So, I'm back with the next chapter. This one, however, is more like a prelude/setup for what's to come. As I mentioned at the end of the last chapter, I still have to go through the story again to organise my notes/memories regarding what happened so far. It's just that I didn't need that for this chapter, so I'll throw it in in the meantime - but more on that later.
As for this chapter, it touches upon the previous arc on the 95th floor, but it doesn't really reference any particular events, so there's no need for a recap of anything that happened previously.
The members of the Assault Team Council did, in general, have to work long hours. In Asuna and Shivata's cases, it was mostly because they were also leading figures of their respective guilds, although they also had quite the workload in their function as council members.
In Akinym's case, on the other hand, it was usually more a matter of dealing with the seemingly incessant quarrels and conflicting demands of the various small parties that were supposed to form the third faction within the Assault Team. At the very least, this was the underlying issue with what kept him awake on one certain night.
Mere days ago, the Assault Team had cleared the 95th floor. So far, so good. In the process, they'd won the bloody battle for survival between the lizardmen and the goblins on that floor, which gave them a special reward: It unlocked a quest which granted them access to exclusive top-notch ore, the quality of which couldn't be stressed enough.
A party had been sent to look into it, and with the help of one of the elite front-line smiths, they'd discovered that the materials gathered from one run of this quest could be used as the base material for a weapon of almost any kind – one that could rival a Last Attack bonus from a floor boss. Alternatively, if done twice, the rewards of this quest could be used to craft full sets of metal armour for a full party – very good sets of armour, that is. While there was nothing too extraordinary about it (for instance, it lacked resistances against status effects such as paralysis or poison), the boost in all stats it granted surpassed even the best the master smiths on the front lines could make from ordinary materials.
So… More good news, right? Well, kind of, yeah, but there was a catch: This quest could be repeated, but it could be accepted (in total) only once per day. Needless to say, the imbalance between supply and demand on that front was overwhelming, and as goes equally without saying, the Council had to figure out how to settle the resulting dispute over the access to this quest.
The points initially made were pretty much what everyone had expected.
The DDA proposed that the strongest players should be given priority, and they presented a list of players who should be allowed to take the quest first, and in which order they should do so – a list that, to exactly nobody's surprise, included a large contingent of DDA members. Keeping that aside, they called for the same solution as usual: strengthening the Assault Team's elite fighters.
The KoB suggested basically the exact opposite: Asuna argued that the weakest Assault Team members, who struggled to keep up with the level and equipment requirements for front-line fighters, should go first. After all, this was their chance to make up for the gap in power between them and the elite. It was an arrangement that would've allowed many to stay in the Assault Team without unduly risking their lives in battles they weren't strong enough for.
Both positions had been predictable, and nothing illustrated this better than the swiftness with which Shivata presented a counterproposal: Their strongest members would take the new quest and get the superior equipment from it, but in turn, they would cheaply sell (or even simply give away for free) their current gear, which they wouldn't need anymore, to the weaker Assault Team members. That way, the elite players, who could bring out the full potential of the best equipment, would get it, while the rest of the Assault Team would still improve their weapons or armour. Asuna admitted that it was a good suggestion, but not one that convinced her completely.
In the end, it was up to Akinym's vote. His support for either side would settle the matter… or it would've, if he could've backed them. It wasn't that he didn't want to. On the contrary, he considered Shivata's idea to be… well, not perfect, because he favoured Asuna's first proposal. However, what Shivata had suggested seemed to Akinym like the most achievable compromise. It was, after all, not a matter of what Akinym approved personally. At the Council, he was nothing more than the speaker of the small guilds. The most Akinym could do was to vote for a compromise that still covered the interests the various guild leaders had expressed during their prior meeting.
