The sky always seemed to hold a dark color on the 27th Floor. Ronbaru was dark elf city, its mighty mountains teeming with ores for players to mine, alongside the seemingly endless labyrinths that were the source of treasures and fears, close calls and ultimate rewards. For being such a low floor, I wouldn't have expected Kirito to have an issue with it. But as I sat opposite him, my spoon playing lazily with my cheesy broccoli soup, I couldn't help but feel the resentment this place brought him. His black eyes were downtrodden and though he was now acting normally, I could see the tears still lurking in his orbs.
"Do you like the food?" I asked tenderly, hoping to distract his thoughts. Almost immediately he shook himself from his thoughts and looked up at me with a forced smile. "Oh, for sure! I guess I'm just used to stale bread with spreads." When people were troubled, the last thing to do was to bring up their worries, Ryou taught me that. So I would try my best to follow his advice. "Well silly, then dig in! You don't want its durability to wear out!" Kirito's eyes softened as he let out a chuckle and took a bite. "You know you sound just like Asuna when I dropped her sandwich once. She was upset I let her efforts go to waste." He smiled a bit as he took another bite. "Did you know she mastered her cooking ability recently?" My eyes went wide with surprise. "All the way?!" The black swordsman slowly nodded with a silly smile spreading across his face. "I know! Stupid right?" My eyes blankly blinked before I felt a chuckle creep up in my chest. To hear Kirito throw around little jabs like this felt so out of place, his eyes had taken on a playful demeanor and despite the hints of something darker within, hearing anyone call Asuna stupid just made my day. I let out a laugh before I tried responding.
"Why on earth did she spend so many points on cooking? That's so useless!" Kirito shrugged while letting out a grumble that conveyed something similar to 'Hell if I know'. "I would have put those points in a useful skill, like listening or stealth, but cooking, that's just useless in combat." I rolled my eyes at his talk about combat before smirking about blacksmithing. "Oh please, all you think is about fighting, I'll have you know I could be forging all sorts of armor with those skills." Another chuckle. "Oh please spare me the rant, I've heard enough about metals." My pink eyes mischievously narrowed. "Spare you? Kirito do you have any idea who I am!" I stood up and playfully stood over my dish, "I am Lisbeth master blacksmith! Forger of all Sw-" "Swords that break in one hit you mean." Kirito countered as he sipped on his cup of tea. He felt all was fine until he opened his eyes to find my mace hovering in front of his face.
"Aaahhh…" he started as he uncomfortable shifted in place as I clicked a button on the mace's handle, exposing a set of blades of my mace's head. "Alright…fine…except for that one which shall not be named." I held my face angry for just a moment longer before melting back into my seat with playful laughter. I happily put a spoonful of soup into my mouth before looking up at Kirito to see him shaken but grinning back at me.
Finally.
Whatever it was.
It was behind him.
Kirito, the strong knight that saved me from a dragon, was back.
Gaya nodded wisely as he looked at the first set of blades. "Hmmm…yes…these will do nicely." I threw my head back with relief at his words, my hands felt numb after hours of performing the same minute movements. Usually the orders kept me interested. After all, different blades required different forging techniques. But this order was simply just tedious as ever. The same kind of ambush, fast attack sword. One after another, after another, after another. My hands were just killing me.
"Good job. I'll show our customer then! Make sure to finish up the other swords as soon as you can. The orders are still piling up." Gaya's words seemed more like a scolding than encouragement. He took the first ten swords from my anvil and made his way up the stairs of my forge. He paused at the top to look over at Kirito who was inspecting his blade while sitting relaxed in a corner of the room. "Hey, see if you can get your knight to help you eh?" He spoke with a chuckle as he walked out. My face immediately felt a rush of heat as I sat up to retort. But I wasn't quick enough, the door was swinging by the time my brain worked out words to say.
Ugh. Comebacks were always like this.
Coming in after I needed them. Funny how the brain works isn't it?
