Hello everyone! How are you today? My day was pretty bad, but I'd prefer to not get into that. I did end up spinning my car sideways in the middle of the road twice today getting to school, so that was horrifying. Also, I'll be taking around a two to three week hiatus to study for SATs, focus a bit more on track, and refresh my creativity. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the chapter :) See you at the bottom


"I told you it was a dumb idea!" Asashin yelled right after he barged through the door of the tavern. Everyone immediately dropped the conversation they were having and became deadly quiet. The members of the front lines were currently celebrating their latest achievement of defeating the seventieth boss. Well, all except for one. Chimei's death still weighed heavy on Chosaint's mind. Ruhe was in the tavern as well, hoping to cheer her boyfriend up, but her attempts seemed to get nowhere.

"I guess you're right. It was a dumb plan." Chosaint said in a somber tone.

"It's because of you that Chimei's dead. The only person I had in this hell hole and it's because of you that he's gone."

Klein then stood up and yelled back, "Hey, it was because of Chosaint that we cleared the seventieth floor. You should be thanking him that we're here right now."

"Klein, sit down." Chosaint said quietly. The guild leader didn't listen though.

"Thanking him? For what? Killing Chimei? You know what, your right. Thank you, Chosaint, for playing a key role in the death of my best friend."

"Who the hell do you think you are anyways? He feels bad enough as is."

"Klein, sit down." The dirty blonde said a bit louder. The samurai still remained standing.

"Ya, but did nobody even bother telling me? I found out he was dead, because he was missing from my friend's list! No apology? No condolences?"

"Listen kid…" Klein began to say, before Chosaint interrupted him.

"Klein! Sit down!" He yelled. Not a sound was made for a moment. The red haired player then sat back in his chair and watched what happened next.

Chosaint pushed his chair away from the table, filling the room with the only sound it had heard for a few moments. The teen then stood up and said, "I'm sorry for your loss." The agility type said solemnly. He then bowed respectfully, keeping his face towards the floor as he spoke. "I never intended for Chimei to die. I was simply trying to help defeat the boss. In his final moments, Chimei stated that he wasn't destined to beat the game, as well as hoping we clear the game. Yet again, I apologize and offer my sincerest condolences." The boy then stood back up straight. "Please, accept my apology." Chosaint then walked past Asashin and pushed the door open. "Please, don't follow me." The agility type player then walked through the door, and let it shut itself.

Ruhe was the only one to stand up. Klein was about to follow her, but she stopped him. "Just, let me do this." She said, before hurrying out the door. Asashin soon walked out himself, a mixture of anger and sadness on his face.

-Outside-

"Chosaint, wait up!" Ruhe called out as she chased her increasingly antisocial boyfriend down the road. "Chosaint!" She called again, but the boy simply kept walking. Adopting the agility type player's tactic, she yelled out, "Aiden!" The teen in purple stopped, but still faced the direction he was walking.

"You never did just let me be, did you?"

"Nope, you never let me be either, so the favor is being returned." She replied.

"I suppose your right." He said as he pivoted on his heel.

"You know that Chimei's death wasn't your fault right?"

"I know I didn't kill him, but it still feels like his blood is on my hands." Chosaint replied.

"You can't keep feeling bad about this." Ruhe said, as she placed her hand on her boyfriend's arm. "Destiny is destiny. There's no changing it. What happens is going to happen and if someone is meant to die, then they will. Do you remember who said that?"

"I do." The player in purple said.

"Exactly now take your own advice and stop feeling guilty. Even though Asashin might've blamed you, it wasn't your fault. Just remember his last wish and beat this game for you, for me, and for him. Alright?"

"Alright." Chosaint replied.

"Good, now I remember someone bragged a bit about new gear and wanted to try it out." Ruhe somewhat sang.

"Ya, do you want to go with?" The purple clad player replied.

"Maybe." She said with a reply that was obviously a yes.

