31 October 2023
Nolfret, 39th Floor
We entered the town square, into the tension-heavy atmosphere. All that was left of the usually crowded place was a very recognizable group of players clad in red and white, their weapons reflecting the blinding sunlight in various directions.
Misuko led our group, which wasn't that uniform in our colours, into the centre of the open area, facing the other group. I was right behind her, casually having a hand in a pocket of my hooded coat as I eyed on the representative of the strongest guild in SAO.
Asuna the Lighting Flash stood in front of her subordinates with crossed arms and a face that meant business, waiting with patience as our group strolled in. Her demeanour was stern enough, that her lips were shaped almost like a glare. Her guildmates stood at attention, as if they were trained in military conduct.
An army. Yeah, we're up against an army. No other guild would beef up their members' disciplines that much.
"I see that your commander's absent again." Misuko spoke, placing herself in front of the KoB vice commander.
"That's none of your business." Asuna replied back with a tinge of annoyance.
As both leaders glared at each other, I shifted my attention elsewhere, scanning the town square. They weren't any other players in the vicinity, other than the two guilds.
"So, that's the guy who caused it all?" Asuna's voice rang through the town square.
Everyone's eyes were on me, as I stepped out from behind Misuko, standing beside her. The Lighting Flash sure was sharp, her eyes directly locked with mine as she spoke.
"We've decided to bring you to our guild to.....assist in our investigations in this matter." Asuna announced, as she faced me.
"What for...?" I asked nonchalantly.
"You will be interrogated and tried in front of the KoB Council, whether you like it or not."
I tried to look indifferent as I noticed her hand reaching for her rapier. She really meant what she said, about taking me in by force if she needed to. The bunch of players from the KoB behind her had already solidified her commitment in doing so.
"I heard that your Council includes your Commander, needless to say." I replied in defiance. "Why bring me back when your Commander can just come here to settle things?"
In a split moment, the rapier that had originally been in its sheathe appeared in a blur, as if to make its flashy entrance in front of me.
"You don't have the right to insult Commander Heathcliff!" Asuna snapped.
"And YOU will not take him back!"
Misuko's green axe swung at the rapier, pushing it down and making a loud collision in the tension. The echoes that came after shook the atmosphere in a dull screech.
My instincts had instantly guided my right hand to reach for my spear, but paused. Misuko turned back at me, shaking her head without a word, before turning back.
If I had brandished out my weapon, it would make me more suspicious of being the culprit of the incident. Misuko was just making sure I would never resort to attacking, or even retaliating back at such a powerful political figure.
"If you want your interrogation, you can do it here. Any discussions about the incident should never leave this town square."
Whether Misuko was desperately trying to put up a strong front, or was starting to become more like Akiko, I would never know. If it was the latter, she might be able to pull this off without any conflict.
Asuna stared at her intercepted rapier for a brief moment, before returning to lock her eyes with me. I could sense determination in them, but not them way one would normally think. She wouldn't back down from trying to capture me, even in such a situation.
"...Player kills are a serious offence, do you know that?" She shot at me through gritted teeth. It seemed like her emotions were starting to get the better of her.
"I know." I replied, as calmly as I could. "But you went and assumed that I committed this offence. It's not fair for me not to explain my side of the story, especially in front of so many players..."
Taking a single step forward, I focused my stare back at Asuna's eyes. I might have looked villainous as I spouted my next sentence in front of the KoB vice commander.
"...But you aren't gonna buy that, are you?"
The moment I noticed that the pupils in Asuna's eyes had shrunk, I should have backed off. Fast.
Her rapier shot up, throwing off Misuko's axe as if it had no weight. Shocked by the force that suddenly caught her off guard, Misuko fell onto the ground.
In a speed no naked eye could follow, Asuna's rapier enveloped itself in blue light, piercing through the air, directly at me like a pouncing snake. I saw the rage on her face just before her rapier blocked the view, as she shot forth towards me.
The first hit struck me at my left arm, but before the second hit could reach me, a big body rushed past me, blocking the strikes completely.
I would have expected red light effects to have appeared where I was struck, but a purple window popped out instead, titled "Immortal Object", disappearing right after.
I would have forgotten that I was in a safe zone, if not for the fact that that happened. I was just too absorbed in my speech against Asuna. But I still felt the force of that strike, which had sent me several metres back onto the ground.
