Sword Art Online/ソードアート・オンライン 1. Chapter 1: Dusty Encounters

Authors Note:

Okay guys! This is my first entry into the crazy and wonderful world of fanfiction. I've recently read through the Sword Art Online Light Novels and have always found myself captured by their premise. There is a lot of room to play around in the worlds that are presented in the novels, manga, anime and other publications. The premise for this story is that its held in Gun Gale Online, during the phantom bullet arc. I've taken a few creative liberties when it comes to the cannon which will make this story in an Alternate Universe. One of the biggest changes I am going to make is the way bullet line works, I want the game to be more tactical and strategic in nature so bullet line will not be as influential as in cannon.

There will be some of its effects visible yet the way it works is quite different. Instead of providing with players with the path of the bullet it will provide the direction the fire is coming from, not its exact location but a direction. This would enable players to properly seek cover in ways that keeps them safe from that direction of fire without making ranged conflicts inherently broken. The ability to dodge bullets make it seem a lot less tense without the ability to see the bullet coming, dodging will be based on knowing the direction of incoming fire and moving in ways to block or hide from that fire. To balance agility, instead of providing dodge chance it will increase reaction times along with the time required to build speed in movement.

Do not expect things to happen the same way they happen in the novels or other publications. I have a few events planned that conflict or change the cannon events, those will be revealed as time goes on.

The primary focus is going to be on my OC and his interactions with other characters both cannon and OC. I am being deliberately vague as to his history, it is my intent to reveal more about all my characters throughout their interactions. Shinon is without a doubt one of my favourite characters in the entire series so expect to see quite a bit of interaction from her as well. She won't appear until next chapter but I think I set up their meeting well in this chapter. First few chapters are going to focus on the game, real life events won't occur till later into the story.

I have a basic outline prepared and have every intent to see this story through till its conclusion. I am still learning and growing as a writer so my style may change as my ability improves. As a final note if you notice that I've made any major errors in my characters or lore please let me know in a review or PM, I am still reasonably new to the series so I haven't really taken the time to study too in-depth.

I hope that you enjoy this little story I've made, review if you like and I hope to see many of you back here again for the next chapter.

-Lasyria

PS: I don't own the original concept for SAO and its rights belong to whomever has those rights. The only things I own are my OC's.

PSS: This is an update. Sorry to all of you who have favourited or Followed this story that it isn't a new chapter, but as a reviewer pointed out, the formatting for the original was abysmal. For that I apologize. Hopefully this one is greatly improved.

* * *

The sound of gravel crunching slightly under boot is all that breaks the silence among the desolate buildings of the wastes below SBC Glocken. The air is hot and dry and amid the ruins below enormous dust clouds billow up and blow through the rubble which seems to make the outcroppings appear to be in an ocean of dust and sand. Sighing softly the silhouetted man, as he appears, examines his surroundings.

_'Good Elevation' _Leaning the components of his rifle against the decaying table on the apartment's balcony he retrieves his spotting binoculars. Directing his gaze down and towards the south east he lays eyes upon a small abandoned park.

_'Clear lines-of-sight' _Shifting slightly further east he continues, '_Little to no cover, nothing I can't handle.'_ Leaning off of the table he moves into the apartment. Its a pretty small apartment, clearly unfit to live in if the peeling walls and mounds of dirt and dust weren't enough of an indication the partially missing wall and collapsed roof most certainly were.

Quietly making his way out into the hallway the state of the building was brought into sharper focus. A good half of the entire complex was simply missing. Proceeding on towards the north end of the building he checks on the anchor and cord he laid there earlier. _'Connections seem to be solid, should be good enough if I need to reposition.'_

After checking his secondary exit point he returns to the blown out apartment. Sitting on a decrepit patio chair he opens his contacts list. Quickly hashing out a message he fires it off to an unknown individual. 'I'm in position. Half of my payment now, the other half when it's done.' A strong breeze blows in and causes the building to rattle ominously almost as if the world knows what it is he is doing there and it fears that action.

Leaning forward and resting on the filthy table in front of him he stares down into his hands. They are sheathed in old leather gloves and against the desert below appear small a good indication of the rest of his body. His form isn't bulky or broad, its designed and focused for agility, a small profile, and accuracy all of which are very desirable qualities for a marksman. A quick series of beeps followed by a new message indicator alert him to his employers response.

'Fine. Here's 100,000 of your 200,000 credits as agreed upon. Remember, leave the one wearing the orange vest intact or you won't get the remainder of your payment. They should be arriving in a group of five in approximately two or three hours.' The group he is talking about are the targets of this assault. A group of mercenaries who for reasons unknown pissed someone off well enough to have that person go and hire a marksman to eliminate the group bar the leader. He writes a quick message to let the client know he received the instruction.

After checking and acknowledging that the 100,000 was sent he kicked off the table and stood from 'his' chair to move and retrieve the rifle's receiver and barrel assemblies. Once there he checked and cleaned both sets of components. Finally satisfied with the condition of his weapon he assembles the rifle. A soft click and grunt as he finishes tightening the barrel into the receiver signals the end of the assembly. This is the weapon that earned him the name of 'Thor's Hammer'.

Fully erect the monstrous weapon makes him seem even smaller. The NTW-14.5mm AMR stands in at just over two metres long and the weapon is nearly a whole thirty centimetres longer than he is tall. His proud weapon chambers a very unusual round, the 14.5 x 114mm, and puts forward an incredible amount of power.

Checking his magazines he counts nine rounds and breaking his bi-pod, he sets up on the edge of the balcony. The railing on this part of the balcony has long since fallen off so it will not interfere with firing. Shifting around on the deck of the balcony he checks his range of motion as he hits the door frame with the thigh holster of his P226 tactical he sighs. _'Well this should be good enough regardless.'_ Accepting the location he zeros his scope.

_'Range is eighteen hundred meters. Muzzle velocity puts the round on target approximately two seconds after firing. Will need to lead my targets accordingly. Elevation means my bullet drop will be minimal but still significant enough necessitate compensating for. Also need to remember to check environmental conditions at go time.'_ Crawling back and standing up he moves to sit on the surprisingly intact couch.

Opening his menu once again he retrieves the files he received on his target. In front of him a slew documents are revealed, many of them extraneous but a few catch his eye. The one that has his current focus is a short biography. A picture of a man in his late twenties is the prominent feature of the biography, dark brown hair and green eyes lie upon a cleanly shaven face with a stern jawline belied by his happy grin.

A man of contradictions it seems. While his mouth grins his eyes seem much harder. His face is shaven yet his jaw is tense and he appears haggard. None of the information provided from his picture is particularly useful apart from his vest, which being burnt orange should stand out easily from the browns and greys of the sand below. The descriptors have slightly more useful information contained within them.

******Name:** Haikiko

******Weapon:** Mossberg 500 12ga Shotgun. The 'War Pig' is decreed as being a nearly legendary weapon received as a reward for clearing a high level dungeon located below the Alkaline Wastes. Its effective range depends on its munition type, buck shot is around 50m slug is around 300m

**Armour Systems:** Wears class 5 ballistic armour. Enough to stop small diameter rounds from submachine guns or pistols. Armour plate insert is enough to stop many rifle sized rounds yet it will not stop repeat impacts. Carries anti-pulse weaponry shielding.

******Age:** Suspected to be 28 or 27 years old

******Company:** Desert Knights: Well known mercenary group. Usually found doing protection details for monster hunting groups. Hidden within their 'white' jobs some more shady work is providing security at black market auctions. Generally keeps their nose clean, they act professionally and all members are combat experienced. Engage with caution.

******Preferred Tactics:** Due to the nature of his weapon he prefers to engage people in close combat. His squadron provide suppressing and covering fire as he advances. Is known to have multiple ammunition types; standard buckshot but also has solid slugs for longer range engagements. Only really effective at short range.

******Desert Knights:** Detailed Report

The Desert Knights consist of a group of 5 high levelled players. They have two riflemen, one close quarters specialist, one designated marksman, and one support gunner. All in all a very well balanced group. Able to engage effectively at medium to close ranges. One of the older companies in the game they work very well together. They have a confirmed 'kill' count in the dozens and is respected and feared for it. The group has never failed a contract and their membership hasn't change since their founding.

Closing all the windows except for the photograph of Haikiko, Lasyria tightens the scarf around his mouth and nose. Returning to the balcony he scans the kill zone using his binoculars and settles in for a bit of a wait.

* * *

The sun was setting when the group entered into his vision. _'Right on time'. _They were walking in a standard two column formation; the shotgun wielding leader followed by one rifleman and the support gunner, who then is followed by the remaining rifleman and the marksman.

Opening his menu and starting a video recording he slides off the chair and onto his stomach as he approaches his weapon. A slight anxiousness overtakes him as he prepares to fire by adjusting the bi-pod and snugging his shoulder into the stock while he checks his environmental conditions.

"A slight breeze heading north-north-east at four kilometres an hour. Its twenty three degrees currently. Humidity is low and wont be a problem. Their tight formation means I may only need three bullets for this group. I'll wait for them to centre themselves into the kill zone before I open fire." Stated aloud for the benefit of the recording he maintains sight of the group as he readies himself for contact.

Calming himself he slows his breathing and heart rate as much as possible. He spec'd for this; his strength was far higher than most would go with it, especially because of the recent 'all in agility' trend going on. His weapon is a massive beast and requires great strength to compete with that. He placed as many points as needed along with some extra into his **STG,** the rest of his stat points were split 5/2 into **DEX** and **AGI** correspondingly. A shot from 1800m is a challenge to be sure, but well within the effective range of his NTW 14.5mm AMR when firing his standard B-32 AP rounds.

As time seems to crawl the group finally enters the predetermined kill zone. Exhaling slowly he lines up the two in the back. The targeting reticule zeros in on the chest of the rear guarding rifleman and as all tension appears to release from his prone form, he depresses the trigger.

An ear splitting roar with a bright flash accompanies a loud crack as the round exits the barrel. The projectile goes screaming towards its target. Dropping and curving slightly right the bullet approaches closer and closer to its climax. Entering just below the rifleman's right shoulder, it continues on through the body and blows an enormous exit wound out of his back. As a trail of lights follows the round it impacts the marksman in his side and rips its way out of his lower bowel.

Before both bodies hit the floor he is already cycling the action of his rifle. The light sound of brass bouncing off the concrete balcony belies the severity of the action it caused as his breathing picks up at the ferocity of the event. Locking the bolt he is already tracking further east to his next pair of targets.

The three remaining hostiles are reacting to the fire by spreading out. The support gunner fires his weapon into the ground attempting to create a screen of dust to cover their movements. It is not effective enough as the response to his move is another ear shattering bang, crack, and blinding flash as dust falls off of the balcony upon which Lasyria is positioned. The round barrels toward its next victim and as it begins to drop it impacts the unfortunate man midway up his thigh. Ignoring the obstruction the bullet continues on and into the ground as the force of the impact throws dust and dirt into the air. Dropping his machine gun and falling to the ground with his only remaining leg one of the few active hostiles is taken out.

