Author's Note
Hello everybody, this is ChristmasForJuan.
With the second Act up and running, and after having getting more and more request, I feel like I should just say it right here.
For anyone who wants to read the translated Light Novels of SAO, I downloaded them before they were licensed by Yen Press and taken down from Baka-Tsuki. So if you guys feel like reading the novels just write me xD
Anyway, time for the start of the new arc.
3rd Month of the Human World Calendar, 379
Underworld. A virtual testing ground that aimed to reshape infant consciousnesses into systematic killers; a world that existed only to ensure the survival of "real" soldiers by sacrificing the virtual minds cultivated from the mnemonic data obtained from newborn babies.
Whether or not Underworld was build upon hypocrisy and selfish goals was irrelevant when compared to the possibility of reducing predicted casualties of armed warfare to single digits.
Was it inhumane, barbaric, wicked even? No. After all, a product of man's creation could be nothing other but inferior to man. How could the lives of Underworld's inhabitants be of any value, when a single button could birth hundreds, even thousands of them. Merely electrical impulses housed in a body of metal, their value hardly amounted to the finances that were poured into this project.
However, even among the sea of cattle, there were bound to be few exceptions. In a remote wooden cottage near the modest village of Rulid, two of such exceptions were currently thrown into yet another precarious situation.
That is, if witnessing an unknown old man walk in on you and your partner sleeping together (naked) in what was, most definitely, his bed qualified to be a "precarious situation".
".."
"… ?"
Silently gaping each other in what could probably rate as the most awkward staring contest in fictional modern history, neither of them were unable to talk or move for the duration of time it took their consciousnesses to kickstart back into motion.
"… I will tend to the vegetables outside …", the old man stated in a surprisingly composed voice, as he hurriedly shut the door behind him.
"… right …", whispered Sinon.
Even though she clearly understood what had just happened, the ridiculous and sudden nature of said event left her in a relatively calm, albeit slightly shocked and embarrassed state.
First things first, Sinon immediately checked the state of her body, and was relieved to find a thin but wide blanket spread over most of it, merely revealing the tip of her sharp shoulders and ankles. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Kirito.
While he embraced Sinon from behind in an affectionate gesture (which she undoubtedly highly appreciated), it seemed as if Sinon had unknowingly taken possession of over two thirds of the blanket's area in her sleep, effectively (shamelessly?) revealing a large portion of Kirito's butt.
Without a doubt, this situation was one which allowed for nothing but shame and humiliation to heat up Sinon's ears in a healthy blush, and while the foreign sense of unfamiliarity and confusion of finding herself in an unexplored world had not completely vanished yet, it was the exaggerated absurdity of the situation that tickled a genuine heartfelt fit of laughter out of her erratic lungs, loud enough to overwhelm the surrounding forest's morning melody.
Awoken by his partner's quivering body and ringing laughter, Kirito was greeted by a near dream-like view of Sinon's firm naked body jolting back and forth in what could only be an intense laughing fit. While her left hand managed to keep a large portion of the blanket at chest level to protect her inner maiden's modesty, it would be only a matter of time before her stifled giggles made her lose control of her left arm as well. As if that was bad enough, the mere sight of Kirito's clueless expression only worsened the situation by bringing tears to her eyes.
Any questioning attempts by Kirito miserably failed despite Sinon's best efforts to answer him, and it was not too long until Kirito succumbed to her enchanting curse as well.
"So what point is there in me turning around again?", asked Kirito, his disappointment clearly lacing his complaint.
Sitting opposite him, firmly wrapped in a blanket, Sinon's cheeks still retained a pinkish hint, partially as a remnant of her previous laughing fit, yet mostly due to the fact that there was nothing but a blanket obstructing Kirito's vision of her bare body.
"I'm telling you, I might not act like one in GGO, but I am a girl. Of course I would be embarrassed to change while you are looking!"
"Then what about me?"
Pointing at the single pillow on his waist, the logic behind the unfortunate swordsman's complaint was obvious. Yet…
"You are a guy, it should be fine. Plus … I already saw …"
"In that case, I also-"
"I told you, it's different! I will give you the blanket after I am done, so just look away until I put on my underwear at least. This world doesn't have an equipment menu, so I need to put them on myself."
