Date posted: 22nd February 2021

Reminder that Retold takes place in 2052 instead of the canon 2022.

Tiger Cry beta'd this chapter as well a Centurion commands his infantry.

Chapter 22: Six Minus Two

Clearer Raid Saves Captured Villagers - 14th Floor Unlocked!

The denizens of the 13th Floor awoke to huge smoke in the horizon. Captives of three dozen villagers were finally rescued by the Clearer guild known as the Sons of Mars alongside Nadyah warriors, Granum men-at-arms and other smaller Outsider mercenary forces. The remaining pirates were found hiding on the edges of the Floor, sending periodic raids to sack villages and enslaving their inhabitants.

Some four hundred pirates were killed by the rescuers and around that many villagers were also saved. Despite this, many villagers are still missing. Some villages are providing a hefty reward for those who can find their loved ones.

His Royal Highness, the Prince, vows to continue their efforts to protect the realm of Nadyah from foreign invaders.

The remaining pirates who survive are to be sentenced to death at the town of Hujung Lembah on the 14th Floor; teleportation gates to the latest floor are now available to all players.

The Argo Weekly Issue #72

"Why do I feel like I'm being interrogated?"

"You're not being interrogated, Kirito-san."

"Is this why both of you have posted four guards outside the tent?"

"That's standard procedure, auxiliary. Now answer the damn questions."

"Now now, Centurion. Let the kid take his time."

"So can I do this tomorrow or something or …"

Legate Scipio sighed. A Japanese woman in her mid-thirties, she wore the burden of command as well as any other guild leader. The Sons wasn't a large guild, having at most around four hundred soldiers under them, nowhere near the strength of the ALF; but most guilds didn't compare to Thinker's private army. That put them solidly at the high end of the mid-sized guilds and one of the few guilds that could Clear a Boss Dungeon by themselves.

Currently they were on the 14th Floor, a small detachment of the Sons had set up a base outside a town alongside other smaller guilds. The Royal Army had already established a large garrison there whereas the Clearers were mopping up and looting the pirate base. It followed the trend back on Floor 12 where the boss was an elite undead phalanx with Silver Shields and on Floor 13 where there was no boss at all.

She poured mulled wine for both of them. Kirito didn't touch the cup.

She sipped her drink before continuing. "Optio Mad Makoto was most distressed at the loss of a man. We all thought you drowned. Hunter Nara, your squad leader if you recall, searched days for you. Yet here you are, completely unharmed and in good shape -"

"And working for the pirates," hissed Centurion Sergius. "Heathcliff-san did mention you had this lone wolf thing going on. So maybe drop the roleplay and speak like a normal person."

"I mean, that's what I've been doing …"

Scipio tapped on a piece of paper and on it was his signature. "It's stated in the contract that if a player dies or is severely injured, they will be fairly compensated. We may be larping the ancient Romans, Kirito-san, but we're still first world citizens after all. Please, work with us, and you'll be compensated for your experience."

There was a small chest of coins behind the two Legionaries. Kirito barely glanced at it.

"I have a report from Hunter Nara and a report from Optio Makoto. And I have your report as well." Scipio picked up another document: his own report. "There's a problem."

"I don't see any problem."

She read his report out loud: "I was with Hunter Nara and my other squadmates while out on patrol. I fell into the river during a heavy torrent and worked with the pirates for three days before escaping. Kirito-san, it's two sentences long."

"You sound like one of my teachers at high school."

Scipio did not relent. "Please, tell me what happened. Are you well?"

Kirito looked at Scipio for a long while before sighing. He downed the mulled wine in one go. It barely fazed him thanks to his above average «Resistance».

"Okay. So. I woke up on a beach …"

So he told the story. He spared no detail. It was only a few short days but it felt like it was twice as long. He saw debauchery and the depths of human cruelty. He saw two brothers pitted against each other and the other one cut him down before mentally breaking. The pirates just laughed. Then one of them split his skull and they laughed even more.

He thought he would be to the point, concise, professional. For almost a year, he fancied himself some lone sellsword out against the world. He wasn't even sure why he went solo. He never made friends easily. He barely had a social circle back in the real world. When someone did try to befriend him in school, he would make excuses. He didn't want to go to parties or hang out. What friends he did have was online acquaintances. That was all on him.

