[PP-All Floors] A "Stab" at the truth (Miaki & Nikki) Part 2

[Miaki 0]

After completing a grueling journey into the Amazon jungles of floor 6, Nikki and Miaki returned victoriously having obtained Nikki's familiar <>, the two returned to the fourth floor for a short respite on a favorite floor. While enjoying an early morning meal they were reading through some of the news and recent rumors circulating around. The 8th had been opened so much of everyone's attention was focused there. While taking some of the rumors with a grain of salt, a few grabbed their attention, one in particular. The rumor spoke of a character challenging another player with a unique or extra skill that provided dual spear wielding.

Now the pair were approaching <>, a town resembling that of Las Vegas. They hoped to find more information about the lance skill that they had heard about and would hopefully beat everyone to it. Our journey continues here with the two recently reunited players riding into town by horse.

Miaki had taken off his fedora and rested it over Nikki's soft face as she laid against him to let her rest better without the sun beating down on her and making it hard to sleep. Not knowing how long it had been for Nikki and unsure of how much she may have been pressing herself lately, Miaki slowed down the pace of the horse they were riding together and gave her ample time to rest. He'd never tell her he did that. But he let it happen anyway. They were beginning to enter the outer parts of <>. One could hear the subtle background noise of players in the town. The noise wasn't loud but it was enough.

Miaki held Nikki between his arms on their horse leaned in towards her keeping his voice just above a whisper if she happened to be in a deep sleep or dream state he wanted to be as gentle as possible. "Nikki. Nikki. We're here." He gave her a gentle nudge with his right thigh and spoke softly again. "Time to wake up sleepy."

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki stirred slowly from her sleep. She had been having a dream that she was out in a sandy wasteland with Miaki, and they had been riding a horse to Las Vegas. It had been a decent dream, as far as dreams go. It had even felt real, more so now as she swore she could hear Miaki's voice trying to wake her up. Suddenly her eyes shot open and she leaned foreword looking around sharply. It hadn't been a dream, they were in a sandy wasteland, riding tandem on a single horse, and were now at a stable outside of a casino like city. She had been asleep though, for how long she couldn't tell, but she had been asleep. She took a second looking down, a fedora had fallen onto her lap when she had sat up, it had been on her face keeping the sun out of it while she slept. She recognized it immediately as Miakis, and picked it up. Under normal circumstances she would have checked herself over for various forms of violation, but she had no need in this case as she knew that Miaki would not have taken advantage of her like that.

A smile crossed Nikki's lips as she turned her head to look at the man who had held her for lord knows how long. A strangely comforting thought. "Were here already?" She sounded slightly disappointed, yet still eager. "I'm sorry... I'm terrible travel company, ever since I was little I fall asleep when traveling." As she spoke she put Miaki's fedora on, covering the top of her blue hair. It was a little big for her, but that was ok, as it was meant more as a playful gesture than anything. She took a second now raising her left leg up and over the side of the horse and sliding herself off its right side. As she landed she nearly fell over, but had luckily managed to re catch her balance. Now she began to stretch out, lifting her arms high up and over her head while arcing her back. It felt so good to stretch out, and in that small moment of bliss she gave a pleasant moan. After a moment she lowered her arms again, allowing her dress to slip down to a safe height again.

"Ok.. Lets find an info Broker" She said taking a few steps back, and sliding her fingers across the brim of Miaki's Fedora with a smile.

[Miaki 0]

"I'm sorry... I'm terrible travel company, ever since I was little I fall asleep when traveling." She said to him while taking full possession of his fedora. "Not even gonna try and get that back." He thought to himself as he looked at the bluenette taking comfort in stealing his hat. He slid off the left side of the horse and let it into the stable while stretched herself. "Nonsense. You being with me was enough company in itself." He stretched his back and shoulders feeling his joints stretching and gave a sigh of relief.

Miaki looked over at Nikki watching her flirtatiously run her fingers across the rim of his fedora. "Ok.. Lets find an info Broker"

He returned an amused and interested look towards her and took her hand leading her into the town. "Yes. Let's."

They passed a few unmarked buildings and made their way through towards the larger buildings in the town. "Okay, if I were an information broker.... Where would I be?"

