[center][b][i]Winter Contingency[/i][/b][/center]

Varren nodded in response to Fenros and Mia, then glanced over to Lit, “Yeah, we have to go to Urbas, since that is where the teleportation gate is. The fare to get up to floor 35 isn’t that much, as I’m sure we all have gained money by some means over the past six months.” He took another sip of the beverage, savoring its bitter flavor. The palette engine which operated tastes didn’t falter by the slightest when resembling the real thing. Though, it gave him an unsatisfied feeling when the drink didn’t give him any effects or perks, its caffinated origin meant nothing in this world. “I have a friend to me-” The boy was cut off when a player called out to the group, requesting that they assist him in finding a route to a nearby mining town. As the man broke through the treeline, he heard the sounds of blades behind him, noticing that Izumi had readied her katars. He made a slight motion to put her to ease as the player approached the group. Judging by his armor, he was in the same level range as Izumi and himself, probably lower twenties. Varren narrowed his eyes in speculation, not completely convinced that the man’s mission truly lied in the mines. “You do know this is the second floor, correct? Any quests which lie there will render players like us absolutely no EXP whatsoever. Though, I can quickly map out the route for you on your map.” With a swipe of his fingers, an interface showing the floor’s map popped up before him. He placed his index finger on the point where the group was currently, then traced a cyanic line through a path, towards a mine which was roughly a kilometer away. 

The routed map was sent to the character whose in-game name was [i]”Bane”[/i]. “Sorry, but we have to move along. Gotta meet up with a few comrades. Though, there’ll be a dungeon raid on floor 35 soon. You could get in on that and get some nice loot once you finish this quests.” Yinyues gave a departing wave as he continued his trek back to Urbas, the rest of the group in tow. Izumi offered knowledge about PKer archers, though judging by the fact she was in the same level range as himself, the girl wouldn’t know much. Besides, Varren had enough faith in his own connections and personal deduction to come up with an answer. “Well, good luck with that party of your’s. I’m sure the meeting won’t take too long, so Lit and I will be able to join up once I’m done.” Though he disliked talking for his newly met friend, he had an ulterior motive to having her tag along. Once they finally reached the town, they made their way through the bustling marketplaces and arrived at the town center. Varren managed to stop himself from buying multiple spools of thread, keeping his head on the objective. “You know, it’s a tad bit weird. As we speak, the frontline guilds are probably fighting to make their way into the floor pillar. Players could be perishing and passing away as we speak, disappearing from this world, and from the other side.” As he trailed off, the boy received another message from Mez. Unlike before, this time around, he chose to make the message appear to only him, as he did like a little privacy from time to time.

[b]It's bad news. Two words: Kilia Fayne.[/b]

The short message changed the whole entire situation. Kilia Fayne, or more renowned as [i]”Dark Arrow Mora”[/i] was somehow involved. She was one of the few archers who possessed the sheer power and ability to operate solo during a pillar raid. Varren put two and two together and concluded that she was the archer involved in the attack on floor 36. Before he could continue his train of thought, the boy stepped onto the teleportation platform and took a deep breath in. “Floor 35 - Mishe!” The player was enveloped in a blue light, his body dissolved into light, and was reassembled in a completely different region. Varren instantly felt the temperature difference, a shiver ran down his spine as the cold air rushed to him. “Shit, it’s cold.” He complained and tightened the scarf, trying to preserve as much body heat as possible. A majority of the floors of SAO followed the same weather cycle as the real world, the 35th being one of them. 

As he was about to turn to face the gate and greet his friends, a player accidently bumped into him. The teen who seemed to be roughly his age was draped in a black winter coat, his hair was almost down to his nose with a kind face, making Varren almost mistake him for a female. The sheath on his back was of the same color scheme, held by a leather shoulderstrap. The player spat out a stern “Sorry!” before running off towards the forest, with the look of determination in his eyes. Varren let out a sigh and pat the snow off of his own jacket, his friends finally arriving from the warp gate. “Oh, hey! I guess this is where we part ways for about an hour or so. Don’t worry, we’ll meet up with you guys soon.” Varren nodded towards the direction of the inn and waited for Lit to follow. As they walked through the snow covered street, he sent Mez a message;

[b]”I’m en route to the inn now. Got a friend tagging along. Don’t be rude.”[/b]

With a quick tap of the send key, the interface waned out of his view. He glanced over to the beast tamer who must have been cold, “You’re probably wonder… [b]Why is this boy asking me to meet a friend of his with him? What does he need of me?[/b], or something along those lines, right? Well, in all honesty, it’s because of your mindset.” He exhaled deeply into his palms and rubbed his hands together, trying to generate some heat. “Judging by your level, you haven’t seen what SAO has to offer yet. Though, that also means you haven’t seen the horrors woven into its mass. I needed somebody who wasn’t been tainted by this world, a person who could see the insanity in my distorted views. Everybody in this game has sinned one way or another, I’m not the same me I was six months ago.” The snowflakes drifted onto his head and weaved their way into his hair, “So thank you, for not letting this world get the better of you.” He made a slight smile, then stopped at an inn. Like most of the complexes in the town, it looked like a medieval tavern. Varren opened the door for both of them and proceed into the inn, taking a seat next to a player with red hair. He gave a greeting nod to the young man, then looked off towards the bathrooms. Yinyues was able to see Mez’s diamond through the walls, since he was in such a close proximity with the person on his friends’ list. “Two cups of coffee, please.” The bartender went to work with the brew, Varren tapped on wooden bar whilst waiting for Mez to finish with his business.