Sword Art Online Progressive 3

  “We’re inside the town. You know full well there’s no way we could have forced your man to move. These excuses are laughable!”

  Neither of the two guild leaders showed the least sign of backing down. A voice with the perfect blend of apprehension and exhaustion sounded in my right ear.

  “…I don’t even know what to say…”

  I thought it over and offered her my best advice. “In this situation, I think a simple ugh will suffice.”

  “………Ugh.”

  I glanced over at Asuna and decided to be a bit more constructive this time.

  “While there’s not much you can say about this other than ‘ugh,’ perhaps we should come up with a plan…Here’s Plan A: We go back to the square, eat our lunch, and sneak the ship away once they’ve all calmed down. Plan B: Butt right into their argument, reveal everything we know about the shipbuilding quest, and get them to see the light.”

  “…Do you really think they’ll calm down?” she responded instantly. I considered that.

  The Tilnel was locked to the pier by the game system itself. No other player aside from me or Asuna should be able to move it. With that in mind, I supposed that both of the guilds would have to give up eventually, but I didn’t know that for sure. If I was in their position, I could imagine the sight of that fresh new boat begging for a ride driving me crazy until I figured out how to get it.

  On top of that, the leader of the rival guild was right there. They weren’t likely to give up and withdraw, knowing that the other side might find out a way to move the ship.

  “Hmm. Maybe they won’t calm down…”

  “That’s what I think.”

  “Which means we have no choice but to explain the entire quest to them,” I said, resigned, but Asuna did not agree.

  “…And you can imagine what will happen after that, can’t you?”

  “Huh…? What do you mean?”

  “Y’all aren’t allowed ta slip ahead of us! You gotta help us with the quest until we git our own boat!”

  Her imitation of Kibaou’s Kansai accent was so accurate, I couldn’t help but get a shiver up my spine.

  “Yep, that’s definitely more than just an ugh…And we’re supposed to be tracking down that big gondola for Old Grandpa Romolo…”

  “There’s another thing that worries me, too,” Asuna said, looking pensively at the Tilnel. “The boat is currently classified as an Immobile Object, right?”

  “Should be.”

  “Does that mean it’s also an Immortal Object?”

  “Should b…”

  I stopped before the last e left my lips.

  In an ordinary RPG, vehicles that the player could obtain were essentially never destroyed unless it was part of the main story line. In many MMORPGs, mounts were impossible to attack. After all of the passion Asuna poured into the Tilnel, I desperately hoped that this was the case in SAO—but the ship’s optional equipment worried me.

  That ram made of Fire-Bear’s Horn had to be for the purpose of sinking other ships in a collision. If that function was programmed into it, then it stood to reason that all ships had a durability rating that would sink them when it reached zero.

  I regretted not checking the Tilnel’s property window when I had the chance, but it was too late for that now.

  “…Actually, maybe it’s not labeled immortal. I feel like it’s probably protected here in town, but I don’t want to say for sure until I check the manual again…”

  “In that case, we should probably move the ship before those people decide the investigation requires whacking it a bunch.”

  I didn’t think that even they would stoop that low…until I remembered the scene at the public dock to the south last night. The Dragon Knights had barged in front of the lengthy line of tourists as if it was their God-given right. Certainly there was a greater-than-zero chance that they might feel entitled to not just smack the ship, but destroy it if it couldn’t be theirs.

  “So that would be…Plan C: Burst through by force?”

  “I don’t like sticking out for bad reasons, but it’ll save them from wasting their time. Let’s go with that one.”

  “All right. I’ll hop into the boat first to prepare for rowing while you remove the rope.”

  She nodded silently, and we shared a glance to get our timing right before leaping from the wharf down to the dock about five feet below.

  I politely shouted, “Excuse us, coming through,” as we raced down to the pier. The blue and green parties were taken aback just enough for us to slip through and leap onto the Tilnel. Asuna pulled the mooring rope off as I yanked the oar off of its U-joint to prepare for sailing.

