"«The Prince of Swords»... Oh wow!"
The girls all gathered over Lisbeth's shoulder to see what she was referring to. In her hands was the most popular newspaper in Aincrad; The World. On the cover of the paper was a rather close up photo of Kirito in his two-sword stance. His seemingly relaxed posture, and the expression of calm anticipation on his face, made him a picture of regality.
Adding to his already incredible reputation, the news article served to bring even more attention to Kirito as there was now a picture to associate the famed «Prince» with. The article seemed to be extremely detailed, going over most of the background information before covering the fight itself. It seemed that whoever wrote the article was from the front lines, as the information being spread was not something the public would know about.
"Seems like Kirito-kun is going to have some more fans..." Lisbeth sighed as she realized just how much attention the duel had brought them. Not just on Kirito and Asuna, as there was even a detailed article on the Royal Swords.
"Asuna-chan too." Silica pointed to a secondary article showcasing the popular vice-leader.
"Asuna «The Flash»..."
The aforementioned girl blushed brightly at the rather embarrassing moniker. "Oh no..."
Looking over the article that described her fight, she was dismayed to see that the writer seemed to be singing her praises. She wouldn't have minded, if not for the obvious hatred the writer seemed to have for her opponent.
The girl sighed and joined Lisbeth on the couch. "I have a feeling that the DDA aren't going to like this."
"Yea... Oh well, I don't think they liked us very much in the first place."
Silica hummed in agreement, joining the other two on the couch, her ever-present dragon curled contently in her arms.
"But did you have to destroy his sword?" Silica asked in amusement as Asuna reached out with a hesitant hand to pet Pina.
Asuna pouted as Pina opened its eyes and curled away from her touch. "I- I just want to touch you..."
"Well, it was the only way to win in that situation." Lisbeth chimed in. "I heard he had just upgraded his entire equipment set for that fight too."
"Really?" Silica blinked in surprise. "Isn't that really expensive?"
For the front-liners who tended to overlevel the current floor, it was understandable that most of the equipment discovered would be subpar compared to their level. The only way around this was to equip 'rare' armour that had bonus stats in order to make up for the difference in equipment levels. It was quite expensive, and not many besides the top guilds could afford it, and even then, only for a select few.
"Hmm, I heard they took quite a chunk out of their treasury." She recalled Argo dancing in glee as they had used her network to find the equipment upgrades. The service fee she had gotten in return was just salt on the wound to the defeated DDA members. "Something like an 'all-in' strategy."
"Hmph, even with all that, he wouldn't have been a match for Kirito-kun." Asuna added confidently, causing the girls to smile.
"Kirito-kun really is scary isn't he?"
The girls all nodded in unison.
"If he wasn't so lazy when off the battlefield..." Lisbeth muttered.
Any further gossiping was halted as a giggling figure suddenly burst into the room. Argo seemed to skip across the room in happiness, stopping in front of Silica.
"Eep!"
The smaller girl let out a squeak as she was picked up and swung around in a celebratory twirl, her dragon flying away in panic. Argo sat back down, taking over the previously occupied seat, and putting Silica onto her lap. The twin-tailed girl struggled feebly but could not escape as the older girl snuggled against her. Pina the pet dragon watched the proceedings with a confused expression.
"A-argo-chan, what are you doing!?" Silica protested as she was smothered by the sudden affection. "Ahn~ s-stop!"
Lisbeth and Asuna merely shared a look of amusement, each debating whether or not to lend a hand. It was best to leave Argo to her targets... lest you wanted to be dragged in.
"What are you so happy about Argo-chan?" Lisbeth had to ask.
Argo stopped harassing Silica to beam at the other two girls. "This!" Deftly manipulating her in-game menu, she materialized a [Recording Crystal] in her left hand. All of the girls stared at it with curiosity.
"What's on it?"
Before Argo could answer, the sound of rapid footsteps echoed from outside of the living room.
"ARGO!"
The angry shout attracted the attention of everyone in the room, and they turned to stare at the entrance. A certain messy haired player immediately burst into the room, skidding to a halt as he spied Argo sitting on the couch. His eyes immediately widened as he saw the crystal in her hands, while Argo let out a quiet 'uh-oh' as she was caught red handed.
"Hey!" Kirito lunged at the startled girl, causing her to jump away in panic, dragging the helpless Silica with her. "Stop- Moving!"
"H-hold on Ki-bou!" Argo ducked under each grab, using the smaller girl as a makeshift shield.
"Ah!" Poor Silica could do nothing.
"No! Gimme the crystal, now!" He lunged once more, causing Argo to let out a cry of alarm.
In reflex she pushed Silica forward.
"Iiiyaa~"
"Oof!"
The two fell backwards onto the wooden floor, with the twin-tailed girl lying on his chest with dizzy eyes.
"Ah, Silica-Chan! Kirito-Kun!"
Multiple voices of alarm shouted in concern.
Kirito just groaned while he sat up, rubbing his head lightly before he was reminded of the figure of Argo standing before him with a sorry expression.
"Argo!"
He leapt to his feet, taking care not to hurt Silica, and lunged once more.
"EEP!" The startled mouse squeaked, and immediately went for the safest position in the room.
"Eh?!" Asuna was bewildered as Argo hid safely behind her, peering slightly over Asuna's shoulder.
Kirito could only growl as he had to stop before he collided with Asuna.
"W-wait Ki-bou. Can't we talk about this?" Her regretful tone tinged with amusement did little to calm the male before them.
"No! Just hand it over!"
The other girls did not know what he was referring to but Argo seemed to smirk as she held up her left hand. Unclenching it, she revealed it to be the [Recording Crystal] from before.
"You mean this?" She waved the crystal around in the air. "I'm not sure If I want to do that~"
Her teasing tone caused Kirito to shake.
"K-kirito-Kun?" Asuna did not like where the situation was going.
"Guys?..."
Lisbeth's concern was unnoticed as Kirito finally made his move, leaping through the air in a tackle.
"EEP!~"
"AHH!"
The black-clad figure took down both of the girls in a rather impressive tackle. Falling through the air and collapsing in a heap of bodies. Recovering rather slowly, he quickly scanned his surroundings looking for the cursed crystal. The girls on either side of him were too shocked to say anything, but no doubt they would be in a fury soon enough.
"What's in this anyway?" Lisbeth idly picked up the crystal by her feet.
"WAIT!"
Ignoring Kirito's desperate plea, she activated the crystal.
"..."
Sighing resignedly, Kirito palmed his face with both hands.
The girls did not notice, as four sets of eyes focused on the image of a shirtless boy just getting out of the showers, if his wet body was any indication.
Pina looked around curiously as the humans seemingly stood still. "Kyuun?~"
"...I don't like this."
The boy's statement was ignored as the four girls around him continued walking. They made for a rather curious sight, a group of five cloaked figures moving in unison. Each of them wore a matching cloak of white, trimmed with gold, and the crowd had to wonder if they were in a guild. If only they knew who they truly were under the anonymity of their hoods.
"Really don't like this." He muttered.
"I thought we all agreed." Replied a female voice from his left, the tone rather melodic.
"Mmmhm, no going back now Kirito-kun."
"Stop whining Ki-bou."
He pouted as they teamed up against him, it truly wasn't fair that they were usually in sync with one another.
"Still..." He gave up as he was poked with a rather pointy elbow.
This plan of theirs... it simply wasn't something that he could agree with.
From the very first floor, up to now, they had been together. The girls refusing to let him do things solo, and vice-versa. They did not split up, it simply wasn't a possibility with them. There was no one else in this world that they trusted more.
With the unsettling mass PKing however...
Argo had come up with a rather basic plan. In order to lure the PKers out into the open, they would have to provide bait. The news that the clearers were offering to tag along with parties was something that had travelled fast, and many groups had taken advantage of it. With such a fact widely known, it was highly unlikely that the PKers would show themselves.
