Chapter posted: 15th April 2022
Without further ado, this is for you Sinon to 7th Skydark again for the help with the Good Stuff. You'll know it when you see it.
Also, we have a Discord channel: discord . gg / xqVbn247jX (remove spaces)
Chapter 11: Heartslayer
"Professionals have standards: be polite, be efficient, have a plan to kill anyone you meet."
- Meet the Sniper, Team Fortress 2
There were far more people here than Nezha expected.
He had arrived with a caravan of Nadyah sellswords looking to settle down to something less stressful, led by a veteran named Hamid. The swarthy fellows were a cheery sort but their polished brass and mail baju lamina and the parangs in their sarongs belied their deadliness. Nezha had met normal everyday people turned into fierce warriors in a matter of months since the Death Game started, but NPCs were different. They grew up in a world with millennia of lore and NPC had a bloodline stretching just as far. And one wondered why the game costed so much to make.
Still, they paid him well to polish and oil their armour when they set up camp; he had more pay in the short five days it took to travel from the Kyoto Warhawks' camp to Fort Eternal Vigilance then spending half a month working. Damn, minimum wage really needs to be raised.
A pink haired girl in a smith's leather apron came to greet them outside the fort proper. She had a wax tablet in hand. "So, do you want to join the Watch or join the workforce?"
The Nadyahs of course answered the former, and the girl told them to report to a Captain Asuna. They said their goodbyes to him and only then did she notice his presence.
"Ah, a player! We don't see much of our kind around these parts." She gestured to his cart and donkey. "And a smith too! Oh good, it's nice to have more hands at the forge. I'm Lisbeth, head smith/secretary."
"Nezha." They shook hands. "So, a player-run fort, huh?"
"Yep! Run by the Kirito Corporation. You might have heard of us," she said, in a voice beaming with pride.
Nezha's right eye twitched as he recalled the events of the beta. "I totally have heard of this Kirito fella."
Lisbeth raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh, what have you heard about our illustrious CEO?"
Crap, that was only a partial truth. In reality, Nezha had only heard of Kirito back in the beta phase. He had made a reputation of being a notorious player-killer.
Someone called him 'The Throatcutter' on the forums ironically and the madman embraced it. From what Nezha heard, he had accumulated kills in the low hundreds, which was extremely impressive. And he didn't go hunt low level players either, he picked fights with people of his level, usually outnumbered, through traps, ambushes, and sheer skill. There were even rumours that he actually worked for Argus.
When the game was launched and Kayaba trapped everyone, he had heard neither word nor hair of the Throatcutter. It was as if he vanished entirely. Nezha had in fact, forgotten about him. He had always assumed that the son of a bitch died, which looking back at it, was an extremely unkind thing to hope for. Or he had simply not logged in on launch day. In fact, he wasn't even sure why he was here.
Aside from, you know, he needed a job.
"Oh, you know …" Nezha wracked his brain for something plausible. "I heard Kirito-san is an apt swordsman and a good fighter."
Lisbeth stared at him for a moment before exploding into laughter. Oh no, did he blew it?
She wiped away a tear. "Hahahaha! Good one, Nezha-san! Kirito, a fighter. That's a laugh. The guy hides behind girls' skirts at the slightest hint of danger. Why just the other day he got Sinon to come in and shoo away a bird that got into his room!"
That did not sound like the Throatcutter he read about. Was this the same Kirito from the beta? There were fifty thousand players, it wasn't impossible for there to be multiple players to have the same name.
He laughed awkwardly. "Ha yeah, you got me there. I was just joking."
She looked at her tablet again. "Anyway, we don't have much room so you'll still be camping. But don't worry, we'll be fixing up new accommodations as fast as we can."
That was fine with him. Still, he needed to know but asking to meet him now would raise suspicions. "That's fine with me, I'll take any word I can get."
Lisbeth nodded and pulled out a piece of vellum from her apron. "Very good! Now first, you need to sign this contract …"
"I bring black tidings," said the stranger. His voice and stature commanded presence in the hall.
"Evil is afoot in this land. Machinations years in practice are bearing poisoned fruit. Foul sorcery is practiced from the eyes of good folk by those who wish to do us harm. If we do nothing to stop this, chaos will descend upon the realm and doom us all."
The hall was quiet as the news descended upon them. Breathing became laboured, cold sweat appeared on backs, heartbeats raced. The news alone brought everyone great distress, a primeval fear nestled deeply in the hearts of Man brought forward for all to experience. The stranger's grim news was like a shroud of darkness upon their very souls.
Someone yawned very loudly.
"It's always bad news around here. Why can't you bring good news like 'the crops are bountiful this year' or 'every cat from the shelter got adopted,' or 'arrows are being sold at 90% discount', that sorta thing?"
Everyone in the office turned to her. "What?" she asked.
"Never mind Sinon, good paladin. Please, continue," said Tupi. He shot her daggers which was fair; those bison she herded were proving to be quite the headache.
The stranger seemed not to mind and merely smiled. "It is fine, I myself am no lover of bad news, much less the bearer of them."
"And who are you exactly, sir?" asked Asuna. She was still weak from her previous encounter but as head of security, she insisted on coming to the meeting, taking notes dutifully.
The stranger was tall and wiry. Despite being wounded and imprisoned for some time, he was in far better shape than Asuna and spoke with vigour. He was dusky like many of the Free Tribes, his skin like leather as if dried in the sun making him look older than he probably was. His black hair was long with two braids framing his face and he had the thick forearms of a fighting man with the scars to boot; large hands carved from granite. The simple borrowed clothes did nothing to hide his wide frame or the pendant under his tunic. The warrior was unarmed, save for a curved dagger tucked within a silk sash.
