Halkegenia Online v2.0 - Chapter 4 - Part 3
"So that's it, eh?" Caramella asked.
"Yep." Argo answered, popping another raisin into her mouth as she sat atop a small outcropping overlooking the coast.
Seeing Freelia for the first time reminded Kirito of a promise he had made to himself back when ALfheim was still a game, between journeying towards the World Tree and desperately hoping to find Asuna, to eventually visit all of the ALO Home Cities. He just wished his first visit to the Cait Syth Capital could have been under happier circumstances.
Kirito looked over to where the Swordswoman tapped her foot impatiently, waiting along with Argo and Abigail for her flight magic to recharge enough for the last leg of the trip. None of them were in any mood to get wet.
When the Transition had struck Tristain, realizing the environments of ALfheim within the Kingdom's borders, at first, the blending of Tristain and ALfheim had appeared almost random. But as the Faeries and their new neighbors began to interact and venture into the changed countryside, a set of priorities that determined what had been overwritten by the transition and what had been left untouched had become apparent. And where there was a pattern, there was something for Argo to study.
The Information Broker had spent a fair amount of time deciphering the underlying rules of the Transition, labeling the results of her research the Tentative Guidelines of Ontological Actualization: Don't Worry, It's Argo's Metaphysical Theory.
How she had ever managed to write that while keeping a straight face was one of the imponderable mysteries of the Universe, but in short, it laid out some simple ground rules by which the Transition appeared to have been governed.
First. No feature of ALfheim had materialized in such a way as to displace an existing settlement. This rule also extended to a lesser extent to fields, mines, and other areas of active human cultivation.
Second. wherever possible, the features of ALfheim that had carried over from the Game World had appeared at the same points in relation to one another as they had existed within ALfheim's virtual geography. Thus, Gaddan had appeared roughly thirty kilometers South East of Sylvain, and both cities had materialized approximately seventy kilometers from Arrun.
Third. All former Safe Zones and Player Spawn Points, along with most of ALfheim's underground dungeons and floating islands, had materialized without incident. Around half of the surface dungeons had also materialized either in whole or in part. Important portions of each of ALfheim's major playing fields, each with their own flora, fauna, and geographical features, had mixed evenly with the Tristanian countryside, resulting a bizarre patchwork of the two worlds.
There were a number of other guidelines based on factors such as Quest Significance and number of Features within proximity, but in Argo's own words, these three rules were 'The only ones I'll put my seal on sa!'
The end result had been a disturbingly logical mixing of ALfheim and Tristain that left almost no doubt in Kirito's mind that whatever force had controlled the Transition had possessed some form of intelligence along with a truly awesome amount of power. What did that mean about this world? And what did it mean for getting home?
Kirito thought about all of this as he breathed in the ocean air, and looked out across the beaches of Tristain's western border, to an island sitting just off the coast.
Freelia was unique among the settlements that the Faeries had brought with them. It was the only Faerie City to have not impinged directly upon the Kingdom of Tristain, instead appearing about a kilometer off the coast.
Each of the Faerie Cities and towns had altered their local environment in some way in order to accommodate themselves. Orlein's Crescent Bay had become the Crescent Lake of Eastern Tristain, and the great stone ruins that formed Gaddan's outer defensive works, had arrived with the Salamander City itself. Freelia had brought along its own island.
The Isle of Freelia was a little over six kilometers long and two and a half kilometers wide at its widest point, roughly evenly divided between beach, fields, hills, and the city itself.
It seemed the Salamanders didn't have a monopoly on the Fortress City idea, judging by the tall, sandstone walls that ringed Freelia and divided it into three concentric districts. From this distance, the City resembled a very wide, three level wedding cake built atop a hill on the seaward end of the island and topped by its keep-like Tower.
"I don't believe it." Caramella muttered. "It's Minas Tirith."
"Minas what?" Abigail asked.
"You know, Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien . . . Peter Jackson? Ian McKellen?" The Swordswoman nudged. "You shall not pass!'"
"You mean those old movies?" Kirito wondered. He'd picked up enough popular fantasy second hand thanks to his MMO obsession which had included several fantasy themed games prior to SAO.