-Back on Floor 9-

The pair arrived into wintery starting town on the ninth floor. "Alright, let's see how this looks." Chosaint said as he opened up him inventory. He then equipped Wolf's Fangs. The new weapon began to form in his open hand. The grip was made of brown leather with rope wrapped around a small portion of the middle, which quickly ran into two guards. The steel blades began to form from both ends, making a double sided knife. The blade had a small semicircle cut into the bottom of both sides, and ended at a point. The weapon was about as long as two daggers combined, and no longer required Chosaint to switch his grip.

"A double sided knife?" Ruhe asked.

"I guess so."

"Hmm… Seems like it could kill the user if it wasn't wielded right." The girl pointed out.

"Or it could be incredibly deadly if it was." The agility type retorted.

"Whatever, just show me the new armor." The scarlet haired girl said. Chosaint reopened his inventory and equipped his new armor. The usual purple coat was quickly dispensed of, as new clothes formed around him. His boots were replaced with white steel ones, with shin guards on them made of the same material. His pants were then exchanged for a pair of black ones, which weren't baggy but not tight at the same time. Plated armor covered both of his hands with a purple color and white trim. This also ran up his left arm, all the way up to his shoulder, where it covered up his overcoat tunic. His purple tunic reached halfway down his bicep on his left arm, and all the way down his right, covering his wrist. The jacket then showed white steel buttons halfway up his torso, until they were covered by a steel breast plate, which was colored the same as the plated armor on his arm and strapped to him by brown leather. The shirt was extended downwards, covering just below his waist, and showing a brown leather belt with a metallic buckle, until it parted in the middle. This part made a sharp edge, until it reached his upper thigh and met in the back. As the coat reached over the breast plate, it became unbuttoned, showing off his black undershirt which had a rounded arc just below his neck. The collar of the overcoat was popped up in the back, but folded over in the front. "Well, that's certainly different." Ruhe said.

"Good different, or bad different?" Chosaint asked.

"Good different, it suits you better. Now, let's go train a bit."

-Into the Wild!-

The pair then walked out into the snowy forests outside of the town. "I wonder if they'll have more floors like this." Ruhe wondered. "I always love the snow, despite the fact it's so cold." Somehow, the game was able to make the players actual feel cold, so the couple had donned winter jackets with their respective colors.

"Most likely, they've had about seven summer floors already." Her boyfriend replied.

"I guess you're right." The scarlet haired girl said. "Even though I know we're just in a game, I really do love this place."

"Really?" Chosaint asked.

"Ya, it's always so beautiful no matter where you go. Everywhere you look is a picture perfect scene."

The boy then looked around himself and saw that she was right. Kayaba had created a very pretty world to kill everyone in. "I never really noticed that."

"That's because you're always working so hard on leveling up. You've never taken the chance to just sit down and enjoy this place."

"I didn't really think you could enjoy this place, and I work so hard so we can leave as soon as possible."

"I know that, just… here." The girl then tugged on her boyfriend's arm, causing him to stop. She then led him to an opening in the forest.

"What're we doing here?" The dirty blonde asked.

"This." She responded as she picked up a snowball and threw it at her boyfriend, hitting him in the chest.

"Oh, so its gonna be that way, huh?" He asked.

"Yep." The girl replied as she threw another one. Chosaint dodged this one and picked up one of his own. He then threw it at his girlfriend, and hit her in the back. Ruhe then returned fire, which Chosaint jumped over. "That's not fair."

"What, do you not remember me being good at dodge ball?"

"I guess you always did beat my brothers, but not me." She said, launching a surprise attack, landing another hit. This went on for a few minutes, until Chosaint tripped over something buried in the ground.

He fell face first into the snow and rolled over onto his back. Ruhe was standing over him with a snowball in hand. "Alright, you win." He said, holding up his hands to surrender.

"Yay!" She cheered happily, followed by her dropping the snowball on Chosaint's face. The surprised look on his face made her giggle a little bit.

"Maybe I gave up a bit too early." He said, as he pushed himself back onto his feet.

