AN: The poll closed, and I got voted to do a chapter entirely separate from canon.
Since the color cursor is so weird, and sometimes get it's rules bent, here's how I clarify it.
1: The cursor will turn orange when a crime is committed, with the length of color change depending on the severity of the crime.
2: Self defence from any player is okay, but PKs against them will warrant a orange cursor to the killer, with the length of time the same whether the victim was a green player or orange.
3: Self defence is as follows: The attacker strikes first, and the victim defends from any blows.
Worker72, thank you for providing this idea.
Chapter 7: Breakdown
Floor 11
"Should we really be in here?" Kirito asked. They roamed around the dungeon, nitpicked by grossly weak creatures.
"Yeah, we need that cloak for Silica,"
"I really don't need that," Silica defended herself. "Besides, it's not like it's going to be any good."
"Your Hiding skill sucks, so we need to boost it as much as we can." Klein responded, looking at the girl's bright clothing.
"Can't we search somewhere harder?" Asuna asked.
"Well, the legendary cloak should be here somewhere," Kunimittz poked around a corner. A cloaked figure was there, attacking monsters." He looked at Asuna, and back.
Well, that's not her.
"Hey! Did you encounter a miniboss?!" He shouted. The person jumped, and started to run quickly across the corridor.
But not after looking back briefly. Kirito saw a glimpse. And started to chase the shadow. Asuna saw that, and started to run past him, catching up. The group gave chase, until there was a dead end.
The shadow unsheathed a katana, ready to defend. Kirito couldn't see past the hood, but saw an orange color cursor. The group immediately downed a anti-paralysis effect potion, just in case.
"Kirito, do you know anything about her?" Asuna asked, recognizing Kirito's curious look. The shadow leapt at Klein, unleashing a skill with extravagant slashes. He retaliated by unleashing another one, a upward cut launching her up, making her hood catch air, and for a moment, confirmed Kirito's suspicions. The girl dashed through them, escaping, teleporting out.
"Kirito?" He just stared down the corridor.
"Why..how..I.." He stuttered. Klein squinted in confusion.
"What is it?" Klein asked.
"Ss..s..Suguha,"
"So that was your sister?!" Dynamm looked at Kirito across the inn table.
"Yeah, I don't know how. She left for kendo,"
"What about the orange cursor?"
"I..I don't know about that,"
"Alright, I guess. We'll look for her tomorrow, if you want." Klein offered.
"Thanks Klein. Let's get an inn room,"
They followed the beaten path for hours. Kirito's eyes were tinted green.
"Y'know, I feel like we're following our own steps." Harry Two muttered. His brother nodded along.
"Kirito, your sister actually teleported. There's no way you can track her," Klein said.
"Weren't you the one who offered me help?"
"Sorry, but I take that back," Klein groaned. A red haired woman appeared in front of the path, with revealing silver-plated armor. She looked at them, and her eyes widened. She raised a hand up, and pointed at them.
"Wha?" Kirito soon was in a battle with bandits. There were a dozen of them, all aiming to kill.
"Kill them!" The woman yelled. The bandits had unusually high level equipment.
"Don't use skills!" Kirito warned, trying not to kill them. However, the bandits were getting the upper hand. Dale practically blocked while moving backward, unable to break the attack pattern. Asuna went half health, followed with Klein, and Dynamm, and…
"Use them, but try not to kill!" Kirito unleashed a combo chaining basic sword skills. But they kept coming. Eventually, the group is packed in, all in the yellow zone. They faced a dilemma.
Is it really okay to PK criminals? Kirito faced enormous pressure, and he had to decide now. He would've been more relaxed if they were facing monsters.
He came up with a conclusion.
Yes.
He let out a hoarse scream as he charged into a bandit, stabbing him, pulled out, and turned around rapidly to slash him again, disintegrating him. His cursor turned orange.
Everyone stopped. The fact that one of their targets are willing to kill surprised them.
"K..Kirito?" Asuna struggled to say. Kirito shivered, and held his blade aloft.
"Leave!" Then he ran to the silver plated woman, and found out her identity.
Rosalia.
"I thought, you…" He then decided to threaten to slash her throat.
"Give me info about a black haired girl with a cloak, or else!" His voice cracked.
"I..I..think that she might be in another bandit group-"
"Where?!"
"Floor 25!" Kirito walked towards his guild.
"Let's go. And you," he turned to Rosalia.
"You better convert, or you're done for."
They built a campfire among the forest , surrounding it.
" What was that Kirito?" Issin asked, a rare hint of anger in his voice.
"What?"
"Why did you kill the bandit?" Asuna gave him a hard look.
"They were going to kill us!"
"Oh, so it's okay to act like them?!" Asuna burst open with rage.
"Look, I just tried to protect you all!" Asuna again looked at the orange cursor.
"Kirito, you don't need to protect everyone." Klein reasoned. Kirito shut his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to calm himself.
