Caenor strutted past the new faces standing in front of his desk, his eyes narrowing like a hawk's as he scrutinized their features. The new faces looked somewhat uncomfortable, but perhaps had there been more of them gathered here they would not need to feel so awkward, even if they were still required to stand at attention in front of the vice-commander.
Alas, that proved not to be the case. In the end, only two people, out of a guild numbering nearly a hundred, had arrived.
"This was as much as we could realistically get," Asuna had told Caenor as he had gotten ready to meet them.
"Did so few people really want to help with preventing more pointless lives from being lost?" Caenor felt compelled to ask. He was not surprised – in fact, he initially did not expect any reinforcements at all – but the reality of the situation still nonetheless disappointed him.
"Honestly, we had a decent amount of interest, not just from within Team B. Unfortunately, the players that wanted to join your team also had to obtain approval from their team leaders, and none of the vice-commanders wanted to deplete their own numbers before the relatively busier schedule we have in the coming months. So, I did what I could."
"And only two people from Team B wanted to join me?"
"Two out of half a dozen. We do have a lot of raids to run, and given that I've just lost five of my best to this new cause, I can't afford to thin my team any further – especially if we're allocated a vanguard role."
"Unfortunate that you have to be the one making all the sacrifices," Caenor said, though his tone was noticeably caustic. Asuna did not make any vocal objections to his rebuke; she merely spun around and left his quarters without another word.
She was not exactly wrong to look out for her own team. She had done him a favor that he knew none of the other vice-commanders would have granted in a million years. But, he could not help but feel that the vice-commanders as a whole seemed a little out of touch with the circumstances of the lay members laboring under them, risking life and limb so they might move just a little farther forward through the gloom.
Hunting parties were often more susceptible to unexpected casualties than boss battle raids, as boss battles were usually planned out extensively, with every single boss mechanic expounded in excruciating detail to the participants before they went in. On the other hand, a previously unseen or unreported monster – or worse – might set upon a hunting party that had not prepared for every eventuality. Given that hunting parties usually went to lower-leveled floors, adventurers were prone to underestimating the true scales of their respective tasks.
There was always a significant difference between a battle with a known enemy and a battle with an unknown one. The same difference there was between dodging a lethal attack – thus saving your own life – and failing to do so.
In any case, Caenor was now left to deal with his two new recruits alone. Though Seki had tried to put on a front of being well enough to meet them, Caenor had noticed her legs shaking and told her to get some rest for the day. It was a little concerning that she was still not well enough for combat, but he could not begrudge her the dearth of confidence she suffered from.
He gestured to the first person on the left, a gaunt, brown-haired young man ostensibly in his late 20s who wore creases and wrinkles all over his face – including a hideous scar on each cheek – as if his skin were telling the story of a lifetime's worth of experiences. "You're Altorius?" he asked.
Altorius nodded.
"I'm Cantabile, in case you didn't know," said the girl beside him. She had black hair with an indigo tinge, shaped into bangs that covered the majority of her forehead. Below that was a piercing gaze complemented by jade-green eyes, freckled cheeks, and ruby lips that were pressed tightly together as she reciprocated Caenor's scrutiny.
"I know. We've talked before."
"Yeah. And honestly, I'm surprised they made you a vice-commander. You didn't seem to have much of anything, and you still don't."
Caenor ignored her jibe and stared at the list on his desk. Twenty-two coordinates; twenty-two hideouts. Potentially dozens of names to track down and kill, each one hell-bent on staying alive no matter the cost. Not to mention that the more safehouses they eliminated, the more likely the remaining hideouts would be empty. Laughing Coffin were blatant about their desires, but they weren't stupid – they would be able to tell if they were being targeted. Hence why it was vital that once Caenor's team got the ball rolling, they did not take too long of a break between each hideout.
It was also imperative that they worked together. Their excursions would forgive no errors of judgment.
"Before we get started, I'd like to know a little more about the two of you." Caenor said. "I don't know anything about you beyond your names and a small chunk of your histories, even though we've fought together on several occasions. So, I want you to tell me why you volunteered to join this team."
"I'll start," offered Cantabile.
"Go on."
"I don't really have an in-game sob story or anything, and I don't have anyone I care about enough for me to want to avenge if they die. I just can't stand player killers. They're ruining the game for everyone else."
"There's a lot more 'ruining' the game than just player killers, but maybe I see your point."
"Is there really?" Cantabile queried.
"What do you mean?"
Cantabile leaned towards Caenor, placing her palms on the table as she drew closer.
"Do you know why the people in Laughing Coffin do what they do?"
Caenor tilted his head, as if not quite understanding the question. "Because they can?"
"What kind of an answer is that?" Cantabile recoiled, as though physically disgusted by Caenor's glib reply. "There's a lot of things we can do; doesn't mean we do them. You could hop off the edge of the 55th floor just because you could, but you're not going to, are you?"
"Yes, but what I meant is that they feel it's the best way for them to make their way through the game, and if they're allowed to do it, then they will. They've adopted a certain way of life because their perspectives have been warped to the extent that killing other players is seen as acceptable."
