Chapter 9
Akira – Floor 35 – December 31, 2023 – 19:15
He sat on the rocking chair on the farmhouse's patio, watching David's distant black shape grow closer and closer. The young man was hanging his head, his katana dragging against the ground behind him. When he finally began to ascend the hill to the farmhouse, Akira could see blood splattered over his face. His skull mask was bundled up in the grip of one hand. Akira drew his legs up to his chin, wrapping his arms around them.
"The hero returns!" PoH called out as David drew near. The leader of «Laughing Coffin» held his arms outstretched, his «Mate Chopper» dangling loose from one hand. "You're just in time."
David nodded dumbly as PoH giddily invited him to check out the prisoners. Akira had been part of the rear assault, emerging out of the small forest behind the farmhouse to cut off the «Eternal Brotherhood» from escaping. Though he hadn't seen PoH fight during the slaughter, he was already hearing the rumors. He was extremely talented with his dagger, capable of fighting off a skilled man with a greataxe despite the severe disadvantage of lacking reach.
A groan of displeasure to his left drew his attention towards Kaoru. The survivors from the attack on the «Eternal Brotherhood» were all tied up together, sitting on the ground in front of the farm owner. All of them were bruised and bloodied, their expressions tight and downcast. One man was mumbling to himself as he rocked his body slowly back and forth.
The big man who was using a greataxe was there, his eyes directed firmly at the ground. His face was wide with fury, the veins in his neck sticking out viciously. Most of the rest cowered in the presence of the «Laughing Coffin» members. A few of the less scrupulous members were poking at the prisoners, calling them names or insulting them. Most kept their distance, unsure what to do with the captured men.
Akira opened his inventory, materializing a teleport crystal. Funny how useless the things were. They were expensive, had a high weight value and could not be used during combat or when a player was suffering from a status effect. It was like Kayaba designed the item specifically to mock the players.
"So both of the escaped girls are dead?" Akira turned back to PoH, who had slung an arm around David's shoulder as he lead the younger man towards the rest of the guild. That slight action irked Akira, prompting an annoyed flush. Why would PoH pay so much attention to David?
"Yeah."
The two passed by Akira without another word; PoH didn't even acknowledge Akira. Maybe it was justified; it wasn't like Akira had done much in the fight with the «Eternal Brotherhood». He'd helped kill a couple people by stabbing them in the back when they were busy fending off other «Laughing Coffin» members, but that was it.
Akira looked over the group of people gathered around the farmhouse. It was the entirety of «Laughing Coffin». Their first mission was a complete success, though you wouldn't know it by looking at them. Very few were celebrating. Most wandered about with dark expressions and uncertain gaits. The Tank spoke quietly with a small man Akira didn't recognize. Muscles and Sophie stood together, not speaking, both staring off into the distance.
The sun had set, leaving fast-darkening farmland in place of the previously vivid red. David separated from PoH, dematerializing his katana and laying down on the green grass. Akira opened his menu, scrolling to the «Options» screen. He flipped «Cursor Mode» from «Off» to «On» and, sure enough, he could not find a single player nearby who wasn't orange.
The only exceptions, of course, were the prisoners.
"Why did you do it?" The big man was still struggling with his bonds, glaring up at PoH. "Why did you attack us? We've done nothing to you!"
"Pollux is the name, right?" PoH squatted in front of the big man. "You took quite a bit of convincing before we could tie you up. Almost killed you, which would have been such a shame."
"You should have fucking killed me!" Pollux shouted up at PoH, saliva spraying from his mouth. "When I wrap my hands around your throat and twist the fucking life out of you, you'll be wishing you killed me when you could!"
"Terrifying." PoH smirked, standing and turning back to the rest of «Laughing Coffin». "I'm assuming you're all wondering what's going to happen now. Now that the «Eternal Brotherhood» has been broken, where do we go from here? Some of you may be asking why we did all this." PoH kicked Pollux's knee lightly. "Just like this guy.
"To put it plainly, we are getting the word out. A new order is on the rise. A new era for the players of «Sword Art Online». A new paradigm to bring down Heathcliff and the dictatorship of the clearers." PoH pointed at the prisoners. "And these men are the start. First things first, we are not going to kill all of them." An instant murmur from the crowd gathering around him. Even Akira felt taken aback. If they didn't kill all of the prisoners, the members of «Laughing Coffin» would become «Wanted»! "The point of slaughtering these people was visibility. If we kill everyone, they're deaths become just a mysterious and suspicious circumstance. If we let one live, then they get to tell the world the truth. The question that arises is, of course…"
Akira already knew what PoH was going to say.
