The day after the material gathering, Maple was alone in the second-stratum town.
Everyone else was busy with various errands, so she was on her own for the time
being.
The second event had kept her so busy, she hadn't gotten any chances to explore the
town—this was the perfect chance to do just that.
"I wouldn't wanna force anyone to come along, either."
Besides, it was fun to explore at your own pace.
Her main goal was to find good gear for Sally.
If she could find some skills or gear for herself while she was at it, she'd have no
complaints. Maple still didn't have any equipment for her head, so that would be
ideal.
Maple started by talking to any NPCs she stumbled upon.
Unfortunately, there were tons of triggers she couldn't activate with her current
stats.
Essentially, anything with prerequisites besides VIT was totally inaccessible.
Sally's Superspeed was a good example; Maple could talk to the same NPC, but the
quest chain wouldn't start. Since Maple's build was so extreme, even options that
were open to most great shielders were off-limits.
"Let's try a little off the beaten path."
The farther away from downtown she went, the thinner the crowds got.
Most buildings she walked by were Guild Homes, and she couldn't enter any of them.
She wandered the back alleys for a while and eventually found several buildings she
could go in, but they were all abandoned.
"Oh, this one's open, too!" Maple said as she passed through the doorway.
Inside was a single room. A girl was lying on a shabby bed, a woman fretting over
her—presumably her mother. There was a small table and two chairs nearby. The
china cabinet had the bare minimum place settings—another sign they were not
well-off. The girl on the bed kept coughing, looking miserable.
"Hmm? A visitor? Sorry, I didn't see you come in."
"Oh, that's okay."
"There, there," the mother said, her attention already back on her daughter. "I know
it hurts."
Uncomfortable, Maple was about to quietly leave, but before she got the chance, the
woman turned toward her.
"Um… are you a knight?" she asked.
"Huh? Uh… a-am I?"
Maple's gear certainly resembled that of a knight more than a mage or a run-of-themill sword fighter.
"Oh, noble knight! Hear my plea. Please aid my daughter! I can offer no reward, but…
please show us mercy."
A blue screen appeared in front of Maple. She read the writing on it.
Quest: The Benevolent Knight
There were two buttons below that—YES and NO.
Maple pushed YES.
No way she could ever hit NO after hearing a request like this.
She didn't care if there wasn't a reward.
"Th-thank you so much! My daughter needs medicine. But I'd never make the
journey alone. I can guide you. Will you accompany me?"
"…Got it! I'll protect you!"
Maple rapped her breastplate, and the woman moved closer.
An HP bar appeared above her head. If she didn't keep this woman safe, it would all
be over.
The blue screen showed the quest details.
Maple read them carefully, making sure she didn't miss anything.
Her mission was to escort the mother to her destination safely, but there was no time
limit.
"Well, for starters, let's make our way out of town," Maple said.
As they started walking, the woman began talking.
"Our destination is the Tree of Life. It's due east."
"Roger that!"
Maple summoned Syrup from her ring, told it to use Giganticize, and then climbed
on. It was faster than walking, so she usually traveled this way now.
The woman was clearly programmed to stay within a two-yard radius of the questtaker, so when Maple climbed aboard Syrup, she put a foot on Syrup's leg, then
jumped aboard in a single bound.
"Are we sure you aren't stronger than I am?"
"We should head east."
"Uh, okay… Psychokinesis!"
Like always, she made Syrup rise into the air, and they drifted away.
"I can see the forest up ahead. The entrance is over there."
"Does that mean I can't fly?"
Maple set Syrup down outside the forest, patted its head, and put it back in the ring.
"I'll be counting on your help again later."
She could always summon Syrup if and when she needed it.
Maple scanned the area.
"Come, we should hurry!"
"Got it! Is this… the right place?"
There was a small trail ahead of them.
The woman was pointing at it, so that was probably the way forward.
Maple decided to not wait any longer and set off.
The woman was inside the range of her Cover skill, so she would be easy to protect.
Normally, this quest would have featured a slew of encounters along the way, but
Maple had conveniently skipped those, thanks to Syrup.
