Opening up the terminal inside the Governor's Office, McKnight got to work, confirming he was who he said he was. After all, his avatar display was only on the screen, along with his username, level, weapons, equipment, all that stuff.
If he still wasn't sure, he could always use the mirror or camera in the main menu window under Items by swiping right. Which got him thinking about two things. One, why the hell didn't anyone take a picture of one of those Death Guns when they shot someone in public? Number two, why the hell would I want to look at myself anymore, then I had to?
Today hadn't been the prettiest of days after all. So McKnight really didn't wish to dwell on what happened back in the real world. Or in his personal life. Not if he didn't want to break something else -other than his phone's screen. So he decided to entertain the first thought. Why didn't anyone take a picture or physically record one of those assholes before?
Which was easy to answer if you knew the essential functions of how a camera works, much less a digital one. The only problem is not many people bother with one. About all players inside Gun Gale only had an audio-recorder installed into each of their touchpads. One of the only pieces of 'evidence' he and the swordsman had to go off on how "Death Gun" sounded was a voice recording. Taken seconds before the former best player inside this shooter, XeXeeD, was shot and, apparently, actually killed in real life because of it.
McKnight didn't believe that. Even if someone had visually recorded or snapped a photo of Death Gun. Probably the skull Coff that spoke to Kirito during the Bullet of Bullets Qualifiers. Judging how the robotic voices matched. However, he didn't hear the one with the hoodie who stared at him the entire time sounded.
So he guessed- what did all that prove? McKnight wasn't that familiar with Japan's Justice System as he was with the U.S.A.'s. But you couldn't just throw some photos down with little context and say, 'there, he did it! I don't know how, but he just did...inside a game!' Which he judged to be hard to prove, too. He and Kirito were still finding out that puzzle, let alone starting on the jigsaw to find out their damn, old SAO names.
Speaking of death games. McKnight had a sudden urge to play one, called ring the neck of the person next to me. When the Black Swordsman, in a bid to grab his attention, started saying: "McKnight?...McKnight-san?...McKnight-oniich-"
"No! Don't- don't," McKnight knew where this was going and wasn't going to let Kirito finish that one. He clicked his tongue between his teeth. "Now, what the hell do you want? And make it snappy."
"I was just about to ask," Kirito sounded annoyed for a second but then said, unsure of himself towards the end: "Did you happen to read the email for BoB, by any chance?"
McKnight gave him a questioning look, "Yeaah? What about it?"
"You see," Kirito tapped the tips of his index fingers together in thought. "Do you happen to also know what we should expect there?"
No sooner had McKnight confirmed himself on the terminal did he remain unfriendly eye contact with the swordsman during it. He didn't even see the next followed up screen when he asked, "Did you not read the email at all?" When Kirito looked away and laughed nervously, did McKnight want to slap a hand against his own forehead?
"Look! I-I'm sorry," Kirito tried pleading, "I only got to barely skim through it this morning. I didn't believe it would have so much information to keep track of."
"It was barely two pages long, and you should've gotten one yesterday before today," McKnight shook his head and whipped it back to his own screen. "Go ask Sinon right over there. I'm sure she'll love to entertain your dilemma."
Several stations down from there, sure as glass, Sinon, the uppity blue-haired sniper, stood. Her back firmly away from them as she worked. And for a good reason. McKnight's battle with her and Kirito didn't send off the best of terms, to put it mildly.
The American boy went on, "I'm not going to tell you, swordsman." As he entered his email and phone number into the blanks on the optional prizes menu, just like yesterday, but for a different reason.
Kirito's presence beside him made itself known when he sighed resignedly. "Is this about what yesterday, McKnight? About," he took a minute to think about his words, "about what I said back at the booth?"
McKnight paused right when he got to address. His gloved finger hovering over it. Watching it slowly form a tightly balled-up fist as he withdrew it towards his chest. Now he was the one deciding what to say next.
