Chapter Ten: POLITICS OF THE PLAYERS

Normally the streets of the Town of Beginnings weren't quite so full. At least not compared to the very first day of Sword Art Online. Sure this town had the highest player population in all of Aincrad, but today was different.

Today for the first time in the game, the leaders of the guilds were coming together.

Members of the Aincrad Liberation Army were standing guard everywhere, making sure that the various guilds did not break out into any fights. At the same time several Beginners who were simply going about their days also took some time to see the various guild leaders as they appeared.

"Didn't think I'd be coming back here so soon." Shampoo said when she and Nabiki teleported into the main plaza of the town. Immediately she was looking for any sign of Mousse. She was literally walking right into his territory.

"I bet nine out of ten people here haven't been back since Login Day." Nabiki added, looking around as well for any familiar face, friendly or not. So far she hadn't, but she was seeing the various players and how they tried to make themselves distinguished. Some wore ornate armor, one girl wore a silk dress with one sleeve, and there were two guys wearing decorative masks for some reason.

"Let's head to the castle." Shampoo suggested, then she and Nabiki followed the flow of the crowd.

It was easy to see where the crowd was going, when you looked at the northern exit of the central plaza there was a large black castle in clear view. From a distance, it almost looked like a cathedral. It didn't take long to reach, and when the two girls got there they saw several others heading up the stairs that led to the archway gates of the castle.

"Hey Klein!" Nabiki called out, waving her hand.

Up ahead, Klein stopped and turned around. "Hey, good to see you guys again. I was hoping you'd show up." He came down to greet them, and accompanying him was Kunimitz. "Where's Kasumi?"

"Back at our base. For something like this, it's better I attend." Nabiki claimed. 'In more ways than one.'

"Can you imagine someone actually barricading one of the towers like this?" Klein asked. "I didn't even think it was possible for someone to do that."

"Maybe that's why they were able to succeed?" Nabiki suggested.

Klein thought it over. "You might be onto something. Anyway, let's hope we can come up with an answer today."

The players continued on, soon entering the large castle. The entrance hall was impressive to say the least. The walls and floor were made of iron and the ceiling was rather higher than most people were used to, designed with an arch structure not unlike a cathedral. Windows cut into the roof allowing a crisscross of light to illuminate the room, especially it's one central feature.

"What's that?" Nabiki asked, seeing some people gathered at the back looking at a large onyx rectangle that was easily ten meters wide and at least three meters tall. People were looking at it like students trying to see if they had passed the entrance exams.

"Back in the beta test, this was the resurrection room." Shampoo said. "It was where a dead player came back to life and restarted. But of course that's not the case here."

They got closer and had a good look at the tablet. On it they saw countless names, many of which had lines crossing them out. Next to those names were dates and descriptions. The largest words were 'Monument of Life' embroidered on the top and center of the tablet.

"This must be a record of every player in SAO, telling who's alive and who's dead." Klein deduced, checking out the list of names. "Ah good, my buddy Kirito is still alive."

"Attention everyone!" A member of the Army called out, making everyone at the monument turn around. "Those here for the guild leader meeting please come this way."

Everyone left the monument and came to him, seeing a hallway he was standing by. He led them in, taking them past several closed doors and around a corner. He stopped by an open door that led into a large room with a round table in the center, where several players were already seated. Thinker being at the head of the table, if a round table could have a head that is.

"Ah Nabiki, I am surprised to see you here." Kuno remarked, one of those already seated. Next to him was, unsurprisingly, Kodachi.

"Not now Kuno, at least try to be civil for this." The mercenary told him as she, Shampoo, Klein, and Kunimitz all took seats next to each other, away from the kendoist.

"You know him?" Klein asked.

Nabiki nodded. "Remember the guild that attacked us on Floor Six? He's their boss."

Klein blinked. "Ah sorry, I don't think I ever actually saw his face that day."

More players started pouring in and taking seats. Many started wondering if there would be enough for everyone.

"Hey kids, beat it. This is no place for you." One of the guards told two prepubescent children who were trying to enter the room. One was a boy with messy spiked brown hair wearing a green cloak over a brown tunic, the other was a girl with short black hair wearing a pink dress.

"Hey I'm a guild leader I have the right to be here too!" The boy declared.

"Let them in Johar, I've heard of a child guild out there so they do have that right if they wish it." Thinker told his subordinate, who nodded and let the children enter.

"A child guild?" Shampoo asked, confused.

Klein nodded. "Yeah, I heard that around 100 kids managed to log in, but almost all of them have stayed in Town of Beginnings. Don't blame them, they are at a big disadvantage in this game compared to the adults. But I've heard there is this one guild going around made of nothing but children. This must be their leader."

"That's interesting." Nabiki noted, eyeing the boy and girl. 'Pretty brave, but hopefully they live long enough to see the game end. It'd be terrible for a child to die here.'

More players came in and after a while it seemed like that was going to be all of them. Surprisingly the table still had room for more.

"No one else is out there." One of the Army members said.

Thinker nodded. "Thank you, I suppose this is everyone who decided to attend. Let's hope it's enough. Close the doors please."

The soldiers closed the doors but didn't leave the room. They would stand guard in case this was some kind of trap.

"Perhaps we should all introduce ourselves. I am Thinker, leader of the Aincrad Liberation Army. With me is my second-in-command Yulier." A silver-haired woman nodded at this.

One by one the leaders and their second-in-commands stood up and introduced themselves and their affiliated guilds. It looked like there were fifty guilds here total, which was the maximum amount of guilds permitted to be officially recognized by the game. Others were considered unofficial, or guild in name only.

