[SP-03]- Wandering I

[Elyth 0]

Delilah Village. The first think Elyth saw upon her arrival was a blue sky shrouding stone upon stone- a castle. Oh. It was a castle. As if it were coming straight out of a photo, a medieval castle rose up high into the sky. Around the castle, an assortment of buildings similar to those in the Town of Beginnings stood vigilantly. Though it was almost night, nearly all the lights in this town were lit. No wall separated the town's borders from whatever was outside, as far as Elyth could see.

Elyth stepped away from the Teleport Gate in Delilah Village and sat herself down on a bench. She proceeded to open her HUD and extracted her game manual. Flipping to a specific page, she read:

Floor 3: Prairie (All NPC's, except for some monsters, within this floor are elven/elves)

• Main settlement: Delilah Village (A large old country style village, much like those that would be at a distance from kingdom capitols in medieval Europe and it's surrounded by fields of dandelions)

• Other settlements: Forest of Wavering Mist (A patch of woods that lacks almost all visibility, a dangerous trek for all who venture in. It is said that screams can be heard emanating from here and that a great prize is hidden within. The forest is said to be guarded by red eyed Minotaur looking monsters and not many have attempted to enter fearing they may meet their fate) - Town of Flora (Medium sized town made up of small and large tents) - Churches of the Dead (One of many large decayed old churches abandoned and unoccupied throughout SAO. Though no one enters them, as they are guarded by an immortal object known as 'Charon the Ferryman', a statue as decayed and old as the churches they guard, who will only allow the person who answers his riddle to enter.)

[Elyth 0]

It seemed that this floor had many interesting sites to see. Elyth felt excited. There was so much to explore and so much to see in the world of SAO. Where should she go first? The Forest of Wavering Mist seemed a bit too scart at the moment, and the Church of the Dead felt like one of those hard-to-find places. Elyth decided that she would find the Town of Flora while searching for something else on Floor 3. Things usually work out like that.

At the moment, Elyth wanted to explore Delilah Village, especially the castle. Now that she scrutinized it closely, the castle looked remarkably like... some castle in Germany.

A momentary lapse of thought flitted through Elyth's mind before she realized that she could not recall which castle she was trying to think of.

"Hmm."

Elyth then walked away from the Teleport Gate, deciding to wander through the town for a while.

[Elyth 0]

Soon, Elyth was at the door of an ordinary building. It certainly didn't look much different from those around it, but somehow, it seemed quite special. In addition, it's door was wide open. On a whim, Elyth stepped across the threshold of the open door, hoping that its inhabitants would not mind quite so terribly for her intrusion.

Sunlight streamed into the house through the door and from the front windows, illuminating its contents. Immediately after entering the room, Elyth's eyes were attracted to a golden crest hanging on the wall.

"Who are you?" A deadpan voice from behind asked. Elyth flinched, turning around sharply to face a tall figure with an intimidating look on his face. The sun shining from behind the figure hid his features from Elyth's eyes, but his blonde hair was instantly noticeable.

"Ah... My name is Elyth..." Elyth replied silently, murmuring, intimidated greatly by this person who the system recognized as a NPC, partially because she had just broken into someone's house.

He's a NPC! Elyth thought. Who knew SAO's NPCs could be so intimidating!

[Elyth 0]

"What are you doing in my house?" The blonde person asked, not moving from the doorway.

"The door was open, so I walked in."

"...you do know you're trespassing, right?" the NPC sighed.

"Yes, I do. I promise I will not do that again. Now if you would please let me out..." Elyth eyed the door, trying to make the blonde NPC step out of the way through sheer willpower.

"Who's this, Shane? I sent you out and you came back with a girl?" laughed a feminine voice behind Elyth.

"Ferris, this girl trespassed. She was here when I got back." "Shane" announced, causing Elyth to drown all hopes of getting out of this house with her dignity intact.

Elyth turned around to see who this "Ferris" was. The girl standing a couple feet behind Elyth had white hair, dark skin, and pointy ears. A dark elf.

[Elyth 0]

"Oh, come in, since you're already here," Ferris said with a laugh. A luminescent blue sword hung at her waist, and it appeared that a similar one hung on the wall, below the golden crest that had caught Elyth's eye earlier. Beside that blue sword, a golden sword glowed, forming the shape of an X.

Elyth carefully tread into the house, looking over every little detail with amazement. She had never been inside a NPC's house before. The dark elf motioned for Elyth to sit in a chair, and Elyth sat down tentatively, unsure of what might happen next.

"So you came in here because the door was open?" Ferris laughed, casually interrogating Elyth.

"...Yes. I'm sorry," Elyth replied. She looked up, only to see Ferris's kind face, devoid of scorn.

"Well, then it appears that your intrusion was partially my fault. However, seeing as to how you trespassed, I would like to request something of you, as repayment."

"Wait, Ferris, you can't ask a total stranger to-" Shane immediately yelled.

Interrupting Shane, Ferris continued. "Will you accept this quest?"

But I don't know what quest you mean! What quest will I be accepting? Elyth thought. Out loud, she asked, "What quest is this?"

"Will you accept this quest?" Ferris simply said in response.

On one hand, I should repay them for having trespassed, on the other, I don't know what's going on... If I accept this quest, what will happen?

"Yes, I accept."

[Elyth 0]

"Um, Ferris? What are we doing here?" Elyth asked uneasily. She was currently balanced on a ledge, overlooking the entirety of the sewage system under Delilah Village. Shade, the other NPC, was lowering himself down the ladder and was beside Elyth in a moment. Meanwhile, Ferris was walking away ever-so-nonchalantly, as if she had not a care in the world. The air was moist and reeked of an overpowering stench, and Elyth cupped her hand over her nose, hoping that it would help lessen the smell. As usual, she had no such luck.

Ferris turned around at Elyth's question, features illuminated by the dim light offered by the sparse lanterns distributed throughout the sewage system. She wore a black cloak over a forest-green suit lined with white silky-looking fabric. Her blue sword hung at her waist, covered by a sleek scabbard. "We'll discuss the mission details after we arrive at our destination, Elyth. For now, please follow me."

"Hmm..." Elyth murmured, still not quite sure about her ability to balance in SAO. She was clumsy enough in real life. Who knows what might happen here?

Shane nudged her from behind. "Don't worry. Just keep on walking, and don't look down."

Elyth nodded to acknowledge Shane's advice.