Author's note:
Hello again!
Hopefully you enjoy the chapter. It is however, almost entirely talking.
Next chapter will start to change that as some story lines will hopefully begin to get resolved/evolve soon. I believe it is also my shortest in story chapter as it only covers one day.
Well, I'll leave my bit there and allow the story to commence.
Later,
-asdf
Chapter 14 – Daily Life
Kirito:
"Black knight…" The title is… fine, I suppose. Staring at my goddess I try and discern how she feels about it. However, she seems to be holding back her own feelings until I express mine.
"Hehe," Leafa laughs. "Maybe the gods think you're invincible!"
"Invincible?" Silica asks.
"That's right!" Leafa explains laughing. "The black knight can lose limbs and not even notice!"
"What on earth are you… Oh." Suddenly I remember that old movie my sister enjoys. Grimacing I can't believe I'm getting compared to that goofy scene.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Hestia begins, "But I think it's more of a 'White Knight' thing."
"Oh, like how Kirito saved us the day we joined the familia!" Silica commented. "I like the name! He saves people, but he dresses in black!"
"And he's invincible!" Leafa adds on, unwilling to give up the comparison to her movie.
"It seems like everyone likes it…" I accept with a shrug. "Can't really complain then."
"Not really," Hestia admits. "You're stuck with the title until you level up and another Denatus is held."
"Alright…" Trying to stay upbeat about the name, I contain my true feelings. It seems very childish, or maybe fake is the word. It portrays me as someone who runs around trying to save anyone. I don't do that, do I?
Suddenly, the exhaustion of the day catches up with me. I needed to sleep on this. And get up early to go into the dungeon. Deciding that was something I'd inform my familia of tomorrow, I head to the washroom to get ready.
"Oh, Kirito," Hestia interrupts me. "I have some ideas I want to talk to everyone about. I think tomorrow would be a good day to get as much done as possible."
Or today is fine.
Wincing, I turn around to tell Hestia of my prior engagement. "I have to go to the dungeon with my blacksmith tomorrow."
"You mean the contract you signed with Hephaestus' child?" Hestia asked, confusion plain on her face.
Belatedly I realize I never told her of my contract with Liz.
"Why do you have to go to the dungeon with them?"
"Well you see…" I begin awkwardly. "Our contract states that I'll help her get the forge ability in exchange for free equipment."
"…Her?"
Hestia's voice takes on a dangerous quality as I take a step back. "Uh, yes, Lisbeth the blacksmith."
"Why is it always girls!" Grasping her hair Hestia throws herself into the bed. "Is it too much to ask for even one male friend? But no, literally every single person you find is female? The gods hate me…"
Deciding not to point out the issue with her final sentence, I stay silent.
"I thought…"
Wincing, Leafa's words are painful. While we hadn't explicitly promised each other anything, it had been implied all week. That we'd talk tomorrow. For as long as we needed, just the two of us.
"Just uh, rest up you two. You've had a hard week and need a break."
"Wasn't yours hard too?"
Silica's innocent question lands true. I can feel the exhaustion that's seeded deep within my bones. I can fight at full power, but not for long. I need rest to restore my stamina. I should be able to take it easy tomorrow. After all, we're staying on the upper floors.
"I guess I can't really stop you…" Hestia grumbled. "Just try and manage this better in the future, you need your rest."
"Yes goddess." Bowing deeply, I apologize silently to the three of them. Before they can wrap me into anymore talk, I march into the washroom and leave any further discussion for tomorrow.
"You're off then?" Leafa asks quietly as I silently strap my gear on. Despite my best efforts to do it quietly, the small chamber amplified any and all noises.
I nod once in answer and continue with the process. My body moves lethargically in protest. All it wants to do is lay back down and recover from the trials of the middle floors.
"Remember, you make more mistakes when your tired," Leafa informs me. The disappointment is evident in every word and action.
"Yes," I agree with a sigh, "but today I'm not doing much. Catch you later."
Waving goodbye, I head out before she can keep me there with more questions. The consequences of letting Liz wait this morning would be… catastrophic.
"Ah ha! There you are."
"Liz," I greet her, waving a hand. "You look ready to go."
"Of course!" She declares angrily. At least I think it's supposed to be angry. As her mouth keeps twitching up into the shadow of a smile, it sounds more excited than anything. "This is my first time into the dungeon in a week!"
"You could have gone without me…" I retort, feeling a little guilty nonetheless.
"Nah," Liz dismisses. Rather than pressing in on my absence, she seems focused on today. "I used the time to refine my forging. I still have a bit of trouble with temperature management, but I'm getting there."
"Nice," I congratulate her. "Maybe next weekend we can talk about new armour."
Shrugging, Liz doesn't seem particularly bothered by the request. "We can do that today after the dungeon if you want. It will give me time to work on them."
"I really need to talk to my familia members today," I inform her.
Tilting her head, Liz seems confused. "Talk? Did you not have all week to talk to them?"
"Well…" Liz certainly isn't wrong. It sounds embarrassingly simple when she puts it like that. However, no matter how I think of my situation, simple doesn't come to mind.
"Ohhh," Liz begins to chuckle evilly. "It's a girl, is it?"
"It's my sister," I admit.
"EH!?" Retreating a step, Liz looks at me in horror. "Y-you and your Sister!? T-that's…"
"It's not like that!" I plead desperately. "We're not umm, together… We just… don't really get along very well."
"Oh, sorry." Liz replies abashed. "You really need to watch how you say that though…"
"Sorry," I sigh heavily. The exhaustion of the week comes out yet again. After pushing hard, Philia, Rain, and I had finally cleared the thirteenth floor. Tomorrow we were supposed to go to the fourteenth. That monumental task was still looming over my head. While Rain and Philia were both capable adventurers in their own right; having proved it when they fell to the fourteenth. Even still, I felt responsible for their safekeeping when we ventured into the dungeon.
"Wow," Liz murmurs. "Umm, if you're really tired, you can, uh, go home…"
Laughing lightly, I shake my head. "No, strangely enough I really enjoy our time together. Thank you for offering though."
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Liz's face go bright red. Was it something I said?
"Well, if you say so, then I expect you to work!" Picking up her pace, Lisbeth leads us to the dungeon at almost a jog.
Folkvangr:
"I-I can't! Argh!" Yelling in pain, the man thrashed on the ground. His right leg was a mess. A shard of bone stuck out from where the appendage took an unnatural sharp angle. As he screamed pitifully, a group of adventurers looked on emotionlessly.
This was a common occurrence in the elaborately spired mansion. It's grandiose appearance and towering heights hid the dark truth that lay within. A giant courtyard large enough for hundreds of adventurers to train.
Freya familia was notorious for their lack of sorties into the dungeon. This was why Loki familia had the reputation in the city as the strongest familia. They spent the most time in the spotlight, going on raids, killing monster rexs.
"Oh my, is a child hurt?" Walking into the courtyard, all training stopped as their goddess, Freya, entered.
"It's of no concern goddess!" In an effort to hide their fellow member's weakness, others moved to block the writhing member from sight.
"That won't do now," Freya chided them. As she walked towards the group, they respectively bowed their heads and revealed the fallen member.
