33 Changes

(Three months later)

With the new found hope that clearing the first floor brought this false world started to change. No, longer was there an aura of dread over the starting town. There was not a sense of things being one step away from doom. It was exactly what the people trapped in here needed.

This meant that more and more people started to adventure out in hopes of helping. They no longer wanted to wallow but fight for their future. It meant that the paltry thirty people large raid group expanded rapidly. It would take longer for these new recruits to help but most of the raiding group was more than willing to babysit the new rankers. It meant they leveled faster and brought our numbers up.

Some of those newcomers overshadowed those in the original group. It only made sense as those individuals were only made of the brave not necessarily the skilled. I was constantly busy with requests for my blacksmithing skills. It was honestly annoying but it was helping so I accepted most of them. 

Beyond my busy schedule with blacksmithing I also had to help organize the clearing group. Which meant meetings, so many god damn meetings that I hated the very concept of them. Just sitting around talking when I could be doing other things pissed me off. It was only the fact that I was not that involved with the finer aspects of strategy that saved my mind. Diabel was also a life saver in that regard. 

He may have been a dumbass but he was a charismatic one. The group needed a face to rally behind and I just did not have it in me. Kirito had the skill to rally forces behind him but he was rather similar to me so leading was out of the question. Asking Ashley to lead this band of idiots would be a mistake for the ages. She could give less of a shit if people died and she was not exactly a grand strategist. So I was happy that I altered the story to have Diabel survive. I could not imagine handling this without him. Even if he was an idiot that was barely skilled enough.

I was tempted to start up a guild with Diabel as the face of it. It would bring the clearers together more firmly. We were already operating similarly to how a guild was supposed to be. I just don't think I would be able to rally everyone with what we had. The separate groups that made the clearers were too independent in that way. It came from how mismatched we were at the start. Not to mention the trouble makers.

Kibaou was a pain in the fucking ass. He did not manage to get too many people behind his cause but it still happened. I had to deal with so many dumb arguments with him that I felt like I lost five years of my life. No, I don't think Gram needed to hand over his shield just because he might be a beta tester. Why the fuck did he repeatedly bring shit like that up? After the first ten times he should have accepted no one was listening.

Thankfully I did not have to deal with him for too long. The guy managed to get himself offed by the seventh floor boss. He apparently learned about the last hit bonus and charged the boss at the last second. The fact that Diabel did the same thing and it ended poorly for him did not change Kibaou's mind. So I got to witness the dumbass bite it for shinny loot. 

He was not exactly a tragic martyr but his ideals still spread. Meaning that the clearers had a sizable amount of troublemakers that needed to be controlled. Even in his death, he was still being a pain in my ass.

Beyond his tragic death casualties in the boss raids were nonexistent. Being organized, and outfitted with the very best equipment that the floor could provide helped massively. We were also not in too much of a rush as we made sure to be properly leveled. Even with that slow pace we managed to get to floor twenty seven in three months. That timeframe had everyone's spirits on an all time high.

Having cleared a quarter of the floors was really something no one ever expected. We did have problems that were becoming a pain. In the lower levels pks started to be a thing. I got that not everyone treated Kayaba's threat as a real thing but come on. Did you really have to kill others for your own enjoyment? I got that laughing coffin was led by a true maniac but what about the others? Why could they not just be bored instead of killing others?

I had no objections about murder myself but it just seemed so wasteful. If you were going to murder someone it should be for a reason. Whatever glass houses and all that, I just hated having to deal with the issues this was bringing up. The problem was the clearing group consisted of good people who were willing to fight to the death to save everyone. Which meant that while Ashley and I did not care they did. Which was starting to slow down our speed.

I had to deal with members heading down to investigate when they should be grinding. Even Kirito the optimal grinding man went down. It was driving me crazy as I could not exactly come out and say that clearing the floor was more important. It would come off incredibly callus and it would not earn me any friends. Which was fine but I needed these guys as I could not beat the game by myself.

I would never truly be by my self as Ashley was always there but the two of us were not enough. Even if we managed to be consistently the highest damage out put in boss fights.

The situation with Ashley was so strange to me. She seemed exactly the same in some ways. She would tease and prod without a care about the way her words came out. She was vulgar and just as crass as I was used to. Everything I expected from the girl. So on the surface she was exactly the same as she once was.