"So what's the big deal here?" A blonde man with a feminine build but unfriendly expression asked. According to his intro, he was called Garenza and was in charge of the Imperial Arsenal guild. Nabiki and Shampoo had never heard of it, but judging from him alone they were all about battle.

"I think we all know the pressing situation, do we not?" Thinker asked.

"Yeah, some jackass decided to tamper with the sixth floor tower and make it harder for any of us to get to the boss." A black-haired man dressed in a set of silver armor and blue cape added. He was Teech, leader of the Holy Dragon Alliance, and while he was dressed like a knight his face looked more appropriate for a pirate instead.

"Why would anyone do that instead of just finishing off the dungeon themselves?" A college-age boy with black hair pulled back in a ponytail asked. He was Blake, leader of the League of the Rising Sun. He was dressed in a dark green kimono and with his swords equipped he looked like an unarmored samurai. So far he looked like one of the least intimidating men in the room, making a few in there wondering why he was the guild leader.

"That does sound like the reasonable thing to do if you get to a tower." Klein added.

"I have something that may provide an answer." Thinker said, getting everyone's attention. Yulier placed her hand on the table and deposited a small object that looked like a blue jewel shaped like a cursor. "This was found by the Monument of Life the other day."

"What is it?" Teech asked.

"It's a recording tool." Yulier explained. "It records whatever you say to play back later. Pretty handy if you need to pass along messages to someone you don't have a link to, or in this case want to tell a group of guild leaders something without having to be there in person."

"So the jerk who started all this couldn't be bothered to be here in person?" A woman who sounded offended asked. She was Viola, leader of the Five Gem Crown guild, and probably the best dressed person here. She certainly looked more like a European princess than a game player.

"Let's see what they have to say." Shampoo suggested.

"I agree." Thinker said with a nod, then Yulier tapped the crystal to get it to reveal it's message. It glowed and hovered slightly over the table, rotating a bit as it gave it's message.

"Hello guild leaders. Considering how unhappy most of you must be with me you'll pardon me if I don't give my name."

A few were trying to see if they could place the voice, but only Nabiki recognized it, and it was Argo.

"I am the one who has basically sabotaged the Floor Six tower. I did not act alone, but that is not the point. Rest assured I don't plan to do this again. Frankly I'm still surprised I was able to do it just now. For those of you that don't know what I did, the Floor Six tower has a certain puzzle in it. You need to find four pieces scattered around the tower and bring them to the puzzle in order to complete it and move on to the boss. Well, I've already found those pieces, and until I say otherwise that door is not opening for anyone. Including myself."

A few in the room mumbled to themselves about the unfairness of this but kept quiet, not wanting to miss the rest.

"Now the million Col question of course is what do I want? This might surprise you, but I actually want to get you all to work together. You see, an associate of mine pointed out that we are missing something very important in this game. We're missing a government system. We have no laws, no order, nothing to keep us civilized. Right now we're nothing but a collection of wandering groups and solo players. We're like the Feudal Era but without the shoguns to keep any order, and unless we create a system to work here in the game, we'll end up killing ourselves before we even get to the end."

"Beh, what a crock." Garenza mocked while rolling his eyes.

"I'm sure some of you listening think there's nothing wrong and I'm just speaking out my ass. If so, then fine, feel free to leave when this is over. For those of you smart enough to see the merit of my words, think about this. Right now you have the leaders of all guilds in one place. Isn't this a perfect opportunity to work out a few things between you all that could make this game easier to live with? Don't you think maybe you should take the time to consider how to solve problems before they come up? Please, take this chance to work something out, then let the rest of the game know what you've accomplished. Once that's done, then I will return the puzzle pieces and allow anyone to get to the Floor Six boss."

The crystal stopped glowing then toppled onto the table, the message over with a rather abrupt ending. Everyone looked at it then each other, no one sure what to say.

"So that's it? Some snippy little bitch decides to tell us how to run our guilds?" One of the random guild leaders asked, not aware of who left the recording but aware they were female from the voice.

"Yeah, why would we want to make a government anyway?" Garenza asked. "We're trying to beat the game, not make it user-friendly."

"Now hold on, the lady isn't necessarily wrong." A tall man with grey hair and a green coat countered calmly. He was Lancer, leader of the Lionheart Tribe guild, and he came across as a sort of gentleman, which was unexpected by most of the players. "Perhaps we should think of some set of rules that apply to all players, regardless of guild or solo status."

Garenza then stood up. "Well then you and whoever else wants to waste their time can talk about that. Imperial Arsenal is a fighting guild, and we have no interest whatsoever in something like politics. If I were any of you, I wouldn't bother even trying to make something happen. Our goal is to end this game, not make it more comfortable." He then turned and walked out, followed by his second-in-command, but he stopped by the door. "Oh, by the way, whoever that woman was who's trying to force this on us, she can't keep the tower locked up forever. Sooner or later, she's going to try and get the tower finished. For all we know she's doing that right now."

Then Garenza left along with his second-in-command.

Thinker sighed. "Well, that's one down. If anyone else here wishes to leave, now would be a good time and it will not be held against you. Those of you that wish to remain to discuss this idea, please remain seated."

For a moment, no one said or did anything, but then one person stood up.

"Nothing personal, I just don't think setting up a bunch of rules is going to work. But good luck to you if you want to give it a try." He and his second-in-command left.

A woman stood up now. "I'm just here to find out about Floor Six. I didn't sign on for this other stuff." She and her second-in-command left too.