Well, and what had these interests been? Exactly like the DDA and the KoB, the smaller clearing guilds all pointed out that this new exceptional equipment should, first and foremost, go to those who "needed it the most" – and, once again, exactly like the DDA and the KoB, they had their own understanding of that term. In particular, almost every single one of them considered their own group to be the ones in the direst need of an upgrade – yet another thing that had ultimately surprised no one. The foreseeable result had been a storm of bickering, contrasted by a bleak lack of agreements.
So there they were: Asuna, Shivata and Akinym, all sitting around the conference table without any clear solution for this problem. However, Akinym had at least another idea: As he argued, if they couldn't make an indisputable decision, they might as well leave it to fate. Akinym suggested that every faction made a list of their candidates – whether they came from their own ranks or were given the advantage out of benevolence – and they'd draw lots to determine in which order these players would be allowed to do the quest.
Frankly, nobody truly liked this idea, but as Akinym pointed out, "a good compromise leaves everyone dissatisfied," and all those parties going in circles with their indecisive arguments might've as well asked for that. In the end, the deciding factor was pragmatism: They needed to make a decision. Postponing it would've only meant that nobody would do the quest, and that was to everyone's disadvantage.
Thus, they unanimously agreed to Akinym's plan.
That had been two days ago, but the matter still kept Akinym busy. He'd already put together the list of all members of the small guilds who wanted to take on this quest, and tomorrow morning, it'd be time for the lottery. Until then, this matter shouldn't have concerned him anymore, but he was still pacing around his room, thinking about it… because he had the opportunity to greatly influence the outcome.
Naturally, all council members had considered the (likely) possibility that someone would try to rig the lottery in their favour, but before either Shivata or Asuna could've mentioned it, Akinym had already presented a solution: a process that should've made it impossible to influence the result of the draw, even if two parties decided to cooperate towards that end.
It would go down as follows: One faction would provide the paper to be drawn and the box to be drawn from. Another faction would pick a random, uninvolved low-level NPC from Arc Sophia, which they'd ask to draw the lots. Such unsophisticated NPCs wouldn't show any favouritism or anything like that, but at the same time, they'd still perform simple tasks like that if asked. Finally, the representative of the remaining faction would write the names of the candidates on the slips of paper, put them into the box and hand it to the chosen NPC.
When Akinym had proposed this, the procedure had seemed so perfectly secure that neither Asuna nor Shivata knew anything to argue against it, and both of them agreed without further questions. As per Akinym's suggestion, he'd take the task of writing down the names, the DDA would get the materials, and the KoB would pick an NPC…
...and all of this had been exactly what Akinym had planned even before the small guilds had met to discuss this matter. Granted, Akinym had still tried to convince them to go with the "reasonable, most favourable plan for both the Assault Team and the entirety of the players" – that being Asuna's plan to let their weakest members, who needed the improvement in their equipment the most in order to keep bolstering the Assault Team's strength, go first. Even when his arguments towards that end had fallen mostly on deaf ears, he'd tried to convince them to follow the plan that Shivata had proposed later, namely to let the stronger members get the powerful new gear, whereupon they'd give their (then) old equipment to the weaker ones. The only result had been that several people had accused Akinym of not even having a real plan himself. Ironically, it was this uncooperative behaviour that had forced Akinym to go with his "real plan".
As mentioned before, the moves of every involved party had been quite predictable, including the bullheaded attitude of the smaller guilds' leaders. Therefore, Akinym had devised a course of action that would allow him to bring about the "right outcome". It was for that very reason that he'd brought up the rather odd idea of a lottery instead of exploring any other options first.
Now, how exactly did Akinym intend to manipulate this process which he himself had crafted so carefully to be not manipulable?
Well, for starters, he'd arranged for specific paper to be used. Early on the day after the fateful council meeting, he'd mentioned a certain dungeon to Agil, who'd been looking for a place where he could train a group of players who wanted to join the Assault Team – a group under the tutelage of the Two-Handed Builders. It seemed ideal… especially since, as Akinym pointed out, Argo had exhaustive information on that dungeon, so they could buy all the intel they needed from her. Naturally, that's what the Two-Handed Builders and their mentees had done.