That was why they wanted to lure them out.
Any clearer that was seen accompanying a group would likely mark that group as 'untargetable' to the orange players. But if a group of seemingly low levels ventured out in a clear public setting, then it would be the perfect bait. Argo had long suspected that the PKers were using proxies; informants that marked their targets for them. A rather despicable act, but it was quite possible as the mass murders were the results of ambushes.
In «SAO», you could not enter any city while being marked as 'orange', as it would cause the impossibly strong guards to attack you. To still be able to gather information, they needed at least one 'clean' player inside of the city. It would also have to be someone unremarkable in order to blend in.
Kirito did not like this plan for several reasons. The most prominent reason being that they were going to be separated. With the trio of Lisbeth, Silica, and Asuna patrolling the popular hunting grounds for mid-levelers. Which left Kirito and Argo as the duo that would go undercover. He did not know how they were going to blend in given their rather astonishing popularity, but Argo had simply smirked and told him not to worry.
He was understandably worried.
That led him to the unsettling feeling he had ever since they had arrived on the 10th floor of Aincrad. The elven city of Ilsevele was a rather majestic place, being constructed with pristine white stone as the primary building block. Separated into multiple levels, the spiralling city of the elves had been a favourite of the players for a long time. It was here that the majority of the merchants had gathered, and even settled down.
This was where the majority of transactions were carried out, as the city on the top floor was usually reserved for the highest level of items. They had been here multiple times before, as the girls had fallen in love with the beautiful gardens, and the way the city had been built with nature in mind. Several large trees and plants could be seen with every step, and the sparking greenery seemed alive and in-tune with the city.
They were traversing the smooth, spotless steps up to the final level of the city, a place that was distinguished by the incredibly beautiful statue of an elven queen. Immediately, one could tell the difference in atmosphere when stepping onto the final echelon, as the buildings and general layout were much more elegant in comparison. Fully uniformed elven guards patrolled the area with stiff precision, and a myriad of players could be seen gathered around the Queen's Statue.
This was the most 'beautiful' place in Aincrad... or so that's what the players that gathered here liked to think.
The «Queen's Court» was an area that held the highest concentration of dressmakers, tailors, and designers. A rather popular area among the female players.
That wasn't why Kirito had a fear of this place, as he had been here multiple times with the girls, and the people were friendly enough. No, it was the fact that a rather notorious figure resided in this place...
The members of the Swords traversed a familiar route and stopped in front of a player-owned store.
«Ashley's Masterpieces»
A quaint looking wooden shop that was situated near the end of the city, right beside the stream of water that flowed in a controlled fashion down the city. The source of the stream could be seen from here, a large waterfall which powered a water-mill on its way down. All in all, the store and its surrounding area gave off a feeling of tranquillity.
Kirito gulped as Asuna knocked on the door.
There was the sound of moving feet, before the door was opened slowly. A mop of messy brown hair appeared, followed by glasses that framed widening eyes.
"Asuna-chan!" The girl quickly enveloped the other in a hug. She shortly noticed the other girls.
"Oh my, it's the Royal Swords!" Her cry brought several more figures to the door, and before Kirito knew it, there seemed to be a girly reunion.
Several hugs and happy shouts later, they were ushered in by the other girls and soon he found himself in the lobby of the place.
Glancing around warily, noting that the girls had all but forgotten his presence, he found that the place was impeccable as always.
The store seemed to be larger than it looked from the outside, and the lobby was rather sparse except for the few furniture placed near the back. Lining the walls were several mannequins showing off some fashionable designs that he knew would never work while in combat. He had to admire the craftsmanship of the clothing however, as he could tell they were incredibly detailed even with his non-existent fashion sense.
"Ara ara~ What do we have here..."
The soft sensual voice came directly behind him, and as Kirito very slowly turned around, he wondered how he had missed her presence.
He shivered as he took in the player, or rather, woman in front of him. Her voluptuous figure immediately stood out, framed by a sinfully black dress made out of glittery material. Meeting her smiling face, he gulped as he saw the familiar smooth red hair and ruby earrings of Aincrad's most talented designer.
"Well, if it isn't Kirito-kun!"
"Ashley-san... URK-"
Kirito was quickly embraced, arms waving in the air as his face was crushed against the dressmaker's sizable assets.
The older woman sighed as she hugged the boy tightly against her. "What have I said about being a stranger Kirito-Kun?"
"Mmmhpphm!"
"That's right dear." She smoothed his hair back affectionately before breaking off the hug. Kirito gasped as his lungs had precious air filling them once more. He did not know if it was possible to suffocate in SAO but he was in no hurry to find out.
"Now let's see..." She held him at arm's length, examining him with a critical eye that made the boy in front of her shiver. "As cute as ever." She hummed happily, smoothing out the crinkles in his current uniform. "Have you been eating well?"
He blushed lightly as the woman began patting down his body, effectively feeling him up. "A-ah, um, Yes Madam."
It was really hard to read the woman in front of him as she was overly affectionate in one moment, and the next she was busy mothering him. He did not protest her actions however, as he knew that she had his best interests at heart. She was probably the only other person in Aincrad that could still make him feel like a child. The other being Sasha.
"Good, I would hate to have to strap you down."
Kirito laughed nervously, as he knew she wasn't kidding. The last time they had met, she found out that he often skipped breakfast, and the next thing he knew he was being force fed by the overbearing woman. Of course, none of the girls raised a hand to help him, partially because they agreed with her, and mostly because she was incredibly scary.
The girls had finally noticed the presence of Ashley, and made their way over. The matron immediately spied a particular figure making her way slowly over, and she let go of Kirito. He let out a sigh of relief as the overbearing woman found a new target.
Silica didn't even have a chance to react before she was scooped up into a crushing hug, and was immediately subjected to some mothering.
"Fufu~ she hasn't changed at all." The group watched on in amusement as Silica took the mothering with a slight blush, taking it without complaint. "Sili-chan seems to like it."
The smaller girl was smiling as she answered Ashley's questions.
"You girls are next you know?"
The three girls shifted nervously at the statement, knowing there would be no escape.
Kirito smiled as he looked on fondly, but couldn't help but wonder. "Why are we here again?"
His question was directed to the girls, but it was Argo who smirked and answered. "To give you a make-over of course."
"...Right." His heart sank, as he was reminded of the promise he had made this morning. One irrefutable favour, in return for the destruction of that dreaded [Recording Crystal]. He sullenly resigned himself, surely it couldn't be that bad?
It was worse than bad. It was perhaps the worst thing to have happened to him in the 14 years he had been on this planet. The things... that had been done to him, Kirito did not know if he could go on.
"T-this..." His voice was in disbelief, as he stared into a mirror.
Ashley hummed as she examined him from all angles, a finger pressed to her chin in concentration. She reached a hand out to smooth an errant lock of hair before sighing in satisfaction.
"Perfect."
In SAO, the art of «Tailoring» and «Sewing» could be used to create user-made designs from scratch. To the skilled users of the craft, the designs were only limited by their imagination. And in the hands of Ashley, she could turn virtually anything that she pictured into reality. There were countless accessories, including wigs and dyes that could be used on hair. Make-up; a branch of the dye-making talent, could be synthesized much like the «Cooking Skill». All of these served as tools for Ashley to bring her creations to life.
Considered the best designer in Aincrad, Ashley was famous for her incredibly beautiful creations, and equally notorious for her very selective choice in clientele. She was someone that did not work just for Col or any other common exchange. She only chose to create something if the subject was interesting.
One such project was the uniform of the «Royal Swords», a task that she was quite interested in after having been approached by Argo. Upon receiving the request, her curiosity got the better of her, and she had requested a meeting with the entire guild. It was there that she had encountered what was likely the most interesting subject she had ever seen. An effeminate boy that she felt would be an excellent model for her, but that was not all. The way he held himself, was something that she had never seen before. An aura of confidence that was not faked in any way... and she had felt inspired.
