HOLLOW AREA
Sylvandis - Sea of Trees Area

Philia: "Hey U/N! Over here!"

Y/N: "Oh? You done already? How's it looking over there?"

Philia: "I didn't find anything of value to us, no sign of a boss or anything either. Just a bunch of low-level mobs..."

Y/N: "That was the same as what I found... this could be a good spot... Hey Philia? What sort of levels were the mobs on your side?"

Philia: "Really low, like the sort of levels you'd find on the the first ten Floors, the lowest I found was some level 5 boars."

Y/N: "That's perfect! The mobs on my side were in the 20's to 30's which is probably a little too high..."

Philia: "Huh? Why would you want such low level mobs? Wouldn't you be fine with anything below Level 80 at this point?"

Y/N: "Well... it's not really for me. Do you remember that girl I mentioned a while ago, the one I said seemed to hate me?"

Philia: "Oh her? Didn't you say she was a Level One?... Wait, so you're thinking of bringing her here to level up?!"

Y/N: "That's what I was thinking... yeah."

Philia: "Huh? I don't get it? Why would you be keeping an eye out for something like this for her if she's been treating you so poorly?"

Y/N: "Well... we uh- never really, actually spoke until last night, when I went back to Aincrad to get your dagger refined. Before yesterday she only referenced me in passing with... not so kind remarks."

Philia: "Hmph! If I could go back to Aincrad I'd give her a piece of my mind! Who does she think she is?!"

Y/N: "Ahaha... d-don't worry about it. You know I've got pretty thick skin, and Asuna was actually pretty good at defusing things before it went any further than a single sentence!"

Philia: "Still!... sigh At least Asuna has a head on her shoulders ey! So... what? Are you going to babysit this girl whilst she levels up in here then?"

Y/N: "Yeah, that was my thinking. And her name's Sinon by the way."

Philia: "But I don't get why you would? If she's been that rude to you, why would you waste the time?... Oh, I see... you think she's attractive, don't you!!"

Y/N: "th-That's not why I'm doing it! I already told you that until last night we had never really spoken properly, and... when I heard what she had to say, I thought it wouldn't be too much trouble to help her out in the beginning, at least?"

Philia: "You!... You're way too kind! I hope you had her apologise first before you agreed to help her!"

Y/N: "Well... she said sorry for something at least! But then just before I left, she did apologise properly... 

Philia: "You're too soft on us... Don't worry! I'll tell her off for you!"

Y/N: "n-No, it's okay. You uh- d-don't have to bring it up, okay? It really doesn't matter to me that much. And, neither you or Sinon seem the type to back down, and I don't think I'd be able to get in-between you two if you ended up fighting!"

Philia: "Hmph! It wouldn't be much of a fight! Even in a Safe Zone, she wouldn't stand a chance!"

Y/N: "m-maybe let's just keep it a hypothetical result... please?"

Philia: "Haha! Sure sure! I'll play nice, I promise!... Well, as long as this Sinon does!"

Y/N: "sigh... You lot are so exasperating, you know that?!"

Philia: "Teehee! But you know you love us really!"

Y/N: "... Let's just keep looking around for the way on to the next island maybe?"

Philia: "Sure sure! I'll drop it now, don't worry! (Just like how I'll drop her if she says anything bad about you around me!) Oh hey! We're pretty close to that Church I was talking about earlier, with that Named Monster I saw a while ago. You know, uh... before you found me. Maybe that's what we're looking for?"

Y/N: "Worth a shot! Lead the way I suppose then, Philia!"

*TIMESKIP*

Philia: "We're here!"

Y/N: "So this is it huh? I guess it's just behind this door then?"

Philia: "Well, the door wouldn't open before. But I guess we triggered the release mechanism accidentally whilst we've been exploring, we should be able to continue now! I'm counting on you!"

Y/N: "The same goes with you, Philia! Let's see if this thing is what we need to beat to head to the next area."

* * *

Behind the door featured a large Relic Monster, a Named Monster called 'Sanctuary'

All of the mobs in this particular dungeon were really low-level, not quite low enough for Sinon but definitely low enough that both me and Philia were able to kill the trash mobs in a single hit, so I'm not too worried about this guy either...

Y/N: "Philia, Switch in!"

Philia: "You got it!"

*STAB* *STAB* *STAB* *SHATTER!*

Y/N: "Huh... that was...-"

Philia: "Way easier than we expected, yeah... but maybe it's just because I'm with you. You out-levelled that thing quite a bit!"

Y/N: "Well... I guess my level probably made some impact... but that didn't seem like an Area Boss at all either, I think this was just a generic Named Monster, which means there should be a chest somewhere around here at least!"

