Kirito
The second town on the sixth floor is named Suribus. It resembles southern European-style towns and is entirely void of puzzles. An enormous river runs through the middle of the town, reminding the gang of Rovia. But there aren't any gondolas traveling the waterway. Plenty of bridges, though, in which the party of five find themselves.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" says Jaymes as he stares down at the dark river, the surfacing reflecting the lanterns lit around town. "Can't say I spent much time here in the beta besides the old guy's other home, so to slow down and see this place as it is..."
"You're sounding like an old warrior," Mito jokes. "But you do have a point. Thankfully there aren't any annoying puzzles here or anywhere else on the floor beside the typical ones in dungeons."
"That's great," Koharu says with relief.
Kirito smirks and gestures his head to the town. "Though if you want some to go, they sell 'em in the gift shops."
"I don't," Asuna declares. "More importantly, let's get something to eat. What's good in Suribus?"
"Hmm. Let me think..." Despite his previous knowledge of Aincrad's delicacies, Kirito did not spend much time in the beta seeking out the best places to eat. With the time he had, he spent it on questing and leveling, and if he did "get full," his sister and mom would scold him. For help, he looks to Mito and Jaymes, but they're of no use either, with equally blank stares.
"It's a wrap bake."
"Guaaaaah!" Kirito spins around, covering Asuna in protection as a voice sounds out behind Jaymes. It was the crimson swordsman who yelped. He also turns, drawing his sword and swinging down on whoever spoke. Of course, the system protects the victim, so his sword bounces off an invisible barrier.
The person Jaymes turned his blade on is a small woman in a brown cape leaning against the stone wall of the bridge. Her face is hidden behind a hood and yellow curls, but her identity is easily identifiable by her country accent and whiskered cheeks. She glances at Jaymes and dramatically pouts with a hand to her heart. "What's this? What'd I do to earn this kind of reaction from you, Kii-boy and Jay-man? That hurts. You could have killed me, and what would you do about that?"
"A-Argo... Y-you idiot!"
"S-sorry...We're kind of on edge right now. It's Sneak Attack Caution Week, let's call it..."
Koharu pushes her partner aside and embraces the informant. "Hi, Argo! Sorry about Jaymes."
"Good evening, Argo! I didn't see you in Stachion-of course, you must've been over here already."
"Evenin', Ko, A-chan, and you too, Mito. Well, I'd like ta get my first strategy guide out by tomorrow, but it looks like most of the front-runners are already moving from the main town here to Suribus."
"Of course they would. I don't know about Lind, but I can imagine Kibaou blowing his fumes trying to solve those puzzles."
"Hee-hee-hee! Bingo. And the monsters aren't too tough around these parts...so while I hate ta be the bearer of bad news, just about all the rooms in Suribus are booked. Only the expensive suites are available."
Kirito and Asuna glance at each other. While this might not be news to Jaymes and Koharu, who rent rooms together anyway, for Kirito and Asuna, that is a potential problem. Asuna's idea is fine with Kirito, but now there are two other conundrums; Argo's tip about the rooms comes off as suspicious, for she'd sell any info she finds sellable. The second is Mito, who learned that all single rooms might be taken. That means she'll want to room with Asuna, possibly, and that is a downhill slope.
The alternative for the guys to room together and the girls to do the same would have worked if Asuna had not said she wanted her eyes on Kirito at all times. Oh well, what can he do? "Ohhh, I s-see. But I'm sure that if we look, we can find an open room or two,"
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Argo led the quintet to a hole-in-the-wall restaurant on the third floor of a building. As they ate a delicious tomato-and-cheese pie, they talked about many things, one being that Kirito and Asuna informed the others of their meeting with DKB about the guild flag. Argo suggested that the flag could be used as Nezha suggested, that Kirito starts his own guild or have Asuna take the lead. Asuna spoke earlier in the morning about being against becoming a subleader and was definitely against being a guild leader. Argo then turned the proposition to Jaymes, who denied it once more in a calmer manner.
After departing from the informant, their next destination is one of the several houses built on top of a bridge. Being that they'd had a long day, the new gamers seemed exhausted, but upon their approach to their destination, Asuna and Koharu's eyes lit up.
It is an attractive bridge about eighty feet long and twenty feet wide. From his previous experience, the bridge is a multilevel structure with a roof on top. The first level is the bridge proper, while the side railing that makes up the second level hosts numerous living spaces held up by support arches. Several staircases adjacent to more extensive supports connect the two levels. One of them will have the name of their destination, Pithagrus' home.
"Ooh, it's lovely! Just like the Ponte Vecchio!"
"It's beautiful."
Jaymes joins the two girls and nods his head. "Hmm, it does resemble it."
"What is the Ponte Vecchio, Jaymes?"
