Finally, the flame magic cast by the Salamander caught Lyfa and hit her in the back.
"Whaaaa!!!!!"
She could not feel pain or heat of course, but the attack had a large impact which made her lose balance. Fortunately, while running away she did not forget to set up a series of «Wind Attribute» defensive spells, so her HP bar was still good, but Sylphid territory still remained far away.
At that point, Lyfa became aware that her flight was becoming slower. Damn, I'm reaching the flight limit! My wings will lose all strength in just a few more seconds, and I won't be able to fly until they recharge.
"Ugh..."
Gritting her teeth, Lyfa performed a steep dive into the woods to escape. Since the enemy had a mage, even hiding with magic would be hard. But she had no interest in just giving up and getting killed.
Lyfa slipped into a gap in the canopy and passed through the tightly packed tree branches while nearing the surface. It was time. Flight speed slowed almost to a stop, soon she neared the ground. As she started to land, she turned her body to break, and after letting her feet touch the ground she jumped into a hole on the back of a gigantic tree. Then, holding her hands in the air, she prepared to launch a type of stealth magic.
Magic in ALO closely resembles a fantasy film, and can best be described as a «Spell» chant. In order for the system to identify the magic, the incantation needs to follow the correct rhythm and pronunciation. If the chant is interrupted part way through, it will fail to launch and the caster must start over.
Lyfa quickly finished incanting the spell. She had spent a lot of time to memorize and practice it, thereby reducing the time needed to recite it. As soon as she finished the spell, a light green atmosphere emerged from her feet and slowly began to cover her entire hiding place until it completely enveloped her body. This was a defensive spell which prevented the enemy from seeing you. However, it could be penetrated by an enemy possessing a high-level «Scan» ability or a penetration spell. Lyfa held her breath and curled up to make herself as small as possible.
Before too long, Lyfa heard the sound that is unique to Salamanders in flight. Landing in the open space beyond the tree, the clanking of armor rang through the clearing followed by shouting.
"That Sylph should be around here, go search!!"
"No, Sylphs specialize in stealth. Let's use magic."
After saying that, he continued his spell incantation. Lyfa almost swore but instinctively kept her mouth shut. After a few seconds, something approached noisily from behind.
Several small red lizards with red eyes climbed over the roots of the gigantic trees. This was the «Fire Attribute» penetration magic: Dozens of the lizards emerge around the caster and search in an expanding circle and emit flames when they find something, immediately showing the location of other players or monsters.
Go away, you must not come over here!
Of course, the lizard has no set pattern, it moves randomly once summoned. Lyfa desperately prayed that the lizards go elsewhere, but it was in vain. One of the lizards touched the membrane surrounding Lyfa, it gave a high-pitched screech and flared into flames.
"We've got it, over here."
Hearing the sound of metal armor gradually approaching, Lyfa jumped from the shadows and flipped to land on her feet. She pulled out her sword and gracefully got in a ready stance, three Salamanders aimed their lances at her.
"Let's not be unreasonable now."
The man on the right pulled up the visor on his helmet. While his excitement was concealed by the helmet, he couldn't keep it out of his voice.
The man in the center, the leader, continued in a calm voice:
"I'm sorry, but this is our mission. If you hand over the money and items, then we'll let you go."
"Ah, why, kill her!! The enemy is a woman so I am very excited ah."
The speaker was the man on the left, who also lifted his visor as he said this. He looked like he was intoxicated by the violence, his gaze stuck on her.
Speaking from a year of gaming experience, this kind of «woman hunter player» is the worst kind of scum. Unfortunately, there are more than a few of them. Revulsion made goose bumps race up Lyfa's arms. If this type of player touches the body of another player except in battle, the system would instantly send a harassment report. This is acceptable because casualties are, in one way, one of the purposes of this game. If it is looked at another way, bloodshed is the freedom of players. Some players take to extremes and find it pleasurable to «hunt» the female players in a VRMMO.
In the normal operation of ALO such a thing can actually happen. Rumors come true, and it actually happens in-game, and with the thought of this, Lyfa shuddered.
Lyfa firmly set her feet, getting into her favorite two-handed sword stance. Putting power into her glance, she stared at the three Salamanders.
"I will definitely take at least one of you with me to the grave. If you are not afraid of the «Death Penalty», come at me."
Lyfa said in a low voice. The salamanders on both sides were enraged by her defiance, and raised their lances. The leader controlled them by raising both of his hands and said:
"Give it up, your wings have reached the limit. We're still flying."
Indeed, it was as he said. In ALO, if a player on the ground is attacked by an enemy in the air, they find themselves at a complete disadvantage. Moreover, this wasn't just one flying enemy, but three. But Lyfa would not give up. She would not hand over the money and beg for mercy.
"What a stubborn girl. Ah well, I guess it was inevitable."
Even the leader shrugged his shoulders, prepared his lance, and took to the air. The other two Salamanders took their controllers in their left hand and followed suit.
Even facing the three lances at the same time, Lyfa prepared to fully attack the closest enemy. She focused all of her strength on her blade. The three salamanders surrounded Lyfa and she was getting ready to charge the enemy, when something unexpected occurred.
Shrubs behind them suddenly began to shake, and a shadow jumped out and tore past the Salamanders' side, turned in the air, and after a few circuits around the clearing fell to the ground with a banging sound.
At this unexpected event, the three Salamanders and Lyfa froze for a moment then looked at the intruder.
"Arg, ouch. This is probably a crash landing."
This voice with no tension came from a lightly dark skinned male player while standing up. His black hair stood in natural spikes, and his large eyes gave an impression of mischief. Behind him stretched dark greyish-blue wings that marked him as a member of the Spriggan race.
What was a far eastern border territory Spriggan doing in this area? While thinking that, Lyfa started checking up his equipment. Plain black tunic and trousers which is not armor, and an inferior sword – no matter how I look at it, he's using the initial equipment. A beginner coming out to the depths of the neutral zone, what was he thinking?
