The Blazing Corridor, Vulcanus Citadel
“It looks like this place got hit hard by the lava,” Kirito comments as the party of five exits the Blazerock Fortress. Like previous areas of the floor, the region is nothing but ruins, but no matter where they look, all they can see is lava.
“The players we talked to said not to get into the lava. The NPC is heading to the volcano, right.”
“We’ll have to reach that volcano if we want to find the NPC, but how do we cross this lava?”
“Looks like we’ll have to jump across like we did at the lake. We should try avoiding those fire lions as best we can too.”
“Klein, what would we do without you?”
“Thank you, Asuna, for--wait, what’s with that sarcastic tone?”
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Asham Extractor
After finding a way out of the lava field, Koharu and her party come into a new area with the usual broken, sooty footing. Happy to be on solid, safe ground, the five take a look around the place before Leafa recalls them. ‘Look at this monument and what it says.”
“‘Prototype Magmamite Extractors were tested in many places, but today we are proud to announce full-scale implementation. In celebration of this momentous event, we commission this monument: the Asham Extractor Memorial.’”
Extractors? Where has Koharu heard that term before? Right, with the first ghost. “When Jaymes and I met the researcher who developed the technology, he said something about those Extractors being dangerous if used too much.”
“Maybe they’re why the volcano erupted?”
Kirito shrugs. “A good hypothesis, Asuna. We should look around for more clues.”
“Oi, look at this.” Klein comes over with a piece of paper in his hands, giving it to Kirito.
“‘That thing appeared with the eruption. The Extractors got wrecked, and lava blocked the roads. But if we can activate the remaining Magmamite Extractors, it should quell the magma. I’ve looked into the matter. The following Extractors should still work: Asham Extractor: 1 unbroken. Kikoth Excavation: 1 prototype. Geogrand Deep Lake: 1 model.’”
Asuna sighs. “Looks like it didn’t take long for my thoughts to bear fruit. But it doesn’t seem the Extractors were the only cause, just the first step in a sequence of events.”
“‘That thing’... Obviously the Floor Boss, correct?”
“Yeah.” Kirito looks to his right, where on Koharu’s HUD, the notification that the quest log has been updated is present. “There’s nothing here on what happened to the survivors, but it looks like there is a way to suppress the lava. Let’s find and activate those Extractors.”
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A couple of hours later, the party of five succeeded in the quest to activate the three Extractors and rush across the cooled lava field of the Blazing Corridor towards the foot of the volcano. After syncing with the terminal in the Ashreal Inferno region, With no direct path to ascend, they have to climb and leap up the mountain until they come to a stone gate leading to the mountain's interior, the Acropovale Ruins.
Once inside, Asuna opens a voice channel to the group back at the Town of Beginnings for an update on Premiere. “Are you feeling alright, Premiere?”
“I’m not experiencing any problems. In other words, I am fine.”
“She’s fine, Mommy. It looks like whatever happened to Premiere doesn’t have any lingering side effects. It only affects her for that one instant it hits her. Then, as long as nothing strains her, she goes back to normal.”
Asuna sighs in half-relief. “That’s something, though…”
“Yeah. It doesn’t make this situation any less worrisome, though.”
Leafa agrees with her brother. “We just have to make sure we’re there to protect her if it happens again.”
Asuna nods. “Right. And you let Yui and the others know the moment you start feeling unwell, Premiere.”
“I will. Thank you for your concern.”
Klein grins and flashes a thumbs up. “Nothing bad’ll happen to you so long as we’re around, Premiere!”
Silica’s voice is the next thing they hear from the other side. “Still, what she said about all those ‘sad, lonely thoughts’ is concerning.”
“Well, Yui and Strea both said that it's different from the flood of negative emotions they experienced in SAO.”
“But they ARE someone else’s thoughts… So I can’t help wondering, whose?”