Staring down at the man and his injury, Freya possessed the same cold smile she always did. Even the sight of bone and blood elicited no discernable reaction.
"Please goddess, heal me!" The man begged. Large ugly tears fell down his face as he plead with her.
This finally elicited a reaction from the goddess, a disappointed frown. "Hmm, I really like men whom can help themselves, you know?"
"Huh?"
Reaching down, Freya stroked the man's cheek. "Can you set your leg for me?"
As the force of the goddess of beauty consumed him, the man's eyes went blank and his mouth opened into a dazed state. A thin line of drool leaking out of the corner.
After a couple of seconds, his expression resolved into one of determination. "As you desire goddess."
Sitting up, the tears from before were a distant memory. The countenance was that of an entirely different person. The man had grown up a lazy gamer. Achieving little in school, he had few aspirations in life. His only pleasure was what could be found the world of video games. After he lost his parents in a car crash a year ago, his entire life fell apart. On the verge of suicide, the second summoning was a chance at a second life. A chance to play a video game and become a hero.
On the first day, he was recruited by a beautiful goddess whom possessed the strongest familia. Everything had been a dream… Until training started. Brutal combat against other members. A Royale of death. Not for a prize, or to find the strongest. The whole goal was to get stronger. Eternal combat to improve the falna engraved on his back. It was a trick that few familias exploited. One didn't need to kill monsters to get stronger. Impassioned combat of any kind would raise your status.
Now, for the first time since she had applied it all those days ago, she was here. Her touch had revolutionized him. Turned him from a sheltered boy, unused to pain, into a fervent warrior.
Knowing only the general theory about how to set a bone, he grabbed his ankle and yanked on it.
Waves of pain assaulted his mind. Even the charm of his goddess had a limit. The devotion she'd implanted warred against the pain as he attempted to fix his mangled appendage.
Groaning, his force relented. He could no longer keep the effort up.
"Once more, for me?"
Determination returning, he let's out a warcry and tried one last time. As he pulls with even more force, the bone shard begins to slowly retreat back into the leg. Vision turning red, the excruciating pain threatened to make him black out. Holding onto the love of his goddess, he struggles through.
With a revolting slurping noise, the leg resumes a normal appearance. The amateur forcing of the procedure causing far more pain than it should have.
"Well done." Freya acknowledges with a smile. "If you keep that up, you may become a fearsome adventurer one day."
As one final gift, Freya produces an elixir and lets three drops of the precious fluid fall down on the man's leg.
The healing steam rises in thick billows, evidence of the major damage that required healing.
Without a backwards glance, Freya continues her lap around the manor's courtyard.
"I though you refused to use charming as a method of inspiring children?" Ulfric asked in a low voice. The change in policy seemed strange. Especially for one as pathetic as that man.
Shrugging, Freya twirled a strand of her hair around a finger. "Before I couldn't risk it in case Zeus or Hera called me out for using my arcanum to aid in their growth. Now though, small touches like that are worth it. He just survived an adventure and is closer to levelling up."
Nodding, Ulfric accepted the response. He'd been with Freya long enough by now to see the hidden meaning behind the words. She was worried. Possibly about the news that Hermes had given her. That Thanatos was making a bid at seizing control of the city and unleashing chaos. Ulfric was confident of his abilities in a fight. But if Freya was resorting to inspiring even nobodies like that, then it couldn't be good.
Ninth floor of the dungeon:
"Hah!"
Another swing, another kill. The mace shimmered dully in the low light. The superior metal used in its crafting far surpassed any resistance the dungeon could throw in front of it. Being a blunt weapon, it crushed the Killer Ants carapaces with ruthless efficiency.
Lazily dealing with a kobold fighter coming in from a side passage, Kirito mainly just observed Liz as she worked. While he'd been initially very pleased with how she fought, a hint of uneasiness had crept into his thoughts as he continued to watch.
It wasn't that she was bad or making mistakes. It was something far more subtle. She relied on her gear to defeat the monsters. It went beyond that though; it was an overreliance.
Liz knew that the hardwork she'd put into her smithing gave her equipment far more powerful than anything the top floors of the dungeon could throw at her.
There!
Finally, Kirito got to witness a discernable example of what his senses had been telling him. Raising her shield, Liz had nonchalantly taken the blow from an enhanced Goblin. It would have been easy to avoid and counterattack. Instead Lisbeth had taken the blow and replied in kind. That fighting style wouldn't work against stronger monsters.
A blow from an Orc would have crushed her arm with the shield undented. One could argue that she'd know not to try and do that against an Orc. It doesn't matter, Kirito decided. Building good habits is what's important.
"I did it!"
Celebrating, Liz gave Kirito a big thumbs up as the final monster fell.
"Congratulations," Kirito replied easily. Only a few corpses surrounded him. Evidence of the little work he had to put in.
"Oh…" Liz muttered after seeing them. With a white face she realized her mistake. She hadn't even known other monsters had shown up.
"It's no big deal…" Kirito consoled her, "when you're in a party anyway."
"I see…" Liz sighs. The previous exuberance had faded into a sulky mask. "What did you think of my fighting though?"
"I think you're very skilled…"
The words lit afresh Lisbeth's eyes with new joy.
"…but you rely on your equipment too much."
"Oh…" Instantly the flames were quenched as quickly as they were lit. "I guess I'll just keep practicing then…"
"Ah, h-hold up Liz." Stuttering slightly, Kirito doesn't know how to handle this depressed version of the blacksmith. She's been demanding and angry and teasing and happy before. But he's never seen this obvious depression on her face.
Without thinking Kirito runs up a few steps and catches her hand. Nothing happens for a few seconds as Lisbeth looks their entwined fingers than up at Kirito's face.
"Why do you do this?" The words are questioning and quiet. Even as she asks, she does nothing to pull her hand away from the warm embrace in which she's found it.
"Oh, I just wanted to…" Once again Kirito's words failed him. What had he wanted to do? Looking into her large, warm brown eyes, Kirito couldn't exactly remember what he was trying to do.
"Why do you act like you care about me?" Liz clarifies. This time she rips her hand out of his. "You did this last time too. Praised my work, was overly kind. Then… you disappeared for a week. Now, you show up out of the blue and start it all over again."
"I… I'm just trying to be your friend." Kirito replied lamely.
"I bet that's what you tell all the girls…"
Liz's words are quiet, inaudible to a normal person. With his enhanced hearing, Kirito believes he managed to discern them.
"Alrighty then!" Turning back around, Liz has her characteristic smile on her face. "What should we do now then to help me improve?"
Despite the return to warmth, Kirito couldn't help but feel that a wall had risen up between them. With a hole in his stomach, Kirito began telling Liz her mistakes in how she fought and how to fix them. An eager listener, Liz rapidly absorbed the knowledge. With forced eagerness, she searched for an opponent upon which she could try them out.
Tenth floor of the Dungeon:
"Dammit… Again?" Cursing his luck, the fallen swordsman stared balefully up at the towering orc. Around his head flapped a Bad Bat. Having been flanked, the cry of the bad had debilitated him, leaving him at the mercy of the Orc. Flashes of a similar scene that played out just last week crossed his vision. Then he'd managed to save himself through sheer luck.