"Paralyze Shout!"
Maple's attacks couldn't harm the NPC, so even when there were enemies on all
sides, her skills made quick work of them.
"I don't even need to kill any!"
However, Maple was much slower than your average player.
That meant she got attacked more often.
By the time they reached the center of the forest, she was out of Devour.
"Hmm… Let's try out the crystal one."
Amethyst Geode was a shield made of purple crystals that Maple had found during
the second event. After switching to it, she followed the woman's lead. This
particular shield came with a skill called Crystal Wall, which fittingly generated a
wall made of crystal on command. Maple drew the natural conclusion that this
should help her protect the NPC.
"There! That is the Tree of Life!"
The woman ran over to a tree that was maybe half the size of the trees around it.
"That's… definitely not what I expected," Maple muttered.
She'd been expecting a giant tree bathed in heavenly light.
Maple watched as the NPC got to work. The woman looked over her shoulder, saying,
"These help cure sickness."
She plucked several leaves, showing them to Maple.
"Huh… Cool. Can I grab some, too?"
Maple tried, but there was an invisible wall, and she couldn't get close.
Apparently, this was a quest-limited item that players weren't allowed to collect
themselves.
"I'm finished."
"Then let's head back! I'll keep you safe!"
Maple called Syrup out again, but this time she had it levitate before making it
giant—there wasn't enough room in this forest to follow the usual routine.
"Syrup, pick me up!"
Syrup usually helped her up onto its back (with its mouth), but it was too high up to
reach.
Maple thought for a moment how to remedy this, and an idea came to her.
She wouldn't need to climb a tree or jump.
"Crystal Wall!"
Purple crystals spawned directly underfoot, launching her into the air.
Needless to say, this was not the intended use.
"Syrup!"
In midair, Syrup's jaws closed around her torso.
Anyone watching would have undoubtedly been horrified by the sight.
Most would have sworn that she was clearly being eaten alive by a giant flying turtle.
Instead, it tossed her onto its back.
"Oh, what about her…?"
While Maple was busy looking down and searching for the NPC, the woman casually
vaulted off a nearby treetop, neatly landing on Syrup's back.
"Holy…!"
"Let's go. My daughter is waiting."
"R-right…"
With that, they flew off once more.
As they did, Maple muttered, "Does she even need my help?"
The NPC clearly could have handled this mission solo.
As they came to the forest's edge…
"Haah… haah… Thank you for protecting me. I thought I was done for!"
"You're joking, right?! Wh-what are you even saying?"
Maple hadn't done anything special, and Syrup was just flying normally.
She wondered if maybe the flight itself was noteworthy.
If it had been anyone else on this quest, they'd be stuck on the ground, facing
powerful monsters, and great shielders generally sacrificed DPS, so most would have
been battered around quite a bit.
The woman's line had clearly been scripted to follow up an encounter like that.
It was Maple's unorthodox approach that made the line seem incredibly odd.
"You're a very kindhearted knight."
"Uhhh… I feel like I should apologize or something…"
Maple winced and bowed her head, but the woman ignored it.
This was too awkward to bear, so Maple flew back as fast as she could.
"All right! We're here!"
Maple landed Syrup right outside of town and sent it back to the ring.
All that was left was returning to the woman's house.
"Thank you so much! I'd better hurry home."
She ran off—too fast for Maple to keep up.
"…Guess I'll take my time."
Odds were, the next scene wouldn't happen until Maple got there, so there wasn't
much risk of the quest progressing without her. Most great shielders would have
been able to match the NPC's pace, though.
Maple made her way to the woman's house. Eventually.
When she opened the door, the woman was in the middle of helping her daughter
take a drink of some dark-green liquid.
To Maple's eye, the girl seemed very reluctant—it must have been quite bitter.
Ultimately, the girl swallowed and made a face.
"…How do you feel?"
"Cough, cough… Mm. A little better. Cough! Cough!"
"But your cough is so bad…! Ahhh! Whatever shall I do?!" the woman wailed.
A screen popped up in front of Maple.
Quest: The Benevolent Knight 2
The next mission in the quest chain.
