Sword Art Online: Aincrad's Hollow Fragment

March 6, 2024

Floor 56: Pani

In a village surrounded by small stone structures that resembled tipi's, the Assault Team were discussing how to handle the boss. Among the team stood a few familiar faces. There was Klein and Kirito, along with the rest of their guild: Fuurinkazan. Asuna and Ashtry looking down at a map detailing where the boss would be hiding, trying to figure out the plan with the rest of their guild: The Knights of the Blood Oath. And then there was Kiyo and I, not sticking out like a sore thumb but still listening in. I distanced myself away from the top players, so they didn't have the chance to berate me. I'd heard enough of that come from most players in this room. The room was silent for a while longer before Asuna slammed her hand down on the map.

Asuna- Lure it to the village. That's how we defeat the boss!

Kirito- Hold on! You can't be serious! If you do that the boss will go after the villagers!

Ashtry- What are we going to do, lure it and move out of the way once it targets the town?

Asuna- Yes that's the idea. While it's busy attacking the NPC's, we can attack it and kill it.

"But they aren't objects Asuna! NPCs are different from rocks and trees. They..."

Asuna- You think they're alive Akihiko? Really?

The question threw me and Kirito back, especially with her announcing my family name to the Assault Team. We stayed quiet as she continued her rant.

Asuna- In this game, they are just objects and unlike us, if they die, they can just respawn.

"Well, if that's how it's going to be then you can forget about me joining this one."

Kirito- I agree with Kazzu. I'm not cool with that plan.

Asuna- Me and Ashtry are running this operation, understood. In case you two have forgotten, we are still seconds in command to the Knights of the Blood Oath. You'll obey our orders, whether you like them or not.

"Me and Kiyo have done fine on our own, princess. I'd love to see you try to make me obey."

Asuna- Heathcliff will not be pleased with your disobedience.

"Fuck Heathcliff."

Ashtry- There has to be a better alternative Asuna. Why don't we just...

Asuna- Ash, believe me if we had time, I would consider other options. But the longer we are in here, the more of us die to these monsters, to this damned game.

"You should listen to Ashtry. She seems to be the only voice in this room with some human compassion."

I grabbed Kiyo's hand and walked out of the meeting, Kirito following suit. I grabbed the bridge of my nose while Kirito scratched behind his head.

Kirito- Well that could've gone better...

"No shit..."

Kiyo- Papa, that's the third meeting in a row where you and Miss Asuna were arguing. Why do you two fight so much?

"It's not because I dislike how she leads things, it's because of the fact that she obeys a man that is willing to kill others to win, despite those people being NPC's. I won't follow that ideology. Never in a million years."

A voice rang out to us as heavy clanking armor started making its way towards us. A few seconds later, Agil was standing in front of us with a concerned look on his face.

Agil- What is with you guys, you two and the second in command. You guys are always getting into it and not in a good way.

"Agil! Kiyo is right here!"

Kiyo- What does "getting into it" mean?

Kirito- Uh...

"Kiyo, I'll tell you when you're older."

Kiyo- Aw man...

Kirito- Anyway, to answer your question, I guess the three of us just don't click. I told her the same advice that Kazzu told me back on the first floor. Who'd knew she would end up in the top guild and be a floor clearing badass?

"It's not just her. Ashtry has improved too. She went from a mostly new player to joining the same guild, reaching command status and becoming one of the most feared and respected players amongst the Assault Team and the suspects she's always assigned to catch."

Kiyo- I think both Miss Asuna and Miss Ashtry are pretty cool! I hope I can be like them when I grow up!

"As long as you still have your humanity when you grow up. If you turn out how Asuna is right now, you're grounded."

April 11, 2024

Floor 59: Danac

In the fields close to town where the monsters would not disturb us, Kiyo, Kirito and I were laying down under a tree. The shade covering the majority of our bodies, leaving our feet out in the sunlight. Kirito took residence on the slope of the hill the tree was planted on while me and Kiyo slept right against the trunk. We were enjoying our little nap until footsteps were heard approaching us. Two familiar female voices called out to us.

Ashtry- There they are...

Asuna- What are you three doing?

The three of us open our eyes to see the two women, Asuna standing over Kirito while Ashtry looked down at us. My heart started beating slightly faster, but I ignored her presence and closed my eyes again.

Kiyo- Hello Miss Ashtry!

Ashtry- Hello. What were you two doing?