Until, one day, Asuna invited him to dinner.

Now he had someone to return to after a raid. People to fight with. Asuna, friendly and resolute. Sinon, strong and reliable. Spiegel, he was nice if quiet. Of the three, Spiegel reminded Kirito of himself the most.

It delighted him to no end when Asuna and Sinon came to Timo's tent. He almost had a heart attack when he considered how he almost cut down Asuna. He would never forgive himself if that ever happened.

The words so tightly shut burst forth like a broken dam. He remembered all of them; his subconscious had recalled every little detail from what they ate to faces.

It was him. He cut them down. He stood guard when they were tortured. When someone asked for help, he looked the other way.

Kirito spoke for a long time.

"After I leapt into the water, I coasted by the beach and a patrol of you guys found me. And here I am."

When he finished, Kirito downed his cup.

Sergio stood from his chair. "Dear God …"

Scipio nodded. "And the things you stole from the cabin. It's still with you?"

Kirito summoned his UI and a sack materialised in his hand. He poured the contents onto the table: books, maps, notes. Sergius actually gasped.

Both Legionaries skimmed through the intel. "This is … amazing work. This is going to give us a huge leg up," said Sergius.

Kirito wasn't paying attention. He buried his face in the palms of his hands. "I killed them. Those three boys. And they really were boys, about my age, maybe younger. They're just NPCs. They're just a bunch of codes. None of this is real. Then why did it feel so real?"

The air in the tent became heavy with silence.

Sergius was the first to move and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear that, son."

Scipio gave a reassuring smile. "You've done the best you can. Thank you, Kirito-san. What we're doing, we're doing it to free ourselves from our prison. You did what you had to do. And if it comforts you, they were just programs.."

Kirito looked up, tears in his eyes. "Not to me."

Outside the tent, the spy left to make her report and the Legionaries were none the wiser.

They held the execution in the town square. She watched from the balcony of her inn.

Of the four hundred something pirates from the raid, only thirty-six remained. Kraton officials herded the survivors to the town square to the booing and hissing of thousands of farmers, fishermen, labourers and players. Outside the town walls were a sea of tents, flags of numerous guilds hoisted high and proud.

The pirates were led down the main street in chains heralded by officials. The crowd threw rocks and rotten food at the slavers. Schadenfreude won't return their loved ones, but it would satiate their bloodlust.

They arrived at their destination. Thirty-six pirates guarded by a hundred men and witnessed by thousands of people. A platform had been hastily constructed ahead of time and on it was the Prince himself - handsome, noble, all the qualities of any fantasy prince.

He gave a gallant speech on how the realm would be defended from these ravagers and swore an oath to protect the people. He spoke of the importance of martial arts and how every citizen should learn the ways of war to protect themselves and their loved ones. The prince spoke clearly, every single member in the audience could hear his speech as if he was right in front of them, some sort of magic must be at play. Or perhaps that was some sort of high level «Tactics» related Perk.

The common folk cheered for their prince as enthusiastically as they called for blood just moments ago. With that, he called for the executions to commence. On the edges of the crowd, enterprising merchants were selling snacks.

The first pirate was brought up on stage by two guards. His fine clothes were rags and he was missing a shoe. He had a sneer on his face and looked upon the crowd with the contempt of a dead man. The guards tore off his shirt, revealing a torso brimming with tattoos. The executioner, a stout and grim man came up behind him as the guards made him kneel. In his left hand was a swab of cotton and in his right a long, sharp and wavy blade two feet long - a keris.

As the executioner laid a hand on the pirate's shoulder, the brigand stood up and swiped his bound fists at him. The guards were faster and struck him in the face, only for them to recoil in pain. That accursed stone skin began to manifest and the crowd gasped and pointed as more guards came up the platform, levelling their spears towards the living statue.

A man emerged from the circle of spearmen. He was clad in simple clothes: a sarong and vest over his tunic. In his hand was a gnarled staff, as unassuming as its owner. He was young, perhaps the same age as Asuna's own brother, but he radiated an aura that was as cool as the pirate's was fierce.

The pirate lunged at the newcomer and the only thing the stranger did was gently rasped his staff on the platform and suddenly the pirate fell down, screaming.

Asuna felt cold sweat on the back of her neck and instantly recognised what he was: a wizard.