No matter how you look, he was a novice. Lyfa did not want him to see this cruel hunting scene, without thinking she called out.
"What are you doing? Quickly, run away!!"
But the black boy did not move. Did he not know that players of different races are allowed, and by the rules even encouraged, to kill him? After putting something in his breast pocket with his right hand, he looked at Lyfa and then at the hovering Salamanders and said:
"Three soldiers attacking one girl, that's a bit much isn't it?"
"What did you say?"
This speech enraged the two Salamanders at the back. They moved to sandwich the boy from the front and rear, surrounding him while still in the air. They lowered their lances and prepared to charge.
"Damn!"
Lyfa wanted to go and help, but couldn't move carelessly because the leader was still in the sky in front of her.
"Idiot, how dare you come out here so nonchalantly? Well, just as you want, we'll have some fun hunting you, too!"
The boy was standing in front of the Salamanders whose armor clattered as they lowered their visors. As the two Salamanders lowered their lances to charge, their wings produced a brilliant ruby light. The Salamander in front started his attack while the one behind waited for a few seconds longer, planning to take advantage of the difference in timing to kill the boy when he dodged the first attack.
It wasn't something a newbie could cope with. I don't want to see the moment the lances pierce through his body, Lyfa thought. She bit her lips and was about to look away, but before that.
She still couldn't believe what happened.
With his right hand still covering the pocket, he casually stuck out his left hand and caught the tip of the lance that was aiming at his life. Light and sound rippled through the air signaling the activation of the skill: «Guard». Lyfa could not believe what she saw, surprise forcing her eyes to go wide and her jaw to drop. The boy used the Salamander's momentum to throw him into his companion approaching from behind.
"Woo ah ah ah ah ah!"
Screams were ripped from the two Salamanders as they collided and sank to the ground in a clatter of metal.
The boy wheeled around, and while grabbing the hilt of his sword shot a puzzled look at Lyfa.
"These people, does it matter if I cut them?"
"Of course not, that was what they were planning to do to you just a moment ago."
Lyfa answered in utter amazement.
"I see that, well, excuse me for a moment."
The boy drew his shabby sword with his right hand, and let it hang loosely toward the ground. After saying something fairly daring, Lyfa expected him to immediately start attacking, but he didn't move. Then, he put his left foot forward, adjusted his center of gravity and suddenly...
Boom!! The boy disappeared at the same time as some sort of sound impacted her. A sonic boom!?! Lyfa had fought against many enemies, but had never seen such an attack, her eyes couldn't even follow the boy's movement. As she hurriedly turned her head to the right, the boy stopped moving with his body low to the ground far away from where he had started. He completed his technique by swinging his sword toward his sheathe.
Among the two Salamanders, one of them became wrapped in the red of End Frame as he tried to stand up. His body quickly turned to ashes and dispersed to the four winds, leaving only a Remain Light.
Way too Fast!!
Lyfa shuddered. This action and the attack were beyond anything she had ever seen, in a whole different dimension. Her body trembled with elation at what just happened.
In this world, only one thing controls how fast you can move: the speed at which your brain receives signals from the «Full Dive» system and reacts to them. Amusphere sends signals to the brain's cognitive faculties, then the brain processes these signals and produces signals which control the motor functions of the body. These signals are then intercepted by the Amusphere system. The faster a player's brain is able to do this, the faster the player can move in the game. Innate reflexes are one of the things that determine how fast this happens but the speed is also improved with experience, so the longer one plays the faster they can move.
This is not to boast, but Lyfa's speed is within the top 5 of all Sylphs. Her speed has been forged by training her reflexes for many years and honed by a year of playing ALO. She had been confident that no matter who she encountered, one-on-one her speed would not lose out to anyone.
Lyfa and the Salamander leader were still dumbfounded as the boy stood up and turned toward them, once again gracefully bringing his sword into position.
The other Salamander, whose charge was dodged, still didn't seem to know what happened. He was still moving in the opposite direction while trying to find the boy who had disappeared from in front of him.
The boy once again attacked without mercy, rushing towards the confused Salamander. I definitely won't miss it this time Lyfa thought as she concentrated on the boy's movement with her eyes wide open.
The initial motion was not all that fast, but it seemed to sway. However, that was only until he took the first real step of his attack and...
The atmosphere was hazy and seemed to shake with the noise. I somehow saw it this time. Like watching a movie on fast-forward, Lyfa's eyes were able to catch most but not all of the frames. The sword of the boy jumped from its lowered position and cuts the Salamander in two. Even the effect flash couldn't quite keep up with him. The boy moved several meters forward, stopping with the sword held high. Once again a spray of fire erupted, announcing the second Salamander's death.
Sword Art Online Vol 03 - 115.jpg
Lyfa was so entranced by the speed that she only now noticed how much damage the boy's attacks were doing. The two Salamander's HP bars, which had been almost half full, quickly disappeared. In short, the boy's attacks were as astounding as his speed.
ALO's attack formula is not complicated. It depends on four things: Power of the weapon itself, where on the opponent's body the attack hits, attack speed, and the armor worn by the opponent. On this occasion, the attack power of his weapon was almost the lowest, while the Salamander's armor was really quite high level. The strength of his attacks came from the boy's accuracy and overwhelming speed.
The boy settled into a relaxed posture and looked up at the leader of the Salamanders who was still hovering in the air. With his sword leaning against his shoulder, the boy opened his mouth and said:
"So, are you going to fight?"
The boy's words were completely untouched by tension. Even the Salamander had to smile.
"No, I do not have a chance of winning, forget it. I will give you my items if you ask for them. My Magic skill is close to 900, and the «Death Penalty» will make all my work a waste."
"You are an honest man."
The boy laughed briefly, and turned his gaze to Lyfa.
"You there, young lady, what do you want? If you want to fight him, I will not disturb you."