"It is a bridge built in Roman times in Florence, Italy. Like this one, it crosses a river, so-"
"It spans the Arno River. The real one's much bigger than this one, of course, but it's just as beautiful. Oh, and a water theme park in Tokyo has a replica."
Jaymes crosses his arms after Asuna interrupts his explanation. "Know it all."
From behind, Kirito fell into his thoughts. Jaymes and Asuna knew about the Ponte Vecchio on sight, and this being the second mention of Florence (the first being on the fourth floor), it can be said they're well-traveled. It's no secret Jaymes is American by birth, so he would know things outside of Japan. But Asuna's pattern differs: her looks, communication ability, and a plethora of knowledge aside from gaming besides whatever she learned from Mito suggests she lived a "normal" life. How did she get roped into the gamer life and into SAO?
The same thoughts could be made for Koharu. She, too, is knowledgeable aside from games. Her physical ability suggests she must've been an athlete - Kirito's sister is one herself - and her pure-hearted nature means she must have been a nice, well-mannered, normal girl. How did she get dumped into the hell that is SAO?
"Kirito, come on," Jaymes calls out as the girls start to leave them behind.
He returns to his senses and nod. "Yeah, right behind you."
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After bypassing a six-combination lock that Kirito explained was solved by finding the combination on the landscape painting back in Cyclon's chamber, the five enter Pithagrus' second home. After the door slams shut behind them, they've encased in complete darkness.
"...Um, it's dark in here."
"Yeah, it's night."
"...How are we going to search the place like this? Should we wait until the morning and come back?"
"No, we're fine." Kirito materializes an item from his inventory and, in a spooky voice says, "Laaaaanterrrrn." All he received were three cold stares and a slight chuckle from Jaymes. After he produces his own lantern, the boys lead the exploration of the old lord's home.
Having been ten years since anyone's occupied the place, cobwebs and broken items litter the spacious entrance hall. The entrance hall and the adjacent hallway to the left is long and narrow due to being built into a bridge, but no one felt like they were being squeezed into the space.
Behind the boys, Asuna resumes the conversation. "So...back to what I was saying."
"About Cylon?" Before they entered the home, Kirito's explanation of the lock's solution was that, under normal circumstances, one was not supposed to know the combination or how to find it. So they would return to Cylon's place and ask about it. Cylon wouldn't tell the code and tried to hide the painting. After kicking players out of the chamber, they would have to wait until he vacated the room and sneak back in.
Thankfully, the three beta players remembered the code, and it remained the same from the beta.
Asuna found it weird that Cylon would act this strange if he were the killer, but Jaymes hushed her before he inputted the combination in fear they would reveal critical information to others, which brings them to now. "Does what he's doing make any sense? If he'd the one who killed Pithagrus and buried the body in traveler's garb in the backyard, why is he asking us to investigate the incident for him?"
"Nuh-uh. Cylon didn't ask us to investigate the killing of the traveler. He asked us to look for the golden cube that was used in the murder."
"Oh, right..."
"Um," Koharu squeaks, "I have a question about that. Why are we looking for it if Cylon beat Pithagrus with the cube? It would incriminate him, right? It makes sense that he would have hidden it himself."
Mito nods. "You're right. That reason comes at the quest's end. In his cleanup of the crime scene, Cylon lost the cube. And as you suspect, Koharu, it would incriminate him as the murderer as there are bloody fingerprints that would match Cylon's. But the cube is the symbol of Stachion and its lord. It provides the basis for sizing all the stone and wooden cubes that created Stachion. Cylon believes that he can purify the town if he receives the cube, cleans off the evidence, and returns it to Pithagrus."
"...It just seems...very selfish. Or convenient. If he really wanted to undo the puzzle curse, he shouldn't be bothering with the cube. He should admit that he killed Pithagrus and turn himself in to the police, right?"
"Well, yeah. But there are no police in Aincrad."
"Oh yeah. But what about the town guards -"
"Nope."
"- the elven guards -"
"Nada, Asuna."
"- or Blackiron Palace?"
"Does Blackiron even have guards?"
"In any case, there's not much of a higher authority as far as we know on Aincrad. Also, remember that the floors, until now, don't have access to each other, so there's nowhere else he could have turned himself in. It safe to say that the other floors do not know anything about the others."
At the time, this statement is true. Unlike the elves, who use the remnants of their magic to traverse the levels of Aincrad, humanity is stuck on each floor. Theoretically, the humans between floors one through six could travel amongst them between the teleportation gates in each major town or the Celestial Towers. Still, they haven't seen any indication the NPCs are as adventurous as the 'strange warriors' in their world. Much later, Jaymes and Koharu would learn how untrue Jaymes' statement is, though the knowledge is pre-Separation knowledge.
"...Well?" Asuna declares to Kirito.