Royalty. The theme of her creation, and she had spent weeks perfecting the design that would end up as the «Sword's» main uniform. Spending extra time on Kirito's uniform, she felt that she had captured the motif well enough. The material they had chosen was a rare leather from the «Berserk Wolf» mobs, and had taken considerable effort to gather. But the results had been worth it, and the black and white uniforms, trimmed with gold were seen as the staple of the «Swords».
She would have preferred to spend more time on the leader himself, as she found him to be a very interesting individual, and quite cute. He was simply too easy to tease, and she found comfort in his appeasing nature. He reminded her of her little brother.
"Well, what do you think?" It was no wonder then, that she had gladly taken the job of disguising her favourite subject, especially when she had heard Argo's idea.
It seemed her client was still speechless, mouth opening and closing in a state of shock. She giggled in amusement, walking around the boy to examine her work.
A rather brilliant job if she could say so herself. The 'boy' in front of her was no longer recognizable as the famed leader of the Swords. Instead, what sat in the chair before her was a rather pretty girl with long raven-haired tresses that fell down her back. Eyes widened in shock, and with the slightest hint of make-up, the girl would undoubtedly have been a first-class beauty to the rest of the population.
The true potential of Aincrad's skill system was nothing short of amazing.
Kirito did not think so. "I-is that me?"
Surely the girl in the mirror could not be the 'disguise' Argo had been talking about... yet the figure mimicked his actions perfectly, and with a sinking feeling in his gut, Kirito knew that he had been tricked. The 'irrefutable favour' that she had gotten from him this morning... there was no way out.
He hung his head dejectedly, he was trapped.
"Ara ara~ aren't you just adorable?" Ashley patted the sulking boy on the head. His pouting face was quite cute. "Now why don't we show everyone my masterpiece hmm?"
"Wait! No!"
His cry went unanswered as she unlocked the door to her workshop, and was unsurprised as several girls tumbled inside. They seemed to have been waiting against the door, if their sheepish expressions were any indication.
Then they all saw Kirito.
"Oh my..." Shocked expressions overcame them all, and Kirito shifted nervously. He did not like the starry-eyed looks.
"SO CUTE!~" A chorus of squeals and shouts echoed through the chamber, and before he knew it, he was mobbed.
His face remained sullen as he was poked and prodded, all of the girls in awe of the brand new person in front of them.
"Fufu~ I knew you were effeminate Kiri-bou, but this?" Argo smirked, stepping back as Kirito growled in answer.
"Uwahh~ Kirito-kun, you look so pretty!" Silica had a look of awe in her eyes, regarding the brother-figure turned the opposite gender.
Her words weren't unfounded as his rather regal looks were still obvious despite the make-up, and they could tell that 'he' would be a figure of grace.
Lisbeth and Asuna both had to fight the urge to tightly hug the 'girl' in front of them, as the pretty looks combined with the sulking face was simply too adorable.
"I won't forget this Argo." Kirito glared lightly at Argo, a light blush on his face. The situation was insanely embarrassing, and it took everything in his power not to run away
Argo simply laughed nervously, knowing that he was serious. Kirito rarely retaliated when she targeted him, but the few times he had...
"Alright ladies, enough fussing over Kiriko-chan." Ashley began to push the players out of the door. "Not you Argo-chan, It's your turn." She grabbed the suddenly shy mousy girl, and closed the door on the others.
"Don't call me that!" Kirito called out in vain as the door closed.
Something really didn't feel right to Kirito. It wasn't the fact that he was now a girl in physical appearances. No, he had to get over that fact fairly quick the moment the group had stepped out of the workshop. Judging by the amount of staring he had gotten, and resenting the fact that he wasn't allowed to use his cloak. He was supposed to be a low-levelled player that shouldn't have anything to hide after all.
Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Argo wasn't herself. A rather interesting way to say it would be that Argo had 'changed'.
The group all sneaked peeks at the brown-haired girl who skipped merrily in front of them. Dressed in similar low-level gear with Kirito, and face free of the usual whiskers, Argo was a brand new person. It wasn't just her appearance that had changed, as her rather mischievous personality had seemingly disappeared. The girl was now full of smiles and laughter, with no sign of her previous antics in sight.
It didn't seem right.
The girls, and Kirito, had always known that she was cute in her own right, but having her brown hair brushed smoothly back, and without the familiar whiskers, Argo could be considered one of the rare beauties of Aincrad.
He was jostled from his ponderings however, as the group reached the teleport gates. They would be splitting up from here.
"Be careful you two." Lisbeth regarded them worriedly, hands pressed to her side. "Don't be afraid to go all out if you have to."
They would be going undercover as low-levelled players after all, therefore their current equipment set was quite poor.
"Of course." He nodded, and turned to the rest of the girls.
"Be careful too... message us if anything happens." The girls all nodded in return. They had agreed to gather up if they ever encountered the PKers. There likely wouldn't be any trouble given their reputation, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
"Keep us updated Kirito-kun, Argo-chan."
"Of course." He answered, and Argo merely smiled. They both turned to the gates and shouted their destination.
"Anelia!"
The world rearranged itself in a flash of light, and the two found themselves in a brand new city. Immediately, he felt the change in environment, going from the lush forest scape of the elven city to a very quiet settlement.
«Anelia» was on the 14th floor of Aincrad, and a favourite among the mid-tiered players. This was definitely not due to the scenery, as even the main city was the same shade of brown as the rest of the floor. Uneven terrain, marked with swamps and bog lands, the floor had been an annoyance to clear. It was when they explored the floor however, that they discovered something astonishing about this particular floor.
The Dungeon Floor.
The unofficial name for the floor, and as the name would suggest, the entire floor was filled with dungeons. It seemed that almost every entrance, be it to a cave or an underground burrow, was a dungeon. Finding the boss dungeon was a rather insane chore, and took the front lines an extra week to find.
A positive to the seemingly endless amount of dungeons was that the floor had zero competition for training grounds. It would make no sense to fight over a dungeon spot when another one could be found just a minute or less away. Kirito remembered a funny scene of Klein being lifted up in the air by a giant earthworm in one of the larger dungeons.
Combined with the relative simplicity of the dungeon, having zero traps and only one mini-boss at the end, it was understandable why it was a favourite place to level.
"Are we early?" He asked the happy girl humming beside him, he was still a bit unnerved at the change of personality.
The brown haired girl looked up at him with a smile. "Nope~" She took the opportunity to hold his hands, and Kirito suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. "We're about 10 minutes away."
There was a sudden increase in stares, and Kirito looked down at their entwined hands. He knew what it must seem like to the spectators. Two rather pretty girls walking hand in hand.
He sighed as he saw several guys stare at them with large blushes. Of course Argo paid them no attention, busy humming and responding to some PM's.
"Alright." Kirito gave in first. "What's gotten into you Argo?"
"Ooh?" She tilted her head cutely to the side. "Dunno what you mean Kiriko-chan."
Shaking his head at the name, 'he' responded. "It's like you got a personality change along with the make-over."
"Really?" She batted long eyelashes at him. "How do you know this is not what I'm really like?"
She giggled at his look of disbelief, smoothing a stray lock of hair behind her ears. Kirito gaped at the sudden girly action. He couldn't believe it, but Argo seemed like a rather normal teenage girl at the moment.
"Hehe, I'm just really happy you know?" She gave his hands a squeeze. "It's not everyday that I get to go an adventure with Ki-bou."
"Hah... I guess." He didn't know why she seemed so carefree despite the nature of the 'adventure'.
They walked in companionable silence for awhile, their destination being near one of the city gates. Argo had stopped responding to PM's, simply content to skip lightly, the picture of innocence.
