Fortune Favors (QQ) Chapter 15 (Patreon)

I let out a low grumble as I stand up, grasping Excalibur. 'I should probably go back to SAO... maybe Yui can give me more information.'

I hear a quiet thud from behind me, so I turn, seeing Tsukasa crawling out of the pipe to our bedroom, she lets out a quiet yawn, stretching slightly as she wipes an eye. One of her ears are perked up higher than the other... frankly she looks adorable right now.

Her tail is slightly poofed up, and overall, she just looks really sleepy.

She walks over to me and presses her body against my own, using me as a pillar as she leans against me, rubbing her face against my own.

"G'moring..." She tiredly mutters.

"Good morning, Tsukasa." I greet back, a smile forming on my lips as I place the sword back on the table.

I run a finger down her collar bone and plant a brief kiss on the side of her head... a kiss that she seems especially pleased with.

She pauses, her eyes losing a lot of tiredness as she sniffs the air.

"Is... something burning?"

"Oh, sorry. That was my bad. I got some sort of meteor ore and it burnt the table a bit." I wince, causing her to glance past me.

She runs a finger along the table top and lets out a low hum. "Eh. It's not that bad... just a little blackening. Are you unhurt?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine." I nod. "Now I was just about to go back to Sword Art to ask Yui to tell me about this sword here."

"Hm... perhaps I will join you." She hums mutely.

"Alright." I shrug as I turn, picking Excalibur up before also waking over to pocket the iphone.

With a wave of my hand, a simple doorway appears in the open air.

Tsukasa, who had been walking towards the magic dresser pauses and glances over. "Huh?"

"Oh, I forgot to mention. I can do this now." I explain as I gesture to the doorway.

I open the door and step inside, Tsukasa following along behind me.

"Hey, Yui? Are you around?" I question the open air. "I know I have been walking in and out a lot recently, but I've got something pretty interesting-"

There's a slight crackle as the black haired girl appears in front of me. "Argo. No time to talk. I need your help."

"Pardon?"

"Initializing teleportation to Sixth floor town." The black haired girl intones.

With a near blinding flash our surroundings shift, gone are the indoors of my shop on the first floor... now, we are in a town square of some sort, the starry sky rests above us, cobble streets underfoot. The area is unnaturally barren. It's frankly a ghost town.

But, in the quiet of the night, I can hear it... and Tsukasa can as well.

Faint sobbing in the distance.

We share a look and begin briskly walking forwards, weaving through the winding city streets as we grow closer and closer to the origin of the noise.

Eventually we come to a small alleyway, tucked tightly between two buildings, we step inside, following the noise until we come to a small girl, hidden between two large boxes, she has a dark jacket wrapped around her body, from what I can tell, it's the last hit drop from the first floor boss, the Coat of Midnight.

What draws my attention would be her long silky hair that is... white? No... there's some blue... the tips are green?

Well, she certainly looks unique.

Her golden eyes don't even seem like they see us as she stares blankly forwards, tears streaming down her cheeks she lets out a small pitiful whimper that causes my heart to clench. "Brother... where did you go?"

Tsukasa is instantly upon her, wrapping the girl in a hug. "You poor thing! Shhh it's okay... I'm here now."

The girl's shoulders shake and quiver as she remains curled up in a ball, she barely even seems to acknowledge Tsukasa.

Ah... I'm... not very good at this sort of thing. How does one comfort a crying girl?

Uhhhh... Tsukasa has got this? I guess?

My eyes stray upwards.

( ) Level 41​

Wait what-

F-Forty one?!

Kirito was barely even level twenty the last time I saw him! You are telling me that this little girl SOMEHOW got to double his level in the same timeframe?! What the shit?!

I stand there, watching Tsukasa quietly whisper and soothe the crying girl.

By that, I mean she is absolutely using her touhou bullshit ability to manipulate her into calming down... and it seems to be working.

