(A/n: There are mentions of torture and mutilation later on, so any of you squeamish folks better leave now.)
Since Koharu and I defeated Gundyr, we hadn't been able to find the next boss. I spent all my time searching but to no avail. She actively went out on her own to look for it despite my disapproval. She had no idea what people would do to get their hands on the quest we had and the power that came with it.
It was up to me to expend any extra time searching so I could protect us both from the murderous desires of those that were so consumed by a hunger for power that they would do anything to obtain it. I knew they were out there and I knew who they were. Laughing Coffin, a murder guild, was actively increasing their numbers and brutally murdering those that refused to join them.
I vowed not to fail again and I made sure Koharu knew of these dangers. I told her every day until they were ingrained in her mind. Maybe it was my determination to keep her safe, but I'd begun harboring a strange and growing fondness for her. Whatever it was, I always made sure that if she was going somewhere alone, she had what she needed to survive. I taught her how to survive in the wilderness, how to conceal her presence and sneak around, and how to quickly and efficiently get rid of enemies.
(Two months later)
Koharu: Hey U/n, I'm going to get some maintenance done on my armor and weapons.
"Okay. Be safe" I said
Koharu(laughs): I always am, thanks to what you've taught me.
"Just making sure," I said
Koharu: Your concern is sweet, but I can handle myself.
She smiled and kissed my cheek before leaving. Once she was gone, my hand flew to where she'd kissed me.
"I wonder, does she feel the same? No, that's absurd. She's only known me for a few months. There's no way she'd-" I stopped myself
I couldn't afford to think of my partner right now. I was going to go out and search again. I wouldn't stop until I found it. I grabbed my gear from the armor stand in the living room of our shared home. Once everything was equipped, I headed out.
I passed many players in the streets, all of which stared at me as I walked by them. Whispers echoed through my ears as they tried to figure out exactly who I was. I hadn't shown my face to anyone other than Kirito, Koharu, and Asuna. Those three were the only ones who knew what I was really like. I glanced at my gauntlets and noticed that the shine had left them.
*I should get this maintained soon.* I thought
As I walked, I heard a commotion. I broke into a jog and hurried to the source, which was the town square by the teleport monument. A man was going around to anyone and everyone begging for their help, but no one listened. On a whim, I decided to help him out. I didn't have anything other than searching planned for today, so I could spare some time.
"What seems to be the problem?" I asked
Player: Thank god! Listen, my entire guild was slaughtered by monster PKers. No one has listened to me. They all keep calling me insane.
"What exactly happened? Who were these people?" I asked
Player: They were led by a red-haired woman and all had orange cursors, but she had a green one. They tricked us into going into a gorge where a stampede of monsters crushed my guild underfoot. Please, help bring these murderers to justice. I'll pay whatever price you want, just please help me!
"Calm down. I'll take care of it. You don't have to worry" I said
Player: Thank you. I promise I'll make this worth your while.
"We'll worry about that later. Where did you last see this guild?" I asked
Player: On Floor 35, but they've more than likely moved on.
"Did they give you any hints as to who they were? Such as a name?" I asked
Player: They called themselves Titan's Hand. Their leader addressed herself as Rosalia. That's all I know.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure they pay for what they did" I said
Player: Thank you, sir.
"No problem," I said
I turned and walked to the monument. Hearing the name of the guild made me cringe. Titan's Hand was the name of a criminal guild that I'd heard stories about for a long time now. They always forced smaller guilds into giving up their items and Col before killing them off. They were no Laughing Coffin, but they were still bad. People like them deserved to burn. Selecting my destination, I stood still as the monument covered me in blue light before warping me away.
(3rd pov)
Kirito: Thanks a lot. I'll send the Col via message when I get a chance.
Kirito had just discovered a valuable piece of information. Someone had spotted U/n! When he heard this, it took all of Kirito's self-control to remain composed. He listened to everything that the person had to say before getting up to leave.
Asuna: Well?
Kirito: They said they spotted him around Floor 45.
Asuna: That's great. Now all we need to do is go there and find him.
Kirito: I think it would be best if I did this part alone. There are some things I want to talk about that I want to stay between me and him.
Asuna: Do you not trust me?
Kirito: That's not it. I do trust you. It's just that this is something I need to do alone. I appreciate all the help you've given me so far, but I'm going alone from now on.
Asuna: If you insist. Message me when you find him, okay? I want to give the guy a piece of my mind.
Kirito: I will.