"By the way Ki-bou..." She stepped in front of him, giving a graceful twirl. "How do I look?"
Smooth brown haired locks, framing vibrant brown eyes and luscious ruby lips. Equipped with a standard chest-plate armour, and a flowing green skirt that showed off her shapely legs. Kirito regarded the girl in front of him with an appreciative eye.
"Cute." His immediate reply caused the girl to blush. He raised an eyebrow, as he had never seen Argo blush so innocently before.
"S-so bold... as expected of you Ki-bou."
She returned to his side, seemingly happier than ever, choosing to take his elbow this time. "Then, which is cuter? The Argo right now, or the usual Argo?"
He took a second to think on his answer. "The Argo that is happiest."
"..."
The girl seemed to freeze in his arms, and he looked down to see that her face was now a full shade of crimson. Idly scratching his cheek, he wondered if he had answered wrong.
"Really Kirito... do you even think before you say these things?"
Kirito looked at her in confusion, causing her to sigh. Snuggling deeper into his side, she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. The smile of elation however, would not leave her face.
At the northern exit of «Anelia», a gathering of players could be seen loitering around the gates. A mismatched band of players at first glance, their discomfort was obvious. This was just a public group after all.
They had all gathered here, responding to a general summons, and as expected, the atmosphere was quite awkward. Public groups were rather hard to form nowadays, as the majority of the players had settled down with a group or a guild. There was still the odd request that showed up through the advertisement section of the newspapers however, and it wasn't that odd to see requests for a player or two to fill up an empty party.
A full public group on the other hand...
Besides the obvious nervous atmosphere and inevitable distrust, SAO was now a game where teamwork could be considered the priority. Therefore, to request a full group formation for dungeon clearing was certainly out of the ordinary.
As Kirito and Argo entered the area, they immediately attracted the attention of the players, all of them surprised. One pretty female player was hard enough to find, but two? It certainly was an oddity.
Kirito scanned the group with his eyes, nothing nothing out of the ordinary, but he did see there was at least three other female players. Absently letting Argo lead the way, he quickly tallied the numbers in his head.
11 players, plus the two of them, was a surprisingly large number. He could already tell that some of the players had arrived together, judging by guild icons and the way they had spread themselves.
Stopping somewhat near the other players, they waited for the 'leader' of the summons to step up.
He didn't have to wait for long as a red haired player stepped out from the crowd and turned to face them. There wasn't anything remarkable about the player that stood out, as he was dressed in leather armour that was fairly common, and wrapped with a green mantle. He coughed lightly to gather everyone's attention.
"Greetings everyone, my name is Hitsu, and I want to thank you all for answering the summons." His smile was friendly enough, and most of the crowd smiled in return. "I know the bad rep that public groups get, but I just want to start off by saying that your safety is the most important thing to me."
The player opened up his menu, seemingly manipulating his inventory. To the surprise of the crowd, several [Teleport Crystals] materialized in his hands. "First, teleport crystals, everyone who doesn't have one please come up and get one from me, and those that do, please have them ready on your person."
A small number of the players walked up and took one with a thankful expression. The crystals were rather expensive after all, and players often overlooked them in exchange for a new equipment upgrade.
Kirito frowned as he regarded the four crystals that were handed out, those must have cost a fortune for a mid-tiered player. Argo seemed to share the same thought as she narrowed her eyes at the player.
"Him?"
Argo shook her head. "He's clear, Lily checked him out this morning, there's only two others in this group that stand out."
Finding this particular gathering was credited to the twins, who had scoured the request sites in order to find one that seemed rather dangerous. A public group that was led by an unknown would be quite suspicious, but Hitsu was a player that was noted for being an information broker. It would explain why he had enough money for the crystals, leaving the question of why he wanted a clearing group up in the air.
"Alright, now that everyone has a crystal, let's get into groups." He walked into the crowd and started grouping people. Since many of the players had at least one other player that they knew, it wasn't hard for the groups to be formed. Within a few moments two parties had been formed, with the only people left out being Kirito and Argo.
The leader looked at them with an apologetic smile. "Ah, it seems we have a small problem..."
With 13 total players, there would be 1 odd person out, since each party could only fit 6 players. It wouldn't be that big of an issue, since in a Raid group, players received the same bonuses and experience as they would in a party. In SAO however, most people wanted to have the safety of working with other players. And if they could not see the HP bar, it would be hard to know when to assist.
"Shall we split into three groups?" He asked sheepishly. It was a fair suggestion, and most people would have accepted.
"Um, if it's fine with everyone, we will be fine in a group of two." Hitsu blinked his eyes in surprise, as did the rest of the crowd. Kirito hoped his voice didn't come off too 'boyish' as he tried to keep it soft and toneless.
"Are you sure?" He briefly examined the two girls in front of him, and concluded that they couldn't be any higher levelled than the rest.
"Yes, we're in a guild together so..." Kirito deeply hoped he bought the answer, as one of the main reasons why he wanted a group to themselves was to keep their real names secret. Although not many would know Kirito as the Prince, he was sure that everyone knew who Argo was.
"Hmm, alright if you're sure. Don't be afraid to ask for help okay?" He gave them a charming smile.
Argo simply smiled at her place by his side. "It's okay, this is already the safest place in Aincrad."
Kirito fought the urge to facepalm, and thankfully Hitsu only gave them a confused expression before dismissing it and turning back to the rest of the group.
"Alright, since everyone is ready, let's begin. Our destination will be the «Hollowed Tree» dungeon, near the end of the map." His announcement brought some nervousness from the group, as many of them recognized the location. It was considered to be the hardest dungeon type on the floor and was definitely not recommended for casual players.
"I know that some of you might have heard the rumours, of how it almost wiped out the last group that tried it. I just want to let you know that it's quite unfounded, as that group was confirmed to be a very small group of scouts." He was referring to the very agile and fast type of players that likely went ahead to map out the floor. Selling that mapping information was a pretty good source of income after all, especially if it was a dungeon map. "Besides, we have 13 players here, and a good amount of us are STR based."
The group looked around at each other, noting the many players that had a full set of plate armour. The only ones being without the heavy armour seemed to be the leader, Kirito, Argo, and the three other girls.
"As long as we have our [Teleport Crystals] ready, we shouldn't run into any problems. That said, the main reason why we are going there is because of the rumour of a secret herb located at the end of the dungeon." He smiled as some of the players looked intrigued. "Of course, if we find it, I'm willing to split the profits with all of you."
Kirito looked down at Argo, receiving a small nod in return. That particular rumour was spread a week ago, and the origin seemed to have come from an NPC. The specifics were blurry, but apparently the herb could be used to permanently raise a player's stat. If it proved to be true, than the profit would be extremely high.
Seeing the excited mutterings from the group, Hitsu smiled and beckoned them. "Alright, now come on, we should be able to clear out that dungeon before night time."
He led the way out of the city, with the rest of the group trailing him in two lines. It seemed that he was a fairly good leader, as everyone seemed to be chatting with one another, a huge contrast from the previously nervous atmosphere.
Argo silently sent him a PM.
«Argo: Rosalia, red haired girl to the right, Kuroda, black haired guy with the spear.»
Scanning his eyes discreetly over the walking players, he spotted the two immediately. The girl was rather easy to spot as she had a trio of guys talking animatedly with her, seemingly enraptured by her presence. Her bright red hair and form-fitting armour showed off her voluptuous figure. She was a player that was constantly responding to public groups, and was somewhat popular among the mid-levelled players. The only reason she was marked as suspicious by the twins was that she was in a guild, yet she has never been seen with any of the guild members.
Kuroda, the one with black hair was equally as easy to find since he had his spear strapped across his back. He was a rather intimidating figure that towered over the others, and had a dark red spear draped across his back. A solo player that was also seen among public groups quite often, the spear user rarely talked and despite many offers from others, he chose to remain alone. The only reason he participated in these parties was because of the sheer efficiency of the floor. He was marked down as suspicious simply because he stood out immensely.