"…who will be the lucky survivor?"
Murmurs through the crowd of Akira's guildmates. Most were confused whisperings, complaints about having to go orange for a while. Akira wasn't sure exactly how long it took for a murder bounty to wear off, but it was at least a month. A whole month of living outside of towns? Of not having an inn to return to? Sounded like hell.
Akira scanned the members of «Laughing Coffin» and looked for the troubled faces in the crowd. There were a few who couldn't stand to look at PoH. They were the same who hung back during the slaughter, resisting the idea of killing the «Eternal Brotherhood». Eventually PoH would find out who had hesitated.
"Why don't we have them all fight each other?" XaXa, David's friend, spoke up and gestured at the five men tied up together. "Like in a tournament. The last one standing can go free!"
"Idiot!" Johnny Black punched him in the shoulder, a scowl on his rough, scarred face. "You want to give their weapons back? The first thing they're gonna do is attack us!"
"They'd be idiots to try." XaXa grumbled back, his soft voice barely audible to Akira from here. "We've got like thirty people here. If we give them some crap weapons, there's no way they could hurt us if they decided to attack."
Akira raised an eyebrow at that logic. With Kayaba Akihiko's vision of PvP, any weapon could kill any player in combat. Even a weak longsword was dangerous.
"I like it," PoH said, "Anyone have any low-level swords? We'll have them do it without armor, of course. That'll make everything a bit more interesting."
"You should listen to your idiot friends," Pollux spoke up, his voice cracking, "You give me a sword and the first thing I'm going to do is slit your fucking throat."
"Don't be like that," PoH smiled, leaning down next to Pollux again, "You would honor your brother's death by dying?" He grabbed Pollux's chin. "You win this mini battle royal and you can come find me later, you know? You'd get another chance to kill me."
Pollux growled but said nothing. The rest of the prisoners were silent and avoided looking at one another. PoH's sense of irony had not passed Akira by. He could see what the «Eternal Brotherhood» had been reduced to. There was a point to be made, a method behind his cruelty, in showing there wasn't a single man among the prisoners not willing to kill a friend to stay alive.
PoH walked over to one of the five prisoners, a small man who flinched away from him, terrified. Akira's boss materialized an unornamented longsword, cutting the prisoner's bond and handing him the weapon.
He walked around to the rest of the prisoners, freeing them and giving them simple, weak weapons. At PoH's order, the «Laughing Coffin» members formed a rough semicircle around them to keep them contained between themselves and the farmhouse. As they received their weapons, the last few remainders of «The Eternal Brotherhood» gave panicked looks to their neighbors and jumped away from one another in anticipation of the fight. Pollux was last; he resisted as he was dragged to his feet. The big man struggled against the «Laughing Coffin» members holding him.
"Now, now." PoH brought out a longsword, holding it out for Pollux. "Don't you want to live?"
"I'm not going to murder my friends." Pollux spat. The rest of the survivors stared uncertainly at each other. Akira knew what was going through their heads, their plight bringing a smile to his face. Now this was power! Which man was the weakest? Who would break first by attacking his friends for the vague hope of survival? Which would hold fast to their ideals?
"Unhand me!" Pollux tore away from the «Laughing Coffin» members holding him and fell into the makeshift arena. Some of Akira's guildmates jeered and laughed, poking at the survivors with their weapons and shouting epithets. However, most of «Laughing Coffin» stared in silence, neither cheering nor jeering.
For a long while, the five prisoners stared at each other. Their weapons were gripped tight in their hands as their eyes flicked nervously back and forth. Pollux, longsword in hand, followed PoH's movements, looking for an opening amongst the group of better-equipped «Laughing Coffin» members. Many of Akira's fellow guild mates had drawn weapons of their own in case a prisoner turned suicidal.
Akira recalled David's lessons on how to PvP. Any weapon could kill. Level and quality of equipment had a large effect in combat against monsters. Low-level monsters are utterly unable to kill high-level players and low-level players could never kill high-level monsters. In contrast to that, Kayaba Akihiko had specifically designed player against player combat to be made on equal grounds. Any weapon can harm anybody given the person knew how to use it right. Attacks on a person's head, heart, neck, or any other sensitive area could potentially be a killing stroke even after just one hit.
Just one more level of realism to make people regret ever picking up a NerveGear.
"Come on, guys," Pollux was talking to the rest of his guild mates, "Jacob, Lancet, Kill-Joy, Erebus. We don't have to do this. We don't have to play their game. We don't have to fight each other."
