything new," she finished, the ice having closed around her words again.

"You're fairly optimistic. It's been almost a year already, and we're only at floor 17...17 out of 100 floors. Who knows if we will ever get out of here...", Dremo said to Noblemind, noticing the hint of sadness in her tone. It was quick... but it was there. Even if she quickly returned to her cold behavior and speaking, just as she said, it was clear that she was not okay.... but well, it wasn't like he could do anything. Not only wasn't he the type of person who would be good at comforting other people, but it also really seemed that Noblemind wasn't going to accept anyone's help, and he could understand that. Another thing to think at later...

"So, what brings the infamous Noblemind to this wonderful, hot, and humid city? The leading guilds are still fairly away from the boss room.....", the black eyed boy continued, looking at the red haired girl in front of him. "Are you here to join the raiding efforts? Or are you here to hunt red players, or do any other... shady stuff like that?"

She clenched her fists, and for a moment her eyes blazed with a raging determination and hatred... from the look in her eyes, someone was in for an entire universe of hurt.

"I am not optimistic. I know that the only thing that awaits me at the end of this game is the ultimate triumph of a bloodshed long past due, and then death at long last. But I will get out of here," she hissed, the ice in her voice having changed to flames of fury. "I will complete my goal. I will complete my life. I will not fail again." Relaxing slightly, she folded her arms and looked around. "To answer your question, I am here to watch. I listen and I wait and when there is news of an important battle I fight. That is all. And I would hardly call myself 'infamous'."

[Nachfolgia]

Black Shields HQ Codename: Valhalla, Floor 3, Courtyard

Valhalla was something to behold in Aincrad. Not the actual Valhalla, home of the Gods, but the fortress that bore its name. This thick walled stone castle was home of the Black Shields, one of the most well known guilds on the frontlines. The Black Shields, started right around the beginning of the death game called SAO, differed from the other frontline guilds. The members of the guild focused on one particular skill, defense. Each Shields man is equip a massive shield and utilized a high defense stat, making them a nearly impenetrable wall. This clear focus was all thanks to one player, Skjoldr. The fearless commander of the Black Shields knew early on protecting people was the way to survive the game so he set out to create a guild just for that, protecting. Thus, the Black Shields were born, fearless shield wielders with one common goal, protect as many people as possible.

In the central courtyard of Valhalla, the members of the Blacks shields, numbering around thirty, stood in one long line. The were waiting for the commander, Skjoldr, to make his address before the upcoming raid on Floor 17. Each member wore heavy plate armor and a large black shield that distinguished them as members. Painted on the shield was the guild's emblem, an ancient rune meaning defense. At the far end of the courtyard, two figures were walking towards the line of armor clad players. One of the armored figures was built like a giant. The man was very tall, standing at over 6' 3", and had wide shoulders, even without his armor. He was a muscle packed, behemoth with an intimidating aura. This burly man was Skjoldr, the mixed Japanese American leader of the Black Shields.

The shorter female walking next to him was his second-in-command, Goldenhaired Helena, another mixed Japanese American. The two led the Black Shields with honor and distinction, gaining fame alongside their brothers and sisters. Skjoldr and Helena stopped dead center In front of the guild. Skjoldr took a few minutes to look over his shields man before speaking.

" Black Shields..." His voice echoed across the courtyard. " Today we raid another floor, moving closer towards beating this death game! I don't need to tell you that our role is crucial to the overall plan for victory. Without us, more players will die needless deaths! We are the shield, we protect the weak as well as the strong! With our shields we will carry victory!! Til Valhal!!!"

" Til Valhall!! Til Valhall!!!" Each member chanted at the top of their lungs as they beat their chests.

" MOVE OUT!!" Skjoldr yelled. The black Shields then moved towards the gate, heading towards the teleporter in town. Skjoldr waited and watched as his guild dispersed, with Helena by his side.

" Excellent speech, Skjoldr. You ignite a fire in their hearts every time." Helena said, her voice soft and sweet.

" It's the least I can do, Helena. That fire will consume any fear they have in their minds and make them fierce warriors." Skjoldr said with a hearty smile, joyful to see what his guild has become. " Anyway, let's get going. We have a long way to go." He said as the two walked behind the others.

