AN: We interrupt your normally scheduled activity whether it be eating a Christmas meal, browsing or sleeping to bring you a surprise chapter of the Tale of Zekken and the Beater.
Hey guys! MERRY CHRISTMAS! Guess what, I have a present for you. A new chapter!
Word of warning though, this chapter isn't my best work. But it's not terrible (I hope).
Anyway, enjoy!
Responding to my beloved reviewers:
Arcticatskill: "Oh no, Yuuki's gonna die! But dangerous situations don't make me worried at all, because if one of the main characters die, then what's the main point of the story? It's exactly like in movies, if the main character seems like he's gonna die but there's still 30 mins left, then what would the rest of the movie be about? Anyway, fluff, fluff, fluff. So fluffy as fluff. As fluffy as fluff. Fluffy like fluff. Fluff is fluffy, and fluffy is fluff. What is fluff? Fluff is fluff. That's all I have to say. :)"
A: I mean I could always kill Yuuki off and make the rest of this story really angsty… But that would be mean and depressing for both me and you. And yes, we're getting fluffier. But the quote I think that best suits your statement is "IT'S SO FLUFFY!" (Agnes, Despicable Me, 2010).
Baconlord53: "I love reading this story, definitely one of the better ones I've been reading recently."
A: Thanks Baconlord53! I'm glad you like it!
RedBurningDragon: "That dam fluffy xenomorph jumping on walls spitting acid ... Where's Gary LUL? Wait wasn't Minotaur shown in the progressive novel/manga where Kirito got a chest piece that's just belts in a cross? Looking at stars at 2 in the afternoon (THERE ARE NO STARS) [Narator off] Wait wasn't the cave at some hilly grass plain? It could have been a serrated great sword but whatever… Kinda want to think the other voice as Silica case last chap ... So three is tree might want to fix that"
A: Gary might've accidently been erased from existence…I'm blaming my fluffy xenomorph though. I actually didn't know that the Minotaur was where Kirito got the chest piece. But I can always make Sheeptaur drop the same item. Glad you got my SAO Abridged reference/s. As for the setting, I decided to change it since… I actually don't know… EH, not a major detail. Serrated great sword? Oh, you mean Guilty Thorn? I guess, but it technically is a spear according to the book so yeah… I did use your idea, keep your eyes peeled for that. Also, thank you for picking up on the typo. I've fixed it now using magic editing powers!
jorrdy12: "Chapter 8: Sarcasm, the most wonderful thing on the world, I wonder why not a lot of people use it. :P Nice chappie.
Chapter 9: You can silence me, but you can't silence the truth!" SAO:Abridged reference there? Yuuki's life ending? My prediction would be that Kirito blocks it, probably or the barrier surrounding the inn blocks it. Anyway, Awesome chapters, as always."
A: Yeah, gotta love sarcasm! Glad you enjoyed Chapter 8.
Nice, you got the SAO Abridged reference! Your prediction is close but not quite. Thanks for the review!
HaiWulffEx: "So I don't write reviews much, but I have to say, Yuuki/Kirito is one of the fewer ships that I thought should be more common (though tbf, they didn't actually meet in the anime, but I have a feeling they would get along quite nicely w/ Yuuki being positive to counter Kirito's emoness in SAO). I've read several rewrites of SAO, and so far you've added some elements that make sense in the game, yet don't actually change the story dramatically, and it all works together. Oh also, is it bad that I knew someone was going to mention Fate at the reference of Sasaki Kojirō (or to FGO players: Regent)? Anyways, look forward to reading more."
A: Thanks for taking the time to review! :) I have to agree, I'm surprised why not many people ship Kirito and Yuuki together. The people who do ended up abandoning their stories… :( I'm glad you enjoy the type of rewrite I'm doing. As for the mentioning of Fate, I dunno, do you think its bad?
Thank you everybody for reviewing, following or favouriting. Every single one of those really mean a lot to me!
I'm gonna make a poll just to see what you guys as readers want.
Do you want me to end the story at Floor 75? Or do you want me to continue till Floor 100 (I already have a scenario in mind to make it go up to Floor 100)?
Minor questions: (Just give me a review or pm me your answer).
Should I give Klein a pairing?
Should I write a bit about the IRL side of this story (Suguha, Aiko, etc)?
Anyway, enough of that. Here's my chapter!
Poll will be on profile page.
Yuuki: Merry Christmas everybody!
Kirito: Yeah! I hope everybody has a relaxing one and enjoys their holidays!
Herosassin: Yup!
DISCLAIMER: Sword Art Online belongs to Reki Kawahara. All characters and most of my plot do not belong to me. I only own Hiyoto, a few plot points and a few made up bosses.
Last time on The Tale of Zekken and the Beater:
Yuuki's POV
"Yolko!" I screamed, running forward to try and catch Yolko. I was too late. Yolko had fallen onto the street below where her body shattered, disintegrating into mere particles. "No…NO!" I screamed, slamming my fist on the window sill. Kirito appeared next to me in a second, a shocked expression on his face.
"Yuuki! Over there!" Kirito yelled. "Watch out!" A dagger flew straight at me, its sharp end twisting towards me.
