Prologue – Fui Quod Sis

Yuuki – Floor 1 – November 20, 2023 – 8:32

The off-sync collection of clearers moved through Starting City easily, brushing aside non-players and NPCs alike. Their movements were confident and self-assured, a rare sight on the first floor. Though their mismatched guild colors gave them away as an assortment of various different allegiances, they were united under one purpose.

A thin young man trailed them, struggling to get them to turn back. His assistant, a young woman with white hair and a stern expression, followed them as well. The rest of their group was silent, intent on the mission ahead of them. Yuuki had traded a few friendly jabs with Klein earlier, but ever since arriving on the first floor, Klein had stopped being particularly jovial.

"Klein, while I appreciate the clearers' interest in maintaining order here in Starting City, this is out of Heathcliff's jurisdiction," The frail young journalist followed behind them, talking quickly and with more than a subtle amount of weary inflection, "Even if your concerns were valid, the Army would be the ones to take care of it. The «KoB»–"

"Do I look like I'm part of the «KoB», Thinker?" Klein spun around, gesturing at his red and brown samurai-esque armor, "I'm the leader of the «Fuurinkazan»."

"The what?" Thinker tilted his head to the side. Yuuki chuckled at that, earning an annoyed side-glance from Klein. She smiled back at him, feigning innocence.

"This operation is a joint venture from many of the clearing guilds, including my own," Yuuki added, flicking a strand of purple hair away from her eyes, "Heathcliff isn't the only one who thinks there's something fishy going on here. Ran would be here personally if another urgent manner hadn't called her away."

Their group moved quickly through the streets of Starting City, powering through crowds of NPCs and non-players alike. The white-washed walls of the beginner's city met in stark contrast to the sun-struck orange rooftops. Many of the buildings were constructed of similar material; alabaster walls with tile roofs.

Yuuki looked along the streets as their small group moved through the city. There weren't nearly as many beggar non-players now, but she still occasionally saw the trademark ragged clothes and grimy hands as they passed some of the many small alleyways. How they managed to survive day after day without a roof over their heads was beyond her.

"This is ridiculous," Thinker continued, trailing their group, "I cannot–"

The white-haired woman accompanying him placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking her head gently. At that, Thinker calmed down and resigned himself. Klein remained fixated ahead, his hands clenched together and turning white. The rest of their group – two members of the «Divine Dragon Alliance» and a few from the «Sleeping Knights», among others – followed their temporary commander silently. There were over ten of them in all.

Klein was the only guild leader among the coalition force, thus he had been appointed the leader of the mission. The rest were lieutenants and seconds that were present to personally verify the disturbing information brought to their attention several days before.

"This the building?" Klein turned to one of the «DDA» members, who nodded quickly. It was a short and squat building, but long. Yuuki looked down an alleyway to see where it ended, but the alleyway turned off before that. A sign hung above the doorway, labelling it the «Midnight Rendezvous». An image of a scantily clad woman hung along with the sign as a logo.

"This is just a nightclub!" Thinker protested, but Yuuki shook her head.

"Then why is it open in the morning?"

Klein entered the door quickly, throwing it wide to allow the rest of them access. Inside the air was thick and heavy. Smoke billowed out through the door, having been accumulating along the ceiling. Several people who were sitting around smoking virtual cigars and cigarettes were standing now, their faces a mixture of confusion and panic. The man behind the bar opened his hands and walked over.

He was thin and tall with thick glasses over dull eyes. He eyed Klein curiously and with an odd expression. Yuuki examined him, focusing on his glazed expression and disinterested demeanor. For a nightclub, this place didn't really have a lot of room. Yuuki looked at the far wall, which was much, much shorter than the outside seemed to imply.

That's really odd.

"Are you the owner of this establishment?" Klein folded his arms, staring at the man with a cold look. Yuuki felt herself shiver unconsciously. Klein was difficult to rile up, but he was scary when mad.

"No, I am simply a manager here," The man smiled, his lips taut and disingenuous with the effort, "What do you and your friends need?"

"We'd like to search the premises," Klein looked around the room, "We've received reports of suspicious and hazardous activity going on here that we'd like to check out."

"Klein!" Thinker snapped, storming up between the two men, "You can't just barge into a commercial property and demand to investigate it! That's a violation of privacy!"

"Well, I guess it's too bad there's no laws," Klein shrugged, motioning the rest of the group to start their search. Yuuki joined in, checking behind pillows and furniture. The others were examining the candle sconces and throwing around the couple of books stacked in bookshelves.

There has to be a switch somewhere.

Klein and Thinker's argument was becoming heated. The twig-like young journalist was nearly yelling now about rights and the preservation of private property and whatnot. Yuuki tuned it all out. When she finally found it, she let out a surprised little squeak.

"I found it! I found it!" She called, keeping her voice light and merry.

The switch itself was unornamented, hidden behind rows of pint glasses underneath the bar counter. It was just a small wooden button built into the counter. The thin manager stared at Yuuki impassively as she stood.

"They didn't do a good job hiding it," Yuuki pouted.

"Would a legal business have a secret switch?" Klein grinned at Thinker, but the leader of the «Army» was unconvinced.