Mostly because that was what kept his mind going steady, and it served more as a thorn than anything he's ever experienced up until almost two weeks ago. McKnight then turned to Kirito and asked, seriously: "If I tell you what was in that email, will you let me be for a while?"
"Hai," Kirito nodded, hesitantly, but surely.
"Komakai -fine." McKnight allowed and only partly cringed when the girl-boy brightened up like one and thanked him. "I'm not doing it for you, so listen up."
Giving the rundown what to expect was relatively easy and straight to do -he read the email twice. The map the two of them -among twenty-eight other players- will be dropping in, ISL Ragnarok, was supposed to be significant. Very big, in other words. Enough that about one-kilometer square size on the island was more than nine football fields.
With a total of five to six different terrain zones. The Desert up north. The Lost City directly below it, serving as the center of the map. Along with the Prairie west, and the Rural Area to the east. With the Forest right below it. And the Mountainous Area mostly down south. While being connected to something called the Bridge. Love these names, simple and easy to pick up on.
Sardonically, McKnight finished on: "The time this show starts will be sometime in the early afternoon, and it'll get continuously darker as time goes by. Was that clear enough for you? Or should I draw you a picture?"
"No, no," Kirito shook his head as well as his hands, "I think I got it." He turned his head over his shoulder as Sinon left and turned right, into the staging area -the same one as yesterday. Sure enough, a small group of players was heading there now. Only to be momentarily stopped by one of those black tactical guards with the gray beginner's shirts. "Wao."
"E e," McKnight replied and returned to his work. "I know."
"You think they're doing anyone any favors appearing out in the open this way? They're not exactly blending in if they're trying to do the same job we're doing." Kirito answered out loud.
McKnight had run by him an abridged reason why those guards were here when they spotted several in and around Glocken. Specifically in the Governor's Office now where the tournament was being set up.
He just wasn't going to mention the other reason those guards were here, McKnight didn't.
Even so, as the small group tried to evade the clumsiness of the guard's questions, Kirito still asked, "What does Kikouka think of all this?"
That was another question McKnight wasn't going to answer unless his life depended on it. Here it didn't look like that was happening anytime soon. "My...Boss didn't mention anything else besides their..proximity." and left it like that. Which didn't answer Kirito's question, but McKnight could care less.
After typing in the address, he hesitated for a brief second before pressing confirm on the terminal. Checking him in and where to send him any rewards he may receive. Hope she knows it's from me. If Asada never played GGO before...that was the risk he took.
"We should go find Sinon." Kirito out of the blue had said.
"Why?" McKnight answered skeptically, turning away from the machine as it returned to the default menu and asked for the user's check in. "She's just going to flip out on us, same as last time. Hell, she barely gave us any happy-go-lucky looks just a few seconds ago."
"I know, it's just that," Kirito frowned, "After the Second Bullet of Bullets, Death Gun, or one of them -most likely- showed up. So far, all four times, the murders occurred where others could see them. If this guy...both these guys, managed to pull this whole stunt off, they'll definitely try again today. And if they were leveling up their characters to maintain a low-profile, finding their names may be harder...But not impossible."
Getting a wary feeling in the pit of his stomach, McKnight had to ask: "What are you suggesting, swordsman?"
The butternut boots he wore boom invading his coded eardrums with every step in the staging room. With the massive cylinder timer in the center-right by the bar exclaiming in Japanese: Main Tournament Starts: 31 Minutes. Although many players there were in small groups throughout the place, many more around the area continued to loudly chat, make bets, and try to have a good time despite yesterday's apparent catastrophe.
Finding Sinon was probably the easiest thing in the world. She was the only one in a green military outfit with a white scarf and very bright sky-blue hair. Approaching her was a different story. "Geez, what do you two want, now? I already said hello." Her voice said as much.
When Kirito, timidly, explained why they needed her ear -McKnight just stood there, waiting. Sinon gave them both fishy stares, mostly at McKnight. "...And, maybe, we could exchange information on the tournament?" The other teen finished, half-confident.