As I waited for my impending death, time seemed to slow down. I noted how unfair my death was going to be. "It's not fair! If I was to die, I would've wanted to die fighting by Kirito's side. Dying by a boss or a tough monster. Not by some stupid glitch that is completely unfair." I mentally ranted as the pale blue-bladed dagger drew closer and closer towards me. I looked towards Kirito to see him trying to save me; to push me out of the way or something. But both he and I knew it was too late. I gave him one last, sad smile, before looking once more at the dagger. "I'm sorry Kirito." Then the dagger hit me straight in the chest. The game reacted as if the dagger was a bomb that just detonated, sending a massive shock-wave that repulsed me towards the wall. I was thrown back into one of the room's wall where I just collapsed, my body spasming in pain. The dagger clattered onto the floor violently. As my vision darkened, I could faintly hear Kirito's voice in the distance.
"Yuuki! No, this can't be happening. Yuuki!" I could hear Kirito's panicked voice as he ran towards me. "Yuuki, stay with me!" That was the last thing I heard before everything went dark.
Kirito's POV
"Watch out!" I yelled as I saw a dagger travelling dangerously quickly towards Yuuki. I tried to push Yuuki out of the way, but I knew there was no chance I would be able to save her. "Damn it, I should've seen the dagger sooner." Yuuki looked towards me giving me an agonisingly sad smile before looking at the instrument that would soon be responsible for her death. Then all hell broke loose. An invisible force tossed Yuuki like a rag doll into the far end of the room. Yuuki slumped onto the floor, unmoving.
"Yuuki! No, this can't be happening. Yuuki!" I yelled as I scrambled towards Yuuki. Yuuki simply gave a small smile before closing her eyes, not moving at all. "Yuuki, stay with me!" I desperately pleaded. But it was no use. Angrily, I spun around to find a figure cloaked in brown clothing looking on from the top of a roof. Fuelled by rage, I gave chase, jumping out of the window sill while Asuna ran towards Yuuki, her eyes wide open in shock. Landing on the roof directly opposite to the window sill, I bolted forwards, letting my hatred and sorrow drive me. The cloaked figure started to run away as I chased him, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. "Damn you. Where does he think he's going?" I thought as I leaped onto an adjacent rooftop and started running side by side with the hooded figure, albeit a narrow strip of street in between me and him. I flung a bunch of poisoned kunai at the mysterious assailant, gifted by Hiyoto to me. The poison on those kunai was Atropine, a powerful paralysis poison capable of rendering targets paralysed for ten minutes. The kunai simply bounced off harmlessly against the cloak of the figure who was only knocked aside a little, not enough to break his run. The figure continued to run, unfazed by my attempted attack. He held out a small teleport crystal before jumping off the roof, disappearing as the teleport crystal aided in his escape.
"Ah Shi-" Before I could finish my curse a large beep sounded, drowning over whatever I was going to say. Letting out a string of curses, most of which were drowned out by the game, I returned bitterly.
Asuna'a POV
My mind is still failing to comprehend what just happened. We were discussing with Schmitt and Yolko about these murders when Yolko gets killed by a throwing knife. Then the mysterious assailant goes and targets Yuuki, taking her down as well. Next thing I know, Kirito goes flying out of the window, in hot pursuit of the assailant, leaving me here with the body of Yuuki. "Wait body of Yuuki? People who die immediately disintegrate into mere pixels. That means…" I go to where Yuuki's crumpled form lay. Gently poking her arm to see if Yuuki's avatar is really here or is it just a bug I held my breath. I sighed in relief as my finger actually touched Yuuki, not phasing through like I thought it would. Making sure it wasn't just luck, I continued to poke her.
"Ugh…Could the person poking me stop? I just got blasted into a wall…So I hope you don't mind that I'm slightly cranky."
I stopped poking in shock. Yuuki got up from the floor, groaning. I quickly recovered my wits and tackled Yuuki into a hug. Yuuki hugged back.
"You're alive!"
"I know. I thought I would die too."
Disengaging from our hug, Yuuki looked around the room, searching for something.
"Where's Kirito?" she asked, clearly puzzled by Kirito's absence in the room. "Don't tell me he…"
"If you were going to say: 'chased after the guy who supposedly killed me' then yes. Otherwise no." I finished for her.
"That dummy!" was the only response Yuuki gave. I immediately burst into laughter. Yuuki soon joined me.
"Y-You're a-alive? Or are you a g-ghost?" Schmitt stammered, emerging from behind one of the seats.
"Yes, I'm alive." Yuuki nonchalantly answered. Suddenly, the door burst open and a very pissed off Kirito walked inside.
"You idiot! What's your problem? Well, what happened?" I semi-yelled, walking towards him.
"I lost him. He teleported off somewhere. The system's supposed to protect players inside inns. I thought, if anywhere, she'd be safe in here. And now I've also lost Yuuki. Dammit!" Kirito viciously slammed his fist against the wall, prompting a large hexagon to appear. It read "Immortal Object" before fading away after a few seconds.
"What do you mean you lost me?" Yuuki asked. Kirito immediately straightened his posture as if a spider was crawling on his neck. His eyes immediately scanned the room until it found Yuuki.
"You're alive? But how? I thought…" Kirito trailed off.
"That I was dead? That I died in the safe zone? Yeah, I thought that too, but here I am, alive and well." Yuuki finished cheerfully before embracing Kirito with a hug. Kirito was clearly caught off guard, his eyes widening to the size of saucers while his posture remained rigid. A few seconds passed before he relaxed into the embrace, wrapping his own arms around Yuuki. I felt a hint of anger and jealousy creep up on me. "Jealousy? Why?" I mused as I watched Yuuki and Kirito break up the hug. Out of nowhere, Schmitt spoke up.