These were the two players that were on the short list of suspicious players the twins had gathered overnight. Nothing was concrete, but any suspicious or odd rumour was taken into consideration and compiled. To see two of the players joining the same party was quite suspicious, as this group was clearly a perfect target for the mass murderers.
Kirito was snapped out of his thinking as two of the girls broke off from the line and fell in step with Argo and him.
"Hello!" A cheery voice greeted him, and he tried not to panic as the new girls inspected him up and down.
"Uwah~ You're both so pretty, why haven't I seen you before?"
Looking like a trapped deer, Kirito desperately thought of something to say.
"Hehe, thank you! We're both new to the area actually." Argo giggled and smiled back at the girls.
"You mean you've never been on the dungeon floor?" The girl with long black hair asked in shock. "But it's been cleared for so long!"
Seeing Kirito's blank stare, the shorter blue-haired girl suddenly blinked.
"Ah! Where are our manners!" The shorter girl suddenly bowed apologetically. "My name is Miharu, and this is Kumi."
The black haired girl also bowed apologetically, and Kirito raised his hands in protest.
"Oh its fine." Argo laughed them off. "I'm sure we make an odd sight, just the two of us. Well, my name is Tama, and this is Kiriko-chan."
"Tama?" He wondered why she had suddenly chosen that name, but put that to the back of his head as he gave them a small smile.
All of a sudden the mood shifted, and before he knew it, the three girls were laughing and interacting as if they were lifelong friends.
"Scary..."
"Anyways, we decided to finally give this floor a try after all of the exciting rumours."
"Ah, I see. Are you two in the same guild?" Miharu asked curiously. "Maybe I've heard of you guys before."
Argo laughed nervously, as revealing their guild name would be a definite 'game-over' for their disguises. "Ah, it's just a small guild for now, we're mostly on the 10th floor. Kiriko-chan and I are stronger than most of them so we decided to test out the dungeons first."
"Oooh~ That's so cool! I don't think I've ever heard of any girls leading a guild."
"Well..." Argo shifted her eyes mischievously. "Our guild leader is a guy."
Miharu and Kumi blinked, suddenly getting a glint in their eyes. "Wow, to have two pretty girls following him, he must be special."
"Is he cute?"
Kirito almost spluttered at the question from the blue haired girl.
"Very cute! I'd say he's the cutest in Aincrad." A shameless response.
"Really?! Wow, you must introduce us sometime, all of the-" Miharu suddenly looked at a coughing Kirito with worry. "Are you okay Kiriko-chan?"
"Y-yea..."
He glared lightly at Argo when the girls turned their attention back to the mousy girl. He received a smirk in response.
"How does he compare to The Prince?" Yumi asked shamelessly, feeling comfortable in the presence of the other girls. "I mean, have you seen the newspaper today?"
The two girls shared a squeal as they were reminded of the picture. "So cute!"
"Fufufu~ I'd say they are pretty even, I know what you girls mean though." Argo was now trying desperately not to collapse in laughter as she took in the blushing figure of Kirito. "Quite dreamy isn't he?"
"Right? Hah... I wish I was in his guild..." Miharu sighed longingly. "I heard all of the girls in his guild are part of his harem."
Kirito was suddenly overcome with a series of racking coughs.
"Kiriko-chan!" The girls were rather alarmed as the pretty girl desperately coughed for air, face turning a bright red.
They surrounded him worriedly, patting his back in a comforting manner.
"Are you sure you're okay Kiriko-chan? It's fine if you turn back you know."
"I-I'm fine..." He took in a gulp of fresh air. "Thank you..."
He was somewhat glad that it was Argo that was beside him at the moment, since he knew the other girls in his guild would be hard-pressed to keep up the disguise. Argo on the other hand, was content to carry on the rather embarrassing conversation.
"I know what you mean Miharu-chan, but I like my guild leader just fine." She smiled directly at him, causing him to look away with a light blush.
"Oh wow, that sounds quite serious." The girls regarded Argo with an appraising eye. "You have to give us specifics!
"Specifics? Uhm..." The brown-haired girl trailed off, suddenly shy.
"Come on, don't hold out on us, we're all girls here." They edged her on.
Kirito felt the sudden urge to turn back and make for the city.
"Well... he's constantly on my mind, even now. I don't think I can ever stop thinking about him." She looked up at the sky, deep in thought. "It's really unfair... Ever since the first time I saw him... I was captivated."
She met his eyes, and Kirito found that he couldn't speak. He had never encountered the emotion in her eyes before.
"There's no one else as strong, as brave, as kind... and I've never had a doubt in my mind, being by his side."
The girls including Kirito stared at Argo, not knowing what to say. Kirito himself was speechless, and he felt a surge of an unknown emotion rise up in him. The sheer emotion Argo had put into her words...
The other two girls were speechless for a moment, before they shared looks of awe. Walking closer to Argo, they clasped her shoulders in a friendly manner.
"We will support you all the way Tama-chan." Kumi was moved by the obvious love the brown-haired girl had shown.
"Right." Miharu nodded firmly. "It's quite obvious that you are deeply in love."
"L-love?" Argo suddenly squeaked out.
"Mmhmm." The blue haired girl suddenly stared sharply at Kirito. "And it seems that you have competition."
"Eh?!"
"I agree, Kiriko-chan has been blushing the whole time." Nodding sagely, the girls shared an excited look. "It's a love triangle!"
"What?!"
The beast before him screeched, a guttural sound that matched its rough appearance. It was mostly brown in colour, with a mismatched coat of dirty fur. The «Swamp Beast» was a typical mob on the Dungeon Floor, with the only real annoyance being that they tended to hide under the swamps. They were aggressive-type mobs, and were one of the few mobs outside of dungeons that actually ambushed players.
Kirito regarded the monster with a bored expression, unsheathing his sword with a practiced motion. The plain steel sword was a far cry from his usual sword - [Dark Protector]; a boss weapon that had dropped on the 19th floor. Instead, he had to use [Steel Cutter]; a rather typical long sword that could be bought in most merchant shops. It's effective item level was only 10, compared to his boss weapon which was probably equivalent to level 30 after all of the upgrades.
It wouldn't have mattered.
The monster leapt towards him with a roar, but Kirito waited until the beast was moments from colliding with him before he attacked.
A swift «Slant», one of the most basic sword skills was executed perfectly, carving a red line diagonally across the Swamp Beast's rectangular face. The beast flinched, the strike doing bonus damage as it cleaved through its right eye. Before the monster could even scream in pain, Kirito's sword was again in motion. «Vertical Arc» activating without delay, carving a 'V' into the beast's chest. A final thrust was delivered, as «Linear» was activated, causing the monster to explode into countless polygons.
All of this occurred before most of the group had even registered the presence of the «Swamp Beast».
"...Wow."
Miharu and Kumi immediately started clapping as they took in what they just saw. That was beyond what a normal player could do, as the sword skills were directed in such a precise manner that it seemed like only a single attack was used.
"You weren't kidding when you said Kiriko-chan was strong."
An understatement, as the group continued to stare at Kirito. He rubbed the back of his head nervously, regretting how fast he had taken care of the beast. It seemed that handicapping his sword was ineffective as he had instinctively sought out the weak points anyway.
Seeing Argo giving him a deadpanned stare he chuckled sheepishly. Thankfully the group couldn't inquire further as the other «Swamp Beast» mobs joined the ambush. Hastily spreading apart, Hitsu showed his leadership skills by immediately assigning three to a mob.
The girls who had been walking with them the whole time suddenly pulled out their weapons, both of them using a sword and shield. They quickly joined Argo who was defending against one with a similar sword and shield combo. She couldn't use her favoured claws while disguised after all.