Despite being in a room with a fully armed Asuna, Sinon, Argo and Robert, he held a coiled power to him, ready to be unleashed. It was likely he was the most dangerous man in the room.
That, and the fact Sinon could clearly see he was Level 50. The girls were all between the range of level 19 to 21. Already, she was thinking of a possible dozen ways to kill him. You know, just in case.
"I am Hopeful Rays from Behind the Cloud, Brother-Ghazi of Suyufa al-Shams. But you can call me Brother Rays."
"Bro, that's rad," said Argo.
"No, it's not rad, it's Rays," he corrected.
"I have heard of you," said Tupi. "Those curious warrior-cults in the vein of Aincradius' companions. The Suyufa al-Shams were founded by Grandmaster Sinaran, a battle compatriot of Aincradius and lead authority of all things anti-undead."
Rays smiled and continued, "The steward speaks truth. My order is dedicated to eliminate all forms of undead. Grandmaster Sinaran, 54th of His Office, had heard of strange happenings in the realm of the Free Tribes. He had chosen me specifically for this quest for he believed me to be more open to the locals, despite being raised abroad. I accepted partly out of honour, partly because I had longed to see the homeland of my people."
"You're of the Orage?" asked Sinon.
"My mother was; my father was a wandering desert nomad. They taught me what I needed to know, but I never had the chance to come here until now. But ah, nevermind that. Some other time.
"The necromancers your men fought, Captain Asuna, is a renegade offshoot of the Cult of the Great Worm That Inherits the World. These wizards are an argumentative sort, as ready to fight each other as they would fight the rest of society. These renegades had a falling out with the main cult and now call themselves the Servants of Conotocaurius - and wish to resurrect him to earn his favour. It is this sect that I was tasked to eliminate.
"I had known of the Eternal Watch from the records of my order and the tales from my mother. So I came here but I was ambushed when I was asleep by a band of skeletal dwarves and was captured. It had been only a few days since I was caged and I know they wanted to experiment on me. Had you been a day late, I would have likely died." He bowed to Asuna. "Thank you for your assistance."
At that, Asuna beamed with pride.
"What else can you tell us about them?" asked Robert, who had already bedecked himself in holy symbols of the various Aincrad pantheon. "I mislike this foul magic, we must prepare all we can to combat it."
Rays pondered this for a bit. "They are not unlike the wizards of the Great Worm but whatever differences they have in magic, I do know. They do have this disgusting habit of refusing to bathe - they believe the more dirt and filth they have on them, the powerful they become."
"Sounds like gamers, actually," said Argo.
"I don't know who those are but after we defeat the cult we should go after these 'gamers.' But one thing at a time."
"It almost feels like fate," said Robert. "Me, capturing this fort. It falling into the hands of the Kirito Corporation. And you, being captured and rescued. This must be the will of the gods!"
"Or maybe it's just how RPG questlines work," said Kirito.
"Technically speaking, Kayaba is god here," said Sinon.
"Ugh, don't remind me. Regardless, it seems we have a common enemy, Brother Rays. Would you join us in our crusade against the undead foe?" the merchant extended his hand.
They both clasped hands. "I hope you'd asked. My wacrlub is yours."
"At least we don't have to pay him," Tupi said to himself.
The following day arrived on a quiet morning. A small stream of people had come to the fort in the past few days. First in small groups, daytalers looking for stable jobs. Then entire families of settlers, many Orage, many more Granumites. Some Nadyahs too.
The increase in manpower brought both benefits and detriments. Already, there was a fistfight between what were called the Old Families, the original inhabitants of the fort, and the New Settlers. Watchmen had to come in and break them up, throwing the hotheads in the gaol to cool off to mixed results.
After spending the morning rounding up the bison, Sinon returned to Kirito's office on the third floor of the tower. She found him trying on a buffalo robe in front of a large silver mirror, probably stolen by Robert's bandits at some point. "Ah, Sinon. Just the woman I needed to talk to."
"You look ridiculous. You're fluffier than a teddy bear with that on."
The merchant merely harrumphed. "You just don't know good fashion. I mean, look at your getup."
Sinon looked down: woolen hose tucked into good leather boots, a green tunic under an unlaced green gambeson. Her helmet and mail were elsewhere; the only weapon she always carried with her was a trusty hunting knife.
"What? What's wrong with my look?"
Kirito tsk tsked. "Green clothes with blue hair and blue eyes, dear? Come now, they don't even match!"
"Green is cheap and fits most of the nature I try to blend into, my blue hair is usually hidden under a hood or a helmet anyway." She wasn't just gonna stand here and take fashion critique from some metrosexual pretty boy.
Kirito sighed and whipped his hair. "Sinon, Sinon. We really need to take you out shopping at some point."
"Considering the closest major city is on the next floor and three days travel away, I doubt we'll be going there anytime soon."
"That's why we -" he shut his mouth and smiled, that annoying look whenever he had a harebrained business scheme. "Anyway, let us talk about other matters."
Kirito took off his ridiculous bison coat into his wardrobe chest. It was a relatively hot day, and the merchant had ditched his usual silk kaftan for flowing cotton. The cotton was tight fitting, more a t-shirt than a tunic - no doubt he made it himself. He was even wearing leather breeks, tight fitting, clinging to his legs.
Sinon bit her lip and took in the sight. "Hey, I think you dropped something?"
"Dropped what?"
"Under your chest. I think it's a coin."
The merchant bent down, the leather clinging tightly to his behind.