Kiyo- Taking a nap.

Ashtry- What, is boss raiding too boring for you solo players?

"Did you know that despite the weather looking the same, Aincrad still has weather settings? It turns out, today, the weather is at its most optimal setting. It would be a waste to have to go fight monsters on a day like this."

Ashtry- Well you are kind of the expert on that stuff, aren't you? I bet just by being the creator you can determine if there will be a spring shower tomorrow.

"That's actually a feature I let the system take over. The weather in this game tries to match the seasons but we could be caught in a hurricane tomorrow and I would be none the wiser."

As if on cue, the breeze started to flow through our hair and brush against the grass beneath us. It wasn't shivering cold but cool enough to stop a sweat if it maintained itself for a few minutes. The wind died down after a minute and I turned my attention back to Ashtry.

"See? Didn't the breeze feel good? And the sun, shining down on us in just the right position. I promise you, if you took some time to lay down on the grass, you'd see what I mean."

Ashtry- Oh? A promise from the "devious" Dark Prince? Fine.

She placed herself a small distance next to Kiyo and I and pulled out a book to read. I opened my eyes slightly towards her direction, but I eventually just closed my eyes and returned to my slumber, Kiyo laying down on my chest. 

One Hour Later

Kiyo and I slowly wake up and stretch out our arms. A small chuckle could be heard as Kirito stares at us.

"What's so...?"

Kirito motions us to be quiet and points at the ground. Following his finger, I spotted both Asuna and Ashtry lying down in the grass sound asleep. Asuna had her hands close to her face while Ashtry had fallen asleep with her book covering her face.

Passing Soldier #1- Well would you look at that, sleeping in the middle of the day.

Passing Soldier #2- Some people sure do have it easy.

Passing Soldier #3- A bunch of lazy losers.

Kiyo- Jerks...

I had to hold myself back from laughing and waking them up as I picked up the book she was reading. Looking at the cover, my eyes widened at the title: Knight of Roses.

"Oh wow..."

Kirito- What is it?

Kiyo- Is the book ok?

"The book is fine it's just... I never thought anyone would actually buy and read this. I made this book just for giggles."

Kirito- I didn't know you wrote books?

"It was just a small project I wanted to do while making the game. I never thought it was good, but I added it in for anyone who wanted to read a fictional book in a fictional game."

Examining the book further, she had a bookmark planted halfway through the book. She seemed interested in my work. If only she enjoyed my presence as much as she enjoyed my book. I set the book down next to her. She caught my attention as she slept, she looked very peaceful. I smiled and walked over to Kirito.

"Should we leave before they wake up and yell at us again?"

Kiyo- Papa!

"What? I'm just saying."

Kirito- As much as that sounds like a nice thought, we should stay and watch over them. If anyone saw the seconds of command to the Knights of the Blood Oath, who knows what they would do?

For some reason or another, the thought of someone walking up to Ashtry and doing something to her upset me. I shook the thought off and found a seat on a small stone wall. Kirito and Kiyo joined me and watched as the sun slowly started to descend.

Kirito- Kazzu? Can I ask you a question?

"Sure. What's up?"

Kirito- What do you plan on doing when you get out of here? Be honest.

"Well... I'm not sure... Once I get out, I'll have to face the consequences of my father's actions. I don't know what that entails but should I make it out of the judge's corner alive, I plan on actually finding Kiyo, adopting her in real life and then... finding something to do with my life."

Kirito- It sounds like you don't know what to do after leaving this game.

"It wouldn't be far from the truth. I don't know what I could do outside of game design. It's all I've ever known since joining my father in the creation of this game. I don't see myself going to work for anything less, but nobody will want to have me design their games after this hellhole."

Kirito- Well, if it makes you feel any better, I would hire you.

"Thanks."

Kiyo- Can you hire me too Mister Kirito?

Kirito- Of course! Kiyo, I declare you to be President of Imagination Games!

Kiyo- Yay!

An Hour and A Half Later

The sunset presented itself to us. As me, Kiyo and Kirito were enjoying the last remaining warmth coming from the digital sun, a small sneeze made its way behind us. The three of us looked at the small sound and noticed both Asuna and Ashtry slowly waking up. Asuna had a small piece of grass stuck onto her drooling face while Ashtry rubbed her eyes, getting adjusted to the light. Asuna locked eyes with us and immediately got startled.

