Chapter 5

{April 21, 2023-Edward's iron fist Blacksmith shop}

"So, you say you're in need of another weapon, but aren't sure where to go, right?" Edward asked from behind his desk inspecting the Assassins weapons.

"Y-Yes. My sword is good, but I feel I need a better weapon. It's gotta be one better suited for me," Arthur said to his best friend.

"And what of you, Akiko? Is your katana suited to your liking?"

Akiko shifted nervously, as if stating her opinion would get her knocked out. She felt the sway of her Blow Pipe shift against her shoulder. "W-Well, like Arthur, I need one just for me. Each warrior is best known for his own weapon. King Arthur had Excalibur; Napoleon had his own saber; even you have your own, the Sawtooth Cutlass. I guess what I'm saying is that each person can be defined by the weapon they use," she replied.

Edward nodded in understanding and stood from his desk. "My blade, like many out there, was a custom sword. However, mine was found in a quest for Floor 30. But, thankfully, I do know of a shop here on this floor." He faced his subordinates. "Word has it that she can make just about any blade and each one is beyond the traditional sword."

The two looked at each other, curiosity painted across their faces. "What is the name of this shop?"

"Welcome to Lisbeth's Blacksmith Shop!" welcomed a warm feminine voice. The owner was a girl who looked no older than our heroes with bubblegum pink hair and freckles dotted across her cheeks. "What can I help you with?"

Arthur found himself unable to speak. It wasn't so much that he didn't find her cute, he did; the hair took him for a curve, though. "U-Uh, I'm in need of a new weapon," Arthur told the shop keep, "and so does my friend." He motioned to Akiko who nodded her head.

The girl's eyes seemed to analyze the two from head to toe. "Well, is there any particular kind you're looking for?" she asked.

"I use a short sword," Arthur said, unsheathing his current blade.

"I use a katana," Akiko added, taking out her blade.

She took each sword and looked them over on her counter top. The stats popped up, allowing her to get an idea of what each sword was capable of. As she continued to look, her face went from one of interest to one of disappointment. "These swords are so low leveled. How did you two make this high up in the floors with these things?" she questioned.

Both blushed, but neither was sure if it was from embarrassment or from anger. Akiko then remembered what did get them this far. "These," she said, flicking out the Hidden Blade. Arthur joined in, showing his own dagger. "These are surprisingly strong weapons for something as small as they are."

"Really?! With that shabby weapon?!" Arthur eyes then turned dead serious which put chills down Lisbeth's spine. "Find I'll tell you but it's not that simple" She explained to them that she could help make the swords they wanted, but they would have the necessary elements in order to do so. Akiko already had her after doing a quest called "Heart of Steel," which involved her having to take on an undead warrior who wished to be so strong that he ripped out his heart and coated the organ in steel to remain immortal. Not only did Akiko have to challenge the warrior, she find to find where he kept the heart hidden. Thankfully, after a good amount of training, she could able to defeat the boss. She also use the Eagle Sense to show clues and follow the trail. The reward was a fair amount of iron ore from the heart.

"I can have this sword made for you in about an hour," Lisbeth said to Akiko as she handed her the ores. "Now, what about you?"

"Me?" Arthur asked. He scanned his Items list, but couldn't find anything he could use in making a new weapon. The menu was quickly put away as he swore under his breath. "I've got nothing. And I can't do Akiko's quest. I want this sword to be unique."

"Have you tried the mission here in town?" asked a voice from the doorway. Everyone turned to find Häyhä walking through the threshold, hood off and but left his scarf on so his face is not fully visible.

"YOU!" Lisbeth shouted from her counter. Both Arthur and Akiko is confuse of what is going on. "Do you two know each other?" Arthur asked.

"It a long story!" Häyhä and Lisbeth said Simultaneously. "Anyways. I just came by because my Rapier needs to have its durability brought back up." he tapped open his menu and found the necessary items. "Anyways, I overheard how you two needed new weapons, so I figured I'd find a mission to help you get items."

"Well, you're too late to help Akiko," Arthur said, pointing a thumb towards the girl. "She already has iron ores and I have nothing."

"Not anymore, you don't," Häyhä said. "Argo, (an old friend of my), told me about a mission you can find in town that takes you to ancient ruins which, rumor has it, contains ores capable of making a strong sword where its durability is one of the best so far."

Arthur turned to him with a look of intrigue. "And what's the catch? You're no different than Argo when it comes to giving out info, even to the Templars."