"There are plenty of legitimate–"

Yuuki pressed the button and the immediate roar of music cut him off. It was bass-heavy and primal, each excruciatingly loud beat drumming into Yuuki's ear unpleasantly. The wall behind the counter clicked, sliding back and over slowly. Yuuki backed away from it, feeling a sick sense of horror as she looked into the secret room.

Her suspicions about the building having a fake back wall were more than correct. The secret room's length was easily twice again the length of the front. Even heavier smoke lined the top of this new room and there were numerous couches laid out. Atop raised platforms, topless women in black thongs pole-danced to the pleasure of more than ten men. They wore business suits or guild uniforms, their attention wholly fixed on the dancing women. To the side, she saw one dancer leading a man with many rings on his fingers into a side room.

"Break it up!" Klein shouted, storming into the room. The music came to an abrupt halt and everyone paused, looking back at the leader of the «Fuurinkazan» as he looked over the room, "Everyone stay calm. You're all under arrest for suspicion of hiring non-players as prostitutes. I-"

Before he could say another word, the room erupted into chaos.

Two of the men across the room went for a back door, but Yuuki was faster. She jumped, clearing the thirty feet in a single bound, propelled by a near-maxed «Acrobatics» skill. In the short time before she landed between the men and the door, her longsword was already bare, pushing the people back.

"Y-You can't hurt us here!" One stumbled backwards, falling over a chair while the other pointed in fear, "We're in a safe zone!"

"You're wrong," Yuuki grinned, "I can't kill you here, but I guarantee you'll feel the touch of my blade if you don't come along with us."

"We'll call the guards!"

"So what?" Yuuki shrugged, "First floor NPCs are weak. If we go orange for a few days from killing them, it's no big deal. Don't make this harder for yourself."

Behind them both, Yuuki saw Thinker staring in shock at two players near the stage. Klein was helping a woman off the stage, giving her his jacket to cover herself. The two men were «Army» officials, judging by their messy white and black uniforms. The soaring dove, the symbol of the «Aincrad Liberation Force» that was emblazoned on their coats, was folded and discarded on the floor.

"And now I know why I hadn't heard of this," Thinker said, shaking his head at the two men, "I had thought the rumors were baseless. Non-players selling their bodies for food and comfort? Preposterous. But now…" Thinker looked over at the rest of the clearers' storming into the building, accosting the customers and giving clothes to the women, "Who is the ringleader?"

"With all due respect, sir," The «Army» official's head was bowed, his face flushed with shame, "I don't know. We're simply customers."

Klein turned back to the thin man who had manned the front, now detained in the arms of a clearer from the «DDA». The young leader of the «Fuurinkazan» was pissed as far as Yuuki could tell. He stomped heavily over to the thin man, grabbing the front of his shirt.

"Who owns this place?" Klein demanded, "Who is running this?"

"I believe the owner of this building is listed in the «Public Registry» for anyone to see," The thin man replied sharply, his lips a thin smirk.

"We already checked that," Klein growled, "The owner died three months ago under mysterious circumstances. Who is the real owner?"

"In light of that discovery," Thinker began, folding his arms, "This property will be re-appropriated by the Army, searched thoroughly and then sold for the «Army's» profit. All of you," He gestured at the men detained by the clearers, "Are to be thrown into the dungeons of the «Black Iron Palace» until a proper punishment is determined."

Yuuki leaned against the door as two clearers came to grab the men she was threatening. The young woman let out a sigh and sheathed her sword at her belt. A man was dragged from a nearby room, his pants around his ankles. He was kicking and screaming, demanding to be let go. He was important, he kept screeching. Yuuki turned away, struggling to hold back her nausea.

A corridor crystal was soon set up and Thinker helped drag a few people through himself. At least he was cooperative when confronted with proof. Klein motioned for the rest of the clearers to go on ahead, and soon everyone was gone. Now alone together, Klein collapsed onto one of the nearby plush sofas.

"Careful," Yuuki grinned as she walked up, though the gesture felt a bit hollow, "You don't know what's happened on that."

Klein stood quickly, brushing himself off with more than a lit bit of disgusted flair. He turned towards Yuuki, his mouth half-open as if he was about to respond with some sarcastic quip. Instead, he gave up, turning back towards the entrance to the establishment.

"You know, Yuuki," Klein sighed, his hand brushing the front desk as Yuuki caught up to him, "Sometimes I just get so tired."

He leaned against the counter. Yuuki examined him for a moment; young and lanky, a college student in every facet of his appearance. His slightly pock-marked face shown he had grown past the age of acne by a few years. He was thin – thinner than his «Light Metal Armor» would imply, anyway. Underfed, probably. With a stronger jaw or a more muscular frame, he would have had a hard time pulling women off of him.

"I get the feeling this isn't the last we've heard of businesses like this," Yuuki cringed, thinking of the women dancing naked for the «Army» officials, "One brothel implies many brothels. When I signed up for a virtual world, I never realized it would get so real."

"The ringleader is likely pulling in a ridiculous amount of money," Klein shook his head, "How much you wanna bet it's a non-player running this place? Those bastards got greedy when «Starting City» fell into crisis."

"When was it not in crisis?" Yuuki sighed, "In a way, Thinker is right about us. What right do we have to come down here and enforce order?"