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki smiled as she was pulled along by her hand. Normally she would have objected to such an act, but right now just this once it was ok. The goal was now to find a broker, either a player who was down with local rumors, or an NPC who had been updated with recent game info. Normally brokers could be found around the plaza of any town, making them easier to access. in this case though she could not see any, not out in the open anyways. The next best spot was near a bar or tavern, as they seemed to excel at tricking inebriated players out of their money.

Nikki took a deep breath holding it for a moment while she thought. This was normal for her to do, for some reason it helped her figure things out. After a moment she let it out in a huff and smiled. "There's an alley over there. Lets try it out." She had spotted the narrow passage and made the assumption that a broker would be down there. Given the wasteland like environment of the floor, she assumed that to match the theme, Broker's might be tucked out of sight for their own safety.

She turned now pulling Miaki gently in the direction she had indicated. She was excited by this, much like a child on a scavenger hunt, and somewhere was her prize, if only she could decipher the clues before anyone else. She used her free hand to hold down the fedora while she pulled Miaki along.

[Saix 0]

The young lady's instincts were quite good, for she had picked the one alley way that might reveal clues towards tracking down the mysterious man she had been seeking.

It was a sign of her luck, but little did she know that it was not necessarily good luck. Because in locating her target, she had invited misfortune.

Mr. Bojangles had turned to being an Information Broker shortly after realizing that fighting terrified him. He had no talent for it, and would have died, had it not been for the spear wielder in black, with the nickname Firebrand, that came along and pulled his ass out of the fire. It was the Firebrand who had given him his biggest scoop, the rumor of the new Spear Skill. But it had proven to be more than Bojangles had anticipated. So many players all lining up to go after the skill, business had been booming at first...

But none had returned alive from the hunt.

Bojangles had followed one day, hoping to see what was going on. What he had found had been horrifying. A swordsman, armored all in black, cutting them down one by one. Vile had learned the location of the final unclaimed Unique Skill, and was using it to funnel his prey into the killing field. Amazingly, Vile had spared him that day. On one condition. Send him more prey upon which to gorge his hunger for death.

Bojangles couldn't handle it, and had fled, hiding himself in the worst parts of Aincrad, hoping that his rumor, and even his name, would eventually be forgotten. He had only one hope, that by directing those seeking his knowledge to the Firebrand, he could turn the tables on Vile by pitting the two titans against one another. But even that hope was fading fast, as Vile's body count continued to rise.

[Miaki 0]

Nikki dragged Miaki along the streets into the alleyway, soon as they entered the alley the steady hot breeze that had been gusting by them was cut off by the buildings placed close to one another. They were not the tallest of buildings since the two of them were still on the outer parts of <> but the sun was angled so that the lighting in the narrow passage was darker than one might have expect. They both noticed the sole, mysterious figure standing ahead of them. The preen player indicator floating over his head told Miaki that this wasn't an NPC or something, but an actual human being who in the other world was likely laying on some hospital bed hooked up to a bunch of machines to keep him alive until either the game was cleared or the less likely to happen being someone learning of a safe way to remove the people trapped in Aincrad.

He assessed the player and determined that he seemed well informed based on how he carried himself. The man standing in front of them was rather handsome with his golden eyes, trusting face which had a small beauty spot under the corner of his right eye. His hair was a long, rough cut. The longer Miaki looked at the man, the more he felt like he could trust him. He seemed like a kind and trustworthy individual that was attracting. He wore a slim, agile looking black leather padding and held a long crimson spear wrapped in leather cloth.

Miaki observed the man with wonder, how could someone like this be a player that others hadn't heard of? He struck Miaki as someone who would have made a name for himself by now. Just maybe the reason this person was not known of was because he was actually an information broker. "Hail! We are seeking information on a recent rumor spreading around." He started.

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki stopped at the sight of the stranger. At first she thought it might have been an NPC nut she couldn't tell for sure. The person looked human, and even had an icon above his head, but something seemed off about him. Miaki had immediately taken to him and began inquiring about the rumor. Nikki was hesitant, this was not a normal broker, something was different and she wasn't sure what. Naturally though players could not be killed in a town, and even though this was the outskirts, they would still be safe from attack, so long as they did not accept a duel. She gave a small sigh and stiffened up her resolve before taking a step foreword to stand next to Miaki.