"As it happened", some monsters in that dungeon dropped sheets of paper. Normally, paper was virtually useless in SAO, and under ordinary circumstances, the players would've either tossed it out immediately or sold it at the first shop they'd come across on their way back. However, Argo was always among the first to learn of the latest decisions made by the Council, and when this ever-reliable supporter of the Assault Team had told the also ever-reliable Agil of this dungeon, she naturally asked him to fetch some of that paper for the DDA. Due to its uselessness, paper was a bit difficult to come by, so when Argo, a neutral party, offered the DDA the paper they needed for a negligible price, they took it without question.
What nobody had paid attention to was that the paper from those monsters varied slightly in quality. That is, some of the sheets were randomly rougher than the rest. They weren't so distinct that people would normally think about it, but they were different enough that anyone, including (especially) NPCs, would be able to tell the difference.
The second piece of the puzzle was that Akinym had learnt beforehand what NPC the KoB would choose. Asuna had deliberated their options with Kirito and Max, and they'd settled on a shopkeeper at a remote, unremarkable store, which was run by a player without any extraordinary affiliation with anyone from the Assault Team. They trusted that no one would be able to guess their choice, and they'd discussed this inside a secure room. The soundproofing of said room should've prevented anyone from eavesdropping… but Akinym (or rather a secret associate of his) had the means to circumvent that.
With the knowledge they'd gained, said accomplice would go and request that the NPC the KoB had picked would draw the paper slips with a rougher surface first. As already mentioned, NPCs complied with such random petitions without question. In a few hours, everything would be set up, and Akinym could arrange for players of his choosing to be drawn first – simply by writing their names on the right slips of paper. So far, everything had gone even better than he'd expected, no apparent thread was leading to him, and if he mixed in a few "less desirable" choices, nobody should suspect anything.
The only thing left to do was to decide whom exactly to favour, which was the process that was occupying Akinym's mind at this hour.
Contrary to his usual habit, Akinym left his room and went down to the restaurant area, where he headed straight to the counter. There, Agil was dealing with the last customer in the queue.
Agil: There you go, one serving of countryside stew, one boar steak with a large helping of fried potatoes, two salads and two glasses of water. Thank you for your patronage!
The customer thanked Agil and took the tray, which he brought to the table where his partner was waiting. Meanwhile, Agil looked around, partly checking the situation around the restaurant, partly looking if another customer was coming.
Agil: Let's see, is there any… [slightly energetically] Ah, Akinym! What brought you down here? Wanna go for a late dinner?
Akinym [dryly]: That'd be a late second dinner.
Agil: Ah… You already came here earlier? Sorry, it's been busier than usual, and I guess I've lost track of all those customers.
Akinym: Yeah, I remember there was quite a crowd. [looks around] At least it's quieted down by now. [turns to Agil again] Speaking of which, I've come for a cup of tea, anything calming will do.
Agil: Sure, coming right up!
He put the kettle on again and prepared some tea leaves… not in silence, though.
Agil: So, can't sleep before the "big day"? I thought that the dispute over the lizardman mining quest was settled, or are you worried that someone might complain if they don't like the outcome of the draw tomorrow?
Akinym [evasively]: Ah, that… [slightly exhaustedly] Well, when was the last time everyone quietly accepted the ruling of the Council?
Agil: Heh, "never" sounds about right.
Akinym: Yeah, but that's just business as usual. Everything's ready for tomorrow, and that's that.
Agil [chuckles]: I guess so, although I didn't think I and my guys would help with the preparations for a lottery in this game, yet here we are. Ah, come to think of it, have you even heard about it? We ended up supplying the DDA with paper that dropped in the dungeon you recommended to us the other day. Coincidences can be funny sometimes.
Akinym [slightly awkwardly]: Ah, I… [calmly] I see. Well, I guess that was lucky, but that's just how things turned out. No need to dwell on it.