Philia: "Hehe, you still undersell yourself I see! You were amazing U/N! You have been this whole time! Fighting battle after battle like that... You really are a first-rate fighter!"

Y/N: "I uh-... t-thanks, but you know you're just as impressive too, Philia. If not more! Surviving out here on your own like you have, that takes smarts just as much as in-battle strength! When we get you out of here I bet you wouldn't look at all out of place in the Assault Team!"

Philia: "S-Stop flattering me... It won't g-get you anywhere, you know..."

Y/N: "I'm just telling the truth, that's all."

Philia: "Hee hee... Well, if you insist... I guess, it's just been a long time since anyone's given me a compliment, that's all. H-Hey, look! There's a treasure chest over there!"

Y/N: "...Didn't I already say that?"

Philia then skipped off towards the now undefended chest without a care in the world.

Y/N: "Ph-Philia, be careful!"

Philia: "Oh it's fine, U/N! Now, hurry up, will you?"

Y/N: "Heh, you really can be like a child sometimes..."

The way she skipped over there, how she's now sort of dancing on the spot as she navigates her inventory menu for lockpicks and the way she asks to hold my hand as she goes to sleep... she really is-

Philia: "U/N! What are you doing?! I told you to hurry up!"

Y/N: "Okay, okay! I'm coming!"

I then start to make my way over to my friend in blue - who now had her lockpicks in hand and was now meticulously looking over the treasure chest.

Philia: "It looks like the chest's lid is trapped..."

Y/N: "It's not a Mimic, is it?"

Philia: "No, it's definitely a treasure chest... I don't think the trap's a big deal either."

Y/N: "Really? Think you can disarm it?"

Philia: "Hah? You sound doubtful. Do you really have such little faith in my abilities?!"

Y/N: "Th-That's not what I meant..."

Philia: "Hee hee! That's alright, see, I can work out trap levels and types at a glance. I've been working on my skills, you see, so I can do just that..."

Y/N: "Right, well... I guess you've got it all under control then!"

Philia: "Yeah. Just leave this to me, U/N!"

. . .

Philia: "... There! It's open!"

Y/N: "Whoa! That was quick!"

Philia: "Hee hee hee! Okay, little treasure, come on out..."

Y/N: "...'Little treasure' ...?"

Philia: "What kind of treasure are you, I wonder... A weapon? An accessory, maybe... Aha! There you are!"

Y/N: "Whoa... That looks pretty rare!"

Philia: "Yeah! Hee hee! Finding treasure like this is so much fun!"

Y/N: "Heh... I can tell! It's really cute..."

Philia: "Hmm? What did you say?"

Y/N: "Oh! Erm... I just said that you're cute... you know, like a kid sister...o-or something..."

Philia: "Huh? I'm cute...?"

Y/N: "Well, that's not really what I meant-"

Philia: "It isn't? So I'm not cute?!"

Y/N: "No, no! You are! But, erm..."

Philia: "Hee hee... You know what, U/N? You're pretty cute yourself when you get all flustered like that!"

Y/N: "Kwit-Quit it..."

Philia: "Come on, I'm just kidding! Here, you can have this."

Y/N: "Huh? Really? But you found it, Philia..."

Philia: "Yeah, but I don't really need it. And I can't really sell it out here, can I?! You take it, U/N. Seriously. And if it's no good for you... then I guess you could let that Sinon girl use it to help her level quicker..."

Y/N: "Well, okay... thanks, Philia! I really appreciate that!"

Philia then handed me a small metal-banded ring, looking at it's information panel it seemed to give quite a decent array of stat-boosts... unfortunately it wouldn't be any better than the stuff I already have equipped, but it would definitely do well for Sinon who has nothing currently!

Philia: "Now, make sure she takes good care of that. I don't usually give people presents..."

Y/N: "Of course I'll make sure of it!"

Philia: "Good! Well, let's get out of here I guess and keep looking for that Boss we're looking for!"

*TIMESKIP*

Y/N: "Okay, I think its about time we head back to the Administration Area and maybe have another look at the map..."

Huh...? What's that over th-

Philia: "So, I guess you'll be going back to Aincrad soon for a whi-"

Y/N: "Shhh!"

Philia: "Huh?! What's wrong U/-"

Y/N: "Be quiet!"

Philia: "What is it...?"

Y/N: "Look over there, Philia!"

Philia: "Over where...?"

Y/N: "There! Look...!"

Philia: "I-In there...? O-Oh! There are a lot of players... Y-Y/N... Are they-"

Y/N: "Yeah. It looks like they're fighting. In fact, it looks like they're all ganging up on this one player..."