  Upon seeing the previously immobile rope removed from the bitt without issue, Kibaou, the leader of the green Aincrad Liberation Squad, shouted angrily. But Asuna simply hopped into the gondola without looking back. The rope in her hand was automatically snapped into a coil at the front of the boat, and I promptly began rowing as hard as I could.

  The instant the Tilnel left the dock, it was the leader of the blue Dragon Knights, Lind, who spoke up.

  “H-hey, you there! How did you get that—?”

  I finally turned back and shouted, “The details on the shipbuilding quest will be in the next strategy guide! Just wait for that!”

  “N-no, you git back here! And…not you two again!” Kibaou ranted, brandishing his fists.

  I cut a salute with my right hand, then raised our speed.

  Once we had made a half lap around the south end of the main canal and headed into one of the smaller waterways of the southeast quarter, I stopped the boat and checked the operation manual that was accessible from the gondola’s property window. In doing so, I learned a few facts.

  The Tilnel was not, in fact, an Immortal Object—it had a set durability value. As I feared, that value would be diminished by attacks from large monsters, collisions with obstacles, and battle with other boats. If it reached zero, the ship would capsize, but it could be restored by visiting a shipwright or using the Carpentry skill.

  Fortunately, the durability value was protected when anchored and unmanned. So there was no need to fear the ship being destroyed when we weren’t there to watch it, as with the previous incident.

  “I don’t know whether to be reassured by that information or not,” Asuna remarked.

  I agreed. “I think it’s pretty unlikely that we’ll get into collision wars with other boats, but I feel that it’s pretty likely I’ll have a few run-ins with obstacles…”

  “Practice defensive driving!”

  “Yeah, sure. So…as far as the quest goes, he said that the ship in question will appear in the southeast quadrant in the evening, right?”

  She nodded.

  “Then let’s get something to eat for now, then meet up with Argo and give her the quest details. I was hoping to do that after we finished it for good, but I’m afraid of what might happen if we delay any longer.”

  “Agreed. I was hoping to see them all swimming around in their inner tubes, though.”

  “Ha-ha, yeah. Me, I was hoping for one last As—”

  I stopped unnaturally the instant that I realized the mistake I was about to commit. But the fencer’s preternatural hearing—practically full mastery of the Eavesdropping skill—kicked in, and she turned to me with a smile.

  “What was that?”

  “I was hoping for one last…bite of asparagus…” I finished lamely.

  Her smile went from lukewarm to below the freezing point.

  “Why not have something like that for lunch, then?”

  The southeast quarter of Rovia was a business district split up by its countless canals.

  When we were using the guild’s gondolas, I couldn’t be bothered to check each shop, knowing that every time we set foot on solid ground, we had to pay the fee again. But now that we had our own, I was free to spend as much time browsing as I wanted. We could stop the boat and peer at the displayed wares and dock at a pier
if we were interested in buying. The time simply flew by.

  Asuna was mostly drawn to the shops selling minor goods and accessories, which put a thought into my mind.

  “Hey, what would you say to upgrading your armor? You’ve been using that breastplate since the second floor, right?”

  Asuna pulled away from the display case of the item shop, her expression lost in thought.

  “That’s true, but…I don’t really want to increase the weight of my equipment. The ones with really high defense are all so heavy.”

  “Well, there’s nothing you can do about that,” I admitted, then analyzed her outfit from top to bottom.

  The only metal item she wore was the thin breastplate; her gloves, boots, and skirt were all made of leather. I had no issue with her philosophy of keeping the weight down so she could focus on evading rather than defending, but it was scary to consider what might happen if she got paralyzed, stunned, or fell.

  Plus, wimpy monsters whose patterns could be recognized were one thing, but the third floor had taught me that not only did you have to deal with boss monsters with shifting patterns, but the even more terrifying prospect of foes whose actions couldn’t be predicted.

  I brushed my chest lightly, remembering the feeling of that critical hit ax combo, Double Cleave.

