The group decided to spend the day clearing miscellaneous quests, suspecting they might trigger the campaign's continuation. Contacting Kirito and Nezha, the four divided tasks, sharing quest info as they worked. By evening, they'd cleared nearly all of Rovia's quests. News arrived that the field boss had been spotted, with a strategy meeting set for the next morning, followed by the raid.
The field boss battle showcased Kirito and Nezha's synergy. When Kirito steered their boat, Nezha's chakram whittled down enemies from afar; when Nezha rowed, Kirito took over attacks with precision.
"Nezha's ranged attacks are perfect for this floor," Hachiman noted.
"Amazing work, Nezha!" Asuna cheered. "We've gotta step up too!"
Hachiman handled their boat, while Asuna dealt damage. Short-reach weapons struggled in shipboard combat, but the group fought smoothly, and the field boss fell without incident.
Exploration resumed. Kirito recalled a Dark Elf castle to the south from the beta, where an event had occurred, so they focused there.
"The fog around that castle is worse than the Forest of Wavering Mists," Kirito said. "It's a disorienting gimmick. We can't reach the island like this."
"Maybe there's something on the shore," Nezha suggested.
"It shouldn't be too complex. We're missing something obvious," Hachiman said.
"When we entered the camp on the third floor…" Asuna began, then gasped. "The rings! We couldn't get in without them!"
"Right! We never put them back on. Let's try it," Hachiman said.
Kirito and Nezha had similar rings, so the group equipped them and approached the castle. Suddenly, Kirito and Nezha's boat vanished.
"Kirito! Nezha!" Asuna cried.
"Probably warped to an instance area," Hachiman said.
"Oh, that means we got it right!" Asuna exclaimed.
As she spoke, their vision cleared, revealing a castle dock. A figure stood waiting. Drawing closer, they saw Kizmel.
"Kizmel!" Asuna waved joyfully, leaping off the boat as it neared the dock and hugging her. Hachiman secured the boat to the mooring, then joined them.
"You made it. I was waiting," Kizmel said warmly.
"Sorry, we didn't realize we needed the rings," Asuna said.
"My fault for not explaining," Kizmel replied, bowing—an astonishingly natural gesture for an NPC.
"Hey," Hachiman greeted.
"You look well, Hachiman. I hate to rush, but we have a problem," Kizmel said, a [!] marker appearing above her head, signaling the campaign quest's continuation.
She led them to the castle's steward. "Not the castle lord?" Hachiman asked.
"The lord is praying in the sanctuary," Kizmel explained.
So we'll head to the sanctuary and meet the lord eventually, Hachiman deduced, following her.
"You're the ones who gathered the sacred keys. Thank you for coming," the steward said.
"No trouble at all. What's wrong?" Asuna asked.
The steward revealed that a human shipping guild was plotting against the Dark Elves. Hachiman, Asuna, and Kizmel were tasked with investigating.
"Cover your boat with this cloth to hide it temporarily," the steward said, handing it over.
Time-limited stealth mission, Hachiman thought.
Waiting until dark, they tailed a shipping guild boat carrying cargo. It docked at a camouflaged island base. After the guild's boat left, the trio hid Chivalry with the cloth, and Kizmel cloaked them as they infiltrated.
"Let's check the cargo first," Hachiman whispered.
They crept to a warehouse, finding boxes of ship parts and many empty, sturdy crates.
"Was the cargo already moved? Didn't look like it," Kizmel said.
"What's next?" Asuna asked.
"There's a large workshop over there. Let's check it," Hachiman suggested.
"Okay," Asuna nodded.
Guards blocked the entrance, so they found a tree beside the warehouse leading to a high window. Peering inside, they saw hooded figures.
"How many ships are complete?" one asked.
"Ten soon. The last two will be ready in two days," another replied.
They were building ships. Then, a figure removed his hood, revealing a Fallen Elf's face.
"If not for the taboo, we wouldn't need humans. We'd have finished the ships, sent them to the Forest Elves via the underground waterway, and attacked the Dark Elf castle sooner," he said.
"Taboo?" Hachiman whispered.
"We cannot cut down trees ourselves," Kizmel explained. "But to think the Fallen Elves are behind this…"
Her marker shifted to [?], indicating they'd gathered the necessary info.
"Let's retreat," Hachiman said.
They hurried toward Chivalry, but new cargo blocked their path.
"Asuna, Kizmel, get the boat ready. I'll stall them and jump aboard," Hachiman said.
"Be careful," Asuna urged.
The two leaped over the cargo, breaking their cloak and drawing attention.
"Intruders! Grab them!" a sailor shouted.
Hachiman tackled one from behind, knocking him out, but a Fallen Elf was among them. Knowing he'd be overtaken if he ran, Hachiman engaged, parrying and landing a front kick to stagger the elf. Another sailor charged, but Kizmel, re-cloaked, knocked him out.
"Sorry, Kizmel. Thanks," Hachiman said.
"Jump on!" Asuna called.
They sprinted, leaping onto Chivalry as it gained speed, escaping cleanly. Returning to the Dark Elf castle, they reported everything to the steward.
"So, the Forest Elves attack in two days?" he asked.
"Yes, that's what we heard," Asuna confirmed, taking the lead.
"But their castle isn't connected by waterway," the steward said.
"They mentioned an underground waterway," Asuna added.
"Such a thing…" the steward muttered, a [!] marker appearing above his head.
"Tomorrow, head to the sanctuary dungeon and bring our lord, who's praying there. We'll prepare a boat nearby. We're counting on you."
"Leave it to us," Asuna said confidently.
Asuna nails these moments. I'd just sound flat, Hachiman thought.
The trio would tackle the sanctuary dungeon tomorrow.