Another guy stood up. "Same here. I just wanted to know what the deal about Floor Six was."

A younger man stood up as well. "I'm just in high school, what do I know about politics?"

More and more stood up and started vacating the room, their collective footsteps echoing in the room to the point where it sounded like everyone was leaving. But in the end, twenty-four guild leaders and their seconds remained, forty-eight people total.

"So everyone who is still here believes we should at least discuss the prospect before dismissing it, am I right?" Thinker asked.

"I for one am." Heathcliff replied. "A sort of alliance among guilds if nothing else would make the rest of the game easier for us all."

"I'm not so sure it can be done." A burly guy from next the opposite end of the table claimed. He was Cash, leader of the Golden Touch guild, and like Agil he looked more athletic than like a gamer. "However, I'm willing to stay long enough to see if this meeting can produce something of value. So I'll be here, but mostly as an observer."

Several near him nodded in agreement.

"Alright, thanks for at least giving us the benefit of the doubt, I guess." Thinker told them.

"Back to the discussion, an alliance between guilds is something I understand, but do we really need a government system here?" Viola asked. "I mean, we're in a game and it's pretty much anything goes here. Why intentionally limit ourselves?"

"Because a samurai without an emperor is just a ronin." Kuno proclaimed.

'Well that explains his reason for being here.' Nabiki thought snidely.

"I'd say the real reason we need this is simple. By doing so we don't have needless deaths." Shampoo started. "Player-killing is something that I'm sure we all hate right? Yet if someone does it, the game doesn't punish them."

"What do you mean it doesn't punish them? A few towns won't allow red cursor players to enter and a few quests won't let red cursor players accept them." Teech pointed out.

"How do you know that?" Blake asked, innocently rather than accusingly.

"Back on Floor Three a few members of my guild were attacked by PK-ers just after we formed. We got out alive but not unscathed, and a few members ended up with red cursors. They still can't get into some towns, not even by teleport pads."

"I know a way for red cursors to become green again, but it's not simple." Shampoo told him. "And before anyone asks, I know because I'm an ex-beta tester. I found it in the beta test and confirmed it was still here not too long ago."

"You're a Beater?" A brunette boy clearly in high school in real life asked. He was Keita, leader of the Moonlit Black Cats guild.

Shampoo nodded. "Yes, I'm a Beater. One of the first outed in this game. Does anyone have a problem with that?"

"Do we really want a Beater here? Trying only now to make things fair for the rest of us?" Keita asked, a little mistrust in his tone.

Lancer leaned forward, putting his hands together and resting his chin on them, smiling but a sharp gleam in his eyes. "I don't know, do you want us here?"

"If you want us to leave, we will." Blake added.

"How many Beaters are in this room?" A guy with sandy hair asked. He was Dynas, leader of the Silver Flags guild, and he looked more like a merchant than a fighter.

"There's no need to answer that question." Heathcliff spoke up. "Who is or isn't an ex-beta tester is irrelevant to this discussion. We should keep focused here. Now, I believe we were talking about the lack of any laws here, and because there are no laws technically murder isn't a crime here. Therefore, if you want retribution you have to seek it yourself and there's nothing to stop you from going too far. And doesn't an eye for an eye leave the whole world blind?"

"The man is right." Lancer said with a smile. "If nothing else we really should establish some sort of protocol for what to do when a player is killed by another player."

"Like a court system?" Dynas asked.

Lancer nodded. "Something like that."

"Why bother? Isn't a red cursor enough sign of guilt?" Viola asked.

"Actually some members of my guild got into trouble over that not that long ago." Thinker stated. "Thing is while a red cursor does mean that one player killed another, we should at least verify the circumstances before villainizing them. There is such a thing as self defense after all."

"And the ability to return to green cursor status would render such a thing as moot anyway." Teech added.

"And what about other crimes? It seems pointless to have trials for just murder alone." Blake pointed out.

"I think we need to establish what counts as a crime within the game that the game itself does not already react to." Klein suggested.

"So what would count as a crime within the game?" Keita asked. "Is theft even possible?"

"From what I've seen in the skill list there are skills that are based on thievery. Like Pickpocketing, which lets you take things off another player's body if you can get in close enough." Teech noted.

"Destruction of property doesn't seem to be an issue here, but breaking and entering, along with unwanted surveillance do seem possible." A blonde college age woman wearing a purple jacket, blue headband, and leather gauntlets added. She was Bellaprima, leader of the Ascension guild.

"Can I point out a problem?" Kuno spoke up. "Let's say we do make a set of laws for the game. Who's going to enforce them?"

"We could set up a sort of police group made of various members of each of our guilds." The kid that earlier had to fight for his right to attend commented. He went by the name Barry and he ran the Lost Boys guild, and he looked hopeful to be taken seriously here.

"A fine idea little man." Lancer said, making Barry smile.

"So if I'm getting this right," Teech started. "We might be able to create a sort of unofficial guild made up of guild leaders here, that get to decide what the rules of living in Aincrad are, like a sort of self-appointed congress, and we all chip in to create a sort of composite guild of each of our members to enforce these rules from this point on. Am I missing anything?"

"No, I think that's exactly what we're talking about." Heathcliff answered.

"I like the sound of a sort of guild congress here." Shampoo noted.

Thinker nodded. "Yeah, the Guild Congress of Aincrad. I like it."

"Made of roughly two dozen or so guild leaders." Kuno pointed out.

"The others had a chance to be a part of this and they declined." Klein proclaimed. "Though if any of them wish to join in when this thing works out, we could at least consider it. But not just hand out memberships like a fast food restaurant kids club."