Argo gave Caramella an offended look. "Tis completely different!" She defended, unexpected loyalty for her adopted home city bubbling to the surface.
"It is! Look at it, it's Minas Tirith, made from sandstone, and put on an island!" The Faerie woman crossed her arms. "Tell me that I'm wrong. I dare you."
Argo fell silent, nose twitching furiously. "Okay. Maybe RETCO was a little completely creatively bankrupt." Argo admitted.
Possibly even actually bankrupt now, Kirito speculated. The SAO incident had all but wiped out ARGUS, the original developer of the Nerve Gear and SAO, and that had only been ten thousand players. What would the mass 'death' or disappearance of sixty thousand people do to RETCO's reputation and bottom line?
He didn't think about it for long. Anything that had to do with that other world inevitably led to the people they had left behind. This time, his mom and dad had lost both him and Sugu. And then there was Asuna's family. Yuuki Shouzo had seemed like a genuinely caring, if distant, father and Asuna had spoken fondly of him the one time the subject had come up. He definitely didn't deserve to lose his only daughter.
"Okay, that should be long enough." Argo hopped down from her perch, four translucent yellow wings curving from her back. "Let's get going."
"Hey Abby-san, you need someone to carry that?" Caramella pointed to the comically over sized pack that the slight Spriggan was struggling to balance.
Abigail waved, red faced and still panting from the last leg of their flight. "This, no, this is fine! I used to carry this much all the time."
Kirito was about to say something when the girl finally lost the fight with balance, falling over backwards with a muted -thump-. Just because she could carry that much didn't mean she should. It was the same reason Kirito had stopped using his Black Iron Great Sword despite its impressive weight and striking power.
"Erm," Abigail squirmed, trying to worm her way free, but the straps of her pack had constricted in the fall, "Actually, I could use a little help." She reached up pleadingly, offering words of thanks as Kirito and Caramella helped her back to her feet.
The short hop across the water took less than a minute, even slowing down enough for Abbigail to keep up. As they flew, Kirito noticed and pointed out activity along the coast of Tristain.
"Yeah, those are some Earth and Water Mages hired by Freelia and the local Noble Peers." Argo said.
"What's that they're building?" Kirito asked, squinting. "A bridge?"
"Good eye." Argo agreed. "The ocean only gets around three to six meters deep here, so the Earth Mages are being used to shape foundations and supports. When they're done, we'll have a bridge as wide as the local highways connecting Freelia to the mainland. It's going to be a big help for trade."
Kirito was impressed. That was a lot of effort to be made on such short notice. The Local Nobility must have been eager to fully benefit from relations with Freelia.
The open fields and light forests of the island's Eastern side rolled by beneath them, a few small starting mobs running from their passing shadows or else taking flight from the trees to flee further into cover. Soon, the tall grass was giving way to the sand and straw of stables along the City Perimeter, and then to the tiled roofs and stone paved roads of the tiered City itself.
The narrow streets weren't as busy as the wide thoroughfares of Arrun. That wasn't surprising, Freelia had only four thousand permanent residence as compared to Arrun's twenty thousand Faeries. But Kirito still spotted plenty of activity on their approach, especially along the tops of the walls. More construction, and what looked like cannons.
"New defensive works. In case Reconquista decides to get frisky." Argo answered severely. She didn't look happy at seeing the ugly new battlements hastily added to the top of Freelia's graceful walls.
Freelia, along with Cadenza, was one of the closest Faerie settlements to Albion, which meant the city was uniquely vulnerable to attack. Kirito had heard that the Fae Lords and Tristain had been planning to do something about the situation, but this was the first time he'd seen the results for himself.
The Cait Syth were working hand in hand with their Halkegenian partners, using Geokinesis spells and the brute force animal power of their trained mobs to fit the shaped stonework created by the Earth Mages.
"What I want to know is where they're getting all of that artillery." Caramella said.
Argo's sour expression changed to an evil smile. "Twas a most generous gift from Lord Cromwell of Albion."
Kirito winced. "The cannons from York."