As I looked ahead, I saw a player holding his shield out front. It was Nicholas, standing his ground as he tried to recover from the remaining force that was meant for me to take.
The next moment saw all hell breaking loose.
The weapons being brandished. The brawls starting off. The players from both guilds crashed against each other in a mess of purple windows popping out, wherever there was a hit of any body part.
In other words, it was a damageless battle. The only way to gain the victor was to blow your opponents off with an impact stronger than theirs.
"Zen, get up!" Misuko shouted across the chaos. She was going blade to blade with Asuna, as both girls struggled to force each other to the ground.
I stood up, my left arm held at a strange angle. No player from the KoB had come at me yet, probably because their numbers were being overwhelmed by ours.
"That quest! You should know where it is!" Misuko shouted again, as she blocked a flurry of slashes from Asuna. "Now go!"
Nodding discreetly, I bolted for the nearest exit in the town square. As much as I didnt want to leave my fellow guild mates, it had to be done.
All was going according to plan.
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28 October 2023
Horizon's Edge guild base, 30th Floor
"...Demand?" I asked.
"Yeah," Misuko explained. "The KoB has demanded for you to surrender yourself to them for their investigations."
She sighed as she announced that, planting her hands onto the round table as she stood overseeing Narnia and the company leaders.
"Thats to be expected." Narnia speculated. "It's not like they can just treat the incident as any other."
"And for that," Misuko continued. "Theyre asking to meet us in the town square in Nolfret, the 39th Floor. 3 days from now."
"Are you sure it's not an invitation to a party"? Nicholas leaned on his chair.
"It's no joke." Misuko crossed her fingers together. "They're most certainly going to bring their forces in this serious situation."
"Indeed." Krieg added. "As long as the Knights of the Blood Oath is the strongest guild around, they will not hesitate to use their power to get want they want."
The round table went silent once more. I broke the silence, amid the frustration showing on their faces.
"At least we're meeting up in a safe zone. They don't want anyone getting hurt."
"True." Misuko pondered at that fact. "But that would mean that they would bring more manpower to the scene, just to show dominance. They have all the reasons not to hold back in this case."
"What about the Lycan Mark?" Nicholas asked with concern.
"I believe that they will not interfere, since most of their members have orange cursors." Krieg answered. "Even if there is a slight possibility that a few of them are green, they won't make quite an impact in the scene."
He then touched the tip of his black cap, turning his darkened face at Misuko.
"There is also that quest that we need to discuss, my lady."
"You mean the one you found a few days ago?" Misuko asked.
"Affrimative. It is located in a forest on the 39th Floor. A 10-minute walk from Nolfret, I would estimate. I believe obtaining the quest reward for that quest would solve the mystery of this incident completely."
"It would, in theory." I nodded. "But didn't you say yesterday that the quest becomes active on random days?"
"It does." Krieg replied. "But I do not think that it would pass up the chance of being active on Halloween, which certainly is 3 days later. But please bear in mind that this is just my empty guess."
"You mean a gamble." Nicholas commented.
Misuko stood listening to our discussion with utter focus. Having heard enough, she lifted her hands from the round table, as everyone noticed her actions.
"We need a plan." Misuko declared. "And here's one that I propose. We bring as many of us from all the Companies as we can to meet the KoB. Assuming the Lycan Mark doesn't interfere, we'll start a brawl right in the middle of that town square."
"A commotion...no, distraction." I deduced.
"That's right." She looked at me. "Our objective here is to make sure you complete that quest without anyone in your way."
"Why can't we all just go to complete it then, before the meet-up?" Narnia asked.
"It would be very risky." Krieg lowered his cap in concern. "If the KoB found out, they would chase us into the forest. And there certainly will be blood spilled if we were to pick a fight with them in a field dungeon."
Misuko nodded as she planted her hands on the table again, her seriousness reverbating through the room.
"Any objections to this plan?"
No one stood to protest.
"Alright!" She then turned to me. "You'll do the honours for starting that brawl, won't you?"
For a moment, I thought I felt a cheeky sparkle at the end of her words.
"By whatever means necessary?" I asked.
All I got from Misuko was a simple smile in response.
"Heh." I finally placed my arms on the round table, clearly knowing my role in the plan.
"I won't hold back then."
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