"If Thinker was doing his job…" Klein started, but trailed off, "It doesn't really matter what he does. The entire situation is a mess."

"Cheer up," Yuuki smiled, punching him lightly in the shoulder, "I'll take you out somewhere to do something happy when we get back."

"I just… I feel guilty still, sometimes," Klein bit his lip, "While you and I were off helping clear the second floor and having the time of our lives, this city was falling apart. How many people died while we were running quests and killing monsters?"

She remembered it well. Starting City had been host to a number of harmless, repeatable quests. They were low-paying and easy, usually just deliveries from one spot in the city to another. However, they were all tied-in to the war against the kobolds, which formed the main quest for the floor. When «Illfang the Kobold Lord» was slain, suddenly the income source the non-players relied upon dried up. The city descended into chaos. As many as 2000 of the original 4000 non-players wound up leaving the city in a massive exodus, finally being forced into being players. The rest, well…

"Klein…" Yuuki looked down at the ground, "I'm sure things will get better."

"Lots of clearers have died too," Klein shook his head, "Even if we were having fun back then, the non-players have it easy. I can't have sympathy for them. Once they figured out how to run businesses and employ people, their crisis ended. Ours never will."

"You're gonna become a misanthrope at this rate," Yuuki jumped up on the bar counter next to him, swinging her legs. It was childish, but she didn't care.

"Are you sure you're seventeen?" Klein smiled at her. It was a brief and tenuous thing, but it was a good sign. Even with that, his eyes were sunken and there were large bags under his eyes.

"Maybe not at heart."

He'd been this way since the last Strategy Meeting between the leaders of the clearing guilds, when it was decided that Klein would lead the raid to bust the prostitution house and force Thinker into action. Worry gnawed at Yuuki.

"Are you going to be okay?" She asked, her heart heavy. It wasn't as if the bust didn't affect her, but Klein was more soft-hearted than he let on. With every day that passed, she felt it was more likely he was going to break from the stress of being a clearer.

"Yeah." It was a simple response, but that only made it hurt more.

The two exited the brothel and Yuuki had to shade her eyes from the sudden brightness of the outside world. The streets were clean and bright. Nearby, a young non-player swept the floor of a café, humming softly to herself. A couple people wandered by, but this far from the town center made that a bit of a rare occurrence. Most of the passersby were NPCs.

It was a long walk back to the «Black Iron Palace». Though Yuuki was more than certain it was unnecessary, Klein was determined to ensure that the criminals had been locked up in the dungeons properly. Thinker let them in to the dungeons without any hassle, showing them to the cells without a single complaint. Their equipment and inventories had been stripped to be held in storage until judgment could be passed.

The judiciary system was still being worked on, but it was a step forward. With more time, it might even be possible to have properly established laws. Though her heart was heavy, Yuuki kept a smile on her face when she finally exited back out into the courtyard with Klein.

"Guess we should get back," Klein shrugged, "Heathcliff is undoubtedly waiting with open arms to hear a glowing report of our triumphant success. Or he'll probably just nod his head and say 'good job'."

"Yup! Sounds like him," Yuuki grinned at Klein, "And we've got monsters to slay and quests to get on with anyway."

Klein looked up at the sky, his face a mask Yuuki couldn't quite work out.

"I just hope today is the last we hear of this," He shook his head, "But somehow I don't think it is."

Kirito – Floor 46 – November 20, 2023 – 2:21

His blade bit into the neck of the «Giant Soldier Ant». The massive insect reared back, two of its six legs flailing in the air. A quick slash along its stomach cracked open its exoskeleton, spraying acidic entrails over the clay floor. The ant's health dipped into the red as Kirito dodge backwards to evade its massive pincers.

He spun, slicing off one pincer and using the opening to move in close. He punched the longsword into a groove along the ant's neck, pushing his weapon through. In one swift motion, he pulled the blade out and stabbed again.

Its health finally depleted, the «Giant Soldier Ant» collapsed. Its body spasmed heavily once before the thing died. Kirito fell to his knees, breathing hard and fast. Relief ran through him, the pleasant catharsis of victory.

The «Ant Hill» was the top-tier dungeon for this floor, an optional yet powerful area that was home to numerous insectoid monsters. Even through the top floor was the floor above, clearers still came down here often to train. Earlier in the day, he thought he saw a few members of the «Sleeping Knights» fighting as a group to take down one of the «Drone Lords». They were powerful sub-bosses that Kirito couldn't hope to fight alone, though they sometimes dropped rare weapons and armor.

One day he'd be able to kill them. All that mattered was that he got stronger.

Kirito struggled to his feet and opened the pack at his belt. Inside were several potions and herbs, ready and waiting in case he didn't have time to access his menu. A precious health crystal lay at the bottom, the instant health boost a last resort option in case he desperately needed it. The thing was pricey, so he'd rather not use it unless he absolutely had to.

He drank a potion and watched as his health began to regenerate more quickly. There were other ways to regenerate health after a fight, like the passive skill «Battle Healing». While it was certainly a useful skill, it was a dangerous skill to level.

Kirito looked around the clay tunnel as he checked carefully for more monsters. He could see even though the tunnel had barely any light due to his «Night Vision» skill, but even that wasn't perfect. It was easy to get ambushed and he wasn't willing to let that happen.