The victorious Tristanian fleet had returned from York with more than just captured ships, they'd also stolen hundreds of cannons from the wrecked fortifications and coastal batteries located across the city. Those same guns had now been re-purposed to guard the Tristanian coast from their old masters.
"Most generous." Argo repeated innocently.
They climbed the final hundred meters to the top of Freelia Tower, setting down on the broad landing where a half dozen dragons, both ALfheim and Halkegenian, were busy sunning themselves in the warm morning light. A Pounce of Cait Syth were already waiting for them when they arrived.
"Argo-san!" A scholarly Cait hurried forward, staff in hand as if to support himself.
"Alden." Argo shared a forearm shake with the other Faerie. "We came as fast as we could, sa!"
It was hard to miss the dark bags under the Information Broker's eyes as she stepped back from the deputy leader of Freelia. Kirito watched closely, Argo hadn't acted herself when she'd learned about the latest murders, and she'd been on edge all through the night until they had set out just before sunrise.
"First, introductions." Argo said to herself. "Kii-bou, Caramel-chan, Abigail-san, this is Alden-san. I guess it's best to think of him as the Mayor of Freelia."
"Alden, you already know Suisen." Argo reached up to her shoulder and tapped her navigation pixie partner gently atop her small head. "The Spriggan with no fashion sense is Kirito, and the Gothic Lolita is Abigail-san, and the last is Caramella, one of Asuna-san's people."
"Kirito-san, and one of the KoB? More SAO survivors?" Alden looked relieved. "I suppose you're all better suited for this than most. We really are grateful you arrived so quickly."
"Un." Kirito nodded his head softly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Alden-san. Alicia-san speaks very highly of you."
"And likewise with you." Alden answered, exchanging a handshake. "We're lucky that Alicia-chan sent such capable people."
Looking up at the taller Cait, Argo added quietly. "If tis okay with you, we'd like to get started right away."
Abigail stepped forward, squeezing between Kirito and Caramella. "If you don't mind, after I sent my message, I'd like to know if you were able to do as I asked with the bodies."
The relief on Alden's face was replaced by worry. "The remains? Yes, we we've set up a cold room in Freelia tower. One of our mages conjured enough ice to keep the bodies chilled. But . . . I don't know what you expect to learn from them, the cause of death is obvious."
Abigail gave him a sympathetic look. "I won't know until I can do an examination, but every bit could help. Thank you."
Alden lead the way into the tower, the other Caits falling in behind him until they reached the counterweight elevators at the tower's heart. Kirito was on alert the moment they entered the lobby. They were being watched. Dozens of cat slit eyes turned to follow them to the elevators where Alden gave some last instructions to his subordinates, and ushered the four investigators inside.
The 'Mayor' of Freelia sagged visibly as the lobby rose out of sight through the glass doors, pulling the small, silver rune etched mage's cap from his head to show lightly spotted wheat blonde ears atop messy brown hair.
"That bad, huh?" Argo put a hand on his shoulder.
"That bad?" Alden laughed bitterly. "When people heard about the murder in Arrun, they got nervous. Then it happened here and worse!" He raised his hands helplessly. "What am I supposed to do? The city watch is being run ragged keeping up its patrols and trying to maintain a constant watch in Freelia. People are expecting me to resolve this in Alicia-san's absence!"
"That tis what we're here for." Argo said softly.
Alden shook his head. "I can't say that is any better. I'm not even able to ensure the safety of the people." The man looked down, ears sinking, defeated. "Forgive me, this should never have been allowed to happen."
"I'm sure Sakuya-san and Alicia-chan feel the same way about Novair." Argo looked out the glass door as the elevator began to slow. "But you can't beat yourself up for not expecting a murderer. People can't live like that." She breathed softly, "You can't, sa."
The elevator came to a stop on one of the lower floors, letting them out into a tiled lobby that glowed in the reflected light of dozens of ore lamps. The interior of Freelia Tower was much like that of Arrun and Sylvain Towers, filled up with small shop fronts, store rooms, and meeting areas.