Finally the remaining rifleman panics and attempts to flee even as Haikiko is screaming at him to remain in cover. In his panic the rifleman doesn't even serpentine as he flees. A predictable target is a dead target and as aims and looses another round the death of that man is certain. The by now familiar roar and crack of the rifle as it engages its target once again makes its presence known.

The force of the round rattles a small wind chime as it descends upon its hapless target. Impacting him dead centre in the back the body disintegrates well before it hits the dirt and his weapon falls uselessly to the dust below. Breaking the bolt and ejecting the final casing in the magazine he trains his recently unloaded weapon on the primary target.

His hands are gesturing furiously as he navigates his menus, probably seeking reinforcement or aid. Sighing gratefully Lasyria states. "It's done. Three confirmed dead, the support gunner may be alive but is missing his leg and will be unable to fight effectively. Haikiko's escort is down. I expect that the rest of my payment will be delivered shortly. Happy Hunting." Closing the menu he ejects his spent magazine and loads a fresh one.

Lifting his rifle with a grunt he repositions himself on the other side of the apartment, facing towards a different derelict tower. Peeking through the scope he notices the decoy he set up earlier that day. A small mound covered with a tarp and a pipe extending out as a rifle barrel, not a very sophisticated decoy but at a distance it should do the job.

In his earlier meetings with his employer he explained that his firing position would be in that tower, not the one he currently is, a tactic he uses frequently to prevent being caught by betrayal. Scanning the area with his weapon he looks for any sign of movement or presence.

Suddenly movement from lower within the building causes some dirt and dust to fall from the windows above the street level entrance on the east side of the building. Tracking the movement through the dust his finger tightens on the trigger and the targeting reticule beings to pulse over the dark mass hidden within the dust. Slowing his breathing he brings the reticule under control and begins to depress the trigger...

Bursting from the dust cloud a four legged creature comes streaking out of the building. Relaxing his grip on the trigger, he exhales loudly. Pulling his eye away from his scope he takes a few moments to calm himself. Returning to his scope he seeks out what spooked that mob. It's impossible to notice any details through the thinning dust although something is moving about in the building.

The familiar series of beeps that indicate an incoming message fire loudly into his perception. Opening it while still scanning the lower levels of the mostly destroyed department store it reads, 'Well done. Okay here is the remainder of your payment as we agreed upon. I'll send my people to collect Haikiko. If I have need of your services again, I will contact you.' Breathing a sigh of relief at the amicable ending to the contract he moved to collect his rifle.

Peeking one last time into the building the dust has settled to the point where apart from a slight discolouration all things appear normal. Shifting his vision lef- movement! The silhouette of a man appears from the dust. Heart suddenly racing his muscle tightens painfully along his spine as excitement grips him. Clamping down as hard as he can on his emotion he attempts to balance himself for the shot.

Forcing himself to slow down he takes a little time to examine his target. These ones always excite him the most. The ones he finds by chance not the one's that it's his 'job' to kill. Finally unobstructed the details about this man are accessible. He bares a somewhat common rifle, clearly an ArmaLite of some description though the exact model is not very distinguishable. His attire consists of dark green almost black shorts, a hideous baby blue t-shirt with a cheap looking Kevlar vest with an emblem of a carpenters hammer striking a bullet on it. Pausing Aaron attempts to keep the emblem in focus as his mind starts to race.

That emblem is the symbol of an infamous mercenary company called 'The Professionals'. The name itself is rather ironic because their company is not known for its professionalism, but rather for taking any job on the cheap. Eyes narrowing in thought Aaron wonders, _"Why are they here? This place doesn't contain any low level groups. There are no really profitable mobs in the region, or we would see more hunters. There is nothing here except for Haikiko and myself."_

Haikiko is still out in the dust bowl to to east of here, if the are here then... they are here for him. Glaring harshly through his scope he feels his anger build, _"He didn't even hire a _competent_ company to hunt me down!?"._ Compelling his breathing to remain steady his thoughts kick into an even bigger frenzy, _"He would send idiots after me?! I've earned my fame, I've earned my place. A merchant, a merchant! Would underestimate me? Is he mocking me!?"_

Bringing an abrupt end to his thoughts he centres the targeting reticule onto the centre of the 'professionals' gut. Squeezing the trigger he launches a round down range. The round leaves the barrel as if the hounds of hell itself were chasing it. Due to his hasty aim it clips the metal bar that would hold up the awning if it still existed. This causes the bullet to begin to tumble while still maintaining much of its energy. Slamming into the chest of the man with all the force of a freight train his torso disintegrates and limbs scatter as they burst into light.

Before even breaking the bolt he crawls back and stands up, lifting his weapon he turns his back on the department store. Hastily making his way out of his firing position he finally ejects the spent shell and begins to disassemble his rifle. "_Crap. I don't have the ammunition to engage a squad of those idiots. There is no doubt they would have heard that shot and noticed one of their comrades go down. They'll find me here soon, I need to go"_

Returning to the apartment he retrieves his bag, carefully placing and securing the rifle components into the carrier along with all three of his magazines. Heaving the bag onto his shoulder he approaches his rappel line to begin his trek back to the city.

Staring up at the SBC Glocken he just takes in the sight of the setting sun slowly being eclipsed by the behemoth of a ship. A loud click signals that he's hooked in and ready to descend from the tower. As he begins his trek down the tower the wind picks up and once again the dust and sand of the desert come alive.

* * *

Finally making it into the cantina on deck five called 'The Lead Head' by its patrons Lasyria settles himself down at a small table near the back of the bar. Easing his bag into the booth before he sits himself near the edge of the bench he makes sure to greet the bartender. Kimiaki works the bar, being an actual player and it seems rather odd that she would choose to work in a bar while in game. She's a really friendly woman but is fiercely defensive about her bar.

"Hi there Lassie." Kimiaki has the biggest shit eating grin on her face as she calls him the variation of his name he absolutely loathes, but has long since given up attempting to make Kimiaki stop saying. "So big man, what is your desire tonight? A double scotch on the rocks? Maybe you just want a forty of vodka delivered to your table by a sexy young waitress hmm?" All these questions are rhetorical seeing as she knows he only orders water in her bar. This fact hasn't stopped her trying to get him to drink though.

"Just a jug of water and a glass." As he moves back towards his usual table he calls over his shoulder, "Make that a clean glass actually." At this laughter erupts at the bar. "Oh, of course darling. I'll even clean it right in front of you." The laughter increases at the obvious flirt. Finally done with the greeting he seats himself fully.

Shedding his heavy coat and checking that his shemagh is still firmly wrapped he turns his attention to the rest of the bar. It's unusually busy tonight, crowds of people are all milling about tables or sitting at the bar as the televisions have stolen their attentions. As he turns his gaze to the television he notices the show is about to start. The show is MMO Stream it is no wonder it has their attention, it's one of the most popular shows airing today.

Kimiaki interrupts his observations with his order. "Okay, Thor's Hammer' I told you I would clean the glass in front of you so here it is." As she turns him to face her she sits herself in his lap and takes her tongue and licks around the entire rim of the glass. Immediately catcalls and wolf whistles erupt as attention is momentarily thrust upon the pair. Grinding herself onto him she leans in and reaching behind him places the glass onto the table.

Whispering loudly in his ear so the entire bar can hear it she tells him, "Don't call me out in my bar honey. It always ends in my favour." Lasyria is suddenly very glad he wears the scarf inside even as he can feel heat rise up his neck. Having noticed the rather grim looking fellow across from the bar from him he whispers quietly in her ear, "Kimiaki, do you need me to deal with that guy?" subtly gesturing to the man in the cloak with his face shadowed by his hood.

Softly she leans in closer and with her lips right against his ear softly replies, "No, I've got my eye on him. Just relax I can tell you had a longer day than usual, It's good to see you again. If you need _anything_", she purrs, "don't hesitate to ask." She boldly kisses him right behind the ear as she pulls aside his scarf.

Returning it to its original position she abruptly stands up and saunters back to the bar with a distinctive sway to her hips. The bar sits in stunned silence until a woman nearer to the bar giggles which unleashes an unholy torrent of laughter as people raise their drinks in cheer.

Falling back against the bench he releases a breath he wasn't aware that he had been holding. Grumbling softly to himself he curses Kimiaki. "I've really got to get better at that, she always comes out on top." As the bar returns to its standard practices he refocuses on the television above the bar as he pours himself a glass of water. The commercial break ends and the show starts in earnest.

On the screen appears three individuals seated in a semi-circle. On the far right is a rather bubbly woman, the host if the microphone is to be believed, immediately left of her is a man wearing a dark cloak with red highlights and his dark goggles completely hiding his eyes. Regardless of the tint of his goggles his emotion is clearly visible upon his face so the effect is diminished somewhat. His name is Dark Wind, the runner up of the previous Bullet of Bullets tournament.

The remaining individual was dressed in an obnoxiously bright white and blue outfit, lot of tails and folds and even a cape, it would not appear to be very functional. He was wearing dark sunglasses but his mouth was shaped in that grin which always drove people nuts. This eyesore of a man is named XeXeeD, the previous winner of Bullet of Bullets.

As the host blathered on and on about how it was so great to have them on the show Lasyria turned his attention to his bag, retrieving the two empty magazines and the rounds he purchased earlier he began to fill them. The first magazine was filled with three standard B-32 14.5x114mm full metal jacketed rounds with hardened steel cores.

The final magazine however was slated for more specialized munitions. He had purchased a box of DGJ:02 AT-P ammunition. It is Chinese manufactured it was specifically designed for range and armour penetration but what made it special compared to other standard rifle munitions was that this round was a SLAP round, Saboted Light Armour Penetrator instead of the full metal jacketed variants of penetrators. Finally slotting the third round into the magazine he replaced them into his bag.

Turning his attention back to the television momentarily he notices XeXeeD going on and on about how the meta of the game was changing and generally aggravating the crowd because he himself used to be a big 'champion' of the all in agility trend while he did not follow it himself. His sentiment appeared to be against the will of the crowd in the bar as many started booing the previous 'champion'.

Suddenly the strange man stood and approached the bar. As he marched over to the bar a bandaged arm reaches into his cloak and draws what appeared to be an older model Tokarev, but upon closer inspection reveals it to be a Type 54 7.62x25mm handgun.

"Zekushiido! You fake winner! Now prepare yourself for a taste of real power!" Declared in a loud voice, heavily modulated by his mask the stranger performed the actions to form a christian cross then depressed the trigger. A sharp bark and a small break appears in the screen of the television where XeXeeD's forehead was.

No other damage appeared to be done. As a few tense moments pass a few patrons start to laugh at the very odd gesture of the strange man. As XeXeeD continues his rant a sudden gasp and clutching at his chest signal that something has happened. Collapsing in on himself his avatar suddenly disappears.