"You mean if this thing works out." Griselda, the leader of the Golden Apple guild, corrected. "I mean, I like the idea of this working out, I really do, but before we get ahead of ourselves, let's make sure this is worth getting invested in."

"I agree." Keita nodded.

"So what are all the problems that need to be addressed?" Thinker asked. "So far we need a set of laws, a group of people to enforce them, and most likely a jail to send those that disobey. My headquarters has a large dungeon that could suffice for that until we have a more appropriate fix. Anyone have a better alternative?"

No one had one.

"If we make a set of laws, what's to make people want to obey them?" Grimlock, the second-in-command to the Golden Apple guild, asked. "We just saw that about half the guilds in the game didn't want to bother with such laws in the first place. So that's already hundreds of players who will disregard anything we set up. Not to mention the solo players and unofficial guilds out there. What's to stop them from ignoring the law?"

"I think in all honesty there's nothing we can do to force them to follow such laws." Heathcliff admitted.

"So if no one's going to follow the laws, what's the point of making them?" Kodachi asked.

"I think I have a solution." Nabiki chipped in, seeing a good opportunity to speak with minimal risk to herself and her guild. "We don't force them to follow." A few opened their mouths to interrupt her, forcing her to hold up her hands. "Let me finish please." They stopped themselves. "Okay, we make a set of laws and announce them to the game. Make it clear that everyone can hear them, but it's not our fault if they ignore it or not."

"Like the guide book that the beta testers gave out on the first floor in the first month." Griselda compared.

Nabiki nodded. "Exactly. We make some laws and make them common knowledge, but we don't force people to follow them. The only ones who are expected to follow them right away are our guilds, lead by example so to speak. If we're lucky, some will want to follow them without being told to, but for those that ignore the law, we make it clear that they're on their own, and if they antagonize any of us, then our laws will apply to them whether they like it or not."

"So in a way it's like we're founding our own country within the game and telling anyone that if they don't like the way we run things they're free to run off and make their own, but if we catch them violating our terms or something then their fate is in our hands." Keita summarized.

Nabiki nodded. "For the most part."

"I have a suggestion." Yulier spoke up. "Another thing we need is a way to make people want to follow these laws, beyond mere morality. What if we also come up with a set of rights for all players who uphold the law? Those that agree to live by the law will be granted these rights, and those that wish to live without the law will be agreeing to go without these rights too? Is that a fair circumstance?"

"Won't this just divide us all? Lead to a player civil war?" Blake asked. "That would only defeat the purpose of establishing order."

"He's got a point." Klein agreed. "But at the same time I can't help but feel that it's a chance we just have to take if we do this. Can anyone think of a way to accomplish this without risking some form of rebellion?"

Teech shook his head. "Asking that is like asking if you can make fire hot enough to cook your food but not hot enough to burn you. Any time in history someone has tried to establish something like this there has always been someone to protest, to say they like things the way they are."

"Is there really anything wrong with how things are right now?" Bellaprima asked, brushing some hair out of her face. "Yeah it's dangerous, but this is a game, what did you expect?"

"I expected to be able to log out." Shampoo stated, earning many nods of agreement from the other guild leaders. "We may have to live here, but we don't have to live by it's rules. But if we're going to live by our rules, then we have to make it clear what those rules are. Otherwise that civil war we're all afraid of might happen sooner than wed like."

"I believe she's right." Blake agreed. "C'mon, let's give it a try. Let's at least see if we can come up with some decent laws, then we'll decide if they're worth upholding."

Everyone looked around the room, and it was clear not everyone was convinced yet, but no one was continuing any protests against it.

"Let's start with the most basic laws. No stealing, no killing, no trespassing, that sort of thing. Can anyone think of anything that needs to be applied to or altered for this game?" Thinker asked.

"That trespassing one, what exactly can count as trespassing here in Aincrad?" Keita asked. "Can players own property?"

"You haven't gotten a house yet?" Shampoo asked. "There are many places in the game that players can either buy or win in quests. I assumed most guilds had one by now."

Quite a few guild leaders nodded at this.

Keita looked a little chagrined. "My guild has been living out of hotels and campsites since the beginning. We spend most of our money on supplies and equipment."

"Players can own property, and for the most part it can be set up so only the guild who owns it can enter. But at the same time there are skills and tools that can in theory get around those precautions." Lancer told everyone. "Not to mention places like shops can't be protected by such means. At least, not that I know of. So trespassing is a legit concern."

"So then what happens if a player is caught trespassing?" Bellaprima asked. "The obvious solution would be letting the player who owns the place decide the penalty."

"Isn't that basically taking the law into your own hands?" Barry asked.

"Yes it is." Lancer nodded. "Which defeats the entire point of what we're here to discuss."

"So maybe there should be something like a citizen's arrest, where they capture the trespasser and detain them until official police can take them and bring them to jail and trial." Griselda offered.

"How do they contact police anyway? Can we set up a 110 hotline or something?" Heathcliff asked.

"That's a good question. It's not like everyone can have a link to everyone else." Thinker noted, trying to... well, think.

"What if we don't use the player messaging system to do it?" Klein suggested, getting several confused looks. "I'm not saying I know how, but isn't there an alternative to speaking to someone far away?"

No one had an answer to give.

"Let's put that on hold for the time being and focus on the laws and rights for now." Blake suggested. "For rights, I think we can all agree that the right to bear arms is inherent here am I right?"