Sinon galred tightly at the duo, wondering if she should punch them now or later. "Daijōbu." She shook her head, hands on her hips as she led them to the nearest booth. "But it's probably going to be me lecturing you guys, instead."
"Th-That's not…" Kirito began. "Exactly it."
McKnight just shook his head, too. "Give it a rest, already. Let's just make this quick."
Someone nudged their buddies close by as they pasted. "H-Hey, isn't that Kirito-chan? I heard she rips through her enemies with a photon sword." His friend grinned. "A cool, beautiful berserker, huh?" "Nice." Another playered added. "No, Sinon's much better." "I'd love to get shot by Sinocchi." "I'd rather get sliced up." "...Go play ALO, then." The first guy answered, contemptuously.
Weirdoes, McKnight pointed out to himself. He was so off track from the commotion, he nearly missed when Kirito accidentally bumped into two players ahead. "Oh, Gomen'nasai,"
"Ah!" The two players stepped out of the way with enough haste as if they were in the path of royalty. "S-S-So sorry for being in the way, Kirito-chan!" They apologize frantically.
The swordsman moved one of his bangs out of the way and took one step ahead. Before, abruptly, stopping. Making the duo freeze. "Hey you guys," Kirito turned around, giving off a foreboding voice that the two players, along with who was listening, flinched. Then McKnight's eyes retreaded back behind his visor as his mouth dropped when Kirito posed and stated in the most feminine voice possible: "Cheer for me!" Sending the guys awestruck and erupting into cheers and many more throwing in their bets for "her." right then and there.
McKnight just stood there mute and felt his brain trying its best to process what just happened. Sinon, who was ahead of the group, just gave his partner an unamused, once-over, too.
He sighed. Another person off to his right then startled him with a slap on the back. McKnight turned and saw a large man with a giant mustache come out and say approvingly, "I don't know how you got two badass girls, kid. But...you have my bet. No doubt about it!" He gave another hard slap to make the teen curse. And the players behind him nodded in agreement, too.
"Wha-?" McKnight's face went brick red, "Th-There not," He stopped. What was the use?
. . .
20 minutes, the digital clock inside GGO read. 20 minutes until the start of the 3rd Annual Bullet of Bullets Battle Royale. A day Sinon has been waiting for a very, very long time.
She wished it would've begun a lot sooner. If it had, she would maybe have had an excuse to avoid talking to her two rivals, Kirito and McKnight, directly across from her inside the booth, all together.
Watching Kirito scoot around his seat made Sinon's eye want to twitch -he was trying to get her attention. And since she had her user interface focused on what to purchase on the player touchpad regarding her drink, it made the experience more mouthful. Speaking of mouthful...
Sinon's eyes gently turned in the direction of the other boy...The boy who could look and sound less amused and not say anything, yet, still managed to twist her gut into angry knots by being around alone. McKnight's light brown uniform, tinted visor, and helmet, along with his black hair, red eyes, and those stupid black marks under his clear cheeks. All made Sinon's virtual blood boil with hidden rage.
"So, um, uh, are you ready for the tournament today?" Kirito asked with uncertainty.
"Really?" McKnight broke in, "That's how you start this conversation?"
"Well, how else am I supposed to start-?!" Kirito yelped when the soda Sinon order seemingly popped out from under the table.
"E e. I feel pretty ready," Sinon replied as if nothing happened. Grabbing her drink and flicking the panel over to Kirito, she went on, "I'm guessing you guys have no idea what to expect inside BoB?" She guessed, taking a sip from her Fizzy Sweat.
But, Kirito quickly shook his head, "Īe, I'm afraid we are -more or less- covered on that front. Isn't that right, McKnight?"
"If by we, you mean me telling you fifteen minutes ago, then sure." The mercenary said, without amusement. Which got a sigh out of the long-haired teen as he ordered and flipped the screen over to him. Only for McKnight to promptly hit cancel on it. Not ordering anything.