The girl's sobs have quieted by a lot, she seems to have wrapped herself in Tsukasa's tail, eyes shut tightly as tears continue to prickle at her eyes.

I let out a small sigh as Tsukasa looks up at me, a pleading expression on her face.

"Come on, then." I state while turning and snapping my fingers.

A door is conjured before me, leading back to my property on floor one.

Tsukasa picks up the girl, cradling her protectively with her tail, we both walk through the portal back into the third room of my little purchased house.

The room is practically just a storage room, it's cluttered and full of materials, but... there is a bed in here, which sits pressed up against the wall in the corner.

She lays the girl down on the bed, causing her to let out a quiet whimper, clutching her tail closer to her body as she shakes letting out a genuinely pitiful cry. "D-Don't leave me... b-big brother..."

Tsukasa begins gently petting the side of the girl's head as she sits at the edge of the bed, quietly shushing the girl, whispering under her breath that It'll be okay.

She holds her other hand above the girl, green light briefly appearing around it as she wiggles her fingers.

Ah. It appears that she has been reading some of my books. That's a 'Calm' spell.

The shuddering sobs begin to slowly subside, her breathing slowing slightly.

The white haired girl seems to relax slightly as she drifts off to sleep.

Tsukasa slowly turns to look at me, a bright smile on her face.

"She's so pretty!" She whispers, stars in her eyes, looking between me and the girl.

Yep. Saw this coming.

"Tsukasa." I sigh, rubbing my temples.

"But... But... Argo... she's broken... so pitiful. She needs us. You aren't going to kick her out, right?" Her voice takes a slightly dangerous edge with that last word, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"of course not!" I hiss back, I would have shouted it, but I didn't want to wake the sleeping girl. "What do you take me for, a monster?!"

"You are a youkai, yes." The girl snorts with a half-lidded stare, she looks especially pleased since she is getting what she wants.

I roll my eyes. "Whatever. If you keep looking so smug, the next thing I'll be doing is pinning you down and fucking the smug out of your eyes."

"Hn..." Tsukasa hums as she looks over and runs a hand through the girl's hair. "Maybe later."

I nearly choke at her blatant disregard for sex.

Fuck.

I let out a quiet sigh, resigning myself to sleeping on the proverbial couch for a while- as with a forcefully adopted child, especially one with such crippling abandonment issues, there's probably going to be little time for any sort of intimate moments beside a quick kiss or hug here and there.

I turn and leave the room, taking a brief moment to make a mental note to clean out the room sometime tomorrow or later tonight. 'Just my luck. "Oh. I'm too young to have kids. Boom. Adoption."

'I don't even know her name! But... the fact that she was crying meant that... she likely lost her brother... fucking Kayaba. The bitch doesn't even care about the children who are locked in his game... the lives they are missing while he's here tooting his own horn. The fact they'll be subject to incredible amounts of physical therapy just to get back to where they were before the game... I'll tear him apart with my bare hands.'

I take a single breath to calm myself then walk over to my alchemy lab.

"Yui." I whisper under my breath.

There's a small crackle as the girl in question appears next to me.

"Yes?" She questions.

"Can you explain what all of... that... was?" I ask.

"Her name is Shiro Nai. Age eleven. She was one of the original ten thousand beta testers for the game and played with her brother, Sora Nai, and managed to beat all twenty floors that were included in the beta version of the game during the month-long beta test.

"They managed to clear twenty floors in a month? Why are they only this far, then?"

"Most of their methods were quite dangerous to themselves. This was a time before Sword Art Online became a death game, after all, so there was no need to worry about their character's safety. They could challenge a boss to learn about it and have their characters die several times without any worry... they are incapable of that now... for obvious reasons."

"So... did her bother die or something?" I question.

"No. He is very much alive." The black haired girl replies with a head shake. "Kayaba merely did not like how quickly they were clearing his game... so he split them up."

