Even though Heathcliff was cursing Rifat in his mind, he kept his face totally expressionless as he said to Rifat, "Thank you for giving us the opportunity to fight alongside you. We will try our best to complete our obligation."
"I am counting on you." Rifat said with a smiling face as he patted his shoulders as if to encourage him for what to come.
.....
---Few Moments Later---
The tension in the air was palpable as the two guilds, Dawn and Knights of the Blood Oath, stood at opposite ends of the room. The massive form of the 75th floor boss loomed in the center, its many limbs twitching as it waited to strike.
Rifat, the leader of Dawn, shouted out orders to his guildmates. "Heathcliff, attract its aggro! As for others, attack and try to find its weak points! Let's take this thing down!"
The guild members rushed forward, their weapons and spells flashing as they struck at the boss. Rifat led the charge, his sword shining as he dashed towards the boss's head. His teammates followed close behind, dealing damage as best as they could.
Meanwhile, Heathcliff and the players in Knights of the Blood Oath rushed towards the boss's massive torso. They formed a tight formation, shields up and ready to take the brunt of the creature's attacks. Heathcliff himself stood at the front, his own shield gleaming as he prepared for the worst.
The boss roared, lashing out with its many limbs. Dawn's members dodged and weaved, dealing damage wherever they could. The Knights of the Blood Oath, however, stood firm. The boss's attacks rebounded harmlessly off their shields, but the force of the impacts still sent them back reeling.
Heathcliff gritted his teeth as he felt the strain on his arms. His eyes were gloomy as he cursed Rifat in his heart but outside he can only encourage his guildmates to stay strong.
He shouted to his guildmates. "We can do this!"
Dawn's members continued to attack the boss with ferocity, dealing blow after blow to its legs and arms. The creature stumbled, its movements becoming more erratic as it began to take serious damage.
But then, disaster struck. One of the boss's massive limbs came crashing down on the Knights of the Blood Oath's formation. The impact was devastating, sending guild members flying and shattering shields. Heathcliff himself was knocked back as his health bar dropped slightly.
Dawn's members perfunctorily rushed to their aid without giving their best. The boss had targeted the Knights of the Blood Oath, and it was taking a heavy toll. Rifat looked at this without feeling any remorse as his eyes kept scanning the battlefield for any weaknesses.
That's when he saw it. A weak spot on the boss's neck, hidden beneath its many arms. "Everyone, focus you attacks on its neck. Heathcliff, try to attract the boss's aggro again."
The guild members rallied, their attacks growing more focused as they targeted the weak spot. The boss roared, writhing in agony as its health bar began to plummet.
Heathcliff, battered and bruised, rose to his feet once more and said with an unwilling eyes, "We can do this!" he shouted, rallying his own guild members. "Don't give up!"
The battle raged on, both guilds giving it their all. Finally, with a mighty roar, the boss fell to the ground, its health bar depleted.
As they collected their loot and counted their losses, Rifat and Heathcliff looked at each other each having some plans of their own. They had fought a fierce battle, but in the end, it was only Heathcliff's guild who lost more than 10 of its member.
So, even with the victory, most of the guild members from Heathcliff's side were not happy, their eyes were downcast as they reminisced about their friend who forever left from this world.
Rifat put on a slightly sad face as he went up to everyone and tried to cheer them up. Heathcliff looked on at this with a cold face as he thought to himself, 'You managed to defeat me this time, Rifat! But don't think it is always going to be like this."
"Thank you for inviting us to this boss fight. But we are not in the mood right now to celebrate further as you can see we are deeply grieved because of the comrades that we lost in this fight." Heathcliff took the loots belonging to their guild as he decided to leave.
Rifat didn't stop him, just said some perfunctory words to Heathcliff's guild members to establish his character as kind and honest and even gave them some extra loots in order to compensate for the losses that they encountered in this fight.
'Kayaba really created such an wonderful AI! It really looks like a real person. The way he expressed his emotions till now is very impressive. If I didn't know his real identity beforehand, I would have never suspected his identity as a player.' Rifat praised Heathcliff in his mind.
'But the more impressive he is, the more headache I am going to have while dealing with him.' Rifat thought as he rubbed his forehead in distress.
.....
After Heathcliff and his guild left, Rifat took other members of his group to relax and cheer for their victory in a high level restaurant. As they drowned themselves in enjoying the food and drinks, Rifat found himself sitting with Shino Asada in a corner of that restaurant.
"You did a great job today. I am impressed with how much you have managed to progress with your bow skills." Rifat praised her for the skills that she has shown today in the boss fight.
"Thank you. Without you, I wouldn't have come this far." Shino replied with a beautiful smile on her face. She is very grateful to Rifat for what he has done for her.
"No worries. That's what I should do as a friend. By the way, are you free tomorrow?" Rifat asked suddenly.
Shino already has good impression of him. And due to him being her mental support who helped her get out of the trauma that she was facing since childhood, their relationship has already reached a state which is more than just friendship. As long as Rifat push her a little bit, he is sure to let her make one of his harem member.
That's why, Rifat plans to propose a date with Shino tomorrow where he will try to break that last barrier between them.
"Yes, I am free." Shino replied while sipping on her drink.
"Then why don't we go on a date tomorrow? It's been a while since you and I went somewhere alone to relax. What do you think?" Rifat asked.
Shino's cheeks became slightly red as she heard the word date and replied with her tiny voice, "B-But wouldn't Asuna and others mind if we go on a date?"
"Don't worry, they wouldn't mind. So what is you answer?" Rifat said with a nonchalant face.
"Ok. I will be ready for you then." Shino replied with a mosquito like voice as she quickly buried her face into the straw of her drink in order to hide the embarrassment she was feeling right now.