"Well duh. How could we advance if we're not allowed to own or carry weapons?" Viola retorted. "What about unreasonable search and seizure?"

"How is that different than the trespassing issue?" Klein asked.

"Trespassing is when a criminal does it. Unreasonable search and seizure is when the police do it." Viola answered.

"While I'm not sure if that's an accurate summary, I do agree on the sentiment." Heathcliff stated. "We should make it where guilds cannot force themselves onto the property of another, not without permission or some sort of warrant. This should if nothing else protect the solo players or non-guild groups from feeling bullied by the guilds."

"That sounds good." Viola said with a nod.

"What do we do about PK-ers?" Thinker asked. "Despite common belief, a red cursor should not be treated as all the proof needed to convict a player of murder."

Shampoo and Nabiki were both surprised and relieved to hear the head of the Liberation Army say that. Made for fewer problems for them down the road.

"But what other kind of proof can exist?" Bellaprima asked. "When a player dies, there's no body left behind. Virtually no evidence at all. A murderer could easily get away with it if they made sure not to have any witnesses. So far, a red cursor is the only proof we have."

"But the cursors themselves are tricky." Dynas said. "You get an orange cursor when you attack a player with a green one, but you don't if you attack someone who already had an orange cursor. So technically a green player could attack an orange player and there would be no evidence as far as cursors are considered. At least as far as I can tell. Maybe there's more to the red cursor than we know."

"Anyone think we should have a drinking game to how many times cursor is said here?" Blake joked, earning a few chuckles from the others.

"We could ask the players in question. Is there such a thing as a Lie Detection skill in this game?" Thinker asked.

All the assembled players thought it over, including the Beaters.

"I can't say for certain there is one, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was." Shampoo claimed.

"I gotta side with the lady on that." Lancer added with a nod.

"So we have no way to prove the difference between actual murder and self defense at the moment, limiting us to rely on witness testimony. And even then it's just one person's word against another, which would be the same if there was no witness."

"Man this is tough." Keita groaned.

'Looks like people are started to be ready to call this thing quits.' Nabiki thought. 'We can't just give up this easily. If we fail here no one is going to reopen the discussion again and we really will be stuck in a lawless world.'

"Maybe we don't need to have everything decided today." She offered. "I mean, the American Constitution started out with just ten key rights, right? Then they added to it as time went on and the law expanded. Maybe all we really need to do is the same thing here. Start with some basic rights and laws, then expand upon it when we have a better idea of how to make it work."

"I believe she is right." Kuno, surprisingly of all people, said in response. "None of us would appear to be experts on this subject, but we are the ones who chose to bear the burden of leadership for our guilds. Therefore, it is up to us to make this world a better place for all of us to live, not just those we share a house with. If that means we just lay the foundation for now but build the rest later, then so be it."

Looking around the table, Nabiki saw the others regain a little measure of hope here. 'I don't believe it, for once Kuno-baby's ability to persuade others actually did some good. Flying pigs must have frozen over in Hell or something.'

"Alright, I think we can work with this." Thinker nodded. "Let's start with the, I guess you could call it the Aincrad Bill of Rights. Number One, freedom of speech obviously."

Everyone nodded. There was no reason to contest that one.

"Number Two, the right to bear arms." He added., and was given nods again. "Number Three..." He had to put his hand to his chin. "The right to own and protect property, yeah, that sounds about right."

"We don't have to recreate the American Bill of Rights you know." Heathcliff pointed out.

"Wasn't trying to, but you gotta admit a basis to start on does help." Thinker replied.

"Ooh, an addition. The right to own and protect a business." Teech added.

Yulier, who was writing these down, nodded and included that.

"I've got one for Four. The right to refuse joining a guild and protection against anyone that tries to force it." Klein offered, thinking of Kirito for a moment. "Let's face it, most of the solo players are happy doing their own thing, and wouldn't appreciate being told to join up with a guild or else. You can recruit, but you can't force someone to join up with you."

"Good idea. This will hopefully make the solo players feel more comfortable around guilds." Lancer agreed.

Yulier wrote it down when it was clear no one was going to protest it.

"The right to safe passage in towns." Shampoo said next, then looked to Teech. "No offense, but when my guild showed up at the entry point of Floor Five a while ago, your guild was trying to roadblock all other players from advancing any further."

"That happened to my guild too." Viola noted.

"Sorry, I was unaware of it. A few members of my guild took it upon themselves to impose such a thing." Teech explained. "So yes, the right to advance in the game should be free to everyone. The more who can make it to the top, the better our chances of finishing this game are."

'Hmm... plausible deniability.' Nabiki thought, not sure if she believed the leader of the Holy Dragon Alliance. It sure sounded true, but any smart guild leader in his place would make the same denial. After all, admitting you were trying to sabotage the competition was terrible for building relationships with others.

"I got one. No age restrictions." Barry chipped in eagerly.

The adults and teenager in the room all looked at each other like they didn't know what to say. Though it wasn't unsurprisingly that the leader of a guild composed of just kid players would want such a thing if they could make it happen.

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea." Klein said first on the adult's behalf.

Barry frowned. "And why not?"

"Well for one, what would you do if there were no age limits?" Klein asked.

"Also, what's limited by age here in the first place?" Shampoo added. "I haven't seen anything that kids can't do here."

"There are some supplies and quests that we can't get. Haven't any of you gotten anything that said it wasn't for those under 20?" Barry replied.

"I have, but that was for alcohol and you shouldn't be buying that in the first place." Heathcliff told the kid.