Kirito- Good morning! You slept like a rock.

Asuna quickly jumped to her feet and grabbed the hilt of her weapon, causing Kirito to jump back. Kiyo and I saw this as a threat and jumped to our feet, hands on our own weapons. Ashtry started to chuckle at the whole dramatic scene.

Ashtry- Asuna, what's got your panties in a twist? All we did was take a nap.

Asuna- But those two could've done something to us!

Ashtry- Asuna, they have a kid with them, and we are out in the open. I don't think these two are stupid enough to try to do... "that"... to us.

Asuna- I... But...

Ashtry- Besides, it seems like they didn't disturb us considering you are drooling and have a piece of grass on your cheek.

Asuna quickly wiped her face out of embarrassment and slowly removed her hand from her weapon, causing me and Kiyo to mirror her movements. Ashtry looked at us and smirked.

Ashtry- Sorry about that. She gets like that sometimes.

"It's all good. I would've assumed more or less the same thing."

Ashtry- Now where is my book?

I pointed to a spot a few inches where she had slept, the book closed and placed under the shade. She grabbed it and placed it back in her inventory. This time, a small chuckle escaped my own lips.

Ashtry- What?

"Must have been a good read if you caused it to fall flat on your face."

Ashtry blushed and turned her head quickly, a small huff leaving her body.

Ashtry- I happen to enjoy a good book as a method of relaxing. Sorry I have hobbies.

"I wasn't making fun; I was just pointing out the obvious."

Asuna- So... you three promise you didn't do anything... weird... to us?

Kirito- We swear.

Kiyo- Promise.

"If sitting near you guys so that others can't take advantage of you counts as weird."

Asuna- You three get one meal...

Kirito- What?

Asuna- One meal. All you can eat, my treat. Then we'll be even, deal?

"Well, that was a complete one eighty."

Kiyo- Papa, I'm getting hungry...

Asuna- Now wait, hold on...

Ashtry- You did say "One meal, all you can eat" Asuna.

Asuna looked at the ground defeated, knowing she was now going to have to pay for four people to have as much food as they wanted. Ashtry gave off a small giggle and placed her hand on Asuna's shoulder.

Ashtry- How about you take care of Kirito, and I'll handle Kazzu and Kiyo. We both owe it to them for letting us sleep in peace.

Asuna- Thanks Ashtry.

April 11, 2024

Floor 57: Martin

We walked into town and made our way towards a small café; the one thing that caught my attention was the name of the place: Restaurant.

"Wow... How original..."

Ashtry- I know right. I can imagine the meeting to come up with that name. "We need a name!" "How about Restaurant?" "Perfect!".

That earned her a laugh from Kiyo and I. I always thought that Ashtry was a hard ass after joining the Knights of the Blood Oath, but it was nice to know she still had a sense of humor. The five of us walked inside and grabbed a table. Ashtry and Asuna sat together while me, Kiyo and Kirito sat on the other side, Kiyo squished between us. As we were waiting for a menu or a waitress, we could hear the whispers among the crowd.

Guy #1- That's Asuna from the Knights of the Blood Oath.

Guy #2- Not just her but Ashtry as well.

Guy #3- Wow, the Lightning Flash and the Red Hunter both in the same room

Guy #4- Who are the shady looking guys in black?

Guy #5- Are they red players?

Guy #6- One of them has a kid. Is she with them?

A sigh left me and Kirito. We both looked at each other and nodded in agreement. We met this kind of attitude anywhere we went to the point that we just accepted it.

Same shit, different floor.

Asuna- Well anyway. Thank you three for today.

Kirito- Why?

Asuna- For keeping an eye on us.

"It wasn't really a problem."

Ashtry- This coming from the girl who was ready to kill them for doing that exact thing?

Asuna- I was just being cautious! Besides I'm trying to be appreciative now.

Kiyo- Well I forgive you Miss Asuna.

"I guess it's ok. Like I said, I would've assumed the same thing."

Kirito- Sure, it's fine, I guess.

Asuna- The towns are supposed to be safe zones and unless you've agreed to a duel, a player can't attack or kill you. But when you are asleep, you're vulnerable.

"Agreed. Especially when you have player killers who can cheat the dual system."

Kirito- Duals are normally supposed to be tests of strength, not a fight to the death. But even if you duel in a safe zone, your HP is still going to go down based on the damage you take.

