Chapter 7: The Baron's Judgment

January 1st, 2024

Aincrad Floor 50: Algade

The day of the dreaded boss fight for the 50th floor was drawing closer and closer. Considering how the 25th floor boss was significantly stronger than the bosses that followed, the Assault Team was extra prepared in case this particular boss would be as hard as boss #25 if not worse. While the preparations for the 50th floor boss fight were still underway, Altinator and the Knights of the Round Table were pushing even harder. There were sparring sessions and duels to keep each guild member on their toes. There were also grinding parties to bolster their abilities for the good of the guild. Altinator was in his office in the guild HQ seething as he was reading an infuriating message sent by his nemesis.

To Commander Altinator of the Knights of the Round Table,

This is PoH. I know you still remember me. Rumor has it that you have become such a ruthless killer. I'm sure you already heard of our brand-new guild, Laughing Coffin. We would love for you to join us someday. Of course, you can still have your own guild since Laughing Coffin is a secret underground society. For now, I applaud you for not coming after us. I'm sure you remember what will happen if you ever do. We're hoping to hear back from you in due time.

Kind Regards,

PoH, Leader of Laughing Coffin

Altinator screamed in rage as he slammed his fists hard on his desk with a loud thud as Ivy and Ken opened the door to his office with some important news.

"Are you ok big bro?" Ken asked, feeling a little jump scared.

"That son of a…" Altinator growled. He looked up and saw the two standing in front of his desk with worried expressions on their faces. "Oh, it's you two. I'm sorry you had to see that. It's just my past coming back to haunt me."

"Would you like to talk about it?" Ivy asked, placing her hand on his arm as she stood next to him. Altinator sighed as he got up and closed the door to his office leaving the door locked.

"You remember what happened to Lily, right?" Altinator asked to which the two nodded in despair. "The guys who killed her messaged me trying to follow up on their 'offer' to have me join their little gang. They're threatening to expose me to everyone in this game for being an accomplice to Mr. Kayaba."

Both of their expressions changed. "That sneaky coward!' Ken sneered. "He would smear your name in the mud when he's the one murdering innocent people in this game?! Completely unforgivable!"

"Oh, we're gonna show him," Ivy added. "He's gonna wish he was dead once all hell breaks loose!"

Altinator appreciated their enthusiasm, but he knew that time was of the essence. The sooner they can beat the game, the sooner they could be rid of these punks. "Right now, we gotta focus on the next boss floor." Altinator reminded them. "Organize the floor boss strategy for this guild. I'm gonna get some air to clear my head."

Ivy and Ken gave Altinator a thumbs up as they walked out of the office. Altinator organized his messages before leaving the office for some fresh air. He reached the outskirts of town when he ran into his old friend.

"I didn't expect to see you here Kirito," Altinator said with a small smile. "It's really been a long time since we last spoke."

"No kidding," Kirito agreed, returning that smile. "The game has taken its toll for the worst after losing someone very important to me. It sounds like you're also in the same boat, eh?"

"You have no idea…" Altinator said in a low voice, staring at the ground. "I also lost someone close to me too. Not to mention being blackmailed by a red guild. You heard about Laughing Coffin, right?

"Yeah…" Kirito answered with a scowl. "I can't believe they would kill people for the fun of it! It's so despicable!"

"We'll get them someday if it's the last thing I do!" Altinator growled. "In the meantime, I'm on the hunt for other criminals that get in the way of beating this game."

"Well, I'm sure we'll find plenty of that along the way," Kirito said with a smirk. "Ready for the 50th floor boss?"

"You bet I am!" Altinator replied as he held out his hand. Kirito took hold of it firmly. "I'm ready to take my anger out on that piece of filth!"

That chance came quicker than the two expected. A few days later, the Assault Team, led by the Knights of the Blood Oath and the Knights of the Round Table, charged into the 50th floor labyrinth and over to the boss floor. As expected, the 50th floor boss was tougher and more comparable to the 25th boss. However, the Knights of the Round Table were ready for that possibility. Altinator led the charge and managed to whittle down the boss's HP to the last bar over to the red when the boss breached the Assault Team's defense. Kirito snuck behind the boss while the Assault Team was being overrun and struck it from behind. Altinator saw this and grinned. This was the break that they were waiting for. He pushed the boss back into Kirito's direction by slashing at the boss's blind spot which allowed Kirito to deliver the final blow. The boss shattered into millions of pieces and displayed the usual Congratulations sign above their heads. Kirito received the last attack bonus item which was a very special weapon that he took a big liking to.

