Third part to chapter 12. Please enjoy reading and leave Power Stones.
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Looking back on it, the memories Kirito made within and around that jungle would be ones he would never forget. That day had been filled with so many hectic events that it almost seemed unreal. Like a true adventure, it had a little bit of everything, save maybe romance.
It was a thrilling, yet quaint experience. Although it had only been a day, it was already feeling nostalgic. Her reaction after he'd given her the «Golden Trident» had also been priceless. Moments like those made him feel like it was truly worth it to have a friend here. His mind kept thinking back to those moments, perhaps because of what he was confronted with after arriving back at «Stachion».
Dozens of player frantically moving around with the same panicked expression. Their voices all blended together in an amalgamation of rage, fear, and befuddlement. It was obvious why such a crowd had gathered.
'I guess this is my fault. But it's better this way.' Kirito had the misfortune of surfing through the wave of distraught players. It was a necessity; given the fact that «Stachion» was a Amazonian village surrounded by three massive trees that were knocked over. The huts the npc's lived in were small and out of the way, making all the player characters stand out much more here than others.
Wearing all black hadn't done the solo player any favors and he'd been approached and confronted a few times. Once when he entered the town, another to resupply at a shop, and another time to pick up a quest. Kirito deflected all of their questions and scrutiny without much issue, having spent plenty of thought by himself coming up with ways to escape such occurrences. Thankfully, he wasn't alone and other random people were also getting stopped. Near the entrance of town, were several people coming and going from settlement as well, all on the same manhunt to find out more information.
This was probably the closest thing to a riot here in Sword Art Online.
'I don't remember Kayaba's guild being this big. They had lots of players, but this many?' There seemed to be at least a hundred players within town and that was excluding the ones who left. With how serious they were, it was likely that other players were gathered at the main towns on the other floors as well.
Using his «Searching» skill and using one of its most basic applications, Kirito looked overhead at one of the player's health bar nearby. Normally, the usage of this ability was used to check a monster's hp, as health bars were only clearly displayed when fighting a mini-boss or higher. The subtle difference when using it on a player was that it also showed their guild affiliation under it.
Looking closely at the picture displays of the various scattered players, he ascertained that many of them were different. While Kayaba's own guild seemed to be the most prominent, several players from other guilds were also looking for clues. Word about Hero's disappearance must have gotten out fast and a few other guilds were willing to lend their aid in the search.
That was a bit unexpected. Considering this was a death game, Kirito didn't think players would jump at the idea of helping others so freely. Most people were likely concerned about themselves, which was why many grouped up as soon as possible. Having more numbers meant more protection. Maybe hostilities between guilds weren't very present as of yet, or maybe this was just a special case. After all, the most 'important' player had wound up missing.
One of the players who had questioned him seemed completely clueless from just about everything. It was clearly someone from a different guild and was doing his best to help, but he hardly seemed to know Hero's name. The last one just sounded like he wanted something to be mad about. How could you investigate others for information when you didn't have your facts straight?
'If any of them had common sense, they would just check the monument down at floor one.' Not a single person here appeared to know whether or not Hero was dead. They just kept running around asking questions, using the teleport gate, or leaving town in groups to likely look for him when they could just see if his name was crossed out or not. That is how everyone found out he was still alive, so how could they forget? Heck, they didn't even need to check the «Monument of Life». If Hero was no longer on any of their friends list, then that's a telltale sign that he was dead.
It had been months since the game began and at least half the players still acted like noobs. Kind of a surprise only a thousand had died so far.
Kirito shook his head in disappointment, watching their wasted efforts. Someone would figure it out eventually and at least then they could make efforts to recollect themselves. They didn't need some hack leading them, anyway. 'Just check the monument...'
"Did you read the Weekly Argo?!" A player shouted to his friends, holding up a parchment like it were a holy document. "It announced an urgent message, claiming that Hero is dead!"
'There we go. At least Argo isn't stupid.' That was some reassurance, at least.
Listening in on the conversation, the news of Hero's death had actually been found out several hours ago and most players on other floors had been informed through the paper. Argo apparently had her goons go through the towns distributing the paper for free - something unexpected to most people, but definitely in character for the Argo he knew. She was greedy, but not heartless.