The «Ant Hill» was basically a massive version of the real-life thing. It was a tall mound stuck in the middle of the vast badlands that dominated this floor. Many players had been drawn to the thing when the floor was first cleared, only to find out how dangerous the dungeon really was. It wasn't until several floors later that people began to train here.

Tunnels snaked throughout the entire structure, forming a maze that supposedly led down to a wide chamber in the depths below. The «Queen Ant» was said to lurk there, waiting for a raid group powerful enough to take her down. There had been talk among the clearers for a while now about putting together a group to kill the raid boss, but nothing had yet been done.

Kirito wiped sweat from his brow as he kneeled in front of the «Giant Soldier Ant» corpse, activating his «Harvesting» skill. A menu popped up in front of him, indicating that stripping the corpse was successful. The items he obtained weren't particularly interesting: an extra «Ant Chitin Piece» and an «Ant Pincer». They might fetch a bit of Col back in town.

Sounds of fighting from down the hall distracted him. They were coming from further in, down the dank black passageway the stretched out before him. It was going to be a long day of farming, so it might have been best to head back to safer areas, but the sound intrigued him nonetheless. Kirito raced down the tunnel, wishing his «Acrobatics» skill was a little bit higher level so that he could run faster.

The tunnel eventually gave way to a wide, low chamber. He stood on a ridge about thirty feet above the main chamber. There were small grooves in the wall to allow him to crawl down, but he ignored them as he focused on the unfolding spectacle below.

An injured «Drone Lord» was pressed against the wall by several players dressed in green and white armor. «Sleeping Knights», by the look of them. Their leader was a flame-haired boy who was busy yelling at what looked to be newcomers outfitted in platinum and blue colors. The «Divine Dragon Alliance».

"This is our kill, Lind," The flame-haired boy shouted, brandishing his longsword, "Stop trying to steal it from us."

Kirito recognized Lind, one of the upper-level players in the «Divine Dragon Alliance». He had been a strong admirer of Diavel back on the first floor and was one of the first players to blame Kirito for the man's unfortunate fate. His disheveled brown hair fell over clear blue eyes. His handsome face was contorted into a sneer.

"This is one of the best kills you can get in the «Ant Hill»," Lind growled, "Who cares if we have to steal it to get the drops?"

"Get any closer, and I'll go orange."

"Oho, you're gonna kill me, boy?" Lind spat the words. Kirito cringed at that. The man was intentionally provoking the other players. This kind of behavior was specifically forbidden by the rest of the clearers, but it's not like there was anyone to enforce the tenuous rules of their alliances.

"I won't kill you," The kid grinned, "I'll just kick your ass and send you off with your tail between your legs."

"Jun, we can't hold this thing forever!" One of the «Sleeping Knights» engaged with the sub-boss shouted, a hint of desperation in his voice.

"Just a little while longer, Thatch," Jun called, "If its health drops too much, these assholes are just gonna rush in and try to get the «Last Attack» bonus."

Kirito ducked back into the tunnel, turning his back on the exchange. Things were getting tense and he wasn't about to get involved. He was a solo player and had no intention of sticking his nose in situations where it could get sawn off. Battles between clearing guilds were so far a rare occurrence, but they never ended well. The «Council» was founded to prevent that, but even so…

If he was going to get vengeance on Kayaba for Sachi's death, he needed to be alive.

If those two guilds started butting heads even more than they already were, the front-lines could become a warzone. Tensions were already high as the «Divine Dragon Alliance» was getting a reputation as a guild that didn't play fair, and the «Sleeping Knights» weren't exactly a group that rolled over when they were messed with. Their leader, a young woman who went by the username Ran, was known as a woman who was a powerful friend and a horrifying enemy.

It was nothing Kirito particularly wanted to wrap himself up in. He set off down the hallway, ignoring the growing tensions behind him. If they came to blows and the matter was called before the «Council», Kirito might be able to testify on the «Sleeping Knights'» behalf. That might not be a good idea. He didn't want to be in the sights of the «Divine Dragon Alliance».

Sorry Jun. You're on your own.

Kirito began to relax. He was already a ways inside the tunnel and the monsters tended to spawn inside clearings. Luring single monsters into the tunnels to kill them was an easier way to handle the powerful monsters here, and Kirito held no illusions about being able to take on groups of enemies. Without being a two-handed weapon wielder or a potion master, crowd control was practically impossible.

A ringing in his menu distracted him, the sound a light chime in his ear. Kirito opened his messages window quickly, the white light from it shining over him. It was from Klein.

'Hey Kirito. Just busted some criminal non-players for the «Council» in Starting City. You want to meet up when I'm back on the front? It's been ages since we formed a party. Let me know.'

"God, it's a long walk back," Kirito moaned, closing his menu.

He considered Klein's offer, but he'd have to decide later. It wasn't likely to happen. He hadn't bathed in over a week and he'd been spending nearly every moment grinding levels or doing quests. He reeked to high heaven. Besides, what would he even say to Klein? Klein was outgoing and personable guy. He had loads and loads of friends. The guy was a natural leader. People were drawn to him and Kirito was no exception.

