"I surrender."
XaXa raised his hands above his head, laughing, cackling madly on the inside. On the outside, he directed a mocking smirk at all the players who had come to watch him die. Reaver's Requiem, Fuumaningum, Argo the Rat.
"Snake Bite."
Drifter's spear nearly took his head off. Again.
It was pure instinct that let XaXa drop to the ground and roll away, grabbing his estoc in the same motion. That, and the fact Drifter hadn't truly wanted to kill him.
Yet.
"Oy! Didn't you hear me? I said I surrender!"
Now, XaXa wasn't afraid of death. Unlike most Laughing Coffin members, who enjoyed the hunt but feared becoming the prey, XaXa was well and truly insane, and relished on the idea of dying a fighting death. It was why he had latched on so easily to his boss.
But dying here wasn't part of his - heavily adapted - plan. He surrendered, because even if it meant he would spend the rest of SAO locked away in Black Iron Palace, he would do so knowing the Reavers were suffering every day with the knowledge that one day, when SAO was over, Shigio's killer would wake up and walk away scot free.
But the Reavers, and all the other supposedly good players with green cursors above their heads, weren't collaborating. Drifter didn't accept his surrender.
"You can die with your weapon in hand, or on your knees, XaXa. That's as much choice as I'll give you. But you will die here. Shigio is watching."
"Kek! You crazy motherfucker. You are even more twisted than I am, aren't you?"
"Die."
That was all the warning XaXa got before a Comet Break almost ran him clean through. XaXa jumped back to avoid the attack... And almost immediately fell on his face as Vallerk's shield smashed into his back.
The red player looked up at Reaver's Requiem's main tank and snarled, but Vallerk was expressionless. So much so that XaXa didn't get any warning when Drifter's Dirty Play nailed his leg to the ground.
XaXa didn't scream, because there was no pain in SAO. But he did grunt, a groan of surprise leaving his throat unbidden.
Just now, for the first time, the red player was starting to wonder that maybe, just maybe, he might have pushed the Reavers too far.
This was going to be fun!
But for all that he was a psychotic murderer and clinically insane, XaXa was one of Laughing Coffin's executives for a reason.
He rolled to the side, ripping Drifter's spear off his leg in a shower of red shards, and jumped to his feet. And good thing he did, otherwise Drifter's weapon, now a trident, would have gone straight through his neck.
And the frontliner wasn't letting up. His trident became a polearm that smashed into XaXa's side hard enough it would have cracked ribs were they in the real world.
"Gah!"
This time, XaXa did scream, though it got cut off by all the air leaving his lungs at once. He still found the wherewithal to raise his estoc in a parry when a Vertical tried to split him in half.
He couldn't block the Needle Spear that followed. His free arm instinctively rose to try and safeguard his face - regardless of how much damage it did, having a sharp object fly at your head overrode anyone's rational thinking.
XaXa didn't realize the limb was gone, cut off at the elbow by a Cobalt Slice, until a full 10 seconds later, when Drifter paused his attack.
The red player just stared at the stump of his arm, blinking in what Drifter would almost describe as wonder.
Red-Eyed XaXa opened his mouth - to say what, he didn't know. Maybe mock the spearmaster. Bait and anger him by calling him a murderer. Maybe just laugh, like he so often did.
"Snake Bite."
Drifter's spear went through his open mouth and out the back of his head. Red-Eyed XaXa stared at the frontliner, at Broken Spear Drifter, with wide eyes, a curse billowing in his chest.
And then he died.
All in all, Red-Eyed XaXa lasted 37 seconds, and never managed to counterattack once, much less land a hit on Drifter. And standing there while the last Laughing Coffin player in the lake's shore broke, there was only one thing the guild leader of Reaver's Requiem could think to say:
"He deserved worse."
For several minutes, no one, including Drifter, said anything more. Reaver's Requiem, Fuumaningum, Argo, they didn't move, didn't fidget on the spot or shuffle their feet.
They just stayed still, coming to terms with what had happened. The trap, Shigio's death. The killing. Kirito, Asuna, Kizmel, Ran, Yuuki and Sinon had all killed at least one person. Some two. And Drifter had killed XaXa.
Someone sniffled. Then sobbed.
Sachi and Tetsuo had been crying quietly. Agil didn't. His cries were loud, as if he were tearing his throat apart.
Others joined him. Silica, Liz. Even Ceba, though who or what she was crying for was still a mystery. Probably everyone and everything.
