old friends

09:30

floor 22

forest house k4

asuna had making some small desserts for the incoming guess, while kirito were thinking of the questions he was about to ask hoping she could provide something about the two person background

kirito so far can only speculate from the evidence they got so far, alice hear a knock on the door as she open to see an unfamiliar faces just as siune suprise to see a new faces as kirito and asuna friend "guest coming" she called out as asuna look at just in time to bring the dessert and tea to the guest

she let her enter with greet after a while as asuna got out some desserts she prepared and some tea, kirito think its best to introduce alice to siune, while siune was jokingly wonder if she gotten to the wrong house when she see alice get the door

alice sat to the side as kirito asked "i must say, it's been a while"

"not really we did came to aid in underworld not long ago" siune replied awkwardly as alice was suprise to hear this

"oh right, my bad, i'm pretty sure everyone came to help me, and with that i must say thank you for that"

kirito cannot believe he can forget about it

"there is no need to be so humble, if it werent for your help we would have been surrounded by the salamander" siune replied as asuna just want to see how the two would interact to one another as kirito is as usual weren't good at communicating to people

but the conversation got to the main point fairly quickly as kirito began his questioning "siune, do you happen to know a guy named jakul and blesi ?"

siune nearly choked on her tea when hearing this name, indicating to kirito that she know something they don't while asuna quickly get a handkerchief to help siune

siune cough for a bit before she calmed down "where did you get those names ?" siune wonder as krito replied "a while ago alice had asked us about the guild, and from what we can gather it seems that they are connected to the sleeping knight, and you are the sub leader of the guild when yuuki was around, so..."

"so with that you want to know blesi and jakul from me" siune continued "yes, we think that maybe you are the ones that know more about them" asuna said worried that she wouldn't want to talk about it

"i'm not saying i know them well, but i can tell you what i know" siune said "thank you so much for that" alice was greatful hoping she could get what she want to heard that night

"i know for the fact that they were the only member that didn't have terminal illness like the rest of us, eventhough their time with us was short but it was a time we remembered dearly, they first start playing not long after the guild had decided to play in alfheim, and they weren't good at it to say the least, yuuki were the one that mostly taught them how to fight in this game, eventhough i didn't know how they train, i can say that one posses what the others dont, it was all fine until one night...jakul decided to leave cutting all connection with us and we dont know what happen to him eversince" siune explained as she hesitate with the last one

"i dont know what or why, but he clearly has his own reason to do so and that is the view yuuki had when she heard of this news, yet i can tell she is hurt from this but she kept her smile and do her best for the team" siune continued wondering what jakul was thinking

"what about blesi ?" alice asked getting curious "after about a week or two blesi decided to join into the army of the salamander, though he does remain in contact with us and even arrive as one of the one thousand alo players that got to see her one last time" siune explained as asuna suprised to hear didn't realize that one of the one thousand player could be him

"i guess now i understand why you and yuuki never mention about them when i was in the guild" asuna said in realization

"you know that she prefer to look toward the future instead lingering in the past, maybe it's for the better of herself and to its newcomer" siune explained before she wanted to asked some question

"now, then, if i may, could i ask a question or two ?" siune asked "well, we wouldn't mind, go ahead" kirito said as he see it's siune turn to begin questioning "alice, may i ask who is the person that told you about the sleeping knight ?"

"it was blesi, he has been staying here for the mean time" alice replied as siune doesn't seems suprised hearing this "well, in that case" as she pulled out a wrapped box "alice, if you mind, would you give this box to him when he get back?" siune asked

"i will" alice said as she take the box and put in on her lap as asuna asked "aren't you going to stay a while longer ?" while siune calmly said "no need, i will be logging off soon, but at least this gift can be something to let blesi know i came for a visit"

"i see, in that case we'll be sure to give him when he came" kirito said as siune got up "now that is all, i guess i'll be taking my leave ?"

"be safe siune, and have a nice day" asuna said

"you too, asuna" siune walk out of the house as she quickly log off the game

while alice look down processing the info she had just heard and wonder what did siune gave to him

09:35

blesi finally reach to the elevator, as he set foot he see the option to which he simply pick yggdrasil city, as the door opened allow him to enter

consider it was a market he was suprised there weren't a single person in the elevator at all, his plan of going for a stroll around the game turn into him spending money fixing a weapon, he sigh just the though of this

but he just realize it's been sometime since he had upgraded his sword so he think it's best to upgraded it to the max if possible

his out of his though as the elevator door opened as he step out of it to see it's door closed and it lowered down once again, and in front of him were tons of market under the lines upon lines of lamp that shine down at the sign of the shops

as he now need to search for a pink haired leprechaun girl, working in a blacksmith workshop, looking up the sign he see one as he push the door with the bell on top of the door rang as he see it resembles a shop with weapons of all kind hanged and displayed in the shop, with the door closed he see a girl came out of the back and from what leafa had said this must be the person leafa mention

"you must be lisbeth, right ?" blesi asked just to be sure "it seems that a friend of mine must have introduce me to you, if that the case, yes, welcome to lisbeth little smithy, newcomer" she said introduce herself

"i see" blesi said approaching to the counter "could you help me fully enchance this weapon with durability and sharpness ?"