He noted that Argo had no trouble with the sword and shield, seemingly able to retain an aggressive technique. Her usual fighting style was almost completely offense, and she seemed to disregard her shield completely.
Seeing that they were having minimal problems with their mob, he focused his attention on another approaching «Swamp Beast». This time choosing to take his time, Kirito chose a more defensive fighting style, opening in with thrusts while dancing away from any retaliatory attacks. Normally he wouldn't play around with a mob, but for the sake of his disguise, he figured he could afford it.
As the poor beast howled in pain and finally shattered, Kirito turned back to the girls who had finally finished with their own. Noting that everyone had fought back the ambush with little trouble, he fell back into step.
"Good job everyone!" Their leader called out. "I don't think any of us took a direct hit, pretty impressive if you ask me!"
There was a feeling of camaraderie in the air, and they all smiled at one another. It was always a good sign when your teamwork was steady.
"Anyways, let's move on, it shouldn't be that much further."
Once again the group proceeded to move in two lines, with the girls falling into step with him.
"How are you so strong Kiriko-chan?" Kumi looked at him appraisingly. "You took down that «Swamp Beast» in a few seconds!"
"Uhm, critical hits I think?" He tried to play it off innocently.
"No way! It looked like one sword skill, but I've never seen one with that many hits."
He supposed he could explain that it was the mechanics of the low-levelled sword skills that allowed him to chain them so successfully. But then the fluidity and grace in which he executed it would not be something just anyone could replicate. He doubted anyone besides Asuna would have been able to recreate the motions correctly.
Luckily, Argo came to his rescue. "Fufufu~ It's okay girls, Kiriko-chan has been receiving some private lessons from our leader himself."
Kirito stared at her with an open mouth. Argo smirked.
"Oooh!"
Kirito sighed as the two girls began their second interrogation of the day.
Near the very edge of the Dungeon Floor was a series of extremely large hollowed trees that were spread apart quite evenly. At the base of each tree, was a carved entrance that was the entrance to a mid-levelled dungeon. Having been only scouted once, the dungeons were quite new, though many doubted that there would be anything out of the ordinary. Since this was SAO however, not many would risk the chances of a trap when the rest of the dungeons were all relatively safer in comparison.
The group approached the entrance warily, having gotten used to the rapid ambushes from the mobs of this floor. There seemed to be an abnormal amount of monsters on the way, most likely due to the lack of other players travelling this far out.
"Alright! We're finally here." Hitsu gave them all a big grin. "Hopefully it turns out to be worth it in the end."
Being an uncleared dungeon type, they had no idea what was in stock, and Kirito desperately wanted to chide them on their naivety. The potential reward was simply not worth the risk, and even if most of the players were at least 10 levels higher than this floor, there was still the potential of falling into a deadly trap. The game didn't care if it was a death game after all.
"Right, I guess I'll lead the way? You ladies can stay in the back." He smiled at them before leading the way in.
Everyone chuckled nervously, following his lead momentarily after. The men headed in first, leaving the five girls in the party to follow. Rosalia, the red-haired girl that had remained aloof the whole time gave the four girls a brief glance before walking away confidently.
Miharu and Kumi gave them a nervous smile before hurrying after their groupmates. Leaving Argo and Kirito as the last ones before the entrance.
"Kirito?" Her voice was serious, and he grimaced. It seemed that Argo had also sensed the odd feeling that seemed to permeate the area. As if they were being watched.
"Go ahead." He told her, and with a nod she began to send out a series of PMs.
Kirito scanned the surroundings with a keen eye but could not find anything out of the ordinary. The area around them was quite flat, which meant that any watchers would be hard-pressed to find a good hiding spot. Yet, he could not throw off the feeling that someone was staring at him.
He sighed as there was nothing he could do, the group was in too deep and he had no way of bringing up his suspicions without proof. Noticing that Argo was done, they quickly fell into step and caught up to the group.
Immediately, the confining feeling of a narrow hallway could be felt, and the nature of the dungeon was surely 'decay'. The rotting floor and walls made for a rather gruesome sight, and the group had huddled closer together as they progressed. Luckily, there seemed to be a myriad of odd bugs that glowed in the dark, providing much needed lighting. Even then, the atmosphere was gloomy and foreboding.
"EEP!"
Hearing a scream from beside him, Kirito immediately readied himself... only to falter as he saw what Argo had screamed at. It was a rather large cockroach and as he scanned the creature he found that it was a «Neutral Mob», meaning it was largely harmless, unless someone attacked it of course.
Chuckling as the infamous information dealer was reduced to a shivering girl, he pushed the creature away with his foot, causing it to scuttle away rapidly. Seeing the odd looks from the rest of the party, he sheepishly gestured to Argo. They laughed slightly in return, serving to lift the previously uncomfortable mood.
"Relax Ar- Tama." Even though he tried to comfort her, he filed the information safely away for later use. Finding one of Argo's very few secrets was likely worth a fortune... or at least a couple of relaxing weeks.
The group continued onwards, although Argo decided to stick closer to him, not that he minded. The narrow setup of the dungeon seemed to be unwinding, as the walls were growing larger apart. They were probably nearing the centre of the tree, which was unusual considering how little resistance they had encountered.
As if answering his musings, the Dungeon finally threw a mob in their way. Seemingly melting off the walls and forming into vaguely humanoid forms, were apparently the Dungeon's protectors. Scanning the newly formed mobs with a trained eye, he found nothing out of the ordinary save for the high defensive stat, judging by its bulky figure.
Since there were only two of the large monsters, the group split evenly in half, each tackling their own guardian.
Kirito watched as one of the heavily armoured players reached the mob first, lashing out with a red sword skill. The large mob remained unfazed, and sent the player reeling with a heavy fist. It didn't seem to have any other special abilities, and the rest of the players surrounded the humanoid mob with a fury. There was little the guardian could do as it succumbed to the numerous blows.
He frowned as the mob fell over, but did not immediately disperse into polygons. It shouldn't have come as a surprise to him, as he had been in multiple dungeons before. The mobs usually had some sort of special ability or feature to make them stand out from normal mobs.
It seemed that the «Rotting Guardian» mob was capable of splitting into miniature versions of itself, as the rotting creature suddenly exploded. In its previous spot were two more, smaller versions of itself, and Kirito regarded them with amusement. The only danger seemed to be when they exploded.
"Back off when they fall!"
With a renewed effort, the group leapt back into the fray, and soon there were explosions happening all over the place. Luckily they had much more room to manoeuvre than before, and nobody bumped into each other.
The creatures proved to be quite tedious, as they continued to split into two smaller versions each time it was cut. This resulted in a rather annoying situation as the group had to deal with tiny versions of the original that could only leap around as its basic attack. It dealt little damage but was an annoyance as they constantly moved in and out of range.
Kirito sighed as the group was assaulted by what seemed to be an army of tiny figurines. He deftly slashed his sword through the air and was rewarded with a small explosion. Repeating the motion anytime the small mobs targeted him, the area around him quickly became a flurry of sword strikes and small explosions. Argo who had been hiding behind the whole time, smirked as she saw the chaos that had descended on the group.
"Go Ki-bou!" She whispered, causing him to smile.
It was a short while after that the entire area was cleared, giving the tired group a moment of reprieve.
"Hah...thank god that's over." The other two girls sighed in exhaustion, each had been running around the whole time. They glared lightly at Argo who had giggled from her position beside Kirito.
"Amazing as always Kiriko-chan." Kumi gave him a thumbs up.
The leader of the group laughed sheepishly. "Heh, that was quite unexpected."
The entire group was rather exhausted thanks to the constant movement they had to do.
"Shall we move on?" Hitsu got up slowly, gesturing for the group to follow. He had to stop as someone's spear tip was pressed directly under his chin. "Wha-"
"Don't move."