"For fuck's sake!" Johny Black shouted from the sidelines, "Don't listen to that queer! Just kill each other already!"
Out of the corner of his eye, Akira saw David storm off. XaXa followed in a fit of concern. Akira watched as his mentor and enemy turned the corner, heading to the backyard. Akira briefly considered trailing the man, but decided against it as the first two survivors clashed swords.
"No!" Pollux shouted, but another one of the prisoners whipped towards the big man, his expression a mask of fear and pain. Behind those them, two other survivors fought viciously; one was crying while the other was silent.
"We don't have a choice! I've got a wife to go back to!" The man shouted, charging Pollux. He hesitated before swinging, opening himself wide enough for Pollux to have easily sheared through him with a single strike. The big man didn't take the chance, merely parrying the clumsy attack and stepping away.
"Jacob, please!" Pollux's voice bordered on terror – not from the other survivor's attacks, but from the horror of the situation. Jacob's cursor went orange.
In the other fight, the last survivor joined the crying man in ganging up on his opponent, killing him quickly as their cursors turned orange. Pollux shouted the man's name as the two then turned on each other. Jacob circled around Pollux, stabbing occasionally to look for a break in Pollux's defense.
"I'm getting out of here alive!" Jacob squealed, slashing heavily overhead. Pollux deflected it, letting the blade slide down and kicking Jacob in the side. The smaller man was flung into the arms of a nearby «Laughing Coffin» member, who punted the man back into the semicircle.
Just as he'd gotten to his feet again, a blade erupted through Jacob's chest and virtual blood sprayed out from the grievous injury. Jacob stared down at the weapon, his face slack and confused. Akira reeled, laughing at the spectacle. He'd been so focused on Pollux's fight that he'd failed to notice the conclusion of the other one! The crying man had lost.
Three down. Two to go.
"Lancet, you…" Pollux breathed out. "No…"
"I'm not one for dicking around, boss." Lancet shook his blade, spraying the grass with a light spread of virtual blood. Akira took a good look at him – not too large of a man, but not small either. A mess of curly red hair flopped over a pale face that looked too serious to match up with an otherwise light-hearted appearance. A joker when not a murderer, perhaps?
"No, I wouldn't expect you to."
"For what it's worth, I don't particularly want this." Lancet and Pollux circled around each other, longswords held at the ready as they carefully awaited the other man's attack. The spectators of the fight were all silent, awaiting the conclusion of their small battle royal. Akira couldn't tell if it was eagerness or horrified enthrallment that kept them all staring.
"You!" Pollux shouted at PoH, his eyes only flickering over the guild leader for an instant. "There's no way you'd let both myself and Lancet go? What's the big difference between two people leaving to spread word of your murderer's guild versus one?"
"There is none." PoH shrugged, hopping onto the fence and watching them all with a distant smile. "Rationally, I should be killing all of you. I am a reasonable man, but I have my flaws. And boy do I love to watch dead men dance."
Pollux didn't bother to respond. Lancet rushed in, stabbing at Pollux. The big man deflected it, parrying it to the side and stepping forward besides the blade. In a quick flash, his elbow slammed into Lancet's face. He stumbled backwards, one gloved hand gripped over his now-bleeding nose.
"Lancet, we don't have to play their game." Pollux said as they fell into a circle around each other. Lancet dashed in, only for Pollux to parry his strike. "There's always another way!"
"No," Lancet jumped backwards, distancing himself from his opponent, "There isn't."
The two rushed together, longswords in the air. Pollux slid to the side at the last second, feinting and dodging around Lancet's strike. Almost too quick for Akira to follow, he sliced upwards along Lancet's torso, opening him wide from navel to neck.
«Laughing Coffin» was silent as Lancet fell to his knees. It was a fatal blow. Pollux turned back to the dying man, his face white with horror. His cursor remained green as he had only attacked a mere orange player.
"Avenge the boss for me, Pollux."
Lancet breathed out his last a second before shattering. Pollux fell through the haze of released blue particles, his legs too weak to support him. Akira smiled grimly; it was a satisfying conclusion. He'd had his doubts the big man would be willing to bring down the hammer and do what was necessary, but he came through in the end.
"Looks like we've got a winner." PoH smiled, leaning down next to Pollux as several of Akira's guild members rushed over to disarm the prisoner. "Congratulations!"