"Well...what?"
"What do you think I mean? Who stole the golden cube? You're not going to tell me it grew arms and legs of its own and ran away...Oh!"
"'Oh'...what?"
"Is that actually what it is? You said the boss of this floor is like a giant Rubik's Cube. Did the golden cube turn into some kind of monster form?"
Mito shakes her head. "Nah, but that's a pretty good guess. As for the culprit...we've met them in Stachion."
"Whaaaat? So you're saying...it's one of the seven people we talked to in Stachion? The former butler, the maidservant, the gardener, the cook, the two apprentices, and the bartender he liked to visit? And one of them has the cube now? Who is it?"
Jaymes grins and steps away from the group. "Come on, Asuna. Be like Koharu. Enjoy the mystery for what it is."
Koharu pouts as she walks after her partner. "I-I am kinda interested to know that too, but you aren't going to tell? Hmph...well, at least you three know where the key is."
"Kirito, Jaymes, and I discussed this on the way to Suribus, and we all found the key in different places. So wherever it is, it is randomized for everyone."
Jaymes nods. "I suggest we split up to cover more ground and lose less time. No telling how many other players have started this quest. Koharu, Mito, and I will group up Shaggy and Scooby, you two partner up. Oh," he turns to Asuna, and for the briefest moment, Kirito sees a mischievous glint in Jaymes' eyes, "and watch out for ghosts."
"Sure, sure, whatever." Asuna scoffed at Jaymes' playful warning and took three steps with the first group...only to skitter back to Kirito and push him forward as protection.
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Kirito and Asuna's investigations lead them to a guest parlor, where they playfully broke furniture, and a grand dining room where they fought two Annoying Wraiths. Asuna somewhat fought her fear of specters. While they were safe from damage as Suribis is a safe zone town, Asuna got caught with the chill debuff, which not only does as it is named but can lead to a sneezing fit. Not wanting to use the fireplace in the previous room and without the purification crystals that can void the debuff (as they won't be common drops for a while longer), Kirito did the only thing he could think of in the moment: use a blanket and his "body heat."
As for the clue to the golden cube, it remains unfound. They caught up with Jaymes. He, Koharu, and Mito had explored the kitchen, study, and bedroom. The girls had to fight four other Annoying Wraiths as Jaymes' sword hand held the torch, but the clue had not been found. Jaymes had them return to the entrance hall to be lookouts while Asuna and Kirito joined him at the end of the hall in front of the final room.
"The last room is a storeroom. Had a smashing time before I found the key here." Jaymes says with a reminiscent smile as he enters first. It's a small room with a musty odor. Boxes and pots fill the wooden, maze-creating shelves along the walls. It takes a moment for the trio to navigate the maze, which Jaymes leads, and at the back of the room is a writing table. On top is an object reflecting the two lanterns' light.
It's a large key. "Oh! That must be it!" Asuna skips happily to the desk, missing Kirito's warning about her feet. The others watch as a translucent bone appears. Ahead of Asuna, from behind the desk, appears another wraith.
The Annoying Wraiths, their cousins on the previous floor, the Mournful Wraiths, and most astral types are female in design. The Resentful Wraith, however, is undoubtedly male. The tale, thing ghoul wears a long Roman-like robe, holds up ghastly long nails, and lowers its jaw so low to bellow out, "Byouuuuuuu!"
After reading its English name, Kirito jabs Jaymes. "Hey, Jaymes, what does resentful mean?"
"...Don't you guys learn English over here? Did you ask Asuna what 'annoying' means too?"
"Well, uh..."
"It means full of bitterness...and all things considered, this guy has a right to be bitter."
"Ugh... Asuna, regroup in the hallway!"
Kirito reaches out to Asuna again to pull her back, but before his hand lands on her shoulder, she says, "Kirito, can I break the bones on the floor?"
"Oh, uh, I think those are just there to be spooky."
"Got it!" Asuna draws her rapier and, with supersonic speed, approaches and jabs five times the Resentful Wraith. Each attack precisely hits the wraith's chest, but only the fifth is accurate enough to hit the sweet spot and deal fifteen percent of damage.
"Byaaaaa!" the specter shrieks as it ragefully ascends to the ceiling. It begins a figure-eight motion within the confines of the small room, giving an advantage to Asuna's thrusting techniques. They could take down the wraith's HP down quicker.
But then Asuna does something neither Kirito nor Jaymes could have calculated for her. "I'm sick and tired of dealing with ghosts!" Asuna climbs up the writing desk and launches herself into the air. At her peak, her rapier takes on a silver light and is propulsed toward the wraith. With the rapier skill Shooting Star and her powerful Chilvaric Rapier plus seven, Asuna obliterates the Resentful Wraith and its bitterness.
