Two weeks had passed since I have began hunting the Laughing Coffin. We left Noroshi with Lisbeth, to not involve him in the onslaught. The hunt has been endless, slaughtering Coffin member after Coffin member that we come across. The info we have is minimal but we have been making due, the info that we seek now is to find the man with the cleaver Itsuki The Butcher.
"Are you sure that guy gave you the right info, we have been walking for five days, Midnight, FIVE" Itashi complained as he dragged his weapon behind him, "I am sure he gave me good info, but we will never be sure unless we go see, and its not like we can ask again...Ya know since he is dead" I reply and put my arm around Yamada. She smiles, but looks exhausted, "Honestly Midnight, I think we need to break, I am not sure how much longer I can take of this walking" Yamada says with a sigh. I nodded, seeing my team being run down and nearly dead from exhaustion, "There is a town a bit further up, we'll stop there and rest" they sighed in relief. The town was small and only had three or four houses and a tavern. The tavern was red and made of oak, it looked like something from Skyrim, with a Nordic design, blue and white shields lined the exterior roof. We slept in shifts, knowing we had no safe zone to protect us, I let them sleep first. I spun my daggers in my hands by the loops, "How long will this continue" I sighed and looked out the window, "As long as it takes to beat this damn game" Itashi sat up and puts his hand on my shoulder. I looked back to him and smiled, "Not with your clumsy skills" we laughed quietly. Some days this world makes you wish for a means to an end, so when you have a chance to smile take it... Or you will slowly lose your sanity. I went and laid with Yamada and cuddled her, drifting to sleep quickly. My mind hasn't been a safe place to be since we got attacked, but occasionally my dreams take me there. It was pitch black except for one single light from a torch being held by Yamada, she turned and smiled at me. Her lips moved but no words came out, I could only make out three words, "We did it" a skull mask came over her shoulder with a cleaver and all I could hear was a maniacal laughter as he sliced her throat open. I screamed and tried to to go towards her but she only got further away. Yamada shook me awake, both her and Itashi stood beside me and looked concerned.
"Fugiyama, a-are you alright" Yamada caressed my cheek and Itashi looked at me, "You look like you saw some heavy shit man, you are pale" I sat up and sighed, "Its n-nothing, lets get moving" I stood up and straightened my outfit. We returned to our journey trekking through the snowy forest, fighting monsters, people, and the elements. After three days of walking we finally made it, it was a gray beaten castle destroyed from war, shattered ballistas, smoldering shields, and ashen armor laid strown across the walls and grounds surrounding the gates,
"Pretty befitting the Laughing Coffin" Itashi scoffed as he took his sword out, it gleamed between the ash and smoke in the air, "Yeah but for a..." Yamada went to speak and I covered her mouth pointing to movement along the tops of the wall. She gripped her hammer and held it on her shoulder, motioning for them to stay closer to me. We stayed in a tight, back-to-back formation. A line of arrows flew into the ground around us, I gripped my blades and looked up to see a dark figures lining the wall, "Its good to finally meet the man killing us across Aincrad" A cleaver gleamed from atop the wall an came closer to the edge a sickening smile and red eyes grew upon his face as he looked down at us. He began to cackle the rest of the figures staying quiet, "Well I am touched you went through the trouble to meet lil' ol' me" he tapped the knife against the wall and a man stood up from an ash pile in front of the castle gate, "Satsujin-sha kill them" The man covered in ash nodded and more men stood up from the ash. The man named Satsujin-sha wore a heavy armor patterned to make it look like it was made of faces, each more gruesome than the last, crimson paint lining their teeth and eyes, his helmet was lined with fingers and hands as if they were reaching for mercy. Satsujin-sha dragged a battle-axe from the ash and flung it onto his shoulder glaring down at us as he stepped closer, "Ta ta plague boy" he cackled loudly as he walked away from the edge of the wall. I gritted my teeth under my mask, Yamada bumped me, "Take the big guy we can cover you" her and Itashi scattered and began fighting furiously against the laughing coffin members. I looked to Satsujin-sha and spun my blades activating my chains, he laughed deeply, "Showing off won't get you far!" he exclaimed as he swung his axe at me. I leaned back and watched his blade graze the tip of my mask, I acted quickly began slashing at him, but it was no use. He was fast he met my slashes with blocks from his axe.
"You're fast for a big guy" I said as I kicked off his chest and slashed across his helmet, "And you are pretty stupid for a little guy" He clasped his hand around my chain and pulled me into his axe, it driving deep into my stomach. I stumbled away and looked at my health, he had cut my health down by half with one hit, his health was only a sliver down as if I hadn't hit him at all. He twirled his axe and began swinging the axe at me hit after hit my health dropping quickly, my mask flew off and I smirked. "You haven't been paying attention" I said as Yamada came in from the side and slammed him in the back with her hammer, Itashi following up with a slash against his back. They helped me up as I drank a health potion, "Watch it, he hits hard and takes hits like a damn tank" I said as I wrapped a greek fire bottle in my chains. Satsujin-sha Stood up and breathed heavily, his health at half, moving quickly he swung his axe, slicing Yamada in the side and she tumbled to the ground. Enraged I rushed forward attacking him with Itashi at my side, making sure not to shatter the bottle yet. My rage blinding me as I attacked, Itashi getting slammed and kneed to the ground. Satsujin-sha Clasped my neck and flung me to the ground, time almost coming to a stop as I glanced at my health, just a sliver left, I watched as Satsujin-sha began to bring his axe down on me. I looked over to Yamada and a tear went down my cheek. Suddenly someone punched me in the face, "Fugiyama.." I looked in front of me and Itashi was over me with an axe through his chest and his health dropping quickly, "Kill... Every... Last... One... Of..." his body shattered and faded away, his sword dropping to the ground as he died. My face changed to a glare of pain and anguish, I stood up and began slicing into Satsujin-sha faster and faster, "You bastard!" I screamed as I wrapped my chain around him and kicked him to the ground. Satsujin-sha struggled and tried to get up as I picked up Itashi's sword and planted my foot against his head, "This is for Shinsuo, you son of a bitch!" I forced the sword through his chest and back into the bottle of Greek fire, it shattered on contact and his mouth opened screaming as the blue flame came out of his eyes and mouth. He shattered and the fire faded, I fell to me knees and began to weep hugging the sword tightly, "Shinsuo!!" I cried out as I looked up, Yamada crawled over to me and hugged me tightly as I wept, Shinsuo's words ringing through my head... Kill every last one.