Argo – Floor 43 – January 1, 2024 – 15:43
Argo was sitting in a restaurant and chatting with another information broker when the news broke. As soon as it hit, she forgot all about her conversation with the man, staring instead at the private message from Kirito. From all of the murmurs and whispers of frightened customers, she could make out bits and pieces of the news. They crowded around the «Public Service Board», a paid-for notification board posted on all floors to allow for the quick dissemination of information.
'Did you see the notice, Argo? 20 people dead in the mass murder of an entire guild. The perpetrators are calling themselves «Laughing Coffin».'
'I heard the commotion a second ago. The perpetrators wore skull masks just like your assassin. Meet me at the fountain.'
'This is bad.'
It was an understatement if Argo had ever heard one. She rose from the dark, lacquered table. Already the handsome young man had a sympathetic look on his face, though it was heavily laced with worry. A damn good actor, that one.
"I'm sorry, Lyle. We'll have to continue this later." She bowed slightly, her brown cape ruffling. The man looked up at her appreciatively, a quaint smile on his face.
"No, no. I understand. We'll need to catch up business some other time. Lind is already messaging for me to get back," Lyle stood as well, "I'll pay for the meal."
"Thank you," Argo said, rushing towards the door. She paused near the «Public Service Board», taking a quick glance towards the notification. It was difficult to press through the bodies of anxious and worried players, but being small-framed helped out a great deal with that. After more than a few unpleasant instances of shoving people out of the way, she emerged in front of the board.
A stark, white paper contrasted with the rest of the notices. Its plain design and heavy, black font distinguished itself from the rest of the hasty and unprofessional requests. It was a news bulletin put out by the «Publisher's Guild», one of the most significant parts of the merchantry of Starting City. News and information dissemination was usually handled by that guild; Argo's own «Strategy Guide» was put out by them, though she was behind on her new issue by a few weeks now.
She read the notice carefully, ignoring the jostle of people around her.
SPECIAL NEWS BULLETIN:
20 PLAYERS DEAD IN MYSTERIOUS PLAYER-KILLING RAMPAGE.
SKULL-MASK WEARING GUILD «LAUGHING COFFIN» RESPONSIBLE.
HEATHCLIFF HAS DECLINED TO COMMENT.
It went on to detail the name of the guild that had been destroyed – the «Eternal Brotherhood», whom Argo had worked with briefly on several occasions, though she wasn't close with any of them – and gave the brief account of the lone survivor, a man named Pollux. It then listed new names added to the «Bounty» registry in the past twenty-four hours.
It was useless information. There were several cases of stealing every day where people would get caught and go orange. The PK guild in question was described as consisting of about thirty people, but at least sixty other players were on the orange list. Sixty attempted robberies in a day was awfully high – was it arranged? Since their offenses weren't listed, it was impossible to distinguish a robber from a murderer.
Before this, player-killing guilds were unheard of. Homicides were a rare but expected thing. Argo scanned the article. It labelled the incident as the first instances of player-on-player murder, but that wasn't true at all. People had been getting killed by others since the very first day, just never at this magnitude.
There weren't any Bounty Hunter groups large enough that could take down thirty players. The biggest, the «Code of Hammurabi», only had around ten members. Not many people took well to the life of hunting orange players down and killing or jailing them.
With thirty members in all, there was no way any Bounty Hunters could hunt down the murderous guild before their «Wanted» status wore off in a month. Argo felt the weight of the realization settling in. Whoever «Laughing Coffin» were, they were going to get away with murder.
"This is bad." Argo cursed, worming her way back through the crowd. "This is really bad."
Outside, she could already see the notice spreading the seeds of panic amongst the players. Monster hunters had stopped in the streets, arguing whether it was safe to leave town or not. A merchant selling jewelry was hastily packing his wares, a nervous expression on his face. A young girl was crying into the chest of another player.
Even the NPCs seemed riled up, with an increased patrol of guards walking through the city streets. From Argo's experience, the only use guards had were to come to the rescue of players who pressed «Yes» on a harassment notice or to attack orange players who entered town. Player-made militias like the «Army» were generally more effective; even so, the sight of them was encouraging.
Odd that she found any facet of this death game encouraging.
"Excuse me, miss." Argo stopped short as she passed by a small wooden house, one of the many squat cookie-cutter wood and stone buildings that made up the town of Llyne. A young girl hung around the doorway. She was young, maybe 14 or 15, and wore a long brown dress. Her hair was shockingly blonde and hung down to her knees. Argo paused, contemplating just walking away. Was it a quest?
"What's up?" Argo finally said, walking over. Kirito would have to wait. She wasn't familiar with a quest that started this way and any new information was welcome. "You need something?"
