Chapter 8: Heart and Soul

March 6th, 2024

Aincrad Floor 56: Pani

As much as Altinator wanted to wipe out Laughing Coffin, the game completion obviously took precedence. The Assault Team was gathered together to defeat a field boss on the 56th floor to get to the labyrinth. All the assault guilds, including Knights of the Blood Oath and Knights of the Round Table had gathered into one of the rock dwellings where Asuna, Vice Commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath, stood in the midst of the group right in front of a floor map.

"We will draw the field boss into the village," Asuna announced. Everyone else started to murmur among themselves. Before anyone could respond, Kirito stepped forward.

"Whoa, hold up," Kirito interjected. "If you do that, the villagers will-"

"Yeah, that's the idea!" Assuna interrupted, knowing what Kirito would say. "While the boss is busy dealing with the NPCs, we will attack and destroy it before it could do any damage to us!"

What the hell Asuna?! Altinator thought as he started shaking. Are you seriously gonna sink down to that level? You're no better than a common killer if you do that!" Before Altinator could interject, Kirito continued to object.

"NPCs are NOT inanimate objects like rocks or trees!" Kirito protested.

Asuna's eyes shifted over to Kirito as she glared. "So, you're suggesting that they're alive or something? At the end of the day, they are merely human figures that can respawn after they die."

"I will not go along with this plan!" Kirito stated as he stared at Asuna with a cold stare. Asuna returned the favor with a death glare.

"As Vice Commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath and the person in charge of this assault, you will follow my orders," Asuna concluded coldly as Kirito started to shake inside.

"I will also refuse this plan!" Altinator announced as he stepped forward. "I also agree with Kirito that NPCs are also alive regardless of whether they respawn. As Commander of the Knights of the Round Table, I will not allow my guild to sink down to the level of a common killer by abiding by this plan!"

"Your guild's status means nothing to me or to the Knights of the Blood Oath!" Asuna fired back. "As the top guild's Vice Commander, I outrank YOU, Commander Altinator!"

"Wrong again!" Altinator stated as he stood his ground. "My guild is considered as a sister guild and my rank as Commander is on par with Commander Heathcliff. Besides, regardless of who outranks who, all of us still reserve the right to refuse your orders regarding the plans."

"May I remind you that we have a game to win?" Asuna countered again. "If you really insist on not obeying my orders, I will have no choice but to challenge you to a duel. If you win, you and your guild may do as you please. If I win, however, you and your guild will follow my orders without further argument."

"So be it, Miss Vice Commander," Altinator said accepting the challenge. "We will have this duel immediately, outside this dwelling."

Altinator stepped outside waiting for Asuna and the rest of the Assault Team to come out. Kirito came out and immediately found Altinator.

"Hey man, you sure you wanna do this?" Kirito asked quietly.

"Relax, partner," Altinator reassured him with a small smile. "I got this under control and besides, Little Miss Vice Commander needs someone to throw her off her high horse anyway."

The rest of the Assault Team, including Asuna, stepped out of the dwelling for the duel. Asuna issued the duel challenge to which Altinator accepted with the first strike condition. The 60 second countdown started as both Asuna and Altinator drew their swords. It's time to put this diva in her place. Altinator thought as the timer reaches zero. Asuna attacked first with her signature 8-hit combo rapier skill to which Altinator easily avoided. He countered with a heavy attack using his two-handed sword that closely resembles a one-handed sword skill. Altinator's unique skill, Single-Handed Double, which allowed him to wield a two-handed sword with one hand as you would a one-handed sword was in effect. Surprised, Asuna lost focus and was slashed clean in the torso ending the duel with Altinator as the winner. Everyone else gasped and murmured among themselves as Altinator made his way over to Asuna and offered his hand.

"Good game," Altinator said with his hand extended. Asuna grunted and walked away without a word leaving Altinator hanging. He shrugged and walked the other way.

