Sword Art Online: X

Law Breakers - X

The last time I saw Kirito and Eugeo, they were on their way to becoming integrity knights. The next time I saw them, they were being arrested by an integrity knight. 

"Dammit, Kirito, what did you do?" I demanded as the integrity knight led them past me.

"We attacked a couple dudes who were violating our wards. I feel we're justified." Kirito huffed.

I groaned, "Kirito, first rule of being someplace new: Learn the damn rules."

"Too late." The knight asserted, pulling on the golden chains binding Kirito and Eugeo and attaching it to her ride.

This guy is going to be the death of me. Seriously, I take up an occupation in hunting to get away from the others so that I can hack into the system, trying to extract Kirito from the game world as quickly as possible, and what does he do? Get himself locked up in the one place where the security is even tighter.

"You better not die!" I yelled as the creature flew away, "I don't care if you get executed, you are not to die until I say you can die, got it?!"

A short affirmation came to my ears as I huffed, "These motherfuckers. Always trying to undermine the work I try to do."

I quickly returned to my lodgings, packing some essentials and resigning from my occupation as a hunter. I flicked open a window containing all of my datamining and script editing. Making it through the firewalls was a bitch, but I was able to connect some form of communication between myself and the outside world.

"Hey, Shino. Am I coming in clear?" I quickly turned my attention to my to-do list as I spoke.

"I can hear you, X. Did something happen?"

"Kirito broke one of the laws of this world, and has been placed under capture. I'm planning to break him out before he inevitably gets brainwashed and/or executed." I edited my to-do list as I rattled off my plan.

"Wouldn't that make you a target of the higher system?"

"Eh, I'm not completely considered a resident of this world, considering I'm not fully registered as a character. I only have an avatar, but I am not the avatar, therefore my player signature should be obscured enough to avoid detection." I cracked my neck as I returned my focus to the programming of the game world, tracking the signatures of Kirito and Eugeo, "That being said, I'm not as spineless as Kirito. I can and will fight my way out of capture if I must."

Shino was silent for a moment before she spoke again, "Be careful."

"Always am."

I cut the call short and jumped out the window, making my way out of the town, renting a draft horse to make the journey quicker.

...

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me." I remarked as I looked up at the massive tower in front of me, "They're being held in this monster of a structure?"

The journey to the Axiom Church Central Cathedral took the entire day, but searching this entire place would take years on end. Thankfully, I didn't have to. The sun was just rising over the horizon, and I could find Kirito and Eugeo's exact location through datamining. That being said, it didn't seem like they were in a space that was spatially linked to the cathedral itself. From the game's file, I saw that the code for the room they were in was given the handle 'Great_Library_Room', and that it constantly changed its location within the unused spaces of this game world. 

Well, it's tedious, but I can do it. 

As I opened up my command window, connecting the Great Library Room to my current location, my code detected some kind of interference. Annoying, but it didn't hinder me too much. I just attacked the code from several different directions until I could isolate the code that changed the library's location and forcing it to freeze, then opened up a doorway that is programmed to take me directly into the only door present in the room. 

As a door shimmered into existence in front of me, I opened it and stepped into the library, only to be met by two swords that came swinging at me that would've both bisected and bifurcated me had I not blocked one with Nigen-Sei and sidestepped the other. 

"Wow. I would've thought the both of you'd be happier to see me." I remarked sarcastically as Kirito and Eugeo backed away in shock as I analyzed the only other figure in the room, "Well, now. It's been a while since I've seen your code. Hello, Cardinal."

"Code...? What?" Eugeo murmured in bewilderment as he looked between me and the AI masquerading as a girl. 

"You haven't told him, have you?" I tilted my head as I stare at Cardinal, "What are you even doing here? Last I checked, your system was merged with the administrator of this world."

"I'm just a sub-process of the original Cardinal System that checks for errors in this world's code." Cardinal explained, seeming nonchalant about my questioning, "I was merged with the fluctlight of this girl, Lyceris, when Quinella, the administrator of this world, copied her memories into Lyceris and shattered her fluctlight, allowing me to take control. What Quinella is doing is unacceptable, and I have been fighting against her for centuries."

"And since you're the same person with the same abilities, you're at a stalemate." I concluded, "Possibly even leaning in Quinella's favor since she would have a body in its prime and you're stuck in ten-year-old form, correct?"

Cardinal nodded. If she was surprised, she certainly didn't show it, "That's right. As of right now, the three of you are the best way for me to win this shadow war against Quinella."

I sighed, rubbing my forehead, "Ugh, what a drag. Kirito, what the hell did you get yourself into?"

"Well..."

"Never mind, don't answer that question." I turned back to look at the door, which had closed behind me, "So, what now? We find Quinella and kill her?"

"Yes." Cardinal gave a simple nod, "I'm sure you've noticed her with your program, but she lies at the top of the central cathedral. I will not be able to join you until the battle with Quinella. Unless Quinella is distracted or weakened, I would be immediately found and destroyed if I were to exit this library."

"Is fighting the administrator even possible?" Eugeo wondered, "I mean, she's basically a god."

"Ordinarily, no, but that's where I would come in. As it stands now, the only advantage that Quinella has over me is size and physical strength." Cardinal explained, "Which is why you three would make up for that weakness. However, that would be under the condition that we all survive to confront Quinella."

Cardinal then looks once more in my direction, her eyes flashing with an unrecognizable emotion, "But you... while your programming is certainly unorthodox, it is likely the only thing that the three of you have that can stand toe-to-toe with Quinella's system commands. In the event that I am destroyed or incapacitated, you would have to be the one to contend with Quinella."

A/N: So, I'm finally back. I've done a lot of soul-searching over the past year and a half, and I've engaged in a lot more social interactions (ugh) with my friends. I've graduated high school, and university starts in March, so I have quite a bit of time to placate your appetites for my stories. If you're also interested in my other ongoing story (The Marksman and the Warrior), I'll also be updating that one, too, so you'll have double the content to enjoy. I don't know if I'll have a consistent schedule like I did before, but I'll try to get at least one chapter of this story out every week. 

Thanks for all the supportive comments that you guys have left me. It may not have seemed like much, but to a guy with basically complete apathy to everything as a result of depression, it means a lot more than you'd think. 

Anyway, I've reached my social quota for the day, so I'm gonna be heading off now. 

Timeless_95, signing out.