Throwing everything into chaos and causing so much commotion, then actually saying such a thing, Lyfa had to laugh. He's the type that can come into a battlefield and deflate everyone's fighting spirit.
"I'm good too. Next time I will win, Mr. Salamander."
"To be honest, fighting you one-on-one, I do not think I could win."
Finished, the Salamander spread his wings and flew away, leaving a trail of red light. Then, leaving the trees shaking with his passage, he disappeared into the distance in the dark sky. That left only Lyfa and the black clad boy in the clearing with the two Remain Light. A minute later, they too disappeared.
As she looked at the boy, Lyfa tensed up again.
"So, what should I do? Should I thank you? Should I run away? Or should we fight?"
He swung his blade once from right to left and put it away with the sound of a blade being sheathed.
"Ah, for me it's the knight of justice saving the princess from the villains, like that."
He laughed with a grin.
"Moved by gratitude, the crying princess will come for a hug."
"Are you an idiot?"
Lyfa cried out unintentionally, her face blushing.
"I would rather fight you!"
"Ha ha, kidding kidding."
While looking at the boy laughing happily, Lyfa ground her teeth in anger. She was considering how to get back at him when, suddenly a voice came from nowhere.
"That's right, I can't allow that."
It was a young girl's voice. Looking around restlessly, Lyfa did not see anything moving in the shadows. At this point, the boy looked a bit flustered and said:
"Ah, hey, I told you not to come out!"
Lyfa turned to look at the boy's breast pocket as something glittering jumped out. It was a small being, who then hovered near his face making a slight buzzing sound.
"Only mama and me can stick to papa!"
"Pa, Papa!?"
Lyfa moved a few steps closer, only to find a palm-sized fairy creature. It was a navigation pixie that could be summoned from the help window. But, if that was the case, it should only be able to answer basic questions related to the game.
Lyfa forgot to be wary of the boy, her gaze fixed intently on the flying pixie.
"Oh, no, this is..."
The boy hurriedly wrapped both hands around the pixie and brought it close to him, a slightly forced smile plastered to his face. Lyfa looked at the pixie in the boy's hands and asked:
"Hey, is that a «Private Pixie»?"
"Huh?"
"It was a special promotion when the game first came out, there was a lottery of sorts and the winners received a Private Pixie. This is the first time I've ever seen one."
"Ah, I woo goo!"
The Pixie started to say something, but was interrupted when the boy placed a finger over her mouth.
"Yes, yes, that must be it. I have good luck with lotteries."
"Well, fuu..."
Lyfa looked at the Spriggan boy over again, studying him from top to bottom.
"Wh...What is it?"
"You're a weirdo. You obviously started the game when it first came out, but you are still using the initial equipment. Or so that's what I think since you are strong."
"Ah this.. Actually, this account was created in the old days, but I only started recently. I was playing another VRMMO for a long time."
"Really?"
Lyfa thought that might just make sense. If he was familiar with the Amusphere because he had been playing other games, then it might just be possible to achieve that insane speed of his.
"Having said that, you are obviously part of the Spriggan race, but why are you here? Your race's territory is to the far east isn't it?"
"I... I got lost."
"Lost??"
At his helpless answer, Lyfa shouted in spite of herself.
"Even a person who has no sense of direction has limits... You are too strange."
Laughter bubbled up from the bottom of her chest when she saw the boy's strained expression. After a while, Lyfa put the sword that was still in her hand back into its sheath and said:
"Well, anyway, I guess I have to thank you. Thank you for helping me, I am Lyfa."
"I am Kirito, and this child is Yui."
When the boy opened his hands, the pixie flew out with her cheeks puffed out in a sulking expression. She bowed to Lyfa then flew to Kirito's shoulder and sat down.
Lyfa was a little surprised to realize she wanted to talk to this boy named Kirito. It wasn't too unusual for her to make friends in this world, as she didn't go out of her way to avoid other players. He doesn't look like a bad person, Lyfa thought to herself, and said:
"So, what do you plan on doing now?"
"Well, I don't really have any plans."
"This...ah. Well then, let me treat you to a drink to thank you, alright?"
After hearing this, the young man named Kirito laughed with a smile on his face. Lyfa looked at his smile and thought it was a smile from the heart. People who are able to laugh so openly and show such emotion in the VR world are rare.
"That makes me happy. I was actually looking for someone who could tell me a lot of things."
"A lot of things?"
"Things about this world... especially..."
He stopped his smile as his eyes shift to the northeast.
"That tree thing."
"The World Tree? Sure. Even if I look like this, I'm actually a veteran player. Let's see, even though a bit far, there's a neutral village to the north, let's fly there."
"Isn't the town of Sylvain closer?"
Lyfa was a little shocked and looked at Kirito's face before answering...
"Though that is true... Do you really know nothing? That is Sylph territory."
"Is there a problem?"
Hearing Kirito say this, Lyfa was at a loss of words.
"...The problem...I guess you could call it that. Anyway since it is Sylph territory, you won't be able to attack within the town, but any Sylph will be able to attack you."
"Ah, I see. But the people won't attack me if I'm with Lyfa-san, will they? I really wanted to see the country of the Sylphs, I've heard it's beautiful."
"Just call me Lyfa. You really are a strange person. Well...I don't mind trying, but I can't guarantee your safety."
Lyfa shook her shoulders and replied. Well, wanting to visit her beloved Sylph capital wasn't a bad thing. Since Spriggans are rarely seen around here, bringing him with me will probably cause quite a stir, Lyfa thought with a mind full of mischief.
"Well then, we'll fly to Sylvain. It will be getting busy soon."
Lyfa said as she checked a window to see the time in the real world. It was now four o'clock in the afternoon. She couldn't stay in this "dive" much longer.
