Sword Art Online - The Midnight Shadow

by kirby172

Using all his power, Kirito was barely able to save the lives of his guildmates, but his guilt of putting them in danger drove him to leave them anyways. However, he did not have to return to be a solo player, as there is someone who will always stay by his side. "Nothing is your fault," she assured him as they left together. (Kirito x Sachi)

6. Chapter 5 - Warmth of the Heart

June 24, 2024 Floor 48: Lindas

Inside of a blacksmith shop with a revolving waterwheel, a pink-haired blacksmith wearing a maid outfit was hard at work.

In truth, this wasn't something she would've chosen to wear, especially for her occupation. It was a recommendation from a friend who was also a regular customer.

At first, she adamantly refused. However, she finally agreed after roping her friend into a deal where she would also have to wear some embarrassing cosplay for a bit. Unfortunately for the blacksmith, her sales actually doubled after she wore her new uniform, leaving her no choice but to continue wearing it.

*Clang* *Clang*

She was hitting an ingot with a hammer until it started to take the shape of a mace.

Just as she made the final strike-

"Hey, Liz!"

"Ahh!"

The door to the workshop opened loudly as she hit the metal for the final time, completing the process and creating the mace.

"Ohh, not bad," the intruder marveled at the weapon. "You're getting better. But sorry, I'll be careful next time."

"I wonder how many times I've heard that," she snarked. "Well, at least it was right when I finished."

She picked up the newly created mace and inspected it. At the same time, the intruder walked over and sat at a wooden stool near the anvil.

"Hey, Asuna," she greeted her friend. "So, what is it today? You're pretty early."

In front of her was a beautiful girl with long, waist-length, chestnut-coloured hair and bright orange eyes. Throughout Aincrad, she was known as the Vice-Commander of the «Knights of the Blood Oath» or the «Lightning Flash». To the blacksmith, she above all else was her friend, Asuna.

"Ah, I want you to take care of this," Asuna responded as she passed over her rapier, sheathe and all to the strangely dressed blacksmith.

The blacksmith smiled fondly as her gaze swept over the weapon. «Lambent Light». Smithed from some of the best materials found – as well as a blade Asuna claims to have been with her from the very beginning – she felt a special connection with the blade, having forged it in her own workshop.

Taking a quick look at it, she noted that while a bit dull, there was hardly an issue with the blade's cutting power.

"It's not that out of shape, is it? It's a bit early for repair."

"Yeah you're right. But I want it to be all shiny and ready for a full day of work."

"Hmmmm," she looked her friend up and down. "A shiny rapier is nice, but you might want to change into something nicer to go with it."

She noted how the rest of her equipment seemed a bit more dull then usual, as if she was using it too frequently without changing. Clearly that is what needed polishing.

Asuna merely smiled bashfully in response.

"Well that's not my business," she conceded.

And with that, she went through the process of polishing the rapier, completing it in record time.

"That'll do it," she called.

"Thanks, Liz!" Asuna replied as she took back her rapier.

The moment their hands were both on the rapier, Liz realized something – Maybe she should just leave her friend alone and let her reveal what was going on naturally…

But that's not the kind of person she was!

"So what's up? Aren't you going hunting with your guild today?" she inquired. "I thought you told me you were a bit behind on your clearing quota?"

Asuna looked away for a second before answering with a smile.

"I took the day off," she replied. "I've got some people to meet up with."

People? Plural?

She considered what this could possibly mean. As her best friend, Liz knew that Asuna was a pretty isolated person, especially after a certain something happened to her. So if she was meeting up with people who were not a part of her guild…

"Oh I see," Liz said with a smirk.

"See what?" Asuna asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"No, no," she waved a hand in front of her friend's face. "This is good, you've finally found some friends. I'm so proud of you!"

"I have friends!" Asuna sounded insulted.

"Sure, sure," she wasn't convinced, "and that's why you spent all that time holed up in my backroom sobbing about the boy you like leaving you."

Her eyes widened in alarm, and she immediately grabbed the pink-haired girl's shoulders, tightly holding them in a bone breaking grip. "That. Never. Happened!" she spoke a few decibels too loud.

Despite the threat, she continued to smile against her.

"Oh is that so?" she teased. "So then what were you doing in my backroom for all that time?"

Asuna looked away with a flustered expression, letting her know that she was right.

Happy that she proved her point, Liz gave her a friendly tap on the shoulder.

"I really am glad for you, Asuna," she said sincerely.

"…Thanks… Liz…"

"Anything's better than listening to your moping."

For that, she received a light punch on her right shoulder which she received with a smile.

Before their argument could continue further, the chimes of a clock cut them off.

"I have to go!" Asuna exclaimed.

"Make sure to bring them over some time!" she called after her. "I'd love to meet the people who can impress the «Lightning Flash»!"

"Soon!" Asuna responded. "I already recommended your store to them."

They exchanged thumbs up before she ran out of the store.

Once she was out of sight, the pink-haired blacksmith slumped into her chair with a sigh.

"Must be good…"

Over a year and a half had passed ever since the beginning of the game. While at first, she had panicked like most of the players, she was able to gather herself and go on to make a flourishing shop. However, now that she had set up a shop and almost completed her smithing skill, she was starting to miss the company of people again, probably because she didn't have a clear goal anymore.

Before getting back to work, she took a look at a picture that she kept hanging on a board;

She and three of her customers were posing at her former stall.

She smiled as she thought back to those days.

"Oh well," she mumbled. "I have enough to do now."

She shook her head and pulled out her hammer, ready to get back to work after that last distraction.

What she didn't know was that the next day she would find the adventure she was seeking.

---

The next day.

After spending the day catching up on her orders, Liz decided to take a nap at the counter to her shop.

She was dreaming of a time when she was in elementary school.

In spite of being a diligent and quiet student, she had a habit of falling asleep in class. Oftentimes, the teachers would reprimand her, however there was one who would do it in such a sweet manner.

She could almost hear him walking over, "Erm, I'm sorry, but…"

"Ye-Yes, I'm sorry, Sensei!"

She shouted and jumped up. In front of her, near her desk was a boy with a strange hat on and a surprised expression.

"Sensei? Huh?"

They looked at each other awkwardly for a few moments. The boy turned around with the same, bemused expression and walked out the door.

She fell into her chair once he was gone, feeling embarrassed that somebody saw that. She wasn't even concerned that she may have lost a potential customer.

However a moment later, she found out that she didn't have to worry about either of those things.

"The blacksmith is in right now." She could barely make out a voice from outside her shop.

Once she heard that, she sat up professionally and waited for the door to open.

Five seconds later, it did so.

A group of people walked in: they were composed of a tall, older looking boy with short brown hair and a double-handed staff which was unequipped on his back; A tall boy with perpetually closed eyes, wearing purple armour and equipped with a mace on his hip holster; The same tall boy from earlier, who she now noted was wearing green armour and a strange green hat; A short boy with a beanie covering most of his blonde hair and wearing a yellow thief's cloak; A singular girl with midnight-blue hair and a timid expression, decked out in silver and gold-lined armour over a dark and light blue tunic; An androgynous looking, black-haired boy with a stoic expression dressed entirely in black clothes with a black coat over it and the black handle of a sword peaking from behind his shoulder.

Big groups tend to bring in big money.

"Welcome to «Lisbeth's Blacksmith Shop»," she introduced her shop to them. "What are you looking for?"

The older looking boy was the one to answer, giving a bright smile. "Nice to meet you, we're looking for staves, maces, lances, daggers, one-handed swords and shields."

She quickly and concisely pointed out each of the weapons that they asked for.

They separated and went to the spots that she could only assume held their respective weapons.

She watched each of them become engrossed in checking out the armory, she decided to get involved to help finish the sale.

"What do you think, Kirito?" she heard the girl talking. Deciding that she'll be her first mark, she walked over to the shields and one-handed sword section.

She saw the girl holding up a small shield made up of navy-blue metal.

"Looks good," the black-haired boy complimented. "It matches you very well, but how are its stats?"

They were about to check them out before Liz interrupted.

"That shield is extremely durable," she claimed. "It could withstand any assault up to a floor boss, plus due to the metal it's made from, it's also lighter than any shield of that size or strength should be."

The girl strapped it to her arm and moved it around to test out its lightness.

After a few movements, she nodded with satisfaction and took it off before checking its stats for herself.

"Thank you," she said politely, "I'll buy this."

And that's one sale down.

"Well you're already set," the boy said as he turned back to the row of swords.

Hm? There's no way she got a sword already, why isn't she searching for one?

"You know," the girl whispered. "I really don't mind giving you my sword. You can make better use of it than I can."

Excuse you!

"Nonsense," the boy responded. "Sure your sword rivals mine, but I want you to be prepared for anything to."

"So I suppose none of my swords are good enough?"

The duo turned to her with a startled expression, as if they had forgotten that she was there.

"Ah, well, actually I wanted to order a custom made one..."

Now that was a tough order. Even the cheapest custom swords ran a high price.

"The price of metals right now is a bit high, so I think it might be a little expensive..." she tried to warn him.

"You don't have to worry about the price," the boy assured her. "Please just forge the best sword that you can right now."

"...Well, even if you say that... I have to have some sort of idea about the quality..." she informed him in a slightly rough tone.

"Well I suppose that's true," he conceded. "Then..."

He took the sword that was hanging off of his back, sheathe and all.

"How about a sword with a similar or better quality than this one?"

She was about to take it from his hand before the girl spoke.

"Careful, it's-"

She took the sword with her right hand before she could finish.

Then the blacksmith almost dropped the thing.

"-heavy," the girl completed her sentence as she rushed over to help hold it.

Holy crap!

As a blacksmith and a mace-wielder, her strength stat was high, but there was no way she could wield such a heavy weapon!

Hesitantly, she released her grip to let the girl hold the weapon as she drew it out of the sheathe.

It was a pitch-black blade that almost seemed to gleam from its own light.

From a cursory glance, she could tell that it was a high-quality sword. She clicked it with her finger to call out the popup window:

ELUCIDATOR +0
Long Sword / One Hand

Range: Short

Type: Slash

Attack: 700-710

Durability: 1350

Weight: 170

Requires: 61

Equip +50

Agility +28

Strength +48

Armor

No maker name, which means it wasn't the work of a fellow blacksmith. A «Demon Sword».

