Ashi Blades (An SAO Fanfiction)

Chapter 5

I instantly regret everything; my birth, being here, playing this game, letting people die and dissolve away. Soiberu soon enough shattered from the world, and left his "teammates" to mourn. Komi and Usu couldn't help but weep the whole time as we walked back to the Floor's secondary town. Joshuo and Maralie had lost nothing. They whispered to each other, trying to keep the mood low. Gami was still in the boss room. I had asked Falckon what the deal with him was, and he said that Gami was a normal control freak. So much, in fact, that everybody had lost interest in his life.

We reached the second town, which was just as cramped as the main one. We decided to lodge in one of the nearby inns and we all took separate rooms, in which we occupied the entire inn. The rooms were nice, each accompanied with nightstands, twin sized beds, small closets and a painting or two. The walls were made of logs, with a single window.

I flopped onto the bed and brought down my menu. I had bought a nightgown-like armor at a shop on the floor in which I cannot remember, and so I equipped it. I took my sword, the Areion, and set it down beside the bed. At least we could now venture on to Floor 3, I thought, as I drifted off to a virtual slumber.

-----(>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The wintery sun pierced the window and brought me to my attention. I brought down my menu and changed back into my Yuki Robe. I brought out an SAO version of sushi and quickly ate it. Usu and I would work in nearby cafes, and we have almost maxed out our cooking skills. Komi and Maralie are working on maxing their blacksmith skills, and Joshuo, Falckon and Tasm are improving their Appraisal skills. We want to open a restaurant/weaponry/armory store on Floor 9. We heard it has a beach and a nice calm, area. That's where we would initially stop our journey through the floors.

I blew out of my room and ran down the hallway, banging on doors. I darted down the stairs and banged on the doors. On Usu's I knocked especially hard, because we had a job at a cafe in the main town which was quite a long trek away. The others liked to use their free time working on their skills.

Everybody, soon enough, had woken up and I didn't even have to explain why I woke them. They put on some chill-out-like armor and gathered in their little groups. Usu and I immediately left after she put on her Yuki Robe. Trudging through the snow came with great ease, as we have been on Floor 2 for so long. It was starting to get emptier and emptier, considering how only a limited amount of people were trapped in this life. As soon as Usu and I finished our job, which we lowered optionally down to an hour, we would be off to Floor Three.

----(>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The cafe had business at a slow pace. We had occasional customers here and there, but never all at once. One of the girls who had came in tipped us 2,000,000 Col. We split it, each of us getting 1,000,000.

Now, it being the end of the hour, we closed and locked the cafe, leaving its tables food-strewn and drink wet. Both of our cooking levels were 99, so we only had one more level to go to max it. We both ran back to the secondary town and gathered up the group.

"Wait," Falckon said, stopping everybody. "We have been through so much together in such a small amount of time. I believe we should make a guild. But, we need a name. Suggestions?" Said Falckon, knowing everybody had already agreed to the idea of a guild, but silently.
"Spirit Strewn," Suggested Tasm.
"Clear Demons," shouted Usu.
"Guardians of the Horn," yelled Komi above the crowd.
"How about... Bladed Orchids!" I yelled louder than them all.
At my suggestion, Falckon nodded. "Bladed Orchids it is. And, since it was Ashi's idea, she gets to be leader. Now, pick your co." He demanded, stepping down from the fountain in which he stood on, and I climbed up.

"Falckon, get back up here, your my co," I told him, grabbing his sleeve as he started walking away. His battered Nightingale Robe shivered in the wind as he turned around to look at me. Shrugging, he climbed back up.

"I know most of you think we need a Guild House, but we should wait until Floor 9 to do that. From now on, the minute we get to a new floor, we will immediately make ourselves familiar to it, then upgrade, kill, move on. Only after we kill the boss will we have a single free day in which we can upgrade skills or just chill. If anybody slacks, and I mean anybody, they will be cut from the Guild. Got it?" I snapped. They all nodded, wide eyed. "While Usu and I worked our shift at the cafe, we get a two million Col tip that we split between each other. We have decided a budget limit for ourselves of one million. Anyways, ready your teleport crystals and teleport to Floor Three. I will meet you there. Teleport!" I yelled, grabbing my Teleport Crystal and teleporting onward.