Chapter 6: Laughing Coffin
I woke up to Izume holding my hand. This made me smile and Izume smiled back. She looked so beautiful and I felt my heartbeat speed up. I knew what the feeling was but I didn't want her to notice. I had grown to like Izume more than just friend and I wanted to tell her, but I didn't want to lose her as a friend so I decided to keep my feelings to myself for the time being. We equipped our equipment and met up with Kirito and Asuna. We had a meeting about Yinsei. We discussed who he might be. We still had not come to a conclusion until Agil told us about murders of players that have been happening. There could only be one explanation to what the logo was on Yinsei's arm. Laughing Coffin. From what we heard from Agil, Laughing Coffin are a Player Killing guild that go around murdering players. They are the scum of this game and to find out Yinsei was one of them was an experience for me. I knew Yinsei was not a solo player, I knew he was somebody hiding his identity. I just didn't expect it to be Laughing Coffin. Yinsei had to be stopped. At all costs.
"So Yinsei is part of Laughing Coffin?" Silica asked.
"Yeah. I know he is, and I plan to fight him." I answered.
"You what?!" Asuna and Izume said in synchronization.
"I plan to fight him. I've beaten him before. I can beat him again." I told them.
"You know your plan is suicide." Kirito said to me.
"How is it?" I asked.
"Yinsei will have a whole guild to protect him. He's got to be the leader. Nobody like that is just a member." Kirito explained.
"You're right." I said.
"Plus, we'll need to repair our weapon and armor values." Kirito added.
"That's a good idea, but who is there to do that?" Silica asked.
"I know a good friend in this game who runs a smithy." Asuna said.
"Well, let's meet them then." Izume said.
"Izume, we have to return to the front lines soon. So we should plan this attack for another time. Kirito and Akito. You two find out more about Laughing Coffin. The more we know, the more lives we can save." Asuna explained.
"Sounds like a plan. Good luck with the floor 31 boss." I said to them as we split off.
"Hey! Don't leave without me!" Silica shouted.
"Oh, sorry Silica." Kirito said.
"It's okay, Asuna has told me all about Lisbeth" Silica said smiling.
"So her name is Lisbeth. That helps." I said.
Kirito nodded walking to Lisbeth's Smithy Shop. We arrived at her shop and the sound of smithing could be heard form the back room.
"Hmm, not a bad shop." I said.
Silica giggled. "Wait until you see Lisbeth. Lisbeth!" Silica said calling to Lisbeth.
A girl with pink short hair appeared from the back room which could only be her.
"Hey Silica. I see you brought guests. Asuna has told me about you both." Lisbeth said.
"Well, it's pleasure to meet you Lisbeth. The name is Akito." I introduced myself politely.
"So that's your name. I know about Kirito but I've never seen you before." Lisbeth smiled.
"Well, we've come with grave news. We've learned that Laughing Coffin are murdering players." I told her.
"Really?! Well then, you guys will need your armor and weapons restored. Give me a few minutes." Lisbeth said with a beaming smile.
"Thanks." I said gratefully.
Lisbeth restored our armor and weapon values in a matter of moments. I was surprised on how fast she repaired them. I was more than ready to fight Laughing Coffin, but the question was, how many were there in the murder guild?
"Silica, stay here with Lisbeth. Me and Kirito are going out to scout and we'd want you to stay here." I asked politely.
"Oh, okay. I can help Lisbeth then." Silica answered.
"Thanks." I said.
Me and Kirito equipped our weapons and armor and left Lisbeth's Smithy and head to where we heard a distress message. This was at this time the only lead we had. We needed to get to floor 29 as fast as we could so we used our teleport crystals to get there. We arrived at the distress location to find a man in green robes and clothes laying on the ground. I rushed over and asked Kirito to cover me.
"Are you okay? What happened?" I asked urgently.
The man struggled to move.
"Can you move?" I asked even more questions.
The man nodded his head as I helped him stand.
"Can you explain what had happened here?" I asked.