"I do recall a time when an NPC looked like it was about to offer me a quest, but then said something about me being below 20." Keita offered. "At the time I thought it was about my level not being high enough."

"I once tried to buy something at a market but it said I was too young to buy it. I don't know how it knew, but it would not change its mind." Barry added.

"It's possible that some quests are limited like that. Some for the teenagers, and some for the adults." Shampoo stated. "And it's likely that the game prechecks our profiles so we can't lie and take them anyway."

"But why would the game do that?" Bellaprima asked. "Why not just limit based on level or something?"

"Maybe because this adds a little extra challenge." Griselda theorized. "It could be a little harder or more rewarding to win a quest if not just anyone can take that quest in the first place. Plus some supplies probably are better suited for some players over others."

"Like alcohol." Heathcliff noted.

"Which means the whole 'no age restriction' thing is pointless." Viola commented, then looked to Barry. "Sorry kid, but we can't change the programming here."

"But what about age restrictions that the players themselves create?" He countered.

"That should be their right. If a player running a store thinks you're too young to buy what he or she is selling, right to refuse service and all that."

Everyone except Barry and his second-in-command nodded. He was not pleased, but did not press the matter any further.

"Any other ideas?" Thinker asked. "Four basic rights is a good start, but we might need a little more to satisfy our dungeon saboteur."

"I would say right to fair trials or even trial by jury, but we kind of need to have laws and a court system for that." Griselda mentioned.

"You see anyone in Aincrad willing to serve jury duty?" Klein asked.

"A court system, while a noble idea, might not be feasible for a game world like this." Heathcliff claimed. "That's not to say it's impossible, but I can't help but think it's impractical. What if instead a prisoner gets brought before a gathering of us and the case against them is presented, including defenses if possible?"

"So we'll be the judges and jury?" Kuno asked.

Heathcliff nodded. "That sounds more efficient that trying to have others do it in our place.

"I have to agree, it does sound like it'd be easier." Blake said with a nod.

"What kind of punishments would you roll out?" Teech asked.

"Prison is obvious, once we figure out where to contain the players. I don't think we want to permit executions given the goal of the game, however I also don't want us to refuse to consider the possibility in the future."

"Banishment doesn't seem like an option." Shampoo brought up. "I mean, how can you banish a player from a town or floor?"

"Well to be fair you could banish someone." Heathcliff said. "Banishment is a simple concept, the criminal is simply not allowed to come back to a specific location, rather than made incapable of coming back there. With the warning that if they do come back and are caught, they will be subjected to a greater punishment."

"But wouldn't the teleport pads make it easy for someone to come and go without getting caught? I doubt any player would want to spend their time guarding a place looking for trespassers all the time."

"Maybe we should get back to that." Lancer offered. "Fines are a good punishment for light crimes."

"Well yeah, but if we do it too much I betcha most players will just see it as us stealing from them." Viola noted.

Nabiki nodded. "Yeah that's true. So what if the fines paid go to another expense? Like investments or charities? Something none of us can be accused of personally using?"

"What charities exist in a game?" Keita asked.

Nabiki shrugged. "I dunno, just suggesting."

"If I may, the players still residing in Town of Beginnings could use some financial support since they barely take quests." Thinker brought up.

"You mean the Beginners?" Bellaprima asked.

Think nodded. "Yes, those players. As you might be aware, Town of Beginnings does offer some quests that were probably intended to help all level 1 players get an understanding of how to take or do quests, before you get into the fields and do monster fights. The problem is these quests only renew themselves every other day and pay little, so surviving on just them alone is incredibly difficult."

"No offense, but if they're too scared to go outside the walls of a safe zone that's their problem." Dynas stated.

"I don't want to be rude, but I have to agree." Griselda nodded. "We're out there risking our lives every day here. Nothing is stopping them from getting stronger except themselves."

"It's not that easy." Thinker countered. "For one, a portion of the Beginners are children. They're at a disadvantage compared to us adults."

Barry tapped the table for a moment. "I'd give you that, but my guild has been able to handle being out in the fields. We just haven't tried the boss dungeons yet."

"Your guild is the exception. Most kids are terrified of dying and won't feel safe without an adult." Thinker replied. "But most importantly, most of the best quests to help the Beginners get stronger are either expired or are infrequent. It will take a long time for most of the Beginners to catch up, and with the rest of us continuing progress they never will catch up as a whole. So why would they be motivated to become stronger? Especially when all they want is to survive the game, not end it?"

"I'm not saying I don't understand their reasons. I'm saying that if that's their choice then they have to live with the consequences. Just like we do with taking risks in this game." Griselda stated.

"No offense, but could we get back on track please?" Klein asked. "We've gone on to different topics at least twice by now."

Yulier nodded. "Alright, we have four rights, five if you count right to a trial. Some basic laws, the kind you'd expect to find anywhere, and some theorized punishments for those who break them, but no decision on what punishment fits what crime."

"So we got a foundation, now we just need to build from it." Heathcliff said. "What if we were to stop here for the day and let the public know what we're doing? We could use a day among our guilds and friends to get more views on this and hopefully we can come up with more ideas that you could be overlooking."

"That's a good idea." Klein agreed with a nod.

"Maybe we each should write down our own way of phrasing the rights and laws and punishments then bring them together for a vote or collaboration?" Shampoo offered.

"Good idea." Thinker said. "So, is everyone good to stop here?"

"What about the player sabotaging the Floor Six tower?" Viola asked.

"For now it can wait. Hopefully this will at least tell the player we're making progress." Thinker stated.

He stood up, then others did as well, the meeting over.