Agil had just poured water into the teapot. Since the tea didn't need any time to brew in SAO, it was instantly ready, and normally, Agil would've filled a cup and handed it to Akinym, but something about what he'd just said (and how it had sounded) felt off. Agil turned slightly, just enough to cast a sideways glance at Akinym. He was about to ask if something was wrong with the paper he and his party had gathered (because this was his best guess as to what might be the issue), when…
Customer: Ah, sorry, but do you still have some water left? I'd also like some tea. Well, or what brew is it that you've just made?
Agil: Huh? Ah, that. Well, it's…
From that point onward, Agil focused on the other customer, and the topic of the upcoming lottery was lost. For Akinym, that was quite relieving. He really didn't want to talk about it. It wasn't that he feared to be caught – not at this point, at least. His concern was of a more personal nature.
Obviously, Akinym was deceiving the other councilmen – and, technically speaking, the entire Assault Team – which was by no means lost on him. It particularly bothered him that he was ruthlessly betraying Asuna's trust. Granted, he did all of that in order to essentially go through with her own plan, but the truth of the matter was that Asuna probably wouldn't be on board with Akinym's method if she knew about it. He firmly believed that he had to do this, but that didn't change the fact that he'd sent someone to spy on her, and now he was about to trick her. Akinym valued and respected Asuna as a leader and a fellow council member, so he didn't want to do this. Still, he had to ensure that the rewards of this quest would fall into the "right" hands.
Thoughts like this were what had kept Akinym pacing around his room. He hadn't lied when he'd said that everything was ready for the lottery on the next day. While he hadn't decided every little detail about the order in which he wanted the contesting parties to be drawn, he'd made his choice for the most important candidates, and he could simply decide what to do with the rest on a whim when the time would come. The tea Agil was finally giving him wasn't meant to calm his mind so that he could continue thinking about those important matters, but to calm his guilty conscience so that he could go to sleep.
Akinym quickly paid for the tea after Agil had served him and the other customer, and he began drinking it immediately. He was glad that Agil didn't continue where they'd left off, and he wanted to keep it that way, so Akinym's plan was to quickly finish his tea and then return to his room.
Too bad that the next visitor had other plans.
Klein: Oi, Agil, got a late-night drink for your last customer of the day?
And that was how Klein, who'd just entered the restaurant alone, announced himself. It wasn't unusual for him to come here without anyone else from his guild… and it also was fairly common for him to make a bit of a ruckus on those occasions. Well, Klein himself called it "part of his charm".
Agil: "Last customer of the day"? Don't go around deciding that! [feignedly smugly] You never know when someone comes here. For instance, I didn't expect to see your mug here tonight, yet here you are.
Klein: Better be glad that you get such a good customer even at this hour! Honestly, I thought the only people I'd find here would be the folks staying at this place, [looks around] and out of them, Akinym's the only one here.
Klein took a seat next to Akinym at the counter. His cheerful mood from the moment he'd entered still didn't waver one bit as he greeted Akinym, who responded in kind, albeit curtly.
Agil: You just don't get the appeal of this place. [seriously] Anyway, what can I get you?
After thinking about it for a moment, Klein put on a grin and casually pointed a finger gun at Agil.
Klein: Hit me with your best one, double! A hard worker needs a strong after-work drink.
Agil rolled his eyes at Klein's request, but he got to work without hesitation. He poured a drink, a perfectly clear liquid, from a jug behind him, and he put the glass right in front of Klein.
Agil: I bet you've had something really strong already if you blurt out such nonsense. Here, have some water – that's pretty much the strongest drink I can offer you!
Klein: Geez, just humour me, Agil!
Agil: And how? You know there's no alcohol in this game, [sternly] and even if there was, you'd be the last one to get any from me! The last thing I want in here is you getting drunk! It's one of those things no one needs to see.