Back in Algade, The Assault Team hosted a big celebration to mark the halfway point of the game. There was lots of food and drink with everyone, both civilians and team members celebrating the milestone. Altinator and his siblings were also celebrating when they spotted a young girl around the age of 12 being stalked by some grown men. The girl also had a little blue dragon perched on her shoulder. I don't like where this is going. Altinator thought as his eyes narrowed. Ken was the first to speak up.

"Hey bro, you seeing what I'm seeing?" Ken asked, referring to that little girl.

"Yeah… This probably isn't gonna end well," Altinator answered in a low voice. "We should keep a close eye on her. Let's bring Ivy with us as backup."

Ken nodded as he went back into the crowd to find her. Altinator's eyes widened as the men followed her after she disappeared from the party. Ken brought Ivy back just in time for Altinator to go after them. Upon entering the area where the girl was last seen, Altinator and his siblings hid in the shadows as the girl talked to the stalking thugs. The girl then made a run for it but was immediately caught by one of the guys. Altinator stepped from the shadows along with Ken and Ivy.

"Hey! Get your paws off her right now!" Altinator barked, his face twisted with anger.

The "leader" of the thugs turned around trying to size him up. "What are you, her father or something?" the thug fired back. "This is none of your business, kid, you better scram before someone gets hurt."

Altinator grabbed the "leader" by the clothes near his chin. "Now listen up, you bastard, cause I'm only gonna say this once!" Altinator sneered. "You and your lackeys better get the hell outta here or I'm gonna personally give you hell, ya got that?!"

"You don't scare me, kid," the leader said, faking a grin. "I do whatever I want, whenever I want and there's nothing you can do about it!"

The girl cringed as the other stalking thugs closed in on her. Altinator slammed the leader against a wall and held him there hard enough to prove a point, but soft enough not to cause HP loss. "Oh, I'll do something about it right now," Altinator threatened in a cold voice. "You and I are gonna have a duel: total loss mode, winner takes all. You either accept the duel or you and your lackeys leave now! Now what will it be?"

"It's your funeral, you little punk," the leader smirked as he offered Altinator a duel invitation. Altinator accepted the duel with total loss. The 60 second countdown started and both duelists drew their swords. When the counter timed out, the leader charged into Altinator with his best sword skill. "TIME TO DIE, YA INSOLENT DUMBASS!"

Altinator allowed the leader to slash him as much as he wanted only to watch his own HP bar dip slightly and immediately heal due to his advanced battle healing skill. "What's wrong? Is that all you got?" Altinator taunted as he watched the leader struggle.

"This is what happens when you mess with the wrong person," Altinator sneered as he caught hold of his neck. He threw the leader on the ground and slashed him with a simple sword skill that immediately depleted his HP. The leader shattered into millions of pieces as the duel ended marking Altinator as the winner.

"Could he be?" One of the thugs asked in horror. "Oh no, it's the Red Baron! Let's get outta here!" The other thugs took off screaming in terror leaving the girl with Altinator and his siblings.

"Smart move," Altinator muttered under his breath. He turned to the girl and knelt beside her. "I'm so sorry they terrorized you. Are you alright?"

The little girl stumbled into Altinator's arms as she cried. Altinator gave a soft smiled as he gently stroked her head. "It's alright, sweetheart, it's over now."

She sat up and with tears in her eyes she spoke. "Thank you so much for saving me. That was really scary."

Altinator looked over to Ken and saw that he had a big red blush on his face. He smiled as he helped her get up. "It's the least we could do," Altinator said softly. "I'm Altinator. I'd like you to meet my younger siblings, Ivy and Ken."

Ivy smiled and said hi while Ken stuttered his introduction as he was clearly smitten for the little girl. She giggled playfully. "My name is Silica, and this is Pina." The little blue dragon chirped as Silica introduced her.

"Silica… that's a pretty name," Ken stuttered, still blushing. "W-would you like to… um you know… hang out sometime? M-maybe like a … d-date?"

Altinator rolled his eyes playfully and Ivy tried to hold back her laughs. Silica gave Ken a big smile and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I would love to, my handsome knight."