She gave the boy a curious look while he anxiously stared at his weapon in her hands.

This boy must be extremely lucky to get such a thing from a monster drop.

She returned the sword to the sheathe as the girl held it in her hands, seemingly unbothered by its weight.

Quickly, she walked to the wall of swords and picked up a one-handed sword in a red coloured sheathe.

Drawing it, the blade was revealed to have a reddish tint to it, as if it was on fire.

"This is the best sword in my shop right now," she boasted. "There's no way it'll lose to yours!"

He took the sword, backed away from the girls and gave it a test swing.

"It's a bit light," he said dubiously.

"I used a speed type metal for it," she informed him proudly.

He swung it a few more times before turning to his companion.

"Sachi, do you mind helping me test this?"

"Test it?" Liz asked dubiously. "Test it how?"

"For its durability," he explained. "Just put the tip of the Elucidator on the table," he instructed his companion, "and keep the flat end up."

The girl looked at him curiously but did what he said, holding the black sword with both hands horizontally on the nearby table.

Frantically, she tried to stop him. "Wa-Wait! If you do that your sword will break!"

"If it's a sword that would break so easily then it's useless. If that happens I'll deal with it then," he responded stoically.

"That's-"

"Ready, Sachi?" he ignored her.

"Ready!"

At that word, her sword in the boy's hand glowed with a blue light as he brought it down on his own blade in his companion's hands.

The two blades clashed against each other before she even had the time to blink, and the impact rang loudly within the shop.

The blade was broken neatly in two and had been completely destroyed.

—HER blade.

"AHHHHHH!" she screamed dramatically.

Without warning she pushed the boy aside and retrieved what remained of the sword from his hand. Frantically, she looked it over from every angle.

...Repair... is impossible.

When she came to that conclusion, the remaining half of the sword shattered into polygons and she sagged to her knees in disbelief.

At the same time, four pairs of feet came running into the room.

"We heard screaming! What's going on?!" The older looking boy asked as he brought up his staff.

"S-sorry," said the black-haired boy, "I accidentally broke her best sword…"

Getting an idea of what happened, the boy who asked him couldn't help but put his palm against his forehead. "Oh no, Kirito you didn't…"

He shook his head before going on.

"Sorry, we'll pay for the sword," he said diplomatically. "And Kirito, please apologize," he said more firmly to the black-haired boy.

"Right, sorry," the blade breaker apologized sincerely. "I didn't think that your sword would break..."

Something inside her snapped at those words.

"In other words, do you mean to say that my sword was weaker than you thought it was?!"

"Errr— ummm—" he hesitated and shifted his gaze away from his friends who were desperately trying to tell him to stop talking, "well, yeah."

"Ah! Now you're just going straight out!?"

The boy looked to his companions desperately, but they merely stood behind, looking concerned but not getting involved.

"I— I'm telling you! If I had the right materials I could make weapons that would snap your sword just like that as much as I want!"

"Oh?" the boy said, looking interested at what she was saying. "Then please do so. Make something that will snap my sword."

"So that's how it's gonna be?! Fine! Then you help too! Start with helping me get the ingredients!"

"...Well, I don't mind, just tell us where to go and we'll get whatever material you need."

"Oh it's not going to be that easy!" she proclaimed. "I'm coming with you!"

"T-that's okay," one of the other boys said hesitantly. "We could do it ourselves."

"Yeah," called another boy in a more carefree tone. "We'll be a lot faster if we don't make this an escort quest."

Without warning, she ran at the boy who said that, grabbing him by the collar of his cloak, she pulled him close to her.

"Don't you dare underestimate me," she warned him. "Even if I look like this, I'm a master mace wielder!"

Threateningly, she reached behind her back as if to pull out her mace out of hammerspace.

"Do you want to see?"

"N-no Ms. Blacksmith," he squeaked.

She smiled scarily as she dropped him and turned back to the black-haired boy.

"Good, now what are you going to do?"

---

About 10 days ago, rumours of a particular metal started.

On the 55th floor there was a quest involving a dragon that would eat crystals and create a rare and valuable metal in its stomach.

Several parties had attempted the quest to defeat it, however nobody had acquired the metal no matter how many dragons were defeated.

"I've heard about this too," the arrogant, black-haired boy, whom she was introduced to as «Kirito» responded. "There does seem to be a chance to get rare ingredients. But so far no one has gotten anything right? Would we really get anything if we go now?"

"There are many theories on what requirements may make the metal drop," she explained, "one of them claims that the party must include a blacksmith, because there aren't many blacksmiths who have trained in combat skills."

"Seems like a bit of a stretch," «Ducker» said, unconvinced.

"Still, it's worth giving it a shot," their leader, «Keita» said diplomatically. "So let's get prepared and we'll leave immediately."

"Not so fast!" Liz put up her hand to stop them. "Unfortunately, this quest may take some time, and I can't just leave my shop unattended." She fixed all six of them with a look. "So at least one of you has to stay behind and watch my shop."

"But we aren't blacksmiths," «Sasamaru» pointed out.

"I said 'watch' the shop, not 'do my job'," she pointed out, incredulously.

Clearly this team isn't the sharpest.

"Simple things, like take customer's orders and write them down for when I get back," she elaborated in annoyance. "I'm sure even people like you can do something so simple."

"Right," said Keita. He turned to his guildmates before continuing. "Well that's how it is. Two of us will stay back, while the others will go with Ms. Lisbeth to get the metal."

He stood up and everyone else walked into a circle.

"And there's only one way to decide who goes…"

For the next ten minutes, Liz had to sit through what she could only believe to be the most intense game of rock-paper-scissors that she had ever witnessed.

Eventually, it came down to Keita and Sachi to decide who would go.

The two glared at each other before they put out their hands.

The boy with brown hair put out a flat hand. The girl with blue hair stuck out two fingers.

It was her win.

It was decided, Keita would stay behind along with Sasamaru.

"And that's that. Kirito, Sachi, Tetsuo, Ducker, you're all going."

"W-wait," Sachi stuttered. "We can't go without you, Keita! You're our leader!"

The boy merely smiled as he put his hands behind his head.

"A loss is a loss, you guys will be fine without me."

"But-" She tried to argue.

He cut her off by gently putting his hand on her head before petting it gently.

"Don't worry, you've got this Sa-chan. I believe in you all."

Liz couldn't help but stare at the interaction.

'Sa-chan?' He's got a nickname for her?

Sachi looked at him in despair, however she puffed out her cheeks then let out a deep breath. "Alright, Ta-kun," she responded, sounding grumpy. "If you believe in us, we'll do it."

'Ta-kun?' How close are these two? Liz thought curiously. Are they…?

Ta-kun – Errr, Keita turned to the rest of his friends with a smile, who looked at the interaction with interest.

"Actually, I think this is a great opportunity for all of you," he said. "Let's see how well you guys can do on a mission without your leader."

Kirito shrugged, seemingly a bit unconvinced. "It's only the 55th floor, it won't be that difficult."

"...Are you insanely strong, or just insanely stupid?" Liz couldn't help but blurt out. She couldn't believe this boy's arrogance. "Such a high floor is no joke, even for people on the assault team!"

The black-haired boy merely chuckled and gave her an arrogant look. He didn't say anything to prove or deny her.

The boy who was clearly the leader merely looked at her with a gentle smile.

"Don't worry, if it was something I thought they couldn't handle, I wouldn't let them go."

"Yeah, we've got this," the boy in the cloak cheered.

"Please," Kirito scoffed, "I could do this solo," however his expression softened before he continued. "Still I'm glad to go with you guys."

And like that, she felt completely forgotten.

"Well whatever," she sighed, exasperated at their arrogance. "If nothing else, watching you teleport away in fear should be interesting."

The tall boy with squinty eyes, «Tetsuo», gave her a disapproving look at the comment.

"No need to be so mean, were all in this together for this mission."

She returned the look with a glare. I can be as rude as I want to the people who broke my masterpiece.

"Let's try to get along, Ms. Lisbeth," he requested as he put his hand forward.

For a moment, she considered keeping up her attitude and continue to act cold…

But what's the point? she considered. Maybe they're arrogant but they don't seem like bad people.

She put her hand in his and shook it. "Let's get along. And if we're going to pretend to be friends, just call me Liz."

"Okay, Liz," Keita said as he walked up to her. "I'm entrusting your safety in the hands of my guildmates."

He turned to his friends before continuing.

"Good luck you guys," he said. "And don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it."

Everyone nodded as they approached each other.

Liz watched as they all stacked their hands on top of each other's before cheering as one,

"Let's do this!"

---

Once they arrived at the 55th floor, they were all greeted with a bone-chilling wind.

"Ahchoo!" Liz sneezed once the wind passed her.

"Just as cold as last time," Ducker commented as he wrapped his cloak around himself firmly. "Good thing we came prepared."

Looking around, she realized that he was right. Each of her partymates were wearing something thick and warm.

She on the other hand…

Why didn't I bring anything warmer?!

Admittedly this was her own fault, she didn't think to check the theme of the floor before coming.

Still, she couldn't admit it to this arrogant band of teens.

She was willing to tough it out, however…

The girl with blue hair took off her thick blue mantle and held it up to Liz.

"Here," she offered. "You'll need something warm."

She looked at the mantle before looking at the girl.

"D-don't y-you n-need t-this?" she said through her chattering teeth.

"I've got an e-extra," the other girl responded. She was starting to shiver from her lack of outerwear.

Realizing that the girl would probably stay cold until she accepted, she quickly took the mantle and wrapped it around herself.

She let out a sigh of relief as the cold bite of the wind immediately disappeared.

The girl smiled at her before opening her inventory. Within seconds, she scrolled through her items and a black, fur-lined cape materialized around her. For some reason, she pulled it around her tightly and seemed to nuzzle the collar.

Maybe I'm being too harsh on them, Liz realized, they don't seem like a bad bunch… If you ignore them breaking my sword!

She wasn't ready to forgive them for that!

Fixing them with a glare, she watched as they gathered to look at the map.

"Which way is the quest giver's house?" Sachi asked.

"Probably that one," Kirito looked away from the map and pointed out an especially large house located across the central plaza.

"Seems a bit obvious, don't you think?" Ducker joked.

"Probably," Tetsuo considered. "So, shall we check it out?"

