Jaymes, present day, ALO
“So, Jaymes, Rain, now that the quest is finished, are either of you going to tell us how you two really met?”
Now flying towards the castle above Alfheim, Jaymes looks back to Rain, who seems somewhat embarrassed by Philia’s question. But she has the right to be curious; until today, Jaymes and Philia thought they met Rain at the same time when the two were on a quest together. When Rain revealed it happened on the third floor, Jaymes had to search his memory for the moment because Kirito and Asuna never met Rain (or Philia and Strea) in SAO, and Koharu only met her once later on.
“Well, Rain, you did bring it up. I had forgotten myself.”
“I know.”
“Well, while we’re on our way to Asuna and Kirito’s place, I share this with you, Philia. You too, Strea.” Strea, in pixie form, cheers as she rides in Jaymes’ hair. “Well, Rain, correct me on details I mess up, but if I remember correctly, it was while I was separated from Koharu, Kirito, and Asuna in the third floor’s human town…”
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SAO, four years ago
After making sure Koharu was comfortable in the inn, Jaymes excused himself to do some exploring and to meet up with Kirito and Asuna should they leave their space as well. By no means was he trying to pass on his partner to others, but after being in a party for more than a week now, he just wanted some time to himself.
His exploration of Zumfut passed an hour or two alone, and eventually, his feet took him outside of town with no particular quest or destination in mind. He didn’t plan on venturing too far from safety, so after a few minutes of watching players come and go from the long, wooden tunnel that made Zumfut’s entrance, he was set to return when he ran into her.
When Kayaba spoke to the players about forty days prior, he gave them one gift: their actual physical appearances, scanned by the NerveGear during initial calibration. It was done to invoke more of the truth of their reality, that they were imprisoned here until they cleared the castle. Created avatars were cast aside, and it shocked everyone present at the Town of Beginnings, even Jaymes, who can say his avatar’s most significant change was that he’s a bit shorter.
But this girl who strolled out of the third-floor town was different, and he wasn’t the only one to notice. For forty days, he hasn’t come across a single person with that shade of red in their hair. It’s not naturally red like he assumes Klein’s hair is. Then again, both Diavel and Lind have blue hair, so its’ not out there for hair color-changing items to be out there...but it still is interesting to see.
But what surprised him more was that the girl noticed him too and came over. “Hello! Are you busy or anything?”
“Um...no. No, I’m not doing anything right now.”
“Then… Then can you help me with some quests from the town? I… I’ll do whatever I can to pay you back! Please!” She looks up at him, her bright brown eyes pleading like a puppy for treats. If he was an older, more mature guy, he might not have fallen for such cheap tricks, but he is only fifteen, and there’s only so much the mind of a fifteen-year-old boy can handle.
In the other world, girls would surround him just because of his family’s money. Only one girl didn’t, and up until three years ago, she was his best friend until she moved away. And until he met Koharu and Asuna, for the most part, he ignored the attention girls gave him, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t susceptible to the other sex’s whims. If anything, being with Koharu at all times lowered that wall.
He sighs and crafts a short message to Koharu, telling her he’s helping another player, so he’ll meet her and the others at the meeting. Not waiting on a reply, he faces the girl and looks at her equipment--more importantly, the sword on her back. “How good are you with sword skills and such?”
“I’ve managed on my own thus far.”
“Have you ever partnered with another player?”
“I did...for a while, but…” She trails off and looks away uncomfortably. Nodding, he pats her shoulder and steps towards the forest.
“Well, let’s not waste any time then. Long as we’re done by five, I’ll help.”
The girl gasps excitedly and jogs up to him. “Okay! Spasibo bol'shoye!”
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After a couple of hours of questing, Jaymes and the girl are on the final task of herb gathering. Letting her search for the herbs herself, Jaymes scans the area for their safety.
Since she picked a host of hunting and gathering quests, Jaymes was thrown into several combat scenarios. Initially, he thought his experience with the wolves, spiders, and trees would prove helpful, yet the girl’s prowess amazed him as much as Asuna did when he first saw her skill. Of course, it made perfect sense, she had to be around his level, and she did say she was used to combat alone and with a partner. But for some odd reason, when they’d fight separately, she’d finish her fights before him. At first, he thought it was due to their strategy; she was a one-handed attacking swordsman like Kirito, so she didn’t fight as cautiously as the defensive-minded Jaymes did. Yet her Steel Sword couldn’t produce more damage than the maxed-out Azure Sky Sword, even if the former is a slightly higher-tier weapon. Oh well, Jaymes isn’t Kirito. He doesn’t care too much about the ‘balance of the game’ when the game is out to kill them.