Panicking the host explains that it was just a dropped connection and that he would be back shortly so everyone should stay tuned. Silence hangs heavily over the bar. Lowering his weapon to a horizontal position the strange man continues "...This, is real strength, real power! Foolish people, engrave the fear of this name onto your hearts!"

Collecting himself he called out. "This gun and I share a name. That name is 'Death Gun'" At this proclamation Lasyria rises from his seated position and quickly moves to confront this stranger. As he begins to near him the stranger suddenly opens his menu and logs out of the game.

The air is still heavy with confusion and fear. Kimiaki regains her bearings and tells everyone to get out, the bar is closed. The bar goers leave without incident. Closing and locking the doors to the bar she turns to face Lasyria. Her face is grim and she appears to be steady but her eyes betray her fear. Nodding to her he turns to grab his gear. After returning to the bar with his bag he lays it heavy upon the now cleared surface with a heavy thud.

Still standing beside the bar Kimiaki moves to sit beside him. After a moments rest she asks, "Aaron, what the hell was that?" Looking down at his bag in thought he doesn't reply immediately. Moments pass in tense silence before he replies with, "It's probably nothing. The Amusphere was especially designed to make this sort of thing impossible. The logical part of me wants to declare this merely a coincidence but my gut tells me something more is going on."

Slouching down on the bar stool he removes his scarf leaving it hanging around his throat he rubs his face tiredly. Silence reigns supreme over the abandoned bar once again as he continues to stare at the bag through his fingers. Breaking the silence Kimiaki responds to his actions with a resigned, "You're going after him aren't you?" when silence is all the reply she gets she continues, her resignation giving way to anger,

"Aaron! If you are right and there is more going on here, if that man did somehow kill XeXeeD despite it being impossible to then that means you could be in great danger going after him." his only response to her is moving his hands onto the edge of the bar in order to push himself up off of the stool. Much more heatedly she retorts with, "Aaron! Don't you understand!? If you go after this guy you could die!" Her shout echoes off of the walls in the cantina. In a much softer voice she whispers, "You could leave me alone..."

Standing from the bar he walks over to her hunched form shaking with silent sobs and pulls her into him. Just holding her close he lets her ride out her sorrow. Once her sobs subside he mutters to her, "You know I wouldn't do that." Feeling her relax against him he continues with,

"But you know I can't let this go. Its already in my head Kiki. I couldn't let you go, and I can't let this go." Turning around in her seat she sits facing him. Taking his face in her hand she pulls it into hers and she presses her cheek against his.

"You're a moron. You know that Aaron?" Smiling softly she pushes his head back. "Fine. I can't stop you anyway. Just be careful." Letting go of him she slides off of the stool and drags his bag over to the edge of the bar. "C'mon Lassie. You better get at it. I'm signing off for the day anyway. Rehab starts in a few minutes. I'll see you around."

With a wink and a watery smile she opens her menu and logs out. Standing alone in the bar he takes a few moments to himself. Taking the scarf off of his neck he re-wraps it around his face and head. Grabbing and shouldering the bag he resolves to go finish what he needed to offline, and prepare for a few full days online.

Swiping his hand sluggishly over his menu he reaches for and touches the log out key. With a flash he disappears.

* * *

Closing his eyes and nodding to clear his head he adjusts from the transition. Opening his eyes he takes in his surroundings. He's back in GGO after finishing his errands offline. He's currently located in the 'launch bay' of the city. The only way in and out of the city was through this area and it also contains the login point, if you logged out in a private or public area you came back in here.

Its always busy here since people were always coming and going from the city. Finally having cleared himself he proceeds to make his way over to the marketplace, he has a few contacts in the area he wants to press for information on this 'Death Gun'. Scarf wrapped over his head and face, along with his heavy coat and weapon carrier he made his way through the throngs of people and towards the bazaar.

As he wandered through the market many new kiosks and stalls were exposing the wares of many start up merchants while more established stores are hidden further into the bowels of the deck. He continues his quest until he happens upon a rather small, plain looking store. The door chimes as he enters and his senses are bombarded by an odd stench among the books and tomes that litter the walls.

Each and every one of them is utterly useless but the shop's proprietor is insistent that they are useful to him, for the ambiance of it. Once again infinitely thankful for the fact that he always wears his shemagh he ignores the stench and makes his way to the desk near the back.

Making it through the hell of books, tomes, scrolls and god knows what else he finds the equally strange man who runs the place. Slamming his hands onto the desk generates a rather loud bang in the quiet atmosphere of the shop. This action is followed by a loud thud and a slew of curses as a rather tall man rises from below the desk he is visibly distressed.

"Did you do this?!" the strange man demands of the desk, "Why, whatever could possibly make you think that I would allow this?" Lasyria just leans off the desk and observes, "You exist only because I allow it, peon, pray you do not draw my ire again or I'll have you made into kindling."

Turning his attention to the man now standing in front of the desk he exclaims, "Oh a customer, well desk, your punishment will have to wait, business comes first." Leaning obnoxiously over the desk he brings his height to that of Aaron's, and asks, "Well good sir, what could I interest you in today? I have some really fine merchandise just come in from the wastes below. A good condition copy of Ayn Rands 'Atlas Shrugged' or maybe you are in line for a more comedic book, if so I have a translated copy of the christian bible."

As he was about to continue his demented sales pitch Lasyria interrupts him. "Cut the shit Haruhiro. You know who I am and why I am here so lets stop this game." In an instant his demeanour performs a one eighty shift. "Of course, of course. So Aaron what is it you're looking for this time? More contracts? I heard you ran into some trouble near the end of your run, you are fine though. Of course you are. Still 200,000 credits is a good price for a little scare hmm."

Shaking his head Aaron merely drags his scarf from his mouth and gives a grin. "I should have known you would already have word about the end of my run." A barking laugh erupts from Haruhiro at this statement. "Follow me, you should know by now that I don't do business out here."

Moving over to the side of the store he happens upon a rather plain looking bookshelf. After checking that the store was empty bar the two of them he reveals the secret room hidden behind. "Aaron, close up the shop will you? Quickly now business awaits." Rolling his eyes at his eager request, he swipes his hand over his menus and closes the store.

"You know you could have done that just as quickly as I did?" Aaron rhetorically replies. He receives an answer to his obviously rhetorical question.

"Of course, but as business partners it is only proper that you do some of the work around here, people may start calling you a vagrant if they don't see you doing honest work you know." Snorting in spite of himself, he replies.

"No work done in this shop is honest." Turning back to face him, the hurt on Haruhiro's face is as close to genuine as that man can express.

"You know this wouldn't have been possible without you. So in reality it's all your fault that this shop, which is a stain upon the underbelly of society, exists."

Finally entering into the room proper it looks much like something one would expect to find at a power plant or security hub. Monitors and screens litter the back wall behind a desk with a very old looking leather chair waits in front of it.

These wondrous monitors display all sorts of information, quickly jumping from one document to another, one video to another, online newspaper clippings, MMO Stream analysis and meta data. Very flashy but the as always the only thing of substance is a filing cabinet tucked away into the corner.

Taking a seat behind the desk he turns his back on Aaron to face his monitors. Following him in and closing the door Lasyria takes his seat on the other side of the desk. Leaning his bag against the desk he waits for Haruhiro to ready himself. Finally finishing with his computer he turns to face Aaron, leaning back in his chair he wordlessly asks him for what he wants. Deciding forgo foreplay Aaron hits him hard right out of the gate.

"I need everything you have on the individual known as Death Gun." A contemplative quiet smothers the room.

"You were at the bar yesterday." It wasn't a question. Leaning forward he reaches into the desk and pulls a file-folder, its depressingly thin. Sighing Aaron reaches for the folder. Haruhiro's hand presses down on the folder, it won't move. "The standard fare won't buy this one, Aaron." Narrowing his eyes Aaron opens his menu.

"How much." Closing his eyes Haruhiro mutters, "Credits will not buy this one. I need a favour." Standing from the chair Aaron prepares to leave.

"Haruhiro you know I don't do 'favours'. I've got to get going, maybe another broker will have what I need." Before he can fully rise for his chair his 'business' partner responds,

"Sit down. Please. Hear me out before you go." Pausing in his rise Aaron finally decides to at least hear him out. Returning to his chair his gaze tells him to make it quick. "Okay the quick of it is I owe a particular hunting group a favour for information on the lower level dungeons in the eastern Arakan Dust Bowl. They were rolled by a mercenary group earlier this week on one of their most profitable hunts. They need additional protection to 'discourage' the group from attempting it in the future. I have gathered enough information to know that they intend to try again in the same place this week. I need you to run overwatch for the group."

Looking up at the ceiling in thought Aaron asks, "How much are they offering? And what information on the merc group is available?" a slight hesitation follows these questions,

"Uh, well you see. Part of the favour I owe them means, that, uh, you won't get paid." Not bothering to respond to that Aaron merely rises from his seat. "Wait, wait, wait! Okay, I know you don't work for free. They won't pay you, but I can make it worth your while. You'll get everything I have on Death Gun, along with my full co-operation related to that until you're satisfied. Please, I really need to make this work. They leave for their hunt next Sunday. They won't pay you but I will just let me write up a contract and we can get to work on understanding who we believe to be involved."

Pausing in his exit Aaron ponders his options. "Not good enough, I'll want whatever information you have on the upcoming squadron based bullets tournament. Throw that in and I'll do it." Tension seems to evaporate from his form as he slumps back in his chair.

"Thank you," breathing heavily he continues, "The contract will be written soon. You won't get your files on Death Gun till after the completion of it, but that gives me time to compile more for you. Come back in a couple of hours to collect the files on the individuals you will be protecting and the ones you'll be facing. Now get out, you stress me out too much." Having confidence that his word will be upheld Aaron leaves the store front and makes his way further into the marketplace.

Seeking out his usual armoury he finds it mostly empty, as usual. It's not well known nor does it have the most extensive selection of weaponry or ammunition. What makes this place special is that it is incredibly focused on long range rifle munitions.

Snipers are not too popular a 'class' among players because of the incredible amount of effort required to become great in it. She makes enough sales to keep her business running and she really is quite the gun nut and that is enough for her. She could not contain herself when he brought his NTW-14.5mm AMR in for the first time.

Its a very specialized weapon, mainly used for engaging strategic targets, aircraft, communications tech, fuel tankers, armoured infantry vehicles and the like. Its penetration power due to its cartridge size is approximately double that of its 12.7mm cousins. It's major disadvantages in regards to its cousins is its enormous weight and size. It is not a mobile weapon, you wouldn't fire this standing or even crouching.

It has to be set up before firing, and while that only takes a few moments for a skilled operator, in gun fights a few moments can end it. Which means closer engagements become challenging, it does however have a greater effective range than the 12.7mms. Properly supported this weapon makes any direct engagement very challenging. It's weight means that it cannot be utilized in the standard Bullet of Bullets tournament due to its mass restrictions, there are rumours that the new 'team' based tournament will waive the mass restrictions.