Drifter heard them all, still in the middle of the circle. And then he turned his head and stared at two pairs of eyes which had never left him.
"Argo, Akari. Find Laughing Coffin."
His little rat nodded, eyes moist. Akari bowed ever so slightly in respect and acknowledgement, a question clear in her eyes. Drifter growled his answer.
"And when you do, we'll kill them all. One way or another, this ends before the 50th floor."
...
This wasn't the end, of course. There was much that had to be done, even before they left the lake to grieve in the safety of their rooms.
First order of business, at least to Drifter, was understanding how this situation even came about. And for that, there was only one person he could ask.
"Ceba."
The painter stood up on shaky legs, looking down at her feet, too ashamed to meet anyone's gazes.
"Ceba, look at me. You owe us that."
The woman slowly raised her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. Drifter's face might as well have been carved from stone.
"D-Drifter... I-I-"
"Save it. I don't want to hear you are sorry or excuses. I want an explanation. Good or bad, I'll decide later. Now talk. Leave nothing out."
The spearmaster didn't think Ceba was in on it. She was too genuine before, and too grief-stricken now. But she could just be a good actress.
A very good actress, he amends on his mind. Just his harsh tone was enough for her to break down again. But, between sobs and huffs, she managed to tell her story.
When she is done, Sinon's bow isn't drawn on her anymore, but at the Aero Huntress' waist while she hugs Ceba and tells the painter it's not her fault.
It really isn't. And for once, Drifter wasn't seeking anyone to blame, so he readily believed the younger woman. The only people at fault were Red-Eyed XaXa and his guildmates, and they had been dealt with already.
Ceba had been captured nearly 24 hours before, while she was painting on the upper floors. XaXa and Laughing Coffin had kept her prisoner all that time, delighting themselves in torturing her by keeping the painter paralyzed and cutting her until she had only a sliver of health left, before letting her heal.
Then, when she was all but broken, they had shoved her through a Corridor Crystal and forced her to message Sachi. No one could blame her for doing it, not after what they had put her through.
And the rest... Well, the rest, as they say, was history. Sad, guilt-ridden history.
"Kirito."
"Yeah?"
The former beta-tester looked over to him. Drifter gestured him over, and the two walked until they were out of Ceba's hearing range. He might believe she was just as much a victim as them, but it didn't mean he would trust her again anytime soon.
"You and I have killed before. Asuna, Ran, Yuuki... It's their first time. How are they doing?"
He didn't mention Kizmel or Sinon. One was a former NPC, and used to war and death more than any player. The latter Drifter would pull aside himself to talk to later. Her situation was more... Strenous.
Kirito glanced over his shoulder to the three girls Drifter mentioned. Ran and Yuuki were talking quietly, and Asuna had Silica wrapped into a hug, and was, in turn, being hugged by Wolv.
The Black Swordsman didn't feel any jealousy at seeing his lover in another man's arms. He trusted Wolv with things far more important than just his life, and they all needed the comfort, regardless of where it came from.
"We are not the same we were 2 years ago, Drifter. You killing Morte... And the one I killed indirectly... We were younger back then. More naive. And since then, how many people have we seen die? And how many atrocities has Laughing Coffin committed?"
Kirito shook his head. They were all affected, no doubt about it. But they had changed Hopefully for the better. Maybe not.
"We all knew this day would come sooner or later, even if we hoped we were wrong. So I guess we have all been preparing for it. They are strong. They'll be fine."
"Doesn't mean we can't help. Gently."
"No. No it doesn't."
The spearmaster closed his eyes. Then he sighed deeply. And when his eyelids rose again, it was to uncover a sharp glint.
"Little rat."
His voice cut through the low humming of the wind and the gentle lapping of the lake on the shore. Not just the info-broker, but everyone, from his guildmates to the Fuumaningum ninjas hidden in the shadows of the trees, turned to him.
"Call a meeting of the Assault Team for tomorrow morning, 9 o'clock sharp. Guild leaders and seconds only. Tell them that I'm the one hosting it, and that they are all to be on time. Use the 25th if you have to."
"Got it."
"Akari."
His fellow guild leader took a few steps in his direction before bowing at the waist.
"Yes, Broken Spear?"
"You'll be there too. Bring all the intel you and yours have collect on Laughing Coffin. Be prepared to reveal everything you've been doing. Whatever outrage it might cause, I will shut them up."
"As you say."
"Reavers."