Asuna and Kirito went in separate directions, each of them with a destination in mind. Kirito was headed toward the teleport monument and Asuna was going back to her guild's HQ. When Kirito reached the monument, he selected the main town of Floor 45. In seconds he appeared at the corresponding monument and immediately started asking around.
(U/n pov)
The next few days were chaotic. I'd tracked down an informant of Titan's Hand. After a little bit of the international language, I got them to crack and tell me what I wanted to know. After I'd finished extracting information, I silenced the informant. I couldn't have any loose ends after all.
When I was done for the day I decided to take a load off and relax at the local tavern. I was in no hurry to go after Rosalia now because I knew where she would be, which meant that I could afford to expend a bit of time. I ordered a pint of ale from the barkeep and paid upfront. While I sat at the bar, I opened my menu and typed a message to Koharu.
I'm doing something important right now and I'll be going awol for a few days. Message me if you need anything. Take care of yourself until I return.
-U/n
I hit send and closed my menu. The barkeep slid my drink over with a satisfying grinding sound. I grabbed the cup and downed it all in one go. Since I was in SAO, I could drink as much alcohol as I wanted and not get drunk.
While I was enjoying my moment of peace, the door to the tavern slammed open and the wind blew in. The breeze was so strong that it blew out the candles. I heard footsteps and the scraping sound of a barstool sliding across the floor before someone took a seat next to me.
Argo: You're a hard man to find sometimes.
"What do you want?" I asked
Argo: I've got some bad news. That little girlfriend of yours-
"What happened to Koharu?!" I exclaimed
Argo: She's fine, for now at least, but I'm not sure for how much longer.
"What...happened...to her?" I asked, my fury rising
Argo: I saw her get taken by a group of men in dark clothing. They all bore the symbol of Laughing Coffin.
"When was this?" I asked
Argo: About 2-3 hours ago.
"And you waited this long to tell me?!" I shouted
Argo: Whoa, calm down buddy. I followed them to see where they were going. I figured you'd want that information. I came to tell you where they went.
She sent me a map, so I opened it. It showed the mountain regions of Floor 50. There was a red x over the center of the map.
"I'll tear them apart" I growled
I crushed the glass of ale I was holding in my hand and turned to leave, but Argo tapped my shoulder.
Argo: Going alone is suicide. You'll need help.
"No, I don't. I'm more than capable" I said
Argo: Taking on Laughing Coffin alone is suicide. You might take a few of them out, but there is no way you can slice your way through the entire guild.
???: She's right.
I looked toward the door and that was when I saw him. My old friend and partner in crime, Kirito. He looked different somehow. It was like he'd changed since I last saw him. He wore a dark trenchcoat and had a black longsword hanging from his back.
"You picked a hell of a time to track me down," I said
Kirito: Me finding you here and your friend being abducted is nothing more than a coincidence. Now, I'll help you get her back but when we do, you and I are going to talk.
"Fine, whatever. If you fall behind that's on you. I'm not waiting for you to catch up" I said
I stormed out of the tavern and swung the door open with such force that it came off the hinges. I placed a marker on my minimap so I could see where I was going.
Kirito: Do you know where she's being held?
"In the mountains of Floor 50," I said
Kirito: That's treacherous territory.
"You're more than welcome to stay behind," I said
Kirito: I didn't say I was going to. I promised to help you get her back, didn't I?
"Let's go," I said
I pushed past him and strode to the teleport monument. Selecting Floor 50, I warped both of us to our destination.
(3rd pov, Laughing Coffin outpost, Floor 50)
(LC-Laughing Coffin)
LC 1: Was kidnapping her a good idea? If what I've heard about this guy is true, we may very well be fucked when he gets here.
LC 2: He'll think twice when he sees what the boss has done to her.
LC 1: Speaking of, what is he doing to her?
Before the second member could speak, a bloodcurdling female scream echoed throughout the mountain cave.
LC 2: Does that answer your question?
LC 1(grinning devilishly): Yep.
Inside a separate room, a cloaked man with a tattoo running down the right side of his face looked down at the terrified Koharu while he held one of her limbs in his hand. In a pile in the corner sat her fingers.
PoH: Still refusing to talk, eh? I'll just have to keep plucking body parts from you until there's nothing left. Unless of course, you'd like to tell me where U/n gets his power from. I know he got his hands on something and that it allowed him to gain power far beyond what this game should be able to offer.
Koharu(in pain): I'll never talk. You'll have to kill me!
PoH(smirks): That my dear, is a mercy you do not deserve.
The murder guild leader grabbed a cleaver from the table of torture devices and approached the girl menacingly. She whimpered in fear as the cleaver was raised and cried out in pain as it carved through her left leg.