"well, you gotta let me check your sword first" lisbeth requested as he put the sword on the the counter, she pulled out the sword to see the sword having multiple chipping on the blade

"sheesh, what level of durability is this sword ?" she said as she look at the blade profile, only to see the durability is as low as 1 while having accuracy and heaviness at max while quickness at the average level not high but not low, "you gotta be kidding me, you have heaviness and accuracy at max but you didn't focus on durability !?"

"well, i though i didn't use it much so..." blesi said scratching his head "even if you didn't use it much, you shouldn't ignore it !?" lisbeth give a warning thinking how reckless this customer is "s-sorry"

"fine, at least you have the mind to request the durability" lisbeth sigh in disbelief of this but decided to carry the sword to the back

"just to be sure it was durability and sharpness right ?" lisbeth asked not to mistaken the stat of the weapon "yes" blesi replied as she began to put the sword to the furnace while blesi see small scene of it

while blesi was waiting outside looking around the weapon on the shop, while seeing outside he see glimpse of a blue haired cait sith girl alongside with a brown hair cait sith enter the shop, at first he didn't put much until realization set it, it was sinon or asuna tend to call her sinonon though he didn't met the other one though

maybe best to greet them if possible, but seeing lisbeth is still in the making, it seems impossible, he continue to look at the window, before lisbeth come out in relief that the sword was a success as she see her friend had came here

"silica, sinon" lisbeth greet as blesi stand aside continue to look at the window, but he was suprise to see outside the window there is a man all covered from head to toe looking into the shop, but he quickly walk away but it does raised some suspicion

the conversation come to an end with lisbeth bringing a dagger into the back, while they wait, as sinon saw blesi looking on to the window, this does raise some suspicion as blesi seems to keep an eye on something, eversince they enter he had kept an eye on something as she go close to give a pat "hey, wanna talk"

"sure, you must be sinon right ?" blesi said after hearing the name lisbeth call out "yes, wait how you know my name ?" sinon asked suprised "oh, lisbeth had just yell out your name, so apologize for that" blesi explained trying to not make her uncomfortable

"no need" sinon look to the window seeing no one before she whispered "is there someone following us ?" blesi hear this before whisper back "i think so"

"so my sense wasn't wrong" sinon still haven't lose her senses "so you had already sense someone following you" blesi just to be sure

"yes, for quite sometime now" blesi see sinon put her hand on the arm as he can tell that she felt uncomfortable "look like you experience this before"

blesi said as sinon was suprise "how did you-"

"just guessing, consider the way you act i can simply think of either experience or no" blesi explained "how long have he been following you ?"

"eversince we enter the elevator" sinon remember feeling like being watched after enter the market "look like it came when they saw you, but do you know them ?" blesi asked just to be sure "no, i don't know many people in alo, other than kirito and his friends"

"i see"blesi said looking at the window just to be sure before lisbeth coming out with silica dagger as she see sinon and blesi having a talk as he call blesi to get his sword

blesi came to the counter to see the blade as the blade have different look, with the chipping dissapear and the blade pattern become more visible as the blade turn from the usual red color to blue "i must say, this is one beautiful blade"

"agree, it reminded me of another sword that had reach the shine not long ago" lisbeth said feeling the two different sword are quite similar in some way

"oh, what a coincidence, so how much will it cost ?"

"let me see here, consider that i had help make it to shine, it might cost more than average, so the cost would be around...100.000 yrd" blesi sigh in relief hearing the price since he had plenty, as he pay them quickly, with lisbeth receiving the currency as blesi sheathed the sword

though he see something interesting in silica neck as he see a blue dragon that was covered in feathers "well, who this little one" blesi asked as he forget to introduce himself "oh apologies for my rudeness, name is blesi, who are you and this little dragon ?" blesi kneel down looking at the feathered dragon

"my name silica, and this little one is pina" as silica finish introducing pina squel in the most adorable voice that blesi could ever heard as he see the dragon laying on top of silica head

lisbeth seeing such a cute sight that she could resist to give pina a scratch in the head while blesi simply chuckle before said "well, i guess it's time to go now"

