EQG: Sword Art Online - Aincrad

by Mindrop

Rating: teen
Tags: Crossover, Sunset Shimmer, Main 7 (EqG), Science Fiction, Adventure, Equestria Girls
Length: 424135

The Girls get trapped in the newest video game, Sword Art Online. If you die in the game, you die in real life.

The newest and hottest game on the market is Sword Art Online, or SAO. A VRMMORPG, Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, Sword Art Online takes the player into a virtual reality world of swords and shields. Only 10,000 copies were sold online or in stores. But quickly, things go wrong and the fight goes from fun, to survival.

To escape the game of death, the game must be cleared. All 100 floors of the floating iron castle, known as Aincrad, must be conquered. If you die in game, you die in real life. The NerveGear will fry your brain. The same goes if the NerveGear is removed while you are in the game, you die.

Sword Art Online is a game of swords and shields with no magic. The game isn't designed to handle their Equestrian Magic. Sunset Shimmer must make sure that her friends and guildmates escape the game, or at least survive long enough until the game is defeated.

This story is a Serial Novel Society story: Updates will be at least on a weekly, Tuesday, basis.

*Pre-knowledge of Sword Art Online is not required. The Pilot Episode covers all you need to know.
**First Featured Tuesday, November 12, 2019. Also on 12/3/19, 12/10/19, 01/14/20, 2/11/20, 2/18/20, 2/25/20, 3/3/20, 3/10/20, 3/17/20, 3/24/20, 3/31/20, 4/14/20, 4/21/20, 4/28/20, 5/5/20, 5/19/20, 5/26/20, 6/2/20, 6/9/20, 6/23/2020, 6/30/2020, 7/28/20, 8/4/20, 8/18/20, 8/25/20, 8/27/20, 9/1/20, 9/8/20, 9/15/20, 9/22/20, 9/29/20, 10/20/20, 10/27/20, 11/3/2020, 11/10/20, 11/17/20, 12/1/20, 12/8/20, 12/15/20, 12/22/20, 12/29/20, 1/5/21, 1/19/21, 2/2/21, ICE, 2/23/21, 3/2/21, 3/9/21, 3/16/21, 3/23/21, & 3/30/21.

Want to know what is happening outside the SAO in the real world? There is a story for them! Link to the Asides.

A big thank you to my editor, Void Runner.
A special thanks to SuperSonicHeroes and Wildfiretiremile. Each helped a lot with Beta Reading!
Also, a special Thanks to Badwolf231. He helped me as this project got started.

- Sword Art Online is owned and created by Reki Kawahara.
* Cover Art created with art elements from Orin331, Frye-Medi, and flutterdashrarijack.

Published 2019-09-15 18:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2021-11-17 00:06:46 UTC

Episode 2 - Anneal Blade

Floor 1

November 7

When they woke up a few hours later, there were even more people in the city.

“Team up in pairs and look for quests,” Astro said as they ate breakfast. “They are major boosters for players. Especially starting out.”

They spread out, and searched around for a bit. Bladescape teamed up with Diemond and they entered a two story house. A woman was stirring a pot. She claimed all she had was water to give. Diemond suggested they accept the water so Bladescape said, “Water is fine.”

The Quest, Secret Medicine of the Forest, started.

They had to hunt those Little Nepenthes outside the town until a special one spawned with a flower on top. Killing it would get them the flower, and then they could bring it back so she could make medicine for her daughter. The reward was a one handed sword. They went back to the others with the information.

“Then, we need to activate the quest two more times,” Knightstar said. “I could use it and so could Thunderborne.”

“Then we set up in three parties,” Bladescape declared.

“I call Astro!” Thunderborne exclaimed. “The two of us can handle them.”

“Alright,” Bladescape said. “Diemond and Doombunny can come with me. Knightstar, Backbreaker, and AFCK can be the third team.”

“It’s going to have a low spawn rate,” Astro warned. “But I suggest we stay together in the area. And before we go, we need to go to that shop and have our gear repaired. As soon as one party gets the flower, we can adjust our parties back to fours.”

It was back out to the forest to the west of the city to hunt those nightmarish plants.

“RAAAGH!” Bladescape yelled as she severed the stalk of yet another beast. They had been been doing it for two hours and not a single plant had flowered. They all had leveled up to Level 3 and they had almost been swarmed a few times and killed. There was a third variation of the Little Nepenthes. It had a sack on the top. If you popped it, it spread a gas that attracted all the others in the area. After the first mistake, they were a lot more careful. Thankfully it had a low spawn rate.

Diemond and Backbreaker were useless outside of their shield. Their weapons were not very effective against the monsters. The same for Astro’s spear. Thunderborne’s Sprint skill was the only reason the two of them were doing so well.

A new Little Nepenthes spawned on the fringes of Bladescape’s vision. She noticed it because of her search skill. On it was the flower they needed. It was through the trees a bit more.

“Doom,” Bladescape yelled. “Finish those two with Diemond. I see one. I’ll get it while you two distract them.”

Bladescape dashed off through the bushes over to the flowering monster. One of the branches lashed out in a deadly strike. Bladescape slid along the ground, under the jab. She set her sword in the position for Horizontal as she came out of the slide. Her sword glowed and connected perfectly with the stalk. The plant reeled and Bladescape was able to drive another one home before she had to jump back out of the way.

Two more spawned in the area and She blocked another stab with a branch.

“AAAAARGH!!!!” Diemond yelled as she rammed her shield into the flowering plant.

Doombunny rolled out from behind Diemond and made three quick slashes at the stalk. The plant’s HP was almost gone. Bladescape leaped in and swept her sword a third time where it destroyed the last bit of HP left. The Little Nepenthes exploded in a burst of colorful polygons.

As Bladescape got the notification the flower dropped into her storage, Diemond was blocking another Little Nepenthes. This one had the deadly pouch off it.

“POISON SACK!” Bladescape yelled. “DON’T HIT IT!

Bladescape let the two of them handle that one while she faced off against the second. She deflected a stab by the vine and activated Horizontal. It was a clean strike to the weak point, scoring critical hit points against the plant.

A burst of polygons exploded behind Bladescape. She glanced back, checking that it wasn’t Diemond or Doombunny. Doombunny was crouched low in front of the burst. She had slipped in and done major damage with the knife. It was good to see her growing a backbone. She was going to need to be assertive to survive.

Bladescape took a vine stab full force. She had stopped paying attention. She watched the HP at on top of her vision slip into the red as her body hit the ground. The pain was quite real now that this was a game of death. One more hit and she was dead.

The plant pulled back and drove another stab at her.

THUD!

Diemond was leaping over Bladescape when the vine had connected with her shield instead of finishing off it’s target. Doombunny slid up to Bladescape.

“Oh Sunset, don’t worry. I’ve got you.” Bladescape got the vial to her lips with help from Doombunny and drank it down. Doombunny’s First Aid skill was only good for herself, but it still helped to have someone administer the potion to Bladescape. Her HP would slowly recharge. It wasn’t an automatic restoration.

“A little help here darlings,” Diemond said as she took two more heavy strikes on her shield. “Speed things up will you!”

All three of their health bars were in the yellow. Bladescape could see them in the top left hand corner of her vision because they were in a party.

“I’ll go right, you go left,” Bladescape ordered Doombunny.

Bladescape stumbled up and moved to the left. Doombunny had moved to right behind Diemond. Bladescape drove a solid Horizontal into the Little Nepenthes.

“Switch!” Bladescape called.

Doombunny was already in motion. She dashed out low, ducking under another strike from the leafy vine.

“AAAAHHH!!!” Her knife glowed purple and She cut across the stalk in a near perfect strike. Almost immediately it glowed again and she sliced backwards against in scoring a critical strike. Three more times she viciously slashed the stalk until it burst into polygons.

“Dang, Fluttershy,” Bladescape stammered. “You are earning your name.”

“You really think so?” She asked in her usual meager voice. It didn’t fit the ferocity they had just seen.

“Absolutely darling. You are not letting fear control you.”

“I keep asking myself what would Angel Bunny do? It’s why I named myself Doombunny. You know, a little extra umph along with bunny. He steered me in the right direction.” Doombunny froze. “Oh no! What will my animals do without me.”

“That’s what we are doing,” Bladescape said, putting her hand on Doombunny’s shoulder for support. “We are fighting hard to escape this game so you can go back to them. Family and friends will take good care of them while we are here.”

Doombunny took a deep breath in and exhaled sharply. “I will not stay in here for a day longer than I have to. I will become the strongest player for them! You know, if um, that’s okay. Because Rainbow Dash and Applejack want that.”

“Darling,” Diemond said pulling Doombunny in for a hug. “We all will become the strongest we can be in our own, individual, and special way. As much as those two will make it into a competition, its not so long as we stay together and support each other. We will become the strongest we can together, as a guild.”

“Enough sentimentality,” Bladescape said. “We need to get back to the others and support them. Diemond and Doombunny, go help Astro and Thunderborne. I’ll join the others.”

“Good plan!” Diemond exclaimed. “Even Dash has to be getting tired right now. I certainly am.”

They charged off to where there friends were fighting. Bladescape saw that Knightstar was fighting a Little Nepenthes on her own, using her shield and sword combination tactic to her own advantage. Backbreaker was holding off another with her shield and AFCK was hopping around, hacking a third to pieces. Even in game, her ability to bounce around was amazing. It was second nature to her. All three of them had low HP as well.

Backbreaker was focused on blocking her friends from getting swarmed. Knightstar wasn’t doing so well on her own, focusing on her shield too much. And AFCK could use a little more focus on attacks, rather than hops. When the plant in front of her exploded in a burst of polygons, Backbreaker was shocked. Relief set in when she saw that behind it was Bladescape.

“Go help Knightstar! I’ll deal with AFCK!” Bladescape said before dashing off towards her hopping friend.

“PINKIE!” Bladescape yelled. “Focus!”

“What! Oooooh, sorry. I keep forgetting this game, isn’t a fun game anymore.”

AFCK slid to a stop and parried the attacking vine. Bladescape took the opportunity to dash in with another Horizontal. The Little Nepenthes focused on her.

“SWITCH!” AFCK giggled as she hopped in and drove the axe home on the stalk’s weak point.

It exploded and the two of them rushed off to help Knightstar and Backbreaker. Backbreaker switched with Knightstar as she deflected a strike. Backbreaker’s war hammer connected with the stalk of the plant. It wouldn’t deal as much damage as a cutting strike, but it was enough to knock the last of the HP off the plant.

“Drink potions,” Bladescape said. “We need to bring our HP up while we have this lull. Then let’s go help the others.”

They heard the cheers of their friends as they moved out.

“WE GOT ONE!” Thunderborne announced to her friends, unsure of where exactly they were in the forest.

They all gathered around, and the others drank potions as they reorganized themselves into two parties of four. Their equipment was taking a beating, but they could hold out for a little bit longer.

“We leveled up,” Thunderborne said.

“So did we,” Bladescape added. “I think we all did, to Level 4. Doombunny is earning her name, for her animals she can’t protect and care for because she is trapped here.”

“Yes! I will become the strongest I can! I’ll do my best to be better than Dash and AJ. Oh, I mean Thunderborne and Backbreaker. If that’s alright?”

Thunderborne crossed her arms with a cocky smile. “Come on, Doombunny, we welcome the challenge. From all of you. Right, Backbreaker?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, y’all,” Backbreaker said, trying to tip her nonexistent hat.

They all laughed at her failure. More of the beasts spawned in the area, ending their break.

“We need to cut down as many as we can,” Astro said. “Fight smart, work together, but we have to be aggressive.”

“I estimate that their flower variant spawn rate percentage is 1% or less,” Knightstar said. “But we got two of them. We can get this third in the next two hours if we work on it correctly.”

Bladescape was working in a pair with Knightstar while Backbreaker and AFCK were watching their backs. Bladescape and Knightstar were soon switching in and out in a good rhythm. They were dealing with a sack version and getting tired. Bladescape jumped back and got her blade in between her and the vine's strike for a rudimentary, unassisted, block. With a yell Knightstar switched in, finishing the plant.

“FLOWER!” Diemond yelled.

Bladescape nodded to Knightstar and they ran to where Diemond and Doombunny were working. “COMING!” Bladescape yelled back.

With the four of them they easily took down its HP. Diemond got a strong hit in right before Knightstar finished it off.

“RETREAT!” Bladescape ordered.

Everyone but Thunderborne and Astro joined them. Those two were beset by four beasts and were unable to retreat. They had been trying to fall back for a while, but they were pinned. Two of the Little Nepenthes had sacks. At least they had a stand of trees at their backs for security.

“WONDERCOLTS! CHARGE!” Bladescape ordered.

Their yells drew the aggro of two of the plants. With two less paying attention to them, Thunderborne quickly dispatched one with the sack and then eight on three immediately turned to eight on zero.

“Let’s go!” Bladescape panted. “No time to wait. We need to get back to the village’s safe zone.”

They followed Bladescape. Her search ability helped them avoid almost all of the beasts until they were back to the safety of the village.

“Ah, so good to be out of those woods,” Thunderborne panted. “I thought we were finished back there. I was solidly in the red.”

“Same,” Astro added.

They headed over to the woman who gave the quest. One by one they turned the flowers in. Each time she mixed it into the medicine she needed for her daughter and took it upstairs to her. The break was nice. In the end, Bladescape, Knightstar, and Thunderborne all had the Anneal Blade, a low level special sword with the ability to have 8 Enhancements added. Enhancements would require a strong enough smith to add them.

“It’s late,” Astro said as they exited the hut. The sun was almost gone. “We need to fix our gear, restock health potions, eat, and then head to bed. Besides, this place is getting busy. With eight of us and those new blades, we can move to the next town. There we can find new quests and higher level monsters.”

“I think we did pretty good for Col and XP,” Thunderborne said, looking at her menu.

“So do I, y’all,” Backbreaker added.

“We didn’t do badly,” Knightstar affirmed. “And their drop items were not shabby. But Astro is right. We need to move on as soon as we can. We did well taking out these monsters. The next will be tough, but with eight of us, the safety margin is decently high. And these Anneal Blade swords will certainly carry the three of us up quite a few levels.”

They got two rooms in the inn before they were all rented out. Dinner was meager. They bought the last of the potions available and then repaired their gear. It was another crammed night in the rooms. But it felt safe being together in the same room.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 4 – One-Handed Sword - Search

Knightstar (TS): Lvl 4 – One-Handed Sword - Shield

Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 4 – One-Handed Sword - Sprint

Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 4 – Shield – One-Handed War Hammer

AFCK (PP): Lvl 4 – One-Handed Axe - Parry

Diemond (R): Lvl 4 – Shield - Mace

Doombunny (FS): Lvl 4 – Knife – First Aid

Astro (PS): Lvl 4 – Short Spear - Purchase Negotiation

Episode 3 - Leader

Floor 1

November 8

They arrived at Media after another tough day of fighting. They each had gotten up to Level 5 from their race to get to the village. It was bigger than Horunka by quite a bit, with a decent town square surrounded by stone walled, thatch roofed buildings. They rented rooms in the Inn, ate at a tiny pub, and crashed.

The next morning they headed out to fight in the field once again. The goal was to "grind" Experience and Col in an effort to get as far as they could in the area. Astro and Knightstar deemed it far enough ahead of the rest of the players to gain a good amount of XP quickly.

Bladescape charged the giant boar and activated Vertical Arc, slicing up through the boar's hide. It exploded in a splash of polygons and it gave Bladescape a moment to catch her breath.

All around in the fields they were tag teaming these giant boars. The biggest advantage they were gaining wasn't XP or Col, it was the tactics. They had learned a lot from the Little Nepenthes, but that was a very tough fight where they were trying to kill as many of them as possible. Now they could focus on the switching tactics and getting their tanks to properly position themselves.

It was grueling and boring work, but all of them could train their weapons. Astro's spear was very effective and Diemond's mace and Backbreaker's hammer dealt critical damage to the boar's heads with ease.

"Spawning Boar!" Knightstar said, bringing Bladescape back to reality.

It didn't take them long to kill the beast. Block, switch, strike, block, switch, strike, repeat.

A window popped up and fanfare played as they leveled up again. Bladescape heard more fanfare and realized the other party had leveled up. That put them at level 6. They gathered together once again.

"What should we do?" Diemond asked. "For our third skills."

"There is nearly an unlimited number of skills," Knightstar said, reading the guidebook they had gotten at the Media General Store for free. Beta testers had been assembling the information. It was updating every few hours.

"We need to pick skills that will either directly benefit combat or the guild," Astro advised. "If this was a…well a normal game, I would suggest doing whatever makes the game more fun for you. Still, some of you would do more combat oriented skills, others would find crafting more to your liking."

"Ooo!” Diemond squealed. “Is there a skill for making better armor and clothes? Things that we can all look gorgeous in?"

"They won't have sequins and rhinestone here," Bladescape warned Diemond.

"Here it is," Knightstar said. "There are several different types of crafting skills for weapons, armor and clothes."

"Yes!" Diemond exclaimed, clapping her hands and practically dancing. "Then I will make us all fabulous armor to start. Blue and Yellow for our colors."

"Its probably going to take a while till you are high enough level to benefit us," Astro advised. "And if you are one of our tanks, we will need you out with us fighting more than crafting."

"Oh, I'll find the time for both," Diemond said, waving it off. "I always do."

"I call acrobatics!" Thunderborne declared.

“It's not a competition," Bladescape smiled. "More than one of us could focus on the skills."

"Oh!" AFCK exclaimed as she hopped around. Her menu window was forced to follow her like a puppy.

"What is it AFCK?" Bladescape asked, chuckling.

"Well, you know how the food here is so bland? I looked for baker, but there was no baker. Not yet at least, then I looked for chef but there was no chef then I said duh, and looked for sprinkles, but that was a no go too so I was scrolling along looking for taffy and found cooking as a skill. So I get to make us all tasty treats to eat in between fighting!"

AFCK reached into her springy pink hair and then frowned. In this virtual world, there were none of her usual treats stashed in it. And most likely, she couldn't store any in there either. Even if she could, their durability would run out before she ate most of them. Bladescape was unsure how long some of her treats were stored in her hair. Rarity avoided the topic with Pinkie Pie entirely.

"That gives us a cook and a craftsman," Bladescape said. "It's a long list of skills available. We don't have to set our next skill right now. It's better than having to reset one later."

"Yes!” Astro exclaimed, playing with her menu. “Armor Pierce is unlocked. I’ll need that for my spear.”

“Appraisal,” Knightstar absentmindedly said. “I think equipment appraisal is a good idea. It will let us know exactly what we get.”

“Well would you look at that,” Backbreaker said scratching her head. “I have on my list this one called Extended Weight Carry.”

“I don’t see that one,” Thunderborne said. “Why don’t I see it?”

“I don’t see it in the list either,” Knightstar said. “I guess you got ahead in that respect.”

“Its got to be strength based,” Astro added, sliding through her menu. “At this point, you have the best strength numbers out of all of us. Maybe Diemond is close.”

“Its not on my list,” Diemond said, a bit disappointed. “Although I am not trying to be the strongest player. I am not a part of their silly feud.”

They hunted giant boars for a few more hours and then went back to Media.

After dinner, Thunderborne spoke up. “I think I am going to go for a run.”

“What?” Bladescape said, the first to respond for all of their shock.

“Yeah, this skill needs more practice. I’ll only run. Run and run, training the Sprint Skill so that I can go faster.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Bladescape said. “Go ahead. Just stay out of trouble and don’t take any risks.”

“I’m going to spend my money and start cooking!” AFCK exclaimed.

“I guess this is where we separate a bit,” Knightstar said. “As long as we stay in town, we will be safe.”

“Then I am off to find some materials,” Diemond said, clapping.

Bladescape looked at her skill menu. She had plugged in Weapon Defense. It wasn’t something she could train in town. It was slightly different than Parry. Parry was offense oriented, while weapon defense was defense oriented.

“Come on,” Astro said to Bladescape and Backbreaker. “Lets slip just outside of town, just enough to work on our new weapon skills.”

“But. Isn’t that cheating?” Bladescape asked.

“Yeah,” Backbreaker said. “We all said we would be staying together. As friends.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean we should stop enhancing ourselves,” Astro argued. “Their non combat skills will get them Level XP as well. So we need to focus on what we can do. It’s going to be the three of us, plus Thunder, in the bulk of the fighting. I can tell by how we were grinding this afternoon as to who would fall into what roles.

“As a guild, we can be well balanced. But balancing us too spread out won’t help clear this game. It’s not hard to get locked up in stuff like cooking and crafting, and let your combat skills slip. And the higher level we get, the harder it will be for them to do anything for us with lower level crafting. If we push ourselves individually, we can support the others on the higher floors by just being a little ahead of them. This is an MMORPG. None of you have played them enough to understand. Nothing is ever equal. You can always be stronger, faster, and better. Individual strength for us will only help the guild as a whole.”

“Alright,” Bladescape said with a nod. She sent a message to the others, letting them know they were going to be training outside the village. The others quickly replied with the affirmative.

As Sunset Shimmer struggled against a boar, which she was blocking with Weapon Defense by locking her sword out against it’s tusks, she realized that Astro was right. The stronger, the faster, and the better she could be, the strong the guild would be. She vowed to herself to train as long and as hard as she could, every day. Even if that meant forgoing some sleep. Sleep didn’t matter if one of her friends died.

Fluttershy was becoming skilled with that knife, but she would need more to survive. Rainbow Dash would become a veteran swordswoman soon enough, but her focus on speed would require a strong partner to allow her to dart in and strike at the most opportune time. Astro was a big help, but she hadn’t abandoned the game part of the death game. She would be mentally compromised until she could overcome that block. AJ was going to be a strong Tank, but she was going to need an equally strong partner in any venture who could actually deal the damage while she blocked her friends from damage. Rarity was probably going to get distracted with making things, and Pinkie Pie was already distracted enough. Cooking was her focus in real life, cooking would be her focus here. Twilight was going to be calculating their risk and planning strategies too much. A valuable asset to the guild, but she was still meek when it came to engaging an enemy.

It was up to Sunset Shimmer, Bladescape, to make sure her friends got out alive. It was up to her to make sure they all stayed together, as one. They were the Wondercolts, even Astro, and they needed a leader. They deserved the strongest leader Sunset Shimmer could make herself into.

Sunset Shimmer didn’t like to lose.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 6 – One-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense

Knightstar (TS): Lvl 6 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal

Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 6 – One-Handed Sword – Sprint – Agility

Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 6 – Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry

AFCK (PP): Lvl 6 – One-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking

Diemond (R): Lvl 6 – Shield – Mace – Armor Smith

Doombunny (FS): Lvl 6 – Knife – First Aid – Hide

Astro (PS): Lvl 6 – Short Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce

Episode 4 - Generosity

Floor 1

December 3

Tolbana was the largest town on the first floor, ignoring the massive Town of Beginnings. A month in this death game and the players hadn’t fared well. A fifth had died, too many by suicide, and they were still on the 1st Floor. Many were doubting if they could actually beat it. At this rate, even Bladescape was unsure.

The others were lagging behind as they walked through the windmills that surrounded and made up the city. They had only been here a few days. The inn spaces were taken up, so they were renting a room in a farmer’s house.

Their leveling had slowed as they gained ranks. They had just hit level 10 an hour ago. The toughest monsters they could farm only gave so much XP, and the required XP was greater than the level before it. Still, they were improving. And from what Bladescape could tell, their levels were above most of the players.

Knightstar was tracking their individual levels and calculating how best for them to improve. Especially when it came to crafting and cooking. Just because she could cook something higher didn’t mean AFCK should be. Some resources were harder to get, and some recipes required less.

AFCK could cook the small loaf of bread twice as fast as she could bake the large loaf. The large loaf required twice the ingredients, but only gave 25% more XP than the small loaf. In short, AFCK could cook two small loafs and gain more XP than cooking one bigger loaf. It wasn’t great food to AFCK’s disappointment, but it was made with love and satisfied their hunger better than the cheap stuff sold at the stalls and pubs.

Their daily hunt was over. The others were going to be separating off to help or work on their other skills. Bladescape wasn’t going to stop training though.

“Any of you want to hit the fields for more work on combat skills?” Bladescape asked as she finished her bread.

“I promised to assist AFCK with cooking,” Backbreaker added.

“More tailoring for me,” Diemond said, without enthusiasm. “I am getting close to being able to make us useful gear. Well, except for BB, she wants to wear ugly heavy armor.”

“As the main Tank, I’m going to need it,” Backbreaker affirmed.

“We can get matching armor made for BB,” Bladescape assured her.

“I know, but in order to make it, I have to get high enough in Light Metal Armor first,” Diemond whined. “I don’t even have that yet. Its so unfair here. I’m used to just going to the store to get the materials and working with them.”

“Life’s unfair, Rarity,” Thunderborne groaned, rolling her eyes. “I mean, Diemond. Suck it up and help make sure we survive. We have beaten worse odds before. Demon Sunset Shimmer, the Dazzlings, Crystal Prep and Demon Twilight, Gaia Everfree, as well as a ton of cool things like winning the contest with Dance Magic, and the Daring Do Film Mystery culprit, Juniper Montage. We may not have the geodes, but we have each other. We can beat this game. This has rules. The others, we didn’t know what the rules were. Now we do.”

Bladescape sighed and crossed her arms. “But the last few, we had the geodes Dash. Now we don’t. Although… nah. We don’t get any crossover.”

“Well, I am off to train my agility,” Thunderborne said with a thumbs up. “I’m going to ride the windmills all the way around. Astro is supposed to be joining me. I don’t know how good she will be though.”

“Please Thunderborne,” Astro scoffed. “You have seen me play. You know I’m not only game, but that I can crush you.”

“HA! You wish.”

“Then I guess its game on!”

Bladescape shrugged it off. Dash had always loved to run. She had always been fast and agile. And AJ had always been strong. Those natural attributes would copy over a bit. Dash knew how to run. AJ knew how to be unyielding and strong. That was all mind stuff, and the NerveGear basically read their minds.

“Alright, I am going out for some practice,” Bladescape said. “I still need work with my Weapon Defense Skill, and I can train search.”

As Bladescape got to the edge of her self appointed safe zone, she heard yells. Scared yells. As her heart rate intensified, she searched the rolling hills for the origin of the terrified screams. A team of three were fighting against a giant bore. One got tossed and landed hard on the ground. He didn’t recover. They appeared to only be 13 or 14 years old.

Bladescape charged, drawing the blade from her back.

“SIEYAA!!!!”

The boar reeled from the vertical strike.

“GO!” Bladescape ordered. “Follow the road.”

The boar charged and Bladescape rotated her sword, blocking with it. The Weapon Defense skill was proving vital once again. Bladescape shifted her stance and lifted her sword overhead. She activated the downward sword skill. The sword slashed down, striking the boar mid back and carried all the way through the boar. It exploded into a million polygons.

There were more boars in the area, but they were far enough out that they were on the edges of her Search Skill. She dashed after the three and quickly caught up with them.

“What are you thinking?” Bladescape asked, trying to not explode.

“Thanks,” The oldest boy panted. “We thought we could make it from the last village. But there were more enemies than we expected. It took longer too.”

They were walking slowly now. The three of them looked horrible. Exhausted.

“What level are you guys?” Bladescape asked.

“We just got to Level 5,” The girl answered.

“5!” Bladescape exclaimed. She automatically began to lecture them. “I was Level 5 by the time I got to Media. That was three weeks ago! This game is no joke! The only reason you three made it here that low is because this entire floor has been picked clean. 2,000 players have died! You almost became 2,001, 2,002, and 2,003! No wonder you got tossed like you did. How far in the red are you?”

“Well,” Their leader stuttered. “I barely survived that hit I took. I guess I am no good at this leadership thing. I thought I could get us to here and we could find better hunting. Everything in the Town of Beginnings is picked clean. And most of the players are still there.”

They got back to Tolbana’s Safe Zone.

“HEY! BLADESCAPE!”

The four of them stopped and looked to where the yelling was coming from. Bladescape snorted a chuckled as she saw Thunderborne upside down on one of the windmill blades.

“That’s my friend,” Bladescape chuckled. “She kind of loves speed, agility, and testing herself past the max. And she is in the safe zone, so she won’t actually lose HP if she falls off. When she falls off.”

“I ONLY FELL ONCE! ASTRO HASN’T GOTTEN A FULL RIDE IN YET!”

“Yeah,” Astro said walking out from behind a windmill. “I gave up. I’m too tired to do it tonight. I’m not sure if that is actually training her agility though. Thunder is just a maniac.” Astro pointed to the others. “What’s with them?”

“She saved us,” The leader said. “We’re alive because of her. It turns out, we got ahead of our level.”

Thunderborne somersaulted through the air and landed in between them all, fist slammed into the ground; making them all a step back in surprise.

“OH YEAH!” She exclaimed with a victory fist pump. “Now come on, AFCK probably has more bread baked. I can’t wait until Knightstar tells her to make something else.”

“Food?” Bladescape offered them. “It's just bread, but it's made with love and enthusiasm.”

“Sure,” The girl said. “We are starving. That’s why we left the Town of Beginnings. We had to get Col for food. There just isn’t any there. Its tough. We didn’t see any other option.”

“And that is why there are so many deaths,” Bladescape sighed.

They headed towards the place they were renting. There was a small porch with a bench outside the farmhouse.

“Hey!” Diemond greeted them as they approached. She was sitting on the bench, sewing something. “Who is with you?”

“Um,” Bladescape stumbled. “We actually haven’t exchanged names. Well, to give formal ones in case we missed any of them. I’m Bladescape. That’s Thunderborne, and that’s Astro. Sitting there sewing is Diemond. Our other four are Doombunny, Backbreaker, Knightstar, and AFCK.”

“They are inside,” Diemond said. “Wait… I don’t actually know where Doombunny is.”

“Hey, she does disappear in the evenings, doesn’t she?”

“Well, I don’t know where your friend is, but I am Kiefer, she is Lessa, and he is Joltron.”

“Its good to meet you all,” Diemond said curtly. “You gear is ghastly. Is that your starter gear?”

“Yeah,” Lessa sighed. “We haven’t been able to gather enough Col to upgrade them. Food has been the priority.”

“You made it all the way here with your starter gear?” Thunderborne exclaimed. “Our gear has been upgraded at least once. Depending on the person and the equipment.”

“And that explains how we almost died,” Joltron groaned.

“Well, I will help solve that!” Diemond said leaping up and clapping. “Now, these look ghastly, but their defensive qualities are much higher than those rags you are wearing right now.”

Diemond popped open her menu and hit a few buttons. Her arms caught three long, leather jackets. She tossed them to Lessa. A moment later Joltron caught a set of leather pants and Kiefer was catching boots and gloves.

“There, full set of leather gear!” Diemond said striking a power pose. “Am I good or am I good?”

“How much do we owe you?” Kiefer asked, opening his menu.

“Oh please, you don’t owe me a cent. Or Col. Whatever it is. This is a joy darling. A love of mine. Also, I am swimming in these items after making so many of them to boost my tailoring. But that isn’t the point. I really hate to see you in those dregs.”

“Thank you,” Lessa stammered. “That is so generous. That’s the first nice thing anyone has done for us since we got trapped in here.”

The door banged open. “WHO WANTS FREE BREAD!” AFCK was standing there with an armful of bread and a giant smile.

“We got a lot of it y’all,” Backbreaker added. “Their durability won’t last too long, so eat it or lose it!”

“Its no fun baking here,” AFCK whined. “In real life, you have to knead the dough, get flour everywhere, there usually is cinnamon or vanilla involved, and sprinkles, and then you have an oven to play with.” AFCK dropped down next to Diemond and cried. “I don’t burn anything back home. I’m burning bread. I haven’t burned bread since before preschool.”

“Now now, Sugarcube, its alright,” Backbreaker said, patting AFCK on the shoulder to try and comfort her. “This is a huge adjustment for all of us.”

“Um, can I have one of those loaves?”

“Fluttershy!” Diemond said jumping in surprise. “How long have you been there dear?”

“Um, since after dinner?”

“But, but, but I’ve been paying attention to the area. I never saw you.”

“Um, well, I have the hide skill. Maybe that’s why?”

Bladescape chuckled a smile. “Of course you chose that. Apparently that is working well for you.”

“LET’S EAT!” AFCK exclaimed, standing back up. “I still have an armful of bread that’s losing its durability!”

They all grabbed a loaf and ate. Bladescape explained their meeting out in the fields.

“Say, Twilight dear,” Diemond said. “I mean, Knightstar. Can we afford some hunting with them tomorrow? To help get them up to a more proper level?”

“We were going to be going into the first floor boss labyrinth for the hunting, and mapping. As long as we don’t dive too far in, they should be fine with us.”

Bladescape shook her head with a smile. “So, I guess we need to go to bed, rest up, and be ready to rock and roll early in the morning.”

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 10– One-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 10 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 10 – One-Handed Sword – Sprint – Agility
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 10 – Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry
AFCK (PP): Lvl 10 – One-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking
Diemond (R): Lvl 10 – Shield – Mace – Tailoring
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 10 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide
Astro (PS): Lvl 10 – Short Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce

Episode 5 - Glass Ceiling

Floor 1
December 4

Bladescape sat down hard in the safe zone in the labyrinth. She was surrounded by a bluish rock that had been carved out by pickaxes. At least by looks.

They had spent the morning fighting and gotten to the safe zone. Inside these predetermined zones, no damage could be done and monsters didn’t spawn. Just like the cities. It gave them a good respite from all the fighting. It was nasty in the labyrinth. If the safe zones didn’t exist, even more players would die. It was the only way to survive clearing the giant boss labyrinth and the bigger dungeons. Still, despite their work, they didn’t even know where the boss room was. No one did.

Bladescape looked up and saw that players were on the edge of her field of vision. In another two minutes they were at the safe zone. Their numbers were over 40. This was beyond a normal dungeon clearing team. They weren’t even stopping in the safe zone.

“What’s going on?” Thunderborne asked.

A massive player with dark skin stepped out of their group; bulky muscles with a goatee for the only hair on his head. With the way their real bodies were transposed into the game, he had to be that way in real life. On his back was a two handed axe.

“We are going to take on the first floor boss,” He said in a deep voice.

“What!” Astro exclaimed. “How do we get in on this?”

“We had a meeting yesterday. It was open to all players. At this point, its too late. We are already organized. Next time.”

Bladescape stood up. “Hey, I’m Bladescape, can we friend each other so we don’t miss Floor 2?”

“Sure. I’m Agil,’ He said as he accepted the friend request. “I’ll see you on the 2nd Floor.”

“Dang it!” Thunderborne spat. “We should be in on that!”

“Come on,” Bladescape said. “We need to get back to Tolbana.”

“Why?” Astro asked. “We should focus on grinding more XP.”

“Because as soon as they beat that boss and trigger the warp gate, we need to be onto Floor 2 and grinding there. We are barely getting anything out of the monsters here.”

“That’s a good idea,” Knightstar said standing up. “Its still early, so by the time they beat it, we will still have several hours to get XP on the new floor.”

“Let’s go,” Bladescape said, pulling the sword off her back. “Maybe Floor 2 will have a better sword for me. I’m ready for the two handed one, but I can’t get one better than this Anneal Blade.”

“YEAH!” AFCK exclaimed, jumping up with a bounce. She was still using a one handed axe too.

They packed up and headed back to Tolbana. Bladescape parked herself right in front of the teleport gate. She was going to wait until that gate was triggered for the main town on Floor 2. The others finished some things up and then joined her.

The big player, Agil, materialized at the gate in blue light.

“EVERYONE! THE FIRST FLOOR BOSS HAS BEEN BEATEN! FLOOR TWO IS UNLOCKED! THE NEW TOWN IS URBUS!”

Cheers went up all around, but Agil didn’t celebrate. He calmed the crowd with a hand up. “We lost one beating the boss. It came at a high price. We can do this, but we can’t do it alone, and we can’t forget their sacrifices. Only together can we beat this game!”

He stepped into the teleport gate. “Teleport, Town of Beginnings!”

Bladescape ran at the teleport gate her friends were right behind her. “Teleport, Urbus!”

Ubrus was a big city, excavated from the stone itself. Bladescape heard the somber oboe music of the floor. It was different than the orchestral string music of the first floor. Urbus itself was in a crater. Bladescape guessed the city was about 300 meters in diameter.

Thunderborne and Astro ran off to grab rooms and they caught up as Bladescape led their group of 11 out and onto the crater’s rim. It was on a plateau. The entire floor looked to be dotted with tabletop plateaus and at least one savanna.

“Okay,” Knightstar said. “The guidebook says its a lot of caves in these mountains and its main monster is oxes. Big ones. Strong ones.”

“Oh please,” Thunderborne scoffed. “We have BB. She can hold em.”

“In our teams we can take em,” Backbreaker said, with an enthusiastic arm swing. “Come on, y’all, lets go get em! All 11 of us!”

“Go Wondercolts!” Diemond said with a jump.

They charged out, down the side of the plateau. Bladescape was still in a party with Backbreaker, Astro, Doombunny, Lessa, and Kiefer. Lessa, Joltron, and Kiefer were working hard to raise their level. It was a bit of a slow down, but they were compensating quite well. The three of them were holding their own; no backing down.

THUNK!

“BACK OFF!” Backbreaker yelled as the ox rammed into her shield. She shoved it back and ruthlessly swung her hammer with a roar. It slammed into the ox’s head and blasted it into a thousand polygons.

“Wooh!” Backbreaker exclaimed wiping the nonexistent sweat from her brow. “That was a tough one.

“Nice job, BB,” Bladescape said with a smile and putting her hand on Backbreaker’s shoulder. “You are killing it. These guys targeting range is long. Without you, this would be very difficult.”

“Are you sure you are not part bull?” Kiefer asked. “You look like you enjoy enjoy locking horns with it.”

Backbreaker snorted. “I grew up on a farm. Mostly apples, but we had our fair share of chicken and cows. These suckers are not like the cows I know though, entirely. Still, I am stronger.”

“Umm, guys?” Doombunny said in her meek voice, trying to get their attention. “Excuse me.”

“I hope you are scoring a lot of XP for that shield of yours.”

“Umm, hello?”

“Enough y’all. Enough. Now what’s up, Sugarcube?”

“INCOMING!” Astro yelled.

They jumped apart and Backbreaker took the incoming beast on the shield, perfectly. Astro jumped in, activating Sonic Charge. Bladescape charged with Rage Spike. Doombunny might not have gotten the attention of the others, but she was relentless with Bite striking at the cow’s neck. Lessa switched with Astro and drove a Horizontal home. Kiefer switched with Doombunny and slashed his curved sword home with Reaver.

“RAAAAWWW!” Backbreaker yelled, breaking contact with the ox with a sidestep and then she ended the ox with a blow from Collision.

“It’s getting late,” Astro panted. “We can’t keep this up in the dark. We need to get back to safety.”

“Pack it in!” Bladescape yelled to their friends. “Let’s get dinner.”

It took them a while to climb all the way back up to the plateau. Everything was crowded in the city. It took a while to get dinner before they prepared for a good night.

Before they went to bed, Diemond called a meeting of the eight in the inn room she was sharing with AFCK, Bladescape, Doombunny, and Knightstar.

“Kiefer, Lessa, and Joltron have been working hard, and doing quite well.”

“Just say it, Rarity,” Bladescape smiled.

“They might be a bit behind us in levels, but I think we should offer them the chance to be in our guild. Whenever we get it formed.”

“What’s a few levels?” Backbreaker asked. “Right, y’all? They were mighty helpful. The six of us were crushing an ox in a single set of attacks. And they only just made level 7.”

“And nearing Level 8,” Knightstar added. “We are just shy from Level 11. Its not that much of a difference? Right Astro?”

“I’m the newest member to this group,” Astro shrugged. “So I’m not sure I am a valid voice. But speaking on game mechanics, they can be very beneficial to us. They won’t catch the most dedicated of us unless we coast, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be able to crush it alongside us. We are only talking a level or two.”

“We don’t need to make the choice now,” Bladescape pointed out. “Let’s just keep running with them, if they want, and see what happens when we get the chance to form our guild. We will build the friendship not just because of what they could do for us, but for friendship’s sake. To survive, we all need each other.”

Morning came too early for Bladescape. She went up to the edge of the crater and looked out over the Second Floor. It was beautiful as the orange sun shone through the slit between the Floors. Argus had done an amazing job with it’s creation. Without the death aspect, this game was beyond impressive.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 10– One-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 10 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 10 – One-Handed Sword – Sprint – Agility
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 10 – Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry
AFCK (PP): Lvl 10 – One-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking
Diemond (R): Lvl 10 – Shield – Mace – Tailoring
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 10 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide
Astro (PS): Lvl 10 – Short Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce
Kiefer: Lvl 7 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – One-Handed Weapon Creation
Lessa: Lvl 7 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor
Joltron: Lvl 7 – One handed Axe – Shield – Light Metal Armor

Episode 6 - Bullbous Bow

Floor 2

December 9

The 11 of them were in the forefront village on Floor 2 of Aincrad, the Floating Castle. Around them were 30 or so others. It was a loose, disorganized group. Guilds were still not able to be created, so they were parties of friends or no parties at all. Agil was the only one Bladescape recognized by name. She had seen the others around. They were all the top players clearing Floor 2. But this was a Field Boss meeting in a small village on the map. Many of the clearers were not in the area. They were dealing with the other dungeons throughout the floor.

Agil had informed them that there was a meeting to clear the Field Boss, the Bullbous Bow. The boss was the only obstacle blocking them from getting into the last village on the Second Floor. The village with the easiest access to the 2nd Floor Boss Labyrinth. Without defeating this boss, there was no way to get to the Third Floor.

“I’m Lind-”

“And my name is Kibaou! Got that new people?”

“Anyway, I ran a scouting party of four against the Field Boss, Bullbous Bow. At 4 meters tall, its a four horned beast that will trample us to death. Its got simple attack patterns. We won’t need as many people to take it out as with a Floor Boss. Two parties of 6 should do. Heavy on the Tanks. Blue and Green parties. I’ll lead Blue, Kibaou will lead Green.”

“Oh!” Diemond squeaked, her hand jumping up.

Lind sighed. “Yes?”

“I’ll make the squads matching cloth covers for your equipment to identify them.”

“You won’t have time. By this evening, we will all be in that village. Its a simple enough boss and its early.”

“Pffft,” Diemond blew with a wave. “It won’t take me long. BRB!”

“Okay,” Lind said, shocked. “Back to the task at hand. We have a boss to beat. We need Tanks. Strong ones. This thing will send you flying if you fail. One of our Tanks did, and it almost killed him. All it does is charge, turn, charge, repeat. You won’t get much of a break.

Backbreaker stepped forward. “I don’t even feel the beasts around here anymore y’all. You can count on me not to fail, partner.”

“We need 3 more Tanks,” Lind stated. “Big shields, strong backs, strong minds. This thing is 4 meters tall.”

Three others stepped forwards.

“That’s 4 of the 12. 6 more. We won’t be able to use Forwards. Once the Tanks draw aggro, its in for the attacks on the flanks.”

Agil stepped forward and so did the guy beside him; a scrawny kid dressing in a simple dark coat with the Anneal Blade slung over his back. The black matched his hair and his eyes.

Bladescape recognized him by description alone. He was one of the ‘Beaters’ Bladescape had heard of. The best of the beta testers. Apparently there was a clear line between the beta testers and the elite beta testers. The noobs and the veterans. And the veterans didn’t share their knowledge, earning the label cheater and beta tester, simplified to beater.

"You got mine,” Bladescape said. “Backbreaker and I have a fluid switch system going for the bulls. It should work for this.”

“You three can join me in Blue,” Lind said. “Along with Backbreaker. Who else?”

Alongside Blue and Green, there was going to be a reserve of three members from another informal guild. Once the parties were settled, they began to finalize the exact strategy and how the parties would work together.

Right before they headed out Diemond came back. “I’m back!” She sang. “And I have colored throws for each of you. The green didn’t turn out right, but I’m still new and its matching.”

Rarity tossed out the simple cotton cloths for the parties to slip over their various armors. Some were more thrilled than others. The blue came out perfectly; a nice royal blue. The green was something Bladescape knew Diemond was disgusted over, without needing to look at her. It was a moss green. Moss green wasn’t an approved fashionista color.

The rest of the Wondercolts handed over their potions to Bladescape and Backbreaker, and the boss party headed out. They would need the potions. The rest of them were going to be waiting, ready to sprint to the next village. Bladescape and Backbreaker would be renting them rooms as soon as they got to the village. That was an advantage of them being in the boss raid.

Bladescape was still using the Anneal Blade. She had unlocked two handed sword, but at the moment, no better swords had been available to her. She would be upgrading it soon enough. AFCK hadn’t upgraded her axe to a two-handed one either.

The hike out to the field boss wasn’t too hard. They could see the field boss a ways out because of the terrain. It was huge. 4 meters tall didn’t describe it’s full breadth. It was wide and powerful, rippling with muscles. Not a lick of fat. A killing machine that was fitting for this ‘game.’

Suddenly Green Party roared and charged over the open ground. That wasn’t the agreed upon plan. Blue Party was forced to charge out blindly to be their backup.

The jump had them disorganized and unable to work together. Bladescape had heard about the Last Attack Bonus, but as far as she could tell, it wasn’t worth it. Still, the two parties were essentially arguing over it. Instead of the back and fourth agreed upon, it was a chaotic scene where the boss would pound whomever was closer.

Their other Tank in Blue Party wasn’t ready for the charge and got blasted back. He rolled several times. The Bullbous Bow continued it’s charge. Backbreaker leaped into action and dove into the path. She got her shield over both of them and blocked one of the four horns from destroying either of them.

The Bullbous Bow turned, charged and tossed a Tank in Green Party. Backbreaker took action. “HERE BESSIE!” She called while banging her war hammer on her shield for noise. “COME HERE! OVER HERE!”

It worked.

“Great job drawing aggro, BB,” Bladescape praised. “Ready?”

“Just like the others,” Backbreaker smiled.

They got into position and Bladescape slipped behind Backbreaker, who was already braced for the impact. Bladescape would act as support in the initial hit and then jump out, striking the bull.

Backbreaker took the hit full on, but it was a good thing Bladescape was there to steady her. As soon as the two of them had their horns locked together, Bladescape jumped out and triggered Vertical. It landed and Bladescape jumped backwards while the Bullbous Bow pulled away and chose another target to charge. Bladescape slipped behind Backbreaker.

“Nice hit,” Backbreaker praised. “You scored a good one. You have time to safely get a two hit combo in if you move a bit faster.”

“Thanks. Nice work with the shield.”

Green Party was trying to hack the bull apart. They took too long. One of the Tanks got thrown and then it came charging back at them. Backbreaker took the blow perfectly and Bladescape let loose Vertical Arc. She stuck with the single combo for the moment.

“GET!” Backbreaker yelled, breaking contact with the boss and striking with Collision.

They reset and then Agil stacked up with them. “Hey, that worked well. Mind if I join in? This whole plan has gone to hell.”

“Please do,” Bladescape smiled. “This can be done smoothly.”

“This whole game is a mess, man. But we will get our act together as a whole soon enough.”

“We can do this. You guys beat the 1st Floor Boss.”

“We lost one doing it.”

“Then let’s not lose one here!”

Backbreaker halted the bull again. Bladescape jumped out to the right and Agil to the left. They both scored solid hits.

“Nice,” Bladescape said to Agil as they hunkered down again. “I have been trying to switch to a Two-handed Sword. But nothing I have found has been better than this Anneal Blade.”

“Well, I might be able to help you out in that regard. Once we get out of this mess.”

The bull came back around to them and they struck again.

“Have you fought a boss before?” Agil asked Bladescape.

“No, this is our first one. At least of any real scale.”

“Well, you never know what you might get, even without the Last Attack Bonus.”

Things went smoothly again. However, this time the other Blue Tank got over to them, along with the Beater, and Lind.

“Nice work,” Lind said. “At least you two are working together.”

Bladescape nodded. “With four of us hitting at once, we can knock it down. We can maximize our damage. And if they do the same damage they did last time, we can probably finish it off. I don’t care about the Last Attack Bonus, let’s just get this over with. I’ll go right like last time, you guys can fight for it, just get your hits in.”

The bull came back and charged. It rammed into them, the other Tank got knocked back. Bladescape jumped out and swung with another Vertical. Agil was right out behind her and they switched. His axed glowed and he drove it down, hard.

The Beater and Lind had gone out left. Bladescape didn’t see who got the last hit because the Bullbous Bow was blocking her vision. All she knew is that it exploded in colorful polygons.

Backbreaker fell forward as the resistance disappeared. Bladescape sat down hard, exhausted. If that was a Field Boss, how bad was a Floor Boss? However tough it would be, Bladescape knew she wasn’t going to be left out of the next one.

