A few days after the fourth event, the third stratum town was still abuzz with talk of
Maple. The subject of rumor was busy relaxing in her guild home.
"Sounds like the fourth stratum is getting added soon. We'll have to go clear the boss
together!"
She closed the message from the admins and allowed her imagination to wander,
speculating on what the new stratum would be like.
"Hmm… oh! That reminds me."
Maple jumped up from the couch.
"I'd better take care of it before we go any higher. They're expensive, but…"
And with that, she left home, heading across town. Her feet carried her to the shop
that sold flying machines.
"I don't need one, but… I do wanna have a go! My machines are better, of course.
They totally are!"
She emphasized that, like she was trying to mollify the First Machine God. Then she
looked over the flying devices in stock.
"Hmm, car-types and machines for four sure do cost a lot. Maybe I should get a
single-seater… but one that's easy to fly. Hngg…"
While she was having analysis paralysis, a voice called her name.
"Maple!"
"Hello."
"Oh, Mai and Yui! Hey, good timing. Which machines are you two using?"
The twins pulled theirs out of their inventories. They'd bought the same flying
machines—ones shaped like boots a size larger than their actual shoes.
"Uh, we just use these to fly. It feels like we're levitating!"
Mai demonstrated how to attach them, and once they were on, she floated up off the
ground.
"Oh! Wow. But that looks hard."
"It is. Yui liked these, so we chose them, but… we've fallen a lot."
"I'm so sorry, Mai. I thought it would be easier."
But choosing these did come with certain benefits—
—for one thing, they left both hands free. If monsters attacked in midair, it was easy
to fight back.
"Aha… Hmm, I just don't know. Maybe I should get the same kind. Um, is this a good
time? Could you show me how to use it?"
"Of course!"
"We'd be glad to."
Maple quickly bought a pair of boot machines. And she started walking toward the
field.
"Potentially crashing in town sounds dangerous… Do you know a place without
many people?"
"If we head out to the east…"
"Also, Maple, do you mind if we take out some monsters on the way? Grinding is safer
when you're with us."
"Oh, sure! Consider yourselves under my protection!" Maple nodded, seeing this as a
great way to thank them for teaching her to fly.
It wasn't often she actually walked around the fields these days.
The first thing she did was activate Martyr's Devotion. With that on, the twins were
safe as safe could be.
This had proven endlessly useful in the fourth event. A formation that allowed them
to cover each other's weaknesses.
"Let's move out!"
""Aye-aye!""
They headed east across the third stratum. This map was designed to make flying
everywhere seem easier. There were a lot more monsters on ground level—and
stronger ones.
But that wasn't a problem for this team.
""Double Impact!""
Approaching Mai and Yui was like walking right up to death's door. No monsters here
could breach Maple's defense; all they could do was shatter and give way.
"You two are so much better at fighting now!"
"Are we…?"
"Mm, maybe? I think so anyway!"
"Maybe we got the hang of it during the event!" Yui said happily. She gave her
hammer an extra-strong swing.
"Hmm… I've gotta try harder, too. Maybe I can get better at using my shield! Like…
this! Or this!"
Maple started snapping her shield around, miming blocks and parries. The twins
saw this and got excited, too, waving their hammers around. They were raising
different stats, but Maple's extreme build had taken her to dizzying heights, and she
was their original inspiration.
"I hope we can keep getting better… Oh, Mai, incoming!"
"Mm, I see them."
Mai swung her hammer sideways like a bat, sending the approaching monster flying
helplessly into the distance.
"As long as we hit, everything goes down after one shot!"
"Yes, and after training with Sally, we hit a lot more often!"
"But she still dodges everything…"
"Hmm, I've never fought the real one, but I've seen her fight a lot, and I honestly
don't think I could ever hit her."
Visions of Sally fighting danced before Maple's eyes. She couldn't picture her attacks
ever connecting even in her imagination.
After blowing away several more monsters, they reached their destination at last. It
was a wide-open field, with ankle-deep grass swaying in the breeze.
"There aren't many monsters here. This is where Chrome took us to practice. So, uh…
let's get started!"
Mai and Yui put their machines on again, and Maple followed their lead.
Seeing her feet get much bigger, Maple said, "Oh, it feels just like using Machine God!"
"Boot-types are operated like you're flexing your feet. If you flex too hard, you'll go
rocketing away, so…"
Mai demonstrated the gentle approach, floating slowly upward. Then she began
flying freely all around, like she had wings.