Koharu: PLEASE, STOP!!!
PoH: Tell me what I want to know.
Koharu: I CANT!
PoH: Then say goodbye to your other leg.
Koharu(in mind): Please forgive me U/n. I failed you...
(U/n pov)
Kirito and I trudged through the snowy mountains as we neared Laughing Coffin's hideout. He had to struggle to catch up to me because of how fast I was. I refused to let Koharu die because of me.
Kirito: Slow down!
"No! I will not let another person die because of me. Do you not understand?! I vowed to protect her with my life and that's what I'll do" I said
Kirito: I know that, but don't you think you're acting a bit rash, rushing in with no plan of attack?
"I have a plan. Attack" I said
I bounded across a deep gorge and began scaling the cliff face in front of me. I heard Kirito struggling before he appeared next to me. We both climbed up until we reached the top. Amidst the roaring winds, I could make out two faint voices.
Kirito(whispers): Are they up there?
"Yes" I whispered back
Kirito(whispers): So what's the plan?
"We kill them," I said
I flung myself over the edge and pulled a Vergil by appearing out of thin air and slicing the heads off of the two guards. Kirito climbed up and saw the bodies just before they shattered.
Kirito: Since when are you so comfortable with killing?!
"Since they stole Koharu from me," I said flatly
I kicked the door down and walked inside. All of the members inside stared at me in shock before scrambling for their weapons. I used the skill of my sword, <Sacred Moonlight>, to mow them down one by one. Kirito just stood by and watched in shock as I massacred every last one of them.
Kirito: What are you doing?! Why are you killing them all?!
"They're like animals and I slaughtered them like animals. If you're too much of a coward to help like you said you would, then get the hell out of here" I said
I saw one of them trying to crawl away, so I grabbed him by the throat and squeezed him as I lifted him high.
"WHERE IS SHE?!" I roared
The member tried to pry my hand from his throat while gasping for air, so I squeezed harder. His face beneath the black hood turned blue before his struggling body went limp. I hurled it into a pile of crates before storming through every room I saw. I killed any members on sight while I searched for Koharu.
When I reached the end of the cave, I saw two more guards standing next to a locked door. They stiffened when they saw me and drew their weapons.
LC 1: Halt!
LC 2: On your knees!
"Back away or I'll slice you up so badly that your own mother wouldn't recognize you" I threatened
They didn't obey and began charging up sword skills. Once the skills were charged, the guards ran at me with a battle cry. I didn't move a muscle as they charged me. Instead, my left hand became engulfed in flame. With a flick of the wrist, a large ball of fire shot out of my hand and scorched the two guards.
With no opposition, I shattered the door and walked through. When I saw what was inside I almost gagged at the sight. PoH was standing over a barely conscious Koharu. She had cuts and gashes all over her body, her clothes were torn, one of her arms was severed at the elbow, and her fingers were gone.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER YOU MONSTER?!" I screamed
PoH: I only did what was necessary to extract the information I needed. Speaking of which, she told me the most interesting things about the secret to your power. I was surprised when she revealed everything to me.
Koharu(weakly): Im...sorry...U/n...
"You...I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!!!" I roared
I charged at PoH with my sword held high. He swiftly blocked my attack with a bloodied cleaver before dodging.
"Kirito, get her out of here. I'll join you later" I said
Kirito: What? You can't fight him alone.
"TAKE HER AND GO!!!" I shouted
He nodded before going over to Koharu. I watched as he carried her from the room. Once they were gone I turned back to PoH.
PoH: Aww, I wanted them to watch as I beat your ass. Oh well, I guess since you killed all my men, I'm the only one that gets to savor the kill. Im going to enjoy carving you up, Ashen One.
"Shut the fuck up!" I said
I twirled my sword before slamming it down on PoH's cleaver. He quickly pushed my sword away and activated a skill similar to Destined Death from Elden Ring. With a single swing from his cleaver, a blast of crimson energy flew from the blade and hit me, draining my HP in the process. It also halted my movement.
PoH(laughs): Wow, I can't believe how well that worked on you. You, the famed knight of ash, the greatsword master, stopped by a simple stun lock skill. I'm disappointed. I thought someone of your caliber would be more of a threat. Oh, would you look at the time? I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got a date with the Dark Soul. Tata.
PoH dashed out of the room and left me frozen in place. After some time, the skill's effect wore off and I was able to move again. I tried to walk but fell to my knees in weakness. The fatigue from slaughtering PoH's men had finally caught up to me.
(A/n: I had originally planned for U/n to go all out on PoH, but decided against it for now. The time will come.)