"Oh, no I don't think you did." His girlfriend replied, which was followed by a shriek as Chosaint began to chase her. Eventually, she was caught and gave up. The pair then collapsed to the ground, next to each other and looked up at the snow falling. "Told you that you can enjoy yourself in this game."

"I guess you're right. Maybe I should stop focusing on boss fights, fighting, and everything else so much."

"You real…" She was then cut off by her boyfriend. He quickly sat up and placed a finger over her mouth.

"Did you hear that?" He whispered.

"What?" She whispered back. After a moment of silence, she her the sound of a twig snapping.

"That." The agility type said.

"Ya."

"Then I'm not crazy. Equip your sword and shield and follow me." The boy ordered. Ruhe did as she was told, and the two began to silently make their way back through the trees, both on high alert. They then heard a loud roar come from where they had been. "Shit." Chosaint cursed.

"What?" Ruhe asked.

"It picked up on our scent."

"And that means?" The sword wielder asked.

"Run!" He ordered. The pair then began to sprint through the trees, but could hear their pursuer coming closer. Thinking on his feet, the dirty blonde wrapped an arm around his girlfriend's waist, and jumped at one of the trees. He then bounced from one tree to another, until setting Ruhe back down on a branch along with him.

"What is it?" Ruhe asked.

The enemy then came within sight, sprinting as it came. "A polar bear." He replied.

"Can they climb?" She asked.

"I have no clue." The two sided knife wielder said. The question was soon answered as the bear began to move its way up the trees. "Sure can." He said. "Send a message to Klein, saying that we need help." The boy then jumped from the tree, and activated Crescent Flurry, wondering how it would work with his new weapon. His arm jolted forward, and stabbed the bear three times, before the other blade made two crescent arcs in the monster's body. Ruhe then jumped down next to him.

"Why do we need help?" She asked.

"Because, these things move in packs. Soon enough, they'll be all over us, so let's get moving again." The two then began to run through the forest again, hearing the bears beginning to flank them.

Soon enough, the pair ran into a new clearing, only to be stopped by a bear approaching them. The beast stood up on its legs and roared. "Aren't you supposed to make yourself big in a situation like this?" Ruhe asked as more approached them.

"I don't think that's going to work with this many of them." Chosaint replied. In all, he counted ten of them. He assumed he could kill them himself with a bit of difficultly, but he also needed to protect Ruhe as well.

"Well, you said you wanted to test out that doubled sided knife." The scarlet haired girl said, trying to relieve a bit of stress from the situation.

"I guess there's no better way to do it then." The boy replied. "I was hoping that the guild would be here by now, but it looks like we'll be fighting alone for a bit."

"Think we can win?" Ruhe asked, fear apparent in her voice.

"I hope so." Was the reply. A bear in front of Chosaint stood on its hind legs and roar. Chosaint chose to use this opening and rushed forwarded, activating Crescent Flurry as he ran. He slashed through the beast, dropping a majority of its health, before jumping backwards to avoid a slap of the bear's paw. Unfortunately, he jumped back into the swing of another. The strike propelled Chosaint backwards, and he skipped on the ground upon impact.

"Aiden!" Lucy called out.

"I'm fine." He replied as he stood up. "Just keep yourself alive, I can handle myself." He then looked up to see his health had dropped a bit. It wasn't a significant dent, but a dent none then less.

"If we're going to win, we have to as a team." Lucy said as she backed up to him.

"I suppose your right. This lone wolf stuff is just going to kill us." The dirty blonde replied.

A bear then charged at the girl. "Dodge right!" She ordered. The pair then sidestepped separate ways, allowing the beast to run in between them. Each of them gave a stab to the beast as it rushed past.