The four of them headed back into town and over to Altinator's apartment on the 50th floor. Altinator and Ivy left Ken and Silica alone for them to plan their date.

"Looks like Ken is all grown up now," Ivy commented as she watched the two off into the distance.

"You're not jealous, are you?" Altinator teased, jabbing her side playfully with his elbow.

"What? Me? Of course not!" Ivy fired back, shoving Altinator in the process. "I still haven't found 'the one' yet."

"Hmmmm, I wonder who that could be," Altinator smirked as he stared off into the distance where Ken and Silica was at.

The two walked back into their apartment hoping for the best for their younger brother. Little did Altinator know that the adventure involving Silica was just getting started. The Assault Team was on a roll with the boss floors as they climbed up to the 54th floor by the end of the month.

February 14th, 2024

Aincrad Floor 54: Teleport Gate Plaza

It was another ordinary day and there were members of the Assault Team preparing to strategize for the 54th floor boss. Altinator and Kirito were there when a low-leveled player came through the teleport gate crying.

"Somebody, help me! PLEASE!" the player cried. The two looked over and saw the player cling onto another Assault Team member. "Some thugs killed my guild members and looted most of our stuff!"

"Shall we?" Altinator asked to which Kirito nodded. The two made their way over to the distressed player. "Hey buddy, would you like to tell us what happened?"

The player explained everything that took place. He was the leader of his guild, the Silver Flags. A while ago, his guild was attacked by an orange guild killing all of his members. He was the only one that survived. The orange guild took everything tangible. The only thing the player had left was his money which he spent on a corridor crystal that led to the prison in the Black Iron Palace on the first floor under the Aincrad Liberation Force or the Army's jurisdiction. He also identified the guild leader as a young lady with red hair with a cross spear. The two agreed to help and went off to discuss strategy.

"Ok, so how are we gonna approach this?" Altinator asked as he sat down with Kirito.

"One of us needs to go hunting for the girl that fits the description the guy gave us," Kirito suggested. "The other can search for leads on where the guild may be headed and any other useful information we can get."

"Sounds good," Altinator commented. "In that case, I can ask some thugs about said guild and the guild leader while you can go on that manhunt. If I were to go, I would attract too much attention since I'm in a well-known guild."

"Fair enough," Kirito said. "We'll keep in touch about any updates we may have. I'll take the crystal too since I'll be confronting them."

The two split up and searched from floor to floor. Altinator went among the thugs and aggressively negotiated with several groups until they talked. One of the thugs cooperated enough to give info about the guild leader whose name was Rosalia, and the guild name was Titan's Hand. He was not able to disclose their location, however, to Altinator's dismay. Altinator then messaged Kirito the information. Ten days later, Kirito had apprehended Rosalia and the rest of Titan's Hand that was involved.

To Altinator,

I caught those thugs and sent them to prison. Our mission is concluded. I will be going back to our client to tell him the news. Also, Silica says hi.

Kirito

Altinator grinned after reading the message. He wrote back:

Roger that. I will be heading to the prison for interrogation. It's nice to see that Silica's doing alright.

Altinator headed down to the first floor where the prison was. His now iconic noble red outfit and heavy two-handed sword gleamed in the sunlight as he made his way to the prison. When he got to the prison, there were two sentries from the Army that were guarding the front gate. Upon seeing Altinator, they crossed their halberds to block his entry.

"Halt!" one of the sentries ordered. "This is a restricted facility authorized only for military personnel. All civilians must turn around and leave this place."

Altinator stood in front of the two sentries. "Stand aside, Private. I'm on official business to the prison."

"I will not say this again," the sentry insisted. "Leave right now, or we will use force!"

"Perhaps I did not make myself clear," Altinator repeated himself. "I am on official business. Stand aside right now! That is an order!"

The sentries pointed their halberds at Altinator. "You asked for it, citizen!"

"Enough!" a soldier barked as he came from inside the gate. "What's going on?"

"Sir!" the sentry shouted, snapping into the position of attention." This civilian will not leave the premises."

"You imbecile!" the soldier yelled. He then turned to Altinator and saluted him. "General Altinator, Captain Sandan reporting for duty!"

At ease, Captain!" Altinator acknowledged with a salute. The two sentries looked utterly surprised and embarrassed. They both saluted at Altinator.