This time he knew better than to count on that again. He used all his luck last time. Besides, he thought dumbly, she had warned him of this. Looking up, the swordsman couldn't move as the club of the Orc began its final descent. The hard-wooden object would kill him, of that the swordsman was confident.
Trying to force life back into his legs, he wanted to at least die fighting. Failing to force himself up, he stared angrily at the object that would unfairly end his journey before it ever really began. To make a blade that surpassed magic swords. To create a weapon that was on the level of the gods themselves.
In the moments before the club connected all the swordsman could do was close his eyes and wait for the end. Inside he felt no rage or fear, only endless regret. As he waited, no pain came, no end to his mortal existence.
Feeling strength begin to return, he forced himself up and looked around. As he did so, it felt like the past few seconds hit him a wave. The scream of the orc as its severed arm went soaring through the air. The stranger who stood beside him and asked if everything was alright.
Taking this all in silently, the swordsman slowly blinked once. When that didn't change anything, he rubbed his eyes and took in the scene again. Once more, it was the same. Tilting back his head, the swordsman released long peals of laughter.
"Uh, are you alright man?" Taking a step back, his saviour nervously scratched his head. No doubt wondering if the man had suffered some sort of brain injury.
"Can't believe I was saved!" The swordsman replied in a hearty voice, a large smile on his face. He stood of a height with his rescuer. Standing there looking at each other, they appeared to be long lost brothers. The human and the elf both possessed the same flaming red hair and wild personality.
"It was all my pleasure!" The elven rescuer assured him. A goofy smile growing on his face. Try as he might, he already liked this man. Unconcerned about typical elven traditions he stuck out his hand. "Klein, Modi familia."
"Welf, Hephaestus familia."
Backstreets of Orario:
"Why are all these adventurers useless?" Lili mumbled to herself as she navigated the confusing alleyways. Her temporary Chienthrope tail swished back and forth in irritation. She was so close. Freedom from her familia lay only a couple more robberies away.
Yet now was the time where she couldn't find anything to steal. Everything worth value she spotted was held by people whom she didn't dare try to steal from. It was frustrating beyond belief.
She knew what she had to do. She had to find a party and descend once more into the labyrinth beneath her. It would only be for awhile, but still. With the theft of the golden egg she had assumed that her stealing days were done. Not that adventurers deserved anything else…
Shaking her head, Lili forced the traitorous thoughts away from her mind. Trusting the ones from the other world would be foolish. Sure, there were no stories about them accosting innocents, yet. It was only a matter of time until the adventurer within them awoke and they became as depraved as the rest.
"Oof!"
"Huh?" The impact shocked Lili back to reality. Despite her small frame and low status, she'd knocked someone to the ground. The thought was humorous to her. An event that she'd been on the losing side of so many times.
Figuring it must be a child, Lili examined the fallen figure. A young cat girl around her height. Wearing loose fitting clothes, Lili instantly assumed she wasn't an adventurer.
"Here, let me help you."
"Huh?" Pausing the figure stopped rubbing their behind and locked eyes with Lili. "Ah, thank you."
"Don't mention it." Pulling the catgirl up, Lili went to walk past her.
"H-hold on!" the girl cried.
Glancing back in irritation, Lili found her hand being held by the young catgirl. Giving her an annoyed glance, Lili tried to pull her hand out of her grip. Lili's status had never been high. She hadn't had a status update in half a year. Nonetheless, it was more than enough to rip her hand away from a random civilian. Yet, as Lili pulled, she realized this girl was stronger than her.
"I-I wanted to ask you something!" the catgirl plead pathetically.
Tsking in irritation, Lili stared angrily at this innocent looking girl whom was obviously an adventurer. She tried to tell herself that no doubt even this girl is evil at her core.
Nodding brusquely, Lili waited for her release so that she could get away from her and the confusing image she generated.
"Do you know where I can buy carrots?"
"Huh?" Of all the questions Lili was prepared for, this was the last that would have crossed her mind. Why was her demeanor so serious if all she wanted was to buy carrots?
"I-I kind of lost my way," the girl admitted. "I thought I knew this part of the city, but…"
Understanding clicked for Lili. The girl's forward nature wasn't aggression. She was scared. "Come."
Unable to say any more, Lili began walking towards the market. Her emotions were a mess at this point. An adventurer lost in the city. How humorous.
"Thank you so much!" The girl said fervently. Finally releasing Lili's wrist, she walked almost pressed into her.
Sighing, Lili shook her head. The helpless girl reminded her of herself. A far younger, less jaded version. One that still naively believed in the good of each person. Before she'd had her eyes opened to the cruel nature of the world, no, to the cruelty of adventurers. "So, what brings you out here by yourself? Don't you have a familia?" The question surprised Lili. Normally she'd never have said anything. No, normally she would have pointed in the direction of the market and took off.
"Well," the girl began slowly. As she started talking, the catgirls face heated up in embarrassment. "The leader of my familia is in the dungeon and uh the other girl is helping our goddess with math which was boring. So, I snuck out to buy food."
"Eating without them?" Lili accuses her.
"No!" she denies, rapidly shaking her head. As if the very thought was anathema to her. "I wanted to make them dinner for all of their hard work!"
"I see…" Lili whispers. Part of her begged for more conversation, another part demanded silence. As the catgirl talked it only increased Lili's confusion. Finally, she came up with a compromise that settled the war raging inside. That this catgirl isn't a real adventure. She's probably a young girl being exploited as a supporter.
"Will your familia beat you when they discover that you snuck out?"
"What?" Looking at Lili aghast, the catgirl finally took a step away from her. "Of course, then won't! My familia is awesome."
"All adventurers are the same. You'll realize that soon enough…"
"You're wrong!" She declared even more fervently. "I trust them with my life!"
Once again that uneasiness started back up within Lili. How was this young girl so confident that her familia cared for her? Why couldn't she consider that she was being kept around as bait to feed to a monster party?
"Well, here's the market…"
"Thank you so much!" Reaching forward, Lili had her unwilling hand violently shook. Turning around to leave, the Catgirl took two steps into the crowd before stopping.
Not taking her eyes off the Catgirl, Lili waited while the figure stood in place before slowly turning around to face her. "Uhh, can you help me shop?"
The pathetic question brings a smile to Lili's face. It also confirmed her assumptions. This girl was too young and too innocent to be left along. Lili would save her from her cruel fate as she saved herself.
Maybe after, they can escape Orario together. Set up a nice business in a remote village and pass the days staring at cute farm boys.
Convinced in her vision, Lili, hidden behind her mask set out on her mission. The journey of the naïve cat and the fake dog.
Tenth floor of the Dungeon:
"Great! Now dodge this swing!"
"I'm not just going to let it hit me!" Lisbeth retorts angrily to Kirito's guidance.
"Well obviously, but you know!"
"Shut up and let me fight!"
Rolling his eyes, Kirito otherwise stayed silent as Liz fought the category large monster. He knew Liz was strong enough to defeat it, but he kept himself ready to intervene. Holding his drawn sword loosely at his side, Kirito knew he kill the beast in less than a second from where he was standing.