Maple accepted it right away.
"Oh, generous knight! You will aid me yet again?"
"S-sure. Can't just quit now!"
The kid was coughing a lot. Honestly, it seemed like she'd gotten worse.
"Then please take me to the Spring of Exorcism! It's to the northwest!"
"Right. On it."
The woman immediately started moving toward the edge of town.
"Mm? I picked up a new skill…"
Benevolent Knight
These words had been added to her skill list, but there was no description or
indication of what it did.
Just the skill name.
"Uh… does it have no effect? Because the quest isn't over yet?"
In that case, she really couldn't leave things unfinished now. Maple followed the
woman.
"To the northwest!"
"All righty, northwest it is."
This involved another Syrup flight, which was now simply Maple's default mode of
transportation.
As Syrup took to the skies right outside of town, loads of players saw it happen. A
chorus of shocked cries went up. Even players who'd heard the rumors gaped at the
sight. And Maple's fan club just smiled warmly as they watched her cause yet
another uproar.
How quickly the outlandish becomes commonplace.
It would not be long before the entire player base simply reacted with, Oh, Maple's
flying again.
"This isn't gonna end with two, is it? There's no way there isn't a third part," Maple
muttered.
Maple didn't think these things ever came in pairs. It wouldn't feel like enough.
The latest quest wasn't noticeably different from the last one, and that only
reinforced her hunch that this wasn't over yet. As she considered how to avoid
unnecessary fighting, Maple realized something important.
"Augh! Devour hasn't recovered!"
Fortunately, this dawned on her while she was still aboard Syrup.
It could have been really bad news if she'd only noticed mid-fight.
"Hmm… Well, if the enemy seems too strong, I guess we'll just have to turn back."
There was no point if she let the woman die.
Maple decided she'd better scout the spring from the air, then figure out her plan
after that. For now, she followed the NPC's directions.
The spring lay right below Maple's eyes.
This time, the woman didn't say anything, so she'd gone ahead and flown straight to
the objective.
The spring in question was nestled inside some craggy outcroppings.
"I guess we should look for a spot nearby to land."
She found a place to set Syrup down, returned it to the ring, then started winding her
way to the spring with the woman.
There didn't seem to be any monsters in the area, and they reached the spring
without incident. Maple stayed on guard against ambushes, but none materialized.
The woman finished gathering water and turned back to Maple.
"Kind knight, I thank you for your help once again!" She bowed low.
"Yeah… I didn't do anything…," Maple commented awkwardly.
"Let's hurry back!"
"Uh, sure. Why not?"
They returned to the landing zone, at which point Maple summoned Syrup again.
Then they flew away without incident.
"S-still nothing? Really?"
Maple made it all the way back to town without so much as breaking a sweat.
Like the previous quest, the woman immediately ran off for home to give her
daughter the spring water.
While Maple stood there watching.
"How do you feel?"
"I-I'm fine. Don't worry about me," the girl said. But she was very pale and trembling.
She did not look fine.
Clearly, they weren't done yet. Maple waited for the next screen to spawn.
Quest: The Benevolent Knight 3
"Yup. Saw that coming."
Predictably, the quest chain continued.
Maple checked the Benevolent Knight skill, but it was still nothing more than a skill
name.
Once again, Maple accepted the new quest.
"Oh, noble knight! I am ever so grateful!"
"I've come this far, so I'll make sure to see it through!"
"There is a great city far from here. I've heard of a ring that can heal ails and ills by
simply wearing it. I realize that's not much to go on, but can you bring it to me?"
"So… a large town? You mean the one on the first stratum?"
Maple wondered if that was the town she had frequented when she first started
playing.
That was the only place that came to mind.
"Could the ring possibly be…?"
She took a ring out of her inventory.
This was a rare drop she'd found early on—the Forest Queen Bee Ring.
"Oh, magnificent knight! You brought the ring? How can I ever thank you?!"
"Wait, this is actually what you were looking for? Seriously?"
Maple hadn't equipped it in a while, so she had no problem handing it over.
It was a rare drop, but not something she could never find again.
