Halkegenia Online Thread 3!

[Triggerhappy]

Scraped from here.

No moved to Thread 3. Should I be scarred?

Special Thanks to Flere and Headmaid-sama for all of their support in this fic. And to the rest of you lot who have become my source of free entertainment and my stress relief valve.

The First Thread Where It All Began.
Official Conclusion of First Thread (Last Author Post) For continuities sake.
The Second Thread Things Pick Up Pace
Official Conclusion of Second Thread (Last Author Post)


Previous Snips AKA- The Story So Far

prologue - "The Mage and the Swordsman."
chapter 1
chapter 2 - Part 1
chapter 2 - Part 2
Chapter 2 - Part 3
(Posted in Following Posts)
Chapter 3 - part 1
Chapter 3 - part 2
Chapter 3 - part 3
Chapter 3 - part 4
Chapter 4 - part 1
Chapter 4 - part 2
Chapter 4 - part 3
Chapter 4 - part 4
Chapter 5 - part 1
Chapter 5 - part 2
Chapter 5 - part 3
Chapter 5 - part 4
Chapter 5 - part 5
Chapter 6 - part 1
Chapter 6 - part 2
Chapter 6 - part 3 - "Hammer and Heart, Split Moon."
Chapter 6 - part 4 - "A Pact of Blood Between Air and Fae."
Chapter 6 - part 5 - "Arrival in York, An Incident Ensues, Gunpowder Plot, The Captain and the Pirate Prince."
Chapter 7 - part 1 - "Millia's True Colors, York Escape!, The Daring Prince, the Winged Flash."
Chapter 7 - part 2 - "Meeting a Prince, Meeting a Postman, A Faerie Reveals herself, Sir Dunwell Arrives"
Chapter 7 - part 3 - "Execution, Battle of Skiesedge, Farewell to a Knight."
Chapter 8 - part 1 - "PoppopBoom!, the Luckless Princess , A wild Silicia Appears!"
Chapter 8 - part 2 - "Eve of the World Tree Raid."
Chapter 8 - part 3 - "A game of Crowns, A Incident in Albion, Midori the female swordsman."
Chapter 8 - part 4 - "Goodbyes, Mob Violence, We're Family"
Chapter 9 - Part 1 - "Tarbes Side Quest"
Chapter 9 - Part 2 - "Arrival in Tarbes, Goodnight Louise & KoKo"
Chapter 9 - Part 3 - "So Cute, Pixies Attack, Where's Yui?"
Chapter 9 - Part 4 - "Yui alone, the Shaman and the Yearning Knight, the Healer's Cottage.
Chapter 9 - Part 5 - "The Lame Count, Serpent in the Forest, Overheard Conversation."
Chapter 9 - Part 6 - "Sounding the Alarm, Missing Children"
Chapter 9 - Part 7 - "Kiting, Antoine and Euphrasie, The Butler did it!"
Chapter 9 - Part 8 - "Fernand the Traitor, Lhamthanc the Steel Toothed."
Chapter 9 - Part 9 - "Judgement & Duel, Sayuri's Reward, Healing"
Chapter 10 - Part 1 - "Midori & Bandits."
Chapter 10 - Part 2 - "Disclosure, Scheming, Zombie Powder"
Chapter 10 - Part 3 - "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?"
Chapter 10 - Part 4 - "Breakfast With Zombies"
Chapter 10 - Part 5 - "Flawless Romeo"

Hints of what is to come. Glimpses into the future of the fic.
Snip-1-"Yui! No boys!"
Snip-2-"Some simple rules for dating my daughter."
Snip-3-"A demographic Problem"
Snip-4-"On the Other Side"
Snip-5-"Mom . . . I'm home."

Additional Resources. I.E. Random Stuff Added by the Fic Author about the Fic World
Tentative Force Chart
Character List
ALfheim Bestiary

Halkegenia Offline- The occasionally ongoing, less well written Omake Compliment to this Fic (Feel Free to offer suggestions.)
Set - 1 - "And now for something completely different"
Set - 2 - "Kirche has competition"

Non Author Omake
Best Served Cold by Geshon Tyler.

 

[Triggerhappy]

Halkegenia Online Chapter 9 – Part 5

Kirche felt her face twist up in distaste. 'I'm going to get wrinkles way too soon at this rate', the young fire mage thought. But what else could she do? Looking at what was laid about before her, she could hardly smile. It was midday and their small group, consisting of Silica, Louise, KoKo, and herself, found themselves standing in the middle of a clearing near the edge of the forest. It was obvious to Kirche that this place had been the sight of an intense and highly localized blaze no more than a couple of weeks ago. The local plant life was only just now beginning to reclaim the charred earth, the first hints of vibrant green sprouting up through the ash.

At the center of the clearing, KoKo was slowly turning around, taking the whole scene in. The Cait Syth didn't look happy. Her ears were folded flush with her skull and the hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end. When Kirche had been a child, she had had a pet cat that looked just like so whenever the prospect of a bath had come up.

"This is the place?" KoKo asked, "You're sure, Louise?"

Louise nodded, "Florine said she was confident that Marco would be able to lead us back to the place where Euphrasie found the flowers."

Louise held up what appeared to be a small roughly cut pendant made from some sort of dull, unpolished stone. The thing fit in the palm of Louise's hand without any trouble and a small cord had been wrapped around it so that it could be worn around ones neck. A moment later, a head and four short legs poked out and looked around sleepily. The small turtle opened and closed its mouth, making soft gurgling noises and pointed its nose unwaveringly towards the center of the clearing. No matter where Louise moved, the turtle kept facing the clearing center, obeying his master's instructions to take them to where he had first smelled the flowers.

"What do you think about this, Kirche-san?" KoKo asked.

Kirche gave the clearing another look over before she felt satisfied. "Fire mage. Or a fire dragon, a really powerful one. They'd need to be. This place wasn't just burned, it was incinerated, and the way it just cuts off at the edges means it must have been a very brief and intense blaze."

"You're sure?" KoKo looked her in the eyes.

Kirche tossed her hair casually, "My affinity is fire, I know what kind of damage my element can do." Flames were passionate, they were also incredibly dangerous and destructive, as she had told Louise.

"I was afraid of that." KoKo said shaking her head. A bitter look was pulling at the face of the normally cheerful woman.

"What's the matter?" Kirche asked.

To answer, KoKo walked across the garden to the charred remains of an old growth tree. Beneath the few remaining blackened branches, a half dozen large earthen mounds had been erected. They looked like some sort of insect colony, but the details were far too fine for that. Though now charred and blackened, and crumbling to dust, every inch of the outside of each mound seemed to have once been smoothed and rounded. Simple lines and logos had been shaped into the surfaces like giant pieces of pottery.

"What is that?" Louise asked.

"It's a pixy nest." KoKo said. "In ALfheim, they were an important part of Pixie Gardens. The spawned pixies would nest here during the night and they would all swarm out if the nest was attacked or the Pixies outside were agroed. I guess here in Halkegenia it would be like their home. This place is why the Pixies are attacking Tarbes."

"Well that's good isn't it? Now we know why they're angry." The pink haired mage said. "Now we can find a way to calm them down." Louise decided. The expression on KoKo's face caused Louise to falter. "We can calm them down. R-right?"

KoKo shook her head sadly. The hunter didn't look herself, Kirche thought. It would be like Tabitha smiling, or Louise being calm and reasonable. Some of her, "KoKo-ness" seemed to have rubbed off, and for a moment Kirche saw sorrow and grief that just didn't fit on that always happy face with its fanged smile and bright golden eyes.

"Louise. We can't . . . Fix this." KoKo said quietly.

Louise paused, frowning, she looked about. "What do you mean? Isn't it obvious? They're angry that something destroyed their homes. But they're just big pots, surely we can find someone to fix or replace them." Louise crossed her arms and shook her head, "Honestly, such unreasonable children."

"Louise . . . " KoKo breathed softly, "Its not the nests . . . It's the Garden."

"Garden?" Louise asked.

"The Garden?" Kirche repeated, looking over to Silica who shook her head, she didn't know either.

KoKo gestured across what was left of the clearing. "This whole place, it would have been filled with flowers cared for by the Pixies, thousands of them, and all sorts. Spring flowers, and summer flowers, and autumn blooming herbs. It would have been beautiful."

Silica nodded in agreement, seemingly recalling some fond memory. Kirche had to admit, a garden tended by hundreds of Yuis, she would like to see something like that.

Louise shook her head, "But Tarbes is full of Flowers, there must be someplace else that the pixies could live." That was a good point, Kirche thought, but she didn't think KoKo would look so upset if it was that simple.

"I've been giving this some thought." The hunter said. "You know that part of our mission here is to investigate the change in mob behavior, right?"

Kirche nodded. "The mobs were Golems back in your world, and now they've become the things they're supposed to imitate."

"Yeah, that's pretty much it." KoKo said thoughtfully. "Well, now that they're real. They've been getting smarter, you already know about that, but they've been doing other things like real animals too, like breeding. Pixies have a very unique reproductive cycle."

"They're all girls, aren't they?" Silica's cheeks reddened and her ears twitched in embarrassment before shaking her head. "I mean, insect hives are like that, right? All of the workers are female. But they still have drones that mate with the queens . . ." Silica squirmed awkwardly. "There aren't any boy pixies, right?"

"That's right." KoKo agreed, "Pixies reproduce symbiotically. Their gardens are filled with special flowers called Yggdrasil Blossoms. They'll only sprout in a forest that has an Yggdrasil shoot in it. The Pixies care for the blossoms, and when the blossoms bloom, they give birth to new Pixies."

"Like Thumbalina?" Silica asked. "I loved that story when I was little. So the flowers are like their . . . Oh . . ." The catgirl trailed off. The dragon on her shoulder coked her head, and gently nuzzled her master's cheek comfortingly.

"Oh." KoKo repeated softly.