The reason the people here were finding out so late was because they were on the last floor and were informed last. Even so, anyone with common sense could have just gone down to the «Town of Beginnings» and checked the «Monument of Life».
'Why tell everyone through a paper when she could've just messaged people, or told them directly? That would've been much faster... oh.' Kirito facepalmed, taking back his appraisal of Argo, figuring out her intent.
Sure, she gave away the papers for free, but because she cracked the case, her newspaper would become even more popular now!
'...At least it's not entirely heartless?' He tried rationalizing. Her method of communicating may have been done in self-interest, but she still spread the word. For players like these, that was good enough. 'Without a unified leader, they'll definitely have to shape up on their own.'
Guilds were most certainly going to become more exclusive now. With the supposed best player dead without anyone knowing why, people would now be more cautious of one another. Trust begins to fray and the amiable discourse most players had with one another would shift. Given the turn of events, it was the natural conclusion. Both good and bad, at the very least people would start getting stronger out of greater necessity, rather than rely on messiahs.
'Guess she's doing alright then... That's good,' Kirito thought solemnly, visions of the blonde haired rat flooding back. If there was one other player who would no doubt be safe in this game, it was her. She wasn't Asuna and Sinon who needed guidance. Every move she made was careful and she abused the hell out of her «Hiding» skill. Knowing that filled him with a sense of relief.
Currently, Argo's main setup for her newsstand was on floor one at the «Town of Beginnings». Doing his best to absolutely avoid the rat and anyone connected with her, he hadn't become aware of this until Sinon had informed him. To his knowledge, most player vendors were still down there to merch, along with a few thousand players who refused to leave to safe zone.
It was nice to have at least one of his two friends share information back with him. Sinon was basically his messenger for anything relating to the other players. She was a reliable source and the blue-eyed girl inherently understood he couldn't do much in that regard on his own, unofficially taking it upon herself to be his gateway in communication. Asuna... sometimes she was informative, sometimes she wasn't. She talked about whatever she liked. That's just who she was.
After losing his orange cursor and making his way back to «Stachion», the rapier-user had messaged him cluelessly, unintentionally informing him of the oncoming riot before he'd wandered in. Like everyone else running around like headless chickens, she had been one of them. She may have improved her fighting capability, but she was still a noob.
He hadn't instilled enough discipline within her. He'd rectify that.
No one under his supervision was allowed to be a noob, no matter how hard they tried to be.
The timing of her message was almost perfect. About an hour earlier and she could've figured out he had been orange. Kirito believed Sinon may have played a role in that; distracting Asuna in a way that she wouldn't contact him. Either that, or she had plainly missed the obvious and outright ignored the fact his color changed. An Asuna move, no doubt...
Any minute now, Kirito was sure she would message him again asking to meet up. She always wanted to discuss these types of events in person, especially if everyone else was talking about it. He believed that it was a lingering habit she kept from her days outside as a popular girl, though she would get mad if he said it.
With that in mind, he decided to delay his quest and wait around, aimlessly walking throughout the city. It was a simple kill quest that gave the player a good amount of materials upon completion. The xp and col were average at best and with his high stats and wealth, it was entirely skippable.
The reason he took it was because the mats could be combined with others to create more powerful ones. It was his way of preparing for his «Queen's Knightsword» and having the ability to upgrade it as far as possible as soon as he could.
But it could wait. Better to get his 'cutscenes' out the way before he began so that he could finish it all in one go.
"Hey, bro! Think I could talk to you for a sec?" A person called out, their footsteps getting closer to the solo player.
'...On second thought, I should just leave.' Kirito held back a groan as another player initiated an 'event' with him. This was starting to become overbearing, to the point it wasn't worth staying within town. He was better off as an orange player outside. If Asuna sent him that messaged he was predicting and he rebuffed her, then he was setting himself up to get scolded. Not something the boy enjoyed, but it was becoming a better alternative by the second.
Turning to look at the approaching man, Kirito looked up at him and preemptively spoke, "Is this about Hero?"
A look of surprised crossed him as he stopped in front of the shorter player. "Hey, how'd ya know?!"
"Everyone's talking about it. I don't think there's a single person who doesn't know." Kirito explained casually, gesturing with his hand.