It was other things that were throwing me off. She was razor focused on me. She was even ignoring the presence of other women in my presence. The first time Asuna proposed grinding with everyone I was shocked beyond belief when Ashley said nothing. She was too busy staring at me to really even be mad about it. She just accepted it as it was even if she clung to me during the entire time.

That by no means she was not the same dark little shit that I have grown fond of. When Kibabou was a problem she would unload on the fool with the anger of a thousand geese. Anyone that pissed me off was bound to piss her off. After her first tirade no one really looked at her the same way. Not that she particularly cared.

There was something else about her as well. She was more open with me. She was not hiding behind a teasing smile or quips. She would just talk to me about herself. She was showing more of herself than I ever expected to see. She actually brung up her own insecurities about her own appearance. I had no idea how she managed to have such a low opinion of her beauty, but her bright smile when I described how she looked to me was so innocent. It made me feel bad as I was not nearly as open as she was. She knew I was a monster but she did not truly know me.

She did not know the boy who hated himself more than anything else. She did not know the boy who broke apart because he could not handle rejection. She did not know the boy who could not trust others any longer. She wanted to know that boy but I could not manage to do so.

I was scared that if she knew how weak I was she would be just as disenchanted as Lily was. It was too soon to show Ashley that part of me. Still, as the months roll on I feel more and more tempted to trust her. As crazy as that is to admit.

While Ashley was being incredibly open with me she was also hesitant about something. She would be talking to me and her eyes would unfocus and I would see that same unfamiliar emotion. She would step closer to me before taking a step back. She would latch onto me and look up right into my eyes before flushing and backing away. I had some ideas about her behaviour but none that fit what I knew about this girl. It was just baffling.

I was not sure how to bring it up as I was not being entirely truthful either. She had the right to not say something if she wanted. Even if I felt like she really wanted to say the thing she was holding back. Whatever, it was bound to happen eventually Ashley was not a patient individual eventually something would tip over but it was not today.

I was sitting down contemplating what we needed to do for the next floor. The door to the room opened up and Ashley walked in. I expected it as we did share the same room. Her hair was wet as she just came from a shower. She seemed to be in a good mood as she was whistling happily when she entered. She was dressed in the same outfit she came to this world in. 

She looked at me with that all too familiar intensity and walked over. I was sitting on a lounge chair as I was not quite ready to rest for the day. I did not think much of her approach as she was likely going to talk to me about something. 

Instead of stopping in front of me she sat right on my lap and lounged over me. She looked up at me with a cheshire like grin on her face. Ashley's dictionary did not include personal space but this was a step up for her. Her body was warm and soft and to feel her as she molded her body against mine was certainly something. 

I might as well be a scarecrow as I was not expecting this outcome. I wanted to ask her what she was doing but this moment felt intoxicating. I felt myself looking into her eyes as she wore that smug look on her face. Her eyes dilated and seemed to focus onto me. That moment felt like it was endless but I managed to wretch myself away from it.

This was dangerous. For a moment I thought she wanted me to kiss her but that can't be true. Ashley was an obsessive beast and her brother was the object of that desire. She was not disenchanted with the ideal she built like me. She would not have room for me in her heart. Just like I used to be. So I must have been misreading this moment. She may know I care but that should not have brought up this moment.

Ashley hummed lightly and the vibrations she was sending through my body sent a chill up my spine. I thought she would want something else but she seemed completely at ease resting in my lap. I was conflicted. I wanted her off of me but it felt so damn nice.

"We might have to take a trip to the lower floors." I said awkwardly. I was not sure what she was doing but I might as well enjoy it while I informed her. 

"Sure, what ridiculous loot did you find this time?" She laughed out as she smiled teasingly. I felt my heart speed up again and I could only hope she could not feel it.

"Sadly no loot for us. The Player Killers are causing too many issues the Clearers are preparing to take care of it." I smiled wryly at her. I wish it was just more loot but we were going to have to track down some dumbasses. She just rolled her eyes and got back to humming. It was strange I thought she would be more concerned about us losing progress to take care of murderers of all things.

"Might as well, a break from fighting Giant Crabs will be nice." Again not a sentiment I expected from her but what did I know? I think this encounter has taught me I don't quite have a read on this girl.