"I don't know, I was on floor 12 when I was struck from behind, when I woke I couldn't move and I was on floor 29." The man explained.
"So you don't know who attacked you?" Kirito asked.
"I've told you everything I know, am I allowed to go now?" The man asked.
"Sure." Kirito said.
"So much for a lead. Now we stranded without a clue on what to do." I said looking at the ground. And in all of a sudden, I felt a blade pierce my body and appear in front of my eyes. Kirito pulled out his 'Elucidator' but there were what I assume were Laughing Coffin members than we could have taken out. I couldn't tell Kirito to run as he'd be killed. I couldn't fight back otherwise we'd both be killed. We were in a terrible situation. I pulled my menu down and sent a distress message to Asuna and Izume, hoping they'd get it. A voice began to laugh meniacally. Kirito was ready to strike while I had a blade through my body.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here. Looks like we've stumbled onto some trouble makers. Isn't this a surprise. The 'Black Swordsman' and the 'Illusive Blade'. What a beautiful sight. Once we kill you both, the boss will be so happy with my work." The mysterious figure spoke. I recognized the voice, but I couldn't tell. I knew I'd never met them in the game so it must have been from real life. But who? I received a message from Izume saying that their on their way, ASAP. This gave me a little relief but I still couldn't tell who's voice it was.
"Well, Akito. It looks like your health bar is slowly draining. You'll be dead soon. And what a shame. You put in a great fight against so many people but can't even fight when someone has the upper hand. Pathetic." The figure spoke. I could tell it wasn't Yinsei. Yinsei spoke with respect and honor. The mysterious figure pushed the blade in further, whittling away at my life points. I was starting to fade away as Kirito started to fight the men surrounding us. I could only watch as my life was slipping away, aware of Kirito's life points slowly decreasing too.
"Ugh... Ki..ri..to..." I struggled. I couldn't even form sentences in the state I was in. I fell to my knees as the figure pulled the blade out of me and called his men to retreat.
"We'll be back. Akito." The man said as he fled.
"AKITO!" Izume shouted as she rushed over to my injured body. "Akito! Akito!"
Asuna rushed to Kirito's aid, helping him as much as she could.
"Akito! I'm so sorry! I should have stayed with you... This never would have happened if I had stayed with you..." Izume said tearing up. "It's all my fault..." Izume burst into tears and I grabbed her and held her close to me. I could tell she liked me more than just a friend.
"Izume. You saved my life. If you hadn't have come when you did, I would have been killed. Murdered by those men who I assume are Laughing Coffin. I owe you my life and much more." I thanked Izume. I was too scared to tell her how I really felt about her. Izume held me very close crying her heart out. I felt myself come to tears as well.
"You do know she cares a lot about you, Akito." Asuna told me.
"Yeah..." I replied. I could still feel Izume shaking and crying silently. I had to build up the courage to tell her how I felt but I didn't know how. "Izume..."
"Please don't let go. Just for a little while." Izume asked, her body was still shaking but she had stopped crying.
"Okay." I said, holding her softly. I still had tears in my eyes as Izume placed her head against my chest, hearing my virtual heart beat.
We stayed holding each other for hours, not letting go. I didn't want to let go and neither did Izume. I could tell Izume was scared of losing me, and in all honestly, I was scared too. I finally found friends that I couldn't do in the real world. In the world of Sword Art, I found a home of some sort. Being with Izume. Kirito. Asuna. Silica. Lisbeth. Klein. Agil. It's been a really happy time for me even though I'm trapped here fighting for my life. I decided to meet the leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath. I wanted to let him know why Izume and Asuna had to leave on such short notice. So I was escorted to the leader with Kirito a few days later. I knew Kirito and Asuna were together. I was happy for them as was everyone else, even if Lisbeth was slightly jealous. We waited for around half an hour before meeting the leader. He had grey hair, similar to Yinsei and was equipped with a powerful sword and shield set. It was one of a kind so I thought it must have been either crafted or been a boss drop.