"Let me ask you this." Cantabile crossed her arms. "What do you think Sword Art Online is?"
"A… game? If you can call it that."
"You can call it that, because that's what it is. People came to this game to escape from the real world, first and foremost. It just doesn't matter to some people that they can't go back, because of how horrible and undesirable reality is. If you were living in a dump, abused and betrayed by the people you trusted, with no better future in sight, would you really care that you were trapped in a place where you could be something more? And if other people were trying to prevent you from elevating yourself to a higher, better plane of existence, then wouldn't you want to be rid of them?"
As Cantabile finished speaking, the realization dawned on Caenor that she was talking about herself.
"Is that why you're so keen on this?" Caenor asked. "Because they're spoiling your fun?"
"It's not 'fun'. This game has given more life to me in one year than the real world has in sixteen. It means more to me than you think. And it's the same for the people who you're trying to hunt down. For a lot of people in Laughing Coffin, this game is all they have. That's why they're willing to throw progress away for the sake of living the life they want to live, even if – especially if – that means we stay in Aincrad forever."
"So, why haven't you joined Laughing Coffin already?"
Caenor anticipated that Cantabile might lash out at him for posing that question to her. Instead, she grew quiet, and her sharp eyes seemed to soften.
"Because, even after everything I've gone through, I'm still me. I don't want to see anyone suffering unnecessarily. Mobs and bosses are part of the game, and I've come to take them at face value, even if people die because of them. But Laughing Coffin are selfish, psychopathic, and a needless stain on this world. I've decided that I'll wipe the stain clean, whatever it takes."
"I… get what you mean." Caenor could only sympathize with her motivations. How could he not? "Sorry. That wasn't appropriate of me."
"If you're really sorry, then you'll do what's required of you." Cantabile stuck out a hand. "Take care of me and I'll take care of you."
Caenor shook her hand and smiled. "You won't have to worry about that. What about you, Altorius?"
Altorius' head jerked upwards, as if he never expected the focus to shift to him. Cantabile sighed.
"I think you'd be better off not asking," she said. "He's mute."
"He is? How does he communicate?"
"Sign language, or just simple gestures. I learned a bit of it to help him, though without a full glossary I can't really converse with him beyond the most basic things. It took a lot of asking him what certain words were in sign language, as well as messaging via text. Thankfully, he's a fast typer."
"Then maybe it would help if we added each other as friends, so we could talk to each other properly." The three of them duly brought out their player menus and exchanged friend requests.
A message popped into Caenor's view. "Hello, Vice-commander," it read. Caenor nodded at Altorius, who gave him a half-smile.
"Would you be comfortable telling me about why you want to join us?" Caenor asked.
Altorius began typing furiously, and for a minute all that could be heard in the room was the sound of the holographic keyboard trilling under Altorius' fingers. Then, Altorius tapped the send button, and a second notification appeared.
"You mind me reading this aloud?" Upon receiving Altorius' approval, Caenor started to read.
"First of all, I would like to state that I do not share Cantabile's views on this game," he recited. "I would like for all of us to be able to escape as soon as possible, and I agree that as much effort as is available should be expended towards clearing the higher floors. That being said, eliminating player killers would allow us to maximize the efficiency of the existing community, as the longer their stink is allowed to fester, the more their toxic fumes will sap the strength of the players as a whole. I believe we should sweep through their dens as quickly as we can, so we may be able to return to our primary objective."
Caenor raised an eyebrow. It was an extremely logical piece of reasoning, even if his lack of personal motivation for the job was of some concern.
"Have you watched anyone die, or killed anyone before?" he asked.
A pause. Then, a third message.
"I have watched people die, and I have also killed someone. Neither were done in this game."
An enigmatic and unsettling reply, by all accounts. "I won't press any further if you don't want me to," Caenor said.
"I do not mind sharing. My house was burgled when I was a teenager. My parents were attacked first, and I woke up just in time to see them murdered. I ran into the kitchen and grabbed a kitchen knife, but one of the robbers shot me in the cheek from close distance, removing most of my tongue. I managed to kill him and jump out of the window before his accomplices could retaliate, and eventually I dragged myself to a nearby hospital. I have been mute since then, and although I have been blessed with a new tongue by the grace of the creator of this game, it has simply been too long – I have forgotten how to speak, and I have no desire to learn again."
Perhaps he did have his reasons after all. Still, one thing bugged Caenor about what Altorius had said – or typed, rather.
"Why don't you want to stay in the game for longer, like Cantabile? It doesn't seem like you're having the best time of things out there."
Altorius' stony expression shifted into one of unease.
"This game is a mirage, no matter how realistic its design. It is not my reality or my truth. I cannot help but feel at odds with my avatar, even if it has been coded to match my appearance. My newfound tongue reminds me every day that I am not part of this world. Unfortunately, all body parts regenerate in this world – I have tried cutting my tongue off multiple times, to no avail."
Another message quickly followed the last.
"I want to be in my own body again. That is all I have desired ever since my virtual incarceration commenced."