Even after the double homicide, the administrative areas were busy from an early hour, Cait Syth messengers and clerks hurrying about frantically with their own tasks.
Unlike Arrun, Kirito failed to spot a single head that wasn't marked by cat's ears. Freelia was a former faction capital, and it showed. Most people had chosen to settle in familiar surroundings, and there simply hadn't been enough time or external pressure to cause any sort of large migration save for the displaced players moving into Arrun. Thus, Freelia's population remained mostly composed of Cait Syth for now.
They were led down a twisting series of hallways and side corridors, the foot traffic trickling down to nothing until Kirito was sure that Alden had taken a wrong turn and gotten them lost within some Hidden Labyrinth type Dungeon.
The Cait stopped at an indistinct door, ear cocked as if listening carefully. Reaching one hand from his robes, Alden wrapped his knuckles gently against the door and waited as it was unlocked from the inside.
Kirito stepped into the room and then nearly leaped back as he came face to face with the stuff of nightmares.
"Gah!" The Black Swordsman of Aincrad was already grabbing for Onyx Arbiter when he full processed what was in front of him. He had been expecting a cold room containing the bodies for autopsy, instead he found this!
At first, it appeared to be a small Terrorantula that had consumed the head of a young Cait Syth and taken control of the body. That alone would have suited it to the horror themed levels of Aincrad's sixty sixth and sixty seventh floors. However, on closer inspection, it became clear that the mottled arachnid was situated on top of, and not replacing, the unfortunate Faerie's head.
"Creewww?" The large, forward pair of eyes looked up at Kirito like the lenses of a pair of binoculars, furred feeding mandibles rubbing against each other curiously.
"It's okay Lamar, they're supposed to be here." A pair of gray cat's eyes looked out at Kirito from beneath the curtain of the Terrorantula's delicately folded legs.
"Hey Kirito, what was that shout abo- Gyaaaah!" Caramella crashed into Abigail as she leaped away, both Faeries falling back into the hallway.
As if used to this sort of spectacle, the Cait Syth boy reached into a pouch on his belt and stuffed a handful of nuts into his mouth, regarding Kirito and Argo quietly as he chewed. Small and deeply tanned, silver-gray hair frizzing up around his head before being drawn into a short ponytail. If Kirito hadn't known better, he would have thought the boy was Alicia Rue's kid brother.
"A beast tamer?" Kirito asked cautiously, still not sure whether the sound from earlier wasn't the spider asking if he would be good to eat. He looked over to Argo. "You don't look surprised." He accused. "Shouldn't this count as Necessary Information?"
Argo's normal look of hate filled amusement returned with a vengeance. "Tis not like I could know he'd be here Kii-bou. I mean, I'd have to be prescient nya."
"Or just very, very, twisted." Kirito replied right back.
He could say with confidence that Argo had never lead anyone knowingly into danger, and never guaranteed the veracity of any information she hadn't confirmed personally. But he couldn't say that the Rat hadn't played a few dirty tricks in her time. As an information broker, her reputation depended as much on not being crossed as not offending.
"More introductions." Argo said with some of her old energy. "This is Raz, one of the Cait Syth's top beast tamers." Argo gestured.
"Un. Nice to meet you." Raz said quietly, reaching out to take Kirito's hand. The spider on his head replicated the motion with one of its forelegs, big black forward eyes looking up puppy dog-like at Kirito. "Don't worry." Raz said. "I spliced a siphon into her poison pouches, the worst she could do is give you some nasty bites."
"Raz is actually the person who cracked the secret to taming Dragons for the Cait Syth back in ALfheim Online." Argo added matter of factly.
"They're like sharks, flying sharks." The boy explained. "You have to feed them until they're full or you'll never get close for long enough to complete the taming."
"You okay Caramel-chan?" Argo called as Caramella hoisted herself off the ground and turned to help Abigail.
"Oh yeah, fine, never better." The Swordswoman snapped. "I just wished someone had told me about that," she pointed to Raz and his pet, "I would have packed my crowbar."
The Cait's eyes narrowed, reaching for his weapon, a thin longsword that was nearly as long as he was tall. Kirito could only think the weapon was meant for midair combat, it would have been impossibly unwieldy for such a small person to use on the ground.