Feeling like he was on the short end of the deal, Kirito was not without shame either, especially when there was just a single pillow he could use as a shield against her curious glances. In a half-hearted attempt of retaliation, he jokingly teased, "Wait so it is alright for me to see you in your underwear?"
Expecting an angry retort, Kirito prepared himself for the bobcat's wrath, but was instead greeted with an unexpected reaction.
Her pink blush deepening into a more vivid shade of red, Sinon hesitantly opened her mouth for a reply, stopped midway, and averted eye contact by lowering her gaze.
The unspoken answer was obvious.
"… are you … so it is alright?"
"Geez, just turn around already!"
Squeezing Kirito's cheeks in between the palms of her two outstretched hands, Sinon forcibly yet gently turned Kirito's face against the wall, prompting his body to follow along.
"Just stay like this for a minute."
"That is impossible!", he screamed in his thoughts, as the audible sound of fabric brushing against soft skin assaulted his ears.
In an effort to protect his waning willpower, Kirito decided to inquire about the event that woke him up in the first place.
"So Sinon …"
"Hmmm?"
"Why were you laughing that loudly in the morning?"
"Ah, there was this old man that walked in through the front door when I woke up and-"
"Wait what?!", Kirito yelled loudly while turning his head towards Sinon for affirmation.
However, he immediately reversed that movement after catching her in the act of light-footedly slipping on her panties. Whether he was glad or regretful about the fact that she had her back turned towards him would be a topic he would entertain at a later time.
Awkwardly clearing his throat, Kirito repeated himself in a more composed manner.
"So do you have any idea who he was?"
"Obviously I have never seen him before but," spreading out the blanket midair with a flick of her wrist, Sinon letting it float down onto Kirito in a playful attempt to cover his unclothed body, "if you get dressed quickly we can go out and ask him together."
Pulling the cloth off his head and donning it like a mantle instead, Kirito turned around to see Sinon in her usual military gear.
Noticing his complicated expression, Sinon asked, "Is something the matter?"
"Ahh no, it's just that I was secretly hoping to see you dressed like yesterday again."
"What are you talking about? Those might have been his clothes. Never mind that, we should probably apologize for wearing them in the first place."
"So is that a no?"
"… just get dressed."
Satisfied with her answer, Kirito swiftly jumped off the bed and proceed to get changed into his usual black colored gear. Even though his shirt had a gaping hole going all the way from his left shoulder to the area near his bellybutton, he managed to cover it up by tightening the buckle on his long-coat, which had a similarly damaged left sleeve.
Through the holes one could see white bandages, placed there by Sinon the previous night when she cleaned and dressed his wounds. Fortunately, there was no red stain to be seen yet, but it was clear that Kirito's injury would undoubtedly reopen if he were to fight another battle.
Deciding against bringing their weapons along, the two left the cottage, immediately greeted by the mellow rays of the morning sun. Not too far away from the home, in the direction of the small village the pair had spotted the day before, the old man silently took in the view.
Slowly and hesitantly approaching him, Kirito and Sinon had no choice but to apologize for breaking into his house and taking his clothes. Believing it to be abandoned at first, they had no excuse to offer to the offended party.
"Ahh .. w-we", Kirito stuttered at the height of his nervousness.
"We are terribly sorry!"
"We are terribly sorry!"
Bowing as deeply as they possibly could, the couple could do nothing but pray for the elderly man's forgiveness.
"I-I don't know how much it is worth, but we have this large pouch of gold we got from those gobl- … I mean, that we found…"
"What he is trying to say, is that we are willing to repay you for any supplies that we have used and … the b-bed … we are willing to buy you a new bed!"
"A-and the clothes too! We can buy you new clothes too so…"
Going back and forth between themselves, and making little sense as they did, Kirito and Sinon continued on for around five minutes until the unfamiliar man finally turned around.
Unexpectedly, his expression wan't stern or angry in the least, but instead was radiating compassion and relief. Taken aback by this unforeseen turn of events, Kirito and Sinon tilted their heads in confusion.
"It seems as if the God of Darkness Vector really has taken a liking to you Kirito. Though it worries me what might have happened to Eugeo, I am happy that you at least found yourself back home, be it willingly or not. And as it seems you even brought a new friend of yours along. What is your name?"