Klein: If you're treating your customers so awfully, I'm doubly surprised now that there are any left. [shrugs, takes his glass] Well, whatever. I gotta do with the things I'll get.
Agil [slightly teasingly]: If you want it so badly, you can always pretend that this is some kind of hard liquor. The power of imagination is not to be trifled with, you know?
Klein held still for a moment, and he threw a pensive look at the glass in his hand.
Klein: Hm, that might actually be an idea. I wonder what that'd be like…
Agil, who, apparently, finally grew tired of bantering with Klein, went to clear a table, so Akinym and Klein where left alone at the counter. Klein took a sip from his glass before turning to Akinym.
Klein: So, what got you up at this hour? Out of all the people here, you're actually the last one I'd expect to simply seek some company. Well, and if you show up here for anything other than dinner, you usually have Sinochi with you. [dryly] Actually, she's usually even there with you during dinner, isn't she?
Akinym [slightly annoyed]: That's just your imagination. [calmly] Or maybe you just always have bad timing. I have you know that Sinon-san usually eats together with some of the others. The two of us, on the other hand, only do that if we have something to discuss.
Klein: Hm, well, if you say so. [slightly curiously] Although that doesn't answer my question, does it? So, anything got you thinking? [indignantly, slightly worriedly] Don't tell me there's trouble with the new quest from the lizardmen again?!
And just like that, it was that topic once again. At this point, Akinym couldn't help but wonder if the universe had it in for him.
Akinym: No, nothing of the sort.
That still didn't answer Klein's actual question, of course. Just like with Agil before, Akinym needed to change the topic somehow, but this time, no conveniently appearing customers would come to his aid. However, Akinym knew a different way to divert the conversation.
Akinym: But since you've mentioned it, I don't think anyone from Fuurinkazan has signed up for this quest.
Klein: Ah, yeah, we don't need it! We've got new armour from Liz just about a week ago, remember?
Akinym [dryly]: It's difficult to forget, considering how you showed it off. [points at Klein's cuirass, calmly] Or that you're wearing it. Even so, you could still get a new weapon.
Klein: More like six, but we'd book this quest for almost a whole week that way. Nah, there are people who need it more, and who knows if everyone who's applied will even get their turn. We'll be fine!
Akinym acknowledged Klein's statement with a nod, and he turned towards his cup again. Physically, that is. Mentally, on the other hand, another matter had caught his attention. It hadn't been planned, but Klein had given him an idea.
When he'd decided which parties should go first in the new quest, there had been one factor Akinym hadn't taken into account yet. The quest required someone with the Mining skill, and whoever did it obviously needed a smith in order to do anything with the ore. Every group in the Assault Team had their preferred craftsmen, so the workload of these smiths would change depending on the outcome of the lottery – predictably so. Therefore, Akinym could potentially help smiths who didn't have any work at the moment by putting parties associated with them higher in his ranking.
Unfortunately, he came to the conclusion that this wasn't possible. He lacked the overview on these business relations, and he didn't know anything about the current order situation of any smiths. There was simply not enough time to gather information on these subjects… with one exception.
Akinym: That reminds me, Klein-san, do you know how many customers Lisbeth-san's smithy gets these days? Does she do good business?
Klein: Liz? [slightly contemplatively] That… [at a loss] Um… Uhhh… I… have no idea, actually? You'd have to ask her if you're interested.
Theoretically, that'd be an option. Akinym considered it, but ultimately decided against it. For starters, he couldn't even be sure that she was still awake – when he'd seen her during dinner, she'd seemed tired out from a long, long day. Well, and even if he caught her still awake, Lisbeth probably wouldn't be pleased to be disturbed, and by Akinym of all people at that.
Klein: Why are you asking, anyway? Weren't we talking about this new, fancy quest? Or do you know anyone who still needs a blacksmith for this quest?
Akinym: No, that's actually not why… [mutters, contemplatively] Although, wouldn't it help me with…
Klein [confusedly]: So… Do you know someone, or not?