"Okay, so I flex… yiiiikes!"
When Maple tried, she instantly felt the g-forces… and then her feet went over her
head, and she hit the ground face-first.
A loud, resounding clang echoed. Maple was sprawled out on the ground.
"Th-that caught me by surprise…"
"Maple, not that hard! Gently!" Yui said, hovering herself. She was far less stable than
Mai, though. Even as Maple watched, she spun into a free fall.
Since she was within range of Martyr's Devotion, she took no damage, but Yui clearly
needed a lot more practice as well.
"Yui, how are you still so bad?!"
"I-I'm not! Sigh… Okay, stay calm. Stay calm."
This time Yui lifted off into a successful hover.
"Whew… I did it!"
Her blunder must have been the result of nerves because Maple was watching. When
she flew carefully, Yui was plenty stable.
"Wow… Hmm, flying with Machine God is much easier than this."
"We don't really get how you do that at all," Yui said.
Mai nodded.
"I just go boom, and I'm flying. All I gotta do is adjust the direction. I wonder if I can
make this work like that?"
Once again Maple tried a big flex but once again instantly lost her balance and
wound up with her head buried in the dirt.
This time she didn't get up.
"A-are you okay?"
"It looked like it hurt… but probably didn't…"
"Hngg…"
Maple brushed the dirt off her face and pushed herself upright.
"Everyone else makes it look easy! They're so good."
"Maybe a different machine would help? The back-mounted ones are supposed to be
easiest."
"Hngg, it feels a little early to give up just yet. Lemme try a few more times, then I'll
think about it."
Maple went back to practicing.
She wasn't that slow on the uptake, so she was steadily getting more air time
between each crash. Every now and then, monsters attacked, and the twins
annihilated them while she kept practicing.
Still, it took the better part of an hour before she could manage a gentle hover.
"O-ohhh! That's more like it!"
She had both hands held out, balancing herself, but was managing to keep herself
still for the first time.
"Okay, next, let me try walking—"
Maple moved her feet like a skater, carefully floating forward.
She was definitely moving, but this just didn't feel intuitive at all.
"I just… want to fly!"
She flexed her feet hard. She shot forward, but thanks to being able to balance better
now, she was soon running across the sky.
"Oh, um… H-how do I stop?!"
Maple knew perfectly well just stopping cold would lead to another fall, so she kept
going—and wound up rocketing off into the woods beyond.
"Maple?!"
"A-after her, Yui!"
They gave chase. Somewhere ahead of them, they saw Maple crash into the forest.
They flew across the trees, searching the sea of green. Eventually they found a black
lump buried headfirst in a tree.
"That you, Maple? You alive?"
"I'm fine! Ugh. I should have taken it slow…"
The twins pulled her out of the tree.
They rose slowly upward, and she summoned Syrup, making it giant.
"Hokay. Yes, this is much more relaxing."
Maple settled down on her turtle's back, took off the machine shoes, and stroked her
pet's shell.
The twins had shown her the basics, so Maple told herself she could practice more
anytime.
"Why don't we focus on getting you two some levels? This flying thing seems like it
could take a while."
The twins readily agreed to a change of plans, so Maple had Syrup flew deeper into
the woods. Then she had Machine God's armaments lay down suppressing fire as if
to prove which machine was better.
While Maple was starting flight practice, Sally was grinding on the third stratum
surface.
"Whew… all right. Hah. So many monsters."
She picked up the dropped materials, then glanced down at the machines on her feet.
"I tried several types, but these are just the absolute best."
Sally's inventory had several flying machines in it. But the boot-type offered the most
mobility and was perfect for her play style.
When monsters attacked, she could dodge with a quick sideways thrust and then
accelerate in a strike.
Sally flew like she was born with wings on her feet.
"Wish we could have used these in the event! Hmm, future stratums are gonna feel
slow by comparison."
The machines gave her the ability to move freely in all directions, and she'd
incorporated that into her fighting style. This made her much more powerful than
when she was stuck on the ground.
"Now I'm hungry for more mobility! There's gotta be some good skills out there that
can replicate this!"
But she'd done her research and was well aware there were no leads. If any skills like
that were public knowledge, she would've had them already.
"Gotta pin my hopes on more event medals. They might have changed up the list of
skills we can redeem those for."
Sally hunted for a while longer, then spotted four familiar players in the distance.
Kasumi and Chrome, with Drag and Frederica.
"Erp… she's moving like nobody should again…"
Frederica had seen enough of that in the fourth event—and in their duel before that.