A charging rapier skill must have wide target coverage, which is why Asuna did not have to be accurate in her aim. But she did not stop moving upon hitting the wraith. Her rapier smashes into the ceiling, creating a purple light that indicates collision, and she proceeds to drop to the ground,
Under normal circumstances, activation of a midair sword skill had two downsides. If you were in the air higher than intended, upon landing, you'd suffer fall damage; if you hit an obstacle, you'll take collision damage. But these were abnormal circumstances, as they remained in the safe zone. Asuna would take no damage upon landing, but Kirito's manners have him take two steps forward and catch his partner bridal-style.
For a moment, all Asuna does is blink at Kirito in stunned silence. Eventually, she quietly says, "Thank you."
"You're welcome." He sets her back on her feet, allowing her a moment to recover. Jaymes slithers into the room, grabbing the key from the desk. With the haunted house quest checked off, he walks back to his companions, handing Asuna the key.
"You defeated the boss, so you get to keep the key."
"Thank you." She reaches out for the key, but before taking it from Jaymes, she glances back at the bones she scattered prior to attacking the wraith. "…Hey, these bones aren't Pithagrus's, are they?"
"Huh? Uh, no…they wouldn't be. Remember, Cylon the disciple killed Pithagrus to become the lord of Stachion and buried his body in the yard behind the mansion."
"Then who do these bones belong to?"
"Um…" Since they had already spoiled the ending for Asuna and Koharu, Kirito's mind had jumbled up the story's details. The only secret the three beta players who completed the quest before were set on keeping is who stole the cube, so Kirito glances at Jaymes, wondering if he could explain this mystery.
"I asked Mito to explain how this part ends to Koharu, too, so I can do the same. Had we gone back to Stachion to look up the code in Cylon's chamber, and Kirito, Mito, and I played dumb, we would have examined the entire office, yeah? Not saying you or Koharu wouldn't have noticed Cylon trying to hide the painting, but...you understand my point."
"Yeah. But does that really make sense? If he knows the number to unlock this house, why doesn't Cylon come and investigate this place himself? And then he'd find this key. It's the key to whatever place is hiding the golden cube, right?"
"You make a good point, but remember that we weren't led here by Cylon but by the bartender. The lord may know about the numbers, but this suggests he doesn't know where to use them. No one but the bartender knows of this place. Not his apprentices or his servants."
"...But why?"
"It requires a bit of reading those books in Cylon's study. But I bet you know that's a pain."
"Ugh..."
"Yep. SAO is...different when it comes to handling books. Most RPGs don't allow players to interact with books, so they're nothing more than decoration. Larger-scale RPGs with interactable books use them and don't have much content. It's focused on the lore and might be no more than a couple of pages with large print. But SAO not only has every book you come across as readable, but they all also have print. Every book accessible from the public domain is present here in its original language. Funny, huh? In a fantasy land like this, you can find your favorite tale in its original writing."
Asuna grumbles, "…I feel like I've seen enough Cyrillic and Arabian script to last me a lifetime."
"Don't feel bad. It's all Greek to me… Sorry, sorry, just a joke. Most of the books in the study are what you'd expect, but a few mixed in are like manuals for puzzles. In other words, Pithagrus the puzzle king kept his secret books with the solutions to the previous lords' puzzles and his own here in his secret home for safekeeping. It's just that if we tried to read them, we wouldn't make any sense of them."
"Ah, I see…Well, I hate to speak ill of the dead, but he sounds like a bit of a miser. Maybe if he'd allowed his apprentices to read these, rather than hogging them all to himself, he wouldn't have wound up getting killed," Asuna shakes her head, looking grieved, then turns her head to the bones. "So…whose bones are these, then?"
"Cylon's henchman. Like us, he heard about the second home from the bar, and he got this far using the combination from Cylon to open the lock…but before he could return to report to his master, the wraiths got him."
"Wait, you mean the person who died here wasn't the wraith we just fought…?"
"If so, then there should have been bones in the other rooms where we found the Annoying Wraiths, right? It seems like once a house is left unattended to fall into ruin, ghosts just naturally swarm there."
"…If I ever buy a player home here, I'm cleaning it every single day. And you're not allowed to leave it cluttered, either, Kirito."
"Yeah, yeah..." Wait a minute, what did Asuna say? What is Asuna envisioning?
"O...kay," Jaymes finally says, forcibly placing the key in Asuna's hand. While his voice conveys awkwardness, his face betrays that with a grand smirk. "Wow, the suspension bridge effect is true. Just let me move on...give you two a minute."
Asuna's face turns beet red. "No!"
"No, no, we'll wait. Take all the time you need."
She grabs Jaymes' arm as he retreats, leaving her to be dragged by the red swordsman as he navigates the maze of shelves again. "It's not that! It's definitely not that!"
"Sure, sure."