"So Lasyria, you were just here yesterday. Coming to buy another box?" Responding by resting his bag on the counter he replies,

"Not for my NTW. I do however need another 300 PAB-9 rounds for my Vintorez. Now that I'm here I should stop by my low calibre dealer to pick up a few more boxes of .357 SIG for my P226 Tactical. As you ring the order for me mind answering a few questions?"

Placing her rifle on the counter beside the carrier for the NTW, she responds with, "Of course, you spend enough here that it makes it worth my while to keep you coming back." Sighing at her flimsy excuse he soldiers on,

"I'm trying to find a man. He wears a dark cloak and mask, calls himself Death Gun. Anyone by that name stop by here that you can remember?" She looks a little surprised,

"Oh yeah, I remember someone matching his description coming in a few weeks back, however I don't recall hearing his name. He purchased a few boxes of 8.58x70mm FMJ Magnum rounds. I didn't think much on it at the time."

This is new information, he certainly didn't have a rifle in the bar yesterday. Nodding to himself he makes a mental note to let Haruhiro know about this when he went by to pick up he files on the group he's going to be fighting with, and the one against. "Well thanks for the information Itoe, let me know if he swings by again, and be careful I think something strange is happening around here." With that he retrieved his bag, and went to go try his luck with his other contacts.

Pressing further into the marketplace he decides to head over to a well known 'headhunter' squadron's storefront. They offered a variety of services including but not limited to scouting, cartography, selling information, as well as recruitment and background checking for other squadrons and while they don't technically offer 'assassination' its commonly known that for the right price they won't turn down a job.

The group is called 'The Ever Seeking Eye' their emblem is an eye etched onto a globe. A small door chime signals as Aaron moves into the business. A few benches fill the centre of the lobby as a few electronic boards post current rates and enable people to work for them via contract for some of their smaller jobs. Moving up to the office Aaron sends the squadron 30,000 credits. The key to this place is that you need to pay to meet with anyone worth while.

After getting a nod from the person watching the front, he moves into the back room. This room is far less populated than the one in the front a few chairs and a coffee table are in this room. The walls are plain, but clean. Seating himself by the table he opens his menu and checks to see if any of his other contacts are online.

Frowning slightly from behind his mask, he notes there are no others online at the moment he would seek out for this. Closing his menu he checks his remaining funds with all the purchases he made to resupply he has about 112,000 credits left from his most recent contract, that should last him a while. 30,000 gets you in pretty quickly so only a few moments pass before one of the co-founders of the squadron itself 'Aki-magi' exits the office.

After gesturing for Lasyria to follow him he led the way into the main office. The office is sparse bar a table and two chairs. Taking his seat at the far side of the table Aki-magi opened his menu and started an audio recording. Almost all business was done this way with this squadron.

"So Lasyria 'Thor's Hammer', what business do you bring with you? I heard your last contract had a few minor, complications." Nodding his head he replies,

"Well I wouldn't call it complicated. My 'employer' tried to remake the money he spent. I stupidly engaged one of the professionals and was forced to retreat due to a lack of munitions." At this Aki-Magi smiles in remembrance,

"Ah, I see. Not nearly as exciting as what the rumours say." Smiling at Aaron's demeanour he opens his menu and closes the recording. "Lasyria, you always do good by our business. What can I really do for you?"

Nodding in thanks at the gesture Aaron gets right to business. "Right, I need you to put one of your regulars on a track for me. I'm looking for information about a man who calls himself Death Gun. I'm sure you've heard about the incident at Kimiaki's bar yesterday. I'll put 100,000 down now, and another when I get whatever you've compiled on him over the next couple of weeks. I need it to be thorough. Can you get it done?"

Opening his menu Aki-magi appears to be browsing a contacts list. "Soldesa should be available. He isn't one to let rumour get in the way of work. What's got you interested enough in this guy to put 200,000 on him?" Looking past him Aaron contemplates his response,

"I have these, obsessions, a therapist would call them. Something catches my attentions and I cannot let it go until I've gleaned everything I can from them. No matter the cost or risk involved. There was a way about him in that bar that called to me. I need to figure him out. I need it." Looking rather surprised at the blunt and honest answer Aki hasn't a response to it.

"Well the reason why is of little importance really, I've got the money, now I ask again can you do it?" Nodding Aki wordlessly replies yes. "I'll send you the money, make it happen. I've got to get going."

As he leaves the office a voice calls out, "Lasyria, I'll keep you in contact. Good luck." Passing through the doorway Aaron mutters too quietly to hear,

"Thanks, I think I'll need it." With that he leaves the shop and prepares to collect what he knows and all the things he'll need for his hunt. "I hope you don't disappoint me, Death Gun. I'm banking a lot on you being worth the effort."

* * *

And that's the chapter. I think I've done a reasonable job of setting up the story as well as introducing a few characters. Next time we have our engagement with Shinon out in the deserts. I'm pretty excited with how its going so far so look forward to it. If you've read I hope you've enjoyed what I've put forward so far. Review, or don't whatever you want. I write for myself and figured if other people got enjoyment out of my labours then all the more power to them. I don't have a timeline on when the next chapter will be done but it shouldn't be too long from now (22/07/2014) so until next time, enjoy yourselves.

-Lasyria


	2. Chapter 2: The Edge of Sickness

Hey everyone.

I have fussed enough over this chapter for the time being. It isn't perfect but any more revising and I'll drive myself crazy. A quick warning would be that the tone becomes very dark near the end with allusion to suicide, if that bothers you skip the last section.

I understand there are a few unanswered questions, don't worry too much about them they will be addressed in later chapters.

Not much else to say, the chapter is a bit longer than the last one and its focused primarily on action so I hope you enjoy.

PS: [-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-] = Line break, the old one was wreaking havoc on my word processors so I've switched to this method

PPS: I'm looking for someone who would like to beta for the story. Currently I am having a lot of trouble trying to hunt down and find all the (many) errors I make while writing and having a second person look at it would be appreciated. If you are interested fire me a Private Message and we can see if we can work something out.

[-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-]

The familiar musk of the storefront hits Aaron hard as he pushes his way through the doors. The 'Closed' sign hanging solemnly on the door as its message is ignored. Smoke is heavy in the air and as his eyes water he feels his way along the bookshelves towards the back of the store. As he approaches the desk near the back his hands tense as he sighs in annoyance.

Finding the desk it's immediately apparent who is responsible for the heavy cigarette smoke in the store. Haruhiro is smoking heavily with at lEast four still burning cigarettes stuffed into a much darkened ashtray. The small crowd of people milling about the table, clearly uncomfortable but too polite to speak up, part as the visibly irritated Aaron steps up to the table. Too engrossed in the map on the table Haruhiro continues his rant as the rest of the table shifts about nervously.

"This is the best map I could find on the Daiken Dust Bowl region. I spent a good mint on this map too, I hope the cartographers really took their time an-" A loud cough interrupts his examination of the map. Turning to face the person who interrupted his examination his face visibly pales as he lays his eyes upon Aaron. Spitting his cigarette out into the ashtray he sweeps it off the table to the floor with a crash.

The source of the smoke gone the air clears rapidly as the game diverts resources away from maintaining it. The slight ringing in the air gives way to a tense silence as the statuesque Aaron stares down the taller Haruhiro. Shrinking away from the glare he coughs lightly as he mutters an apology.

"Lasyria, I uh, know that ever since that _incident_ you really _dislike_ smoke... Look I forgot you were coming and I'm sorry. It -" Cutting him off tersely Aaron replies,

"Enough. Continue." Taking a moment to collect himself Haruhiro restarts his introduction.

"Gentlemen, this is Lasyria. He will be providing overwatch for your hunt. He will not join in your hunt and will not require any split from your earnings." With little of his previous enthusiasm present he finishes his introduction.

"I've prepared a map so we can discuss our strategy including firing positions, route information, as well as contingencies." Pausing to take a breath one of the strangers around the table interjects,

"How do we know if this guy is any good? I've heard the good ones demand payment before and after the job yet he doesn't want a split of our hunt? I bet he's crap." Sighing tiredly Haruhiro looks to Aaron. His face is set in stone with no indication that he heard the comment.

"Hey, Taikedo are you new to the game?" Looking to the others he notices that the leader and who appears to be the second in command look rather irritated with their newer member.

"Uh yeah, I started a couple of weeks ago. Why does that matter?" Looking at his friends he notices the exasperated look on the leader's face. "Look, I just want to be sure we aren't getting crap. You guys had to work hard to get that information we sold him." Closing his eyes the leader merely presents his acknowledgement and allows Haruhiro to continue.

"Well then it's not too hard to believe that you wouldn't have heard of him. Allow me to properly introduce you. He goes by Lasyria, but many people have chosen to call him 'Thor's Hammer'. This is due to the enormous weapon he wields. Like the god of thunder his weapon strikes down his enemies. His usual going rate is 200,000 credits per contract, as for payment I have it covered just consider it part of me repaying my debt."

Looking about the room he notices the 'veterans' nodding appreciatively to him and the others looking on in awe at Aaron as he ends with, "Anyone else doubt the capability of our contractor?" A healthy pause negates his question. "Well the map I've prepared is of the area where you guys were hit last time."

Gesturing to the map it shows a wide area which starts at the mouth of a large trench to the North-East. It opens up into a large flatland further West which leads into a ruined city to the South-West. There is a large cliff face to the far West of the region which has very good sight lines on the city nestled between them.

Fixating the map onto the mouth of the trench he steps back and allows Aaron to step in, "I've been to the region earlier this week and I've scouted out a few good firing positions as well as likely ambush locations." Pausing for breath he highlights three locations on the cliff faces surrounding the mouth of the trench.

"These three are going to be my main firing positions. It will enable me to cover you six up until you hit the city proper. While approaching the city I need you to stay North of the roadway. You guys have to keep almost all the cover between you and the city to the South. It gives me the best firing lines." At this a bright neon orange line appears going from the mouth of the trench to along the road towards the city.

"The enemy will likely engage us at one of three locations." Three bright red targets appear on the map, one at the mouth of the trench, one at the close edge of the city, and one at the far edge of town. "I think we can cross off the mouth of the trench. The cover at the mouth of the trench is poor and they don't have any weapons really capable of engaging us at the range required to hit us at the mouth of the trench from the city."

The first red circle fades and the map focuses on the remaining two. "They can hit you as you enter the city or as you leave it. As you leave the city they can hit you from behind while they take cover in it. There is heavier cover there so it's unlikely but a possibility. That leads me to believe they will hit us at the entrance to the city proper."

The map shows more detail around the North East side of the city. There are a few buildings still standing including what appears to be a gas station and a half collapsed restaurant flank the roadway. A little further into the city is a park with a defunct fountain up against a large clock tower. On the South West side of the park is a large factory which seems to still have much of the machinery once used to build cars.