"The rumor about the duel spear wielder, and Mr Bojangles. You know anything about it?" As Nikki spoke she opened up her inventory and equipped her own spear as a means to show that she was interested in the skill and had already had spear training. She looked back to Miaki an smiled, feeling glad that he was here with her. She took a second now straightening the hat that she was still in possession of before taking another step towards the man. "I'd be interested in acquiring this skill."

[Saix 0]

The mysterious figure shifted his weight, pondering their questions, slinging the hidden spear across his shoulders as he shook his head slightly. Then he smiled, his teeth flashing in the low light. "Oh, some more adventurers looking for that guy." He said, with a chuckle; his voice a low baritone that was pleasing on the ears, coupled well with his handsome visage. "Sure, I know Bo. He should be down at the Rusty Nail around this time, it's a special tavern on the seedier side of town. But I'm afraid it's an invite only kind of place. I'd never dream of sending you two there, especially not a lady." He continues, stretching in a very feline sort of way that shows a powerful sort of grace.

For a moment he stays silent, glancing down and to the side in thought, before those liquid golden eyes fix on the two players before him. The focus, coupled with the color, evoke a sense of being watched by a Hawk. "Alright, tell you what. I'll take you there, and even get you in. I'm not sure how helpful Bo will be, but I'm sure you can figure out some way to deal with him. Most Information Brokers have a reputation for being greedy, and their is very little information in Aincrad that doesn't have a price." He finally says, his smile seemingly suggesting that the information surrounding him, the mysterious Spearman in black, is such unavailable information.

"So, what do you say? We'd still be in town the whole way. No need to worry about an Orange Player ambush; though I am pretty sure that between the two of you an ambush would be a bad idea anyway. I may not be the most sociable of sorts; but I know <> and Nikki Styxx when I see them." His charming smile suggests he is letting them in on a secret, or perhaps explaining a witty joke. "You can call me whatever you want, but if you wanted to use the right name, then call me Nero." Again, his charming smile evokes a feeling of playful humor. "It's an honor."

[Miaki 0]

The handsome spear user calling himself Nero was as charming with his words as his looks. His voice beckoned all in earshot to listen to what he had to say and Miaki found himself under this man's spell. Nero was certainly intelligent or well informed to know just who he faced before him. What else could he possibly know? He was certainly knowledgable of more than he let on but Miaki was too taken to this mysterious player to know better.

His grip on Nikki's hand loosened ever so slightly as he stepped ahead of Nikki, leading her almost, as they approached Nero. He had offered to escort them to the Rusty Nail, a place that sounded like it was kept reserved and only special access could get oneself inside. Miaki already bent on whatever Nero had in mind. But he felt the slightest tug from Nikki and turned to face her, breaking the trance-like spell he was under. He regained control of himself and shook himself mentally. "Very well Nero. Lead the way."

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki took a small step back when she was identified by name. She had spent a great deal of time developing a reputation in Aincrad, but it still always sounded weird to be called by name by someone who she had never met. Almost immediately after he had identified himself as Nero. Nikki was not about to admit that she had never heard of him before. so rather than indicate otherwise she nodded to him as if she had already assumed who he was. She retook her step standing next to Miaki again. He had indicated that Nero should take them to this place to meet Mr. Bojangles. and she nodded in agreement.

To Nikki this whole thing with Nero seemed strange. It was almost like he had his own agenda, or at least that was the impression she was given by his choice of words. He seemed to be a smart player, and had to have his own reasons for being so helpful, especially without asking for anything in return. Nikki made a note to be extra cautious given the situation.

"So Nero. How do you know Mr. Bojangles?" She asked as she looked around for the direction they might be heading. She was not sure where they might find a seedier pub in a place like this, but apparently one existed.