"…Interesting party lineup."
"Yeah… Maple and the twins were out, so… two pairs with nothing better to do."
"And we'll end up fighting again someday. Can't hurt to grab some intel on you guys."
"Not even trying to hide it?" Sally asked.
Drag just grinned back at her. Frederica was hiding behind him, glaring at Sally.
"I'll come duel you again if I find time," she said, scowling. "I wasn't going all out last
time, and I feel like I could have done better in the event, too."
Sally readily agreed, then turned to Kasumi.
"Grinding together?"
"More or less. Care to join us? We're headed somewhere with a high spawn rate, so
the more the merrier."
Sally didn't have any other plans, so she didn't need much convincing.
The five of them reached a zone at the edge of the third stratum, one filled with much
stronger monsters than the area around town.
"Okay, let's start. Taunt!"
Chrome's skill drew the attention of some sturdy-looking iron golems.
"Power Boost! That enough buff for everyone?"
Frederica's spell provided an STR buff, and Kasumi shot forward.
"First Blade: Heat Haze!"
She vanished mid-stride, and an instant later, her blade struck the golem.
"Don't forget about me!" Drag leaped forward like defense was no obstacle, using his
giant ax to knock golems around and make the ground itself shudder.
"Quit making me defend you all the time! Multi-Barrier!"
"Covering. Cover!"
Frederica and Chrome were protecting Drag and Kasumi, respectively. Together they
made quick work of the advancing golems. Nothing these creatures threw out could
ever hit Sally, so nobody worried about protecting her.
"These things are way too slow. No probl— Hmm? Heads up! Up above!"
Sally spotted some mechanical bird monsters swooping toward them and launched
herself upward to take them on, her body spinning through the air like an acrobat,
dodging and striking down one after the other.
"Mm, definitely in the zone today."
The sky filled with the blue glow of Sword Dance and the red sparks of the damage
she dealt.
When she'd cleared the skies and looked down, she saw Drag splitting the last
golem's head.
"Ha, not even a challenge!"
"Because I kept you out of harm's way!"
"Yep, thanks! Huge assist."
"It's what I do."
While the Order members were talking, Sally came in for a landing.
"Third stratum monsters just aren't a threat, huh?"
"Not for our guild… Maybe the twins. They don't have the levels yet. And Iz is an
exception…"
"Our levels are getting more on par for the upcoming fourth stratum release. Still, no
harm in being ready."
The five of them kept moving, searching for more foes—and more XP.
This was a party that spelled certain doom to any monsters that came their way. It
was a constant that remained true anywhere either Maple or Sally happened to be.
If the monsters' behavior patterns had included a flight instinct, they would've
turned tail just at the sight of them. That's how much stronger these two parties
were.
Sally's group disbanded after another two hours of grinding. With nothing else on
her plate, Sally headed back to town, and before long, she found herself at the door of
their guild home.
"Oh, Sally! You're back!" Maple exclaimed, waving over her menu screen.
"Your group wrap up, too?" Sally asked, sitting down next to her and stretching. "We
were out leveling. Yawn… I'm pretty worn out."
"Me too! I was fighting for ages. With the twins."
She happily started babbling about their adventures.
"Oh, you grabbed the boot-type, too? They're great! So easy to move in."
"Easy? It was all I could do to float. Maaaaybe fly in one direction. I just keep
crashing!"
"It does take a bit of practice." Then Sally shot her a boastful grin. "Heh-heh… Unless
you're me, of course. I never crashed once!"
"Arrrrgh! Good for you. Can't say I'm surprised…"
"I mean, if I fell from any height, I'd die, so… that meant I had to be real careful."
"But it's so hard!"
"Oh, we were out with a couple of people from the Order today. I kept a close eye on
how they fight. Our guild doesn't have anyone like either of 'em."
Sally launched into a fuller explanation.
"Interesting! But Mai and Yui can bring the pain just as much as Drag can!"
"Yeah, those girls are… something else. Real cheeky. You can't really find anyone like
them."
If anyone else played like the twins, Sally would have heard about it.
Everyone would have been gossiping, without a doubt.
"They'll have a lot of attention on them in the next event, and a lot more people will
be prepared to face them specifically. We gotta get 'em ready!"
"Absolutely! But we don't know what the next event'll be yet. I hope it doesn't involve
racing around the map again…"
Now that she had Atrocity, Maple could cover a lot of ground in a decent amount of
time, but she still thought of it as a formidable challenge.