"I'll cover you right up until you enter the city proper. Once at the city I'd like you to take cover and hold up at this location," The gas station glows green, "Once there advise me and I'll reposition into the city. I'll move to the apartment building to your West if things go as planned." A separate building glows yellow.

"Once I'm there I'll let you know when I can engage them. Once we contact them again we'll drive them further into the city until all die, or they flee. Let them run if they want to." Finally done his piece, the map returned to its original size marked up with the current plan. "Understood?"

The leader of the group speaks up, "What are our contingency plans?"

Humming in thought his reply is short, "If you begin taking too much fire, fall back towards the cliff face I will be firing from. Once you are in the flats you can seek cover and if they try to pursue you they will expose themselves and I'll knock them down though it would be best to try to hold up in the gas station if possible. We'll stay in contact and I'll advise you to what I believe is the best course of action in the situation."

Looking to Haruhiro he non-verbally asks if there is anything else or if he can get ready. "No Lasyria. That's good enough. Go get ready and meet them near the port in about an hour. You'll get your payment upon your return. Good luck."

Nodding to the assembly he makes his way back through the store to the marketplace. After he exits the store he goes to the armoury to collect his arsenal. Finally ready he heads to the port to wait for go time.

[-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-]

His rifle assembled and set up on the North-West cliff face he crawls forward and turns on his microphone. "I'm in position. Maintain your speed and direction, I don't see anything yet but I'll let you know the moment I spot movement."

Heavy winds billow through the region which drowns their reply in static. Moving forward they continue calmly to the city. They are walking in a rather lax formation, four light pulse rifles to the front, one heavy laser following them and one HK Minimi.

[-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-]

The **HK** **Minimi** is classified as a **Light** **Machine Gun**, or **LMG**, it has a large ammunition capacity yet suffers accuracy penalties while on the move, more time is required to load, and it weighs more than the rifle configurations. Its benefits include its bonus to the **SUPPRESSION** effect, known in game as **SPRS.**

**SPRS** is heavily reliant upon the weight of the bullet as well as the rate of fire. Heavier bullets lose their speed and energy slower than lighter bullets because of their momentum and the impact force of the bullet factors into suppression. The effect itself doesn't last very long mechanically and as such a high rate of fire is required to cause the effect to stack which increases its effectiveness greatly.

Sporadic suppression is not very effective, however continual suppression makes it nearly impossible for the opponent to return effective fire. The mechanics of the effect are that it heavily reduces a player's **AGI** and **DEX** stat so long as the effect remains active.

[-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-]

The dark tan cloth helps Aaron blend into the cliff by disguising his uniform and breaking up his silhouette. A sniper's silhouette is his most recognizable feature at a distance. Wrapped tightly around the barrel of his rifle a bolt of the same fabric helps hide the metallic shine that the rifle gives off. He tracks his vision among the buildings at the edge of town. The sun begins to set as the breeze in the region begins to die off. _'Ah. There you are.'_

"I've spotted them. There are five of them moving to your South, they are nearly upon the restaurant. Do not react. Let them think you're ignorant of them. We'll turn this ambush against them. I'll take the first shot." Depressing the trigger lightly his targeting reticule hovers on the man in the front of the group.

He's wielding a UMP-.45, it's a popular sub machine gun with police forces in the real world. It has good stopping power with the .45 calibre ammunition it fires while still being compact enough to use effectively in tight areas.

_'He probably uses hollow points in that weapon. Against lightly armoured targets the damage per second would be astronomical but would do almost nothing to heavily armoured targets while having almost no penetration power.'_ They pull up against the Southern side of the restaurant and hold position.

"Be aware that they are holding position behind the restaurant. I don't have a clean shot. I'll wait for them to break cover and attack before I fire." Focusing on the group through the window he releases the trigger. _'What could they be waiting for. It would be ill advised to let the larger group get closer before engaging.'_

His attention is drawn to the upper right corner of his H.U.D. when Taikedo's health bar plummets to zero. Quickly moving his scope back to his 'allies' he demands to know what's going on,

"Shit. What the hell happened out there?" The reply comes in a bit of a pant as the leader of the group explains,

"I have no idea! We were approaching the city when Taikedo went down followed by a loud bang and crack. I've told the rest of the guys to find cover. We don't see the shooter." Swearing lightly under his breath Lasyria fires off,

"Okay; here's the plan. When they break cover to engage you I'll kill the one in front. While they reel I need you to push on to the gas station. Do not move in straight lines, make it hard for that sniper. Once I've eliminated the front runner I'll reposition and engage the sniper. While that is going on I cannot provide you with overwatch, you'll be on your own till I've dealt with their sniper. Good luck, move on my shot."

After dismissing the others he refocuses on the group hiding behind the restaurant. They are no longer hiding, having broke cover during the chaos spawned by their sniper they are now closing the distance rapidly. His heart cools as he prepares to engage the enemy.

He notices the same one who led the charge up to the restaurant is once again in the front. He's wearing dark pants and a dark long sleeved shirt. No additional armour along with a pair of goggles to keep the sand out of his eyes and a mohawk which adorns the top of his head are his notable features.

His targeting reticule drags over to the man's chest and as it begins to compress into a point he looses the round. A large amount of dust and debris fire up into the air around him as the muzzle break forces the gas generated while firing into the ground. As the earth rises to meet the bullet, it howls towards its victim.

It enters the man right above the heart and it's over in an instant. The bullet drives along unimpeded and carves a large crater out of the sand below him. Disintegrating it appeared the man didn't even have an opportunity to cry out as he fell. Cycling the bolt of his rifle he ejects the spent casing and rotates to face the opposing cliff face, the most likely location for a sniper.

[-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-]

"Dyne, They're here." Sinon acknowledges as she peers down her scope at the group of hunters approaching from the North-East. They were running late and that had Sinon nervous. After ignoring advances by Ginro and questioning stares from the rest of the group she would be pleased to leave these people behind her.

"They are late." He mutters to himself, "Okay, they have four light pulse rifles, one heavy laser rifle and one physical gun, a Minimi." The group moves in a square formation, two light pulse rifles in front, followed by two more, followed by the heavy laser and Minimi, overall a strong frontal formation, if you could flank it it would be weaker but from the front it's very formidable.

"I don't like this Dyne, it doesn't make sense. Why would they do the exact same thing this week and expect a different result?" Ginro voices his concerns,

"They don't have any extra members. Maybe they believe we wouldn't hit the same group twice? I don't know but I believe they are probably just fools. Let's just stick to the plan. Sinon on my mark you take out the Minimi and we'll mop up the rest. Everyone have their defence fields equipped?" At their confirmation he ends,

"Good. Okay everyone lets go." With that the five men move off the cliff towards the city. She frowns in concentration as she attempts to decipher the enemy's game plan.

Peeking through the scope she notices the man to the left, with the heavy laser, raise his hand to his ear and mutter something into a microphone. _'They are all within hearing range, why use the radios?' _At this the wind picks up heavily.

_'Or it could be they can't hear each other over the wind, but I doubt it.'_

Tracking her sight further South she notices the others stack up in the shadow of the restaurant just ahead of the approaching group. _'1500m from me, 300m from them. It's now or never I guess. They close the distance and Dyne is going to have trouble with them.'_ confirming her thoughts her radio jumps to life.

"We're in position. What are our 'friends' up to?" Dyne's voice chatters in her ear,

"They are moving in the same direction at the same speed. 300m out from you, 1500m from me. They appear to be unaware of your presence." She peeks at her environmental sensors to figure out how to adjust her aim. Its only twenty degrees out, the wind has died down, for now, and its just as bone dry as it usually is.

"1500m is a long way. Can you do it?" Her eyes lose focus as she remembers back to the time when she gained her PGM-Hecate II, the incredible range, the terror of facing down the boss level mob alone, the tension of needing to hit each shot. _'Can I do it? 1500m? That's nothing compared to that time, this tension, this terror, all of it is nothing compared to that.'_

"Yes." Her answer is resolute, absolute. The outcome is already decided, her shot will not miss. One shot, one kill. Her terror, her tension, none of it will affect her shot because it is widely known she is made of ice. Ice does not terror, ice does not shake in tension or anxiety, ice is steady, ice is cold and unfeeling and thus this means nothing to her.

"Okay. Take the shot, we'll move when the Minimi goes down." His tone does little to hide his enthusiasm at an easy job, as his breath is shallow.

"Roger." Her breathing becomes shallow as her body rebels by tightening slightly at the task. Forcing herself to relax she depresses the trigger enough to bring up her targeting reticule. Pulsing steadily she guides it to the man wielding the Minimi. Breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth her reticule begins to shrink. The man scans his surroundings, searching for an ambush. He cannot see far enough to know what is about to come to him.

As the reticule narrows as much as it is able to at this range she exhales one last time and squeezes the trigger. A bright flash followed by the roar and crack of the rifle emanates from her small outcropping. The force of the recoil causing her to lurch back slightly and grunt as dust is thrown into the air about her.

Her round drops slightly and strikes the man through the bridge of his nose. His automatic rifle drops to the ground heavily as the rest of his group stands on in stunned silence. The silence is quickly broken as the apparent leader of the group orders the others to seek cover. Their cover is quite strong, she does not have much of a shot, however at the same time they can't risk exposing themselves to fire upon her advancing allies.

_'Looks like this one is going to be pretty boring.' _Turning her scope on to the others she notices Ginro pull out in front, _'Over eager fool. He should wait for support.'. _The distance closes rapidly when his advance is terminated. A light gasp of surprise is her very telling reaction as Ginro disintegrates and a large crater explodes beneath him.

Dyne swears through the mike as he orders the other to hold and find cover. "Sinon, what the hell was that?" Her breath hitches in her throat as she comes to the realization that she isn't the only sniper here.

"It's a sniper and I'm not sure where he is. They need to be somewhere elevated to make that kind of shot, probably near the mouth of the trench. What are they up to now?" She picks up her rifle and moves to reposition further North on the cliff.

"The others have broken cover and are sprinting towards the gas station, shit they're getting away!" Dyne's voice calls out over the radios, "Sinon, you need to take them out before they reach the station!"

"I will not do that Dyne. I can't give away my position, you'll have to handle this yourself until I've taken care of their sniper." Her reply is cold but honest. _'This certainly has become more interesting at least.' _Having finally found a suitable location to set up she peeks out over the city scape towards the mouth of the trench.

_'That's a ton of debris and dust, what the hell is that sniper wielding?!' _A large part of the Northern end of the mouth of the trench is covered in a dust screen generated from the rifle fire. Narrowing her eyes she focuses her vision further up the cliff face more towards the top. She tracks along the top of the cliff face when sh- Light! She notices a small reflection of light coming from a small cave just within the cliff face. _'There he is!'_

Compressing her trigger again she prepares to fire upon that sniper. Peeking at her targeting information she starts, _'2400m!? That's beyond my maximum effective range. Well I should be safe at that distance and at any rate I need to tell the others.'_ Still peeking at the small light on the cliff she notices the muzzle flash immediately.