  “Take this for what it’s worth, coming from a guy who wears nothing but leather and cloth. If you have the Light Metal Armor skill, why not make more use of the ‘metal’ part? You’ll find that just switching your gloves or boots to studded or plated armor will make a big difference.”

  “Studded? Meaning…it has metal studs stuck in it?” she asked.

  Now it was my turn to be confused.

  “Studs? You mean, like…those punk fashion spiky things?”

  Neither of us seemed to be following the other’s point. She pursed her lips.

  “I don’t really understand. Can I see the real thing in a store before I decide?”

  “Of course. Now, I think the recommended shop for the fourth floor was…”

  Even soaked in water as it was now, the layout of the town was the same as it had been before, so I consulted my beta memory banks, pointing east-southeast.

  “…That way, I think. There’s a nice little restaurant tucked away there, so we can eat after we shop.”

  Though I’d never paid much attention to the English term before this, I found out that the name “studded armor” did indeed come from metal studs hammered into the armor, and they didn’t necessarily need to be spiked.

  “So that’s why they call it studded leather…Man, it’s hard to say,” I grumbled. Meanwhile, Asuna’s voice came drifting over about 20 percent faster than her usual speaking pace.

  “Kirito, have you decided what you’ll eat? I was thinking of the crab gratin, but it’s hard to pass up the steamed clams. Want to order both and share them?”

  The reason for her excitement was probably the new set of armor. Her breastplate had been upgraded from bronze to a sturdier steel make, while still keeping the weight low. Her leather skirt was now plated leather, which meant that flat steel plates had been sewn into the sides. Her gloves and boots were now studded, but they were smooth and rounded, not spiked, so it didn’t make her look imposing.

  The white tunic she wore beneath the armor and the red hooded cape were still the same as before, but it was clearly the biggest onetime gear upgrade she’d ever had, and it was kind of adorable how she would occasionally look herself over and chuckle with satisfaction…

  “Listen, if you don’t want the steamed clams, then order something. I’m starving over here.”

  “S-sorry. That’ll do fine.”

  “Then I’ll put the order in. I’ll just pick out something to drink.”

  Once Asuna had finished giving the NPC waitress her food and drink order, she looked back down at her breastplate and traced the subtle plant design. Her voice was finally back to normal.

  “As a matter of fact, I’ve always had a dislike of really armory armor.”

  “Oh…? Why’s that?”

  “It’s heavy and bulky…and I always felt like wearing serious armor meant giving in and finally being a true resident of this world in body and spirit…”

  “What? But by that logic, your weapon would…” I paused briefly. “Oh, does that mean you chose a rapier because you had fencing experience in real life?”

  Asuna grimaced and shook her head. “No, not at all. But there was a similarly thin sword above the mantelpiece in my home growing up. When I was a kid, I took it down and swung it around. Boy, did I get in trouble for that.”

  The very first thought that sprung to my mind was, What’s a mantelpiece? But I only motioned for her to go on with my eyes.

  “So…because of that, maybe I did think that the rapier had some kind of connection to my real self. Something just barely within the realm of acceptability…which is hilarious to consider, at this point.”

  True to her word, she giggled.

  I asked, “Then why the breastplate? Did you have one of those at home, too?”

  “No way. This was my compromise between stubbornness and weakness. I didn’t want to wear a big honking suit of armor, but I was too scared to go out of town in just clothing. Before I met you, I lost a lot of HP from kobold attacks in that first labyrinth tower, so it was probably a good thing that I got the armor after all.”

  “…No kidding,” I murmured, letting out a long, slow breath. “In this world, weakness and cowardice are practically virtues. You can never have a large enough safety margin.”

  “I don’t want to hear that from someone with lighter armor than me,” she said, annoyed. I had no defense: My only metal armor was an ultrathin protector that couldn’t even be called plate armor and shoulder guards on my coat. I had to admit that I wouldn’t be here if not for the protection of that slim piece of metal when Morte hit me with his ax on the third floor.

