An Englishman in Castle Aincrad

Floor 10 - Chapter 3 - Over the Hills...

Racing after the rest of Fuurinkazen, the samurai and the journalist had reached the last large group of monsters in their paths, atop a rock formation high up in the valley connected to the rest of it by means of rope bridges on all sides. Though they weren't going to be delayed for much longer, Strea thought, her blade slamming through the first of the Orochi soldiers, vertically bisecting the monster as it did so. For the briefest of moments, Klein felt a pang of guilt - this wasn't a fight, so much as it was a training session for Strea as she defeated another Orochi near to the bridge they'd need to cross. That was, until another Orochi attempted to do the same to him, and received a sword through its gut for its troubles.

Deciding it wasn't going to go out without taking its victim with it, it hissed, spewing a fine mist out at Klein. Staggering back, as the mist reached his eyes, he lost sight of his enemy and began to lose track of his surroundings...

Moments had passed, feeling like minutes as they did, and Klein suddenly felt a sensation he hadn't felt in a long time... the sensation a person gets when they go a little too fast over a humpback bridge, or when they fall off the edge of a rock formation. In that split second, he felt a slightest bit disappointed - he'd hoped they'd all make it through this alive, and here he was, about to plummet fifty foot to his death...

...Or he was, until he hit a shuddering and almost instantaneous stop, a force pulling on his collar as he did so.

''Gotcha!'' A familiar voice shouted, straining to hold on. ''Any... time you... want to... help!'' She strained, an arm wrapped around the handle of her blade, which had been jammed into the rock above to provide a tethering point. Even with her ever increasing strength stat, a necessity for a blade the size of hers, she was clearly struggling to hold on...

The effect of the mist began to wear off, and Klein was soon able to get his feet back on solid ground, and pull himself back onto the rock formation. Back on the formation, he took a moment to recompose himself, as Strea pulled her blade from the ground, giggling slightly as she did so...

''What's so funny, Strea?'' He asked, his voice a mix of confusion, and slight anger at her amusement towards the current situation.

''I'm not laughing at you, don't worry. Just... this, we're fighting monsters that could cut us in half at any moment... and we both could've just gone splat. Bit anticlimactic, don't you think?''

Klein now looked even more confused than before. He had nearly died after all and here she was, almost making light of the situation. Her attitude really didn't make any sense to him, no matter how hard he tried to understand... ''Uhh, I suppose so, yeah?''

''Come on, the rest of the guys are waiting for us...''

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A few minutes later, and the pair had made it to the field they needed to. Curiously, none of Fuurinkazen were there, only a single young woman in traditional Japanese garb, with light brown hair and an NPC cursor above her head. It didn't take a genius to work out that she was the girl they were going after, especially as she looked skittish, almost ready to take off at any misstep they'd make...

Klein, knowing how strong of a personality Strea was, chose to go first, walking slowly towards her, giving a respectful bow as he stood before her. To his surprise, she spoke first... ''He told you to follow me, didn't he? I don't have anything to say to you other than... Leave. Me. ALONE!''

''Ma'am, you can trust us. We're just travellers who wish to free your town from the grasp of the Lord of Senja Castle. We had heard rumours of your disappearance, and what trouble you may well be in, and so, we wished to help. We'd like to hear your side of the story, if that's okay?''