Eyes open widely as her gut tells her to move. Sinon rolls over quickly, slamming into the cliff face as she narrowly avoids almost certain death when the area she previously occupied explodes with dust as stone fragments rain down on the area. Dust forces its way down her throat as it emanates from the impact.

Coughs wrack her body as her heart beats hard enough to be heard over the ringing in her ears. She is covered in little bits of dirt and dust as her once ice blue hair takes on a sandy yellow tint, small specks of mud mar her once spotless complexion as the dust settles on her skin and mixes with her sweat.

_'What the hell was that!?' _Still stunned she lays there attempting to gain her bearings as the boom and crack of the shot finally reaches her position. Closing her eyes lightly to bring her heart back under control the cliff face above her explodes. Small rocks and clumps of dirt rain down on her as the cliff begins to buckle. She drags her rifle with her as she crawls away from the cliff as it finally fails.

A mountain of rock slams into the ground as she is once again forced to flee at the awesome power of that rifle. Back in the cave that the group used to discuss their plan she takes a moment to collect herself. _'I can't keep this up, he'll pick me off at this rate. I need to close the distance before he tags me. The city. I'll move to the city and engage him from there.'_

Realized her battle plan she moves to enact it. She slings her rifle across her back as she begins the run to the city. She vows to herself that she will kill this man.

[-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-]

Cycling the action of his rifle he ejects the final casing in his magazine and looks down on the devastation he caused to the cliff where 'The Hecate' was hiding. A wide grin splits his face as he eagerly anticipates the battle proper between the two of them.

The Hecate is a well known sniper on the Japanese GGO servers, often called the Ice Sniper for her demeanour during missions it's said that she is the best sniper in the entirety of GGO. _'I hope to test that theory myself'_

Disassembling his rifle he mentally prepares himself for contact with Sinon in the city proper. Packed fully the rifle is stowed away hidden from sight in a small fissure on the cliff. Stepping back from his rifle he swings his VSS to his front and begins his trek down the cliffs to the flats.

The VSS is one of the best urban combat weapons available on the market today. Manufactured by the 'Tula Arsenal' it is a derivative of the AS assault rifle. The features they have in common is an integral sound suppressor built into the weapon that covers the barrel and means that it doesn't compromise its length to provide its suppression like the add on suppressors do. Firing specialized subsonic armour penetrating rounds it means that in a combat environment the weapon is virtually silent which doesn't give the shooter's position away while firing.

"Guys. I need you to distract the other group while I move up. Push forward onto the apartment building." Now running along the flats he tries to ensure that he is covered as much as possible from the others. If he is spotted then his entire manoeuvre will be compromised.

Receiving conformation the sound of gunfire mixed with the sound of laser and pulse rifle fire erupts in the city once again. Picking up speed he moves to enter the factory on the far West side of town.

Gently Aaron leans against the emergency exit to the abandoned factory complex. With a slight grunt he eases the door open a hair and poking his rifle's barrel through opens the door fully and steps in. The loud squeal of the door as it its forced open makes him swear under his breath.

Mid step he pauses while scanning the upper levels of the factory. As the echos fade he continues on into the building letting the door swing shut behind him. Not letting the door slam it's closing is much quieter than its opening. Rapidly moving through the upper levels of the complex he reaches the third floor. With the butt of his rifle he smashes the glass at a large window that over looks the small park in front of the clock tower.

"Okay guys, I'm in position. Keep a look out for Sinon, let me know where she is and I'll deal with her. Make your way to the park in front of the tower. I'll cover you from the factory. Good luck." Aaron examines the structures around the park, searching for any good firing position. _'Sinon's really good. She'll be somewhere she can quickly reposition while still maintaining good elevation and concealment.'_

The clock tower is too obvious, it would give you excellent elevation and sight lines yet with no exit she would be a sitting duck. The library is a good choice, but then again it has no windows in the front and would require that she fire from the roof which is a hard position to conceal, you would silhouette against the sky far to easily.

Suddenly the windows in the lower level of the clock tower burst inward as a stray energy bolt impacts them. Aiming down to the street he notices the other group falling back into the park. Their tactics are pretty strong, they fall back in sequence, the one nearest the enemy falls back while the other two cover him, and that pattern repeats until the three remaining hostiles make it into the park.

Aaron slams the stock of his weapon into his shoulder as he brings his scope to his eye and focuses on the marksman. Flipping his safety off he collapses his targeting reticule onto the man's chest. Pleased with his accuracy he rapidly releases three subsonic rounds. The soft thunk of the rounds exiting the suppressor is all the warning the man receives as the three bullets strike true.

The first impact spins him slightly and the other two impact in a grouping of about ten centimetres. Gasping he clutches his chest as he collapses to one knee. Swearing lightly Aaron admonishes himself for miscalculating the damage those three subsonic rounds would do. He double taps a few more rounds into him. The first strikes him in the throat and the final one hits him on the top of the head.

Body collapsing to the dust he disintegrates like his friend before him. Smiling grimly he forces his emotions down as he attempts to control the elation he feels at the kill. Eyes widening in surprise he notices Sinon slam into the low stone wall where the marksman was hiding.

Her sidearm barks rapidly as she fires a spray of bullets up at his position. Leaping away from the window as the rounds slam into it one of the rounds ricochet off the metal window frame and glances across his face from his lip and off his cheek tearing the scarf from his face.

Unable to control his emotion any longer he smiles widely at Sinon as he presses his hand to the window frame then retreats further into the factory.

[-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-]

"All right guys. I've made it to the city. I need you to tell me where their sniper is, where has he been firing at you from?" She panted lightly as she continued to sprint through the city making her way to the library.

"I have no idea, Sinon. We thought you got him actually, he hasn't fired on us for a few minutes now. He could be anywhere." Dyne's exhausted reply came in. Things weren't looking good, they already had the numerical disadvantage but now in these narrow city streets their energy weapons are close enough to give the energy weapons a slight damage boost reducing the effectiveness of their shields.

"Shit here they come again. Pull back to the park. We gotta get out of here." The sound of rifle fire flares up again accompanying a corresponding increase in pulse rifle and laser fire. Sliding to her knees and then stomach on the roof of the library she deploys her bipod and begins to scan the cliffs above the trench.

_'It's only 1300m from here to the cliffs. His range advantage is gone and I have a real shot now. All I need to do is find him.'_ Slowly and meticulously scanning the cliffs her frustration grows as she cannot locate him. Sinon closes her eyes for a moment and calms herself.

The minutes seem to tick on when she hears the distinct sound of breaking glass. With no accompanying gunfire this sound is much more suspicious than it aught to be. Moving over to the South side of the library, the side over looking the park, she begins to search for the broken window. The factory opposite of the library has many such windows yet it is impossible to tell which ones have been broken recently or were broken long ago.

Debris from a window exploding after an impact from a pulse bolt draws her attention to the road leading into the park. The gunfire is much louder now that they have finally begun to move into the park. Her eyes observe the scene below as she sees Dyne taking cover beside a fallen phone booth, as the marksman runs past him into the actual park.

She is close enough to hear Dyne screaming at his friends, "Don't let them come any closer!" A nod of acknowledgement accompanies the order as the designated marksman opens fire with his M14 rifle, pinging the debris the hunters are hiding behind.

Taking her rifle she attempts to keep a low profile as she lines up a shot on one of the hunters in the street below. She has no shot, she can't risk rising and exposing herself to their sniper and from her angle she cannot depress her barrel enough to fire at the hunters in the street. Grimacing lightly she returns her vision to the cliffs. _'He won't be there anymore. He would have moved, and if he intended to cover his comrades he would need to be in the city proper.'_

"We have to retreat. I don't want to lose, I would rather log off than lose to _them_." Dyne's panicked voice shouts from the her headset. Eyes narrow in rage as a low growl rumbles in her throat. _'That coward! Even if we are losing, we shouldn't give up! Hell we've tagged three of them already. I can handle their sniper if they get their shit together and handle the others.'_

Her rifle pulls into her chest as she crawls back towards the roof access intent on giving Dyne a piece of her mind. Sinon's boots slam onto the fire escape on the side of the library as she rolls over the low stone wall that acts as a railing along the roof of the library. Each flight of stairs passes at an astonishing rate as she leaps from one landing to the next right until she reaches the bottom and kicks out the ladder.

Climbing down the ladder she rounds the corner just in time to see three rounds impact the rifleman in the chest. Her gaze steps up to the windows in the factory and she notices two more shots fly from the factory and kill Jin. Dust kicks up as she sprints towards the low wall and slides into it avoiding the overhead weapons fire.

Her MP7 furiously spits out rounds towards the window she saw the shots come from. Her aim was hasty and as such a bit more of a spray than she would like. The rounds impact the area around the window and penetrate through a few of the panes. One round impacts the frame and ricochets off striking the man in the face.

The impact is glancing at best and all it does is tear away his scarf and leave an angry red line going from the corner of his mouth off the lower part of his jaw. The savage grin that splits his face gives Sinon pause. _'He can smile? Even after getting shot, that man can smile. How strong is this man? Enough to smile in the face of death!? In the face of danger? I need that strength, I need that resolve. I need to kill that man.'_

As the moment passes she moves to kick her group back into gear. Her fist grips Dyne's collar as she glares at his face. "You're a disgrace." she spits out as if the very words themselves disgusted her.

"We'll be wiped out if we keep fighting, Sinon!" he stutters back. His back scratching up against the overturned phone booth he uses as cover. "It's just a game. Don't take it so seriously."

"Idiot! You do know that GGO has a 'soulless' log out feature right? That means even if you log out now your body remains for 60 seconds. They can walk up and kill you easily in that time, you still lose the money you have on you as well as needing to pay the respawn penalty." Breathing heavily to bring herself under control she continues,

"If it's just a game at least have the balls to go down fighting. Arashi, Dyne, hold them here. I'm going after their sniper, once he's down I'll come back to help you out. On my mark covering fire!" The tension that runs along her back betrays her nervousness at facing such a formidable opponent alone. Resolve floods her veins as she clamps down on all her emotion and jumps up from cover.

"Go!" This simple word spurs the others into action as they lean out of cover and being to fire upon the advancing hunters. Those hunters are forced into cover as bullets slam into the cover around them and even strikes one of them in the shoulder.

The factory grows larger and larger as she nears the employee's entrance. The door explodes inward as she slams herself through it and seeks cover behind a stack of sheet metal. Three rounds impact the area around her, two hit the floor where she was running and one hits the stack. The echo in the building makes it nearly impossible to pinpoint where the shots came from.

"I never thought I'd have the opportunity to battle the great Heacte herself." The voice is soft and does nothing to indicate where it may be coming from. "I have to say, it is quite thrilling to pit myself against you. I wonder, have you figured out who I am yet?"