The pirate's stone skin slowly but surely retreated until finally the man returned to pink flesh. They held him in place again as the ordeal never happened. Everyone resumed their positions.

The executioner placed the cotton swab on his collar bone and with a practiced thrust drove the keris in the man's back, puncturing his heart. The man shuddered and gasped as the life drained for him and he collapsed dead. The Nadyah people cheered as the next set of guards brought another pirate.

The sahir was there still, staff in hand. The next pirate attempted no such escape.

By the seventh dead pirate, Asuna had her fill of watching men die.

Aincrad was fantastical and archaic. Japan rescinded the death penalty by the end of the 2020s for good reason. Seeing those villagers cheer for the death of men gave them a sense of, perhaps not justice. Vengeance. Yes, that's the right word. She can get behind that.

Asuna wasn't going to shed tears for subhuman scum. Besides, they were just programs.

She reentered the room; spacious but simple with four beds and trunks to keep their gear in, well worth the price of admission. Sinon was resting in the other room and Spiegel was off buying supplies, or perhaps also watching the executions. They had their gear stashed in a corner of the room. At the table was Heathcliff and Haakon discussing something heatedly over drinks.

"Grotesque, cheering on men to die" said Haakon. "No man no matter how horrible should be executed. Governments should not wield such power."

"That is true," said Heathcliff. "But these people still have monarchs. They have a warrior caste and a feudal system. They are a … well, you don't expect people five hundred years ago to share our morals, do you?"

Haakon shook his head. "What's with these fantasy worlds always going to the distant past? Look at us. One of the planet's most advanced nations and we only rescinded the death sentence back in '29. Don't you think it's strange we always return to feudalism in these sorts of stories. You don't see democracies much in fantasy worlds now, do you?"

Heathcliff just smiled. "What can I say? I don't write this stuff. Ah, Asuna-kun. Come and have tea with us."

She stared at her tea but said little, her mind wandered off to do its own thing. The two men continued to talk about other things and all she could do was stare into empty space, trying to process what happened the day before.

Whatever chat they were having was cut short as Kirito entered the room.

Asuna stood from her chair. "Kirito, you're here!"

"Hey everyo -" Before he could finish, she embraced him in a hug.

"I was so worried! I knew you'd make it back."

Kirito, ever so unused to such physical intimacy, could only stand as solid a statue. Asuna was warm and smelled of shampoo. He gave a quick glance at the men at the table and telepathically asked for help but to no avail. Heathcliff returned it with a polite smile and Haakon with a thumbs up, Asuna didn't seem to notice.

He let go of his bag and finally returned the hug, tentatively resting his arms around her shoulders. "Yeah. It's…. good to be back."

"Sorry, but am I interrupting something?"

Asuna looked up and saw the injured Sinon in a loose gown with bandages poking out from under her loose tunic. Instead of letting go, Asuna instead opted open one arm toward her. "Come on, group hug!"

"Why? We literally came here together. Wait, no - ahh!"

Asuna didn't particularly care for Sinon's protest. She smelled of herbs and the antiseptic stung her nose while Kirito smelled of sweat and dirt. Neither were pleasant, but they were her friends and that's what mattered. Her friends were here, standing safe and sound with her and that was sufficient for Asuna.

They stayed like that for a while until a growl broke the silence.

Asuna let go of Kirito, and his face was red. "So, how about lunch?"

They had lunch at a restaurant across the inn, packed tight by Clearers, merchants and townsmen. By the time executions were done, Spiegel had joined them.

Haakon and Heathcliff apologised profusely for failing to save Kirito. He brushed off the apologies, it was fine, it happens. That being said, Kirito did not decline Haakon's offer of a battle axe either. He turned to Heathcliff who shrugged and offered potions, and Kirito wasn't one to decline free potions.

Neither men brought up how Asuna and Sinon were at the pirate raid. Did they even know they were there? For all Heathcliff and Haakon knew, they were off doing their own thing in the meantime. At least that's what Asuna suspected. They were brought out of the base before the Sons began their sword work.

Haakon told his tale: He and Heathcliff were at the meeting where the pirate captain wanted to parlay with the Sons of Mars. Scipio, her Centurions, and their top-level fighters - which happened to include the two men - met with the pirate captain, his lieutenant and their bodyguards. The pirate captain called Toothless Timo promised wealth and riches if only the Sons laid off the siege.