I growled slightly as I absentmindedly massaged my arm. The titanium ores I had mined from the Labyrinth were sitting in a disorganized stack next to me as the warmth from the forge behind me made a layer of sweat trickle down my back. For a game focused on bringing a fictional world to life, it certainly did a good job at bringing even the annoying aspects of work to life. Exhaustion, throbbing arms…it was a level of reality I could do without.
"Hey, let me look at that." The tender voice tore me from my souring thoughts and suddenly the black dressed figure was now kneeling in front of me. Instantly my cheeks were warm as I speechlessly watched him take my forearms in hands. He unequipped his gloves and then worked his fingers into my arms, uncramping my muscles and tendons. I sat there in silence and glee. His tender touch was firm where it needed to be and soft elsewhere. Relief started to spread through me as he kept working at me. How could I do anything or say anything? It felt wonderful and I didn't want the moment to stop. My chest clenched up, I was afraid if I said the wrong thing everything would just shatter. So instead I sat there silently with a red flush across my face looking down at Kirito massaging my arms.
Only after what felt like an eternity did he stop. He held my hands in his palms and looked up into my face. "How does that feel?" Slowly my eyes looked up from his warm hands to meet his dark soothing orbs. My face betrayed my emotion, the red flush was all over my cheeks. A few moments passed and then a warm red spread across Kirito's face. His eyes softened, and he stumbled around for words. He was as nervous as me. "Uh…I mean…are your arms feeling…uh…better?" He was stuttering but he still held my hands in his own. Swallowing, my voice quivered, "Y-Yeah…they feel much better…where did you learn to do that?" The hot red flash across my face was unbearable. I wanted nothing more than to disappear and not act like a silly bumbling bee. But alas, here I was, sitting in front of my hero, holding his hands in mine.
Kirito worked up some courage, though he often wasn't the best with words, he knew how to make them work when necessary. "Uh…well…I used to get a lot of cramps in my arms after fighting all day. It made it hard to fight on my own without…without…uh…" he fumbled his words as his fingers lightly traced my own. He gently rubbed his thumb over mine as he looked down from my eyes. His cheeks were still a bright red and I couldn't help but stumble over various ideas and thoughts in my mind. Part of me hoped he was feeling the same things I was and another part of me was saying that he must just be embarrassed I was acting weird. The frustration and war raged in my head as we sat there, awkwardly looking at each other while our fingers played with each other's hands.
I'm still not sure how much time passed but eventually I breathed out and moved his hands to his knees. "Ok…well…I should get back to work, those swords won't make themselves you know…" "R-R-Right! I should get going too! I mean I've been away from the front lines for nearly two days…" Awkwardly we both stood up and pretended to look busy. My hands immediately went to getting some ores and busily tending to the forge. Kirito was suddenly interested in his Dark Repulser and the two of us just stood there, seemingly so preoccupied with our own tasks, yet trying not to ignore the presence of the other.
Finally Kirito took a few steps towards the door and I felt my heart lurch. As awkward as it was, I still wanted him to stick around, to joke and poke fun at my sword making. I wanted him to just stay here…where it was safe…with me. "D-Don't forget you can come by whenever you want ok!" I called out to him. His eyes turned to face mine and he let out a warm smile. "Don't worry, I will." He turned to take another step before I stopped him again, "Hey, be safe ok!" My worries and fears were starting to bubble up to the surface. I wanted him to be OK. To not risk his life out on the front lines so recklessly, alone and without support. The black figure paused on the stairs before taking a step down. "I'll be ok Liz. But I do have to go back…" I couldn't settle for that answer. "Right…just message me when you're checking in for the night ok?" my voice was a little shaky as I took a step towards him, eyes filling with nervousness as I waited for his answer.
"Of course Liz!" came the quick reply. His eyes shone with a radiant energy as he looked at me. With a small wave he turned again towards the door before my voice stopped him again. "H-Hey…uh…thanks for the…" "No problem. Any time." His smile was now confident, and I could sense a bit of elation in him as he turned and walked out of my Forge.
His goodbye was just like him. Cool, collected, but uplifting.
With a spring in my step I bounced over to my Forge and chucked a few titanium ores into the fire. My arms were still shivering from his warm and tender massage. I felt like I could a million of these stupid fast attack swords. There was nothing keeping me down now. All thanks to Kirito.