Kirche felt something inside of her go dark. Even though the sun was shinning, she felt like she'd never be warm again. The Pixies were born from their Gardens. This place wasn't just a burnt field, it was the remains of a funeral pyre, and somebody had used a nursery as kindling. No wonder the Pixies attacked the Village so relentlessly. If they thought the villagers were responsible, they probably wouldn't ever stop.

"KoKo, are you alright?" Louise asked walking up to the woman. The Cait Syth had turned away from them, bowing her head to hide her face.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it." KoKo said quickly, "Louise? Those flowers you said Florine had. I think . . . I'm pretty sure they're Yggdrasil blossoms. It sounds like Euphrasie and Antoine must have found them just after the Transition. They were probably running back home after the light and shaking cleared and came across the Garden. The Pixies would have tried to repel them, but if it was just after the Transition, they might have all been inside their nests, still stunned."

"But the flowers at Florine's house have already bloomed and there aren't any Wild Pixies." Louise said, "Don't you think Florine would have mentioned that? And that wouldn't explain how the Garden was burned"

"Not all Yggdrasil blossoms will give birth to a Pixie." KoKo said. "Its pretty hit or miss actually and the exact stats were varied based on a lot of factors. It's entirely possible that the ones Florine has are just flowers . . . But the Pixies don't know that. It explains why they were so systematic in their attacks, and why they took Yui. They were searching."

"They thought they were rescuing her." Silica realized.

"Un." KoKo nodded. "So Yui is probably safe with them for now." Even so, the Cait Syth didn't seem happy with that revelation. Kirche could hear the leather of KoKo's fingerless gloves creaking as the woman balled her hands into fists. "As for the fire, you said it happened a few days after the last time Euphrasie came into the forest. We need to go talk to Florine and Euphrasie again. We need to find out who's responsible for this. And when we do . . ."

Something had changed in KoKo. The subtle feline features that were almost cute when she was smiling or laughing, now lent her a disturbing gauntness. And the blacks of her golden eyes had grown ever so slightly wider. The fire mage found herself starring at the small fangs in the woman's mouth. They weren't particularly large, but they looked needle sharp. Even Louise seemed to understand that she needed to step back.

"When we do?" Kirche asked.

"When we do . . ." KoKo breathed slowly. "We'll see . . ."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When Silica and Louise had returned to the healer's cottage, this time with KoKo and Kirche. Florine had been quite surprised to see them again so soon. Surprise had turned to worry, and perhaps even outright fear as KoKo pressed her for everything she knew about the blue flowers her daughter had brought back from the forest. Even Louise had been a little frightened. The kind sweet spirited woman who had protected her the night before, seemed far away now.

Florine had listened as KoKo explained everything. Face slowly turning pale with worry as she realized fully what had happened.

"This is . . . This is terrible." Florine shook her head. "Euphrasie would never have done something like that if she'd known!" The healer pulled her daughter close to her. The girl, having listened to the whole story, looked miserable.

KoKo had taken a breath. "We . . . We know. It was just an accident that Euphrasie picked the blossoms. She couldn't have known they were anything but pretty flowers." KoKo said giving the girl and her mother a reassuring look. "And maybe if that's all that happened, then we could make things right. But the fact is, someone burned that Garden to the ground not long after it appeared here. We need to find out who."

Kirche had described the damage to the clearing in detail. Offering her conclusion that the damage could only have been so carefully contained by a skilled fire mage.

"The only fire mage I can think of like that is the Count." Florine offered. "I believe I once heard he was a triangle and was quite the duelist in his younger years."

"Where is your Lord anyways?" Louise asked. "We haven't heard a single peep from him this whole time and when I asked the Village Chief he just said it was of no concern. Shouldn't he be here helping to defend Tarbes?"

Florine's expression softened. "He would if only he could, I'm sure. That would be because the Count is something of a recluse. He's quite terrified of people you see. He only ever comes here in the evenings as the farmers are finishing in their fields and I've never seen him approach the village during the day."

"He sounds like he isn't taking his responsibilities seriously." Louise said out loud. Should she report this to Henrietta? Even if the Count was not responsible for inciting the Faeries, he was still the steward of these lands on behalf of the crown. That implied certain privileges and also obligations.

"He does well enough by the people of Tarbes." Florine insisted. "He barely taxes the Village anything, just enough to feed himself and his servants. Mostly he just tends to his gardens these days. He's the source of many of my rarer herbs. I don't have the time or expertise to raise them all myself."

"So, he has a thing for flowers, and he's a fire mage." KoKo said. The Cait Syth's tail lashed about as she stood beside the healer. "I think we've found our number one suspect."

Florine shook her head, "But that doesn't make any sense. The Count loves botany, and he can barely stand to hurt anyone, he'd never burn away a field of flowers!"

"Maybe not deliberately." Kirche said. The Fire mage leaned against the wall beside the doorway leading to Florine's infirmary. Her eyes had fallen upon one of the patients, clinically observing a victim of the pixies who had been badly burned in one of the attacks. "But if he's a fire mage it would be easy for things to get out of hand. So, you give him a few of the flowers when he last visits, then he decides he'd like to go get some more for his collection. By then the Pixies are awake and ready to defend their Garden. Things escalate . . ." Kirche shrugged.

Louise frowned, she was getting used to seeing this side of Kirche as time went on, but it still made her uncomfortable. Things has been easier when she was just the Germanian Harlot. She was still that too, but there was more going on. It made things too complicated.

"If that's the case. I want to go talk to this Count." KoKo said.

Florine had been reluctant to leave her patients but after checking on all of them, she had grudgingly left her daughter to keep an eye on the infirmary. The girl was too young to perform any but the most basic of healing spells, but she already knew how to treat basic wounds and change bandages, and had gained plenty of experience at her mother's side.

The Count's manor was on the far western side of Tarbes. The journey on foot took them over an hour from Florine's home and Louise briefly wished that Klein and Leafa hadn't taken Tabitha with them.

"This is the home of a Count?" Louise asked in disbelief.

Before them lay the manor of the count of Tarbes. The building would have been quite grand for a country estate, if anyone had thought to care for it. But at least outwardly, no one had bothered for quite a long time. The stone walls appeared weathered, and the roof was badly in need of repair along the Manor's entire eastern wing. Though there were signs that the building was not being completely neglected.

Though appearing abandoned, the windows of the Eastern Wing had been shuttered up to protect them. And the wooden window frames appeared well maintained. The windows of the western wing were also clean and open, and a few faint curls of smoke rose from one of the chimneys near the rear of the house. But most of all, there was the garden.

Simply put. It was beautiful. Louise hadn't known that so many varieties of flowers existed in the world. She recognized most of the roses and other common flowers like any young noble woman should, and even many of the wild flowers that her sister Cattleya loved. But for every one she could name, there were a dozen that alluded her. There were carpets of brilliant orange starbursts, lime green blossoms that drooped like little bells, tiny buds of pure white, and at a place of honor near the heart of the garden, a beautiful tree covered in delicate pink blossoms. Louise was so taken by the sight that she didn't notice the way that both Silica and KoKo paused upon seeing it.

"KoKo-san . . ." Silica whispered.

"Its probably just a coincidence." The woman had whispered back. "We'll ask about it later."

"This is the home of Sir Radley Count of Tarbes." Florine confirmed as she came up beside Louise. The healer pulled a stray strand of hair back behind her ear and looked on pensively.

Louise shook her head. "Well, it's very . . . Rural." She decided. Right. Time to get to bottom of all of this. The youngest Valliere daughter set out, storming through the garden and up the steps to the wide oaken front doors. Taking one of the knockers in her hand, she beat quickly three times.

When no answer came, Louise felt her anger build and beat again. "Grr! A nobleman shouldn't keep his guests waiting!"

"Maybe he's out?" Silicia suggested.

"He should still have servants to answer the door." Louise replied, crossing her arms in irritation.

"Excuse me! Hello? Hello over there! Who might you be?" As a group, the three mages and two Faeries turned their attention to the sound of a voice coming from the direction of a small guest house nestled in the far corner of the gardens. An older gray haired man was pacing towards them dressed in clothes suited for a petty nobleman. Though his face was unshaven and scraggly with the beginnings of a beard, he moved with surprising ease and grace for a man of his apparent years.

"Are you the Count of Tarbes?" Louise asked. Beside her, Florine shook her head.

The man stopped in his tracks and then chuckled. "I'm afraid not Miss, my name is Fernand, I am the Count's majordomo, or I suppose that is what you would call me if Arthur kept much of a household these days. Alas, the man has lost his stomach for such things."

Louise recoiled at how flippantly the man regarded his master. Did he have no sense of propriety? She was about to reprimand him when KoKo stepped forward. "We seek an audience with the Count." The Cait Syth said quickly. The way the woman moved and spoke, it seemed she was forcing herself to be civil.

The majordomo looked the Faerie over. "So, one of the Fae we've been hearing about? Then you must be the investigators the Village Chief spoke of. But I'm afraid the count doesn't receive Guests these days. Not without an invitation."

"And I was under the impression that the invitation was always open for myself and Euphrasie." Florine said.

"Naturally, but for your guests . . ." Fernand gestured to the others and gave a helpless shrug.

This was going nowhere. Annoying people, getting in the way. Louise stepped forward. "I am Louise de la Valliere, third daughter of the Valliere Family, I have been empowered by the crown to see to the matter of the attacks on Tarbes. It would do you well to tell your master that I must speak with him immediately as part of my investigation."

"A Valliere?" The majordomo said with a hint of surprise. "I see then. I must be mistaken. I'm sure the master can find time to see you. Though you will have to wait briefly. The Count doesn't take easily to new faces. Please, follow me."

Fernand led them around to the back of the manor and Louise found herself entering through the Kitchen of another noble's estate. As if she were a common servant! Along the way, Louise spotted only two others. An elderly commoner wearing a wide brimmed hat, carefully tending to part of the garden. And a young woman preparing game hen for dinner in the kitchen. Were these the extent of the Count's servants? Louise wondered.

