Progressive Factor II: Lacrimosa Of A Reaper

Blacksmith Meets Warrior And Assassin

Jaymes

"It's been almost an hour since Nerius was defeated, right?"

"Yeah."

Jaymes sighs. "Damn. I feel sorry for the people waiting for the gate to open. Last time we avoided it, this time we're taking a long time to get to town. Well, they'll understand."

The four players, back in their usual attires, now march up a vaguely familiar hill. In the beta, this would have been a dry, sandy hill. It is still as sandy as before, but the lack of dryness in the air makes it feel different. To Jaymes, that feeling makes some sense.

Their destination is just over the hill, a standard stone town in the world of fantasy in comparison to the eccentric towns in the mountains and trees of the second and third floors. The most interesting part was that the doors to enter buildings were all on the second floor. There's a part of Jaymes' mind that says that maybe the town has changed too, and he's hoping that is correct. They'll most likely spend little time there, just open the gate and then search for the elves if Kirito has his way. That'll set them on the path of conquering the floor again. Yet...as boring as the town was in the beta...he doesn't want the girls to lose the MMORPG experience as a whole. He knows escaping SAO as fast and with as many lives remaining as possible is pivotal, but this is Asuna and Koharu's first game.

Speaking of firsts, the previous moments in the river makes Jaymes' blood rush. Since he helped Koharu enter the stream, no, even before that, he had a hard time looking away. It was fine once they all linked together, he was at the back of the group, so all he could see was Koharu and Asuna's back. Once that damned tadpole began its chase (keep in mind all they saw was the fin), his developing protective instincts told him to grab Koharu and swim as fast as possible. For those few moments, until the threat was over, that's all he could think about.

Then, after he told Koharu to put her armor back on and Kirito got a knee from Asuna, he realized that neither girl realized how they looked the entire time, and that, for several minutes, he held Koharu in what was practically skin to skin. That soaked tunic is the only thing that kept his sanity (and the system's sending him to the prisons of Black Iron Palace) in check.

"If Momiji was here...if the Momiji I remember was here, she'd kick my ass. Asuna would look like an angel compared to Momiji. I wonder if Mom and Dad told her about my situation, and she's looking at me at my bedside...or if she's here in SAO."

"Asuna, look!"

"Wow...It's so pretty here!"

"Huh?" Kirito picks up his feet to catch up to the girls, and so does Jaymes. Passing under a stony arch, his feet anchor themselves to the ground as his eyes widen in surprise. The stone streets that used to course through the city is now flooded with water, the buildings are now white instead of gray. He takes back what he thought about the town earlier. Yeah, it isn't as crazy in appearance as other towns like Zumfut, but in beauty, it is the most radiant.

"I see...This was supposed to be the finished version all along. That explains the doors on the second floor."

"Guess your hypothesis was right."

"Hey, let's go!"

"Come on boys, hurry!"

Kirito chuckles and waves back at the girls. "We're coming!"