Exhaustion.
That was the only thing on my mind as I crawled up the stairs of my forge. I couldn't be more thankful that there was no need to ever take a shower in this world. I simply collapsed onto my bed. It was large and comfortable, one of the little spoils I enjoyed from the income I gathered as a blacksmith. Painful cramps coursed through arms after the long afternoon of blacksmithing. Though I had enough ore to get the order done, I was seriously doubting my arms could last long enough to make all the blades. Each of the twenty blades I had managed to add to the tally had been exhausting and mind numbing. But at least I was past the halfway point. Only another twenty and I would be done making ambush blades for the rest of the game.
Rolling over, I absentmindedly unequipped my clothing. As comfortable as the dress Asuna had bought for me was, laying on the bed with nothing on was even more comfortable. My eyes stared up at the domed ceiling of my room. With a light yawn my sights drifted over to the window. The circular glass window over-looked the small village of Lindas. The little roofs of the village gave way to a pasture of green meadows and open fields, cobblestone paths and a beautiful medieval world. Somewhere beyond that Kirito was fighting for all of us. It felt…unjust for such a beautiful world to be tainted with the knowledge that it was a lethal trap for everyone in it. Yet…with each passing day it was easier to accept that reality.
But they still fought for us. Every player in Sword Art owed their hopes of getting out, getting back to the real world, to the players on the front lines. But those front lines were so incredibly dangerous. It still bugged me that Kirito was all alone out on the front lines. Alone, with no freaking help. It drove me mad, crazy even. How could he be so stubborn to fight alone, knowing of the players who died out there? Why was he ok with that? Clearly Asuna knew about his shenanigans, but why didn't she try to help him out more?
"Ugh…she probably has problems with her clan. She can't be everywhere..." my hollow voice echoed in my room as I massaged my arms close to my waist. Suddenly a little beep altered to an incoming notification. Wincing, my hand moved across to the messages tab of my interface. At the top was Kirito's latest message:
'Hey Lisbeth, just letting you know I'm checked into an Inn for the night. I think we're getting close to wrapping up this floor, shouldn't be long now. Oh I got a drop for a metal you might want to look at. It's called Adamantium Aluminum. Maybe you can find a use for it? Anyway, I'm hitting the sack for the night, I think I can stop by later this week! See you soon!'
My lips played with a gentle grin. He remembered to message me. To look out for materials…for me…he was a really good friend. I promptly shook my head and buried it sideways into my pillow. Friend. That's probably all I was to him. I mean, he had been with Asuna and they weren't dating. Maybe it was because he wanted to be alone. It explained why he still fought alone. He probably was only sticking around because I was a nice break his hectic life.
I cracked open an eye to read his message again. His words, promising to stop by later this week burned themselves into my mind. I glanced at a calendar I had hanging on my wall. It was a Wednesday…perhaps he would come by for the weekend…maybe we could have a real adventure. Hope was clawing at my mind as a feeling of desperation swept over my chest. Why? Why was I so hung up on this guy? A sigh left my lips as I began to reflect on everything leading up to this point.
The days in grade school, the superficial friends I had, the just…boring life I led. It was rather sobering to think about the other world at times. No wonder I was feeling nervous and leaping at every chance I had with Kirito, he was simply so different. This whole world was just so unlike anything I had ever experienced. I used to just get up morning after morning and go to school, do assignments and then geek out over games or other stuff. I was kind of a nerd, I enjoyed the stuff most girls didn't take part of. Metals, tools, working on things like a bike or a moped, it all came easy to me. It was interesting, and it kept my hands working. Each task helped push away my emotions, bury my worries and fears under a heap of interesting gadgets and articles. It…it kept my mind off of the loneliness I often felt. The feeling of dread that was in the back of my chest, taunting me of an empty unfulfilling future. Perhaps that fear was what pushed me to want to just quit the game so aggressively on that first day. My friends, hobbies, and everything I gave meaning to was back in the real world. To start from zero…with nothing to keep my mind busy…I had just wanted to give up on everything. Yet when Ryou, Gaya, and Zaki offered me blacksmithing, well, it felt like the tinkering I did in the real world. Another activity to bury the dread and fear. It's probably why I had agreed to blacksmithing so quickly. It was after all right up my alley. It was familiar.