_'Talking in a situation like this? He's real cocky.'_ "No, I haven't yet. Should I have?" _'Keep talking bastard, ill have you pinned yet.'_

"No, I guess not. I am not known by appearance. Indeed I am much more well known for my rifle, as are you. The same rifle I used to force you to flee from the cliffs West of the city." She can hear the grin he wears as he mentions her retreat from the cliffs.

_'Who is well known for having a really heavy weapon that can reach out over 2km?' _Realization hits her as she mutters to herself, "Thor's Hammer..." Her voice isn't as quiet as she had intended as she receives a response she wasn't expecting.

"Excellent!" The voice is louder yet still does not give away anything to hint to his location. "Now, Sinon, let's end this foreplay. Come and find me, and we'll see whom among us is the strongest." The silence smothering the building is eerie as she ponders her current plan.

[-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-]

Falling further back into the building he grins as he seeks a good firing position within the factory complex. _'This is the ideal battleground for my Vintorez. Close quarters and a lot of elevation means her Hecate II will be hard pressed to operate well in here.'_

Moving along the second floor he takes cover behind some large tanks hanging from the ceiling. He shoulders his weapon and aims down towards the employee's entrance on the ground floor. _'She'll breach the building as rapidly as possible, she has no cover out side of the building and can't risk taking fire before our fight.'_

More and more time passes as he begins to grow anxious. _'What's taking her so long? Did she not take the bait? I would be at a severe disadvantage if she takes this fight else where. Her rifle will tear me apart if I give her the range she needs.'_

The sudden bang of the door flying inwards as she dives through it draws him from his thoughts as he switches to full auto and unleashes a three round burst at her. Two rounds impact the ground at her feet and the final one strikes the sheet metal she hides behind. _'Good, she hasn't spotted me yet. Lets see if I can get a good flank on her, maybe she'll fall for the conversation trick.'_

"I never thought I'd have the opportunity to battle the great 'Hecate' herself. I have to say it is quite thrilling to pit myself against you. I wonder, have you figured out who I am yet?" As her reply comes in he moves quickly and quietly along the upper walkways.

"No. I haven't, should I have?" Her reply is calculated and cold. His grin turns feral as she continues to play into his hands. _'Just a little bit further and I'll have you dead to rights.'_

"No, I guess not. I am not known by appearance. Indeed I am much more well known for my rifle, as are you. The same rifle I used to force you to flee from the cliffs West of the city." Lasyria's breathing slows as he begins to approach her.

_'That should hopefully garner a response. I've challenged her pride as a sniper.' _His thoughts are a little off as instead of the heated response he hoped for he received an answer so quiet he needed to strain to hear it.

"Thor's Hammer..." He preens slightly to himself, hell the famous Ice Sniper knows who he is.

"Excellent!" His voice carries more than expected but he presses on, "Now, Sinon, let's end this foreplay. Come and find me, and we'll see whom among us is the strongest."

Holding his breath he waits for her to peek out of cover to search for him. He was unable to get close enough to fire on her yet his angle is still good enough that should she try to move out of cover she'll expose herself. Things are progressing slowly and the sounds of gunfire outside are ignored in favour of focusing on Sinon.

Unaware of what she's doing he grows tense waiting for her to make her move. Patience is the name of this game, he can't risk probing her because it will give away his position yet he cannot help but feel nervous at letting her have all the time she wants to prepare a plan.

About unable to wait any longer he prepares to sprint to the best firing position to hit where she is hiding. Stepping towards the windows he was firing from he begins his sprin- the window explodes as a heavy laser blast carves a fair crater out of the wall and knocks many of the bricks onto the walkway.

Diving onto his belly he covers his head as he tries to avoid the majority of debris as he hears Sinon's thundering foot steps echo loudly as she sprints further into the factory. Swearing he takes cover more fully against a thin metal sheet which was acting as a railing along the walkway he was positioned on.

_'Shit. I've lost her.' _Rising to a crouch he scans the lower levels of the factory as he tries to locate her by following the trail of disturbed dust on the ground. The darker colour of the concrete floor where the dust was disturbed jumps at him and he follows it right into an open doorway. It appears to lead into a staff room or an office or something similar.

The slight shine reflecting off of her scope startles him out of his search as he dives to the deck of the walkway again. An enormous bang shatters the silence which had descended over the factory after the most recent violent action abated. A neat hole appears in the thin metal barrier as he stands and fires his remaining two rounds at her before she has an opportunity to reload or relocate.

Not bothering to check if he hit her he drops the magazine out of his rifle and fumbles trying to load another while sprinting towards the far end of the factory away from her position. The sound of metal shearing as another burst from her MP7 forces him to really open up and move as fast as he ever has.

Not bothering to slow down he slams painfully into the wall of the factory and cocks his recently loaded rifle. Heartbeat echoing in his inner ear he desperately tries to calm himself. All this violence has him almost unable to control his emotions any longer.

_'I need to end this soon. I'm becoming ineffective.'_ The gut wrenching tension lessens as he takes a quick moment to slow his heart rate. His **AGI** is not very high so going in tense increases the time required for the targeting reticule to form and shrink even more than it would normally.

Peeking around the tank or vat he's hiding behind he tries to recontact Sinon. The area returns to silence as the remaining echos fade and the gunfire outside moves further North in town.

The cluttered factory feels surprisingly empty as not even the rats scurry about, having long fled the building. The clang of metal striking metal reverberates loudly from the opposite side of the factory.

Seizing the opportunity presented to him Aaron beings to move out of cover. Quickly as a snail he begins his movement towards a different firing position, which has better sight lines over looking the far side of the building.

Resting his weapon on the control panel for one of the ceiling cranes he tightens his finger on the trigger. The targeting reticule draws over to the neglected welding equipment stashed over by the other exit to the staff room where he believes Sinon to be hiding.

The tense moments pass as he changes his strategy and prepares a fragmentation grenade to lob into the room. The grenade drops into the room with a bang and bounces off the wall to come to rest in the room. Gunfire erupts from the second floor as Sinon fires her MP7 at Aaron. Swearing at losing her he presses himself small into what little cover he has.

Blind firing his P226 he tries to force her into cover. The grenade explodes and the walkway underneath Sinon collapses and with an undignified shriek she falls to the main floor. Leaping the railing himself he seeks to end this while she still recovers from her fall. As he beings to approach her stunned form he notices the small jet of fire ejecting from the fuel tank of the abandoned welding equipment.

Contorting himself as quickly as possible he presents his back to the equipment and dives bracing himself for the blast. The roar of fire and screams of metal rending fills the air as he feels shrapnel rip its way into his back. It doesn't hurt because the game doesn't simulate pain in that way but it still is very startling and still 'hurts' in that the body feels what it expects to feel.

Gritting his teeth he crawls out of the building into the parking lot on the North side of the building by the loading bays. Coughing to clear his lungs he looks around for Sinon. Slinging his rifle across his back he calls out to her,

"Sinon!" The earsplitting rumble of the fires growing larger in the factory hastens his steps. "Sinon! Where the hell are you? Did you make it out?"

A blast rips its way through the building as windows begin to explode outward. Willing himself to remain focused he empties his canteen onto the front of his shirt to wet it and drags it up over his mouth and nose as he prepares to re-enter the building.

The gesture is useless as this is not real fire, however the motions appear somewhat practiced. Bracing himself he races back into the building. The smoke is heavy and burns the lungs as he forces his way further into the building. The landscape in the factory is modified heavily by the low visibility, it seems impossibly large when you can't see more than a metre in front of you.

"Sinon!" His roar is barely audible over the screaming hellfire inside of the structure and even that little action leaves him drained. Crouching low to avoid the majority of the smoke he makes his way through the gutted staff room. Just on the other side of the second door out of the room he notices Sinon struggling to get herself unpinned by a steel support that collapsed on her when the walkway came down.

"Sinon! You okay?" He's relieved to see her alive at any rate.

"Does it look like I'm okay?!" Her sarcastic reply forces a laugh out of him even in this situation.

"Fine, Fine. Let me get that beam off of you." Once again infinitely thankful for the fact that his weapon requires an immense **STR** stat he moves over to and then heaves the beam off her leg.

"Get out of here Sinon. I'll be right behind you." His voice strains as he holds the monstrous beam off the ground, when she clears the area he drops the heavy beam with a bang.

"I can't, I got **CRIPPLED **when that beam fell onto my leg. I can't stand." Her form shudders with coughs as the smog in the building thickens. He moves behind her to hoist her up and begin dragging her out of the building.

"What are you doing?!" Her voice is coloured in embarrassment, "Don't touch me there! Put me down!"

"Quiet. Once we're outside I'll let you down okay?" dragging her towards the exit he makes sure to grab her fallen rifle as he passes it. "Now quit talking, you're distracting me."

Dragging her through the smoke he notices her trying to help by propelling her self forward with her one good leg. _'It's good to see she still has fight left.'_ Finally beaching themselves out into the parking lot he drags her to lean up against the chain-link fence that perimeters the facility.

Passing Sinon her Hecate II he tosses a _Field Surgeons Kit_ onto her lap. Ignoring her questioning look he swings his rifle to his front and prepares to make his way back to the cliffs. The squad info section on the top right shows four grey'd out names and two dark green names. Meaning he lost four of them, and two left the combat area.

"Why?" Her voice was soft and hid a curiosity in her tone.

"That would have been a very dissatisfying end to our fight." Moving further away his voice drops, "and that's not how I wanted you to die." Turning back to face her he orders,

"Use that kit, and get back to the city. It would be embarrassing to die to a mob after all of that. I'll see you around I'm sure, Sinon. Take care of yourself."

[-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-]

Growling in frustration she cannot seem to get any leverage to pry the steel beam off her leg. Her heads up display is blaring at her angrily stating she's taking **DOT** or **D**amage **O**ver **T**ime due to the heat and smoke in the building and that the steel girder that fell on her leg inflicted a **CRIPPLE** onto her, she couldn't stand even if she did get this beam off.

_'Is this how this fight ends? Trapped beneath a burning ruin?'_ Refocusing herself she attempts to figure out a plan to escape this predicament.

"Sinon!" a barely audible shout enters into her hearing. Placing her rifle on the ground beside her she attempts to pull her leg out from under the beam. She's too damaged to risk removing the leg herself and crawling out so it's this or nothing.

"Sinon! You okay?" the voice is a lot closer now and looking back she notices Lasyria standing behind her looking quite relieved surprisingly.

"Does it look like I'm okay?!" she bites out, he nods his head sheepishly at the light chastisement. Groaning slightly at the pressure on her leg she closes her eyes and centres herself.

"Fine, fine, let me get that beam off of you." This surprises her, why would he try to help her out? He's got to be pretty wounded too, he took more of that blast than she did. Eyes narrow in suspicion as she watches him go and lift the beam off her leg. Making use of that opportunity she drags herself from under it.

The bang of the beam being dropped relieves her as she's now free from its crushing grip. "Get out of here Sinon. I'll be right behind you."