Akinym: ...and I could also use a new… [surprised] Huh? Uh, ah… That… [thinks, troubled] What should I answer? The correct answer might be "yes" by now, but originally… [says aloud] Maybe, but I asked more out of general interest.
Klein: Hm, I see… [scratches the back of his head] I can't say for sure, but given how she's now a member of the Assault Team and still running her smithy all by herself on top of that, I bet Liz is really busy. Come to think of it, is there even any other commercial craftsman actively fighting on the front line?
A good question – one that got Akinym thinking. He turned his eyes away with a serious expression as certain memories occupied his mind. Klein didn't notice that… because he was starting his own little rant.
Klein: And it's kinda ridiculous if you ask me – from a profit-based POV, at least. I mean, front-line farming is generally the most lucrative, especially if you have a master treasure hunter like Philia in your party, not to mention that she regularly gets stuff from the Hollow Area, too. Compared to that, she still charges the same prices as before for her services as a blacksmith. It's clear as day that her role in the Assault Team is much more lucrative, so Liz should raise her prices to at least cover that difference – her work and her charisma as a businesswoman would definitely allow it. [sighs] But when I told her that, she only said, "I don't wanna be greedy." Geez, this isn't about greed! [huffily] It's simply a matter of opportunity cost.
Akinym: Well, I suppose it is more pro… [surprised, slightly confusedly] Huh? "Opportunity cost"? What are you…
Klein: Then again, it's not just that. I think Liz – or really anyone running a business in this game – would do well to be more careful about their price calculations. I'm telling you, I don't know how often I thought that people ought to properly depreciate and amortise their equipment. But if I mention it? "I've already accounted for the cost of repair to restore its Durability, so I'm fine!" Like, that's not the point! You need to consider what a new tool will cost when you'll eventually need a better one! It's not even that difficult to allocate those expenses to produced units since you can use the proficiency points you gain as a basis to estimate the number of items you'll craft until you improve so much that you'll need an upgrade. Ugh, but the shop owners in this game are too lax about accounting in general. I don't ask you to follow the IAS, but can you at least keep an orderly stock register? That way you wouldn't have to check your entire storage at every other order… [turns towards Akinym] You catch my drift?
Klein's expectations for an answer vanished swiftly when he saw the doubtful, confused look on Akinym's face.
Klein: Oi, what's wrong? Did I lose you at some point?
Akinym: I guess you could say that, but it's more like I feel as if I'm hallucinating. Are you seriously going on and on about accounting and business strategy, Klein-san?
Klein: Yeah, wasn't that obvi… [annoyed] Wait… You're totally thinking that it's weird for me, specifically, to know this kind of stuff, don't you.
Akinym: Not quite how I would've phrased it, but yeah, something along those lines.
Klein: That's low! I have you know that before this whole mess began, I'd been a proud member of the workforce, and I didn't earn my degree just so that people put it into question willy-nilly! It's just that I don't identify with my job, okay?!
Klein turned away with a huff and gulped the content of his glass down in one go.
Akinym: Well, I'll take it into account… [thinks] although I almost thought that Agil-san must've poured him some insanely strong liquor after all. Businessman Klein… Who would've thought…
There were, in the end, more important concerns, so Akinym didn't dwell on it any further (unlike Klein, who remained somewhat grumpy). Those concerns were the newest idea Klein had given Akinym. A new order for Lisbeth's smithy… Yeah, there was one, but for that, Akinym had to add one more name to the list of people who wanted to take the new quest: his own.
Late in the afternoon on the next day, Akinym stood in front of Lisbeth's workshop in Arc Sophia. The first step was to enter the lion's den, and it was better to do it sooner rather than later… especially since the "lion" in this metaphor wouldn't become any friendlier no matter how long Akinym postponed the "confrontation".
