Chapter 5

Authors Note: If you guys have any ideas for adventures, feel free to put them in the reviews, and I'll try to sneak them in.

I was walking home from the Labyrinth area when I got the feeling I was being watched. I used enemy search, but nothing happened. I heard a rustling in the bushes next to me, and then something popped up, a green cursor. My hand slowly started to creep towards my scythe, but it didn't get halfway there before what was in the bushes burst out.

I was prepared for that, and rushed forward, latching onto whatever it was, spinning and throwing it on the ground, my scythe in hand. Then I saw who it was. A skinny woman with a purple tunic with a black hood, her green eyes peeking out from the shadows.

"What do you want, Eve?" I asked. She smiled.

"As commander of The Grateful Dead guild, we request once again that you join us for the 11th boss fight!" she shouted, a smile still wide on her face.

When people heard about me, they usually fell into one of three categories. The first hated me, either because I was a Beater or because they thought I was Death. The second had a sense of respect, at least until they found out about the Beater part, then they transferred to the first category. The third actually had two sub-categories. The first were people who followed me, generally hoping I'd lead them to rare items, and clear enemies out of their way. The second sub-category was the guild known as the Grateful Dead.

The Grateful Dead were a weird bunch. Unlike some people, they believed that I was a player, but that I still had some sort on control over who lived and who died in the game. They followed me, and I'd even heard rumors of sacrifices of items and equipment in hopes that I'd allow them to live. Essentially, I'd accidentally started a cult.

"And as commander of me, I'm going to decline again." She scrambled to her feet as I walked off, matching my speed.

"But sir, if you would just listen to what The Grateful Dead has to offer-, "

I pulled a teleportation crystal from my inventory. This would just go on and on until I ditched her, and I didn't have the energy required to lose her. "Teleport Taft." There was a flash of light, and I appeared at the teleport gate.

Walking to Liz's shop, I bowed my head as I walked in. "Liz?" I asked. She wasn't in the front of the shop, which meant she was in the forge. Walking into the back room, I leaned against the side of the door-frame, watching her hammer at a small ore. She turned mid-hit, noticing me.

"Hey Seth. Just give me a second, a friend of mine needs a new rapier before the boss fight."

"Asuna?" I asked. Apparently, Liz was friends with the vice commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath, a story I had yet to hear, and a person I had yet to speak to. "The info says the boss is weak to thrust attacks, so her old rapier would do her fine."

"Yeah, well, even with my skill, I can't upgrade weapons forever. It was nearing the end of its lifespan."

"Whatever. I got some stream ores from the lizardmen in the maze tower, so I'll need you to bind those to my scythe later."

"That's 300 Col and a dinner." I rolled my eyes. She'd been tricking/enticing me into going on…Is date the right word? I don't even know.

"Fine." There was a knock at the door.

"Can you see who that is?" she asked, still focusing on the forming blade. I turned, to see Eve standing at the door. Fuck. I slipped in the room and hid behind the anvil. She finished the blade, peeking down the side of the metal block. "What are you doing?"

"Fanatic."

"Fanatic?" she asked, grinning.

"People are fucking crazy," I said. "Get rid of her."

"Her?" she smiled. "You don't want a girl following you?"

"Not people who consider me next to gods, no. Get rid of her."

"Why should I?" she grinned widely.

"Get rid of her please?" I asked. She shook her head. "500 Col, dinner, and a favor?"

"There we go," she said, placing the hammer on the table and walking to the front of the shop. I sighed. These girls were going to kill me.

(X)

Liz wanted to join me on the next boss fight, and while I was reluctant to accommodate, she talked me into it. We walked just behind the clearing group, conversing quietly.

"So I block, and you switch in?" I confirmed. She nodded. "I don't know why you bothered to come."

"I wanted to see how you fight," she said. "All I've seen you do is threaten people and nearly hit me once."

"And you're willing to risk your life in a boss fight to satisfy your curiosity?"

"I won't die."

"And why's that?"

"Because I have you."

My cheeks flared with heat at that remark. As if I lived to protect her…Though…'Shut up,' I thought.

We reached the boss room, and Heathcliff, the leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath, turned around. Heathcliff was an older man, his hair brown, and one couldn't help but wonder what a guy like him was doing in a game like this.

But we were all thankful for it, because he had a skill, called Holy Sword. It was so rare, he said it was unique, in that only he could use it. It boosted his attack and defense, and while the attack was formidable, it was said that his defense was impenetrable. When this was revealed in the 7th boss fight, people rejoiced, saying that the Knights of the Blood Oath were the strongest guild, and Heathcliff its strongest player.

"Alright, players! To the next floor!" he shouted. The people around us cheered, and Liz let out a whoop. I smiled, shaking my head slightly as I removed my scythe from its sheath. The doors swung open…and revealed the boss.

This boss was completely different from the one in the Beta test. It was a demon type, so it was cloaked in a long robe, not unlike the one the Kayaba game master avatar was wearing the first day, but it was black. Inside the hood, you could see the skulled face of the boss. It was wielding a scythe I judged to be 10 feet long, and the bottom of the robe was floating a foot or so off the ground. But the thing that really separated this boss from the others was…We'd sent in two scouting parties to analyze its patterns. 4 people from the 10 people parties had died, and the scouts reported that the boss laughed at those it killed, laughing and taunting the remaining members. But the thing that messed with me most…It had different colored eyes. They were blue. And Red. Fucking Blue and Red! I started to wonder whether Kayaba was mocking me.