"...Yeah, guess you're right." The man scratched his stubble, agreeing after he thought it over. Sounds like the player in black wasn't the first person he stopped.
Examining his features, he wasn't all that striking. The man looked to be in his twenties with dark brown eyes and hair of a lighter shade. If not for his samurai getup and the red bandana on his forehead, he'd be completely forgettable. Almost like a background character in a movie.
As if he hadn't paused to contemplate, the katana-wielder urgency grabbed Kirito's shoulders and pulled him close. "But anyway, you know about the situation, so ya gotta know something, right?!"
"Hey man, back up." Pushing his arms away, Kirito shot him a small look of annoyance. He wasn't touching him anymore, but he was still close. Taking a step back, the black-haired player used Searching to check the samurai's guild. "You're in a different guild than he was, so why are you so... distraught?"
"How could I not be?! A player's gone missing?!" He spoke strongly, his body animated as he expressed himself. "Even if we're in different guilds, we all gotta stick together to get out, ya know?!"
His words struck a sensitive chord within Kirito. Looking the man over again, he could feel newfound respect forming for him. The wannabe bushi may be plain, but he had heart. At the very least, he was a better man than himself.
Pointing down the road, Kirito spoke, "There were some guys down there somewhere talking about the Weekly Argo. It sounded like they knew something."
"Really?" His scruffy face brightened up. Immediately, he began sprinting down the street, off without another word. No follow up questions about specific directions or nothing.
'I'm sure he'll find them, but still. That guy is way too trusting.' Hoping that trust wouldn't get taken advantage of, Kirito continued to wait for that message, finding a sequestered spot so that he wouldn't have anymore run-ins with players. He didn't have to wait long before his message box rang with a notification.
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It was a gloomy week for the world of Aincrad. Upon learning that Hero had been slain, many people within his guild had given up. Most of them were lower leveled players who had gotten determination from watching him lead and encourage them they could make it. Those beliefs were now shredded apart, leaving only misery behind.
Not every player within his guild was ready to throw in the towel. Although there hadn't been a vice-leader officially appointed, one of them had stepped up to take charge, doing their best to fill the gap Hero left behind. The player's name was Corvatz - a man in his late thirties. Apparently, he had some opinions about Hero being too young and naive to properly lead them, despite having joined his guild. After the leaders death, he felt justified and stepped up to take the position due to his seniority.
Hero's guild - The «Aincrad Liberation Force» - began to make severe changes. Though they still accepted any player who wished to join, they no longer allowed any player to go off on their own. If one of their members were to leave the safe zone, they would be followed by several party members. Not a single player would go alone, ensuring the party's maximum safety.
The next change was that every member would be equal, with the exception of a few generals to take charge within their respective parties. They began wearing proper uniforms and even mass-produced a simple green cape with the guild logo threaded into it. Their armor was heavy; focusing on defense to ensure their health bars wouldn't drop significantly, while using a long spear for combat to maintain distance.
Not a single player held anything rare. Everything on their person was bought at an npc shop. Because they had so many members, they had to make due with what they had. With the new rulings of equality in place, none of them were allowed to keep rare items for themselves. They would instead be sold for as much as possible, before the money would be used to fund the guilds expenses between all members.
Quantity over quality. That's what they were going for.
The feel they gave off was creepy. With how regulated and strict everything was becoming within their ranks, it was almost like they were living npcs. Many of them still had an aura of depression around them, the absence of the guild creator leaving a severe mark on their psyche's. Others were stern and almost hostile, lashing out at a few players who conversed with them.
Trust between ALF members and everyone else was fading by the day. Not for the lack of trying, but their rules were adamant and if one of them stepped out of line, they were corrected by the remaining members of their party. It was a cycle that stuck them all together like glue.
It was a painful thing to watch unfold for other frontline players. However, somehow, it seemed to encourage some others. Many who struggled on their own or were clueless on what to do now had direct guidance. Like pawns on a chessboard, they would move and do as they were told.
As soulless and bleak as it was, it managed to unify over a thousand players under one flag. Because of how absolute everything within the «Aincrad Liberation Force» was enforced, outsiders began to refer to the guild not by its name, but another moniker.
The Army.