"I am Sinon…?"
"Nice to meet you Sinon, I am Garitta. Now then, you must be hungry. I have some fresh tomatoes in the back if you want."
Still unsure how to respond, Kirito and Sinon exchanges glances before inquiring any further.
"You … aren't mad?"
"Why should I be? On the contrary, I am relieved that you found yourself back home after falling victim to 'Vector's Prank' again."
"… 'Vector's Prank' .. Home?"
"Why don't you help me harvest some tomatoes for breakfast, and I'll explain everything on the way?"
With their stomachs growling in unison, the puzzled pair were in no position to deny the kind man's offer and hurriedly followed his lively pace after nodding in the affirmative.
During the simple breakfast that consisted of chewy bread, quite similar to the cheap loafs one could by in the starting city of Aincrad, freshly harvested tomatoes, cheese, and exceptional ambrosial water fetched from the riverside, the man called Garitta told his guests all about the history of the World, including the tales of the 4 gods, and the bridge that connected them to the human realm, the Holy Axiom Church. After clearing up any questions on this world's history and mythology, he proceeded to tell Kirito how he had lived in Rulid village around one year ago, before leaving for Zakkaria to become swordsmen.
Yet, even when firmly insisting that there must have been some sort of mistake, and that Kirito could not possibly have lived in Rulid village or have met that boy named Eugeo, Garitta merely wrote it off to be one of "Vector's Pranks" and that his memory would return eventually.
It was only when the sun, or solus as the people in this world called it, glared down at them from the center of the sky that they finally started to wrap things up.
"That being the case, I have a favor to ask of you two."
"Well, we still haven't thanked you for breakfast yet, so we'd be glad to make ourselves useful."
"To be honest, now that you have fallen victim to Vector's ill will again, it is very likely that something may have befallen Eugeo as well. I know you do not remember him right now, but you two were truly inseparable in the past. It worries me that he is alone right now, especially with the rumors about the northern cave spreading…"
"What do you mean by rumors?"
"Not too long ago Jink traveled to the northern cave on his rest day, much like how Eugeo would sneak of early morning once a week, most likely to find a sword as strong as Eugeo's 'Blue Rose Sword'. After all, he never forgot the humiliation he had to taste when Eugeo defeated him in front of the entire village. Regardless, the very same day he returned out of breath and completely exhausted, telling everyone about a massive group of goblins hiding inside the cave. Of course we didn't believe him at first, but decided to send the village guard to search the cave for themselves. In the en all they found was ice. What unsettles me though, is that recently there have been many tracks found in the woods that are too large to belong to any of the animals around here."
"So you are saying that Jink might have been right after all…", Kirito nonchalantly replied while casually wiping away the multiple beads of sweat that formed on his forehead.
While there was no reason to keep their fight with he goblins a secret, they were too far into the conversation to bring it up now. Additionally, according to what Garitta told them about the swordsmanship taught in this world, it seemed unlikely that any guards or even knights have ever had any proper fighting experience. Therefore, it might be too much to tell him that they had single handily slaughtered 3 squadrons worth of goblins with little to no casualties. Glancing at Sinon's frowning expression, Kirito could tell that she was against keeping any secret to the man who extended a helping hand towards them, but also understood that it would be easier for them to keep it a secret for the meantime.
After all, despite that fact that they had "only" harmed goblins, Sinon felt a strange sense of remorse lingering in a far corner of her mind. She kept telling herself that they were only programs, created for the sake of being destroyed by players to farm resources and experience, but that alone was insufficient to combat the ghastly presence of guilt in her heart. In other words, by telling the old man that they had killed tens of goblins, she felt as if she admitted to consciously murdering, not programs, but living beings. Therefore, she reluctantly agreed to keep their recent feat a secret.
Replying to Kirito's statement, Garitta continued the conversation.
"While I do not want to admit it, yes I do. Eugeo has always been drawn to that cave ever since Alice was taken all those years ago, and I fear that he might seek it out yet again if he too were a victim of 'Vector's Prank'. Of course we don't know if Vector managed to curse him too, or if he is still under the protection of the Axiom Church in Centoria, but nevertheless I want you to see the cave for yourself. Even if you do not find Eugeo, that cave might be able to aid your memories."