A few minutes later, they were sitting in the NPC elder's house. Unfortunately for them, the NPC had a lot to tell them before they could activate the quest.

They were forced to listen to his life story, all the way from his childhood to his adulthood.

Why would the creator think to put this? Liz wondered in boredom. I'll make sure to get Asuna to interrogate him if he's ever found.

Naturally, listening was a bit more difficult for some of the more hyperactive members of the party.

"Do you really have to take my old coats?" Kirito whispered.

"Of course," Sachi responded while keeping her voice down. At the same time, she was playing with the hanging part of the coat. They're functional and warm. Besides, you should clean out the inventory if you don't want me finding them."

"I never said I don't like seeing you wear them…" he mumbled.

"Look, it's your own fault Kirito," Ducker teased him. "Maybe you shouldn't put them where she can find them if you don't want her to take them."

"Nobody asked you, Ducker," Kirito responded as he tried to whack his head. The boy dodged it with a smile.

"Focus guys," Tetsuo admonished them. "I think he's getting to the part about the dragon."

And he was right, after so long the NPC started talking about the nocturnal dragon that ate crystals on the mountain.

By the time he was done, the sun was already setting. It was a beautiful sight, with the snow shining orange, however…

"...I never expected just receiving the quest would waste that much time..." Liz griped.

"Seriously," Ducker agreed with her, "this quest better be worth it."

"Well then, we better do this quest right," Tetsuo encouraged them. "Cause if we don't… we'll have to go through all that again…"

The wind blew over them as they realized that this was true.

"So," Sachi said. "It's nearly nighttime, do you guys think we should wait until tomorrow?"

"Probably not," Kirito said. "Remember, the old man said that the dragon was nocturnal."

"So if we head out now, we should be able to make it while it's still dark," Tetsuo said with authority.

"Not to mention that the quest may reset if we take too long," Ducker pointed out.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"So who's ready?" Liz asked, ready to get this mission going.

"Let's do this!" the guild cheered at once.

---

The trek up the mountain was mostly uneventful.

At most they encountered a few hordes of monsters which were quickly dispatched by Tetsuo and Sachi.

They were a type of skeleton monster and therefore weak to impact-strikes, so her fellow mace-wielder was able to dispatch them without issue.

The girl with the sword on the other hand was another story. For the most part, she hid behind her shield (they didn't buy the shield from her shop just yet, probably in the interest of saving money to pay off both swords). She waited for her enemy to attack before she found a safe time to strike it with her sword which was the same colour as her hair. However, Liz couldn't help but notice that she dispatched the enemies with the same ease as her friend, despite not having a weapon with an advantage against this type of enemy.

"Nice job," Tetsuo complimented his teammate.

"You to," she responded.

They exchanged a quick high-five with their respective shield hands before moving forward.

"They're always like that," Kirito commented. For some reason his voice seemed tinged with envy.

"Don't be jealous Kirito," Ducker said as he slapped his friend's back. "You know that Sachi likes you best."

Does she? Liz asked herself.

From what she had seen of Sachi, she seemed pretty close to quite a few of the boys here.

After all, she had seen the boy whom she assumed to be the leader of their group give her an affectionate nickname while she had one in return. Not to mention that Ducker seemed to always be looking in her direction.

Due to the fact that this guild was doing all the fighting, and Liz having little to do on this quest, she couldn't help but make observations and theories on her temporary partymates;

Tetsuo had taken charge but hardly seemed to give any actual instruction, letting everyone do their own thing for the most part. Perhaps he was the second in command of their guild?

Ducker, mainly stayed around Kirito and Sachi, often joking about something. For some reason, he always seemed to have a lot of energy and tried to say something funny. In her opinion, he really needed to work on his jokes.

Sachi didn't say very much, primarily staying by Kirito's side until it was time to fight. Furthermore, she only seemed to fight because the boy in black would encourage her to let loose. Otherwise, she seemed particularly scared and hardly seemed to hide it, something that was a bit rare for people on these floors.

Kirito was the most complicated of them all. Her initial opinion about him was that he was extremely arrogant – especially after he had not only broken her sword but insulted it as well! But he always kept a sharp eye on his guildmates. Whenever they fought, he kept one hand on the handle of his black sword, ready to pull it out at a moment's notice and jump in. Interestingly, she also sensed a bit of distance between them, as if he didn't trust them fully, however, at the same time they were certainly close.

After maybe an hour, they had eventually reached the top of the mountain.

Huge columns of broken crystal pillars stood out from the thick layer of snow. The light of the setting sun refracted through these columns and scattered into all the colours of the rainbow.

"This is incredible!" Ducker yelled when he saw the sight.

Without warning, he immediately tried to dash forward, however Tetsuo grabbed him by the collar, keeping him in place.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" he asked the smaller boy sternly.

"Nope," Ducker replied as he pulled out a teleport crystal from his pouch under his cloak. "I'm not an idiot."

"That's debatable," Kirito teased good-naturedly.

At the same time, Sachi had walked up to a nearby crystal pillar and observed it in awe.

"These are beautiful," she said as she pressed her gauntlet covered hand against the surface. "Do you think we can take some chunks home with us?"

Liz walked up the crystal pillar and used her «Inspection» skill on it. "You probably can, but unfortunately, these crystals aren't worth much."

"Still, they'd make a great memento of our trip," Sachi replied.

Kirito walked up to her and gently pet her head. "That's not a bad idea, let's show Keita and Sasamaru what they had to miss."

That made everyone laugh and at that moment, it wasn't as if they had climbed up a mountain to collect material for supplies, but as if they were a bunch of friends who just completed a hike.

"Okay, we'll think about that later," Tetsuo said while trying to erase his amusement. "But right now, let's focus on completing our mission."

"Everyone, show me your crystals," he commanded as he pulled out a teleport crystal of his own.

Everyone reached into their pouches and pulled out a few crystals of various effects.

He nodded and put away his crystal into his pocket.

However, before he could continue, Kirito walked forward, stood beside Tetsuo and addressed the team.

"Actually, I was thinking it over," he began, his voice betraying a bit of nervousness, "and I think I should fight the dragon myself. At least initially."

Liz stared at the boy, unable to believe what he was saying. He thinks he can fight the dragon himself? How arrogant can someone be? she thought condescendingly. She would have said it aloud, but she noticed that the other three were looking at him with concern to.

"Kirito, you don't have to do anything alone anymore," Sachi spoke softly. "We can help."

"Yeah," Ducker agreed with her. "We're all a part of the same guild, it's part of our duty to help you out to."

"They're right," Tetsuo stated. However he seemed to consider something before continuing. "But if that's how you feel, we won't stop you. As long as you tell us why."

Kirito looked at them bashfully before scratching his head.

"It's just, that… I'm the one who wanted to get this metal for my own sake. So it'd be unfair to make you guys do this for me…"

Once he finished speaking, Liz realized how she was right about what she had theorized on the trip up; despite how close this team acted, clearly this boy didn't feel like he was truly a part of it.

"Okay, Kirito," Sachi said softly. "We'll let you handle this. But the moment we think you need help, we'll step in."

He nodded gratefully in response.

"Thanks, Sachi," he said, his eyes seemed completely focused on the girl. "I mean, thanks everyone."

"We know what you meant," Ducker snarked, unimpressed.

They smiled at each other before they walked forward, reaching the centre of the peak.

Taking a look around, there was no sign of any dragon. What they did see was a deep hole that seemed to go down forever.

"Wow…" Liz breathed. "That's really deep..."

"Yeah," Ducker said as he grabbed a nearby crystal and lightly chucked it into the hole.

It glittered briefly before being absorbed into the darkness, disappearing without a discernable sound. While he was keeping his head tilted towards the hole, Ducker's smile eventually faded after a few seconds passed.

"Wow, that hole is at least 4 seconds deep," he said quietly. "Don't fall down guys."

"As if we would!" Liz replied.

Not long after she said that, a loud roar pierced the air and echoed throughout the mountain.

"Everyone! Hide behind those crystals!" Kirito called as he pointed at some large crystal pillars.

Without question, everyone except Liz did so. Even she wasn't sure why she stood there, maybe it was some stubborn refusal to do what this arrogant swordsman was saying?

"Hey!" she called to him. "The white dragon's attacks are slashes using both claws, freezing breath, and blizzard assault. Be careful!"

Without warning, she felt herself being pulled back. Taking a look at her wrist, she saw a gloved hand holding it tightly.

"Listen when he talks," Ducker warned her as he pulled her behind the crystals spire with everyone else.

What a suck up, she thought dismissively.

As soon as she thought that, the white dragon approached them.

Kirito took the time to give them a thumbs up before unsheathing his jet-black sword.

Within half a minute, the dragon covered in white scale-like shards of ice covering its entire body appeared in front of them.

It let out another shriek as the boss title appeared in their vision;

«X'rphan the White Wyrm»

"G-good luck, Kirito!" Sachi called over the sound of the wind. "Do your best!"

They couldn't see it, but Liz was certain that Kirito was smiling broadly at the vote of confidence.

The dragon fixed him with its piercing red gaze then opened its mouth and released a snowy wave of wind at the black-haired boy.

"It's the breath!" she warned. "Get out of the way!"

However he didn't move an inch. Instead, he started spinning his sword like a windmill as it glowed with a light green effect.

Once the breath hit his sword-shield, it dispersed before it could even touch him.

"What? How?" she couldn't form coherent sentences.

Continuing his defense, he perfectly deflected every attack that came his way.

Somehow, she tore her gaze away from the incredible swordsman to look at his companions. Their eyes were all locked on the same spectacle, watching their companion effortlessly fight the dragon. Evidently, they were equally as shocked at his power as she was.

Unwilling to miss any more, she turned her head back to the fight.

Kirito — just who is he...? she wondered.

The boy jumped into the air and unleashed consecutive sword combination techniques onto the dragon's body.

The dragon tried to counterattack with its claws, but he simply dodged them as he continued to attack it.

By the time Kirito made it back to the ground, the white dragon's HP bar was already down by over a third.

Suddenly the white dragon took aim at Kirito and used its icy breath, but this time he sprinted to dodge the attack and then leapt back up into the air. With a deep and heavy sound, a single powerful attack struck the target, and the white dragon's health dropped significantly.

"Damn, bro," Ducker whispered next to her.

"How does he keep impressing us?" Tetsuo breathed.