Lyfa, whose flight ability had almost finished recharging, spread her wings which started to gently glow and vibrate. Kirito tilted his head to the side, looking puzzled, and asked:
"Lyfa, is it possible you can fly without the secondary controller?
"Ah, yes. You?"
"I just learned how to use it recently."
Kirito, moved his left hand to make the gesture of grabbing something.
"I see, there's a trick for voluntary flight. People who can do it will soon be able to, let's try it. Don't bring out the controller then turn away, so your back is to me."
"Like so?"
Kirito turned his body in a half circle, his back wasn't that wide, Lyfa extended her index fingers to touch a bit above his shoulder blades. The pixie on his shoulder watched in fascination.
"The place I touch, remember it."
"OK."
"It might be called voluntary flight, but that isn't just flying by imagination. What you have to do is learn to grow the virtual bone and muscle that become your wings, then learn how to move them."
"Virtual bone...and muscle..."
Kirito repeated in an ambiguous voice. As he said that, his shoulder blades started twitching. From the place Lyfa had touched, grey wings pushed through his clothes. At first they moved awkwardly, but as they became synchronized his wings started moving as one.
"Oh, yeah, just like that. First move your shoulders and muscles to grasp the feeling of wing movement."
Once she said that, the muscles in his back started to quickly contract. With that, his wings began to vibrate and Lyfa could hear a humming noise.
"That's it! Now, more strongly!"
"Um um um"
Lyfa, stretched her arms as far as they would go and left her hands on Kirito's back until his wings were producing sufficient thrust. At that moment, Lyfa suddenly pushed up on his back with all her might.
"Whoa!?"
Once airborne, the Spriggan shot up like a rocket.
"Oh...Oh...Oh...Wow!"
Kirito's body immediately became smaller and smaller, his screams quickly becoming too distant to hear. With the rustling of leaves, he quickly disappeared beyond the distant treetops.
"..."
Lyfa exchanged looks with the pixie who had fallen off of Kirito's shoulder.
"Oh no."
"Papa...!!"
They took off at the same time, hurrying to chase after Kirito. After they left the sea of trees, they carefully searched for him in the night sky, and finally found him unsteadily moving off to the right while casting a shadow in the golden moon.
"Ohohohoh waawaawaa... Please stop meeee!"
A miserable scream broke the silence of the night and echoed through the endless sky.
"...Puu"
Lyfa and Yui looked at each other, and they could not help laughing.
"Pfft...Huh...Hahahah...!"
"I'm sorry papa, so funny ~~~"
As they hovered side by side in the air, they held their stomach laughing. When they were about to stop, they heard Kirito's screams, and broke into new gales of laughter.
Lyfa couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so hard. This must be the first time since she came to this world.
After laughing for long enough, Lyfa darted in and grabbed Kirito by the collar so that he stopped flying and finished teaching him the tricks to Voluntary Flight. For a beginner, Kirito was a quick learner. After 10 minutes or so of lecture, Kirito could fly freely.
"Oh ... this is ... amazing!"
Kirito shouted as he flew in circles and loops.
"Yes, that's right!"
Lyfa answered with a smile.
"How to say it, this is exciting! I want to fly forever..."
"That's right!"
Lyfa was also happy, she flew with wings vibrating in the same orbit as Kirito's, paralleling each other in flight.
"No fair... Me too!"
Yui caught up and took a position flying between the two.
"You should practice minimizing the movement of the lower back and scapula as much as possible. You won't be able to swing your sword well in aerial combat if you make too many unnecessary movements. Well then, let's fly to Sylvain like this. Come with me."
Lyfa did a tight turn to find their heading in the right direction, then started cruising over the forest. She began to worry she was going too fast for the new flyer Kirito, so she reduced her speed only to have Kirito start to pass her. She looked at Kirito and heard him say:
"We can go a bit faster if you want."
"Ho ho."
Lyfa's smile became predatory as she folded her wings at an acute angle and started speeding up. Kirito heard the sound being produced by her wings increase and accelerated to keep even with her. The pressure of the wind beating against her body increased, and the speed of the wind made hearing anything tricky.
Surprisingly, Lyfa soon reached 70% of her maximum speed and Kirito was still right by her side. Most people, when they begin to reach the top speed set by the system find their acceleration beginning to become dull, probably due to some kind of psychological pressure. For Kirito to be able to overcome this pressure on his first flight... he must have extraordinary mental strength.
Lyfa closed her mouth, and began to accelerate to maximum speed. She had never flown a formation at this speed before, mostly because none of her normal teammates were able to match her speed.
Right now the trees below her eyes looked like a swift current and quickly disappeared behind them. The vibration of her Sylphid wings, made a sound that resembled the high-pitched sound of a stringed instrument, mixed with Kirito's Spriggan wings, which sounded like a wind instrument, to form a beautiful duet.
"Ah... too...fast! It's no use!"
Yui cried, as she sprang into Kirito's breast pocket. Kirito and Lyfa looked at each other and laughed.
When she noticed, the forest was ending just ahead, and dots of light appeared. The brightest light came from the center tower. That is the symbol of Sylph's capital Sylvian, the "Tower of the Wind" . Soon the city became closer, and in the central street, there are a large number of players coming and going.
"Oh, I see it!"
Kirito said over the sound of the wind.
"We're landing at the base of the tower in the middle, oh!"
Lyfa suddenly realized something and the smile on her face became fixed.
"Kirito-kun, do you know how to land?"
"..."
Kirito said as his face stretched into a grimace.
"I don't have any idea!"
"Well...."
At this time, half of her field of vision was occupied by the huge tower.
"Sorry, it's too late, good luck."
With an apologetic smile, only she started the sudden deceleration needed for landing. Lyfa spread her wings for full breaking and put her feet in front of her and started the landing process.
"Such a foolish..."
The Spriggan screamed, Lyfa watched as he barreled toward the outer wall of tower, she sincerely hoped that he would survive his landing.
After a few seconds, BANG!! As a terrible sound shook the air.