Having filled his stomach and resting for an ample amount of time, Kirito was easily excited by the quest-like scenario and quickly stood up from his relaxed seating posture to show off his eagerness.
"Don't worry about us! We'll be back by nightfall. A scouting quest like that is a piece of cake!"
"What do you mean by scouting quest? Never mind that, are you not heavily injured? My request can wait until you have had time to properly heal up."
In response to the old man's worried remark, this time it was Sinon to join in on the conversation. Contrary to Kirito's liveliness, Sinon's tone seemed to be of one who had already given up on changing her partner's habits.
"There is no use stopping him now. Once he gets excited about something he hardly calms down until he is satisfied. Also …", silently shifting her weight from one left to the other, she looked to the side as she stated, "… I am going to take care of him if he ever gets into trouble."
"Then it is decided! With the 'Hecate' as my support there is nothing to fear-"
"Support eh? Not only did I save your life, but after taking down all these goblin's together I am still 'only' your 'support', is that so?", Sinon harshly interrupted with a slightly annoyed mask.
However, after noticing Kirito's regretful face, she could not stop the soft chuckle that escaped her lips. Feeling her cheeks heat up as she turned her body towards Kirito, she stated, "I told you, we're partners. The moment you treat me as your 'support' again, will be the moment I'll shoot fire arrows up your nostrils."
"Alright, I understand Shino-chan."
"Wha-?!"
Her face now visibly reddening in a matter of seconds, one could almost see steam surrounding her tomato colored expression.
"D-don't call me that either!"
"Why though? Isn't Shino really similar to Sinon anyway?"
"It's not the same!"
While relatively confused by the wide array of unknown terminology used by the couple in from of him, Garitta decided to leave them alone for the time being while sipping from his hand-crafted wooden cup.
After retrieving their weapons from the cottage, Kirito and Sinon began they hike north, following the serpent movements of the rejuvenating river to their left. While they were gone, Garitta promised them to buy a new set of clothes with their money to replace the tattered equipment they were currently using. Along with clothes, he also promised them a hearty dinner to look forward to, adding to Kirito's excitement and upbeat mood as he swiftly strode upstream. Next to him, Sinon seemed to share his enthusiasm, but tried not to show it as much.
After a good 2 hours or so of walking and lighthearted conversation, Sinon asked, "Speaking of which, Garitta told us about those Status- no, 'Stacia Windows' right?"
"Yup, they show you the HP of any objects you touch, right?"
"Exactly. Before we left I actually tried it out on myself and some objects I could find in the kitchen, but it seems that they are completely different from any status windows that we are used to."
"They only show you those 'Object' and 'System Control Authority' stats, right?"
"Oh? You knew?"
"Hehehe, I couldn't help but try it on everything I saw while you weren't looking."
"I should have known… In any case, even though we obviously can't use simple windows like those to log out, I don't understand why. I know that it wasn't planned that we were thrown into his world, but this is obviously something created by Higa-san and Kikuoka-san. It doesn't seem to be a game, but even if this is simply a simulator program, don't you think it is weird for it not to have a logout button?"
"You are right. Immediate logout access was a given ever since the first generation arcade full-dive models. Though… I read in an article once that the logout button didn't exist in the testing phases, and you had to logout at system consoles instead, which acted much like a save point in retro games. Even though logout consoles were immediately scrapped during commercial release due to the fact that it would require too much time to find those consoles in-game, it was common to implement them as a second logout option regardless. Now that I think about it, even Aincrad used to let you use the the teleporting crystals on each floor as logout consoles during the beta phase."
"Well, it makes sense for them to put them into the game in case the logout button option in the menu was ever bugged or disappear altogether…"
Upon realizing that her statement may have been offensive to a survivor of the two year long death-game, Sinon immediately apologized.
"Ah! Sorry, I didn't meant to…"
"Don't worry about it, I don't mind. In any case, what you are implying, is that system consoles for remote logout access should still exist even in this world, right?"
"Yes. Even though I don't know what the researchers on the other side would use this world for, they should still visit it regularly at the very least. And since the inhabitants of this world are well aware of the 'Stacia Window' it only makes sense that they would hide the logout button in the status windows, along with any other information you usually get in GGO or ALO."