"Just die you big, ugly… Thing!" Slamming her mace solidly into the Orc's side yielded little more than a minor stumble and an angry roar. Against some enemies, like the killer ants, blunt weapons were far more effective. Liz was now meeting an opponent where the opposite held true. The rolls of fat that the Orc possessed worked wonders at absorbing the force from blunt weapons.
"Calm down," Kirito soothed. Frowning Kirito was worried that Liz would get frustrated and make a mistake. The attacks from her mace may not yield the same obvious effects, but they were hurting the creature.
"Don't tell me to calm down, Mr. Too Strong for this floor!"
Wincing, Kirito could only feel like he deserved that. For some reason as the day proceeded, his relationship with Liz only continued to sour. It seemed like every question he answered only made her angrier. It was such a difference to how their relationship started that he was shocked.
Now though, events of the day they met kept coming back. Telling him to beat it before realizing that he was the one she was waiting for. Also, the storekeeper wishing him luck.
After that, and until now, they had been fine together. Sure, Liz had the right to be mad at him, but still! Grumbling to himself, Kirito decided he'd talk to Liz after this fight. Strangely, the thought of talking to a girl his age about feelings no longer seemed quite as strange. Of course, talking to a girl at all before he came to this world was a no-go.
"Hey! There's one over here!" A strange voice rang out from the fog.
"You can afford to take another break…" A second, tired voice answered. For some reason it sounded familiar to Kirito, even muffled by the fog as it was.
"There's a girl in trouble here!" With just that line, a figure rushed towards the Orc Lisbeth was just finishing off.
"Not you!" Liz's enraged voice finally grabbed Kirito's full attention.
The intruder's thick sword cut through the Orc's flesh and finished off the gravelly injured beast with ease.
No eyes followed it as it crashed to the ground, however. Lisbeth was glaring at the man whom killed it, while Kirito gaped at his friend who followed behind.
"Yo, hey Liz…"
"Klein?"
"Kirito! Long time no see."
With Klein's over-the-top cry of excitement, the other man, as well turned towards Kirito. "Are you…? The Black Knight?"
Hiding his wince, Kirito nodded. The name sounded ridiculous when said like that.
"Don't think you can steal him!" Liz broke in. Striding swiftly, Liz stood half a step-in front of Kirito and half a step to the side.
"Wow!" Klein spoke once again, "You got yourself quite the cute girlfriend!"
"Cute?"
"We're uh, not dating…"
"She could use a boyfriend to calm her down…"
"What's that supposed to mean!?"
One thing was becoming abundantly clear to Kirito. That whomever this guy was, he did not get along with Liz. Eyes flickering back and forth between them, Kirito didn't know why, however.
"Easy everyone!" Klein soothed the group. Stepping between the two glares, the older man instantly managed to command the attention of the group.
Narrowing his eyes, Kirito could feel the difference. Klein had moved up since last time they'd met. He was… "Level two."
"That's right!" Klein replied exuberantly. "Just did it two days ago! Too late to get a title unlike you Mr. Black Knight."
"Urgh," Kirito winced as if receiving a physical blow. It was as if every time he heard the title, it became a little worse. "Anyway, congratulations on that."
"Thanks dude, so what do you think is up with these two?"
"I can talk you know," Lisbeth grumped.
"Why can't you ever just chill out," the man groans.
"How do you know him, Liz?" Kirito asks. Mainly as a way of stopping the conversation from devolving into something worse.
"He's in my familia," she answers immediately. "The oh-so-great, Welf Crozzo," she spat, with particular emphasis on his last name.
"Good to meet you?" Kirito asked Welf, confused by Liz's immense dislike of the man.
"You seem pretty cool," Welf replied after a brief pause. Kirito could only assume that he was worried about something. Did it have to do with Liz's focus on his last name?
"Cooler than being our Goddess' pet," Liz huffed. All the while, she grabbed Kirito's arm and held it close to her body. "You've stolen your kill, now move on, won't you?"
"Now hold up!" Klein declared. "Let's work this out!"
"There is nothing to work out," Welf shrugged. "She's just jealous I'm a better smith than her."
"Better cheater!" Liz fired back.
"Cut it out," Kirito growled. "At least behave civilly."
Kneeling her head, Lisbeth looked ashamed for the first time.
"So, introduce me!" Klein declared.
"In your dreams," Kirito shoots back, smiling all the while. He didn't have many interactions with the older samurai, but each one of them had been positive.
"Aww," Klein pouts. "I feel like you have a new one every time we meet…"
"Ha…" Laughing lightly, Kirito prayed that Klein didn't figure out about Leafa or Silica. He'd end up drowning in Klein's drool.
"So, where's your familia?" Kirito asks, trying to change the direction of the conversation.
"At home," Klein shrugs. "They wanted another day off, so I came here for some light training before the middle floors."
"That's awesome," Kirito replied seriously. "I'm still trying to get through them myself."
"Nice," Klein replies, "I'm catching up to you then."
"Yes," Kirito sighs.
It wasn't that Klein was catching up, it was what it meant overall. That any enemies that may appear would also be catching up. It was a depressing thought.
"Anyway," Klein continues, "that was when I found Welf here! He's a great guy!"
Laughing boisterously, Kirito finally got a chance to observe them standing side by side. They could have been brothers.
"Hear that, Liz, a great guy!"
Liz only rolled her eyes in response.
"Thinking about signing a contract with him," Klein explained. "All he wants in exchange is a party to help him reach level two!"
Kirito took the opportunity to cast a superstitious glance at Liz. The Blacksmith at least has the grace to blush.
"Yeah, with your skill, I'm sure I'll hit it in no time!"
The words seemed aimed at Lisbeth yet again. Frowning Kirito decided to get to the bottom of this. "What exactly happened between the two of you?"
Shrugging, Welf was the first to reply. "I agreed to help Liz in the dungeon and at the forge. After she heard some stuff, she got mad at me."
If Kirito hadn't had a lot of recent practice at navigating treacherous relationships, he'd have believed the friendly blacksmith. However, a couple ends didn't line up. "Liz?"
"I mean… He isn't lying…" She agreed reluctantly. "But I was the first one to take sympathy on you! I stood up for you and you never even told me the truth!"
Like a switch had been flipped, Lisbeth bombarded Welf with accusations. The man's jolly expression finally crumpled into one resembling guilt.
Looking at each other, Kirito and Klein couldn't help but feel like they'd walked into the middle of a far bigger conflict than it had initially seemed.
"Do you want to leave?" Kirito whispered into Liz's ear. He may not have known Liz for long, but the sound of betrayal in her voice was heartbreaking.
"Do you think I like being reminded of my heritage?" Welf yelled back after thinking about the words for a moment. "I'm going to surpass my status with skill, not use it!"
"Well I would!" Liz retorted, matching the other Blacksmith word for word. "I'd do everything in my power so that I can return to my world. But you won't sacrifice your pride for your friends…"
Locking gazes, the two blacksmiths simply stared at each other; a battle of wills. Two opposing views where neither party was willing to yield.
"Come on Kirito, let's go." Talking first, Liz turned around and pulled Kirito away from her opposing Blacksmith. They had said no words, but the decision was final. They'd let their weapons decide whom the better blacksmith was.
Kirito cast one final glance back at Klein. All they could do was shrug at each other. What went through Blacksmiths' heads was beyond either of them.
