DE88: Hey guys thanks for the reviews. I am really enjoy writing this story. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 3: The Crimson Spear

Floor 47: Day 38

Arashi panted as the mini boss of his current quest fell. It was a decently leveled wyrm, and the reward was a new set of storm edge armor, something that he desperately needed, but it was hard to get it from vendors. He drank a potion before using a crystal to get back to the town on floor 21. Before he left he saw that he had a PM from Risa. He groaned as he saw that she had found out he went out on his own.

"Damnit Kirito...whatever." He muttered this as he teleported.

Floor 21

"Finally your back! I thought you had gotten yourself a game over screen you moron!" Arashi sighed as he heard his girlfriend, as strange as he still thought the sound of that was, yell at him.

"Yeah I know Risa, I'm an idiot...but I needed some new armor and I'm fine." Arashi said this as he threw himself onto the couch, and grinned at her before opening his menu and sending her something. "Found a new rapier for you too." Arashi said this as she looked at it. She whistled and smiled.

"This is really nice, but I'm still mad at you for going off on your own. Especially to Floor 47. We haven't even beaten that floor's boss yet." Risa said this with a slight scowl, but that disappeared as soon as Arashi kissed her.

"Listen, I'll tell you next time and let you come along, I promise." Arashi said this quietly and Risa sighed.

"Well when you do that and promise me something how the hell can I stay mad at you." Risa said this with a smirk and kissed him again. As they kissed they heard a knock. "What the hell...That can't be someone from the guild. One they are all out on quests and two they wouldn't knock." Risa said this as Arashi opened the door, standing there was a guy with black hair and brown eyes, his clothed a deep crimson and a spear on his back.

"Yo. My name is Azure. I was wondering if the leader of the guild was here?" The guy said this and Arashi sighed and pulled up a message thing telling Kirito someone was here.

"Kirito is out right now, but I'm Arashi. I can pass on a message if you want." Arashi said this, and Azure smiled.

"Well I wanted to join the guild." Azure said this looking at Arashi as if sizing him up and Arashi sighed and sent Kirito another message. Soon Kirito replied back and Arashi smiled.

"Well then come to the back okay." Arashi said this with a smirk before making his way to the guilds backyard, otherwise known as training ground. Arashi smiled as Azure got there and he immediately sent him a duel request.

"Arashi what the hell?" Risa asked this and Arashi merely drew his blades.

"Easy, Kirito wanted me to test the guy. Can you ref Risa?" Arashi asked this, and kissed her lightly on the forehead, then saw something flash on Azure's face, but he couldn't tell what. Risa sighed and nodded as Azure accepted the duel, holding his spear in one hand. Arashi and Azure settled into a comfortable position as the countdown began. As the countdown ended signaling the start, Azure immediately thrusted as Arashi, forcing him to block the thrust. Azure smiled before he started going off on a series of swift blows with his spear as he spun it around him. Arashi was just fast enough to block most of the hit and after a good minute saw an opening in Azure's basically storm of whirling crimson. "Tempest line" Arashi said this as he flew forward slashing Azure's side, but was surprised that Azure was able to move his spear in time to block the blow.

"Dragons wing." Azure intoned this as he turned and jumped before bring his spear down, meeting Arashi's guard and breaking through it with ease, seemingly stunning Arashi. However Arashi quickly whipped forward and spun on his heel, scoring six hits on Azure before putting his blade together and scoring another four hits with his swallow blade. With that Azure's Hp hit the yellow and Arashi won. Azure was shocked. "How in the hell did you not get stunned!" Arashi laughed as he sheathed his weapon.

"Special thing about being a storm edge, reduced stun time. Not to mention my reaction time is better than most people Hakuto." Arashi said this with a smirk and Azure's jaw dropped.

"Wait that's my r-" Azure started saying this, but was cut off by Risa laughing.

"Yep that's our Hakuto. No one else would be that surprised. They would be pissed. Ain't that right Matsa-kun." Risa said this with a smirk and only added more to Azure's confusion.

"Yeah like you were when I told you I knew...then again right after I explained you nearly crushed my ribs Arisa-chan." Arashi said this and watched understanding dawn on to Azure.

