From Swordsman to Assassin

Chapter 2: A Blade in the Crowd

"So what do you think, Agil?" Kirito asked. "Do you have a high cooking stat? Cause I certainly don't."

"Neither do I to be honest," Agil replied. "Do you know someone who does have a cooking stat high enough?"

"Perhaps someone in the Guild," Kirito said.

"You're part of a guild?" Agil asked, surprise lacing his voice. "Since when?"

"A little over a year now," Kirito replies, his fist clenched tightly around the hilt of one of his cutlasses. "Sorry. I can't tell you anything about the Guild or I will die. Part of the rules of the Guild is that I cannot speak of our work or else I die."

"Seriously?" Agil asked. "Why would you even want to join that kinda guild?"

"Atonement," Kirito replied so quietly that Agil barely heard him.

"Atonement?" Agil asked. "What do you mean?"

Before Kirito could answer, the door to the shop opened and a woman with long orangish-brown hair and hazel eyes wearing a red and white outfit walked in with a man behind wearing the same uniform.

"Asuna!" Kirito said gladly as he dodged a bullet. "Just the person I needed to see."

"Oh?" Asuna said. "And why would you want to see me after all this time?"

"You wouldn't have max cooking stats would you?" he asked her.

"Yes I do," Asuna replied with a smile. "Why?"

He showed her the S-Class meat that he found and the two made a deal that they would share the stew.

"We could cook it at my place, but..." Kirito trailed off.

"But you don't have any cooking utensils at your place right?" Asuna asked him.

Kirito nodded and Asuna smiled. "You can come to my place then!"

"He will not be going anywhere with you Asuna-sama," Kuradeel said before the conversation could get any further.

"And this is?" Kirito asked, ignoring Kuradeel.

Asuna frowned and crossed her arms.

"This is Kuradeel," she replied. "My... bodyguard."

"You don't sound too happy about it," Kirito said.

"You have no idea," Asuna stated, glaring at her bodyguard. "I hate having one."

"It is Guild policy, Asuna-sama," Kuradeel said to the female player. "You can never be too careful."

"Paranoid much?" Kirito asked with a raised eyebrow and calm expression on his face. "Let's go and get this thing cooked. You ready Asuna?"

"Yes," Asuna replied with a smile on her face.

Floor 61, Selmburg October 17th, 2024

As Asuna was cooking, Kirito was reading a message from his Guild Leader. His jaw was clenched and anger flashed in his eyes as he read about a new guild kidnapping kids that were trapped in SAO and using them as monster or boss bait and allowing them to die. Even killing the kids when the guild had no more use for them. Sadly, the guild needed the kidnapper's location and they did not have it. So Kirito had no choice but to sit back and wait for the right moment.

Asuna saw his anger and inquired, "What's wrong Kirito?"

Kirito stared at the message for a moment longer. He then closed his menu and sighed, "Nothing. Just something from my guild."

"Tell me more of this guild of yours," Asuna said. "What the name is and things that you guys do."

"I can't tell you much," Kirito replied, leaning back in his chair. "What I can tell you is that I joined for atonement. Don't ask why, cause I am not going to say. My guild is a small one, but we do good work. Not just clearing Dungeons and beating Bosses, but also helping out other players when they are on the verge of death or even helping out NPCs. We were also the first ones to find the new weapon here."