Sinon frowned, right as Kirito's drink arrived. "If that's not the reason why you dragged me over here, then what is it?" She demanded fiercely. After what happened back in the real world, she was far from the mood of wasting any time, let alone for the tournament.
One of her only friends, Kyouji Shinkawa, had utterly turned into someone she didn't recognize. After discussing later today what BoB and if she was truly ready for it or not. Shinkawa brought up her neighbor and demanded if Sinon had feelings for him all of a sudden.
And, when she couldn't give him a straight answer. Kyouji then got up from the swings they both sat in and pulled her in for a tight hug. Tight enough to strangle her. Close enough to confess his own feelings to her, despite trying to crush her. And, also, near enough, she shoved him hard to the ground without even realizing it. Soon, leaving in regretful silence, even after Sinon tried to go after him to ask him why.
But he was long gone. Nowhere to be found. And that wasn't the worst of this eventful day.
Sinon's neighbor….well former neighbor, Reggie, asked her after those events at the playground to come to the park from Wednesday when they ran into each other and got to know one another on better terms. At first, she was pretty glad. She always was after that day and, of course, yesterday. Had she not returned his passcode back to him when he first arrived here in Japan, Sinon may have never adequately met him till too late.
It was too late being a few hours ago: when he told her, he'd have to return back to America. Possibly never seeing her ever again. And not exactly giving her a reason why.
At that point, Sinon was numbed from the pain. Either from her longtime friend -she had trouble seeing Shinkawa as one after all that, at least, for now- or her just recent one. Sinon didn't think any of that was fair. But what was anymore? She still didn't know if Reggie was still a few doors down from her apartment room anymore. And she promptly didn't want to go and check for fear of seeing him off, right before her eyes.
Back to America, She recalled, feeling, perhaps, her real-life body's heartstrings being tugged. Or maybe her sore chest, who knows?
She almost nearly forgot what she was doing, much less getting mad about it. Up until Kirito finished opening up the menu he was looking for. "I know...this may sound strange," The boy in black armor swiped his interface panel over to her. "But how many players participating in BoB for the first time have names you don't recognize?"
"Huh?" Sinon sounded absolutely surprised. "What are you talking about?"
"Please," Kirito urged. "It's... crucial to us."
"It is..?" He nodded. Sinon still looked suspicious. But when McKnight looked just as eager for her answer, although he didn't speak up on the issue, did Sinon mutter something in her breath. "Well, if it's that, then I guess I have no problem telling you two." They nodded. She quickly went on, "Hmm...other than a certain obnoxious sword user and his overbearing friend." Sinon gave the list another whirl with the tip of her index finger to get the number. "Only about -fourteen are new players."
"Fourteen?! What are they called?" The duo shouted the same thing simultaneously. As they quickly advanced over for a closer look, with Kirito on her left flank and McKnight on her right. And Sinon, disgruntling, dealing with them towards the middle.
Aversingly, she went on, "Musketeer X...Orbital...Ster-ben?... Rich-ter? -I think they're pronounced- MadHater, Blue Mist, AA Gunz, Thrifter, Locke, Réservoir, and these last four with their names in Japanese kanji.." Sinon went off listing their meanings, too.
The two boys stared aimlessly at the names with much focus and efficiency than you can withstand inside a class, and the teacher tried his best to bore you. Their eyes getting a beam on each of the green players' names as the screen slowly scrolls down into a constant loop. They must be trying to memorize all the names. Sinon saw, easy enough. Why else would they be getting so close to the screen?
Now the next question was...was why?
After a minute or so of these shenanigans, Sinon got to the focus of her confusion. "What's with you two? Are you guys going to explain to me what this is all about or not?"
Kirito's eyes glowered to the ground as his player panel exited out. He opened his mouth to say something -just like yesterday when the three of them met on the battlefields of that old construction site. And, just like that construction site, McKnight was the one to speak first with a hard, "No."