Except, of course, when Asuna got that game-breaking sword. But it worked for Koharu, so he’s happy about it. When he and Kirito have to upgrade, they should go to an elven blacksmith and see what happens.
As he looks around, he listens to the girl singing behind him. He listens while she continues to sing a familiar song. “We are maverick. Assistance is unneeded, no matter how unfair or difficult our challenge may be. Success is only a victory away; we'll challenge the undefeated using our wits and talent and soak in the exhilarating joy of victory. All we need is faith in ourselves.”
As she stands up, she faces Jaymes and nods. “We’re all done. And with that, the quests are all complete. We should be able to turn them in now. Shall we head back?”
“Mhm.” Jaymes takes point and turns in the direction of Zumfut, the girl a step behind him. Jaymes looks at the time. Four thirty-eight P.M. He should make it back in time to hear something from the meeting, not that he’s enthusiastic about it. He tunes his mind back to the girl. “You have an excellent singing voice.”
“O-Oh, you heard me?” She reddens with embarrassment, then forces a smile. “Thank… Thank you. It’s my dream to one day be an idol, you see. I love singing.”
“A lofty dream. Too bad there isn’t a singing skill here in SAO. If there was, you’d be a useful support player. I heard something about there being a skill for instruments, though.” Jaymes glances back at her and chuckles. “It’s actually nice to hear that song, though. Ironically, our life is a literal game.”
“That is true.”
“If you want, you can sing to your heart’s content while we walk back.”
“Are you sure? What if I annoy you?”
“You won’t.” At that, the girl continued to sing until they reached Zumfut twenty minutes later. He stayed with her as she turned the quests in, ignoring the wooden bells that rang at the seventeenth hour of the day. When she’s done submitting her quests about five minutes after the bells ring, she turns and bows to Jaymes in gratitude.
“Thank you. If there is anything I can do to pay you back, I wish to fulfill it now.”
“Hmm… There is one thing I want to know.” Jaymes points to the hilt of the Steel Sword over her right shoulder. “Is your sword maxed out?”
“Huh? Oh, no, it’s plus four out of ten.”
“Hmm. Can I see it?” She hands him the sword, and as he did with Koharu and Asuna’s new weapons, he inspects the steel weapon. Sure enough, the DPS is lower than his weapon, and it seems it might not get that way until later upgrades. The boosted attributes are the same as his and Kirito, durability and sharpness. She isn’t a newbie to games like Asuna and Koharu, soloing very well, yet her output is less than his? Hmm...something is up. “How is it that you’re beating mobs faster than me with a lower damage output and no boost to speed?”
“Oh, this is how.” A familiar flash of light from the girl draws Jaymes’ attention. His eyes dart to her right hand, where a second Steel Sword is present. It doesn’t look any more impressive than the one in Jaymes’ hand, but that’s when the girl surprises him by reaching out with her left hand for the first Steel Sword.
When Asuna lost her former rapier, Jaymes and Kirito told her that weapons could be given to or picked up by another player. As long as it doesn’t enter and stay in the other player’s inventory for a certain amount of time, it still belongs to the original player. They also explained that a second weapon could be equipped to replace the first weapon once it is unequipped by any means. There’s a skill called Quick Change that speeds the process of going through the inventory for a second weapon.
What this girl did was use those mechanics in an unforeseen fashion. She has, in all essence, become SAO’s first dual wielder, and it shocks Jaymes. “Wow. That’s...but how…”
“I did it accidentally one day and decided this would be a cool way to fight. It's not reliable, it’s wonky and all, so I only use it when I’m sure to deal the final blow or have multiple enemies. I can chain one-handed sword skills too, but...unfortunately, using two blades is dangerous. Disarming for a few seconds is a death sentence, but… One day, I hope to perfect it or find a skill that allows two swords at once.”