"Seems more like you need something," The teenage girl grinned at her, the smile bright and wide, "What are you looking for?"
"What am I looking for?" Argo mimicked, taken aback. It was exceedingly rare for non-vendor NPCs to actively engage with players. Instead, quest-givers read from an internal script using synthesized dialogue. Was this not an NPC? She opened her menu, looking for the option to turn on «Cursor Mode» to check. As she thumbed through her menu, Argo smirked, feeling snarky as she replied. "Money, sex, and power maybe? Most people look for stuff like that."
"Are you most people?" The girl raised an eyebrow. Argo gripped her fist subconsciously. This was really odd for an NPC to respond to her directly – and she did it not once, but twice! Where the hell was her «Cursor Mode» option? The girl twiddled a cord of hair between her fingers absently, focused intently on Argo. Without even realizing it, the broker was shifting her weight from one foot to the other, a cold sweat starting to run down her back.
"What are you talking about?"
"What I mean to say is," The girl stepped towards Argo, her hips swinging very subtly under her plain brown dress. It was difficult to focus on anything else. Moments before she could hear people pass behind her, voices arguing in the background, but no longer. Suddenly she found that she couldn't quite remember what the house in front of her looked like. Instead, her gaze was dead-set on the girl's deep green eyes.
"What?" Argo mumbled, her hair standing on the back of her neck.
"Is that all you want?" The girl was inches away from her now, her face coming closer. She stopped when her lips brushed Argo's ear. Her soft, feminine voice glided lightly along every syllable. "Sex?"
"I don't-" Argo stopped, her mouth suddenly incapable of finishing the sentence. The girl played with Argo's hair, running her fingers through it slowly. She rested her hand of Argo's cheek, stroking the skin softly.
"That was quite the dream you had the night before last." She whispered. Argo could feel the girl grin, even though she couldn't see it. Her arms wouldn't move, her breath suddenly short and fast. "That boy, Kirito. He incites your passion. I could feel it. The things you'd like to do to him…" A short giggle. "Your father would be ashamed."
"How do you… know that?" Argo struggled out the words, each one more heavy and leaden than the last. "Who…?"
The blonde girl backed way, pressing her forehead against Argo's. She was so close and her presence filled Argo's perception. There was nothing else to focus on, no other sensation to feel. All there was were those big green eyes, that fey smile.
"Username: Argo. Acquisition obvious. Real name: Kana Akiko. Information found from debit card used to purchase «Sword Art Online» and verified through police report detailing your transportation to a hospital. Gender: Female. Obtained via NerveGear calibration. Age: 18. Information present in medical record." Argo felt herself going numb as the girl embraced her. Argo was looking over the girl's shoulder now, her gaze fixated on a single point at the corner of the doorway where wood met stone. "But I know more about you than mere data points. You blame your mother for walking out of your life. Your father is a poor but honorable man. At a party in high school, a girl drunkenly kissed you and for a while you doubted your sexuality. The name of your first goldfish-"
"How-" The girl pressed a finger to Argo's lips, ushering her into silence. Argo could feel sweat begin to pool under her leather cloak. Her hands were shaking even though she couldn't move them. Her heart was pounding, making it difficult to concentrate. A buzzing sound in her ear, drowning out everything but the young girl's voice. All she saw was that corner of the door. All she saw…
"Nemo, even though the species of fish was wrong. You wanted to be a software engineer but you never believed you were smart enough, so you switched your focus to business. You're self-conscious of the fact that you're flat-chested. When you were thirteen, you were arrested for shoplifting." The girl backed away from Argo, releasing her finger from Argo's lips. The girl's eyes were wide, the whites showing around her irises. "You almost died once."
"You…" Argo's voice trailed off, her head ringing heavily. She couldn't think, couldn't talk, couldn't breathe. The girl bowed in front of Argo, their eyes level. When did she fall to her knees?
"Tell me, Kana Akiko." The voice was so soft, so sweet. "Where is Heaven?"
Everything went black. A vague sensation of falling and nothingness.
It was a long while before she awoke; it could have been five minutes or five hours and she wouldn't have known. Kirito leaned over her, nudging her supine form lightly with his foot. His face was exceedingly nonchalant, not the slightest hint of worry. Argo groaned, sitting up carefully. Her head smarted, a sharp headache right behind her eyes.
"Too lazy to walk?" Kirito asked, tapping her again with his foot. Argo swatted him away. "You shouldn't be sleeping in the middle of a road. You might get Sleep-PKed."