"The Count has had most of the house closed off. He only keeps the west wing open now." Fernand explained as they traveled down a tiled hallway. As they walked, Louise found her attention drawn to the many glass cases that lined the wall like paintings. She stopped in her tracks, something horrible occurring to her as she recognized the contents and recalled Yui and her tiny wings.

"Fernand." Louise almost shouted.

"Yes, Miss Valliere?" The majordomo asked.

"Does the Count have any other hobbies, other than his gardening?"

"Louise?" KoKo asked, suddenly becoming aware of just what the girl was looking at. The Cait Syth's hackles suddenly stood on end and her tail pointed straight up. Sitting in the glass cases in artfully arranged rows were were dozens of butterflies. Each insect lay, pinned in place to the cork backing of the case, their beautiful wings spread wide. A tiny piece of card had been pasted beneath each specimen, identifying its species and date of capture.

"Oh, you've noticed those?" Fernand asked. "The Count is quite the accomplished entomologist as well. Actually, I believe its an offshoot of his interest in botany. He has been closed away all day framing some of his latest samples."

KoKo and Louise exchanged looks. In the blink of the eye KoKo had the majordomo by the collar of his shirt and was dragging the confused man down the hallway, Louise storming after her, leaving the others to run to catch up.

"Please, I'm sure this is all just a misunderstanding!" Florine shouted as she trailed behind. Nobody was listening to her.

"Which way?" KoKo shouted at Fernand.

"I – What?"

"Which way to the Count? NAOW!" KoKo barred her teeth.

"Down that hallway, last door on the right. In the old dining room." Fernand said. KoKo released him and raced down the hall with Louise in tow. "What do you intend to do?" Fernand called.

"Have a chat!" Louise shouted back.

Together, Louise and KoKo threw open the wide double doors and rushed into a brightly lit room. Tall windows lined the far wall, allowing in the afternoon light. A faint chemical smell filled the air, a mixture of alcohol, preservatives, and alchemic reagents. The room was filled with long tables and benches. A variety of projects appeared to be in the works, many of which wouldn't have looked out of place in Professor Colbert's laboratory. Louise swept the room spying trays and beakers, delicate looking glassware, and what appeared to be a tiny greenhouse filled with spindly looking flowers and connected to a peculiar arrangement of tubes and burners.

"Fernand, is that you?" A voice came from the far side of the room. "I told you I wasn't to be disturbed. This is all much too fascinating. Please, get out, get out!"

Louise and KoKo moved forward, they could see the Count now, hunched over a table set before the window. A cork board filled with pins was set at his side and as Louise watched, the man plucked up a pin and . . . Handed it . . . to a Pixie.

"See? When you arrange them, you insert the pins just like so. With this one we want the wings spread so we can see both pair. This species is native to Germania and you can see how it differs from the common Tristanian moth. Germania is a cold climate and is home to many fire mages, so the local moth population survives mostly in the cities where they can find refuge. Most people think its the soot that makes their outer wings black, but I suspect its an adaptation."

"Adaptation?" A small voice asked. "That's a funny word." Another Pixie was sitting atop a book at the Count's side.

"Yes, you see, insects can breed very quickly, and like all animals they inherit traits from their parents." The man explained.

Louise could only see the side of the man's face, but from what she could see, he appeared old. His hair had long lost the battle with gray and was now moving to white and his skin was deeply lines like that of a Commoner who had spent long days in the sun. A pair of silver spectacles hung from a chain around his neck.

"What I suspect is that certain traits are selected for based on pressures applied by the environment. The moths that have traits most suitable for survival live long enough to breed and thus their beneficial traits become more common in the general population. In Germania where many of the trees near the cities, and many of the buildings, are soot stained, the black outer wings will camouflage the moths from predators. But in Tristain, the climate is warmer the trees have white bark, so naturally, the Tristanian variety of these moths have white outer wings. Do you understand that Celandine? Iris? Olive?

"Yes Arthur!" Three small voices answered.

"Oh, very good my girls, very good!" The man chuckled warmly.

Louise exchanged another glance with KoKo. To her relief, the Cait Syth seemed as confused as she was. "Excuse me. Count . . ." Louise began.

Suddenly the man spun around with speed that bellied his apparent age, eyes going wide first with surprise and then confusion. "Who are you? W-What are you doing here?! Fernand! Did you let these people in?!" The scholarly warmth from a moment earlier was replaced with near stuttering terror and as Louise watched, the Count carefully spread his arms to shield the trio of tiny figures that stood atop the table. Three little Pixie girls dressed in pure white gowns. For their part, the pixies observed curiously. One girl with short, sandy hair, flitted up from the table to sit on the Count's shoulder.

"I'm sorry Arthur." The Count's majordomo came rushing through the door followed by Kirche, Silica, and Florine. "I'm afraid they caught me by surprise. They asked to meet with you, the young girl there is a member of the Valliere family sent to investigate the incidents in Tarbes . . ." Fernand's stopped in his tracks and starred at his master. Three pairs of calmly curious eyes starred back. "I don't imagine an explanation will be forthcoming." Fernand decided aloud.

"A Valliere? To see me?" The Count appeared to be on the verge of hyperventilating. "I see. Yes, yes, you must be the agents sent by the Crown. I suppose you must meet with me." The man glanced about nervously. "If it isn't too much, could I ask, that perhaps some of you wait outside? Oh, Florine, you're here too? Yes, wonderful, more people!" The Count de Tarbes caught sight of the healer squeezing her way past Silica and Kirche. "I hope those herbs I sent along have been of use."

"They've been wonderfully helpful." Florine said in a reassuring voice before she too paused to stare at the Pixies.

"Oh, good, yes, wonderful. But like I asked, perhaps just one or two of you would suffice? I'm not terribly good with strangers you see." Not terribly good? Louise wondered. The poor man was white as a sheet. No wonder he wasn't out protecting his estates. He was barely functional in a small group, much less a crowd. This was their number one suspect?

Everyone but Fernand and Florine looked on with disbelief but it wasn't long before Kirch and Silica were ushered away to wait outside, leaving the Count with the familiar faces of his majordomo and Florine, along with Louise and KoKo.

The conversation was awkward at first as things were sorted out. The Count de Tarbes proved to be as shy as Florine had warned. His replies coming in stuttered starts and stops whenever Louise pressed him for answers. After the first few question, KoKo took over. The Cait Syth's demeanor had swung back to its more mellow default after meeting the Count, and where Louise's needled probing failed, KoKo was able to start coaxing answers from the man.

"The Pixies?" The count asked, eyes brightening up. "Oh yes. Marvelous creatures aren't they? Imagine my surprise when I found them this morning! They were hiding among some of my herbs. The poor dears were terrified. But I found that a sugar cube was all it took to coax them out." As he spoke, the Pixies had gathered themselves on the Count's left shoulder, leaning against the man, and one another. "I've spent the whole day talking with them, truly fascinating, and so curious about everything."

"Erm . . . Well, that's wonderful." KoKo said, carefully giving an awkward, closed lipped smile. She'd been building up to face a villain, and instead they found nothing but a shy old man.

"Actually, its the pixies we've come to talk to you about." Louise said.

"Oh?" The count asked.

"Yes." Florine leaned over and gently patted the Count's hand. "Arthur, those girls came from the flowers I gave you."

The Count's eyes widened, "Truly? And I thought I'd misunderstood them!" The man looked terribly pleased with this revelation. "What fascinating creatures! I would love to observe them in the wild." His expression soured. "Alas, their brethren seem non too pleased with us right now."

"Actually, this all might have something to do with that." KoKo explained. "You see. The flowers that they were born from were picked from a Pixie Garden, and that Garden was burned down not long after. We think . . . It was done by a mage."

Fernand's eyes narrowed and the Count's countenance suddenly drained of color. "Oh no, oh no no no, I didn't want this, I didn't want this at all!"

"Arthur." Florine urged gently. "Do you know something?"

"Tell us." KoKo said quietly. She didn't look angry, Louise thought, she looked . . . She looked sort of like her father when she confessed that she'd done something that mother would be mad at. The Duke had rarely had a hand in raising his daughters, much preferring to hunt or see to the families political affairs. But he had been a loving if at times distant man. The few times she could remember, he had always tried to understand why she had misbehaved and tailored the punishment accordingly.

"Florine was gracious enough to give me several of the flowers when I asked about them." The Count confirmed. "I was quite curious. I could find nothing about them in my texts and they are very unique among the flowers I've seen over the years. I was hoping to collect a few more so that I might send samples to colleagues in the Tristain Academia."

"I fear that fault lays with me." Fernand spoke up. The majordomo stood and bowed deeply. "By the time my master had grown interested in collecting more of the flowers, word had reached us of the strange monsters that were beginning to inhabit the forest. Rather than ask Florine or Euphrasie to brave the forest, I hired a small group of mages, former army troops fallen on hard times, to travel into the forest and collect more. When they returned, they demanded twice what we had negotiated. I thought they must have run across some of the monsters. But it seems I was wrong."

"The Pixies will defend their Gardens to the last breath." KoKo explained, shaking her head. "Your men must have angered them, and when they swarmed . . ."

"Oh please, no, I didn't want this, I didn't want this." The count said, covering his face with his hands.

"Are you hurt, Arthur?" One of the girl's asked, standing up, she wiped a forearm across the Count's damp cheek. "I'm quite alright Celandine. Thank you. I just . . . Do you understand what has happened to your home?"

"Our home?" The small sandy haired girl named Olive asked.

"Yes. Yes I suppose you wouldn't know anything about it." The count said mournfully.

"Because of that. We think the burning of the garden is what has all of the other pixies agroed." KoKo finished. "It's why they're attacking the Village, and I don't know if there's anything we can do to make them stop."

The Count sank down in his chair. "Is there anything at all I can do to make this right with them?" He asked.

"Short of offering your head on a platter?" KoKo said and then waved her hands quickly when it looked like the Count was seriously considering it. "Maybe if we can show them that we've tried to take care of the survivors? Last night, the Pixies stole away a Nav Pixie who came with us. They must have thought she was one of their missing newborns. I don't know if it will work. But if they'll even bother to talk to us for a few seconds, maybe we can try to explain whats happened."