So, with a sigh, he braced himself for what was to come and entered. The saleroom was devoid of people. Even the NPC clerk that Lisbeth employed as an assistant wasn't there. That part, however, was good news: When Lisbeth left her smithy during regular opening hours, she always let her NPC assistant hold the fort so that customers could still buy the weapons on display or leave a message for her. Since that NPC wasn't there, Lisbeth had to be in the backroom, where the actual workshop was located. The chime had announced Akinym's entry, so he expected Lisbeth to come out at any moment.
And sure enough, Lisbeth wasted no time. It took her only a brief moment to finish what she'd been working on, and then, she went to greet her customer with the usual smile.
Lisbeth [cheerfully]: Welcome to Lisbeth's Smithy! Please excuse the… [slightly irritatedly] delay.
As soon as Lisbeth stepped through the door and laid eyes on her visitor, her mood soured. The look in her eyes spoke for itself: It clearly asked, "What are you doing here?" To be fair, it wasn't that uncommon for Akinym to employ her services, but he was usually with Sinon when that happened.
Regardless, Lisbeth reminded herself to remain professional… although her business smile didn't return.
Lisbeth: Welcome… So, how can I help you? Is it maintenance for your weapon again?
Akinym [calmly]: No, not this time. What I need is a completely new weapon.
Lisbeth: A new one? That's… actually a bit of a surprise. Haven't you used your current weapon since… I don't know, like forever? I think you had it even when you came to the upper floors.
Akinym: I did, and that's part of the problem.
For demonstration purposes, Akinym took his preferred spear out from his inventory and swung it around.
Akinym: I've got this one on… Hm, I believe it was the sixty-ninth floor. A quest reward, quite the special one at that, but as it turns out, it's just not good enough to make it through thirty floors after that point. I've reached the maximum number of enhancements, and it's still simply not enough. The damage is just too low.
Lisbeth: Huh, I see. [confusedly] I think? [confusedly, slightly curiously] I gotta ask: Isn't damage dealing Sinon's job in your party? I still don't get why it's such a big deal.
Akinym: It is her role, but mine is to keep all enemies at a comfortable distance from her until she can wipe them out – and that isn't possible if she draws their aggro with every single shot. We've had these problems for a while, but at this point, I just can't keep the aggro of any monsters no matter what I try. I even considered taking up an aggro control skill that tanks use, but we'd reach the end of this game before I could level it high enough for it to actually do something.
Lisbeth: Ah, yeah, I get the picture… [murmurs, contemplatively] So it's for Sinon's sake… Well, at least for hers as well. [louder, seriously] Alright, sorry for those questions. If you need a weapon, I can help. I still have some spears available, and if none of them meet your standards, I can make another...
Akinym: Sorry, but I wasn't finished earlier. Truth be told, I have a very specific request. I suppose you've heard about the new quest that was unlocked by winning the war on the ninety-fifth floor?
Lisbeth: Ah, that one… Yeah, I feel like half of the Assault Team hasn't talked about anything else for days.
Akinym: That might actually be true… Ahem, anyways, I'm also doing this quest, and thanks to the lottery result from this morning, my turn will be on Friday.
Lisbeth: Friday? This week!? You'll get to do this super popular quest so soon?!
Akinym [shrugs]: That's how it is. Be that as it may, I still need someone to mine the ore at the end, as well as a blacksmith to forge the weapon. Therefore… Well, you catch my drift, don't you?
Lisbeth: Yeah, it's pretty obvious.
Lisbeth crossed her arm and furrowed her brow.
Lisbeth [murmurs]: Friday… Friday… [frustratedly] Ugh, so soon might be a problem. [sighs, louder] Okay, here's the thing: I'm actually already helping Silica to get new armour this week. Our group will gather materials for the next few days, and we're looking for a good base material. As things stand, I might go with her to get it on Friday, so… [scratches her head] Ugh, I don't know. Maybe I can put that off for a day…
Akinym [mutters, contemplatively]: Silica-san… Hm, that might actually work in my favour. [louder, calmly] To be honest, I don't mind doing both. That is, we won't need the whole day for the lizardman quest, and I doubt it'd take an entire day to get Silica-san's materials either, or am I wrong? In that case, how about I'll go with you and help with Silica-san's request, and in return, you help me with mine afterwards?