Plus, the equipment she was wearing was more than enough; she wouldn't miss it.
"I'll put it right on her…"
The woman took the ring over to the girl and slipped it onto her finger.
Once she did, Maple got the quest-clear notification, proving this had been the right
answer.
With the ring on, the girl's cough went away and her complexion improved. Even
Maple could tell she was doing better.
"Is she okay now?" Maple asked, relieved.
But a moment later, the girl's face crumpled. She seemed to be in more pain than
before. Worried, Maple went over to her.
"Unh… augh. Gah…"
"…What's wrong? Does it hurt anywhere?"
"Augh…!"
The girl let out a hideous groan, then vaulted off the bed, threw open the door, and
ran outside.
"W-wait!" her mother called, chasing after her.
As Maple gaped at them, a new screen popped up.
Quest: The Benevolent Knight 4
Obviously, Maple accepted it.
"Right… Guess we're off to the edge of town!"
Maple followed after them, as fast as she was able to.
"There she is!"
She found the woman sitting on the ground outside town.
Maple went over, and the woman started talking.
"Sniff… Oh, noble knight. My daughter… she…"
"Where'd she go? Is she okay?"
"She went to the Temple of Everlasting Darkness… Few places are more
dangerous…!"
"…I'll bring her back!"
"Let me guide you there! I can't abandon my daughter!"
Maple would rather go alone, as she wasn't sure she could keep the NPC safe, but it
seemed like that wasn't an option, so they left for the temple together.
Maple boarded Syrup and, following the woman's directions, headed northwest past
the spring.
There, she found a crumbling old temple. Clearly the Temple of Everlasting Darkness.
Maple braced herself.
Keeping one eye on her surroundings, she put Syrup back in the ring before stepping
inside.
The temple interior was simple—just a large open space surrounded by walls and
topped by a ceiling. A familiar girl lay at the back of the room.
The woman tried to run to her, but before she could, a pitch-black fog started
gushing out of her daughter.
As they watched, the fog took on a humanoid shape and solidified—a monster with
no face but two sets of large claws. Ignoring the girl, it hurtled toward the woman.
"Cover Move! Cover!"
Maple had made sure to check whether she could use these moves with the NPC on
the first leg of the quest.
They allowed her to jump between the woman and the monster and block the attack
with her great shield.
"…! I'm out of Devour…!"
Maple had been blowing through these quests so fast, she'd forgotten that she'd long
since used up her last Devour for the day.
She still successfully blocked the blow, though, and the monster jumped back.
"I've gotta find a way to use Hydra…"
Clck… kkkkkkkk!
"…This thing is bad news."
Maple inspected her foe. It had no mouth but was making a horrible grinding noise.
Krrrrr…
"Cover!"
Its lunging attacks were straightforward enough that even Maple's unpolished
technique could easily block them.
But Maple had limited attack options. She couldn't afford to miss, so timing was
critical.
Naturally, that prolonged the battle.
She grimly held her ground until the thing suddenly reared up, clutching its head and
screaming.
"GgggrrrraaaaaaaaaaAAAaaaaAAH!"
Since the shadowy creature had no face, it didn't exactly have expressions per se, but
the body language suggested it was in pain.
The monster's arms transformed, merging its claws together into two menacing
points—like two lances.
"! Cover!"
When it launched another attack at the woman, Maple instinctively guarded her—
but the fused claws were incredibly sharp, and that meant piercing damage.
"Ack… Oof!"
Maple's shield techniques weren't good enough to knock either arm aside.
She lost a good chunk of her HP, but she couldn't stop using Cover now.
The woman clearly wouldn't survive if one of those attacks hit her.
Maple soaked several more attacks from behind her shield, face twisting in pain as
she endured the onslaught.
"Gggrrrkkkaaaahhh! Grrrggg… gkkkaaah!"
"Huh…?"
The monster had been attacking nonstop, leaving Maple gritting her teeth against
the pain… but it suddenly stopped, backing away. Maple quickly yanked out a potion,
keeping an eye on it.