"Well, I done that in a tactical sense. And about Argo, let's say that me and her had a....fair deal." Häyhä felt a sly smile grace his face for once. "You're catching on to me quick, Arthur. But, for once, consider this a freebee."

"Thanks, Häyhä."

Later that day Arthur made it to the starting point of the quest. The quest, titled 'Treasures of the Mayans,' was started in a museum-like shop with an old curator saying he wanted nothing more than to bring back some artifacts from the ruins of an ancient temple. For each one found, there would be an ore included.

"So, which way do we go, old man?" Arthur asked from the head of the group. The only ones present were him and the NPC curator.

"Take a left up here," the curator said, pointing up the fork of the road. "Shouldn't be too far now."

"You said that ten minutes ago," he mumbled under his breath. His ear caught the sound of a twig snapping. "Hold." His arm was held up, signaling the old man to stop. Out of the bushes jumped an NPC bandit.

"Give up the map!" he shouted.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "So cliché," he mumbled. His sword remained in his sheath as he brought the Hidden Blade. The bandit swung his dagger, only to be blocked one of Arthur's. The NPC never stood a chance as Arthur sunk the other into the bandit's neck. "That was close. C'mon, old man!"

"With pleasure!" the curator shouted in reply.

The temple was gigantic. It reminded Arthur of an old Mayan pyramid he'd seen in his textbooks. "Lead the way. I'll cover us," he said.

The curator followed the Assassin up a flight of stone stairs. The inside was pitch black and damp. Luckily, the curator had a torch on hand that he lit before continuing on. The fire cut through the dark. Arthur held the torch higher as he scanned the area at the top of the staircase. There stood a Mayan statue that looked like a perch. "Here we go," the curator said, circling the statue. "We are close to the first artifact."

"You mean this statue?" Arthur questioned, eying the details etched in the stone.

"No, no. This," he said, petting the stone like a pet, "is the next step to finding the artifact."

"How so?"

"Why, it's very easy." The curator took the torch and placed it in a holster on the wall. "Each person has a unique ability when it comes to finding treasures; call it an innate gift, a sixth sense. You must climb to the top of the perch and use that sense to find the treasure."

Arthur absorbed the words like a sponge, understanding that the curator meant the Eagle Sense. When he climbed to the top, he activated his sixth sense. The world turned into a blurred greyish color. He looked around the room until he spotted something along the wall: lines and shapes. "I see what you mean. But what does this mean?" he asked the curator. "I see shapes and lines. Is it like an actual treasure map?"

"I guess you could say yes. Adjust the shapes and see if you can line them with objects on the wall or in the carving."

Arthur was confused about how to do so. The answer came from his tick he has when thinking: a tapping finger against his chin. Each time he moved his finger, the shapes moved to the right. Wait; it's the dragon heads, he thought. He moved the three squares until each one aligned itself. The shape pointed downward like an upside down triangle. The tip pointed down to the ground. He jumped and rolled onto the ground. "I take it you found the artifact?"

He continued to shift through the pile of rubble until he extracted the artifact: a chalice no bigger than a standard drinking glass. The cup appeared to be made from gold, the sheen unaffected by the stone. He continued to dig until he found one of the ores: a chunk roughly the size of an orange, silver in color. The ore was quickly pocketed before he stood back up. "Here's what I found," Darren said, handing the chalice over.

"Ah, yes. The Chalice of Chac, god of fertility. Wonderful find, my boy," the curator said, placing the cup in his bag. "Come! We have a four more artifacts to find!" Arthur removed the torch from the holder on the wall and followed the old man further up into the temple.

The journey continued up three more flights of stairs, each one containing another statue, which lead to another artifact and ore. The artifacts found include the Bowl of Yumil, the Rope of Ixtab and the Pitz Ball of Hunahpu and Xbalanque. "What amazing finds, my boy!" the NPC said, slapping him on the back. "We have but one more artifact on the top floor, the greatest find of them all!"

"Better be worth it," he said, peeking back to check for any followers.

The sight in the last room was a rather gruesome one; many skeletons and pieces of armor were strewn all over the place. "Jesus, old man. The artifact could be hiding anywhere in here!"

"Believe in your sixth sense, and I believe that you can find it," the curator encouraged. The way it was said reminded Arthur of his gramps in the real world. Tears threatened to spill over; he bit his lip to keep his face firm. He climbed the last statue and took a look around the room. The puzzle was an interesting one: it was on the ceiling. Once he aligned the shapes, he spotted a beam of light in the center pointing to the dead center of the room. He jumped down to find the artifact, but instead found, what looked like, a knob mechanism. "Perhaps if you twist it, the mechanism will open a passage to the artifact." Arthur grabbed the knob and twisted.