"What happened next?" Spiegel asked.

Haakon scratched his beard. "When the pirate stopped talking, Scipio ordered us to pull out our weapons."

Haakon then went into great (and unnecessary gorey) detail on the fight. It lasted only a couple minutes but by the time they were finished, the pirates were beaten down, even if they were missing a few hands and limbs. He spoke highly of how Heathcliff and Centurion Sergius took out this giant of a pirate.

"That Toothless fellow - he wasn't even toothless, had a whole set of gold teeth, imagine that! Anyway, when it was going bad for them he ran off like the craven he is , but a Legionary sprouted from a hole in the ground with a crossbow and nailed the bastard right at the knee!" Haakon snapped his fingers. "Heathcliff, you recall that fellow's name?"

Sinon knew who he was. "Icaluator, champion of the shooting tournament. He uses a gastraphetes."

"I don't recall seeing them executed when I was shopping," said Spiegel.

"Chances are the high ranking officers are being detained and questioned for intelligence," said Heathcliff.

Haakon said, "Yes, gastrawhatever. Anyway, the pirates must have seen all that from their battlements and hunkered down. Then that's when the Sons deployed their battering ram!" He slammed the table for dramatic impact.

Haakon continued the story with the skill of a skald. Heathcliff was content in nodding and "correcting" things that Haakon got wrong like the amount of pirates Haakon actually killed.

"But I've spoken long enough," said the Japanese viking. "Kirito, regale us the tale of your survival and escape from those accursed bastards."

Kirito, looking up from his plate of rice, was surprised to be suddenly on the spot. He downed his tea and told his tale with half the enthusiasm that Haakon told his. Kirito also left out the whole thing about Sinon and Asuna being there.

This was sufficient for the table and Spiegel congratulated him and Haakon gave a hearty slap on his back that was so hard that Asuna had to wince. "So you burned down that ship! Hah, well done, lad! We thought it was one of the Nadyah spec ops fellows who did that!"

They finished their meals and were enjoying their deserts when Spiegel finally asked, "So, what's next on our agenda?"

"Your agenda, you mean," said Heathcliff. "Our fellowship ends here, I'm afraid."

"Aye, mine as well," said Haakon somberly.

Before any of them could barrage them with questions, Heathcliff explained himself. "I've some business on the lower floors. A few new quests have popped up and I've been asked by some to join them. Haakon has similar requests down on some other floors. We'll go our separate ways later."

"So, it's a lower level quest then?" asked Sinon.

"Not exactly," said Haakon. "These quests from what I understand have popped up due to the, hmmm, how do I say this? The unstable political situation in Nadyah. The world of Aincrad reacts to our actions and new quests arise from new problems. Just look at all the quests that came up from one city being almost destroyed."

"I get it," said Asuna. Even here, there were delivery related quests that required players to travel back down to even as far back as the 1st Floor.

Haakon continued, "As most of the higher level guilds are always on the Frontlines, that means the more dangerous quest at the lower floors become more common. And lower level players have trouble completing them …"

"So, you're chaperoning a bunch of lower level players," Kirito concluded.

"Well … yes. And no. Some of the quests have been scaled to our levels but still should be completable with the lower level players. A level 15 with a bunch of level 10s is quite the boon."

"It's not the end of the road, friends," said Heathcliff. "There'll be opportunities to meet again."

Later that evening, both men hired a boat to bring them down the river. There were portals at the southern and western points on the 14th Floor; the Clearers used the Western one to return from their raid. The town of Hujung Lembah had one large river meeting at the mouth of a large valley and numerous smaller rivers splitting in various directions with their own separate valleys.

They gathered at one of the many jetties to say their goodbyes; the main river bisected the town and a large main bridge connected both halves of the town. Hundreds of ships and boats passed through, as packed and busy as any modern highway. There were even NPC mercenaries alongside new players.

As the boatman helped to load Haakon and Heathcliff's luggage, Spiegel asked, "Hey, if Aincrad, you know, a giant floating castle, how do ships travel from floor to floor? Isn't there a literal sea?"

Sinon raised an eyebrow. "Huh, you know, I've wondered about that too."

It was the boatman who spoke up. "Hah, don't you know? The sea is a method of teleportation in itself! You go a certain way, ride the certain waves and the certain winds, and hey presto, you find where you want to be! No need to rely on those magic gates."