I find myself rubbing the bridge of my nose, a low growl vibrating at the back of my throat. "That hypocritical piece of shit. 'oooh let me just trap two million people in my game! Clear it and you'll be free! Oh wait. You're doing this too fast. I want to ruin your lives even more! Just imagine all your wives and girlfriends which will have moved on by the time you get out of here!"

My hands shake in poorly restrained wrath.

My fluffy black tail lashes behind me as I glare pointedly at the floor.

I eventually take a deep breath to calm myself then turn and walk into my alchemy lab. I glare at the wall for a moment before sighing and shaking my head. "Yui. What can you tell me about the sword on my back?"

A screen appears in front of me.

The Magic Sword Excalibur:
A weapon enchanted by the mighty merlin, it was stabbed into a stone and had a tremendous seal placed upon it that would only lift should the true king of England come to free it.
It appears the blade has been recently stolen by a Griffin, but having lost the blade in the Forbidden Forest, it seems to have slipped through dimensions, falling into the hands of a greedy Youkai, much to the blade's mild annoyance.
Durability: 1251/1255

Attributes:
Base Damage 751
Improves Base Armor Stat by 302 when wielded without a shield.
Grants the 'Reflect' Sword skill upon equipping.

Requirements:
Str 120
Dex: 110
Agi: 130
Vit: 80​

"…"

"Alright, so uh, I don't know what this means?"

"To put it into perspective, the floor fifty boss last hit drop, which is far superior to that of most other boss drops, and could easily be used until floor seventy or so if fully enchanted... is this sword's equal. The base damage is roughly the same, as is the durability. The Elucidator, however, does not have these secondary features, like a special sword skill linked to it, nor an increase to defense. Though, of course, the Elucidator itself doesn't require the vitality stat to be wielded, thus it can be used roughly thirty levels earlier"

"This sword, on the other hand, can only be wielded by someone who is level one hundred and forty six... provided they do not have any sort of item that increases stats or have eaten some form of stat-increasing food."

"And?" I question.

"That level is fairly reasonable for the fiftieth floor. The maximum level you are allowed to reach within Aincrad is two hundred and fifty." The girl supplies. "The increase to defense is roughly on par with that of a shield or chest piece of equivalent level."

"Can it be enhanced?"

"Yes." The black haired girl nods. "It can be enhanced up to plus sixty. An entire ten above the maximum bonus of the Elucidator. Though the materials are an extremely rare drop from a field boss on floor fifty five."

"I see..." I mutter.

To think... the holy sword Excalibur can only reach floor fifty of this place... that is insane.

--Linebreak--

I step into the door, letting out a low hum as I look around.

Alright, so this is the first time I'm entering the world of Demon Slayer... I'll need to be careful. A direct confrontation would be annoying from either side... the demons would kill me just to kill me, and the demon slayer corps would take one look at my inhuman appearance, then shout 'demon' and try to behead me.

Mental note. Figure out a way to hide my appearance.

That would be super useful.

I glare at the sword on my back. "Alright. Listen up, you. You don't like me. And I tolerate your nonsense. I don't expect you to see me as a worthy wielder, but. I am walking into a world where inhuman freaks torment simple humans for fun. They hunt them down. Consume their flesh, and it makes them stronger. If. I happen to come across one of the stronger ones... I cannot beat them. I'm not even going to humor the idea that I could take one in a fight."

"They regenerate entire LIMBS just like-" I snap my finger. "THAT!"

"I might be a youkai. And I might be stronger than a normal human. But I cannot top that. Each and every one of the freaks also have like this 'special ability' that ranges from creating threads sharp enough to rend steel, to fucking mind control. So. In such a case that we do come across one, I humbly ask you to set aside your hatred of me for long enough for me to flee in terror."

I feel a slight annoyed disgust from the sword.

"Fine. I will try to kill them ONCE. There's only two ways to kill a demon in this world. The first, beheading them with a sword made of a unique material. The second? Sunlight. I will try to kill them... once. If they get back up. I am running."