"Shit, it's not like I meant to." Argo rubbed her head. "Help me up, Kii-bou."
"Why were you lying on the ground? And where have you been? I've been waiting for you for hours." He extended a hand and Argo accepted it, him pulling her to her feet. She brushed herself off and examined her surroundings. She was on the road outside the inn where she'd been staying at with Kirito: the «Titillated Tiger Tavern». Players walked about in a nervous haze and another of the nearby «Public Service Board» was swarmed with concerned people. The sun was starting to set.
"I… I can't remember." Argo struggled to recall what had happened before she'd fainted, but all she got was a bigger headache and a vague queasy feeling. She had left the bar she was at with Lyle after reading the «Publishing Guild» notice, but then…
"You ever gonna stop calling me Kii-bou?" Kirito asked, squinting as he looked up at the sky. It had been a clear day with not many clouds in the sky. The quaint cobbled roads of Llyne shone as they ran between the loosely-packed together buildings of the town. On any other day without the panic in the air, it would have been a perfect time to sit back and stare at nothing for a few hours.
"Nope. Never." Argo playfully punched his stomach even though she didn't feel particularly flirtatious. "So it looks like my investigation is about to get a lot bigger and a lot more dangerous. You have the «Death Registry»?"
"Yeah." Kirito materialized a few sheets of paper, handing them to Argo. "The guards were hassling me a bit about it when I requested them. Something about too many people wanting to look at the deaths lately. I think one NPC threatened to start demanding money in return for them."
"Really?" Argo replied absently, looking through the sheets. Several names from the «Eternal Brotherhood». Sierra, Castor, Danat. Argo felt herself flinch inwardly as she read the names. They hadn't been dear friends of hers, but she'd dealt with them on multiple occasions. Argo gripped the papers tight. "It's hard to believe people like those in «Laughing Coffin» exist. What could possibly drive them to murder all those people?"
"Visibility." Kirito shrugged. "It makes sense that their first target would be something big. Gets their name out. If you read the interview with Pollux as published in the news, he makes it clear that he was captured and then deliberately let go."
"Yeah, I read the interview. Most of it was Pollux demanding the clearers got together to wipe out this «Laughing Coffin». I highly doubt that Heathcliff would do that, considering the danger."
"I agree. The clearers are rather singularly focused."
"The players in the «Eternal Brotherhood» were almost as skilled as the clearing guilds." Argo shook her head, fighting to keep her voice stable. "For an orange guild to exist that could kill them…"
"They don't necessarily have to match the clearer's levels." Kirito started walking into the bar and Argo trailed after him. "PKing is dangerous in this game because of how the system handles combat. Kayaba Akihiko made PvE combat level-dependent, but PvP is entirely based around an individual's skills. Levels have nothing to do with it. That's why there are so many clearers that have real-world combat experience."
"Yeah, I know." Argo slid onto a bar stool, holding up two fingers for the tavern keeper to get beers for them both. "Kayaba probably designed it that way to prevent higher-level players from slaughtering the low-level ones. Every player is on equal footing regardless of equipment or level."
"Well, equipment matters to an extent." Kirito corrected her, "Better equipment does give you an advantage and you retain equipment bonuses in PvP."
"I know." Argo shook her head. "But just like in real life, anyone could potentially kill anyone."
The tavern keeper put two tankards down in front of them, the thick foam sloshing slightly over the sides of the wood. Behind them both Argo could hear several players getting drunk already. Monster hunters if she heard them properly. They'd cancelled their daily raid.
"Hey, I'm underaged," Kirito said as Argo took a long drag of her own tankard, "So are you! And isn't it a bit early to be drinking?"
"So? The NPCs don't care. You complain again and I'm going to start smoking too," Argo drank again, looking at the «Death Registry» with her free hand. Neat, orderly handwriting revealed the usernames and fates of the unfortunate players who died in the game. At first glance it didn't look much like anything. "Something's bugging me."
Her eyes ran down the list. Sierra. Killed by another player. The username wasn't listed, which meant that Pollux didn't know the murderer's username when he reported the crime. It was another facet of the game's inconsistent yet brutal realism. Unless the person reporting the crime directly knew the username of the murderer there was no way to know who killed who. A few names were present: a man by the name PoH killed several people. It didn't ring a bell. Her thoughts turned back to Sierra.
Argo recalled the beautiful young woman, the lover of Hikari. Sierra had cut an impressive figure. She had always exuded a quiet confidence that inspired and intimidated those around her. Her skills in the game had been well-known – she was a talented tournament PvPer, having won several bouts in one of the monthly duels hosted by the «Army».