"Can't find anything?"
"No, it's there."
It took him a couple minutes before giving up, all the time in the world for Sinon to commit the image to memory. "Are you sure?"
"Ah, my mistake then."
"That's fine." He plopped back at his chair, which was an actual functioning office chair complete with wooden wheels, and pointed at the map behind him. It detailed the surrounding area of the fort, which took a mere 1/15th of Floor 16. "Asuna's reinforcing the road to the mines, setting up a small outpost. The miners are already there, and we're already transporting stone and ores back to the fort. Iron production has increased by 150%!"
"That's good?"
"Yes, that's good. But also bad. We have more manpower, but also more mouths to feed."
"We can slaughter those bison I brought and make more tents."
Kirito looked positively offended. "What? And waste all that good leather? Absolutely not! We just need more lumber! But worry not, there's a good spot where Kariwase says we can build a sawmill to help cut logs faster." Kariwase was a master builder, sent by Ser Reginald himself, a distant uncle of Alena. His presence alone sped up projects around the fort.
"But before that, what I'm thinking is we could increase food production. By this we can bla bla, bla bla …"
And then she zoned out. It's not her fault that economics bored her to tears.
As the CEO and his words into one ear and out the other, she took the time to examine him. Kirito was handsome, in a femine sort of way. With his long hair reaching his shoulders, big brown eyes and soft lips. He spent quite the amount of money on shampoo and clothes; the big trunk had been refilling as of late.
There was no secret to it, Sinon had a thing for the merchant. All the girls did, even Asuna who vehemently denied any attraction. He went from a cheerfully annoying idiot during their first meeting to something more … comely.
A gust of wind blew through the window and with it Kirito's hair. He took very good care of it, and her heart skipped a beat when she realised how damn pretty he was. Hell, he could have given Asuna a run for her money. Even the scent of the lavender shampoo struck her and she closed her eyes to enjoy it.
"Sinon, hey, Sinon!"
She returned to reality. "Huh?!"
Kirito stopped snapping his fingers. "Did you have a stroke or something?
"Oh, it's just the heat." Which was partly true, of course. "So, what are the others doing?"
"Argo is … doing her own thing." Kirito made a face. "She's away, taking a trip to the frontlines to refresh her info broker network. I know you and Asuna think she doesn't do any work, but let me reassure you, Argo's an important member of the corporation."
Sinon snorted and folded her arms. "You're just saying that because she's your ex."
Kirito smiled. It was a smile that raised the hairs on her back. "Argo and I have our … disagreements, but I don't play favourites. Understand?"
"Liar," is what she wanted to say, but didn't. Something about her quip bit at him, and an apology almost escaped her lips.
And just like that, his warm smile returned. "Anyway, Brother Rays has some intel on certain unsavory activities of the magical nature. Do you happen to know a professional I could call upon?"
Sinon smirked. "Yeah, I know someone."
According to the Watch's combat doctrine, there should be one captain for two hundred Watchmen, and three of them were Brave companies, tasked to sally out and destroy any opposing forces. According to the Annals of Jagada, at its height two thousand men garrisoned the Eternal Vigilance which baffled Sinon; there was clearly not enough space even assuming the nearby ruins used to be able to house them. They barely had the space to house the Old Families, much less a thousand men.
The tribals required little in the way when it came to hunting, for they were masters of the bow, the javelin and the tomahawk. But that's not who she was training.
So here they were, a fair distance away from the fort near the tanneries with a dozen recruits, mostly the players, some new Granumites, and a few of the Nadyah sellswords. They were loaded with a few days of supplies.
The wind shifted their direction, bathing the recruits in the stench of urine. "UGH, WHAT IS THAT SMELL?"
"That's the tanneries, Wall-san."
"IT SMELLS LIKE PEE!"
"Well yes, that's how leather is made."
Brickwall looked utterly terrified. "MY PANTS IS DRENCHED IN PEE?!"
"Anyway, we're going to learn the art of stealth. So take off your armour and - Guld! No! I said your armour, not your clothes!"
"If I'm not wearing armour, I am 100% quiet," he said, tapping his head. "Sneak up on a poor idiot, go "nothing personnel, kid," and unleash my «Dark Dragon Lighting Iaidojutsu.»"
Ugh, how did Robert and Asuna do this? It was like boot camp all over again. "Look, just do what I do, okay?"
So she instructed them the way she knew how. Sinon was no hunter in real life, though her training had instructed her in the ways of woodcraft. In a few years, she had planned to rise through the ranks, maybe even go through the Ranger Courses had fate not dictated she put on her NerveGear.
Everything she learned about hunting, she learned from books and practice. She looked up guides by veteran players, joined some of their hunts, and made a name for herself. Such things would take literal years to master, but with how SAO worked, she likely had two years worth of combat experience in a few short months. Her instructors would have been jealous.
The slayer had them perform a simple recon into the forest. It was relatively easy with how often Robert drilled them. The Nadyahs did better, being veterans themselves. She appointed one of them, an older man called Hamid, as sergeant.
The necromancers' cave was a day's travel away but there was no hurry. She spent most of the time instructing the troops on what was safe to eat, which herbs could be used as medicine, and most importantly, how to shoot. The heavy infantry, mostly consisting of the Nadyahs, Brickwall and Guld, packed their armour on a couple mules, and only wore the padded armour. It was easy if she had the tribals, but that was the point.
"I don't like this, I feel naked without my gear," said Guld. He wore good lamellar in the o-yoroi style, a very popular set for players.