"Hum, Lyfa is so mean, I think I have now developed a fear of flying."
At the bottom of the tower, Kirito was sitting up in the middle of the flower bed where he had crashed.
"My eyes are spinning..."
The pixie sitting on his shoulder was reeling with dizziness. Lyfa put her hands on her hips, suppressing laughter and replied:
"You are too full of enthusiasm. I am surprised you are still alive, I thought you would be dead for sure."
"Ah, that's too much!"
Kirito hit the tower wall while flying as fast as the game allows, but he still had almost half of his HP left. Not knowing whether he had a naturally strong body or was just lucky, but he was the embodiment of a lot of mysteries for a beginner.
"Ok ok, I will heal you."
Lyfa cast a healing spell as she held out her right hand. Navy blue light spread from the palm of her hand and slowly fell on Kirito's body.
"Oh, great. So this is magic."
Kirito curiously looked around his body as the bluish light fell like snow.
"Only Undines can easily use high-ranking recovery magic. But it is an indispensable spell so you should learn it."
"So each race has strengths and weaknesses when it comes to magic? What is the specialty of the Spriggan race?"
"There are two: magic that assists in finding treasure and Illusion magic. As neither of them is usable in battle, it is the most unpopular race."
"Ahhh... I really should have done my homework."
Kirito shrugged his shoulders, stood up, and turned to look at the city.
"Oh, this is Sylph city. What a beautiful place."
"Right?"
Lyfa once again looked around the hometown she had lived in for so long.
«Sylvain», also known as the «Emerald capital», is a city that lives up to its name. Spires of varying green shades rise along a complex airy corridors which connect the streets. Bursting out of each tower is a brilliant dark green light that gives the city an impression of a fantasy kingdom. Behind the «Tower of Wind» is the «Lord's Mansion», a magnificent building, which Lyfa is confident that it's superior to most of the buildings in ALfheim.
They silently looked at the city of light, watching the flow of people coming and going, and suddenly the sound of a greeting came from the right.
"Lyfa-chan, you are safe!"
Turning around, I saw a yellow-haired Sylph boy waving like crazy and running toward us.
"Ah, Recon. Yes, somehow I survived."
Recon looked at Lyfa with eyes that sparkled.
"Indeed, you really are amazing, to be surrounded by so many enemies but still come out of it in one piece...oh..."
Recon finally noticed the figure in black standing next to Lyfa, and froze with his mouth hanging open for a few seconds.
"Isn't that a Spriggan? Why is he here!?"
Recon said as he jumped back in a panic, his hand going to the hilt of the dagger hanging at his waist only to be stopped by Lyfa.
"Calm down Recon. He is the reason I survived."
"Huh?"
Lyfa pointed at Recon and said to Kirito:
"This is Recon. He is my companion, but was killed by the Salamanders just before I met you."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Nice to meet you, I am Kirito."
"Oh...ah, nice to meet you."
Recon grasped Kirito's right hand and bowed.
"Now is not the time for this!"
Recon jumped back.
"Is he ok Lyfa-chan? Maybe he is a spy!?"
"I thought so at first too, but he is too much of a natural airhead to be a spy."
"Ah, that's mean!"
Lyfa and Kirito laughed, Recon looked on with suspicion, and eventually, cleared his throat before saying:
"Lyfa-chan, Sigurd and the others are waiting in the «Narcissus Hall», they are ready to distribute the spoils from our hunting trip."
"Oh...I see...well..."
When you are killed by an enemy, 30% of the non-equipment items in your possession are "stolen" by the enemy player. What items are taken is decided at random. However, when in a party there is something called Insurance Frame which will automatically transfer the items of a killed player to their party members.
Today, since Lyfa was the last member of their party alive, the Insurance Frame transferred all of the items they had acquired into her possession. That is why the Salamanders had pursued her so persistently. So, it was only thanks to Kirito that all of their hard work had arrived at Sylvain.
It had become a custom among Lyfa and her companions to meet at a familiar store, Narcissus Hall, to re-distribute any items that had been acquired during a hunting trip. However, Lyfa was a bit troubled and said to Recon:
"I'm not participating today. There isn't any item that matches my skills anyway. I will give it to you to divide among the four other party members."
"Eh? Lyfa-chan isn't coming?"
"Ah, I promised Kirito I would treat him to something to drink in return for saving me."
"..."
As Recon turned to look at Kirito, some of the suspicion from earlier returned – in a slightly different form.
"Hey, don't think about something strange."
Lyfa kicked Recon after saying that. She opened her item trade window and transferred all of the day's loot to him.
"E-mail me when you are ready for the next hunt. If I can I will go. Anyway, good job."
"Ah, Lyfa-chan..."
Somehow embarrassed, Lyfa forcibly broke off the conversation, grabbed Kirito's sleeve, and walked away.
"That boy just now, is that Lyfa's boyfriend?"
"Or is he your lover?"
"Phttt!?"
Yui who stuck her head out of Kirito's pocket, was the one who had raised her voice and asked this right after him. Lyfa immediately tangled her feet, her wings hurriedly spread to compensate for her loss of balance.
"No... that's not right, we are only party members."
"But your relationship seems very good!?"
"I know him in the real world, he is my classmate at school, nothing more than that."
"Eh, that must be nice...playing VRMMO with classmates."
Hearing Kirito say that in an envious tone, she looked at him with slight frown.
"Well, there are various evils too... it makes you remember that thing known as homework."
"Ha ha ha, I see."
They walked down the street while having this conversation. From time to time they'd encounter other Sylph players, and upon seeing Kirito's black hair they expressed surprised looks, but in seeing Lyfa next to him they kept to themselves and walked past. Lyfa wasn't very active, but she had won the Sylvain fighting tournament several times, so she was well-known and popular.
Finally, they came to a small and cozy inn and pub called «Lily of the Valley Pavillion». This was one of Lyfa's favorite places to eat because they had very good desserts.