"have a nice day" lisbeth said seeing him left the shop not before winking at sinon for a signal with sinon not understand what he had planned as lisbeth chuckle at what she just did "is something wrong ?" sinon asked

"n-nothing, its just he is probably the weirdest customer i've met" lisbeth said "eh ?" sinon wonder in suprise as he seems to be the serious type of a person

though she wonder what does the wink that blesi did suppose to meant and does it have something to do with the person following her, but whatever it was she need to make sure she kept an eye on her surrounding

after silica paid about 300 yrd for the upgrade sinon and silica got out of the shop with lisbeth given a having a nice day greet before the door was shut at first she look around but seeing no one but when they walk a path she can sense of someone was looking at them

she is reminded of the time she got stalk by a close friend of her a friend she can trust, the though is enough to give her uncomfort, just when she though her trauma as a child was worst look like this continues to happen

without her realize she and silica had arrive to the elevator as they slowly ascended down eventhough it was only them it still felt like someone is looking at them, before she knew it pina began to squek as if it sense something was wrong

as silica try to calm pina down, pina continued to squel before it began to calm down as there are two people standing in front of the elevator door, as the door opened they see blesi holding his sword on a man

as pina squel seeing this while silica try to calm down wondering what is wrong, and who is pina squel at, while sinon had finally found out why she continue tp had such an uncomfortable feeling

"so it was you, who had been following us" sinon said to the man "you ?, i'm pretty sure you have mistaken" the man said before sinon was getting furious at this "i can already sense you been following us eversince we got here" while silica was in suprise of what sinon just said

"no, no, i did admit i was following you all, but how can you be sure that i was following 'you' ?" with this word come out of his mouth sinon is remembered of what happen in the forest house "it was you, your the one that kirito and asuna mentioned"

with a laugh that can be heard in the room before he stopped "yes, it is i, tate, the shield of the future paradise" he said before quickly pulled out excalibur as he quickly made a slice on blesi before quickly charge and sinon with his grip on the sword like it was a knife

sinon quickly pulled silica back into the elevator with the order "told lisbeth" as she began to shot multiple arrows to him, but his look reminded him of gabriel from the 4th BoB as she see tate had his hand reach toward her neck in attempt to choke her

she remember the look of gabe but this guy is more insane as even with arrow hitting it's face it is determined to lay his hand on her seeing the hand getting closer as he closed her eyes try to not see it's face

but she hear tate yell out "christ, ****, ****" his mouth was filled with cursed word all the sudden as she opened her eyes see blesi's throwing knife not far from her and a hand that was just dissapeared she look to see blesi pulled out his sword in one hand and another hand to help sinon

as blesi look back, before mocking him "what, got your achilles heel !?" before hearing the elevator sound behind him as lisbeth and silca had finally come down, before turning around to see him had his hand on the teleport

as he want to teleport to the other waypoint, seeing this blesi quickly ran toward him as he had his sword ready but it was too late, he had dissapeared before he could made his cut

"curses" blesi said in furstration before sheating his weapon he look around him, before decided to check on sinon

"what the hell was that !?" lisbeth asked wondering what she just missed "a creepy guy, that's for sure" blesi said as he pulled the knife that stuck on the wall only to see it break and shattered he sigh as he asked to sinon "you alright ?, your face back there...you experience something similar"

"i-i'm fine" sinon said though it isn't even enough to convince blesi and the others, though blesi began to focus his eye on silica especially with what tate had said before "how can you be sure i was following you" which make him wonder if there is something on sinon or silica that is important

"ah, is something wrong ?" silica asked just as pina began to look pretty defensive in which it all clicked "silica, may i ask how rare is pina ?"

"eh !?, does it have something to do with her ?" she asked just as pina squek "i can't be sure, but i believe he may have want to take away pina" hearing this sinon had just realize the coversation she heard about the stolen excalibur "wait, if i recall, kirito mention that this guy originally wanted to get yui as well, before changing his mind after getting the excalibur"

blesi hearing this can confirm his theory as it seems that he is interested in taking away something...special as he felt his skin crawl "what is up with my luck today, meeting one that was weirder and creepier than the previous ?"

"wait, what do you mean by that ?" sinon asked

"well to put it simply, i encounter one earlier with leafa, and... well i'll skip the details, basically she is what cause the chipping on my sword" blesi explained as lisbeth can simply said "not gonna lie though, seeing your sword durability that low, you were lucky your sword was able to hold up that long"

"there no need to remind me of that at the moment, but anyway, silica kept your little dragon safe, and sinon, kept your sense sharp as always" blesi said jokingly "eh ?" as sinon just wonder what blesi just said before he simply walk off with a word "anyway, have a guten tag" with a wave of goodbye as he go