I can feel a begrudging acceptance from the sword.

Alright. Good. Me and Excalibur have reached an understanding. This might save my life.

"Now..." I whisper as I reach out to the door that had appeared before me, hand gripping around the handle as I give it a slow turn.

I open the door and step through, closing it behind-

Blood.

I smell a lot of blood.

My shoulders fall, ears under my hat twitching in genuine barely restrained annoyance as I glare to a pile of rent flesh and broken bodies before me, a small sigh leaving my lips. 'You have got to be fucking kidding me.'

A self loathing groan dies in the back of my throat as I cautiously look around, eyes narrowing slightly as I gaze through the darkness.

My night vision is quite useful.

Overall my youkai ability has been nothing but a godsend.

Stronger. Faster. Tougher. I can see better, hear better, plus I can even use magic!

Though, there's one small little downside.

Scent.

I can smell things a lot better than I could... and that pile of rotting bodies?

Yeah. Not pleasant.

I breathe through my mouth as I clutch my nose with a hand, pinching it closed, a disgusted look on my face as I slowly and carefully walk forwards.

I take my hat off, ears quirking as I listen desperately for any noise.

Clink-Crackle-Fssshhh

I think I can just barely hear the faintest sounds of battle in the distance.

I can feel a slight shove from the sheathed blade on my back, causing me to glare over my shoulder.

"Fine. Fine." I growl lowly. 'Fucking pushy hunk of scrap'.

I quickly make my way through the halls of what appears to be a truly massive complex. Wind rushes over my face as my eyes dart around my surroundings. The sounds of conflict grow louder and louder as I begin floating off the ground, cutting through the air like an arrow to lessen the noise of my footsteps.

Eventually I enter a large room which seems to be the host of a great battle.

I can see a blonde man fighting against some woman with long black hair, a vibrant looking Japanese-styled coat-like thing rests loosely on her shoulders, it looks a bit like a butterfly's wings... in fact, I can also see two butterfly-like hairpins in her hair and-

This is no time to gawk.

My domain shrinks, growing smaller and smaller, shrinking from its normal range down to the point where it is clinging to my body.

I lift a sole hand, eyes narrowed as my feet touch down on the ground yet again, entire body tensing...

I draw Excalibur slowly and, in the next moment...

My body explodes with light as I blast forwards, the force of my leap utterly shattering the floor. Excalibur hums with light as I swing downwards.

The lightshow of my physical enhancement spell draws attention from the two fighting figures, I can see blood dripping from the corners of the woman's nose and mouth.

With a slash that leaves a glowing streak in the air, the demon is cut in half.

I spin, kicking the parts that have been divided shoulder to hip away from me.

Suddenly light explodes from excalibur, creating an explosion of force outwards.

Ice had begun to creep along my limbs.

My... nose begins to bleed? What the hell?

"Watch out!" The woman behind me screams. "There's sharp ice crystals in the air! Don't breathe!"

I turn my head, giving her the flattest glare I can muster as blood drips from my nose. 'A bit fucking late for that, don't you think?'

There's a slight feeling of sanctuary from my sword as I allow my domain to creep outwards.

'I felt them when I came in and breathed some in before I realized... but... where did they go?'

My eyes flick to Excalibur.

I guess it destroyed them all. Or perhaps shoved them aside?

I raise the sword protectively as I watch the two halves of the man in front of me slowly reconnect. "Oh? This is... unnatural. What... are you? A demon? No... I don't feel my master presence on you at all! Ah well. For striking a god, your punishment will be death!"

I glare at the sword as a faint feeling gets passed over to me. "What the fuck do you mean 'try again'?! Are you fucking crazy?!"

My eyebrow twitches as the sword's handle heats up slightly.

"You fucking hunk of scrap. Blackmail? You are blackmailing me?" I lowly growl.

My head snaps up as I slash abruptly, an arm sails through the air as the demon appears in front of me.