"That robe was Griselda's. That was Griselda's ghost! She's come back to get revenge on us. Think about it, only a ghost can PK someone in a safe zone!" Schmitt's voice was layered with terror and uncertainty.
"That wasn't a ghost. Someone's using the system to kill. That's the only way these murders could've happened in a safe zone. I know it!" Kirito's voice was laced with anger.
"Well Schmitt, thank you for coming I guess. I'm so sorry you had to witness your friend's death. Do you need us to escort you back to headquarters?" I asked sympathetically. Schmitt numbly nodded, still traumatised by the death of his friend.
~.:.~
Kirito's POV
After escorting Schmitt back to his guild's headquarters, Yuuki, Asuna and I walked back to the central plaza to talk about Yolko's death and the murder situation.
"I don't know what to think. Was that black-robed figure Griselda's ghost? After seeing two people die mysteriously, I'm starting to think it's possible." Asuna voiced out her concern, as we sat down on benches not too different from the ones on Floor 50.
I sat down on the bench. "No. That definitely wasn't a ghost. I bet my life on it. Why would a ghost need a teleport crystal?" I reasoned with insistence. "A teleport crystal...?" I mused, wondering about this strange detail.
"What is it?" Asuna questioned, bringing me out of my thoughts.
"Nah, it's nothing." I said dismissively, abandoning my train of thought. A series of dings and clicks sounded before the all familiar sound of items being summoned to someone's hand.
"Here. Take one." I turned around to see Asuna offering Yuuki and I sandwiches wrapped in paper. Yuuki took one, thanking Asuna.
"What? Is that for me?" I asked cautiously, unsure of what Asuna was doing.
"Well, what do you think I'm doing? Showing it off? Are you gonna take it or what?" Asuna thrusted one of the sandwiches towards me. Yuuki looked very amused, watching us with deep interest.
"Uh, okay, thanks! Thank you." I said, gratefully accepting the sandwich. I slowly unpeeled the paper, inspecting the sandwich.
"Better eat it fast before it disappears. Its durability's almost down to zero." Asuna added, saying it like it just occurred to her. That comment spurred me to take a bite out of the sandwich. With that first bite, my mouth was exploding with flavour. While it wasn't as good as Yuuki's it still was amazing. Better than any NPC restaurant so far.
I gave a content sigh. "Oh, right! It's delicious. When the heck did you find time to pick this up?"
I had a feeling we wouldn't have time for lunch today, so this morning, I packed one for us. Hurry up and eat it, okay?" Asuna answered casually, blushing a little.
"Kirito's right, this actually is pretty good. You gotta tell us where to buy food like this. So far, most vendors give us pretty bland food, forcing me to cook a meal myself if I wanted to eat something decent." Yuuki added, impressed with the sandwiches Asuna gave us.
"I didn't buy these sandwiches." Asuna responded.
"Huh?" Yuuki looked at Asuna curiously.
"I made it. Yes, I can cook, so what?" Asuna pre-emptively shut down what I was going to say next.
"You too? First, I learn that Yuuki can cook like a boss and now I learn that you can too? What is it with girls who are floor-clearing badasses and cooking? I mean, if you're looking for a second career, you make a killing selling these." I praised, holding the sandwich with both hands. Asuna blushed a bit more while Yuuki seemingly started to glare at me, her eyes filled with ire. Asuna suddenly stomped on the ground, startling me, causing me to fumble the sandwich before it hit the floor, shattering into a million pixels. Just like how a person's body reacts when they die. I drop to my knees and put my hands onto the ground, in a bowing sort of posture.
"Should've been eating instead of talking." Asuna teasingly said. I didn't respond. I kept silent, thinking about something. "First, we have a 'ghost' who needed a teleport crystal, and when he teleported, it was barely noticeable. Both murders happened with some sort of impalement where the instrument of death was still within the body when they died. Both then dropped from a location, where they shattered. And Yuuki didn't die from the dagger attack. If Yolko did, why didn't Yuuki?"
"Um…Kirito? Are you crying?" Asuna asked, weirded out by my silent thinking. I held out my hand to silence her but Yuuki beat me to it.
"Shh! Kirito's thinking. I think he's solved the murders." Yuuki interjected.
"No way! That's right! That's it!" I exclaimed, finally understanding the whole murder situation.
"What's it? What did you just figure out?" Asuna asked rapidly.
I stood up. "I... No, wait! We never saw a thing! We just thought we did, but we were seeing something else!"
"What are you talking about?" Asuna looked at me as if I was a madman. Which in all honestly, I wouldn't be surprised since you wouldn't usually see a person suddenly spouting random things.
"What Kirito meant is that this was all an act, that there really isn't an exploit in the system or a special weapon to kill people in safe zones. Because Yolko and Kains didn't die. The game doesn't allow killing in safe-zones. But with the right tools, you can make a pretty convincing fake." Yuuki explained, surprising me right to my core. "Wow. Yuuki literally took my words out of my mouth. Yuuki truly is amazing." I thought as I gaped in amazement. "Am I right Kirito?" Yuuki asked innocently with a sly grin on her face. Asuna on the other hand was still puzzled.
"And how did you figure this out?"