Sachi did not say anything, and merely looked at the boy with a loving expression, although for the briefest of moments, Liz thought she saw a bit of insecurity on her face.

The HP bar immediately changed from yellow to red, and the battle was basically already over. Deciding that she should praise Kirito's skill to his face, Liz stepped out from behind the crystals, fully expecting Kirito to finish off the dragon before she could even get close enough to congratulate him.

"Idiot! Don't come out yet!" Kirito yelled without even turning around to look at her.

"Why?" she ignored his instructions "You've clearly already beaten it."

She took another step and accidentally pulled out Ducker who was still holding her wrist tightly.

Suddenly the dragon flew up and spread its wings.

It started to beat them, kicking up a strong gust of wind mixed with snow which hit them. Without thinking, Liz tried to brace for the attack by digging her heels and so did Ducker.

However it wasn't enough and they felt themselves about to leave the ground.

"Stay here!" somebody's voice was heard above the gale.

Before they would go flying, a blur of black and blue was in front of them.

Sachi planted her feet and tried to block the wind with her shield.

As she did so, they felt themselves get their footing back. Still at the mercy of the gale, Ducker took a difficult step forward and put his hand on his guildmate's shoulder.

They planted their feet, trying to endure the force of the wind. But it wasn't enough and they found themselves moving backwards.

Before they knew it, all three of them were sent flying.

You've got to be kidding me... she thought numbly. This is how I die?

As they flew, Liz felt somebody embrace her tightly from the front. At the same time, she felt arms surround her from the back.

She wasn't sure what exactly was happening.

All of a sudden, she sensed her merged bundle of people move horizontally before the sound of scraping filled her ears and their descent slowed.

And then she blacked out.

---

"Sachi!" Liz heard a distant voice. "Sachi!"

Opening her eyes, she found herself in darkness. On top of her, she felt something shaking.

"Wake up!" She realized it was Kirito speaking. "Please!"

She heard a groan. "Can't move my arm." This time it was a female voice speaking in pain.

A second later, she felt the weight on top of her roll off to the side, freeing her.

"Liz!" The female voice was frantic as it called her name. "Ducker! Are you two alright?!"

"I'm fine," Liz was barely able to answer.

She tried to get up, only to feel that the ground beneath her was strangely soft and that something was restraining her in a hug.

"Ow." She heard the ground groan from under her.

Frantically, she tried to get up, but stumbled when she realized that the boy who was holding her wrist earlier was still keeping it in a tight grip.

Using her free arm, Sachi gently pushed the arm that was around Liz then took his hand and helped him unlock it from her wrist.

"Something's digging into my back," Ducker moaned.

As soon as he said that, Kirito put his hand behind the other boy's shoulder and helped him sit up.

Once he was up, Liz saw Sachi's shield where they landed, her hand still gripping the straps.

She took a moment to look at their HP gauges; Hers was still green; Sachi's was green; Ducker's was in the yellow zone, but it was dangerously close to reaching the red zone; Kirito's was still green.

As everyone stayed silent, trying to come to terms with their situation, Sachi pulled out four potion bottles from her inventory and passed them to each of them.

They didn't talk until they all finished their potions and fully healed.

"Sorry, guys," Kirito apologized. "Not only did I drag you out here, but I couldn't keep my grip when we were falling… and you slipped from my grasp."

"Hey, don't say that Kirito," Ducker assured him. "At least you probably slowed our descent enough for me to survive." He turned to Sachi before continuing. "But thanks, Sachi, I think you nullified most of the damage when you blocked the ground!"

The girl smiled gently as she turned to Kirito. "D-don't worry, Kirito. We still have each other, so there's nothing to worry about."

In all her life, Liz may never have heard a more forced speech. While she recognized that the girl was trying to be optimistic, it was extremely obvious that she was absolutely terrified.

"Well, we're all safe and we're all together, so we have nothing to worry about right?" Liz asked rhetorically. They looked at her with a bit of surprise, as if they didn't expect her to be reassuring.

"Anyways, what are we so worried about?" she asked. "We can probably just teleport out of here."

As she said that, she pulled out the teleport crystal that she showed off earlier.

"«Teleport! Lindus»!" she commanded.

…

Nothing happened.

"That seems right," Kirito commented. "This is a trap made especially for players, they won't make it that easy to escape."

"Well if we can't use crystals, then there must be another way out of here," Ducker considered.

"...Maybe not, maybe this is an inescapable pit that guarantees death..." Liz considered fearfully. "Or should I say, we're already dead!"

"D-don't say that," Sachi said, her stutter betraying her fear. "T-there has to be a way out."

As soon as she looked at the girl, she couldn't help but regret what she said. She looked so scared.

She wanted to say something to reassure her, but the black clothed swordsman was faster. He quickly went up to Sachi and pulled her into a hug, her head placed against his chest. They stayed in that position for a bit as the boy whispered something to the girl that sounded like, "We'll be safe. I'll protect you."

Eventually, he let go of her with one arm but kept the other around her.

"Of course there's a way out," Kirito spoke confidently. "There's no trap in any world that can stop the Moonlit Black Cats."

"Yeah," Ducker agreed. "We've been in an anti-crystal area before, and we got out thanks to a certain someone."

Sachi nodded, as if the words of her friends reignited her spirit. "We've got this."

"Let's do this!" the three of them cheered together.

Liz wasn't sure what it was but seeing the resolve of these three filled her with confidence – She had no doubt they'd get them out.

"Well first, let's ask for help," Liz suggested as she opened up her menu.

She immediately found Asuna's name and tried to send her a message… only to find that she couldn't.

"Nevermind that…"

"Makes sense," Kirito said. "This place is probably considered a dungeon."

"Tetsuo knows where we are," Sachi reminded them. "He's probably running to get help right now."

"Or he's at the top of the hole trying to find a way down," Ducker pointed out as he looked up, probably to check if his guildmate was around the entrance to the hole.

"In that case, let's give him some instructions." Sachi opened her menu and scrolled through some screens. "Indigo means get help right?" she asked.

"That's the colour," Ducker replied.

Liz looked at them curiously, wondering what they were talking about.

"It's a system they made up," Kirito explained. "If we're ever stuck in a trap, we put a certain coloured item into our guild storage so that the others can know what to do."

Liz couldn't help but think of how brilliant such a system was. I wonder if Asuna can make use of it on the frontlines.

He gave a brief rundown of what each colour meant before Sachi said they got a response.

"Until he comes back, does anyone have any ideas?" she asked after dismissing her menu.

"I've got one," Kirito spoke confidently. "Let's run up the wall."

She stared at him, a bit dumbstruck at his ridiculous suggestion.

"…Are you an idiot?" Liz asked.

"I've been called that a lot," he responded jokingly.

"Kirito, there's no way that'd work," Sachi said skeptically.

"No, no, let's watch him try," Ducker said. "It should at least be good for a laugh."

Kirito looked at him with friendly annoyance before getting into a running position.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," he said. "See you at the top!"

And with that he took off at an unbelievable speed. Barely losing momentum once he reached the wall, he ran along the sheer walls in a spiral formation.

The three left behind on the floor looked at him in awe, truly believing that he may actually reach the top…

However when he was approximately 25% up the wall, he suddenly slipped.

For a second, he floated in the air before his body went into free fall. "Ahhhhhhh!" he screamed as he fell to the snow-covered ground.

"Kirito!" Sachi yelled as she ran to his point of impact.

Amazingly, she was able to catch him before he hit the ground, only to stumble and fall down with her arms under him.

"Ow," he whined, "sorry Sachi. That didn't work," he pointed out the obvious.

"Clearly," Liz snarked.

"Good attempt though," Ducker complimented. "maybe if you had more starting momentum…"

"Not a chance," Liz shot him down.

"Fine," Ducker said dismissively. "Anyone else have any ideas?"

"I do," Sachi said as she got up. "Kirito, may I borrow your sword?"

He looked at her dubiously, wondering what she was thinking. "Sure?" he pulled his black sword out of its sheathe and handed it to her.

She took it with her left hand then pulled her midnight-blue sword out of its sheathe and tightly held it in her right.

For a moment, Liz couldn't help but marvel at the sight of the girl, wearing the black coat that belonged to her companion while holding two swords which made her think of darkness.

"What are you planning?" Kirito asked.

"I'm going to climb out of here."

"Climb out?" Liz was confused. "Climb out how?"

"Like this."

Sachi took a deep breath, took 2 steps back, then immediately ran at the wall at an incredible speed and leaped a few feet into the air.

Two sharp sounds filled the hole as the two blades penetrated the icy wall.

The sound of her taking a deep breath reached their ears before she pulled out the blue sword with her right hand and using all her strength, stabbed it a foot above where it was.

She repeated the process with the sword in her other hand. Alternating between them, she repeated the process several times before she called down to them.

"How high am I?" she asked breathlessly.

"Almost to the height where Kirito fell!" Ducker yelled to her.

She let out a groan before pulling out one sword again and going higher.

She stopped again and let out several heavy breaths, evidently tired from all she did.

"We can't all get out like that!" Liz called over. While it was true, she really wanted the girl to stop trying something which was clearly taking a lot out of her. "Come down!"

"I can keep going!" she called down, but this time she was clearly out of breath.

"Come down!" Kirito called. "Don't worry I'll catch you."

Sachi stayed in place for a few moments. She took a few deep breaths, tightened her grip on her swords, brought up her legs to waist height and pressed off the wall, pulling out both swords with her.

"KYAAAA!" She screamed as she fell, discarding the swords to her sides, she brought up her hands to her face, covering her eyes.

Somehow predicting precisely where she would land, Kirito ran to that spot and spread out his arms, catching her effortlessly in a bridal carry.

"Am I dead?" she asked without removing her hands from her face.

"Not yet," Kirito said jokingly. "You're still stuck with us for a while longer."

"Hopefully a long while," she whispered as she brought her hand to his face.

The realization hit her like a bullet. As soon as she saw the way Sachi reacted, she knew that she has a crush on Kirito. Probably in the same way Asuna liked that boy she mentioned.

On one hand, it was sweet. On the other…

Urgh. Liz put her hand on the side of her head and pushed it away so she didn't have to look at them directly. Lovebirds are the worst, she thought as she couldn't help but glance at the gushy scene from the corner of her eye. Still, she couldn't help but smile at the interaction.