Shopping District:
"Silica! It's so great to see you!"
"We looked everywhere for you!"
"Oh, ah, sorry about that…" Shuffling from foot to foot, Silica bowed her head apologetically. Nonetheless, her cat tail swished from side-to-side with obvious excitement.
"Is this your famili…" Trailing off, Lili could only look on it surprise at the Goddess to whom Silica belonged. She'd told her it was Hestia, but Lili hadn't realized that she meant this Goddess.
Hestia's unusual figure often featured in Lili's nightmares seconds before Ganesha's New Cane captured her. It had been a foolish theft for little reward. Lili still wondered what stupidity led her to that act.
"Oh, have you made a friend?" Hestia asked with a kind smile. Despite the two of them being the same height, Hestia treated Lili like a young child. "Did you help Silica find her way."
"Yes!" Silica crowed happily, interrupting the question not asked to her. "This is Lili! She's great!"
Bowing slightly, Lili performed one for Hestia, and one for Leafa whom stood silently behind her.
"Lili, this is my goddess Hestia, and my new friend Leafa!"
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Leafa introduced herself matching Lili's bow.
Instantly, Lili's adept eyes caught the refined movements that Leafa used to make the motion. The way she automatically shifted her blade to pull off the feat. This was a warrior in front of her. Lili made a mental note to be careful of her.
"Do you need something?" Hestia asks, after several seconds of silence.
"Oh, no…" Lili starts automatically and then stops herself. She needs to find out where they live so that Lili could stake the house out and make sure Silica was doing well. She couldn't simply say this though… Mind whirring, Lili created and discarded a dozen options in the span of a few seconds.
"Look at all the food we bought!" Silica exclaims, shattering Lili's thoughts. "Why don't we all go eat supper together?"
"At the church?" Leafa asks confused.
"Of course!" Silica declares.
"I'm sure Lili's a nice girl…" Hestia begins.
"She is!" Silica finished. "She was super worried about my well-being."
"Was she?" Hestia hesitated, "well… sure, come along Lili! I can't not help you after you took care of Silica for me! …As long as your gone before Kirito comes back."
"Yeah!" Silica cheered. "It's not much, but you'll really like it. It's cozy."
"Thank you…" Lili murmured. The kindness shown to her by this strange goddess had unnerved her. Her own god had never even spoken to her before. Lili wished she could return the money she'd stolen that day.
Kirito:
"Do you want to talk about it?"
The dungeon was silent as they plodded along back to the surface. With Lisbeth in no condition to fight any monsters, Kirito slaughtered anything they came across with a single slash. The display of talent didn't lift Liz's eyes from the rocky floor.
"No…" She sulked in response, "yes…"
Staying silent, Kirito waited for his personal blacksmith to start. He had a feeling that this is part of what had caused issues between the two of them today.
"I… I was just so lost after the speech in the coliseum. I wandered the city for a long time. The person I encountered wasn't Hephaestus… It was Welf. He brought me to my eventual familia when I told him I was interested in blacksmithing."
"I see…" Kirito murmured sympathetically. "It must be hard to get betrayed by your first friend."
"He didn't really…" Liz sighed in answer.
The morose expression on her face was hard to look at. I wish there was something I could do to comfort her, but any action felt like an overextension of my rights.
"He just talked about how no one in his familia were willing to go into the dungeon with him, and they all kind of shunned him," Liz explained. "I mean, so of course I asked if I could help, go into the dungeon with him, you know?"
"That's when the other members began approaching me, telling me that Welf prioritizes his selfish beliefs over the safety of his friends."
"You didn't take that well, did you?" I mumble, beginning to understand why Liz felt like an outcast in her familia.
"I did not," Liz answered with a small smile. "Yelled at anyone who'd even suggest something similar in earshot."
"You and him against the world," I note with a light laugh. Anything to try and ease the heavy tension setting upon us.
"Yeah, exactly," Liz laughed, her expression lightening a little. "Hephaestus still treated me well, gave me lessons which further lowered my reputation."
Nodding along with the words, I remember hearing something like that.
"That continued for over a month," Liz sighs. "One day during a lesson with Hephaestus I asked her if the rumours are true, if Welf can indeed forge magic swords at level one."
"Magic swords?" I break in dumbly.
"Weapons you swing and magic shoots out of them," Liz explained. "Break after a certain number of uses."
"I know what they are," I reply testily. "I'm just confused about why it's important."
Rolling her eyes, Liz begins to fill me in on my sorely lacking smithing knowledge. "To be fair, magic swords themselves aren't important. They are typically used by adventurers as a sort of get out of jail free card. An expensive item that allows even the weakest supporter to summon a hurricane of flames to blow a monster party away with."
"Are they really that strong?" I ask curiously, interrupting her explanation with another question. I've only seen them in shops, even small daggers costing around a million valis.
Lisbeth doesn't seem to mind. "Nah, that was a bit of an exaggeration. Most magic swords won't deal with an entire monster party, but they are plenty strong enough to kill isolated foes."
"I see, please continue."
"Well, continuing on my last point, magic swords are of course, magic. It doesn't matter how long you hammer on a piece of steel; it won't suddenly gain the ability to shoot flames you know?"
Frowning, Liz's explanation makes a lot of sense, "so, how are they made?"
"One needs the advanced ability forge in order to imbue the metal with the power of magic."
Eyes widening, everything starts to come together. Advanced abilities can only be gained upon leveling up, like my aura ability. "If Welf can make magic swords at level one then…"
"It's apparently a skill," Liz explains before I can finish my question. "Inherited by every Crozzo family member."
"That sounds…"
"Extremely unfair?" Liz snorts dryly. "Well after hearing this from Hephaestus I was a bit unsettled but I stuck by him. After all, the others are just jealous, right?"
"I'm guessing that's not it?" I joke, feeling uneasy about what's coming next.
"Anyway, it wasn't long after that, that we went into the dungeon together, seventh floor I believe it was."
Swallowing, it's hard to contain my shiver. Any story that begins with 'In the dungeon', is bound to have a nasty end.
"We heard screams and followed them, I'm sure you can guess that we found."
"A horde of Killer Ants?" I ask grimly.
"Uh huh," Liz nods, confirming my suspicions. "Big one, mercilessly slaughtering this party. By the time we showed up, at least two of them were already dead."
This time I do shiver. The blank faces of the people I was unable to save appearing before me. Their sightless eyes staring into my soul.
"Well, we did the only thing we could, we fought. I wasn't as strong then and Welf's sword wasn't ideal for killing the creatures. It was a hard slog, but we eventually vanquished the horde…"
As Liz trailed off, I only saw one end to this story. "None of them made it, did they?"
In response to my quiet question, tears welled up at the corners of her eyes. "There was one… A cute girl, she couldn't have been more than thirteen. I held her in my arms as she bled to death. We could only watch, neither of us had the medicine or the magic to heal her."
"I'm so sorry…"
"They were all from our world," Liz continued as if she didn't hear me at all. "She asked me if I'd find her parents when the dungeon is cleared. To apologize to them that she wasn't strong enough."
All I could do is stand there. Mouth flapping noiselessly, I feel the stab of my own answering tears demanding to be released. The young girl in front of me should never have had to witness something like that.