"I can't, I got **CRIPPLED **when that beam fell onto my leg. I can't stand."Coughs rip through her as she inhales a mouthful of soot and ash. Eyes watering at the heavy smoke and intense heat in the air she can barely see a thing.

She feels his arms snake under her own and being to lift her into the air slightly. Squealing lightly she squirms and feels her self heat up despite the already incredible heat in the room. She feels him begin to lift her from behind, glowing in embarrassment at needing to be carried out she attempts to make him let her go.

"What are you doing?" In her surprise she doesn't even notice that she left behind her rifle, "Don't touch me there! Put me down!" she struggles against the grip he has on her but with her gimped leg she can't find any purchase to really push from.

"Quiet. Once we're outside I'll let you down okay?" his voice serious and stern as he continues dragging her to the exit, "Now quit talking, you're distracting me." falling silent at his tone she merely tries to help by pushing herself forward with her one good leg.

The dust in the air outside is a welcome sensation as the cool air washes over her when they finally exit the building. Greedily sucking air down her lungs she sighs in relief at being out of that furnace of a building.

Feeling the heavy, familiar, weight of her rifle fall into her hand brings her out of her revery as an accompanying thud follows a _Field Surgeons Kit_ fall into her lap. Those are pretty expensive, like 30,000 credits at NPC merchants.

"Why?" her voice is soft and she is confused, they were enemies? Why would he go through all the effort to drag her out here if not to finish her off?

A slight waiver at the beginning of his answer hints at a lie as he states, "That would have been a very dissatisfying end to our fight." Frowning at the detectable, but not obvious lie he continues on in a voice she isn't sure she's meant to hear,  
"and that's not how I wanted you to die."

Before she has time to question him about his response he ends with, "Use that kit, and get back to the city. It would be embarrassing to die to a mob after all of that. I'll see you around, Sinon. Take care of yourself."

Having said his piece he begins his walk back to the cliffs. Leaving her to try to sort out her myriad of emotions. The more prominent ones are fear, disappointment, confusion, and fatigue.

_'I'll meet you again one day. I'll figure out why you appear to be so strong. Even after all of that you can still leave with a smile?'_ Opening the kit she plays the short mini game required to effectively use the kit. Wrap after wrap is applied and a convenient collapsible splint is used to hold the leg in place and as she finishes tying it off it bursts into light and her **CRIPPLED** status disappears and she regains the ability to walk.

Covered in soot and ash looking more dead than living she begins her walk back to the city. Having collected her thoughts her eyes show her fatigue, yet hidden within is that ever present determination to overcome. She will become strong enough to laugh, one day.

[-][-][-]

Sighing happily as his wounds miraculously disappear upon entering the city he opens his menu and fires off a quick message to Kimiaki.

**Riki,**

**Think you have the time for a quick visit? I think it's time I told you about why I took such interest in you when I first met you at the hospital. It's not something I should say over a message like this, and I feel ready to talk.**

**-Aaron**

Leaning heavily against the back of the bench he awaits her reply. Thinking back on what happened at the factory and why he reacted the way he did makes him frown. _'Well I owe Riki an explanation. She's been really patient with me and now really is the time.'_

Her reply is rapid and short.

**Of course. Visiting hours are over though, I don't know if they will let you in, but I doubt that will stop you, it never has before. I'll see you soon.**

Satisfied with the response he closes his message menu and thumbs over the log out. A momentary hesitation is quickly passed when he swipes his thumb across and logs out.

[-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-]

Walking through the front doors the clock states that its 10:13PM, briskly marching up to the receptionists desk he declares. "Hello. I'm here to visit an in-patient. Her name is, Sariaki Toshedo, she should be in the recovery ward." His response is short yet polite.

"Sir, I'm sorry but visiting hours are over. You are going to need to come back tomorrow during visiting hours. Which are from 2:00PM till 9:30PM." was the apparently practiced and rehearsed reply.

"Look, Miss Ayumu, I know you are only doing your job, but please. It's very important I get in to see her it will not take long." Hearing her heave a sigh she replies in a much more hushed tone,

"Aaron, I know how important she is to you but really, I can't keep covering for you all the time. I'm going to get into trouble." Her stern facade is beginning to crack. Smelling weakness, _Empathy,_ he presses onward.

"Please, It's important. I'll make it up to you okay?" Finally breaking she whispers,

"Okay. Fine. Here's a pass, but be quick and be subtle, don't draw attention and leave as soon as you are able." Quickly peeking around she shoves a special visitors pass into his hands and ushers him to the elevators.

Reaching the 4th floor he enters the recovery ward he makes his way over to Riki's room, as a long term patient she has a private room. Knocking gently at the door he waits for permission to enter. The door doesn't lock but it's still polite to be asked to enter. Receiving the permission he wanted he quickly opens the door and enters, closing it behind him.

"Aaron. It's good to see you." Her hidden smile still finds a way to brighten the room. Shifting further back in the bed so she can lean against the back she rests her head against the wall as she looks to Aaron whom's taken a seat at his usual spot beside the bed.

"Hey Riki. How is rehab going? They still working you real hard?" Groaning pitifully she sinks further into her bed. "Well Riki, how long till they think you can walk unassisted?"

Rolling her eyes at the question Sariaki mutters, "Another couple of months. It's always a couple of months. But that's boring. Let's talk about what you wanted to talk about?"

Nodding Aaron moves to sit on the bed. "Well Sariaki, I guess it's finally time I told you why you interested me so much the first time we met." Staying silent at the mention of their meeting she urges him on with her eyes,

"I had only been in Japan for a few weeks before I met you. I had to leave home, there was nothing there for me anymore." Staring into the wall he pushes on,

"I left home because my home burnt to ashes in a house fire. My Mother and my Sister were both home at the time. When I got to the house it was already an inferno. I had to make a choice Sariaki. Whom do I go for first? My mother was on the second floor in her bedroom last I knew and my sister was having a nap on the couch in the living room."

The bed shifts slightly as Sariaki moves closer. "I went after Laura first. I know mum would have wanted that. When I found her in the smoky burning wreck she was unconscious on the couch. She wouldn't wake up so I lifted her off the couch and dragged her outside. She wasn't breathing when I got her outside so I started chest compressions. It took the fire department another three minutes to arrive."

His voice is strangely level, "It seemed a heck of a lot longer than that at the time. Well, after they arrived they took over and after a few more minutes they looked to one another and shook their head. Dragging a tarp over her they covered her corpse, around that time they pulled their men out of the house."

She sits there in silence as he continues, "In the end I wasn't able to save either of them from that fire. The house collapsed soon after. They guided me to an ambulance and started to check me for smoke inhalation. It was only when I sat down on the ambulance that they noticed my terribly burned legs. I didn't even feel them, even after they brought my attention to them."

Keeping a short distance from him Sariaki is confused. "I was scared. Not because my house burnt to ashes but because I felt nothing about it. I didn't feel sad that my family had burned, I didn't feel angry, I didn't feel guilty. I felt nothing."

Her eyes widen slightly as her brow furrows, "They told me it was shock, that it would soon pass. As such they basically forced me to see a psychiatrist once a week until they felt I had recovered. That was over eight months ago."

"Aaron, why did you bring this up now?" Her reply was expected as he prepared his answer,

"What motivated me to talk to you is that I was reminded of that time today in GGO. I was hunting the Hecate when our battlefield burst into flame. I went back in to get her out, at least this time I saved her." turning away from her he whispers, "That's not how I want her to die."

The confusion in her eyes at the end of the statement goes ignored as he continues his story, "After the fire I turned to VR as a means of feeling something. If I couldn't feel in real life, maybe I could in virtual reality. GGO was where I went to first and the game really spoke to me." Sighing he rises from the bed to pace,

"That is when, what my psychiatrist would call, my 'obsessions' began. He claimed it was my way of coping with the fire, I would find a topic and for whatever reason it would become all consuming. Many times they've tried to break me of that habit but it's never worked so far."

Reaching the far end of the room he turns about and starts to walk back towards the bed. "The drugs they have me on don't fix anything. I consider myself lucky if I can feel anything when I wake up, they make me physically numb. With VR I never had to worry about that, I would always feel in VR regardless of real life, and I guess that comforted me." Still speaking with a level, almost detached tone he elaborates,

"In GGO I could be someone completely different. As I built Lasyria's personality and story I began to identify more as Lasyria, and less as Aaron. The sensations I feel as Lasyria are more intense, more desirable than those I experience as Aaron. So he became my first obsession."

Stopping his relentless pacing at the foot of her bed he looks to her again, "If I'm going too fast or you grow bored let me know and I'll stop."

"Uh, no I'm okay. Please continue." was her soft reply her tone is a little cautious,

"Over the months I began to really flesh him out. I started building a back-story, creating memories, motivations, contacts and acquaintances, and as more and more detail began to build on him my obsession grew. It was no longer just in GGO that I would focus on him, it would be when I let my mind wander, eventually it became nearly every waking moment."

Her eyes grow a little darker as she becomes lost in her own thoughts, about who she is an what she wants to be. Pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts he finishes,

"He is still an on-going project and all my obsessions revolve around him. One other obsession that grew as I developed Lasyria would be my fascination with death. Being an elite marksman Lasyria needs to know a variety of ways in which a man can be killed. I studied anatomy, not to the level a doctor would but enough to know where to do the most damage with the least amount of force."

At this her eyes widen as she gasps silently. "Don't misunderstand, I don't _want_ to kill, being around death is enough for me. Virtual death is enough. When I realised that Death Gun managed to actually kill someone in game it immediately became another focus for my obsession on death. That's why I need to go after him. I need to know how he did it, I need to know why he did it, and once I have all my answers, then I need to kill him."

His mouth splits into a small grin unknowingly at discussing his most recent obsession. Shaking lightly Sariaki speaks up,

"Leave." her tone is quiet yet her fear is apparent

"Oh?" his confusion barely noticeable through his detached tone, "What's wrong?"

"Leave. Now." her tone is stronger as her fear begins to build,

"Sariaki, whats wrong?" His tone is incredibly similar to his earlier ones but this has a hint of concern,

"Leave! Right Now! I won't be a target for your 'death obsession!' I'm not going to be used for your sick fantasy. Get out!" By now her tone is becoming much louder.

"Sariaki. You aren't a target of my obsession in that way, if I wanted you dead I would have left you to bleed to death in that bed when you tried to kill yourself."

The tension that fills the room is soul crushing. The tick of the clock on the wall is the only noise that breaks the silence as his words seem to chill the air.

Whispering this time she mentions one last time, "Get out."

His breath catching in his throat he nods quietly and moves to leave the room. He whispers, "Good night, and sorry."

The door shuts with a click that in the silent, dead, halls sounds more like a bang.

As he moves towards the elevators he feels something real for the first time in months, regret.

[-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-]

Next chapter is going to focus more on Kirito and Sinon as well as the fallout of Aaron's last interaction with Kimiaki and his growing obsession to find Death Gun.


End file.
