Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm pretty good, cause my brother was nice enough to give me his old laptop. So, we're back to regular updates! Yay! Anyways, enjoy this late chapter. Sorry about the wait.
-Floor 4-
"Be safe, alright?" Chosaint said to his girlfriend as he walked her to the door.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine." She replied.
"Alright, just be careful."
"I will be." Ruhe said, before she got to the door. "Please try to remember to pick up some spices today, Isami's almost out."
"Don't worry, I'll get them." The boy replied.
"Alright." Ruhe said. Chosaint then quickly kissed her as she opened the door. "I'll see you tonight."
"Bye, love you." The agility type said.
"Love you too." His girlfriend said, before closing the door and walking towards the teleporter in town.
Chosaint opened a book he had recently bought and began to read. Soon, ten minutes passed, then twenty, then thirty. The sound of an alarm then filled the house and Chosaint lifted his eyes from the book to see how much time had passed. He then sighed and said, "Breaks over."
The teen stood up and opened his menu. He then opened the clock and turned off the alarm that was still blaring sounds. The teen then opened his personal inventory, checking twice to make sure it was not the one he and Ruhe shared. He checked over his equipment, armor, weapons, potions, and crystals. Everything he would need for the day.
Chosaint then closed his inventory and reopened his clock as he began to walk towards the door. He set another alarm for an hour before Ruhe was supposed to be home, giving him more than enough time to stop training and get home before the girl. He also had also purposely not bought spices yesterday, that way he would have an excuse if he came home late today.
The teen then closed him clock and his menu, before turning the knob on the door and walking out. As he walked, he began to type of a message to Klein. "Hey, Klein." It said, before he sent it out.
After a minute of walking, a ping echoed out into the world and a little envelope icon popped up in front of his face. The teen then opened the message, which read, "Hey, Chosaint! What's up?"
"I'm gonna head out onto floor 28 to train, you wanna come with?" The Purple Blur typed out as he reached a store. He opened the door and was greeted by the sound of a little bell ringing.
"Hello." The woman behind the counter greeted him.
"Hey." Chosaint said as he strolled up to the counter the woman was behind.
A ping sound was made, indicating Klein had messaged back. "Sure, but aren't you supposed to not be fighting?" It asked.
"What Ruhe doesn't know, won't hurt her." Chosaint quickly typed back.
"How can I help you?" The woman asked.
"I'm looking for a set of spices, do you have any?"
"Ya, we sell them individually or as a set, which do you want?" She asked politely.
"I'll buy the set. No use in running out again." The teen replied.
"Alright, the woman said as she reached up onto a shelf and pulled a case off of it. She then placed it on the counter and opened in, showing its contents. "It cost 50 col." The woman said as a screen appeared in front of the agility type.
Chosaint accepted the trade and the spices were stored into his personal inventory. "I'll put them into the shared inventory once I pass by here on the way back." The teen thought.
"Thank you very much!" The woman said cheerfully, as she bowed. "Have a nice day!"
Chosaint politely bowed back and said, "You too." Before he opened the door and listened to the sound of the bells ring once again.
"That's a slippery slope, man. Are you sure about this?" Another message from Klein asked.
"I'm sure. I'm tired of sitting around and doing nothing while everyone else is risking their lives. If I don't fight, I won't be able to win." Chosaint replied.
"Alright, just don't get caught. I've never seen Ruhe mad, but I doubt I want to."
"Trust me, you don't." Chosaint replied, as he stepped onto the teleportation pad in the middle of town.
-Floor 28-
"Hey Chosaint, it's been a while since I've seen you ready to fight." Klein said as he approached the teen, who was sitting on a bench, reading a book.
"Ya, it's been a little while since I've been out fighting." Chosaint replied as he closed the book and stood up from the bench.
"Are you sure you want to do this? Ruhe might get pretty mad." Klein asked.
"I'm sure. I'm tired of doing nothing. Ruhe will understand when I tell her." Chosaint said.
"Well, it's your funeral. Where were you planning on heading out to?" The guild leader asked.
"I've been visiting the Wolf Plains recently. I was going to head there, unless you have a better idea."
"Well, we could go to the Forest of Forever Fall." Kline recommended as the two began to walk out of town.
"No, people have been flooding that place recently. The Wolf Plains are a bit further out, but there's not a lot of people out that way." Chosaint said.
"As long as it isn't crowded out there, I'm fine with that." Kline said.
As the two continued to walk along, Chosaint saw something that shot fear into his heart. Ruhe turned the corner of the street. Luckily for him, he was in a crowd. "Oh, no." He said.