Wasn't it sad though? To go for something familiar in such a new and enticing world? "I fight monsters here though, I do exciting things…" my voice whispered weakly into the empty room. Almost instinctively I went to cover my face, to hide the shame of not being brave enough to go after adventures in a world made for adventure. Instead I let out a cry of pain, my arms cramped up painfully as I moved them.
"Oh for crying out loud…there has to be some potion for this, right?"
Teeth clenched as I bit the edges of my tongue. I could feel tears sliding down my face. Kirito was out there, having an awesome adventure, and here I was crying over some virtual pain in my bed that was decked out much too like home. How pitiful.
I don't know when I feel asleep, only that as I did, I felt a sweat release from all my worries.
My left hand worked at my right wrist. Carefully massaging the tendons, just the way Kirito had done down in the forge.
Before me stood a robed man. He was wearing a scarf and merchants clothing. A heavy tunic was draped over every part of his body. Very little aside from his eyes showed. But his eyes were a brilliant green, piercing, and playful. They were some of the most striking eyes I had ever seen, no doubt accentuated by the fact there wasn't much else to look at on the man's face. Yet something subtle seemed to lie behind them, something that tugged at my mind. I couldn't figure it out, and it was only after his green orbs met my pink eyes, that I gave up trying to figure it out. After all, I didn't want to be rude.
"What do you think of the quality?" Ryou asked with a hint of fear. Despite knowing the blades were of top-notch craftsmanship, Ryou always felt nervous when offering any of our guild's work to a customer. He always felt he could offer more, as if he had to truly impress a customer to make sure a sale went through.
The man took the blade in his hand and charged it up. His hand gripping it as he appeared to look for the blade's center of balance. Then he swung the fast attack blade over his head and down towards the earth. It moved with a blinding speed. But it was still visible. The blades energy lagged visibly with the sword, and though the movement was smooth and well-practiced, a smirk played across my face. The rush of wind from the blade played with my hair.
He was slow. Much slower than Kirito. "Wow what power!" Gaya shockingly spat out. He was astounded as watching the robed man swing again and again, practice blow after practice blow. I silently cocked a questioning eyebrow. With his beta tester status, I would have expected Gaya to have seen people with such high sword skills but if even he was surprised by this man, then I had to really count myself lucky to be friends with such a powerful sword wielder. The smirk continued to play on my lips, reminding me of when Kirito had deflected the ice dragon's breath attack into the sky. This guy had nothing on Kirito.
After a few more swings, the man set the blade down on our counter. "These truly are magnificent blades." He sounded quite impressed, even if all we could see were his eyes. "Thank you for crafting these, and now I must hold up my end of our agreement," a screen came up and he put in the exact amount of col he had promised our guild earlier. A massive payout for the order of swords. Ryou smiled as he accepted the transaction and turned over the wares of my fifty swords. "You know sir, you should be thanking Lisbeth here, she's the one behind the amazing swords. She crafted each one over the past few days." A warm comforting hand rubbed my shoulder. I beamed with pride. It may have cost me my arms and left a deep-seated hatred of the fast attack sword type in my heart, but it was all made up for by Ryou's praise. The man sure knew how to boost my ego.
The green eyes settled on my face as the strange man nodded. "You really are quite talented. These blades will come quite in handy, I can assure you of that." His voice was thankful, but a tad unsettling. Something was still off in my mind. "Well of course! No problem, if you ever need them repaired, my shop is on the 48th floor, don't hesitate to stop by!" The man let out a small chuckle as he put the blades into his inventory. "Of course then, if I don't stop by, then one of my friends certainly will." Ryou nodded and shook the man's gloved hand. "Well you're more than welcome anytime. I'll still insist that you pay normal prices, but I won't turn down an offer." The man nodded silently and left our Ronbaru based store silently. It was clear he was pleased, but he was still so weird about everything. Just the way he carried himself was even unsettling.