"Isn't there a wall encircling each Floor?" asked Spiegel. "What happens when you … "hit" the wall?"

"That there is! But see, water is magic all itself." The boatman started untying his sampan from the jetty. "It has special properties that allow reality to bend, as long as you know what you're doing. You go west on Floor 12 you find yourself on Floor 18 on the southern side. That's what allows the king and his family to dominate the sea; they've learned the secrets to such things a long time ago. Not even those dastard pirates only know the "secret" seapaths, if you get what I mean."

Kirito frowned. "I don't recall the sea being such an important feature back in SAO's marketing."

Heathcliff parked himself on the seat. "Just another obstacle Kayaba throws at us, and another we will overcome. Until next time, friends."

With that, the party waved Haakon and Heathcliff away. Now the 14th Floor was open to them with all its dangers and secrets.

Just another day in Aincrad.

"Captain Mason!"

"Medic Cross, report."

"Some of the troops really can't stand the heat and humidity, Captain. Dizziness and vomiting, they're suffering from heat syncope."

"You mean a heat stroke?"

"No, the difference is -"

"You can tell me later. Well, I didn't hear any problems back on Floor 13. Perhaps the weather is different?"

"They bought new gambesons, and they're very proud of them and they refuse to take them off. They also don't like the feeling of mail on their skin."

"That's it? Tell them to toughen up then."

"They'll complain that they need the gambesons for more protection."

"There's no point in armour if you overheat and faint. Even I'm not wearing my aketon."

"And if they refuse to comply?"

"You kick their asses! If you can't march, you don't belong to 8th Company. Tell them that."

"Yes, Captain."

"Colonel, what news do you bring?"

"Ah, Ridwan. We've been toughening the lower level lads a fair bit. About six of them have been becoming good spearmen and better greatswordsmen. Private Suzy is excelling at her lessons and was able to kill six Dire Wolves by herself without a scratch. I daresay she's one of the best swordsmen in the company."

"That's great news! Wait, I know that look. There's a catch isn't it?"

"Hmm, well. We don't have enough ….. infantry. We've ten players going for greatsword builds and the other ten going for longaxes under Lt. Kenshi and we only have ten spearmen, fifteen if you include the hybrid players. Basically, we've the DPS but not enough tanks."

"So? Can't you and Kenshi devise a plan to have them also put some points into «Shields»?"

"Get players to follow a specific build? You'd sooner squeeze blood from a stone, you know."

"Yeah, you're right. But we have sixty-six players! What's the other half doing?"

"They're archers and crossbowmen and all of them are under Lt. Farras."

"Can't you ask Farras to share the pool of players instead?"

"I'm going to be real with you, young Mason, Farras scares me at times."

"That's a fair point. And technically, I suppose we're also all mounted infantry."

"You should get around to acquiring better horses, Lt. Narek is still wondering why more than half of our mounts are actually farm ponies. It probably doesn't help that the further we go up, the less horse friendly the level is becoming. Lastly, I believe Quartermaster Scarlett is asking for you by the river."

"Fine. Do you need more money to incentivise players to join us? I'd like to get us to eighty players sometime sooner rather than later."

"That would certainly help, thanks."

"Scarlett! What's this you mean to ask me about. Are those our sampans?"

"Hey, Captain! Yep. Finances are healthy enough we can invest in other things like these babies here."

"What's wrong with our donkeys?"

"Well nothing's wrong with our donkeys or our wagons. But, seeing as we're travelling downstream and we're near rivers 80% of the time as of late, I thought, hey, why don't we invest in boat travel. As fast, or even faster, than walking on foot, no need to feed them, no need to check our wheels after every stop, and it can hold much more weight than our wagons do. And if we need to, we can always use the wagons to haul treasure or the wounded."

"That's smart, Scalett. That's why you're quartermaster."

"Thanks, Cap!"

"So, who's rowing the things?"

"Pardon?"

"You know? Who's gonna be on the boat. To ensure it stays on course and doesn't tip over and destroy all our food and tools. There's two sampans and you can't row both of them at the same time."

"Uh well, you see …"

"Scarlett, you know how to row a boat right?"

"No… but it can't be that hard!"

"Can you swim?"

"Well, uh. No."