The Count looked to his shoulder and the pixies looked back. The man shivered softly. "Girls? Would you like to help me for just a little while longer?"

The pixies all nodded simultaneously and the Count in turn nodded to himself before looking across the table to Louise and KoKo. "Then, I suppose that would be best. We should do as you say." The count decided, looking between KoKo and Louise. "Miss Valliere, I only hope the Crown can forgive the trouble I've caused."

"Well, that will remain to be seen." Louise said carefully. Really, she didn't know what the consequences would be for the Count of Tarbes. It would all depend on the outcome of this incident.

"No matter." The Count said, gathering up what courage he could muster. "Fernand, would you please go ready my horse. We'll depart presently."

"Are you sure, Arthur?" Florine asked with concern. "Most of the Villagers are out in the fields right now. It won't be a problem, will it?"

"Oh, no trouble, no trouble at all." The Count waved his hand. "I can do this much at least. Yes, from atop a horse it shouldn't be so bad." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

Louise shook her head in disbelief. This man was a Count?

While waiting for Fernand to prepare the Count's horse. Louise occupied herself looking around the room. The Count, though still on edge, had caught sight of Pina's familiar and been immediately fascinated by the pigmy dragon. Pina had in turn fixated upon the three Pixie girls who had stroked her fur and offered her sugar cubes. The dragon basked in the lavished affection.

"What kind of flowers are these?" Louise asked, examining the miniature greenhouse setup on the table.

"Oh. Yes. Do you like them?" The Count was suddenly in his element once more, the shyness fading as he spoke. "Those are Lastbreath. Incredibly poisonous. Its toxins can cause the muscles of the chest to go lax, leaving a person unable to breath" The Count said, noticing Louise's surprise. "Though those same toxins can also save a life in the right dosage. Healers use them to treat chronic respiratory ailments, but only the wealthiest nobles can afford treatment. The flower is very hard to raise outside of its native habitat, a deep ravine in Romalia. I think I've determined the reason why."

The count looked excited as he explained. "Its all thanks to Fernand as a matter of fact. I realized that the ravine is a low point that collects exhaled vapors. These vapors settle along the bottom of the canyon in a layer roughly a mail deep. Any animal that can't keep its head above this layer will find itself asphyxiated almost immediately, but Lastbreath needs these concentrations to grow and produce its toxins in the proper purity." The Count gestured to the glass apparatus beside the greenhouse. "Now naturally, a wind mage of sufficient skill could gather and concentrate these Vapers, but such a task is tedious and difficult to do with magic for long periods of time. So Fernand and I used our expertise, my fire affinity and his wind affinity, to develop an alchemic process to do so without further interference. With this device we'll be able to grow Lastbreath here in Tristain."

Louise understood almost immediately. "Its a medicinal plant, but right now we have to get it from Romalia. But with this we can grow it for ourselves." She could appreciate the value of such an invention.

"Indeed." The Count seemed pleased. "If my experiments with cultivating it meet with success, I should be able to raise enough money to expand my research."

'More than that.' Louise thought. She would have to remember to tell Professor Colbert about this. It wasn't his field of expertise, but he would likely feel like he'd found a kindred spirit.

"Arthur." Fernand returned in the company of the elderly servant from the garden. "Your horse is prepared."

The Count nodded and took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he was about to do. "Come along girls, we . . . we have business to attend to." The Pixies gathered themselves on the Counts shoulders, flitting about on gossamer wings.

Louise fell in behind the Count and his servants, walking just beside KoKo. "He's not what I expected." Louise whispered under her breath, but she was sure KoKo would be able to hear it.

"I know." KoKo agreed, smiling gently as she watched the Count carefully transfer the pixies into his shirt pocket where they would be safe while riding on horseback. "He's just an old man who's found some friends."

Somehow, Louise didn't think the Pixies would see it that way.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Yui-chan!" Leafa called. "Yui-chan!"

Klein looked over to the girl and then looked away. Damn it, she shouldn't be beating herself up like this. She was just a kid, it wasn't her fault that Yui had been kidnapped. He should have kept a better eye on Yui, or have shot down Lady Sakuya when she considered Leafa for this job. It should have been safe enough, a milk run.

'Yeah. Knock on wood.' Klein thought.

They were standing in the deep forest, miles from the furthest fields of Tarbes. KoKo hadn't been sure how far in the Pixie's might be, but the Yggdrasil Shoot would probably be near the heart of the Forest, so it was as good a place as any to start looking. Old growth trees rose around them, blotting out the light and obscuring everything in shadow. Whichever direction he looked, his vision was cut off within fifty meters and if it hadn't been for their wings, they would have been hard pressed to travel at even a walking pace without getting caught up in the bushes, brambles, and low hanging branches. Klein had thought he knew what to expect from from a forest after some of Aincrad's fields, but this was nuts!

"Leafa-san, I'd lay off on it for now." Klein suggested, receiving an angered glare from the green eyed girl. When she was angry, she had the uncomfortable tendency to look her apparent age. "Look." Klein rubbed at the back of his neck. "If Yui is with the other Pixies, they're not going to just let her run off, right? Hell, shouting would just scare them away." An uncomfortable silence passed between them.

When they had divided up responsibility that morning, Leafa had leaped at the opportunity to travel into the deep forest in search of any sign of the Pixies. Naturally, Klein had jumped in right after her. Leafa was doing the right thing for the right reasons, but she was still a kid, and she didn't have the experience that he and Silica had collected in SAO. She was bound to do something foolish if somebody didn't go with her.

At least they had Tabitha as backup. Klein had grown convinced over the past day that there was a lot more to the girl then she was letting on. There was something in her, an inner steel that shouldn't exist in someone that young, but that Klein had seen too often in Kirito and Asuna to not pick up on. And besides, she had a dragon, and it wasn't a runt like Pina.

Leafa's glare softened and her eyes turned downwards. "You're right." The Sylph girl mumbled unhappily. "Sorry."

"Leafa." Klein said. The girl stiffened up and looked at him a little surprised. "Look, we'll find her." He beat a fist against his shoulder and grinned confidently. "That's a promise."

"Un . . . I know that . . . But at the same time . . . What if she's hurt, or the Pixies do something to her?" Leafa brought her hands together before her chest. "Yui . . . Before all of this . . . She asked me if I was her Aunt."

Klein blinked in surprise. Yui was an AI right? Did she even have a concept of family like that? Well, obviously she thought of Kirito as her 'Papa' and Asuna as her 'Mama', but it was weird to hear that it went further than that. Leafa looked like she was on the verge of tearing up. 'Crap . . . Don't let her cry. Think of an answer!' "O-okay?" 'Real smooth, real smooth.'

"Honestly, I would have rather she thought of me as her Onee-san." Leafa continued. "It would have been fun to have a little sister. But, I think she needed me more this way. And really, I felt honored that Yui-chan would even think of me that way . . ." Leafa looked up and smiled desperately. "I was supposed to protect her! And instead I led her here. I betrayed her trust! I betrayed Onii-chan's trust!" Leafa leaned against the side of a nearby tree. "This is my fault." She whispered.

'No . . . Its not your fault.' Klein thought angrily. 'Don't you go down this road too. Don't you dare go and be like Kirito. I'm done seeing people do that to themselves!'

Klein had been lucky, in a fashion. In SAO, his guild, Furinkanzen, had been unique. They were among the clearers, but it was not their status among the elite, or their success in battle that had made them special. Furinkanzen had started with seven members, and it had ended with those same seven. At no point in SAO did they lose a single man, even as others fell in battle around them.

He had payed for that privilege with sweat and tears, and long nights spent awake, starring up at the ceiling and wondering how a goofball like him . . . Tsuboi Ryotaro . . . salary man at a small imports company and newbie to SAO . . . Managed to stand and survive when so many others had fallen around him. Succumbing to fatal mistakes, overconfidence, or simple bad luck. And yet, that still made him one of the lucky ones.

The Tsuboi Ryotaro that had woken up after two years in the game . . . in the World of SAO, shared a lot with the Tsuboi Ryotaro of before. He was a little older, much wiser, and much much more weary, but he hadn't been a stranger to his parents, and he'd been able to cry with genuine gratitude when his asshole of a boss had visited his hospital room and told him that he wanted to hire him back as soon as he was well enough to work.

It hadn't been the same for Kirito. At some point over those two years the boy who had shown Klein the ropes on that first day had died, and the person who had taken his place had been left scarred in a way that left the older man wandering how Kirito could stand to breath, much less fight, laugh, and live on. That anguish wasn't something he ever wanted to see another person feel. Hating himself, just a little, for letting it happen to Kirito was about the only way Klein could hope to understand.

"Hey, Leafa . . . Look, I know we're not really friends or anything and you don't have any reason to trust what I'm telling you." Damn, why did words have to be so hard? "But . . . I know your brother well enough to say he won't think you've betrayed him. And if Yui is his little girl, than she'll be thinking the exact same thing. And that's because its the truth. You couldn't have expected this. You left her someplace you thought was safe, with people to protect her." Klein walked over and patted the girl's hair. Leafa squeezed her eyes shut and leaned her head against his palm. "There's plenty of blame to go around, but you'd be at the back of the line."

"I can't forgive myself for this." Leafa said.

"Sure you can." Klein replied, causing the girl to look up. "All we have to do is get Yui back safe and make sure it never happens again." Klein took his hand from Leafa's head and stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Of course . . . You're brother will probably still be pretty mad . . . He'll probably punch me for not knowing better and then tell you off for not being a little more careful. But the point is, it won't change who you are to him. And he definitely will still trust you."

That didn't mean there would be any consequence, oh no. Klein thought to himself darkly. Yeah, if something happened to that girl . . . It might just be the final thing to push Kirito over the edge.

Leafa looked thoughtful, but slowly, she nodded. "Okay."

Klein felt relieved, she wasn't exactly snapping back to herself, but as long as they found Yui, she'd be able to work through this. 'And the battle is won. Now where's the victory BGM? . . . No seriously . . . Where's the BGM?' The whole forest had just gone deathly silent.