"Do you have any ideas?" she asked Ducker as she turned to him.

It took him a moment to answer. Liz couldn't help but notice that he looked distressed as he looked at his friends.

He shook his head in response to her question. "They already took the best ideas."

"So that's it then? We're stuck until help arrives?"

Ducker shrugged and smiled. "Yup, pretty much."

"Wonderful," she said sarcastically. "So we're basically trapped."

"Don't say that," Ducker admonished her, "there's always hope as long as you don't give up."

She couldn't help but smile at the sentiment.

"You should at least mention that you're quoting Tetsuo," Sachi teased him as they walked towards them.

"Tetsuo? That sounds more like a Keita line," Kirito commented. "Unless he's been stealing lines from him… Wouldn't put it past our great leader…"

"Hey! That's a Ducker original line!" Ducker sounded insulted.

Kirito and Sachi shrugged and grinned to show that they didn't believe him. Liz watched them argue over it for a bit before they cut themselves off and started to laugh.

She wasn't sure why, but for a moment she felt the twinge of hope that he probably wanted her to feel in her chest. As long as we don't give up, huh?

"Anyways, it's getting too dark," Kirito pointed out, "so let's just camp here. Fortunately, I don't think any monsters spawn in this hole."

Sachi and Ducker nodded before opening their menus.

From her storage, Sachi materialized several things; A lantern, a pot, several small bags and 4 mugs.

At the same time, Ducker materialized what looked like a few rolled up sheets.

While they were doing so, Kirito went to pick up his sword which was buried in the snow from earlier. Liz did the same with Sachi's sword, deciding to give it a look over to take her mind off of things.

Brushing aside some snow, she picked up the midnight-coloured sword with both hands. It was only slightly lighter than the Elucidator and taking a closer look at it, she noticed what looked like veining hidden within its dark colour, making it resemble a feather.

Pulling out an appraisal menu, she checked its stats;

Blue Shadow +0
Long Sword / One Hand

Range: Short

Type: Slash

Attack: 680-710

Durability: 1400

Weight: 150

Requires: 59

Equip +45

Agility +30

Strength +55

This blade is on the same level as the Elucidator, she considered in awe. If he really needed a second sword, he could've just used this one.

She took another look at the guildmates who were gathering around the lantern.

How lucky are they if they were able to get two powerful swords?

"Dinner's ready," Sachi called, returning Liz to their virtual reality.

She walked over to the group, where Sachi was holding out a mug for her. Putting the sword tip down in the snow, she took the mug in her right hand.

She took a sip. "It's delicious!" she couldn't help but say once the flavours reached her tongue.

"Sachi has a really high cooking skill," Kirito boasted for her. "Everything she cooks turns out great."

The girl in question merely blushed at the compliment.

"Kind of a weird skill to have for a fighter."

"We do a lot of exploration," Ducker added, "so it's good to have someone who can cook so well."

Exploration? This got her attention. "Hmm, really?" she asked. "Tell me some more, about the dungeons and everything."

"It's probably not that interesting…" Kirito mumbled.

"That's what you said when you ran off together," Ducker said to him. "And I still want to know what happened then!"

"Ran off together?" Liz repeated while giving an accusing look at Sachi and Kirito.

"I-it's nothing important…" Sachi tried to brush it off.

"So then why don't you tell me? It's not like we have anything better to do," she pointed out.

In truth, she was curious about this strange team. She had her theories, but now she wanted some truths.

"All right," Kirito conceded. "But we still aren't telling you about that time."

"Awesome!" Ducker called as he sat in the snow with a smile. "Story time."

"But before that," Kirito said as he walked over to the sleeping bags and dragged them over one at a time.

He put three around the lantern before turning to where they were first gathered.

"Ducker, why are there only three sleeping bags?" he asked in a low, dangerous voice.

"Cause I only used our three," Ducker replied as he crawled into one of them. "The others may need their own, plus, I figured you two wouldn't mind cause, you know…" he gave his guildmates a sly look.

Liz immediately understood what he was implying and looked at Sachi to see how she was reacting.

It was hilarious! Her face was beet red, and she could almost imagine steam coming out of her head!

"So you two are a couple I assume?" she put out her theory.

Their identical startled looks immediately vindicated her.

"In that case, how about our first story be about how you two met?" she asked teasingly.

"No," Sachi whispered bashfully. "Can't say that."

"I don't know," Kirito said teasingly. "I think the day we first met was pretty special."

She gave him a soft look and opened her mouth to say something but stopped. Instead she opened her inventory and checked around it for a bit.

Liz walked next to Kirito and nudged him with her elbow. "So that's your type, isn't it?" she teased him.

"I guess…" he mumbled with a lovestruck expression.

"Oh thank God," Sachi exclaimed after a while. "There's an extra."

A moment later, she materialized a rather large sleeping bag, large enough to fit all of them and placed it near the lantern.

Liz picked up one of the sleeping bags and was about to do the same but was cut off when Kirito placed his next to Sachi's – not just next to it, but actually touching! Ducker threw his on the other side of her but kept a more reasonable distance – although it was also far too close for someone who was probably just a friend.

The three of them de-equipped their cloaks, coats and weapons in unison – although they kept their gloves on – then they all went into their individual sleeping bags.

When they were done, Liz put her sleeping bag on the opposite end of the lantern but kept it close enough that she could see them when she went into her bag.

"Hey, go on with your stories," she prompted.

"Sure."

Sachi told a story of a time when she and her guildmates were fighting for their lives in a dungeon. How they stalwartly fought against what felt like an endless amount of enemies before a kind stranger dressed in black saved them and helped guide them out.

Ducker spoke of a time where they found a treasure and were caught in a trap as a result. That one of their guildmates revealed how they were hiding their power and was able to save all of them. However that story ended with two of their guildmates leaving them.

Kirito spoke of other things. Primarily stories where he was on his own, or at least not with people whom he called his friends. This immediately told Liz that he was not always with the people who walked into her shop with him. Still, he mentioned that one of the most important moments that happened in this game was the day he met his guild.

"Hey, can I ask you guys something?" she asked at the end of their tales.

"Sure."

"Actually, I can understand why two of you are here…" she considered. "Ducker, you were practically attached to me… and Kirito, your special person was in danger too… but Sachi, why did you try to save us?"

She heard Sachi roll over to look at her.

"I mean, I can tell that you're a pretty timid person… so there's no way you'd want to risk your life for someone you just met…"

There was a long period of silence before the girl spoke.

"It's not something I would've done before I entered this world… but I don't think it's something anyone taught me either. It's just that… I can't leave someone to fend for themselves when I feel like I could do something to help… even if it's small…"

Everyone stayed silent as they listened to her reasoning.

"I just don't think I could bare to let something like that happen again…"

Liz took a look at her face when she was finished talking. Her expression was sorrowful and full of mourning and in the low light of the lantern, she saw how her dark blue eyes were misted over. Somehow, she knew that the blue-haired girl was thinking back to something in particular.

"Wow… that's…" Liz wasn't sure there was a word to describe such a thing. From an initial look at this timid girl, who knew she had such loss and such strength behind her?

"So that's why you came with us, isn't it?" Ducker asked, seemingly in as much awe as Liz. "It wasn't just bravery or loyalty, you just wanted to keep us safe?"

She stayed silent for a moment before answering, "Please don't tell the others…" Sachi requested. "I don't want them to feel bad about my choice."

"O-of course I won't," Ducker whispered. "Still… it's interesting to know something not even Keita knows about you."

Liz was skeptical whether this loudmouth would truly stay quiet about anything. Then again, it really wasn't her business.

When they were all done talking, she heard slight movements occurring around her partymates.

From her sleeping bag, she saw that Sachi was holding on to Kirito's hand. As if the cold didn't bother them, they left their hands in the snow.

…I suppose it was obvious they were together…

She wasn't sure why, but she felt a bit insecure at this knowledge.

At the same time, she noticed that Ducker's hand was tightly holding the rim of Sachi's sleeping bag.

They clearly were not together, but there was no doubt that those two were close.

As she looked at the scene in front of her, she once again felt a feeling of loneliness. The truth is, she felt some envy at how close these people were. She couldn't imagine somebody willingly coming to save her against their better nature, nor did she imagine somebody appreciating it when she did something for them. No, not even in the real world did she have such a thing.

"Hey…" They all turned to her in confusion. "Would you all hold my hand?"

She put out her hand, letting it rest in the snow close to them.

At the same time she closed her eyes, embarrassed at what she asked.

Before she could think to play it off as a joke, she felt a soft hand wrap around her index and middle fingers. Next, she felt a firm hand hold her thumb. Finally, she felt a smaller hand grab her ring and little fingers.

Their hands felt warm. Even warmer than the soup she was given earlier. But more than that, it felt real. For just that time, she could forget that her body and even the bodies of the people with her were only data.

She removed her other hand from her sleeping bag and placed it over each of the hands holding her fingers.

There was silence for quite some time before somebody decided to break it.

"Hey, Sachi?" Kirito asked. "Can you sing us something?"

There was no answer.

"Your voice always helps me relax," he whispered quietly.

"Of course, Kirito," she answered sounding shy. "Did you have anything in mind?"

He didn't answer, probably unable to think of a song she may know.

"What about "My Best Friends"?" Ducker suggested. "I've always liked that song."

My Best Friends? Liz thought she may have heard of that song before, was it from an anime perhaps?

Sachi chuckled at his request. "That's a bit childish, don't you think?"

"I don't know," Ducker responded. "After everything we've been through in SAO, I've really started to appreciate what that song means."

"I get what you mean, my best friend," Sachi agreed quietly. "Ok then, here we go."

For approximately a full minute, the area was filled with the sounds of singing as Sachi passionately sang a song that Liz vaguely recognized from a long time ago. Admittedly, the song was a bit childish and cheesy, but hearing it sung with such passion and love from the timid girl made it sound more meaningful.

As she listened to the song, Liz tightened her grasp on the hands holding her. Comforted by both the voice and the feel of something real in her hands, she drifted off into an easy sleep.

---

The fragrant smell of tea surrounded her. Opening her eyes, she saw that she was still in the cave, but now it was illuminated by sunlight.

Getting up, she saw three figures huddled around the lantern.

She couldn't help but smile just from the sight of them.