[Saix 0]

Nero walked slightly ahead of the other two, his hands in his pockets as he seemed pretty carefree. It took him a few seconds to respond to Nikki's question, as though he were mulling over whether to be forthcoming or not. Before he finally shrugged and said, rather casually; "Oh, I met Bo a few weeks back. I had been wandering around and found him being attacked by a creep in black armor. Some Player Killer who fancied himself the Maverick King. Anyway, I took on Vile and told Bo to escape. It was pretty close actually, we both ended up going down to the single digits, but when push comes to shove even a King Maverick doesn't want to die, so we ended up with a draw." There is a tightening in his shoulders as he speaks, that suggests he didn't quite view the memory so casually, despite his easy tone.

"At the time, I thought it turned out pretty good. Killing somebody, even a Maverick Bastard wasn't something that sat very right with me. But now, after hearing all the trouble that Vile went on to create; I'm thinking we should have finished that duel. I can't say for sure which way it would have gone, but I wonder if I shouldn't have taken that golden opportunity when it was presented to me." He continues, his voice losing a little of the lighthearted edge and becoming a touch melancholy. It's clear that Nero has a bit of a complicated past, one that he might even regret a little. It's also clear that either Vile gained his incomparable power after the near duel to the death with the <>, or they were in the presence of another 'giant'. Thus far even the strongest Frontliners in Aincrad had proven to be no match for Vile, who engaged them with the same ease he might a level 1 player. Yet Nero had described a duel in which the two fought each other down to single digit HP.

Just who was this guy, and was he really that strong?

[Miaki 0]

Miaki was shocked to hear that this man, Nero the <> faced the infamous Vile the <>. Not only did they face each other but they had brought each other down to extremely low heath before calling a draw. Just how strong was their guide? Keith Yudai, who both Nikki and Miaki knew as one of the likely top players in Sword Art Online. If Keith couldn't deal much damage or face Vile and do well then that monster was a serious threat. If Nero could have brought Vile down to low health like that then they should make a point to get to know them better. But something told him that that if Nero wasn't heard of yet then that was for a reason and Miaki didn't feel like crossing a man who could potentially run him through easily especially if he brought Vile down to size.

As they navigated the streets Miaki finally faced the question he had nagging him in his head. "You seriously went against Vile and lived? How did... How have you kept yourself under the radar so long?" Clearly Nero had his reasons for remaining unknown to most for now and Miaki wasn't in the modd for prying into manners that were not his concern. Right now he was focused on helping NIkki gain the unique skill for herself that would make her all the more powerful with a spear.

[Nikki Styx 0]

((OOC: This was all still before Nikki knew who Vile was))

Nikki was unsure who this Vile character really was. All she had ever heard were a few isolated rumors that had made her believe that he was nothing more than an Aincrad urban legend, a boogeyman as it were created to scare other players into following a specific set of rules. In fact her interest in this character was nearly zero, aside from the passing interest to hear the stories every now and again. Miaki had certainly taken into this though, as he had spoken with awe as if impressed that Nero had fought with this villain and lived. Nikki could only smile and shake her head as she followed along.

She was however curious as to this place they were going, and what they would find there. Suddenly a question appeared in her mind. "Nero... Have you tried to go for the dual wield skill?" The question was valid in her mind, as she would have had no clue that he was in fact a spear user like herself. It just to her seemed so convenient, all of this really. She wanted to make sure she was not walking into a trap.

[Saix 0]

Nero shrugged amicably at Miaki's question, as though the answer wasn't important. "Hmmm, I guess it is because I really don't have much need for interacting with the Guilds. I'm a solo player, always have been, once I figured out the best places to hunt, places nobody else would want to go, I just kept fighting. I guess I just have no use for parties or groups, not when they would just slow me down. I suppose the whole solo player thing makes me a bit of a recluse." He says finally, as though he had never really thought about the question, or found it all that important. "I guess aside from a few random encounters with people like Bo, or yourselves, I don't really interact with other players that much outside of polite conversation when I come to town for supplies or to check with the rumor brokers." He says, with a shrug as though his being a hermit player who could go head to head with the biggest menace in the game wasn't important.