Both Faeries were immediately on guard. Klein drawing his Katana just as Leafa brought out her own longsword. Both of them glanced about. Ears straining for any clues, eyes scanning the shadows for motion. Their wings materialized without a second thought. High above, Tabitha's dragon circled slowly, keeping watch from the skies. But with the forest being so thick, it was unlikely that Sylphied or her master could see anything.

"Do you hear that?" Leafa asked. One of her long ears twitched as if listening to something far away.

"Eh? I think your hearing is better." Klein replied.

"It sounds like . . . Wolves or . . . Dogs?" Leafa trailed off. Klein could hear it now too, rapid fire staccato barks accompanied by the high pitched whines that they'd heard the night before.

"Airborne. Now!" Klein said, but Leafa was already kicking off into the sky. Rising up through a gap in the thick canopy above them and into the safety of the air. It was harder to hear up above the trees. The wind interfered, and also the canopy seemed to trap much of the sound. But Leafa was able to find the source, pointing to the east, deeper into the forest.

They climbed back up to Tabitha and Sylphied, settling on the dragon's neck to rest their wings. "There's something going on to the East of here. Mind if we check it out?" Klein asked.

The girl had shaken her head and without a word, gently directed the dragon to fly Eastward towards the source of the disturbance.

"What is that?" Klein asked as the barking grew louder. Between the brief gaps in the trees, the Salamander swordsman could make out the sleek blue shapes of dagger dogs running along an animal path. A whole pack of the highly coordinated mobs were chasing something through the forest, actually, a lot of somethings. Brown gray and covered in bristled fur. They looked sort of familiar to Klein but he wasn't quite sure from the air.

"Boar." Tabitha confirmed a moment later.

"You mean like wild pigs?" Leafa asked.

"Then they're just hunting?" Klein asked. After all, even mobs had to eat. Still, it might be a Pixie controlled pack, in which case, following them couldn't hurt.

The blue haired mage frowned, squinting behind her glasses. "Not hunting. Herding."

"Herding?" Klein asked, like they're corralling the pigs? Wait, what had KoKo said? The Pixies tended to the forest, boar did lots of damage and ate pretty much everything in their path, so were the Pixies trying to evict them? They hadn't so much as spotted a Wild Pixie since entering the forest, so this might just be a lead.

"Oy, Tabitha, follow those swine!" Klein shouted to be heard. Sylphied let out a cry and banked, gliding just above the tree tops.

It wasn't long before the forest began to widen beneath them and Klein could see the whole herd. At least a dozen boar were running beneath them, and as he watched another group emerged from the north, being chased by still more dagger dogs. Then, almost as soon as the two groups of boar came together, the dogs stopped howling and began to split off, racing back into the forest and leaving the combined herd confused and milling about near the center of a clearing.

"What the hell was that about?" Klein asked to no one in particular.

"Should we check it out?" Leafa asked, "There must be a reason they were herding them here."

"Un." Klein nodded and patted Tabitha on the shoulder. "Keep an eye out for us, okay?" The girl nodded.

Descending from Sylphied, the two Faeries came down a short distance from the heard which was now milling about and sniffing around for food. Klein didn't know much about IRL boar, but in SAO they had a tendency to agroe pretty easily, and he wasn't much interested in fighting trash mobs when he had a job to do.

"Heh. Wish Enya were here, we could have a barbecue."

"Klein!" Leafa snapped.

"Alright, alright. Being serious." The Salamander said, looking around. What reason could the dogs have had to herd them here? There was almost nothing around. They were in a semi open space near the heart of the forest. At some point long ago the area must have been cleared by some natural disaster, or judging by the low, semi earth covered lip that encircle half the clearing, and taking into account the sunken elevation, had once been the bed of a pond or shallow lake.

They spent a little time examining the clearing while Tabitha kept watch above. The open space left Klein feeling a lot more at ease. They'd definitely be able to see something coming, especially with their eye in the sky. After their first sweep of the clearing turned up nothing, both Faeries found themselves crouching down in the shade provided by the low earthen ridge, taking a moment to rest and think.

"Say, Klein." Leafa said as she stood beside him. "Thanks."

"Oh? Its no big deal." Klein said. "You're a good kid to worry about her. I think Yui is lucky to have an aunt like you."

"Not just about that." Leafa said. "I mean, thanks for everything. For looking out for Onii-chan and me." Leafa smiled sincerely, "You may not look it, but you're a really nice guy Klein."

Klein's head sank down, now if only he could get someone a bit older to say something like that to him.

Well, there was that fire mage chick . . . No, on the other hand, bad idea.

'Eh, Why not?'

Because she looked like she was going to eat him alive!

'So, wouldn't that be a worthy death?'

And besides, she was still too young to go drinking with.

'Not by the local standards.'

Damn it! He had to uphold his own standards. 'Come on Klein, where's your honor as a Samurai!'

'Technically, the adherence to Bushido portrayed in modern fiction greatly exaggerates the honor of the warrior class in Japanese history. Much of the modern idealization of the code of Bushido is the result of efforts taken by the Japanese government prior to WWII to bolster moral within the armed forces and . . '

'Damn it brain!' Where in the hell had he even learned that?

Klein shook his head and turned his attention back to Leafa. "Like I said, it's no problem." Klein insisted. "I owe your brother a lot. We're comrades after all. Don't go acting like its some big inconvenience for me . . . Leafa. We will get her back."

"I know." The Sylph said quietly as she leaned against the stony surface.

A soft low hiss filled the clearing and both Klein and Leafa shot bolt upright. The boar seemed equally confused and began to look about in fright.

"What is this, what's going on?" Leafa already had her sword in her hands.

They felt it before they heard it. A faint shaking that turned to rumbling and then grinding like stone against stone. Immediately, both Faeries were back on guard. The ground began to tremble, pebbles dancing at their feet.

"What is that?" Klein asked to no one in particular.

"Definitely not more dogs. Is it . . . " Leafa began

Suddenly, a jet of hot acrid air burst from the earthen wall that Leafa had been standing against, passing just between the two Faeries, and leaving hole as Large as a human head. Klein caught only a brief whiff. But whatever it was, it was pretty powerful. He felt his eyes watering at what could only be described as the overwhelming stench of rotting meat, carried on hot and humid breath . . . Breath?

The earth shuddered again, and Klein felt his heart stop as shards of rock began to crack and brake away. A trio of silver ovoids, each about a meter long, clustered tightly together in a triangular pattern, were revealed centered at just above head level on the earthen barrier. Then, in a single rippling motion, the mirrored surfaces withdrew revealing three ovoids of vivid green. The green orbs spun about smoothly, each containing a single, blood red, slitted pupil.

"Okay . . . That's bad!" Klein said as two years of SAO and twenty three years of common sense kicked in. "Leafa?"

The girl was frozen in place at his side. The ground shook again more violently. The whole earthen wall rippling. Dirt and stones falling away, grass and plants tearing loose. Slowly the eyes rose up, and up, and up. More earth and roots fell away. A milk white head revealed itself, rising up into the air, undeniably conical and reptilian, but something in the line of the jaw and mouth reminded Klein of pictures he had seen of wales. Hell, the thing almost looked cute. A series of questioning chirps rose from someplace deep within the creature's skull.

By now the boar had fled back into the forest in an attempt to take refuge.

"Leafa!" Klein gritted out.

The girl was shaking now, completely transfixed by the eyes. She'd handled herself well enough against the mobs last night, but this was something else entirely. The Whale-Snake headed monster began to open its mouth and all sense of cuteness vanished in an instant. Muscles trembled as jaw unhinged and unfolded, and the sleekly conical head was transformed into a nightmare of gaping maw and sword like teeth. The chirping cry from earlier was replaced by a vicious hiss.

The earthen wall was revealed for what it actually was, the body of an immense white serpent, rising from the earth and wrapping around most of the clearing. The serpent began to coil up, turning menacingly towards Leafa. Klein didn't even bother calling out to the girl this time. Like a spring coming unwound, the serpent lunged forward. Its mouth and sword teeth fit to swallow a grown man and turn him into sashimi in a single gulp. Klein slammed into Leafa, dropping his sword and sweeping the girl off of her feet before kicking off with all of his might. The serpent rocketed past beneath them, its long body flowing like water before circling back around, angered that it had just missed its meal.

"Kyuuii!" Sylphied cried as from on high Tabitha raised her staff and a hail of icicle projectiles materialized to rain down on the unsuspecting serpent below. Ice shards, sharp enough to shred flesh and hard and heavy enough to batter apart armor, fell like rain across the serpents hide. Tabitha might as well have been hitting it with spitballs. The serpent doubled back on itself and fought back. A short sharp jet of some clear viscous fluid shot from its mouth, narrowly missing the dragon. It would have been a pretty week boss if it was land bound and couldn't fight back.

"Get clear!" Klein shouted to Tabitha. "That thing's at least a field boss!" If this area had been a forest in ALfheim as well, it might be a formerly quest related dungeon boss. Considering that it had been laying dormant the latter seemed likely.

Klein and Sylphied rose back up until they were well out of the Serpent's range. The monster turned and lashed about for a while longer before its body described a figure eight and glided off into the forest, leaving only the upturned earth and thoroughly destroyed clearing to mark its passage. As they watched, the trees began to ripple and sway, describing a path off to North West.

Only as his breathing slowed and he took account of his senses did Klein realize that he was still holding Leafa in his arms. The girl's face was bone white and she trembled softly. There was a world of difference between fighting normal mobs and facing down something like that. Leafa was a tough kid, she was Kirito's sister after all, but Klein had seen plenty of strong players freeze up the first time they faced something like that. Especially when death was a real possibility.

"Hey, Leafa . . . Are you okay?"

The girl shook her head slowly. "I . . . I'll be fine." He felt her shiver one last time as she got herself under control. A little bit of color returned to her cheeks. "Uhm, Thank you." She said, and then, "You can put me down now."