~.:.~
~Floor 19, Graveyard Hill~
Third Person POV
A figure in heavy armour knelt down on the soft muddy ground, crying to himself. All around him were dead trees, blackened and rotting, giving off an uneasy and almost deathly ambience to the floor. To top it off, the dense fog shrouded the vision of all, obscuring pathways and furthering the already creepy environment. The trembling figure knelt sobbing in front of a singular gravestone. His lamenting echoed throughout the floor, loud enough that the dead would wake if it were possible.
"Griselda... The only way I can be saved now is if you forgive me. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me, Griselda! I swear, I never thought it was going to happen! You have to believe me!" the figure desperately pleaded to the inanimate gravestone.
"Oh, really?" a woman's voice cried out from in front of the figure. The figure looked up. Two cloaked figures seemingly appeared into existence right in front of him, causing a whimper to escape from the figure. Just like ghosts of the fallen. Maybe it was just his eyes or even perhaps the heavy fog, but the figure could've sworn that the cloaked figures were shimmering like non-corporeal beings. To the figure, he was seeing the ghost of Griselda standing right in front of him with another ghost. Echoes of the woman's voice echoed throughout the floor, each echo sounding more judgemental and sceptical than the last. "What did you do to me? Tell me, Schmitt. Tell me what you did. Tell me now." The cloaked woman demanded, causing a round of tremors and shakes to erupt from the cowering figure.
"Okay, okay." The figure took a deep breath before continuing. "The day we voted to sell the ring, I-I looked to my belt pouch, there was a crystal and a note with instructions."
"Who were they from? Who gave you them?" a masculine voice boomed threateningly. The figure could tell that the voice came from the other cloaked figure in front of him.
"G-Grimlock? Y-You're dead, too?" the figure stuttered, when the realisation that the other cloaked ghost in front of him was the husband of Griselda. The figure broke into another fit of sobs and whimpers.
"Tell me. I want to know who gave you those instructions." Grimlock's ghost demanded insistently.
"I don't know! I swear I don't know!" the figure said frantically. "The note said for me to bind the crystal to Griselda's room at the inn she was staying at, so whoever it was could get in! Then I had to put the crystal in the guild's shared storage." The figure bowed lower than before, not even risking eye contact with the ghosts.
"Then what?" Grimlock's ghost snarled.
"That's all I did! I swear! I didn't want her to die. I didn't want to be part of that! Please, believe me!" the figure pathetically pleaded, tears running down his face as he grovelled at the feet of the ghosts.
"We recorded everything you said, Schmitt." A soft, less threatening feminine voice said. Schmitt looked up, confused and terrified at the same time. The two 'ghosts' pulled back their hoods.
~.:.~
~Floor 56, Central Plaza, Same Time as before~
Yuuki's POV
"Wait! They're alive?!" Asuna's face radiated relief and shock. Kirito stood up and sat back onto his seat, next to Asuna.
"Yup, they're alive. Both Kains and Yolko." I said cheerfully, popping the 'p'.
"B-But they..." Asuna started, still confused by our assertion.
"Inside safe zones, a player's HP doesn't deplete on its own. But the durability of an object does. Just like that sandwich you gave me." Kirito explained, smiling at Asuna's reaction.
"Still should've been eating instead of talking." I teased, poking Kirito in the ribs.
"Wha-Hey! Stop poking me." Kirito complained, trying to evade my poking assault.
"What?" Asuna still wasn't understanding what Kirito was getting at. I on the other hand understood what Kirito was saying. Heck, I had a similar theory as Kirito.
"That day, the spear was sticking out of Kains's armour. It wasn't draining his HP though. It was draining the durability of his armour." Kirito explained slowly, stepping through his logic.
"But then, h-his body didn't disintegrate, it was..." Asuna started, slowly grasping the idea Kirito was proposing.
"Yup, just his armor, nothing else. And at the precise second when his armour's durability expired, poof, Kains used a crystal to teleport out of his armour. Sure, it looks a lot like what happens when a player dies in the game." I finished for Asuna. Kirito stared at me strangely, and when he saw I had caught him looking at me he immediately jerked his head towards another direction, refusing to meet my eyes. "Only he didn't die." I added for dramatic effect, smirking as Asuna's expression morphed into confusion.
"Th-Then, what happened to Yolko?" Asuna asked.
"I bet the dagger was laid to her back the whole time. She had it all planned out." I answered, sneaking glances at Kirito, who was seated behind Asuna. Kirito nodded his head in approval.
"But we would've seen." Asuna protested, pointing out a valid point.
"Only if she turned around though. Remember, she never turned her back to us, not even once. She probably kept an eye on her equipment's durability level while she was talking. When it got down to zero, all she had to do was act like she was hit by a dagger thrown from outside the window. Then the other person would've thrown another dagger to make it look more legit. Only he didn't anticipate that Kirito and I would rush in so fast, causing his throw to hit. And so, the second dagger ended up hitting me, giving me the first hint to their little scheme." I explained, wincing as I remembered the painful aftereffects of the dagger hitting me. I was knocked out by the impact which caused Kirito to think I had died or something. I felt a small flutter in my heart. "Kirito really cared about your supposed death. See, Kirito really cares for you." A voice which sounded suspiciously like Silica said in my head. "Of course Kirito cared. He's my best friend for crying out loud." I answered in my head. "Face it. You love Kirito and Kirito loves you back." The voice said blatantly. "Well…I'm pretty sure Kirito only sees me as his best friend. And I'm NOT in love with him!" I responded half-heartedly, as if my conscious self couldn't quite agree with what I said; well thought since this was going inside my head. "Whatever makes you sleep at night." The voice sighed in defeat.