"Wait a sec...HOW AND WHEN THE HELL DID YOU GET ARISA TO GO OUT WITH YOU RYOMATSA!?" Azure yelled this and caused both Arashi and Risa to look at each other and then burst out laughing. Azure sighed as he waited for them to stop, which Risa didn't so she went inside.

"Oh, damn man I wasn't expecting that one. Anyways that was a month ago, details I will divulge later. But first there is just one thing you need to know about SAF." Arashi said this seriously and Azure gulped, hoping it wasn't a crazy quest or creed or some other thing. "Once we can get out of here...every member is meeting at Egil's bar." Azure stood there for a second and started laughing.

"Deal man."

Floor 47: Day 39

Arashi growled as he jumped back from the floor boss, Azure rushing the Minotaur King. So far they had barely dented the bosses health. Azure jumped up high, impressing Arashi with the height of it and spun as he fell towards the boss, dealing eleven hits. He jumped back as Arashi blocked the Minotaur's axe, Risa and Asuna coming into strike, each dealing sixteen hits before Kirito blocked the bosses axe and activated Star Burst Stream, shaving twenty five percent of its bar of health and he backed off. Arashi looked at the bosses Hp and saw it still had four of its five bars, and that one was only down five percent.

"At this rate we will need to string together our attacks four or five more times." Arashi said this and looked at his party's Hp. Klein and Leafa were holding back minions with the rest of the assault team, and a defense team was taking on the boss as he said this. Everyone else had taken about fifteen percent of there life as damage, probably from stray minions or the bosses shock wave attacks. Kirito and Arashi had only seventy five percent from blocking.

"Damn it all...Hey Arashi lets step this up, I'll do defense." Azure said this as he readied his spear and Arashi looked at him, and nodded. Risa tried to say something but they already were running at the boss. The boss swung at them with a mighty cleave, but Azure smiled and spun his spear. "Dragons Updraft!" He said this as his spear met the axe and knocked it away, and Azure followed up with a nine hit jab combo, stunning the boss as Arashi came up.

"Tempest whirlwind!" Arashi yelled this as he ran up the boss, dragging his swallows blade up before vaulting behind the Minotaur king and unhooking his blades and spinning, dealing twenty hits to its back, incidentally its least protected area and landing and putting his blades together before running through the boss and jumping away before it could strike. Azure blocked another attack and jumped back, his hp barely hitting eighty percent. The boss now only had two full bars and the other was at about eighty five percent. "Well damn Azure. That bonus damage for spears comes in handy." Tamishi said this as the defense team held the boss off and Azure smiled as Klein and Leafa came up ready to fight. Tamishi smiled as the defense team backed off and Asuna and Kirito rushed forward, Kirito blocking the axe again as Asuna stuck home, then Kirito did his twenty seven hit combo, The Eclipse, as Azure ran in, using Dragon's Updraft and Dragon Wing to stun the boss so Leafa and Klein could each use Reaver. Then Arashi and Risa came in, Arashi knocking the axe up one final time as Risa did a fourteen hit combo that inflicted a twenty second stun and Arashi ran in for the kill, using Starburst Stream to everyone's surprise to deal massive damage as he added his own Tempest Windmill, Killing the boss as he spun his swallow blade as he ran up the boss and vaulted off of it panting slightly.

"Okay how the hell did you pull that off? That is Kirito's move!" Klein said this as he came walking up sheathing his blade. Arashi started laughing as he looked at his last attack bonus, which was a rare spear. He immediately sent it to Azure, who looked surprised but happy.

"Easy, he has the Dual Swords ability like Kirito. He just likes using his Storm Edge abilities." Risa said this as she tossed Arashi a healing crystal. Arashi rolled his eyes as he used it.

"Yeah. But I like to think of it as a Trump Card." Arashi said this as he stood up stretching. "Man forty seven floors in thirty nine days. We are doing damn well. Should only be three months till we beat this place...sadly the bug isn't fixed..." Arashi said this, thinking back to the global message the Admins sent, stating that the bug couldn't be resolved till the auto logout feature had been used, aka beating the final boss. Everyone looked slightly saddened, but Kirito sighed.

"Yeah well its only going to get harder from here...much harder." Kirito said this darkly, causing the younger members to sigh. 'Yeah but...I'll beat it...Three months...Thats my goal.' Arashi grimaced as he thought this and stood up, heading back home. 'I have too...for her.'