"Gkkkkk… guhhhhh…"
It was clutching its head, curled up on the floor… and then it started to fade. Soon, it
vanished completely.
"I—I survived?!"
Maple only had 20 percent health left. She'd been looking for an opening to land a
counter in hopes of turning the tables, but the odds had been decidedly against her.
"Finally… The Holy Water of Exorcism must have kicked in," the woman explained.
"You mean… the stuff from the spring?"
"My daughter may have been possessed by a demon."
As the woman said, Maple had won without attacking because she'd successfully
cleared The Benevolent Knight 2.
To complete that quest properly, the player had to bring the woman back home
without either the player or the NPC dying. If either died, it automatically failed.
But successful or not, the quest chain would advance.
For a great shielder, fighting that battle without clearing the spring quest would be a
tall order.
"Oh… the quest just ended."
She'd been trying to figure out what to do next when the message popped up in front
of her. Maple blinked at it a few times.
No signs that a new quest was starting, either.
The skill hadn't changed.
"Let's check on my daughter!"
"Oh, right. Good idea!"
They rushed over to the girl and checked her condition.
She was sleeping like the dead. The woman shook her, but there was no response.
"For now… I'd better get her back home."
The woman picked up her daughter and left the temple.
As she did, another screen appeared in front of Maple.
Quest: The Benevolent Knight 5 and Extra Quest: Martyr's Devotion available.
Please choose your route.
"Huh?"
This unexpected twist left Maple baffled.
While Maple was clearing quests, the admins were going about their days like
usual—
Until one of them saw something on his screen that made him yelp.
"The Martyr's Devotion quest is active!"
"Wow. Well done. That won't happen unless you keep damage to the mother under a
very low threshold. Who…?"
The admin got that far, then cradled his face in his hands.
"Yup. It's Maple… She's, uh… flying."
After hearing that grim pronouncement, the listening admin sighed deeply. He could
already see where this was going.
"…Yeah, okay. Nothing we can do about that. It'll be fine. Probably."
"Third stratum comes first."
"Yeah… imagine her flying across those skies. With Martyr's Devotion active, it'll
make perfect sense!"
"It's like Fortress turning into Giant Fortress."
"Exactly! Is that an issue?"
"Nope! That should be no problem."
"Good."
"Yep."
""Ha-ha-ha…""
They shared a hollow chuckle that quickly faded into silence.
"This is a disaster!"
"I know! What do we do?!"
Too many players already knew that Maple had become a flying fortress. There was
nothing they could do but hold their heads in abject panic.
Maple decided to pick the extra quest and then left the temple, searching for the
woman.
There was no sign of her.
"Did she go on ahead?"
She looked around for a bit just to make sure, then hopped on Syrup and headed for
the town.
Once she was back, she went to the woman's house.
"…What's going on?"
She quietly opened the door.
The girl appeared to still be sleeping—peacefully. No signs of her earlier suffering.
"Noble knight, my daughter… she isn't waking up."
The woman's voice wavered. Like she couldn't believe this was happening.
As Maple moved closer, she realized the girl wasn't breathing.
"Huh…? N-no! Why?"
"I… I'll go buy an apple for her. She loves apples…"
The mother stood up and staggered toward the door.
Unable to face reality, she was completely beside herself.
"Eh? B-but the quest chain is still active, right?"
Maple hurried to check her quest tab but then noticed a pale glow surrounding the
girl's body.
She moved closer until she was standing right next to the bed.
Maple studied the girl, trying to figure out what was going on.
"The light… is writing something?"
The glow emanating from the girl began to coalesce into letters.
"Three days from now… at the Ruined Church?"
When Maple read the message out loud, the glow began to fade.
"I have to go there? But where is it? I don't think there's a place like that around
here… Maybe it's outside of town? There was a library… I could check there for
starters."
By the time the woman came home, Maple was ready to leave.
Maple paid the aforementioned library a visit.
"Let's see… Are there any maps?"
She searched for a book with a map of the second stratum. Her status menu featured
a digital map, but that showed only the basic lay of the land, her current location, and
the names of some notable landmarks. It certainly didn't have the location of any
Ruined Church.