"Uh Yuuki? Is everything alright?" Kirito asked, waving his hand in front of my eyes. I blinked.
"Yeah everything's fine. What happened?" I asked.
"You sort of just spaced out for a bit. Anyway, Asuna was asking you a question." Kirito said, his concerned expression melting into relief.
"Who was the person in the black robe you chased?" Asuna asked, curious to see who Kirito and I thought he was.
"It wasn't Grimlock. I'm pretty sure of that. But Kains, he and Yolko were in it together. They figured out how they could use this method to fake their own deaths. Getting people to think there were murders in the safe zone was a calculated twist." Kirito answered for me, causing Asuna to twist around to face Kirito.
"So everything they did was designed to draw the person behind Griselda's murder, and expose him. The only way to find out for sure was by faking their deaths and creating an illusionary avenger." Asuna reasoned, looking at Kirito and I for approval. I nodded in agreement. Kirito followed suit before opening his mouth to speak.
"And Schmitt was the person they had pegged for it, probably since the beginning." Kirito concluded. "Hey, you still have Yolko on your friend list, don't you?" Kirito asked, addressing Asuna and I.
"Oh yeah… we have her on our friends list. If she died, they would be missing on our friends list." Asuna said out loud, realising the flaw in Yolko's plan. She opened her menu, quickly scrolling through her friends list before reaching Yolko's name. Tapping on the name, a full profile of Yolko popped up next to her menu, displaying her location, and current equipment. "According to the system, right now, she's in the field on Floor 19. It looks like she's on a small hill, just outside of town. Graveyard Hill." Asuna informed us.
"I see. That's it then... I guess they can handle it from here. I mean, our job's pretty done now, wouldn't you say?" Kirito said, standing up and stretching his arms.
"Mmhmm" Asuna and I stood up like Kirito.
"Case closed then." Kirito declared. "Let's get back to the restaurant. Hopefully we can finally get something to eat. At your treat." Kirito reminded. I smiled in agreement while Asuna simply nodded.
~.:.~
Seated again in the same restaurant, coincidentally the same booth and sitting in the same exact seats, Kirito was just finished ordering his meal when I finally spoke.
"We ended up playing right into Yolko's hands, didn't we?" I said, watching as Asuna and Kirito nodded. "You know what? I didn't really mind."
"Yeah, me neither." Asuna said.
"Yeah, me too" Kirito voiced. Another bout of awkward silence fell in between us.
"Hey... If you were in their guild, and a super rare item like that dropped, what would you have done?" Asuna said, breaking the silence. I thought about it for a moment.
"Well, I don't know. I play solo, part of why I do, is so that I can avoid situations like that." Kirito answered truthfully.
"Hey! What am I? Your invisible helper? Chopped liver?" I complained, punching Kirito in the arm.
"Sorry Yuuki." Kirito apologised sincerely. I glared at him for two seconds, watching as Kirito started to pale before breaking into a smile. "I guess we work too well together that I completely forgot that I was soloing with another person. I guess we would never have such a situation since Yuuki and I literally share everything, monster drops, equipment, healing items. Whatever we need, we just ask each other and be supplied with it. So…I guess we would just share it." Kirito elaborated in-depth while Asuna listened with interest.
"Also, with an item like that, I probably would've let Kirito use it since my AGI is way higher than his. That way, we help accommodate to our weaknesses; if Kirito was particularly bad at AGI, I would give him a AGI-boost item while if he had a DEX-boost item and my DEX was pretty low, Kirito would give it to me to use." I added, smiling at the perfect teamwork/resource-sharing system Kirito and I had subconsciously created while soloing together.
"Wow, you guys really have created the perfect system for small groups. I'm really impressed." Asuna complimented, genuinely impressed at how we would deal with such a situation. "In my guild, the one who got that killed gets it. Those are the rules we have to play by. You know how in SAO, if a player gets a drop, no one knows unless that person reports it. Our way, no one can hoard stuff because we work it out who gets what ahead of time. Also, the rules my guild play by gives the concept of marriage in this world real meaning. Think about it, if you marry, you have to share your item storage. If you're single, you can hide whatever you want, but... You know, when you marry, you can't hide it anymore. I think sharing storage who the person you marry to is wonderfully pragmatic. But at the same time, I think it's also very romantic." Asuna took a breath when she finished.
"Hey." Kirito said awkwardly.
"Yeah, what?" Asuna asked bluntly.
"So, uh, how many times you've been married, anyway?" Kirito asked. Asuna suddenly looked really pissed and grabbed the nearest utensil, which so happened to be a knife unfortunately for Kirito, and pointed it straight at a now very scared Kirito. I started laughing at the stupid yet adorable antics of Kirito. I put my hand over my mouth to muffle the laughter, but I still was shaking from laughing. Kirito immediately pressed his back towards the back of his seat, eyes widened in fear. "Wait! I didn't mean it! That didn't come out right!" Kirito defended quickly. "You were talking about how it's romantic and plastic, and, uh..." Kirito was cut off by Asuna. I snorted in laughter. "Plastic?"
"I did not say that, you ass!" A kick emphasised the 'ass' part resulting in Kirito flinching in pain.
"Ow!" I on the other hand was laughing like no tomorrow, unable to stop myself. Taking a few deep breaths, I quickly calmed myself down, supressing the laughter to mere giggles.
