Like everyone else, Asuna got the quest as soon as it was announced, and it sent a shiver down her spine. "Suko you bastard," she muttered under her breath, realizing this was an attempt to flush her out.
"Mommy, what's wrong?" She looked shocked at Asuna's severe language and the hate behind it.
Taking a steadying breath for her daughter's sake, as calmly as she was capable she replied "I'm okay Yui, but this quest is bad news for me. The admins might be able to get Mommy with it."
She hadn't seen it coming, but she should have. With her stats and spells she would be hard to take down by most players in this game. Possibly none of them could best her, but she wouldn't be against just one. She'd be against all of them. Sheer numbers would bring her down eventually. And if they didn't, the fight would catch Suko's attention if it went on long enough. He could then send his own NPCs to finish the job. It was quite possible he'd come himself and stop her. With his administrator right she'd have no chance as he'd already proven when he had her prisoner.
No, fighting wasn't an option. Hiding wasn't an option either though. She would be found eventually. There simply were too many players and not enough space. And while she hid she wouldn't be looking for Kirito. He was here, somewhere, and that took precedence over even escaping to real life.
Well if those two options were out, then disguising herself was the obvious solution. Illusion magic was the strength of the Spriggan race, and any race's specialty was also her own. She could assume the appearance of anyone she chose. Or, to prevent the chance of running into the original, a form of her own design. Naturally she's going with the latter.
It would have to be perfect. The players weren't the only ones to be wary of. There was little doubt that the NPCs would also be watching and reporting to Sugo if they spotted her. There was also the unnerving possibility that the NPCs could see through illusions as a passive ability. It was best to avoid them as much as possible.
It'd take time to make the illusion perfect. The spell she was working on had many facets that far outstripped a combat spell on how complex the chant would be. Hiding for a time was going to be necessary. A day at most, but she hated any time taking her away from her search.
"Yui, can you find any place to hide near us? Someplace players don't go usually?"
A thoughtful look crossed her daughter's face before she replied. "Let me look Mommy." A few seconds later Yui looked up. "There's a couple of places, but the best option is a raid zone. If you enter you'll be in your own instance which no one else can reach, but there are players waiting at the entrance.
"There's also a set of caves," She continued. I don't know how many players go there, but currently it's empty. The town we passed is still being fought over by the giants and players. There's a cellar there that is secure and empty. Since they're fighting they may not look for you there."
Asuna contemplated the options. The raid was the most tempting. They were most likely waiting for more party members. She knew she could fly past them without a problem. With luck it would be quick enough that they wouldn't be able to break her illusion. The trick would be leaving. How many players would be waiting to form a party, or worse multiple parties? Enough not to survive scrutiny? She wasn't sure. There were too many chances of being uncovered.
The caves were uncertain. They were safe for now, but who knew for how long? And if she was found she'd be cornered and possibly trapped like a raid boss and attacked in the same way.
She dismissed the town right away. Nothing there would likely hurt her, but the chances of someone finding her were way too high. While she thought there weren't any players that could defeat her, she wasn't as confident about the giants.
The caves were the best option, regardless of the risks. Besides she had Yui to act as the best sentry possible.
"Lead me to the caves Yui."
Smiling brightly with pride that she could help, Yui replied "Of course mommy!"
Once they got to the caves she had Yui bring her to the deepest part which led to a dead-end with nothing there; no trade materials, and no monsters to loot. No reason for any player to go there unless they were completely unaware of the area. It was the best spot they were likely to find.
Safe for now she turned her attention to the illusion she was going to cast. First she needed to decide on race. She reviewed what she knew about them. Spriggans were masters of illusion magic, which she was going to be using. The odds of someone checking for those illusions were too high to make them an option.
Salamanders were tempting. The advantage of their unlimited flight was something she could mimic. The trouble was according to Yui they were also very tightly woven. There was a good chance that not being recognized would draw the suspicions she was trying to avoid.
Undines were in high demand with their mastery of healing spells. Enough to be approached by any number of parties needing one for a raid.
Cait Sith were beast tamers. In theory she could tame a beast herself, but that would take more time away from finding Kirito. She didn't know how prevalent it was for them to keep their beasts out. She knew if she had the option she'd definitely would keep that advantage out. It was not worth the risks of being noticed as out of place.
She couldn't see any downsides to the remaining races. She'd hoped to find one that was more combat-oriented, but with the information that Yui provided they all seemed equal. As such she chose Gnomes. They were the most numerous of the races making it easier to hide in a crowd if necessary.
"Is there a spell to make me look like a Gnome Yui?" she asked, hoping for an easy solution.
A shake of her head made it clear that wasn't possible. "There's one to copy another player or NPC's avatar, but that's it. "
"I can craft my own illusion for the bottom-up though?" Asuna asked to confirm what Yui had already told her.
"Of course mommy," Yui replied brightly.
Nodding her head in understanding she moved on. All races were human except for a few additions like ears and wings. So this shouldn't be too hard. "What's a Gnome typically look like?"
Eyes going wide, Yui asked, "Are you going to make yourself look like one Mommy?" At Asuna's nod, she continued, "okay! Well, typically they..."
The next day Asuna woke up with a grimace. She'd gotten the hair color and armor right already, as well as the skin color. The wings had been the tricky part and were still out of reach. Yui repeatedly tried to describe them, but without something visual it was proving impossible. The wings were identical from person to person so any deviation would call attention to her.
To cover the omission she was going to take advantage of the fact they didn't show while they weren't in use. She hoped she would run into one flying overhead so she could copy them.
She'd decided to keep most of her physical features the same. The less she changed the less that could go wrong. To that point she'd cut her hair short. Later she would get the dye to keep the color. But for now, the illusion would do. Between those changes and the purplish tinge to her skin she already looked like someone new.
"How do I look?" she asked Yui.
"Pretty mommy, but Mommy is already pretty."
"Then let's go face this world," she said resolutely. "Have you had any luck finding Kirito?"
"No mommy, he's still outside of what I can see," Yui answered with a shake of her head.
She needed to understand how limited her ability is. "How far is that exactly?"
"I can load the map of our current zone. Inside that I can scan map topography in a five-hundred-meter radius. But for player IDs I can only scan in a three-hundred-meter radius."
"How did you find these caves then?" she asked incredulously.
"They're marked on the map of course."
She felt a bit silly at asking an obvious question. She turned her thoughts to how quickly she could do a grid search and the numbers weren't good.
The distance Yui could look was way too limited, but it was something. At least she wouldn't need to actively search every nook. A fly-by would be enough to find him. That was going to have to do for now.
"Pick a direction Yui."
"Um..." She looked around and then pointed randomly. "That way mommy!"
"Okay," and she started walking, not wanting to risk anyone seeing her Alf wings.
ns 15.158.61.12da2