"Alrigh, alright, I'm just kidding." Caramella sighed, grimacing as she entered the room. She tried hard not to look at the spider, or its owner, instead keeping Kirito between her and the odd pair at all times.
"This is everyone?" Raz asked, eyes tracking from Kirito to Argo, then to Abigail and Caramella, before returning to Alden.
"It should be." Alden said. "Two more will be coming along later. But Abigail-san is the examiner."
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Raz-san." Abigail said, shaking both Raz's hand and Lamars offered forelimb. She looked around the room at her shocked fellow investigators. "What?"
"Never mind." Argo said briskly. "Are you ready, Abigail-san."
The contented look faded, replaced by a more solemn expression. "Un, let's get started."
"Then come this way." The boy gestured to a second door on the far side of the small waiting room, producing a key from his pocket and opening the lock with a muted -click-. "They've been waiting." He stopped at the door, ushering them in. "I'll wait out her, Lamar doesn't like the cold."
The inside of Freelia's hastily constructed morgue was as cramped as the one in the basement of Arrun tower, but there was still room for everyone to squeeze in under the pale light of the mineral lamps hung from hooks in the ceiling. The room was dominated by two tables, covered in white sheets.
"If it helps, our own doctors have already conducted autopsies." Alden gestured to a smaller table covered in tools and notes.
Abigail smiled kindly. "That will be a big help, but I should do my own examination first, just to be safe." The Cait stepped back, standing rigidly against the back wall.
Putting down her pack and removing a magnifying glass, gloves, a piece of pencil, and a notebook, Abigail set to work while the others watched.
The first sheet was pulled back and Kirito looked away. She looked young, too young, only a little older than himself. Whether that was her real age or not didn't matter. Cold skin shown palely in the mineral lights, and short cropped hair the color of weathered copper, feathered lightly around her head. For all that she looked to be at peace, Alden had been right, the cause of death was obvious.
"Damn." Caramella breathed, staring at where the girl's throat had been slashed, sawed back to the spine.
"Argo-san, you have a file on her right?" Abigail asked clinically as she pulled on her gloves and tied a handkerchief as a mask.
"Un." Argo nodded, distracted for a moment by the scene in front of her. "Sakuya-san sent me her info last night. She was called Liliana, a Sylph native to Sylvain. She was the mob patrol leader responsible for maintaining the watch between Freelia and the Sylph Capital."
"Do you know what her build was?" The Spriggan examiner pulled the sheet down further and began to inspect the skin for any signs of internal injury.
"A Magic Knight with an emphasis on Sylph Wind affinities." Argo answered like she was reading from a book. "I think she was a Halberd user."
"She definitely wasn't a weak Newbie." Kirito observed. "And the other one?"
Abigail turned and drew back the second sheet to reveal a tall, well built, Cait Syth male with short, ginger colored hair and ears. His throat had been brutally slashed in the same mortal fashion as Liliana and Novair.
"This one tis Tobi, a resident of Freelia, and a Dragoon." Argo's ears flattened slowly until they were flush with her head, tail hanging loose and lifeless. "I knew him." She blurted out. "We did a few raids together back when I started playing. He was an alright guy."
Kirito was caught between holding his tongue and trying to comfort her. "Are you going to be okay . . . Argo?"
"Just give me a minute." Argo said a little too quickly, a little too sharply.
They'd already known about the bodies, their names, and the circumstances under which they had been discovered. But there was a world of difference between knowing and experiencing.
"You found them on the beach, right?" Argo observed as she watched Abigail work. "What were they doing there?"
Alden shifted uncomfortably. "Tobi-san was Gaius's replacement when he was transferred to the defense forces under Lord Mortimer.
Kirito and Argo looked to one another, a wordless curse passing between them. "So he would have worked directly under you." Argo concluded. "Just what did Tobi-san do?
"The usual Watch business." Alden rubbed tiredly at his eyes. "He organized Freelia's watch and mob sweeps. That's probably what he was meeting with the Liliana-san about. If I were to guess, he had a bit of a relationship with her on the side, though it may have simply been professional courtesy."