"She only got the game because her friends asked her too…" Liz continued, obviously reliving the day. "she said she preferred gymnastics. She wanted to go to the Olympics one day. Compete in rhythmic gymnastics…"
The story was too much. The story of the fallen girl I'd never met. Reaching out a hand, I rub Liz's shoulder. As soon as I make contact Liz begins to break down. Burying her head in my shoulder we stand wrapped in an embrace in an abandoned corner of the dungeon.
Her wails are muted as they collide with my cloak. Silently, my own tears drip onto her back unnoticed. They quickly stop, however. The warmth emanating from Liz's body quickly thaws the ice her story had built.
"I would have thought that the experience would have bonded you together…" Expressing my doubts, I figure moving on with the story is better than lingering on the death.
"You've forgotten something," Liz mumbles, her words muffled by my cloak.
"Magic swords?"
Nodding, Liz finally extracts herself from me and wipes her eyes. "Sorry about that… I thought I'd gotten over it."
"It's no problem," I assure her, "anytime."
"A-anytime…" Repeating after me, Liz's goes bright red as she turns away from me. "W-we should continue our trek to the surface."
"A-ah, yes…" Replying weakly, I hide my answering blush. As soon as I heard Liz's words, I understood what I'd said. Not that Liz couldn't hug me anytime…
"The first thing I did was ask him why he didn't use a magic sword."
The sentence focuses me. It's a good question. You'd expect someone who can make magic swords to at least take one into the dungeon with them.
"He said he didn't have any," Liz continued, her voice hard. A thin line of anger running through it. "That was basically the end of everything as I finally understood what the others had tried to warn me about."
"That he doesn't value his friends…" I speak, remembering the words Liz had used earlier.
A sharp nod confirms them. "I yelled at him about it, and he yelled back. That magic swords only let the owner down. That they break first and other garbage."
I try to resolve what Liz is telling me with the happy-go-lucky smith I'd met less than an hour ago. It's hard though. It's like imagining Klein yelling in anger.
"I told him that he's not strong enough without them to protect everyone. I called him a hypocrite and left."
Burying the growing anger at this blacksmith, I attempt to consider it from his point of view. He was stuck with the power to create magic swords, clearly a power he didn't want. I just can't understand why he doesn't want to make them.
"I asked Hephaesuts about that," Liz continues.
Blinking, I realize the question must have slipped out. That's a bad tendency that may get me in trouble one day.
"She said it has to do with his last name, Crozzo. His family comes from the kingdom of Rakia in this world, somewhere North of Orario. They used to be nobles, owning land and mansions and whatnot."
"Because they can all make magic swords?" I ask dumbfounded. Sure, it's convenient to not need the forge ability, but still.
"No," Liz counters, "because they can make the strongest magic swords in the world."
"What?"
"That's right," Liz nodded grimly. "His family made magic swords for Rakia that they used to begin conquering the world."
All of a sudden, images flashed before my eyes. Two medieval armies lined up across from each other. Steel weapons glittering in the light as one side casually saunters at the others. Charging, one side runs at the others, fear in their eyes. Meanwhile the approaching force merely smiles sadistically and swings their weapons. A torrent of instant magic flying out from a hundred places. Not a battle, a slaughter.
"No one could stop them until they came to an elven forest."
"Did the magic of the elves come out on top?" I ask hopefully. That's what happens in the stories, isn't it?
"Not at all," Liz laughs sourly. "The entire forest was burnt to the ground, the elves were forced to flee to other lands."
Face blanching, I can scarcely imagine the scene. A forest fire consuming the homes of the near immortal creatures. Thick pillars of black smoke and ash falling everywhere as the billowing spurts of flame race from tree to tree, seeking more fuel for its endless appetite.
"After that, the Crozzo family became unable to make magic swords."
"What?" I ask in confusion, "but then Welf?"
"Is an exception to the rule," Liz cut me off. "No one knows why, but he is."
With that I feel like I finally understand. The history of his familia and making magic swords weighed against the lives of those he brings into the dungeon with him.
For me, it's no contest at all. I'd take any shred of power I can to protect those whom I care about.
Would I?
Memories of my second day in this world assault me. The skill I'd acquired that I didn't want. The Gilded Hero. I had been embarrassed by the name. That I was essentially a fake. It had taken until the fight with that barbarian outside the benevolent mistress to finally open my eyes. To appreciate the ability I'd been given to protect my friends, even when I'm not strong enough to.
"It sounded like there was a competition between the two of you," I ask instead.
"Ah, kind of…" Liz admitted slowly, blushing a little. "It happened about a week ago. Welf was seriously injured in the dungeon and would have died without intervention from some passersby's. I went to see him in the infirmary, talked a little. I asked if he was going to start bringing magic swords with him into the dungeon, he obviously refused. We yelled at each other and then I told him that he should just make the magic blades since I was going to be a better blacksmith than him anyway."
"Oh," chuckling lightly, I can picture an irate Liz doing just that. "And are you a better blacksmith than him?"
"Of course not," see snorts in answer. "He's been forging since he could walk. I think I can catch up, however. No, I know I will!"
"I think you will to," I agree with her. I keep the addendum to myself. That if this ex-noble blacksmith finds his path and commits himself to it, he will likely be unsurpassable.
"Thanks Kirito," Liz beams. "For everything… I'm uh, sorry I snapped at you."
"It's no problem," I assure her with a gentle smile. "Like I said, don't be afraid to ask whenever you need something."
"That should be my line," Liz laughs, "after all, I'm the one making your armour now."
Hestia familia home:
I'm so jealous!
The thought continued to engrave itself more and more in Lili's mind the longer she spent with this familia. None of them seemed to have a grasp on the dangers of Orario that dwelled just under the surface of its peaceful façade. None of them were jaded, none of them were seeking to undermine each other in the pursuit of more power.
"Well, that certainly was a delicious meal!" Hestia declared. The intent behind the statement was clear, it was time for Lili to go.
"Yes, thank you for inviting me into your home…" Lili murmured, bowing deeply.
"You're leaving already?" Silica asked despairingly. "You didn't even get to meet Kirito!"
"Yes, a real shame!" Hestia declared with a fake smile.
It had taken Lili awhile to figure out why this goddess didn't want to meet her familia captain. When she'd figured it out, she'd almost burst out laughing in the middle of the meal. The goddess was enamored by him and didn't want competition.
Normally, Lili would have been happy to oblige, she had no interest in some random adventurer. Now though, Lili was worried that he was the person responsible for dragging Silica into the dungeon. If he was, Lili was prepared for the heaps of danger that trying to rescue Silica would bring.
Sighing internally, Lili was beginning to doubt that Silica actually needed rescue from anything. If her mind was made up, Lili couldn't force Silica to abandon her familia and Orario. Even if that's what Lili wanted to do.
"When will I see you again Lili?" Silica asked happily. "I'd like it if you could show me more of the city."
Almost instinctively nodding, Hestia's words broke in. "Don't pester her, Silica!" Hestia berated the young catgirl, "she probably has her own friends among her familia and spends her free time with them."
"I don't…" Lili countered. "Most of my familia don't know my name."
"Oh…" Hestia replied sadly, a dark mood over the room.