Still, my mind didn't dwell on our customer for too long. Instead Zaki's hands playfully rubbed into my shoulders. "Well Liz, truth be told, I didn't expect you to get the order done so quickly. We ought to celebrate! This is the biggest payday we've ever had! Three times the payout for each sword! I smell chocolate cake for you! Let's go up to Mishe to celebrate!" I felt myself swell with joy and pride. Celebration. Great. They weren't still mad at me for leaving them scared while I was on a dragon adventure. Instead they wanted to treat me and the guild to a job well done.
I deserved this chocolate cake. Arm cramps be damned.
It almost felt like one of the little celebrations we held every so often before I met Kirito, back when we were still all a family living in one shop. Yet it also felt different. So many things had happened since then, and despite still feeling like the daughter of Ryou and company, I also felt independent. I owned my little home and worked like anyone else for my pay. Truth be told it wasn't a bad life.
My mind swirled around that thought. Life. Amazing that I could call this existence in a game, a life. How could it not though? Ryou and Gaya were talking about swords and the business while Zaki and I laughed at mishaps we had while blacksmithing. The little comments about an ore breaking, or realizing we were making the wrong blade half way through a forging. Even the little yelps of pain as the forge flickered and nipped at our arms. They were all the familiar funny stories that we had all experienced. Especially Zaki, as he was crafting some of our best swords this month.
It was all friendly laughter and jovial chattering, but an unspoken topic hung in the air as our conversations dragged on.. It was only after the first round of drinks and appetizers that finally Gaya finally turned to me with a mischievous smile. "So then Liz. How much did help did your dark knight give you?" his eyes danced with delight as his mustache seemed to dance around with glee.
Right to the point. How lovely.
"Uh…well…he just hung out, he was just joking around!" The medieval pub of sorts was teeming with life, and I couldn't be happier that with so many people in the town of Mishe, our little conversation was getting drowned out in the evening hustle and bustle of the pub. But even if others couldn't hear my voice or our conversation, Ryou and Zaki certainly could.
"Oh that's right Gaya, our little Lisbeth has gone and found herself a boyfriend." My face went red with rage and embarrassment. "Zaki! He's not my boyfriend!" Ryou, the man I often called Dad, decided it was the perfect moment to interject, "Oh not yet, but he soon will be." His playful wink sent another hot flash soaring through my body.
"DAD!" I stood up exacerbated from the table, my fists clenching tightly as I fought in vain to keep the red blush from glowing any brighter. It was all futile as the chuckles and laughs of the three men roared to life. Some people cheerfully snickered or laughed at the bar while others simply tried to peer in curiosity at our conversation. After all, it wasn't often that a family of players was found in the game.
I pouted as I looked out of the window. Snow was falling lightly, it was still early February after all, but the falling snow also felt happy. Nothing dreary. As much as I felt embarrassment at the comments from my adoptive family, I couldn't help but hope they were right. But how could I hope for such a thing when Kirito still felt so far away? Not just in distance, he was probably fighting off on floor 65 or something like that after all, but also in emotion. I still barely knew anything about him. I knew he had a troubled past…that much was clear from his breakdown in the Labyrinth, and that he was a badass solo/beta tester on the Assault team. Just the cool hero side of him. That's all I knew. How could I even hope to call him my boyfriend when I knew so little about him, how could he call me his girlfriend if we still only had known each other for a bit?
"He's always away on the assault team, fighting on the front lines…" my voice was now melancholic. I just wanted him near me. "Oh on the contrary. I did some digging on this boy," my eyes turned to look at Gaya. Shock spread through my face, "You're stalking him?" Gaya let out a hearty chuckle, "No! Not at all, but the rumor mill is always going. They call him the black swordsman, this Kirito boy. He's quite the powerful player, though he keeps to himself a lot." I pouted and turned back to the window, all stuff I already knew. Ryou spoke up, "So, for a player who is usually solo to then start hanging out with the same girl repeatedly over the past few weeks, it naturally makes people ask questions." He winked at me as the waiter came with more food. The aroma was delicious, and I could feel the feeling of embarrassment start to get replaced with curiosity. As I shoved delicious food into my mouth, I continued to listen eagerly to Gaya's words, lapping up the information he laid at my feet. While I couldn't deny that taking in this information making me feel like a stalker, I was just simply too curious to learn anything I could about Kirito.
