Abyss of the Shrine Maiden

Warriors of the Sky

“Got some new info, Ko. Head for a location called the Gromarth Arena, just east of the starting area, The Reimanhills. There’s the beginning of the floor quest. Adding this to Jaymes’ tab as well :D.”

“This is it, the Gromarth Arena.” Koharu and her party of eight girls gaze at the arena ruins, devoid of any signs of life. If it wasn’t for the giant floating quest marker in front of them, Koharu would doubt Argo’s information for the first time. There isn’t an NPC quest-giver ahead of them, which means initiating the quest requires a certain prerequisite. Level? Doesn’t seem like it. Maybe just standing in the right spot will trigger it. There’s no better spot than the center of the area, right?

She faces the other eight party members. In the last month, she hasn’t spent much time with this set of friends, instead unconsciously prioritizing her former Integral Factor guildmates, but luckily her memories and Jaymes’ advice prepped her for this. Outside of Asuna, Leafa and Rain are the best female combatants, thus can fill out the vanguard positions. Lisbeth, as well as the greatsword-toting Strea, functions well as a tank, no less due to being trained by her ex-boyfriend on how to use a shield efficiently. Silica, Philia, Sinon, and Premiere function best as backup attackers and other forms of offense. In the hour and a half they’ve scoured the Reimanhills, Koharu has noted Premiere and Leafa also do well as healers when necessary, and Lisbeth has great leadership qualities. No wonder the blacksmith was able to convince 3,000 players from ALO and GGO to join the fight in Underworld.

Before her mind brims with jealousy, she focuses on the quest marker. “There’s a good chance we’ll be in for a surprise, so be on your guard.”

“It is awfully quiet,” Sinon comments. “No one else is even here.”

“M-Maybe the quest isn’t well-known yet?”

“Three days and the floor quest is unknown? Doesn’t sound right, Silica...but then again, no one knew how to progress Premiere’s quest at first for a few weeks.”

“Argo doesn’t let false information spread. Us SAO survivors owe her that for the early chaos.” Philia looks to the marker, then to Koharu. “Maybe we just have to walk up to the marker?”

“Possibly… I’ll check it out.” Holding her holstered blade, Koharu ventures toward the marker alone. If this was four years ago, she’d be nervous as hell doing this without Jaymes, Asuna, or Kirito alongside her. But she’s stronger than that fifteen-year-old girl trapped in SAO and cried all the time. She stood up to the man who is responsible for many of the PKings in SAO, including her own. She can walk up to a quest trigger and start a quest, right?

If anything, she’s not going to embarrass herself in front of a certain girl in the group.

“Young swordsman…” Koharu pauses and looks around. She heard a voice, masculine and disembodied. She doesn’t feel threatened yet, but she keeps her caution as she gets into a stance to fight.

“Yes?”

“Heed my words, for I am Arzach, Warrior of the Azure Flame. We, the Blue Dragon Order, watch over this sacred place. I welcome you to the Warriors’ Sanctum. Many come here, seeking to claim the might of the Blue Dragon Order as their own. If you too seek our power, I shall bestow upon you a trial.”

Warrior’s Sanctum? So a holy ground for fighters? Koharu kinda feels she’s desecrating the place. But this is the beginning of the quest. A prompt appears in front of her to either accept or decline the trial. She doesn’t know any details, but she pressed the blue circle to confirm her participation. “I’ll accept your trial.”