Jaymes watches as the girl puts away the on-hand weapon and places the original sword back in its sheath. Crossing his arms, he smirks. “Wow, a dual-wielder and an idol. I met someone interesting today.” Eyeing the time, he sighs and looks towards the center of the first level, where the assembly grounds for the front-line meeting is taking place. “I should get going. Stay safe out there, and if we meet again, don’t hesitate to say hey.”
“Okay, and thank you so much… Um, forgive me for asking, but is your name Jaymes?”
Jaymes freezes on the spot. He knows Argo has spoken about him; even before the first raid boss, he and Koharu were somewhat renowned (which is how Sachi and Diavel found them). So it makes sense the girl knows of him, especially after two floors of feats. Sighing, he displays a cocky grin and holds his head up. “It is I, Jaymes, the strongest player on the front lines. So strong I can be late for a meeting.”
Koharu would kick him in the sweet spot if she were here right now.
The girl, however, cheerfully grabs his arm. “Oh? I was hoping it was you, after all! I’m a big fan! I hear they call you the Crimson Warrior, and then I found this item that lets me turn my hair… Um, I mean, you should go to your meeting.”
“Yeah. You’re right.” Jaymes holds his fist out, and the girl bumps it. “See you later...uh, your name is?”
“Nijika!”
“Nijika. See you later, Nijika.” Waving, Jaymes walks a couple of steps, then stops and turns back to the girl. “Hey, you got to survive this game. Whatever you do, don’t forget your dream, and when you become an idol, do me a favor: Keep the red hair so I can recognize you as your number one fan. Got it?”
She grins and waves. “Okay! I’ll do it! Do svidaniya, Jaymes!”
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Present Day
"No wonder I didn't remember meeting you. You used your real name."
Rain sighs in self-disappointment. "I was so excited I forgot you meant my avatar name."
Philia, flying in a laid-back position, eyes Rain with a smirk. “And then, a while later, they reconnected when a certain redhead followed her hero and his kickass treasure-hunting partner into a dungeon. Sounds familiar?”
“Ooooh, don’t forget me too!” Strea interjects.
“And because I met Rain, I also reunited Rain and Sanya. By the way, why did you split off from Sanya?”
Rain sighs. “Remember I told you that the progress on the front lines ignited a fire in me. Sanya and I would explore the first and the second floor but remained behind the front in town, helping with the orphanage. That was until the third floor opened, and I was tired of being held down for some reason. Sanya and I had a horrible argument, then...well, you know the rest. Until we met again, I didn’t communicate with her. I didn’t even know she left to look for me and gained notoriety as a member of the Assault Team as the powerful Silver Witch.”
Philia shrugs. “But because of it, I met my best friend in the world. I say it is fate.”
Rain giggles and nods. “I don’t regret leaving either, though I do wish I stayed in contact, considering we were playing SAO to renew our old friendship in the first place. But most importantly, had I not met Jaymes, I don’t know if I’d become an idol.”
“Aww, what you gotta say to that, Mr. Number One Fan?”
I smile at Philia threateningly. “Shush it. You’re just jealous I met her before you.”
“As if.”
“G-Guys…”
“So technically, that makes me better friends with Nijika than you.”
She returns that same smile. “Keep talking nonsense, and I’ll clip your wings.”
“Bring it on, then. Strea, hop off for a moment.”
"Beat her up, Jaymes!"
“...Please don’t fight over me…”
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Rain tells Jaymes "Thank you very much" and "Goodbye" the two times she speaks Russian. A little touch of her roots.
This is the first time I've spotlighted Rain since, to my memory, the ninth chapter of Courage and Realization, which is a long time ago (and retconned some details too of the eighth chapter of Blacksmith and Warrior, but who cares about that. I've clearly given Strea and Philia more attention, which...makes sense to me, I guess? I've said it before, if I followed the Gameverse storyline, Philia and Jaymes would've been the ship I would've chosen, and I've dabbled with it before. And for a while, she has a role in his life. As for Strea, she is to Jaymes and Philia what Yui is to Kirito and Asuna. If she's not with Jaymes, she's with Philia. Rain just hasn't fit that much since, but I like bringing her in when I can. Though, when I start writing Unital Ring next year, that's gonna be tough.
Third floor continues next chapter.