"What? Oh. Right!" Klein carefully released the Sylph as she materialized her wings and took to the skies beside him. Klein looked down and noticed his empty scabbard for the first time. Glancing about, far below he could see where he and Leafa had been standing. The Serpent had cut a deep trench through the earth, scraping the ground as it went. There was no sign of his Katana. "Damn! It ate my sword!"

"Sorry. That's my fault." Leafa shook her head. "I promise I'll make it up to you!" She added quickly.

Well, he hadn't made a habit of blaming people for things that were his own fault, and he wasn't about to start now. "It's fine. You can chip in for a new one we get back to Arrun." He offered. Damn, he'd really liked that sword.

"What was that?" Tabitha asked as they returned to Sylphied. The small mage looked off in the direction that the serpent had traveled.

"I have no clue." Klein replied, "Leafa?"

"Mmm. I don't know much about boss monsters outside of the Sylph territory." The Sylph apologized.

"The Dogs . . . Feeding it?" Tabitha asked.

The Dogs had herded the boar very carefully to this area before retreating. That meant they must have known the boss was lying dormant here. Were the Pixies taking care of the boss? Klein wondered. Damn, KoKo had told them lots about the Pixies but maybe he should have had her write it all down.

"I can hear more barking." Leafa said suddenly.

"What? Which way?" Klein asked.

The Sylph placed her hands to her ears and closed her eyes in concentration. "It's . . . To the west. The dogs are definitely to the west." In the distance, Klein saw one of the old growth trees shudder and snap like a twig, the Serpent ramming through anything it couldn't avoid. Sylphied turned to the west, overflying the serpent's path and allowing the Mage and Faeries to observe from the sky.

They only caught brief glimpses, Tabitha didn't dare to bring Sylphied too low. A flash of serpentine white, and out ahead, bolts of blue fur herding the boar from earlier back together. The dogs didn't try to stop the boar. The wild pigs would likely have simply charged through the Dagger Dogs if they tried to prevent their escape from the monster at their backs. But the pack type mobs weren't trying to stop them, and the serpent wouldn't have needed their help even if they had. The serpent descended upon the rear most boar like lightning. What Klein saw through the tree's was like watching the Shinkansen passing through the station. The squealing cries of boar gradually grew fewer and then vanished altogether.

The dagger dogs went silent, scattering off into the woods. Having already been fed the Serpent seemed uninterested in chasing after the remaining morsels. For a brief moment Klein saw something small, yellow and black, flying above the dogs. A Willow Wasp, and no doubt a Pixie rider. What could the Pixies be trying to do by waking up a boss and then leading it along with food? They were leading it. Leading it West . . . Away from something? Or towards . . .towards Tarbes! It suddenly occurred to Klein what was happening.

"They're luring it." He muttered.

Tabitha glanced to him and Leafa perked up.

"What do you mean?" Leafa asked.

"Look, pixies have a taming ability, but it only works on small mobs and bosses are supposed to be pretty much impossible to tame on top of that. Maybe it can be done now, but it would be incredibly hard and dangerous, right?"

"Right." Leafa agreed and then suddenly understood. "But they don't need to tame it. They just need it to go where they want it to go." Leafa's face was set into a look of dawning horror. Up until now. The Pixies had possessed only their small mobs with which to attack Tarbes. But with something like that on the way, if they were successful in directing it towards Tarbes, they'd be able to wipe the village out.

"Leafa, are your wings good?" Klein snapped around. Stupid question, Sylphs were among the best fliers, and Leafa was one of the most skilled Sylphs.

"Un." The Sylph nodded determinedly, understanding what he was about to ask her.

"We're going to track this thing for a while longer. You head back to Tarbes and warn everyone." Why couldn't towns still be safe zones? Klein thought bitterly. Yeah, an invincible town wall to hide behind would be pretty sweet right now. "Tell KoKo what we saw and then tell the Village Chief to get everyone together. They need to get ready to evacuate."


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Clear your mind of everything." Hinagiku said. "Your own feelings and thoughts can color Yggdrasil-sama's song."

"That's bad, right?" Yui asked.

"No . . . Not bad." Hinagiku shook her head as she offered Yui a cup filled with a sort of milky white tea. "But you must be aware of it and how it colors your perceptions."

Yui scrunched up her face. This was all too unspecific. She didn't suppose the Pixies might have an address code or some sort of console command to open their link with Cardinal? If that were the case, their ceremonies would probably be much more superficial.

Hinagiku had come to collect her after her talk with Sayuri. The Vespid Knight had wanted to know everything about the Fae and mages, what kind of attacks they used, their fighting styles, and which ones were the strongest. Fortunately for Yui's policy of honesty, other than Sayuri's natural paranoia, she didn't appear to be an expert interrogator and there were lots of questions which Yui couldn't answer besides. For instance, Yui had only witnessed Aunt Sugu in battle, and that had been back when ALfheim was a game. The others were almost completely unknown to her. What little Yui had been able to tell her were things that the Knight had likely already known. She had been able to answer quite honestly that she simply didn't have the information Sayuri wanted. Though frustrated, the Vespid Knight had believed her.

Instead of being taken back to the sleep chambers with all of the other Little Sisters, Hinagiku led Yui back to her own small cell in the upper portion of the nest. Yui watched as the Shaman began to lay out a pair of mats and pillows, preparing a sitting place for the two of them. [<Hypothesis]> Yui had noted a great deal of detail within the Pixie nest. Blankets, pillows, small pots and clay mugs. Was this an artifact from ALFheim? The furniture and items might largely be miniaturized game assets. Prior to the transition. Could players have peaked inside of a Pixie nest and seen all of this? Or were the nests originally nothing but spawn points for the Wild Pixies? Had the transition filled in the blanks like it had with the Pixies' intelligence and personalities?

[<Interrogative]> This was well beyond the capabilities of Cardinal's synthesis functions. Cardinal was immensely powerful, both in terms of its decision making processes and authority over the game world, but ultimately, Cardinal was simply a machine, not a god. Its ability to synthesize and create new content, while impressive, was limited by the availability of external databases and per-existing game assets and did not reach the complexity necessary to construct the fully functioning minds and bodies of the mobs. It could not have been the source of the actualization of ALFheim in Halkegenia.

From what Yui could determine, Hinagiku earnestly believed that she had lived in the Garden for over a year, conducting all of her varied ceremonies and rituals and caring for the Little Sisters. As sophisticated as Cardinal was, it was doubtful that the GM AI could synthesize such an elaborate society and populate it with so many varied personalities.

[<Correction]> Cardinal had been altered in some way by the Transition, this was evident in Yui's own inability to properly interface with the GM AI. What was the extent of this alteration. If Cardinal was not the source of the Transition, but rather subject to it just as everything else from ALFheim, then perhaps Cardinal was now in fact some sort of [<god]> or [<deity spirit]>

Meanwhile, Yui's own mind structure appeared to be largely unaltered save for a considerable increase in sensory input from her body [<Distracting]>. Otherwise, she had detected no abnormalities despite checking and rechecking her main logic cluster. [<Insufficient Information]>[<Prediction Failure]>[<Concern]>. Was this because she had already been a fully realized intelligence? And how had this criteria been reached?

[<Hypothesis]> [<Emergent Behavior?]> Yui considered this possibility. When the Pixies' minds had been created, had they simply filled in the blanks from information provided to them during the Transition? Humans were known to fabricate entire memories in response to stressful situations. Yui had done something similar as a result of the Trauma of her own birth, the cascading failures that had led to the emergence of hew own mind had forced the MHCP program to purge large portions of its internal database including parts of Yui's own nascent mind structure. These components had only been restored after coming into contact with the GM console in the hidden dungeon beneath Aincrad's starting city.

Yui watched as Hinagiku hummed to herself, feeling worry. Would Hinagiku be able to believe the truth? Would it damage her if she learned that her memories were fabrications?

Hinagiku noticed Yui starring and patted the pillow beside her. "Please, come and sit down Yui-san. "I'd like to try something with you."

Yui nodded slowly. Regardless of anything else, she had to play the part of a good Little Sister so that she could keep learning more about the Pixies.

"You said that you can hear something that you think is Yggdrasil-sama's song." Hinagiku observed as Yui made herself comfortable.

"Un." Yui said, sitting cross legged before the Shaman. "But, I can't make anything out. It doesn't sound like anything at all to me."

Hinagiku gave her a worried look. "I think perhaps you are trying too hard. Yggdrasil-sama doesn't expect us to listen to every part of her song, only the parts meant for us, and even among Pixies there are certain parts of the song that are emphasized more than others."

Yui nodded, "You said you listen to chanting, and Sayuri-sama listens to drums." Yui looked thoughtful. "Then I should be listening to the lullaby"

"Yes and no." Hinagiku said, elaborating as she offered Yui a mug. "Even a Little Sister can hear Yggdrasil-sama's chant and drums, but they are distant things, just as the drums are very distant for me, and chant is distant for Sayuri-sama. First you must find what Yggdrasil-sama wishes for you to hear." Hinagiku took her own mug and carefully rotated it once in a counterclockwise fashion before lifting it in both hands and sipping at the contents. She nodded for Yui to do the same. "There's nothing to worry about, it's merely an herbal tea."

Yui took an experimental sip. The flavor was bitter, but Papa would probably have teased her if she complained, so she hid her distaste and took another sip. She noticed the way Hinagiku smiled. Slowly Yui felt a sensation that could only be described as [<Calm]> passing over her.

"For tonight, we will try some simple meditative exercises." The Shaman explained before taking up a folded arms, straight backed posture. She closed her eyes and began to describe what she wanted Yui to do.

Trying to meditate honestly felt strange to Yui. She knew of meditation, and why humans partook of it. For stress relief, or for spiritual purposes, sometimes simply as a method of focus and physical health. But the idea of regulating her body, controlling her breathing, slowing her heartbeat, relaxing her arms and legs, was a new experience.

[<Query]> Had she been mistaken in her conclusion earlier? Was her physical existence beginning to have an effect on her state of mind? [<Worry]> Yui began yet another self diagnostic of her main logic cluster but again the results were inconclusive.

