The Lightning Flash

Chapter 5: I Miss You

"So, you haven't asked this guy out, yet?" asked Lisbeth, the blacksmith, as she worked on upgrading a rapier that was given to her by the girl sitting in front of her.

"A-Ask him out?" returned Asuna, stressed. "I-I don't even know if...it's like that. He just helps me understand the game and teaches me some of the mechanics...he's been doing it since the first floor. We're...what did he call it...partners."

"Partners, huh? Sounds like you've been with this guy for a while since being trapped in this game...you haven't developed any other feelings for him since the two of you started hanging out?"

"F-Feelings...I...mean...sometimes, I guess. I just...don't know if he feels the same way, ya know?  I like our...er...partnership as he calls it. Before I met him...and before I met you, I was all alone in this game, ready to give up. He's the one who motivated me to keep pushing forward when I didn't think I was had a reason to. Without him, I wouldn't be nearly as capable or strong as I am, now. I would most likely be dead...my brain fried in the real world. I...don't even think I've thanked him for this...once."

"Ha, I didn't expect someone like you to be this shy...it's kind of endearing," said Lisbeth as she finished up the upgrading process on the rapier.

The weapon made a noise, indicating that it had increased by one level thanks to Lisbeth's blacksmithing. Asuna got up from her seat and took the rapier from her and sheathed it.

"Thank you so much, Lisbeth. There's a lot of sketchy blacksmiths in SAO...Kirito and I both have had an encounter with a couple but you seem like one of the few, who actually do this to help the other players."

"Well, it's the best that I can do. I'm not really strong like you are, Asuna...if I tried to fight on the front lines, I'd most likely be dead by now. I used to think about joining the front lines but...I thought this would be a safer way for me to help out. Sometimes, I believe I'm a coward for hiding behind my blacksmith shop. I mean, the worst I have to deal with at the shop is a couple of rude customers or assholes, who make a mess of it for fun...like the people you took out that one day for me."

Before Lisbeth could continue her conversation with Asuna, she heard a ringing sound coming from upstairs, indicating that a new customer had made their way into the shop.

"Hold that thought for one second, Asuna. I'll be right back. Sorry."

"Oh, no need to apologize," Asuna assured her, smiling. "I'm glad you've been getting more customers, lately. You really deserve it."

Lisbeth returned the smile and walked up the stairs to greet the customer. Asuna opened up her menu screen, went to her equipment and then to weapons. She selected her current rapier to study the weapon's stats and how they were affected by the upgrade while she waited for Lisbeth to return.

"Let's see," mumbled Asuna to herself, looking at all of the stats that were effected by upgrading the weapon. "Damage seems to be the main thing that increased...some speed seems to have gone up as well—"

A loud scream coming from the floor above, caused Asuna to close her inventory, get up from her seat and dash up the stairs to check on the noise.

As soon as Asuna arrived on the scene, the first thing that she saw was Lisbeth's bloodied body, lying on the floor of the shop. Asuna, quickly, checked her health and read that it was at 5%, meaning it would only take one more good hit to completely wipe it out, killing her not only in the VR world but the real world. Standing around Lisbeth were a group of players...the same players that Asuna had fought off a time before when they tried to make a mess of Lisbeth's black shop. Why they had returned she wasn't sure but it didn't take long for the leader of the group to start talking.