  “A-anyways, I’m going to be sure to keep this on at all times,” I assured her, pointing to my own chest briefly before flipping my wrist over to point at her new breastplate. “Don’t be so picky about armor, Asuna. You want to cover that spot at the very least…Oh, and by ‘that spot,’ I mean your heart.”

  I snapped my hand back down to my knees. Asuna glanced down at her chest, then put on a smile at least fifty degrees chillier than the one after the asparagus remark.

  “Of course. You picked it out for me, so I’ll take good care of it.”

  Thankfully, the gratin, steamed clams, wine, and bread arrived to melt her icy aura. She drew her spoon as quickly as her rapier and stated, “We’ll switch after eating half of each dish!”

  And with a huge mouthful of crab gratin stuffed into her cheek, her eyes narrowed with pleasure.

  While there were still occasions that my careless remarks prompted a terrifying response from Asuna, it seemed as though I’d seen her smile more often since we reached the fourth floor. Some of that had to be attributed to the city of canals, the gondolas, and the seafood cuisine, but I suspected that Asuna might finally be accepting her life in a virtual world.

  If that was the case, I hoped that I could at least keep her away from anything frightening or sad while we were on this floor.

  I jammed a large, meaty clam into my mouth, praying that it would give me the strength to achieve that hope.

  5

  IT WAS A NEW DAY: 12:15 AM, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23.

  Once again, we crossed over into a new day while outside of town—and it was unlikely that we’d be back at the inn by morning.

  The sunken dungeon in the eastern mountains of the fourth floor was far larger than I expected.

  “Here comes the claw attack from the right, Asuna!”

  My partner nimbly ducked in her position at the prow. The giant crab claw just grazed her long hair as it flew through the air.

  Its passenger brilliantly evaded the attack, but the boat itself was not quite so agile, and the claw clipped the right sid
e of the craft. Gachunk! A shock rattled through the wood and rocked the boat.

  “Hrrg!”

  I gritted my teeth, feeling the loss of the craft’s durability as if it were my own health. I wanted to switch spots with Asuna at once and ram my Anneal Blade +8 into a soft crevice in the giant crab’s shell, but I couldn’t let go of the oar that controlled the Tilnel’s course.

  Asuna must have sensed my panic because she turned back to me for just a moment.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll break its next attack and give us an opening! Just hang on!”

  “R-roger!”

  Her bracing voice, untouched by fatigue after our many battles, whipped me back into shape. I put my trust in her and waited for the right moment.

  The Scuttle Crab, one of the tougher monsters in this watery dungeon, measured a good four yards wide if you included its two pincer claws. It reared that giant bulk backward and opened its jaws wide, complete with disgusting little wriggling legs. That was the sign for its bubble breath. If that hit us, we’d be unable to see the space in front of us, and it wouldn’t go away until we jumped in water to wash the effect away.

  Just before the crab could shoot out the blast of fine suds, Asuna leaped up from her crouch, timed to the rocking of the ship, to unleash a Streak diagonal slash.

  This was a basic rapier attack, just like the horizontal thrust Linear and the low thrust Oblique, but it was still deadly with the power of the upgraded Chivalric Rapier. Because the powerful move hit it right in the mouth, the Scuttle Crab’s weak point, the creature lost more than 40 percent of its HP in one go.

  “Now, Kirito!” she shouted from the postattack frozen position.

  But I was already pushing the oar forward with all of my might. The Tilnel pushed ahead at full power, driving the Fire-Bear’s Horn affixed below the surface into the crab’s fleshy belly. The material of the Magnatherium’s horn emitted terrible heat when it attacked, producing a great billow of steam from the water and turning the unpleasant dark green crab shell redder by the moment.

  At the same time, its half-depleted HP gauge shot down to zero. The red shell exploded into blue polygonal shards and Asuna stood up from her delay to flash me yet another V-for-victory sign.