Asuna- All a sleep player killer has to do is manipulate a sleeping players finger to hit the ok button. The dual begins like normal, but the sleep player killer is doing all of the attacking. God knows how many times it's happened.

Ashtry shifted in her seat uncomfortably. She lowered her head down and held her hands together, a blank look on her face.

Ashtry- It happens more than people believe. Those types of player killers are nothing but cowards.

Asuna- So anyway, thank you three.

Kirito started to get a little flustered, tripping over a few of his words as he spoke.

Kirito- O-Oh sure. Anytime. Well, you'd do the same for me.

"Considering she was ready to nag at us until the sun went down Kirito, I doubt that."

Asuna- I'm sorry ok!

Ashtry started laughing at her comrade's embarrassment which gave me cause to smile. I never realized how much I liked listening to her laugh. It was soon cut short by a panicked scream. All five of us shot up and ran out into the streets. We looked around for what could've caused the panic.

Kiyo- Papa, up there!

I looked at where Kiyo was pointing and found the source of distress. Hanging off of the side of a building was a knight with a blade piercing through his chest. His gasps of pain loud enough to reach our own ears. We rushed in to get closer.

Kirito- Hurry! Pull it out!

The knight looked at us in shock but seemed to acknowledge us as he tried to pry the weapon from his chest to no avail.

Asuna- Me and Ashtry will cut him down, you three catch him!

Kirito- Right!

Kiyo- On it!

"Hurry, he may not have much time."

Kirito- Don't worry, help is on the way!

The knight continued to try and force the blade out of his chest, his gasps of pain turned into screams of agony. Sweat started to pour down his head and his screams echoed in the streets until his body went limp. His digital form shattering and the rope he was hanging on thudding against the side of the wall. The weapon that was in his chest falling down and implanting itself into the ground below, thankfully not hurting anyone else.

The only way he could've died in a safe zone is if he was beaten in a duel!

Kirito had the same idea as he started scanning the crowd. His eyes shot around frantically trying to find the victor.

Kirito- Everyone, look for the player with the winner icon!

Asuna- There's no one here, the room is empty!

Ashtry- No one on the lobby either! The building is deserted!

Me, Kirito and Kiyo continued to search the crowd and found no one. No one had a winner icon, no one had initiated a duel. After grabbing the weapon that was used to kill the knight, we decided to enter the building and investigate the room. The rope was tied to one of the legs of a bed and it seemed to be sturdy enough to hold a knight in full plated armor without so much as a snap. I looked at the weapon and noticed it's design.

"A sword by looks but the description says spear. A weird looking weapon for someone to use in a duel. I haven't seen a weapon like this in any of the shops."

Ashtry- Did a player make it?

"Hard to say. I would need to use the "Weapon Appraisal" skill, but I haven't really invested my time into it. A task for another day."

Kirito- So any idea how this could've happened?

Asuna- Well, there's always the obvious: There was a duel, and the other guy impaled the victim with that spear. Then, he put a noose around his neck and pushed him out the window. Wouldn't you say that's about, right?

Kirito- Yea but Kazzu, Kiyo and I didn't see a winner icon on anybody.

"Trust me, I would've heard the sound of that icon popping up and it was completely silent."

Asuna- But it had to have been a duel. It's a safe zone and a player died. A duel is the only thing it could've been.

Ashtry- Regardless we have to investigate this further. If there is someone in the safe zone causing players to die in such a dramatic way, we have to find them and stop them.

Asuna- Agreed. We just can't ignore this.

Kiyo- Papa... Do you want me to stay out of this one? I can find a room to stay in while you three figure this out.

"As much as I want to keep you out of harm's way Kiyo, we can't risk being alone in a safe zone. You can stay with us and investigate but you are to listen to everything we say, ok?"

Kiyo- Yes Papa!

Asuna- I guess we won't be heading back to the front lines anytime soon.

Ashtry- I'm sure the commander can handle things on his own, especially since we have this big of a problem.

Asuna walked up to Kirito, Kiyo and I and extended her hand out to me. I looked at her skeptically.

Asuna- Listen, you three are going to work with us to solve this thing. Until we do, there won't be any time for napping, ok?

Ashtry- What the sour puss means to say is: "We need your help. Would you mind teaming up with us"?

I smiled as I shook Asuna's hand, giving Ashtry a little nod of approval.

"I'll gladly help you. But to make things clear, you two were the ones napping."

