Magicus Ensis Art Online
Magic Sword Art Online
HP/SAO x-over
Kirito/Asuna HP/Argo

XXX

(Alfheim)

"Harry, what's going on?" Rumbled Neville, his hand glowing a dark brown. The binds resembled a stony fist, the spell was known as 'Neville's Earthen Grip'. It was totally ripped off a spell from Dungeons and Dragons but Harry wasn't going to complain. Neville had honed that spell and too this point in any of the fantasy MMORPG games that were online, very few players had mastered the 'support' slot to the extent Neville had.

Harry sighed and went limp in the contorted environment of Asuna and Kazuto's online house "Back in the Death Game, a bunch of players in essence became killers. Before we knew it was a Death Game, friends would troll friends and play bad guys. Anyway, they racked up a body count of definitely 120 players and attributed to at least five or six times that amount. They tried to kill me…" The players snorted at that.

"They then abducted Akio…We took exception to that."

"We? Harry? Or do you mean, you took exception to that and they decided to come along to stop you from dying or because you asked them to?" Hermione said, grin on her face.

"Hermione, they went because I, gave them free meals and a room. I also introduced Harry to them. They then became a marauding gang of loonies. Not skilled enough like Kazuto, to clear rooms and dungeons on their own. But skilled enough to be a menace to the wildlife on their own and protect or assist guilds getting stronger in strength. As a group, they didn't begin to adventure together until near the end of the 18month mark."

"Then Harry said or did something."

"Harry reacted. Got in a shit's face and threatened to lay him out." Akio commented.

"Kibaou deserved it. Still deserves it. Why do you think I shut his account down on Dresden Files Online and made it look like it was just problems for him…Anyway, 'Death Gun' is one of the survivors from when we kicked the shit out of them and then the Ring Wraiths went on a JJE spree."

"Judge, Jury, Executioner. And the guy Kazuto is fighting is one that was spared the sword or mace."

Hermione looked at Harry, her eyes wide with horror "Harry, you mean to tell me you fought in another WAR?"

Harry sighed and pulled himself out of the binding "More like a particularly vicious skirmish. Besides no-one died."

"A lot of…"

"How many did I actually give a damn about? How many people did I actively track down when they vanished? None. For me, that's a win." Harry replied pulling Akio into a hug.

Akio smiled at her boyfriend before reaching up and scratched his chin "You've got stubble growing. Besides, kaa-san and tou-san expect us for dinner."

Harry sighed, this was going to painful. Ichigo and Shimei were good people. But by god did they disprove of the lack of progress in her daughters relationship. They were of the opinion that the connection between the two would fade, but so far they had been proven wrong. Akio had in revelation of this had cut contact from them, and it had only been in the past two months that the four were on speaking terms.

Harry sighed "We've got to get going. We'll be on sometime tonight or tomorrow. As for some of you, we'll see you when we get to work." With that they logged out.

(Real World)

Harry readjusted first and he rolled off the bed landing on his feet as his body cracked, popped and as he extended his senses, he heard a key in the lock. Grunting and sighing, he strode into the living room as Shimei rushed in.

"Harry-san! Is Akio-chan up? Come quickly."

Harry expertly navigated Shimei onto the sofa "Shimei-san, please…peace. Now do you want some tea? I cannot help you if I cannot understand you."

Shimei nodded and soon enough had a lemon tea in her hands. "Ichigo-kun. He's in the hospital."

Harry's eyes widened "What! When I last saw him, albeit a few months ago he seemed to be fine health!"

Akio then walked in, her hair a mess pulling on one of Harry's flannel button shirts over her bra with a pair of socks in hand "Kaa-san, what happened?"

"We were on our way over, hoping to organise a time for a restaurant reconciliation. When Ichigo's arm got caught on something and he collapsed. Thankfully an ambulance was nearby and they've rushed him into hospital. I didn't understand a word that they said, but I did hear succ…something or other and it involved the muscles."

Harry's eyes narrowed, and his eyes darkened "Shimei-san, if I am right…IF I'm right then this narrows down several threads and leads all of which are seemingly unrelated."

