Klein(SAO)x Reader

Chapter Five

My eyes dart open, hoping the whole 'you're trapped' thing be a dream. Emptiness fills me once more when I find myself under the same tree, holding the loaf of bread in my limp arm. Putting the bread in my inventory, I curse myself for falling asleep, and ready myself for leveling. Finding the same spot Klein had taught me how to use a sword skill, I clear the fields, leveling twice, making me level six. I now have nine hundred Col, so I decide to upgrade my sword. Strolling to the blacksmith, I hand him my sword.

"G-good evening, I would like to upgrade it as much as I can. How much is one upgrade?" I wave, showing him my amount of Col.

"Hmm...One upgrade for this sword is ninety Col, so, for as many as you can, let me see. Oh, it should be about ten upgrades for all your Col. But if you don't want to waste it--"

"Please upgrade it as much as you can." I stare at him, friendliness absent in my tone. He looks taken aback, but he nods and takes it behind the wall. I sigh, leaning on the counter, and resting my head in my hand.

What am I doing? I guess I should apologize.

When the blacksmith comes back, he timidly hands me back my sword.

"Uh, here. That would be nine hundred Col." He stammers, looking nervous now.

"Sorry about snapping. The week has been pretty stressful for me. Thank you for upgrading it for me." I transfer the Col, and he looks much happier.

"Oh, I understand. Finding out you're trapped in a different world must be difficult for you, yes?" 

His statement catches me off guard, but I nod to show I hadn't ignored him. I walk out of the blacksmith shop, sheathing my sword. It feels a tad bit heavier, but I hardly notice. Striding out of the town and into the fields, I practice with my sword. Now, instead of taking two hits to kill the Dire Wolves, it only takes one. Having fun with fighting them off, I forget the thought of being trapped in this world, and I dismiss the three 'congratulations!' banners appearing when I level up. Panting as all the monsters disappear, I look to the corner, and notice I'm now level nine. Gazing in surprise, I walk back to the town, sighing in relief when I enter the safe zone.

I make my way to the same tree I had slept under, splitting the remaining bread, and taking a big chunk off of it with my teeth. Munching on the snack, I rest my head on the soft bark, listening to the birdsong echoing from the treetop. Skimming through my inventory, I organize the things I need to sell and the things I need to keep, sighing as I close my inventory. Suddenly, a small message box pops up in front of me, beeping loudly. I flinch as I see the name tag attached to the envelope, but I tap the blue circle.

Hey, I hope you're doing okay alone. From what I remember, you didn't really know how to use your sword when I first met ya, so just wanted to check in. Right now, I'm formin' a guild with the friends I told you about in the Town of Beginnings, and I wanted to ask if maybe you wanted to join? No rush, or pressure, or anything. 

Please message me when you can,

Klein

P.S. Please, don't die. 

I smile at the last part of the note but shake my head to myself. Tapping the 'new message' button, I start typing in my response:

Hey, Klein. Good to see you still remember the first time we met. I'm happy you asked, but I gotta decline. I really do work better alone, no matter how lonely it gets. Thanks for worrying about me, but don't waste your energy on me, and get through this game. I do wish I could join, but it's for the best. 

Your friend, 

Skylar

P.S. I won't if you won't. :)

Sending the message, I sigh as the 'sent' banner replaces the message, and swipe to dismiss it. Rolling my sword around in its scabbard, I scan the plains around me, knowing what I had done had really been the best. Standing, I sheath my sword completely, then start walking to the merchant. Selling most of the drops, I end up with a grand total of thirty-five Col and start walking to the next village. Half-way there, another message box appears, and I stop to examine the letter.

Oh, okay. Well, promise me you'll be safe? I don't want to lose a friend to this game. Our guild in the town you were just in, so maybe we'll bump into each other? Oh, well. Take care.

-Klein.

I feel sadness pour from my eyes in the form of tears, but I wipe them away with a smile. I continue walking down the dirt path, only running into a few Dire Wolves. Panting when I reach the next town, I buy myself a good place to sleep, so I might wake up early next morning. I collapse on the bed in my inn room, my eyes sliding closed before I can change out of my armor. I wake up to a light glaring into my eyes, and I sit up and block the steady streamers with my hand. Yawning as I stretch my arms, I walk out of this village determined to get closer and closer to the tower. Strolling with my arms over my head, I glance in the bushes once and a while giving fear an opportunity to get its edge into me. 

I feel nostalgic for some reason when I hear a stick cracking behind me, but I dismiss it. Suddenly, a hand slaps over my mouth, blocking the noises from escaping my lips, as another drags me into a shadow-draped cave. It then stuffs something into my mouth, releasing their grip, but I can't move at all, let alone speak. I lay there on the slimy rock, staring up at the shadow of my assaulter, fear then spreading throughout my body when I spot a cleaver hanging out of their hand. I gulp when he presses it to my throat, lifting my chin to meet his hooded gaze.

"What did you drag in this time? Maybe a good catch? Ooh, I may have a plan for you already!" The man with the cleaver growls menacingly when another figure darts out of the shadows as he grabs my wrists. I gaze at his gloves, which have a weird coffin figure on them, with a laughing face applied on the front. I stand there scowling at him when he takes two chains, latching them onto my wrists, suspending me from the ceiling. He snickers, reaching for my sword, when suddenly, the same figure darts in front of him, slicing his hand that was reaching. I stare in shock as the man with the cleaver brings his weapon down onto the shoulder of the other person, who had jumped in the way of his cleaver, and stopped him from stealing my sword.

A/N: Sorry this chapter was a little short, school is definitely been keeping me busy, along with the hurricane winds that have been knocking the trees around. I hope that everyone in Florida and all those places are okay. :)