Kirito, on the other hand…

It was another few minutes before he emerged out of the wall. He was in the central spire now, walking along a thin bridge that would take him outside. The central cavern, where the majority of the monsters spawned, was far below him. It would be faster if he jumped down and walked towards one of the many tunnels out, but his «Acrobatics» skill wasn't nearly high enough for him to not sustain a lot of fall damage.

He was halfway across the bridge when he noticed something was wrong.

A woman stood at the far end, a crossbow in hand. She hadn't been there a moment before. Two daggers hung from her right waist within easy grasp. Dark leather armor clung to her body, revealing a slight frame. Long blonde hair fell around her shoulders, but the real thing that drew his eyes was her head.

It was covered in a skull-mask. Black cloth stretched over her face while bare and naked bone jutted out from the material. The bone was a pale off-white and looked like it was made from an actual skull. Kirito shuddered unconsciously. He'd never seen a mask like it.

"Sum quod eris; fui quod sis," Her voice was faint and pretty, but emotionless, "I am what you will be; I was what you are."

He noticed with a start that her cursor was orange. The woman leveled the crossbow at him.

Her first bolt was unexpected, but Kirito heard the whistle and ducked quickly. It cut through the air above his head, shearing off a couple strands of hair. His reaction was a lucky one and Kirito silently uttered thanks to whatever may have been watching over him. He considered turning back and running to the two fighting clans for help. If he turned and ran, the woman would likely shoot him in the back with her crossbow.

He had no choice.

Kirito charged, drawing his longsword from the sheath at his belt. The would-be PKer dropped the crossbow, drawing her two daggers and holding them out in front of her. It was a rarely-chosen style that «Sword Art Online» had emulated from the Filipino fighting style of «Eskrima». Kirito swore under his breath. He didn't have any experience fighting that particular skill set.

He swung his longsword heavily overhead, but the woman parried it easily. Kirito swore, stepping back and side-slashing. The woman merely danced out of the way, spinning easily. The bridge they were on was narrow and Kirito's footing was tenuous at best. All he could do is attack straight-on.

The blonde woman rushed him, one dagger in a reverse grip catching his blade. The other blade snaked in, but Kirito stepped back, narrowly avoiding it. Kirito retreated several paces, but the woman didn't relent. She slashed at him, moving so fast he had trouble tracking the movement of just one of her blades, let alone the second.

His heart was racing, the adrenaline rushing through his body.

PvP wasn't something Kirito had a lot of practice in. Using «Sword Skills» were virtually useless since the movements of the weapons were predictable and easily countered. Standard attacks were the only way to fight and Kirito could tell he wasn't holding up as well as he hoped.

He kept backtracking across the precariously narrow bridge. A quick glance down showed the numerous «Army Ant» mobs getting antsy below, tossing their heads and letting out screeching cries. Kirito parried another strike, but her second weapon kept dancing in around every stroke. His assailant hadn't landed a hit yet, but it was only a matter of time.

Kirito hazarded a step forward, striking low and hard with his longsword right after his attacker brought back her weapons. The surprising blow forced the woman back just a step – not what Kirito wanted – but she stumbled on the uneven ground. The assassin slid to her knees, one arm gripping the side of the bridge for support to prevent herself from sliding over.

His longsword held high, Kirito charged. He slashed downwards, but her dagger came up immediately for defense. He feinted, spinning on one foot and slashing at the arm supporting her. The woman pulled her legs up into a crouch and sprung backwards in one quick motion, but Kirito followed her movements. His weapon bit into her arm at the elbow, sawing through it effortlessly. A bright yellow triangular warning appeared above the injury as her arm went flying, indicating a «Limb Penalty». Kirito smiled with satisfaction.

Now on her feet, the woman held her one remaining arm in front of herself. Her dagger was held in front, her body bent over behind her to prevent Kirito from stabbing at her. He had the advantage of reach, but the woman was obviously skilled with the blade. Kirito hung back, struggling to think of a way out.

"It's this way!" Kirito heard behind him. He recognized the voice. The «Sleeping Knights»? "I swear I heard people fighting!"

Immediately the woman in front of him turned, rushing for the opposite end of the bridge. Kirito gave chase, his feet pounding into the clay after her. She reached the entrance at the far wall before him, grabbing her crossbow and considering the situation. Kirito paused as she looked around.

"You run into that tunnel and you'll get trapped," Kirito threatened, both of his hands gripped around his single longsword.

Without another word, the blonde woman leaped from the bridge. Kirito's blade followed her, struggling to attack as she tried to get away. In the split second before she fell, his blade sawed through the side of her mask, freeing it from her face.

He only saw her for a moment before she fell away into the pit of monsters below. She was young – much younger than he had expected and probably younger than Kirito was – and had sharp, elfish features. Kirito couldn't catch the color of her eyes, but they looked black in the dim light of «Ant Hill».

"Black," Kirito stumbled backwards, falling onto his behind.

His heartbeat drummed raw is his throat and in his ears. This was much more excitement than he needed in a day. Kirito shook himself and stood, brushing himself down just as the group of «Sleeping Knights» ran up to him. Kirito checked his cursor quickly. Still green.|

"Hey, you okay?" The flame-haired brat from earlier spoke to him. Kirito scowled as the two others ran up behind him.

