Mez swiped away Pterro's message as he lay on top of the small wall roughly 5 minutes walk from the Guild Hall. It ran parallel to a little stream and was surrounded by looming willow trees that provided ample shade from this level's relentless sun-rays. It was his favourite place to think or simply relax, which he was currently doing. That's because nobody ever came here and he was allowed to think in silence. Life on the frontlines was obnoxiously loud, what with everyone fussing about how they were going to be the best and beat the game or worrying about not making it or losing their loved ones. Coming here gave Mez some solace from the madness he'd been trapped in and also the chaos he'd become a part of by fighting on the frontlines.

It was no coincidence that a bunch of members had joined the guild immediately after him and Kharn had been shown in the newspaper. Their names had been growing rapidly throughout Aincrad for a while now. But this was the turning point for him. As soon as he attended the next meeting, it would become real, he would become one of the faces of the frontlines. And that was a hard pill to swallow.

He'd seen what had already happened with Kirito and Asuna, how their fame had affected their lives here in the game world. How they could no longer been seen to be slacking off from trying to free everyone from this death game. Mez wasn't sure he could handle that reponsibility at first but the more he thought about it, his reservations weren't about whether he could, they were about Sasha and whether she could.

Of course, if he'd have quizzed her about it she would protest and immediately declare her support for him. But sometimes he just wanted to support her for a change. She'd always been worried whenever he left to go and fight but if he took the next step and became a face, he wondered just how she'd handle it. As pondered the forming of a question to ask her, he remembered the last time he doubted her and how upset she'd been with him. She refused to speak with him for two days, which was rough. If he doubted Sasha with this, she'd likely be just as angry or maybe even more so. A thought that scared him slightly. He couldn't lose her.

Sitting up from the wall, Mez pulled a teleportation crystal from his inventory and switched his sword so that Judgement now appeared strapped to his back. Then he stood and activated the crystal. A brief flash of light filled his vision before his surrounding were replaced with the familiar sight of the floor meeting room. Scrying the room, he immediately recognised everyone here. He'd lost count how many times they'd fought together now. A few heads turned in his direcrion. Some smiles, others glares and even a look of admiration or two.

Mez slowly crossed the large chamber, his greatsword clinking gently with each step, until he reached Pterro, Kharn and the others. He greeted them with a quick nod and then turned to face everyone else, ready to begin.