Her search turned up several maps here, but none of them was particularly detailed.
At best, she could roughly make out the terrain.
"Hmm… That's not what I'd hoped for."
But there was plenty of time before the deadline. After deciding she'd played long
enough for one session, she put a pin in her investigation.
The following day…
She'd completed her research and emerged from the library.
"Should've known it'd be on the history shelf… I totally missed it…"
Maple had stumbled upon a book about the in-game history, and sure enough, it
mentioned a small church.
"Okay, so I still have two days! Right, I dunno what's in store, so I'd better stock up on
potions."
Fully prepared, Maple did not forget to visit the church at the foretold time. Once
again, she was flying there.
"You make this so easy, Syrup!"
She doted on her immensely helpful pet as they flew south. After landing at the edge
of a certain forest, she proceeded deeper into the sea of trees.
"It's way less tiring when I don't have to protect anyone…"
Every now and then, monsters would appear and bounce off her armor.
But none of them could damage her.
To Maple, it was like they weren't even there.
But when she didn't have Syrup to ride, her movement speed was ridiculously slow,
so it took her a full two hours to walk from the forest entrance to the church.
"Whew… Been a while since I walked that far."
It had been much more taxing than she'd anticipated. Maple wondered if she should
explore on foot a little more often.
That said, she eventually reached the run-down church.
"All right! Let's go in!"
The doors were long since gone, and the interior was covered in vines and weeds.
She proceeded down the aisle between the pews.
There was a large cross hanging on the wall ahead—dilapidated, but no less
imposing.
Something glittered on the floor below it.
"What's this…?"
It was a little bottle with what seemed like glowing gas trapped inside.
Maple examined the item description.
Archangel's Fragment
"W-wow, that sounds like a big deal."
She carefully placed it in her inventory, scanned the area in case there was anything
else of note, and after finding nothing, hurried (as much as she could) back to the
girl.
When Maple opened the door, the young girl's mother looked up.
"Kind knight, what brings you here?"
"Something I wanna try."
Maple stood next to the sleeping girl, took the bottle out of her inventory, and
opened the lid.
The girl's body began to glow.
"Whoa?!"
"Is something wrong, noble knight?!"
When Maple yelped in surprise, the mother looked baffled.
"Er… can't you see this?"
The glow around the girl shifted—previously, it had formed words, but this time it
took the shape of a beautiful woman.
Maple watched closely as the apparition of light began to speak.
"Thank you. I nearly robbed this poor child of her life."
"Oh, wow… Th-that would have been bad…"
"I shall grant you a fraction of my power… This way I, too, can take my leave."
And with that, the light rose up to the ceiling and disappeared.
Once it did, the girl opened her eyes and sat up.
"Huh? Mom?"
"Oh… oh… ohhh!"
The mother threw her arms around the child.
Her daughter seemed mostly confused.
"I guess… all's well that ends well?"
Maple also found this conclusion baffling, but the quest-clear notification popped up,
so that appeared to be a wrap.
Outside, Maple checked her new skill.
"Martyr's Devotion… Holy crap! What in the…?"
Maple hastily read the details.
Then she turned and ran toward the Guild Home.
"Iz!"
"…What's up? You're in a rush."
"I'd like a new set of equipment. Can you hook me up?"
"Well… technically, yes, but I'm gonna need a better idea of what you're looking for…
Did something happen?"
"…I'm not sure myself. Could you come with me for a bit?"
"Seriously, what's this all about?"
Maple dragged Iz out so she could demonstrate her new skill in the open field.
For the next five days…
Iz spent all her in-game time in her workshop, thinking about Maple's gear, trying
things out until she could make a prototype she was satisfied with.
"No… this gear isn't good enough for that…"
Similar mutterings could be heard at all hours.
Five days after Maple placed her order…
She logged in, and as she appeared in the Guild Home, Iz emerged from the
workshop.
"I've finished your gear, Maple."
"You have?!"
"That's right. Take a look."
Iz opened her inventory, taking out a full suit of white armor, a great shield, a short
sword, and a silver tiara.