Philia: "R-Really? A-Again...?"

Y/N: "You wait here, Philia."

Philia: "But it's too dangerous- Y/N! Wait!"

I then dash as quickly as I can, over to the group of players whilst shouting out at them.

Y/N: "Hey! What are you doing!"

???: "! Tsk... *SHATTER* The target's approaching... Let's go, quickly!"

Y/N: "Wait! Blast... I was too late... This player... Why did they...?"

Philia: "It's not your fault, U/N... You wouldn't have made it in time, no matter how much you'd hurried."

Y/N: "... Listen, Philia... The player who just died... Did you see his status?"

Philia: "Huh? Well... I-It all happened so quickly..."

Y/N: "Status ailments. He was paralyzed and bleeding at the same time. It's... familiar..."

Philia: "What's the matter, U/N? You look really scared..."

Y/N: "I... i-it's n-nothing... Hey, remember that place where we met? In front of that temple... you ever been inside?"

Philia: "Huh... no, I don't think so!"

Y/N: "It's quite the large building I think right? Might be worth a look, no?"

Philia: "Yeah, I think that sounds like a good idea! Certainly worth a look after all!"

Sylvandis Forest Area: Shrine of Offerings

Y/N: "This door... It has the same pattern written on it as that necklace we found... 

Philia: "I wonder if it has something to do with that gate at the bridge connecting to the new area!"

Y/N: "I guess I'll go ahead and try the necklace here..."

*CREEEEEAK*

Y/N: "Whoa! It opened! Let's see what's inside..."

. . .

Y/N: "The Shadow-Dwelling Beast? Looks kinda like a weird wolf..."

Philia: "W-Whoa! Th-that thing is really big! C-Can we really do this?"

Y/N: "I bet we can. Together! But... Philia, always keep yourself as close to that door out of here as you can, okay? If your health even drops down halfway then I want you to run out of here, okay?"

Philia: "And leave you to it alone?!"

Y/N: "Are you forgetting? I've probably solo'd over a hundred Floor and Field bosses at this point! But if I can't handle it then I'll retreat too, promise!"

Philia: "... Okay!"

Y/N: "Good! Well, ready to head into its aggro range?"

Philia: "Let's do this!"

* * *

Several minutes pass by, for a while Philia and I both treated it like we would any other boss.

In that we would attack a few times and then parry the Boss' attack to which we would then switch to the other person dealing damage. This has been a working strategy since the First Floor, and it was working here.

But then after a while I noticed that none of its attacks, AoE or otherwise were affecting the area behind its legs. So I sent Philia to the back to deal consistent damage and to apply some debuffs with that dagger of hers whilst I was at the front keeping the Boss' attention on me.

Sure, it meant I was now taking all of the aggro with no opportunity to tag out like before, but my parries and blocks were strong enough to mostly mitigate all the damage and now we were dealing damage at the same time with Philia dealing increased damage because they were flanking attacks.

*SLASH* *SLASH* *SLASH*

- *PTING!* *STAB* *STAB* *STAB* -

*SLASH* *SLASH* *SLASH*

*SHATTER!*

Philia: "Phew, that was really tough, but we managed it. I definitely couldn't have done it without you!"

Y/N: "It was our great teamwork that made it happen. I always said you were a great duo partner. Thanks, Philia!"

Philia: "Hehe, thanks... H-Hey look! Your necklace! It lit up?"

Y/N: "Huh, I'd say there's probably a pretty good chance that gate might open now. Want to go check it out?"

Back again at the gate we visited before, I tried once again to place the Fiery Necklace into the indent that it seemed to match perfectly for. And then the light from the Fiery Necklace went out.

Y/N: "Alright! The seal appears to have been broken. That means... A new area! What kind of monsters and dungeons await us...? I'm getting excited just thinking about it!"

Philia: "Yeah! Me too!"

Y/N: "Also, let's not forget about that Karma Restoration Quest either... in the end, it doesn't seem like there was one in Selvendys, but we'll find it for sure!"

Philia: "... I hope so!"

HOLLOW AREA
Bastia Gate - Floating Ruins Square

Philia: "Wow, that is a really tall tower... The top stretches way up into the sky..."

Y/N: "I wonder what the purpose of that tower is... It looks like it's going to be tough just climbing the thing."

Philia: "That cross-shaped object is interesting too... I smell treasure!"

Y/N: "Hmmm, well it says the name of the area is 'Floating Ruins' so I guess there's a reasonable chance we'll find some treasures around here! Let's head for the tower and check it out I guess!"

The two of us start to make our way towards the large tower, if nothing else it'd at least give us a good view of our new surroundings!

