Sword Art Online: The Crystal Swordsman

Hunted

Cat Sith, Turquoise, Sharp: Sinon

"Hey, Asuna. Hows it going?" I asked.

"No luck here. It seems not many players have ever heard of him in this city. How is it on your end?" Asuna responded.

"It's going okay. Seems like he's a wanted criminal over here." I told her.

"That's great news for us!" Asuna assumed I was getting plenty of info.

"Not exactly. I keep getting leads that turn out to be fake." I wiped my face with my hands and look straight up to the roof of the building I was leaning on.

I noticed a strange dark cloaked figure looking down at me from the roofs edge. I got off the wall and stood back to get a better look at him. His stare on me didn't break as the dark shadows covered his eyes.

"Well hey, cheer up! He's bound to show up somewhere." Asuna assured me.

"I think he just did." I answered.

"What?? Tail him!" Asuna didn't have to tell me twice.

The cloaked figure started running away and began jumping from building to building. He was trying to lose me but he didn't know he was dealing with a Cat Sith. I followed him from the ground until I lost sight of him but I jumped onto a carriage and kicked off it to throw myself onto the roof of a nearby building. I saw the player running on a long stretch of a rooftop and I sprinted to catch up to him quickly. With my Cat speed, I tackled him off of the building into the street below with a loud thud. Crowds started looking at me and him as I removed his hood from his head. The player was scruffy and had short blonde hair as he held hands up in guilt. This wasn't the Crystal Swordsman at all, just some stupid fanboy. I sent a straight punch to his chin and stood up to walk away.

"Wrong guy. All this searching feels so useless." I acted as if none of that just happened.

"I agree. I'm going to head back to the house." Asuna told me.

"Me too. I'll see you there soon." I face palmed myself lightly and shook my head.

I opened the house front door to see everyone sitting down in the comfortable living room seats.

"Any luck?" Kirito asked.

"Just a place to start. This all feels so pointless." I leaned against a wall.

"I don't want to stress you guys out over something I saw." Leafa told us.

"Oh, really? Seems like you're stressin' everyone out." Lizbeth spoke the hard truth.

"That's not nice, Lizzy!" Silica yelled.

"What? I'm just being honest." Liz shrugged her arms.

"Liz is right. We're all stressed out right now. We should take a break." Asuna admitted.

"In that case, I'm gonna to head out. GGO Super Soldiers Tournament I gotta start." I told everyone.

"Shootin' some bad guys oughta clear your mind." Liz remarked.

"Damn right." I replied.

"We'll see you soon then." Kirito waved goodbye.

"Good luck!" Asuna smiled and waved before I logged out.

In the blink of an eye, you can go from one world to another; as if the very fabric of reality was at your fingertips. From a world of swords and magic, to a corrupt city of guns. However, this choice is in the eye of the beholder and can turn on a dime at any moment. These worlds have room for endless possibilities and they constantly evolve around the players that indulge in them. It goes even further when you have friends around to aid you in your daring escapades. Only then, will you realize the true meaning of the virtual world around you. It's not about the gold, it's about the glory.