Sword Art Online - Alternative Reality

The Insane Blade CHP. 5

The trip back to the town was pretty uneventful, and we only ran across a few mobs and traps. Since we had so much downtime we chatted idly about some of the current events and rumors going around in Aincrad, although he was oddly silent when it came to talking about the clearing guilds and the floor they were currently on. It made me all the more curious, but before I could ask him anything else he suddenly stopped me from crossing the bridge and stared out towards some trees on the other side.

"Whoever's hiding behind those trees, come on out!"

"Huh?!"

Following his gaze, I peered at one of the large trees right off to the side of the main path, but no matter how much I focused, I couldn't make out anything. As I began to wonder if Kirito had made a mistake, I suddenly heard an exaggerated and fake-sounding laugh, one that I had heard just the other night.

"Wow, to think that you would spot me all the way from over there! I must say, your 'Search' skill is quite impressive, little swordsman."

Appearing from thin air was the crimson red-headed woman that I had partied with some time and hoped I would never see again-

"R-Rosalia?! But what are you-"

"Good afternoon Silica! It looks like you successfully retrieved the Pneuma flower, congratulations!"

Up until this point, Rosalia had a suspicious smile and a cheery voice, holding her weapon slightly aloft in her right hand. However, the smile turned into a sardonic grin, and her eyes glared at us with a cold light as she slammed the but of her spear into the ground.

"Now, be a dear and hand it over."

"Wh-"

I was left speechless by the sudden demand, yet the pressure she was emitting was so hostile that I couldn't help but flinch. Before I could come up with a response though, the swordsman who had been silently observing her and the surroundings until this point stepped in front of me.

"No one is gonna be handing anything to anyone Miss Rosalia, or to your criminal guild."

Completely unlike his usual self, Kirito's voice lacked any sort of emotion, and it seemed as if the air around him had become frostier. Yet Rosalia only narrowed her eyes as she tilted her head.

"Hoh...I thought I sensed some hostility from you last night. So you already knew who I was hmm? Well, congratulations on doing your homework!"

With one arm still around her weapon, she began clapping her hands as her grin grew even more twisted. Rosalia was a part of an orange guild, and Kirito had either suspected or already known about it, but-

"But, her cursor is still green..."

"It's a pretty common trick, one player stays green and scouts out other parties. After hunting with them for a while, they lead them into an ambush, taking their shares or worse...just because someone is 'green' here, doesn't always mean they aren't criminals."

For some reason, it sounded like he was talking more to himself than to Rosalia, yet that hardly registered in my head as the first part of his explanation echoed in my head.

"Wait, so the reason you joined that party with me and the others was-"

"Mhm! I was just waiting until the right moment when all of your pockets were just bulging with loot and then calling over some friends to increase my share. It was such a shame that you decided to run away in the forest, but then you told me you were going off to get such a rare item? The expenses are a bit high, but we'll more than makeup for it with all the goodies you're hauling around now."