Abyss of the Shrine Maiden

Two Lost Girls

The Pearly Expanse, Northazard Tundra

"Hurry up! She runs so fast!"

"I'm gonna be the one to get the last attack bonus on that rare mob!"

"Did you hear that?" Asuna says as she turns to Kirito as the party of six make a mad dash across the Pearly Expanse, and they're not alone. Now with the location of Tia narrowing down, more players have joined the chase. No sign of Tia in the last hour, but based on the direction of increasing players, she must be close by.

"Yeah… Hey, you! Hold up!"

Two players, the ones Asuna spoke up about, and their group turn to Kirito as he, Alice, and Asuna approaches. "Huh? Us?"

"We're kind of in a hurry! Can it wait?"

"There's no point hurrying if you're after that rare mob NPC..." While they do that, Koharu, Strea, and Premiere continue onward. Koharu doesn't believe stopping future incoming players will help Tia in the end; after all, prior experience with stopping front-liners from doing something has proven to barely work without a third group operating behind the scenes. Even with the threat of the blue cursor for attacking NPCs, there's no guarantee one will appear if Tia's struck. There's only one solution, one she should've taken when Premiere collapsed hours ago: chasing and getting to Tia first. It's what Jaymes would do in this current situation.

As they come towards a long, icy bridge, movement in Koharu's peripheral sparks a combative instinct, and she whips out her dagger in defense. It collides with metal, a blade much more extensive than hers, and wielded by a figure with a black cloak and a white mask on their face. Koharu gasps as she holds the bigger blade at bay. "T-Tia?"

"I told you not to interfere with me! Why do you keep following me?"

"Sorry, no can do. I want to know the truth about what's happening to you and Premiere."

"Suppose you find out. Then what?"

"Then we'll help you."

Tia grits her teeth as she pushes Koharu back. "This is about what MY destiny has wrought. I should be the one to set things right! If you wish to interfere in personal matters, I will cut you down where you stand, whoever you are."

Jaymes taught her two things in Sword Art Online, once it became apparent that player killers and stubborn players could eventually confront the duo. That, to some people, talk is cheap, but strength is everything. If you can't talk with words, talk with your sword, and after trying to use words for two floors, it seems Tia is of the latter variety. "Name's Koharu. I'm Jaymes' partner." Koharu lowers her posture and holds her dagger in position. "And I'm going to do what he taught me."

"Wait, Koharu," she hears Asuna shout as the trio catches up, "you can't be serious!"

Koharu ignores those words as she walks towards Tia. "I think you're rejecting our help because you don't think you can trust people. I get that. But Premiere, I, and the others with us truly want to help you. And personally… I'm doing this because Jaymes told me to do whatever it took to help you in his stead, and I aim to honor my partner's wish. So we won't stop trying until you understand that."

"Wait! You'll get a blue cursor for fighting her!"

"That's the price I'm willing to pay, Kirito, if it helps Tia and Premiere!"