The window popped up and Bladescape saw her reward. They were given a ton of XP and Col. Various items were dropped as well, including hide for leather. What caught Bladescape’s eye was the Two-Handed Sword. She immediately equipped it. The Anneal Blade disappeared from her back and she felt the big blade clunk onto her back, with only a slight tug backwards.

“New sword,” Agil said with a nod. “Nice.”

“Now I can upgrade to Two-Hands,” Bladescape grinned. “I’ve been waiting for way too long to use it.”

“I think I got myself enough loot to open my own shop. Got to make money somehow.”

“Its always good to know a shopkeeper,” Bladescape sighed, tired from the fight. “I’d rather sell to a shop that can make sure the gear gets to the players who need it, rather than get socked away in a deep corner of an NPC shop or worse, erased.”

“True dat,” Agil said pulling Bladescape up to her feet.

Bladescape pulled up Backbreaker.

“What sword exactly did you get?”

“Um,” Bladescape said drawing it.

It was a simple blade. The design itself had four “horns” for the cross guard, and the pommel was definitely a hoof. It was flat in it’s color, a dull iron shade. Nothing else looked special about it.

Agil tapped it and the appraisal window opened. “Its called Iron Splitter. It can hold 8 enhancements.”

“That is a good substitute for the Anneal Blade,” Bladescape said, breathing a sigh of relief. “We haven’t gotten a Two-Handed sword, and we were not going to buy one until we had to. Nothing in the NPC swords were approved by out statistician.”

“I can certainly understand that,” Agil said. “When I get my shop opened, come on by. I could use a good stock, and I will do my best to hook you up with quality gear for the best prices. Buy low, sell low is my motto.”

“Buy low and sell low?” Bladescape asked, confused.

“I love it,” Backbreaker said with exhausted enthusiasm. “Its a real honest motto. Making money shouldn’t come at the expense of others. Particularly in this game.”

“Come on,” Bladescape said, sheathing the blade. “We have a village to get to and rooms to rent. Then its onto the Boss Labyrinth. I am not being left out of the 2nd Floor Boss Battle.”

“We could certainly have used you two in the First Floor Boss Battle. You two have teamwork down to a T, and you have a selfless mindset. That will come in handy clearing this game. And there are more of you, right?”

“Seven of us are friends in real life,” Bladescape explained. “We started here with a friend of one of our members, and then we picked up three more by accident. Or fate. A few levels lower than us, but we are working to even that out. They were lucky I was there to save them outside Tolbana.”

“But, that’s kind of our thing,” Backbreaker added. “Saving people and making friends.”

“You need friends in here,” Agil said. “Without friends, you won’t survive this nightmare.”

It didn’t take long for the others to catch up. The 11 of them were immediately in a pub and crowded around a single table. It was time to celebrate.

“To BB and Blade!” Thunderborne said, raising a glass. “They just got us a big step forward in this game!”

“BB did the real work,” Bladescape said, slapping her on the back. “Without her we would have crumbled, and maybe lost a few players.”

Cheers were raised. The fanfare was overshadowed by the knowledge that they were going to be clearing the Second Floor Boss Labyrinth in a few hours.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 11 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Agility
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 11 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 11 – Rapier – Sprint – Agility – Armor Pierce
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 11 – Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor
AFCK (PP): Lvl 11 – One-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense
Diemond (R): Lvl 11 – Shield – Mace – Leather Working – Light Metal Armor Forging
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 11 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search
Astro (PS): Lvl 11 – Short Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics
Kiefer: Lvl 8 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – One-Handed Weapon Creation
Lessa: Lvl 8 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor
Joltron: Lvl 8 – One handed Axe – Shield – Light Metal Armor

Episode 7 - Rock Candy

Floor 2

December 11

Bladescape was sick of the oxes, officially known as Trembling Ox or Trembling Cow. They were relentless and their targeting zone was further than Bladescape thought. They had been pounding away at them; in the savannas and in the canyons of the northern plateaus. There were other creatures, but the oxes were the most numerous and worse than the others by quite a bit.

Bladescape was in the south of the floor, partied up with Backbreaker, Astro, Thunderborne, Knightstar, and AFCK. They had traveled south because AFCK had insisted they did. Pinkie Sense was their only reason for being out so far.

They had packed high durability food and water, and they had to rest in the field because there were no safe zones. Which meant a constant vigil, always.The fighting was intense at times.

“Fun is above!” AFCK exclaimed. She somehow still had energy. “The highest mountain brings the highest fun!”

“Of course,” Backbreaker groaned. “I guess up it is.”

They climbed up, AFCK leading the way. It was very steep terrain. It took them two hours to scale the near cliffs. Bladescape was a taking up the rear and behind by a decent bit.

“HUT!” AFCK screamed with excitement.

Backbreaker pulled Bladescape up over the top. They were near the summit. Further out there was a single hut. AFCK was already halfway bounced there. She didn’t stop bouncing.

“NPC!” AFCK exclaimed when she got inside. “I SMELL A QUEST! I ACCEPTED A QUEST!”

Bladescape never even got to see the inside of the hut as the NPC led them out and around back. It was a giant boulder. Bladescape was trying to catch up still and missed the exact details.

“I ACCEPT!” AFCK exclaimed.

“Pinkie!” Bladescape shouted. She was frustrated and she decided to focus AFCK by using her real name. “Focus! What did you accept?”

“I get to break that big rock!” AFCK said with a jump. “With my fist!”

Bladescape shook her head to clear it. “Um, you haven’t even punched a single enemy in here. Doesn’t this sound like a better task for BB?”

“Or me?” Thunderborne scoffed, ticked off she had been left out for strongest player once again.

“No sillies! Of course you can’t. Its a nearly unbreakable rock after all.”

Before she could continue explaining, the NPC painted whiskers on AFCK’s face.

“FACE PAINT!” AFCK said, jumping up and down with pure enjoyment.

“Pinkie!” Bladescape yelled, interrupting her mid jump. “Focus. What makes you think you can break that rock?”

“Because, don’t you remember what PPTS said?”

“PPTS?”

“Duh silly! Pony Princess Twilight Sparkle!”

“No Pinkie, we don’t,” Thunderborne groaned dramatically. “And now you have those whiskers on your face until you do break it.”

“So? How is that bad?” AFCK asked. “I don’t see a downside to any of that.”

“Focus,” Bladescape said, chuckling. “We came all the way out here to follow your Pinkie Sense. And now you have face paint on. And you are supposed to break that rock with your fist?”

“Well, PPTS said that PPP grew up on a rock farm! Rock farm! A farm for rocks! How cute? I didn’t even know rocks could have babies but I guess they can. Wait, its a farm, so they grow rocks? AJ what do rock seeds look like?”

“Pinkie,” Bladescape sighed, as they lost AFCK. “Rocks don’t…never mind. What does any of that have to do with this quest. That’s another dimension, not Virtual Reality. It’s not the same thing. Not even close.”

“But,” AFCK said drawing it out. “If PPP can do it, so can I! Its a game after all, silly! Plus, we didn’t come all this way just for face paint! Well, you didn’t, I always do! I never pass up free face paint. Face paint is fun!”

“Is that permanent?” Bladescape asked the others.

“Yep,” Thunderborne nodded. “Until she breaks that rock, its stuck on her face. Although, it's not the oddest thing she has ever had painted on her face.”

Bladescape dropped onto the ground, groaning. “Then we now have a mouse in our group. Permanently.”

“No, silly!” AFCK giggled. “Watch!”

AFCK bounced over to the rock, drew her hand back. “ROCK PUNCH!”

AFCK couldn’t scream she was in so much pain. She dropped to the ground. Knightstar dashed over and waved her shield to try and give her some air.

“ROUND TWO!” AFCK suddenly declared. She jumped up and stood in front of the rock. “RARITY POWER POSE! POWER STRIKE!”

AFCK’s fist stopped at the rock. “Owe,” She squeaked.

“Come on, AFCK,” Backbreaker said. “Let’s pack it in for now. We can figure this out later. Its not like you will hate wearing the face paint.”

“One more chance,” AFCK whined.

AFCK faced off against the rock. She was as animated as ever despite how serious she was. “Okay rock! You, me, throw down! Do you have taffy? I can’t find any taffy here. Stop hiding the taffy. Give me that taffy!”

AFCK raised her fist by her head as she slid into a position to give it the best cross she could.

“ROCK CANDY SMASH!” AFCK scream as her fist glowed in sparkles.

The punch rocketed forward in a glorious explosion of colors. It connected with the rock with a loud bang. AFCK kept her fist there, despite nothing happening.

“It didn’t hurt,” AFCK smiled as she looked over her shoulder. “But I guess we will have to come back. HEY! My fist is stuck? I can’t move. Like, at all.”

“Lets all pull her off of it y’all,” Backbreaker said walking over to AFCK.

They all stacked on AFCK. It took them a good ten seconds before they ripped her off the rock with a pop.

“Awe,” AFCK whined. “I so wanted it to-”

CRACK!

“Rock Candy!!!” AFCK exclaimed, clamoring up to her feet and stumbling to the split rock. It immediately turned to a whine. “There’s no candy in this rock! Why did I break it? What was the point?” AFCK broke down crying. “I WANT CANDY. I HAVEN’T GONE THIS LONG WITHOUT CANDY EVER. OR SUGAR. REAL SUGAR. I’VE GOT CANDY WITHDRAWAL.”

“Well done!” The NPC exclaimed.

“We got incoming,” Backbreaker warned, louder than what the NPC was saying. “Two Trembling Oxes.”

“I WANT CANDY!” AFCK said jumping up, furious. “I CALL LEFTY! I’M GOING TO GIVE IT THE ROCK CANDY SMASH!”

Bladescape and Thunderborne scrambled after AFCK. Astro and Knightstar set up behind the stalwart Backbreaker. They didn’t catch up to AFCK as her fist lit up in sparkles.

“ROCK CANDY SMASH!”

The ox took the blow to the head and was blasted into polygons. AFCK was frozen in the punch’s follow up position well after the polygons had dissipated.

“Umm, I can’t move,” AFCK said. “Why can’t I move?”

“That would be the delay after using a Sword Skill,” Bladescape reminded her. “The higher the difficulty, the rating, or higher number combo, the more of a delay. Which leaves you open to counter attacks. And you are definitely frozen.” Bladescape tapped the frozen AFCK on the forehead. “Powerful attack, horrible side effect.”

AFCK finally softened up and began to bounce around screaming with delight that she was free, and warm. They headed back to the others. They had systematically destroyed the Trembling Ox.

“Its a long trip back,” Backbreaker said. “But uh, what did you get from breaking that rock?”

“Umm,” AFCK said pulling up her menu. “He said it was a skill. Um, oh! Here it is!”

AFCK pulled a classic Pinkie Pie and rotated her menu around to face the others. Menus were protected from wandering eyes by their proximity and inability to be read through the other side. You had to purposefully poke over someone’s shoulder to read one. A usually noticeable act. AFCK’s menu had already been seen following her around when other’s would have automatically closed, but this was new. Apparently, some things even Virtual Reality couldn’t break.

“It’s already plugged in!” AFCK explained. “I got a new skill! It says, Martial Arts. Cool! And a new slot!”

“Why is it pink?” Knightstar asked. “That’s not a normal color for these menus. Not even close. Try switching it.”

“Okay!” AFCK said leaning over her menu. “That’s funny. It won’t let me click it.”

“So, its locked in,” Knightstar said, thinking. “Interesting. We are not due for our next skill to unlock until Level 12. I wonder if you will get a new skill then.”

“Come on,” Bladescape said. “Unless Thunderborne or Backbreaker want whiskers until they can break that rock, we should get moving. We need to get back to the others. Its going to be a tough fight.”

“I am not touching that rock,” Backbreaker laughed. “That rock will break my back. I may be strong y’all, but not that strong.”

Thunderborne snorted and grinned. “I may be stronger than BB, but I’m not that dumb. I got better things to do than punch rocks.”

“Then we should be helping to clear the Second Floor Labyrinth,” Bladescape said. “It won’t be much longer until we find that boss room.”

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 11– Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 11 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 11 – Rapier – Sprint – Agility
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 11 – Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry
AFCK (PP): Lvl 11 – One-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts
Diemond (R): Lvl 11 – Shield – Mace – Tailoring
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 11 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide
Astro (PS): Lvl 11 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce
Kiefer: Lvl 9 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – One-Handed Weapon Creation
Lessa: Lvl 9 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor
Joltron: Lvl 9 – One handed Axe – Shield – Light Metal Armor

Episode 8 - Information Game

Floor 2

December 12

They had just gotten back to the village after the long hike back from the AFCK distraction. It was late. The others met them outside of the savanna town, at the edge of the safe zone. They were walking back into the town proper, with AFCK hopping along with them as usual, when she changed direction.

“FACE PAINT!” AFCK yelled.

Bladescape looked over at where AFCK was going. A girl about their age with a cloak over her head was leaning against a wall. Visible in the shadows of the cloak was the same face paint AFCK had briefly worn. The girl wasn’t enthusiastic about being seen.

Bladescape bolted after AFCK before she did anything stupid.

“HEY! YOU! YOU GOT THE FACE PAINT TOO! YOU TRIED Mmm mhmms mumms-”

Bladescape had AFCK’s head in a tight lock and her hand covering her mouth. AFCK continued to talk despite it.

“AFCK, quiet,” Bladescape growled.

The girl was glaring at the two of them.

“Buy you a drink?” Bladescape grinned nervously.

The girl thought it over for a second and then nodded.

Bladescape released AFCK, who kept talking. “Then I said no! But the raccoon ignored my warnings and washed the cotton candy anyway.”

Bladescape pointed at Knightstar to join them and began to drag AFCK with her, who just kept talking.

“His look was hilarious when it disappeared. He was so sad and confused, but it was so funny. So I gave him a cupcake. That didn’t melt when he washed it. Then I didn’t feel bad and started eating my own cupcake. Then a piece of taffy floated by and I realized the water was actually cola so I laid down and was drinking it alongside the raccoon. But if the water was actually cola, then that meant the raccoon was also edible-”

“Shut up!” Bladescape ordered AFCK with a growl.

“What?” AFCK whined, confused.

They sat down at a the darkest table away from the others in the pub. Bladescape ordered a round of drinks and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Forgive my friend. She is excitable. I’m Bladescape, she is AFCK, and this is Knightstar.”

“A pleasure,” Knightstar immediately said.

“Argo,” The girl said with a dip of her head. “I suppose you want to know how I got these whiskers.”

“Duh, we already know,” AFCK said, rolling her eyes.

“Pinkie,” Bladescape hissed. She turned to Argo. “We already went there and we saw the quest. And AFCK finished it.”

“That’s valuable information,” Argo replied. “But at least one other beat you too it.”

“We are not concerned with being the first,” Bladescape said. “But, the look you shot her outside was a warning look. I assume you don’t want it public knowledge?”

“Of course not. If it is public knowledge, then you can’t sell it. It’s a very difficult quest, with special parameters. The NPC that hints at it is on Floor 7. The fact that you found it says a lot.”

“You were a beta tester,” Knightstar quietly said.

Argo ignored the comment.

“None of us were,” Bladescape said, eliciting a confused look from Argo’s eyes. “We stumbled on it. Bubbly AFCK there is just that…lucky. In a lot of ways.”

“Look,” Argo said leaning in closer. They were interrupted as the NPC brought them their drinks. Argo took a drink before continuing. “Look. I sell information. I have field guides for sale. If you don’t want to buy, then I am gone.”

“How much?” Knightstar asked. “We still have some questions. We don’t exactly understand some aspects of the quest and it’s reward. As to the guides, I am interested in this. I am calculating all of our stats, growth, XP quantities, drop rates, etc., but we should be able to benefit from these guides.”

Argo’s eyes narrowed at Knightstar. She took another drink and then leaned in closely. “What do you mean calculate?”

Knightstar opened her menu and after a few clicks a scroll popped onto the table. Knightstar smirked as she slid it over to Argo to read. Argo glanced through it and set it down.

“Consider it a gift,” Knightstar said as Argo began to slide it back to her.

“This is valuable information,” Argo stated, popping it into her menu. “Stats and XP calculations of this quality…well you could make a lot of cash doing this. From selling general guides to personal consultations. This is high grade stuff. My focus is on quest guides, monster and boss data, available supplies, special resources available, and other such things.”

“Then maybe we can be mutually beneficial to each other,” Knightstar replied calmly.

“I like how you think,” Argo smirked. “Alright. You have my attention for the moment for questions. You have, after all, discovered that secret. I put this on shortly after this game released. A signature of sorts. Your assertion was correct, except I could not complete it and was stuck with this look. I got used to them. But that is a secret. I am sure you have heard how dangerous it is currently for anyone before to be known.”

“I gathered that,” Bladescape nodded. “Fundamental to our little gang is friendship. We won’t speak of it. Even loudmouth there. AFCK, show her your menu.”

AFCK pulled up her stats menu, rotated it and pushed it over to Argo to read. Argo just raised an eyebrow at the maneuverability of the window. She was cautious, but the menu even let her pull it in a bit closer for her to see.

“Why is it Pink?” Bladescape asked. “We can’t change it as a skill, and we are short one. She is Level 11.”

“No idea,” Argo replied intrigued. “I have never seen anything like that. It's like it got jammed in there. Squeezed into the system somehow. I am guessing that it is that color because of her hair, but extra skills like this one still requires an open skill slot.”

“It’s active,” Bladescape confirmed. “But if you are at a loss, so are we.”

“Wait! Is this her cooking level?”

Knightstar chuckled. “Yeah, its been a tough haul, but every second that isn’t spent in the field, she has been cooking.”

“That’s impressive,” Argo said shaking her head. “That is higher than I thought it could be for this little time. If your calculations are this good, then we can have a very good relationship.”

Argo pulled up a window and then Knightstar got a friend request. A window then popped up in front of Bladescape. She accepted it as well.

Argo downed the rest of the ale in her cup and stood up. “Stay in touch.”

The others came in after they saw Argo leave. They all crowded around the small table.

“Pinkie,” Knightstar said, leaning forward to see her friend and using her real name to get and keep her attention. “Keep this secret.”

Knightstar turned to address all of them. “I think I understand how powerful information is. It's beyond just money. We need keep our secrets close or we will lose our edge. To conquer Aincrad, we need to focus our efforts to building ourselves to be the best. Aggressive assertiveness on our part, and making sure that the information stays with the right players.”

Diemond went to make an interjection. Knightstar didn’t let her.

“Hold up, Diemond. Not all players are good at heart. Some want to clear this game for the right reasons, others just want power. There are systems in place to protect players from harassment and such, but outside these walls, a lot can go down. Some will undoubtedly find ways to force their will on others.”

Bladescape could already think of a way to rob others. All it took was a group of players to catch someone unaware and to jump them. Get them close to death so that they would give up everything they owned, or whatever you wanted, instead of receiving the final blow. It was an unspoken rule that you didn’t let another players HP hit 0, but how long would that last? Sure, their cursors would turn orange for a bit if you attacked another player or crossed the harassment codes, but if you wanted something badly enough, it was worth the risk and worth not being able to enter town until your cursor slowly turned back to green.

Bladescape would be redoubling her watch, no matter if they were in a safe zone or not. An active watch was the best way to stop anything from happening, or at least give them the edge so they were not ambushed. Bladescape wasn’t going to let that happen to her friends.

Knightstar and Bladescape stayed up talking later than they should have. Knightstar was geeking out over stats. She was looking more into what she could sell. She was already doing the work. Flipping it to sell wouldn’t be hard. Bladescape was using the moment to gain the edge for pulling XP with her Two-Handed Sword skill. That and Weapon Defense.

Bladescape only got two hours of sleep in the end, but it was worth it.

After fighting in the dusty Labyrinth, she spent several hours alone grinding XP from the closest farming location. It was crowded, even at night. There was a line in the canyon. They were switching out in hour time blocks. When it was her time, she switched out with the Beater in black.

The bull charged and Bladescape spun her sword so she blocked it with Weapon Defense. Two-Handed Sword wasn’t the only skill she needed to grind. As she separated from the bull she swung hard, landing a critical blow and destroying the ox.

The starting Sword Skills for Two-Handed Sword were the exact same as the one handed ones. Horizontal, Vertical, Slant, Uppercut. But some new ones like Cascade and Cyclone were unlocked as well.

Alone, Bladescape gained the full amount of XP. It was quicker for leveling, but she couldn’t keep it up long. Kills typically could happen in a group faster, making it more efficient for grinding XP Plus you had someone at your back. But the margin of safety was balanced on her side. She knew the attack patterns by heart and she knew where to strike for maximum damage.

She was rewarded with Level 12. Bladescape wanted to focus on the attack. Still, armor was a good idea. If you stuck with light leather armor, it could cover speed minded players, but with her two-handed sword, she needed an upgrade. Leather Armor skill unlocked heavier leather equipment with light metal reinforcements.

Bladescape turned in for a little rest. The boss chamber had been found earlier in the day. In the morning, they were meeting in a pub to finalize the boss raid plan and then execute the raid.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 12– Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 11 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 11 – Rapier – Sprint – Agility
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 11 – Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry
AFCK (PP): Lvl 11 – One-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts
Diemond (R): Lvl 11 – Shield – Mace – Tailoring
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 11 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide
Astro (PS): Lvl 11 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce
Kiefer: Lvl 9 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – One-Handed Weapon Creation
Lessa: Lvl 9 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor
Joltron: Lvl 9 – One handed Axe – Shield – Light Metal Armor

Author's Note

If you are not familiar with the raccoon and cotton candy mentioned in this episode, here is the video link on youtube.

Episode 11 - Into The Red

Floor 3

December 21

Diemond grunted under the strain as the branches of Nerius the Evil Treant pounded on her shield. Knightstar was behind her. Backbreaker was protecting Thunderborne. AFCK and Bladescape were making their own defense as their forwards.

The treant was a bipedal tree, with long, solid boughs for arms, ending in fists of sharp branches and twigs. Each leg was as thick as a regular tree's trunk on their own, and its feet were formed from its gnarled roots. Despite standing a good 6 meters tall* it actually wasn't all that imposing as far as Floor Bosses went, but it was incredibly slow to fight. With 6 health bars, it mostly just walked around, shrugging off hit after hit.

If you got too close, it would kick you, throw a punch, or backhand you across the room. The leaves on it were razor sharp and the twigs could shoot out to strike at any time. From time to time it would point it’s arm at a group and launch branches that shot out to slam into anyone in their path. The tanks were the only real defense against it because of their shields. Weapon defense skills struggled to stop the immediate follow up strike by the same branch. They would just pound away.

Worse still, only hacking attacks did any real damage. Smash did nothing against it’s thick bark. Stab was useless as well. Slash was okay, but it was the axes that did the real damage. If you could slip out and cut those protrusions that it shot from his arm, Nerius was unable to grow them to that length again. It sounded easier than it was.

Bladescape and AFCK were switching rapidly to slice away at the branches. AFCK would get chances to dart in and land a destructive swing of her axe at its legs. It was almost like trying to chop down a giant hard cedar. It took time, patience, and endurance, but a regular tree wasn’t fighting back. Bladescape was only using Lacerate, a single hit skill similar to Horizontal, but it had a lot more power and it was meant to hack into an enemy with the lower part of the sword.

AFCK swung her axe with a blue glow and landed a strong hit on it. She jumped back and Bladescape’s blade glowed green as she unleashed Lacerate. It thudded into the leg almost exactly where AFCK’s axe had bit. It dealt a satisfactory amount of damage compared to how slow things were going.

Bladescape had to use Weapon Defense twice as they retreated. AFCK just bounced away like normal. It brought a smile to Bladescape’s lips. Despite the situation with their lives truly on the line, some things were not changing, and they were important things. AFCK managed to avoid all of the strikes the treant was lashing out with classic Pinkie Pie maneuvering, all while she seemed oblivious to most of the attacks even coming.

Diemond was taking six or so on her shield. She had been afraid and certainly wasn’t the happiest, but the fashionista knew how to stand her ground when she needed to. The times they fought evil Equestrian Magic had strengthened her mentally and her real life diamond shield skills had done a whole lot for her steady feet.

“Switch!” Diemond yelled to Knightstar.

Knightstar stepped out from behind her and took a blow on her shield. She swung her sword as it glowed blue and hacked off a bit of a branch. She couldn’t adjust in time as a branch slammed into her right shoulder. It knocked her back, but she was still on her feet. Another rammed into her shield in quick succession, knocking her back again. They didn’t stop as they pounded her defenseless chest.

Bladescape’s voice caught in her mouth as she saw her friend’s HP bar dip far into the red. Diemond was already in front of her and Bladescape dashed along the ground as she sheathed her sword along her back. Thunderborne joined them, having to hack a few branches out of the way.

Thunderborne helped protect them as Bladescape slid to Knightstar’s side. Bladescape pulled a health potion out of her pouch and immediately had it to Knightstar’s lips. She tipped it back, forcing Knightstar to drink it.

“It’s alright,” Bladescape said. “Shake it off and lets keep going.”

“No,” Knightstar said quietly. “I don’t belong here. I can’t do anything. I should just stay out of the way. I'm just Twilight Sparkle.”

Bladescape didn’t know what to say as the pit formed in her gut.

“But, you are Knightstar,” Bladescape stammered. "And Twilight Sparkle beat her own demon! You can do this."

“Yes Darling,” Diemond grunted as she took a blow to her shield. “You are among your friends. It was a close call, but we have your back.”

“No,” Knightstar sighed. “I am not even Twilight Sparkle. Not right now. And Knightstar can’t do this. Knightstar can fight, but not a boss. My job is statistics.”

She began to sob. Bladescape grabbed her armor and pulled them face to face, but Knightstar kept her face looking away.

“Knightstar, you can do this!” Bladescape said forcefully. She needed to get through to her, home. “Look at me! Look at me!”

Bladescape grabbed the back of Knightstar’s neck and forced her to look at her. “This is hell. But we all have to do our parts. You get close to death, but you don’t die. Because we are here. Your friends won’t let you die. We fought those evil plants on the first floor and we all got close, but we survived as friends.

"Diemond was immediately protecting you, Thunderborne and I were also right here to protect you and get you on your feet. Not get up, and lets fight, before our sacrifice becomes our undoing. Together we can beat this!”

“No,” Knightstar said, sobbing more. “I can’t. I knew I shouldn’t have come, but I did. I failed you.”

“Do you see AFCK?” Bladescape said, trying to soften her voice. “She is terrified. That’s why she is searching for a way to make cupcakes, with lots of frosting. She wants something to be normal and something to be Pinkie Pie, and to her, cupcakes are normal. So she is going to fight for normal.”

“I’m terrified,” Thunderborne admitted. “I am putting that energy into being the fastest I can be. Backbreaker isn’t going to break so we can survive.”

“I’m terrified Darling,” Diemond said as vines lashed across her shield. “But we need to stick together. We can do this. We have beaten worse. Okay, not worse, but we have faced things most of these gamers never have. Even Doombunny is still fighting with us on the front lines. She isn’t backing down at all.”

Bladescape had used their encouragement to take the moment and down a health potion. She tossed it aside as they finished. It was back to her. She had to be assertive yet soft, and she had to build her friend up. She was already fragile. Bladescape couldn’t break that. If she did, Twilight would never again fight on the front lines.

“I’m scared too, Twilight," Bladescape said, using her real name to try and soften things by igniting the spark she would so often see in her friend's eye. "But I won’t ever ask you to do something I am not completely confident you can do. I have to go hack that thing apart and distract it from Diemond. Dash and Rarity will get you up. But you can do this. We are working in a team for a reason. You are not alone.”

Bladescape flashed one last smile before she leaped backwards. As she spun she undid Iron Splitter. As the sword came off her back she activated Heaven Splitter. It sheared through the 4 limbs attacking Diemond’s shield.

Bladescape lunged forward and skipped to the side to avoid an incoming branch. She slid and unleashed Heaven Splitter again, pruning the branches back before they could retreat any further. Bladescape now had even more of a reason to beat this thing.

AFCK slid up to her. “I sure hope Twilight is okay. I want to bake her a cake, but I still don’t know how. I will learn through. I just need the right ingredients, starting with taffy! Then I can figure out how to make sprinkles.”

“Sprinkles?” Bladescape laughed. “I thought you were trying to make cupcakes?”

“Well duh, but I need sprinkles first. I need to eat something while I figure out how to bake whip cream.”

“Some things never changed,” Bladescape said, rolling her eyes.

“I know. What is life without cupcakes. Or strudel. I am sure I can figure out pie, but Dash doesn’t like pie.”

“Since when?” Bladescape asked as she blocked a limb and then turned it into a strike that pruned off a good 8 inches.

“Since always, silly.”

“I swear I have seen her eat pie.”

“No, she always looks like she is eating up, but you wouldn’t believe how many Tank ate for her.”

“Her turtle? Her small turtle?”

“No,” AFCK giggled. “Tank is a tortes. And the school always gets random pie deliveries whenever I make her one too. She is good at hiding it, but we are friends, so I stopped making her pies and I forgave her for all the times I pushed pies on her.”

“Pinkie,” Bladescape said, using her real name to get her full attention. “Are we talking about the same thing?”

“I dunno. I’m talking about Dash. I think you are talking about something else.”

Bladescape shook her head with a smile as she darted in. She blocked the incoming branch, forcing it to slide over her head. AFCK popped forward with a roar and severed the branch at the Treant’s fist. That strike put Nerius the Evil Treant into his last health bar.

Agil took a giant gouge out of Nerius. He had been hacking away at the same spot AFCK had been. Bladescape didn’t give him much of an opportunity to get clear as she brought up Lacerate and landed her blow in the same spot. Bladescape dove out of the way and AFCK drove her axe home. Agil put another swing in.

Nerius swung his arm to bash them but it was met by a bellow from Backbreaker and a bash from her war hammer. The rest of the strike was stopped by her shield.

The three of them landed several consecutive blows on the same place and Nerius the Evil Treant roared in pain, faltering backwards. Just like a tree, he could be staggered by hacking away at the same spot.

A volley of assaults from all directions came as he was staggered. They had all been waiting for this moment. His HP gauge was dropped into the yellow as the rest of them were taking their movement penalty.

“ROCK CANDY SMASH!” AFCK howled as her first sparked.

It slammed home. The HP gauge shot down. It was not enough. Only a few pixels were left. Bladescape swung, activating Avalanche for the Last Attack Bonus. As her sword came down Nerius exploded in polygons and her sword cut uselessly through them.

The Beater was on the other side. His sword had beaten hers. It was clear he had gotten the last strike in. Bladescape knew her nostrils were flaring as she caught her breath. But it was over. Twilight was safe, despite the close call. That was all that mattered.

“I thought you were going to be bringing fighters to this raid!” Kibaou said, storming over to her.

“Excuse me?” Bladescape asked, aggressively meeting him head on. She was clearly taller than him and forced him to look up at her.

“You heard me. I thought you were going to be bringing players who could fight.”

“We did,” Bladescape fired back.

“What about her!” Kibaou cut, pointing off behind Bladescape.

Bladescape didn’t have to look to know where he was pointing, but before she could speak Diemond beat her to it.

“No need to be ugly about it. Her HP dropped down almost to single digits. I would like to see you try to fight after your HP goes down that far in a few hits.”

“A fighter likes me never lets my HP drop that far!” Kibaou declared. “A true fighter who deserves to be here doesn’t either.”

“Hey!” Bladescape said getting his attention by disrespectfully snapping in his face. “That is my friend! Your HP can’t drop that far because you are too busy either fighting with Lind for ‘command’ or because you are ‘commanding’ from behind. You barely swung your sword at all! So lay off my friend for a moment of humanity.”

“We all survived,” Agil said walking over. Kibaou never liked how he really towered over him. “Everyone did their best in this fight. She wasn’t the only one who faltered. Plenty of other players did here, including in your own guild. Its no shame to falter a bit. Especially when your HP is almost depleted.

“And unlike so many others, she actually was here, fighting. She was brave enough to fight, and not just here. I have seen her on the front lines clearing the Labyrinths. She isn’t just trying to jump in out of nowhere.

“Let’s just be glad no one actually did die and move on. We have the 4th Floor to open and clear.”

Agil was enough to put things right and Bladescape looked at what she got. There was plenty to be proud of, but nothing of a particular interest to her.

“I got a new axe!” AFCK said bouncing up and down. “Bark Biter!” AFCK made multiple Rawr noises as she gnashed her teeth and turned her fingers into fake claws. “Its a good deal better than what I got now. BUT! Did anyone get sprinkles dropped?”

“Sorry AFCK,” Thunderborne shrugged. “None of us got sprinkles dropped.”

It was better than arguing with her that sprinkles never would be dropped.

They moved up to the fourth floor and grabbed rooms in the first town, Rovia. The Beta Test had it as a dry, sandy floor. Now it was overhauled with water and greenery. The entire floor required players to float through the river to the different towns and dungeons. Rovia was an island in a square lake now and the roads were all water. The villagers used Gondolas, but they had to use rubber tubes.

Bladescape messaged Argo from the inn’s pub. After brief negotiations, Bladescape learned how to start the quest to build their own Gondolas. Argo needed some calculations from Knightstar from another area of the Floor. It was now a common trade for them.

Knightstar had been quiet the entire time. At the moment, she was just staring at her drink. No one knew what to say.

“Twilight,” Bladescape said quietly. She was using her real name to try and make her words sink all the way in. “Just listen to me, your best friend Sunset Shimmer. You and I fought the same battle once, in the real world. I showed you the way. Now I am going to show the way again. We all are going to get closer than we want to death. That is this game.

“But it also is life. Real, non virtual life. If you had an HP gauge for life, you would see it a lot different. Back in the real world, we get through life because we don’t have one. We can ignore that idea. But every time we fall, or cut ourselves cooking, or whatever, it chips away at our HP and we need to revive it. We do it naturally in the real world, but here it is hanging over us because that gauge is the only one we have.

“You fought valiantly. Just as hard as the others did. You got knocked around pretty bad, but you got back up. You survived, and your friends didn’t abandon you. We were there and we still are here.

“I didn’t need you as a tank, I didn’t need you as a powerful damage dealer, I needed you doing exactly what you were doing. And you did it. You didn’t see the times I snuck a health potion in the middle of that fight. That’s a boss battle. You fight and heal on the run.

“I think BB was the only one who didn’t need to drink a health potion, but she was basically behind her shield the entire time, and doing an amazing job of it.”

“That pounding was tough,” Backbreaker admitted. “But even I drank a potion shortly before you took your hit, Twi. It still chips away at my HP every time I take an attack on my shield.”

“I drank a lot of them,” Dash added.

“Me too, Darling. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“That’s the cool thing,” Astro said, smiling into her drink. “You got roughed up, but the battle is over, and you got a ton of XP from it. And that means you are getting stronger. The next fight, you will be an even higher level, AND you will be an even stronger fighter, with more experience, better gear, and new Swords Skills to unleash.

“Death game or not, it is a game. In real life, you can’t level up like you can here. Okay, you seven apparently can.”

That got Knightstar to let out a sad chuckle. “Yeah, we have leveled up a few times in real life. And the battle got me a new level. I already am statistically stronger. I’ll be okay in the end. I just need to wrap my head around it a bit more.” Knightstar looked up at Bladescape with a smile. “You were right. In real life, we just can’t see that HP gauge. But you could easily argue it’s there, but not visible. Thanks.”

Sunset Shimmer hugged her friend. It started a whole round of hugs. While the others hugged Knightstar, Sunset Shimmer let out a big sigh of relief. The Twilight behind Knightstar was going to be alright. All of her friends were going to be alright. Their new friends were going to be alright. Sunset Shimmer was going to be alright.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 16– Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 15 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 15 – Rapier – Sprint – Agility – Armor Pierce
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 16 – Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor
AFCK (PP): Lvl 15 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts
Diemond (R): Lvl 15 – Shield – Mace – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 14 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search
Astro (PS): Lvl 14 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics
Kiefer: Lvl 11 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense
Lessa: Lvl 11 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor
Joltron: Lvl 11 – One handed Axe – Shield – Light Metal Armor

Author's Note

I admit. I enjoyed a bit of philosophy about life at the end there.

Thanks for reading and sticking through to Episode 11~!

Episode 12 - Floating Bulwark

Floor 31

July 7

Aincrad, the iron castle floating in the sky. A virtual prison with very real consequences. Bladescape’s time served was nearing a year. She sat on a roof of the inn they had rented on the 31st Floor, contemplating all that had happened as she watched the sunrise.

Lind’s command of the Dragon Knights Brigade had morphed into the Holy Dragon Alliance. Kibaou led the Aincrad Liberation Squad into the 25th Boss Room, rushing the boss without any real preparation. They were trying to get ahead of the other guilds. It failed, miserably. After loosing half their members to this death game, they had whimpered back to the first floor where they merged with another guild and created the Aincrad Liberation Army, a guild for the players, to protect and care for every last player.

From the hole created by ALS’ failure, a new guild stepped into the vacant spot: the Knights of the Blood Oath. They kept the front line from falling apart. And they didn’t monopolize the boss raids.

The Wondercolts had steadily been at the top, clearing each floor as it came. They all had come such a long way over the months. Astro, Kiefer, Lessa, and Joltron were good friends by now. The members of the Wondercolts were strong and willing to take on the Labyrinths, Field Bosses, and Floor Bosses as needed. They hadn’t missed a Floor Boss battle since the First Floor. Joltron had proven to be an effective third Tank. Doombunny was the only one who hadn’t faced a boss, and she was fine with that.

AFCK had maxed her cooking skill the month before. She still was learning to combine all the foreign ingredient like fish bone extract and the other weird herbs. She had already figured out how to make cupcakes and was close to cracking the code for sprinkles.

Likewise, Diemond had already maxed Tailoring and Light Metal Armor Forging. As soon as she hit level 50 she would unlock a skill slot and start Heavy Metal Armor Forging. Because of her, the guild had matching uniforms. She made capes for Backbreaker, Joltron, and herself since they were wearing heavy metal armor.

Kiefer, Lessa, and Joltron had put a lot of effort into weapons making and equipment repair. Their skills were sufficient for repairs, and because of Twilight, they were making good headway on weapon creation that would help the guild.

Bladescape had kept her promise, she had grown strong for the guild. The others didn’t quite know how far. Bladescape hadn’t consulted Knightstar about her stats either. She was level 52, three whole levels above Backbreaker.

A message popped up, pulling Bladescape from her thoughts. It was from Argo.

I have something you might be interested in. Something right up the alley of a particular member of the Wondercolts. Meet me on Floor 27, Ronbaru. All of you.

It was an odd message from Argo. She did all the transactions through Bladescape and Knightstar, but they never were written like that. Bladescape replied “On our way,” and woke the others up.

The 27th floor was one stuck in perpetual night, but rich in ore. They had come here multiple times to purchase ore and refined metals. Bladescape looked around, but didn’t see Argo as they arrived.

Argo soon came out of a back alley and walked over to them. Which was very unlike her. Usually they had to go to her.

“I heard of something that met your qualifications,” Argo said. “I just got back from checking it out, and if anyone can solve this problem, Backbreaker can.” Argo’s painted face grinned mischievously. “This one is free of charge.”

Argo started walking out of the town and they followed her. Once they were clear of the town Argo spoke up.

“This Floor is a mess. Crafters are still uncovering things. Most of them are not deadly like on Floor 25, but its still being explored. A week ago I heard of a mini quest. Once I got the chance to actually check it out, I immediately thought of Backbreaker. I have heard enough from the boss battles to know she is surprisingly unyielding. And that is what it will take to beat this Flag Mob. No one has yet, and it is clear he won’t re-spawn.”

“What kind of Flag Mob are we talking about here?” Backbreaker asked, jogging up to walk beside Argo.

“He claims a rare shield as a prize, but the problem is that he only comes out to fight a single player. And, that player has to have a shield equipped. If another player crosses the line, he disappears back into the wall.

“So far, no one has survived the first hit yet. He tosses you back and claims you are not worthy before disappearing into the wall. I hope you are game, because I don’t like Flag Mobs going unbeaten.”

“Well, I’ll give it a try,” Backbreaker said. “He won’t toss me like a hay bail. I can guarantee you that.”

They showered Backbreaker with praise and encouragement for a while before they entered a cave lit by crystals and followed it for a ways.

“I am certain this wasn’t here when we first got to the floor,” Argo said. “Which ticks me off.”

Argo’s guides were still a major player for the Boss Raids. She provided them the valuable information on the boss attack patterns and such. It came at a cost of course. It wasn’t easy for her to lock down the quests that provided that information and find some of the most obscure NPCs that knew something.

It was why Bladescape and Knightstar were always willing to find out something for Argo. It not only provided them all with key information, it usually got them early access or free access to stuff. Times like this where when the boring and repetitive drop rate calculation missions paid off.

The cave opened up but there was a group of players crowded around the exit.

“Behold, the beast’s lair,” Argo said. “And no surprise, its got a group already there.”

Cheers were raised and quickly replaced with a bang of metal and a lot of noises indicating the players had just seen something painful. Bladescape, Argo, and Backbreaker pushed themselves to the front. A single player was crawling his way out of the open area.

It wasn’t small, but it wasn’t big. It was just the right size to solo fight a Flag Mob. It was sufficiently lit with orange light, exposing the rocky exterior that gave a peak to open sky.

The edge of the cavern’s entrance glowed red, a warning to not enter. A red line was also visible on the cave floor. As soon the player exited the line the glow turned white.

Argo gestured for Backbreaker to go in and Bladescape gave a reassuring smile and nod. Argo pulled out a record crystal to capture the battle. Their friends were unable to watch as the rest of the crowd realized it was Backbreaker who had entered.

“Back up!” Bladescape growled, as she pushed back against the wall by the current onlookers. “You are to going push us into the pit!”

“Hey!” Backbreaker yelled, turning around. “Y’all can watch, but don’t push and shove. AND! My friends get to move to the front. That’s only fair, y’all. You alright, Sugarcube?”

“I’m fine,” Bladescape yelled back. “Just focus on the task.”

Backbreaker walked over to the black line in the floor. She stood there, looking around. She realized that the real, iron wall of Aincrad was exposed in a slim part.

Out of the iron wall came a giant metal knight. He sauntered over to face her. He was almost three times her height. His shield was a tattered and torn piece of square iron and in his other hand he carried an iron mace. They all looked to be made of the same material.

“I offer my shield to he or she who is able to carry it. You must prove you can carry it through battle. It won’t be easy. Do you accept this match?”

Backbreaker glanced back at her friends and then looked at the metal giant. “I do.”

“Then prepare yourself,” The metal knight said brandishing the mace.

Only a single health bar popped up along with his name, Pillar. Backbreaker set her stance, using both arms to brace her shield. The giant saw she was ready and struck. It was faster than they though he could move.

THUD!

The iron mace groaned as it bent backwards. Pillar was giving it his all, trying to toss Backbreaker, but she held firm. His grip slipped and the swing slid off her shield and continued it’s mighty path.

Backbreaker leaped in and her war hammer glowed red.

THUD!

Backbreaker scored a solid hit on the chest place of Pillar. It barely dented his HP. Backbreaker braced herself Pillar adjusted and swung his mace again with blinding speed. This time it was deflected off quicker and Backbreaker leaped, landing a blow on his chest again. She didn’t have the ability to leap higher than that with the weight of her equipment.

They traded blows back and forth while their friends watched. They couldn’t see either of their HP bars. It was a slow battle as they hammered away at each other.

Backbreaker switched things up by stepping in. She stopped the mace on her shield and then rotated with a yell, driving her hammer home of the gauntlet of Pillar’s mace hand.

Pillar flipped the tables on her and drove his mace directly down for the first time. Backbreaker went down on one knee and raised her shield.

THUD!

Backbreaker didn’t budge under it’s might.

“My name is Backbreaker,” she grunted under the strain. “I grew up on a farm. Not much scares me. I don’t intend to budge under your attack or any other.”

“What is the source of your strength?” Pillar asked.

“My friends,” Backbreaker grinned. “If I fail they die. They are strong in their own way, but it falls on my shoulders in here to make sure that I block anything and everything. You might not kill me, but I can’t fail them.”

The broke apart and Backbreaker rolled into Pillar’s range, striking him three times before he was able to back up.

THUD!

Backbreaker deflected the mace and jumped in.

THUD!

Her hammer was blocked by Pillar’s giant shield. It was the first time he had used it. Her Sword Skill was still active unless it got forced off it’s path, but Backbreaker wasn’t got to let that happen. At least not without a fight.

Her hammer creaked and then it shattered under the strain. Pillar swung the mace and Backbreaker skillfully blocked it.

“I won’t bend, even without a weapon in my hand,” Backbreaker growled.

With her free hand still bracing her shield, she pulled up her menu and pulled out an old hammer she had gotten in a drop but hadn’t gotten rid of yet. It was a weapon.

“Very skillful,” Pillar said as he pulled back and reset. He swung the mace overhead again and Backbreaker took it the same as she had before.

Pillar leaned in so there was no chance of them being heard.

“Your strength isn’t from living on a farm.”

“A good chunk of it is,” Backbreaker groaned. “But if you want the truth, I guess it won’t hurt you. I don’t suppose you know you are in a game, do you?”

“Of course I know. I wouldn’t exist without Cardinal’s directive. I exist because this went from being a game, to a prison.”

“Well then,” Backbreaker grinned. “In the real world, I live on a farm. But me an my friends, we have this magic stuff happening at our school. And, well, its kind of turned into geodes. But they give me super strength. I protect our world from other magic threats. I suppose that sounds kind of funny.”

“The modern world is full of wonders,” Pillar replied, not letting up on the pressure. “It doesn’t sound silly to me. And the rest of your friends?”

“Speed, levitation, mind reading, exploding sprinkles, talking to animals, and creating magical diamond shields. Its worked for quite a few things. Several demons, a group of soul sucking sirens.” Backbreaker chuckled. “Even a few evil classmates. That sort of thing. But our friendship is what gives us the real power.

“Dash may think she is the strongest, but I am!”

Backbreaker stood up despite the tremendous strain. The mace slipped off her shield and slammed into the ground, fracturing the solid stone. Backbreaker’s crappy mace glowed and swung into the helmet Pillar.

He reeled back from the hit. Backbreaker was sure it wasn’t a kill blow, but his HP gauge was gone. She wasn’t even in the yellow. There was no way he had dropped to zero, especially against such a low level weapon.

But Pillar stumbled back a bit and then fell on his knees, the iron in his body groaning. He leaned on his shield in front of Backbreaker.

“You are worthy,” He groaned, just loud enough for her to hear. “Your unyielding devotion and strength has earned you the right to bear it. I have been waiting for the right time since this game changed. This shield is a piece of Aincrad’s exterior wall. I am a pillar that holds this castle together. In defiance to what happened to this game, I ripped it out of the wall myself. It gives no special bonuses, but it doesn’t need it. As your strength grows, as you beat the floor bosses, it will grow. Believe in it and it won’t fail. I doubt the outside magic can make it in here, but your heart holds a special kind. And that is one thing that can and has been brought into this death game.”

Pillar’s shield fractured and he fell face down into the earth. But the heart of the shield dropped down in front of Backbreaker. She also got the notification that she leveled up. Backbreaker groaned as she lifted the shield. Its weight was enormous. She pulled up her menu to stash her other shield and saw a notification.

Heavy Shield Skill Unlocked.

Her skill menu had automatically replaced Shield with Heavy Shield. With another few clicks the Shield was equipped. With the new skill the shield was easier to move.

Backbreaker finally heard the cheers from her friends and the players who could see. She walked over to them. The glowing red aura around the entrance was gone. There wasn’t even a hit of the white or any color. She walked through to them anyway where she was embraced.

“Yay AJ!” AFCK said hopping around.

The rest of what she said was lost as Argo spoke. “That was a good fight,” Argo grinned. “It’s going to be hard to beat something like that. And I got it recorded. I’ll only sell a few pictures to the newspaper for laughs. And, I’ll let you watch it for free.”

“That’s mighty kind of you,” Backbreaker said leaning against the wall, exhausted. “It was mighty kind of you to show us here.”

Argo shrugged under her cloak. “Hey, like I said, I hate a Flag Mob spawning without me knowing. And I hate it even more when they can’t be beaten.”

“Still, thank you.”

“But I am excited to see what you got,” Argo smirked.

The other players watching had dispersed once the battle had finished. It was no longer fun.

“Well, for starters, my menu let me know I got my shield skill upgraded to Heavy Shield Skill.”

“Interesting,” Knightstar said pulling up her menu. “My calculations say that your shield skill should be about 500 out of 1000.”

“It just moved to 505,” Backbreaker confirmed.