"I heard fighting and we were just down the hallway," Another spoke. Kirito glared at him.

"You three were scrapping with the «Divine Dragon Alliance» earlier, right?" Kirito asked absently, looking over the edge of the bridge. The blonde woman had disappeared. "Did they manage to steal the sub-boss from you?"

The green-haired one with glasses just behind Jun bristled, but their leader held out his hand.

"Yeah. The «DDA» likes to play dirty," A scowl from the leader, "We're planning on taking the issue to the «Council». They got a pretty rare sword from the fight and I intend to get it back from them," The boy paused, "If you saw the whole exchange, would you be willing to testify about what happened? It would help a lot in getting our fair share."

Kirito looked at the three boys, each one barely old enough to be called men. All three were teenagers. Eager and hopeful expressions adorned all of their faces, as if their plight might finally be solved. Kirito chuckled.

"Deal with it yourself," Kirito said. He spun quickly on his heels, heading back out towards the entrance to the «Ant Hill». Without another word, Kirito turned the corner and left them behind.

Naieme – Floor 42 – November 20, 2023 – 16:50

"Get into position!" Her leader's gruff voice called out, eerily reminiscent of nails on a chalkboard. Naieme shifted, squatting down on the tree branch and leveling her longbow. Ergos was below, several potions at the ready. Her leader, RedSCAR, had his greatsword out and ready in the clearing below. He wasn't a tall man; his greatsword was actually taller than he was. The rest of her party was nowhere to be found.

"We cleared this area a while ago," Ergos whined, "Are you sure it's still safe? What if the lesser mobs respawn?"

"Shut it and do your job," RedSCAR snapped. Ergos acquiesced.

She was positioned in a tree next to a large cliff, the wind whipping at her jet black hair. It was easily a few hundred feet down to the cliff floor, where jagged rocks and rigid outcroppings lay. Naieme had never been particularly afraid of heights, but she could see how her party members might have disliked this location. Naieme shook her head, focusing on the clearing in the bare trees in front of her.

"Where the hell is Brian?" Naieme shouted down, her legs starting to get stiff from squatting. This particular lure was taking a lot longer than the previous ones did. Brian – also known by his username S3XYB345T – was their tank, and usually he was faster than this.

"There!" Ergos pointed, his thin and reedy voice matching his mousy appearance.

Brian burst through the line of leaf-bare trees, his legs pounded with the effort of running. A long spear was in one hand and a tower shield was strapped to his back. He stopped in the middle of the clearing, spinning quickly and hunkering down with his shield. For a moment, the clearing was calm as everything settled.

The peace was broken an instant later. Their target spilled out through the border of the dark forest, black smoke billowing from its massive frame. It was tall and skeletal, its lower body that of a horse and the upper body like a man's. Cold blue eyes stared back behind a bleached skull head, the color a pure and glowing white. The thing was wreathed in black shadows that enveloped its body and obscured most of its bony interior.

«Death Riders» were a powerful but uncommon monster that lurked amongst the dead and dying trees of the «Lost Forest». Their demonic black spears spelled death for the unprepared.

Naieme grinned. The thing's weapon was the goal. These creatures didn't give very good experience, but the «Demon's Talon» spear they dropped was an exceptional weapon. Their group had been farming here for the last week but had yet to find a single one. Lind, their commander in the «Divine Dragon Alliance», would be very pleased to see one of his guild mates get a hold of one.

Nobunaga and Mothra came into the clearing soon after, their weapons at the ready. Naieme drew her bow string tight, aiming for the creature's demonic face. The «Death Rider» was surrounded. It lashed out at Brian, drawn by his agro skills. To the side, RedSCAR landed a heavy hit against the thing's side while Ergos was mixing together debilitating potions.

There came another shout from the side as Mothra landed a «Vertical Strike» against the creature, his longsword impaling deep into the thing's side. Naieme let off another arrow, which nicked the top of the monster's head. She swore, drawing another arrow from her quiver.

«Death Riders» were resilient sub-bosses of the «Lost Forest». Not quite the strongest monster – that honor went to the «Witch of the Deep», which haunted the deepest interior – but it was significantly stronger than the more numerous «Floating Skulls» or «Wandering Spirit» monsters. Though the «Death Riders» often came in pairs, it was much easier just to take down one. Their quarry's health was only in the yellow now. Just a little bit more…

"Shit!" Brian swore as the agro broke.

The «Death Rider» turned its massive spear towards Ergos, who had just thrown a flame potion at the creature. The mousy man shrieked, falling backwards and staring up as the creature as it prepared to impale him. Naieme drew two arrows, activating her «Double Shot» skill. She fired, each projectile digging into the monster's face. It was enough to divert the agro of the monster, which charged towards Naieme.

It impacted the trunk of her tree, shaking it heavily. With a grunt, she swung into the higher branches as its long spear stabbed into the foliage to get at her. Once safely out of its reach, she fired another few arrows.

Behind it, Brian activated an agro skill, pulling the monster back away from the tree. Now safely under control, the «Death Rider's» attention was fully fixed onto the tank. Naieme let go a quick sigh of relief; these were high-damage sub-bosses. If it focused too long on a character not built for defense, the results could be disastrous.