"Greetings gentlemen. My name is Heathcliff. I am the leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath. It's an honor to meet the Black Swordsman and the Illusive Blade." Heathcliff spoke. His voice was very noble but modern.
"Greetings." I said. "But please, call me Akito."
"Oh, are you not one for titles?" Heathcliff asked.
"It's not that, it's just, I did use my name for a reason. It's to show I have nothing to hide." I replied.
"And my name is Kirito." Kirito told Heathcliff.
"I've heard all about you Kirito. You've dealt with the Laughing Coffin multiple times if Asuna has told me correct." Heathcliff questioned.
Kirito nodded. "Yeah, we stopped them killing once and we almost lost Akito the second time."
"That's good and scary to hear. I'm glad that you're still with us Akito." Heathcliff said.
"Heh.. Thanks, but I would have been dead if it wasn't for Izume and Asuna, which is what I came to you about. I wanted to explain what I know about Laughing Coffin right now and hope you can help us fight them." I explained.
"Go on." Heathcliff said with a serious expression.
"About a few days ago, I was dueling players, and I wanted to duel more people, so then I stumbled across this mysterious man named Yinsei, I dueled him. I won but he somehow knew where I was when I used one of my sword skills called Nocturnal Silence. It allows me to disappear behind them in a flash and strike them seven times. This bothered me because the skill also allows me to chose when I strike the enemy. So I can take my time or strike straight away. He also had a logo on his forearm, I questioned what it was in my mind. I then heard about Laughing Coffin and their murders and once I saw their logo on the guild tab on the menu, I knew he was part of them. This shocked me because this meant that the Laughing Coffin have a powerful ally. Then, a few days ago, me and Kirito had an unpleasant experience with what I assume was Laughing Coffin. But the experience wasn't the only thing that scared me. I knew the person with the blade that almost killed me, the one who stabbed me. I didn't manage to see his name but I have heard his voice before..." I explained in detail.
"Oh, and where have you heard his voice?" Heathcliff asked.
"In real life." I answered. I hated to bring my real life into the game but it had to be done. "I know I shouldn't bring my real life into the game but you asked where I knew the voice from." I added.
"That's completely understandable." Heathcliff said nodding his head. "But if you request the assistance of the Knights of the Blood Oath, you must prove your skills as a swordsman." He added.
"I understand, but right now, I'm still a little shaken from the events. As soon as I'm ready, I will come here and be ready to duel." I smiled.
I left with Kirito after talking for hours with Heathcliff. Kirito told me that there was going to be a push to clear lots of floors. Reaching around floor 50. I offered to go with them and Kirito nodded saying "The more we have, the better our chances." I knew he was right, the more people we have fighting, the better our chances of ending this nightmare game. I asked Izume if I could stay the night with her again and she gladly accepted. I unequipped my armor and weapon and sat on her bed. She sat next to me and held my hand.
"Akito. You have feelings for me, don't you?" Izume asked. My heart began to beat faster. I didn't want to answer in case I made a fool of myself, so I just looked down. Izume could tell what I was doing and lifted my head to make eye contact between us. "I already know the answer."
"Then why'd you ask the question?" I asked.
"Because I wanted you to say it. Because I have feelings for you. Feelings I never got to experience in reality. I've never felt this way about someone before. You've done so much for me Akito. I could never repay you for your kindness." Izume said tearing up. I held her close to me.
"You saved my life. That's more then enough to repay me, yes, I have feelings for you, I've just been afraid to show them because I didn't know how'd you feel. I'm happy to know you feel the same way." I said placing her hand on my virtual heart. "You feel how it's beating fast. That's because of you." I smiled.
We laid in bed and held each other close. We knew this was the start of something that you'd only read in fairy tales. This was our beginning as partners. As lovers. And I promised her I would see her when we beat the game. But even I knew that promise came with a heavy weight attached to it. I couldn't know if I was going to survive this game. I'd made it this far, but the road would only get tougher. Harder enemies. Harder Bosses. And I still had to deal with Laughing Coffin. I couldn't ensure I was escaping this game, but I would damn sure try my best. For Izume...