“That’s a long way to go,” Argo said. “But strength must be a qualifier. I am not surprised to hear of a heavy shield skill. Some of them are getting quite larger and heavy.”

“I would appreciate it if y’all didn’t sell that information, but released it to the public. We need more shield users with bigger shields on the front lines if we are to beat this game.”

Argo nodded in agreement.

Backbreaker removed her shield with a smile and held it out. Knightstar tapped on it to bring up the appraisal info.

“It just says Floating Bulwark,” Knightstar said confused. “No other information. Nothing about its use requirements or even its durability. It doesn’t even tell me that I can’t see certain information.”

“It’s got no bonuses,” Backbreaker stated. “But I know that. That isn’t my concern.”

“Are you sure its even worth it?” Knightstar asked. “We dropped a few floors to get it.”

“Did you not see our battle?” Backbreaker snorted. “Yeah, its worth it. This is the same shield that destroyed my hammer.”

“Very intriguing,” Argo replied. “But there is stuff to do now that this Flag Mob was beaten. I assume the same is true for you all too.”

“Yeah,” Bladescape nodded. “We have more stuff to do. And we just added a getting Backbreaker a new hammer to that list.”

Bladescape and Backbreaker went to Agil’s shop while the others went back to clearing Floor 31. It was cramped inside the shop, as usual.

“Well look who just walked in,” Agil smiled. “I didn’t figure on seeing you anytime soon. Rumor has it the Wondercolts are nearly self sufficient.”

“We are getting there,” Bladescape grinned. “But we will always pop into our favorite store owner.”

“You don’t have any rings, right?” Agil asked. “I got a few in stock yesterday.”

“Sure, but first, we need a war hammer.”

“A war hammer?” Agil asked, scratching his head. “Didn’t you just get one on the last boss raid?”

“And it broke,” Backbreaker chuckled. “I got this though. A single drop shield from a Flag Mob on the 27th Floor.”

“The one that’s been tossing everyone out of the ring, right?” Agil asked. “Everyone who tries to stand against him fails off the first hit.”

Backbreaker nodded.

“If the rumors are true, then he must have been hitting insanely hard.”

“He did,” Backbreaker chuckled. “And when I hit him back, that’s why my hammer couldn’t take the force of us colliding.”

“I don’t have anything like what you were using. Most of my gear is best suited for the mid level players. But I got this one, Skull Basher. A player made it and sold it to me last week.”

Backbreaker looked at it’s stats. “It’ll do I guess. I’ve got no other option at the moment. Its mighty light and I hate the skulls, but ital do.”

With the transaction finished, Bladescape and Agil began talking about the rings. A player could only wear two. The game had a marriage system, and that would take up a ring slot. Rings boosted a player’s stats, and a wedding ring wasn’t without its other benefits.

Bladescape bought all three rings Agil had. None of them were that powerful, but they were enough of an edge. The first two were for herself, the last was bought with money from the guild, for the other members to use.

Bladescape kept things simple and gave it to Backbreaker since she was right there. It boosted a player’s HP by 250. That was the number of hit points you started the game with, so it was a worthwhile boost. And Tanks needed every little bit of HP to hold strong against enemies.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 52– Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 46 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 46 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 50 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search
AFCK (PP): Lvl 44 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor
Diemond (R): Lvl 44 – Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 44 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit
Astro (PS): Lvl 46 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration
Kiefer: Lvl 43 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging
Lessa: Lvl 43 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing
Joltron: Lvl 43 – One handed Axe – Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging

Episode 13 - Colorra

Floor 37

August 27

The Wondercolts were bushwhacking through the deep jungle on Floor 37. They were on a hunting quest. They had to find and kill a rare, venomous snake: the Dandarabilla Cobra. They needed the poison for a quest so that it could be made into an anti-venom mix to save a life. The snake was extremely aggressive from the reports.

They had a set of anti poison crystals, but it was still a big risk. Argo had provided them the best information on the quest, for her standard fee. That information didn’t minimize the danger much. The correct snake was black, but it shimmered with rainbows if the light hit it right. The other black snakes didn’t shimmer and while they were poisonous and aggressive, they were not the right kind of poison.

“I just wish we didn’t have to kill them,” Doombunny said to Bladescape. They had fanned out to try and find the elusive snakes. Doombunny had been paired with Bladescape.

“I know Doom, but how else are we going to get the poison?”

“Umm…well…I don’t know. I just hate kill quests. I know they are just monsters programmed that way, but most of them are actually kind of cute.”

“Cute?” Bladescape chuckled. “Only you would think some of these monsters are cute.”

Bladescape sighed and leaned against a tree. She was tired of searching the damp leaves and underbrush of the jungle for something that was designed to hide in their terrain.

“Doombunny, I know how you feel. You are still Fluttershy in your core, which is good. But we have to kill the beasts to get stronger. Its the only way to survive.”

“I know,” Doombunny said looking more like the meek Fluttershy than Fluttershy usually looked. “But I still hate it. I can’t help but feel sorry at the end of the day. Or in the morning. And anytime we take a break.”

Bladescape chuckled with love. Doombunny was getting stronger and going tit for tat for levels against any of the other Wondercolts, but she still was herself in the good ways. When Bladescape could find her, she often was feeding the virtual birds or playing with the odd butterfly. Her hide skill was high enough that they could almost lose track of her sitting at the table with them if she activated it.

Bladescape froze as something slithered around her shoulder and neck, almost pinning her to the tree. The black snake looked Bladescape in the eyes.

“Umm, Doom?” Bladescape squeaked with what little breath she had left.

“Shoo!” Doombunny kindly said, trying to wave it away with her hand. “Go. We don’t need you.”

Bladescape lifted her sword. It was going to be tough with the length, but Doombunny was being 100% Fluttershy and she wasn’t being helpful.

“Oh, no, no, no. Please snake. I don’t want you to get hurt. If you go now, you will avoid that nasty blade she is raising at you.”

Bladescape froze as the snake hissed at her, baring its fangs.

“Oh please, Mr. Snake,” Doombunny pleaded. “Just be a good snake and go away and we won’t hurt you.”

The snake did not back down.

“I said let her go!” Doombunny ordered.

The snake hissed and receded into the tree’s canopy.

Bladescape tried to control her breathing. She almost got control of it when she realized she was still leaning against the tree the snake was in. She jumped with a squeal away from it.

“Doombunny, next time, please just kill it.”

“Why?”

Bladescape couldn’t stop her palm from hitting her forehead.

“They are venomous and it almost bit me,” Bladescape said, calming down.

“No he didn’t. He just didn’t like you touching his tree.”

Bladescape looked above them. The canopy was a good 150 feet above them, easily. It could hold more snakes, but she couldn’t get up there. Thunderborne probably could climb up, but that didn’t mean she could protect herself.

Along with Doombunny; Thunderborne, AFCK, Astro, and Joltron were also in the party with her. But the others were so spread out that the only thing Bladescape could see was their health bars below hers on the top left for the party info. Bladescape messaged them to set up a rendezvous.

It took them awhile to assemble.

“So, the snakes are in the trees,” Bladescape explained. “One slid down and was choking me. Doom just told it to go away, and it did.”

“Where is Doom?” Thunderborne asked.

“What!” Bladescape said panicking. “Stupid hide skill! She slips into it without even realizing she is activating it! She has my search skill out mastered. Most of the time even I can’t find her.”

Bladescape was trying to see Doombunny, and even activated tracking, a high level skill that Search unlocked.

“Warmer, warmer, colder, cold.”

Bladescape sighed. “AFCK, not helpful. We are not playing a game. We are trying to find Doombunny before the snakes do.”

“Well yeah. Duh. She is over there, silly. She isn’t hiding.”

Bladescape stepped over to AFCK and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. From their spot, Doombunny was blocked by a tree. AFCK, as usual, was doing something else from the group and could still see Doombunny.

Doombunny was bent down, one hand wrapped around her knees. Bladescape couldn’t see what she was doing, but she needed them all together to talk strategy. Bladescape walked over to her and stopped.

“Yes, you a beautiful lady,” Doombunny said. “I don’t know why everyone is so afraid of you. You are just minding your own business. These players can be so mean. I hate the kill quests too. If I could get stronger without hunting, I would.”

“Uh, Doombunny?” Bladescape asked, inching closer to not freak her out.

A hiss came from behind Doombunny and a large snake darted out, it’s black scale shimmering like a beautiful rainbow.

“Hey! Watch your language! That is my friend and she won’t hurt you. Right Blade?”

Thunderborne groaned for them all except Astro and Joltron. They were just confused.

“Right,” Bladescape said sheathing her sword. “I won’t harm…her.”

“How do you know its a girl?” Thunderborne prodded.

“The boys don’t shimmer,” Doombunny curtly explained.

The snake wrapped itself around Doombunny who was still bent down and curled up on her shoulder, finding it a nice perch. It was large, drooping down onto the front of her chest to make sure it fit.

“Aww,” Doombunny said standing up and scratching her scales.

“Um, is this normal?” Joltron asked.

“Oddly, yes,” AFCK said.

“AFCK is right,” Bladescape added. “Doombunny is a master with animals I.R.L.. You should see what she does for them. She always has at least one smuggled into her backpack at school because they get lonely. Angel Bunny is her personal pet, but she loves them all. Including snakes.”

“Good news, girls,” Doombunny smiled and then she chuckled cutely. “And boy. Sorry, I always forget about Joltron and Kiefer. I’ve said girls for so long now, its natural for me. Anyway, good news. She has agreed to give us her venom for the quest. We don’t need to kill her for it.”

“Well that is convenient,” AFCK shrugged. “I guess Diemond won’t be getting snake skin boots anytime soon then.”

“She wasn’t trying to make them,” Bladescape said, frustrated. She still wasn’t over the snake almost killing her.

“She wasn’t?” AFCK asked, very confused. “Then why are we out here?”

Thunderborne’s palm audibly hit her head. It was loud enough that Bladescape wondered if she had knocked a few points off her total HP.

“Lets head back,” Bladescape said as she messaged the others.

“Umm, how is she going to keep it?” Joltron asked.

“It’s probably just going to ride on her shoulders like that.”

Bladescape looked behind her. Doombunny was giddily walking along, enjoying the company of the snake.

“Colorra says she is hungry,” Doombunny said as they got out of the jungle. “She likes fresh meat, not cooked.”

“You are going to have to feed her,” Bladescape said. “She is your pet after all.”

“Oh, I wasn’t asking you to feed her. I am sorry. I didn’t mean that.”

Bladescape chuckled a smile at Doombunny. “I know you were not. I just meant she is yours, you will need to keep food on you for her.”

The other players in the town were visibly disturbed about Doombunny walking around with a snake on her neck. A good chunk of them could tell it was a dreaded Dandarabilla Cobra. The snake’s description was well known so players could avoid it. In the light, Colorra was practically a moving rainbow.

For dinner they went to the expensive pub. The quest was lucrative. They were in the corner of the pub, with plenty of clearance around them. The snake was helping create that buffer.

Out of nowhere Argo sat down with them. “I heard about someone walking around with a snake. Other Familiars have popped up all across the players, most notably a young girl is known as the Dragon Master because she has a tamed Feathered Little Dragon. But no one has tamed any of the snakes here. How did you do it?”

“Oh. Sorry Argo. I am not sure,” Doombunny said. “I just talked to it. Like back home.”

“Do you even have the Familiar Communications skill active?”

“Umm,” Doombunny said, opening her window. “Yes. I do. But it’s a soft yellow.”

Argo sighed. “Why am I not surprised. You guys are one weird bunch. I don’t think your brains are fully connected to those NerveGears.”

With that, Argo was gone just as fast as she came.

“That was odd,” Doombunny said.

“She was looking for information,” Bladescape explained. “Specifically to add it to a guide for others to tame. But you can’t explain you and Colorra.”

“I am not sleeping in the same room with her,” Thunderborne declared.

“You know, we have enough money. We should look at getting our own place,” Knightstar said. “Guild headquarters are for sale, along with personal homes.”

“Then start looking,” Bladescape said with a nod. “It would be nice to have somewhere else to stay. My own room even. I know we will still need to use Inns on longer trips, but having a home base would be a big relief.”

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 54– Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 48 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 48 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 51 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search
AFCK (PP): Lvl 48 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor
Diemond (R): Lvl 48 – Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 48 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra)
Astro (PS): Lvl 48 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration
Kiefer: Lvl 45 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging
Lessa: Lvl 45 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing
Joltron: Lvl 45 – One handed Axe – Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging

Episode 14 - Home

Floor 36

August 29

Astro and Knightstar were still trying to determine housing or guild headquarters. Astro was only there for her skill of Purchase Negotiation. This was their second day in the Town of Beginnings while Knightstar sorted our all of the options.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Wondercolts had dropped to the 36th Floor to hunt. Yesterday had been spent relaxing, expecting Knightstar to make a faster choice than she did. Now they were going to farm Col. Some monsters were better to hunt for Col than others. It was relaxed compared to the Labyrinths and pushing the front lines forward. But they deserved the break.

They also deserved a place to call their own in this hellish nightmare of a ‘game.’

The open fields in the south of the Floor was populated by Hill Giants. Not only did they drop a good amount of Col, they also had a good drop rate for the mid to high class weapons. They were a pain to hunt because they were level 42. It required a strong team to knock their HP down and good Tanks to block their wooden clubs. Lessa and Joltron’s shields were smaller than Diemond’s and definitely smaller than Backbreaker’s, but they would be sufficient to take a blow from the giant’s crude clubs.

Bladescape separated into a party with AFCK, Backbreaker, Kiefer, and Doombunny. The Hill Giant's targeting range was low, being dumb creatures. The parties spread out on the edge of the zone so the giant wasn’t even concerned about being cornered.

Bladescape lunged in with High Infinity, a four part combo in the shape of a wide infinity symbol attack. Before the giant could focus on the delayed Bladescape, Backbreaker’s hammer struck, drawing his aggro.

The giant howled and stumbled back, meaning Kiefer’s strike missed. AFCK wasn’t ready for him to stumble her way and jumped back before he could do anything to her. But he just dropped to his knees, howling in pain.

His HP was dropping rapidly and a symbol was above it. A green skull. The mark of poison. None of them had any poison skills.

Bladescape panicked, looking around for other players. Her search skill was high, but Doombunny could hide from her. Poison never spelled anything positive.

“Good girl Colorra,” Doombunny said.

Bladescape looked over at Doombunny. The snake was still on her shoulders and hanging on her torso. She was scratching her head. All of that was normal.

“My turn,” Doombunny said, grinning at Colorra.

Doombunny’s speed was instantaneous as her knife glowed a deep blue. It was a two combo strike Doombunny had unlocked. A dart forward that cut enemies and then a dart back to the starting point as another cut was made. It worked great for a distance jump or taking on multiple enemies. It was known as Swift Trick for a reason.

Her blade bit deep into the giant and then cut back across him as she came back. He popped into a million polygons and Doombunny went back to petting Colorra like normal. The snake had stayed on her shoulders without a problem.

“Doom, is there something we should know?” Bladescape asked.

“Huh? Oh. Colorra just decided to join in the fun.”

Bladescape breathed a sigh of relief. The poison came from the snake. It was a very good thing they hadn’t gotten bitten by one of them. The Hill Giants didn’t have a lot of HP compared to them at their level, but it still would have carved out a huge amount before anti-poison methods could have been applied.

“Doom,” Bladescape said. “Colorra just hit that giant with a nasty poison bite.”

“Oh. I guess that makes sense. She is a poison snake after all.”

Doombunny went back to focusing on her pet while they hiked over to the next Hill Giant. Bladescape had thought Doombunny was fierce. But he snake was worse. Together they could take out of a giant on their own. AFCK separated with Doombunny to hunt giants on their own. It slowed down their party a bit, but it was worth it as they increased their Col farming productivity almost twofold.

Bladescape got a message from Knightstar when it was almost dinner time.

I have the keys. I made the best decision I could. It was more Col than planned. We can talk specifics in Mishe, Floor 35.

“Come on,” Bladescape called as she messaged the other party. “Knightstar bought a place!”

They all got together before they headed back. It was safest and safety was key. As they were hiking back to the city they ran into a Hill Giant.

“Colorra and I have this,” Doombunny declared. Her determination was admirable, but her soft voice killed a lot of the power behind it.

The snake dropped off her shoulders and Doombunny pulled her knife out. Doombunny swaggered out to face the giant. The snake was slithering in between her stride. It was clearly protecting her at the same time as it hunted the giant.

Doombunny leaped in with a Swift Trick. The giant howled at the strike. Bladescape missed Colorra dart in. It struck once at the Giant’s left leg and slithered around for another quick strike. Doombunny wasn’t out of the fight. She was back in as the giant was distracted. She unleashed a sickening 8 part combo with lightning speed that would be hard to match with any longer weapon. At the same time, the snake struck several more times. The giant never got the chance to retaliate as it popped out of existence.

AFCK was immediately cheering and clapping.

“Way to go Doombunny!” Thunderborne praised. “That was awesome!”

“Sugarcube,” Backbreaker said leaning on her shield. “That’s the Doombunny I knew you had in you.”

“Darling, that was amazing,” Diemond added.

“Nice job,” Bladescape grinned. “That was amazing. That is the Doombunny that is a survivalist. That is the Doombunny that will conquer this game for the animals.”

“Thanks, girls. But I can already tell I will miss Colorra when we get free.”

“We need to upgrade your knife,” Bladescape added. “We will see what Agil has.”

“Remind me to never piss off Fluttershy,” Thunderborne whispered to Bladescape as they continued back.

Mishe, Floor 35’s main town, came glowed into their vision as they teleported to it. It was only two levels below the front lines, so it was still hopping with activity. It looked like a standard medieval town: Cobblestone roads, timber framed buildings, and such. None of the houses were above 5 stories.

Knightstar was with Astro waiting in the square. Astro was bored out of her mind. That was no surprise after Knightstar weighed every option. Knightstar grinned at her fellow Wondercolts and held up a key.

“We will need to work hard to gather more Col,” Knightstar prefaced things. “But I think the extra cost will be well worth it.”

“I know you made the best choice available,” Bladescape grinned. “I sent you because I trusted you for a reason.”

“I went over budget,” Knightstar nervously squeaked.

“And not a little bit,” Astro shot. “All afternoon was her pacing back and forth, questioning if she could do it. And waiting for you to fill our guild coffers a bit more.”

Bladescape felt her eyes widen. “You spent it all!”

Knightstar held a finger up to argue her points and then hung her head. “I did.”

Bladescape wanted to go off on her friend, but she couldn’t. The rest of the guild really didn’t pay attention to what they had. They were focused on their skills and what they personally had. A lot of their upgrades were personal funds, but the guild purchased about half of their weapons. The guild automatically got a cut from what each member made in drops as an automatic “tax.”

“What did you buy us,” Bladescape asked as nicely as she could do. “It’s done, and I trust you. I know you didn’t buy us some expensive junk.”

Knightstar handed Bladescape the key. “It’s bare, but the main gist is a 12 bedroom, 5 story guild headquarters. It comes with plumbing and basic features. It has a large storage room for equipment, a crafting area, kitchen, dining room, and a guild meeting hall.”

“Sounds like it is worth it,” Bladescape calmly said. “Lets go check out our new home. Where is it?”

“Its right there,” Knightstar said, pointing to a 5 story brick building right off the square.

Accessibility to the teleport gate was very important and Knightstar had nailed that. They could easily go home and get up to teleport to wherever the front line was. Bladescape lost all of her doubt about the purchase as she walked up to the double doors. On either side were small, slit windows to provide some light and atmosphere. The key disappeared as Bladescape pressed it against the door.

The first thing they saw was a small room. It was all mid toned wood on the inside, ignoring the stone front wall. The whole building was wood interior except for the stone walls that made up the exterior frame.

Adding some furniture in the front room would make it the perfect place for greeting guests. The only set of doors out was a pair of double doors that brought them into the guild meeting haul. It already had three seats behind a crappy table. The rest of the room was for either standing or creating rows of chairs to sit before the guild’s council.

There were doors off to either side of the wall, close to the front of the room. The dooron the right took them into a small hallway. Straight ahead was the guild storage room It was bigger than Bladescape expected. She thought they would get a boom closest. This was easily 10 times bigger and did come with a few wooden shelves.

If you turned right, you entered the large kitchen. It was designed for large projects, featuring five ovens and three stoves. It had plenty of counter space, cabinets, and two sinks. It also had a large window facing the street. AFCK was already squealing and hopping around.

The other side of the hallway had a room designed for tailoring and crafting. There were three basic wardrobes already against the main wall and several shelves for materials were already mounted on the wall. It had a door that opened to the back. Outside was a small furnace, two anvils, and several basic tables to keep supplies on. It was a small, cramped space under the roof and smashed in between the other buildings, but it worked.

They went back inside and crossed the guild hall to the other door. Everyone was following Bladescape and Knightstar on the tour.The other door opened to a short hallway like on the other side. Straight in front was a shared sink flanked by 2 bathrooms.

The front was a dining hall with another large window that faced the square. The whole guild could easily fit in the dinning hall. There was no more need for crowding around a table or two. At least whenever they could eat in here.

The other side was a spacious room centered around a circular staircase that led to the second floor. The area was definitely designed for relaxing, but like the bulk of the building, it held no furniture. There were three large windows that looked out over the beautiful square. Several windows dotted the rest of the building, but their view was almost immediately the other building across the cramped alleys. The far side of the room held the staircase to the next floor. Under it was three more bathrooms.

On the third floor was the first of the bedrooms. Three bedrooms were towards the front of the building They all had the large forward windows and the front stone of the exterior wall. There was a bathroom in each, the most important feature being a wooden tub for bathing. There rest was unfurnished, not even having curtains. The city had plenty of lights at night. They would need curtains to block the street lamps.

The other half was three bedrooms as well. They were the same except they didn’t have the luxury of nice windows. Theirs were small square ones, unlike the grand front windows. The back windows did have a slightly better view than the second floor ones, since they were up on the third floor. But it was very limited. The buildings behind their headquarters were only two stories.

They climbed the stairs to the fourth floor and found the other set of bedrooms. It mirrored the floor below: Six bedrooms, three facing the front with windows, three to the back with limited vision for their small windows. Each one had a private bathroom and a tub for bathing.

The fifth floor was a fake floor. It was open, but the roof sloped down to the back. It would make using the back half difficult to impossible. But it was open for whatever they needed it for. The front windows were small, but it still was the stone exterior.

All of them were at the top with Bladescape and Knightstar.

“There is one catch,” Knightstar said. “The bedrooms can have 2 players assigned to them, but that is the catch. The rooms will have to be assigned ownership. Obviously we won’t need to double up, but we still have to assign rooms.”

“Right,” Bladescape sighed, picking up on what Knightstar was meaning.

Obviously, some rooms were more desirable than others, specifically the three at the front of the building on the third floor. They had windows that looked out onto the square, while the other windows were small and crappy. At least they all had windows.

“We should draw lots,” Bladescape said. “That way, everyone has a fair chance to get whatever room they want.”

“I don’t mind what room I get,” Doombunny stated.

“Well,” Kiefer hesitated. “I know you guys think of us as a full part of your guild, and we absolutely appreciate it, but we can take the back rooms too. Just being in such a guild, making friends with you all, is enough for us. We get our own rooms. Without you, we would not be clearers, without you, we would be dead. Or, at least we would not be halfway as far as we are.”

“I think our leader should get her pick first,” Thunderborne said. “I may be captain of every sports team at CHS, but Bladescape is our undisputed leader here. And not just because the guild is registered under her. She has kept us together through some seriously tough times.”

“I agree,” Diemond said. “When it comes to working for the guild, its been Bladescape and Knightstar all the way. They deserve their pick first. This is not a time to be timid about it either. Besides,” Diemond squeaked. “I get to design all of your rooms and make the cloth furnishings!”

Bladescape didn’t know what to say. She scratched her head for a moment. “Alright,” Bladescape shrugged. “But that doesn’t diminish the value of any of you. We all are Wondercolts. I guess...I will take the first front room on the Third Floor.”

Everyone looked at Twilight.

“I’ll work best with more natural light,” Twilight said, trying to play with her nonexistent glasses. “I’ll take the middle bedroom at the front of the third floor.”

Astro spoke up. “When it comes to the guild, I think that before we draw lots, our third council member should be chosen. I know, we are not the size of the Knights of the Blood Oath or the Divine Dragon Alliance, but when it comes to dealing with other guilds, it might come in handy.”

“And who should that be?” Backbreaker asked.

“Umm, duh,” Thunderborne chuckled. “You, BB. You and Blade are the most well known players from the Wondercolts. And Knightstar is in solid third for being well known. Her level guides are selling like crazy.”

“You three would make excellent representatives for us,” Diemond added. “Which means you, BB, should get your pick of your room. Then I can start planning on how to decorate it!”

“Aw shucks, y’all,” Backbreaker said, blushing. “Thank you for your confidence in me. I’ll represent us to the best of my ability.”

“So what room will you take?” Diemond asked.

“I guess I should take the third front room on the third floor, shouldn’t I?”

The rooms were set with their ownership. Now the only players who could freely enter them were the owners. Even their guildmates needed permission. Except for the three registered guild leaders. They had override power. Still, Bladescape could leave personal stuff she had in her inventory in her room, without the threat of it being lost or taken. She trusted her guildmates, but it was calming to know it was her own personal space.

They decided to number the rooms by logical desirability. Rooms 1, 2, and 3, were the forward rooms on the third floor, with 1 being closest to the stairs. 4, 5, and 6 were the ones on the back wall. Likewise, 4 was the closest to the stairs. The fourth floor’s 7-12 rooms mirrored the third floor’s system.

Kiefer, Lessa, and Joltron wanted to be together. They were their own little group in the guild, just like how Bladescape and Backbreaker were always together so they could keep their Boss Battle skills sharp. Astro and Thunderborne were hardly ever separate from each other too. It was guildmates being normal people.

Diemond ended up in Room 4. Astro was in Room 5. Thunderborne was beside Astro in Room 6. Doombunny ended up in Room 7. Room 8 was occupied by AFCK. Room 9 was Kiefer. Room 10 was Lessa. And Room 11 went to Joltron. Room 12 was unoccupied since the didn’t have a 12th member.

For now, they were sleeping on their bedrolls. They had no other options, but Bladescape felt the safest she had ever felt since this nightmare started. This was almost perfect. The closest to perfect they could get in here.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 54– Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 48 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 48 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 51 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search
AFCK (PP): Lvl 48 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor
Diemond (R): Lvl 48 – Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 48 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra)
Astro (PS): Lvl 48 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration
Kiefer: Lvl 45 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging
Lessa: Lvl 45 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing
Joltron: Lvl 45 – One handed Axe – Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging

Episode 15 - Scorpia Queen of the Arthropods

Floor 38

October 8

Bladescape dove out of the way of a pincer. It was pathetic as she slammed into the ground with a slight slide. It was hard for her to get up. But it kept her alive.

The 38th Floor Boss, Scorpia Queen of the Arthropods, was a logistical nightmare. Despite having a full raid party, she was barely touched. Her 3 Health Bars were all still in the green after 30 minutes. The problem resided in her hoard, the Arthropod Deviants. She kept laying clutches of eggs that would soon hatch and grow into the Deviants who then mercilessly charged the invaders. The Deviants had a short paralyzing effect if it’s stinger pierced your armor.

Heavy Army could deflect it, but all of the players in light armor or leather gear had already tasted the paralyzing effect. Bladescape hated it. It gave her a headache too, mostly from the strain of trying to fight it while the arthropods descended at her frozen body.

Their three Tanks could keep them off their guildmates. Each tank was paired with a damage dealer. Backbreaker and Bladescape were together as usual. Her shield looked horrible compared to the rest of her shining armor and beautiful cape. Bladescape knew the full origin of it. Backbreaker had shared it with the seven of them shortly after she got it. It was amazing information about the game to Bladescape and Knightstar who were actively trying to piece it all together. Besides, soon enough Backbreaker would be known for that shield and her skill and the other players would be in awe of her and her signature shield.

Diemond was paired with Astro. They were making an effective pair and the skill Armor Pierce that Astro had was making easy work of their tough carapaces. It was poking enough holes in them to do some real damage over time. They didn’t like her spear.

Joltron and Thunderborne were their last pair. They needed Thunderborne’s speed and rapier. Slash weapons were not the most effective against their shells. It was a game of crush and pierce.

But it was a game where they were going nowhere with. Currently none of the 8 parties were near the Queen. She was laying another clutch of eggs to counter her minions being slain.

“Wondercolts!” Bladescape ordered. “Regroup!”

They were not spread out, but it took a few minutes for them to finish off the Deviants assaulting them and to retreat a bit. They downed potions quickly.

“Backbreaker, you and Thunderborne are teaming up. I’ll go with Joltron for a bit. The two of you need to bash, stab and hack your way through to the Queen. Don’t go after her though, the target is the eggs. All I want you to do is break the eggs. If we can keep them from hatching, the other groups can finish off their Deviants and assault her.”

“Good luck keeping up, BB,” Thunderborne poked. “I’m going to give it my all to vault, somersault, and flip to the back.”

“One last thing!” Bladescape said before the two of them got in a friendly verbal sparring match. “Remember, the Queen has a highly toxic stinger. It will pierce heavy armor too.”

They nodded and the six of them formed up. Backbreaker and Thunderborne were in the center of their V formation. They were going to ram them as far forward as they could.

With a cry, they charged as one. Backbreaker tossed the lead Arthropod Deviant on it’s back from the weight of her shield. Thunderborne hopped out and landed on it’s exposed stomach. She drove a killer 4 stab combo, Quadruple Pain, into the softer underside. It had the chance to immobilize the target, but exposed as the scorpion was, it burst as it’s HP ran out from the critical strikes.

The two of them charged forward, abandoning all strategy but going forward. They broke through and Scorpia Queen of the Arthropods attacked. Backbreaker raised her shield.

THUD! THUD! CLANG!

The pincers and stinger only found a stalwart shield. Meanwhile Thunderborne had rolled out and drove her rapier into the clutch of 12 eggs. Each one left a sticky substance on her rapier. There were two more clutches to finish off. She destroyed the second but the last hatched right as she got to it. She killed three of the small Deviants before they grew too big, but nine had grown to their full size.

Backbreaker was still fending off the Queen. She got a few clean hits in on the pincers, between the attacks. She backed up and moved to the wall to avoid getting flanked by the Deviants. Thunderborne hopped back and got a running start. She ran along the wall for a short bit, a credit to the agility skill, and jumped over the Deviants. She used the momentum to do a few front flips and land beside Backbreaker. Her Rapier was immediately up and ready for a fight.

“Nice work,” Backbreaker praised.

“Right back at you AJ!”

With the two of the three clutches of eggs destroyed, a group of Knights of the Blood Oath were able to clear their way to the Scorpia. Backbreaker took more risks when it came to the Deviants assaulting them and they cleared them quickly.

Beset on both sides, Scorpia was unable to lay any more eggs. Her HP dropped quickly as the raiders moved in. Several got too bold and took strikes by her stinger. Three had compromised Hit Points and they burst into polygons before and anti-poison measures could be applied.

The deaths of the three players froze half of the raiding party, but Thunderborne wasn’t deterred in the slightest. If a player was able to connect the Sword Skills, before the movement penalty set in, you could chain together several attacks. You had to end the previous attack in the position to start the next one. It took immense control and forward planning. Thunderborne had been working hard on it in and effort to offset the fact that she didn’t have weapon defense or parry. She could only strike preemptively instead of blocking. It was a dangerous tactic.

Thunderborne unleashed Shooting Star to leap across the distance she had between her and the rear of Scorpia. Before the delay she was set and unleashed Quadruple Pain. Thunderborne had only ever connected 2 Sword Skills, but she got the third, Linear, to connect. The first Rapier Sword Skill learned, it didn’t do much. But it did set her in place to strike once last time. She triggered Oblique, another basic thrust. But Oblique’s specialty wasn’t in the thrust, it was in the fact that the skill put the players weight into it.

Thunderborne put all her weight into it without a second thought. She didn’t quite understand what happened when the resistance stopped. As expected, the movement penalty was longer, but it wasn’t that long.

Thunderborne finally registered the polygons floating in the air. The movement penalty was canceled out by the death of Scorpia Queen of the Arthropods. Thunderborne looked around. Everyone was staring at her.

One of the Knights of the Blood Oath started clapping. He was tall, toned to the point he had significant muscles, and his gray hair was long. He was wearing red metal armor with a white shield that bore the red cross of the Knights of the Blood Oath.

“Well done,” He said in a smooth, scholarly voice. “That was exquisite. Even I haven’t been able to connect more than 3 Sword Skills together, yet. Your unrelenting resolve won the day. We need more fearless players like yourself at these raids. Everyone here performed admirably, but you certainly deserve that Last Attack Bonus.”

Thunderborne looked down at the screen in front of her. There was another one on top of the usual reward screen it had ‘Bonus Item’ on the top of it.

“Yeah,” Thunderborne said, flipping her sticky rapier up onto her shoulder. Her voice was extra raspy and cocky. “I do, don’t I. I seriously am very awesome. You literally have no idea how awesome I am I.R.L.. But I am just part of a team, of this whole raiding party. All of you made this happen.

“We might have lost three in this fight, but we are not going to let this game beat us! We have now taken out 38 Floor Bosses and cleared a ton of Field Bosses. We have expert gamers in this room and even more out there, ready to fight for our survival. And by now, anyone on the front lines is an expert.”

Thunderborne lifted her rapier high in victory. She continued her declaration speech.

“Together, we can win this. Together, we will win this! That Kayaba dude is a jackass, but we will whoop his butt. We wont grovel! United, we will never bow! And I know, at the end of the day, it is we who survive! The time has finally arrived. Because we are Canterlot Wondercolts!”

Thunderborne giggled. “Sorry. That last bit was out of habit. I did a lot of pep rallies at our school. I could throw down a really good pep rally song in my sleep. I was the captain of all our sports teams for a reason.

“But enough about me. We have a teleport gate to trigger and a few soldiers to mourn. Their sacrifice will not be forgotten!”

Thunderborne walked off to the stairs, leaving what she said to settle upon the others. The tradition was that the one who got the Last Attack Bonus also got to go to the next floor first and trigger the teleport gate. The rest of the Wondercolts met up with Thunderborne and she led them up to the next floor. They looked spectacular as they walked away in their matching Blue and Yellow uniforms.

Sunset Shimmer had to try and break the pang of jealousy she was feeling. Rainbow Dash had earned that Last Attack Bonus. She was her friend in the game and real life. She was a very skilled player and had put in a tremendous amount of effort. She did deserve it. That was clear. She had even put four Sword Skills together.

But She was the first Wondercolt to score and LAB. Sunset Shimmer had been fighting to get one for over 30 floors. She had been close multiple times. Now Rainbow Dash came out of nowhere and scored one. And off of Bladescape’s plan too.

They triggered the gate in the nearest town on the next Floor and got a pub to celebrate, like they always did. Bladescape sighed into her ale as Thunderborne recanted the boss battle to the rest of the others. It was already being exaggerated at certain parts.

“So, what exactly did you get?” Diemond pressed. She had been dying to find out.

“Oh, nothing much,” Thunderborne said, building suspense by playing it off. “Just this!”

A blue rapier materialized onto the table. It’s guard was round, like the bulb that held Scorpia’s Tail Stinger. The handle had several of the bumps like on a scorpion’s tail. All of it was varying shades of blue, creating a beautiful look that downplayed it’s association with an arthropod.

“It’s the Azure Aculeus,” Thunderborne declared.

“Aculeus,” Knightstar said, both correcting the pronunciation and preparing to give a lecture. “Latin root of acus, or needle. Its first documented use was in 1702. In other words, blue stinging needle.”

“Whatever,” Thunderborne said, waving off the egghead portions. “What matters is that it’s awesome. Its got 30 enhancement slots and is lighter, stronger, and significantly more powerful than my previous blade!”

No one noticed that Bladescape was downtrodden. They were focused on the blade. But her enthusiasm lifted a bit with the rest of the news.

Backbreaker and Joltron both leveled up. Astro, Thunderborne, and Diemond did as well, but to level 50. The three of them got a new skill slot. Diemond did Heavy Metal Armor Forging, as expected. Astro and Thunderborne both decided that their best move was to finally pick up Weapon Defense. They had learned that lesson hard over the past dozen floors.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 55– Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 49 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 50 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 53 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search
AFCK (PP): Lvl 49 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor
Diemond (R): Lvl 50 – Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 49 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra)
Astro (PS): Lvl 50 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense
Kiefer: Lvl 46 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging
Lessa: Lvl 46 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing
Joltron: Lvl 47 – One handed Axe – Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging

Episode 16 - Guild Meeting

Floor 35

October 12

Bladescape sat at the table with Knightstar and Backbreaker. It was the Wondercolts' first official guild meeting in their Guild Headquarters. None of the others were attending. They could join, and they had some chairs for them, but none of them wanted to. The boss fight earlier that day had them tired or distracted.

“Well, statistically, the guild is regaining Col at a good pace,” Knightstar said. “If we balance things correctly, we will soon have this place furnished without sacrificing gear. The 38th Floor Boss Raid couldn’t have come at a better time for us as a guild. It was very lucrative for the guild. That is where the bulk of our income has been reaped from, the boss raids.”

“I still want to upgrade Doombunny’s knife,” Bladescape said. “It’s been a bit neglected and Kiefer still has a ways to go with his blacksmithing to build her a better knife.”

“All of our weapons are a bit lacking,” Knightstar confirmed. “We have been coasting on our gear. Thunderborne’s rapier came at the right time. She was needing an upgrade. Her last one was from Floor 20.”

“Let’s skip the rapier for now,” Backbreaker quietly said.

“What? Why? It was–”

“Bladescape’s been trying to get a LAB for floors now. That Beater almost always nabs it. A few times she almost got it, but mostly, that Beater comes out with the last one. He isn’t sniping them either, he just is that good.

“And the one time he isn’t there to get it, Thunderborne nabs it. Sugarcube, I get that it stings. I don’t blame you for your pain. You are getting stronger and faster, you will land a better score than Dash just did. I know it.”

“Thanks BB,” Bladescape smiled. “It’s good to vocalize it. I’ll get past it, but gear. Who needs what when it comes to weapons?”

“Well, outside of Thunderborne, everyone is overdue for an upgrade. From what I can tell, our weapons are about the same quality that the rest of the Assault Team members use. But we know our needs, which means that they are getting ready to upgrade as well.

“Smiths will be getting busy, and stores will run low on stock soon.”

“I’ll pay a visit to Agil in the morning,” Bladescape said. “Just get me a shopping list and an allowance. I’ll dip into my personal funds if I need to. I’m not doing much with it anyway. I don’t have a side skill I am training.”

“You should look at a side skill,” Backbreaker said. “Both of you should. I took up fishing. There are a ton of others, or you could do something another member is. We don’t have to only have one of us doing something.”

“I’m enjoying focusing on combat,” Bladescape chuckled. “Its my playing style. But thanks.”

“Thunder, Astro, and Blade all are 100% combat focused builds,” Knightstar said. “And its part of the reason we are so effective as a guild. We will need them to drive us forward and keep all our levels up. Soon, they will be above you, BB, if you don’t watch it.”

Backbreaker snorted. “I won’t let them pass me. I can fish and still keep ahead of them. But, I’m not so sure you can say they both are 100% combat builds. Have you see what they do for agility ‘training’? Its not very combative.”

The three of them chuckled. Astro and Thunderborne had once again gone to the first floor to ride the windmills. Astro still didn’t have the hang of going around once. It was training their agility, but the two of them did that and other things for fun as well.

“I have another point of business,” Knightstar said. “I know Diemond has a lot of skill, but she is on finite time being in the field as much as we need her to be. Her curtains and the tapestries she has been making have been divine. The outside of this building looks like a real guild headquarters because of her.

“But we should look at hiring a decorator. There are players who have focused their time in here on furniture crafting and decorating. Sure, Diemond can make the pillow covers, but she hasn’t even done a throw pillow. Making one isn’t easy. You need a varied amount of materials depending on what exactly you want.

“We can hire someone who, in game, is trained to put it all together. They can make it all the same, to the exact standards we want. It's the most logical choice since Diemond doesn’t have wood crafting skills, and hasn’t pursued putting it all together. In the real world, she can buy the base and customize it. Here, it isn’t like that. Its going to be almost the same cost to have someone make the pillows blue instead of a white cover that Diemond will just put another cover over.”

“Rarity, er I mean Diemond, will not like hearing that,” Backbreaker pointed out. “She is looking forward to personalizing this whole building.”

“Rarity will not,” Bladescape said. “But Diemond will have to face the differences of being in game, and being in real life. She can come to terms with it. Beside, she will be working with the craftsman to make sure her vision is achieved.”

“Did I not make that clear?” Knightstar asked.

“We figured that is what you meant,” Backbreaker said. “Both Diemond and Rarity would kill us if we didn’t.”

The three of them laughed.

“Does that conclude business?” Bladescape asked.

“Not quite,” Knightstar said. “I think for the next few days we need to split our parties, one to clear, the other to farm Col. That way we don’t lose any time on the front lines, or any face, and we can also gain more Col than what I am tracking that we can make here right now.”

“Sounds good,” Bladescape said. “Do you have a plan?”

“I do. You will lead the clearing party. Backbreaker and Joltron will be your Tanks. Thunder, Astro, and Lessa will join you. That gives you three shields. I’ll take the others to farm. Doombunny and Colorra are one killer combo for those Hill Giants. I think it's a safe enough place that we can put AFCK and Doombunny on their own while the rest of us tackle another. That is basically 3 on each Hill Giant.”

“I will take the party with me to visit Agil,” Bladescape said. “That way, we can head straight to the front lines, and hopefully with some new weapons.”

“Good idea,” Knightstar nodded. “I will have a list for you in twenty minutes or so.”

Bladescape headed to her room. It was still just her bed roll, but it was her own room. The rest would change soon enough.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 55– Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 49 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 50 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 53 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search
AFCK (PP): Lvl 49 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor
Diemond (R): Lvl 50 – Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 49 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra)
Astro (PS): Lvl 50 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense
Kiefer: Lvl 46 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging
Lessa: Lvl 46 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing
Joltron: Lvl 47 – One handed Axe – Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging

Episode 17 - Poison

Floor -Multiple - Front Line is Floor 39

October 13

Bladescape led Backbreaker, Joltron, Thunderborne, Astro, and Lessa to Agil’s shop. The small shop wouldn’t hold all of them, so the others were forced to wait outside while Bladescape went in alone.

“Hey! Be with you in a minute,” Agil greeted her. He was dealing with a customer. The guy was pouring over stats and weighing the options, so Agil tried to balance both of them. “What are you looking for? Or are you looking to sell?”

“Buy,” Bladescape said. “First priority is a knife or dagger. A One-Handed Daggerskill weapon.”

“You got the dagger or stats of the previous one?”

“Knightstar gave me a list of minimum required stats.”

“She always has you guys prepared.”

“She does. She knows the equipment better than we do. We depend on her for a lot, for better or for worse. I have a list of other stuff we need too. We are pretty wiped after getting our guild headquarters, but we need to look at equipment if we are to advance in the next few levels.”

“You guys scored-” Agil had to move back to his first customer. It took a little bit more time and then he finally made his purchase and departed.

“You guys have a guild headquarters now?” Agil asked, getting back to where he had left off.

“It’s right by the teleport gate in Mishe. It cost all we had, but it is a beautiful 5 story, 12 bedroom building with everything we need for crafting and relaxing. We can’t even furnish it at this point, but when that comes, it will be amazing. And Knightstar will have a place to do her consultations in private. That will be very nice.”

“Sounds like it. I might have to do a consultation just to check the place out. The KOB has their headquarters on Floor 25 right now. Floor 35 is a great location. It will last you guys quiet a while.”

“I hope so. I really don’t want to upgrade. They are expensive.”

“Out towards Floor 60 you may need to, just to keep up your presence. I’m already planning to upgrade out around Floor 50. It is expensive, but let’s talk business. I have a few knives in stock. I don’t buy a lot of them because few players carry them, but I do buy the good ones.”

Agil pulled up his shop menu and selected the knives. Bladescape had the list out and began comparing them. All three were right about the same, they only varied in a few balancing factors like Critical Damage and Attack Damage. Critical Damage was important to Bladescape, but she preferred the weapons with more Attack Damage. If you didn’t get a critical attack in, you at least got a higher attack, and the one she was looking at had an Attack Damage rating that was enticing to Bladescape.

Agil pulled the dagger out for Bladescape to look at. She knew it was right immediately. It was on the longer side with a slight curve to the single edged blade. While the knife was single edged, the tip was double edged for better stabbing. What really stood out was the colors. It was a soft yellow with pink accents that was just crying Fluttershy.

“Oh yeah,” Bladescape grinned. “Now that is perfect. We still need more though.”

Agil chuckled. “I can see the list. What is the rest you need?”

“Two-handed spear, two-handed axe, two-handed sword, one-handed curved blade, still looking for a better war hammer, a mace, two swords, and a one-handed axe, and several shields. I’ve got half the guild here. We are going to the boss labyrinth after this, but the others I will have to rely on feel. We are further behind than we want, so we are not going to worry about style and such right now.”

“I got a sword you will like,” Agil said playing with the menu. A blue accented steel blade popped onto the counter. It was a solid 2 handed sword and significantly better than her maxed out Iron Splitter, which Bladescape was still carrying. “It’s the best I got in shop and it just came in yesterday. I’ve not gotten anything better through my shop yet in that category.”

Bladescape felt the weight of it and smiled. She pulled up her menu and made a private purchase and sold Iron Splitter for a small pittance.

They found a better war hammer for Backbreaker. Astro got a new spear. There were no good maces for Diemond. Joltron was able to find a new axe but not a shield. Lessa upgraded her sword by quite a bit and with help from the guild got a new shield too. They did find a new axe for AFCK, a sword for Knightstar, and both Knightstar and Diemond got new shields. Diemond’s shield was significantly bigger than what she currently had, but it was in the direction she need to go as a tank.

With the shopping done, they headed to the Labyrinth. They were stopped on the way by an NPC who was being chased by a pack of wolves. They automatically jumped into action.

There were ten wolves and six of them. Plus they had to protect the NPC. Backbreaker was tasked with personally defending the NPC and the others began to pick them off. The wolves were savage and foaming at the mouth. Lessa got bit and she was soon taking poison damage. She killed the wolf and stumbled over to Backbreaker who had an anti poison crystal ready. It was too close for comfort. Lessa stayed back with Backbreaker as she worked to recover the health she had lost between the bite and the damage over time effect of the poison.

The wolves did not like Astro’s spear. Between her reach and Thunderborne protecting her inside her reach, they killed two in quick succession. Bladescape’s range gave her space, but it was not as much as she wanted.

Joltron killed one with his axe. “I love this new axe!” He declared before charging another wolf.

A wolf tried to outflank him but it stepped in between Bladescape and Joltron. She leaped at the wolf, impaling it and causing it to burst into the colorful polygons that made up everything in this world. A wolf leaped at Bladescape's back, so she activated Back Rush, a two handed sword Sword Skill that countered an attack from behind with a special spin. It hit right at the wolf’s neck, dealing critical damage and knocking off the last of it’s HP.

The reward for the wolves was pathetic. They gave only a handful of Col and next to nothing when it came to XP. The NPC was the real prize.

“Th-th-th-ank y-you,” she stammered. “I th-thought I-I was de-dead.”

“No problem,” Thunderborne said with a cocky grin and her rapier blade on her shoulder.

“We are always happy to help,” Bladescape added.

“I don’t have anything to give you,” she said without stammering. “I only have a little bit of information I can give you.”

“That’s fine,” Bladescape said. “What do you know?”

“The boss who guards the gate to the next Floor, there is a plant here that can be used to create a toxin. He is weak to any poison made from it. It is why he sends out his rabid wolves to hunt any who know about it, or who can make the poison.”

“Can you make this poison?” Bladescape asked.

“No,” she said, shaking her head vigorously.

“Is he weak to any other poisons?” Bladescape asked.

“May...maybe?” She said, shaking her head. She was still scared. "I really don't know anything other than he fears a plant on this floor that can be used to make poison."

“Thank you,” Bladescape smiled. “That is very important information. We will make good use of it in the upcoming battle.”

“Can you escort me home?”

“Of course,” Bladescape said. “We will get you home safe and sound. Let’s go.”

It was early afternoon by the time they got her back to her home in the city. They gave up on the labyrinth for the day and headed to kill Hill Giants with the others. Farming Col was important. It had taken up a decent chunk today, even though most of the equipment purchases were made through personal funds.

Everyone met up in the fields to get their new equipment.