Y/N: "Ah, there's a Teleport Obelisk here, perfect! Saves us the long trek back here later!"

Philia: "Hee hee, not much for walking then?"

Y/N: "In the real world, I loved walking- especially in the rain. But in here... time spent walking is time that could have been spent grinding, it's just not efficient to walk everywhere... but I guess it's always nice to walk with a friend in here I suppose!"

Philia: "Oh? So then-"

THOSE WHO HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE BLESSING OF THE DRAGON KING MUST DEPART FROM THIS PLACE.

Y/N: "Hmmm... The blessing of the Dragon King?"

Philia: "It could be some kind of item, maybe. Like that fiery necklace before?"

Y/N: "Sounds likely, yeah. I guess that'll be another big thing though right? Do you mind if we take a break for now?"

Philia: "Yeah, that's okay with me, we have been at this for a while now... want to head back to the Admin Area th-"

ROAR!

Y/N: "What the-!"

Philia: "A d-dragon!"

ROAR!

Y/N: "It flew away and up to the top of the tower..."

Philia: "Does it have a nest up there or something? That was really surprising, though..."

Y/N: "I guess that'll be something we have to kill eventually, I don't know if it'll be the Final Area Boss or whether its what we need to kill to get this 'Blessing of the Dragon King'"

Philia: "Well, I guess we've done enough for tonight, no? Maybe we should teleport back for now and get some rest... then I guess tomorrow you'll head to Aincrad for the training sessions with Silica and Sinon, no?"

Y/N: "Well, I'll be taking Sinon here into the Hollow Area, remember? But otherwise, yeah. I think heading back to the Admin Area for the night sounds good to me!"

*TELEPORT: ADMINISTRATION AREA!*

Philia: "Goodnight U/N, today was pretty fun! And we beat a bunch of bosses today too!"

Y/N: "We sure did! I cant wait to have you with me back in Aincrad, those Floor Bosses wont even know what hit them!"

Philia: "Teehee! Watch out Aincrad yawn We're gonna make our way up to the top in no time!"

Y/N: "Ahaha! You bet... yawn Goodnight Philia."

Philia: "Ahem!"

Y/N: "H-Huh...? Oh right! Sorry! Pass your- yawn Pass your hand, please milady."

Philia: "Here you go, hee hee! Uhm... th-thanks again for putting up with me all this time and my... silly requests!"

*THE NEXT MORNING*

I should probably send Asuna a message, right? To let her know I'm coming back today.

That way she can make sure that Yui and Silica know to expect me, I've kept them both waiting for quite a while now.

... and Sinon hmm? I suppose if I still have time tonight after seeing Yui and training Silica then I could see if Sinon is up for a training session.

It's going to take a few of them probably to get Sinon to a high enough level to safely fight mobs on Floor 76 like everyone else... I hope Philia really does play nice with her when they meet!

* * *

Philia: "...mmmmMornin', you're up early! Oooooooooh, that smells great!"

Y/N: "Good morning Philia! I just thought I'd cook up a couple meals for you before I head back to Aincrad today. Help yourself!"

Philia: "A couple meals, j-just how much do you think I eat?! Are you implying something?!"

Y/N: "O-Oh no, I didn't mean it like that! I just made some things that you can have to eat later in the day too is all, like for lunch. Because I don't know how long I'll be gone today and... I guess I kinda miss cooking for a friend!"

Philia: "Huh, well I won't say no to your cooking! Especially not if you enjoy it as well! Thanks U/N!"

__________________________________________
NEW MESSAGE - SENDER: Asuna
__________________________________________

Good morning U/N!

Thank you for letting me know, we all look forward to seeing you again!
When I told Yui she got so excited and ran off towards the Teleport Gate,
so I'd probably expect to be ambushed by her the moment you arrive!

Silica said she doesn't mind waiting until Yui's had her turn,
she's waiting with me in the Inn's seating area right now.
(She says Hi by the way!)
But don't leave her waiting too long,
I worry she'll tire herself out before midday,
especially with all the jumping around she's doing right now!

I guess we'll all see you real soon!
- Asuna
__________________________________________

Philia: "Was that Asuna?"

Y/N: "Yeah, seems they're all awake over there now, so I guess I can head over there now..."

Philia: "Well...? What are you waiting for?! Shoo! Shoo! I can't keep you all to myself after all, can I?!"

Y/N: "I don't know, can't you?"

Philia: "Wh-What do you mean by that?!"

Y/N: "Heh, just messing with you before I go, see you later Philia!"

Philia: "Buh-Bye! Go and have fun with our friends, and bring me back some stories, okay?"

*TELEPORT: ARC SOPHIA!*

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