What happened next was the sound of a loud rumble and gears turning and unlocking. Behind him, a stone door with the carving of Quetzalcoatl embedded in it slid open slowly. Upon the pedestal stood the final artifact. "The Feather of Quetzalcoatl. I never thought I'd see the day where I'd find it." The curator took the gleaming feather from the pedestal while Arthur took the last ore, the size of a softball and placed it in his bag. "Thanks for the help, boy!"

Arthur's ears picked up the sound of footsteps. "Get behind me, old man. Don't thank me just yet," he said, drawing his sword. From the shadows appeared, what seemed to be, another bandit. No. Another players."Who the hell are you?"

"Hahaha intresting question my friend," said the player. His eyes showed bloodlust as he drew his eagle-handled dagger. Arthur saw the player gamer tag and he could tell the player is not alone. "Hiroshi, I amuse" the player looked in surprise, " H-how did you know?!" If that was not the most funniest response, Arthur management to hold his laugh and maintain his serious face, "Have you ever heard of gamer tag? Kind of ironic that your name means 'generous' when you steal from other people."

"Shut up! You won't be laugh when your dead!" Hiroshi made the first move, quickly stabbing at Arthur. He narrowly avoided the attack, but managed to bring his sword up and slash the chest of the enemy on the back swing. He found it hard to keep up with his opponent using his short sword. The bandit continued to strike, landing a few attacks on him, bringing his health down to mid-level orange. I can barely land a hit on him. This guy's almost as fast as Häyhä, which means I can't use my sword, he thought, sheathing his weapon. It's slowing me down again.

"Ha! You're putting away your weapon!?" Hiroshi taunted. "That is foolish!"

"Who said that's my only weapon?" Arthur taunted back. The bandit took no notice as he charged at the Assassin again. But, his blade didn't hit flesh; it hit metal. Arthur had his Hidden Blades at the ready. "See what I mean?" Hiroshi shouted as he tried to land more hits on Arthur, but the only thing he kept hitting was the Assassin's daggers. His last attack was heavily parried, leaving the bandit wide open. "You're fast." The boy vanished and appeared behind the attacker. "But I'm faster!" He sunk his dagger into the neck of the bandit, dropping his HP down to zero, ending the fight, this was the first time he had killed a player, as the P'ker body exploded into a blue crystal he took a second and to look at his hand and started to question,

"Is this how it feels to be an assassin".

He went into his menu and look at his avatars page, on the top of his avatar he relies that the green crystal that signifies player killing is still on green. He then relies that there was a notification of his skills page

[Skill Unlocked- One with the crowd: killing someone will no affect the player's reputation.]

Arthur was taken back by this skill this means he could assassinate any one without anyone see that he's a red player, but he knows this ability has many down falls to it, if an assassin misuse this ability that could mean trouble. But soon after the curator arrive, "You're really are something, boy! An amazing fighter! A warrior amongst warriors!" the curator said, shaking his hand in thanks.

"U-Uh, think nothing of it," Arthur replied, scratching his neck in embarrassment.

"Now, let's go back to my museum to place these artifacts on display!" The two left the temple and made their way back into town.

Arthur admired each artifact in its display case. The feather glistened brightly underneath the ceiling light. This one he admired the most, despite him almost losing his life over it. Totally worth it, he thought, eying the ores in his inventory.

"Once again, thank you, my boy!" the curator said from behind his counter. "Here's a reward for your troubles."

He wasn't sure what to say, considering his reward sat safely in his inventory. His screen changed to a Col Reward screen. The amount showed 10,000, which made Arthur's jaw drop. It was the most he had ever received from a quest. "Thank you, sir!" he shouted from the door.

"Please stop by anytime!" the curator shouted back.

The Assassin made a quick pit stop to obtain more food from the market. On the way back to his HQ, a message appeared in his Inbox.

Message from: Yui

Subject: See ya there!

Recipient: Arthur

[Hey, Arthur! As you know, Edward's birthday is practically around the corner. I was hoping that you and I could meet up on floor 1 and spend it together, just a way to keep the real world with us. I was wondering if you had your Music Skill up high enough and could maybe play some songs? I know you sorta played in real life and was hoping to hear a song to celebrate. What do you we meet up at the town square on the next floor at 8 pm? See ya there!]