When Nikki asked her question he gave another shrug. "Well, to be fair, it's not really a dual spear skill. It's kinda complicated, but the basic gist of it is that it's one spear. Think of it like a double spear, with a blade on each end. The dual part comes from the Skills, that let it split into twin weapons, sorta like long batons with blades on the end. It's very impressive looking, I'll admit. As for going after the skill... Well, I fought the NPC, but I didn't accept the skill. It was a pretty intense test, the Lancer is no pushover. But, at the end of the day; I'm happy with my own Unique Skill." He says, grinning over his shoulder. "Besides, I don't think a single player can have two Unique Skills anyway. Or at least, it wouldn't be efficient. The thing is, you have to devote a lot of time to master the Unique Skills to make them really worthwhile. Splitting Skill points between several unique skills, and the weapon skills they are based on... big waste of time. In most MMO's, hybrid builds don't really work that well." He adds, with another shrug.

Then, he stops in front of a rather unremarkable door with a large rusted nail half pounded into the center frame above a slide bolt. Knocking on the door, Nero waits with a good natured smile at his two companions, as the bolt slides open, revealing suspicious eyes glaring at them. "Password?" demands a gruff voice, muffled from behind the door. "Asuna's Panties..." Replies Nero, with a smirk. The bolt slide slams shut, and for a moment it appears as though Nero answered wrong. But the spearman in black remains in place, seemingly at ease, when sudden the sound of releasing locks can be heard. A moment later the door opens, revealing the hidden tavern. "There are places like this on most floors, where the real information brokers like to hide out. See, their are too many players who want information that can't really afford to pay what they want. So occasionally, players will be sent to a place like this if they seem to have the col to get the really important info. That way, guys like Bo and the other REAL info brokers don't have to waste time with cheap newbies." He explains, as he gestures for them to enter.

"Welcome to the real heartbeat of Aincrad, where the real secrets can be found. Consider yourselves lucky, most of the Guild Leaders, with the exception of your <>, don't even know places like this exist." He says, with a smile as he nods in Nikki's direction at the mention of her Captain.

[Miaki 0]

Miaki looked over the entire tavern, or rather the center of information and intelligence in Aincrad. The tavern itself had low light, only provided by lanterns on the wooden tables and hanging on the arches of the low ceiling. One could just barely see the end of the room because of the feint flicker of light. Most of the people inside the establishment were all keeping to themselves or in pairs speaking in low voices. 'So this is what an <> must look like.' He thought to himself referring to the hearsay of such places existing where, for a steep price a player could get information on many of the on goings in Aincrad. These were the players who kept to the shadows and were the ears of the walls, selling what they learned to those willing to pay the price.

"So this is what a an <> looks like. I'll have to remember to come here when I need to learn about the existence of some places." He said to no one in particular.

He kept looking around for their guy, trying to figure out which person in the room was the target they were looking for. But he had no idea what this guy looked like. He was likely a nervous looking player but beyond that he wasn't certain of things.

"You see anyone who could be our guy?" He asked to Nikki in a hushed tone as they followed Nero through the tavern.

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki watched as the door to the info house opened. Inside was like nothing she had ever seen in Aincrad before. It reminded her of a stock exchange crossed with a cantina. It was a filthy place, people crowded into all corners, shady people, many of which were orange. For a moment Nikki thought that they had been lured to a trap, except no one seemed to bat an eye that they had entered. In fact everyone seemed far too interested in their own business, or else far too afraid to get caught up in other's business to actually look up. a smirk crossed her face as she reaslised that this was where they needed to be if they wanted to find out what was really going on in Aincrad.

Nikki took a few steps into the info house looking from player to player. There were NPC's here too, but it was hard to tell them from the players considering how many different icons were currently visible. She stopped now pulling up her controls and disabling her player status viewer. Instantly all the green and orange icons disappeared from her view granting her a clearer look at everything around her. Miaki had asked if she thought she had seen Bo or not. So far no one had caught her eye, not yet anyways, and she simply shook her head in response. Suddenly she realized that she had forgotten something. "Alright Nero... What do we owe you fer yer help?" She had not meant it to be disrespectful, in fact she was very appreciative of what he had done for them, and was more than willing to compensate him for his time. In her mind one good turn deserved another.