"I mean apparently he's been taking it easy in the past few days, just as the Assault team was getting ready to finish off the next floor, there he goes and disappears. Turns out he was just hanging out with you." Gaya smiled and Ryou let out a chuckle. "You may be too young to see it, but that boy has a thing for you." Ryou's eyes narrowed as voice deepened, "But if he dares hurt you…I'll hurt him back…" Zaki then spoke as seriously as Ryou. "Oh I'm ready to back you up with an alibi." My voice spilled out as a shrill shriek. "What! No! Don't hurt him!" I shook my head as the trio laughed more, a new wave of embarrassment spilled over me as I realized I had played right into their hands.
Teasing. It was the one thing I was good at, but being teased myself was something I didn't know how to respond to. Instinct was what I was operating on.
Eventually the conversation began to take a turn from light talking and teasing to a trip down memory lane. Though it was often considered taboo, we shared some stories from the 'other life' we had. Ryou was an engineer at a local engine design company, Gaya worked in manufacturing while Zaki was a business man for the local region. It was nice to hear them talk about their families, their commitments and their desire to share the memories from this world with them. The hint of regret didn't escape them however, as great as this world could be at times, it was still a virtual world. Our real lives were still on the other side. But sometimes I couldn't share their enthusiasm to return to the real world. The world on the other side meant I would lose some of the interesting things I had in this world. I didn't know anyone like Kirito on the other side, my friends were undoubtedly moving on. For all the boring choices I made in this world, it still was a world that held potential for something more. But the idea of going back to a boring life, a life without some of the adventures I could have here, left an empty taste in my mouth.
Strange, how with each passing day my own desire to escape this death game lessened ever so slightly…
"Speaking of dances, I hear there's one coming up soon. The spring ball right?" My thoughts yet again got torn from my increasingly deep train of thought.
"A dance?" confusion laced my voice as I wondered how the conversation had gotten on this subject. Zaki turned puzzled to me, "Yeah, I thought you would have heard about it, we missed it last spring, but in the beginning of March there's a big ball down the first floor. I hear this year though they're changing it to floor 47." Ryou nodded as he seemed to inspect me. "Apparently it was ton of fun, but now with the new floors, its going to be even better. Quite the fun player run event if you ask me." Gaya chuckled while cracking a sobering joke, "I hope I don't have to see too many of these, they may be fun and all…but I really hope we're out of here by next spring…" Zaki hit his shoulder in a playful manner. "Oh lighten up, it'll be a nice change of pace from the grind we got going on." "You mean the grind you have going on, what the forging has you all bummed down too?" Ryou snickered. "Maybe," Zaki retorted, "I have no idea how Liz churns out so many swords in a day." Another giggle welled up in my chest as a blush came over my face, the warm tender massage that Kirito gave me was at the forefront of my mind, "Well I have my ways…" the men all chuckled, and the night went on.
It wasn't until much later that exhaustion finally overtook me. I was stuffed full of Chocolate cake and plenty of food. I had laughed my way through a few hours of jokes and stories with my family, and now…now my body begged me for sweet sleep. It wasn't long before I found myself standing at the teleport gate of Lindas, waving goodbye to Gaya and Zaki. After giving Ryou a hug, I departed for my smith shop. Even in the darkness of the night, the cobblestone was familiar to my tired eyes. Each step taken as if the sun were still shining brightly from the beautiful blue sky.
A yawn here, and a stretch there and finally the distinctive water wheel of the shop came into view. I sighed with relief, knowing that a comfortable bed was just a few minutes away.
"HELP ME! ANYONE PLEASE! HELP!"
The cry pierced the silence of the night and immediately chilled my chest. Adrenaline started coursing through me as my tired eyes, now wide eyed and filled with fear scanned the road and meadow near me.
One green diamond was racing towards me. It emerged from the bushes of the forest on the edge of Lindas. Underneath the diamond a figure was visible. The outline was that of a man, ragged and injured, rushing towards the city's limits. The safe zone.