"You must clear your mind, Yui-san. All that there should be, is yourself, and Yggdrasil-sama." Hinagiku explained.

"I understand . . . But . . ." The girl shook her head. "I'm sorry but its a lot harder than I thought." Yui admitted.

She couldn't stop thinking no matter what she did. Yui was an AI after all, at least, by technical definition, though she did not consider herself to be a human like intelligence or "virtual human being" in the way that popular fiction depicted them.

"That's alright Yui-san." Hinagiku reassured her. "We'll try for a little longer tonight and then rest."

Though Yui tried to follow Hinagiku's advice, her link to Cardinal remained unswervingly incomprehensible. Noise and junk code that from time to time would resolve itself into incomplete bits of command line information. [<Query]> Perhaps what Yui and Hinagiku heard were two different things entirely.

Eventually they finished for the night. The end of their session coming as the shaman finished her second cup of tea. Yui had stood, stretching slowly, and feeling a yawn coming on. She felt stiff, her legs had cramped up while sitting. Like she'd told Klein, a physical body could be pretty inconvenient.

Hinagiku showed Yui across the small cell to a narrow doorway that lead into an even smaller room. Blankets and pillows had been laid out on an elevated platform. "Since you will under my care for the time being, you will sleep here with me from now on." The shaman explained.

Yui nodded slowly and climbed up onto the platform. There would be more than enough space for both girls and Yui see that a sleeping place had been prepared for her. The day had given her lots to think about and exhaustion that was creeping into her body was a constant reminder that 'sleep' was probably a good idea.

"Goodnight, Hinagiku-san." Yui offered.

"Goodnight, Yui-san." The shaman replied.

Yui cralwed beneath the blankets and closed her eyes, but she didn't enter her standby state right away. She was still thinking. Mulling over everything she had seen today. A few thoughts would always come to her late, and it was best to allow the last conclusions to trickle in then to risk losing them when her buffer was cleared.

She listened to the sounds of Hinagiku moving around in the other room. Unlike Sayuri who barely seemed to think of her at all, Hinagiku had been nothing but kind. [<Conclusion]> Mama would like her. Yui Thought. [<Query]> Does Hinagiku hate humans? The few times that the subject had almost been brought up, the girl had seemed unsure. From what Yui had gathered, only the Vespid Knights and some of the Shaman and Eldest Little Sisters had been near to Tarbes, and then only to do battle.

[<Information Control]> That was a possibility. Hinagiku was the senior shaman and the Pixie Garden was hierarchical in nature. Even if Sayuri was the leader, Hinagiku would have some voice. Maybe she could convince the Shaman to see things for herself. If Hinagiku would just agree to talk to talk with the humans, then she would definitely understand that the people of Tarbes weren't bad. For the villagers, their fields were their life, just like the Garden was for the Pixies. They should be able to understand each other. [<Conclusion]> They don't have to hurt each other.

Hinagiku peaked in briefly and whispered Yui's name. However, the former MHCP AI was so lost in thought that she barely noticed and Hinagiku must have concluded that she had already fallen asleep. Yui's primary thought process came to a crash stop a moment later as her audio analysis subroutine triggered a keyword alert.

"Sayuri-sama?" Hinagiku said with surprise before her voice softened. "You're here for that again, Elder Sister?"

Yui's eyes opened just a crack. Pretending to be asleep, hidden in the shadows and beneath the covers, Yui watched through the doorway as the Vespid Knight stepped into Hinagiku's chamber. Something was wrong. The way Sayuri moved was different from before. The smooth, graceful motions were missing. She seemed slower, wearier than she had whenever she appeared before the other Pixies.

Sayuri nodded her head, refusing to look Hinagiku in the eye. "Kigiku keeps insisting that I rest. But the song is keeping me awake again." The Knight said tiredly.

Hinagiku looked about to say something, but her expression changed to one of simple concern. "I can prepare the infusion I gave you last time, it should help quiet the song. But the dreamless sleep you've been having . . . " Hinagiku shook her head. "It isn't healthy. You need proper rest Sayuri-sama."

The Knight took an offered seat atop one of Hinagiku's pillows, raising a hand to rub at one temple. "Rest? I'll be able to rest in just a few more days. Once . . ." Sayuri grimaced for a moment as if in pain. The tension in her face and complaints of being unable to sleep [<Migraine?]> Yui wondered. " . . . Once the beings are gone and this Garden is safe."

"Then you are going forward with that?" The Shaman asked.

[<Query]> That? Yui wondered about this. Hinagiku wasn't articulating which probably meant she was uncomfortable with the subjects that the two were discussing. Taken in context, it seemed Sayuri was planning something. A new phase in her ongoing campaign against the Village? What form would it take? She seemed confident that it would drive the Villagers off, or even destroy Tarbes. Too many unknowns with too many immediate consequences filled Yui's mind. Blossoming, iterating, she forced herself to to pause her current train of thougt.

Hinagiku turned around and removed something from an earthen jar, a few small flower buds, tiny even in the hands of a Pixie, and went to work mashing them into a paste with a grinding stone. She murmured as she worked, speaking in a soft, soothing tone, that appeared to set Sayuri at ease. Yui had been frightened by the other girl both times she had confronted her. But now, she didn't look scary at all, simply tired.

The Shaman next lifted a small pot atop a miniature hearth filling the hearth with a few dry leaves with which to start a fire and several piece of an almost amber like material. Yui had seen the pixie who fed the central hearth using the same small stones, though she wasn't entirely sure what they were. [<Hypothesis]> Some sort of sap?

The Shaman lit the kindling with a fireball, so softly invoked that it emerged from her offered hand as nothing but a few small sparks. The stones began to heat and smolder, giving off a faintly pleasant, smoke filled aroma. "It will take a few moments." Hinagiku apologized. "In the mean time, let me see your back."

"Again?" Sayuri asked wearily.

When the other girl did not back down, the Knight turned around and pulled up her blouse, exposing her bare back for inspection. Beneath her blanket, Yui had to hold in a gasp. The Knight's back was covered in horrible bruises and welts that clustered all around the stems of her wings. What had happened to her?

"It's getting worse." Hinagiku observed.

"The pain is not a problem." Sayuri winced as the Shaman probed with her fingers.

"You may not think so. But if you ignore it, you'll end up pushing yourself too far." Hinagiku warned softly. "What will your Little Sisters think if that happens?"

"If something happens to me. I trust Kigiku to finish what I've started." Sayuri stated flatly.

Hinagiku gave a small nod, closing her eyes. "That may be." The shaman stood and returned to her pot, ladling some heated water into a nutshell and mixing it with the flower paste. "But it would still be a great trouble to all of us." She offered the contents to Sayuri who took the shell reluctantly. "Please, just spend a little time to care for yourself. Nobody will think any less of you."

Sayuri didn't answer, instead drinking down the contents of the shell as quickly as she could. She made a disgusted face and Hinagiku giggled softly.

"You have no stomach for bitter things, do you Sayuri-sama? It betrays your inexperience." Hinagiku said with a hint of mirth. The Vespid Knight glared at her before standing slowly. "I meant no disrespect." The shaman said gently.

"Next time . . . mix it with something sweet please." The Knight said before turning to depart.

"Sayuri-sama. On that note." Hinagiku spoke up.

"Yes?" The Knight asked.

"The flowers I've been using to treat you . . . They don't bloom here in the garden and they don't keep well once they are picked. The other Shamans and I also use them in our ceremonies and for when a Little Sister's time comes, so they are very important for that reason as well. Tomorrow, I'd like to go find more."

Sayuri nodded. "I'll lend you Kigiku and her sisters for protection."

"I would also like to take Yui and Botan." The Shaman said quickly.

The Knight looked at her curiously. "You've chosen to take Yui under your wing, her I understand, but why Botan?"

The shaman smiled gently. "The girl is anxious right now. She's becoming less and less like a Little Sister and doesn't know her place anymore. I think it will come her time very soon, and I want to be sure she goes down the path that she and Yggdrasil-sama want for her."

"I see." For the first time, Yui saw Sayuri's real smile. It almost made her cry, it was so feeble, like a flame that was in danger of going out. "Do as you like, Hinagiku."

"Thank you, Sayuri-sama." The shaman bowed graciously.

Only after the other girl had left did Hinagiku shake her head softly and murmur something that even Yui couldn't make out. Her wings folded like a moth's behind her back as she placed the discarded nutshell back on her chamber's low table and sank down onto the mat she used for meditation. The girl closed her eyes and let out a long low sigh. Gradually her breathing became slow and steady and her form perfectly still. [<Meditation]> Yui thought. This was what Hinagiku had been trying to show her earlier.

Cautiously, Yui rolled over beneath her blanket, and thought about what she had just witnessed. So many new unknowns had just opened up before her. [<Queries]> What was Sayuri planning? What was wrong with Sayuri? What had Hinagiku meant about Botan's "time"? Yui thought she might be able to ask Hinagiku about the last one, but the first two were almost certainly forbidden subjects for her.

Yui knew only two things for certain. Sayuri was planning something terrible, and tomorrow Yui would go with Hinagiku beyond the boundaries of the Garden. They would be accompanied by only a few Knights and Botan. Aunt Suguha and the others would almost definitely be looking for her. If the opportunity came. She would have to try and escape.

Yui closed her eyes and placed herself into standby. The last thought processed by her primary logic cluster fading into oblivion with her sense of self.

'Papa, Mama, Aunt Sugu . . . I promise I'll try'

 

[Vaermina]

Considering a lot of the plot in ALO is about PVP issues, backstabbing, etc I think we can safely say that ALO wasn't the nicest of MMOs. Though with real life consequences added, the new HO world I imagine will have a good deal less of that. This would also match the canon reduction of such things in SAO, where a lot of people took much lower risk strategies when they had to be willing to risk everything.

Click to shrink...