Everyone followed the spear to find a rather surprising sight. The red haired girl that had been chatting happily with the guys the whole time now had a sinister smirk on her face. Several members of the group looked at her in shock.
"Rosalia! What are you doing?!" The cry came from one of the male players that had been in her party.
She looked at him with a sneer. "Shut up."
Kirito shared a look with Argo, both of them deciding to see where this played out. Surely the girl in front of them had something else in mind, as there was no way she could take them all on. They didn't have to wait long.
There was a small commotion as several players gasped, seeing the myriad of new players stepping into the scene. What was most obvious about the new arrivals were the cursors hanging above their heads.
They were orange.
Each of the new arrivals had sinister grins on their faces as they readied their weapons. Kirito quickly counted seven or eight players, and frowned. It seemed that their bait had worked, but he could not help but feel that something was missing. Scanning the players in front of him, he immediately knew that they could not have been the ones watching him, none of them looked subtle whatsoever.
"I've been waiting for this all day." Rosalia laughed. "Making a public group in the middle of all this PKing nonsense? How stupid is that!"
The group tensed, none of them knowing what to say.
"Then... those were all your doing?" One of the males asked her in horror, causing the others to gasp.
"Of course." She sneered in his direction. "After all, you're just a bunch of weaklings. We're doing a favour by taking you out of this game."
One of the players immediately grasped his teleport crystal.
"Hey!" The orange player, one who wielded a large axe suddenly shouted. "Don't even think about it!"
Immediately the orange players flooded in, each of them pressing their weapons against a member of the group. Kirito grimaced as a spear was shoved against his face, belonging to a grinning male. Argo huddled closer against him seemingly in fear, but he could tell that she was ready to go at a moments notice.
"The moment one of you activates a crystal, the rest of you are dead!" Rosalia shouted.
The player grimaced before reluctantly dropping the crystal on the ground. Even if some of them could escape, there would undoubtedly be a slaughter.
"...What do you want?" Hitsu asked her, he seemed rather emotionless despite the spear pressed to his neck.
"Heh, we have plenty of time to decide, but first of all..." The red haired girl scanned the crowd, eyes landing on Kirito. "You."
Kirito blinked as everyone turned their attention to him. "Y-yes?"
He tried to give a meek impression, deciding to keep up the disguise. There was no reason to break out into conflict just yet.
It seemed to work as she sneered at him. "Keep an eye on her boys, she's the strongest here."
Immediately, two more of the orange players surrounded her, one armed with a dagger, and another with... dual axes? Kirito stared at the chubby looking player with a raised eyebrow, almost breaking out of character.
"Don't do anything stupid." The chubby player growled at him, causing Argo to sputter in laughter. Luckily from the others' vantage point, it looked like she was sobbing into his shoulders. Kirito tried desperately to keep a straight face.
"Take off all of your equipment."
Her command was immediately met with protest as everyone seemed to grow angry at her cruelty.
"Hey!"
"Kiriko-chan!"
He inwardly grimaced at the smirking redhead. Having a 'girl' strip all of her equipment would be rather cruel. It seemed that she was trying to lower the morale of the group by humiliating their strongest player. A sound strategy considering that the public group outnumbered the orange players. In a PVP situation however, he doubted that their group could come out on top. There was more to facing off against players than numbers after all.
Scanning the assembled crowd, he sighed reluctantly, before opening up his game menu.
"Wait." The voice of Hitsu rang through the area, causing him to halt.
They all turned to stare at him, especially Rosalia who growled in response. "Don't be stupid."
He merely chuckled in return. "I think you have bigger problems to worry about."
Before the angry girl could pierce him with her spear, there was the sudden echoing of laughter, bouncing off the dungeon walls. They all felt a chill run down their spine at the sheer happiness in that laughter.
"Who's there! Show yourself!"
The laughter suddenly cut off, and the soft pitter patter of footsteps soon sounded throughout the hall. A short moment later, several figures cloaked in black arrived in the same fashion the orange players had.
"Who the hell are you?!" Rosalia shouted angrily. Everyone stared at the newcomers with hope and fear, each wondering which side the new arrivals were on.
There was only about half a dozen of the cloaked figures, but as Kirito scanned them, he felt his heart drop as all of their cursors were orange. The situation was quickly getting out of hand. It seemed that getting all of the players out of this unscathed was likely impossible. Even with Argo's help, he doubted they could fend off this many players. Not without a few innocent casualties along the way.
The apparent leader of the cloaked figure chuckled, a horrible raspy sound that echoed eerily in the hall. "It seems that we have some imposters in our midst."
His cloaked companions laughed alongside him, causing the orange players to bristle in anger.
"What the hell are you saying bastard!" One of the orange players sneered and walked up to him recklessly. "Stay out of this, or you'll be next."
There was a few moments of silence as the cloaked figure stared at the player before him. Then he burst into laughter once more. The insane cackling resounded off the walls, and everyone recognised the source of the laughter from before.
"Bastard!" The player slashed out with a blue sword skill.
The cloaked figure never stopped cackling, even as he ducked under the swing. The player grew more frustrated with each missed strike, and the crowd watched with a sense of anticipation.
All of a sudden the laughter stopped and in the blink of an eye, the cloaked figure closed the distance between him and his attacker.
"Die."
The orange player stumbled back in shock, looking down at the knife handle protruding from his stomach. It was black in colour, and seemed to radiate a bloodthirsty aura. He grasped at the weapon, trying to pull it free from his chest. It wouldn't budge, not due to a unique effect, but because he found that he no longer had control of his arms.
"W-wha-"
He was silenced as another dagger found its place in his neck. Falling over, he twitched slightly before dispersing into a scattering of light.
Several screams sounded through the hall.
"Kozu!"
"He killed him!"
Low, ominous laughter was their reply, as the rest of the cloaked figures joined their leader in a symphony of mocking laughter.
Kirito found the entire scene disturbing and he readied himself subtly, placing himself directly in between Argo and the collection of orange players.
The orange players that had been holding the others hostage converged near the centre, meeting the cloaked figures in anger. Their apparent leader, Rosalia, was staring wide-eyed at the entire scene.
Kirito gestured for the other players to gather around him, and they obeyed slowly, none of them wanting to draw the attention of the conflicting PKers.
"Well?" The murderer asked mockingly. "Aren't you going to avenge him?"
That seemed to be the catalyst needed, as the opposing players roared in anger, each of them seeking revenge for their fallen guild-mate.
Dancing around the incoming weapon strikes with an incredible display of agility, the cloaked leader escaped the onslaught unscathed. Moving past the last attacker, he dashed out of range, and made his way towards Rosalia.
None of the orange players could respond however, as the cloaked figures finally decided to enter the fray. The 'war' between the PKers had begun, and none of the onlookers could do anything but watch.
"Ki-bou..." He glanced at a worried Argo, reassuring her with a nod.
"Everyone, teleport crystals at the ready, use it all together." His tone bore no room for arguments, and they found themselves wanting to obey almost immediately.
"What about you guys? And Hitsu!" The rest of the group nodded fiercely.
"We can fight too!"
Kirito sighed as he took in their brave expressions. They didn't want to back away and leave the three of them behind. This was probably the only moment where he would have preferred a cowardly group.
"Very well, stay with Argo." His statement was met by several confused expressions.
"Who's Argo?"
He didn't spare them a glance as the battle was drawing to an end, with the victors already decided. Swiftly manipulating his inventory, he quickly stashed away all of his 'disguise' equipment, and began equipping his proper armour and weapons.
The group looked at him in shock as the previously beautiful 'Kiriko-chan' turned into a rather effeminate looking boy in clearly high-leveled gear.
"W-wait, you're..."