"What the hell? Why not?" Sinon glared at him.
"Because that's our business. We never said anything of what it was for." McKnight returned with a glare of his own. Only this time, Sinon had enough.
Shooting up from her seat, she towered over him like a cat, ready to pounce on him. Sinon hissed, "You think you're hot stuff, huh? Well, I have news for you, McKnight!"
"Oh Yeah?" McKnight got up from his own seat. "And what's that?"
Sinon told him, "You're nothing but an ungrateful jerk, that's what!"
"Wow, I'm heartbroken!" He gritted his teeth.
"Enough, you two!" Kirito put his hands between them, which took some pressing to get her and McKnight to settle down. When they fell to their seats, eyes still locked on each other like missiles ready to fire at the other, the other boy just shook his head. "If you're this angry here in this game, I hate to imagine how you two would get along in person."
"Ha! As if I'd ever talk to her!"
"Har Har Har, never in a million years!"
Kirito plainly shook his head. Turning to McKnight, he said, "Look, you have to admit, Sinon did help us narrow down our search. She didn't have to do that. If we can pinpoint where one of them is, we can do the same for the other. Now that we know who we'll be looking for."
His partner growled. "We have orders not to speak a word of any of this, swordsman." The other teen reminded him. "Or did you forget?"
"I know, but...how much does any of that matter now with all those guards running around the city? At this point, most players inside GGO already know or have a feeling why that is. We both know it unless I'm wrong?" Kirito asked, without ridicule.
McKnight's face looked troubled. Good, Sinon thought, still with bitterness. "Whatever. Go right ahead, then." McKnight rolled his eyes. And, Kirito, as best he could, did.
Each time, Sinon took back from it all.
She never guessed, let alone believed, those rumors and reality were one and the same. Torn from the same piece of cloth and stitched together in a more different, more sinister way. And how Kirito was in another VRMMO with one, maybe two other players, where they all actually tried to kill each other. Sinon questioned if this was some type of minor incident like a disagreement or argument, but Kirito assured her it was far from it. This may explain why they both looked so shocked and angry after our fighter in the qualifier rounds. Sinon recalled, seeing Kirito's and McKnight's widened full eyes shooting back to the screen where that player Garrett had a DISCONNECTED mark by his name.
The looks they showed now matched that feeling she saw yesterday, too. For some reason, Sinon felt more heartfelt than she let on. "Kirito...McKnight...were you two from that one game…?" She stopped.
"Sinon?" Kirito tried calling. While his partner stayed quiet.
She continued looking back at them. Finally, she shook her head and got up. "We need to head to the standby dome, or we won't have time to focus our minds or inspect our equipment."
Realizing that, Kirito blinked. "You're right," He got up, too, and told his companion, "Let's go, McKnight." Sinon gave him a worried look when the light brown mercenary took some time to get himself off his seat. His face in deep thought, like a thousand-yard stare. Sinon guessed, since there were a few times she had cases like that back as Asada Shino. Whenever she saw a gun.
As the elevator slowly descended down to B20, currently it was on B5, Sinon stood by inside the whiten lift with her arms crossed and in her own spot there. Kirito stood in front of the entrance, waiting patiently. While McKnight, throughout this trip over here, stood in his own little tucked in corner across from Sinon. None of them said a word to each other during the descent down.
This was probably the catalyst for Sinon to speak with one last parting word. Before everything kicked off. "I may know why you two are doing all this and have your own reasons for fighting. Demo," Getting off from her position, she walked a foot or two forward where Kirito was. "You humiliated me before and after yesterday's final round." She told him. "If you die because someone shot you first before I could...I won't forgive you for that, either."
"I understand." Kirito nodded solemnly. "If I live, I'll wait until we meet."
Though satisfied with the answer from Kirito, that wasn't Sinon's primary dilemma. And when she turned to McKnight, sure enough, the red-eyed teen looked back over his visor, not giving much to what he was thinking of her or her statement.