Shimei watched Harry intently "Akio-chan, does your boyfriend normally do this? I mean he sounds…"

"Sociopathic? Deranged? Yes…He's been through hell kaa-san, he's been left unbent, unbowed and unbroken. Horribly twisted and jaded, he's a good man…Despite his misgivings and appalling first interactions, he's full on committed. If you ask him to do anything, he'd do it."

Shimei nodded "Harry-san, step-back, calm down and without sounding like a lunatic please explain your ramblings."

Harry stopped his mutterings and pacing and face her. He took a deep breath and focused "I believe your husband inadvertently prevented an assassination attempt. On whom, I do not know."

Shimei's eyes widened "Ichigo-kun and I don't have enemies! At least that we know of! I am a chemical engineer guest lecturer and used to work on creating new fuels and chemicals to power cars…Ichigo, he's a computer science lecturer."

Harry nodded "Okay. As you know Akio and I met in SAO. We ended up being heroes and we made some enemies. Now, people in the Government have asked a dear friend of mine to investigate a set of online roleplays to real life deaths."

"That's impossible! Coding cannot kill people, or at least intentionally. Even I know that much. It's both of your obsession with the devices that trapped some of you for two years or more, that he doesn't like about you Harry. He's not a fan that you've dragged his daughter back into the realm that so nearly killed her."

Harry nodded "That's unfortunately something that's not going to change. Anyway, my friend came to me and whilst he's diving in the game of the murders, I am going through the paper work out here. Anyway, I agree with your synopsis. However, it wasn't until you mentioned the muscles and succ that I had a brain wave."

Shimei nodded "Get whatever you need." Harry returned wheeling into the room three glass boards and a pin board. On it was a name XeXeed, with another name of Shigemura Tamotsu. "This guy was an asshole. Anyway, he was found dead in his apartment due to a heart attack. However, succ…is succinylcholine, it is a heavily controlled muscle relaxant…"

Shimei's eyes widened "Injected into the heart, heart attack and death! Making it look like someone died as a result of the game. But that can't happen can it?"

"No. I re-entered the real world as the Amusphere was being tested by RECT…I walked in blagged my way to the people in charge, got the job and then immediately halted the production of the next generation Amusphere's. I made sure that none of the Amusphere's had the surprises like the Nervegear Rig. In fact it monitors your vitals."

"How did The Game, kill people?"

"Software in the Rig, the moment you hit zero life points it sent out high-powered microwaves that caused cerebral haemorrhaging. This one monitors your vitals and if you don't pay heed an emergency protocol override forcibly ejects you from the game." Harry responded.

As they were talking and hypothesizing how the people were dying Asuna messaged them about two more player deaths. "Pale Rider and Usujio Tarako…"

Harry sighed "Akio, Shimei both of you go…I'll be along in an hour to two hours. Want me to bring my chicken?"

Shimei nodded "Two hours. I expect you to be there. Ichigo likes egg rice."

Harry grinned "And egg rice, he shall have."

Harry pondered the puzzle and cycled through the surviving finalists. When he discovered another link, all the victims were within not even spitting distance of each other. Harry looked at the board as he made dinner and chalked up one possible name: Sion, real name Asada Shino. Bullet Tournament competitor, unparalleled markswoman. Harry shook his head, time to use social media. Finding her address was simple enough, now all he needed to do was make sure nothing happened to her. "Neville, would do nicely…Nah, Kazuto…it's up to you."

(Gun Gale)

Kirito and Sterben crossed blades, photon sword against a paid for custom metal estoc. The battleground was set and high above them, Sinon with her scopeless heavy anti-tank rifle sat. She was going to help Kirito end this once and for all.

(Sinon's apartment)

A lanky teen in a yellow-green hoody, jeans and sneakers carrying a bag of takeout and holding what looked like a syringe smirked. 'Sinon was as good as dead. Maybe, I'll have fun with her before I kill her…She lives alone.' He thought as he made his way to the entrance hall of the apartment block. He had time. He had half an hour, half an hour to do what needed to be done.