"Moonlit walks on the beach?" Caramella asked, she sounded unconvinced. "Then they were definitely together when they were killed?"
"We think so." Alden confessed. "They were last seen leaving the city together after dinner, and they were found together early yesterday evening with their bodies floating in the surf."
Kirito raised a hand. "One more question, when they were found, were either of them armed?"
Alden's look of worry deepened. "Liliana's halberd was found close by, and Tobi was wearing his sword scabbard, though we didn't find the the blade. Neither of them was wearing armor just to walk around the Island, there's hardly any mobs that are dangerous enough to be any sort of threat, and help is always just a couple of minutes away.
"Kirito?" Caramella questioned, her expression was sober. "You're thinking what I think you're thinking, aren't you?"
"Actually, I was thinking about the Murderers Guild." Kirito's answer was short, simple, and abrupt, and immediately silenced everyone in the room. Caramella turned her head back to the bodies, spitting curses under her breath. "I was worried that people like Argo and the others weren't the only SAO survivors that decided to pick up ALO."
Though he was almost certain that the mandatory observation period put in place by the Government had still been in effect when he had last logged in, the possibility that these murders were being perpetrated by a Laughing Coffin member, or someone with similar tendencies, had been at the back of his mind from the start. But this . . . "This doesn't match Laughing Coffin's MO at all."
"Right! Laughing Coffin were as brutal as they were sadistic, but they wouldn't risk themselves if they could help it, they weren't suicidal." Argo looked all too anxious to agree. Maybe, maybe this was wishful thinking, but he hoped not. "Taking on two skilled fighters at once isn't something they would want to risk. Not so close to a settlement."
The members of Laughing Coffin, possibly driven insane by their imprisonment, possibly enthralled by their charismatic leader, or maybe just people who had seen an opportunity to indulge the dark part of their own souls, regardless of their motivation, they would never risk cutting short their 'fun' in the playground that Kayaba Akihiko had given them.
"Two on one, maybe not." Caramella pointed out. "But what if it was two on two, or two on three?"
"Maybe, but I don't think so." Kirito stared hard at the far wall, better that then the bodies that Abigail was systematically checking over from head to toe. "Or at least, I still don't think it would be anything like Laughing Coffin. For one, I don't think a Laughing Coffin member could have restrained themselves for this long."
"Maybe they could." Caramella suggested. "Killing in SAO is a lot different from real life. Maybe they were as freaked out as everyone else at first. And even if it's not Laughing Coffin, it doesn't discount some other psycho who's had the complete school of Tarantino swordsmanship crammed into his skull. I mean, don't serial killers usually have some sort of mark?" She nodded back towards the bodies. "That looks pretty conclusive to me."
"That's true," Kirito admitted, "But there's also something else, these attacks have a pattern."
"Right again sa." Argo muttered darkly. "First Novair, now the heads of the Freelia and Sylvain City Watch. These aren't based on some weird criteria. The targets are being logically selected. They're trying to cripple the Fae Lords' ability to lead."
Kirito gave another small nod. "Which means these attacks aren't going to stop, they're going to keep targeting people important to running the Cities and keeping public order."
Kirito felt his stomach turn. He hadn't been mistaken, this probably wasn't caused by a former member of Laughing Coffin. He didn't know whether to be relieved or terrified. It meant there was someone out there who might be even worse.
"Okay, why weaken the Lords rather than killing them?" Caramella asked again. "I mean, what does one do that the other doesn't?"
"Survivability." Argo answered. "Tis a means of assisted suicide to try and get past a Fae Lord's personal guards. You'd almost need a raid group."
Understanding dawned in the Swordswoman's eyes. "So do the next best thing by taking out the people they rely on."
"Usually under appreciated, and a lot less heavily guarded." Argo hissed, tail beginning to twist beneath her cloak. Argo turned back to Alden. "You need to get a warning out to anyone involved in running the city. Double up the watch patrols and keep the guard especially heavy in the residential district and here at the tower." Spinning back around. "Abby-san, this is going to take some time, right?"