It was a reasonable proposal, albeit an unexpected one. Frankly, it made Lisbeth quite suspicious. She narrowed her eyes as she was trying to figure out what Akinym was up to.
Lisbeth [thinks]: Why is this guy suddenly so nice? Hm, then again, I guess even he has the decency to do something in return for a favour, and it's in his own interest to get Silica's issue out of the way. Not sure if I can trust him to tag along… but then again, maybe I'm just overthinking this. At least in terms of combat ability, having him with us definitely wouldn't hurt, so…
In the end, Lisbeth resigned herself to her fate.
Lisbeth: Okay, we have a deal. Well, I'll have to ask Silica what she's thinking, but unless she's against it, we'll do this your way.
Akinym [bows his head slightly]: Thanks.
Since there was nothing left to discuss until Silica decided to either go along with Akinym's idea or refused to do so, Akinym left soon after that. They could talk about details such as the specifics of Silica's mission or the quest Akinym wanted to do once it was clear who'd participate.
As he strolled through the streets of Arc Sophia on his way back to the inn, Akinym certainly was in high spirits, although he also felt strangely troubled. In a sense, this had worked out better than expected. He might be able to go on this quest with not just Lisbeth, but also with Silica. Why was that a cause for celebration? Well, there was more to Akinym asking Lisbeth to be his blacksmith for this quest than he'd let on – more than he could let on.
It was true that he needed a new weapon – albeit not quite as desperately as he'd made it look like – but since his role in his partnership with Sinon wasn't to decimate monsters, even a fairly average player-made spear (like the ones Lisbeth had initially wanted to offer him) would've done the trick.
What had ultimately led to his decision to take on this new quest himself were his plans to help Sinon with her more private issues. Specifically, this was about Akinym's intention to ease Sinon's fear of rejection by her group of friends by having them accept him, someone who, as they knew, had killed another player.
Akinym felt that he'd made decent enough progress with Asuna in that regard. Furthermore, he considered his relationship with others like Kirito, Klein or Agil to be overall good enough in light of their lesser importance, although, especially in Kirito's case, these relationships were based purely on situational, mutually beneficial professionalism. Well, maybe not so much with Klein, but that was an insubstantial differentiation.
However, that was as far as his efforts had gone up until that point. There were still a few people left who he'd have to win over… somehow. Needless to say, this included Lisbeth and Silica, and their upcoming joint mission would provide a suitable starting point.
So, why was he still so troubled? Well, out of all the people he'd have to deal with towards that end, Lisbeth was the most problematic. Considering their… history, Akinym had little to no idea how he was supposed to go about improving their relationship. If anything, everything suggested that they'd only get on even worse terms if they spent much time together. It almost seemed like the natural thing to happen between the two of them.
Yet, somehow, he had to turn this around in order for his plan to work. So, what should he do? Well, he had to come up with something soon, for in a few days time, his potentially best chance would arrive, and whatever idea he'd have would be put to the test.
...and that's what the next two chapters will be about.
As mentioned in the beginning, I still have to reread what I've written so far to get a good grasp of the story so far, and there's also another fic I've started writing recently, which might also keep me occupied a bit, so I can't make any guarantees regarding when the next update will come - other than that it definitely will come.
Also, with regard to the conversation between Akinym and Klein, I don't think it was ever revealed what exactly Klein's job is - at least there's no info that I know of. Therefore, I've been entertaining the idea of making Klein some sort of super accountant controller, simply because of how counterintuitive the thought seemed. It's one of the things to keep in the back of one's mind, as this isn't the last time it'll come up in this story or the series it belongs to.