"What I said is 'it's romantic and pragmatic!' For your information, the word pragmatic means practical! My god..." Asuna angrily clarified, still glaring at Kirito.
"You think marriage in SAO is... practical?" I asked, saving Kirito from Asuna's scary glare.
"Of course. If you're married, everything's out and open. You know, 'cause of common storage."
"I see. Ah…" A growing realisation dawned on me. "We previously said that we didn't know the motive of the killer. But what if it was about the ring. If married couples have shared storage, if one was to die, the other should have all the items. Meaning Grimlock must've…"
"What?" Asuna asked. Her voice broke me from my thoughts.
"That's it. Common storage. Okay, say your spouse dies, what happens to the items?" I said, asking one more question to see if my theory was correct.
"Huh?"
"Item storage is shared, right? So, when one person dies, what happens to their stuff?" I pressed, hoping to find confirmation on my theory.
"If you're talking about Griselda and Grimlock... Hmm... If one of them died..." Asuna was lost deep in thought.
"Everything would go to the surviving spouse, right?" Kirito suddenly said, answering my question.
"And if everything goes to the spouse, then the ring in Griselda's storage..." I started, hoping Kirito would finish my sentence.
"...should be sitting in Grimlock's storage, not the killer's. It's been sitting there this whole time." Kirito finished. I was so, so proud of Kirito at that moment. I beamed at Kirito who seemed to cheer up and sent a smile back to me.
"So, it was never stolen in the first place?" Asuna asked.
"No, it was stolen. It doesn't matter if it's still there. Grimlock was basically stealing it, the minute he put his plan into action." I said with conviction. My disgust of Grimlock had grown, knowing that he would stoop so low as to kill his own wife just to get a stupid item in game.
"Well, the case is reopened I guess. Wait…if Grimlock was the one who killed Griselda then… Yolko and Kains are in danger!" Kirito exclaimed. Asuna looked at him confusedly while I considered Kirito's point. "Think about it. Grimlock was the one who forged Guilty Thorn, the same blade that 'killed' Kains. That means he's aware that Yolko and Kains are investigating this murder case. And since their alone in an obscure floor…it would be the perfect way to silence all remaining witnesses." Kirito reasoned, standing up.
"In that case, we need to help them!" Asuna said, following Kirito.
"So, how's this for a plan, Asuna and I will try and find Grimlock who probably will be watching from the sidelines to see Yolko and the others killed while you intervene Kirito." I said, standing up and leaving the table.
"That sounds like an awesome plan Yuuki."
~.:.~
~Floor 19, Graveyard Hill~
Third Person POV
You were... recording? So, that's how it is, huh? You cared about what happened to Griselda after all." Schmitt questioned, slightly relieved that Griselda's ghost wasn't real and definitely wouldn't kill him.
"Of course, we did. But you didn't betray her because you hated her, did you?" Kains said, eyeing Schmitt.
"No, I didn't hate her, honest! I mean, sure I feel guilty getting money from my part of it. But the rare weapon I bought help me get in to the Holy Dragon Alliance, so…" Schmitt suddenly couldn't talk, as if someone had frozen his jaw. His legs then failed him, forcing him to fall on the floor, facedown on the ground. A small ache on his back tipped him off to his situation. "Ow! Paralysis?" The heavily armoured knight thought as he looked at his health bar. While his health barely dropped, a bright yellow square with a lightning bolt icon appeared on top of his health bar, signalling that he had a paralysis effect.
"One down!" a maniacal voice cackled. Yolko and Kains stepped back in shock, looking at the three black-hooded figures in horror. Among the three hooded figures, the figure with the axe seemed to be the one who inflicted the paralysis. Schmitt managed to work up his courage and willpower to utter a few words.
"No way…"
"That's a hell of a catch. A big shot from the Holy Dragon Alliance." The hooded figure in the centre who seemed to be the leader, holding what seemed to be a cleaver spoke in delight. He bent over to look at Schmitt's face, examining him as if he was some rare fish, freshly hauled.
"Laughing Coffin, the murder guild." Schmitt said, fearing for his life once more. Only this time, the threat was a real one rather than a imaginary one. Yolko and Kains paled further until their faces were white.
"All right. What game should we play with these three?" the leader asked mockingly, turning towards his two accomplices.
"Oh, I know, I know. Let's play the one where they have to kill each other! The last one standing wins!" the hooded figure on the left said childishly, taking immense glee in his idea. The leader just sighed.
"I know it's your favourite. But last time we did that you killed the winner anyway." The leader said, in an almost tired manner, as if he has had this argument many times.
"Oh, come on! You spoiled it. It's no fun if they know they're gonna die!" the figure on the left pouted, crossing his arms.
"All right. Let's get the show on the road." The leader ordered as the three of them drew their weapons. Kains stepped in front of Yolko, drawing his sword. But he knew that he wouldn't be able to take on three Laughing Coffin members on his own. He simply wasn't skilled enough. Plus, he was outnumbered. Suddenly, like an ex-machina, a horse neighed in the distance, like a herald announcing the presence of someone. The steady clop of a horse galloping could be heard, getting louder and louder as each second passed. The three murderers hesitated, turning around to see who was going to interrupt them.
"Huh?" the murderer on the right questioned. A black cloaked swordsman riding a black horse charged straight at the murderers. The swordsman reigned the horse in, resulting in the horse bucking and throwing him off the horse.