"Meaning that the only other way of logging out…"
"… would be with a system console, exactly."
"Then the next problem would be: 'Where to find that console'."
"Hmmm… if what Garitta says, is right, then this world has a radius of 5 kilometers, which is enormous, even when compared to Aincrad."
"Meaning that there should be multiple system consoles spread throughout the country."
"However, we have no idea where they might be, which puts us back to square one."
Sharing their mutual frustration, Kirito and Sinon pondered for a little while before continuing their conversation; a hazy image of a cave barely visible in the distance.
"Well, but even if we do not know about the location of all the individual consoles, we know the one for sure.", Kirito stated, much to Sinon's surprise.
"Really? How?"
"Well, if anything, the most likely place I would place a system console would be at the center of the world."
"You don't mean…"
"Yes I do. The Axiom Church at the center of the world. All we need to do is travel to Centoria and go to the Axiom Church!"
"I guess but … is it really going to be that easy?"
"Why wouldn't it be? It's just a church, isn't it?"
"That's true, but think about what Garitta told us about the 'Taboo Index'. It seems as if the Axiom Church is less like an actual church, but more like the ruling governing force in this world."
"In that case, isn't it fine if we just find one of those Integrity Knights and talk to them? If the Axiom Church is the government, then they should be something like the Police officers. Therefore, if we just find one of them and tell them we only want to look inside, it should be fine, right?"
"… maybe. Judging by how much they are loved, the Axiom Church doesn't seem to be evil or anything, but…"
"Then it is decided! Now we only need to find an Integrity Knig- …", Kirito started, but stopped mid sentence as he stared at the sky, mouth agape with disbelief.
Completely blocking out the sun with it's massive body, a colossal dragon could be seen approaching them from the south-east. Running would be too late at this point, as the cave was still a few hundred meters away from them. Out in the open with not a single brush to use for cover, Kirito and Sinon would be completely helpless if it were to attack them.
However, instead of diving in for the kill, the dragon merely circled around them three times, before gracefully landing between them and the northern cave. It was only now that he got a close look, that Kirito noticed what a beautiful creature it was.
In contrast to the savage beasts they were portrayed as in games and movies, this divine creature possesed nimble yet muscular limbs, and a particularly long neck which was in constant movement. Much like ripples on water's surface, the saying motion of it's neck traveled throughout it's entire body, only ceasing at the very tip of it's sharp elongated tail. It's smooth body was covered in silvery scales that glistered in the sunlight. Combining the flexibly moving body and the shining scales, this dragon seemed to be the personification of the ebb and flow of the sea.
Had he not seen Sinon's unclothed grace the previous night, Kirito would have believed the dragon before him to be the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
Suddenly, as if waiting for a chance to reveal himself, a giant knightly figure unseated himself from the saddle fastened on the dragon's back and effortlessly jumped off, slightly sinking into the ground due to the tremendous weight of his armor.
His entire body was covered in extravagant metal plating, not even revealing a single gap between the numerous armor pieces. Nevertheless, the most impressive part about his appearance was the nearly 2 meter tall rectangular shield that he wore on his back. The sheer weight of that iron wall must have been impossible to lift, but despite appearing slightly sluggish and slow, the medieval tank seemed to shoulder it with little effort. As if that was not enough to display his strength, the towering figure also had a brutish broadsword strapped to his right waist, large enough to be classified as a two handed great-sword. However, judging by his appearance, it would not be too far fetched to assume that he was able to wield the sword and shield at the same time.
Echoing through the thick visor of his helmet, the deep baritone voice of that monstrous man vibrated in Kirito's ears.
"I am an Integrity Knight of the Holy Axiom Church, Barbossa Synthesis Five."
Before Kirito could slip in a cheeky comment about how easy it was to find an Integrity Knight and having him escort them to the System Console, he was interrupted by the scraping sound of metal against metal, as the moving fortress unsheathed his weapon and fastened his shield on his right arm.
"By authority of the Holy Axiom Church, I shall arrest you two for interrogation by the Esteemed Administrator herself … followed by your execution for treason against the Human Realm."