Asuna's face quickly got flustered and she started to squeeze my hand. It didn't bother me as I started to chuckle at her embarrassed state while shaking the small pain away from my hand. Our first order of business was to head back to the crowd and ask them questions. The crowd looked at us in silence as if they were waiting for an answer to who committed the murder.

Kirito- Listen up! Did anyone see what happened before that player died? If someone did, please speak up.

The crowd started looking around for someone who had an answer. After a few seconds someone stepped forward. She had purple hair and small freckles under her eyes. The thing that got me was that her armor closely resembled that of what Sachi was wearing. My eyes widened as I turned my head away from the approaching girl.

After all this time and I still can't shake the guilt... Pathetic...

Ashtry- Thank you for stepping forward miss.

Asuna- I can imagine how scared you are. Could you tell us your name?

Purple Haired Girl- Sure. My name is Yolko.

Kirito- Was that you? I mean, were you the one that screamed?

Yolko- Uh huh. I knew him. His name was Caynz and the two of us used to belong to the same guild. Anyway, we came here together today. We were going to have dinner somewhere in town, but we got separated in the plaza. I looked around for him and then I saw him hanging from that balcony...

She started to cry, and it broke my heart. May it be the fact that she looked like Sachi or because her innocent outing ended in tragedy, but my instincts took over. I faced Yolko and lowered myself to look her in the eyes, wiping away the tears falling down her face with my thumb. She looked back into my multicolored eyes and started to slowly calm down. Asuna and Ashtry came up next to her and rubbed her back.

Asuna- Was there anyone else up there?

Yolko- For a second, I'm not sure, but I think I did see someone standing behind Caynz.

Asuna- And this person, have you seen them before?

Ashtry- Maybe a description? Any detail could help us find the guy.

Yolko- No...

Kirito- I know this is hard for you but think back and try to remember. Could there be someone, anyone, with a reason to kill him?

"If not, it's ok. We won't force you to remember something so horrific."

Her eyes shot wide, and more tears threatened to fall down, but she closed her eyes and with a whimper, she shook her head once again. I noticed however that when she opened her eyes, they were shaking, and her voice was trembling. She did know something, but I wasn't going to force the information out of her. We decided to walk Yolko back to her residence. The entire time I stood in front of her, not knowing that her eyes were burning into my back. Kirito and Asuna walked behind her while Kiyo and Ashtry walked side by side with her. As I was thinking on how to solve this case, we reached her place of stay.

Yolko- Thank you all for walking me back. Sorry if it's out of your way.

Asuna- No worries, but we would like to talk to you again tomorrow if you're feeling up to it.

Yolko- Ok...

She bowed her head and slowly shut the door, looking me in the eye one more time before disappearing behind the wooden door. I lowered my head and scoffed.

Damn it all...

Kirito- So, what do we do?

Ashtry- We should find a place to sit and think about our next move.

Asuna- Well that's simple, we follow the only solid clue we have. If we can find out where that spear came from, it might lead us straight to the killer.

Kirito- Then we'll need to find someone with an appraisal skill. It's pretty obvious that none of us have one.

Asuna- No we don't and neither do you.

"Well yea, I stated prior that I was planning on increasing that in case we need it in the future."

Ashtry- All the skills that you say you have and yet you don't have the Appraisal one?

"I had other skills I wanted to increase before heading that direction."

Ashtry- Not an insult, I just find it coincidentally funny.

Asuna- By the way Kirito, could you try not to be so rude when you're speaking to me?

Kirito- Oh, ok... Should I call you Mrs.? Second in command? Lightning Flash?

The look on Asuna's face was priceless. She looked at the poor swordsman with a deadpan look that stated she was not amused.

Ashtry- Asuna, go easy on the poor boy. He's trying his hardest.

Asuna- Oh never mind, call me Asuna.

Kirito- Ok...? Sure.

Kiyo- Mister Kirito, you're sweating.

Kirito- Am not!

Kiyo- Are too!

A chuckle escaped my lips as well as a giggle from Ashtry. I looked at her smiling face and felt a smile appear on my own.

Kirito- Anyway, back to the appraisal skill though. Do you know anyone who has it?

Asuna- Well, me and Ashtry have a friend who does. She's a weapon's merchant but she's really busy these days so I don't think she'll have time to help us.

I looked at Ashtry with a smug grin.

"And you say me not having a skill is a weird coincidence."