"You'll get used to it." Sinon pointed to a stream with her walking staff. "Hensel, Gretel, I need you two cross that and set up a rope line. We can ferry our gear and the mules safely this way."
Gretel looked at the stream which, while not deep, looked quite unsafe. "But Sinon-san, there's a bridge half a mile north."
"I know." She shoved the coils of rope into her arms. "Now get to it."
"But what if we drown?" her brother protested.
She slapped him on the shoulder. "Don't."
Thankfully for the siblings, the Nadyahs were master boatmen, and knew all about rivers. They crossed without much trouble, the players cursing her all the way. So this is how it felt being a drill sergeant. No wonder her instructors were sadists.
On the second day, Sinon thought them how to make a ghillie suit, something even the Nadyahs didn't know about. The amount of research on airsoft forums was staggering.
"The trick is you need to make it natural." Using a fishing net, a leather cloak, and some glue, she made an alright looking suit in about fifteen minutes thanks to her relatively medium level of «Tailoring».
It took the others a bit longer. A good ghillie suit needed at least a week to construct, but they made theirs in just half a day. It wasn't perfect, but it would do. "You gotta keep at it, more branches, more leaves. Be one with nature."
"I am one with nature, Sinon-san," said Guld. Out of everyone, he had the best one, very professional looking. "I must shed my samurai ways and become shinobi."
"... is that a bird's nest on your head?" asked Hamid.
"One. With. Nature."
Later that night, they shared war stories over steaming hot cups of tea. As always, there was always one person on guard duty, a fair distance away from the camp.
It was almost funny, seeing a bush jump half a foot into the air. Sinon taught her well considering she almost bumped into her.
"Ah, Sinon-san? Oh, thank you." Gretel took the cup from her. "It's so cold."
"I take it that you don't camp out much."
In the moonlight, Sinon noticed how young she really was. She couldn't have been older than fifteen. "Oh no, we've lived in the city our whole lives."
"Well, don't worry. It'll be over soon before your brother takes the spot."
"Thanks." As she moved to leave, she said, "Wait, Sinon-san?"
"Yes?"
"It's about Kirito-san."
Sinon had been trying very hard to not think about the merchant out in the wilds. "What about him?"
Even in the darkness, she could see Gretel blushing. "Is … is … well, does he have a girlfriend?"
Her eye twitched. "Excuse me."
"Well, he's so nice and handsome! I'm just wondering, you know ..."
Oh hell no, it was hard enough with the Rat and Asuna on him, she didn't need this. "Gretel-san, he's way too old for you."
"But not by much, right? There's a chance!"
It was a mean thing to do, but she had to. For both their sakes. "He's gay."
The girl blinked. "What?"
"You ever notice how he's never been lovey dovey with anyone else? That's because he's not interested in girls at all."
The girl looked positively crestfallen. "Ah. I see. That's too bad then."
"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but he keeps it under wraps, you know?" she continued.
"I promise not to tell anyone, then!"
Bullet dodged, Sinon went to sleep comfortably. Just in time for the next day's fi -
They were in some decadent inn room with a king sized bed, scented candles everywhere. The night air was cool. A bottle of wine in a bucket of ice sat at the bedside. The slayer had him pinned down between her muscular thighs, and he was wet and shirtless, not unlike that night where he came into the barracks and pranced around like an utter slut.
In her vision, his hair was long - as long as Asuna's. His wrists were bound to the posts by familiar black silk and the remains of his kaftan lay strewn on the floor. He looked up to her, with those baby brown eyes.
"Wh-what are you going to do to me?"
Sinon grinned, sharp fangs protruding. "I'm going to have my way with you, of course …"
"Sinon-san! Wake up! Time for -"
The glare that she sent Hansel turned his skin white. She should really apologise to him at some point.
On the third day, they found the enemy at some far away homestead.
The cult had walked in, killed everyone with some bronze undead from a nearby tomb, and acted like bandits more than anything. They were heavily outnumbered.
"WE CAN TAKE THEM, BUT PERHAPS AT A HEAVY COST." If Brickwall was hesitant then it was important she act prudently.
"I've got just the thing."
From a fire, she rolled out some piping hot stones and carefully scooped them on a leather sling. "Incendiary ammo."
It wasn't a fight but a slaughter. With their new crossbows courtesy of Lisbeth, and their ghillie suits, they annihilated the necromancers. All they had to do was surround the village, set fire to the roofs and the wizards ran out like headless chickens to be shot. Whatever remaining undead was swiftly put down in a counter wave of steel.
A day later, she was back in Kirito's office, depositing a heavy leather bound tome on his desk. "No problems."
Brother Rays looked pleased. "Very good, master slayer. I'll study the text and report back."
"Are you in good health?" she asked.
"Yes, thanks to your medicine man and Captain Asuna's masterful cooking. Hopefully, I can join you in battle soon." With that, he left the office to return to the library.
Kirito had a pained expression on his face. "Speaking of which, there's also another problem …"
She rolled her eyes. "Of course."
He pointed back to the map to where the Magula river was. The entire river split the 16th Floor, north to south, the river ending at a portal to the sea (which players of course could not access). The Magula was the life source of Fort Arrowhead, and the one that Fort Eternal Vigilance used was called the Second Sister, sharing the name with a lake.
Kirito pointed to said lake, not too far from the fort itself. "Master Kariwase says he can build a lumber mill here. The lake flows into the Magula, which itself passes the fort. Not only are the trees in that region of better quality, but there are already people there that would gladly take our coin."
"Let me guess, beavers?"
"Yep. And I just so happen to have a Head of Hunting!"
"What's in it for me?"