When Lyfa opened the door and looked inside, she discovered the shop was empty save for a pair of players. Since it was just becoming evening in the real world, the restaurant would soon get busy as players would want a couple drinks after they returned from adventuring.
They sat face to face at a secluded window table.
"Since I invited you, pick anything you would like."
"If you're sure it's alright."
"Don't eat too much now or you'll regret it when it's time to log out and have dinner."
Lyfa said while looking at the delicious desserts listed on the menu.
This phenomenon is very strange. For some reason when you eat in ALO it produces a false impression of being full, and this feeling doesn't immediately disappear when you return to the real world. To Lyfa, one of the greatest charms of a VRMMO is that she could indulge her sweet-tooth without having to worry about calories. She had to be careful not to eat too much though because her mother would probably be angry if she didn't eat anything.
Suffering from malnutrition or using this effect to diet is not unheard of. Even now once in a while on the news, there are players who are so dedicated to the game that they forget to eat and are weakened to death.
Finally, Lyfa pointed at the menu and ordered a Bavarian fruit tart. Kirito ordered a piece of fruit pie and a bottle of spiced wine, and to her surprise Yui ordered a cheese biscuit. The NPC waitress immediately brought our order to the table and arranged it in front of us.
"Well then, once again, thank you for helping me."
Clinking a glass of the mysterious green wine with Kirito, Lyfa drank the full glass of the cool liquid and felt it move down her parched throat. Kirito also drank his glass in one gulp, laughed shyly and said:
"Oh no, it was a matter of course...even so, they were very belligerent weren't they? Is that kind of PK group common?"
"Ah, originally the relationship between the Salamanders and the Sylphs was bad. Our territories are adjacent so we are usually competing for the resources in the same piece of neutral ground. Unsurprisingly, this antagonism eventually soured and the two races are now practically at war. However, that kind of organized PKing only started recently. I am certain that they are planning to attack the World Tree soon."
"That, I want you to tell me about the world tree."
"Ah yes, you said something about that before. But why do you want to know?"
"I want to go to the top of the World Tree."
Surprised, Lyfa looked at Kirito and peered at his face. The serious look in his eyes told her that he wasn't joking.
"It certainly is something all players want, at least I think so. It is the main quest of ALO game."
"How so?"
"You know there is a limit on the amount of time you can fly, right? No matter which race, the max flight time is about 10 minutes. However, the race that reaches the «City in the Air» at the top of the world tree first gets to meet the Fairy King «Oberon» and can be reborn as the higher species «ALF». This race of fairies has no time limit on flying, and will be free to fly freely through the sky, forever if they want."
"...I see..."
Kirito took a bite of fruit pie and nodded.
"It is indeed a fascinating story. Do you know a method of getting to the top of the world tree?"
"Inside the world tree, the roots form a huge dome. There is an entrance to the City in the Air at the top, but to reach that entrance you have to get past an army of NPC guardians. Up to now, many racial groups have attempted to pass through this dome, but these parties were quickly wiped out. The Salamanders are currently the most powerful race, they have been saving a lot of money, and they've been purchasing a lot of equipment and items. I think they will be the next to dare the world tree."
"Are the guardians really that strong?"
"Unbelievably hard. Think about it, ALO came online over a year ago. What kind of quest is it that you can't clear in a year?"
"That's definitely..."
"In fact, just last fall, a well-known ALO information in a web site launched a petition, aimed at making Recto Progress adjust the balance of the game."
"Wow, and then?"
"Of course, it was the usual answer. 'This game has been operated with an appropriate balance' bla bla bla. Lately, there are opinions that the world tree can't be conquered using current methods."
"Perhaps you have overlooked a key point of this quest, or it is not possible to capture the world tree with just a single species?"
Lyfa's hand, which was bringing her tart to her mouth, suddenly stopped, as she shot another piercing glance at Kirito.
"Oh, you have a good idea. If we are missing a quest, we can find out. But the second part is impossible."
"Impossible?"
"Because that's contradicting. 'Only the first race to reach it can clear it'. Do you think the races would work together to capture the world tree if this is the case?"
"Then what you mean is... it is virtually impossible to climb the world tree?"
"I think so. Moreover, there are many other quests, like mastering skills to improve item production, among many others. But, I won't give up, or we will never know the joys of true flight. So, even if it takes many years, surely... "
"Well, that will be too late!"
Kirito cried out in a hushed tone. Lyfa was surprised at the despair in that voice and looked at Kirito. She found his eyebrows furrowed and his teeth clenched so hard that he was actually shaking.
"Papa..."
Holding the cheese biscuit in both hands and chewing small bites, the pixie stopped eating and put the food down. Then she flew up to sit on Kirito's shoulder, holding his cheek to comfort him. Finally, the tension ebbed from Kirito's body.
"...I'm sorry I surprised you."
Kirito said in a low voice.
"But I...I really have to get to the top of the world tree."
Dark eyes that were glinting as brilliantly as a polished sword as they stared at her, Lyfa's heart began to resound in her chest. Lyfa took a sip of wine in an attempt to calm down and said:
"Why must you go so far?"
"I'm looking for someone."
"What do you mean?"
"It's something which cannot be explained simply."
Kirito smiled at Lyfa, but his eyes revealed the depth of his despair. Where have I seen eyes that look like that?
"Lyfa...thanks, your teaching helped me a lot. Thank you for the delicious meal. I'm glad you were the first person I met here."
Lyfa unconsciously grasped Kirito's wrist as he stood up.
"Hey, wait a minute...do you really plan on going to the world tree?"
"Yeah, this is something I have to see with my own eyes."
"That's crazy, doing that. It's very far away. There are many powerful monsters between here and the world tree. I know you are strong, but..."
Oh, she thought and it was already coming out of her mouth:
"Then, I'll take you there."
"Oh?"