"What a crazy morning, eh?" Klein commented to Shampoo and Nabiki as everyone headed out.

"You can say that again." Shampoo replied, stretching her arms over her head. "Now I'm wishing I paid more attention to what Great-grandmother said."

"What do you mean?" Nabiki asked.

"Great-grandmother tried to tell me about what to expect in meetings like this. When she was younger and in charge she had to do this sort of thing all the time, but I never really listened. I was more interested in what I could use now, not twenty years from now."

"Wait, what do you mean 'when she was in charge'? I thought your grandma was still in charge."

Shampoo shook her head. "Not in the way you're thinking. We're a warrior village, we let warriors lead us. Like here in Aincrad, why would a guild accept a leader who can't keep up with them?"

Klein nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense."

"So then, what is she?" Nabiki inquired.

"She's an elder advisor, meaning a former leader. When she was younger and could back up her orders if challenged, she was a true leader. But now that she's older, she's allowed to give advice but she no longer has actual authority over the village as a whole. Though most people treat her as if she does as a form of respect, but ultimately she cannot truly command anyone."

An idea just came to the mercenary. "That's why she never truly tried to force Ranma to go with you. Her laws wouldn't give her that power, right?"

Shampoo nodded. "Had she still been a true leader, she could do that. But as an elder, it would be seen as kidnapping, like how your country would see it. She could persuade, bribe, blackmail, but never order him to do as she said.

"You come from a complicated place." Klein joked.

"Yeah... time away makes you realize a thing or two about home."

"So that's what you all were there for?" Tofu asked after Shampoo and Nabiki came home and explained to the complete guild about the meeting.

Nabiki nodded, enjoying some tea Kasumi brewed. "Yes, and it looks like we're making good progress on it."

"Sounds like a great plan, but how can anyone be sure the saboteur will keep up their end of the bargain?" Akane asked.

"They kind of have to Akane. I doubt anyone actually wants us to be trapped in this game forever. And even if they did, they'd probably want more than six floors available. We'd run out of resources and quests before long."

"So then why not just call their bluff?" Ranma asked. "They can't hold out forever, you said so yourself. Why give them what they want?"

"Are you saying the idea of creating laws is pointless Airen?" Shampoo asked.

He shook his head. "Not pointless, just... unneeded."

"Unneeded?" Everyone repeated.

"Think about it, almost everyone in this game has been living like I was before I got to Nerima. Training, fighting what comes your way, moving from one place to the next, and working to make sure you don't get hungry or cold. That's pretty much my whole life on the road, and when things went wrong, the law was never there to make things better. Any time the law could have done anything, usually it was too late. So what's going to make it work here when the only ones who can make it work are making it up as they go?"

"We have to give this a try Ranma. Otherwise we'll live in a world where might makes right for everything." Nabiki protested.

"And how was that different than back in Nerima?"

"Would you say that how you lived in Nerima is a way everyone should live?"

The pigtailed martial artist was silent for a moment. "Good point."

A few days went by, and everyone in Aincrad received something that would change the game forever. And it came in the form of a newspaper of all things.

GUILD ALLIANCE FORMED

In a surprising turn, over a dozen guilds have come together to form a massive alliance among themselves. The leaders are referring to it as the Guild Congress of Aincrad, and those participating in it are being given privileges by the leaders.

Thinker, level 22 leader of the Aincrad Liberation Army, the largest guild in the game, had this to say.

"To all who play Sword Art Online, you are free to continue playing as you wish. But we in the GCA wish to remain a civilized people, and to do so we are creating a form of player-made-and-run government. With it, players will have rights and allies but also responsibilities, such as following a set of rules that will be referred to as laws. We will not impose these on others except those that commit crimes against the joined guilds. All players and guilds are welcome to join the GCA, though those who wish to remain independent will be allowed to do so. This is still an ongoing project, but one that will hopefully improve the quality of life in the game."

Will the GCA work in the end? Or will it collapse? Only time will tell.

Members of the Guild Congress of Aincrad

1. Aincrad Liberation Army, Leader: Thinker Lvl 22

2. Knights of the Blood Oath, Leader: Heathcliff Lvl 28

3. Holy Dragon Alliance, Leader: Teech Lvl 20

4. Aincrad Wrecking Crew, Leader: Shampoo Lvl 24

5. Glorious Storm, Leader: Tatewaki Lvl 20

6. Furinkazan, Leader: Klein Lvl 24

7. Moonlit Black Cats, Leader: Keita Lvl 12

8. Five Gem Crown, Leader: Viola Lvl 16

9. Silver Flags, Leader: Dynas Lvl 15

10, Golden Apple, Leader: Griselda Lvl 21

11. League of the Rising Sun, Leader: Blake Lvl 14

12 Lionheart Tribe, Leader: Lancer Lvl 22

13. Lost Boys, Leader: Barry Lvl 17

14. Ascension, Leader: Bellaprima Lvl 10

"What do you know, she did it." Argo said, smiling as she read the paper. "Guess I ought to get to the tower and return the pieces. As long as I don't get caught."

Kirito was looking at the newspaper, having seen one outside his hotel room. "An in-game government? Sounds like a lot of work being done by a bunch of inexperienced people. Still, this should hopefully cut down on the PK-ing."

He geared up, adjusting his sword and leaving the room, throwing away the newspaper before he closed the door. He left the hotel and walked through the town, which was located on Floor Four.