At that, he gave a confused look. "Uh, well according to the contract, you already get 20% of the company's profits …"
Sinon, who had been out in the wild for days, slammed a hand on his desk, startling him. "You know what I want, CEO-sama."
Kirito just gave her that smile he did whenever he tried to deflect any of the girl's advances. "Ah, you don't give up do you?"
"You don't get to wet your hair, prance around shirtless and expect people to not look your way. You're a tease and it's only a matter of time before one of us jumps you."
Kirito merely sighed and pushed himself away from the table. He walked towards the window, gazing outside. "Look, you're a pretty girl, Sinon. But I'm just not looking for a relationship. It's the last thing on my mind."
"Oh, don't give me that. You think we don't notice? In the morning, you act like a puppy when you have Asuna's food. When you look out that window, you stare at Argo doing her exercises. There's nothing wrong with a little fun."
She stalked him like the hunter she was, grabbed him by the shoulder and jerked him to the wall.
"Hey, what gives?!"
Sinon's tunic lay on the floor; shirtless save only a plain sarashi covering her breasts. His voice died in his throat. "Ah, you're a man after all."
She grabbed his hand - soft - and placed it on her stomach. "I'm not as strong as Argo, but I'm still proud of these."
His fingers trailed onto her tummy, lining each bump. Kirito gulped. "Sinon, this is improper. I'm your superior …"
Then just as quickly, she took his hand and placed it on her hip. "And Asuna's legs. Thick, strong. She's been riding horses since she was a kid and she fences. That gives a girl a good pair of legs. Why do you think she wears those high heeled boots? It's to show off her calves."
Then he dragged said hand around her hips, his soft fingers trailing her toned ass.
Kirito's mouth went dry. There was an intensity in his eyes. She was getting him.
She gestured to the side of the room, where a simple room divider hid his bed. "C'mon, you're a man, I'm a woman. We both have needs."
Her face was close to his - she could feel his breath on her, the scent of his perfume and shampoo. It was intoxicating. With her increased PER, she could hear his heart beat like a war drum.
"Sinon …"
"Just kiss me, you pretty man."
The great door swung open sometime later, a familiar face walked in. "Kirito, looks like we've got some problem … up the … lake?"
Asuna could only stand there, trying to process what she was seeing.
Kirito was shirtless, baring his shining slim torso. He was pressed against the wall, his entire figure suspended off the floor, breeks dangling off his ankles.
Sinon's rough palms cupped both cheeks as her archer's strength kept him from falling. The blue haired slayer buried her face into his neck, leaving a trail of bright love bites on his collar. Kirito's shredded tunic joined hers on the floor, baring her own fit body, as her breasts pushed against his chest. Long hours with the bow had given her a wide and muscular back, Kirito's soft hands clawing uselessly at her peaks and valleys.
The merchant whimpered as the slayer ravished him like the predator she was. "Say. My. Name," she husked.
"Ahh... N-Nya ... Please d-don't stop, Sinon ..."
The tablet that Asuna clattered to the floor. That got their attention.
Both of them turned, panting from their heavy makeout session. Their faces were red, their hair messy, and they clearly were mere moments away from doing it on the office desk.
After a long moment of silence, Kirito said, "So, how's the training going, captain?"
It was midday when the men were mustered at the lake. The Watch's number had doubled the last time they went on that mission to the mines. Despite the increased numbers, the extra amount of settlers and workers around the fort and the mines demanded guards to keep the peace.
It was decided that with the severity and the danger of the mission, they would only bring a small number of the best troops. That included players like Brickwall and Guld, as well as Hiawatha's band of friends, as well as the new Nadyah sellswords led by Sergeant Hamid. Even the paladin tagged along, citing the need for exercise. All together, there were a dozen of them in total.
Sinon peered through her brass spyglass, one of her most prized possessions. "Looks bad. There's got to be fifty beavers guarding that, and those are the only ones we can spot."
That was a mighty dam of wood and mud, stretching a hundred fifty yards and standing ten feet tall. It was a very impressive build, something even human engineers would have trouble making. No doubt these beavers were veterans sent by the Castoridae League - the alliance of different beaver clans who always made trouble so as to get an upper hand on their human neighbours.
Asuna stayed silent.
Sinon continued, "These beavers are no joke. They're big, they're mean, and they've got bronze axes. They're good slingers too. From what Argo told me, they trade these axes from the Golden Bears and they get their saws and hammers from other tribes. They're both troublemakers and traders. It's a pain in the ass, really."
Asuna's horse hoofed at the ground to nibble at some tall grass.
"The stealthy approach should be best, but not at night. We don't have good night fighters, the amount of armour Sergeant Hamid's men makes that an issue, and we don't want anyone falling into the water and drowning. No, the best thing to do is an outright assault. Weather their bullets and take them in melee. Hiawatha, me and the other archers will give you covering support."
She absently checked the edge of her tomahawk.
Sinon sighed. "Asuna. Please."
"Please what, Sinon-san? I'm listening."
That was the coldest -san she had ever received. "Are you mad I fucked your crush?"
"YOU DID NOT FUCK HIM!" she shouted, and when some eyes turned to her, she lowered her voice. "YOU - you made out with him! You did not have se - physical intercourse with Kirito! Are we clear?"
Sinon just shot her a toothy grin. "Remind me how long you've been with him?"
"Since day one, but I don't see -"
"I've only known him for a short time before that whole Mankhlar business, but out of all the months you've been with him, you've never tried to get into his pants? Really?"
She looked away, gazing at the lake. "I don't have any interest in him like that."
Sinon cocked her head. "Oh, is that what you tell yourself? Well, if you think I'm bad, just imagine him and Argo in bed."