"I have a plan." Aiden said. "Just follow my led." He said. Another bear then charged at him. As soon as it began to sprint, the agility type player grabbed his girlfriend and jumped into the air. The bear ran under the two and Chosaint ordered, "Use your Plus Stab." He then threw her back down towards the bear. Ruhe did as commanded and activated the sword skill. Her sword slashed from left to right, leaving a gash in the bear's neck. This was followed by a vertical slash, which ran down the head, neck, and back of the beast. The sword was then plunged into the point where the two slashed connected and ripped out by pulling the sword sideways, which severed part of the neck in half. The bear then fell to the ground and shattered, showing it had died. Both teens landed on the ground and returned to their back to back position. Already annoyed by his winter coat, Chosaint removed it and decided to fight in his new armor. The next bear then rushed towards the pair, which Chosaint bashed with his armored arm. Both of the players then quickly stabbed into the beast as it was dazed. One of the bears decided to take advantage of this opening and struck down at Lucy. "Look out!" The boy called out. He then pushed his girlfriend to the side and blocked the paw with his left arm. He was able to stand his ground as the bear pushed down on him, but had still lost health from the initial strike. Lucy then stabbed her blade into the bear's head from over Aiden's shoulder, killing the beast. Aiden then rotated around Lucy, and activated his Stabbing Brawler sword skill. His dagger lurched forward five times into the bear in front of him, before delivering a devastating haymaker to the animal. This drained the health from the polar bear, shattering it.

Two more bears then charged forward. Both players jumped over the beast charging at them, causing the bears to ram head first into one another. The couple then landed on the back of their respective bear and stabbed into each bears' neck, before jumping behind their respective beast. The two then rushed forward, jumped off the back of one of the two bears, and interlocked their hands in the air. The two spun around each other a few times, before activating sword skills and shooting down at the beasts. Chosaint used his quick strike ability and decapitated his bear, which was already weak from his earlier attack on it, while Ruhe chose something a bit more brutal. She activated her Barbarian's Trio skill, which caused her to plunge her sword into the bear's neck and pull it back out with the aid of a shield bash. As soon as the blade was out, the skill then caused her to perform an overhead slash, which killed the beast.

The tide of the battle then changed as one of the remaining bears landed a swipe on Lucy. She flew forward as a forth of her health was drained from the direct hit. The beast loomed over the girl, until Aiden dispatched of it using his Crescent Flurry attack. Chosaint then turned just in time to block himself from another swipe by a paw, lowering his health lower. Lucy shield bashed this one away, and attempted to absorb the hit from another with her shield, however her legs gave way from under her and she fell under the weight of the paw. Aiden steeped up and pushed the bear away with a few swipes. This assault by the bears continued, until Chosaint had half of his health left and Ruhe at a forth of hers. While fending off one bear, another then rammed the dirty blonde in the back, draining a good bit of his health. Lucy tried to help with an attack of her own, but was batted away by the bear. The beast swung down at Chosaint, which he rolled away from. He then looked over to see a second beast striking down at Lucy.

Time seemed to slow as the paw came downwards. However, at the last second a katana swung upwards and chopped off the paw. "That was a bit close, wasn't it?" Klein said to the girl on the ground, who just then opened her eyes. Dale then came rushing forward and shoulder checked the beast away. Chosaint was able to roll backwards, out of the way of another strike, and activate Stabbing Brawler once more. His attack didn't kill the animal, but made a bit of distance between him and the bear. "We can take it from here." Klein said. "You two just relax." Klein was right to be confident as the guild quickly dispatched of the remaining enemies. The guild leader was about to say something, when he turned around to see the couple sitting in the snow, holding each other, both incredibly happy that the other didn't die. "We'll just leave you two alone for a bit." Klein said as he and the rest if the guild walked into the woods.

The couple sat there for a little while longer, until Aiden said, "I love you, Lucy."

Lucy easily replied, "I love you too, Aiden."


Aww, they love each other. You had to see that coming sooner or later though. Also, I almost killed Ruhe. That may or may not happen a few times later. Or maybe I'll just kill her all together. That would be a heck of a horrible experience, wouldn't it? Anyways guys, don't forget to send me a pm and leave a review, so I can read everyone's thoughts about the story so far. See everyone in a few weeks :)