“We need to have a meeting back at headquarters tonight,” Bladescape said. “We got some important intel to discuss, safely. But more importantly right now, new weapons!”

“Wow,” Doombunny said as she looked over her knife. “This is beautiful.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Bladescape replied.

“It is so me,” Doombunny squealed, with a bit of a squeak to the squeal.

“This is a good sword,” Knightstar said. “I like it too.”

“This shield is big,” Diemond said, with a tad bit of a whine. “But I guess I need it as a tank.”

“You got this Die,” Backbreaker assured her. “And these Hill Giants are the perfect creatures to get ourselves familiar with our new weapons.”

“We all have plenty to get used to,” Bladescape said. “So let’s get to it. Tomorrow we can all hit the Labyrinth!”

They all yelled “Go Wondercolts” and charged off to attack the Hill Giants. Their new equipment made an obvious difference as they cut down the giants quicker than before. AFCK stopped trying to help Doombunny and Colorra tackle the giants. Together they were the fastest team.

They switched up parties and Bladescape left Doombunny by herself in a party. She wanted her to reap the full XP benefits, as well as the Col. Doombunny had paid the guild back 80% of the cost of the dagger. It was helpful after the cost of their Headquarters.

They got back to their headquarters well after dark. They had reaped a good amount from the day's work. They immediately began the important meeting. The others sat in the few chairs they had, while Bladescape, Knightstar, and Backbreaker took their seats at the head of the room. Thunderborne and Astro were straddling their chairs so they were resting their arms and chins on the backrest.

“We got some important intel on the boss,” Bladescape stated. “We ran into an NPC being attacked by wolves in the woods. She could only give us information in return for our assistance. She said the boss is weak to a poison found in a plant here on Floor 39.”

“That is helpful,” Knightstar said. “If we can poison our weapons, then we can do some serious damage to the Boss.”

“But none of us have poison skills,” Diemond said. “Why would any of us have such an ugly skill like that?”

“Excuse me,” Doombunny quietly said. No one heard her.

“Besides,” Diemond continued. “Shouldn’t we give everyone this information for the next boss fight?”

“Or we could keep it and give ourselves an edge,” Astro said.

“Excuse me,” Doombunny said again.

“Argo probably has dug that info up,” Knightstar said. “I haven’t gotten a guide yet. I’ve been doing some calculations for her in exchange for the guide.”

“Girls?” Doombunny tried.

“I don’t have an answer,” Bladescape said. “But a good part of me wants to hold onto it and wait. Just wait and see how the Labyrinth plays out.”

“Hello? Can anyone hear me?” Doombunny asked.

“We do need to secure a poison maker,” Bladescape said. “Knightstar, can you get a hold of one through Argo?”

“Oh shoot,” Doombunny sighed, giving up.

“She probably has a few names that could help us,” Knightstar said. “But I am not sure how many players are focusing on poison. That is a concerning skill to have.”

“EEEYAAAAA!” Knightstar screamed as Colorra jumped onto the table in front of her, mouth open but not hissing. Knightstar’s jump sent her tumbling backwards her chair. Bladescape was immediately helping her up from the tumble.

“Doom, is there something you wanted to say?” Bladescape asked. “Colorra doesn’t just leave your side to randomly scare players. Especially us.”

“No,” Doombunny softly said. “Oh, I mean yes. There is. I just hit Level 50 today, and my new skill I chose was Drug Mixing. Colorra and I have been planning it ever since she became my familiar. It only makes sense with her natural poison for me to be ready to use it. I should be able to distill enough to coat our blades for the boss battle.”

“Wow,” Thunderborne said.

“That’s wonderful!” Diemond praised. “That is a great, non nasty reason to train poison skills. It only makes sense.”

“It does,” Bladescape affirmed.

“Can I go cook now?” AFCK asked, whining. “I’m hungry.”

“Go,” Bladescape chuckled. “But for now, the boss info stays sealed behind our lips. And Doombunny having a poison skill needs to stay very private.”

They all agreed and the others left. Backbreaker and Knightstar stayed at the table with Bladescape. It was obvious she had something on her mind.

“You have something on your mind,” Backbreaker said to Bladescape.

“I do,” Bladescape solemnly nodded. “Doombunny needs to be with me and you BB, tomorrow in the Labyrinth. We need to see exactly what she can do. I think she needs to be in this Floor's Boss Battle. If Colorra can bite the Floor Boss with poison, it should be able to do major damage. The only problem is that I am pretty sure the rabid wolves we fought to save the NPC are going to be there.”

“Then it will be you three in a party alone,” Knightstar said. “I think the three of you can handle it. Kiefer can handle leading Astro, Joltron, and Thunderborne. The rest of us can be a third. Evaluate Doombunny and get her confident and ready to be in that battle.”

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 55 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 49 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 50 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 53 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search
AFCK (PP): Lvl 49 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor
Diemond (R): Lvl 50 – Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 50 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing
Astro (PS): Lvl 50 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense
Kiefer: Lvl 46 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging
Lessa: Lvl 46 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing
Joltron: Lvl 47 – One handed Axe – Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging

Episode 18 - Wolves

Floor 39

October 14

Another pack of ten wolves were on the three of them. Every time Bladescape, Backbreaker, and Doombunny separated from the rest of the Wondercolts in the Labyrinth the rabid wolves came. They had no choice but to fight them each time. They knew the boss' secret, and they were being hunted for it.

The three of them were in a party alone because they were evaluating Doombunny and trying to prepare her, without her knowing it, for the upcoming boss raid. If the boss was really susceptible to poison, then Doombunny and Colorra would be a critical part of the team. If she could handle the stress. Which was another reason why the three of them were alone. It should show Doombunny that she could do it. A boss battle was no easy feat, but while Fluttershy often shined through Doombunny, when she was fighting there was no trace of a timid or meek personality.

Doombunny activated Swift Trick, leaping forward to slice through two wolves. On the dart back she sliced them again. She landed next to another. Swift Trick didn't have long of a delay. The advantage of the One Handed Dagger Skill was less of a delay after each sword skill. It had the second shortest delay time, the first being Thrown Weapon.

Next to the other wolf, Doombunny destroyed it with a six strike combo attack that was two slashes and four stabs. It was fast and relentless. Doombunny's skill Fighting Spirit made it more ruthless than normal. It was probably the primary reason she could be on the front lines still with a dagger. Colorra was the second reason she could be. The snake was fast and protective of her. It was easy to lose track of the long and dark viper in many of the shadowy spots of the boss labyrinth. And it knew how to use them to mask its approach.

They finished off the last of the wolves but heard more around another corner. They also heard the clash of combat. The three of them were Wondercolts, meaning they ran to back the unknown player up. It was what they did. The wolves had surrounded a group of 6; an Assault Team party.

Assault Team was another name for the Clearers who were on the front lines, beating the game. With the Wolves focused on the party, Bladescape and Backbreaker nodded to each other to attack and then looked at Doombunny to confirm. She was already charging ahead. By the time they got to the battle, Doombunny had slain three of the wolves.

"Boy are we glad to see you guys," their leader said. He was a bit scruffy and wore a red bandanna on his head. At his side was a Katana. All of the party was wearing at least some red to identify them as being in the same guild, along with a white four diamond square symbol. "Hey, you are that all girl clan, the blue and gold chicks. Uh, Wondercolts right?"

"Yep," Bladescape said with a nod as she crossed her arms.

"Say, why don't we hook up together for a bit and all grab dinner at a pub after. All of your guild."

"Including the two guys?" Backbreaker asked.

His reaction was priceless.

"Yeah, not subtle dude," Bladescape said with a chuckle. "And it's Fuurinkazan right? For your guild?"

"Yep! And I'm Klein," Klein said with a goofy look on his face and pointing to himself with his thumb. "The leader of this group of gentlemen."

“Bladescape. The leader of the Wondercolts."

"Man, we are happy you came along when you did,” Klein admitted. “We can't even get back to where we left off yesterday. These wolves are everywhere. They were not here the first few days, but now they are all through the labyrinth. Even the places we cleaned out."

"We missed clearing yesterday," Backbreaker said.

"Eh, it happens. But you guys are always out here, pounding away at the front lines."

"Same with you," Bladescape said. "I don't like being hit on, or my friends being hit on, but…" Bladescape pulled up her menu and extended a friend request to Klein. "Being friends with a strong guild like Fuurinkazan could be an advantage."

"Thanks," Klein said accepting the invitation.

Another pack of wolves came growling and snapping down the tunnel. They set their battle line to stretch across the tunnel so no wolves could get behind them or flank them.

The wolves stopped and formed their own line. They were foaming at the mouth, howling, and growling. They were being as intimidating as possible.

"Let's all move as one," Klein suggested.

On his count they advanced together. The wolves pulled back at the same pace.

"Well, I am out of ideas," Klein admitted as the battle stalled out immediately.

"Tanks advance with us flanking them," Bladescape said. "Standard formation."

They didn't get the chance to reorganize when two of them popped.

"Good girl Colorra," Doombunny said from behind them. She hadn't lined up with the others. She crouched down and the snake coiled up.

Doombunny was there, and then not. The two of them reappeared in a different spot, having slipped between their line. Two more wolves were gone. She did the same thing and they watched as she took the wolves out in pairs, just Colorra and her.

"Hey, you are that snake chick I've heard about," Klein said after the wolves were dead. "I didn't see you there when the others came up. Are you with them?"

It was a dumb question because Doombunny was wearing the same blue and gold light leather armor of the other Wondercolts.

"Mhm," Doombunny nodded in her usual soft voice. "I’m Doombunny and this is Colorra. I am a Wondercolt, from the very start of this game. I'm just really good at hiding."

"Let me guess," Backbreaker chuckled. "You just combined Hide with your attack and that is how you disappeared."

"I disappeared?" Doombunny asked, shocked. "Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I just went into attack mode. I hate killing them, but the wolves are rabid and they have to be put out of their misery."

"Animal lover I.R.L.," Bladescape explained. "Big time."

"Huh," was all Klein said.

They heard footsteps pounding away behind them and saw the rest of the Wondercolt running up.

"There you are," Thunderborne said. "We lost you guys for a while there."

"Sorry," Bladescape said. "More wolves."

"Figures," Diemond panted. "That's all that seems to be here. Pitiful XP and Col."

"Here," Klein said. "This is our map. I think it's more complete than yours. We owe you for the first assist."

Bladescape added the maps together. They had only mapped half of what Fuurinkazan had mapped.

"Yeah, thanks. We were way behind you. For now, since we are together, let's advance as one. Maybe you can earn that dinner between guilds. But not as a date."

"Yeah, yeah," Klein groaned. "I get it. But sticking together is the wisest option. We have no idea where the wolves are coming from and it's always packs of ten."

"Well," Knightstar began before hesitating. "We got a tip from a random NPC yesterday that indicated that the boss might keep and train wolves."

"You mean the boss is letting them loose!" Klein exclaimed. "Dang. That complicates things. Badly."

"The more we fight them, the more sure I am that the information is good," Knightstar said. "I will definitely be talking with Argo when we get back, but I can't contact her right now. So we should definitely stick together. I hope you guys have some anti poison remedies or crystals handy."

"A few," Klein replied. "Is their bite toxic?"

"They don't foam at the mouth for fun," Backbreaker said. "Lessa got bit yesterday. It was slow, but it was a DOT effect."

"I got bit again in our last battle with them," Lessa said, holding up her arm. It was reactionary. She was healed and didn’t need bandages. Her arm didn’t even show any damage to her arm or armor. "It's definitely slow but strong Damage Over Time. And it hurts."

"This game is getting insane," Klein mumbled. "And it already was insane."

They began to move out as one loose unit. Insane or not, they had no choice but to go forward. Back into battle, back into risking their lives, back into facing fear. If they didn't they couldn't regain all that had been ripped away from them I.R.L.. And yet, for the girls, they were Wondercolts. They had been in some tight spots I.R.L., but risking their life was something they hadn't actually faced. They had magic. They each knew that they had a duty to the players, just like they had a duty to CHS and their classmates. That meant being on the front lines no matter what because most of the players trapped were not capable of fighting for their lives in a death game. Fuurinkazan seemed to understand the risk of their lives was worth the reward of freeing everyone too.

Bladescape slipped slightly back to talk with Knightstar. "Doom is nailing it and her Hide ability made us lose track of her, even when we were watching her."

"Interesting," Knightstar said.

Bladescape slipped back up front, next to Klein as the two of them led the way for the two guilds. They rotated their fighters so that they were always as fresh as possible whenever they ran into a pack of wolves.

In a safe zone, they all took a well earned break and sat down for lunch. Each member of Fuurinkazan guild was salivating at the food AFCK had packed. It was leagues better than what they had brought, but then again, they didn't have an expert cook in their ranks.

"Don't worry," AFCK said with every ounce of her usual pep. "I brought you guys some."

"You brought extra!" Klein said starting to crawl over to them in anticipation of the tasty treats.

"No silly," AFCK laughed. "I didn't bring extras. That would be a waste. I brought you guys food."

"Wait, but we hadn't even officially met until today. We didn't know we would meet up with you today, or that we would team up."

"You didn't?" AFCK asked, confused.

"You did!” Klein exclaimed.

"Well duh, why else would I have packed this picnic basket for you six?"

Klein caught the basket of good smelling food and treats. Fuurinkazan forgot about everything else. All of the boys took a long sniff of the tantalizing food before they opened it and distributed it. They were like wild animals as they scarfed it down, except they were cleaner and relatively tidy.

Klein, their leader, was a curved sword wielding, self proclaimed, samurai. Dale was their pudgy member who fought with a two-handed great sword. Dynamm and Harry One were their Tanks, although Dynamm used a small shield. Issin and Kunimittz were the last two members, both wielding various two handed spears. They were a well rounded guild.

Bladescape chuckled as they laid down, enjoying the satisfaction in their bellies. Virtual bellies, but still satisfying. The Wondercolt were not as ravenous as the others, but they still ate quickly. They all were hungry after dealing with the wolves all morning long.

As Bladescape drank water and rested against the wall, she looked over her friends. Like Fuurinkazan across from them, they were a guild of good friends that had each others back. Like family. Unlike them, though, some of her friends had magic. She, Sunset, had magic and she had worn her necklace as she started this journey. That fact didn’t seem to mean much when you looked at how similar the two guilds were.

The other girls may not have realized it, but AFCK knowing Fuurinkazan was going to be there was not normal. It wasn’t normal in real life, where they just accepted it, and it was especially not normal for a game with strict parameters that were coded into how they could interact with the world. AFCK had used Pinkie Sense several times over the 11 months they had been trapped in here.

Then there was the matter of her Martial Arts Skill, which Pinkie Sense had driven them too. The skill was still stuck in there, an extra skill for her level. Like First Aid, it was there or not there, with no ability for her to actually max it out. She routinely used it to her own enjoyment in battle. There were some really devastating combination attacks she could do with her big axe and the martial arts skill.

Pinkie Pie’s cooking was maxed now as well. It had been easy for her to churn out XP on her own. Knightstar had been a big help for sure, but she still had churned it out faster than expected. Yes, she was obsessed with it, even during combat, but she had blasted that skill to max before she maxed any of her combat skills. They were well behind her cooking, but outside combat, all she did was bake and cook. The kitchen was her happiest place in the whole virtual world.

Then there was Doombunny, for whom the virtual butterflies and birds went out of the way to play with her whenever they were not in a dungeon. A player with a pet or familiar was called a Beast Tamer. They were rare but around. Most notably was Silica with her pet baby blue dragon, Pina. Bladescape had spied on her one evening to check them out after Colorra joined them. It seemed to be a very similar pairing with how each treated their creature and how the pet responded to them. Both of them rode on their master’s shoulder or torso. But Silica was naive and several years younger than Fluttershy. Fluttershy had faced multiple things in life Silica couldn’t even begin to imagine. Still, there was one thing that separated Doombunny and Silica. Doombunny had the Familiar Communication Skill locked in place and as an extra skill, where Silica had to choose it as a skill and have it take up a skill slot.

On top of that was Fluttershy’s ability to just hide. She had to be scared a lot of the time. It showed if you knew her, but only during their down times. In the field she was fine, but now she was disappearing before their eyes, and not just the Wondercolts’ eyes. If her Hide skill wasn’t maxed, it would soon be.

Rainbow Dash had maxed her Sprint and Agility skills quickly, but she still went out “training.” None of her combat skills were maxed yet though. She hadn’t gotten to be as good in combat as Lightning Flash, but she was faster than 90% of the front line players. Dash herself was agile and fast, and it was second nature to her, but Bladescape really wondered how much of that was adaptability, and how much was outside influence. If she wasn't fighting, she was doing Parkour or playing soccer with Poly Stitch. Rainbow Dash either was in denial, or had no understanding, of what being stuck in this game would do to her body. The latter was her guess and concern, because it meant a rude awakening.

Applejack was similar to the others. Except her's was the shield. Sunset was pretty sure that shield was just for her. More than what AJ understood. It was nearly indestructible and actually hadn’t required any maintenance. AJ wouldn’t let it be painted either, keeping it the same ugly iron color of the outside of Aincrad. She was becoming known as the Iron Bulwark for a reason. The only question with the shield was if AJ herself could hold up against the strike or not. Her Heavy Shield skill was already maxed. AJ was strong in real life, knew how to be strong in her mind, but was she really that overwhelmingly strong in the game just because of that? Sunset Shimmer had her doubts. Applejack would never admit it, citing her friends as her strength, but a good deal had to come from knowing that the Sweet Apple Acres had to go to on without her and that a day in here was a day she wasn't on the farm.

Rarity had mastered tailoring, light metal armor forging, and was well on her way to maxing out heavy metal armor forging. She was now doing it all with a speed that nearly rivaled her I.R.L.. Knightstar had calculated XP gained for crafting many items, but she was maxing at a rate few had been able to maintain, and a rate no front line should be able to keep up with. The player Ashley had beaten her to maxing Tailoring, but Ashley was only focusing on crafting and selling those wares. Sunset secretly thought her crafting levels had been rising on their own, trying to catch up to her real abilities. That could only be explained by Equestrian Magic seeping into the game through to them. However, whenever she wasn't fighting, she had her "idea dress" on and was crafting something. Rarity could, thankfully, pick up fashion I.R.L with relative ease.

Twilight Sparkle hadn’t show any abnormal game mechanics, but she would probably keep them secret if she did. She also understood the dangers of having abnormal skills or an unfair advantage in a death game. All she showed was her normal self, who could do complex calculations and algebra in her head, and that was a business that was doing well for her; making and selling guides, as well as personal consultations. Those were the best she could get to school, and missing school had to be mentally straining for her.

If Sunset thought about herself she was unsure. It was often difficult to see yourself properly. Her search skill had been maxed pretty quickly, which is why Fluttershy’s disappearance was odd. If both skills were maxed, they should cancel each other out.

There were two things Sunset always wondered about, but didn’t have the guts to ask anyone. The first was how far Search could go and how much could it actually do. She saw everything. She could see at night, in the dark, track players, and it wasn’t hard for her to detect monsters well outside her visual range. She could tell if a player was using hide, with the exception for Fluttershy.

The second question was how much Battle Regeneration’s max rate was. She never dipped into the red anymore during normal combat. The boss battles were different, but already she was getting more than enough points regenerated during normal combat.

Small magic boosts or not, this was a game of death. None of these things stopped them from dying. They were just as vulnerable as every other player, and if she died, no one was protecting her friends. If one of her friends died, that was it. There would be no way to wake up from this nightmare, ever. And Sunset Shimmer wasn’t going to let that happen.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 55 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 49 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 50 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 53 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search
AFCK (PP): Lvl 49 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor
Diemond (R): Lvl 50 – Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 50 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing
Astro (PS): Lvl 50 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense
Kiefer: Lvl 46 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging
Lessa: Lvl 46 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing
Joltron: Lvl 47 – One handed Axe – Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging

Commercial Break

If you are wondering where what the hell a commercial break and why don't I have floor and date info, well this isn't being released on a Tuesday for a reason. The regularly scheduled Tuesday releases are not being interrupted. I'm sorry if you got all excited and are now mad because you saw an unscheduled chapter had been released. I posted a warning at the end of the last chapter for a reason, as well as a Blog.

So what is going on? What is a Commercial break? It’s an information log for you to get to know more in depth details. I can only give you so much Character Stats info at the end of the chapter. Along with deeper details into each character like equipment, XP, Health, or Skill completion, some other things will be covered like characters, guilds, and other SAO information. It's a big, big world in Aincrad.

It is highly recommended you read it, but it is optional. If you don't, wait till next Tuesday when "Episode 19 - To the Kennel" is released on schedule. If you are still wondering why separate it in a new “chapter”, well I looked at putting this detailed information further below in a chapter, but that was a nightmare for me to read! You already get a good amount of information through the story or at the end of the chapter, but this has even more detail! So it's a reference guide for you to look back on to see the progress of the Girls, Wondercolts, and Aincrad in general.

I have to keep up somehow though, so I adapted my charts to fit so I could release it on FimFiction. If you read this, you might catch some details you didn’t catch elsewhere, or I accidentally skipped with the time jumps.

Guilds: Each Guild registers their name and a 2-4 shorthand to display.
Wondercolts: WCS
Holy/Divine Dragon Alliance: DDA – Formerly the Dragon Knights Brigade.
Aincrad Liberation Squad: merged with another guild to become “The Army,” technically known as the Aincrad Liberation Force (ALF) They run the first few floors and “protect” the average player. They also run the prison to lock up orange players.
Legend Braves: Disbanded after scamming players in the first few months.
Fuurinkazan: WWFM – Reference to Sun Tzu’s battle ideology of Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain. They are led by Klein and with his friends in real life. The six of them are key members of the Assault Team, clearing the game.
Knights of the Blood Oath: KOB – The dominant guild since the fiasco and terrible fight on Floor 25. They have kept the Assault Team together and pushing on the front lines. They are led by Commander Heathcliff, with their second in command being Lightning Flash Asuna.

Players:
Agil: (Solo) Shop owner. Motto – Buy Low Sell Low. Behind the scenes, he makes sure the intermediate players get what they need so they can join the front lines or survive.
Kirito: (Solo) Beater (Beta tester & Cheater) who wears all black. One of the top players. Claims many of the Last Attack Bonuses. He is also known as the Black Swordsman. Despite his often rude and aloof attitude, he releases dungeon and labyrinth maps for free and sells his gear to players like Agil who can use it to further the game. He is the only surviving member of, the now disbanded guild, the "Midnight Black Cats."
Asuna: (KOB) AKA Lightning Flash. For a while she was solo, but now she is Second in Command of the KOB. She is the undisputed fastest player in the game with her rapier.
Argo: (Solo) Information broker with painted whiskers on her face, earning her the nickname: Rat. Former Beta Tester. She sells guides for each floor covering resources, enemies, stats, strategies, and more. Other Information brokers exist, but the Wonderbolts have a rapport with her.
Klein: The Leader of WWFM who is trying to look and be as much of a samurai as he can be. He can be goofy and is guilty of hitting on many of the female players.

Misc:
LAB – Last Attack Bonus - A special item dropped by the boss given to the player who got the last, killing blow in. It is not the only item dropped by a boss.
OSS – Out of System Skill – A skill that combines or adjusts a skill that is used in a way the system didn’t plan. Such as using search to be able to predict an incoming attack.
Flag Mob– A special, rare monster that is often a low level boss (for that floor). Sometimes they respawn, other times they do not.
Aggro – Short for Aggression. It's meant to draw the attention of a boss or monster to yourself so it doesn’t focus on other players. Tanks usually draw the attention and soak up the attacks so the Forwards and Damage Dealers can survive. It also is done to help an injured player recuperate their health when they should have died by a follow up attack.
Green Player: A normal Player’s cursor is green.
Orange Player: A player who has broken the harassment code or attacked another player to steal their stuff earns an orange cursor as a warning to others. With time, it turns to green, if they have not broken the code more. An orange player can not enter any towns or settlements.

WONDERCOLTS

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 55 – 10510 HP
Two-Handed Sword – Max
Search – Max
Weapon Defense – 780/1000
Leather Armor – 685/1000
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 500/1000 – 500 points every 10 seconds
Sprint – 286/1000
Acrobatics – 125/1000
Weapon: Unnamed Two Handed Sword purchased at Agil’s
Shield: None
Armor: Leather Jacket made by Diemond – Blue
Gloves: Leather Gloves made by Diemond – Yellow
Boots: Leather Boots made by Diemond – Yellow
Belt: Leather Belt made by Diemond – Yellow
Helmet: Hair Tie – Pulled up into a bit of a mess to keep it off her face and neck. A special request made by Diemond.
Ring #1: Strength +1
Ring #2: Defense +5
Earring: NA
Earring: NA
Necklace: NA

Knightstar (TS): Lvl 49 – 9850 HP
One-Handed Sword – 760/1000
Shield – 683/1000
Equipment Appraisal – Max
Parry – 560/1000
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 300/1000 – 150 points every 10 seconds
Light Metal Armor – 200/1000
Weapon: Unnamed Sword
Shield: Unnamed Kite Shield
Armor: Light Metal Armor made by Diemond – Blue Backing
Gloves: Leather Gloves made by Diemond – Yellow
Boots: Leather Boots made by Diemond – Yellow
Belt: Leather Belt made by Diemond – Yellow
Helmet: Barbute Helmet
Ring #1: NA
Ring #2: NA
Earring: NA
Earring: NA
Necklace: NA

Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 50 – 10050 HP
Rapier – 823/1000
Sprint – Max
Acrobatics – Max
Armor Pierce – 632/1000
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 430/1000 – 215 points every 10 seconds
Leather Armor – 450/1000
Weapon Defense – 129/1000
Weapon: Azure Aculeus
Shield: None
Armor: Leather Jacket made by Diemond
Gloves: Leather Gloves made by Diemond
Boots: Leather Boots made by Diemond
Belt: Leather Belt made by Diemond
Helmet: Hair Tie – Pony Tail
Ring #1: NA
Ring #2: NA
Earring: NA
Earring: NA
Necklace: NA

Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 53 – 10650 HP
Heavy Shield – Max
One-Handed War Hammer – 612/1000
Extended Weight Carry – 452/1000
Heavy Metal Armor – 654/1000
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 325/1000 – 162 points every 10 seconds
Fishing – 237/1000
Search – 76/1000
Weapon: Unnamed War Hammer purchased at Agil’s
Shield: Floating Bulwark
Armor: Heavy Plate Armor purchased from player smith
Gloves: Heavy Plate Gloves purchased from player smith
Boots: Heavy Plate Boots purchased from player smith
Belt: Leather Belt – Blue
Helmet: Sallet
Ring #1: Health +250
Ring #2: NA
Earring: NA
Earring: NA
Necklace: NA
Blue Sash Wrap into Full Cloak with Horse Head Pin made by Diemond

AFCK (PP): Lvl 49 – 9800 HP
Two-Handed Axe – Max
Parry – 902/1000
Cooking – Max
Weapon Defense – 863/1000
Martial Arts – Max
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 264/1000 – 132 points every 10 seconds
Light Metal Armor – 152/1000
Weapon: Unnamed Two Handed Axe
Shield: None
Armor: Light Metal Armor made by Diemond – Blue Backing
Gloves: Leather Gloves made by Diemond – Yellow
Boots: Leather Boots made by Diemond – Yellow
Belt: Leather Belt made by Diemond – Yellow
Helmet: None - regular springy pink hair
Ring #1: NA
Ring #2: NA
Earring: NA
Earring: NA
Necklace: NA

Diemond (R): Lvl 50 – 10250 HP
Heavy Shield – 426/1000
Mace – 654/1000
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 379/1000 – 190 points every 10 seconds
Heavy Metal Armor – 602/1000
Tailoring – Max
Light Metal Armor Forging – Max
Heavy Metal Armor Forging – 41/1000
Weapon: Unnamed Mace
Shield: Unnamed Large Square Shield – Heavy
Armor: Heavy Plate Armor purchased from player smith
Gloves: Heavy Plate Gloves purchased from player smith
Boots: Heavy Plate Boots purchased from player smith
Belt: Leather Belt – Blue
Helmet: Sallet
Ring #1: NA
Ring #2: NA
Earring: NA
Earring: NA
Necklace: NA
Blue Sash Wrap into Full Cloak with Horse Head Pin made by Diemond

Doombunny (FS): Lvl 50 – 10050 HP
One-Handed Dagger – 650/1000
First Aid – Yes
Hide – Max
Search – 743/1000
Listening – 532/1000
Battle Regeneration – 450/1000 – 225 points every 10 seconds
Fighting Spirit – 425/1000
Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Max
Drug Mixing – 76/1000
Weapon: Yellow Rose Petal Knife
Shield: None
Armor: Light Leather Jacket made by Diemond - Blue
Gloves: Leather Gloves made by Diemond - Yellow
Boots: Leather Boots made by Diemond - Yellow
Belt: Leather Belt made by Diemond - Yellow
Helmet: Blue Headband
Ring #1: NA
Ring #2: NA
Earring: NA
Earring: NA
Necklace: NA

Astro (PS): Lvl 50 – 10050 HP
Two-Handed Spear – 867/1000
Purchase Negotiation – 617/1000
Armor Pierce – 912/1000
Acrobatics – 865/1000
First Aid – Yes
Light Metal Armor – 412/1000
Battle Regeneration – 367/1000 – 184 points every 10 seconds
Weapon Defense – 120/1000
Weapon: Unnamed Two Handed Spear
Shield: None
Armor: Light Metal Armor made by Diemond – Blue Backing
Gloves: Leather Gloves made by Diemond – Yellow
Boots: Leather Boots made by Diemond – Yellow
Belt: Leather Belt made by Diemond – Yellow
Helmet: Barbute
Ring #1: NA
Ring #2: NA
Earring: NA
Earring: NA
Necklace: NA

Kiefer: Lvl 46 – 9000 HP
One-Handed Curved Blade – 781/1000
Parry – 692/1000
Weapon Defense – 567/1000
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 241/1000 – 120 points every 10 seconds
Light Metal Armor – 234/1000
Slash Weapon Forging – 367/1000
Weapon: One Handed Curved Blade
Shield: None
Armor: Light Metal Armor made by Diemond – Blue Backing
Gloves: Leather Gloves made by Diemond – Yellow
Boots: Leather Boots made by Diemond – Yellow
Belt: Leather Belt made by Diemond – Yellow
Helmet: None
Ring #1: NA
Ring #2: NA
Earring: NA
Earring: NA
Necklace: NA

Lessa: Lvl 46 – 9000 HP
One-Handed Sword – 769/1000
Shield – 797/1000
Light Metal Armor – 643/1000
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 367/1000 – 184 points every 10 seconds
Equipment Repair – 340/1000
Metal Equipment Repairing – 165/1000
Weapon: Unnamed Sword
Shield: Metal Round Shield
Armor: Light Metal Armor made by Diemond – Blue Backing
Gloves: Leather Gloves made by Diemond – Yellow
Boots: Leather Boots made by Diemond – Yellow
Belt: Leather Belt made by Diemond – Yellow
Helmet: Open Faced Helm
Ring #1: NA
Ring #2: NA
Earring: NA
Earring: NA
Necklace: NA

Joltron: Lvl 47 – 9350 HP
One handed Axe – 687/1000
Heavy Shield – 234/1000
Heavy Metal Armor – 654/1000
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 398/1000 – 199 points every 10 seconds
Metal Refining – 259/1000
Blunt Weapon Forging – 264/1000
Weapon: Unnamed One Handed Axe
Shield: Heavy Square Shield
Armor: Heavy Plate Armor purchased from player smith
Gloves: Heavy Plate Gloves purchased from player smith
Boots: Heavy Plate Boots purchased from player smith
Belt: Leather Belt – Blue
Helmet: Sallet
Ring #1: NA
Ring #2: NA
Earring: NA
Earring: NA
Necklace: NA
Blue Sash Wrap into Full Cloak with Horse Head Pin made by Diemond

Author's Note

Want to know what is happening in the real world? There is a story for that! Link to the Asides.

Episode 19 - To The Kennel

Floor 39

October 14

Klein switched with Bladescape and killed the last wolf. He stood up tall and nodded at Bladescape. They looked around, double checking that they were safe. Klein wordlessly shrugged as they looked at the massive stone doors. They were familiar doors to them by now. The doors to a Floor Boss chamber were always recognizable in their shape, but each design had something different on it for each floor. These were scenes of wolf packs, hunting, sleeping, howling at the full moon. They pushed them open and stepped inside, barely. Several others joined them to be safe.

Savage barks sounded from inside and the room barely glowed to life as if it was almost twilight. All along the walls were cages and cages of the same wolves they had been fighting, with some being even bigger than those. At the far end of the room a big figure stood up. He was a good 6 meters tall, but a man, not a humanoid or a giant. Just a big man. He had a whip in one hand and a plain estoc in the other.

Serigatal The Wolf Master popped up above his head along with only 2 health bars.

“Nope!” Klein chimed. “Time to back out.”

“Absolutely,” Bladescape gulped as she began to step backwards. They were not turning their back on the boss.

“Let’s get back to town,” Klein said. “We need to let them know. It's still early enough, we might be able to get a raid set for the morning.”

“I agree,” Bladescape said. “That is assuming we don’t run into any more wolves.”

“First time poking your head into a Boss Room?” Klein asked, recognizing the look on Bladescape’s face.

“Yeah,” Bladescape chuckled. “Was it that obvious?”

“Not really,” Klein shrugged. “I’ve only scouted one before. I mean, you have to find it first. That is the tough part.”

“Well, we will have something to celebrate tonight,” Bladescape replied. “If we had a dining room table, I would invite you to our headquarters, but we are still trying to buy furniture. It cost us a whole lot more than planned.”

“Where is it at?” Klein asked.

“Floor 35, Mishe, right next to the teleport gate.”

“Dang,” Klein stammered. “You guys snagged a gnarly spot. That’s better than ours on floor 15! Way better.”

“We bit the bullet financially,” Bladescape added. “So we are struggling to recuperate, and with how fast we are currently clearing floors, its not easy to farm Col if we want to stay on top.”

“I guess you are right about that. But you guys will spring back soon enough. And then we will have dinner at your place.”

“Deal,” Bladescape chuckled with a smile. She would let Klein win that one. It would be nice to have company over.

The walk back was that, a walk. They ran into another dozen parties and all of them had found themselves without any enemies, even the wolves. It ended up being a big exodus out of the Labyrinth. They had the map, the way was clear; now they just needed a plan.

They rented out a pub and both guilds enjoyed some privacy as they toasted their success. After it had calmed down a little, Bladescape tapped on the table to get their attention. They didn’t hear it over the conversations that were still flowing. Klein, who was sitting next to her, banged his empty mug on the table to get their attention.

Bladescape proceeded. “It’s pretty safe to say, that tomorrow’s battle is going to be mostly against those wolves. To get at the Wolf Master won’t be easy. However, we have uncovered a potential weakness.”

“What kind of weakness?” Klein asked.

“The NPC who told us about the wolves also said the Boss fears a poison plant on this floor.”

“Well that’s not much help,” Klein snorted. “Even if we knew yesterday, or even the day before, finding someone who can make enough of that poison for an entire raid party, well I don’t know if we even could. For one, we would spend a lot of time finding that plant.”

“Doombunny can,” Bladescape continued. “But its limited to Colorra’s venom.”

“Mhm,” Doombunny quietly replied with a nod.

“Well, its poison, right? Does it matter what kind? Are there even kinds?”

“We don’t have a grip on it yet,” Bladescape replied. “But she should be able to get some of us a poison to coat our blades with.”

“Colorra has been saving her venom just for us!” Doombunny replied. “I was getting vials from her all day. She is making it as fast as she can and will be able to donate some more shortly.”

“Hold on Sugarcube,” Backbreaker said. “We don’t think that is a good idea.”

“What do you mean?” Doombunny asked, completely oblivious to what they were getting at.

“Doom,” Knightstar said, and then hesitated.

Knightstar stalled out, so Bladescape continued. “Doom, we need you in the battle tomorrow.”

Doombunny’s eyes went wide with terror and then panic as she froze. Colorra began to nuzzle her head for support.

“You were tearing up the wolves today,” Bladescape said. “And you and Colorra would be perfect for the job.”

“We all think so,” Backbreaker immediately added.

“I think so,” Klein said. “A dagger is a bit unconventional to go into a Boss Battle with, especially this high, but you were killing it out there today. You killed more of them than either Bladescape or I.”

“Well...um...I don’t know,” Doombunny finally said. “I mean, I want to say yes. But...um...honestly, I don’t know if I can handle it.”

“We don’t want to put you in any place you don’t want to go,” Bladescape immediately replied. “We won’t ever do that to you. We also won’t ask you to do anything we don’t think you can do. However, if we look at today, you were destroying it out there.”

"But, I hid behind BB most of the time,” Doombunny meekly said.

“So?” Backbreaker asked. “Sugarcube, it’s my job to give you a place to hide behind. But when you were not hiding, you were slicing up those canines like crazy. We couldn’t keep up. You would stay behind me until it is time to strike, and then strike the hardest you ever have. You and Colorra.”

“Well...”

“Just think on it,” Knightstar said. “But you are not some weakling here. You are an amazing warrior. You just broke Level 50. Not that many players can say that.”

“You hit Level 50!” Klein exclaimed. “No wonder you are tearing it up so easily. I don’t know a single member of the Assault Team that uses a dagger as their main weapon, and few can tear it up as fast and well as you can. I just got to Level 53.”

“I’ll do it!” Doombunny confidently declared. “You need me so I’ll do it. Then I can say I have done it! FOR THE ANIMALS!”

Bladescape raised her glass for a toast and so did the others. They all yelled, “FOR THE ANIMALS!”

“Well, we should be getting some sleep,” Klein said standing up. “We rented rooms here in town, but our walk is further than yours.”

“We will be staying here as well,” Bladescape said. “I snagged us rooms above us when we rented the pub. Plus, we don't have beds at our HQ yet, only our bedrolls to sleep on.”

“Smart move,” Klein said, giving her a thumbs up. “See you in the morning, babe.”

Bladescape just snorted a laugh as Fuurinkazan departed in good spirits.

“We should turn in too y’all,” Backbreaker added. “We all need to look our best for the boss meeting in the morning.”

Bladescape was the only one not sharing a bed. They had rented 6 rooms, and the others paired up for the beds before she could snag a sleeping buddy, so she was on her own. That had been the routine for a few months, though, ever since they started renting more rooms so they all could sleep in a bed. Most of the time she was left alone; because their fearless leader needed a bed to herself. At least, that is what the guild thought. Bladescape did enjoy not having to share a bed, but it got lonely knowing the others had the other half of the bed occupied with a warm body. And that the only reason she didn’t was because she supposedly was above them and, deemed too important.

They said it was lonely at the top, and it certainly was at times, but the worst part was knowing that without her, the Wondercolts didn’t have a leader who was aggressive enough to keep them together in a death game like this. She was the driver who got the team where they needed to go. Without her, they would fall off from being on the front lines. Quickly. That fate would be a big blow to the front line's ability to clear the game.

Bladescape set the alarm in her menu and laid down. She closed her eyes and found the alarm going off in her head. The hours had passed by in a blink.

Bladescape sat up and walked to the table in the room. She opened her menu and pulled out the guide they had traded Argo for last night. She had set up the trade as soon as they left the dungeon and she could share the information about the boss over the message. She wasn’t missed during her quick chat with Argo while the others settled in at the pub to celebrate.

Two things were missing from the guide. The first was the rabid bite of the wolves. That was key information and Argo hadn’t dug up. It wasn’t a surprise with the speed that they had cleared the Floor. The second was there was no mention of the boss being afraid of any plants or any poison. No poison plants were listed in the resource section of the guide either.

They were not the first ones at the meeting point. The Knights of the Blood Oath were there in their white and red uniforms. They always looked stunning. Heathcliff, their leader, was a master of the sword and battle, but you would never guess under his graying hair and scholarly look. Beside him was Lightning Flash, his second in command. He usually let her lead the boss raids. They had been the dominant guild since Floor 25 and Kibaou shot himself in the foot by rushing the boss chamber with his guild, the Aincrad Liberation Squad.

Heathcliff nodded at them. His voice was smooth and sweet, but it held a cold edge of determination on it. “It is wonderful to see you here. As always, I enjoy the dazzling look of the Wondercolts. As I understand it, one of your members not only fights on the front line, but also makes many of your uniforms.”

“Yes,” Bladescape said with a nod. “Diemond is, in real life, an up and coming fashion designer. As much as this is a game, since it works with the mind, her natural talent seems to have spilled over a bit. At least when it comes to her ingenuity and creativity with designs.”

“That is the truly fascinating thing about this all,” Heathcliff replied with a wry smile. “The human will’s and mind’s ability to transcend from the real world into the virtual. In both worlds, you have things that you can and can not do, a code that we live by naturally in the real world and rarely see. It is a truly horrible situation we are in, but that doesn't mean we can not find the uniqueness of this world and what it can show us about ourselves.”

“It really is a wonder,” Bladescape replied. "And it certainly can show us a lot about ourselves. They say you can only see yourself through a dim mirror, and that image is backwards, but here, the mirror does appear to be clearer, or at least with different lighting."

The conversation ended as The Divine Dragon Alliance walked in. Their numbers seemed to grow by the day and they enjoyed taking up as much space as possible. Only 14 members of The KOB were present, the ones who might go into battle. The rest of their guild, while not as big as DDA, had other roles to play and they rotated who went to a Boss Battle and who didn’t. They had squads which only cleared the dungeons and labyrinths, but never fought bosses.

Fuurinkazan came in next in their red colors. They were a mix matched guild, but they were efficient. In the end, what you looked like didn’t matter if you could clear the game. They just didn’t have a standardized uniform like the DDA, KOB, or Wondercolts.

Other guilds and players filed in. There were still several Beaters fighting solo, like the Black Swordsman Kirito, but most had either died alone, or had joined guilds. Agil was there, ready to fight, as well.

When they were all assembled, Heathcliff opened the meeting. “I wanted to open by saying congratulations to the Wondercolts. It was their first time finding the Boss Room and along with our friends in Fuurinkazan, they gave us a good look inside. I understand you are an old guild too, having been there from the start.”

“We missed the First Floor Boss,” Bladescape said. “But since then, we haven’t missed a floor boss battle.”

“Impressive,” Heathcliff said with a reserved smile. “I missed multiple boss fights on the early floors myself. It is always good to have such dedicated players here. I think that deserves a reward. The Wondercolts shall be Squad A in this Floor Boss Battle! And that dedication stands for most of you as well. You all have put your lives to clearing this game, and it is appreciated by those below, by me, and by all of the Knights of the Blood Oath."

“But, as usual, I am handing this over to my second in command, Lighting Flash Asuna.”

Asuna moved up to the table. “Now, I assume you all have read the guide?”

Every guild chimed in. Bladescape’s stomach dropped. She knew she had to tell them. She felt Backbreaker’s heavy glove settle on her shoulder for support.

“Second in Command, Ma’am,” Bladescape interrupted. Asuna raised an eyebrow at her, but allowed her to speak. Bladescape stepped up to the table. “There are two things not mentioned in the guide. The first we know for a fact from experience, the wolves have a heavy hitting, but slow DOT effect to their bite. They are actually rabid. Antidote crystals do work, and probably potions too. The Wondercolts have only gotten bit twice, but it happened both times.”

“Duly noted,” Asuna said. “The second?”

“We are becoming more and more certain that information given to us by a random event NPC we saved the other day in the forest is correct. She said that the Boss is paranoid of being poisoned by a plant on this Floor, and that is why he sends his wolves; To eliminate anyone with knowledge of his fear. We don’t know what plant and upon reading the guide this morning, no plants with poisonous properties have even been mentioned.”

“I see,” Asuna replied, thinking. “How sure are you?”

“We couldn’t get in close enough to test it, that was clear,” Bladescape said. “Those wolves will be unleashed well before we could get close. We are sure enough that we have prepared ourselves, but we can’t supply the entire boss raid.”

“May I ask why you are dealing with poison?” Asuna asked. She wasn’t thrilled at the idea of a front line player dealing with poison.

“Colorra,” Bladescape said, pointing with her thumb over her back. “The female Dandarabilla Cobra on my friend’s shoulders. Drug Mixing was just unlocked by her master, Doombunny, to utilize her natural toxins. But it is a brand new skill. The little she can create is weak and has a limited effect or durability.”

It was a risk to explain to all of them, but Bladescape decided it was riskier to not let the major guild leader not know, even if that meant the whole game learned Doombunny was mixing poison. It was a tense moment as no one knew what to say.

“Your honesty is appreciated,” Heathcliff stated, inserting himself into the boss strategy section of the meeting for once. “Fortunately, from the rest of the information provided, I think we can get away without the need of poison. If we need to back out and figure out this plant lead, we will. I also have no reservations about you using the poison to your advantage in the Boss Battle. In fact, please do.”

“We will,” Bladescape nodded. “Thank you.”

Heathcliff had a calming effect on most players. If he said something was fine or good, most didn't have a problem with it. Having his approval on Doombunny's skill was a blessing and it balanced the risk of telling them about Doombunny's skill back into their favor.

Asuna took back over. They continued with the meeting, plotting out a plan of action.

“May I speak?” Bladescape asked.

“Sure,” Asuna said, her tone had a bite of frustration to it. “You seem to be the star of things right now."

“Along with Fuurinkazan, we dealt with a group of wolves. It was 9 on 10 in a narrow tunnel. We stood in a line to stop from being flanked or surrounded. We advanced as one, but they retreated at the same rate. It might be possible to push them into a position where they can not maneuver and we can create a kill zone. That is assuming we can get all of the cages opened relatively quickly or opened in front of us.”

“Interesting,” Asuna replied, thinking.

“We need to know how the cages open,” Klein said, joining in from where he stood. “We didn't see any handles, latches, or hinges, only bars. Fuurinkazan can scout ahead and determine that.”

“ Okay," Asuna replied. “Group C will scout in to trigger a released of the wolves, supported by Groups A and B. The plan will be to trigger the cages and push the wolves to the far side of the chamber with a strong line. Shields up front with damage dealers behind to switch forward to kill the wolves. We can not break this line.”

They finalized the groups and began to move out. Bladescape took Backbreaker and Joltron, for their shields. Their damage dealers would be Doombunny with Colorra, Thunderborne for her speed, and Astro for her spear’s reach. Fast attacks slipping out from behind the shields was the plan. They didn’t need more shields, so Diemond stayed back. Kiefer, Lessa, or Knightstar would be preferable over Doombunny, but that was only for the wolves, and Bladescape had personally witnessed Doombunny’s skill against those. She just needed a strong partner to block her while she recovered.

As they made their way to the boss chamber, Doombunny passed around her poison paste. It was low level work, so it only had a short lifespan once applied to the weapon. With each strike, the poison wore off from the blade, injected into the target to do its work. It was useless for Backbreaker to apply any to her blunt weapon.

Doombunny stepped over to Klein. Her voice was sweet, kind, and soft, as usual. “Um, Mr. Klein, Sir?”

“Yeah?” Klein asked. He was stunned to see her next to him.

“Oh, did I scare you? I didn’t mean to.”

Klein chuckled. “You did. You didn’t meant to though. Anyway, what’s up?”

“Well, I have one last vial of poison paste. And...um...if you want, it’s yours for the battle.”

“Sure,” Klein said, taking the vial. “Thanks. This will certainly come in handy.”

“It has a short life,” Doombunny explained. “So it really should be saved for the boss.”

“I will,” Klein said with a sweet smile. He wasn’t trying to hit on her. He had seen her scary side and he wasn’t going to cross that line and feel her wrath. He was genuine in his appreciation.

They got to the door and pushed their way in. Fuurinkazan began to move in slowly while the rest formed up under Asuna’s direction. The Wondercolts were following in to back up Group C, but they were a good 40 feet behind them.

The wolves were howling and barking, many foaming at the mouth. Serigatal The Wolf Master stayed waiting in the back, arms crossed but motionless and not even taunting them. Klein stepped out further, ahead of his guild. He inched out another ten feet. The were past the first two cages and very exposed.

“Is he lagging?” Klein called back to the others.

Groups A and B were still flanking them 40 feet back. Bladescape looked over at Asuna, but it was Heathcliff that began to move forward. Bladescape also began to walk out to Klein. They skipped Group C and joined up with Klein at the front.

"This game has never once lagged," Heathcliff said calmly. “It seems we are being baited in further."

"That's what concerns me," Bladescape said as she leaned against her unsheathed sword.

"Should we rush him?" Klein proposed. "He only has two health bars."

"Tantalizing," Bladescape said. “But let's get in position first. New plan, each group forms up in front of a cage to block it into a kill zone. Then we advance as one."

"Solid plan," Heathcliff grunted. "Stay here."