"I'd rather n-"
It was mean, yes, but Sinon couldn't help herself. "That slim body, those juicy cheeks. That long hair, just wanting to be pulled. And there's Miss Muscles. She must have ridden him dry."
Asuna's face was becoming as red as her cloak. "Stop it!"
"And that smell!" She sniffed the forest air for emphasis. "God, I don't see why more men don't wear perfume. It's wonderful stuff. Speaking of which, before you interrupted us, I did grope him enough to guess he was packing. Wanna guess how big it was?"
"You know what, we've got giant beavers to fight. I don't have to listen to this." She turned her horse around back to where they set up camp and Sinon could have sworn she could see smoke coming out of her ears.
Sinon called out in a sing-song tone. "He's about -"
Asuna was in captain mode now "Listen up, troops! We've got a dam to destroy and beavers to kill! Blood and thunder!"
The slayer only laughed. This was the most fun she had in weeks.
Battle Report: On the Assault on the Beaver Dam at Second Sister Lake
Author: Asuna, Captain of the Eternal Watch, Head of Security of the Kirito Corporation
The twelve of us, led by me, arrived at the edge of Second Sister Lake sometime in the afternoon. After convening with the officers, it was decided that we should assault the dam held by Iron Slab Tail clan. We did that and killed all of them. Afterwards, we destroyed the dam.
Enemy Casualties: 30 x beavers, the rest fled
Friendly Casualties: 0
Loot: 20 x bronze axes, 25 x elk antler choppers, 30 x great beaver pelts, 2,100 kg of beaver meat (currently being transported down river on boats)
Kirito put down the paper. "This report is rather short, isn't it?"
"It's also clearly wrong," protested Sinon. Her left eye was covered by bandages, on the account of a nasty cut from an equally nasty «Beaverserker».
Both of them stood in front of the merchant. Kirito leaned back in his chair. Only the slightest hint of a love bite was visible under the collar of his kaftan. Asuna was staring at it intensely.
"The report is correct, no one died," Asuna said. Her back was as straight as her rapier.
"A casualty means someone either injured or dead. And I am clearly injured," Sinon explained.
"Wait, really?"
"Sinon's right about that," said Kirito.
Asuna shot the merchant that could freeze hell twice over and snatched the parchment from him. "I'll fix that right in a jiffy so your Sinon is included in the report."
"Wait, hold on …" But it was too late. Asuna slammed the door shut behind her. Silence engulfed the office.
"Sooo, the assault went well, I take it?" Kirito finally asked.
Sinon shrugged her left shoulder. "Oh yes. The Nadyahs were excellent fighters and Brother Rays wrecked the beavers' shit. It was like a shotgun blast every time he swung his warclub at a beaver."
"It's made of dragonbone, he told me."
"That's rad."
Kirito collapsed into his chair, exhausted. He buried his face in his hands. "Asuna isn't gonna talk to me now, is she?"
"I dunno, you've known each other for the longest time."
"I just … I don't get it! Argh! And we've got so many things to do, I don't need this on my plate!"
Sinon walked around the desk and laid a hand on his shoulder. "There, there. I'm sure it'll be alright. Asuna's a tough girl."
"Yeah, you're right. Just need time to cool off."
"Anyway, wanna fuck?"
"Please leave."
"Fine then, your loss."
The slayer pecked him on the cheek before sauntering out the door, making sure she swayed her hips much more than usual. She felt his eyes on her as she shut the door.
Sinon was a woman of rituals.
Back in the real world, she'd settle in bed with a book. No electronics an hour before sleep. Because of this, she was much more well rested than most of her fellow trainees and that alone made her excel at her exercises.
Now, in Aincrad, it wasn't so different. Every night before bed time, Sinon would tour the fort's battlements. Books were hard to come by so she replaced reading with weapon maintenance. Unstringing her bow, waxing the string, wiping the limbs, triple checking her arrows. It wasn't so different from cleaning and oiling her rifle.
It just happened to be a bitch to do it without depth perception.
She had commandeered one of the shacks on the battlements. Hansel and Gretel were shooed away, leaving her alone with her kit.
She was sharpening her bundle of tomahawks when she noticed the intruder. "Rat."
The info broker's blonde head popped on one of the embrasures. "Aww, looks like I need to up my «Sneak» skill more."
With her usual dexterity and power, she hauled herself up, performing a quick handstand before neatly landing. "So, I heard there's a sort of love triangle going on in this fort. A rivalry that can shake even the Heavens! Just like my favourite K-dramas!"
Argo plopped herself on one of the chairs. Sinon gave up on her maintenance. "So, how'd you hear that? Did you use your elusive info broker powers to figure that out?"
"That's right. My ears and eyes are everywhere. The birds in the sky, the fish in the river, the mice in the field. They all report back to me."
They were on the western side of the fort, where the forest had yet to be cleared. In the distance, Second Sister lake shone with the light of the full moon. One by one, homes went dark as the families went to bed. Even the tents of the New Settlers were calming down.
With her sharp eyes, Sinon could see into the mess hall where Robert played cards with Tupi. Lisbeth put her tools away, patting her new junior on the back for a job well done. It was quiet but for the crickets and the wind.
"I heard Asuna cursing you and Kirito under her breath in her room while she was sharpening her sword," Argo admitted.
"Figures." She placed her pipe on the table. poured in the tobacco before lighting it with the candle on the table. Sinon took a puff, indulging in the taste before blowing smoke.
"You shouldn't smoke, you know. It's bad for your health."
"I don't smoke. Not in real life. I hate smoking."