"You find someone who knows how to row this thing and replace your drills with swimming lessons. Ask the Colonel."

"Yes, sir."

"Very good, I'm off to see the Cousin-Sergeants. Where are they?"

"I think they're off in the woods out there a-ways."

"Sergeant Joe, Sergeant Tanner. Where on earth are the other spearmen and why are you two lazing around in your hammocks?"

"Well, you see, boss, Tanner and I have a little competition going. We split the privates into two groups, and the ones who collect the most honey wins."

"The most honey? Why?"

"See, boss, Joe said his lads are better than my lads; braver, tougher, faster, that sort of thing. So we figured we'd make a bet and there's a bunch of hives nearby. And hey, if they can grind and level up at the same time as getting food, all the better. Heh."

"And why aren't you two supervising this exactly?"

"We're lazy."

"Dammit, Josuke, don't say that! Make something up!"

"Right. Sorry, cuz. I mean: We allow the troops to do their own thing to instill the values of leadership and discipline. That's it!"

"That works, Josuke!"

"Thanks, Tanosuke!"

"Guys, I'm right here."

"Oh yeah, boss. What were you saying again?"

"Just … make sure the troops don't get themselves killed. If they get stung over this, the medical supplies will be paid out of your salary. I'm going back to my tent. God give me strength."

Deep in the jungle, where sunlight does not penetrate the canopy and the beasts dare not approach, the Lurker enters the dwelling of the Lady. Singing and crying filled the abode.

He brings forth a haul of treasure from the boats. Gems and rings, necklaces and bracelets, silks, batik, shawls and dresses. Gold and silver in a dozen chests - a dowry fit for a princess. The Lurker commands his servants, a legion of himself, to dress like the rich man he once was. He wears the finest clothes of the latest fashion; and straps on gold enameled keris in his sarong. Already the clothes are soaked by his oily body.

He walks on two legs instead of all fours, and moves awkwardly, for he moves like water or a beast most of the time. Gingerly, he enters the Lady's dwelling.

She sits on a dais filled with a small hill of cushions, singing her song of despair and clutching a doll to her chest. Her abode is that of the ruins of an ancient manor, surrounded by her obedient smiling handmaidens. Her long dark hair covers her beautiful face.

The Lurker enters with a swagger and proclaims his presence. He begins reciting a love poem but the Lady's eye emerges from her long hair and a small crater explodes an inch away from his foot.

Not discouraged, he commands his army of selves to bring the treasure into the dwelling. He begins to speak of his own intelligence, bravery and manliness. This, the Lady does not care for, but she does give a glance at the treasure.

The Lady gives a nod and a polite "thank you". Overjoyed, he bows if only to refrain from jumping into the air. The joy quickly disappears as another approaches.

A man enters the abode. He is a foot taller than the Lurker, with a strong physique and a beard of fire. The newcomer ignores him and it takes all of the Lurker's willpower not to slay the bandit right then and there.

A corpse would ruin the Lady's abode and that would be most ungentlemanly of him.

The newcomer speaks to the Lady, formally, like a soldier. He speaks of plans, tactics and stratagem. He details troop movements of the enemy forces and their routes. He speaks of her role in the upcoming war and produces a sheath of documents from his bag. A nearby handmaiden retrieves it and the pirate bows slightly before leaving.

Finally! Now it is only he and the Lady, but the Lady is already gone. Even her handmaidens have retreated deeper into the abode. The Lurker leaves, confused, and he sees the pirate waiting outside and speaks to him.

"Oil Man, we have need of your powers. There's this town on the 14th Surface …"

The pirate tells of the plan and the Lurker smiles.

Oh this? This he can do.

You might recognise a couple of stylistic choices here. The first is the section where it's entirely dialogue. The second is an entire section in present tense. I've utilised the latter before but not the former, so if my dear readers can tell if that works well, or even if it doesn't, do mention it in a review.

So ends Heathcliff and Haakon's involvement in the story, for now. Six is way too many and four is just right. A big complaint I've received is there's way too many characters and I aim to improve on that. Thanks a bunch to TC on adding some lines to that reunion scene. I don't really do that mushy mushy stuff, so y'all better send thanks her ways.

And if you haven't checked my other new fic, Merchant Prince of Aincrad, you should probably give that a peek! Always appreciate it if you left a review too!