Heathcliff fell back and Asuna was back in charge, reorganizing all parties. Fuurinkazan and the Wondercolts were put together in the center of the room while the others were deployed. The two parties circled up to protect themselves in case something happened as the others reorganized. You could not drop your guard in a boss room and expect to live.

"I don't like it," Backbreaker said through her teeth.

"Just be ready to move," Bladescape said. "Either to block a cage on our flanks or charge forward. As long as we stay circled up, we should be fine."

"I agree," Klein added. “Normally, this is where I would say something about how us men in Fuurinkazan would protect you ladies, but something tells me we can’t do that. You guys have yourselves covered.”

“We haven’t made it this far on a fluke,” Backbreaker replied.

“Most of us are really good friends I.R.L.,” Bladescape said.

“No way! Same as us! We camped out together to get a copy.”

“We had to snag them online and most of us had to get the hardware then too.”

“Same! I hadn’t ‘dived’ before this game,” Klein added.

“Looks like our two clans are almost the exact same, except you guys are older than us. Too old.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Klein waved off. “I get it.”

"Advance one more cage," Asuna ordered them.

They followed the orders. Again they advanced after the groups closest to the doors moved forward to cover the cages deeper in. After 20 exhausting minutes, the Wondercolts and the Fuurinkazan guilds were only three quarters of the way through the room. They were at the edge of the cages.

The way the floor was, they could see the clear line where the cages ended. That line extended all the way across the room and was at Bladescape's and Klein's feet. They looked at each other, nodded in understanding and stepped across the line.

All that was heard was the cages clanging open, but they never opened where a group was blocking them. The bars could disappear wherever they wanted. For the cages near the door, the wolves came streaming out from the ends, not the face, flanking the raid party and blocking the exit. The forward cages on either side of the Wondercolts and Fuurinkazan guild didn't open their faces either, but their ends. The wolves circled out and blocked them off from the boss.

Both clans surged forward to try and rush the boss with the few wolves in front of them.

"Circle up!" Asuna ordered the rear. They didn't fully seal up and Bladescape heard screams as wolves tore a player or two apart. Group B, the KOB group, was forced to moved to the rear to clear them out and seal the raid party into one giant circle.

"Almost there," Klein grunted as he killed a big black wolf.

The way to the boss was almost open, but the room shook and the walls opened in the center of the cages. The internal bars separating them shattered and more wolves poured out from deeper kennels. Serigatal The Wolf Master laughed in triumph. They couldn't get to him.

Group A and C were cut off from the others, causing them to have to once again circle up to protect themselves. Asuna was leading the bigger circle. Bladescape was certain she had no idea how to win this, and by now, it would be difficult for the main party to retreat without using precious teleport crystals. The exit was blocked by too many wolves. The Wondercolts and Fuurinkazan would have to use crystals if the order was given.

Another scream came from behind them as Bladescape gashed open a wolf in front of her. Just after that scream she heard a "Teleport Ta-" as a player Teleported out for safety.

"We can't stop advancing!" Bladescape yelled.

"Right!" Klein grunted as he unleashed a quadruple sword skill that killed two wolves and advanced him forward quite a bit. Backbreaker was right there to block him as he took the delay penalty.

Serigatal The Wolf Master howled in pain and staggered before getting his feet back under him. Bladescape took a quick look. Doombunny was in the middle of their circle. She dashed out to savagely strike a wolf for another kill.

Bladescape blocked a wolf as it pounced on her and Klein killed it in retaliation. A third wave of wolves were unleashed. The boss room was now completely flooded with black wolves.

Doombunny went back to back with Bladescape. "This isn't fun!" She cried with a wet sob.

"I'm sorry," Bladescape said. "This isn't normal."

"Has a boss battle ever been normal?" Klein quipped. "None of them are routine or the same."

"Not helping!" Bladescape yelled as she lunged and killed a big wolf. "I'm sorry Fluttershy. I didn't-"

"It's not your fault," Doombunny replied with another sob. "I know I'm not weak. But this...this isn't for me. I'll fight just as hard on the front lines, but this is too much stress for my soft heart. Why couldn't it have been ghosts or something."

"You are even more terrified of ghosts!" Backbreaker grunted as she held firm against several wolves pounding on her shield.

"Oh, right," Doombunny said in her sweet crying voice. She pulled out a blue teleport crystal and gripped it tight as she tried to clear her eyes and see clearly.

"It's okay," Bladescape said. "If you need to, do it. We would rather have you safe, than have to worry about protecting you to the point where it endangers us all. I thought this would be different."

Bladescape stopped focusing on Doombunny so she could keep them all alive. Doombunny wasn't crying anymore, that was what was important. That and she had given it her all.

Bladescape lost track of time as Klein and her took out another few wolves. The wolves knew how to stay back and hunt it a pack. That was what was dragging out each and every minute of this raid. It was a tiring job and the longer it took, the weaker each player got. Each weapon had weight that dragged a player down in these long fights.

"DAMN IT!" Doombunny roared from behind them.

Bladescape saw a glow in her peripheral vision and then it disappeared. In front of her, several wolves exploded in a blast of polygons, but they were quickly replaced. The boss roared in pain, but he was eclipsed by Doombunny's roar.

“YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO INFECT AND HARM ANY MORE OF THESE WOLVES!”

Bladescape was knocked to the side into Klein who caught her. Doombunny was just inside their circle, a yellow glow emanating from her.

Doombunny finished her proclamated roar with a savage growl. “Ever again.”

“What is that glow?” Bladescape gasped.

Klein pushed Bladescape up to her feet before answering. “That’s Fighting Spirit being fully pumped through her virtual veins. It’s a hate based skill that boosts your fighting ability.”

“A hate skill?”

Klein killed a wolf, getting them back on track. “Yeah. I have it. I would know. But for someone like her, what does she have to hate?”

Bladescape unleashed a two combo sword skill to finish off another wolf. “She is being kept from her animals,” Bladescape explained. “She reads bedtime stories to a local shelter to put them to sleep. She smuggles in at least one animal a day to school in her backpack because they get lonely. So being stuck here, unable to care for them. That must be what fuels that rage. I knew she had to have been having a hard time, but Doombunny having a hate skill...”

All of the wolves pulled back from the attacks and began to circle both groups, trying to find their weaknesses. Their numbers had been thinned drastically. Half of the raid party downed potions while the others protected them before switching out.

“Klein, Blade,” Backbreaker whispered. "I’ll jump out and block their circling. You and Blade surge forward to the boss.”

“Right,” Bladescape said.

"You got it," Klein grinned.

Both Klein and Bladescape poured the poison on their blades and then nodded to Backbreaker. She jumped out and used her shield to block the circling wolves. Klein was out first and ran a wolf through. Bladescape finished it as she skipped past.

Klein jumped forward and then stopped a bit forward of Bladescape. The boss wasn’t there.

“THE BOSS IS DOWN!” Bladescape yelled to the entire chamber. “ATTACK! CUT THEM TO PIECES.”

Fuurinkazan and the Wondercolts leaped towards their closest targets. It was a tough battle as they exposed themselves. The wolves retaliated in kind, having the advantage now that the circles were gone. Astro’s back was sliced open by a paw full of razor sharp claws, but Doombunny countered the wolf’s attack before any real damage happened. Joltron was knocked off his feet and only his shield and heavy armor stopped him from being bitten. Several members of Fuurinkazan took bites and had to use antidote crystals.

It was what they needed to break the stalemate. Several other horrible screams came out from the main group. They won, but, as whole, they also were bitten and slashed while they secured the victory.

Bladescape saw Commander Heathcliff stand there confidently as he finished the last two wolves. They came at him from opposite sides. He slashed the first wolf while blocking the other, which jumped at him, with his shield. Before it’s feet touched the ground, Heathcliff cleanly stabbed his long sword through the wolf with ease and an air of sophistication.

Only then did the congratulation music sound and banner fly. Heathcliff turned to look at Bladescape and Klein. He was looking for an explanation. So was Asuna beside him, her gaze was piercing, mad. His was questioning, firm, but kind.

“It was just gone,” Klein said. “We were surrounded, finally broke through, and he wasn’t there. I never saw him fall, burst, or anything.”

“Who got the LAB?” another player asked.

“I didn’t,” Heathcliff announced. “But whoever did, they don’t have to answer. That is the courteous thing to do.”

“How many did we lose?” Bladescape asked. “I couldn’t see you guys.”

The tally was made. Two had teleported out with heavy injuries and eight had died. At least half of the raiders had used one or more antidote crystals or antipoison potions.

“This was a nightmare,” Heathcliff declared. “But we will prevail. The next Floor is 40. We need to push our levels to keep this from happening again. Ever again.”

The Wondercolts walked to the stairs. The KOB squad was leading the way. The Boss’ disappearance mystery had every player on edge.

“Well,” Klein said as they got the teleport gate. “Let us know when you get that dining room table.”

“Ha!” Bladescape laughed. “I will. It was a good two days fighting besides you guys, as equals. You are a strong clan. We haven’t cleared with another clan before. It was enjoyable, but don’t get any ideas-”

“Yeah, yeah,” Klein said, waving it off.

The Wondercolts teleported back to Mishe and breathed a sigh of relief as they got back to safety. The rest were inside, waiting for them. They got a rousing cheer from the others as they entered the meeting hall, the only place with chairs for them all.

“Well, how did it go?” Diemond asked, begging for news. Being left out had been hard, but understandable, for her.

“Not good,” Bladescape said, taking her seat at the table. “Two had to teleport out and eight died. The wolves were tough. That’s basically all we fought. We don’t even know who got the LAB.”

“Um, excuse me?” Doombunny asked.

“Yes?” Backbreaker said.

“Well, Colorra got one strike in, and then I got in a strong combination attack, but that was it. He still had over half his health when I got back. Sorry for bumping into you by the way.”

“Did you use poison on your blade?” Bladescape asked.

“Mhm,” Doombunny nodded.

“Well, did you get the last attack bonus?”

“Um...maybe? I just clicked past what my screens said. I was still angry and I was petting Colorra to calm down. I don't know what popped up.”

Thunderborne groaned at Doombunny being Fluttershy and missing information because of it.

Doombunny began to scroll through her menu. “Wow, I didn’t know I got all this from the boss battle. I see why so many players want to go.”

“Anything impressive?” Knightstar asked.

“Um...well...some...I guess. I don’t really know what I am looking at. That is your specialty. I barely know the stats of my own dagger.”

“Can you identify what you got?” Knightstar asked.

“Of course,” Doombunny nodded. “I keep a clean inventory.”

After a few clicks, all the gear popped out into the open. Doombunny didn’t catch most of it and it clattered onto the ground. The others helped pick it up and get it all on the table in front of Knightstar. There were weapons of all kinds and different miscellaneous items.

Knightstar sorted through it all and eventually picked up a small box. Inside was the real prize. It was a pair of earrings and a single ring. They were called the Beast Tamer’s Charms. Each earring was a wolf’s canine tooth and the ring was a silver band with a ruby wolf’s paw. One earring was +10 Agility, the other earring was Night Vision, and the ring was identified as “Familiar Mirror.”

Doombunny put the agility earring on and giggled. “Oh, I feel that. It made me tingle.” She stumbled as the night visions flashed over her eyes and then ended because she was in solid lighting. The ring made her feel nothing.

“I don’t feel any, or see anything different,” Doombunny said. “Do I look different? Like a snake?”

“Check your skills,” Knightstar said. “Colorra has poison abilities, does anything pop up.”

“Mhm,” Doombunny said a moment later. “Several new Sword Skills come up. Bite, Inject, Viper, Sidewinder, and Constriction are the ones I am seeing now.”

“Interesting,” Knightstar said. “That is a good list to add to what you already have.”

Knightstar picked up a mace and clicked on it. “This is significantly better than what Diemond has. Doom, you got a good haul. All Wondercolt raiders, leave anything you want me to check in front of your room, like always, and I will give you quotes back by the morning.”

“Here, Rarity,” Doombunny said picking up the mace. It was a lot heavier than she expected. She grunted as she continued. “You can have this. I don’t need it. Or any money.”

“Are you sure?” Diemond asked, taking it easily in one hand.

“Of course,” Doombunny smiled. “You need it and I don’t. I’d just sell it.”

“Darling,” Diemond wryly grinned. “You survived your first boss raid.”

“And only one,” Doombunny replied. “It’s not for me. I don’t think I could handle the stress again. I almost teleported out. I am going to bed. Wake me up when Pinkie has breakfast ready.”

They watched a physically and emotionally exhausted Doombunny go off to bed. Most of the others left as well, leaving only the raid party and Knightstar. It wasn’t too late, so the appraisals happened right then. If an item was useful for a party member, they were informed. Private trades did happen.

After, it was just the three leaders. Knightstar had a point she needed to make. “I know you have a ring BB, and Blade, you have two as well, but after seeing Doom's Beast Tamer's Charms, I see now that we need to make specific moves to secure more jewelry to boost us. I think that it is the edge we are lacking.”

“I’ll go to Agil’s in the morning,” Bladescape said. “I will find out where we can get jewelry. I am sure other players make it, including the special properties.”

“How are you holding up?” Backbreaker asked Bladescape.

“Well,” Bladescape sighed. “It’s not bad because no one saw the boss fall. It looks like the LAB went to Doom because she, or Colorra, knocked off the last of the Boss' HP with poison. An unexpected circumstance. The minions not counting was interesting, and I am certain Doom and Colorra were the only ones who landed attacks on the Boss proper. Which is impressive. I never had a chance, and that takes the pain away. Also, we took her knowing she was the best suited for knocking off his HP. Plus, it’s Fluttershy. How mad can you get at her?”

“She got pretty mad in the raid,” Backbreaker chuckled. “She was glowing all yellow like."

"Klein said Fighting Spirit is a hate based skill," Bladescape explained.

“I know,” Knightstar said. “I did some digging as she leveled it up. She must be extremely mad about not being able to take care of her animals.”

Backbreaker chuckled. “She yelled ‘damn it.’ She almost teleported out. Instead, she yelled that and charged with a glowing aggression I have never seen out of her.”

All three of them chuckled about Doombunny going off like that. It wasn’t all bad. It was exactly what they needed, sort of. They were concerned about how she was doing mentally. As long as they didn’t put her in situations that tough again, they were guessing she would be fine. Fluttershy popped out from under Doombunny at least once a day. Still it was a gamble, but they didn't know of any better options.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 55 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 49 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 50 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 53 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search
AFCK (PP): Lvl 49 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor
Diemond (R): Lvl 50 – Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 50 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing
Astro (PS): Lvl 50 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense
Kiefer: Lvl 46 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging
Lessa: Lvl 46 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing
Joltron: Lvl 48 – One handed Axe – Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging

Chapter 20 - Christmas

Author's Note

I wanted to say to all my readers:
"Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! To whatever holiday you celebrate, whenever you celebrate it!"

As a side note, this chapter was written and edited, ready to go to print by October. The fact that it fell on Christmas week, that is a very happy coincidence!

Chapter 20 - Christmas

Floor 46

December 24 – Year 2

Bladescape stood up. The front line was Floor 49, but she was on Floor 46 at the Ant Hill, barely into December the 24th, alone, grinding XP. The rest of the guild was sleeping, or should be, but soon, they would be doing various things, preparing for the festivities. Most were helping AFCK bake, Diemond decorate, or staying out of their erratic and eccentric ways.

They finally had their headquarters furnished. It had cost them a lot, but they paid for a designer that met Diemond’s standards. Now, the rest of the guild was preparing it for the Christmas Party tomorrow afternoon that would debut it. All of Fuurinkazan had already accepted the invitation. Agil was also going to be stopping in as well. Argo was a maybe, which was no surprise.

Bladescape wasn’t there right now for a reason though. Floor 25 was logistically harder than the previous floors. Floor 50 was going to be even worse. Bladescape was going to be the highest level, fastest fighter, strongest player she could be for the nightmare that was to come. The rest of the Wondercolts had been working hard and gaining levels at an astounding rate, thanks to Knightstar. They were all among the top players in the Assault Team.

That wasn’t enough for Bladescape. They had been trapped in here for over a year. In that year, they hadn’t even gotten to Floor 50, halfway to the goal. In that year, over 2000 players had died; too many by suicide and way too many because they went past their safety margin.

Floor 46 had the hottest grinding spot. A part of the map had caves and canyons, where ants filed out of several ant hills. They gave good XP, had low defense and hit points, but they did have a strong attack. You had to stay alert, especially when training in the middle of the night for hours. Because it was so popular, they had a rule limiting them to an hour per party before they had to go back to the end of the line.

Bladescape switched out with the Black Swordsman, Kirito, and entered the canyon. Only a few players were doing this solo, even at night. It wasn’t hard to do solo. At least not for Bladescape and the few other players like Kirito. The canyons prevented the ants from flanking the players too much.

The next ant came dutifully along and Bladescape unleashed a powerful single hit sword skill, Rapture. The strike had a low delay with high reward. It only made sense as she moved into the higher levels to provide almost a Sword Skill reset. Low cost skills with high power to offset the big difference in stats from the start.

The hour flew by and she switched out. A yawning party of six was next in line. Bladescape ate a cupcake AFCK had made and drank some water before setting an alarm for 90 minutes. It would give her some rest before she was up again.

Bladescape kept it up until mid morning on the 25th. Every few hours she was back in, grinding away and not backing down. The closer to the 25th it got, the less players there were. Bladescape got two solid hours in for her last go because no one was there to switch out. All of the missed sleep proved to be a worthy exchange as she hit level 68. A nice Christmas gift to herself.

Mishe was decorated nicely for the holidays. The NPCs did almost all the work. However, the festivities on the outside of their guild headquarters had been done by the Wondercolts. Diemond had done wonderful work on the decorations.

Bladescape opened the doors and sighed contently as she felt the warmth. Both the warmth of the air and the room. Mishe was cold to put them in the spirit. Again, Diemond had decorated the inside nicely. Much of the usual blue and gold had been switched out for red, green, and gold.

Bladescape stepped into the decorated guild hall and stopped. The temporary holiday set up had meant moving furniture from upstairs to the guild hall to make a nice lounge area for the time not around the dinner table. It was more accessible for food, drink, and a larger social set up. Diemond had even gotten a hold of a fir tree and decorated it, including boxes with presents. Their guests had also already arrived. Fuurinkazan was spread out among the chairs and Agil was also present. Bladescape glanced at her clock and saw she was the one who was late.

“Oops,” Bladescape said, unsure what else to do. Her sword was still visible on her back. Everything she was wearing was battle gear.

“Darling,” Diemond said from where she sat. “In front of your room is a little gift from me." Diemond waved her on gingerly with her fingertips. "Go up and change.”

“Right,” Bladescape chuckled. “I’ll be right back.”

The package outside her door was wrapped nicely in Sunset Shimmer's red and orange, and it had a bow that was the obvious work of Rarity. Bladescape opened the door and stepped inside, tossing the box onto the desk in front of her window. As soon as the door was closed she manipulated her menu and stripped her clothes off. She was just in her basic undergarments the game gave her to keep her modesty. She couldn’t take those off, but it was still exposing. However, Bladescape enjoyed the feeling of virtual near nakedness after the long hours wearing the same battle gear. Especially after sleeping in it.

Bladescape put the armor onto her armor stand to air it out. It didn’t need it, but she enjoyed doing it. It made her feel at ease. The same with hanging up her sword on the wall. She was safe, home, and she didn’t have to leap up and go anywhere. These were the moments she needed in between the long hours slaving away in the field. They always had a dangerous risk, even to the relatively safe leveling she had been doing against the ants.

Bladescape opened the package and found a dress. A dress that was Rarity’s take on her. In a few clicks it was on her body and she took a spin in front of her mirror. It was definitely her. It was a teal dress similar to the one she wore at the crystal ball at the end of Camp Everfree. It was less of a ball gown like that one and was styled more like a relaxed cocktail dress. It was a beautiful dress appropriate for this holiday occasion.

It took nothing for her to do her hair up and pin it with the fancy pin Rarity had provided. The package also had a set of earrings and necklace. They all were her sun symbol, the same one she always wore in real life. The symbol she was aching to wear again, but had set aside for the betterment of the guild. Her friends needed unity; they needed the Wondercolt horse head. They didn't need her sun symbol, but part of her needed the foundation and strength the horse symbol that her friends also wore gave her.

And yet, the jewelry felt extraordinarily good to wear. It felt right. She felt like her, and right now, that was okay. It was Christmas!

Bladescape did another turn in front of the mirror and determined that she was ready. Getting fancy in Sword Art Online was very easy. It was nice, but it did take away some of the charm, and it was a little anticlimactic. Clicking was rather boring.

Downstairs, she was immediately greeted by Klein. “Wow, you look smokin, Babe.” He was holding a mostly drained wine glass in his right hand as he sat, slouched in a chair.

Bladescape rolled her eyes and sat down with the others. Which was the seat over from Klein. Diemond gave her a glass of wine. Alcohol in Sword Art Online was for flavor and atmosphere. There was no way to get drunk. Still, the Wondercolts tended to avoid drinking it outside of special occasions. Boss battle victories were special enough, and Christmas certainly was.

“Where you back at the ant hill?” Klein asked.

“Yeah,” Bladescape sighed. “It was worth it though.”

“Dang. You and Kirito.”

“He left last night, before the evening got too late. I was shocked by that.”

“He went after Nicholas the Renegade, the Flag Mob. He got him too, solo. I’m surprised you girls didn’t. And guys.”

“We get it,” Kiefer shrugged. Rarity had made him a stunning suit that was festive and dashing. Joltron’s was just as dashing and unique as Kiefer’s. “Joltron and I are getting used to answering the general call. It is as it is. Joltron, Lessa, and I are the newcomers. Which is probably outdated because its been a year since Blade saved the three of us.

“Anyway, the seven of them are such good friends in real life, they just call the group girls so they don’t have to say every name. It's so ingrained into habit for them, we got swept up into the whole thing.”

Joltron chuckled. “We got used to being the girl guild. Chick guild, not cool. Girl guild, that’s fine. Its nine girls, two guys, that heavily tips us into the girl guild territory. And there are perks.” Joltron halted Klein. “Not those perks. Perks like these suits. I will never get a suit this nice in the real world.”

“Oh I can redo that I.R.L. easily,” Diemond interjected. “And I gladly will.”

“Perfect point right there,” Joltron grinned. “Amazing food by an expert baker and cook. And a whole lot more. These girls are amazing players and people. So I do not mind being in the girl guild.”

The conversation turned lighter after that. The talk about the game fizzled out pretty quick though. Life was more than just the year in here. Stories of the craziest things they had ever done began flowing. Not all of them had good stories.

“Craziest thing I have ever done was trying to take over my school,” Bladescape said. “We will leave it there. But that is how I became friends with the others. Well, not Knightstar, she joined us later.”

Knightstar immediately followed up. “I tried to take over their school too, during a ‘friendly’ inter-school competition. That’s when I ended up switching schools, because they were amazing girls who helped me recover from my mistakes.”

“Saved a movie,” Thunderborne said before they got sidetracked into the stories about them saving CHS. “Like, saved a big time movie production from going under because of a jealous niece who sabotaged it. And then I got to make my own cameo appearances in it!”

“That was all of us,” Bladescape chuckled. “We all did that.”

Thunderborne huffed, annoyed she didn’t get to reap all of the focus for the movie story.

“Well,” Diemond said. “You have seen some of my work, but outside here I am even better. And the craziest thing I have ever done was that I was the lead designer for a parade. A parade that was way behind schedule for its costumes and! The overseer who hired me kidnapped my friends and I had to save them, and still make sure the parade went off perfectly.”

“We do a lot of weird things,” Backbreaker explained. “We saved a summer camp from a money hungry hound who wanted to turn it from a summer camp into spa resort. It got even more interesting, quick. But that also makes it mighty difficult to explain.”

“We won a battle of the bands,” Doombunny added. “And against a really evil band of girls who just wanted everyone to be angry and unkind. They were real meanies.”

“It was a weird year,” Bladescape chuckled. “A really weird year for a group of high schoolers. We haven’t had time to do anything as crazy or stupid as you guys have pitched.”

“DINNER TIME!!!” AFCK screamed excitedly as she bounded into the room. She was covered in flour.

“Wow,” Agil said. “I have never gotten that dirty cooking in here before. I don’t even know if I have gotten that dirty cooking in the real world. And I own a cafe!”

“Dirty?” AFCK asked, looking at herself. “If you mean the flour, I didn’t get dirty from cooking, this is how I always cook. Flour isn’t optional attire, silly!”

“And that is why you don’t ask AFCK the same question,” Thunderborne poked. “But let’s eat!”

“YAY!” AFCK bounced. “Also, Argo just arrived.”

AFCK ripped opened the guild hall doors that connected to the greeting chamber. Other players could enter the greeting chamber, but they had to be let in further by a guild member. Argo’s hand was up since she was just about to knock when the doors were thrown open.

“Did you all know I was here, or was it just her?” Argo asked, referencing AFCK.

“Just her,” Diemond chuckled. “You will get used it.”

“I hope not to,” Argo stated as she stepped inside. “But nice set up here. You guys bought prime real estate.”

“We moved the furniture from the second floor to here for the party,” Diemond explained. “We never would have found the decorator without your help. She was divine.”

“I’m glad she held up to your standards,” Argo winked.

“Diemond,” Bladescape said standing up. “Why don't you show our guests to the dining room. We will go help AFCK bring everything over."

AFCK had outdone herself. Besides several types of meats and poultry, none of which existed in real life, she had fish, a vegetable stew, a few pasta dishes, multiple sides, and the pies were cooling off. AFCK had somehow mastered keeping food warm longer than it was supposed to keep.

The wine and ale stock was steadily going down as they neared the end of the feast. They had cleaned the table off well, ensuring there would be no left overs to eat later. The guys in Fuurinkazan could really put it away. They could go toe to toe with Astro, Thunderborne, and Backbreaker. Agil was also a strong competitor for that.

“I have never had such good food in the game before,” Klein praised. The rest of Fuurinkazan mirrored his statement.

“Man, that was way better than last Christmas,” Agil added. “I really must give compliments to the chef.”

“Awwwww,” AFCK sighed both thankfully and sadly. “But thanking the chef usually means goodbyes.”

“I do need to go,” Argo said, standing up. “My life doesn’t stop. Many of the players are still active today.”

“Wait,” Diemond said, jumping up happily. “I wanted to give our guests something.” Diemond opened her window and a set of small boxes popped into her arms. “I just started a new skill, jewelry making. Don’t feel bad, I have a lot of extra ones laying around right now. But these were the best. We can’t possibly use them all, so I wanted to share the love.

“I don’t know what you already have, so if you can’t use it, sell it. I won’t be hurt. I just enjoy giving my heart and being generous to all who can use it!”

“Wow,” Agil said holding up a ring. “This enchantment is quit good for a new skill. I typically don’t wear any jewelry, opting to sell the pieces instead. I run a business after all. But this, I will keep this for personal use. Thanks Diemond.”

“Dang,” was all Argo said, picking up her necklace. It was a swirl of gold and silver holding a blue gem in the center. “This is really good. Especially for a new skill.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Klein stammered. “Absolutely unbelievable. This upgrades one of my rings by a good amount. I didn’t even know you could make enhancing jewelry. This game really does have an unlimited set of skills.”

“Several players are near, if not maxed, in the skill,” Argo dryly stated. “It has been a year already.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Bladescape said, standing up.

Argo had been ready for a while. She still didn’t like crowds, despite having dealt with half the guilds and major players at some point. She was no stranger to Agil or Klein. She was a well known hermit of sorts.

“Thanks for coming,” Bladescape said as she showed her out.

“Thanks for having me. This was a lot better than last year. I was eating half stale bread in the field as I worked to figure something out on Floor 4.”

After showing Argo out, Bladescape discovered the party had shifted back to the guild hall. It was nice having guests over, and it was a holiday. They all had earned a break. The morning would bring the death game back into focus.

Eventually, Diemond showed Agil out, who was the last guest to leave. It had gotten late. He was definitely missing his wife this Christmas. Despite the shop and all he had to do, he delayed leaving and heading back to an empty home, and the memories of a wife and another missed Christmas.

“Don’t go anywhere,” Diemond told the Wondercolts. “You didn’t think I would just give you those outfits, do you? The presents under the trees are not just for decoration. Although, I admit, many of the box sizes will be deceiving. I chose the sizes for the atmosphere.”

Joltron, Kiefer, Lessa, and Astro all got necklaces with finely etched gemstones that had their own symbols, just like the Wondercolts. The Wondercolts also got their own, but they were nearly exact copies of the geodes they had back in the real world. Each necklace boosted their personal stats, as close to how they were in the real world. The girls were given: Strength for Backbreaker, Speed for Thunderborne, Skill Delay reduction for Bladescape, Defense for Doombunny, Critical Attack for Diemond, Health for Knightstar, and Agility for AFCK. Their non magical friends got: Defense for Kiefer with a katana on his, Critical Attack for Astro with a soccer ball on hers, Strength for Joltron with a shield on his, and Attack for Lessa with crossed swords on hers.

A round of cheers went up and Backbreaker picked up her almost empty wine glass. “A toast to such an amazing and generous friend. One who keeps us alive and gives us her all!”

The toast was the last one of the night. It had gotten really late. It was going to be a 9am start for them. A bit late, but a good start time.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 68 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 60 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 63 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 65 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts
AFCK (PP): Lvl 63 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon
Diemond (R): Lvl 62 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 60 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 63 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry
Kiefer: Lvl 60 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 60 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 60 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation

Episode 21 - Storm Rising

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Episode 22 - Halfway Home

Author's Note

Floor 50's Boss is confirmed as a "Six-armed metallic Buddha statue." I did not design the boss.

Episode 22 - Halfway Home

Floor 50

January 10 – Year 2

The Holidays had slowed things down quite a bit. Players had been celebrating this time, and resting up. Most of the time spent fighting had been in the fields, hunting and leveling up. The Flag Mob had been a big focus as well, but plenty of players also had been preparing for the the first real holiday season since they had been trapped here.

The first technical holiday season had not been celebrated by many. They had just beaten the 4th Floor’s field boss and then a few days later, took down the 4th Floor Boss. Back then they had barely gotten anywhere and despair was still rampant. Now, the players had fallen into a routine and a new life in virtual reality. Some were more fulfilling than others. Plenty of players were still frozen in terror in the Town of Beginnings and not making anything of their lives, but for the most part, the rest had made good lives for themselves. Many were forgetting about the "Real world" and not even thinking of the people they were separated from, or the jobs, schools, and plans they had made before being trapped in Sword Art Online. You could have a fulfilling life in Aincrad, so most did.

Their total numbers had dwindled down to an estimated 7000 players, but the the front line still saw a good number of players. Outwards of a thousand where chipping away at it. Very few were capable of fighting a Floor Boss, but they all were essential.

There were plenty of days where Bladescape didn't even think about either worlds, the two legged or the four hoofed worlds. It was just another world she had gone to through another portal. Another reality where she was a warrior, fighting for the freedom of the people against a tyrannical overload whose castle was far above them. All she wanted to do was fight. An enjoyable life to her was combat and the rush it gave her. The others had their own ideas about an enjoyable life, in between the combat, but still, they all knew the stakes. The biggest one being that if they quit, they were letting down thousands of players who could not take their place and been forced to find some meaning in this world.

Bladescape was with Doombunny, Backbreaker, Astro, Lessa, and Kiefer, raiding Floor 50’s Boss Labyrinth. Most of the time, Doombunny had been with Backbreaker and Bladescape. Since Bladescape and Backbreaker were always in a party, she could easily stay with two of the Wondercolts’ leaders. Doombunny had stayed with a leader in a party at all times. Even in their headquarters, she was always partied up with two others. It was a bit of a hassle, but it was working and better safe than sorry.

Doombunny was still as strong as ever on the front lines, and on this Floor, the creatures were not animals or humanoid. They were dealing with slime creatures. They were a giant pain to kill, but Doombunny excelled against them. Slime creatures were susceptible to slices, and Doombunny had no reservations about killing them.

They were deep in the Labyrinth, mapping it out slowly. They were slightly separated from the other party. Which was not unusual. Bladescape’s Search skill picked up a group of players coming, from around the corner. Max Search was beyond useful. Nothing could get close to her without her knowing and she kept unlocking new ways to apply it, known as “Out of System Skills.” One of those was to fine tune her Search skill in combat to allow her to predict the monster’s next attack. She was still getting used to it.

They waited, ready to defend themselves if they had to. As luck would have it, Yamata and his usual party came around the corner. His eyes narrowed as he saw Doombunny and his hand slipped to his sword’s hilt.

“What’s got you going back?” Bladescape asked.

“The Boss Chamber,” Yamata grinned. “That’s all the mapping data you are getting free.”

Mapping any dungeon was difficult, time consuming, and dangerous as the first spawns were cleared out. Maps were sold for Col, lots of Col. Some guilds sold it for less than others. The Wondercolts kept the sale price low, or none if they knew they were releasing it late. The Beater often released it for nothing, if he mapped it fast enough.

“Let’s pack it up,” Bladescape said. There was no reason to not believe Yamata. “The Boss Strategy meeting will be in the morning. We need to find the others first.”

The DDA party hadn’t moved. They were not going to move, yet. Yamata wasn’t going to put his back to Doombunny. Another DDA squad came around the corner as Bladescape moved them out. She wasn’t going to put any extra pressure on the situation.

Things had heated up since the First of the year. Doombunny wasn’t the only one under a watchful eye from the DDA and few other guilds. The KOB was not obvious if they were even watching any players. It was annoying and frustrating, but somewhat understandable. The rule of never letting another player’s HP hit zero was broken and it had cut every player deep.

They finally found the others, surrounded and in a pinch. They were not in deep trouble yet. Still, the backup was very appreciated. Level 50 was brutal. It was exponentially more brutal than Floor 49, just like 25 had been much harder. Which meant Floor 75 was already unthinkable and Floor 100, they would get there when they had to.

“Boss Chamber was found,” Bladescape explained. “This floor has been brutal. Let’s pack it in.”

“We don’t need to waste crystals and potions,” Knightstar said. “We are going to need them in the boss battle.”

It was a long hike out of the Labyrinth. They had been forced to teleport out 3 of the past 5 days. Each member had a few crystals on hand, and they were certainly more plentiful than they were at Floor 25, but old habits die hard. Plus, the game could take a turn and offer less crystals later on.

The meeting in the morning went smoothly. They would be waiting a whole extra day before they hit the boss room, allowing every raider to be well rested and fully geared up. It would be a departure of 9am, to give them time to make it to the boss room and then plenty of time to clear the boss. It was going to be a long fight.

Besides Backbreaker, Joltron, Diemond, Astro, and AFCK would be joining them. It was a six armed, metal statue of Buddha. Metal was always a difficult type of enemy, and no type of weapon or attack gave one advantage over another. Crushing blows were typically better, but those weapons also were some of the slowest in the game. Poison was also useless.

Except for Doombunny, who stayed with Bladescape, the rest of the guild fragmented into solo members and began to hunt towns for healing crystals. They stayed in the safe zones and only in cities with teleport plazas. The other guilds were also out buying as many as they could. Mid level players were auctioning off their stashes for high prices, well above the normal going rate. Some even became too greedy and lost the sale.

It was a sober morning. AFCK didn’t even make breakfast. She was to focused on the upcoming fight to think about cooking. However, they were Wondercolts. They were going to clear this game, or at least be a major player in clearing it. From Floor 1 all the way to Floor 100. There was no backing down, even as horrible as the upcoming battle looked.

A round of hugs happened and the raid party walked out. They were Squad B in this raid. The plan was for the Wondercolts to soak up the bulk of the damage, which is why the KOB gave them the designation as Squad B. They wanted the Iron Bulwark out front. She wasn’t invincible, but her shield had proven to be stronger than she was. It was a staple in every boss raid.

As they were walking out to the chamber, Backbreaker slid up to Bladescape.

“I bet this is going to be a doozy of an LAB. You ready to get it?”

“I’m not concerned about the LAB,” Bladescape replied. “That actually is the last thing on my mind. However, I am certain that the LAB is something that could be taken to the end of the game. If I get it, I get it. If not, well this boss is the next real block to get out of here. When this game is over, it means shit except that we survived.”

The raid party reached the Boss Chamber after a good hike. They set up their initial entry and proceeded in with caution. The golden Buddha statue sat against the far wall, making Bladescape feel like they were entering a hallowed temple. An old one at that, as the golden thing was easily 15 meters tall, sitting cross legged on its pedestal. It was so peaceful for being the Floor 50 Boss. Too peaceful.

The press in was slow and steady. They were not trying to be quiet, but they were not yelling. The Wondercolts were on the right flank as planned. The chamber was big, which was even more frightening.

Metal groaned as an arm moved. It reached low, behind the short pedestal. The arm came back up with a sword. It snapped to life and whipped the sword at a speed Bladescape could barely track. She dove out of the way like the rest of the raid party on the right flank. It was stopped by Backbreaker, but it threw her across the room where she slammed into the wall.

The room froze as Backbreaker stood up. The wall was cracked and impressed behind her. She went full cowgirl in her shock. “Hoo, Doggies. She puts down a mighty powerful buck that gal. Tossed me like a hay bale. I took a good chunk of damage from getten slammed into that there wall. This is going to be one hell of shindig. If you are a greenhorn, you better rethink things before you end up in the bone orchard.

“Now, lets wind up and go home!"

“Oh dear,” Diemond said, worried. “She went full cowgirl.”

“She will shake it off,” Bladescape said. “Right?”

“Sure!” AFCK said, bouncing up onto one leg. “It’s AJ. Wait! That is AJ, right?”

Diemond sighed. “And we lost Pinkie.”

“Did we ever have her?” Bladescape shot back.

“Good point.”

“Alright,” Bladescape said, trying to get back to the matter at hand. “It looks like it's proximity triggered.”

“I wish I had a lasso,” Backbreaker said as she got to them.

Bladescape glanced at the corner of her vision to see their party’s health bars. She had a solid tenth of her HP taken off. It probably gave her a very hard reality check. Backbreaker had more health than any of the Wondercolts because she was a Tank.

“Ready?” Bladescape asked her. “Like, are you really ready?”

“Uh,” Backbreaker hesitated. “Do I have an option? I know I don’t y’all. I’m on my feet and I’ll be fine in a moment.”

“Drink a potion,” Bladescape said, slapping Backbreaker on the shoulder for support.

Heathcliff was looking at the statue, trying to figure out what their next best choice was. They had to be careful. This statue was ready to bash them to polygons, but they had no choice by to move forward.

“We are ready,” Bladescape called out to Commander Heathcliff. “Your right flank is solid again.”

“Then I suggest we spread out our tanks and rush this thing.”

They moved forward to battle once again. The arm was fast and furious. As soon as they knocked a health bar off, a second arm grabbed a mace from behind it and they began to face two flailing limbs.

There was no avoiding severe damage as the minutes wore on. At one point, out of pure desperation, Commander Heathcliff stood alone against the boss, holding it off for several minutes while the rest of the party regrouped and restored their health. They got thirsty in virtual battle, just like in the real world.

Bladescape was thrown once again by the impact of the mace. She was laying on the ground, groaning. Her HP was deep in the red. It all hurt. The rest of the Wondercolts were all in the red and yellow, scattered about the area.

Bladescape grabbed a red crystal from her pouch. It slipped out of her hand and she tried to push up to get it, but the energy just wasn’t there. She had been knocked down far into the red at least dozen times in this raid. Each one was closer to the end than the last. She had 237 HP left, which was less HP than she started with at Level 1.

“HEAL!”

Bladescape instantly felt better and scrambled to pull herself up. She still was lacking energy, but she had health again and hope once more. She was looking at the Beater. He had grabbed her crystal as used it on her.

“Thanks,” Bladescape said, flashing a smile.

The Beater didn’t pay her anymore attention. He looked at the statue. It was on its two legs, and all six limbs were deployed with various weapons. The last little bit of HP had it in it’s final, rampaging stage. Her party still hadn’t recovered, but if he was going to rush it, he would need back up.

“Hey!” Bladescape yelled. “I’ll get Backbreaker on her feet and then I’ll go first. Switch and finish the hellish nightmare we are calling a fight!”

He nodded as Bladescape dashed to Backbreaker and used a crystal on her. She didn’t stop to help her up. Bladescape just healed her as she skidded past her and then ran towards the flailing boss. The Beater was right behind her. Bladescape roared and unleashed the best she had, Volcanic Eruption. A ten hit combo that was meant to split the target with multiple low to high cross cuts. Left, right, then left and back to right. All the way to the top.

The Black Swordsman switched in while Bladescape took the deadly movement penalty. If Kirito didn’t destroy the statue, it was probably over for her. She could only see a part of the heavy hitting combo he unleashed.

Bladescape’s heart stopped as polygons shredded the entire boss chamber, but it wasn’t the Black Swordsman’s polygons. She dropped to the floor, exhausted. They were pushing two hours in the raid. Two hours of being pounded to near polygons. No Wondercolts fell, but others did.

Bladescape couldn’t stop the tears from welling up. Her body was shaking and her heart rate was out of control. She had almost seen “Game Over” a dozen times. She hadn’t faced that possibility in a while. It was something she had thought she was ready for during this fight, but she hadn't been ready. She still wasn’t ready.

Bladescape struggled to gain control over her body and mind. She saw the Black Swordsman mess with his menu. She hadn’t touched hers yet. She still didn’t have control enough to move. She was still shaking from exhaustion and fear.

She knew she gave up the LAB to him. It hurt. She was jealous and slightly regretting her decision, but still, she needed this to end. They all needed this to end. That was worth more than the Last Attack Bonus.

Bladescape finally sat up and slid through the drop list she got. It had leveled her up and moved her clear into level 69. The Col alone was a worthy exchange for the two hour fight, not that it could replace the mental and physical toll. It also couldn’t replace the nine lives lost. They were getting better, but still lives lost. The last time they lost players in a Floor Boss fight had been to Serigatal The Wolf Master on Floor 39.

The list of items didn’t have anything that Bladescape could use. Bladescape decided it was time for her to get up, that she could get up. She was still shaky, but she was on her feet.

The rest of her party was sitting together. All were healed to max, but they were not up yet. Bladescape nodded at them, but didn’t sit down with them. She had worked too hard to get up.

“How are you feeling?” Bladescape asked when no one talked.

“No sprinkles yet,” AFCK whined without any enthusiasm. “I was certain that this time they would be dropped. This isn’t fun.”

“I know,” Bladescape sighed. “I know guys. Thanks. And good job. BB, how are you? I had to leave you.”

“Oh, I got the others up,” Backbreaker replied. “I was confused for a moment. Really confused. And then it all ended and I realized you charged it. How did it end?”

“Kirito got it,” Bladescape shrugged. “I knew it. I set it up. What matters is that it is finished. That is more important than any LAB.”

“Anything for you?”

“Nothing,” Bladescape shrugged. “I got nothing useful but XP and Col. How about you guys?”

“New hammer,” Backbreaker smiled.

“Better axe,” Joltron nodded.

“Well, we sell the rest,” Bladescape shrugged. “Just like always. Sell or melt down for materials. One way or the other. And Floor 51 is ours. The next major Floor is 75. We have plenty of time to get there and level up to make sure we survive.”

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 69 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 60 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 63 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 66 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts
AFCK (PP): Lvl 64 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon
Diemond (R): Lvl 63 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 60 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 64 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry
Kiefer: Lvl 60 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 60 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 62 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation

Episode 23 - Duel

Floor 52

January 28 – Year 2

They exited the Floor 52 Floor Boss meeting as a guild. It had gone smoothly and their levels had progressed nicely since they beat Floor 50. Before Bladescape knew what was happening, Doombunny yelled out over the general conversation.

"YAMATA! WHY DON'T YOU SAY THAT TO MY FACE!"

Doombunny stormed forward into the opening that had been naturally created by the flow of traffic upon hearing angry yelling. Yamata was with his pals and guild on the other side. Doombunny was mad, but collected and firm in her voice. She wasn't backing down.

"What?" He asked.

"I said why don't you say that stuff to my face! The stuff about me being a, well the B-word, and a viper who is always sneaking around and conniving. That's only a little bit of what you said before the meeting started and as we were walking out of here.

"And your attempts to spy on me all month haven’t gone unnoticed by me either. I'm not a fool. I'm not blind. I'm even probably smarter than you. And I am sick of your snide comments and rude remarks. I heard every one you made as you so cleverly spied on me and my friends.

"I," Yamata stuttered. "Not only can you Hide in plain sight, you also have Listen as a skill!"

"So?" Doombunny asked. "I assigned it because I like to just sit and listen. Listen to the birds, listen to the trees, listen to the wind, listen to the water, listen to all the different animals. And if you sat and listened you would hear a lot of beautiful things. Aincrad isn't a silent world. They put a lot of time and effort into the smaller details like sound that enhances the experience and makes this feel almost exactly like real life. It just also happened to give me the ability to hear rude players like you speak when they should be holding their tongues."

"Well, so what? Are you just going to say that and slither away, viper chick?"

The crowd, full of the top players in the game, was making a clear circle. Everyone in the boss meeting was present and watching.

"How rude!" Doombunny declared. "My name is Doombunny. And you should only address me as such."

"Right," Yamata snorted. "And what are you seriously going to do about it?"

Bladescape missed grabbing Backbreaker's arm and stopping her. "I'll beat that respect into you."

"Yeah, you could," Yamata scoffed. "But that would only prove the Iron Bulwark can beat me to a pulp. I'm not even going to pretend to think I could beat you. And trying to defend her honor doesn't actually prove that she hasn't done anything. She can hide, she can listen, she can slither and sneak away and easily sell her poisonous wares."

"I keep tight control over everything I make!" Doombunny declared. "That includes antipoison potions and remedied. I have never sold or given away a single one. All substances are controlled by me. The few vials carried for hunting by my guildmates are kept under tight watch. None of us are dumb enough to let these fall into the wrong hands. We knew that from the start. I insisted on it from the start!

"Actually, I will make one modification to my statement. One non guild member has, on a single occasion, used one of my poisons. Klein, right there of Fuurinkazan Guild; he applied it during the Floor 39 Boss Fight because Serigatal The Wolf Master was weak to poison. But that early version didn't last long on the blade. It certainly isn't on there now. And I watched him apply it."

Klein wanted to stay out of it, but he manned up and stepped forward. "That battle, it was a known factor. Fuurinkazan and the Wondercolts can attest to me using it all. I don’t have it, I didn’t sell it, chuck it, or give it away. And I definitely don't believe she would ever intentionally hurt anyone. Or even let something slip. She would blame herself. I saw her in the fight. I heard her in that fight. She cried.

"She is a key member of the Wondercolts and this Assault Team. You should apologize right now for slandering her without any proof."

"I'm still not convinced," Yamata snorted. "But seriously, what can you do to prove it?"

Bladescape never expected to hear Doombunny say what she said.

"How about I show you how I beat Serigatal The Wolf Master! A taste of how I struck him down for torturing those wolves he set on us! Their harm demanded justice so I stopped him from hurting any more wolves! And your slanderous actions against me deserve justice as well!"

A duel challenge popped up in front of Yamata.

"I'll prove to you I can fight straight and that I don't slink around. And I'll do it without Colorra! Just me and you."

"This request is for Half Loss Mode!" Yamata declared, startled.

"Afraid?" Doombunny taunted. "A First Strike Duel only proves who can get the first strike in, not who is the better fighter. There will still be plenty of time for you to heal up after I beat you and before it's time for the boss raid to assemble. Besides, it's not like I can kill you. It's only Half Loss Mode."

"Fine!" Yamata said, hitting accept and drawing his curved sword. "I'll put you in your place, Viper Chick."

The preparation timer was ticking down before the start. Doombunny set Colorra down and told her to watch over the dagger she put in front of the viper.

"There," Doombunny said walking back into the middle to face Yamata. "My familiar won't get involved and my hunting knife won't accidentally be drawn."

"Hunting knife?" Yamata asked as he adjusted his grip on his sword.

"Mhm. The one I have specifically poisoned to quickly dispatch monsters if they swarm us. Better safe than sorry. Besides, I always carry plenty of anti-poison and green crystals for a reason. I’m not a stupid B-word like you said."

Doombunny dropped low as the seconds disappeared. She reached behind her back to the knife mounted above the empty sheath on her lower back, her non-poisoned knife.

As the buzzer sounded, Yamata charged, sword glowing. Doombunny hesitated and then struck when the timing was right. She went very low, activating Constriction.

Constriction was a Sword Skill that the Beast Tamer’s Charm gave Doombunny. The charms were from the LAB against Serigatal The Wolf Master. It accessed Colorra's skills and attacks, making them user friendly for her master. It was a fury of multiple strikes, starting low and working around and up, like a snake squeezing the life out of its food. It used both slashes and stabs, but was mostly slashes.

