CHAPTER II: PITILESS SIN

Kirito's POV, Floor 71, Inn

They just don't stop. Time in and time out they slaughter innocent players like cattle. And for what? They know exactly how dangerous this game is, what it means to die in here, and yet they just won't stop. Or maybe, just maybe, they really do believe it's all just a big joke and aren't aware of the consequences of their actions. Virtual reality gives you the chance to reinvent yourself after all; be someone you're not, and act like an entirely different person than in real life. It doesn't make any sense. I stared at the report sent to me by Asuna.

"Another killed off..." I sighed.

That's the fourth scouting agent killed by the Laughing Coffin murder guild. For months the Knights of the Blood Oath and myself have tried to put a stop to the Laughing Coffin, a guild made for one purpose and one purpose only: To kill as many players they can without mercy. It's bad enough that we lose people in boss raids, now we must deal with player killing psychopaths.

I sat back in my chair and sighed. It was a long day. We had barely cleared the 70th-floor boss and already we're having to deal with more trouble.

"Geez, what the hell am I supposed to do now?"

As I sat back in my chair, staring up at the ceiling, a little white box appeared in front of me, the words "New Message" scrawled across the center. A tiny white envelope sat at the bottom, waiting to be opened.

"A new message?" I said, "It's from someone I don't recognize...Should I even open it?"

Usually when I got a message from someone I didn't know, it was never a good sign, and the last thing I needed right now was more trouble. I stared at the box hesitantly. If I opened it, I knew trouble would be inevitable. But if anyone knew me at all, they'd know I would eventually let my curiosity take over. I clicked the accept button and opened the message.

Urgent message from the Army

This is Lieutenant Landeral of the Army. We request your immediate presence at the Black Iron Palace! As of 0900 hours ago, a Laughing Coffin Guild member has been incarcerated in our facility. We would request that all high-level players of the Assault team, as well as high-rank officers of the Knights of the Blood Oath guild be present in this emergency meeting!

I nearly fell back in my chair! How did a Laughing Coffin member get captured!? Those guys were masters at stealth and sneak skills, and the one thing they'd never do, is let themselves be captured. They'd rather die than be imprisoned. I nearly fell out of my chair. News like this no doubt reached Asuna by now. I struggled to run and type out my message to Asuna, telling her to meet me at the Town of Beginnings on the first floor.

"A captured Laughing Coffin member is huge! We can get an edge on their tricks and secrets and put a stop to them once and for all!"

I burst through the inn doors and raced down the street towards the teleport gate. I had to see this for myself. It's unreal, but it's better than sitting around doing nothing.

X's POV

Floor 1, Black Iron Palace

It was cold and damp in this cell. There was barely enough sunlight from the tiny window to see my own hands, and the stench of mold filled the air. If SAO wasn't entertaining, it was detailed down to the last pixel. I sat there in my cell for days, unmoving and unflinching. In any other VRMMO like this, my account would simply be suspended for a few days. All I'd have to do is log out and wait until my avatar's ban was up. I could go about my day being a normal person, not worrying about any consequences until I was ready to log back in. But since there's no developer team monitoring players, and I obviously can't log out, my sentence is unofficial, and therefore has no time limit to how long I spend in jail. I've never been in jail before in the real world. I didn't realize how it must have felt for all the people who have. Time seems to stand still when you're imprisoned.

There were guards all over my cell, switching watch duty as they go and taking a ready stance. I still don't understand why they think weapons are necessary.

"Uh...excuse me." I said, breaking the long silence.

The guard looked at me with cold, merciless eyes. No doubt he hated my guts.

"What the hell do you want murderer?" He barked.

"Well uh...don't you think the spears and swords are a bit...overkill? I mean we are in a safe zone so it's not like you can kill me. And I am locked up behind these bars with shackles, so there's not much I could do either."

The guard chuckled without so much as looking in my direction.

"Heh…Sure, we'll all just put out weapons away. Would you like us to bring you anything while we're at it? Maybe a hot cup of tea or a book to read?"

The guard chuckled to himself. There was a long silence until he slightly turned to my direction.

"Just where the hell do you get off anyway?" he asked. "You murderous scum. You have some nerve thinking you can tell me what I should and shouldn't do, knowing damn well why you're here. What makes you think you deserve anything other than what you're getting now? Hell, even this cell is too good for you."

I looked at the floor.

"You're lucky we are in a safe zone! If it were up to me, I'd leave your ass stranded out there with a hoard of monsters to do you in!"

He was right. I don't exactly have a great reputation with the people of SAO. How could I? I guess it was kind of stupid for me to make such requests. I had no right to.

"You're right..." I said, "I'm sorry."

The guard clenched his teeth. He whirled around and slammed his palm into the cell door, the loud clang of metal echoed through the hall.

"You're sorry!?" The guard growled, "Just how many people have you killed anyway!? Were you sorry when you were out slaughtering them!? People with friends and family waiting for them bedside when they got home!? Were you sorry when you looked them in their terrified eyes!? Did you even look them in the eyes!?"

I couldn't answer even though I knew what he was saying was all true. It's more like I couldn't answer. The guilt tore at my very being. And if I were in his shoes, I'd probably feel the same way.

"You look at me when I'm talking to you!" The guard screamed.

"That's enough Marcos." Said an unfamiliar voice.

The guard turned around and sighed. He glanced back at me once more with steely eyes filled with hatred and pain. I must've killed someone he knew...I wonder who.

"Lieutenant Landeral, I've completed my watch tour, permission to take leave sir?"

Landeral nodded.

"Permission granted. You are dismissed Sergeant."