Ever since Floor One, Kirito had avoided both boss raids and partnering with others. He was a solo player and proud of it, or at least, not ashamed of it. He had been since Login Day, except for two instances. The first being his brief time with Klein showing him the ropes, and the second being his brief time with a fellow Beater called Coper, who joined him on an early quest but then tried to kill him in order to claim the prize. His rash stunt brought out several monsters and in the end Coper got killed by them as Kirito escaped. Asuna was the last partner Kirito has had since then, and he had last seen her on Floor Two when it was recently made available.

Not to say Kirito's lack of socialism was completely voluntary. He was a Beater, a marked player who possessed an unfair advantage in the beginning of the game, one that was for all intents and purposes moot by now. But the stigma remained, and likely would so until the game ended. Most players didn't trust Beaters to not betray them, and others just wanted to take advantage of the foreknowledge they once had. Which by now, most no longer had.

"Might as well head to the tower. Get some XP and supplies if nothing else." He muttered to himself, turning towards the town's warp gate. He stepped on it, but didn't know of what town to ask for. "Floor Six."

Saying just the floor in a warp gate was a gamble, since it would take you to any random town there was on it, odds favoring the first arrival town. So when it took Kirito to Floor Six, he didn't expect to arrive at the town closest to the tower. And he was right.

Settling on such a destination, he went out into the desert of Floor Six and just started walking towards the easily visible tower. The town wasn't right next to the dungeon, but at least it was on the same side of the floor as it.

The heat of the desert bore down on him immediately, made all the more uncomfortable by his trademark black jacket. Ever since he obtained his first one after finishing off Illfang the Kobold Lord, Kirito had made it a point to wear only black in this game. There was no point in blending in with the crowd, and it did make it harder to find him at night when the PK-ers were more likely to strike. But one jacket couldn't do everything for him, so some of the more optional skills Kirito worked on progressing were Tailoring and Leatherwork. With them he had made more jackets, each suited to different needs and with different boosts.

Swapping out his current one, the Midnight Coat, he donned one called the Shade Coat. This one was similar in appearance, though it lacked pockets and had a hood he put up. It provided a 20% boost against hot weather and fire, allowing him to better withstand the desert heat.

Up ahead he saw someone else out on the desert, and his first instinct was to ignore and avoid them, without making it look like that. If you made it clear you were intentionally avoiding others, that pretty much told other players you either had something to hide or were a low level easy pickings, both appealing to the unscrupulous players out there. So he just kept walking forward, minding his own business, and would deal with them if they decided to not do the same.

Closer up though, he could relax.

"Y'know, black isn't exactly the best thing to wear out here Kirito."

"I'm not going to let a little thing like heat stop me Argo." He replied. "How did you know I'd be here anyway?"

The whiskered Beater just grinned and kept pace. "Lucky guess. But if you want to get to the tower, you'll need this." She reached into a pocket under her cloak and pulled out a map.

Kirito raised an eyebrow. "Why are you giving me this?"

"I already did what I wanted to with the tower, and I don't really want to fight the boss. So I don't need it anymore."

Kirito still did not accept. "And you're just giving it away for free?"

"Like I said, at this point it's just trash for me. How crooked would I have to be to be willing to sell trash to someone?"

Convinced, Kirito took it. "Anything I should know about the dungeon?"

Argo chuckled. "Now that's worth charging you for."

Kirito sighed. "How much?"

Argo waved her hand dismissively. "How about you tell me what you're willing to offer and we'll go from there?"

This was Argo's preferred tactic in terms of being a mercenary and what ultimately separated her from Nabiki. Nabiki was ironclad, she set the terms and left the client with only two options, pay or go without. There was no middle ground when dealing with the middle Tendo daughter, you either gave her what she wanted or took the risks of not doing so. She was the boss and she made sure you knew it.

Argo on the other hand was more merciful by comparison, though no less effective. Only a few students in Furinkan ever actually approached Nabiki directly, preferring to approach her colleagues instead. When they approached Argo, she allowed the client to set the terms, and occasionally gave away things for free. This gave them the illusion of power, of feeling like they had nothing to lose, nothing they hadn't agreed to lose anyway. Of course Argo had limits and only gave as much as they were willing to pay, but this ensured they'd keep coming back. Nabiki's approach worked but didn't encourage repeat business, save for the dumb or desperate.

Kirito pulled up his menu and checked his Col. "I can spare 2000 Col." He could spare more if he really had to, but Kirito didn't want her knowing just how much money he made doing quests and living cheaply. His only real splurges in Aincrad were on food and making customized black jackets. Weapons were a necessity so they didn't count.

Argo shrugged. "I'll take it." The money transfer was made complete before she continued. "The enemies you can expect in the tower are the undead type, so I hope you're stocked on the right weapons. Of course, there are some insect type and a few rats, watch out for those. Their stats are weaker but I think they got special traits to make up for it."

Kirito nodded. "Looks like it's getting harder and harder for solo players to handle the towers now."

Argo nodded, having already drawn that conclusion. Threats like this were easier to handle when you had backup, such as a guild. So far, solo players could handle the tower monsters if not the boss itself. But sooner or later that was going to change.

One of Kirito's motives to get strong was to make sure it would be later rather than sooner.

"And expect some puzzles, but if you're not going for the boss then you really don't have to worry about that too much." Argo added. "I think that's all you really want to know."

"If you say so." Kirito agreed, not thinking there might be more. All he wanted was to beat some tower monsters and clear out before any guilds showed up. He was still one of the most disliked players in the game, though PK-ers were becoming more hated recently.

"See you around Kirito." Argo said before walking away.

Looking at the map, Kirito glanced towards the tower and continued on his way.