Every piece of equipment was studded with blue gems.
The outfit screamed classic paladin, with the exception of the tiara.
"This really will make me look like a noble knight…"
Maple equipped it all, checking the stats.
Archangel Tiara X
[HP +250]
Archangel White Shield IX
[HP +300]
Archangel Holy Blade VIII
[HP +200]
Archangel Holy Armor IX
[HP +350]
"What are these roman numerals?" Maple asked.
"Those are enhancements that only appear on gear crafted with the Smithing skill.
Unlike unique drops or gear you find in events, crafted gear doesn't come with skills,
so this gives crafted equipment a way to keep up."
"Interesting…"
"The success rate for enhancements depends on the level of your Smithing skill, but
you need some serious luck to get something all the way to the maximum X. We can
talk payment and materials later. Making you stronger means opening more doors
for us."
"Definitely! But if you need anything, just say the word!"
Maple was more than happy to pay her back.
Iz's gear was top-tier, no question.
Later, Iz let it slip that this set was two steps above what she'd made for Chrome, but
Maple was too busy admiring her new toys to notice.
She was still at it when the other four guild members showed up.
"Mm?… Hot damn! That's the gear Iz has been working on? Nice! It looks great,"
Chrome said. Then he muttered, "Now I want some new gear…"
"I'm scared to ask why you wanted a new set, Maple…" Sally sighed.
"Good point." Kasumi nodded. "Was there something wrong with the gear you
already had?"
Kanade just smiled. "You look great in white, too, Maple!" he declared.
"Hmm," Maple said. "I think the best way to explain is to demonstrate. In combat!"
Everyone agreed, eager to learn more.
Iz tagged along, wanting to see how the gear she'd made would hold up to what was
coming.
"This place should be as good as any."
Maple had flown them all on Syrup, setting up in an area known for high spawn
rates.
"All righty… let's go! Martyr's Devotion!"
Red damage effects appeared all over Maple.
And when they vanished, the area ten yards around Maple glowed faintly.
But that wasn't all.
Two white wings had appeared on Maple's back, and a dazzling ring floated above
her head.
Moreover, her hair had taken on a beautiful gold color—and her eyes had become a
deep shade of blue.
""""What?!""""
"That's what I said my first time seeing it."
"Ah-ha-ha… My whole look changes when I use the skill. Oh, here come the
monsters."
Their brains had locked up for a second, but the party quickly recovered—as they
reminded themselves that with Maple, anything was possible—and turned their
attention to the battle at hand.
Their definition of normal was steadily changing the more time they spent around
her.
"Don't worry about taking damage!"
"Allow me. It'll be a good demonstration for the others."
Iz stepped forward, letting a monster attack her.
But her HP bar didn't budge.
"Huh? How in the…?"
"It's Maple's skill. She can perpetually keep Cover up on every party member
standing in the light's range… apparently."
"I have to pay a hefty chunk of HP when I activate the skill, though."
Like Hydra, Martyr's Devotion gave Maple several sub-skills.
The AOE Cover skill she was currently using was one of these. This skill meant that
to defeat any member of Maple Tree, you first had to take out Maple.
And just as Hydra gave her Paralyze Shout, Martyr's Devotion had more powers she
had yet to reveal.
But each of those required a significant HP sacrifice.
The catch was that with Maple's previous gear, she didn't have nearly enough HP to
use these new skills. That's why she'd begged Iz for a new set.
Martyr's Devotion was a massive improvement on Benevolent Knight.
That extra quest was really no joke.
"So… this gives us all as much defense as Maple? Dear god."
As long as they were in range, they were safe—assuming Maple was up and at 'em.
Of course, taking Maple down was easier said than done.
The only viable strategy was spamming piercing attacks.
And those still had to actually hit.
Nobody could hit Sally, Chrome was great at parrying with his shield, and Kasumi
was quite nimble in her own right.
Kanade was the only party member anyone could reasonably expect to hit.
"But, Maple, you've changed up your gear, right? Does that mean you don't have
enough defense to blunt all incoming damage?"