Argo raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh?"
"But hey, we're in a video game. It doesn't even give an Attribute debuff. So it's not that big of a deal." Her corporal constantly smoked, even when asked not to. Sinon couldn't bring herself to hate the woman, that was really the only vice she allowed herself. It was a bad ritual but it was a ritual. It would be easier to stop smoking.
"What if you get cancer in real life, the NerveGear transferring all our ills onto our comatose bodies?"
"If you're trying to scare me because I made out with your ex it's not working."
"Nah. We aren't dating ,and I'm not jealous just because he gets it on with another girl. You could say I'm a bit more emotionally mature than Aa-chan."
"Argo, you're breaking the arm rest."
The Rat unclenched her white-knuckled fists, bits of splinter and wood dropping to the floor. "Sorry."
"It's not my chair."
A few more puffs of smoke. The tobacco had a pleasant tinge of apple to it.
"So, any ideas of what I should do?" asked the slayer.
"Use protection. I'm pretty sure we can't get pregnant but you never know."
"With Asuna, dumbass. I like her and I'd really rather not get on her bad side."
The Rat thought for an eternity of three seconds before saying, "Welp, I'm out of ideas. So, how was Kii-bou? Hot piece of ass, am I right?"
"Holy shit, yes. I didn't realise I was so sex-starved until today."
Argo leaned on the small table, excited. "And he's got some really nice buns."
"Buns? Sister, he's got an entire bakery."
Her white teeth flashed in the darkness. "Why do you think I convinced him to wear those leather breeks? All he needs to do now is some squats. He's got a toned bum in real life, back when he did kendo anyway."
An image of a more lithe Kirito came to her, one who was still soft but also hard in the right places. "Yeah, but he hates fighting. Good luck trying to get him to sweat at all."
"Oh sure, yeah. He hates fighting." Argo coughed. "Soooo, he's never fought in all the time you've been with him?"
"He hasn't fought since he started the game, as Asuna tells it. He always hides behind her skirt whenever there's danger afoot. You weren't there when it happened, but a while ago, one of the beavers tried to mug Kirito while he was bathing in the river. Ran into camp with a giant rodent chasing him with a bone knife, screaming his head off, butt naked."
The info broker slammed her fist on the table, nearly tipping it over. "Dammit, I missed it!"
"Not really. I'd have seen it had it not been for those goddamn censor blurs!" Damn ratings boards, all she wanted to see was some dick but noooo. It was on by default in the setting. It wasn't uncommon for guilds to have their members bathe in rivers and lakes and be assaulted by a legion of blurs. "Should have let the thing chase Kirito around some more."
Sinon sighed and puffed her last. She tipped the ashes of her pipe into the candle's saucer; she may smoke but she won't litter.
"Sinon, a question. Answer honestly, eh?"
"Okay."
"Do you like Kirito?"
She made a face. "Yeah sure, he's the best boss I've ever worked with. Not that I had that much work experience."
"No, no, I mean." The Rat scrunched her face again. "Are you romantically interested in him?"
The 'yes' almost escaped her mouth, but Sinon was a disciplined woman.
Did she like Kirito? He was sweet. Flamboyant, annoying, loved the sound of his voice too much, but sweet. A nice guy, who's kind, brave and also selfless. She wouldn't mind a boyfriend like that.
Boyfriend? Too far, Asada. "No, it's entirely physical."
Argo's hazel eyes stared into her blues, searching for any sort of falseness. "Okay! Just making sure!"
Huh, that easy. Too easy.
Argo stood up and stretched. She wore a bison leather vest with an attached hood over a brown tunic; sleeveless of course. When she spread her thick arms upwards, it showed the slightest hint of her stomach, and Sinon felt a pang of envy at them. Kirito would look at her differently if Sinon had that.
Argo yawned to the point of tears. "Anyway, it's late, and this Rat needs her beauty sleep. So - hey, what's that?"
Argo pointed to the edge of the forest. Sinon whipped out her spyglass and peered into the darkness, her superior sight revealing silhouettes: two men in black cloaks, the bigger of the two carrying someone on his shoulder. The moonlight shone on the captive, showing very pronounced curves.
"Ah, shit. They've got Kirito!"
"What? Are ya sure?" She squinted, seeing nothing but shapes despite the full moon; ranged fighters tended to have better PER than melee fighters for obvious reasons.
"I'd recognise that ass anywhere! Quick, wake up the Watch! I'll go after them!"
Sinon didn't wait. She belted on her gear, grabbed her rope and quickly tied it into a lasso. She took a running start and leapt off the wall.
"Sinon!"
In mid-air, she whipped around and threw the lasso backwards. The rope hitched itself onto a merlon and the slayer felt a sudden jerk as the rope became taut. She rappelled down the wall, all fifteen meters, and landed at the base with feline grace.
Now, the smart thing to do was to actually tie the lasso onto the merlon before she launched herself off to a probable death. And the lack of depth perception didn't help. But time was of the essence, what if she'd never see her Kirito again?
Her. Kirito.
Sinon slapped herself in the bandaged eye. Dammit, Asada. A pretty face and you think you're in love.
She sprinted into the night, weapons brandished.
"Now gentlemen, I'm sure we can discuss this over a hot cup of tea. Ever had Vendya chai?"
"Shut him up, minion! He'll give away our position!"
"Now there's no need for - umph! Hmph!"
This was not the way Kirito had decided to spend the night. He'd been working for far too long, buried in paper and ink. He told himself he'd go meet the new recruits; apparently one of the new hires wanted to meet him but he'd just never had the time.