Sinon went on, "And you….I can never forgive everything you've done to me from here all the way back from last Sunday night." -Sinon aimed her hand at him as if it were a gun in on itself- "You better not die, McKnight. You better live till the end. Till we meet." She told him, with a mixture of a threat and, maybe, hopefulness.
McKnight looked back at her trigger finger, then steadily back to her. Sinon imagined him trying to say something smart. But, behind his dead-fish stare, all he said was: "I'll try, Sinon. But, no promises, though." Not sounding like his usual sarcastic self. But, close enough to where the sniper girl could pick up the difference in his tone.
Sinon lowered her hand and turned away from him. "...Arigatou." Right as the elevator doors turned wide open.
Inside one of the starting rooms alone, holding her Hecate II close to her chest. Sinon heard the cat-girl announce on the speakers minutes later: "...Now, it's time to see who the toughest player in the hardest VRMMO, GGO, is!" She exclaimed to the roaring crowds -well, smaller groups- behind the stream. "MMO Stream will be showing live footage of the battle! Now, time for the countdown!"
"...Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One!... Bullet of Bullets, start!" Fireworks and players bellowing out to Gun Gale Online's skies filled with joy and anticipation.
The 3rd Annual Bullet of Bullets officially has started..
. . .
ISL Ragnarok. If Kirito had indeed focused just on how specific McKnight was when he said the place was huge. Maybe he wouldn't have been so tired getting from one point or the other.
He was down, somewhere southwest inside the Rural Area and by the border with the Forest. And had spent much of that time getting there running, ducking, and hiding behind whatever cover the town he was in could provide. He didn't know if any players were prowling around yet. However, Kirito would hear the occasional shot or burst of gunfire out in the city's distance.
So there was that to keep him on his toes.
The last thing Kirito wished was to get shot or ambushed. And knew standing out in the open wasn't a good idea to avoid any of that. Hence why his nerves served as a type of algorithm on its own. To pick up the first sign of danger. Running and then stopping behind the first tree he saw, only two minutes to go. Officially inside the Forest zone.
The Satellite Scanner was supposed to arrive and pass by every fifteen minutes to momentarily give away all players inside Ragnoark's positions. That way, participants couldn't just run and hide freely without being spotted overhead by it.
Kirito wondered what his partner, McKnight, was up to and what area he possibly spawn in. Same thought, for Sinon, too. Those two couldn't get along in the same room. That was given as Kirito had seen about every interaction of those two, regardless of who started what.
It was no doubt in his mind that Kirito wasn't sure they were already eliminated. Their pride and stubbornness made whoever was trying to accomplish that task a gauntlet run on so many levels. "Hopefully, they're nearby." He said plainly. Racing and diving behind another tree, Kirito added, "Something tells me this is going to be a long match." Which was further from the truth, too.
It was one of the main factors for him wielding his pistol, the blackened M9, in one hand and his disengaged photon sword in the other.
Two players out of that fourteen count were all new, according to Sinon. Kirito knew they were out there, pretending to be something they're not. And maybe finding just one of them will tip the balance, just a little.
Keyword: finding. Among the other twelve new players, it would be a long shot, to say the least. And he hoped his partner had better luck from another part of the map.
Finding a small ditch was a blessing in disguise. With trees all around, Kirito could spot whoever happened to come by. Looking around now, he could spot the upper tips and rocky hills further down from his position, marking the mountains. Apparently, a bridge called, well, the Bridge, was nearby. Which will help him cross into the there if need be.
Sure enough, when the cover was clear. And a bird somewhere further west chirped and caused the branches to razzle a bit. The former SAO player drew out the scanner device and activated it.
Nearly exactly how McKnight described what areas and zones the map told you in. "So..where am I?" He muttered, still seeing just the plan and nothing else.