June 25th, 2024

Aincrad Floor 48: Lindarth

Altinator was finished taking care of guild business with his siblings when he received a message from Kirito. He wanted to meet up with Altinator to discuss something important. Altinator obliged and met him at the location he sent in his message.

"Hey partner!" Altinator called out. "What's up?"

"Oh not much other than the usuals," Kirito answered. "I wanted your opinion on something that I discovered recently."

"Oh?" Altinator asked as he walked over to get a closer look. Kirito opened up his skills menu and pointed to a rather unique ability. "Dual Wielding, eh? Interesting."

"This skill just suddenly appeared in my skill set towards the beginning of this year," Kirito explained. "I remember seeing something strange about you when you dueled Asuna a while back. You were fighting with your two-handed sword using one hand."

"Ah that," Altinator said with a smile. "That was a unique skill called Single-Handed Double. It allows me to do what you just described. I must've gotten it because of how I put so much focus into two-handed swords that my strength stats matched the requirements."

"That's really interesting," Kirito commented. "Well, because of that, I'm on my way to a local blacksmith's shop here in Lindarth that Asuna recommended to get myself a worthy sword like the one I have right now."

"Sounds like a plan," Altinator said with a small smile. "Mind if I come along with you?"

"By all means!" Kirito answered, his face beaming. "I could use a friend right about now."

Kirito and Altinator made their way over to the local blacksmith's shop called Lizbeth's Smith Shop. It was a cute little house with a water wheel that looked almost like a mill. The two walked inside the door to see a variety of weapons shown in display cases and hung all around the walls. They were browsing casually through the weapons when the store owner, Lizbeth, popped in from the back.

"Welcome to Lizbeth's Smith Shop!" Lizbeth said with a big smile and a cheery voice. Kirito and Altinator looked up and saw her by the counter.

Kirito stood forward and ordered a custom-made sword that was as good as, if not better, than his current sword. Lizbeth handed him a rather slender sword claiming that it was the best one she forged. Deeming the sword a bit too light, Kirito decided to test the sword's durability against his own sword much to Lizbeth's dismay. Lizbeth's sword broke in two as the tip of the blade clattered onto the floor and shattered away. Lizbeth screamed in horror as she snatched the sword away from Kirito. She broke down after the rest of the sword disintegrated too.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Lizbeth screamed as she grabbed the neck of Kirito's shirt. Altinator tried his best to hold back his laughter.

"I'm sorry!" Kirito panicked. "I didn't expect that your sword would break over mine!"

Oooh, he's in for it now. Altinator thought as he tried so hard to hide his grin.

"So, you're telling ME that my sword is WEAKER than what you expected?!" Lizbeth hollered again to which Kirito mumbled in agreement. Lizbeth quickly let go of his shirt before continuing. "Well, you listen here, you little brat! If I had better materials, I can EASILY make tons of swords that can shatter YOUR sword into billions of tiny pieces!"

"O-ho, really?" Kirito said with a big smirk on his face. "I'd really love to have a sword like that as long as it can shatter mine into pieces."

Lizbeth's face turned red hot as she glared at Kirito, fuming with rage. Altinator tiptoed around hoping to not get caught in the crossfire.

"WELL, SINCE YOU HAVE SUCH A BIG MOUTH, YOU'RE GONNA HELP ME EVERY STEP OF THE WAY STARTING WITH THE METAL!" Lizbeth shouted at the top of her lungs. Well, this should be…interesting. Altinator thought as he steered clear from the fight. Looks like someone should keep her hot temper in check.

"I can handle this myself," Kirito insisted. "I wouldn't want someone to slow me down."

"Hey, I don't need you insulting me, thank you very much!" Lizbeth sassed. "I AM a master macer you know."

"Whatever," Kirito said, rolling his eyes. "Where is the metal located?"