[Sindrya]

-snip-

The uniformed soldiers only took a brief glance at the players that arrived before them before turning their attention to the Tidehunter. Those orange players think this is a competition, that this is just some kind of underwater sport. In a sense that was partly true, this specific regiment saw little action ever since they arrived at this floor, and saw the arrival of the aquatic behemoth the perfect opportunity. If they want to compete, than so be it.

With their weapons drawn, the soldiers charged at the Tidehunter. They did not appear to be menacing in any sort of way. They ran in slow motion, their muscles struggling against the weight of the water. Out of all of the soldiers, two stood out amongst them, Magellan and Kensai. Kensai's armor looked slightly different from the usual Army uniform, taking the appearance of a cloak instead of metal armor, but he still donned the typical army helmet. His build was meant for speed over everything else, and although he still moved at a light jog of a pace, he was significantly faster than those around him. On the other hand, Magellan prepared for an underwater clash by equiping armor that gave him an immunity to the slowing effects of the water. He charged far ahead of everyone with sword in hand.

When they neared the monstrous Tidehunter, Kensai propelled himself upward through the water while Magellan stayed below. Kensai gripped the hilt of his sword, which was still in its sheath, and in one swift motion unsheathed the blade and slashed. A long gash opened across the beast's chest, and it swung and Kensai with its fist. Because the slash hit, his special ability came into affect, allowing him a small speed boost. When the fist neared him, he propelled himself backwards before landing back on the ground. At the same time, Magellan stabbed at the Tidehunter's shin before being knocked back.

Kensai turned towards the geoup of teenagers who were fighting the Tidehunter as well. They did not look happy to see the Army there. "We're only here to help" He called out to them.

"Oh yeah?", Afa called back. "I know what you're trying to do! You're trying to hunt us orange guilds, right?!"

PPD butted in. "Yeah! You're pretending to help us, but at the end of the day, all you care is only about your own selves!"

Zai can feel his heart pumped vigorously. This is it, he thought. The excitement of battle... the heat, the struggle...

He smirked.

The Adrenaline..!

The slowing effects of being underwater only fed his excitement. So does with the feeling of having a competition. Moreover, this is the Army we're talking about.

Words popped up on Zai's screen.

<Adrenalinex4>

"Yaaaa!", he screamed his battlecry, as he took a vertical slash on the beast. This slash is more powerful than the previous ones. The amount of damage is doubled.

The beast's now cut-off arm is the proof.

The Tidehunter's HP bar ran low drastically.

"Should be anytime now.", Zai muttered.

Suddenly, Vin shouted. "Lurelights!" He pointed at the suddenly appearing lines of lurelights. They were slowly gaining on the players. Before long, they revealed their true form; angler-fish-looking merfolks, carrying maces on their hands.

"Slithereen Guards!", Vin signaled.

Zai grinned. "Right. Let's BTFO of here, guys! Last one is a rotten egg!", he called to his guildmates, before running towards the direction of which the Slithereens came. The main objective of the mission is right there, behind the Slithereens' lines.

[Tulkomanistan]

17th Floor

A boat stopped at the coast of one of the uninhabited islands in the floor near the edge of the floor. The player who was leading the boat was searching for something. An information he received lately led him to there. He stepped onto the island and looked around. The island looked empty. Maybe the information he received was wrong like all the others he got so far. The player sighed. Waste of time he thought. He checked few other locations he had on his information. 2 on 7th Floor, 1 on 5th Floor and another 2 at 10th Floor. He will have a long day.

He was about to get into the small boat and go back when he heard something. Maybe the information wasn't wrong after all. He went to the place he heard the noise from. 2 red players were talking. They should know the answers the player thought as he examined the two. He activated his hiding skill and started to stalk towards to them. Quietly, he got 2 needles from his pocket with his left hand. He took one of the needles to his right hand and aimed it at the nearer one. He threw it and it stuck into right leg of the player who was the target. As the needle paralyzed one of two, other player backed. "David is here." he said to himself. He was about to run away when the player, whose name seems to be David, took the needle to his right hand and he quickly threw it at him after guessing where he will be in a few seconds later. His guess was right. Needle stuck into the player and he fell down after taking a step or two because of the paralysis kicking in. "Let's start our talking session, shall we?" David asked and sat between the fallen bodies. Now he had to find a way to make them talk. David didn't want the same result he got before which was nothing.