He didn't stop to hear whoever was speaking as he quickly dashed towards where Rosalia and the leader of the cloaked PKers were dueling. Though it looked like a fight, Kirito could tell that Rosalia was just being played with. Numerous slashes from the dagger were stopped just before they connected, and Rosalia was clearly on the defensive, her face a picture of fear.
Just as Rosalia was about to be stabbed, Kirito slipped in between the two players, blocking the dagger with the side of his sword.
"Oh?" There was a strange sort of amusement in the dagger-user's voice. "What do we have here..."
Kirito did not stop to converse, and immediately flowed into a flurry of sword strikes. A far cry from the his previous opponent, the dagger-user found himself being pressed back as the speed and range of the sword prevented him from doing anything. Expertly wielding his longsword, Kirito forced him on the defensive, and as soon as the dagger-user flinched, he executed a sword skill «Linear», which sent a blue coloured stab that broke the cloaked figures dagger and stabbed him neatly in the chest.
"Huhu... As expected of you Kirito-kun."
Narrowing his eyes, Kirito made to continue his onslaught when there was a sudden commotion from the rest of the group.
"Stop right now!" A familiar melodic shout echoed through the chamber, and Kirito felt relief rush through him.
Backup had arrived.
Running into the hall area was a large assortment of players, each of them looking fully ready to take on the rest of the room. Equipped with enough armour and weapons to distinguish themselves from the regular players, it was obvious that these players were very high levelled.
The ones leading the charge were girls, each of them rather famous.
"Drop your weapons." Asuna glared fiercely at each of the orange players, and most of them obeyed, seeing the futility of continuing against such overwhelming odds.
"So... the «Royal Swords» in person."
They all turned to see the cloaked leader chuckle lightly, seemingly uncaring of the situation. Kirito narrowed his eyes, and readied himself for the slightest hint of aggression. This opponent was rather skilled, and he felt that the dagger-user was holding back significantly.
"I'm... honoured."
Asuna glared at him unflinchingly. "Shut up. Drop your weapons and surrender, you're surrounded."
Looking around, there were at least two dozen clearers that had arrived, and he recognised several players in the crowd. Against this many clearers, the PKers stood absolutely no chance.
To their surprise, the dagger-user simply smirked, and before anyone could react, he threw something down to the ground. Simultaneous blasts sounded through the area as his cloaked teammates followed his lead. The high level smoke bomb smothered the room in dark smoke.
"Damnit!"
Kirito fumbled around in the smoke, trying to grasp onto the PKer, but to no avail. He could not see anything in the dense smoke.
There was a sudden scream, and he turned around, waving his hands desperately, trying to clear the smoke faster.
"Sayonara, Prince." The whisper came from beside him, and Kirito immediately lashed out with his sword.
But it only cut through empty air.
Inwardly cursing, he tried to search in vain for a sign of the elusive dagger-user. A few moments later the smoke cleared up enough that he could see what had happened.
The leader of the cloaked figures was gone.
Gritting his teeth, he noticed that the rest of the cloaked figures had also escaped, leaving only Rosalia's group behind.
The sound of polygons dispersing echoed through the hall, causing him to spin around in shock. On the ground, where he had previously seen the fallen orange players, was a single black dagger. Immediately turning to look at the other surrendered players, he noticed that each of them had a black dagger thrust into their person.
"The daggers!" He shouted, and several of the players reacted, pulling them out of the nearest player.
"P-please!" A sudden shout came from behind him, and he realised that Rosalia had been there all along. Rushing towards her side, he quickly grabbed the dagger thrust into her chest and pulled it out. Eyeing the weapon with distaste, he quickly noted the purple looking liquid that seemed to be dripping from the tip.
Poison. And a very high levelled one.
Quickly manipulating his inventory, he materialized several expensive healing potions, and began to feed them to the fading girl. She sipped at them desperately, and did not stop until she consumed all three.
"Why! W-why isn't it working!" She seemed to be staring at her health bar in a state of shock.
Kirito felt helpless, there was no reason why the potions shouldn't work, as they were the most expensive ones you could buy on the current floor. A sudden revelation came to mind, and he was reminded of a hidden branch of the «Poison Making Skill». Much like how most things in SAO could be customized, so could poisons. By mixing and matching various components together, one could make completely new types of poisons that were not available from the normal crafting system.
A poison that completely prevented healing... he suddenly shuddered.
Rosalia gripped at his shirt desperately. "Please, help me! PLEASE!"
He opened his mouth to say something... anything.
Her eyes widened, and she was gone...dispersed into a thousand different particles, never to be seen again.
"Are you alright Kirito-kun?"
He sat by the teleport gate in deep thought, after the events in the dungeon had past, the clearers had escorted the rest of them back to the main city. Along the way, they had chastised the group for falling into such a risky situation and many of them were extremely thankful towards the clearers.
Looking up at Asuna, who was looking at him with concern, he gave her a small smile.
"I'm fine. Just thinking."
After everything had been sorted out, it was revealed that only Rosalia's dagger had the purple poison on it, and the rest of her guild members were safe after being fed a healing potion. They would be sent to the Army's jail shortly after, escorted by a few clearers each.
It was afterwards, that Rosalia's guild members had confessed that they were in no way related to the previous PKings, as they were primarily a guild that stole or intimidated others for items. They had never even PKed someone before, only needing a couple of hits to get what they wanted.
That did not gain them any pity... yet Kirito could not help but think about Rosalia. The way she had died was inhumane, and in those last moments, he could see the deep regret in her eyes.
What a pointless way to die.
If those weren't enough to cause him a headache, then the debacle that was 'Hitsu', was surely enough. As it turned out, their 'Hitsu' had been a fake, with the real one discovered in the merchant district shortly after. When he had questioned the parties, they had revealed that they each had thought the leader to be in the other group. In reality, he hadn't been in either of the 5-man parties.
He had escaped along with the cloaked PKers.
What a troublesome situation.
Kirito sighed deeply, before standing up abruptly. "Let's go home Asuna."
"Okay." She beamed at him, falling into step as he walked towards where Argo was chatting with the rest of the girls, including the two they had met earlier today.
"By the way... what's this I hear about a cross-dressing leader?"
He palmed his face.
A/N: Another chapter released.
Again, a big thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, I do read every single one.
As for why this chapter took longer than usual? Well I'd say school if I wasn't such a procrastinator. Mostly it was because this chapter was almost purely interactions, which are always hard to write smoothly. It did turn out to be around 12.5k words, and I think I covered what I had pictured in mind. The ending scenes were a bit rushed, though I don't think I could have made them longer anyhow.
About this chapter: "dat Argo." and various interactions with the girls and the rest of the SAO world. The PKing focus just worked its way in there somehow, and I hope the new take on Rosalia was interesting. I found it cool to see the relationship between two PKing guilds, although I did make Titan's Hand kind of pathetic in this story. Mostly because I found them really ridiculous in the anime, the kind that wouldn't have the guts to actually kill. Faced off with a real predator like the Laughing Coffins, they are truly the sheep in this scenario. I would also like to remind everyone that there are no 'red cursors', only orange. As the term 'red guild' is just something the SAO players made up to describe the PKing guilds.
A huge thank you to n0mster for beta'ing this chapter for me. I can already tell the difference, since I usually skip over my own mistakes often. I really should revise my earlier chapters sometime. But then again, this is mostly a learning experience for me, as my first real attempt at a story.
Shoutouts: To Fool's Journey (Pointed out some mistakes, and for being a boss.), and to the rest of the SAO Chat (You know who you are =]) for nagging me.
I'd like to refer everyone once again to my SAO forum, since there are some awesome ideas in the works. (Catsy's new story, and Whiz's Saber!Kirito vs Archer oneshot as examples.) So pay a visit sometime, give all of the authors some feedback.
Also stay tuned for my Sinon/Kirito AU oneshot. (It's in the works.)
Thank you for reading!
Next Chapter: ? (Undecided as of yet.)