"Don't worry! Even with no gear, I have over 1,000 VIT!"
""Ha-ha… seriously?""
Chrome and Kasumi just laughed out loud.
They were long past rational thought.
While riding Syrup back, Chrome said, "Maple, Sally, I talk about you guys from time
to time on a game forum. Should I stop?"
"Hmm… I guess I don't mind," Sally said. "Everything I've told you is cool to make
public."
"I'm with Sally! I mean…"
""Even if people know, it won't matter.""
Chrome could post everything he knew, and Sally would still be just as impossible to
hit, and Maple would stay just as invulnerable.
Chrome didn't know how they'd earned their skills, so he couldn't disclose anything
really important even if he wanted to.
It was no skin off their teeth either way.
126 Name: Anonymous Great Shielder
Sup
127 Name: Anonymous Spear Master
Yo…
You're in Maple's guild?!
Jealous! I hate you!
128 Name: Anonymous Greatsworder
Lucky.
I know we said to make contact with Sally, but you went too far!
129 Name: Anonymous Archer
Give us deets.
You've gotta have something!
Not asking you to spill guild secrets or anything.
130 Name: Anonymous Spear Master
Being in the inner circle prob makes it tough to share.
But share what you can!
131 Name: Anonymous Mage
Please
132 Name: Anonymous Great Shielder
Will do.
First, about Sally…
Like the rumors, hella dodgy.
From what I can tell, it ain't a skill.
Might be something else going on, but…
All I can say is, I've seen her fight a lot of monsters, and I haven't seen her take any
damage yet.
And she gets some sorta aura going…
133 Name: Anonymous Archer
So it was Sally who ran wild during that event?
The blue demon who dodged everything?
134 Name: Anonymous Greatsworder
And now she's evolving.
What aura?
135 Name: Anonymous Archer
Hmm.
Sally likely has her share of mystery skills.
Maybe not as many as Maple, but…
136 Name: Anonymous Great Shielder
Speaking of Maple…
She went off on her own the last few days.
And when she came back…
137 Name: Anonymous Greatsworder
Don't leave us hanging!
138 Name: Anonymous Spear Master
Spill it!
139 Name: Anonymous Mage
What happened?!
140 Name: Anonymous Great Shielder
She's an angel.
141 Name: Anonymous Archer
Yeah, we know that.
142 Name: Anonymous Mage
Not news
143 Name: Anonymous Greatsworder
Always has been
144 Name: Anonymous Spear Master
Obviously.
145 Name: Anonymous Great Shielder
Okay, fair.
Lemme rephrase.
Maple came back with a skill that gives her wings, a halo, blond hair, and blue eyes.
146 Name: Anonymous Spear Master
WUT
147 Name: Anonymous Mage
That's whatcha get for taking your eyes off her.
148 Name: Anonymous Greatsworder
How? Where do you even find this skill?
149 Name: Anonymous Great Shielder
Dunno.
Skill name is Martyr's Devotion.
It lets her indefinitely Cover every party member in range.
So if Maple uses it…
Her entire party becomes functionally immortal.
150 Name: Anonymous Greatsworder
She's obtained her second form.
Have they officially made her the last boss yet?
151 Name: Anonymous Spear Master
Hell seems lukewarm by comparison.
Don't take your eyes off her again.
She'll come back with a third form.
Guaranteed.
152 Name: Anonymous Great Shielder
And apparently even with no gear on, her VIT is over 1,000.
153 Name: Anonymous Archer
I don't even know what's what anymore.
154 Name: Anonymous Spear Master
That's just freakish.
Is her body made of steel?
Orichalcum?
155 Name: Anonymous Spear Master
She hasn't even been playing that long.
When the rumors first started up, she hadn't made it to the second stratum yet.
There's gotta be something on the first stratum.
156 Name: Anonymous Great Shielder
I thought the same thing…
But if that's true, shouldn't we have a second or third Maple by now?
157 Name: Anonymous Mage
Fair.
There must be some reason only Maple can do it, but I have no idea what that might
be.
They all gave it some thought, but nobody could figure out how Maple had gotten her
skills.