We all rushed forward, me blocking the spinning scythe with my own, and the others rushed in, slamming their weapons into its body. It spun the other way, driving its scythe through an unaware Army member, who screamed once before dying. A raspy laugh escaped the cloak, and the boss said its 'catchphrase.' According to the scouts, it said this every time it killed. "Listen to the cowards scream," it bellowed in a voice that had crawled straight from hell. Heathcliff rushed forward, locking his shield against the next strike, and I managed to get a sword skill off before they broke apart.

I checked the name of the boss, which I'd ignored previously, as I jumped back, allowing Lisbeth to switch in. The Reaper. Now Kayaba was really mocking me. My eyes flicked back down in time to see its scythe heading straight for Lisbeth. "Liz!" I shouted, and she turned, barely blocking the strike with her mace, but she still took enough damage for her health bar to enter the yellow zone. That did it. You can mock me. You can imitate me. But hurt my friends? And I'll end you. I flicked through my menu, exchanging one of my skills for another. I sprung forward, and activated a skill known simply as 'Disguise'.

Lisbeth's P.O.V.

When Seth activated that skill…All hell broke loose. He grew until he towered ten feet over the tallest of us, a cloak appearing around him. While his normal one was black, this was more than black, it was a void. What you could see of him had become a skeleton, bony feet poking out from under the cloak, skeletal arms wielding his scythe, and his face became a skull. His scythe grew until it was as tall as him, and it went from black to white. The bat wing on the top turned into the skull of some sort of demon, its jaw longer than any creatures, and the pole of the scythe sprouting from its mouth. The blade sprung from the back of its head, and at the bottom of the pole was a large knife. It was awe-inspiring…and terrifying.

He took his new scythe and slashed it across the creature's body once, twice, three times, each hit dealing the damage of a normal hit, but with level 10 bleeding effects accompanying each strike. "You think you are the Reaper?" he asked in that raspy voice he did when scaring people. He used the back end of the scythe to pin the boss against the wall, its health quickly draining from the bleeding effects. "You think you are the one who can guide men's souls to the afterlife?" he asked. "I am Death." The sentence echoed throughout the room as the other players looked on in awe. "You are but a poor copy." He cocked his head. "And while imitation is the sincerest form of flattery…" His sentence trailed off as he spun, driving his scythe through the boss's head. He spun the pole towards the sky, tearing off its head. He threw the scythe up in the air, and catching it as the boss' head exploded along with its body. The congratulations message appeared as he spoke. "I am not in a mood to be flattered."

He shrunk, his body retreating into itself as he returned to normal size. He fell the 10 feet to the ground, and I saw his health drop a little from the hit. As he was falling, I could see that his hood had returned to the default position of down, but he pulled it up before he hit the ground, and raised his bandanna as he raised himself from the crouched position. "It is done," he said, turning to the next floor's staircase. I glanced back at the stunned clearing group before running after him.

I found him in a back ally of the town Pani on the twelfth floor. He was sitting up against the building next to him, his head bowed low. "Hey," I said. He raised his head, not facing me.

"Hello."

"Do you want to tell me what that was?" I asked.

"About a month ago, that skill appeared in my list. That was the first time I've used it in front of people. It has the same classification as Holy Sword, unique."

"What's it called?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation casual.

"Disguise. It doesn't actually make me any stronger, apart from those bleeding effects." I sat down in front of him. I saw a tear appear from the shadows and fade into the bandanna.

"You okay?" I asked. He shook his head. I leaned forward and wrapped him in a hug. His head leaned on my shoulder and he shook softly. "You want to talk about it?"

"In the real world…I'm a coward. I can't fight the mocking of my peers, and when I got trapped here…I wasn't strong enough. So I had to become somebody else. I became the Grim Reaper. But…It was just a mask. I could slip it on and off, and go back to myself any time I wanted. But that skill…I can't run from it. It's no longer a mask, it's a mindset. And those aren't so easily changed." I leaned back, him keeping still.

I started to grab for his hood, but, faster than lightning, his arms moved, trapping my wrists in his hands. I stared into the shadows where I knew he was looking at me. "Trust me," I said. A moment passed, and his grip relented. His arms fell back to his sides, and I lowered his hood.

He looked…normal. The brown hair I'd seen at the party hung down to half his forehead, which lead to thin eyebrows. The only abnormal bit was his eyes. One was a deep sapphire blue, and the other a dark crimson. 'Is that why he hides his face?' I thought. 'He doesn't like his eyes?' I leaned in, doing what I'd wanted to do since the party.

I kissed him.

Seth's P.O.V.

She…She kissed me? She leaned back onto her thighs, cradling my face within her hands. "Listen to me." Could I do anything but? "You are not a Reaper. You are a man. You were scared, but you didn't run. You adapted. And that makes you stronger than the 2000 already gone. You understand? You are strong." She leaned forward, embracing me again. I relented, wrapping my arms around her and hugging her back. Her words echoed throughout my thoughts. 'You are strong...I am strong.' No...I wasn't. But as I hugged Liz in that back alley, I realized that I didn't have to be.