Argo had admired the woman a great deal. The broker grit her teeth. Her last meeting with Sierra been at the café at the outskirts of Llyne and Argo hadn't said a word to her. Hikari had been a lucky woman.
But now Sierra was dead, along with most of her guild.
"Argo?" Kirito nursed his drink, obviously uncomfortable with the alcohol in front of him. The broker smirked at that. He was only a year younger than she was but she hadn't expected him to be so bashful about alcohol. She turned back to the «Death Registry». There was definitely something wrong.
"It's just… odd." Argo squinted, unsure what she was seeing. Behind her, the group of drunkards was getting even more rowdy, their loudness breaking her concentration. "The news bulletin said there were twenty casualties but the «Death Registry» was only updated with 19 names when «Laughing Coffin» was reported."
"19?" Kirito put down his tankard just before taking his first sip, his mouth open with surprise. "So there's another survivor."
"Exactly," Argo said, "And I think I know who it is."
Hikari – Floor 35 – January 1, 2024 – 18:43
Hikari fell into the doorway of the small house, her shoulder slamming into the wood heavily. She pressed a hand against her forehead, pulling it away and absently watched the glistening sweat now imprinted on her palm.
The sunset swordsman had refused to kill her.
She pulled herself off the door, stumbling away. She'd stopped crying hours before, instead switching to a profound sense of nothingness. Dead on her feet, unable to feel for hours now. Sierra was gone.
He had stabbed Sierra through the eye, killing her before Hikari could do anything to help. She remembered him standing, backhanding her into a wall before turning to observe the kids cowering in the corner.
The farmer's wife bled out on the floor. She was dead within minutes. The farmer had tried crawling over to her but died halfway there. The sunset swordsman looked down on them all, Hikari included, and just walked away.
"Why didn't you kill me too?" Hikari mumbled, falling against one of the buildings again.
She was nearing the edge of Mishe now, the southern border than lined along the edge of Aincrad. It was a popular spot for tourists as evidenced by how many restaurants and cafés were around. However, instead of people relaxing around patio tables and enjoying exotic drinks and cooking, they were gathered around a «Public Service Board». Those that weren't huddled in small groups and talked quietly and quickly. Hikari didn't pay them much mind.
Hikari climbed onto the viewing platform that ran over the edge of Aincrad. Below her the clouds stretched out into an infinite distance. She rubbed her forehead again. The night before was a haze; she'd wandered back into Mishe just as the celebrations for the New Year began. All night she stared up at the exploding fireworks, at the brilliant and jovial colors. With all the explosions nobody had heard her scream.
"If you're going to be a murderer," Hikari slumped against the safety railing, staring straight down. "Finish the job."
It was time Hikari finished it for him. She slid under the railing, dangling her feet over the edge of the platform. From the gentle slope of each floor she'd probably hit the first floor instead of falling off the castle. It was too bad. There was something romantic about falling forever into nothingness. She envied those willing to drag themselves to the first floor to end their lives properly.
Her hands had returned to her sometime in the night. She wrapped her fingers around the railing post to her right, holding her body close to the post. A few more moments and she'd let go. A few more moments and she'd…
"Hey! No!" Hikari heard the voice behind her. She couldn't let go in time before someone's arms snaked under her armpits, bodily dragging her away from the railing.
Hikari screeched, kicking and fighting as her assailant dragged her from the viewing platform. The person wouldn't relent, forcefully carrying Hikari away. Her leather shoes beat against the wood panel flooring, the loud thumping noise attracting a fair bit of attention. People crowded around; just as Hikari thought she was getting loose a second person grabbed her and sealed her fate.
They wouldn't let her die.
Just like the sunset swordsman.
"My god, you're a tough one!" The woman grabbing her threw her backwards onto the stone pavement. A moment later, her assailant plopped down on Hikari's stomach. A crowd of people surrounded them, their faces all made of concern and fear and uncertainty. Their fake sympathy was disgusting. Her rage built and she thrashed about, screaming as she tried to tear herself away from her captor. The woman didn't budge.
Hikari slumped backwards after a long moment, giving up. She'd have to try again later.
"Why the hell did you get in my way?" Hikari snapped, staring at the feet of someone nearby before glaring at her captor. "I was hoping to off myself in peace."
"Why wouldn't I stop someone from killing themself?" The young woman smiled back at Hikari, a light-hearted look of shock on her face. She was young, around Hikari's age. Japanese, with shoulder-length straight black hair.