Arthur read over the message so he could remember the info. But he did notice one thing: why's Häyhä not invited? Should I bring him anyways? Unfortunately, he wasn't watching where he was going and knocked someone on to the ground. "Crap! I-I'm sorry!" he quickly apologized.

"N-No, it's fine- Arthur!?" The voice belonged to a friend he hadn't heard from in so long: Kirito. "Long time, no see."

"Figuratively speaking! It's great to see you! I never seen you after last Christmas. How's the guild doing." Arthur's voice trailed off when he noticed an empty look in the soloist's eyes. "A-Are you all right, Kirito?"

"Hmm? Yeah. I'm doing fine," Kirito answered, brushing himself off.

"Really? Because your eyes say otherwise, my friend. Did something happen?"

"Trust me. I'm fine." He quickly decided to change the subject. "But, it is nice to see the Assassin still doing his business."

"Actually, this floor has been relatively quiet of Templars. The last contact we had with them was Floor 29. I just completed a quest; I've got items for a custom sword."

"Congrats on getting those. I've heard they're not easy to obtain, at least some ores."

Trust me, you don't know the half of it, he thought to himself. When Arthur looked again, Kirito's eyes begged to leave him be and go on doing his own thing. "Well, I might as well get this sword made. Best of luck to you!" He patted his friend on the shoulder and made his way down the street, sneaking one last glance at the soloist. What happened to you?

As Arthur was about to open the door of the blacksmith shop he could heard shouting and screaming, he press he ears to listen to what's going on,

"YOU COULD'VE SAVE THEM!" The voice of Lisbeth shouted angrily.

"It was too late already! I'm sorry." Responded Häyhä's voice,

"Sorry? SORRY WON'T BRING THEM BACK!"

"THEN WHAT THE FUCK I MEANT TO SAY THEN?!" Häyhä screamed, "Do you even remembered why they died?!"

"..."

"That's right...the truth hurts Liz. Their blood is on your hands. Goodbye." then an loud stomp that was getting closer to the door. Arthur moves out of the way before the door could hit him. Häyhä got out of the door and slammed the door in anger and to his surprise he saw the young assassin right in front of him.

"What happened?"

"Don't even try. None of us would say a word, I'll see back in the town" he coldly said as he took his leave.

Lisbeth had just finished eating dinner when she heard her shop doors opening again. She quickly swallowed her last bite and brushed the crumbs off of her clothes. "Oh, it's you." she said weakly, recognising the hooded Assassin. "I take it you have the items needed?"

"Right here!" He opened his menu and deposited the ores onto her counter. "The last one wasn't easy to get; I had to fight a thief to keep the guy off of my NPC guide. Hey, what happened earlier with-"

"None of your business. Ok." She sighed, "At least you still obtained them. I should have this done in an hour." She then stopped to remember something. "Wait." Arthur turned back. "What's your name? We can friend each other and I'll send you a message when it's finished."

"Okay, then. The name's Arthur."

She quickly typed in the name, sending the request to the boy in the shop. "So you're Arthur! I've heard a lot 'bout you," she told him, adding a wiggle of the eyebrows.

"I guess my reputation as a Swordsman perceives me," he said scratching his head.

"Not that! She told me all about you; just went on and on and wouldn't seem to stop."

"Who? Akiko?" He figured she was the only girl to talk a lot about him.

"Nope. Yui!" Shock quickly spread across his face. "Oh, yeah. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she adores you. Let's hope that info doesn't get out to the info brokers." She grabbed the ores and turned for the rear part of her shop. "After all, you aren't half bad looking." She giggled as his face got even warmer than it already was.

{Bar- in town}

Häyhä chugged down another beer and motioned for another one. He heard the stool slide next to him and there was Arthur, who also ordered a beer. "Hey, there you are. I was starting to get worried about you!" he said, slapping his friend on the back. "Did you get the sword made?"

"In the process," he muttered half-heartedly, taking a huge swig of the drink placed in front of him. "Damn, mate. You all right? You look like you've heard something huge!"

He didn't want to tell Häyhä about Edward's birthday. Even if the beer didn't affect him, he'd still be teasing him about it. So instead, he brought up Kirito and the way he was looking. "He didn't have the same spark in his eyes from the 1st floor."

"I'd imagine not many do. I mean, given everything that happened up 'til now."

"This was different. It's like he saw something big happen…and he didn't stop it."

"Kirito? If he's still anything like he is from Floor 1, I'd say he wouldn't let anything like that happen."

"Something did happen, Häyhä. I'm not saying that he caused it," he stated, taking a drink, "but whatever happened, he feels responsible. His eyes, it's like Lisbeth's but with more regrets."