"Damn." The swordsman cursed, before standing up and slapping the horse. The horse galloped away off into the distance. The swordsman drew his sword threateningly, his sword glowing a warm orange.
"Looks like I made it just in time. So, now what? I've got thirty players from the Assault Team come. You guys wanna stay and fight them?" the swordsman said, challenging the murderers to stay and fight.
"Tch..." the hooded figure on the left said in disgust.
"Come on." The leader said, walking past the swordsman with his accomplices, disappearing into the eerie fog surrounding the entire floor.
"Nice to see you alive again, Yolko." The swordsman said, before taking off his cloak to reveal himself as Kirito.
"You won't believe me, but... after it was over, I was going to tell you the truth. I am sorry we had tricked you to help us out." Yolko quickly apologised, bowing her head in shame. Schmitt stood up, having recovered from the paralysis before looking at Kirito gratefully.
"Kirito, thank you for saving me, but... How did you figure it out? How did you know those three would attack us here?"
"I didn't figure anything out. I was acting on a hunch, is all. Hey, Yolko, Kains, level with me. You guys asked Grimlock to make the spear and knives, didn't you?" Kirito asked politely.
"We did, but he was against our plan from the beginning. All he wanted was to let Griselda rest in peace." Yolko affirmed, raising her head to look at Kirito.
"He did forge the weapons for us, but only after we got down on our knees and begged him." Kains added, thinking back to where he and Yolko literally begged for days in front of Grimlock.
"Sorry, but he had a different reason for not liking your plan. Griselda had nothing to do with it." Kirito informed, sheathing his sword.
"Huh?" Yolko and Kains said in perfect synchronicity. Both had almost identical expressions of utter confusion, with the only difference being Yolko had her head slightly cocked towards her left shoulder.
"He was worried faking PKs in a safe zone was gonna draw a lot of attention. He didn't wanna take the risks of someone snooping around for answers. We figured the whole thing out about half an hour ago." Kirito explained.
~.:.~
Yuuki POV
Asuna and I were searching through the forest of dead trees to find anyone hiding near the vicinity where Yolko, Kains and Kirito were. As we combed through the forest with a keen eye, I kept my hand near my sword handle. This floor in general was giving the creeps, with its horror-like setting and heavy fog. A perfect setting for an ambush. After a few minutes of searching, something caught my attention. A hooded figure -why does everyone wear hoods and cloaks?- was standing in front of a tree trunk, peeking out towards Kirito, Yolko and Kains. "Grimlock." I tapped Asuna on the shoulders, causing her to spin around to face me. I put my finger on my lips before pointing towards the hooded figure peeking out from the trees in front of us. Asuna nodded in acknowledgement before sneaking up behind Grimlock. I followed silently behind Asuna, ready to grab Grimlock before he escaped. Asuna counted down using her fingers.
"3, 2, 1."
When her fingers went to zero, Asuna roughly grabbed his shoulders while I forced his hands behind his back, quickly bounding them with rope. Grimlock gave no resistance, simply sighing in resignation as Asuna forcefully pushed him, walking the captured Grimlock towards where Kirito, Yolko and Kains were. As we approached them, I could hear Kirito talking to them.
"It was Grimlock? And those were his instructions, and he killed Griselda, too?" Schmitt asked, shocked at this new revelation.
"No, I doubt he was the one who actually killed her. Although, I'm pretty sure he went and found himself for a red player to do it for him." Kirito answered.
"My god... But then, if he really did have her killed, why would he go to all the trouble just to help us out?!" Yolko's voice was filled with raw shock and anguish.
"You explained your plan to him... in detail, didn't you? Your plan was the perfect chance for him to bury the ring incident and any witnesses once and for all. All he'd have to do is sit back and wait for you, Schmitt and Kains to get together. You'd be sitting ducks." Kirito explained, stepping through his logic.
"That's it. That's why. They knew we'd be here because he hired them!" Schmitt said angrily.
"Yeah. My guess is it was probably the same bunch he hired to kill Griselda." I answered, walking towards Kirito. "Hey Yolko, Kains, Schmitt." I greeted merrily. All three nodded their head in acknowledgement.
"Oh my god…" Yolko gasped as she saw Grimlock being lead by Asuna. Grimlock compliantly walked towards us, his face void of emotion.
"Found him." Asuna said in a sing-song tone.
"If you wanna know more, you can ask the man yourself." I gestured to Grimlock before taking my place next standing next to Kirito. Kirito and I high-fived each other. Grimlock stared at his former guild members, his cold and calculating eyes analysing them. Then he broke into a grin.
"Hello. Long time no see, comrades." Grimlock said as if he was in a friendly reunion with his former guildmates and friends.
"Comrades? What are we in? Communist Russia? No one uses comrades, like ever." Kains spat with a sarcastic edge, clearly disgusted by Grimlock's true motives.
"I can't believe it. Did you... Did you really plan on this? How could you Grimlock?! Answer me! Why did you kill Griselda? Was it that money? Was the money so important to you that you killed your wife for?!" Yolko had reached the point of screaming at Grimlock. Her eyes were filled with grief and rage. Grimlock simply laughed, creeping all of us out.