Ashtry- Hush.

Kirito- No worries. I happen to know an item merchant who might be able to help us out.

Ashtry- Then why ask us if we knew anybody if you, yourself, had a friend who knew the skill?

"Took the words right out of my mouth."

Kirito- Shut up!

April 11, 2024

Floor 50: Algade

We all walked through the alleyway streets of the town, noticing the different nighttime patrons enjoy their stores after hour sales. The lights reflected off of the streets in such a beautiful yet simple fashion. We kept walking until we hit a small shop in the corner of an abandoned alley. Kiyo was cautious enough to stay close to me. We approached the door as someone was coming out, a disheartened look on his face.

Shopkeeper- Thanks my man! Come back anytime!

Disheartened Customer- Yea... whatever...

Kirito took the initiative and walked inside the building with a cocky smirk on his face.

Kirito- Looks like you're still running down all the suckers with those hard deals of yours.

We followed behind him and were surprised when the shopkeeper rose from the ground to reveal Agil.

Agil- No way, Kirito! Kazzu and Kiyo as well!

Kiyo- Mister Agil!

Kiyo ran up to the tall man and gave him a hug, which he reciprocated.

Agil- Buy cheap and sell cheap, that's my motto. I'm a businessman, you should know that.

Kirito- That "selling cheap" part is a lie though.

Agil- Hey now, don't go slandering my good name now.

Asuna and Ashtry walked in the store behind us, which cause Agil to freak out and grab both of our heads, pulling them behind the counter.

Agil- What the hell has gotten into you two!? Especially you Kazzu! I though you and Kiyo were solo players! What the hell are you three doing hanging out with Asuna and Ashtry!? I thought you two hated each other!?

Behind us, Asuna and Ashtry were awkwardly laughing at the situation in front of them. I pulled myself out of Agil's grip and stepped back.

"Listen, we all need your help with something serious. Would you mind giving us some of your time?"

Agil let go of Kirito and nodded. He gestured us towards a small table, and we all took a seat. We explained the situation to the warrior merchant.

Agil- His HP dropped to zero in a safe zone? You sure it wasn't a duel?

Kirito- Well, no one saw a winner icon.

Asuna- We can also rule out the killer being a sleep player killer. He was walking with Yolko before it happened.

Kirito- Besides, his death was too elaborate to be some random dual. The player killer who did this had it planned out, I'm pretty sure of that.

"And then there's this weapon."

Ashtry- The weird looking sword spear.

Agil grabbed the weapon and activated his "Weapon Appraisal" skill. It only took a moment for us to get our answer.

Agil- A player made this weapon.

Kirito- Really?

Ashtry- Called it.

Asuna- Who was it? Can you tell?

Agil- "Grimlock". Never heard that name before. It's not one of the top blacksmiths; that's for damn sure. As far as I can tell, there's nothing special about this weapon.

"Well, that's boring."

Asuna- Yea but it's something to go on at least.

Kirito- Is there an item name listed?

Agil- You'll love it: "Guilty Thorn". There's a name for you. It kind of fits though, don't you think?

He hands the weapon over to Kirito and he examines the design.

Kirito- Seriously? Guilty Thorn?

"Sounds like it came fresh out of some kid's emo journal."

Ashtry- Or it could be the next album for a punk band.

Asuna- Guys focus!

"Sorry."

Kirito- Well... here it goes.

He holds the blade up to his palm and proceeds to try and stab himself with it. The four of us jump up towards him, but Asuna grabbed his hand before he could inflict damage on himself.

Kirito- What's the matter?

"Are you serious?"

Ashtry- You can't be joking.

Asuna- What do you mean "What's the matter"? Are you out of your mind? That thing has already killed one person.

Kirito- I know. But we need to find out what this thing is capable of don't we?

"We can find that out without stabbing ourselves dumbass!"

Asuna- Would you stop being so reckless?

She takes the weapon from Kirito's hand and hands it back to Agil.

Asuna- Agil, could you hold onto this for us please?

Ashtry- And don't stab yourself with it?

Agil- Uh... yea ok.

April 12, 2024

Floor 57: Martin

The next day, we decided to meet up back at "Restaurant" before opening hours to discuss our next move. Kiyo, being small and tired, decided to continue sleeping on my shoulder as I rubbed her head to comfort her. Yolko was sitting across from us with a stressed look on her face.