"As soon as you get up, I'm gonna run for that railing," Hikari threatened, "You can't stop me."
"Guess I'm gonna be sitting here for a while, then." The woman stretched her arms above her head. "We're gonna get awfully familiar with each other after a few days of this, I assure you."
"You'll give up."
"Wanna bet?"
Hikari looked away from the woman. People were filing away now that the excitement was over. A few hanger-ons stuck around, asking the woman sitting on Hikari's stomach if she needed any help. Nobody would talk to Hikari, of course. To them, she was just a basket-case who wanted to kill herself.
Without Sierra, that's all she was.
They sat for a long while in silence, the girl on her stomach humming softly to pass the time. Hikari merely stared at the side of a nearby bakery. It was a stone building with moss growing through it. Each stone was weathered and cracked yet the building stood firm and tall. A well-worn sign displayed the logo of «Ye Olde Stereotypical Bakery» hung above a faded wood doorway. Hikari didn't laugh. Through a thick glass window she could see a few players inside waiting for their orders. One looked away from Hikari just as they locked eyes.
Many of the players were pretending not to look at her.
"You're really going to keep sitting on me?" Hikari asked. She shifted about awkwardly but couldn't dislodge the young woman. "How high is your «STR» that I can't even move you?"
"I'm a clearer. Well, technically." The girl put a finger on her lips, thinking. "Recently, I fell into some money. Since I've got the levels and the equipment, I've been toying with the idea of soloing on the frontlines for a while. Haven't got around to it yet."
"So you're not a clearer."
"Yes I am."
Hikari sighed. The weight of the woman pressing down onto her was seriously starting to hurt. Kayaba Akihiko may have made bloody combat painless but damn near everything else hurt like hell. She laid her head back on the ground.
Why didn't the swordsman kill her?
"If I promise not to kill myself now," Key word 'now', Hikari thought, "Will you get your fat ass off of me?"
"So rude!" The girl grinned. "But yes, I can agree to that. You promise?"
"Promise."
Immediately the weight was lifted. The girl brushed herself off before extending a hand towards HIkari. She refused it, standing on her own. That cheerful attitude the woman had adopted was fucking annoying.
"See ya." Hikari turned back towards the center of town. Once she ditched this woman…
"Hey! No!" The woman grabbed Hikari's arm, "I know what you're trying to do and it isn't going to work. You're stuck with me."
Hikari sighed again.
"Why do you even care?" Hikari snapped, "Who the hell are you?"
"Well, for starters, my name is Lyra." The woman smiled gently. "Now, why don't you tell me what's wrong?"
END OF ARC ONE
Author's Note: And now we're at the end of the beginning! This concludes the first arc of my story. Now that we're done, I should mentioned that I based the main focus of this arc around a canon event. In the original novels, «Laughing Coffin» was catapulted to fame after killing a small guild in the field on December 31, 2023. In the original material, this event was just a brief one-liner. I believed it could be something more.
There were a few issues with the first arc that I'm well-aware of. The biggest would be the lack of action and general slow pacing. As it stands, I won't be making significant changes to the first arc from here on out besides general fixes and edits for consistency. This means the problem with the pacing won't be fixed. For future arcs, I will endeavor to stick to a faster, more action-packed style. I'm not doing that merely because of the criticism; I had already planned on ramping things up a bit from here on out. This introductory arc served the purpose of introducing the major players of my story and setting the tone for the rest of the fanfic.
The next chapter will be an 'Interlude' covering the backstory for Sierra and Hikari (by far the most popular choice of the three options I posted). This 'Interlude' will likely be ~10k words and will focus on the early days of the game. It will definitely take a longer time for me to write than my usual chapter, so don't expect a quick update.
For those of you wondering, Argo is going to be one of the biggest characters in this fanfic. Unfortunately, because I had to spend so much time developing characters I killed off in chapter 8, Argo was pushed to the side a bit in this first arc. I had originally planned for her to do more, but space constraints restricted me from doing that. Her and Kirito are the only canon characters that I have planned to feature in this fanfic as main characters. Others will appear as side-characters. One last thing about her: Kana Akiko is a shared name between me and several other fanfic authors (Agent 94, Festus Flare, and Mr. California). While my depiction of Argo may not line perfectly with theirs, the name is shared.
As always, please remember to review.
One last thing: You guys need to check out Eye of Fire's fanfic A Lost Soul in a Strange Land. That fanfic is wonderful and needs moar attention!