RedSCAR was fuming as he stabbed away at the creature. Any breach in formation would throw that man into a fit. Naieme narrowed her eyes, gazing down the end of an arrow before firing it. It flashed pretty dangerously close to the party leader's head before impacting the «Death Rider's» side.

Their formation was unique to the monster they had targeted. The «Death Riders» were tall and long monsters. When the creature is focused on the tank, there were wide segments open for anyone to attack without having to get in the way of the other party members. It was a simple strategy, but an effective one.

Naieme activated another skill, a high-critical skill called «Piercing Thunder». Her arrow glowed red as she pulled her arm back. When it released, the air around her bow seemed to compress and follow the path of her arrow. It impacted the «Death Rider» between the eyes and the thing reared back on its horse-like hind legs.

A second later, a deathly scream erupted from its wide-open skull mouth. Smoke poured from the creature's body as it collapsed. The bones that composed its body shattered as the monster died. Naieme stared at the pile of bone and ash that built around her party members' feet and smiled. Another one dead. Naieme examined her share of the drops in her menu.

"We… we got one!" Ergos shouted as he pointed at the menu open in front of him.

Naieme leapt from the tree. She impacted the ground softly, rolling to her knees and darting over to Ergos. Sure enough, she could see over his shoulder the dark metal icon indicating that Ergos had received the «Demon's Talon».

"Finally," Naieme breathed a sigh of relief, "We can get back to the front lines."

"Lind will be waiting with open arms," Mothra joked, a wide smile on his never-serious face, "Maybe he'll give Red a big ol' kiss on the cheek for the effort we went through."

RedSCAR was silent as he stared at Ergos' screen. The short and fiery-tempered man's odd demeanor stood out from his usual barrage of insults and taunts. Naieme and the rest of her party looked over at him as he furrowed his brow. It was a while before he spoke.

"What if," RedSCAR spoke hesitantly, a rarity for him, "we don't tell Lind about this?"

Everyone was silent.

"What do you mean?" Naieme asked, brushing some hair back behind an ear. Her fingers felt like ice, her heart seeming to stop from RedSCAR's statement.

"I mean," RedSCAR sighed, "We sell it. Split the profits. A spear like this will go for 150-200k. That's 20k plus for each of us. Lind wouldn't reward us a fraction of that and he's just gonna give the spear to some other asshole in the guild."

"But that's wrong!" Ergos piped up, his voice quick with panic, "It's stealing!"

"How?" RedSCAR growled, "We put the effort in to getting this weapon. We're the ones who grinded out here for a week to get it. Not Lind."

"But the guild supports us," Naieme started, "They pay for our living expenses, for our food and for places to sleep every night. We can't just turn our back against thousands of Col spent on us over the last few months."

"Sure we can," RedSCAR said, "All we gotta do is grow some balls and do what's best for us. The clan doesn't care about us. They only care about preserving their status as a top-notch clearing guild."

"But that doesn't mean," Ergos started, before tensing up, looking around quickly, "You guys hear that?"

"Hear what?" Naieme asked, cocking her head quizzically.

But then she did.

The first arrow took Ergos in the shoulder, spinning him about and forcing him to the ground. Two more sprouted from Mothra's chest, and the young swordsman fell to his knees. In an instant his health was already red.

"PKers!" RedSCAR shouted, shouldering his greatsword. In the tree-line opposite the cliff, Naieme could see shapes darting in the dark. An orange cursor among them, a bow in the lithe form's hand.

Naieme drew her own bow, but an arrow stuck through her wrist just as she was about to fire. She shrieked as the numbness spread through her body. A yellow «Limb Penalty» warning popped up, indicating she no longer had use of that arm. Silently she cursed as the chaos unfolded around her.

A swordsman in sunset-colored leather armor erupted from the forest, his katana slashing at RedSCAR's defenses. The man fell into a defensive posture, his greatsword level in front of him to block the weaknesses in his heavy plate.

To her immediate left, a man similarly equipped as RedSCAR struck at Brian, a broad-bladed greatsword smashing against her tank's tower shield. More people appeared out of the tree cover: an African man with a rapier, a slender young woman with a bow, and a plate-armored older woman wielding a massive cudgel.

Nobunaga was the next to fall. He prostrated himself on the ground as his health fell into the red, begging and pleading for his life. The man with the rapier knocked him to the ground, but stopped at that. Brian fell under the assault of the archer, whose arrows piercing his heavy armor in several joints and rendering him immobile. The woman didn't finish him off.

"Throw down your weapons!" Naieme called, falling against a tree, "They're not trying to kill us!"

"Listen to the girl, dipshit," The warrior snarled at RedSCAR as their blades locked again, "You want to die so badly?"

RedSCAR looked around. He was surrounded and the rest of his party members were disarmed or otherwise incapacitated. After a brief tense moment, he lowered his greatsword and let it go. Naieme sighed heavily. The man attacking them, a short and stocky man with great wide shoulders and a generally obscene expression, smirked and let up his own blade. He was easily over 40, with a receding hairline and heavy jowls.