It was only then that a few white dots appeared through the southern part of the map. Before more began to sprout all across it. Remarking several of those throughout the holographic chart were now gray -nearly transparent of color. It must be the players taken out already, quickly, Kirito counted them off and came back with only five, no, six dead. Tapping on all their names on the screen, AA Gunz and Locke were amongst them. And realizing from the get-go that the little green spot located more inland for the Forest was himself.
The thing that rubbed him off the wrong way was...why weren't there more players down for the count? After all, wasn't that the point of this tournament? The last man standing?
Pairs of other white dots all across the screen didn't appear to be chasing one another as they moved all about the map together. Let alone attacking each other. As several, more seldom, three-man players stood stationary inside the Lost City and up north inside the Desert and Rural Area. With just about several more of them moving towards other dots closest to them. If Kirito was a guessing man...He guessed right.
Two players inside the Prairie suddenly turned the color gray with another pair almost on top of them. White as day. And, just the right time for it! Gunfire and shouting came forward. Instinctively, Kirito ducked down. Only to realize no crimson Bullet Lines were coming his way yet.
According to the map, four players appeared on the radar. The one more out of the little group was another greenhorn named Orbital. While the three presumingly in the chase were Dyne, XYZ, and Wind, another rookie player with Japanese characters instead of pure English. And it wasn't hard to see that this wasn't a friendly probe from Orbital, either. The shots were picking up to the east and back to the west where Kirito was, making that self-evident. Especially from how they were the only ones nearby. Could Orbital be one of the Death Guns and was leading the other three to a trap? Or could it be Wind playing the role of just another teammate until his friends had their back turned?
With names like those, it was tough to tell from where he was standing. Or, well, sitting in.
A timer counting off on the lower corner of the map said the little spy-in-the-sky overhead was leaving. Deciding to wrap up this little exposition. Kirito tabbed on the lone white dot moving through the rocky hills nearby the Bridge. And breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was Sinon. But cursed when he was midway through trying to find McKnight as the dots around the map began blinking rapidly until they all disappeared one by one.
"Better go follow them, see if Orbital or Wind is those guys in the cloaks." It was a major long shot. But he's been lucky from time to time, stalking things out. What was one more? Hopefully, Sinon doesn't shoot me outright. That was something he didn't want to test his luck on. However, had little choice.
Moving through the mountains down south to maneuver around the Bridge where the quadripartite team planned on heading, Kirito made sure to move as thoroughly but as quickly as he could to place. Traversing through rocks and several pitfalls was easier said than done, however. Go figure!
Finding Sinon wasn't that hard, neither. She layed on her stomach over a large rock. Overlooking the Bridge's entrance by the Forest with the rest of the Mountainous Area directly across from it. Sniper aimed just about right where Orbital showed up, sprinting as fast as possible behind its first pylons.
"You should always check your surroundings, kid," He heard Sinon say out loud, finger on the trigger. She jolted up the moment Kirito jumped to stop her. "Who's there-!"
"Shh!" Kirito urged. Thinking he successfully pinned her down. "I don't want them to see us!"
"You think you're in a spot to tell me what I should or shouldn't do?" Sinon shot back. "You have bigger things to worry about." Her Glock's muzzle stood an inch away, underneath Kirito's chin. He flinched as she pressed it further up.
His eyes firmly in the sky with the sun beating down near the horizon. And feeling a cold sweat could down off his pale features.
Sinon went on, "Nani? You didn't think I couldn't see you coming from the satellite scan?" She grinned. "Looks like I only have to deal with your friend, then." Pulling the safety mode off.
"No," Kirito returned. "If I hadn't...I wouldn't have my photon sword's handle pointing under your...chest."
Sinon's mouth twisted, thinking this was some type of dirty joke, only for her eyes to glance down. To notice the metallic, blackened sword hilt pointing where Kirito said it be. "Kuso."
"H-Hai, this is..uh quite the situation we're in?" He mustered out. As Sinon's pistol kept digging under his chin. That postponed what he wanted to since the beginning, "Sinon, I won't...attack you. P-Please...I just...need to make sure."