Drifter swept his gaze over his guild. His hard glare softened ever so slightly, but not by much.
"We'll talk properly tonight. But I need to know one thing-"
"Yes."
Yuna, Nautilus, Kirito, Asuna, Sinon, Ran, Agil, Vallerk, and several others spoke at the same time, even before the guild leader could put forward his question. Drifter nodded.
"Good. Then let's go home. It will be a long night and tomorrow."
---------------------
The spearmaster couldn't have been more right. Most of Reaver's Requiem only went to sleep when the first rays of the sun started to shine over Aincrad. Some, like Drifter and Kirito, forwent sleep altogether.
It was a bloodshot Broken Spear Drifter who greeted the other guild leaders of the Assault Team and their vice leaders the next morning.
And it was the Broken Spear. The frontliners didn't have any doubt about it. The man who called them wasn't just Drifter. Not right then.
They met in a large private room in a restaurant on the 40th floor. If Argo's message, with its mentions of the 25th Massacre and this being just as important, left any doubts about the seriousness of the meeting, the array of Reaver's Requiem and Fuumaningum players - some hiding, others not even bothering - around the restaurant and in every corridor and door inside dispelled them.
Guild by guild, the Assault Team leadership arrived at the meeting, Heathcliff being the last, at 9 AM on the dot. Agil, who was standing guard with Wolv outside the room closed the door behind him.
The next minute trickled by unbearably slow, every pair of eyes in the room on Drifter, Kirito, and Asuna. Mostly the spearmaster.
Then, just as Orlando opened his mouth to speak, Drifter uncrossed his arms.
"Shigio's dead."
That wasn't what any of them were expecting to hear. And it wasn't a reason to call a full meeting on such short notice either. But even the brasher of the people present had the good sense to keep that to themselves. Drifter looked one bad comment away from stabbing someone.
"I'm sorry to hear it, Drifter. He was a brave man, and a valuable frontliner."
Shivata spoke, then swallowed a mouthful of saliva when Drifter's gaze snapped to him. But unlike his stare, the spearmaster's voice was calm.
"Yes, he was. And he died well. It was his choice, mostly. Forced by a really shitty situation."
"How did it happen?"
Lind's tone wasn't unkind. But Shigio didn't need pity.
"Laughing Coffin got him. Yesterday."
And just like that, the room froze. A thousand thoughts ran through the head of the Assault Team leadership, but they waited for Drifter to finish.
"They used a friend of ours as bait. Red-Eyed XaXa and 11 other red players wanted to kill our clearers, Keita, Tetsuo, and Sachi. It was pure luck - or fate if you believe in it - that led to Shigio going with them. And it's the reason they are alive. Shigio held them back so Keita and the others could flee. XaXa considered him the more valuable target."
"Bastard!"
Klein smashed his fist on the table. He wasn't particularly close to Shigio, but to hear that one of their own, a frontliner, had fallen to something despicable like that was infuriating.
"It gets worse. The player they kidnapped to use as a lure? They tortured her psychologically for nearly an entire day. And they clearly were going to kill her too when it was done, because they had no qualms running their mouth about their plans."
"And what plans are those?"
Heathcliff drummed his fingers on the table, eyes cold and empty as always. Drifter didn't have the energy to care about his enmity with the other guild leader right now.
"Little rat."
"Red-Eyed XaXa and Laughing Coffin as a whole received orders from the man they call 'Boss', and whom I have identified as PoH, to start a war with the Assault Team. In other words, to stop avoiding frontline guilds, and start targeting them with extreme prejudice. XaXa chose Reaver's Requiem as his first prey."
The info-broker let that sink in, not bothering to move from her spot next to Akari in the corner. Drifter took over again.
"That was their mistake. Shigio noticed something was wrong and managed to warn us. Myself, Kirito, Asuna, Sinon, Ran, Yuuki, and Kizmel rushed over as fast as we could. We were too late to save Shigio."
They had been too far to use the Divine Stone of Returning Soul. The first time one of their own died after they got the damn revive item, and they weren't there to use it.
"I'm assuming Red-Eyed XaXa escaped?"
Now, Heathcliff's eyes were narrowed. But not in surprise or anger like the other frontliners. No, it was more... Annoyance.
"You assume wrong."
"What?"
"By the time we got there, Shigio was gone, but he took two of them down with him. XaXa himself killed another in his anger."
Drifter's lips curled into a cruel grin.
"We killed the rest. I took Red-Eyed XaXa's head myself."