Lizbeth explained where the metal was. It was on the 55th floor on the Western Mountain where a white dragon that feeds on crystals lives. It was rumored that the dragon builds these rare metals on its body. She also pointed out that in order to acquire the rare metals, they would need to accompany a master smith. Kirito reluctantly agreed, expecting her to stay in the shadows. As Kirito introduced himself to Lizbeth, Altinator slowly moved behind him now that everything was planned out. Lizbeth noticed Altinator standing behind Kirito and frowned.

"I'm sorry, but as you've probably overheard, the store is closed for the rest of the day," Lizbeth said professionally.

"Oh, it's fine. I'm with Kirito," Altinator replied, noticing the pout on her face after hearing his name. "I was hoping to come along with you both so you could fix up my armor and weapons after all this is done."

"Um sure, I'd be happy to," Lizbeth said, trying to keep a professional appearance. "In fact, I would feel more comfortable bringing along someone more respectable on this trip since I have to deal with a brat like him."

Altinator laughed at that comment. "Yeah, he can be a pain sometimes, but he's really a great friend to have."

"Well, he sure hasn't given me a good first impression," Lizbeth whined.

The three took their journeys into the Western Mountains of the 55th floor and, to Lizbeth's surprise, the mountain was covered deep in snow. Within a few minutes of trekking the mountain, Lizbeth started shivering and sneezing from the bitter cold while Kirito and Altinator were still unaffected.

"What's wrong?" Kirito asked, turning around. "Didn't you bring some extra pairs of clothes?"

Hey, don't judge me!" Lizbeth protested. "I didn't know it was gonna be THIS freezing cold."

Just then, Kirito retrieved a spare parka cape and tossed it over to Lizbeth. Surprised, Lizbeth asked without thinking. "Wait, what about you?"

"You get used to it quickly if you're disciplined," Kirito answered bluntly.

Lizbeth scowled. "Why you little… Pissing me off."

Altinator gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's alright. He may be rudely blunt, but he really means well and cares for your well-being."

"I heard that!" Kirito called out. Altinator laughed at the comment while Lizbeth pouted.

"Yeah, laugh it up, Altinator," Kirito sassed. He then turned to Lizbeth for a follow up question. "What's wrong Lizbeth? Giving up already?"

"I'm fine, ok?!" Lizbeth huffed. "In fact, if you're seriously gonna be a jerk about it, you might as well call me Liz!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever Liz," Kirito gave in, which pissed Lizbeth off even more. The three had gone down further when Kirito warned Lizbeth to stay hidden in the shadows when the dragon appeared. Lizbeth initially refused but relented when she saw that Kirito meant business and after getting an ok from Altinator. A few minutes later, the white dragon appeared.

"Hide in the crystals now!" Kirito ordered the two. Altinator guided Lizbeth into the crystal formations while Kirito drew his sword. The dragon attacked with an icy breath aimed at Kirito. Despite Lizbeth's cries to dodge the attack, Kirito deflected the attack with a swish of his sword which had Lizbeth genuinely surprised.

"Isn't he amazing?" Altinator commented as he saw her surprised look. "He never fails to impress me, and it doesn't matter where he is or what he does."

Kirito continued to hack away at the dragon, almost ready to slay it when Lizbeth got up to step out of the shadows.

"No, Liz! Wait!" Altinator called out. Too late! Lizbeth was already out in the open with her mace, ready in her hand.

"Come on now, finish it off!" Lizbeth shouted at Kirito.

"You idiot!" Kirito yelled back. "I didn't tell you to come out yet!"

The dragon's eyes gleamed red as it took notice of Lizbeth and quickly turned to her direction. Lizbeth, unaware of the dragon's sudden reaction, continued her argument.

"What are you talking about? It's basically over!" Lizbeth's voice trailed off as she saw the dragon summoning a huge gust of wind over in her direction which caused the snow to whip up an avalanche. Lizbeth screamed as she tried to get out of the way, but the avalanche reached her first, swallowing her up above a giant hole.

"LIZ!" Kirito called out in shock. He leaped after and held her close, trying desperately to soften the blow. Altinator followed them into the hole, drawing a small dagger out to slide down the ice wall. Kirito and Lizbeth slammed into the ground hard, nearly losing all of their HP while Altinator slid down carefully.