Kirito's eyes opened wide.
"No, but, I shouldn't impose on someone I've just met..."
"Yes, I've already passed through the gate of decision!!"
Lyfa turned away to hide the cheeks that had become hot. In ALO, because there are wings to fly, other means of instantaneous movement do not exist. Therefore, journeying to the center of the world, the world tree, and the capital of ALfheim, «Aarun» is just like a journey in the real world. Moreover, to offer to make this journey with a young man she had just met a few hours ago, this was behavior that even Lyfa thought was incredible.
But – why... I can't just leave him alone.
"Will you be here tomorrow?"
"Oh...Yeah."
"Then three o'clock in the afternoon. I have to go now. If you want to log out, then use a room in «Lily of the Valley Pavillion». So, see you tomorrow."
Finished, Lyfa opened the menu by waving her right hand. As a Sylph, she can immediately log out from anywhere in this territory, so she pressed the logout button.
"Ah, wait!"
Kirito raised his head to face Lyfa and said with a smile:
"Thank you."
Lyfa finally smiled and she nodded once, then she pressed the OK button. The world was wrapped in rainbow-colored light, then became dark. Lyfa's body gradually faded, only the heat of her face and beat of her heart making it to the real world.
She slowly opened her eyes.
The familiar poster attached to her ceiling entered her vision. This was an enlarged screenshot that she printed out. The poster featured an infinite sky, free-flying birds, and the central picture of a flying fairy girl with long hair in a ponytail.
Kirigaya Suguha raised her hands to her head and took off the Amusphere helmet. With only two security rings side by side, it is a delicate looking machine that in comparison to the first generation, Nerve Gear, seems luxurious to many but also gives less of an impression of being binding equipment.
Even though she had returned to the real world from the false one, her cheeks showed no sign of cooling. Suguha sat up straight in bed, her hands pinching her face, a shout echoing in the depths of her heart.
...Wuwa!
Too late now, she felt a tremendous surge of embarrassment at her actions, only more and more aware of just how bold she had been. Before she started playing, her classmate, Nagata Shinichi, aka Recon, had told her that as long as she transformed into Lyfa, her boldness would increase by fifty percent. She never thought it would lead to the kind of extreme behavior she displayed today. Suguha was in agony for a while, thrashing both legs.
He was a mysterious young man. No, as a player there was no way to know his age, but Suguha's intuition told her that their age was only a little different. But he had a surprisingly calm demeanor, and no mischievous behavior or naughty words, so she couldn't be sure.
Not only was his character enigmatic, but he was fearfully strong. So much that if they were to cross blades, she was sure she would lose. In her one year of play, he was the first person she met that was like that. Suguha blurted out his name:
"Kirito-kun, hmmm"
I want to see it for myself, that illusionary world, Suguha had thought for the first time a year after the SAO incident.
Before that, to Suguha, VRMMO games where almost an anathema, for taking away her brother, she had no words capable of describing her sense of revulsion. But in holding his hand in the ward and trying to hold onto his speech and her memories of who he was, curiosity sprouted about what kind of thing could draw him strongly enough that he could end up like this. She wanted to know more about him— because of that thought she decided to see for herself, as she thought it was the only way to narrow the distance between her and her brother.
'I want an Amusphere.' Suguha asked her mother. Midori looked at Suguha and nodded slowly. 'Just take care not to use it too much and pay attention to your physical health.' Her mother said, laughing.
The next day, during lunch break, she found herself standing in front of Nagata Shinichi. He was someone known as a maniac and was the best gamer in her class. She had gone to his desk and said she would wait for him on the roof. At that time the class was shrouded in silence, only to break out in shocked speech.
On the roof, Suguha looked at Nagata Shinichi whose eyes shone in expectation while frozen said. 'I want you to teach me how to play VRMMO.' Nagata heard this and made all kinds of comical faces for several seconds, then asked what she wants to know.
Suguha could not afford to spend less time on studies or kendo practice. Upon hearing this, Nagata said 'So, something that's not too time intensive and based on player skills right?' and other questions. What he recommended was ALfheim Online.
She didn't know Nagata would start playing ALO with her. However, due to his exhaustive and exhausting lecture, Suguha had adapted to the game with amazing speed, and she found she was very good at the game. There were two reasons for this:
The first reason is that Suguha had been doing Kendo for many years and the skills learned there were very effective for fights in ALO.
In general, the fighting between players did not take evasion into account. Mainly, players just attacked the enemy and then took his attack in return, this would continue until one of the players could no longer fight or died. But Suguha, because of her long practice, was easily able to avoid or deflect the attacks aimed at her. Of course, her strong attacks count too.
In addition, ALO is not a level-based game. So despite logging far less time than the most experienced players, she was able to match up with some of the best fighters in ALO. In fact, Lyfa's numerical parameters were average and lower than most old players but because it ran off a purely skill-based system, she was considered one of the top Sylph players.
The second reason why Suguha played ALO is because of the ability to be able to fly which is unique to this game.
Suguha can still remember when she first mastered Voluntary Flight, the sensation was unforgettable.
Suguha was often plagued with the physical limitations in kendo matches, wanting to move faster, strike harder, and go further. That's why when she finally mastered voluntary flight, and was able to fly and use both hands to hold her sword, when she became able to perform the ultra-long distance thrusts, she felt a pleasure beyond description. Aside from this, doing steep dives or flying with a flock of birds was also very attractive to her.
For Recon with his flight problems, he calls her "Speed Holic" and other things. It probably meant her joy at flying in ALO.
After a year, Suguha is already considered a full-fledged VRMMO player. Even though Suguha had originally started playing ALO to get closer to her brother, she had fallen in love with the virtual world.
And when Kazuto came back, Suguha wanted to talk to him about ALO and similar interests, but when she saw the shadows cross his eyes, she couldn't bring herself to do so.