“Whew, that was close! That monster rushed us just as we got into the room!” Koharu looks towards a pair of players coming from deeper in the mountain. It seems others rushed in as soon as the third Extractor was activated.
“We never would've been able to escape it if we'd been on our own. Let’s call up the rest of the guys and give it another shot later.”
“Yeah. I feel bad for that girl that came in after us, all by herself. She probably got thrashed.”
“What? There was someone else there?”
“She was kind of strange. She had this hood on and a mask… Didn’t you see her?”
“Dude, that must have been that rare mob everyone’s talking about! C’mon, we gotta go get the others, quick!”
“H-Hey, wait up!”
Koharu turns to her companions, both present and on the call. “...You all heard that?”
“It’s gotta be that masked NPC.”
“They mentioned something about her going into a room by herself? One where monsters attack you as soon as you get there?”
“That, and they were talking like they wanted to go after the masked NPC!”
“That’s right. Sinon and I heard around town about some stupid ‘info’ going around about that ‘rare mob’ who drops a rare item if you beat it. That poor masked NPC just can’t catch a break, can she?”
Kirito nods. “Yeah… Speaking of which, where is Jaymes? I haven’t heard him the entire time.” Silence lingers on the other side, so long that it fills Koharu with worry. Doing a quick check on her friends list, she sees he’s still online, yet the quietness lingers until Lisbeth speaks up.
“He’s been gone for a while. Strea just left herself. I guess to find him herself or something.”
Kirito looks at Koharu, seeing her worry. “Well, he might be heading up, though he could instantly come to the same region we’re in through the friends list.”
“If what those guys said is true, we might need the reinforcements,” Klein suggests. “But we shouldn’t let the girl fight on her own. Let’s get a move on, right?”
“Leave the wellbeing of Premiere to us. Kirito, you help the other girl.”
“Thanks, Alice and everyone else. We’ll do our part.”
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After a mad, switch-finding, monster-bashing, lore-finding dash within the Acropovale Ruins, Kirito quickly inserted the key found on one of the stronger monsters in the area and unlocked the large iron doors in front of them. Asuna’s the first one through, leading the small group through to another set of doors nearby. The males force it open, letting Asuna, Koharu, and Leafa through first.
“Look, over there!” Over there is the masked NPC, still fighting the good fight, but definitely not with the power she had previously on the floor. The monsters in this area are exceptionally tougher than the monsters in the city ruins, but Koharu didn’t consider the NPC to have a ‘limit’.
She leaps away from her beastly opponent and drops to a knee, clutching her hooded head. “Hng… Get out… Get out of my head!” She raises back to her full height and charges the monster, hitting its face with her greatsword. However, Koharu can tell the NPC is exhausted.
“She doesn’t look so good.”
“Maybe she took on a lot of damage.”
“Nevermind that, the monster is almost done for! Come on!”
Whether she knew Koharu and her friends are present, the masked NPC continues fighting fiercely while fighting her own internal pain. “Ughhh… Hnnnnnnnghhh! I’m the one...who will decide my destiny! I will not be defeated here!” She opens up for a sword skill and releases a magnificent one-hit strike that eliminates the beast at once. Victorious, the exhausted NPC lands on her feet, holding her body up by planting her sword on the ground.
“Are you okay,” Kirito asks as he’s first to arrive at the NPC. She regards him with a masked glare, but there’s no time for words as Asuna warns them of trouble.
“Guys, ahead of us!”
Klein groans as he takes notice of the incoming mob, a hovering black golem with floating hands. “Wait, is this fight not over yet?”
“Seems like this one’s their leader.”
“Hng. How annoying.” The NPC picks up her blade and stumbles over in the direction of the golem.
“H-Hey, what are you doing?”
“I have to go… So I will defeat it… So why are you here?”
Kirito keeps his eyes on the monster as he and his team joins the NPC in the stand against the sharp-handed Volcanic Shieldbreaker. “Well, we were hoping for a nice, long chat, but this thing’s kind of killing the mood, don’t you think?”