"Morning," she greeted, getting their attention.

They looked over to her and smiled before answering, "Morning," they all greeted at once.

Sachi got up from her spot, picked up a mug from the lantern and gave it to Liz.

Taking some time to enjoy the aroma, she slowly drank the warm beverage.

"Hey," she asked after a few sips, "did you hear anything from your friends?"

The three exchanged looks before answering.

"We got a green potion about an hour ago," Ducker answered. "That either means that they have an idea or they're on their way here."

She nodded a bit worried about their situation.

"So then what's the plan if they can't get us out?!" she asked a bit frantically. "Then what are we going to do?!"

"Well," Kirito spoke in a seemingly unconcerned tone. "We plan to sit here until our guild arrives or we run out of food. At that point, I vote we eat Ducker first."

Sachi immediately gave him a light punch in the stomach, which he received with a smile.

"I bet I taste like poultry," Ducker said jokingly. "Let me eat my arm before eating the rest of me."

"Can't you guys be serious about anything?" Liz asked, although she still found herself amused by their antics.

"Sure we can," Ducker replied happily. "As long as the situation calls for it."

"We just have to believe that the rest of our guild will find a way to get us out," Sachi spoke with a voice that betrayed a bit of her anxiety.

"Until then, let's just spend everyday sleeping," Kirito said with a fake yawn. "We can let somebody else clear the game."

Sachi looked at him incredulously before shrugging.

"I guess that's not the worst thing in the world." She smiled as she put her head in his lap.

For some reason seeing this affectionate display calmed her down.

I guess love does exist in this world.

She noticed that Ducker was smiling at them, although his expression seemed to betray something else.

"The other option is the «Forbidden Escape»," he said in a joking tone. "Although we'll only use that if we're really desperate."

«Forbidden Escape»? she wondered. What could that be?

"We aren't using it, Ducker," Kirito said sternly. For some reason he put a protective hand on Sachi's head.

All of a sudden Ducker turned his head away from them with a surprised look. Putting his mug on the snowy ground, he got up and walked towards the centre of the area.

"What are you doing?" Sachi asked as she got up to look at him.

"Something's here," he responded as he started digging into the snow with his bare hands.

Although they were unsure what he was doing, the other three got up and surrounded him. After a few seconds, Sachi bent down and helped her friend dig into the snow with Kirito following after her a second later.

After a few seconds of digging, they reached something and with all six of their hands, they pulled out a transparent, silvery-white, rectangular object.

Liz tapped the material lightly with her right hand, causing an automatic window to immediately pop up: The object was named «Crystalite Ingot».

It was unbelievable!

"This is it," she proclaimed. "This is the metal we've been looking for!"

The three's eyes widened in shock before they smiled in satisfaction.

"Why do you think it was buried here?" Sachi asked. She took it in her hands as she looked at the beautiful metal with wide eyes.

"Maybe it was blown in during the snowstorm?" Liz suggested.

"Maybe …" Sachi considered. All of a sudden, her eyes narrowed and her smile faded as if she thought of something. "Wait, if the dragon eats crystals, which are refined in its stomach…"

"That means," Kirito grinned as he realized what she was suggesting.

"This is poop!" Ducker called with the enthusiasm of an elementary student.

"GROSS!" The two girls screamed at the same time.

Sachi threw the metal at a grinning Kirito who caught it with one hand.

"Dude, I dare you to lick it," Ducker goaded Kirito.

"DON'T!" Sachi screamed.

"I'm gonna lick it!"

What was it about them? For some reason they always made Liz laugh.

"You guys are such idiots."

They all looked at her and smiled, agreeing with the playful insult.

"Well, anyway, we accomplished our goal. Now, all that's left is…"

"We've got to get out of here," Kirito agreed.

"How much longer do you think the others will take?" he asked his guildmates.

"I'm sure Keita is running here as we speak," Sachi replied, sounding confident that her friend would save them.

"Either that, or they're right at the top of the hole and have no idea what to do," Ducker put in.

They all sighed, resigned to wait even longer.

"If only we had wings like the dragon, that way we can fly anywhere we want to go," Liz said absently.

Deciding that there wasn't much they could do, they all went to their campsite and began to put away their sleeping bags and lantern. However, as they were doing so, something occurred to Liz.

"Hey," she called to everyone. "This place is probably the dragon's nest, don't you think?"

"Ah. As long as there are feces, that's–" Kirito started.

"That's not important!" she cut off his rambling. "Dragons are nocturnal, now that it's morning, shouldn't it be returning to its nest...?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

Simultaneously, they all looked to the top of the hole and saw a figure approaching them.

"It's here!" Liz called.

As soon as she said that, they all ran to the wall and pulled out their weapons.

The dragon immediately spotted them and roared.

They flinched, but there was nowhere to run.

"Stay behind me guys!" Kirito said protectively as he took a step forward. "Use your potions even if you take a little damage."

"O-okay," Ducker was the only one to respond.

The dragon roared again, its wings created a gust of wind, which made snow whirl into the air.

*Slam!* *Slam!* The dragon's tail was striking the ground.

"Hey, hey," Ducker said curiously. "What if…? Kirito, the tail."

The tail? Liz thought. What is he thinking?

Somehow, for a reason Liz may never understand, Kirito seemed to get an idea from the few words Ducker spoke.

"Sachi, Ducker, Liz," he said each of their names firmly, "I have an idea and you have to do exactly what I say."

"Ye-yeah…" Sachi stuttered out her agreement.

"Good, Ducker, Liz, grab onto Sachi, but leave her hands free," he instructed.

Ducker immediately got under her cloak and wrapped his arms around her belly firmly. Despite being confused, Liz did the same from her other side.

"Sachi, the moment you get the chance, you grab its tail and DON'T LET GO."

Sachi looked at him in shock. "D-do you really think I should do this?"

Somehow despite the situation, Kirito was able to crack a grin to the timid girl. "Of course!" He ran forward as he completed his statement. "I trust you!"

Kirito ran past the dragon, getting its attention. He dashed towards the wall and gave a mighty leap before running along the wall in a circle without gaining altitude. The dragon's attention stayed on him as he ran around. Eventually, it seemed to lose sight of him and it stumbled in a circle.

"Now! Sachi!" Ducker yelled.

There was a brief second of hesitation before the girl ran forward, carrying both of her companions who held her tightly.

In the back of her mind, Liz could only imagine what kind of insane strength stat this girl must have achieved to be able to run at her average speed while carrying two teens.

Barely opening her eyes, she saw Sachi wrap her arms around the dragon's tail, hugging it as firmly as they must have been holding her.

As soon as she made contact, the dragon seemed to shriek in surprise. Then it spread its wings and flew directly upwards – towards the opening of the pit.

All three of the passengers on the tail let out a scream.

The wind blew in their faces, forcing them to keep their eyes shut, however Liz could barely hear her companions through the roar of the wind.

"Can't. Hold. On!"

"Yes. You. Can!" a voice responded. Suddenly, she felt one of the arms touching her move before she heard the sound of metal piercing the dragon.

When she finally opened her eyes, she was greeted with a bird's-eye view of the 55th floor.

Directly below her was a beautiful cone-shaped snowy mountain. Slightly further off, a small village. Beyond the vast snow field and the thick forest, the pointed roofs of every house of the main district were joined together. The scene where all of these were glittering, struck by the radiant sunlight, she completely forgot about the terror.

"Waa…" she unintentionally cheered.

"LET GO!" a voice called.

Looking to the source, she saw a figure in black approaching them.

A moment later, Sachi let go of the dragon's tail and guided them towards the falling Kirito.

The two locked hands as they fell to the ground together, all four of their coats flapping in the wind.

"THIS IS SO TERRIFYING!" Sachi yelled although her voice seemed to betray a laugh.

"I KNOW!" Ducker called. "ISN'T IT GREAT?!"

"THIS IS THE MOST FUN I'VE HAD IN A LONG TIME!" Liz yelled, thoroughly enjoying the flight.

Eventually they arrived at the ground. Kirito landed first and held out his hands to catch Sachi. Amazingly he was able to hold them all above the ground… for about 2 seconds. Unable to hold them any longer, he dropped them on the ground with no grace.

With a laugh, Sachi immediately got up and wrapped her arms around Kirito, unintentionally dragging the two who still held her and pushed him into the snow with her on top of his chest.

The other two laughed before letting the poor girl go, although they pushed themselves up and hugged the two of them.

Eventually they all stood up and looked back at the dragon who was flying over its nest.

"What do you guys say?" Kirito asked them as he lightly smiled at the dragon. "I think the dragon will be happier now."

She wasn't sure why, but Liz couldn't help but wonder why Kirito seemed so fond of what should only be an AI monster.

"Maybe," Sachi said as she grabbed his hand. "Once people know how to acquire the material, less people will hunt the dragon itself."

They all watched the scene in silence as the white dragon turned its head about, before giving a single clear cry and descended into its nest.

"Time to start heading back?" Liz inquired.

"I guess so," Kirito answered.

"Should we use our crystals? Ducker suggested.

"We can't," Sachi responded. "The others are probably on their way," she pointed out, "they should know that we're safe."

As soon as she said that, the three Moonlit Black Cats opened their menus and checked their messages. It was like taking a cell phone out of a tunnel and checking what messages they may have missed.

At the same time, she realized that she received a message of her own.

Checking it, she saw that it was from Asuna.

[I heard you're in trouble! Don't worry! I'm coming to save you!]

"Asuna…" she spoke her best friend's name.

Letting out a fond smile, she thought of how good it feels to have a friend who would go so far for her. Taking a look, at the others, she realized that she was like them in a way – she to had a true friend of her own.

"Hey, Liz," Kirito called. "Let's get going. Our guildmates are worried about us."

She smiled, thinking of how nice it would be to see her friend to.

"Alright."

And with that, the four of them walked down the mountain together.

---

They barely walked a kilometre before four blurs passed by their party at an incredible speed.

Confused, they turned around to look at them. Three of the blurs stopped before they started moving again, this time in the opposite direction.

A second later, two bodies crashed into Sachi and Ducker, enveloping them in hugs.

"You're safe," she recognized Keita's voice, "I'm so glad."

"So am I," Sachi responded warmly.