"Our apologies, sir!" the sentry said. "Please come in!"

"As you were, Private," Altinator ordered as he walked inside. He walked down the prison as the captain led him to the cell where Rosalia's underlings were being held.

"Please forgive the sentries' insubordination, sir," the captain pleaded. "They were not informed that you were also Army personnel on top of your own guild."

Altinator turned to face the captain. "I will overlook their incompetence this time but be sure to reprimand them to not make the same mistake."

"Yes sir!" the captain said firmly. The two made it to the cell and the captain opened the door. Altinator walked into the cell facing the seven criminals while the captain closed the door and stood guard.

"What do you want, huh?" one of the thugs asked. "Here to gawk at us?"

Altinator grinned. "I'm here to give you a chance at freedom if you play your cards right." The thugs gasped hearing that. They mumbled amongst themselves while one of them spoke out.

"How do we know you're not playing us for fools?" the thug questioned. "You know just as well as all of us that our orange cursors will not go back to green since we killed people."

"I'm also a game admin," Altinator answered. "I can manually turn people's cursors into whatever color I choose." He went into his admin menu and turned one of the thug's cursors to green and back. The rest of the thugs looked surprised.

"What's your angle?" the thug asked again.

"I want you to eliminate someone for me," Altinator replied with a big smirk. "I'm sure you're very familiar with this person since you served with her: Miss Rosalia. If you manage to put her out of her misery, I will free all of you and change your cursors to green with no strings attached."

"Done!" another thug stated. "Never liked her anyway. If it means we go free, I'll kill her for you!" The others murmured in agreement.

"Very well then, right this way," Altinator said as he led the thugs out of the cell. After a minute or two, they finally reached the cell where Rosalia was held. The captain opened the cell door and locked them in there with Altinator.

"So, what brings you here with my old guild members?" Rosalia asked.

"Miss Rosalia, I would like to introduce you to your executioners," Altinator answered calmly with a big smirk on his face. The thugs eyed Rosalia like a meal.

"This is a joke, right?" Rosalia protested. "You must've promised them something. Whatever you promised, I'm sure I can do better!"

"I highly doubt that" Altinator said smugly. He generated the weapons that the guards confiscated and threw them down on the floor for the thugs.

"It's nothing personal," one of the thugs stated. "Altinator made an offer we can't refuse. Prepare to die, boss!"

"Oh, so you're just gonna murder me without any weapons for me to defend myself?" Rosalia asked, scared to death. "You coward!"

"I'm afraid criminals don't deserve equal treatment," Altinator replied coldly. "If you truly deserve to be free, you will find a way to defeat all seven of your former guild members. Best of luck, Miss Rosalia. You will need it."

The thugs cornered and slaughtered her mercilessly without any resistance since she was obviously outnumbered. The thugs then turned to Altinator.

"Alright, we killed her!" a thug stated. "Now, fulfill your promise or else!"

Altinator's smirk grew wider as his face darkened. "I'm afraid you have one last test. You must first defeat me before you go free."

"Hey! That wasn't part of the deal-" the thug tried to interject.

"Or I can just kill you right where you stand," Altinator finished. "Your choice."

The thugs looked at each other and then charged at Altinator trying desperately to cut him down. Just as before, Altinator's HP dipped a little before regenerating. "No way! Not again!" a thug cried out.

"Haven't you learned your lesson?" Altinator taunted mercilessly. He drew his sword and angled it to the floor. "I'm sure you've learned from Kirito that the bigger the difference in levels, the more impossible it is to beat." The thugs looked deathly afraid and tried to run away. Altinator slowly approached the thugs knowing that they were dead meat. "At the end of the day, once a murderer, always a murderer. Even if you were to earn your freedom, what's to stop you from murdering again?" Altinator slashed the seven thugs one at a time killing them with each stroke as the cries and screams echoed across the prison walls.

"Captain, we're done here," Altinator reported. "Take these weapons and melt them away for new ones. Take their money and put it into the treasury and put it to better use."

"Yes sir," the captain said as he unlocked the cell door. He led Altinator out of the prison with a salute. "It was a pleasure working with you, sir."

Altinator returned the salute. "You've done well, Captain. Dismissed."

With eight more criminals off the game, Altinator walked out feeling better about how the game would be without those criminals getting in the way of total victory. The next mission? Eliminate Laughing Coffin!