“...Suit yourself.”
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Twenty minutes of fighting later, Koharu can barely feel his arms. On Old Aincrad, where she had to fight just as hard as she is now, the caveat is that she and Jaymes (and whoever they were with) would avoid constant fighting. If they weren’t grinding, and if it was avoidable, they wouldn’t fight a mob at all. This boss is unavoidable, and just when they thought they had it beat, it flipped the script on them by buffing its attack. The human players were scattered, caught off guard by the sudden change (despite all of them being pros at bosses by now), and now the attention is on the lone masked NPC.
“Hng…” Knocked back, the NPC drops down, too winded and beaten to keep up with the fight against the golem. Seeing this, the Volcanic Shieldbreaker roars and soars her way, its sharp nails ready to make her bleed. Unfortunately, no one is near the hooded girl to protect her.
Or so they thought, as the neck sound is not the shriek of a defeated girl but the sound of impacted metal.
“I don’t think so!” The golem stumbles back, dazed after seemingly being parried. “It’s hesitating! Now’s your chance!”
“Got it! Hyaaaaah!!” Sword up, the NPC fires off a skill and vertically dices the monster in half, ending its fight then and there. This time, she can’t stand on her feet as she pants heavily. Heck, Koharu feels her knees grow weak as she tries to stand up and figure out what happened, but her legs give out and causes her to lose her footing.
“Whoa there.” Koharu is pressed against an armored chest, arms holding her up until she regains sensation in her legs. If her body wasn’t drained, she’d glare at the chuckling Crimson Warrior holding her up. “Someone’s been fighting hard. All of you, actually. Good thing we came when we did.”
“We?” Koharu looks away from Jaymes’ chest to see three other girls with him. Strea stands close to the masked NPC, definitely the one who blocked the golem’s attack, but it was Jaymes who instructed her; Sinon and Philia are also present, aiding Klein and Leafa with potions.
“Here.” Jaymes hands Koharu a red potion, which she graciously takes as Kirito and Asuna approach, the boys sharing high-fives.
“Nice timing. We did it. But how did you know--”
“I was on my way back to the inn with Strea, but Liz sent me a message saying our friend over there was in trouble. We came as fast as possible.”
Kirito nods and turns in the direction of the NPC. “Hey, are you okay?”
Asuna sighs in relief now that the fight is finally over for them. “I’m so glad we made it in time.
“Are you sure she’s okay? She looks like she's in a lot of pain.”
“Hey, you guys,” Philia calls as she runs up to the group. “I can hear other players coming. It must be the people who think the NPC’s a mob or something we heard around town.”
Jaymes sighs and sheathes his sword. “Phil, Strea, let’s handle them.” The three head over to the chamber’s entrance quickly; simultaneously, Koharu hears Kirito call out as the rogue NPC makes a hasty retreat.
Klein drops his exhausted shoulders. “...Talk about bad timing.”
“Just when we finally managed to meet that masked NPC.” Leafa sighs and looks at Klein. “Speaking of which, something was up with her that whole fight.”
“Totally. She kept saying, ‘get out of my head’ and stuff like that.”
“That has to mean the masked NPC was experiencing something like what happened to Premiere, don’t you think?”
Kirito nods in agreement with Asuna’s assessment. “Most likely.”
“I can’t believe she kept fighting when she was obviously suffering so much… That must have been really dangerous.”
“And now we have an extra layer of worry with player like that attacking her left and right,” Koharu points out. “I really want to ask her about whatever it is that’s hurting Premiere. Even that kind of makes me feel bad, you know. She’s obviously in a lot of pain… I wish I could help her.”
“Don’t worry, Ko.” Jaymes returns, placing his hand on her shoulder. “We’ll do everything we can. Premiere had us when she was in pain and collapsed. That person has no one for her.”
Kirito agrees. “We may not know who the masked NPC really is, but we do know what she’s going through. Let’s keep going. We’ll find her again."