GGO brings up a good point on why people in VRMMO's are not likely to be as bad as EVE players, though it does so in a creepy way. The reason is that it entirely possible that if you do something that bad like steal thousands of dollars from someone that person can hunt you down in RL.

 

[Exsequens]

So from this point on we start posting here instead of there or till there's all's well and full? Excuse me if I got something wrong since I'm never really around Spacebattles a lot till lately so I'm clueless as to how the moving to another thread thing works.

---

Big chapter is big, time to dive into the fireworks.

 

[75% Certain]

GGO brings up a good point on why people in VRMMO's are not likely to be as bad as EVE players, though it does so in a creepy way. The reason is that it entirely possible that if you do something that bad like steal thousands of dollars from someone that person can hunt you down in RL.

Click to shrink...

You're obviously not familiar with Russian EVE players.

So from this point on we start posting here instead of there or till there's all's well and full? Excuse me if I got something wrong since I'm never really around Spacebattles a lot till lately so I'm clueless as to how the moving to another thread thing works.

Click to shrink...

Here.

 

[Exsequens]

Halkegenia Online Chapter 9 – Part 5

Click to shrink...

...

Why do I have this odd guess. Ex-army troops, likes to throw around fire. This rings a bell. Nevertheless, the only lines I am in the mood to use regarding these peeps, (In general, the majordomo and his hired hands who had better be prepared for angry Fae, regardless whether they are blameless or not, the Count gets off since he's shown himself to be a decent guy.)

"DAMNED IMBECILES! Next time you want to do botany you get someone who knows their work to do it!"

---

On a side note, whatever occurred to Sigurd? He was kicked into renegade before the transition, was he logged out at the time? I have a guess he was in, and is Recon alright or was he still in Remain Light mode when the transition occurred?

Which also makes me ask, what about the people who were being Remain Lights? Are they dead or alive? Seeing as Remain Lights mean you are dead but not exactly dead.

 

[Triggerhappy]

Oh yeah, something just occurred to me and I'm amazed no one else realized it.

Originally Sayuri was supposed to be Tiny!Karin . . . But the more I look at her back story and how things have developed . . . I just realized she's Tiny!Agnes.

No that it matters much considering by the end of this Klein is going to be calling her the "Thumb Top Tiger".

 

[Triggerhappy]

...
On a side note, whatever occurred to Sigurd? He was kicked into renegade before the transition, was he logged out at the time? I have a guess he was in, and is Recon alright or was he still in Remain Light mode when the transition?

Click to shrink...

Sigurd probably rage quit. I really can't imagine him coming back to the game, at least not without sulking for a while. Though he might be mean spirited enough to chug back a couple of beers IRL to commemorate the apparent disintegration of his former leader.

And now I can't get this image out of my head that Recon has become Calcifer . . . I kid. Remain lighted players were probably just respawned like everyone else in their starting city.

 

[Vaermina]

At one point in time a Russian aluminum magnate outright bought an EVE corporation.

Part of the payment was a new set of teeth for its CEO.

Click to shrink...

I meant they would hunt them down in RL and beat the crap out of them, not play money games.

 

[Exsequens]

Sigurd probably rage quit. I really can't imagine him coming back to the game, at least not without sulking for a while. Though he might be mean spirited enough to chug back a couple of beers IRL to commemorate the apparent disintegration of his former leader.

And now I can't get this image out of my head that Recon has become Calcifer . . . I kid. Remain lighted players were probably just respawned like everyone else in their starting city.

Click to shrink...

Curses, and I was hoping he'd be around to become giant retitled-white-demon-serpent-amphibian-reptile-Serpent-mathingy-till-we-get-it's-name bushkill. As unlikely as that might be.

A Recon of Fire and Wind and Darkness would have sounded thoroughly amusing, think of all the heating costs he'd save. ~

 

[Khaos]

Not playing EVE online and only knowing a very small amount about in game events, didn't that work out rather poorly for one of the early Corps.?

Click to shrink...

Eve Online is the freaking game where a guy set up a Ponzi scheme and managed to get away with one trillions Isk (in-game currency), which was equivalent to 50K real dollars since you could actually convert dollars to Isk to buy in game items. Unfettered capitalism at work.

 

[Vaermina]

You should add the fanart link for Morgania to the first post Trigger.

 

[75% Certain]

I meant they would hunt them down in RL and beat the crap out of them, not play money games.

Click to shrink...

Back when Titans were brand new and nigh-unkillable, the Russian plan to take one down was to cut power to the pilot's house and nuke the hell out of the ship before it logoffski'd.

Also, you're wrong to dismiss money as a serious factor; RMT is a big deal, and the sums involved are pretty damn impressive. For instance, in the Battle of Uemon, the 12 Titans that the NC lost represented about $48,000 worth of spaceship by their lonesome, give or take.

 

[jwolfe_beta]

Considering that Hinagikui's heading out with Yui and Boten I wager that they will be the ones to run into the party with the count. This will probably end with the count explaining everything and offering himself up to the pixies.

Meanwhile Leafa is tearing back to Tarbles to warn about the incoming problem while Klein and Tabitha play tag/try to slow that thing down.

Finally Sayuri is burning the candle at both ends and I can see her just mentaly crashing if the others manage to stop the boss and broker peace. This war is all she has had for some time and it suddenly stopping will have bad effects on her mentality.

 

[Exsequens]

They don't need to, they only need to herd it to the town.

Click to shrink...

Just like the incident in World of Warcraft some guys kited Doom Lord Kazzak all the way into an Alliance city, a GM had to do some 1HKO later, except this time there are no GMs, and death is very permanent.

 

[Triggerhappy]

Just like the incident in World of Warcraft some guys kited Doom Lord Kazzak all the way into an Alliance city, a GM had to do some 1HKO later, except this time there are no GMs, and death is very permanent.

Click to shrink...

FYI for everyone, I'm open for names for this Sonofabitch because I honestly can't think of anything other than Jormungand, but he's supposed to be a Sea Serpent. Only thing I'll say is that it needs to fall the SAO tradition of "Spell my name with a 'The'"

 

[Triggerhappy]

that "un" thing is freaking annoying.

Click to shrink...

Too bad . . .

 

[jwolfe_beta]

FYI for everyone, I'm open for names for this Sonofabitch because I honestly can't think of anything other than Jormungand, but he's supposed to be a Sea Serpent. Only thing I'll say is that it needs to fall the SAO tradition of "Spell my name with a 'The'"

Click to shrink...

One Norse possibility is Níðhöggr but he was supposed to be the serpent eating the roots of the Yggdrasil, so would be a lot nasteir then a 'mere' field boss. Though if you like the name you could pull [Spawn of _________] style of naming.

What name that is chosen for this thing may depend on its original scripted behavior. Did it relentlessly search its defined area in the game hunting for prey/players, or was it one of those sleeping bosses that wake up ticked off when the players move too close to its den?

 

[Triggerhappy]

What name that is chosen for this thing may depend on its original scripted behavior. Did it relentlessly search its defined area in the game hunting for prey/players, or was it one of those sleeping bosses that wake up ticked off when the players move too close to its den?

Click to shrink...

Considering it was apparently its supposed to have been dormant until enough critters entered its immediate vicinity . . . I'm going with the Latter. And its a Serpent big enough to probably consider Sylphied a hearty meal, so while not gigantic, it's not exactly tiny either.

 

[Exsequens]

FYI for everyone, I'm open for names for this Sonofabitch because I honestly can't think of anything other than Jormungand, but he's supposed to be a Sea Serpent. Only thing I'll say is that it needs to fall the SAO tradition of "Spell my name with a 'The'"

Click to shrink...

[<The Landstalker]>? It could be like Geocrawler's really small offspring. Except with all the lethality of it, minus the armored shell?

[<The Pale Lambton]>? It's a really long serpent, it lives on land, and it breaks the 'name everything Norse', well, no idea if that's a good idea, most of my naming ideas make no sense. Though some sources say the Lambton Worm is white color, might solve a bit on the naming since it's a white serpent, on an odd note, it likes milk.

 

[CatOnTheWeb]

Well, Fafnir is an option. Basic outline is that he's a dwarf who was so greedy that he naturally turned into a hideous serpent-thing.

There's also Bai Suzhen, taken from the Chinese myth 'The White Serpent'. Although in this case, Bai Suzhen would be evil. See, in the legend, Bai Suzhen is an immortal white snake spirit that can turn herself into a human woman.

There's also Oroichi, although this serpent is missing seven heads....! sending you in-game lore idea now.

 

[mdkcde]

Hmm... Chant, Drums... lullaby?

Damn, two out of three is still fine.

 

[jwolfe_beta]

Considering it was apparently its supposed to have been dormant until enough critters entered its immediate vicinity . . . I'm going with the Latter. And its a Serpent big enough to probably consider Sylphied a hearty meal, so while not gigantic, it's not exactly tiny either.

Click to shrink...

Swiped from wikipedia

While this is a serpent rather then the dragon it seemed to match Bolla/Bullar. In Albanian myth it was a dragon with a long, coiled, serpentine body, four legs and small wings. it slept slept throughout the whole year, only to wake on Saint George's Day, where its faceted silver eyes would peer into the world. The Bolla does this until it sees a human. It devours the person, then closes its eyes and sleeps again.

Thought it sounded like our boy: snooze for X time until enough food/treats are near to justify waking up, deal with the snack/intruder then nap again.

 

[The Sandman]

So would that make Hinagiku the Ryuuji-equivalent?

Although if Hinagiku has red-pink hair and green eyes, someone will undoubtedly make certain assumptions about her personality that are way off base.

...what I really kind of want to see as an omake or side-story is the cast of Recettear having been players brought over in the transition. Except for Tear, who was a nav pixie.

Agil and his wife are torn between wanting to give Recette a hug (because she's small, cute, and her dad is a useless waste of space) and cursing her as her shrewd business sense drives their profit margins to the bone when they compete with her.

 

[mdkcde]

What is the name of the mongolian giant serpentworm legend again?

TO GOOGLE, WIKIPEDIA AND BEYOND!

EDIT:
Found it

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolian_death_worm