"You're still alive, right?" Kirito asked, hoping that she was alright.

Lizbeth was on top of Kirito and was relieved that she was alive as well. "Yeah, thank goodness I am." Altinator put his dagger away and walked over to the two. Lizbeth looked over at him and scowled. "How did you make it here unscathed? That's not fair!"

"I did try to warn you, you know," Altinator said, shrugging. "I took cover and came in after the two of you fell. Thankfully, I had my dagger to slide down the icy wall without hurting myself."

Kirito passed her a healing potion. "Here, take this. We'll need to save the healing crystals in case of an emergency."

Lizbeth graciously took the potion and started drinking it. She looked over at Kirito and softened up as she watched him drink his own potion. Evidently, he was in the red zone while she was only in the yellow.

"Thank you… for saving me," Lizbeth thanked, unable to say anything else.

"I would hold that thought for a bit longer," Kirito commented. "We're not out of this yet."

"That's right," Altinator agreed. "We gotta figure out what this hole is and how to get out of here."

"Well, couldn't we just teleport outta here?" Lizbeth asked innocently as she took out her teleportation crystal. "Teleport: Lindarth!" Nothing happened.

"If we can't use the crystals, I'm sure there's an alternative solution," Altinator said, sitting down with his hands crossed.

"How would we know that?" Lizbeth protested. "Maybe this trap was meant to kill whoever fell into it without fail!"

"Perhaps, but it's better than giving up," Altinator replied as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "Any ideas, Kirito?"

"Hmmm, let's try running up this wall," Kirito suggested to which Lizbeth looked at him like he was crazy.

"Are you nuts?" Lizbeth asked without thinking. Kirito ignored her as he took some steps back to get a good running start.

"Guess we'll find out," Altinator commented as his arm draped over Lizbeth's shoulders. Kirito took off and started to run up the wall only to fall straight back down with a heavy thud. "Yep, he's nuts."

"Shut up!" Kirito groaned as he got up. "If I had more running space, I would've easily made it up outta here.

"Uh-huh, sure," Altinator said sarcastically while Lizbeth mumbled in agreement. "Either way, we need to set up camp for the night. It looks like we're gonna be stuck here for a while."

"Ok fine," Kirito relented as he rolled his eyes. He took out a lantern and lit it for light. Then, he pulled out some sleeping bags and laid them out for the three of them. Altinator pulled out some cooked food he bought earlier today that he was saving for dinner and shared it equally among the three.

"Wow, this is really good," Lizbeth exclaimed as she swallowed. "Where did you get it?"

"One of the chefs from my guild made them for us for lunch," Altinator answered as he took a bite.

"I offer my compliments to the chef," Lizbeth said, her chest puffed up like a proud customer.

"Well, I'll be taking first watch in case something happens," Altinator announced. "Be sure to get some sleep while you still can."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Lizbeth yawned as she climbed into her sleeping bag. Kirito also slipped into his sleeping bag but turned away from Lizbeth. "Come to think of it, I find it so strange how I'm sleeping next to people that I haven't met before in a place that I've never been to either. What are the chances of that happening in real life?"

"Well, we have been living in this blasted game for a year and a half now," Altinator commented. "As far as I'm concerned, this is real life."

"Well, when you put it that way," Lizbeth agreed. She paused for a moment before turning to Kirito. "Hey Kirito, mind if I ask you something?"

"What's up?" Kirito asked, facing up.

"Why did you choose to save me?" Lizbeth asked, genuinely curious.

