22 Trevica

"Do you know of any cheaper places to get repairs and new gear?" Toyo asked. "The money you gave me won't last more than a few days, and now that you've told us about the scams going on here, we'll need to find a new blacksmith."

Naomi considered it a moment. "Well, there are a couple of cheaper places, but they're for Level Ones and Twos. You guys need to stay up to date with-" she stopped and snapped her fingers as if remembering something.

She looked at Toyo. "Remember what I told you about Tolbana?"

He nodded. "The Trader's Union."

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"Yes, and you should still go there for that reason, but it's an expensive city to live in, so I wouldn't recommend moving there until you two obtain a more stable income. Fortunately, along the road about halfway between the Town of Beginnings and Tolbana, there's a small, remote village in the foothills called Trevica. It doesn't offer much and hardly any players live there, but there is a skilled blacksmith, and he's got a quest that makes it all worth it. It's a bit time consuming, but not too difficult. Complete the quest for him, and the smith will reward you by offering a thirty percent discount on all goods and repairs."

Toyo nodded slowly as he thought it over aloud. "So not only will we be fixing our blacksmith problem, but we'll be considerably closer to Tolbana as well."

"Exactly," Naomi said with a smile. "Two birds with one stone."

"If you already knew about this smith in Trevica," questioned Jae, "then why were you trying to get an axe here?"

She shrugged. "Convenience. I already did that quest and have access to the discounts, but I prefer to stay around the Town of Beginnings because there's a lot more to do in order to level up quickly. Teleporting from here to Trevica and back every few hours would be cheaper, but also a waste of time. Besides, for now money isn't really an issue for me."

Toyo couldn't help but be in awe of how well she knew and understood the world of the game. Compared to her, he felt like their first three days had been completely wasted. In fact, he was beginning to get the feeling that if he knew half of what she did, he and Jae would be far better off- and considerably more capable.

"That makes sense," Jae said, audibly impressed. "Your approach to all this is pretty smart. Definitely more intelligent than how we've been going about things."

She quickly shook her head.

"I only know more because of the beta-test. It lasted for nearly two months, so me and the other testers all have a good deal of experience on this Floor and a few of the higher ones."

The city's street lamps flickered slowly to life around them, reminding Toyo of the encroaching darkness. They would need to get to Alara's as soon as possible now if they still wanted some space.

Naomi seemed to notice too, for she straightened and began to step back.

"Anyway, I have to go now, guys. I'm on a timed quest." She gave them both a smile. "Please, stay safe out there. Both of you."

She turned to go, but Toyo stepped forward at the last moment.

"Naomi."

She paused and glanced back at him, waiting.

"I have to ask…" Toyo cleared his throat and looked away from her penetrating green eyes. "Aren't you...aren't you scared?"

Uncertainty flashed across her face. She was quiet for a moment, but then slowly nodded.

"I am. Of course, I am. I'm pretty sure we're all scared. But I don't think we can afford to let that get to us. For now, all we can do is survive. Survive, and fight. We can't let Kayaba win. Take care of yourselves now. I'm glad to have met you both."

With that, she turned on her heel and marched off down the street. Though Toyo tried to keep sight of her, within minutes, she was gone.

Aincrad had swallowed her.

Jae cleared his throat. "So, mind explaining what that was all about?"