"Hmph. Money? Did you say money? It wasn't for the money. I had to. No matter what, I had to kill her while we were stuck in this world. I had to kill her while she was still my wife. And because she was also my wife in the real world. In a way, she was the perfect wife, ideal, so pretty, so submissive. The whole time we were together, we never had a single fight. But when we were trapped in here, in this world, she changed. In here, I was the one who was afraid, terrified with playing this death game. But she looked so much happier here, more alive than she ever did in the real world. There was nothing I could do about it. She changed. The Yuko I loved was gone! Gone!" Grimlock's demeanour suddenly shifted to insanity, his voice gaining the properties of a mad man. Grimlock didn't stop, not noticing any change happening during his rant. "But then I realized that I didn't have to live with the way she was. Murder is part of this game! If I couldn't have the Yuko I loved back, I'd settle for the memory of her. And who could blame me?!" Grimlock finished with the eyes of a madman. I surveyed the surrounding area. Yolko was glaring at Grimlock, shocked at his proclamation while Schmitt and Kains were staring blankly at Grimlock, as if they were considering whether these words were just the product of a madman. Asuna, Kirito and I just looked in disgust, revolted by what we heard.
"That's why you did it? That's the reason you killed your wife?" Kirito asked with in an incredulous manner.
"It's reason enough. And someday, you'll understand too. Once you've found love, believe me, you'll do anything to keep it." Grimlock replied nonchalantly as if his reason was a perfectly sound one.
"You're wrong, Grimlock. You've got it all wrong. You didn't love Griselda. That's not what you felt. You stopped loving her when you became selfish and possessive!" Asuna snarled walking straight for Grimlock. "You don't know the meaning of love! You just lusted for her!" Asuna spat, glaring right into Grimlock's face. Grimlock's eyes suddenly widened before he fell to his knees, sobbing quietly as if he was filled with remorse.
"Kirito. Yuuki. Asuna. We appreciate your help. But I think this is our problem to deal with now." Kains stated as Yolko and Schmitt stepped forwards to apprehend the broken man known as Grimlock. I nodded in agreement. They took Grimlock and started to walk away, melting into the fog leaving us alone in silence.
"Hey." Asuna's voice had mellowed from the violent outburst she unleashed on Grimlock.
"Hm?" I looked towards Asuna.
"Say it was you, and you married someone, and later on, you found out she/he had a side to her/him you didn't know about? How would you feel?" Asuna asked.
"I guess... that I was lucky? Because, I mean, if you married someone, that means you already like whatever you know about him, doesn't it? And if you discovered something you didn't know about him before, and fell in love with that, too, then... that would be awesome?" Kirito answered awkwardly.
"You, Yuuki?" I thought about it for a moment.
"For me…I wouldn't mind at all. If I married someone, I would've truly loved him. So, finding a new side wouldn't change who I was married to, it just adds to what I love about them. I guess." I stated, trying not to blush as my mind rebelliously showed me images of Kirito and I near a wedding altar. With me in a snow-white dress while Kirito was in a crisp black suit. Or images of Kirito and I together, married. Thankfully, Asuna's voice freed me from my thoughts.
"Right. Good answers. Anyway, I'm hungry after all this. I didn't really get to finish my dinner." Asuna said with a small grin.
"Oh... yeah, you didn't. Neither did any of us. We've got to stop making a habit of running away from restaurants before our meal has been served." Kirito said dryly.
"We should get back to work tomorrow. We've been off the front lines for two day."
"Yeah. we were hoping to have this floor totally cleared by the end of this week." Kirito said, gesturing to me. We started walking away from the grave when Kirito tapped me on my shoulder. I turned around to see Kirito pointing towards some distant figure shimmering above Griselda's grave just as the sun rose. The ghost was waving at us, smiling in appreciation.
"What the? I-Is that for real?" I said, scared at what looked like an actual ghost. Kirito gave the slightest nod. The shimmering ghost of Griselda soon faded, a smile on her face as she…rested in peace I guess?
"Hey, Kirito, Yuuki. Do you wanna friend me? It's kind of silly not to. It's convenient. We are in the same Assault Team after all." Asuna asked, sending us a friend request. I immediately accepted while Kirito lingered as usual.
"But we are solo players." Kirito said casually, his hand still hovering on the message, reflecting his indecision.
"Hey, I didn't say you had to form a party with me. You should try to make some friends while you're here." Asuna teased.
"Yeah, I don't know. It's not that I don't want to…Plus I already have friends. Like my best friend Yuuki! But I guess having more friends wouldn't hurt." Kirito conceded, tapping on the accept button.
"Guess we can finally say that the case is closed huh?" I asked.
"Yup." Kirito said, imitating the way I popped the 'p'.
"Case closed then." I declared before Kirito and I sprinted to join Asuna in searching for a restaurant to finally eat in peace in.
And that's that. Episode 5 of the anime is done and dusted. This isn't my best chapter but definitely not my worst. I hope you enjoyed it and I'll see you soon for another chapter!
Feel free to review and tell me how to improve. I will listen to all criticism. Or you can just praise my chapter. That does miracles to my ego and pace of writing. All flames will be used as ammo for my imaginary flamethrower.
Once again, Merry Christmas to all of you. Enjoy yourselves and stay safe.
God bless you all!
~Herosassin
Secondary Update for those who check this story regularly.
I'm on holidays and have been busy the past week. So... I'm still working on Chapter 11. Sorry! I'll try to have it out ASAP.
I'm really sorry!
"The time for all to be revealed is nigh,
to the secret place where sacred trees roost high,
a door to be found for six of you,
choose well or face death's cruel, cruel brew.
But for now, what lies in the shadows shall remain there."