[Tracian Empire]

"You're fairly optimistic. It's been almost a year already, and we're only at floor 17...17 out of 100 floors. Who knows if we will ever get out of here...", Dremo said to Noblemind, noticing the hint of sadness in her tone. It was quick... but it was there. Even if she quickly returned to her cold behavior and speaking, just as she said, it was clear that she was not okay.... but well, it wasn't like he could do anything. Not only wasn't he the type of person who would be good at comforting other people, but it also really seemed that Noblemind wasn't going to accept anyone's help, and he could understand that. Another thing to think at later...

"So, what brings the infamous Noblemind to this wonderful, hot, and humid city? The leading guilds are still fairly away from the boss room.....", the black eyed boy continued, looking at the red haired girl in front of him. "Are you here to join the raiding efforts? Or are you here to hunt red players, or do any other... shady stuff like that?"

She clenched her fists, and for a moment her eyes blazed with a raging determination and hatred... from the look in her eyes, someone was in for an entire universe of hurt.

"I am not optimistic. I know that the only thing that awaits me at the end of this game is the ultimate triumph of a bloodshed long past due, and then death at long last. But I will get out of here," she hissed, the ice in her voice having changed to flames of fury. "I will complete my goal. I will complete my life. I will not fail again." Relaxing slightly, she folded her arms and looked around. "To answer your question, I am here to watch. I listen and I wait and when there is news of an important battle I fight. That is all. And I would hardly call myself 'infamous'."

In the moment the red eyed girl clenched her fists and looked at him like that, Dremo was ready to run away. He knew that they were in an area, so technically, he was safe, but for some reason, he really believed that when she was angry, Noblemind could even destroy the game's mechanics if she wanted... scary.
"Alright, alright, you will get out of here. I believe you..", the black haired beta tester said, rising his hands in a vague attempt to defend himself if she would want to him."I was just saying the truth though.. advancing through the floor's hasn't been going to well in the last time, with the red guilds becoming more active and the clearing guilds always arguing..". Dremo then made a short pause. "News of an important battle? Then you came to a good place.. kinda. There have been some rumors around... and if what those rumors say are true, probably the most important battle in this game until now will happen.. and thousands will die..."

[Charlia]

She clenched her fists, and for a moment her eyes blazed with a raging determination and hatred... from the look in her eyes, someone was in for an entire universe of hurt.

"I am not optimistic. I know that the only thing that awaits me at the end of this game is the ultimate triumph of a bloodshed long past due, and then death at long last. But I will get out of here," she hissed, the ice in her voice having changed to flames of fury. "I will complete my goal. I will complete my life. I will not fail again." Relaxing slightly, she folded her arms and looked around. "To answer your question, I am here to watch. I listen and I wait and when there is news of an important battle I fight. That is all. And I would hardly call myself 'infamous'."

In the moment the red eyed girl clenched her fists and looked at him like that, Dremo was ready to run away. He knew that they were in an area, so technically, he was safe, but for some reason, he really believed that when she was angry, Noblemind could even destroy the game's mechanics if she wanted... scary.
"Alright, alright, you will get out of here. I believe you..", the black haired beta tester said, rising his hands in a vague attempt to defend himself if she would want to him."I was just saying the truth though.. advancing through the floor's hasn't been going to well in the last time, with the red guilds becoming more active and the clearing guilds always arguing..". Dremo then made a short pause. "News of an important battle? Then you came to a good place.. kinda. There have been some rumors around... and if what those rumors say are true, probably the most important battle in this game until now will happen.. and thousands will die..."

"Good," she said coldly. "As for the stupidity of other players, that's hardly my problem. I just need to get out of here sometime within the next forty to fifty years or so. After that there's hardly any point." She frowned, and then continued.

"Thousands will die? Well, maybe that's a good thing. A little bit of cleaning up would do the real world a bit of good. Maybe, in a way, Kayaba had the right idea..."

The weak die. The strong survive. The corrupted are executed.

This is the way the world should be.