"What?" Klein asked as Chosaint quickly opened his inventory and began unequipping his weapons and armor
"Ruhe's here." The agility type said as she got closer and closer. He frantically looked up and down from his screen, checking to see if his girlfriend had seen him.
"I see her, hurry up, she's getting close." Klein said. As Chosaint continued to frantically un-equip his combat gear. Just as he removed his final piece of armor, Klein said, "She sees us."
The girl then walked up to the pair. "Hey, guys." She said cheerfully. "What're you doing?"
"Oh, I met Klein in town while I was buying spices. He said he was heading out to go training, so I decided to walk with him until he got to the edge of the safe zone." Chosaint lied.
"Oh, alright. Isn't floor 28 a little low leveled though?" Ruhe asked the guild leader.
"I wanted to go out and patrol the Forest of Forever Fall to make sure there weren't any players that needed help out there." The red haired boy said, thinking quickly on his feet.
"Well that's nice of you." Ruhe said. "Well, good luck then. I'll be on floor 40 if you need me." She said. She then gave Chosaint a quick kiss before walking towards the teleportation gate for the floor.
Chosaint let out a sigh of relief and said, "Thanks for covering for me."
"Anytime. Come on, let's go get to training."
-Wolf Plains-
Another wolf lunged as the teen, who rolled out of the way and stabbed into the back of the beast. It howled in pain as the weapon was removed from its back, and skidded to a stop. The beast turned around and charged at Chosaint again. He dove over the beast, and stabbed it the back of its neck.
A second beast then attacked the teen, who slid under the wolf as it lunged at him. The teen then sliced into the wolf's stomach as he passed under it. He then slammed his feet into the ground, popping him back onto them. He then spun around as the weakened wolf lunged at him. The Purple Blur stabbed his blade down into the wolf's head, killing it.
"It's like you never left." Klein said.
"It feels like I never left." He replied happily. "It's nice to get out and train again. I miss it."
"It does get your mind off the game and everything." Klein replied.
"Ya, it does. Out here, I'm not worrying about my body, or if we'll make it out, or any of that stuff. I'm just focused on fighting. It's almost like this is an actual game and not something we've been forced to play."
"Ya, I feel that way every time I fight." Klein replied.
"So do I." A familiar voice said from behind the agility type. Chosaint instantly rolled forward and spun on his heel to see the masked face of Asashin, dagger in hand. Chosaint gripped his dagger tighter and gritted his teeth, prepared to strike if he needed to. "Long time no see." He said in an eerily happy tone.
"I preferred it that way." Chosaint said. He knew he was no match for evil teen before him but Klein stood a chance.
"Aww, you didn't miss me? What about all of our good times together?" He asked is the same creepy tone. As soon as the words escaped his lips, Klein charged forward with his sword raised. He then swung it downwards at the evil teen, only to have his blade slice through the air. "Was that really your best?" Asashin asked from behind the guild leader. "How pathetic."
Asashin then began to draw his arm back and flashed forward, towards the guild leader. Chosaint activated Quick Strike and flashed in between the two of them, stopping directly in the middle with his blade raised.
The two teen's daggers clashed and Asashin quickly flashed backwards, creating distance from the other agility type. "You aren't as weak as you look. Haven't lost your touch, have you?" Asashin asked.
"No, I haven't." He replied, seriously.
"Well then, maybe I should just kill you then." He replied happily. This comment sent a small bit of fear through Chosaint and Klein, but both stayed strong as the guild leader stood next to his friend. "Then again, maybe that wouldn't be fun." He said. "The red head there would certainly be an enjoyable fight, but you, my friend, you would not. I want our last clash to be one for the ages, a battle to end all battles, like something out of a movie. I want it to be like Luke vs Vader, Harry vs Voldemort, Bugs Bunny vs Daffy Duck. You are not yet at the level of those people, so enjoy your life, for now." He said, before he turned around and began to flee towards a forest.
"Good thing he's gone, right Chosaint?" Klein asked. He looked over, but saw that the agility type was gone. "Chosaint?" He asked he then looked in the direct Asashin fled, only to see Chosaint following close behind. He then began running after him.
"Chosaint!" Klein yelled out as he chased after his friend, but wasn't gaining around ground. "Stop!"
"We can't let him get away!" The agility type yelled back as he hurdled over a fallen tree.
"Yes we can! He'll kill us! We need help!" Klein yelled back.
"Then go get help!" Chosaint yelled back, anger tainting him voice. "I'm following him!"
Klein saw that he was quickly losing ground on his friend as Chosaint was beginning to fade further and further into the underbrush. "Damn." He cursed to himself. "I'm messaging Asuna! Just don't die!" He called out. However, it seemed like Chosaint was already out of earshot as there was no response.