"Teleport, Erihill." He said softly. Asuna noticed the teleport crystal in his hand, behind his back.
"Kirito, no!" Asuna tried to stop him, but he soon disappeared.
Kirito appeared in front of the Floor 25 teleport gate. NPC guards started to pursue him. He sprinted towards the boundary, shoving anybody in his way.
"Orange player!" People chanted. Kirito just kept going. Once he was out of sight, he activated his Searching skill. A group of highlighted footsteps appeared in front of him.
"Suguha, why are you here?"
"Dammit, Kirito!" Klein shouted. They went to Erihill to find him. They met with dazed players.
"Do you know which direction they went?" Harry One asked a player.
"Over there," the player pointed towards a stone path, that split up to three directions.
"Silica, try and trail the left path, and use this dagger." Asuna gave her a dagger enchanted to have a speed boost.
"You keep this?"
"Don't ask." Silica nodded, and ran off.
Kirito soon saw a group overwhelmed with monsters. Orange level. With Suguha in their ranks. He charged, and quickly decimated them. The group was about to thank them, but Kirito just shoved them back, with a face screwed in anger.
"Why did you come here! You showed no interest at the game! You went off for kendo practice!" Kirito yelled with such ferocity and volume. Suguha took several steps back, not wanting to face disappointment.
"I'm sorry! It's not like I knew this..this nightmare would happen!" The sibling cried a little, causing him to calm down.
"How did you get here?"
"I b..b..borrowed one of his friend's NerveGear. The friend couldn't play at the time, so I decided to give it a try after practice," She pointed to a skinny figure, who looked incredibly shocked, and raised his hands.
"I swear, I didn't-" Kirito punched him several meters backward.
"All of you, get out!" Kirito commanded at the remaining group members. The damaged slender teen started to get up and leave.
"Not you!"
"Stop it!" Suguha cried out. "It wasn't his fault!"
"HOW?!" Kirito exploded, the voice echoing. Klein heard this, and started to follow.
"Kirito!" The samurai started to walk towards the heated teenager.
"What happened? How did you get all this anger in you?" Kirito ignored him, and started to go towards his sister.
"Wait!"
"Don't touch me!" Klein decided to grab his shoulder anyway. Kirito turned around.
His sword glowing.
A red gash appeared right across his torso. Klein's HP went down one tenth.
"Kirito!" Another slash went towards Klein's head. He ducked, and kicked Kirito a few meters back, slamming him into a tree. Kirito's eyes became feral, and started to attack him repeatedly, and relentlessly, only following his instincts. Klein hit a specific spot on the sword, and broke it, the top shard of the blade landing. Kirito let go of his sword and tried to punch him. Klein let go of his weapon, and his hands glowed, and automatically caught the incoming fist, and threw the attacker to the ground. Klein backed away, and picked up his katana.
"Why?" He asked for the last time.
Kirito started to admit defeat.
"First, I find out my sister is here. Then, I had to protect you, because someone back stabbed us, and I murdered someone. Then I find out that my sister is related to the people that back stabbed us in the first place! Why does this happen to us?! WHY?!" Kirito started to break down, sitting, and hugging his knees, crying on them.
"Kirito, just stop." Kirito looked up.
"You stop. Just because something this bad happens, it doesn't mean you have to act this way!"
"You don't get it-"
"I don't get it?! I was back stabbed the most; I thought I was helping Rosalia, but I was just boosting her up. But killing any of them; that's pushing it!"
"I didn't have a choice-"
"There's always a choice." Now that Kirito thought about that, he saw what could've been done differently. He could've disarmed the bandits instead of PKing. He could've been calm.
"S..sorry," Kirito muttered. Asuna started to arrive.
"I heard Kirito's voic- what happened?"
"He couldn't handle it," Klein said simply.
"I..need some time for myself," Kirito declared. Asuna nodded.
"Fine. Just come back eventually."
"Go ahead,"
Kirito nodded and headed to the recently cleared floors. Klein turned around and faced the ex-bandits.
"Why were you two with the bandits?"
"I didn't train enough to have a higher level, and we were constantly weak. We had to join them to survive." Suguha's friend explained.
"Your name?"
"Oh, I'm Recon, and this is Suguha."
"Alright then, I'm Klein, and they're my guild members." Klein gestured toward them.
"And, if you want," Klein added. "You can join us."
"You're open?"
"Yeah,"
"Why?" Klein scratched his headband.
"The truth is, we don't like to leave people like you by yourselves, especially if you're mid-level, because, you might die. So we sometimes-"
"Just you, Klein," Someone called out.
"I, give you the opportunity to join a clearing guild. So, do you want to?"
"Sure," Recon shook his hand.
"Actually, I have to talk to them," Asuna strode past Klein.
"Look, your levels are low, so we were planning to send you out on a trip in the 45th floor, and take extreme risks to raise levels. She," Asuna pointed to Silica."…agreed, but I'm not sure if you will-"
"Stop," Suguha said, "It's better than robbing people. We're in."