The skill launched Doombunny under Yamata's attack and just above the ground. Her blade was glowing like a rainbow, shifting colors and mimicking Colorra's rainbow Shimmer in the light. The first strike was a stab into Yamata's foot, like a snake’s bite. As she slid to a stop, she got in multiple slashes from all angles, including reaching around front. She came around to his left as the height of her attacks was slowly raised.

Typically, the number of combination strikes in a Sword Skill rose higher with speed based weapons, like a rapier or dagger, than they did with heavier hitting weapons. It helped balance things so weapons were more equal along the same line. However, the skills unlocked through the charms and Colorra were not restricted in the same way to the combination hit limits and delay timing that normal attacks were. Her slices easily hit two dozen, and that was not counting the stabs she kept making.

It all happened in a quick instant and Yamata was unable to stop it as his delay from his failed Sword Skill froze him. Doombunny's second to last strike ended with her in front of him, dagger up and still glowing, ready to drive the last strike home into his face. His body was covered in lingering red slash marks and hers was glowing yellow, indicating that Fighting Spirit was active, and by the amount she was glowing, she was very angry.

Doombunny made a declaration as his health slipped down, trying to catch up to the speed of her attack. "Just because I don't look like a warrior and have chosen skills not typically chosen by a front line fighter doesn't mean you can disrespect me! I am a member of the Assault Team and on the front lines for a reason."

His health hit halfway and the duel was given to Doombunny. The only fanfare was her winner logo. Every other player didn’t know what to do. Many of them were visibly disturbed. The duel system canceled Doombunny’s final strike and she stepped to the side. Yamata’s health was still slipping down. He staggered and fell face forward to the ground. Doombunny reached into one of her small punches on the front of her waist and pulled a vial out.

"Don’t worry,” She coldly said with her sweet and cute voice. “I’m sure it’s a horrible feeling to watch your health continue to slip away after the duel is over, but you can’t die. Even if you feel that fear, you can’t die. Your health bar is still catching up to the hits it registered during the legal duel. As to the paralysis, this will end it without waiting the long time for it to wear off or wasting an antidote crystal."

None of his friends, or anyone, had approached. Doombunny stooped down to his paralyzed body as he groaned in pain. She popped the vial’s top off and then put it in his mouth, tipping it back. In another second the effect wore off and Doombunny walked over to Colorra and her hunting knife.

Yamata's health finally stopped depleting. He was solidly in the red, barely alive. If she had driven home the last stab, it would have depleted to the last little bit. 1 HP. Doombunny looked over her shoulder at him. He finally had two friends helping him.

"I would reconsider your words next time,” Doombunny warned him, loud enough for all to hear. “The next player may not be as gracious and patient with your insolence as I am and have been. Also, I'm sorry. I forgot that sword skill has a paralyzing effect to it. It wasn't a drug, but an effect the skill provides because of how stunning on the body it is." Doombunny's chuckle was ice cold. "Honestly I've seen monsters handle it much better than you did."

It was that final taunt that was toeing the line almost too much. Commander Heathcliff stepped out into the center. He clapped slowly five times to congratulate her and to cut the tension from escalating.

"Congratulations on the win, Doombunny. I must say, it was fascinating to watch. We don't have any other beast tamers on the front lines, but you have been there from the start. Your record stands for itself. I am sorry to see that it was soiled by such an ugly affair.

"Fear has taken a hold of many of us,” Heathcliff declared to everyone present. “A fear we can not let hold us and control us. We have worked beside each other for a long time. We are all green players for a reason too. Yes, tensions get high at times. But the real enemy is always fear. And that is why we have to drive forward to the next Floor, and then the Floor after that, and every other Floor until we reach the top!

“But it is also why we must trust our companions on the front lines we know. Friendship isn't something we should lose, but gain. Together, as one unified force we can keep each other safe, and drive the dark filth into the darkest holes of Aincrad where they will stay while we clear the game.

"Now go. Let us make our final preparations for the battle and see it through to victory!"

Cheers went up all around. They could all agree on that.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 69 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 60 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 63 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 66 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts
AFCK (PP): Lvl 64 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon
Diemond (R): Lvl 63 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 60 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 64 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry
Kiefer: Lvl 60 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 60 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 62 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation

Episode 24 - Qalphite Queen

Floor 52

January 29 – Year 2

The Floor 52 Boss was another insect creature with its own army. They looked like tan-green beetles with a powerful pincer. She wasn’t, logistically, as bad as Scorpia Queen of the Arthropods. She didn’t lay eggs like the other did, but her soldiers and guardians were numerous and their shells were difficult to crack. There was also no way through to her without craving a deep path through them.

The large circular cavern quickly forced the raiding party apart into their own individual squads. They were holding their own, but it was a nasty fight. You could surround one, but you had to do it quickly and kill it before the pincers of his friends came up behind it.

The guardians and soldiers were mixed together. They were not the same level or using the same algorithms. The game designers were at least nice enough to make them look different. The soldiers were a bit smaller and a tan while the Guardians were a green tan with light tan legs.

Astro and Thunderborne were doing a good job. They could poke holes in them quickly, but it wasn't going well. They couldn't land critical strikes, even with Armor Pierce. They mostly corralled the creatures, poking and prodding them how they needed them to go. Backbreaker and Diemond were the heavy hitters. Bladescape and Kiefer were drawing the aggro and keeping the attention of the insects while Diemond and Backbreaker proved they actually knew how to strike with their war hammer and mace. Crushing their carapace was the only way to deal critical damage.

The boss battles were getting longer and longer. They were already at 45 minutes and only halfway through the blocking insects. Once they got past them, the Queen wouldn’t have much extra to give them that the soldiers and guardians didn’t already show them.

The Iron Bulwark was causing a scene as she showed the Assault Team she was just as strong fighting with her hammer as she was unyielding with her shield. Backbreaker was barely even using her shield. It was partially in her way because it was so big. It was still too valuable in the fight to unequip it.

A Guardian bit its pincers on Backbreaker's shield, putting it right where Backbreaker needed it. The war hammer flared red and came down on its head with a crack. Bladescape rammed her blade into the Guardian's rear. Astro and Thunderborne were on the other side and impaled it from that angle. Kiefer's katana glowed dark purple and was slashed through the insect’s leg and then the skill rammed his sword to the hilt inside the Guardian's side. Diemond was blocking them from the next incoming insect and Backbreaker made sure they could address it by landing the final blow on its head.

It was slow work but they steadily ground on. Backbreaker was their big damage dealer. She was unyielding and unrelenting, just like the reputation her shield had earned her. Backbreaker was not going to let them fall. She had not been able to do much in the Floor 50 fight and all she did was hold her shield for the Floor 51 boss fight. She did what she needed to do for the good of the raiders, but Backbreaker hated not getting a few good blows in. She was going to make up for it in this battle.

The next Soldier fell and they were home free. They were not the first there. Squad C, all DDA members, were harassing the Qalphite Queen. She was slow and open, but her soldiers were coming to her aid, splitting her assaulters.

Bladescape, Astro, and Backbreaker focused on the Queen. The other three moved against the Guardian that was trying to save its queen by coming at them. Split, it was a lot harder to kill any of them, but they didn't back down on the Queen. Squad H, led by Agil, who had Kirito with him and a few other stragglers from other guilds in it, came in and put their weight into the attack.

Bladescape was watching the Queen’s HP gauge. They were timing it to try and take the LAB, while still not letting up. They would not be caught slacking or try to snipe the LAB. Backbreaker lightly punched Bladescape to signal their move to switch in.

Backbreaker was moving forward already. Bladescape followed after her. They were not the only ones moving. Backbreaker’s four combo attack didn’t look impressive, but Bladescape knew the real power behind it. Bladescape went in with Double Infinity, a 9 attack combo that traced two infinity symbols on the target in slashes and then a full stab into the center.

At least two other attacks landed but the Queen didn’t go down.

“RAAAAAWR!” Backbreaker screamed as she switched in, free from her delay. It was her own OSS. Her hammer slammed into the Queen, followed by a hook that brought her shield into the target for damage. The third attack was a powerful, fully body cross with her armored fist, using her Martial Art Skill. The Qalphite Queen exploded in a burst of polygons, causing two other players to go through her polygons instead of landing their hits for the kill.

There were still several Soldiers and Guardians still alive. They went into a rage without their queen protecting them, but they lost most of their attack abilities and were finished quickly. As soon as the last went down, the fanfare popped up and they all saw their personal drop lists. The LAB bonus screen was on top of Backbreaker's.

Backbreaker ignored it for now and addressed everyone. “That was a mighty good fight, y’all! We did it! 52 Floors conquered. And not a player lost. We are getting better!”

Cheers went up and Backbreaker quickly looked at her rewards. She then looked back at her friends. They were already walking over to her.

“Let’s go trigger that gate,” Backbreaker said. “I don’t like the feel of this place, even with the creatures gone.”

When they hit the stairs, Bladescape spoke up. “Good job AJ. I’m happy you got it instead of them. We didn’t time it right, but what matters is the boss is done.”

“You’re not mad, or jealous?” Backbreaker asked.

“A little,” Bladescape shrugged. “But I got my fair chance. I didn’t have it in me to snag it. You did exactly what you needed to do. Thanks for not hesitating. And that combo looked good. Your Martial Art’s Skill has come along nicely.”

“Thank you,” Backbreaker nodded. “I certainly made easier work of the quest than AFCK did.”

They chuckled. Astro joined them too, remembering AFCK’s antics. Backbreaker had learned a trick to completing the quest significantly easier than the traditional way. Trembling Oxes spawned close enough to the rock that they could be baited in and tricked into running right into the rock, causing it to split in two from the force. Backbreaker just sat back and let an ox do the work. She didn’t know what skill to chose otherwise, and fishing was the only thing she wanted to do to relax, so she got herself whiskers and had it completed soon after.

Backbreaker made it clear she wasn’t going to discuss it anymore. They got up to the 53 rd Floor, being the first to look at it. They made quick work of the distance to the nearest town and triggered the gate. A few minutes later the rest of the Wondercolts came through, followed by a lot more players.

They toasted in a pub, as their celebration routine now dictated, but then headed home. Backbreaker had gone to her room rather quickly. Bladescape and Knightstar met outside her room and knocked.

“Yeah?” Backbreaker called from inside.

“It’s Knightstar and Bladescape,” Knightstar said. “Can we come in and chat for a minute?”

Backbreaker opened the door, wearing just her sleepwear. She let them in and the first thing that caught both their eyes was the two sets of heavy armor on the desk. One was Backbreaker’s suit made with love by Diemond, the other was a much more regal full plate that was silver, not steel.

“LAB?” Bladescape asked.

“Yep,” Backbreaker nodded. “Vastly superior to Diemond’s work. She is called Plate of Veracity. I knew it was better at a quick glance, but I didn’t expect it to be that much better. Truth be told, I think we are outclassed here. Sure, our crafters are progressing well, but Rarity is too conventional. She isn’t used to being in a world with different materials. Design is not a problem, and neither is her level. But until we can start to figure out how to master the wide variety of crafting materials, well we can’t take the game to the next level. The level we need.”

“I’ll poke around,” Knightstar said. “However, from what I quickly got off Kiefer, you unleashed your pent up rage in there.”

“Yup!” Backbreaker said, beaming. “I feel a whole lot better, y’all.”

“Good job BB,” Bladescape said again. “You rocked it. You deserve that. Like I said, I gave it my all. This wasn’t robbed from me. And you did the right thing by not hesitating.”

“I was hoping it was a two handed sword, for you.”

“Thanks,” Bladescape smiled. “You are a good friend. And you are balancing being a friend and making sure we clear this game really well. You always have my back, and I always will have yours.”

“Of course I got your back!”

“We will let you go to bed,” Knightstar said. “But you have to wear it. Diemond will understand. Maybe she can make some pieces that look just like it, using it as a template. She really is obsessed with us all looking the same.”

“It’s not bad,” Backbreaker shrugged. “It is really awesome to look unified like we do.”

“It is,” Bladescape chuckled. “We show up so many guilds during the strategy meetings because of it. Presence is very important.”

Bladescape stepped next door to her room and entered. She always enjoyed the extra safety she felt in here. Just like she felt in her room back home. She switched to her sleepwear and hung up her armor. She put her sword on the wall where it belonged and she climbed into her soft bed.

Somewhere in the real world her real body was laying down on a bed, most likely in a hospital. It would be wasting away while she was in here. They had a timer on their lives before their bodies wasted away. Few of the players probably understood that. Most were young, in high school like they were. Most had probably never spent the night in the hospital, let alone an extended stay. There was only so long medical technology could keep their bodies alive while their minds stayed so active. A year laying in bed would also mean serious rehab after this ordeal. After running and jumping in here, it would require them to slow down to a painful crawl while their physical bodies relearned how to do things. Dash, AJ, and Poly were going to have a difficult time not being able to walk back out playing sports.

For now, they had no option but to push forward to bring the day of awakening as quickly as possible.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 69 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 60 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 63 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 66 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts
AFCK (PP): Lvl 64 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon
Diemond (R): Lvl 63 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 60 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 64 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry
Kiefer: Lvl 60 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 60 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 62 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation

Episode 25 - Angry Voices and a Lullaby

Floor 56

March 6

Bladescape was following Backbreaker at the head of their party through a narrow mountain valley. Floor 56 was an arid, dry Floor which was carpeted in short, tough grasses in between the rocks. The area they were at had become mountainous rather than the more open plains of the rest of the map. Thankfully, the Floor was just dry, rocky, and harsh, and not dusty, sandy, or extremely hot. The sweltering deserts and choking dust storm floors were unbearable. This was at least something they could handle.

Ahead of them was the largest boss they had ever faced: The GeoCrawler. It was an armored, two legged, horned lizard with an elongated body like a serpent. The narrow valley made it very difficult to fight directly, and flanking it would be nearly impossible.

The reports were understated. Fuurinkazan, The Wondercolts, and Kirito were scouting the first contact with the boss, with Klein watching and planning their attack. It was three strong parties moving forward to get an idea of the weaknesses of the boss and its attack patterns. They all were armed with poisons and paralyzing agents.

In the opening minutes of the attack, Backbreaker, Joltron, Diemond, and Harry One were left blocking the mouth and horns. The rest of the party tried to flank it while the tanks had its attention locked down, but the valley wasn’t wide enough. The armor on its body was also too strong for even piercing weapons to penetrate, and they couldn’t get at its underbelly.

“Fall Back!” Klein ordered after a while of one failure after another. “We've learned enough!”

The Tanks fell back in a staggered line. One would block, letting the others retreat before the next tank set up behind them and took the boss' attention. They switched back and forth until the GeoCrawler ignored them, done with the “fight.”

They held the field boss meeting that afternoon. All of the major guilds had representatives or parties in attendance. The Wondercolts had their whole group there, but most of them would not be in the raid.

Klein started the meeting. "Well, for starters, it is a giant, armored, lizard, snake, thingy."

Knightstar stepped forward. "It is an armored bipes."

"A what?" Klein asked.

"Bipes. Classification: Animalia, Chordata, Reptilia, Squamata, Amphisbaenia, Bipedidate, Bipes." Knightstar stopped and then she blushed. "Sorry. There are only three species in a remote part of the world. I guess that means it wouldn't be common knowledge."

“Well, whatever it is called, we didn’t find any weaknesses,” Klein stated. “But Kirito and I were thinking of a way to distract it so we could maneuver around to the sides and get under the armor."

Bladescape’s palm slammed into her forehead as she heard the name. “Grand Meaty Meat Plan.” A-class meat would be used to bait it and then they could maneuver into position. It wasn’t a bad plan, but the name was obviously the brainchild of an immature boy. Immature and stupid names for effective plans weren't unusual from AFCK, but Bladescape had come to expect more from Klein and Kirito.

The group set up and prepared to try it in the morning. It wasn’t hard, but it would require a bit of time to gather the A-class meat. A-class ingredients was the second-best tier for food. S-class was the top, and even harder to find. The rarest of the rare, and the Wondercolts hadn’t found any.

Morning brought the same hike out. It wasn’t tough, but the Wondercolts’ party knew what they were getting into. Unfortunately, the bait wasn't taken, and Backbreaker was the main cover for their retreat as the plan failed.

Meeting two commenced shortly after getting back. Asuna, Lightning Flash, was now taking charge, asserting her position as Second in Command of the Knights of the Blood Oath. Bladescape groaned as her plan unfolded. She wanted to open the gates to the village and lure the field boss into it, their one safe haven, so they could kill it while it went for the NPC villagers.

Kirito was arguing against the plan. It ended up being a giant shouting match. He was making the point that NPCs were not like the rocks and trees, or the rest of the game. A loud point that made Bladescape’s head hurt.

“Some of them may be critical for further quests and things,” Astro whispered to Bladescape.

“I don’t know how to stop it,” Bladescape said, straining to speak over the shouts. “I'm sure this isn’t the answer, but we're not in a position to put forth a valid counterargument. Unless you have something more clever...”

“Nope,” Astro sighed.

Bladescape sighed as things once again went immature. Almost as immature as a coin flip. Kirito and Asuna went to duel for the outcome of this plan.

“Should we watch?” Backbreaker asked.

“Might as well,” Bladescape said as the others filed out. Some of the onlookers were even placing bets on the outcome.

Thunderborne bet Astro 1,000 Col that Asuna would win. Klein was taking bets against Kirito. He stood to gain a good amount if Kirito won, but would lose even more if Asuna did.

Two of the clearly top players fighting a clean duel was usually a major event. It was unremarkable for Bladescape. It pitted the one-handed sword of Kirito the Black Swordsman against the rapier of Lightning Flash Asuna. Kirito was now sporting a pitch-black blade that was fitting for his title. As fast as Asuna was, Kirito was almost her equal, enough to keep him alive against her.

Eventually Kirito won, which put them back to where they had started: no plan and completely blocked from the Boss Labyrinth to the 56th Floor Boss. They decided to take a break to try and figure out a new plan. In their rush to get to the Boss Labyrinth they hadn’t explored the region much. The floor around them might hold the key to the problem at hand.

Argo had been brought in, but there still was no plan. The girls had split up, trying to figure out the next move, like the others. AFCK was her usual self as she moped around, bored. She had been promised battle and she was out of cupcakes, which left her mind to wander.

“I’m bored,” AFCK whined to the NPC she was sitting next to. “Oh yeah! I just started Music Instrument as a Skill!”

AFCK pulled out a fife and began to fiddle around with it. She was trying to learn to play “Awesome As I Wanna Be,” but she knew the song on the drums, and mostly that was her banging around it a pattern. She was not accustomed to playing melodies instead of rhythms.

“Why don’t you try playing along with this,” The NPC said, before starting to sing a lullaby.

“M’okay!” AFCK shrugged.

AFCK tried to play along with the simple lullaby. The NPC was kind enough to keep singing it while AFCK learned the notes. She was slow and often off key. It wasn’t a good melody for a fife. It was too slow, but that made it perfect for AFCK to learn. She kept playing it while the NPC kept singing. It was raising her skill level, so it was worth it.

Lightning Flash stopped in front of AFCK and the NPC and huffed. She was judging AFCK for just lying there, fiddling with a fife instead of doing any work to figure out how to beat the boss. Or at least, make it look like she was working.

“What?” AFCK asked in with a bit of a whine. “I was promised fun, a fight, and fruitcake! I haven’t gotten any of those things yet, so I'm taking charge of my fife!”

“And just what are you playing?” Asuna asked, grumpy.

“I dono?” AFCK shrugged. “Some lullaby Ruru here knows. I’m just trying to play along.”

“AFCK!” Bladescape called, finally finding her. “You have our dinner. Come on! We're hungry.”

“Oh! Sorry!”

AFCK bounced up and skipped over to her friends, leaving Asuna and Ruru behind. AFCK pulled up her menu and pulled out dinner. She tossed them their packaged sacks with a fun bounce and plopped down to eat. The others had gone home, leaving just Bladescape, Backbreaker, Joltron, AFCK, Kiefer, and Lessa.

“What were you doing?” Backbreaker asked AFCK asked as she ate.

“Duh, passing the time with Ruru, learning the top-secret special song! Seriously, how did you not know that?”

“I’m too tired,” Bladescape groaned, falling onto her back. “I’m not moving. I’m just going to pop out my bed roll and sleep here.”

“Okie-dokie-lokie!” AFCK hummed. “Camping sounds fun!”

Bladescape was able to set her Search Skill to watch over them. If she or any of the Wondercolts were touched, it would go off. They might be in a safe zone, but Bladescape wasn’t going to let her guard down. She was their leader. Their safety fell on her shoulders.

Bladescape only slept a few hours. It was something that had become the norm. She hunted alone a lot in the hours the others slept. Sometimes others joined her, but while she could do it consistently, almost day after day, they couldn’t. Bladescape just laid there, looking asleep as she watched over her friends. There was no point in getting up. Morning proper was a few hours away. They were out of food, so they would have to pay for breakfast from a local establishment.

Bladescape got them up early so they could get food before the establishments were overcrowded. AFCK whined and grumbled, but food put a stop to that. Word got around to the Wondercolts quickly. They were having a meeting at 9am. Someone had found key information.

They sat there, listening to Asuna. She had found the weakness for the boss. It could be lulled to sleep with a special song, leaving it open to kill. They just needed a musician.

Bladescape looked at AFCK, eyebrow raised, but not because she was a musician. They had all heard her ability to play the fife. It was still a new skill.

“What?” AFCK asked.

“Was that the song you were learning yesterday?”

“Well duh. I said it was a top-secret special song. How did you not understand that!”

Their party groaned. Once again, AFCK knew stuff, but didn’t know they didn’t know stuff. She knew information that would have saved hours of their time.

“I mean, how else would we lull it to sleep?” AFCK continued. “We can’t kill it without it being asleep. I thought you knew that!”

“Then why did we attack it the past two days?” Backbreaker asked, trying to not go off but daring to go far enough down the rabbit hole to ask.

“Cause it was more fun?” AFCK said, cocking her head. “I was just following you guys.”

They were tracking down a musician with a high enough skill to perform it perfectly. Once they located one, they had to get her out to the boss. It came with a hefty price and guards were necessary to protect the noncombatant. Backbreaker was chosen to be one of those guards.

With a new plan in place, they marched back out to the boss' lair. It took a moment for the lullaby to kick in, especially over the sound of the GeoCrawler clashing against the shields of the forward Tanks. Then, it staggered, its legs buckling before it collapsed on its belly. It moved around a bit, writhing over the ground as it was trying to resist sleep.

“Keep that song up!” Asuna ordered. “Move forward towards the head more. Tanks, do not let her get hurt. Everyone else, spread out along the sides and wait until I give the order.”

The Wondercolts flowed out with the others along the sides, waiting for the order. As soon as they were sure it was asleep, the order was given and everyone attacked. It was a fury of attacks unleashed. They were not worried too much about the delay from their skills.

“HEY!” Lightning Flash Asuna yelled at AFCK. It didn’t matter how loud they were, if the creature wasn’t going to wake up from all the attacks, it wasn’t going to wake up to more noise. “Are you sleeping!”

“Huh!” AFCK snorted as she woke up. She had been leaning against her axe for support.

“You were asleep!” Asuna yelled, furious AFCK was slacking.

“Well it is a lullaby, so duh!”

“PINKIE!” Bladescape yelled from her position in her own time delay. “FOCUS!”

“Oh! Right! Sorry!”

AFCK Bounced over to the GeoCrawler, into the middle of the Wondercolts. She unleashed Windmill, a 3-combo attack that was a strike up in a spin. She finished with her Rock Candy Smash, but without yelling it to the world. She had learned some discretion.

The blow hit with an impact that actually moved the GeoCrawler before it exploded into polygons.

“Yay!” AFCK giggled as she bounced up and down. “Lab!”

Bladescape covered AFCK’s loud mouth before she could do any more damage. It already was rewarded with a glare from Lightning Flash, who had slipped into the fray a little further down. She was certainly thinking AFCK was trying to poach the Last Attack Bonus.

“She’s not all there,” Bladescape said as Asuna stormed over. “Her mind is filled with taffy, whip cream, cola rivers, and sugar mountains. She is an amazing cook and Clearer, but she is not always together.”

“She said she was sleeping,” The Flash declared.

“Well we were playin' a lullaby,” Backbreaker said as she joined them.

AFCK slipped out of Bladescape’s grip.

“Did you get sprinkles dropped?” She asked Lightning Flash Asuna. “No one drops sprinkles and I keep waiting for sprinkles to be dropped. And not the kind you eat! I mean the kind you mmmhm mumhmhmsm mmmumhum.”

Bladescape sighed as she held AFCK tight and kept her mouth closed. Lightning Flash huffed, recognizing that they were not lying. Unlike them though, she saw a mentally compromised player who took the news of being trapped here to a whole different dimension. She didn’t see the real Pinkie Pie, but that was fine with Bladescape at the moment.

Bladescape let AFCK go, giving her a bit of a shove in her anger.

“What?” AFCK whined.

“You fell asleep!” Bladescape growled.

“Sorry.”

“Pinkie,” Bladescape raged. “You just made us look like poaching cheaters! I know you weren't trying to, but it still looks bad.”

“Dang right it does,” Klein said coming over. “But we know you better than that. What matters is that we cleared the way to the 56th Floor’s Labyrinth.” Klein milled around for a second. “But uh, what did you get?”

“Get from what?” AFCK asked, already forgetting what they had just been doing. “Oh, right,” she said, laughing. “That.”

AFCK played with her menu and a giant, double headed war axe popped out. “I call her, Candy Cutter.”

“And what is her real name?” Klein asked.

“Geode Splitter,” AFCK shrugged. “But the geodes need to be protected! They are being hunted to extinction for the sweet candy they produce. They can’t reproduce fast enough for us to harvest them like we do. They need to be nurtured and allowed to grow until they die and kindly offer their treats to us.”

“I am very afraid to ask,” Klein stated.

“And yet she functions so well in real life,” Bladescape chuckled. “We just accept her for who she is. She's an amazing friend, and she is really smart, when she's on topic. And her creativity is truly off the charts.”

“Too bad we can’t have her full potential,” Klein said, scratching the back of his head. “Maybe we can meet up in the real world and see what she can really do.”

“Coming from you, Klein, that sounded perverted,” Bladescape quipped. “But maybe, if you recognize it as just friends and nothing more. After all, we are still in high school.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Klein groaned, annoyed. “I know. You made it very clear. I’m not hitting on you. I’m just saying, you girls seem like a cool crowd to hang out with.”

Bladescape quietly nodded as Klein and the rest of Fuurinkazan departed.

“Let’s pack it in,” Backbreaker said. “I think we should regroup before we hit the Labyrinth.”

“Getting the others would be smart,” AFCK added.

AFCK was back to her normal self.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 78 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 68 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 71 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 74 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK (PP): Lvl 71 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 71 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 68 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 71 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 68 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 68 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 72 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 26 - Harmonic Salvation

Floor 49

March 9 – Year 2

Bladescape waited outside of the door of Lisbeth’s Smith Shop. She was waiting for the shop to open, and she had been waiting for two hours. She wasn’t mad, frustrated, or angry. She was a bit bored, but she had chosen to come early and wait. She wasn’t the only one milling around for the store to open. That was why Bladescape was right by the door and had gotten there early. She was not going to be denied today. Lisbeth was in good demand and had turned her away for the past two days because she was booked solid for the day.

A few days ago, Bladescape had paid Argo for the name and location of the best player Blacksmith. She needed her sword upgraded, and as good as the others were, she was guessing she needed a master smith. They couldn’t make a sword to match hers yet. She had stupidly expected to get in and see her on the first day, when the Wondercolts had a personal day where they were free to do what they wanted to do. But Lisbeth was in high demand. She had just moved up to Lindarth on the 49th Floor and into a real store. No more roadside cart for her.

The door was opened by the NPC assistant and Bladescape slipped inside first, heading straight to Lisbeth behind the counter. It was easy to tell it was her because she was in stiff leather clothes that “protected” her while smithing. It was just like the other Wondercolts wore when they crafted metal.

“Someone is on a mission,” Lisbeth teased.

“Floor 57 is fast approaching,” Bladescape said, cutting to the chase. “I need to enhance my sword before we make the boss raid. I have heard you are the best in the business.”

“Well you heard right,” Lisbeth smiled. “But your uniform says you're a Wondercolt. Don't you have your own smiths.”

“Yeah, but I hear you are better,” Bladescape said, nervously tapping on the counter. “No one knows I'm here. I just want some upgrades done.”

“Alright. I certainly won’t turn you away for that. Show me the sword.”

Bladescape opened her menu and the sword popped into her hands. She set it neatly on the counter. Lisbeth tapped it, reading the information.

“This is your sword?”

“Yeah,” Bladescape nodded. “Why?”

“Well, it's just that, from what I hear about the Wondercolts, it’s that you are on the Assault Team. And this is an underwhelming sword for being a front-line fighter.”

Bladescape sighed. “Will enhancements help?”

“Not really. I could max this out, but it's not going to get you far. You should have ditched this sword Floors ago. Before Floor 50.”

“Well,” Bladescape said, tapping on the counter as she thought. “We did get it when the front line was Floor 39. So I guess, is there anything on your shelves that would be better?”

“I don’t have any two-handed swords right now.”

Bladescape sighed. Knightstar was going to have to redo some calculations.

“I don’t want to take up your valuable time. So, what is it going to cost me for getting the best two-handed sword you can make?”

"That depends on material, style, and a variety of other factors. Making the sword isn't hard. It's the materials that will cost you."

"I just want a two-handed long sword," Bladescape groaned. "I don't know anything else. I don't keep track of weapon stats."

"Let's take it slow then," Lisbeth smiled. "Are you a strength-based fighter, or speed based."

"My agility is gaining, but I'm strength based. I prefer to hit hard. If I have a choice between two swords that are almost the same, I pick Attack Stat over Critical Stat."

"That's helpful," Lisbeth smiled. "Tell me how this feels."

Lisbeth handed Bladescape a one-handed long sword.

"It's light," Bladescape said. "Way too light."

"That sword has better stats than your sword. It's also considered a heavy blade."

Bladescape groaned in frustration and defeat. "I don't know anything about weapons, except looks. And mostly, the look has been abandoned outside of two-handed straight swords."

"I have an idea or two," Lisbeth said. "But it will take me a few days to get the materials."

"Okay," Bladescape nodded. "Anything I can do to speed that up? You have a good amount of customers here."

"Yeah, I'll need 10 bars of Ebon. Ebon is a high durability heavy metal and it's not cheap. It's also rare. I was hoping Floor 50 would give us more of it, but it hasn’t. Which is why I don't have any."

"I'll hunt some down," Bladescape said. "Any suggestions?"

"I'd go to Ronbaru on Floor 27. It's still the main location for selling metals of all types. It’s where I go to get my metal. It will cost more for bars rather than ore, but I can't refine it properly yet."

Bladescape swiped up her menu. "Here is a retainer. I'll get you that metal."

"I don't take retainers," Lisbeth said as Bladescape walked away, leaving her with the sack of money. Lisbeth groaned and took it to the back where she could safely store it, instead of losing it in her inventory storage, which would mix the money in with hers.

Outside, Bladescape messaged Knightstar. I just visited a Smith on the 49th floor, Lisbeth. She is better than our friends. It turns out, my sword is on the low end for clearing. I'm going to buy the metal she needs to make me a proper sword. I don't want to discourage them, but it looks like they are further behind than we thought.

Before Bladescape got to the teleport square, she got a message back.

Thanks. Good luck. I'll investigate into weapons further.

Bladescape teleported to Ronbaru and began to hunt Ebon bars down, shop by shop. Most didn't have any of what she needed. Bar by bar, Bladescape purchased the materials. The price varied wildly. Sometimes she got a good price, other times she was certain she was robbed, but Bladescape had a pile of cash she wasn't doing anything with. A good sword was her only real lifeline on the battlefield outside of her friends, so she put up with the price gouging.

It took Bladescape all day and required her to hop to multiple floors to track down the final bar. The last place had three, two more than she needed. Bladescape purchased all of them and walked out. The extras might come in handy.

Bladescape got back to headquarters and just wanted to go to her room and sleep. But Knightstar wanted to talk. And the questions just kept coming.

"Look," Bladescape snapped. "Just come with me tomorrow and ask a few questions. Maybe buy yourself a new sword. She had plenty of one-handed blades already made. I don't even know exactly what I am getting. We talked stats and play styles, so I'm trusting her."

"Alright," Knightstar said, dropping it. "Sorry I pushed."

Bladescape sighed. "I'm sorry too. It took me all day to hunt down this metal and it left me more frazzled than I thought I was.”

"I'll see you bright and early," Knightstar said, giving Bladescape a reassuring smile.

The next morning the wait wasn't as boring. At least Bladescape wasn't alone. Kiefer and Backbreaker were leading the others in two parties, doing some work for Argo.

"You're back quick," Lisbeth said as they came in. "I expected it to take at least three days to buy the bars."

"I know I overpaid for half of them," Bladescape said. "But I didn't care."

"I probably should have told you a ceiling price," Lisbeth admitted.

"Also, this is Knightstar, our statistician and one of the guild leaders. She keeps track of our equipment for us, to make sure we stay in the top tier as much as possible."

"Glad to meet you," Lisbeth smiled. "I assume you want me to look at your sword as well?"

"Please," Knightstar smiled. "Our guildmates maxed it yesterday on enhancements."

Lisbeth looked at the sword. "Yeah, I have better. But you don't seem to be close to her level. That complicates things."

"I just hit level 68," Knightstar said. "But I am sure she has edged me out quite a bit more than I last knew. All of the guild probably by quite a bit."

Lisbeth retrieved a few swords and had Knightstar try them out. They soon settled on one. Its name was Justicarian Scale and it was thinner than what Knightstar had been using with a short, square crossguard. It wasn't much wider than Thunderborne's rapier, and it was shorter than what she had been using by a good six inches.

Its base properties were well above what Knightstar thought was currently possible. She would be reviewing the rest of the guild's equipment soon, including what Diemond could do with other materials. Armor was just as important as weapons.

“Alright,” Lisbeth said. “Bars?”

Bladescape produced all of the bars, stacking them neatly.

“Not bad,” Lisbeth said. “They look good. I’ll be back, shortly. Two-Handed, strength based long sword to crush your enemies. Long reach too.”

“That sounds right,” Bladescape said.

“It better,” Lisbeth laughed. “That's the base description of your current sword.”

Knightstar and Bladescape laughed as well and Lisbeth headed into the back. After some banging and noise she came back out. They had seen Kiefer, Lessa, Joltron, and Diemond work with metal. Like every normal life skill, it happened in seconds or minutes, rather than the hours it usually took.

Lisbeth came out with a slate grey sword wrapped in a leather sheath that matched the Wondercolts' blue color. The grip was wrapped in gold leather and the guard was set with a yellow gemstone while the pommel was a large blue one. Its profile was slightly longer and wider than Bladescape’s previous sword.

“Meet Harmonic Salvation,” Lisbeth announced.

Bladescape drew it and she knew a wicked grin was splitting her lips apart. “This feels right. This is a sword. I already know this was worth every piece of Col. The name is appropriate. I haven’t even cared about the names of my swords in a long time. None of them were notable outside of Iron Splitter, my first two-handed blade. How much else do I owe you?”

“Um, well, you got the materials, so the cost is going to be a lot lower.”

Bladescape was ready to test this blade. She wanted to charge out and run to the nearest enemy to try it. But first, payment. “Will the retainer I gave you and the extra two bars cover the cost?”

“Huh?”

Bladescape made sure to smile as she repeated the question at an appropriate speed. “Will the retainer I gave you yesterday and the two extra Ebon bars be enough to cover the cost of Harmonic Salvation?”

“Yeah,” Lisbeth stuttered. “Actually, I would owe you.”

“Keep it,” Bladescape said, walked out as she equipped Harmonic Salvation. “This was more than worth it to me.”

Knightstar shrugged and followed Bladescape out. “Do I want to know how much you put down as a retainer?”

“Probably not,” Bladescape said, taking long strides to get to the teleport plaza without running. “It was only a retainer though.”

“Where are we heading?” Knightstar asked, as she struggled to keep up.

“Let's hit 46 and see if we can get into rotation at the Ant Hill.”

“Alright,” Knightstar said as they got into the teleport ring. “But is it safe, without the others?”

Floor 46 came into view and they began the hike out.

“It is still busy,” Bladescape said. “With plenty of top players. It’s safe.”

It was busy. They had an hour and a half wait before they could get into a canyon.

With Knightstar with her, Bladescape could take the extra risk to unleash a stronger Sword Skill. The blade glowed a faint blue. The delay from the strike wasn’t long, but the blade's stats showed as it finished the ant in a single swing. It was more power than she ever had before. Even in the real world, or as a unicorn, she hadn’t experienced more power under her own control. She didn’t count the incident with the crown when she turned into a demon because she had lost control of herself.

This was the tipping point in the game. She hadn't expected this to happen. Each level she had gotten stronger, become faster, had new things at her fingertips. But this was a moment she had never expected to happen. She eclipsed the power she had I.R.L., which meant the possibilities had just truly become unlimited.

Bladescape looked at Harmonic Salvation. She let Knightstar solo the ants for a moment while she examined the blade more closely. Outside of the hilt, it was unremarkable. Lisbeth had done a good job with her intuition to match the colors, but there wasn’t anything special about its appearance.

But what wasn’t unremarkable was the name. Lisbeth wasn’t the one naming the sword. The system named it. It had come up with some remarkable names. Bladescape wasn’t convinced the system freely named the blade something so powerful. Sometimes, it seemed that the weapons her guildmates made had names influenced by their emotion as they forged the weapon.

It was a powerful name for her. She knew the stories from Equestria, about the Elements of Harmony. She had stolen the Element of Magic. Bladescape had only ever talked to Knightstar about Equestrian Magic being in the game, but they hadn’t seen any possible influence of Equestrian Magic in either of themselves.

By now, they both agreed that somehow, magic was slipping into the coding to assist them: Strengthening AJ, making Dash faster and more agile, Pinkie Sense was obvious, Fluttershy's connection with Colorra was the same, and Rarity’s insanely quick maxing out of the crafting skills was also beyond the normal. Neither of them had noticed any perks for themselves though, and both of them had dived with their geode necklaces on.

Knightstar took a heavy blow on her shield, pushing her back unsteadily. Bladescape never called “switch” as she slipped past her and easily shattered the ant. Knightstar took a few steps back to recover in relative safety.

“I like this new sword,” Knightstar finally declared. “It was well worth the cost. The name reminds me of Lady Justice and the scale and blade she carries. I was very afraid I was overpaying, but now I know that wasn't true. We are going to need to make an aggressive upgrade. Especially Backbreaker, Joltron, Diemond, and Astro. Thunderborne should be fine for a while still and AFCK just got Geode Splitter. The rest can be updated in another wave. Funds are too low for the guild to help right now.”

“We will see,” Bladescape said, easily dispatching another ant. “It will happen as soon as we can do it. For now, we've been handling things fine. Let’s finish this time block and hook up with the others. I’ve still got cash. I need to be ready to make enhancements on this blade, but I'll see what I can do.”

“Don’t overstretch your personal funds,” Knightstar warned. “You already admitted to overspending on the blade, even as good as it is. I'm not saying you actually did overspend, because value to you is important and something I factor in. But you did just spend a lot. So, let's take it slow and keep you well supplied. We need you at the top. The best. And I know the materials for your armor upgrades are either going to cost a lot, or be a hard thing to get a hold of and force you to go on long hunts to secure them.

“I've never said it before, but I have believed from early on that you are the only reason we will survive. You're keeping us together. That's obvious. If you die, we won’t last on the front lines. Not together. BB probably would join the KOB, Astro and Thunder might as well. But the rest, we would hide out and craft. I’m sure AFCK would open a restaurant that would bring in players from all Floors. Diemond would begin to be a rival for Ashley. And I would just end up selling guides, but money isn’t everything.”

Bladescape chuckled as Knightstar switched in. “The only reason she isn’t rivaling Ashley is because she's on the front line with us and she exclusively does tailoring for us.”

Bladescape switched in and Knightstar replied. “We need to get you new armor, made from better material. I don’t care if you look different. I don’t even care if we have to pay someone else. I actually want you to look the best out of all of us. Still flying our colors, but unique isn’t bad. I want you looking like our version of Commander Heathcliff. It is obvious he's in the KOB, but it’s also obvious that he is very special in the organization.”

“I won’t be in metal plate armor,” Bladescape chuckled. “But sure. You get to convince her though, not me.”

“Fine,” Knightstar chuckled. “But our hour is up. Let’s go join up with the others.”

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 78 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 68 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 71 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 74 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK (PP): Lvl 71 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 71 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 68 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 71 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 68 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 68 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 72 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 28 - Kalzuk Dungeon

Floor 58

March 21 – Year 2

Bladescape’s sword clanged nicely as it connected with the Tzhaar’s mace. It put him in a stun type effect when the attack was perfectly blocked. Parry was better at it, but Bladescape was using Search with Weapon Defense to increase her chances of it working. Backbreaker switched in to take advantage of the moment and her glowing hammer pounded him to polygons.

Floor 58 was a sulfuric realm that was primarily lit by lava flows. The heat wasn’t too bad, but it still sucked away at Bladescape’s energy. There were several variants of the “inhabitants” on the floor. Inside their cities they were safe, but outside they were everywhere, along with various flame creatures and flame giants. The four-armed anthropomorphic Tzhaar creatures were the strongest on the floor and where what was mostly in the Dungeon they were attacking. Because of the style of the cities, Floor 57 was still the front-line base camp.

It was Bladescape, Backbreaker, Joltron, Astro, Thunderborne, and Kiefer in the field this time. The rest were helping set up for the big sale the following day. That was why they were focusing on the Kalzuk Dungeon. They would see how far they could go in their party, mapping it to sell, and see if they could take on the dungeon boss or not. It was a small dungeon, but a single party was a push.

“That wasn’t bad,” Backbreaker said, pulling up her visor. “These guys have a lot of HP, but they're pretty easy to take down.”

“Yeah,” Bladescape sighed contently. “This feels like an adventure game. We can’t let it drag us into overstretching ourselves, but it's fun right now.”

The others agreed and they continued deeper in.

Bladescape flipped up Harmonic Salvation and the mace clanged loudly as it connected with it. Kiefer was in immediately with several quick cuts. Thunderborne switched in and drove home a solid stab. The beast turned to its new threat and Bladescape smiled as she unleashed High Infinity. She traced the infinity symbol with her slashes and it finished the last of the Tzhaar’s HP.

Together, the three of them yelled and joyfully ran to their friends who were blocking three of the creatures. The level of the creatures gave them difficulty, but their skills with switching out was fine-tuned enough to offset it. They were not jumping to raise levels or push against a Labyrinth. They were having fun for once in a long time.

The next one was ready.

“I got this,” Bladescape grinned.

It was a single beast so Bladescape could safely solo it. Her friends could jump in if she got in trouble, but Bladescape had a lead of, at minimum, 5 levels on her guildmates. Doombunny was their lowest now, and Bladescape had her bested by 10 whole levels. The long hours and pain of solo grinding XP had paid off.

The first mace swung at Bladescape. She stepped out of the way to let it pass harmlessly. The second she blocked easily and the third she ducked low to avoid before leaping up and swinging hard as her blade glowed. The Tzhaar staggered a bit as he was sliced up through his chest. It was all Bladescape needed to ram it home with a powerful lunge. She blocked several more strikes and danced past two before cutting low, severing a leg clean off, which finished the creature.

Bladescape grinned as her friends whooped and hollered in celebration. It spurred a round of solo hunts while the others watched. Astro had the worst time soloing it, but if they paired her with a tank, her long spear and skill was a combination that destroyed most creatures with ease. Backbreaker had her own trouble going solo, but she could hit better than Astro. It just took her longer because of her large shield. She let the hammers strike her shield and then countered in a real back and forth battle.

This dungeon had not been cleared yet and neither had it been mapped. They hit plenty of dead ends, but they were mapping it really well. The data would sell for a good chunk of Col.

Bladescape dashed out and over to another Tzhaar. This variant was carrying three black swords, with a split down the center of their oblong blades. It was a faster battle because she was not blocking heavy maces.

PING! PANG! PING!

“SAAAYA!” Bladescape roared as it was her turn to attack. The three blades were so much easier for her to deal with. She ran it through with ease and it staggered. Astro leaped forward and activated a skill that ran the Tzhaar through the head. With Armor Pierce, it was registered as a Critical Attack and the only thing left was polygons.

“I like these guys,” Backbreaker announced. “They're a lot easier than the last floor.”

“Well, we are at the top of the curve,” Astro said. “And our party is one of our best attack builds. Outside of boss battles, I don’t know the last time I fought with you five in a party. It's not bad, because none of the others drag us down, but we are the Wondercolts’ best fighters, with the best instincts.”

“It is fun,” Bladescape chuckled. “Let’s keep going forward. We have time still. I'm enjoying this dungeon dive.”

“Same,” Joltron chuckled. “We need to do this more, but as a guild. We focus too much on the Labyrinths for a medium guild. We need to have more fun adventuring with them.”

“We will,” Kiefer said, drawing his sword. “But I hear one stomping around the corner. I call Forward!”

Kiefer charged in and got a strike as he leaped past the Tzhaar. Joltron slid up and blocked the maces on his shield. Astro stepped out from behind him and drove a powerful one hit Sword Skill, Rocket, into his chest. The hit allowed Backbreaker to land a solid hit and then block the counter attack. Thunderborne rammed Oblique into the back of it and Bladescape leaped high, bringing Avalanche down on the Tzhaar. That was all they needed for it to be destroyed.

They laughed with glee and continued on. Those power attacks could only happen when they all could target a single enemy. Most of the time they were split between two or three.

They knew they were getting closer to the Boss chamber as they encountered a new enemy. It was called a Jalimcot; a snake type creature that kept its upper body elevated as it moved around. Alongside its viperish head, which sported rows of sharp teeth, it had claws like the Killer Mantises on Floor 20. The scythe claws were deadly slash damage, and they had higher HP and damage overall.

Bladescape blocked a claw with a beautiful ping as she turned and then she leaped past it, nice and high. It was a stretch as she sunk her sword down at an angle behind her. It had the reach and connected with its head. Joltron was right there to draw its aggro and sink his axe into the abdominal section of the snake. It was a Critical Attack area and Joltron’s axe had enough power to finish it off.

Bladescape panted as they all recovered from the fight. It quickly turned to a smile because they knew what the doors beside them meant. They had found the boss. In a single day, in a dungeon dive by a party of 6, they had mapped almost the entire dungeon and found the boss.

Bladescape popped the top off a health potion and drank it. “So, should we try it?” Bladescape asked.

“Why not?” Joltron replied, also topping his HP off. “We all have teleport crystals. If we need to bail, we do.”

“It’s a risk,” Backbreaker reminded them. “Six against a boss...” She finished with a shrug.

“Yeah, but an easy dungeon,” Astro said. “I’m not saying that the boss will be easy, but typically that is how they go. If a single team can clear this the first run, we should be able to claim the boss.”

“Yeah!” Thunderborne exclaimed. “Are we Wondercolts or are we Wondercolts!”

“Let’s clear this thing,” Kiefer grinned.

Bladescape pushed open the doors and they found themselves on a peninsula surrounded by a narrow stream of lava. The lava was flanked by high cliffs that poured more into it in a few spots. Several pillars and low rocks were strewn about. It would provide some cover. The question was, cover from what.

They continued in and the doors closed behind them. That was not normal. They all grabbed teleport crystals from the pouches on their waists. The Boss stepped out from the wall, wading through the lava as if it was nothing.

“TELEPORT MISHE!” Bladescape yelled. Nothing happened. She glanced back at the closed doors and made the command again with more urgency. “TELEPORT MISHE!” Bladescape panicked and switched towns. “TELEPORT TOWN OF BEGINNINGS!”

“It's an anti teleport zone,” Astro said when hers didn’t work the second time. “We have no choice but fight. We can win this. I'm sure of it.”

They knew their roles well by this point and they knew how to work together. They didn't have an option but to use it to their advantage. The Boss was identified as Kalzuk. He was a stone Cyclopes with a horned helmet with downward sweeping horns. He had 3 claws on each hand. Three health bars popped up by his name.

“Yeah,” Bladescape said cracking a grin as she twisted her sword in her palm. “We got this. He has to come out of the lava at some point.”

They advanced in further, with Joltron and Backbreaker up front. Bladescape popped out a throwing pick from her belt. The Blade Throwing Skill was the only Skill that had any range to it. There were no bows or even javelins. The available weapons were mostly knives and various throwing stars, but there were some variants that were not really blades.