Excalibur glows brightly then pulses. As I slam a right hook into the demon's face, knocking a tooth loose.

I glare into his prismatic rainbow-like eyes, each with kanji instead of pupils.

'Ugh. I'm so fucking jealous of that eye color... fuck you, dude.'

I seem to notice something... off... just as the demon does.

His arm isn't growing back.

Blood flows from the stump, seeming to completely ignore gravity as it floats upwards and combines into a large red orb. My eyes flick from it to the guy in front of me, his eyes wide.

"What- Master? Why are you... abandoning me?"

My eyes flick from the sword to the man then back to the sword.

I stab him.

"Grk-" he grunts as he falls backwards, a large hole appearing in his torso as he lands with a dull thud, blood prickling at the corners of his mouth.

I hold up a hand, gathering the floating blood with my faux conception and dividing it into vials as I stare down at the man who weakly squirms, seeming to be unused to his body not listening to him. "You... aren't the first murderer I've come across who thought they were a god... I killed him too."

He gurgles slightly. It seems I pierced a lung.

My eyes flick back to Excalibur. "I... was not aware you could just flat out turn him human again. What are your powers again? I thought you were just like... a sword that could reflect attacks."

"…"

"Pride is an emotion unbefitting a sharp paperweight." I state with a small frown as I detect the slightest hint of emotion from the blade.

Excalibur becomes mildly more annoyed at my general presence.

I look over my shoulder just in time to see the woman who was fighting bend over, her shoulders shaking as she lets out several heaving coughs.

"Oh. Right. Shit. Stabby ice crystals. I forgot." I slowly mutter as I turn.

I hold out a hand towards the woman, red beginning to stain her hand, then she is surrounded in a golden aura of healing.

Her eyes widen as she falls to her knees, looking up at me in confusion.

"What are you... doing?"

"Healing you." I simply explain. "You owe me not just one... but two huge favors now... think of me healing you as an investment. You cannot pay me for saving your life... if you die of your injuries after all~"

"Pay?" She eventually questions after a long moment of hacking blood. "What are you talking about?! What even ARE you?!"

"Oh. My name is Argo Naut. I am a Youkai merchant capable of interdimensional travel. That is how I have arrived before you. I opened a portal, walked through, and suddenly there were bodies everywhere this sentient- and very racist- sword here who takes mild issue with the fact that I'm not human more or less forced to me come and save you. Normally, this is where this whole thing would end. You saved. One of the stronger demons dead. I'd just turn and be on my way." I begin. "But. I know that you are a part of a fairly large demon hunting organization... an organization with quite the substantial amount of resources, wealth, and most importantly techniques. Thus, I'd like to be paid for my work here."

"You... want our breathing techniques?!" She whispers.

"Perhaps." I shrug nonchalantly, my eyes flick across her body slowly as I let out a low hum. "Well, you appear to be healed- or at least you better be- I'm out of energy to heal you any further."

I do an elaborate bow as I take a single step back. "I hope that you enjoy your new lease on life... perhaps don't choose to fight an upper moon without some form of backup... you'll see me around... maybe."

Large double doors appear behind me as I wordlessly throw open the door and step back, sealing them behind me.

I let out a quiet breath I didn't know I was holding. "Hooo. Boy. Fuck my life."

I was mildly worried she might attempt to take my head off at the slightest provocation due to not being 'human'.

Why do I just get dropped right in the center of all the action? All the time?!

Fuck.

I rub my temples. 'My throat hurts.'

It feels like I just swallowed an improperly chewed chip. But. I'm fine.

Youkai are durable.

I'll live.

She wouldn't have.

With that, maybe I can see about getting her to teach some Aincrad kids total concentration breathing... I mean it's not magic! Soooo Kayaba can suck my dick!

Ah well, time to go and see if Muzan's blood- which was separated from that blonde haired fuck by Excalibur like how oil and water are separated in a glass- is a powerful alchemical reagent or not.