Asuna- So uh... Yolko we uh... we were wondering if you had ever heard of the name "Grimlock".

Yolko's posture quickly shot up, a gasp escaping her lips. Her eyes went wide for a second before looking back down at the ground.

Yolko- Yes... I have. Actually, until about a few months ago, he was in the same guild as me and Caynz.

Kirito- Listen, we took the spear to an appraiser. We had him go over pretty carefully and we found out Grimlock made it.

Her expression turned shocked as she covered her mouth, another gasp revealing itself.

Kirito- Can you think of any reason why he did?

Yolko- Yes... I can. I should've told you everything yesterday. It's just... I couldn't. It's something I'm trying very hard to forget but now, I have no choice.

"We understand Yolko. You were in a state of shock and fear. None of us are mad at that, just tell us everything honestly."

Yolko- I should tell you about how my guild was destroyed.

My eyes went wide as the memory of Keita played back in my head; his words still burned into my memory.

Keita- You bastard! You're the Dark Prince! You're Kayaba's son! You had no right to be with us! You and your corrupted daughter!

I shook my head, trying to destroy the memory to no avail. I sat back and listened in on Yolko's story, hoping to drown out the guilt.

Yolko- When we formed it, "Golden Apple" was the name we chose. Six months ago, we killed a rare monster. It dropped a ring that increased a player's agility stat by twenty. Some of us wanted to keep it for the guild. Others wanted to sell it and split the earnings. We couldn't agree and, in the end, put it to a vote. It was five to three in favor of selling it. Our leader, Griselda, took it to a large town on the front lines. She was going to sell it to a broker and stay overnight. We waited and waited, but she never came back. It wasn't until later that we learned that our worse fears had turned true. Griselda was dead. To this day, I still don't know how she died.

"So, former guild members decided to sell a rare item. The leader took it to a front-line town and never returned. It wasn't until later that she was confirmed dead but the means of which are unknown. The only thing I can't make out is what happened with the item."

Kirito- Right. No one is going to leave a safe zone with an item like that. It's too risky. Do you think someone may have pulled a sleep player kill on her?

Asuna- Not if it was six months ago. That method is still sort of new.

Ashtry- Despite most of my suspects trying to use that method, I haven't caught many who use it.

Kirito- Right but she wasn't a random victim either. No, the killer was after the ring. It has to be someone who knew she had it.

"The guild has a traitor amongst them."

Yolko- The killer is one of the seven others in our guild.

Kirito- Now that we have our suspects, we need to find out who didn't want to sell the ring. That would narrow it down faster.

Asuna- I doubt the killer waited until after Griselda sold the ring. She had to have been killed before she sold it. At least that's my guess. Ashtry, your thoughts?

Ashtry- Although narrowing the suspect list down to who didn't want to sell the ring, a player who agreed to sell it could have easily done it and taken the earnings. Still, we should check those who didn't first.

Kirito- Tell us what you know about Grimlock, Yolko.

Yolko- Well I guess for starters; he was Griselda's husband. Not in real life, just in the game.

My eyes widen a little at that statement, but I let her continue.

Yolko- Griselda was a powerful swordswoman. She was beautiful and smart. Grimlock was kind and I couldn't think of a day when he wasn't smiling. They made a great couple and got along as "Husband" and "Wife". If Grimlock really was the one who murdered Caynz yesterday, then he's probably going after the three guild members who decided to keep the ring. Caynz was one of them, I was another.

We shifted a bit in our seats at the revelation, but we kept our emotions in check.

Kirito- Who was the third one?

Yolko- He is a Tank named Schmitt and he, the last I heard, was on the front lines now with the Holy Dragon Alliance.

Kirito- Schmitt huh?

"Name sounds familiar. He's pretty high-ranking yea?"

Asuna- He's the leader of the defense unit in the Holy Dragon Alliance. He's an exceptional Lancer.

"We've run into each other while clearing floor bosses."

Yolko- I need to see him right away. Could you please take me to him? If he's on the front lines, he probably hasn't heard about the murder. He needs to know about what happened to Caynz.

Asuna- We'll help you get in touch with Schmitt. I know someone in the Holy Dragon Alliance. He'll help us out. We'll visit their HQ.

Kirito- Ok, but first we need to make sure she gets back to her inn. Yolko, you have to stay there, ok? Seriously, don't go anywhere until we get back.

Yolko- Alright.