She smiled at the heartwarming display, only to giggle at the sight of Kirito and Sasamaru who, with identical movement, took a look at their guildmates, looked back at each other, shrugged, then awkwardly but wholeheartedly hugged each other.

Must be nice to have such great friends… she thought with mild envy.

"LIIIZ!" a familiar voice screamed.

Not even half a second later, she was tackled to the ground and caught in a bone-crushing hug.

"Owowow!" she weakly whined.

Barely opening her eyes, she saw the long, chestnut-coloured hair of her assailant.

"I was so worried about you!" The concerned voice spoke.

"I'm fine, Asuna!" she tried to say.

However, the girl would not listen to her, "I came running as soon as I heard what happened!"

"Don't worry," she assured her friend. "They made sure I was safe."

Asuna gave them a quick glance then buried her face back against Liz.

"The others came to me for help," she referred to the people who weren't stuck in the hole with her, "and I was just so scared for you!"

"Hey!" Kirito called over. "We did our best!"

"You ended up in a 4 second deep hole for a whole night!"

Kirito looked at Tetsuo with an exaggerated look of betrayal. He merely smiled guiltily in response.

"I can't believe you went off alone with those idiots!"

"Good to know you care so much about us, VC," Ducker commented as he bent down to them.

"I didn't come here for you guys," she spoke unconvincingly.

"Riiight," Ducker responded, unconvinced.

For a moment, Asuna loosened her grip allowing Liz to breathe.

"No really," she emphasized. "You have no idea how worried I was when I found out that my best friend was stuck with you three!"

"Oof, hurtful," Ducker said.

"Don't you trust us?" Kirito asked.

"No," she responded coldly. "I can trust Sachi. The rest of you are unreliable."

The guildmates shrugged and made gestures that screamed "That's fair".

Seeing how casually her new friends were speaking to Asuna, Liz finally realized something.

"Do you guys know each other?" she asked.

Asuna helped her stand up before answering, however she kept a tight grip on her arm.

"Liz, I'd like you to meet the «Moonlit Black Cats». They're a frontline guild on a similar level as the «Knights of the Blood Oath» and my very good friends."

"So these are the guys you've been telling me about," Liz realized.

"She talks about us?" Keita asked curiously.

"Oh all the time," she informed them happily. "She's always so cheerful when she talks about you and how you're going to have such fun adventures."

Asuna blushed as she spoke, clearly embarrassed that her friend was revealing such a thing. But she didn't interrupt.

The guild on the other hand was mostly smiling at this, evidently happy that they made such an impact on their friend.

"I kind of wish that she informed me that you were such a strange bunch, but I'm thankful that it's you guys who are there for her. Especially after–"

"Oh Liz!" Asuna cut her off and held her in a bone crushing hug again. "It doesn't matter how much I like them. You'll always be my best friend!"

On the surface, the gesture was sweet, however Asuna quickly revealed her darker intent to her. She brought her head close to her ear and whispered something in a low, dangerous tone. "Don't you dare talk about that with them."

Feeling a chill from her words, the pink-haired girl slightly nodded her head in agreement.

"After what?" Kirito asked oblivious to the threat on her life.

"After…" she tried to think of something to get out of the situation. "You know it, doesn't matter…"

She tried to beg with her eyes to tell them to drop it.

Kirito and Ducker put up their hands as if to pursue the question, but Sachi seemingly got the message and put down each of their hands to stop them.

"Well we can talk about friendship out here in the cold until the end of SAO, or we can head back now," Keita offered his advice, "what do you think?"

"Let's head back to the shop," Asuna answered as she let go of Liz, although she kept a firm grip on her wrist.

"Good, cause we have a great story for you guys."

---

On the way back to her store, Asuna, Keita, Sasamaru and Tetsuo explained how they were forced to search for some kind of long rope to rescue them when they heard how they were stuck in a large hole. They asked around for help, eventually asking Asuna for advice. At that point, she immediately told them about a quest to get climbing gear (how she knew about it was beyond anyone and she wouldn't explain) but insisted that she come along.

"And now we have climbing gear that we have no idea what to do with," Keita complained as he pulled out an extremely long coil of rope to show them the fruits of their labour.

They laughed it off, insisting that they'll find use for it one day.

As soon as they returned to her blacksmith shop, Liz went to work on the ingot.

"A single-handed straight sword is fine, right?" she wanted to confirm before getting started.

"Yep. I'm counting on you," Kirito responded.

And with that, she got to work on it.

Each and every one of the guildmates, as well as Asuna – who accompanied them so that she could wring out answers regarding what happened – gathered around and watched her go through every step of the process.

Eventually, the ingot let loose a noticeably dazzling white gleam.

The rectangular object changed its shape bit by bit as it shone. It began growing in a bright light from its front and rear, and next, a bulge that resembled a hilt swelled outwards.

"Ohh..."

"Amazing…"

"Incredible…"

"Stunning…"

"Beautiful…"

Several murmurs of wonder came from the group as they watched the weapon take a proper form.

The blade was pale, and though not to the extent of a rapier, it was slender. Like the ingot, it could be seen as extremely slightly transparent. The blade was coloured a blinding white. The grip was silver, with a slight tinge of blue.

Reaching out with a finger, Liz checked the stats of the newly forged weapon.

DARK REPULSER +0
Long Sword / One Hand

Range: Short

Type: Slash

Attack: 680-700

Durability: 1200

Weight: 150

Requires: 60

Equip +45

Agility +12

Strength +52

Running

"Well, its name is the «Dark Repulser»," she explained with a slightly awed tone. "It's the first time I've heard that, so I don't believe it's mentioned on the information store's list at the moment. —Here, try it out."

"Okay," Kirito answered as he grasped the sword. He quickly equipped it and stepped away from everyone.

He swung it around with his right hand, his eyes widening as he used it. Then he switched it to his left and swung it around again.

He let out a broad grin as he looked at his hand.

"It sure is heavy," he noted with satisfaction. "...It's a good sword."

She felt elated at those words. She had succeeded!

"Really?! ...Alright!"

She pumped her fist without thinking before reaching it out and bumping it out against Kirito's fist.

It had been a while since she felt that excited at her work and for a moment, she was taken back to the time where she was doing sales at a street stall on the 10th floor.

"Anyone else want to try it?" Kirito asked the rest of the gathered people.

"Sure," Ducker replied as he put out his hand to receive it.

Liz watched them pass her blade around, giggling whenever somebody buckled under its weight.

By the time it reached Asuna's hand, Liz realized something.

"Speaking of which— In the beginning, you did say, a sword equal to this one, didn't you. That white one certainly is a good sword, but I don't think there's much difference with that monster dropped one. Why would you need two swords resembling each other?"

"Ah!"

There was a quick cry of alarm and the Moonlit Black Cats gave each other subtle looks of panic.

She quickly realized that she asked about something that she wasn't supposed to bring into the open.

"Hmmm," Asuna considered the situation as she looked at Kirito suspiciously. "That is strange…"

The boy in question looked to Sachi before his eyes widened as if he thought of an idea.

"Well… I wanted it to be a surprise, but…" he took the sword out of Asuna's hand and held it tip down towards his partner.

"Here, Sachi, I want you to have this."

The girl looked at her, briefly surprised and caught off guard. However she quickly recovered herself and answered. "Kirito… Are you sure? I don't know what to say…"

"Well then don't say anything," he insisted. "Just keep this sword with you and know that I'll always be with you."

It was certainly sweet… but Liz new that he wasn't being completely honest. Well at least not the part about the sword being for her.

Having analyzed the girl's sword back in the hole, she knew that Sachi already had a powerful weapon that could stand up to anything that the Dark Repulser could.

But she wasn't going to pursue it right now, it was clear that this secret was something he wanted to keep within his guild.

"We'll need a scabbard for this sword," Kirito pointed out. "Sachi, do you mind picking one?"

The girl smiled as a confirmation.

"It'll have to be black," she stated, "because no other colour would fit you."

Nodding, Liz went through her inventory and materialized a scabbard that resembled Kirito's current one, made from black leather. She set in the logo of her shop in it before handing it to Kirito.

He held it with both hands as Sachi sheathed the new blade for the first time within it.

With a gentle smile, Kirito walked behind Sachi and without even removing her current, midnight-blue weapon, strapped it on her back.

"Two swords," he chuckled. "It's a good look for you."

It really was. For a moment, she was reminded of the image she saw in the hole; the girl with midnight hair, dressed in a shroud of black wielding two swords.

No… it couldn't be…

"Well that's the end of our request," Keita said. "I think that calls for a celebration with our new friend, don't you guys think?"

"Not so fast," Tetsuo stopped him. "We still have two swords to pay for. That'll take a lot out of the guild's finances."

"We'll be lucky if we can eat for the next week after this excursion…" Sasamaru griped.

"Wait, two swords?" Asuna asked. "What have you guys been up to?"

"Actually…" Liz hesitated. "I'll waive the fee for both swords, this time."

Her generosity was received with various looks of surprise and gratefulness.

"Oh, thank God," somebody whispered in the silence.

"In return for that, I want to be the exclusive smith for the Moonlit Black Cats."

"I mean, that's great…" Keita seemed hesitant to accept. "But are you sure?"

"Of course," she answered. "I want you all to come here to get your equipment checked, to have any of your new weapons to be appraised and have maintenance done on them."

"And what do you gain out of this?" Tetsuo asked curiously.

It is true that it seemed as if they were the only ones benefitting from such an agreement, but she had an answer for that.

"Satisfaction," she stated simply. "I'll have the satisfaction that the equipment that I look over in this shop is being used to clear this game – so that we can all go back home." She looked to Asuna before completing her pitch. "Something I've already been doing with one of the strongest players."

"Oh, Liz!" Asuna cried as she went to give her a tight hug.

At the same time, the members of the Moonlit Black Cats exchanged looks, communicating silently.

Eventually they stopped and looked to the girl in a tight hug.

"We accept your terms," Keita answered.

At the same time, he put out his hand to shake on it.

With a smile and despite being held back by her friend she stepped forward and took it – The contract was made.

"So now that we saved a lot of money, can we actually go out and eat?" Ducker asked. "Last time we ate was at breakfast."

"Breakfast?" Sasamaru repeated incredulously. "We haven't eaten since yesterday! We were too busy trying to save your sorry butts!"

"Okay, let's get going," Asuna said, trying to stifle a giggle. "Let's take them to that café nearby, okay, Liz?"