"I see." Häyhä said whiles downing his beer, "Hopefully he's ok, at one point Liz almost killed herself because of that." Häyhä said jokingly.

"What the actual hell is wrong with you?" A message appeared in Arthur's Inbox, it was Lisbeth.

Message from: Lisbeth

Subject: It done

Recipient: Arthur

[Hey Arthur! Just a quick shout out to you, your sword is done! Get over here and receive it.]

Just like Lisbeth said. He made his way over to the blacksmith's shop to retrieve his new weapon. "I bet it's going to be amazing!" Arthur said with child-like wonder.

"Hey! Your meant to be the one who's paying!" Häyhä cried

{Lisbeth's blacksmith shop}

"Please, nothing compares to my Rapier," Häyhä said with his hand resting on the hilt of his Rapier.

"Says you," Akiko interjected. "By the way, where's the ore you promised me?"

Arthur kept a look of innocence when he replied. "Oh, that. Yeah, I used all of 'em on my sword." He scratched his cheek, adding on to the supposed innocence in his face.

"You did WHAT?! The auburn headed Assassin stomped up to our hero and grabbed him by his collar. She pulled him close enough that he could see her blue eyes through the shadow of the hood. "You just jacked me of my reward! And that's punishable by death!" To emphasize her point, she had her Hidden Blade drawn, the point sitting under Arthur's chin. "What do you have to say for yourself!?"

There was a pregnant silence following Akiko's tirade. It was broken by the sound of someone laughing. It was Häyhä. He caught his breath and locked eyes with girl who currently held his friend's life in her hands. "I have just one thing to say." He rest his arm around her shoulder. "You sure look cute despite being pissed off."

Akiko squeaked, blushed, and then loosened her grip on Arthur's collar. "And I have it right here. There's one thing you should know about me: When I make a promise, I keep them. Just as I promised my friends I'd leave this game with them alive, and I keep the promise I'd get you this ore." He placed it in her free hand. "Sure, it's not a big promise, but it's a promise nonetheless."

She was speechless at what just occurred; she nearly killed a guy over an iron ore and he was cracking jokes and opening up to her. He hasn't done this since we first met, she thought. Maybe he really trusts me now. Or maybe he's just trying to get closer to me. She led the group into the shop where Lisbeth was laying Arthur's sword on the counter.

"Here you go, Arthur. Brand new, fresh off of the anvil. I hope you liked the design of the hilt," she said, handing the sword to the Assassin. The blade was double edged like a traditional short sword. The cross-guard was styled to look like eagle wings and the pommel looked like the face of an eagle, curving into a beak-like shape. The grip was covered with brown leather and had black leather bindings crisscrossing the handle from top to bottom. When Arthur gripped the sword, it felt comfortable, like an extension of his body. The feeling was amazing, and despite the lightness of the sword, he saw that the damage it could deal was excellent.

"Liz, words cannot describe the amazing piece you have created," he said, putting the sword in its sheath on the counter. He gave her the money for making his sword. "It's astounding how you could make this feel like a part of me."

Lisbeth blushed as Akiko spoke, "She has an uncanny ability to make a weapon feel like that. I still mentally thank her in battle for Hope's Crusader, which reminds me." She drew her weapon and rested it on the counter next to the ore Arthur gave her. "Use this ore to strengthen the blade."

"Can do," Lisbeth said, saluting. "It'll just be a few minutes." She took her friend's sword and went into the back of her shop.

Arthur took the sword and strapped it to his back in place of his old sword. He stepped outside, his comrades close behind. The two watched as he took a couple swings to get a feel for the new weapon. The blade glowed orange as he activated a Sword Skill. He then brought out the Hidden Blade. His skill, Levantine Approach, seemed to be suited perfectly with this sword. Arthur smiled in satisfaction as he held the sword in front of his face.

"So, now that you have this 'amazing' weapon," Akiko said, adding air quotes, "it needs an amazing name to match."

"Yeah. What name of such caliber is fit for it?" Häyhä asked, leaning against the wall.

The sword reflected his face. And in it, a familiar face appeared for a split second. Arthur recognized the colors, the outfit, the face; there was no doubt his sword deserves that name. "Its name is the Wings of Fujimura!" Everyone cheered in the celebration of Arthur's newly created sword, except for Häyhä. He only stared at each person only to see Lisbeth's full of joy and for Arthur he could sense a strong feeling of hope inside him, only to make him wonder,

'Is this worth it?'