"You're all being robbed," The sunset-armored one spoke, his katana still at the ready in case anyone tried for their weapons, "While the rest of us watch, you will be trading all of your weapons and armor over to Sophie there, our tank. Unfortunately, the rest of us can't handle that much weight. Don't worry about your modesty. We won't take your clothes, unless they're pricey enough."

The process was quick and efficient. Naieme heard Ergos swearing continually under his breath as they were arranged into a line to trade their hard earned items away. Naieme bit her lip as she lost her «Elfish Bow», something she'd spent weeks grinding Col to buy. The «Demon's Talon» was gone just as fast as they had gotten it, so many hours of effort wasted. When they all stood in their town clothes, bereft of their equipment, RedSCAR spoke up.

"So, what now?" He grumbled, "You gonna stand around and guard us while we teleport to town or whatever? It's the least you dick-weeds can do for robbing us."

"No," The short and thick one said, "Teleport crystals are worth a pretty penny. Now that you're all equipment-less, I'd like all of your consumables."

Naieme felt herself go cold. Without a teleport crystal…

"We'll die out here!" Ergos shouted, his thin voice aching with oncoming panic. Naieme turned about, checking the forest for monsters.

"You might survive," The short one shook his head, holding his greatsword up to RedSCAR's neck, "If you're quick."

The exchange was quick, but painful nonetheless. Naieme forfeited everything: health potions, teleport crystals, and everything else. When it was all over, she stood with nothing in her inventory but clothes, a sickening feeling growing in her heart.

A plan was already forming in her head. If they backtracked along segments of the «Lost Forest» that they had already cleared out, they might be able to get out before the majority of monsters respawned.

RedSCAR was the last one to trade. He crossed his arms as he walked up to the short man, sizing him up despite his lack of equipment. A bemused look crossed their enemy's face as he returned the glare.

"What, you think you're a big man for doing this?" RedSCAR stated, "You think you're so tough now?"

"RedSCAR…" Naieme called.

"I'll tell you what you really are, you little cunt," RedSCAR was raising his voice with every word, rage dripping from him, "You're probably some regretful old man who failed in life. You must've turned to virtual games to get out of the pathetic life you really have. Stupid little fucks like you are the only ones who turn to robbery to make their living."

"RedSCAR!" Naieme snapped, but her party leader pressed on.

"I bet you're just a lonely shit who never had anyone meaningful in your life," RedSCAR sneered, "It doesn't help that you're ugly as sin too. You ever even have a woman?"

"I have an ex-wife," The short man shrugged, "Tell me, what's your «Acrobatics» skill?"

"What?" RedSCAR recoiled dumbly, surprised by the sudden question. His response was slow and stumbling, as if he wasn't sure what to expect by saying it, "Uh, 89."

"I figured. You're a greatsword and heavy plate fighter, just like me. I made the mistake at first of not leveling «Acrobatics». Won't make it again. I suppose you won't either."

"What-"

In one quick motion, the short man drew his greatsword and stepped back. Then came a flash of metal as it impaled deep into RedSCAR's stomach. The man gagged for a moment, blood gurgling from his throat. He was lifted into the air and carried over to the side of the cliff. Naieme screamed and tried to run forward, but the sunset swordsman was already in front of her, holding her back. All she could do was watch.

Unarmed and unarmored, defenseless and unable to strike back, RedSCAR dangled over the edge of the cliff. The short man's face wasn't visible to Naieme, but she knew somehow he was smiling bright and wide.

"I've got a daughter," The smiling man said, "She's turning nine this year. Beautiful little girl with long brown hair. I'm sure my ex-wife is taking good care of her since her daddy is away playing games. She and I have a long-standing agreement that the child comes first, no matter what. No petty squabbles between us should ever affect her well-being. No personal crises should ever prevent her from getting the parenting she deserves. Nothing at all," He snarled the words, his voice almost bestial, "can stop me from being a father to her again."

A quick shunt of the greatsword and RedSCAR was forced backwards and off the blade. In an instant, his body disappeared from view. Naieme screamed and the rest of her party shouted or yelled, but he was already long gone. The short man turned back to their group, his face calm and collected.

"Now, all of you better start running if you're gonna get back to town safely. It's gonna be a rough time, after all," The short man smiled, "I heard «Death Riders» come in pairs."

Author's Note: I dislike Author's Notes, so expect these to be few and far between. I take the first three chapters of my story after this to set up my OCs. After that, Argo and Kirito start to appear as main characters. I've made several changes to canon in my version of «Sword Art Online». For example, you cannot just check whether your friends are online or not to see if they're dead. The «Monument of Life» also doesn't display whether people are alive or dead. It's just a list of all 10,000 player usernames. Also, I upped the ages of most under-aged canon characters, including Yuuki. Yes, I obviously changed the fact that Yuuki wasn't present in the original SAO.

It is worth noting that the structure of these changes are such that the canon storyline can still unfold in pretty much the same way. I am not establishing an AU here, merely making small changes. The main idea I had behind these changes is that aside from small dialogue changes or insignificant differences in character interaction, the main story of SAO could continue from my fanfic without problems. Yes, even Mother's Rosario.

For a complete list of changes from canon, see the forum page for this story at:

/topic/119986/117076597/1/Story-A-Study-of-Depravity