"Sure," Liz answered. "Just let me shut everything down before we head out." She gestured to the blazing forge to indicate what she meant.

"We'll help out," Kirito offered although his voice left no room for argument. "You guys go on ahead," he said to the rest of the group.

Soon enough, it was just her, Kirito and Sachi left in her shop.

She put away some of her tools before turning to them.

"You may work on your subtlety. I know you two didn't actually stay to help me," she said. "Want to tell me what this is about?"

Kirito smiled and scratched the back of his head before answering. "Well, I just felt like we owe you a proper explanation for why we wanted a second sword."

"Oh, so you mean it's not for the girl who already has a powerful weapon?" she asked sarcastically.

"Nope," he answered. "I mean, she can keep it if she wants."

"No, you can keep it," Sachi said as she softly touched the handle of her dark blue sword. "I already have my own reliable weapon."

"So, are you going to explain, or are you just going to look into each other's eyes for the next hour?"

That got a giggle out of the two of them.

"I actually can't explain," Kirito said a bit dramatically, "but I can show you."

He started to manipulate his menu as Sachi drew the Dark Repulser out of its new sheathe and held it to him.

After a moment, he closed his menu and took the white sword in his left hand. He brought his hand up but stopped halfway through.

"You have to promise that you won't tell anyone what I'm going to show you," he said in a concerned voice.

"I promise," she responded.

"I'm serious, nobody!" he insisted. "Not even Asuna!"

"I said I promise I won't," she repeated, somewhat exasperated.

He nodded as if satisfied before pulling out his black sword.

"Wha-?" It was unintentional, but it was all she could utter.

Before she could say anything further, Sachi ushered her away from her partner.

The boy nodded before bringing his swords up in a certain way.

Suddenly, both swords began to glow with a scarlet light. The swords in Kirito's hands alternated, attacking his front with a speed that could not be followed by sight.

"«Double Circular»!" he called out.

When the swords stopped glowing, he looked to Liz, smiling smugly at her flabbergasted expression.

Then he brought his arms to the side and called out another skill.

«Final Revolution»!"

He spun in place while stretching out his arms. When he was done spinning, his swords were held horizontally at his sides.

"H-how?" Liz stuttered out.

It was unbelievable! Not once had she heard of somebody not only wielding two weapons at once but also being able to use skills with them at the same time.

"No idea," he said as he returned the black sword to the sheathe on his back. "I just saw it in my skill list one day, the «Dual Blades»."

"That's incredible!" she exclaimed. "A unique skill!"

"Maybe…" Kirito said as Sachi approached him.

The girl turned around, allowing for him to return the sword to its new scabbard. When it was fully settled in, she fiddled with the buckle and pulled the sheathed sword off her back.

"We've tried copying all the circumstances that led to me first getting it," Kirito explained, "We even tried letting everyone train with two swords to see if they get it too, but no such luck."

She watched as Sachi pulled the strap over his shoulder and buckle it in place for him.

"We were hoping," Sachi started hesitantly, "that maybe a blacksmith such as yourself may know about something like this."

"Sorry, no," Liz answered. "Believe me, I'd remember if one of my customers mentioned being able to dual-wield."

"That's too bad," Kirito shrugged. "Guess I'll be the only one with this special skill for the rest of the game."

She wasn't sure why, but she reacted to the word 'special'.

No, she knew the reason why.

"You know… you may have a special skill… but you already have something very special."

The two looked at her wondering what she was getting at.

"You're guildmates… or rather your friends… and the bond you two have with each other, " she clarified. "People who will stay by your side when the going gets rough…"

Closing her eyes and clenching her fists, she let out what she was thinking.

"I have always been searching for that. For a special something true, in this world. To me, that was the warmth from your hands."

The two looked at her with a smile on each of their faces. Their hands found each other's, and they interlocked fingers.

"It's a little silly actually," she lowered her voice. "Because now I realize, that I already had a something special true like that." She smiled as she thought of the girl with long, chestnut-coloured hair. The girl who was always there for her.

There was silence for a bit. Liz felt embarrassed that she revealed such a thing. Within that silence, she believed that the two would tease her, however what Kirito said next wasn't anything of the sort.

"I understand what you mean… about not knowing how good of a thing you have until it may be too late." He showed a faint smile. It felt like a boundless amount of self-condemnation laid deep within that. "For so long I was running away from making bonds ever since… someone important made the right choice and chose to focus on the future of everyone rather than just the one I imagined for us." Liz couldn't help but stare at him. For some reason that story sounded familiar… but from where? "It was the day I met my guildmates that I thought I found that something special… but… well, do you remember Ducker's story back in the nest? I was the one who left that day, but…" he trailed off as he gently put an arm around Sachi, "it was when she followed after me, despite what everyone else said that I realized just what that special thing was."

He smiled softly as he put his other arm around his partner, holding her in a strong hug.

"Someone who stays with you no matter what," Sachi whispered. "And we've proven that to each other… and so did our guildmates on that day…"

Again they stayed quiet for a bit. Finally, they turned to Liz with gentle smiles on their faces.

"Thank you, Liz," Sachi said softly. "We'll make sure the others are always appreciated."

"And Asuna too," Liz added. "That girl really likes you guys."

"Asuna too," Kirito agreed.

They smiled at each other for a bit longer before the couple put out their hands to her.

"Let's get going," Sachi prompted. "The others are waiting for us."

With a smile, she took the girl's hand and they led her out of the shop.

It didn't take them long to find the others at the café.

In what Kirito referred to as a rare act of decency, they waited for them before ordering the food.

The Moonlit Black Cats, Asuna and Liz spent what felt like a wonderful lifetime listening and explaining the circumstances of each of their adventures.

They spent some time recapping their trials to each other, trying to emphasize how well they did without the missing parts of their usual party.

After giving their side of the adventure, the group of people who fell pulled out some of the crystal chunks that they picked up after leaving the dragon.

Keita, Sasamaru and Asuna looked at the crystals with wide eyes. Immediately, they picked up some to admire them.

"They're beautiful," Asuna breathed.

However, while they were certainly appreciative, the leader of the Moonlit Black Cats had thought of something else,

"We can really improve our messaging system with these," Keita said as he admired the crystals.

"Now that we have more colours," Tetsuo said as he sorted them, "we can give better instructions."

Kirito, Sachi and Ducker smiled at them, glad that they were impressed at their haul.

For a bit, they talked about how the new colours could be used. At the same time, they ignored Asuna's questions about the system itself, waving it off with the promise that they would explain it later.

Once again, Liz felt a twinge of envy that these wonderful people had each other to support each other through thick and thin. But she took comfort in the fact that she too had somebody who cared for her to the same degree as them.

Eventually they put aside a crystal of each colour which they could easily differentiate and handed out the extras to each of them.

Black for Kirito, blue for Sachi, brown for Keita, yellow for Ducker, purple for Tetsuo, green for Sasamaru. Once offered, Asuna had to decide between a red, orange or white crystal. Ultimately she picked the white one.

For herself, Liz took a beautiful pink crystal which seemed to shine brighter in her hand. She smiled as she couldn't help but appreciate her little something that would always bring back memories of their adventure together.

Around sunset, they finally left the café. The guild bid her and Asuna farewell and they left for the teleport gate.

Asuna insisted on sleeping over at her shop to ensure her safety… and probably find out exactly what happened to her on her adventure.

The two of them began to walk back to her shop, but before they left the plaza, she took one last look at the gathered guild. Her eyes were focused on the swordsman in black who was holding the hand of the girl in blue. She thought of the secret that he held and came to a conclusion that she had no doubt would come true,

It will be the dual-wielding swordsman who will end the game.

---

Sweet [insert fictional god of choice here]! 16000+ words! This is the longest chapter I've written and hopefully the longest I'll write. And I thought that "The Swordsman's Shadow/The Shadow of the Black Swordsman" would be my longest chapter at nearly 11000 words…

This is another chapter I considered skipping. At first I thought, this is Liz's story and other than the dual-wielding, there wasn't much I could establish since Kirito and Sachi are already together and Liz wouldn't try to break them up or fall in love with someone who is in an established relationship. Then it hit me; for the most part I've been writing from the POVs of the MBC, so what if I were to write about them from an outsider's perspective? It makes sense cause this chapter of the LN was written in Liz's POV. In hindsight, maybe I should've written the Murder in the Safe Zone chapters from Asuna's POV… Oh well. Maybe I'll give them a rewrite in the future.

Offhand, I like how the heroines can still be interesting, even if the "has a crush on Kirito" aspect of their characters is removed. Although I feel like I could've written Liz better.

I didn't think I'd reference "Yukiho" so much. I only planned three definite times in the Aincrad arc, one of which already passed. I'm glad that such a small detail from the novel is coming up so much. She's really shaping up to be Sachi's "Moonlit Black Cats" (not quite her "Sachi" though), therefore she should be referenced whenever Kirito references the MBC in the original.

The storage system messaging is an interesting idea that I thought of when I was considering a potential route involving Sachi being separated from the rest of her guild and being unable to message them directly. It made me realize how the guild storage system or any shared storage could be used to send items even if the other party is unable to message. However I doubt that it would work so well in the main canon considering how exploitable it could be. I just figured that since I'm writing about a guild, I may as well use a system that works in favour of them. The wiki isn't always helpful when it comes to understanding shared storage since the MC was all about solo play, so I'll have to find a different source of info for some things.

The song referenced was "My Best Friends" from the Pokémon anime. Like Liz said in the chapter, it's a bit cheesy but I honestly really like it and the lyrics are meaningful, especially for this little group (funny how Pikachu's Jukebox makes me associate that song with being trapped in an icy cave). I was actually hoping to put the lyrics but I think FFN and AO3 policy says I can't have song lyrics unless they're public domain songs like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer but I'm not sure if I absolutely cannot use it. If not, what can I do as a replacement? Can I put YouTube or maybe even Spotify links? I want to know this soon because I have at least two SAO songs I want to put in.

Since someone asked, I'll say it here; every relevant character who appeared in the Aincrad arc will most likely be included in the story. That includes Yui, especially because reaching a part in her rewritten chapters is what made me decide to go through with writing this in the first place.

And with this chapter, we are now closer to the time where the main story of volume 1 begins! Hooray! Finally at the point where this story truly diverges!