"I would rather die with someone than die by myself," Kirito answered, looking over to her. "Especially if it's for a girl like you,"

Lizbeth blushed at that reply. Despite all that fighting, she understood deep down that Kirito truly cares for her. "You really are a dummy, aren't you? Nobody ever thinks like that." After a moment of silence, Lizbeth asked again. "Hey… do you mind… holding my hand?" Kirito obliged. After feeling the warmth of his hand, Lizbeth blushed even more. "It's so warm… even though we're only data in a VR world…"

"Liz…" Kirito's voice trailed off, blushing, as he drifted off to sleep. A few moments later, Lizbeth pulled her hand away still feeling his warmth. She turned to face Altinator, who was standing with his sword and sheath driven in the snow like a medieval knight.

"Hey Altinator, you and Kirito are really close right?" Lizbeth asked softly. "Can you tell me more about him?"

Altinator turned and smiled. "Kirito is like the only real friend I have in this game. He's a true gamer and computer genius like me. Because of that, he doesn't have too many friends or experiences with social groups. "He's blunt and can be rude at times, but he means well with what he says."

"Aww, now I feel so bad for yelling at him," Lizbeth commented with a frown on her face. "He really has grown on me, you know."

"You like him… don't you?" Altinator said with a smirk on his face.

"What are you talking about?!" Lizbeth snapped with a huge blush on his face. "He's a big jerk!" Altinator started laughing as her blush got redder and redder. "Shut up…"

"In all honesty, you should tell him how you feel," Altinator suggested. "You wouldn't wanna regret it in case he likes you back, right?"

"Do you really think I should?" Lizbeth asked rhetorically to which Altinator nodded. "I hope it all works out for me."

"I'm sure it will," Altinator answered with a big smile. "And even if it didn't, you'll still find someone special. I know it!"

"Thank you, Altinator," Lizbeth said, returning that smile. She gave him a big, long hug before going back to her sleeping bag. The warmth that she felt for Kirito also manifested itself from Altinator as well. Lizbeth blushed again as she slept. By the time morning came, Altinator was asleep after trading shifts with Kirito while Lizbeth woke up to find Kirito digging in the snow looking for something. Lizbeth blushed again, looking at Kirito working hard.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Lizbeth asked only to know the answer after Kirito turned around with a crystalized metal in his hand. She examined the object and identified it as the crystallite ingot. "Could this be?"

"Yep, that's what we came here for," Kirito answered with a grin. "It all makes sense. The dragon eats the crystals and forms these in its stomach. No wonder nobody could find them."

'All right!" Lizbeth exclaimed with glee. "But what's it doing down here?"

"Well, it looks like this giant hole wasn't a trap at all," Altinator stated out of nowhere. "It was that dragon's den."

"Whoa, when did you get up?" Lizbeth asked without thinking. Altinator laughed.

"So, that means this ingot must be the dragon's excrement or poop," Kirito concluded. Lizbeth was already holding onto the ingot when Kirito made his explanation. She freaked out and passed it back to Kirito. "Well, now that we got what we came for, all that remains…"

"Altinator, you said this was a dragon's den, right?" Lizbeth thought out loud.

"Yeah, what's your point?" Altinator asked, looking confused.

"And the fact that the dragon is nocturnal, so it won't be long until-" Lizbeth tried to finish. The dragon roared and flew down the hole in a fury. "INCOMING!"

Kirito immediately grabbed Lizbeth and ran up the wall again just high enough to jump on the dragon's back. Altinator also jumped up and pulled himself up, using the dragon to go on top of its back. Kirito and Altinator jammed his sword into the dragon's back for stability as the dragon skyrocketed up into the air.

"Hang on Liz!" Kirito shouted. We're outside!"

The dragon flew out of the hole and the two pulled their swords out of the dragon's back, allowing them to freefall off the dragon. Lizbeth saw the sunrise and the beautiful mountain view and was in awe. She looked at Kirito, who was holding her hand tight, and Altinator, who nodded with a big smile.

"Kirito! I wanna tell you something!" Lizbeth started.

"What is it?" Kirito shouted back.

"I like you, Kirito!" Lizbeth confessed.

"What?! I can't hear you!" Kirito shouted again.

Lizbeth giggled as she held Kirito close. "Never mind!"