The throwing pick was one of them. It was a long, needle type rod with a very sharp point. Argo had recommended Bladescape use the picks. Argo used them and Bladescape had seen Kirito had a set. They were not very good for use against bigger monsters, but they had one of the best linear attacks for thrown weapons. Bladescape was using a variant that had a strong Piercing DOT. Thanks to Doombunny, they were all laced with various poisons.

AFCK was using a hack to get around the skill that needed a blade. No one could throw a blunt weapon like a rock or steel ball. At least not to do any real damage. It had to have an edge to it. The pick’s point was enough to qualify it and trigger the Skill. AFCK had thick clam shaped chunks of steel made. The edge was sharp enough to trigger the skill, but there was tremendous weight behind it.

Bladescape and AFCK could train the Skill in their small back yard. They had put up a target and it was enough to rank up the skill rather quickly. AFCK was a master of striking the clam shaped blades on the blunt back end. It was registered as hitting the handle instead of the blade, and it became crush damage. With the weight she could throw, it did a lot of damage. Fortunately, and unfortunately, they didn't explode like her sprinkles did I.R.L.

Bladescape pulled her arm back, took aim and the Skill triggered. She was at the edge of its short range. The pick flew across the room and hit the boss in the chest. It tinged off the rock chest, not even doing any damage. But that wasn’t the point. It triggered the fight to really start while they stayed at a safer distance.

Slate grey rocks jumped off the cliffs and onto the plateau. They walked on four legs and had a tail of sorts. Astro charged the first one and rammed her spear through it. It did the job.

Joltron took a swipe from one’s claws on his shield. Then it spun and tried to slice him with its tail. Again, Joltron blocked it with his shield and then his axe glowed and he blasted it to pieces.

Distracted with his minions, the boss took a deep breath in. Bladescape’s OSS Search caught it and she realized what was coming in. The precognition came with just enough time.

“TAKE COVER BEHIND THE ROCKS!” Bladescape ordered.

Kalzuk blew lava all over the peninsula. The rocks and the columns protected them. To get to them further back, he stepped up on the land and walked inwards a bit. Bladescape and Astro were out immediately and both scored strong hits. Astro miscalculated how much time her delay would be and Kalzuk swiped her with his claws. The damage taken was a good fourth of her HP, but the real problem was that she was heading straight for the lava. Out of nowhere Thunderborne zipped in, leaping across the lava to vault off the wall and catch her in midair as she was coming back towards the land. It saved Astro from certain death.

“Nice save!” Bladescape praised as she swung hard with Rapture.

It left her close to the boss and he was pulling back to swipe at her. Bladescape had not miscalculated though. Backbreaker jumped in front of her, blocking the claws with a dull thud. From the position Backbreaker was in, her hammer landed a perfect kidney shot, at least for a human.

The boss retreated back into the lava and more of his minions came leaping off the cliffs. The Wondercolts charged them. They were smarter this round and got themselves back to the rocks for the second time Kalzuk shot lava at them.

Like last time, he came up onto land again. Unlike last time, the Wondercolts went in as a full team and between the shields each of them scored perfect blows, forcing him to retreat back into the lava.

“One Sixth of the way there!” Bladescape laughed. “We got this!”

The second health bar brought a new challenge. The minions were a new type. They were bigger, stronger, and lacked tails. They had horns and they charged. Backbreaker and Joltron blocked them with their shields and then retaliated. The rest of them jumped out of the way, or over, to strike at their exposed backsides. It did the trick and once they were gone it triggered the boss to come out again.

Backbreaker was stuck too far out from cover. She hunkered down behind her shield. The boss spouted lava again and it burned Backbreaker for slow DOT. She downed a health potion and was the first one to strike the boss. Her retaliation was so strong it took off 20% of the remaining health on its own. It was a risk, but she knew her friends were right there to draw the aggro as she was stuck, frozen.

When Kalzuk dropped into the red he thundered out of the lava and began to charge with his claws. The bigger problem was that he smashed the rocks, destroying them to polygons to never return. They had to rely on Backbreaker and Joltron for protection.

Astro and Thunderborne switched to Damage Dealer roles, waiting behind the Tanks to slip out or above them and ram their pointed weapon home with incredible force. Bladescape and Kiefer were playing as the Forwards. They couldn’t afford to get hit with the now lava laced claws, and weapon defense would not save them from any lava spit at them. Still, as Forwards they provided enough distraction for the charging and enraged boss to give the Tanks a quick break and for the Damage Dealers to really lay it into the boss.

Kalzuk stumbled back from getting rammed by Astro. Unlike Thunderborne’s rapier, it had weight behind it. It was a slower weapon though. Bladescape unleashed Battering Ram, stopping it from stumbling back too far. Joltron took the moment to step in and unleashed his most powerful Sword Skill, an 8-combo attack. It knocked off the last of Kalzuk’s XP.

They piled in for a round of celebration, like they had just won state in some sports event. High fives went all around and Kiefer even tackled Joltron with a hug. All in celebration. Behind them the doors to the chamber rumbled open.

Hidden under their cheers for an adventure well done was the knowledge that they had just survived something they were not ready for. Something they shouldn't have been in. But they faced the challenge head on and won. They lived.

“That was awesome!” Kiefer exclaimed. “We need to dungeon dive a bit more. Clearing the game is important, but we could use a little more adventuring in our lives here.”

“Totally!” Astro laughed. “These dungeon bosses can be fun. Or, I guess that one was.”

“Hey,” Backbreaker said as she leaned on her shield. “Weren’t we caught in here, unable to teleport out?”

“Oh yeah,” Bladescape chuckled. “I guess we really didn’t have anything to fear, but we got lucky with that.”

“I recon we did,” Backbreaker said. “But I'm more interested to see what Joltron scored.”

Everyone agreed and Joltron looked at his Last Attack Bonus. The dungeon bosses didn’t give as good of rewards as a Floor Boss, but the Last Attack Bonus was still worth it.

“It says it's an Obsidian Shield,” Joltron said. “It's better than what I currently have.”

Joltron equipped it and a large black and red square shield popped onto his arm. It was big, which he needed as a Tank. Long obsidian crystals emanated from the center at 45-degree angles that made four red V shapes in between them. The notches of the red Vs were black crystals.

“Diemond won’t like that,” Bladescape chuckled. “It doesn’t conform to our visual standards.”

All of them laughed. With Backbreaker’s odd shield and new armor, that idea had been cracked for the Tanks. Now it would be clearly broken. A good shield would not be discarded. They did their best, but they could only control so much. They all loved looking clean and sharp like the KOB.

“Too bad black or red isn’t in our color scheme,” Joltron said.

“I wonder if you could get it painted,” Bladescape said. “If you wanted to. We won’t make you.”

“I do like our colors,” Joltron shrugged. “We'll contact someone and see.”

“Let’s move out,” Bladescape said. “Before we get caught back in here for some reason.”

"We don't want the boss to respawn on us," Astro agreed. "If they catch you off guard in other games, it's disastrous. Here... well we had a hell of a hot fight on our hands already for the first time."

Those who were on the ground got up and they exited the boss chamber. They used teleport crystals to go back to Mishe. They had all gotten more crystals in the loot from the boss.

In Mishe, they wrote up the guide information about the boss and then Bladescape contacted Argo. Bladescape met with Argo in Floor 50’S main city, Algade. The city was the second largest in Aincrad, only being eclipsed by the Town of Beginnings. A large part of it was a mess of alleyways that you could easily get lost in. Half of the city was shady. Some places you couldn’t even tell what the shop was selling. Stories of players being lost for days or disappearing altogether quickly became common.

They met up in a hole in the wall restaurant. It took three messages from Argo about how to get there. It was so small it only had two shoddy four-seat tables and four more seats at the counter. It was concrete floors and the outside didn’t seem stable.

“What is this place?” Bladescape asked.

“A player owned restaurant. The owner here, I.R.L., is an owner of a Japanese ramen shop, so he knows what he is doing, even if it feels a bit scummy and takes some time for the service. The important thing for me is that it is rarely busy. Also, it doesn’t look like real ramen, so don’t expect that.”

“I know ramen as a pack of dried noodles that could survive nuclear fallout and still be safe to eat if you added water and heated it up. I have never had real Japanese ramen.”

“Right,” Argo chuckled. “You are not one of the Japanese players. You are one of the lucky outside gamers. Well, that does depend on how you define luck.”

Argo had a white bowl set in front of her and the owner looked at Bladescape.

“Just the water,” Bladescape said. “I have-”

He walked away before she could say anything more. He seriously lacked any motivation or real care, but he somehow paid the bills.

“I have the data for the Kalzuk Dungeon on Floor 58. We mapped it and took down the boss, Kalzuk.”

“That is an original name,” Argo quipped. “But how did you guys have the time to map it and be ready for the big sale?”

Bladescape chuckled and drank from the cloudy glass. “It was BB, Joltron, Astro, Thunder, Kiefer, and I. The six of us took it down. It's a small dungeon, but it is good for gaining XP and decent for Col. We didn’t have Knightstar to run the drop rate calculations, but we have the various loot found and some calculations. We were diving for fun and didn't make any unnecessary stops. Also inside is the creatures and their attack patterns. That includes the boss. But a big warning there: it’s an anti-crystal zone. We couldn’t teleport out.”

“So you six dove into a front line Floor’s dungeon, mapped it, and beat the boss even though you couldn’t teleport out?”

Bladescape just grinned in response.

“Dang,” Argo said, exhaling.

“It was a blast,” Bladescape said, still smiling. “I haven’t had that much fun in a while.”

“You couldn’t teleport out from the boss?” Argo asked to confirm it.

“The doors shut and everything,” Bladescape nodded. “It’s in the guide. We all tried at least twice, but they didn’t respond. I tried both Mishe and Town of Beginnings.”

“I keep hearing of more and more of those zones,” Argo mumbled. “But mostly in dungeon traps. Are you sure it was the boss?”

“He was named Kalzuk,” Bladescape nodded. “It was a dead end too. We had exhausted all routes.”

“You guys have to be powerful if you could take a dungeon boss on your own.”

“We are very fluid and well-practiced,” Bladescape replied with a short nod. “That is our best attribute. It is our real power. Thunder and Astro are deadly when paired with our tanks.”

“I believe that,” Argo replied. “So, where is this report?”

Bladescape opened her menu and the scroll popped out onto the table. Argo knew better than to take it, even though Bladescape was going to slide it over to her. Argo picked up the scroll once it was offered and did a quick read through, judging its value.”

“Knightstar wasn’t with you?” Argo asked.

“Nope,” Bladescape chuckled. “I am usually with her when we do work for you, so I know how to record game data. All of us have learned well. But like I said, we were having fun and pushing forward, not calculating.”

“I doubt that with how detailed this is,” Argo said, shifting in her seat. "Still, I know you are trustworthy." She offered Bladescape a generous amount of Col for the guide and Bladescape accepted it. “Now that the initial business is done, I have another question. Does Diemond have any cloaks or things that are what I would need in the field? Or maybe off?”

“I don’t know,” Bladescape said, a grin forming as she thought of something. “But I will get you in to see tonight if you give me a piece of information. I guess it's a two-part piece.”

“Go,” Argo nodded.

“Can shields be painted, and if so, who can we go to so we can get a recent acquisition painted in our colors.”

“Is it a metal shield?” Argo asked.

“Uh?” Bladescape stalled. “Composite?”

Argo thought for a moment. “Go to Rendil. He is an armor smith on Floor 48, Lindarth. He has a shop there and his focus is armor and shields. He is probably the best armor smith in the game right now. Especially when it comes to making shields. That is his real specialty.”

“Thanks,” Bladescape nodded.

Argo finished up her meal and then navigated them out, back the main plaza. They teleported to Mishe and Bladescape got Argo into their HQ. It was a mess inside as Diemond tried to get everything out of deep storage and organize it. She most likely had changed how she wanted it laid out at least twice.

“Blade! Argo!” Diemond greeted them. She was in her idea dress, but her hair was frazzled. “What do you need, dear? I am assuming you bartered for early access?”

Argo nodded. “These are old. I was hoping to update my town gear a bit more. While not losing my trademark look.”

“That’s going to be the hard part,” Diemond sighed. “The colors are so…plain. And brown. All accent colors. Anyway, may I see your cloak?”

Argo pulled it off. The most open she had been to them, and probably anyone, was pulling her hood back. Her curly golden-brown hair and brown eyes were easily visible. The cloak hid how nimble she was. Her weapons, claws, were hanging on her waist. Her throwing picks were also visible. The cloak hid things very well.

“Take a turn,” Diemond said. “Let me see what I'm working with.”

Argo slowly turned for Diemond.

“I’ll be right back,” Diemond said, handing Argo the cloak back.

Argo began to browse the clothes.

“She is good,” Argo said. “I know you mentioned she is a known name for fashion I.R.L. Small time is still a known name. I see why. She could easily rival Ashley.”

Bladescape chuckled. “She certainly could. The only problem is that she doesn’t know how to work with non-traditional materials. The materials provided here in the virtual world offer a much more diverse selection than she has grasped yet.”

“Ashley has that down,” Argo stated. “It’s not easy with a game like SAO. I’ve played plenty of others, and they had more standardization in materials. Here, it's very open. So much has the potential, but doesn’t drop anything. Others drop things rarely, and then still others drop stuff and you have no idea how you could even craft with it.”

Knightstar had come in while they were talking. “I was looking for material guides, and found none. The only real guides I found for the high ranks were the ones I put out for leveling.”

“The players at the top are keeping those secrets,” Argo nodded. “At least, they are not putting them in guides you can buy.”

Knightstar sighed. “That’s what I keep getting told. And they won't share them with me.”

Argo found a few pieces she liked. They were things she would never wear in public, but that didn’t matter. Diemond took longer than expected, but she eventually came out with something. “These are a clear upgrade. I used the best I had on hand. Check them out for yourself.

Argo stepped into a changing room and closed the curtain. In another second she was out again. The grey pants were stylish but practical. The belt was the same she had been using, but the top was a lighter grey than what the pants were. The cloak was a dark gray, almost sliding to a brown. It had to pain Diemond to make it that color. The cloak wrapped around her torso more, slightly tapering out the further down it went, so that it easily parted as she moved. It also offered three buttons to adjust how much she wanted it wrapped around the top. The hood was actually a separate piece that had been attached after. It sunk down into the neck when it was not pulled up, and it had her trademark ears stitched on the top for when the hood was pulled up.

“It’s waterproof,” Diemond stated. “And the wrapping is designed to keep body heat in if you need to be in colder temperatures. It won’t heat you up much if at all on the warmer Floors.”

“Wow,” Argo said taking a spin. The cloak didn’t flare up much. She could move with it protecting her. “Did you just whip this up?”

“Mhm,” Diemond nodded. “It’s not hard. How do you think I got all this inventory? Darling, this is the stuff I did after I maxed tailor. Because I wanted to, or I was bored, or I was working on a line for my friends and they just didn’t come out with the perfection my friends deserve. I did a whole line of cooking clothes for AFCK, just cause. I still have to get some colors right when I dye the material, but that is for the harder, more specialized colors.”

Argo didn’t know what to say for a minute. “Alright, how much do I owe you?”

They finalized the deal after they calculated in the other pieces Argo had chosen. It was all very cheap. Argo was shocked at the price.

“Seriously, you should knock up the price on each piece a bit more,” Argo advised them. “Don’t sell yourself short. The players will pay higher prices than this for these. You will still move your inventory. Especially if you allow haggling like your ad says. But I doubt you will need to with prices near this low.”

“Duly noted,” Diemond smiled. “I will fix that after I finalize the layout I want.”

Bladescape chuckled and her grin got mischievous. “Run while she's distracted and before you get roped into doing more. It happens faster than you realize.”

Argo winked back in response and slipped out. Bladescape leaned against the wall with a sigh.

“Blade, Dear,” Diemond said, looking up from what she was doing. “AFCK has food in the dining hall for us to grab whenever. Go eat and then get out of those clothes. You earned it after clearing that dungeon today. It sounded like a real blast. Yes, I heard about it. I know about Joltron’s shield. He will be using his old one tomorrow for display purposes while he guards the front of the building. BB is too well known for her unusual shield for her to switch. But his new one is an interesting piece.”

“We might be able to get it painted,” Bladescape said as she headed to the dining room. “To better match our colors.”

“Shields are the crux of our uniforms,” Diemond replied. “At least the big shields. The others we can easily have standardized.”

“It is a pain,” Bladescape said. “If we really wanted to tighten it up, we would standardize our weapons. But we don’t quite have the numbers to do that since most of our members wield weapons no one else does.”

“Weapons and shields are so personal,” Diemond replied, distracted. “Armor is a different thing entirely. We can standardize it well and have been. We look way better than the DDA, not to mention our friends in Fuurinkazan. Unless we completely took away the individual’s choice, we couldn’t standardize ourselves like the KOB. That's okay though. I don’t actually want us to be that stuffy; as sharp and appealing as it is.”

Bladescape chuckled as she ducked out of the room to eat, change, and then help sort out the mess however she could.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 78 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 68 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 71 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 74 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK (PP): Lvl 71 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 71 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 68 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 71 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 68 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 68 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 72 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 29 - Diemond Success

Floor 35

March 22 – Year 2

The guild hall was all set up. Rows of tables and clothe-racks had replaced the chairs. Banners identifying each table's focus had been put up in between the normal Wondercolt banners. Despite it being turned into a shop it still was a guild hall and held some of its regal air.

The armor had been placed in the front greeting chamber, along with the jewelry. Knightstar would be watching over it and assisting customers there. Backbreaker and Joltron were outside, holding back the crowd until 4pm hit. Joltron was using his old shield that bore the Wondercolt's horse head on its face.

AFCK already had batches of cupcakes, cookies, and pastries out and more were on standby to be baked to replace the ones eaten. They had purchased a bunch of cheap cups for the event, but Astro and Thunderborne would be switching out washing them. Germs couldn't be transmitted, but certain habits died hard and Diemond insisted on a proper washing. She would accept nothing but the best.

None of them were in armor, outside of Joltron and Backbreaker out front. They all had various outfits Diemond had made them, all bearing the Wondercolt colors and horse head insignia. They looked in charge and uniformed despite the differences. Astro, Thunderborne, and Bladescape were wearing their weapons with the outfits. So we're Kiefer and Doombunny, but they were not visible to most of the customers. The door to the kitchen had a sign on it marking it for no entry, in case the guards were not present. The bathrooms were clearly marked, with the dining hall and staircase roped off. Across from that was where Doombunny and Kiefer were watching the staircase. If that went unguarded, the whole building was free to slippery folks.

There was a big crowd already, stretching down along the front of the buildings to allow people to pass through the main square. They would have to limit the number of customers in the building to keep order. It was an unexpected, but good, surprise they had to deal with.

Klein and the rest of his guild skipped the line and walked straight up to the door. “Yo, BB, Joltron, can we get in to talk to Blade? You know, before you open the doors and ruin the ability for us to talk, guild to guild.”

“Go on in, Klein,” Backbreaker said. The crowd protested their admittance. Backbreaker handled them. “Hold your horses. They're friends and they're not goin' to be buyin' anythin'. It’s guild business.”

“Klein,” Bladescape said as they came in. “What has you here.”

“Well, we figured you guys might need some assistance. And the only reason we are in our full gear is because we don’t have anything better to wear.”

Klein’s smile was his usual, goofy smile of over bloated confidence that also was on the verge of being legitimately backed up. He could back most of it, just not all.

“No early sales,” Bladescape said, crossing her arms and trying not to laugh.

“Klein!” Diemond exclaimed, as she came into the room. She was anxious as she tried to make the final adjustments for perfection and she had no time to chat at a normal speed. “Thank goodness you guys are here. I had a feeling you would show up. Well Pinkie did but that isn't the point. I need your help. I'm freaking out. We don’t have the hands to cover so much merchandise. I'm afraid we bit off more than we can chew."

"That's what us guys in Fuurinkazan are here for!" Klein retorted with his usual grin. He gave a thumbs up and gave a wink as well.

Diemond opened her menu and out came outfits, just like Kiefer was wearing. She tossed them to the members of Fuurinkazan. They were beautiful male kimonos, gold in color with blue accent sashes and ties.

“Change, and then I need Dale and Issin to go to the kitchen and help AFCK. That includes washing cups and dishes. Harry One, switch out with Thunder and guard with Astro to the right, she can run you through the simple role. Kunumittz, switch out with Kiefer by the bathrooms. I need both Thunder and Kiefer in here. Klein, you stay with Blade and keep order in here. I’m not worried about pick pockets or losing money; I'm worried about players thinking they can rip us off. They can’t, won’t, and they need to know that. Guards to deter them is the best we can do.

“And last but never least, Dynamm, go to Knightstar in the front room. It's all armor and jewelry. The most important thing to know is that you don’t need to know stats or figures. You just help them pick something that looks cool and is above what they currently have. They can tell if it is better than their current gear. I mostly just need another body to be present.

“Now get those outfits on and get in position! We open in 2 minutes!”

“I assume we will be getting paid?” Klein asked Bladescape.

“Change first,” Bladescape chuckled, gently pushing him towards the nearest changing screen. “We'll figure out payment after.”

They all changed. Klein was still wearing his red bandanna on his head. It was his trademark look after all. With them changed, and looking dashing, they shifted to their roles. Kiefer and Thunderborne had already been pulled into the guild hall and assigned new duties by Diemond.

Diemond stepped up to the front doors, took a breath in and pulled them opened. “Welcome to the first day of Diemond’s Dazzling Blowout Sale! Look your best, outside your best! Please stay organized and courteous. We will get to everyone as soon as possible.”

The first group of customers were let in. Half of them were guys, which was good because 40% of what Diemond had made was men’s clothing, and they were in a wide variety of styles.

They were soon swamped with customers and questions. Without Fuurinkazan, they would have been overwhelmed. They had gone beyond biting off more than they could chew. The response they had gotten was bigger than they had guessed.

The reason for opening at 4pm was to relieve the stress of the opening night, but things were not slowing down. With Fuurinkazan aiding them, they could let in a few more customers, but it was still busy. Picking out clothes took most players a long time. Especially since they had to sort through almost all original and unique pieces that had no copies.

The low costs were also bringing in players from all different levels and economic statuses. Diemond and Knightstar had upped the starting value like Argo had suggested, but they were still low compared to what Knightstar had scouted being sold. Mishe was a good, central location for this to happen at. The lower level players felt safe on Floor 35, and many were hunting and grinding in the floors above it.

As 9pm rolled around, an unexpected visitor arrived, and with a special individual in tow. She was wearing a wine-red cape and hood concealing her identity, but Bladescape recognized Lightning Flash Asuna immediately. With her was Lisbeth, the smith who had made Harmonic Salvation.

Lisbeth caught sight of Bladescape, who was once again leaning against the wall by the door, and slipped over to her. "How's the sword working out?"

Bladescape grinned, unable to stop it. "Better than I had imagined it could. As soon as I can, I'm going to max it out, through you of course. You bought yourself a repeat customer."

"I did, huh?" Lisbeth wryly smiled. "Did I also buy a friend's discount?"

Bladescape rolled her eyes, but was unable to stop the smile. "Find something first."

"You're not going to help me?" Lisbeth asked, confused.

"I'm on security, with Klein," Bladescape said, pointing her thumb at Klein who was on the opposite side of the door."

"So, they just show up to help out, or were they already here?" Lisbeth asked her eyebrows waggling.

"Huh?" Bladescape asked, confused.

Lisbeth huffed, but kept quiet as she leaned in closer to keep it quiet. "You two together, or did the 'gentlemen' just show up out of the goodness of their hearts."

Word about Klein's mouth and mind had obviously gotten around. The guy was looking for someone to settle down with and he wasn't meeting ladies I.R.L. while he was stuck in here. Calling them “chicks,” “babes,” and “doll face” wasn't helping his case.

"Nope," Bladescape chuckled. "We saved their butts on Floor 39, and our guilds hooked up to find the boss chamber and then we spearheaded the boss fight together. So that friendship grew out of... well I let it grow as a friendship and only that. He certainly gave me enough reasons not to. Honestly, I don't know what prompted them to show up, but we're glad they did."

"Cupcakes!" AFCK exclaimed, interrupting. She was bringing more out for their guests. Both Lisbeth and Asuna took one. Their looks of enjoyment were worth it and gave AFCK an extra bounce to her entire self.

Bladescape looked around. There were a good 25 players still looking through the wares and it was less than an hour until they closed. They were not going to boot them all at 10. These players had waited a few hours to get in. Still, she might as well try and point Lisbeth in the right direction.

"What are you looking for?" Bladescape asked. "One or both of you. I know where things were placed, but I leave the fashion sense to Diemond. I can tell the days I.R.L. where she doesn't like what I wear to school. So, I don't have the best eye, but what exactly are you looking for?"

It was Asuna who spoke from under her hood. "She needs an outfit that will match her face better. These rough “smith clothes” don't do her any good for her cute features, or provide her more protection."

Bladescape chuckled with a smile. "Table 2, that one. I know Diemond has cute work clothes. She was working on a line for AFCK's use in the kitchen. I think she secretly wants her to stop being on the front line and open up a restaurant. But as much as AFCK loves baking, she still loves her axe too much to step off the front lines. Assuming you don't play a lullaby while we are in the field, or mention taffy. Either way, table two has a lot of things you might find to your liking."

"I'll be back for that discount," Lisbeth smiled with a wink.

Backbreaker had cut off any more customers from coming in after 9:45 pm. The line was still long. Backbreaker reminded them that they opened in the morning at 8am.

It was 10:05 and still 7 players were rifling through their wares. Two of them were a couple and they had a nice sized stack of clothes they were planning on purchasing. No one was going to kick them out at this point.

By 10:10, all of the others had made their purchases except for Lisbeth and Asuna. Since there was no one to catch her, Asuna pulled her hood back. It could easily become an overblown “scandal” if the KOB’s Second in Command was found perusing another guild’s wares, but the Wondercolts had an upstanding reputation, both as a guild and for each individual member.

"What can I help you with?" Diemond asked, unable to stifle a yawn. "Forgive me, dears. It has been an interesting day and we still have tomorrow and the day after."

"I think we are down to a few choices," Asuna replied. "I'm trying to convince Lis to wear something more unique and stylish since she now owns a shop and not a cart. And something that fits her nice, baby face."

Lisbeth was not happy at the description of her features. That was blatantly clear by her facial reaction. Still, Asuna was correct about her cute features. She was young, about their age.

"Congratulations on opening your shop," Diemond said with a smile. Her exhaustion was evident. She hadn't gotten a break in 6 hours. "As to clothes, all of these are great choices for you. They match your tones, and any one of them would be good and make you look cute but in charge. I can't make a decision like this for you though. I think friends are often better than staff."

"We won't be long," Asuna said kindly. It didn’t have the normal edge that she had because she was commanding soldiers. It lacked an edge entirely. "Sorry we are past 10."

"Don’ t worry about it. I have to slip into the back, but the others here can help with purchases and I will be a call away. Don't forget, you can try them on."

Bladescape was leaning slightly against the wall to give her feet a break. She watched Lisbeth try on several outfits and Asuna make her comments. The last one was more of a waitress style than the others. It was a darker red outfit with a yellow pinstripe, and a flared skirt. Complete with some puffy sleeves. The bust was white. On top of the red skirt was a white apron with some frilly lacing. The last detail that tied it all together was the red ribbon around her neck that was tied into a bow and pinned together with a gold button with a sapphire, the perfect accent.

It was a cute outfit, eliciting a slight grin from Bladescape. Diemond came back at the right time to see and absolutely agreed with the choice. The purchase price was lower than Lisbeth had expected. Low enough there was no reason for them to get a discount.

“See you soon” Bladescape said as the two of them left. “Oh, and we will need other weapon upgrades shortly.”

“Looking forward to it,” Lisbeth shot back.

“So,” Klein said as everyone gathered around. “Be back by 8am?”

“7am if you want a quick breakfast,” Bladescape said. “Although, if you guys want a closer place to crash, we overhauled the 5th floor of the building. The weird half floor. It's got a row of beds and floor 4’s room 12 is open for use when it comes to the facilities.”

“Thanks,” Klein smiled, scratching the back of his head nervously. “That would be a big help. It would cut a good chunk of time off our commute.”

“Then let's eat!” AFCK declared. “I dono about you, but I am starving! Head to the dining room and I’ll grab the food.”

AFCK brought in a giant pot of stew. She had been slowly cooking it over the evening. Bowls and spoons were grabbed from the cupboard and the table was set in an instant. It was a really complex stew. AFCK had been aggressively working to flesh out the spices in her cooking since she had been told the week before her cooking was “flat.” She had no problem experimenting and was buying up huge amounts of raw materials.

“I don’t mean to be rude,” Klein said after they had finished dinner.

“And that means you are going to be saying something blatant,” Diemond interjected.

“We were just wondering about payment. As gentlemen, we are glad to help out with your predicament.”

Bladescape chuckled. “I have been trying to figure out what prompted you to ‘come to our rescue.’ You are looking to upgrade your Guild HQ, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Klein said, nervously chuckling. “We need something closer to the front lines. Ours isn’t right next to a teleport plaza like yours. It’s home, but it’s kind of a dump.”

“We will have to look at something soon too,” Knightstar said. “We bought here when the front line was Floor 36. I knew eventually we would have to make the jump. Probably around Floor 60. It may not take us long to get to the teleport plaza, but it does take time to hike to many of the places, especially the Labyrinths. So often we end up staying out near the front lines.”

“Yeah, you got to stay vigilant now. Sleep PKers are happening.”

“Sleep PKrs?” Knightstar asked.

“Yeah. If they catch you sleeping unprotected, they can send a full duel to you, move your hand to hit yes, and then kill you without you waking up. No more sleeping in the field without posting a guard. You have to sleep at an inn or protected room to be safe. It's the easiest way to take down a front-line player.”

“That changes things drastically,” Bladescape murmured. “Now not even safe zones are totally safe.”

“Yeah, you can’t even nap in a park anymore,” Klein sighed. “Not that I do it often, but still, a nap in the warm sun is always nice.”

“I hear yah,” Backbreaker said. “A nice, warm nap is always enjoyable. We'll be careful.”

“We can do 40%” Diemond said, getting back on topic. “40% of our profits go to you.”

Klein was shocked. He finally stammered, “Yeah. That sounds reasonable.”

“Plus, you can keep those outfits,” Diemond added. “I made them for you. I also have other sashes and ties with your four-diamond symbol on them and that fit your guild colors. That way you can wear them again. AFCK said you would be showing up.”

“How?” Klein asked. “We didn’t know until about noon today.”

“It’s what she does,” Bladescape sighed, not wanting to get into it. “But let’s get to bed. We had a lot of kinks we worked out. The big thing will be slipping lunch in. But with Klein and I, we can switch out with any position and grab lunch. Same with the kitchen team.”

“AFCK had us stuffed all day long,” Dale chuckled. He had been with Issin helping AFCK, and from the look on his face, he didn’t mind one bit. Both Issin and Dale had still eaten more than their fair share at dinner too. “It was taste this, try that, and you need more flour on you.”

They all laughed. Bladescape showed them up to the fifth floor. They had gotten 16 beds in it, with privacy screens to separate them. Diemond insisted that guests should have as much privacy as possible.

“Wow, you guys made this into a sweet barracks,” Klein said. “Why did you add in the beds?”

“Well, it's not private rooms, but we are keeping it available for expansion," Bladescape explained. “I think it was AFCK who suggested that we put beds in here for guests, which got us talking about expanding the guild. The possibility that is. It's hypothetical, but it was also the first time we thought of more than just a single member to round us out to two parties of six."

"How long ago did you start thinking about this?" Klein asked. "I mean, I wouldn't be opposed to Fuurinkazan expanding a bit, but you have to have the right fit. Especially on the front lines, where your life can hang in the balance and you need to know that the others have your back."

"We did this in February," Bladescape shrugged. "Diemond added the privacy screens. She believes that, even if it is for a night, that privacy is important. We have never used any of this before, so enjoy. I do like having the option to be able to support a good number of guests. Not that we ever have them. Versatility is key.”

“Well thanks,” Klein smiled. “See you bright and early.”

“See you in the morning. We couldn’t do this without you. We didn’t expect it to be such a hot event.”

“Well you advertised it well and a self-sufficient guild selling extra player made gear will always be a hot thing. Especially when most of it is tailored goods like normal clothing. And on top of all that, she is a good designer.”

Bladescape chuckled as she began to walk away. “You should see her in real life. Have a good night guys.”

Breakfast was the SAO equivalent of flapjacks. Flapjacks with an optional butter cream sauce or several various fruit jams. Jam was something AFCK had made plenty of. They yielded good XP, stored well, sold well, and were easy to make. They also took a while to unlock as well, meaning fewer players could supply them, and the demand from lower skilled players was high because of their taste and high durability. It was easy money.

Fuurinkazan obviously wasn’t used to good home cooked meals as they chowed down. It only made AFCK happier. Flapjacks were a new trick she had discovered two days prior. AFCK was running back and forth, already cooking more treats to serve to the day's customers.

When Backbreaker and Joltron went out front at 7:30 am, they found a long line already waiting. After asking the crowd, it was discovered the ones at the front had been waiting since before 6am. The hype had gotten even bigger after they started the sale yesterday and personal stories brought new awareness to the legitimacy of the quality of the clothes being sold.

“Here goes nothing,” Bladescape said, grinning at Klein as Diemond greeted the waiting guests as she opened their doors for the second time. “Time for round 2.”

It was just as busy as the day before, if not busier. They let an extra five shoppers come in at a time, bringing the total players allowed inside to 30. They had to control the chaos outside somehow. Thankfully, a good 30% of their customers were really there just to check out the Wondercolts’ Headquarters. They came and went at a quick pace. A quick browse to try and look like they were real customers, a drink and a cupcake, and then gone without making a purchase.

Klein sighed, bored. This wasn’t exactly what he signed up for, but they needed the money. He looked over at Bladescape as she chuckled.

“You have search, right?” Bladescape asked him.

Klein nodded.

“Then I assume you are training it? It makes the boredom worth it.”

Klein groaned because he had missed such an easy opportunity for experience points. Thankfully for him, it was still early in the day. Bladescape was maxed in search, but she used it out of habit.

Bladescape switched out with Backbreaker around noon to allow her to get lunch. Then Joltron switched out. After they were both back, Bladescape went back to her security job. Klein switched with Knightstar and then Dynamm. After that the rounds inside were done and Bladescape and Klein got a quick moment to eat. Between the kitchen staff, Astro, Dale, and Issin were able to switch out and relieve Kiefer, Lessa, and Thunderborne for lunch. Diemond slipped out for a quick break and was back within 5 minutes. Doombunny and Kunumittz were able to eat lunch in peace as they guarded the stairwell.

Day two finished strong, without any incidents. Again, they had a few stragglers past 10pm, but that was okay. Their late dinner was a full turkey type poultry and tons of sides. AFCK was ahead on the baking so she went overboard, but with Fuurinkazan joining them, they had no leftovers.

Sunday was the same, except they didn’t close at 6pm as originally planned. The line was sufficient enough that they kept the store open. They were down to the last few items, so the customers either saw something they liked, or didn’t and left. By 8pm they were fully closed.

“Here is your cut,” Knightstar said, pulling up her menu. “We made a lot more than I expected.”

“Wow!” Klein exclaimed. “I thought we would get some easy cash. You know, better and safer than hunting in the fields, but this was a lot more than we ever thought. This was totally worth it.”

“And it is only going to make our next set of upgrades easier,” Diemond said. “I was expecting more haggling, but it rarely happened. That and we sold almost everything. I’m glad we upped the prices a bit. I sunk a good chunk of change into my crafting skills. But I didn’t expect to get the return we just did.”

“Players recognize your skill,” Backbreaker said. “You ain’t a recognized fashion designer I.R.L. because of a fluke.”

“I am already thinking about doing this again,” Diemond said. “Just a single day sale and not as many clothes. But still, I'm making them either way.”

No one was against it.

“And boys,” Diemond coyly grinned. “If you see anything you like, take it. As a little extra reward.”

Fuurinkazan didn’t need to be told twice. They all took a look and found at least one thing they liked. Free was always a good motivator.

“You guys have treated us well,” Klein added. “It’s been appreciated.”

“It was mutually beneficial for all of us,” Knightstar said.

“Well, I mean more than that,” Klein said, trying to find the right words. “Sleeping on the fifth floor, the extra meals, which were superb, and getting to keep these clothes and more, it's beyond a normal relationship between a boss and his employees. I have never worked for a better boss. Most of mine have been a pain.”

AFCK shrugged. “All but a few times Rarity has treated us really well. I remember Manehattan, that was a bad moment, but we still got to see Hinny of the Hills and she got her rainbow thread key! It all worked out in the end.”

No one knew what she was talking about.

“Pinkie, that wasn’t me,” Diemond said. “At least, not that I remember.”

“Oh, yeah,” AFCK chuckled. “That was PR, PPP, and PPTS. Duh. I knew something was off. Anyway, dinner!”

AFCK bounced off to the kitchen.

“Is she mentally stable?” Klein asked.

“This whole game is taking its toll,” Bladescape sighed, once again leaning against the wall as she crossed her arms. She almost screamed since the wall was further away than planned, but she kept her cool after that split second of fear from the free fall was over. “This game is taking its toll on all of us.”

“Yeah,” Klein sighed with a bit of a groan. “It is. 16 months inside a death game isn’t easy to deal with.”

“But we are past Floor 50,” Bladescape grinned. “We can do this.”

“Can?” Klein asked. “Have a little more faith than that, Doll Face. We will do this!”

They ate dinner and the guys from Fuurinkazan departed. It was still early enough for them to get home in a timely manner.

Right as Bladescape got in bed, Knightstar knocked on her door. She opened it to let her in, but Knightstar only handed her a piece of paper and walked off to her own bed. On it was scribbled the final tally that had been made, what they had paid Fuurinkazan, what Diemond was keeping, and what the guild had made. It was impressive. Diemond had already stated she didn’t need all the money, and that she wanted the bulk of it to go towards overhauling the guild’s weapons. Knightstar was so detailed she stated how much Col each individual would have allotted for equipment upgrades. It also included what they needed upgraded.

Bladescape fell into her bed, face down, exhausted. They would be heading to see Lisbeth in the morning, as a guild. She was already in her sleepwear and was out within another minute.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 78 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 68 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 71 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 74 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK (PP): Lvl 71 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 71 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 68 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 71 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 68 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 68 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 72 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 30 - Equipment Level Up

Floor 48 – Front Line Floor 58

March 25

“Dagannoth,” Ashley said. “I am thinking Dagannoth leather plate armor. Since you have Leather Armor as a skill, and a high one at that, you can wear a heavier class of leather than just a basic leather coat. It won't be cheap. Either I have to pay someone to hunt them, or you can hunt them yourself. I will also need materials for the special dye to use on the hide as well.”

Bladescape looked at Knightstar. She just shrugged. The obvious choice was for them to hunt the supplies themselves. They were among the top players. It would not be hard for them. Hopefully.

“Where do we find them?” Bladescape asked. “And what exactly is needed?”

“Dagannoths spawn deep in the swamp of the 57th Floor. From what I hear, only one or two are ever around at a time. They are powerful beasts with thick hides. Land Sharks with claws is how they were described to me. I’ll need is 30 pieces of their hides, and the other two things I will need are 80 sacks of Blue Stones, and 30 sacks of Giganthum Flower Petals. That will allow me to dye their hides the proper blue and gold. Easier to get but still time consuming is flax threading. That will be strong enough to stitch it all together.”

“Do I want to know the size of the sacks?” Bladescape asked, resisting a sigh or groan.

“It's just the standard small sacks. Nothing too bad. But the stones are not easy to find. I have to crush and refine them, meaning I need a lot. You need to find Blue Stones; not stones that are blue, but the actual item Blue Stones. The Giganthum Flowers are on Floor 47. They are not hard to find, and with your level the monsters won’t be a threat. They are small though. A lot of petals will be required. I need so much because dagannoth hide is thick and very difficult to dye. Normal dyes won’t work. As it is, tanning the hide will be a long and difficult process.”

“I think the Dagannoths will be easier,” Bladescape groaned.

“If you can get me these things,” Ashley said as she wrote stuff down. “I can make you a top tier set of leather armor that will blow the minds of every other player. It will be second only to Commander Heathcliff, and it will be more protective than most armors out there. It should take you to Floor 90, if not 100.”

Bladescape took the list but kept it from Knightstar. “I’ll hunt these down and return as soon as possible.”

Ashley sat there and smiled coyly. “I am surprised you had to come to me. I heard about your little sale. I hear it was very high-quality stuff. Apparently Diemond could give me a good run if she stopped fighting on the front lines.”

“She could,” Knightstar confidently stated. “But she doesn’t want to. She is a designer I.R.L. and that is the reality she wants to be designing in.”

Ashley nodded in understanding.

“And that is also why we came,” Knightstar added. “As good as she is, even maxed, she doesn’t know how to work virtual materials. She doesn’t know how to find out about the new ones, work them, combine them, and all that. And she doesn’t have time to either. She is a key member of the Assault Team and our clan.”

“It isn’t easy,” Ashley admitted. “I have to stay on top of things myself. Especially the rare monsters. Finding out about dagannoth hide wasn’t easy. And that is why I am taking this commission. I am now in a position that I get to pick and choose what interests me and what doesn’t. Making the Wondercolts’ leader new armor, well that is a once in a lifetime opportunity since you have your own crafters. Although smaller in size, you are a big-name guild, and most of the top shots wear metal armors that I cannot work with. You I can though.”

“And it is appreciated,” Bladescape nodded. “But now I have materials to get.”

Ashley sent a friend request to Bladescape. “In case you have any question or something goes wrong.”

Bladescape accepted it with a smile. “I will be back soon enough.”

“Good luck,” Ashley said with a short laugh. “That list is no joke. I don’t expect to see you guys anytime soon. Obviously, I want you back A.S.A.P., but I just gave you a daunting task.”

They exited the large mill that was the seamstress' store. It was three times the size of Lisbeth’s Smith Shop and had two water wheels which powered at least two fabric mills. The rest of the Wondercolts were working with Lisbeth to buy weapons or commission them. Then they would be paying Rendil a visit. Lindarth was where most of the top crafters had migrated to.

11 Wondercolts in Lisbeth’s shop was too many, meaning half of them were outside. By the time Knightstar and Bladescape arrived, Joltron, Astro, Backbreaker, Kiefer, and Lessa had already gotten themselves set up. Thunderborne was going to have enhancements added, but she still was fine with Azure Aculeus and would be for a little while longer, and AFCK’s Geode Splitter was golden until at least floor 80 once it was maxed out with enhancements.

Knightstar and Bladescape entered the shop, for the first time that day, to find Doombunny working with Lisbeth. Doombunny needed two blades. Her hunting blade and her fighting blade, and she was trying to see if they could fit a third blade on her that would be strictly for paralyzing targets. Doombunny made it seem absolutely normal, but Lisbeth was a bit unnerved talking about poisons and drugs that were meant to kill or stop opponents. Each blade had to be and feel different so that Doombunny couldn’t put them in the wrong sheath or grab the wrong blade. The inside of the sheath of her hunting knife was laced with poison to always keep it ready and grabbing it by mistake could have deadly consequences.

Lisbeth had a few knives on her shelves. It saved her a bigger headache when Doombunny and Colorra picked the three blades out. They paid extra to have the handles and sheaths recolored; blue for her regular knife, yellow for her paralyses blade, and pink for her poison dagger.

Diemond still needed a mace, but Bladescape leaned against the counter with a smile, interrupting things. “You look great in that outfit. Better than you did when I first came in.”

“Thanks,” Lisbeth said, rolling her eyes. “I still hate it. But Asuna said give it a little time, so I am. For the price it won’t be a total waste if I stop wearing it.”

“Hey!” Diemond exclaimed. It had a touch of a whine to it.

“Yes, Diemond,” Bladescape said, stopping Diemond from getting into an argument. “I know you need a mace.”

“Right,” Lisbeth groaned. “You guys have soaked up most of my energy.”

“Sorry,” Bladescape chuckled. “I know Doombunny is complicated, and that is putting it lightly. I've lost track of what she carries, weapons wise.”

Lisbeth took a deep breath in and then let it out. “I have five maces on my shelves. Let’s see what you have.”

Lisbeth took a look at Diemond’s mace. “All five are better than this. And with enhancements, they should carry you up near 90. Maces are my real love. I carry one for a reason.”

Diemond chose a mace and Diemond immediately ordered a Toughness Enhancement. Lisbeth had the supplies, so she took it back and began to add the enhancement. She came back out with it, the enhancement taking successfully.

They departed after everything was squared away and walked, as a guild, over to Rendil. His shop was on the other side of the village, but it was still beside another waterway. The whole city was built with waterwheel driven mills. There were a lot of small bridges over the diverted waterways, with a few bigger ones spread out.

Bladescape entered with only Knightstar and Joltron. It was twice the size of Lisbeth’s shop, and 2/3 the size of Ashley’s. It had a decent seating area for waiting customers. At least 12 sets of metal armor were on display, and the walls were lined with shields of all sizes and styles. Most were the typical color of steel or silver, but one was black, another was a deep red, and one was wooden.

“I’ll be right with you,” Rendil said, distracted with a customer.

It didn’t take him long to finish up. He was an older gentleman, with hair that was already graying. It was the opposite of most of the players, but it gave him an air of mastery in his field.

“Now you are three faces I never expected to see in my shop,” Rendil grinned.

“We never expected to be here,” Bladescape smiled back.

“You guys are legendary for being self-sufficient. So, what can I do for you?”

“We are leveling up our gear,” Bladescape explained. “As self-sufficient as we have been able to be, our crafters just are not able to cut it right now. It has been too much time in the field, and not enough experience with the more exotic materials. As for shields, no one makes shields. Our self-sufficiency there has come from drops or purchases from Agil.”

“You guys have grown out of what Agil usually deals with,” Rendil said. “No disrespect meant for him though. He is a fine businessman.”

“It’s a fact,” Bladescape shrugged. “We are here to get one shield taken care of. A paint job from a monster drop.”

“I certainly can take a look at it,” Rendil said. He was getting a bit anxious and distracted. His question answered why. “But the Iron Bulwark, is she here? I would love to see her legendary shield.”

“Yeah,” Bladescape grinned. “The rest of the guild is outside so we don't crowd this place. Let me get her.”

Letting him see Backbreaker’s shield, Floating Bulwark, might cut them better deals. Backbreaker gladly came in. She was excited to show it off to a master shield smith.

“I’m not goin' to put it on your counter,” Backbreaker said to Rendil. “I don’t want to damage it.”

Backbreaker brought up her menu. The shield materialized in front of her with a heavy thud. Backbreaker stood behind it as it covered her up to her chest as it sat on the ground.

Rendil stepped out from behind his counter and walked over to see it up close. “My, my, she is something. She truly looks like she was ripped off the side of Aincrad.”

“That's what the lore says,” Backbreaker replied.

“You got this on Floor 27?” Rendil asked.

“Yep,” Backbreaker grinned. “Flag Mob. The front line was 31.”

“Beautiful,” Rendil said. “May I examine it?”

“Sure,” Backbreaker said with a nod.

Rendil tapped it, bringing up the menu. Like it always had, it just showed the name. Rendil tried to pick it up. He grunted. He was able to lift it off the ground a few inches and stand up straight, but it didn’t last long before he had to put it down with a deep thud.

“Well,” Rendil said wiping his brow. “That sure is heavy. Thank you for not destroying my counter. I have made heavy shields, but not like that. I don’t know how you carry it.”

“The lore is true,” Backbreaker said. “It was torn off the side of Aincrad and given to me, the one who could withstand the Flag Mob’s powerful attacks. And not just withstand, but deal my own real damage. After I proved myself, he gave it to me, for me to use. It’s a legendary item, but not a unique skill. The higher Floors we unlock, the stronger and heavier it gets. I still take impact damage, but it's reduced, soaked up by the shield. Unless I falter, then I take more.”

“Thank you, Iron Bulwark. That was a real treat. There is no other shield like that. But, I believe we have real business.”

“Yes,” Bladescape said, focused on the business at hand. “Joltron has acquired a shield in a dungeon boss Last Attack Bonus. We are wondering if we can get it painted to our colors. We don’t have anyone who can do shields. Diemond can do some for basic painting, but that is all.”

“Alright, let’s see it,” Rendil smiled.

Joltron opened his menu and out came the Obsidian Shield.

“Interesting,” Rendil said, scratching his chin as he opened the object’s menu. “I have made slightly better than this, but I can’t add the extra effects.”