After escorting Yolko back to the inn, we walked down an alleyway. My mind floated on multiple theories and questions that could help us lead to the end of the case but only left more questions.

Asuna- Ok, so how do you all think a murder like this happened in a safe zone?

Kirito- I can see three ways it could've. Right off the bat, it's possible that it was a fair duel. Or maybe, someone found a bug that combines a bunch of kill methods. Any thought on that Kazzu?

"I didn't implement a way to have multiple methods combine themselves like that. Usually when a player won a duel, it was announced flat out. My father could've changed that system so it's not a definite rule out."

Asuna- Yea I can see that happening.

Ashtry- Especially when his dad is a psychopath... No offense Kazzu.

"None taken. I've called him way worse."

Kiyo- He's nothing more than a bad guy!

"Exactly Kiyo."

Asuna- So what's the third method?

Kirito- He could've used something to bypass the protection of a safe zone. Some kind of skill or maybe an item.

"It's impossible. Even if they found a way to commit a murder in a safe zone, the killer would immediately be removed from entering any safe part of the game for the safety of other players. 

The orange cursor would allow the game to determine their banishment from towns."

Kirito- Yea... On second thought it does seem to be impossible. It would be unfair. I kind of hate to admit it but it's true. The rules of SAO are essentially fair for every player in the game. So, like Kazzu stated, there is no way that the game would allow murder in a safe zone, less risking banishment.

Asuna- I see...

We met up with Schmitt shortly after our discussion. Yolko was wearing a cloak to disguise herself from prying eyes. The room was silent, except for Schmitt's nervous foot tapping. We had explained the situation to the ex-guild member, and he took the news like any other would.

Schmitt- So that's what killed Caynz huh? And you're sure about the spear, was it really Grimlocks?

Yolko- There's no doubt.

Schmitt- Then why would he wait six months to kill him!? Unless... wait... could he have stolen the ring? Do you think it's possible that he killed Griselda after all? Does Grimlock want to kill the three of us because we didn't want to sell that damn ring? Is that why he's after you and me now?

Yolko- Maybe Grimlock made the spear for someone else in our guild. Maybe they're the ones who killed Caynz. Or maybe, Griselda has come back from the dead to take her revenge.

"Say what now?"

Kiyo- You mean like a zombie? Or a ghost?

Yolko- A player can't kill another player in a safe zone but something else like a ghost could.

I raised an eyebrow at her. That assumption made no sense. Once a player dies, that was it. No respawns, no second tries. My thoughts went back to the revival item that I had handed over to Klein and Kirito a long time ago. No doubt they had used it on someone by now. There was no way Griselda had come back. My thoughts were halted when Yolko stood up.

Yolko- I wasn't able to sleep at all last night, so I stayed up thinking...

Yolko then started to panic. She raised her voice and started to slowly inch her way towards the rooms window.

Yolko- IT WAS EVERYONES FAULT! EVERYONE IN THE GUILD IS GUILTY! HER BLOOD IS ON ALL OUR HANDS! HER FATE WAS SEALED WHEN THAT RING DROPPED! WE SHOULDN'T HAVE VOTED! WE SHOULD'VE DONE WHATEVER GRISELDA TOLD US TO DO!

Surprised at her outburst, we slowly inched closer to her. We had hoped to calm her down, but her rants kept flowing out of her mouth. Like she was drowning us out.

Yolko- Grimlock was the only member of our guild who said that we should listen to Griselda. You see, he's the only one of us who could've avenged Griselda. He's the only member of our guild who has the right to avenge her.

Schmitt was now trembling in fear, holding his head up to his hands. The more this played out the more it didn't make sense. The case was getting more and more complicated. Vengeful husbands, reanimated guild members, all for one stupid ring? It sounded like nonsense. Ashtry must have felt the same way too due to her look of confusion on her face.

Schmitt- You've got to be kidding me. Why now? Why after all this time? You can't be ok with this Yolko! How can you accept being killed because of some stupid vendetta?

Not another word was said as Yolko's eyes went wide. A distinct sound was made. My eyes widened as she turned her back to us, revealing a blade... no... the same blade as Guilty Thorn had made its way into her back. Though this blade was smaller, small enough to be a throwing knife. Me, Kiyo and Ashtry rushed to grab her as she fell out the window but were shocked to see her body hit the ground, shattering in an instant. The blade in her back shortly hit the ground with a clink.