The three had gotten back to Lizbeth's Smith Shop with the ingot in hand. With the final preparations ready, Lizbeth started hammering the glowing hot ingot several times before transforming into a blue-green sword. Altinator and Kirito stared in awe as the sword took shape while Lizbeth had a serious expression, hoping that the sword was a success. Lizbeth appraised the sword as the Dark Repulser, which is custom made by Lizbeth herself. Kirito took hold of the sword and did some test swings. He smiled as he commented about the heavy weight of the sword to which Lizbeth cheered.

"Well, all we need to do now is settle up," Kirito stated as he placed his sword in its sheath. "How much is it?"

"Um, it's on the house," Lizbeth said, blushing hard. 'In exchange, I wanna be your personal blacksmith."

Kirito looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean…? Liz?"

"Whenever you come back from the field, please stop by and let me maintain your gear from now on!" Lizbeth continued, blushing even harder. "Kirito, I… I"

Before Lizbeth could say another word, Asuna barged into the forge almost out of breath! She scolded her for having no contact like a worried mother. Altinator slowly took some steps back as Lizbeth explained to Asuna what took place. Asuna looked surprised to see Kirito there which disappointed Lizbeth as she immediately saw the chemistry.

"I take it, you guys know each other?" Lizbeth asked, trying to hide her awkwardness.

"Oh yeah, we're both on the Assault Team," Kirito answered with a smile.

"He wanted a reliable sword, so I referred him to your place," Asuna stated.

"Oh, I see…" Lizbeth said as she tried so hard to hide her frown.

As Asuna and Kirito went off to the side to continue their bickering, Altinator slowly stood by her side and held her close. Lizbeth leaned her head against his chest in sadness as she watched her unrequited love and her best friend in conversation. She subtly looked at her hands and frowned even more as it reminded her of something so intimate.

"Did he say anything rude to you, Liz?" Asuna asked Lizbeth who was spaced out from the shock. "Liz?"

Lizbeth snapped out of it. "Oh, he was rude alright! In fact, he even destroyed my best sword!"

"Oh no… I'm so sorry!" Asuna said as she bowed her head.

"It's all good. It's not your fault," Lizbeth commented, trying to ease the tension inside her. She walked over to Asuna and whispered. "Well, he is weird, but you sure chose a keeper! I'll be rooting for you, girlfriend!"

"It's not like that at all!" Asuna shouted, feeling embarrassed, but before she could say more, Lizbeth made her way to the back of the forge. "Liz?"

"Sorry, I just remembered that I needed to pick up some supplies that were delivered here!" Lizbeth lied without thinking. "I'm leaving you all in charge until I get back!" She ran out of the store before anyone could react.

"Um, was it something I said?" Kirito asked as he scratched his head.

"Oh no, it's alright," Altinator reassured him. "You should go check on her to see if she's ok. I would like to talk to Asuna if she doesn't mind."

"Sure, not at all," Asuna replied. "Go ahead Kirito!" Kirito ran out to find Lizbeth, leaving Altinator and Asuna alone together.

"Asuna, I know we haven't seen eye to eye throughout our time in the front lines and I wanna apologize for being so mean and harsh to you," Altinator apologized and bowed his head.

Asuna stared at him for a moment and smiled. "I should apologize too," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Ever since I became the Vice Commander of the top guild, I guess I went on a power trip. I won't blame you for behaving the way you did. If someone needed to push me off my high horse, it might as well have been you and Kirito."

"You got that right, Miss Vice Commander," Altinator teased as he playfully jabbed Asuna on the shoulder.

"Hey! Way to rub it in my face!" Asuna fired back, smiling.

"But seriously, it doesn't excuse me from being rude to you," Altinator continued. "Hopefully we can turn a new leaf and be friends."

"Of course, we can," Asuna replied. "Besides, I'm honestly growing tired of being upset over something this stupid anyway."

"So, friends?" Altinator asked as he extended his hand. Asuna took it and replied: "Friends!"