"Make sure of what?" The indigo girl returned. "What's keeping me from taking you out and calling it a day? How do you know I won't just shoot you with your back turned?"
"Because," He began, earnestly, "I just want to see if...what I fear is true or not." Kirito's eyes tried their best to look downward to the cover Orbital hid behind, as the three other players emerged out of the forest zone, too. "Hurry…! It's starting."
The other teen still didn't look convinced. "Why should I trust you?"
Kirito couldn't say anything at first. All he could do was regular his breathing to a minimum. When he finally got his composure under control, though, he let out a small sigh. Closed his eyes. And, gently, released his sword's handle as if rolled off to Sinon's side. She blinked as if she couldn't believe he just did that. For another intense second, Sinon still looked ready to use her gun on him.
Grudgingly, though, she let her gun dangle off her trigger finger after releasing it, too. Gunfire advancing across from them got them moving just as fast.
Kirito quickly hopped off Sinon and moved a few feet away to draw out his binoculars for a closer look at the firefight. "You still still owe me one," Sinon muttered, annoying. Then, this time under her breath, "...You should be more cautious next time."
As quickly as it began, the fight ended in reasonably short order. Orbital, who was wearing a spacesuit and wielding an automatic weapon, tried returning fire from his position. While the trio, led by Dyne, a burly man in a cowboy costume, charged forward guns blazing. Orbital couldn't have made it more than five steps away from the platform he hid behind before catching several rounds into the chest and falling back, dead.
"He couldn't fight property being outnumbered like that," Kirito noted, with sympathy.
"He should've emptied his entire magazine into Dyne's group if he wanted to keep their heads down in time to retreat. Or at least, thrown a grenade." Sinon pointed out, though emphasizing the word 'group,' with near disgust; it got Kirito's head rolling over to her.
But, from what he inferred when he looked at his own map minutes earlier, it meant most of the players here weren't going inside the Battle Royale alone. Not anymore.
Watching, Dyne and the other two players whooped and cheered and patted each other on the back Sinon had expressed an urge to shoot the cowboy...but the whole area was enveloped in a large cloud of smoke. "Huh?!" They both blurted at sight. "Wh-What going on?" Sinon gasped.
Loud shouts and even more loud curses emerged from the fog, too, along with the flashing bulbs of gunfire going off within it and blood-curdling screams soon after. And from their point, they had no idea what was happening.
By the time the smoke slowly faded like hot steam, a knelt down and defeated, Dyne was found beside his two comrades. Two red, DEAD, displays right over their deceased bodies.
A player in a cloak stood towering over him with a beaming sickle in hand. "You...bastard!" Dyne shouted as he tried to remove his pistol from his holster, only to be reshot.
This time from a different direction. "Did you hear that?" Kirito asked, not hearing the gunshot.
"No," Sinon sounded, equally surprised, cupping a hand over her ear. "Was that silencer….Or an optical gun?" She asked, again, more to herself than to him.
Then, another taller player from the Bridge relieved himself from the darkness the structure's shadow cast. Walking meaningfully to Dyne's seemingly paralyzed body. Kirito mumbled, with a faint voice, "How long has he been standing there?" Wondering if he failed to pick up anyone further west where he found Sinon. And vice-versa.
Kirito watched as his eyes widened when the new player in the cape, who had large bright red eyes, swung back his sniper rifle over his shoulder. And cocked a pistol he had on his person.
Slowly, crossing himself. Gun aimed near Dyne's midsection. "Sinon. Shoot him…"
"Wh-Which one?" She asked.
"The one holding the gun, shoot him!" Kirito shouted, urgently like their lives depended on it. "Hayaku! Shoot him before he-"
Bang!...
Author's note: :] Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everybody. I would've uploaded this chapter much sooner hadn't not been for finals nearly a week and a half ago, but here we are! Make sure to review and follow/favorite the story to show some love. Have a good one till the next one!