As he bolted towards me, two other diamonds emerged from the forest. My body froze as I looked at them. A dreaded orange color filled in the little diamonds and suddenly I understood the man's incessant fear, he was being hunted by none other than player killers.
"Come on! You can make it!" my shrill voice split the quiet night. Ice seemed to take over my chest as my mace wavered in my stiff hands. All the sleepiness evaporated, replaced instead with a newfound fear and tension. Never had I even seen an orange diamond, much less a player being hunted by such a person. They were the stuff of stories, antagonists to add flavor to the Assault team's tales when they visited my shop or to make the adventures told in bars or taverns that extra bit exciting. My rational mind knew they were real, that real murderers could really be in this world. But my emotional side was convinced I would never meet them. I avoided danger like the plague. Any area I heard was dangerous I just steered clear. Rarely did I hunt alone, or fight monsters. Every action I took in this game was taken to stay alive.
Almost immediately the fears from back in the square on the first day came swirling back. All my thoughts and desires to live an adventurous life in this world vanished. Worry and fear instead took their place in my body.
As I stared at the man running towards me, his eyes locked with mine. His desperation became mine. He was so close to the safe city limit. Instinctively I felt my hand stretch out towards the man, vainly hoping to pull him into the city's safe zone. Warmth filled my hand as the stranger's hand desperately clung to mine. Summoning every bit of my strength I yanked the man towards me. His momentum carried him right into me and our bodies stumbled backwards before crashing onto the cobblestone path. Heavy breathing and raspy words started to spill out of the man. "Th-Th-Thank you, m-miss…" Panickily he looked back at his aggressors.
At the edge of the city of Lindas stood two orange diamonded players. The slender one was decked out in a blue shirt and held a sword at his side while the other, a larger bulky man dressed in green, wielded an axe. Their sets of brown eyes glared with hatred towards me. As the survivor back peddled on the cobble stone, I stared back at these players. Even though the city's limit, indicative of a player safe zone, protected me, genuine fear from these player killers crept through me. They couldn't hurt me, but they certainly scared me. "You haven't heard the last from us Keyes." The words were spat out with venom lacing them as one of the player killers stared down the frightened survivor next to me. Slowly they began to walk away and towards the forest. Sharp breaths ripped at the Keyes's chest as he stared them down. Tears began welling up in his eyes as my hand reached out to comfort him. I had only faced death once in this game, and I knew how terrified I felt, but I had Kirito to comfort me. This man was alone, with no one but a stranger next to him. As I reached out towards him in some vain attempt to offer comfort, the man let out a blood curling shriek.
"WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME!" shocked I pulled back my hand as I watched Keyes howl at the still visible orange diamonded figures. "YOU MURDERED EVERYONE I CARED ABOUT! WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT!" His yell was pained, agitated, and incredibly heart wrenching. He clearly was a survivor of a guild that had just been killed. Involuntarily tears started to fester in my own eyes as the mere thought of Ryou or Gaya or Zaki getting killed came to mind. I wouldn't be able to cope with their deaths. I probably would just let myself be killed if I lost them…
"What…happened…Keyes?" my voice tried to offer solace to the man as he sobbed into his knees. The darkness of the night hung over us as we huddled on the cobble stone path. After an eternity the man stopped sobbing and composed his words.
"Titan's hand…they killed us…I'm…I'm…" he swallowed as the chilling realization finally settled in. "I'm the last survivor of the Silver Flags…"
The empty night enveloped us as I sat next to this man; tearfully sobbing and mourning his fallen friends.
A/N: HEY! Hope you all had a Merry Christmas. If you're yet to celebrate your holiday or already celebrated it then I certainly hope you had a blast! Graduate school can be a source of stress and delay. So you're not getting an apology from me hahahah. As I say on my profile, my upload schedule is terrible on a good day and downright atrocious for the rest of the year.
This chapter wraps up my uploads for 2018. Hope you all have an excellent New Years and I will see you all in January!
As always leave a review or comment! Your reactions really help keep me going!