"What familia do you belong to?" Leafa inquired.
Glancing over at the black-haired swordswoman, Lili answered without considering lying, "Soma familia. He doesn't have any enemies, so we're free to party with who we want."
"That's great!" Silica declared. "Then Lili, will you teach me how to be a supporter?"
"Huh?" The question came from left field. Lili had told them that she was a supporter in the dungeon, but certainly never expected this to happen.
"I'm back!" An unfamiliar male voice declared. "And what was that about supporters?"
Turning towards the entrance, Lili watched as a man dressed in a black cloak, with black clothes underneath descended the stairs. His relationship with Leafa was instantly apparent. The black hair and piercing black eyes were identical.
"Kirito!" All three of the girls beamed at the same time.
Glancing between them, Lili struggled to not burst into laughter. All three of them liked this rather unassuming boy. It was like some scene from a comedic play with a tragic end. It was the only explanation as he certainly didn't resemble any of the famous heroes Lili had heard about who had formed harems. It was baffling for Lili.
"I'm sorry, who are you?"
The question brought Lili's attention back to the boy. As captain of this familia, Lili knew there were certain respects she had to pay. "Lililuka Arde, Soma familia." She muttered while bowing deeply.
"Kirito, Hestia familia," he murmured back respectfully.
"So, how was the dungeon, Mr. Black Knight?" Leafa asked teasingly.
The title made Kirito wince, While Lili's eyes opened in disbelief. "You're the black knight!?"
"Can you not say it like that," Kirito moaned pathetically. "I can't say I'm particularly fond of it."
The fastest person to hit level two out of anyone ever. Lili knew that the adventurers from the other world had a natural advantage, but still. All of a sudden, the girls' affection for him made a little more sense.
At his words, Leafa cackled evilly. Enjoying the discomfort of her brother.
"I'm not sure why," Hestia frowned. "It's better than most of the other suggestions."
At this Kirito physically shivered in horror. He still hadn't seen Philia, only heard the news of her title. Rain's must have been better since Kirito never heard what it was.
"A-anyway!" Kirito began, hoping to get attention off his title. "The dungeon was umm… interesting. Also, what was that about supporters I heard?"
As one, the girls' eyes locked onto Silica. Faced with the gazes of three people, she blushed deeply. "K-Kirito is really strong!" Silica began earnestly. "With how fast Leafa is improving I won't be able to keep up. That's why I want to be a supporter. So, I can support them in the dungeon!"
The naïve words almost melted the heart that Lili thought had frozen over long ago. She'd never heard a desire like this before. Almost every permanent supporter had once been an adventurer. After hitting their limits or finding themselves unable to grow, they gave up and switched to supporting. The other kind of supporters were adventurers who were aiding stronger members of their familia, typically to gain knowledge about a floor they weren't strong enough for yet.
Lili's first instinct was to reject her, however… Glancing around the room, Lili realized that none of them were from this world. Therefore, Kirito would be the most senior adventurer with a little over two months of experience. They didn't have anyone who could teach them about the dungeon, furthermore, it aligned neatly with Lili's original goal.
"Look," Hestia sighed, "she's clearly busy with her own things. Plus, I'm sure her time is too expensive to hire her…"
"I'll do it," Lili declared. "But you better be prepared to work hard!"
"Yes!" Silica answered, snapping into a military salute.
The precious catgirl brought the ghost of a smile to Lili's face. All the while, the logical part of her, that Lili had spent many ruthless years cultivating, was screaming at her stupidity. This was the exact opposite of what Lili needed right now. She needed a high-profile accessory that she could steal and sell for a lot of money so that she could buy her way out of her familia.
"W-wait!" Leafa interrupted. "Are you not coming with me into the dungeon tomorrow?"
The slight hurt in Leafa's voice gave pause to Silica.
"We could always do a mini expedition," Kirito offered as a compromise. "Talk to Miach familia and all of us can go together."
"Down to what floor?" Lili asks apprehensively.
"Good point," Kirito agrees with a frown. "I won't risk taking people without salamander wool into the middle floors… so… twelve?"
Lili purses her lips but stays silent. Twelve was within her range. The casual mention of the middle floors made her back crawl. These people had barely begun adventuring and already had entered a zone that took most people years or even their whole life to enter.
"I'm down," Leafa agreed noncommittally. However, an almost undetectable surge of excitement underlay them. Like Silica, Leafa was excited to see her brother in the dungeon.
"This sounds awesome!" Silica added, confirming the plan.
"Alright," Kirito smiles, "then I'll go over to the Blue pharmacy and see if they agree."
"I'll come with you," Leafa volunteered quickly.
"Hehe, sounds like you're minds are made up," Hestia smiles at her familia warmly. "Come back quickly you two, you'll need your sleep for tomorrow!"
With a, "yes goddess!" Kirito and Leafa left for the blue pharmacy.
Leafa:
The evening sky is beautiful. Walking along the street, I can't help but stare in amazement at the variety of reds and oranges that paint the walls and roofs of the surrounding buildings.
However, even the view isn't enough to make me forget the awkward silence. I want to say something, anything, to at least start the conversation. Casting another furtive glance at my brother, we lock eyes. Maintaining it for one more second, I turn away at the same time he does. It's comforting to know he's in the exact same scenario that I am.
"Have you adjusted to this world?"
At first, I think I imagine them. Looking over again, I see Kirito looking at me quizzically. Glad I don't have to start the conversation, I nod. "To be honest, I'm really enjoying being here. I think that's just because you're here though…"
"That's good…"
Kirito's awkward reply has a trace of forced cheer in it. Had my last comment been awkward? Mind whirring at max speed, I realize how nervous I am. If I wasn't breathing through my nose, I'd be hyperventilating right now. I can't help it though. I desperately want to get along with Kirito, my big brother.
"Oh right! How'd your kendo tournament go?"
"My kendo tournament?" The words are incomprehensible. I expected any manner of statement or question, however, that wasn't one of them.
"Yes, the one you had the day the servers went live." Kirito explains with a gentle smile. If a little condescending.
"Oh… I won it I suppose." Dredging up those memories were a challenge. It felt as if none of it existed except the horror of staring down at Kirito's unmoving body.
"That's great!" Kirito exclaims happily. "With how talented you are at kendo I'm sure you'll be a great adventurer in no time."
"Thank you," I reply, ducking my head as I blush lightly. At times like this I wish I had longer hair so I could hide behind my bangs. The praise has set my chest alight. A surge of giddiness that makes me want to jump up and down.
If I'd seen one of my friends at school act like this around a boy, I know exactly what I'd tease her of. The thought is terrifying, and I don't know what to make of it. That one word, cousin, haunts the back of my thoughts.
As the silence stretches, my mind works frantically for how to stop that from happening. "I do find myself in awkward scenarios sometimes when I over-rely on kendo."
"Oh, how so?" Kirito asks curiously.
Relief coursing through me, I elaborate on how the monsters aren't kendo opponents. Also, there are no rules here, I've handicapped myself a few times by forcing myself into using fair strikes.
"I see," Kirito laughs as I finish my explanation. "That should get beaten out of you fairly quickly," he shrugs, apparently unconcerned. "If it worries you, we can always spar in the morning before going to the dungeon."