The SAO incident, Suguha thought this tragic experience affected Kazuto's love of the virtual world. He recovered his Nerve Gear, but it just sat in his room with the SAO rom like an ornament.
For Kazuto, the SAO incident probably hasn't yet ended. «That person» has not woken up, she continues to sleep.
Thoughts of that sent Suguha's heart into turmoil. Like yesterday, she did not want to see Kazuto in such an endless despair, he had even cried. Suguha wanted to see him laugh again, for that reason, she wanted that person to wake up as soon as possible.
At this point, Kazuto has already reached a point where her hand can no longer reach his heart.
Now, they are even more like a true brother and sister. In that case, she wished she had never realized her feelings. Her feeling of wanting to keep Kazuto for herself could never come true.
Lying on her bed, watching her ALfheim poster, Suguha wondered why people didn't have wings in the real world. In reality, if we could fly freely in the sky, then it might be possible to untangle the threads binding her heart.
* * *
I sat on my chair looking at where the Sylph girl, Lyfa, had been sitting a few minutes ago with a slightly confused expression.
"What happened to her?"
After hearing this, Yui, who still sat on my shoulder, tilted her head with a puzzled expression and said:
"Who knows, the me right now has no mental monitoring capabilities."
"Hmm. Well, I appreciate her offer to show me the way."
"I know the map. It's true our battle potential will increase with more people, but..."
Yui stood up, put her face to my ear, and said:
"Papa, you shouldn't cheat."
"I won't, I won't!!"
Seeing me shake my head after that warning, Yui took off and landed on the table while laughing, and picked up the half-eaten biscuit with two hands.
"Damn, actually teasing me huh!"
I picked up my spiced wine and drank from it from the bottle.
But, I should really be wary. It's not about cheating, she is— Lyfa is, only a character in the game, she may have a different personality in reality.
For a very long time, the virtual world was my reality. However, the idea of character division was meaningless, malice and goodwill were all real. I wouldn't have survived if I hadn't thought like that.
But things are different here. Players are, in a way, somewhat different. They come here and assume different roles with different values. Thieves assault, rob, kill but conversely, they are not punished for it, but respected.
"It's very difficult, VRMMOs."
I unconsciously sighed at the words I spoke with a bitter smile. After putting down the empty bottle, I picked up Yui who was eating the biscuit about the same size as her, and put her on my shoulder. I left the table and decided to go back to the real world.
In MMORPGs, there is a conflict between convenience and fairness when the time comes to «Logout».
In other words, it has to be made so people who have pressing business like an appointment or have to take care of feeling physiological needs can quickly leave the game. But, on the other hand, it must be set-up so it can't be used to escape from combat situations or prevent theft. For this reason, most MMOs set certain restrictions or conditions for logging out. ALO is no exception, players are able to logout from anywhere only in their race territory. Outside of that, their character will remain in a 'soulless' state for several minutes and will be vulnerable to attack and theft.
Outside of your race territory, if you want instant logout, you have to use items like camping equipment or rent a room. I decided to follow Lyfa's advice to use the second floor of "Lily of the Valley Pavilion" to logout.
After checking in at the counter, I climbed the stairs to the second floor. I opened the door of the specified room, it revealed a very simple room with only a bed and a table. It was a sight that gave me a very strong sense of déjà vu. Before I bought a house in Aincrad, I often used these kind of rooms.
I opened the window to let in fresh air. At this point I would be able to logout without worrying, but in the end chose to use the "sleep off" method to exit. So I removed my weapon and laid down on the bed.
A small problem occurs when playing VR games using FullDive. When you play FullDive games, your senses are brought to virtual reality, so when you logout your senses are returned to your real body. So, if you suddenly change standing to lying down, then there will be a strong sense of vertigo. There was a time before playing SAO when I was using a flight simulator with FullDive, I was rapidly spinning in a nose dive when I pressed the logout button and returned to reality, I emerged with an extreme sense of vertigo and my eyes where cruelly spinning.
To prevent such symptoms it is best to sign out with the "sleep off" approach, in other words, fall asleep. When you fall asleep in the virtual world you are automatically logged out and sent back to the real world.
I laid in bed as Yui finished her biscuit and settled to the floor with a gentle pitter-patter sound. Upon landing, Yui returned to her original form with her long raven hair, snow white dress, and wonderful scent drifting on the air.
Yui, with her hands clasped behind her back, turned to me and said:
"...I won't see you until tomorrow right? Papa."
"...I'm sorry...we finally managed to meet. I'll be back soon...back to see Yui."
"That..."
Yui blinked, her face flushed.
"Papa, until you logout can we sleep together?"
"Eh."
I had a self-conscious smile on my face. I am Papa for Yui to the last. As an AI, she is constantly looking to expand her experience by exposure to new data. So such a request doesn't upset me, however, her attitude and words are enough to stagger me. But still, I think she is a lovely girl.
"I get it, yes you can."
I pushed my embarrassment to the side and moved to the wall to make room for her to lie down. Yui, who had a glistening smile, jumped into bed.
As her face snuggled against my chest, I slowly stroked her hair and whispered:
"I'll rescue Asuna quickly and then let's go buy a house in this world as well. Are there player homes in this game?"
Yui turned her head to one side and began to nod rapidly and said:
"It seems quite expensive, but it is available. It seems like a dream, for the three of us, me and papa and mama to be living together again." Recalling those days, my heart felt as though it had been twisted yet again. It was clearly just a few months ago that we were still together, but now I have no means whatsoever to communicate with her. Just like this, that distant memory gradually moved even further away—
I hugged Yui tightly, my eyes slowly closing, and whispered:
"It is not just a dream, I will soon make it reality."
Because I had been playing the game too long, even if it is just a virtual experience, my brain was getting tired and exhaustion hit me like a sledgehammer.
"Good night, Papa."
As my consciousness slowly slipped into warm darkness, the sound of Yui's silvery voice at my side continued to comfort me.