"If it's one of those, you can just work it till you hit whatever personal target you're
after. I'll handle the grind to the guild reward."
"Oh? Well, I'll do what I can!"
"Heh-heh. Just don't push yourself too hard. We're not really set up for events that
favor crowds."
Even with the twins on board, Maple Tree had only eight members. Each of them was
a powerhouse, but there were definitely times when sheer numbers had the clear
advantage.
"Should we find more people?"
"No, not unless you find someone you think you really want. I think we're better off
playing it our way, you know?"
Maple clearly agreed with that sentiment.
"Oh, earlier I was thinking about the fourth stratum. I realized I really miss just
wandering around town with you."
"Same here! I'm getting sick of grinding levels. Sounds like a good change of pace to
me."
"I know, right? Like you said, you can only spend so much time fighting."
Maple's smile proved infectious. Sally considered the idea a moment, then offered a
suggestion.
"Why don't we scope out the third stratum town, then? Sounds like you were making
a point of getting some flying practice in because you think the fourth stratum isn't
far off, right?"
"Mm, yeah! Basically."
"Then let's hit the town as a way of wrapping up our time here. I mean, with all the
event prep, we didn't really do much on this stratum."
"Oooh, I'm in! Let's do that!"
Between one event and the other, recruiting members and building them up—they'd
been so busy the two of them hadn't really explored the third stratum at all. Which
meant there was still loads of fun to be had.
"Unless you're too worn out, Sally?"
"Talking to you gave me a second wind."
"Then let's go have fun!"
"Don't have to tell me twice!"
They jumped up and raced out the door.
"Where to first?"
"Good question. Lots of material shops around here… and equipment."
Even though she suggested it, Sally didn't have a clear goal in mind.
"No need to plan ahead! We'll figure it out as we go. That's usually how I do things
anyway!"
"That's why you always come back with stuff that scares the crap out of everyone.
But fine by me! Let's do it the Maple way."
"Cool. Then… let's head right! I think I saw a cute shop in that direction once. I don't
remember what it sold, though!"
"That does sound familiar. Let's check it out!"
"Then follow me!"
Maple took Sally's hand and pulled her along. They were off the beaten path to begin
with, and few players came this way, so it was easy to stay together.
It didn't take long before they found the quaint shop Maple had mentioned.
Maple stopped in front, certain this was the place.
"It sells cosmetics? Is that different from accessories?"
Maple took a closer look through the front window.
"Apparently," Sally said. "I'm guessing these just change how you look. Hairstyle or
hair color—things like that."
She was already headed in, so Maple trudged after her.
"Excuse us… Oh, you're right. There's so many!"
The shop did sell necklaces and bracelets, ribbons, chokers, and outfits—and like
Sally said, hairstyles.
"Well? See anything you want to try?"
"Um, I've got skills that change my hair color… but I wouldn't mind trying a different
hairstyle!"
"I'll try something out, myself. How about this one, Maple?"
Sally handed her an item that made hair longer.
And when they added an outfit, Maple looked like an all-new girl.
She was in a long skirt with frills and a white blouse. Paired with the long black hair
now flowing down her back, she seemed like a classic beauty.
"W-wow… I don't even recognize myself!"
Maple's hair reached all the way down to her hips. She brought her hand up to it and
brushed the fringe, then did a little twirl, which made the skirt's frills billow out, too.
"People who know you would probably figure it out, up close. But damn, it really is a
dramatic change!"
"You've gotta try it, Sally! How about these clothes? They're like something the twins
would wear!"
"Uh… n-nah, I wouldn't look good in those."
Sally tried to refuse, but that only made Maple's eyes gleam. She stepped closer.
"Heh-heh-heh… It won't hurt to try."
Maple had worn what she'd suggested, so Sally couldn't very well refuse. She ended
up dressing up in everything Maple wanted.
"Braids… no, pigtails! I've never seen you wear those! Well?"
"Urgh… Th-this is actually excruciating…"
Sally tugged the poofy sleeves of the outfit, refusing to make eye contact.
"Oh?"
But somehow they both ended up buying the new looks.
"I'm gonna put mine on right away!"
"M-maybe someday… I guess…"
Sally gave the new Maple a long look but made no move to change herself. She
quickly turned and walked away.
"Ah! Come back here, Sally! Don't you run!"
Maple gave chase and soon caught up, mostly because Sally let her. Then they headed
off to explore some more.
This would be their final tour of town—because the fourth stratum was coming
soon.