"R-really?" I ask, my voice rising in excitement.
"Of course," Kirito laughs. "I'd do anything for you."
My mind goes blank at the words. Feet halted in place; I stare unseeingly. A warm feeling on the top of my head shakes me out of my trance. Kirito's hand is slowly rubbing my head.
"Onii-chan…"
"Ah, oh sorry Sugu… I mean Leafa…"
Even as Kirito's cheeks heat up and he averts his gaze I can't take my eyes off him. Where had this kind brother been? Why did he have to leave me alone for so long? However, those questions are on the periphery and seem unimportant next to the exuberance that grips me.
"You… You'd do anything for me?"
My words are quiet. Inaudible maybe. Nonetheless, Kirito seems to have understood them. Nodding strongly, his hands catch mine. "I failed you back in our world. That's a mistake I don't indeed to replicate."
"It wasn't just you," I reject him. "I failed too. I just kept swinging my shinai, hoping for things to return to how they used to be. I should have reached out, talked to you."
"Then I guess at least one good thing came from this game," Kirito laughed drily.
"Yes, I guess something did." Before the moment faded, and my courage with it, I stepped forward. Taking my hands out of his, I wrap them around his waist.
"Sugu…"
Once again, Kirito broke protocol with his words, but I wasn't surprised. I'm sure the action drudged up memories from the last time we embraced like this. So many years. I'd been a young girl then. It was also when I realized how special my brother is.
Slowly, I feel Kirito's head lift off my shoulder, his upper body retreating a few inches. His arms around me don't loosen, however. "Huh?"
Raising my head, I lock eyes with his identical set. His face is only inches away, our breathes mingling in the small space between us.
Breath hitching, I watch in trepidation as his face gets even closer to mine.
Is he?
I don't know what to do. Should I let him?
With a mixture of relief and disappointment, Kirito places his forehead against mine and stops moving. The tips of our noses lightly touching. Standing here I realize he's taller than me. We had been the same height for so long, it's unnerving to look up at him. At the same time, it sends a thrill through my body.
Without knowing it, this is what I've desired. Not to be a hero for my brother, but for him to find himself. To aid him as he realizes his own potential. A potential that he had wasted on games and solitude.
"I'm so sorry…"
"For what?" The words seem strange, and at odds with our previous conversation.
"I abandoned you as soon as I learned you were a cousin and not my sister. Even more than that, I simply used you to teach me kendo. I should have closed the…"
Placing a finger on his lips, I cut him off. "I thought we already said that it was a combined effort from both of us."
Blinking hesitantly, Kirito gave a little nod, the motion transferred directly through our touching heads. "We may have mentioned it."
"So… what now?" I ask. Despite the confidence I put in the words, my chest is thumping erratically. I can feel the definition of his muscles through our contact. The feelings sending strange commands to my body.
"I guess we become the Kirigaya siblings," he laughs roughly, "heroes of Orario."
"That sounds wonderful," I reply with a smile. And it does. I can already picture us, the twin swords people tearing through monsters with an unmatched coordination.
"Then let's get it done," he laughs. Pulling back slightly, he lifts his head. Lips brushing lightly over my forehead he finally breaks the embrace.
"W-what was that for?" I mange to stutter out, delicately touching the spot with my fingers.
"My promise," he asserts. The black eyes filled with an otherworldly determination. "That as long as I'm around you won't die."
Breath hitching, my cheeks alight to a colour far darker than they had even when I thought he was going to kiss me. It's a silly promise, one he has no right making. The dungeon is a temperamental monster that takes lives every day on a whim. However… It also feels like the truth. As if some force surrounding my brother is making it so.
"Thank you," I murmur.
"W-well, let's get going to Miach's!" he declares loudly. Turning away from me, he resumes his walk towards the blue pharmacy.
Staring at his back, I follow behind a second after. Silently, I make a promise to him. That when I'm stronger, I'll be sure to protect him as well. By that time, maybe I too will have the courage to seal that promise with a kiss.
?:
Over 100 kilometres west of Orario, exists a small village. In it, there are no gods or royalty, no rulers of any sort. Every occupant did their own thing and lived their lives peacefully. It was out of the way of the rest of the world and avoided all struggles for power that happen across the world.
The only notable thing about the village was its farms. Existing on the edge of a mountain range to the south, the village was built on fertile soil that allowed for the production of many vegetables.
On one of the farms to the south, the furthest one from the village, a lone figure stood in the fields, plowing the land. As it reached the middle of spring, it was time to start up all of the fields and begin the massive cultivations the village was known for. This farm was slightly different. With only one person doing everything, there was a severe limit to the number of crops they could grow.
Nonetheless, the lone figure dutifully worked the land. Thick cords of muscle standing in relief as the figure pulled the plow himself, not even a horse or a donkey to do the work for him.
The sound of heavy panting finally stopped the figure. Not his own, however. Despite the sheen of sweat that covered his brow, he didn't allow his back to bend in exhaustion. Turning he watched as an older man ran towards him. Without talking to him, the lonely farmer knew what it was.
A monster.
Nothing even remotely similar to the ones that prowl the dungeon, it was probably a goblin, or a kobold at worst. There was nothing else out here. All the powerful surface creatures had long since been exterminated this close to Orario.
Zeus had seen to that.
The name lit the boy's eyes with fury. A black flame that burned in his chest and defined his life. All of a sudden, he was glad for the chance to kill something. It was a calling that sang in his blood. A desire to tear apart any monster that was presumptuous enough to draw breath.
"What kind is it?"
The words are serious and cold. The panting man stumbles a half step back in fear, his words cut off.
"A pack of kobolds approaching from the south-west valley. A group of us are there trying to hold them off. We didn't want to let them into the cow pen Marcus has over there but…"
"One of you got brought down," the boy interrupted with the same cold, uncaring gaze. He was young, too young to talk so uncaringly about death. Especially the death of someone he probably knew.
Only someone who had lost far more could do it. It was more than that though. A black rage against all monsters that made the boy expect events like this to happen. The scourge that had threatened the races for over a thousand years cared not about whether or not someone deserved to die. They just killed.
"How much time do you reckon they have?"
"Not long!" The man yelled back frantically. "The monsters are terrifying!"
"Then I'll make do with this." Talking calmly still, the boy knelt down and picked up a hoe that he had brought out in addition to the plow. "Go to my hut and open the top cupboard. There will be a medicine case in it. Bring it."
Leaving the instructions at that, the boy began to run to the aforementioned valley. White hair fluttering in the wind, the boy resembled a rabbit as he bounded through the fields of wild grass that had sprung up.
The sight brought a faint smile to the tired man's lips. Fear fading a little, he gathered all his remaining breath and shouted one last sentence. "Thank you, Bell!"
The boys rubellite eyes flashed in his direction once more in acknowledgement before returning to his goal, the slaughter of the monsters.
Post Note:
No, I don't hate Welf. I just think thought it would be interesting to dig a little into why none of his familia like him (minus tsubaki kind of). It's not all jealousy. Part of it is definitely going to be from the fact that he refuses to make and bring a magic sword with him into the dungeon. Which of course is his growth arc in volume five of the light novel. Anyway, hopefully you enjoyed the Bell tease! ;)