Exhausted, he didn't even pay attention to his surroundings as he went to visit Brother Rays at the library. Something bonked at the back of the head, and when he awoke, he was being tied up and found himself outside the fort.
As the monster, some sort of seven foot tall Frankenstein abomination, gagged him with a dirty rag, all he could do was hope someone heard the ruckus. This wasn't the first time he had been kidnapped.
The smaller man, clearly a wizard with his robes and the symbol of the Lich on his chest, waved his staff at the treeline There, two more of his minions: freshly dead tribals greeted their master. "Quickly, we must be away! Get the cart!"
As the brute lumbered towards the cart, it suddenly sprouted feathers on its back, the sudden impacting making it take a knee.
The necromancer turned to see the one eyed slayer, three more arrows in her shooting hand. "You keep your mangy claws of that booty! It's mine!"
"Huh, so this is how women feel all the time. Eep!" Kirito yelped as he was unceremoniously dropped to the ground.
The mage raised a gnarled staff. "You're outnumbered, five to one!"
Sinon shot a feral grin. "Ah, so it's a fair fight then."
Three minutes later, Kirito sat in a scene of a massacre with a very concerned Sinon untying his restraints. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"
Kirito inspected the slaughter around him: the brute, with three tomahawks buried in its skull; the necromancer, with half a dozen arrows in his face; and the rest of the undead around them splayed in all manner of gruesome poses - the work of a professional.
"Just … my pride." He yawned. "I really need some sleep."
She looked at him incredulously. "You were almost kidnapped and all you can think of is sleep?"
"Oh, dear Sinon. Why would I be worried when I've got you to take care of me?" And just as that, Kirito fell backwards into slumber.
Not a moment too soon, Asuna arrived on horseback, brandishing sword and axe like a vengeful god of war. "Where are the bastards? Let me at em'!"
Her gaze laid on the snoring form of Kirito and the mess around the slayer. "Ah. I see you've got it under control."
Her blue eyes bore into hers and she said with a voice as straight as her arrows. "Asuna, Kirito's been poisoned. Only the kiss of true love will revive him from his stupor."
It was amusing, and yes, very mean. But seeing the torrent of emotions - from disbelief, to hopeful, to panicked, to flushed and restarting the process in a matter of a minute, was something Sinon would commit to memory.
Asuna was mere moments from planting her lips on his because Sinon finally said, "Hold on, I'm just kidding. There's no poison, he's just sleeping."
His head was in her lap when she shot her a look that could explode the sun. Fortunately for Sinon, she was impervious to explosive damage. "Sinon-san, that was inconsiderate of you."
She shrugged. "But the look on your face though."
Asuna let out a long sigh. "As we are co-workers and partners within this corporation, I will endeavour to forgive you for this very improper joke."
Sinon leaned forward. "I know you like him, Asuna. You don't have to hide it."
She expected the fencer to deny it but, "Yes, actually. I do."
"Wow, would you look at that."
Her finger was on Sinon like the tip of her sword. "But don't mention it to him, okay!" She was whispering it now. "I'll decide when to do that! You and Argo, you just like him for lustful reasons. I have feelings for him."
Well, if that's what helps her sleep at night. "Does that mean you're not angry with me anymore?"
"I mean, well … kind of. But … Kirito can do what he wants." She was looking away, very different from the god of war from before. "But I respect his decisions. If he wants to … dally with you, it just means I'll work harder for his affections."
There was something almost … charming, that Asuna, one of the strongest players she knew, was so hopefully naive when it came to this sort of thing. Sheltered, if Sinon had to guess. "If it helps, I think he likes you too."
"You really think so?"
God, she was blind. "He always talks about how great you are. How you're hardworking and brave around others. He wouldn't say those things if he didn't mean that."
"Well I guess you're right." She drummed her fingers on his chest. "We're still friends, right?"
"Of course."
Asuna's back straightened, as if a weight was lifted off her shoulders. This romance thing was exhausting at times. "I'm glad to hear that."
As Sinon heard horses from a distance, she decided one last prank was in order.
"Actually, I do know a way you can wrestle Kirito's heart. But we'll need Argo's help for this."
Instantly, she received a look of suspicion. "Really, all we need to do is …" Then Sinon leaned into Asuna and whispered into her ear.
Her face wasn't just red. It went supernova. The sheer heat that went into her features could power an entire nation's worth of homes.
"S-Sinon! We can't just -"
"Oh yes, we can. Come on, it'll solve all our problems. We just need to coordinate it and ambush him when he least expects it."
The swordswoman was panting, hands on her cheeks. "G-g-golden Fours-"
Argo was first to arrive, somehow the Rat had outpaced even the horses. "Hey, you two! Did I miss a party?"
"NO!" shrieked an embarrassed Asuna. Sinon laughed. Argo cocked her head, confused.
Kirito snored peacefully.
I admit, I had quite the trouble writing this chapter. Despite being a thousand words shorter than the previous, it's not as neat I feel. Sinon being mostly a loner, and nowhere near the caliber like Asuna in terms of leader, makes that the case. That, and she's by far the most aggressive of the trio.
Fun fact: Sinon being a soldier was originally a plot point for Sinonon until I decided to have her go the police route. The great thing about having multiple Sinons is I can recycle old ideas elsewhere!
Also, check out my buddy Schoolsenpai's StarNought Online. Imagine Destiny, Star Wars, Guardians of the Galaxy, and a wee bit of Traveller, with the SAO cast. It's a very ambitious take on a New Game sorta fic, and honestly, stuff like that should be celebrated more.
Back to Sinonon! See you soon!