"Uh, yeha, I have to check them both for any other injuries, and then check the doctor's reports." The Spriggan Gothic Lolita looked surprised. "Uhm, is there anything else?"
"No, that tis good nya! Find me when you're done sa." Argo was already out the door, followed closely by Kirito and Alden. "Alden-san, I need you to send a message to the other cities, tell them what I told you. Caramel-chan, stay here and keep an eye on Abby-san."
Things were too dire for the normally boisterous Swordswoman to even comment about her nickname, instead, she simply grimaced, exchanging stares with Raz and the spider that was still seated on his head. Judging by the way that the Terrorantula's feeding mandibles were moving, Raz had just recently fed it something, something live.
"I'd really rather not." She squinted. "Like, really, really, rather not."
"Then stand outside." Argo snapped, not even slowing down as she burst into the hallway. "Kii-bou, you're staying with me. This is our chance, the Dynamic Duo won't get here until evening, so now we can investigate the crime scene and Tobi's apartment without them messing anything up. If there's a pattern, maybe there's something else we can look for, a hint to why these particular people are being picked."
Kirito kept pace easily beside the Information Broker, Alden following at a brisk jog and calling for them not to run in the halls.
"What tis it?" Argo asked suddenly."
"N-nothing?" Kirito said.
The Cait snorted in contempt. "You can't hide it. You always get that stupid look on your face when you want to ask something, Kii-bou."
"Aren't you a little too harsh with Jensen and Vakarian-san? They're just doing their job."
Argo waited until they hit the elevators before answering, rolling her eyes in disgust. "Those two? Yeah, they're doing the exact same job they did in real life sa. Namely, keeping me from figuring out what tis really going on nya!" The Cait didn't even realized she'd shouted until she noticed Kirito and Alden covering their ears and a few worried looks from other Caits waiting in the lobby.
"I . . ." Her face grew pained as she leaned against the elevator door, taking a breath.
"SAO, games in general, they're all just numbers, the strength isn't real. Well, you know that nya. But the people are real, and so is the quality of their character sa. The people are real, even when the world tis not. I found Aa-chan, I found where she was, and in Aincrad that information would have meant something. But when I gave it to the SAO investigation unit", her hands balled into fists, knuckles turning white, "They just tossed it away, because I'm just the kid, and they're the adults, and anything I have to say tisn't worth hearing unless they decide it tis!"
Kirito watched as Argo's breathing slowed, her face was red, embarrassed at her outburst, but he couldn't blame her. It had been hard to explain SAO even to people who wanted to understand. It was even harder when they didn't want to hear. And there were lots of people who didn't want to hear. People who wanted to 'help' by completely isolating the SAO survivors from everyone they had met and known in the death game, compartmentalize and treat the whole incident as a single Traumatic Event.
This had almost been the plan decided on before the initial interviews with the survivors provided enough evidence that it would have done more harm than good.
Most of the players had been eager to piece together something resembling a normal life, and Kirito had been no exception, he'd been happy to be his perfectly ordinary self once more rather than the Black Swordsman of Aincrad. But it had still taken some getting used to. He'd felt strange for not getting odd looks when he walked down the street.
How could Argo have felt, to see her hard work thrown aside by people who just wanted to treat her like a victim? Her reputation as The Rat hadn't been based on any stats, just her own hard work, sweat, and tears. Worse, she had been right and her voice had still been ignored by the people who were supposed to help.
"Jeez." Kirito whispered. "That's really lousy information. You better not sell it." He reached out, placing a hand firmly atop the Cait head and pulling her hood down playfully. "Or did you forget, that information meant a whole lot to me."
The elevator bell chimed once, announcing the arrival of the counterweight driven booth. Suddenly, Argo snickered. "So that tis that the way Kii-bou see's it, even now nya?"
'Even now?' He repeated mentally.
"Later." Argo decided out loud. "For now." She looked up, and her golden eyes almost seemed to glow with hate. "Someone thinks it tis cute to kill the people who are working hard to keep us all alive. Let's find them so we can show them how we feel about that!"