The guard picked up his spear and stormed off, checking through the other cell doors before disapearing into the shadows of the hallway. I kept my head down, but I could tell from the sound of his voice that Landeral was not a person I should mess with.

"On your feet prisoner." Landeral ordered.

I slowly stood from the ground, keeping my eyes glued to the floor.

"Come here boy! To the cell door!"

I inched forward. I wasn't sure what was going to happen at this point. Maybe they'd sentence me to death and leave me stranded in a high-level dungeon like the guard said. Maybe they'd lock me up here for the rest of the game until it was cleared, or everyone else died leaving me to rot for all eternity while my real body was barely kept alive on life support. Or maybe they'd turn me into the authorities once the game was cleared and let them decide my fate. Either way, I deserved it.

Landeral, with his heavy booming voice barked at me.

"Lift your head boy! If you're going to be treated like a man, then you'd better act like one! Head up, now!"

I lifted my head and met Landeral's gaze. He was a stocky man, muscular and proud looking. His face housed a scruffy looking goatee, and his harsh blue eyes screamed "I've seen battle like no one has seen before". This man was definitely not someone I wanted to anger.

"So, it is you...Red Eye X. I heard an infamous LC guild member was being held up here. I didn't expect it to be you though."

I shook my head.

"Just X." I muttered. "I don't go by Red Eye anymore sir."

Landeral scoffed.

"What's with the sir charade? You talk as if we are equals here, as if I'm a man you respect. Well let's make a few things clear. You are not my subordinate, and I am not your friend. You are a prisoner, and I am your warden. I say jump, you say how high. You do not deserve the satisfaction of giving me or anyone else respect, nor will you get any yourself. So, cut the crap Red Eye, and let me get this over with as fast as possible."

I sighed. I should've figured this would be the treatment I would get. I should have known better.

"So, what do you want?" I said, "If it's to make some kind of deal in order to find out about the other guild members, don't bother, I came here willingly, and this is where I choose to stay."

Landeral laughed. It was a booming laugh, the kind that could topple mountains within seconds.

"Ha!" He bellowed, "You think you get a choice of where you go? You didn't have to tell me where you'd stay, that's a mutual understanding that you and I have. I'm here to take you to interrogation boy. You're going to answer my questions, whether you want to or not. Now step back so I can open the door."

I did as I was told and took a step back. The heavy steel door swung open. Landeral looked even bigger without the bars in the way. The hulking man walked into the cell and grabbed my arm tightly, slapping shackles to my wrist and his own. No way was I going anywhere with this massive boulder of a man.

"Let's go boy."

With a heavy arm, Landeral yanked my body forward, forcing me to follow closely behind or risk being dragged through the dirt and stone.

"Oh boy..." I thought to myself.

X's POV interrogation room, Black Iron Palace

I could barely keep up. Landeral had to yank me several times to get my feet moving. He scoffed every time he did and yanked harder the more I lagged behind. When we finally got to the interrogation room, he sat me down, unshackled his cuff, and attached it to the leg of the table. Two guards stood ready as he left the room. Landeral shot me a look that said, "move and you'll be sorry you did", and he slammed the door shut. I looked around. The room was a lot nicer than I expected it to be. There were couches and tables with fruit bowls centered on them on the other side of the room. The walls were painted a pleasant green color, and the room itself was beautifully lit with a magnificent chandelier. If this was supposed to put my mind at ease about being interrogated, it worked, even if just a little bit.

Landeral entered the room once more. I looked at him with tired eyes and managed a weak smile.

"This is pretty nice for an interrogation room." I joked.

Landeral scoffed.

"This isn't the interrogation room numbskull, you're just here to meet your interrogators."

I did my best to look behind Landeral's stocky body. Two players stood proudly as the walked into the room. One of them wore all black and equipped an elegant looking sword to match.

"The Black Swordsman, Kirito." I thought.

I turned my gaze to the other player. A female. Long, beautiful hair, mesmerizing eyes, and a white getup that matched the uniform of the Knights of the Blood Oath. Those guys gave my old guild a real tough time every now and then.

"Lightning Flash Asuna, Sub-Leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath."

I sat in the presence of two legendary players. It felt weird meeting them this way. I had always figured I'd meet them in battle. Three legends, two against one, fighting to decide each other's fates. I tried to stand to bow in respect, only to be met with a large hand clapping my shoulder, forcing me back into my seat. I looked up to meet Landeral's gaze.

"You move when I tell you to, speak when I tell you to, and listen when I tell you to. And right, now, I'm telling you to sit the hell down."

A bead of sweat dripped down my face. The situation was intense right off the bat, and I didn't want to make things worse. I nodded in acknowledgment and turned my gaze back to Kirito and Asuna. Their eye's were full of fire and anger. Understandable. My guild has recently been killing off all their agents that have been passing through our territory. I turned away and stared at the table. Whatever was about to happen, was going to be intense.

END CHAPTER 2

WELL SO FAR I'D SAY IM HAPPY WITH THE WAY THIS STORY IS TURNING OUT. MY PROCESS USUALLY INVOLVES WRITING OUT A HEAPING PILE OF GARBAGE AND THEN REFINING IT INTO A ROUGH DIAMOND. YOU GUYS ARE THE ONES WHO SMOOTHEN IT OUT AND MAKE IT WORTH SOMETHING, SO IF YOU HAVE ANY FEEDBACK, IT'D BE MUCH APPRECIATED! THIS IS SHAMAJ, SIGNING OUT! SEE YOU IN CHAPTER 3: CONFESSIONS OF SIN