Chosaint continued to sprint through the forest, keeping close to Asashin but the evil teen was creating distance between them. The masked man also seemed to know his way around the forest as he took shortcuts and paths that Chosaint wouldn't have noticed on his own.
Eventually, the evil teen took three quick turns through the underbrush, disorientating the pursuing player and leaving him behind. "Where'd he go?" He asked himself as he continued to search the forest for the evil teen.
"Lost me, have you?" Asashin asked from the trees above.
Chosaint skidded to a stop as he held out his dagger, ready to defend yourself. "Where are you?" Chosaint asked himself as his eyes scanned the entirety of the scene around him.
"It's cute how you think you can defend yourself." Asashin's voice said, echoing off the trees. "It's like a kid trying to protect their family. It's adorable but ultimately futile." He said. Chosaint stood like a stone, ready to attack at a moment's notice. "Really, no comment? Please, lower your dagger and talk to me. If I wanted to kill you I would've already."
Chosaint didn't respond, he simply stayed where he was. "This is going to be really boring if you don't talk. You'll just be listening to me ramble on." Again, the Purple Blur didn't respond. "You know, we aren't all that different."
"What do you mean by that?" Chosaint asked.
"Ahh, he speaks!" The evil teen said triumphantly. "It's been so long since we've had a nice little chat. Too long, don't you agree?"
"Just answer me." Chosaint replied.
"Straight to business. I see you haven't changed a bit." Asashin, said, sidestepping the question once again.
"Shut up and answer the question!" Chosaint yelled.
"Fine, fine. No need to get all hostile. We're both creatures of passion. Look at yourself. We're the same, but just opposites. It's like being two sides of the same coin."
"What does that mean?"
"Do I really have to explain it to you?" Asashin asked, only he got no response. "Fine, I'll explain it." The leaves of a tree behind Chosaint then rustled, causing the teen to turn around. Behind him sat the player he was pursuing, casually sitting on a tree branch, tossing a stone up and down. "We fight for the same reasons. We both fight for our passions. You are passionate about saving people and that little girlfriend of yours. I'm simply passionate about opening people's eyes."
"Opening people's eyes?"
"Yes, this is all just a game. None of this matters. We're all just little meaningless pawns."
"What do you mean this is all just a game? People have died! Hundreds of them!"
"I know that, but look around you. We're born to die. Like pigs for slaughter. Some will mourn us, some will miss us, some will gain from our deaths, others will not. We're just pawns, nothing more nothing less. That's what people don't see, but I do. There's nothing we can do in this world to change what will happen to us, it's already been decided. We aren't heroes or villains, we're people, people born to die. But, I guess that's what makes us similar. We both believe in the futility of trying to change our destinies. You've seen a corner of the picture, now you just need to step back and look at the whole thing."
"Stop comparing us!" Chosaint yelled. "We aren't the same!"
Asashin simply smiled as he caught his stone and threw it into the woods. "You say that now, but I want you to think of something. What would you do if that girlfriend of yours just happened to… die one day? Hmm? Would you kill yourself? Move on? Or would you do what I did and snap? Would you finally see the pointlessness of trying to find meaning in this world and make others pay for the sins of the world, because stabbing air will do nothing, but stabbing people does something." The evil teen then stood up and said, "Well, it appears your reinforcements will be arriving soon. Have a nice day, my old friend. I look forward to our next meeting. Maybe then we'll get to have the final fight I've dreamed of. Goodbye." He then jumped off of the branch and disappeared into the forest once again.
Only a few seconds after he left, both Asuna and Klein found the teen and rushed towards him. "Chosaint, are you okay?" Asuna asked, concerned. "Where's Asashin?"
"He's gone. He's left into the woods." Chosaint replied, seeming like he was even there.
"Alright, I'll have men surround the area and begin looking for him." Asuna said. She then noticed the distracted look on the agility type's face. "Is everything alright?"
"Ya, I'm fine. I just have a bit of thinking to do." The teen replied. I'm going to head home, alright?"
"Oh, alright." Asuna said. "If you need anything, just ask, okay?"
"Ya, alright." Chosaint said as he began to walk away.
Asashin's words stayed deep in his mind as he traveled home and in bed that night. "What would you do if that girlfriend of yours just happened to… die one day?"
Chosaint knew the truth, but didn't want to face it. He was sure, he would snap.
Yay! Stuff's happening. So, I have no clue what I'm gonna do about next chapter, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Anyways, don't forget to leave a review and send a PM! Bye!