“Extra effects?” Knightstar asked. “I never actually looked at it in detail. It was shown to me and Joltron knew its base stats were better than what he had, but no actual details were discussed. We were prepping for the big sale."

“Well, for a heavy shield, I can tell it is an LAB drop because it also boosts Agility by +2, Speed by +2, and -20% to the post skill delay. Those are very odd effects for a legendary heavy shield. You will see strength or health modifiers, but usually only one. Giving movement to a tank is very interesting, especially since they don't usually need to strike. But it is a very good drop.

“Now, you wanted what done with this?”

“Painting,” Joltron said. “I would like to get it painted in our colors if we can. We do want to look uniform and together. As much as possible. Not just flying the same colors like the DDA.”

Rendil snorted a laugh. “No problem. I have an idea or two. Can I have a sample so I can match the colors?”

Joltron pulled out his previous shield and set it on the counter. Rendil took both and headed into the back.

Bladescape looked at all the shields on the walls. There was a wide variety. Rendil might be able to make the same shields for them to use.

“BB, please go get the rest of our shield users,” Bladescape asked.

Backbreaker nodded and headed to grab them.

“What are you thinking?” Knightstar asked.

“I bet he can standardize our regular shields. We should at least find out. We won’t be able to do anything with the big shields, but the others we can.”

“Good idea,” Knightstar nodded. “The cost of our new weapons were not bad, so we still have funds.”

The others came in and Bladescape told them to just hang out and keep quiet so they could do business unimpeded.

Rendil finally came back with Joltron's shields. The red on the Obsidian Shield had been replaced with Wondercolts' Blue, but the obsidian gems were still black. Narrow stripes of their yellow had been added through the middle of each blue V, giving the appearance of eight chevrons pointed towards the center of the shield.

"I was able to put a blue application over the red," Rendil explained. "I put it on and then forgot to tell you some specifics."

"That's fine," Bladescape said. "It looks great."

"It does, but an application has its own durability. I should have warned you. You will have to come in and have it redone. Either by me, or by another crafter who can make the color applications. Obviously I would prefer me. Since I didn’t warn you ahead of time, I am going to give you a 20% discount.”

“Thank you,” Knightstar said. “That is appreciated.”

Joltron insisted on paying with his private funds.

“We have another question,” Knightstar said after the transaction was done. “What would it cost to upgrade us to uniformed shields? I use a shield and so does Lessa. Diemond also uses a heavy shield. Shields have always been the main problem with our image.”

Rendil grinned as he leaned on the counter. “Oh, I can help you. I can make you shields; blue with your yellow horse heads on them. I can trim them with gold too. I could do the heavy shield in a unique design to keep your three big shields intentionally special. The other two can be the same kite shields.”

Rendil grabbed an elongated almond shaped shield off the wall. “This is a full kite shield. Both of you try it.”

Lessa and Knightstar liked the shape and feel.

Rendil pulled another shield off the wall. “This is a style that would work well for a tank. It is rather unique. I call it the Warrior Shield, since there is not a technical name for this style.”

Diemond took it. Sitting on the ground its top came up to her sternum, and it was as wide as she was too. It was unlike most shields of the same size, which tended to be rectangular Tower Shields. The bottom half tapered to a point like a heater shield and the top half was pulled in symmetrically on both sides with gentle concave curves that came to points where they met with the top rim which arched shallowly. It almost looked like a giant arrowhead with a shallow notch and blunt point.

“I like it,” Diemond declared. “This style will be perfect.”

They settled on the price and they paid up front. Rendil could guarantee them the finished product. He had what he needed in stock; it would just take a few days to turn them out.

“Alright,” Rendil said, his smile turning wry. “I have another question. One that will solve some things that were discussed earlier. Diemond, you need to learn to diversify your armor style and materials, correct?”

“Yes,” Diemond nodded. “I am too... um... well it pains me to say it, but I am too conventional. I am not used to the new variety of materials in a virtual world."

“It isn’t easy,” Rendil admitted. “I have been playing these types of games since they came out. I have learned how they work, and even though the mode to play has changed, it still has some predictable patterns. And that gave me an edge. I'm too old to fight, so I went to crafting to make sure you guys have the best.

“My offer is simple. For a daily fee, I'll take you on as my apprentice for the next week. I'll teach you how to flesh out the use of virtual materials. You will learn more armor styles and be able to provide your guild with more things made by your hands. That keeps you more self-sufficient.

“It won't be hard, but it will require more of a cost because you will need to buy materials for your own projects. I can still take you to the next level with your armor crafting, and probably help your leather and tailoring armor crafting as well."

Diemond squealed with joy and then stopped. "Apprentice? But... but... I've never been an apprentice. Even learning, I was an intern at worst."

Backbreaker put her heavy armored hand on Diemond's armored shoulder. "Die, you don't need to worry about the name. At the end of all this, you're still a fashion designer, and in game, being an apprentice, well it doesn't mean a whole lot. You're just learnin' a new skill."

Diemond took a deep breath in and let it out. "Alright. I'll take you up on the kind offer. Everything I do in here, well it does actually help me stay sharp and even improve what I do I.R.L."

“Wonderful!” Rendil exclaimed. “8am tomorrow morning then. I will message you a list of what to bring. For now, I will get on these shield orders for you. It will take me a day or two. I need to acquire some material. My runners are busy right now. None of it is very special materials. Also, Diemond will be here to pick them up.”

“Thank you again,” Diemond said.

They all thanked Rendil and departed.

“Once we get back to HQ, I need a tally of what weapons you acquired,” Knightstar said.

They had lost half a day, and they still had shopping to do. Knightstar got the list of acquired and current weapons compiled.

Bladescape: Harmonic Salvation
Knightstar: Justicarian Scale
Thunderborne: Azure Aculeus +12
Backbreaker: Commissioned Hammer
AFCK: Geode Splitter +1
Diemond: Earthwarden +1
Doombunny: Mourning Protector, Shadowsong (Paralysis), Endbringer (Poisoned)
Astro: Commissioned Jumonji Yari (Cross spear)
Kiefer: Commissioned Katana
Lessa: Commissioned Longsword
Joltron: Starlight Axe

The Obsidian Shield had been painted, they had one Heavy Shield and two Kite Shields on order, and there was a list of things they needed to find. Astro needed to obtain an Ironwood pole, Backbreaker, Kiefer, and Lessa needed to gather several types of metals.

Finally, Bladescape needed to get her items. She was determined to find them on her own. They still needed to be on the front lines, and had been off them for five days because of the sale and upgrade. Bladescape would depart early and leave Knightstar and Backbreaker instructions.

Bladescape messaged Argo. Argo wasn’t available to meet, but she was able to give Bladescape information on the Blue Stones, Dagannoths, and Giganthum Flower Petals. They planned a meeting where Bladescape could pay for the information.

AFCK didn’t ask any questions when Bladescape asked for high durability food. She just packed her two days' worth and gave it to her.

Bladescape went to Doombunny to get more poison. Doombunny asked questions, but after getting the run down on the Dagannoths, she allotted Bladescape more for hunting. Doombunny was still trying to decide how to wear her three knives. She would beat the system's restriction for only one weapon sheath allowed. She had with her two previous blades. A third would eventually be worked out.

Bladescape spent the rest of the day throwing knives to train her Blade Throwing Skill. The knives had better durability and could be reclaimed. The picks she was using were high tier and expensive. Plus, she didn’t need to be wasting poisons by throwing them at a training target.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 78 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 68 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 71 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 74 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK (PP): Lvl 71 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 71 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 68 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 71 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 68 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 68 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 72 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 31 - Dagannoths

Floor 57 – Front Line 58

March 26

Bladescape had left suggestions for a team to head into the Floor 58 Labyrinth, and the other team to collect the materials they needed, but she was leaving the actual organization up to Knightstar and Backbreaker. They could handle things on the front lines for a day or two without her.

The swamp on Floor 57 was way off the beaten path. There were no dungeons nearby and the closest town was a few hours walk. Times like this were when Sprint came in handy. It dramatically cut down on time spent traversing long sections of the Floors. Floor 57 was a good deal smaller than Floor 1 because Aincrad slowly tapered up, but it was still a large area to travel.

The swamp slowed Bladescape down. She couldn’t sprint through it, especially when she was on the hunt for a creature. All reports had come in with only a few being spawned at a time, which would make missing them a lot easier. As well as making hunting longer.

She needed 30 pieces of their hides. No one had drop information on them. They could drop a single hide, or they could drop 10 to a creature. It was a complete unknown. Bladescape was ready for the long haul of killing 30 or more of them.

Her Search skill helped Bladescape navigate through the swamp with as little time spent fighting the giant flies and weird toad creatures in the swamp as necessary. She finally got to the center of the swamp around 9am, which wasn’t bad considering how early she had left. That and she had needed to buy a lot of standard sacks before she started.

Her Search skill picked up something surfacing in the water. It looked like a shark head, and it was coming towards her. Bladescape didn’t have the Swim Skill. Drowning would be a horrible way to die. That was assuming something in the water didn’t kill her while she was defenseless.

The grey shark head rose out of the water, connected to a large, upright body. As it came out of the water, Bladescape gulped. This was not going to be easy going solo against such a creature. Ironically she also knew it would be hard to have more than two players on the patches of land in the swamp. The only Wondercolt who would be advantageous to have with her would be Astro for her spear’s reach, but she should already be in the Labyrinth by now and thus, unreachable.

Bladescape backed up to give the Dagannoth more room to come onto the land. He was bigger than she expected. The smiling shark head was only carrying a single row of large needle like teeth. A set of large spikes stuck out from its spine. Its thickly muscled arms were almost dragging on the ground and they ended with a pair of large, wicked looking claws. It leaned forward as it walked because of its heavy arms and a short, bony tail swing behind it, attached to its body above its hips. The whole thing looked like it stalked the floor of the swamp more than it swam. If it even could swim.

Bladescape nervously rolled the hilt of Harmonic Salvation in her palms as she waited for it to approach. The Dagannoth stabbed at Bladescape with its claws. Weapon Defense handled the stab fine and Bladescape leapt into it with Rapture. It barely took off any HP.

Bladescape ducked into a roll as soon as the delay was over, narrowly avoiding its stab. It was a very quick jab and those claws were not going to be fun to be hit with. Bladescape broke a vial of strong poison onto Harmonic Salvation. She jumped in with a simple stab. The blade pierced the hide well enough to register a transfer of poison.

She jumped back from the Dagannoth, once again narrowly avoiding the claws. Twice was all she got as another quick stab came in. The claws jabbed into her shoulder. They hurt, but there were no extra effects. It was just a lot of pain. Bladescape had fought through plenty of pain in this death game by now.

She was close enough to unleash Heaven Splitter and stagger the beast back. A green skull appeared above its health bar, indicating that it was taking some poison DOT. The health bar was barely going down from her strikes. Its hide protected it very well. It would certainly make worthy armor for Bladescape, assuming she completed the task.

Strike, block, cut, dodge, hit taken, cut, block, lunge, dodge, reset, lunge, block, cut.

Bladescape kept up her clash with the creature. She had just enough agility to avoid enough of the hits. Cuts did significantly less damage to the Dagannoth than a strong stab. She had to get the blade in deep enough to go past the hide. The high-level poison was activated, but it was slow because of the massive health of the creature. Bladescape was still happy to have it working in the background.

Twenty minutes later, the Dagannoth was finally reduced to polygons. Bladescape was panting heavily. She stuck her sword into the ground for extra stability as she recovered. Her Battle Regeneration Skill kept her from going into the red, but she fought most of that battle in the yellow and drank several potions. The biggest problem was maneuvering on the little land she had. There were a few times where she knowingly had to take the hit in order to land a solid blow on the creature.

Bladescape looked at the drop list. It was a great XP and decent Col., but what mattered was the two hides she got from it. That dropped her to only needing 28 more, and with the weight of each hide, it was a very good thing that Bladescape had Extended Weight Carry as a skill. Her regular strength stats would carry her a good way without the Skill, but she wasn’t Backbreaker. Bladescape was certain she had Diemond and Joltron beat for strength, still. AFCK was also a close runner up, but the rest were not strength-based fighters.

Bladescape’s Search Skill found the next creature approaching. She downed a health potion, which she had forgotten to do earlier, and applied a paralyzer poison to her blade. It was a risk, but she was going to try and ram her blade into its chest and instill a penalty to its attack speed. Doombunny was good, Colorra provided a strong base, and they had branched to use other materials, but there were creatures even they couldn't inflict penalties or DOTs on.

The next Dagannoth came out of the water and it was game on. Bladescape dodged low, avoiding the claw stab and put everything she had into the attack, running the beast through the chest to the hilt of Harmonic Salvation. It couldn’t get at her that close, but Bladescape couldn’t attack with her blade stuck in its chest.

Bladescape pulled the blade out and got a real look at the HP gauge. It had a lightning bolt symbol above it, indicating paralyses. The swipe with the claws didn’t give any indication of the paralyses working though. Bladescape maneuvered to a better position and applied a heavy-duty poison to her blade.

Her next lunge in was strong, putting a third of her blade into the Dagannoth. It earned her the business end of the claws, but it was survivable. The stabs were fast, but they were the only sequence Bladescape had been attacked with.

The second one only took 15 minutes, but 15 minutes was still an excruciatingly long time for a solo fight on a single monster. It required focus and endurance that was unyielding and unforgiving. It would be easy to slip up and be pounded into polygons, forever lost.

There were no known safe zones in the area, forcing Bladescape to stay in the field. Noon came and she was able to sit down and eat. She just had to wait for more to spawn. It gave her rest; uneasy rest, but at least it was better than nothing.

The next one surfaced. However, this one was not the same as the others. Large green spines ran from its head to its tail. A tail that was much longer and better defined than the others. It stood a lot taller as well, showing off his green underbelly. If that wasn't bad enough, the claws were also a lot bigger.

Three health bars showed up along with its name, Bulcalla Dagannoth Supreme. Bladescape rolled her sword in her palm nervously. This was a flag mob. She had dragged out a boss monster by killing just 12 regular Dagannoths.

And, she had to solo it. Bladescape wasn’t running. Her HP had been topped off for a while. All Bladescape had to do to get ready was to apply a new poison to her blade. She still had several left over from the extras she had gotten from Doombunny.

“RAWR!!!” Bladescape yelled as she charged.

Like the others, a stab was going to be the best way to deliver any real damage. Also like she had established early on, a full stab was the best way to deliver the poison. Bladescape dropped under the jab and ran him through.

She pulled the blade out and jumped back. Bladescape was knocked to the ground from a swipe. She had stupidly expected the boss to run off the same attack algorithms as the regular variants. A rookie mistake.

Bladescape scrambled up and hobbled back out of the way of the stab. She pulled out a health potion from her healing pouch at her waist and fumbled it because her shoulder was numb. It shattered on the ground because it was dropped from high enough. Bladescape dove out of the way of the next attack. It gave her the moment she needed to get a potion and drink it. It was better safe than sorry. She couldn’t rely on her battle healing skill too much in a boss fight.

The next swipe of the claws Bladescape activated Weapon Defense and with a twirl she knocked the claws away. It allowed her the opportunity to lunge in. Bladescape was more cautious of her exit and blocked another swipe. She didn’t dive right back in. She would have to figure out a better strategy. One that allowed for a steady, but safe, whittling down of his HP.

Fifteen minutes didn’t even bring a health bar down. She took down a sixth of his HP. Slow and steady might win the race, but a marathon was always exhausting, no matter how quickly it was run.

Bladescape dove out of the way of the raging Dagannoth. She came out of her roll behind him and lunged. It was a really good hit. She pulled out the blade and Bulcalla Dagannoth Supreme charged her again. Bladescape used a spinning defensive skill, Cyclone, that also moved her to the side. She blocked the swipe from the claws and unleashed a nasty gash up the back side and then Bladescape connected Sword Skills before the delay kicked in and she unleashed Avalanche.

The boss staggered. Bladescape’s delay ended before his stagger did. She unleashed Volcanic Eruption. It wasn’t enough. Bladescape took a swipe from the claws while she was in the delay. It knocked her clean to the side.

Bladescape rolled a bit and then tumbled into the water. It was shallow, but the mud was sucking her in. Bladescape saw her health had dipped to the red. She grabbed a crystal, yelled “heal,” and crawled out of the mud. It was a good thing she healed herself with the crystal. The foot came down on her exposed back, dealing damage as it slammed down and pinned her on her belly.

Bladescape wasn’t out of tricks. With her free hand, she got out a few throwing picks. It was a horrible angle, but with the skill triggered, she flipped three at the face of the Dagannoth. Two stuck in and caused Bulcalla to reel back, freeing her.

Bladescape jumped up and rammed Harmonic Salvation into Bulcalla Dagannoth Supreme. She drew it out, rotating so her back was to the boss. The boss took the bait and Bladescape unleashed Back Rush. It countered the swipe and Bladescape unleashed Double Infinity. The slashes did minimal damage, but the prize was the center stab. It was stronger than battering ram, and it was all she needed to finish the fight.

Bladescape dropped to the ground. The time was at one hour, forty-seven minutes. Almost a two-hour solo battle with no breaks, no relief, no back up. Bladescape rolled over and sat up enough to view her reward.

It took her to level 79, and it gained her a massive amount of Col. Col she didn’t have to share with a party. Some was automatically taken to the guild storage, but the rest was all hers. She had reaped 20 of the 30 hides she needed. The boss dropped 20 of its own. A third more than what she needed was dropped by the boss she had to kill after luring it out. But it was over.

Bladescape wasn’t going to waste a teleport crystal. She could walk so she healed up and began to hike out of the swamp. It wasn’t hard. She had to fight a few monsters on the way out, but after the Dagannoths it was easy.

Bladescape stopped at the edge of the swamp. She was on a narrow strip of land and had been for a while. Ahead, the exit of the swamp opened up to the fields where she could sprint to the next town, but it was flanked by two large trees. Search had picked up four players hiding behind them. They were good at hiding, but they were not Doombunny.

“I know you two are there,” Bladescape said, intentionally leaving two of them out to give herself an edge. “Come out and announce what business you have trying to hide there.”

Two figures in black clothes and short black ponchos, which were ragged and worn, stepped out. Their heads were concealed deep in their hoods but above them their orange cursors were clear. One had most of his face wrapped, but both wore the same, stupid grin on their face. It was not the kind of stupid grin Klein wore.

One wiped his nose and on the back of his wrapped hand was a black marking. A coffin with the lid open. A skeleton arm was hanging out and a laughing face was on the face of the lid.

Laughing Coffin, the murder guild.

“So,” Bladescape asked, flashing her own sly grin. “Am I a random catch our am I long sought-after prey?”

One chuckled deeply. “You wish. You stumbled upon us. But that won’t matter. You won’t be around to report us.”

Bladescape put her hands on her hip. She didn’t move to draw her sword. She knew there were two more. She had to outwit them. One hand was on a slim pouch. It had a butterfly neatly stitched on the top. Bladescape could feel it. Inside that pouch was three vials; each was filled with a high-level anti-drug mix that Doombunny had said should protect her from high level drugs like poison and paralyzing agents. Her other hand was by her throwing picks. Thankfully she had refreshed them on her outside pouch.

One of them drew a thin short sword. The other had a long knife. They both had drugs on their blades. Bladescape recognized the special shine. She had seen it on Doombunny's blades plenty of times.

Bladescape took a step back, trying to look as scared as she could. She needed enough time to pop the vial into her mouth. The picks would help buy her that time. The terrain also would allow her to face them one by one.

Bladescape’s plan wasn’t to kill them. She had a single paralyzer left. A strong one. She would cut them or run them through with her blade laced with it and drop them before they could drop her. One on four wasn’t a good statistic. Time was against her.

Bladescape took a few extra steps back and they tensed up. They knew she was faking. Bladescape switched tactics and deliberately pulled out the vial from the pouch, bring it to her lips and drank it. She dropped the empty vial and pulled her sword off her back with the same hand. She wasn’t moving her left hand from the throwing picks. She sunk the tip of her sword into the soft ground and pulled out the paralyzer potion.

They caught on too late and Bladescape applied it. She charged, blade forward, bracing the hilt on her arm to compensate for the weight in a single hand. Bladescape flipped out two throwing picks. They nailed the first and he dropped in a stream of curses.

The second faltered at the reaction of his friend dropping. He wasn’t expecting him to go down, paralyzed. Bladescape jumped in, and landed, skipping back. The short sword missed because Bladescape baited him into striking.

Bladescape drove Harmonic Salvation into his shoulder. It went clear through, forcing Bladescape to kick him off of it. The second target had the paralysis tag over his HP bar, which had dropped halfway down from the stab.

“Now for you two,” Bladescape spat. “I’ll let you run, but I won’t run. Your choice. You have five seconds to decide.”

Both stepped out. One had a skull mask on and glowing red eyes. He carried an estoc. The other was wearing black on black and had an inverse symbol of their coffin guild tag. He carried a short spear which had several nasty thorns on it to give maximum DOT.

Bladescape walked forward slowly, seeing their intent. The one with the spear jumped in first. Bladescape saw the attack coming, sidestepping the thrust she was familiar with because of Astro, and slicing at his legs as he passed. One was severed clean off and the red player couldn’t catch himself with both the paralysis and the missing leg working against him.

“Well, you are smarter than those three,” The one with red eyes said behind his skull mask. “I am guessing that the armor you wear isn’t a fluke. Blue of that color with skills like that, well that could only mean you are part of that girl guild, the horse one, WCS.”

“Yep,” Bladescape grinned. “And you found the wrong prey today. Intentional or not, you tried to ambush me as soon as you discovered my approach. Your spearman could use work. It was sloppy and I saw it coming before the Sword Skill was even triggered.”

His laugh was piercing. It was pure evil. “So you have some tricks at your disposal and you are well trained in combat. I guess we need to make sure Kurayaro actually knows how to fight a member of the Assault Team. The cursor above you may be green, but I know deep down, you want to kill. Everyone does. You want to kill, to control, to be the best. This game isn’t going to give you that unless you break from the mold. Clearing won’t get you that.”

He chuckled some more. “Sweetheart, what is your name?”

Bladescape glanced behind her to make sure they were skill incapacitated. “Bladescape. You?”

“XaXa. Red Eye XaXa. You have that glint in your eye. You know real power. And you want it again.”

Bladescape took in a deep breath, trying to resist tensing up. It wasn’t working. He was right. There were nights where she wanted the ability to control all of the players, to turn them into her own army that could storm every Floor, beat every boss, and then take over Ruby Palace and clear the game. She had kept that a secret from the others. But if Red Eye Xaxa could see it, was she more transparent than she thought?

Bladescape saw the crown in her hands once again. The moment before she put it on her head and became the monster. The same dark lust began to surface.

But then she felt the necklace Diemond had made her, pressing into her chest. One hand moved up to touch it. It was a very close copy of the geode she had gotten from their adventure in Camp Everfree. A piece of Light power. Power granted to her for good, for the person she had become.

Bladescape let that feeling wash over her. She gripped Harmonic Salvation tight and set both hands on the hilt.

“Have you met my friend?” Bladescape asked. “Harmonic Salvation. I walked that line before, that is true. But that was my past. And my past is not today. I didn’t dive into SAO to regain any of that. As soon as this death game started, my mind didn’t go there. It went to how I could protect and save every single player I could. I’m still holding onto that. But I won’t stoop to your level and cut you down. I will put you in your place.”

Bladescape could see XaXa grin under the skull mask. Bladescape leaned forward to jump. She leapt, but it wasn’t straight at him. It was at an angle. The Sword Skill was simple slash. XaXa didn’t move as her blade slashed at him.

CLING!

The estoc blocked her sword and then stabbed at her, impacting in her right shoulder. XaXa was fast. Incredibly fast. Bladescape’s heart rate shot through the roof but she stopped herself with decently steady feet. The estoc rammed into her thigh, once again piercing her in less than a second.

But the drawback of an estoc was its range. It was a very close up weapon, being about the same length as a short sword. It also lacked an edge, making it suitable only for piercing. It was effective against a lot of armor types, but that was about it.

XaXa couldn’t avoid the bash to his face from Bladescape’s pommel. Her blade was up above her shoulder, allowing Bladescape to activate Avalanche. It was targeted at his leg and Harmonic Salvation cut through it with ease.

Bladescape took a few steps back. She didn’t drop her guard. She gave them her orders. “If I were you, I would head to Marten, unarmed, and surrender yourself. You have a lot of guts trying to pull the shit you are. That is something that will come back to haunt you if you continue on this path.”

XaXa laughed victoriously. “You don’t have the guts to strike us down. You are not a real player.”

“A real player knows when to fight and when not to,” Bladescape shot back. “A real player knows when they are beat. When they step out of line, a real player rights that wrong. A real player is so much more than you understand. Courteous is one attribute I can think of.”

Bladescape reached into her crystal pouch. She pulled out a blue crystal and looked at it. She didn’t use it though. Instead, Bladescape began to walk towards the closest village and its safety.

XaXa and the other Laughing Coffin members wouldn’t get her to run, but they wouldn’t jump her either. She would move quicker when the time came. In the meantime as she walked, Bladescape sent a warning out to the members of the guilds she knew. She targeted the ones on the front lines today. The Wondercolts’ message could wait. Within minutes, the entire Floor and forward camp at Marten would be aware of Laughing Coffin being nearby.

A message from Klein came back immediately. WHAT! ARE YOU OKAY?

I’m fine. I paralyzed them all before they knew what was happening. I caught their presence in time. They didn’t jump me as planned. I’ve got a crystal ready if they decide to go for round two.

Bladescape messaged Knightstar. LC tried to jump me. I paralyzed them. I’m fine. I got the Dagannoth hides. On to the stones.

Knightstar kept it simple. Understood. Glad you are okay. We finished our shopping.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 68 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 71 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 74 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK (PP): Lvl 71 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 71 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 68 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 71 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 68 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 68 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 72 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 32 - Blue Stones

Floor 22 – Front Line 58

March 26

Bladescape exited the NPC shop in Coral, the main settlement on the quiet 22nd Floor. It was late in the evening with a nice sunset coming through the slits in Aincrad between the Floors. She had come straight here from Floor 57.

Up to that point, Bladescape had spent a total of three days on the Floor, and all three were during the radically short time it took to clear the docile floor. Almost no monsters appeared and it had no dungeons, bosses, or quests, that she knew of. It was a Floor of Lakes and woods. Perfect for fishing and wood crafting. Backbreaker came to this Floor to fish.

The NPC shop did not have any Blue Stones. It was no surprise, but it was a decent place to start. Bladescape was not sure where else to go except to the inn for rest. She was dragging from her time hunting the Dagannoths. The encounter with Laughing Coffin was also a big emotional weight to be carrying.

A commotion from the players in the hamlet caused Bladescape to search her surroundings better. Her Search Skill hadn't picked up anything dangerous. Finally, she saw a large snake was making its way by a group of players, minding its own business and headed in Bladescape's general direction. The scales suddenly shimmered like a rainbow as the sun caught them just right.

"And just what do you think you are doing‽"

Bladescape leaped as she twisted around to face the voice that had come from behind her. She even drew her sword. Her nerves were on edge more than she thought, which was no surprise considering what had happened only a few short hours prior.

Split in her vision by her blade was Doombunny. A very angry Doombunny. Her arms were crossed and brow furrowed as she waited for an answer. Except Bladescape didn't know what she had asked. Colorra circled around Doombunny and slithered up her master to perch on her shoulders and torso.

"Well?" Doombunny demanded.

"You scared me," Bladescape panted. She was still very tense and hadn't even lowered her sword. She couldn’t. "I don't know what you asked."

"I asked you what you are doing here?" Doombunny said, annoyed she had to repeat her question.

A crowd of ten or so players had formed. Half were clearly fishermen, the other wood crafters. They probably had never seen this much "excitement" in their little town.

"I'm here collecting materials," Bladescape fired back, annoyed. "The bigger question is what are you doing here! You're supposed to be with Knightstar, Lessa, and Diemond! You also are under safety restrictions to be with two guild members at all times."

Doombunny huffed. "We heard from Knightstar that you had been jumped by orange players. It didn't take me long to hear who exactly it was who jumped you." Doombunny didn't say Laughing Coffin. She didn't want to disrupt the small-time folks who were just trying to survive in SAO. Floor 22 was quiet and a perfect place to live while waiting SAO's clearing out. "I'm not dumb. I skipped out and tracked you here to provide you back up. You got the hides you needed, now it's on to non-combat items. Colorra and I will be helping you and backing you up. And there is nothing you can do about it."

Doombunny had a high Search level. She could track players, especially friends. It was an in-system ability that the higher rankings of the Search Skill provided. Bladescape had been able to do it for a while.

Bladescape lowered her sword and then shakily put it away. She pulled up her menu and sent a message to Knightstar that Doombunny had arrived to join her, and that the others needed to stay on task.

"Fine," Bladescape said, sending a party request. "You can stay. I have to spend the night here. I had one hell of a time hunting the Dagannoths and their flag boss."

"You soloed a flag boss‽" Doombunny said, shocked. Her anger had subsided since she had won.

Bladescape nodded. "I didn't have a choice, and the ground in the swamp didn't give me a lot of room to work with. At most, I could have had another player with me. I unexpectedly ran into the orange players. They weren't hunting me. It was a big mistake on their part. I knocked them down a few pegs."

"Wow" a fisherman said. "You took down a boss on your own?"

Bladescape shrugged. "I won't lie, it wasn't easy. But I'm up at the top as one of the clearers for a reason. And I wasn't going to waste a teleport crystal and then work all the way back to where I was a few hours later with some back up."

"Then what are you doing down here?" another asked.

"I need to acquire a large amount of Blue Stones for a crafting project," Bladescape explained. "And not stones that are blue, but the item called Blue Stones. Floor 22 was where I was told to start looking. I was told to look all along the edges of the lakes."

"Yeah, they are here," he confirmed. "But they are spread out. If you need a lot, you will have to search for a while, across the whole Floor."

"Maybe," Bladescape said, a sly grin growing on her face. "But maybe you and others would be willing to help me. I'll pay you at least 5,000 Col per full bag. The price may go up if it proves to be harder to gather all the stones I need."

Bladescape opened her menu and pulled out a small sack. "This is the size of the sacks I need filled up with the stones. I'll leave 20 here and you guys can see what you can rope up nearby. Me and my friend will head further out to see what we can drag up. I'll be back in 3 days, and we can trade here."

"You'll pay 5k for that small sack being filled with Blue Stones? I'm in!"

The others around were as well. Bladescape handed out sacks and then went to the inn. She would hand out more sacks in the morning if other players decided to make some easy money. The news would pass around soon enough.

The inn only had one room available to rent. Doombunny and Bladescape had to double up. It felt good to have another body in the bed, as small as it was.

The morning brought several more stone hunters. She passed out the bags and then the two of them were off. Since Doombunny didn't have Sprint, it was a much slower hike than what Bladescape could do on her own. It brought both frustration and contentment at having someone to watch her back. Doombunny wasn’t straying far as she hunted for the stones. She was always in sight.

They came across one of the small streams that provided the lakes with fresh water. Doombunny picked up a small stone from the myriad of others at the bottom.

"Here's one," Doombunny said. "Reveal isn't just a Skill against other players and animals. It also allows me to find specific items."

Bladescape's heart both stopped and moved to the pit of her stomach. The stone was no bigger than a marble. If that was the size of the stone, and she needed 80 bags, this would be a huge task.

"Here," Bladescape said, extending the bag. "Put it in here."

"What's wrong?" Doombunny sweetly asked.

"I need 80 of these bags."

"Oh my," Doombunny said with her sweet voice. "Well I am sure that was just a baby stone. Oh shoot! Now I sound like Pinkie Pie going off about stones and their families."

Both of them had a good laugh. AFCK was convinced that in this virtual world, rocks had a family, they grew up, had babies, and after they died, they were supposed to be harvested like a vegetable. There had been no references even hinting at that, but it wasn't something they could fix, even with logic. Some of AFCK's neural networks were locked into infinite loops of false or illogical thinking patterns, but all of them had to have their own patterns set by the shock of it all and what this game actually meant. Every single player alive had to have their own logical pitfalls they were stuck in because of the nerve gear.

They began to search the stream further. Bladescape found a Blue Stone that fit in the palm of her hand. It wasn't some tiny pebble. There was hope that this task would not take too long.

Every Wondercolt carried a sleeping kit for use in the field. They now had to keep watch if they rested, running shifts, but they still carried it as standard gear. Search helped reduce the chance of being jumped. At higher levels, they could set a field up so that if the distance was broken, an alarm woke them up.

They camped out overnight and continued their search in the morning. The had gathered a good 10 bags from the first stream. Each stream they came across had other stones, varying in size and quantity.

They traveled away from Coral, almost to the boundaries of the wall. There was a lake that backed the outer wall of Aincrad. The water calmly lapped against smooth stone shores. There were plenty of blue stones dotted around, but it wasn't going to be enough.

"Sunset!" Doombunny called excitedly from further down the shore. "Under us is a whole bunch of the stones! Just waiting to be uncovered."

Bladescape began digging, tossing aside the regular stones with little care. After a good 8 inches were cleared away, there was plenty of stones hidden. They filled up 50 sacks just on that jackpot alone. They almost had what they needed.

"What are you going to do about the others hunting stones for you?" Doombunny asked as they bedded down for the second night.

"I'll pay them, as promised," Bladescape yawned. "They don't know how many I need; they also don't know many we acquired. Bringing back extra won't be a problem either."

"Good point."

The second night was a lot more peaceful as the shore gently lapping at the rocks helped calm them down with its lullaby. Bladescape slept an extra few hours because of it. The morning sun, slipping in from between the floors, still made sure they were awake by its gentle, but piercing, rays of warmth.

The hike back was quiet, uneventful, and beautiful. The vast lakes, hills, and forests made it one of the prettiest Floors designed by Akihiko Kayaba and his team. This death game was still a game at its core, despite what it had been turned into.

They got back to Coral in the late afternoon on day three. News of their arrival sparked the fishermen and wood crafters to come and present their bags of Blue Stones while Bladescape and Doombunny ate dinner in the local NPC restaurant. It was the only NPC place to eat in the small village.

Bladescape paid full price for a filled bag. Others brought in sacks only half filled, or even less, their luck being lower than others. Bladescape paid what she thought was a fair amount for their harvest and the players of Coral made some easy money. In the end, Bladescape had 89 bags of Blue Stones.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 68 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 71 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 74 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK (PP): Lvl 71 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 71 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 68 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 71 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 68 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 68 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 72 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 33 - Flowers

Floor 47 – Front Line 58

March 30

Floor 47 – Front Line 58 – March 30

Floor 47, Floria, was a beautiful landscape of vibrant colors, flowers, and flowering monsters. NPCs tended all of the beautiful gardens in the city. The main city was filled with couples enjoying the semi romantic feel of the Floor's safe zone. At least, it only felt a little romantic to Bladescape. She was focused on clearing the game and didn't have time to spend on that sort of thing. It left her with a twinge of jealousy, because she couldn't enjoy the beauty of the floor the same way they were.

Doombunny didn't seem all that interested in the scenery; not even the butterflies. She had been keeping close to Bladescape and had been very protective of her. On Floor 22, it hadn't been that strange, but with the butterflies flittering right in front of her, her behavior was decidedly odd.

"Fluttershy?" Bladescape asked. "Are you okay?"

"Mhm. Why?"

"Um, well, you have butterflies right in front of you and you aren't trying to play with them or entice them to land on your finger. It's like they aren't there."

"Well, I know they are there, but their virtual existence isn't something I need to protect."

Bladescape sighed, frustrated. "Look, Fluttershy, I-"

"I know what you're trying to do," Doombunny interrupted. Her soft voice had a cold edge that was assertive and firm. "I'm Doombunny in here. Fluttershy is sleeping in the real world. And now, getting home, it just got a whole lot tougher with Laughing Coffin running around. I've been stocking up, working to make as many countermeasures as possible. Stronger, better ones than I gave you guys. We are going to need them. I have a really bad feeling about it all.

"Your run in with them was unexpected. I know that. But it still doesn't change anything. My friend came under direct attack. This death game has us all. Plenty have died because of that man's choice to turn this beautiful, amazing piece of engineering, creativity, and art into this. But he didn't directly attack any players. He told us to conquer and we could be free. All of us, without any catch. Without harming us in any way. I know the tally is over 3,000 players dead.

"But Laughing Coffin is different. They broke that code we held so dear. They intentionally made this a real death game. They are a different evil than we have ever faced. I know you survived. I know you can handle yourself. But it was too close of a call for me to not break protocol and join your side as you continue to gather what you need."

Bladescape embraced Doombunny. "Thanks Doom. You're an absolutely amazing friend to have. Both on and off the battlefield. In the real world and the virtual world. You've helped me stay grounded in here."

"My ears are always open if you need someone to talk to."

The hug finished and they once again surveyed the area.

"Do you know what we are looking for exactly?" Doombunny asked.

"Sort of. I know they are in the north fields and golden in color. I only need their petals. And I know that they are outside any safe zones."

"Well then, we should get going," Doombunny said. "I doubt we need to worry about any of the monsters here. Not at our levels. But we shouldn't drop our guard."

"Never drop your guard," Bladescape affirmed.

They departed north. It was an easy walk as they went through the fields. Out of Floria, the flowers were not kept by anyone and grew wildly. A larger variety were sewn between the various monsters that popped up. There were a lot of grabby vines, lapping tongues, and chomping teeth as they popped out of the ground. They didn’t stand a chance though. It was just a stroll on a beautiful day through the park, with the need for a blade only every so often.

Soon enough they reached the area Bladescape had been told to look. The entire field was covered in Giganthum flowers. Hundreds, laid out in golden orbs on a field of dark green. Bladescape walked over to the first Golden flower. It looked like a water Lilly, but on dry ground. It had no stalk and only a few green leaves spread out under the petals, lying on the ground, fighting for sunlight with the other flowers.

Bladescape bent down to pick the flower. As she grabbed it, a puff of golden gas sparkled out. Bladescape choked on it and reeled back, waving her hand in front of her face to clear the air of its pungent smell. The smell wasn't the only thing she had to worry about as she dropped right where she was and passed out.

Bladescape woke up with Doombunny cradling her head. Her health bar was down into the yellow. Her head was foggy as she tried to wake up.

“Doombunny?” Bladescape groggily asked.

"Oh good!" Doombunny exclaimed, pulling Bladescape's head into her chest, hugging her tight.

"I can't breathe," Bladescape wheeze.

"Oh!" Doombunny exclaimed, letting her go. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. You tried to pick the flower and then you fainted. You were poisoned by it. I had to use a crystal on you, my potions didn't work."

"Thanks," Bladescape groaned. "But how will we get the flower now? None of my information has anything about the flowers being poisonous."

Bladescape stayed with her head in Doombunny’s lap and pulled up her menu. She sent a pointed message to Argo. One came right back stating she had not heard anything about poison flowers.

"How are we going to get them now?" Bladescape asked Doombunny. "I probably should message Ashley."

"Um, well, I have an idea," Doombunny said.

"Yeah?" Bladescape asked, looking up at Doombunny.

"Well, the Beast Tamer Charms, the ring, Mirror Familiar, Colorra can't be poisoned. She is marked in the system as being resistant to all drugs. We tested it the other day with Knightstar. Tested me that is. Have a crystal ready, but I should be able to retrieve the flower petals, without getting hurt."

Bladescape smiled at Doombunny. "Alright. Go for it. I guess I shouldn't have tried to do this alone."

"I don't get what the big deal is," Doombunny said. "I know Diemond can't make you what you want, but why does that mean you have to solo collect everything? You have been better with me as your partner."

Bladescape sighed, letting all the breath out before taking a new one and explaining. "Yeah. But I was trying to avoid bringing anyone into it. It's for me, and it's not something Diemond can make for me, but not because of skill. I'm don't like that I have to have armor made for me that isn't from my friend. She worked so hard to get where she is, but she doesn't know enough about the more exotic materials to know how to combine them. The ones that only exist in Aincrad. The apprenticeship is great for her, but there are so many different types of materials that can be made into countless other items and equipment. She's out of her league as a first timer. I feel bad about all of this."

Doombunny was sweet, but frank. "Well, Diemond doesn't see it that way, so neither should you. She cares more about our safety than who makes the equipment. She loves to do it, and will whenever possible. But she isn't dumb enough to risk our lives over her pride.

"So I am going to go pick those flowers so we can be done with this."

Bladescape pulled out a green crystal and watched. The flowers puffed their toxic pollen, but Doombunny wasn’t affected by anything more than the smell. It was not a fun smell. They were playing it safe. Doombunny cleared a wide path so that if something went wrong, Bladescape could get to her without being poisoned. Other than that, picking them was easy, but then Doombunny had to fill a sack. And they needed 30 sacks. Doombunny had to go back to Bladescape to get more sacks and repeat the process multiple times before they finally filled 30.

Most of the day had been spent on the flowers. It wouldn’t be a long walk back. They just needed the flax thread. Another easy task, but this one had more players using it with no known risks, outside of boredom.

Bladescape messaged Ashley: Dagannoth hides acquired, Blue Stones picked, Giganthum Flower Petals captured. I just have the flax to get. Also, the flowers are extremely poisonous.

A message came back a minute later. Wonderful. Although I just discovered a stronger threading I can make. But it would require you to go to Floor 42 and capture the silk of the Star Spiders. They inhabit the Castle of the Two Kings in the south east forest. The choice is yours, but the spider thread will be better.

Bladescape sighed and turned to Doombunny. “Looks like we are detouring from flax thread to go for spider silk. Floor 42, in the Castle of the Two Kings.”

“Okay,” Doombunny shrugged.

The walk back was easy. Bladescape and Doombunny had been tracking a party of 6 coming along the path. The area was pretty flat with a slight roll to it. They were on the top of one of those rolls, giving them a great view of the area. Every so often a monster popped up and the party they were watching fought it. Everything looked normal. It wasn't the first party they had run into. But they kept their vigil anyway.

As they approached each other on the clear path the party fanned out instead of shifting to either side of the path to courteously pass. They were all green cursors and no one else was in the direct area. They were not Laughing Coffin. Their gear was normal with no excess black. And their faces were visible.

"Well," a male, the obvious party leader, said. "Didn't expect to meet you here. It's tough to be a solo player at this level."

Doombunny was right next to Bladescape. She could see her, but apparently the others couldn't. Bladescape was not going to reveal her existence.

"What is a solo player doing out here?" He asked.

"Hunting materials," Bladescape said back, as kindly as possible.

Something was up, but they could just be spooked about meeting a solo player on this path. The stigma about solo playing and being a Beta Tester had mostly gone away, reduced to a nuisance. Like a fly buzzing around your head. Still, players like Kirito had a lot of the stigma hanging around them. And Bladescape was well armed and ready for battle. She was probably putting off the wrong vibe.

"What does this Floor have to offer someone like yourself?"

"Flower petals," Bladescape shrugged. "For a project. They can be used to make a die for fabric."

"Is that right?" He asked, surprised. "Easy to get?"

"If you know what you are doing," Bladescape nodded. "But dangerous if you don't."

"Not something easy to buy though?"

Bladescape was done talking. "What is the point of this? I have things to do."

"Okay, you can go," He shrugged. "But!" Bladescape froze in mid step. "But it's 6 on 1. Just hand over your Col and the Flowers and that will cover the toll."

"So it is going to play out like that," Bladescape said, letting her annoyance shine through. "Let me pass or you will regret it. "I bet it took you a while for you all to be green again, didn't it? Better green than dead. And if I hear about your guild roughing up other players, I will come back and haul you to jail myself."

"He he," he chuckled deeply. "You won't have any proof. And you don't know who we are."

Bladescape grinned slyly. "Your guild symbol is a green H on a pinkish purple background. Your Guild tag is HAM. I can hunt you down anytime I want."

The two HAM members on the flanks drew their weapons and advanced. One carried a spear while the other used a curved sword and small shield. Their approach was cautious, intentionally putting pressure on her to make her submit before things got nasty.

Bladescape sighed, crossing her arms. "Do your worst. I'm ready."

Bladescape didn't reach for her sword. She just stood there. A tense three seconds later the spear was thrust into her. The curved blade shined blue and ran her through. Bladescape didn't flinch. They were not killers. At least, not real killers. Two more charged in and the four of them began to hack away at her HP. Bladescape let it go down, counting the seconds. As soon as ten seconds hit her HP gauge shot back up to full.

Her attackers, who now had orange cursors, stepped back. Bladescape shrugged. They looked over her, trying to figure out what to do. They jumped in again, the fifth member joining them. Their leader was the only one not attacking and because of it, he still had a green cursor. Once again they chipped away at her HP, this time for longer. But what they could throw at her was still less than her Battle Regeneration skill auto regenerated during combat.

Bladescape purposefully did a big yawn as they attacked her, even going as far as to cover her mouth and stretch. She still didn't reach for her weapon.

"You know," Bladescape shrugged. "I still have some material to gather. This task was supposed to be easy. I guess I'll have to sidetrack from that for a bit."

"What do you mean!" their leader demanded. "What do you mean by sidetrack!"

"The Black Iron Palace has a prison for players like you. The Army runs it. I hear you get three meals a day, all the nap time you want, and you are protected from monsters."

He took a few steps back and then turned to bolt to the nearest safe zone. He tripped and fell flat on his face, unable to catch himself.

"Good girl, Colorra," Doombunny said. She had moved out of the way and was just standing there in the open, playing with a knife in her left hand. The snake kept a tight squeeze on the leader's legs and pulled itself upright, hissing a warning and baring its fangs.

Doombunny was lightning fast. She was faster than Bladescape remembered, and a lot faster than the HAM members could handle. They toppled as the paralyzer took effect. All of their HP's took a good-sized hit from the cuts. Doombunny was far above their levels and her weapons were now top notch.

"Now what?" Doombunny asked Bladescape.

Bladescape let out a chuckle. "There is the temptation to let them stay here and leave them to any potential monsters. But... well... since I promised them safety in the prison, I guess we will have to hogtie them and then rope them together into a chain gang and get them there ourselves."

Doombunny nodded and Bladescape opened her menu. She always carried several coils of rope as an essential item. This was never its intended purpose. First tied was the leader. It was easy, just a click or two and they were bound up. Colorra kept watch over the leader as they trussed up the others and dragged them side by side.

"Hey!" a call came out from behind them. It was just beyond her passive search ring and they could see a ways from the small roll in the terrain. Bladescape turned and saw a party of 14 running at them. They were in a hurry, but it was only to get to them. It wasn't to fight.

"What's going on?" the same guy who called out asked.

"These players attacked us," Bladescape explained nonchalantly. "Just prepping them for transportation to prison."

"Well, their cursors are orange," he stated. He pointed at the one Colorra was watching. "Is that the leader?"

"At least for this party of six," Bladescape said. "That is why he is still green. He never tried to cut me down."

"Hey! Aren't you a clearer? Like a Wondercolt? That's their horse head symbol you wear on your armor."

"Yeah," Bladescape nodded. "I am Bladescape. And that is Doombunny."

"Hi," Doombunny nervously smiled and waved at them.

"I didn't see her there," the first one said, a bit unnerved.

"The snake," Bladescape shrugged. "Beast Tamers are legit."

"Just the two of you?" he asked.

"Getting materials," Bladescape said. "For a crafting project. But these guys thought they could take me. They didn't see her either. Once they chose to go orange, we put a stop to it so no one got hurt."

"Need help?" He asked. "We're heading back to Floria too."

Bladescape could see they were not in the same guild as the orange players.

"Yeah, we could use it," Bladescape said. "I don't want to leave them out here for the monsters to find while the paralysis wears off. Or worse, for them to prey on others."

With backup, it was easy to move them. Doombunny used antiparalysis drafts to unlock them from that shackle. They could freely move them under guard. It caused quite a disturbance as they entered Floria. Several players in their group teleported to the Town of Beginnings, including Doombunny. Then one by one, the HAM members teleported to the Town of Beginnings. If they called out another town the guy on the platform could jump there and catch up without a problem. A bound orange player trying to run through any city would be extremely noticeable. Plus, NPC guards would attack them if they were present, and they would kill them without hesitation.

Back at the Town of Beginnings they marched them from the teleport plaza towards the palace.

"I haven't been back in... ever," Bladescape said. "This place is a distant memory."

"Yeah," the leader of the guild assisting them said. "I haven't been back either. But we didn't do what you guys did. You know, taking things head on. We are lazily trying to catch up. We are raising our levels, but we don't really know if we want to fight on the front lines. It's hard enough surviving like we do."

"That is understandable," Bladescape said with a kind smile. "It isn't easy and it isn't for everyone. We have plenty of trouble at times, in our full parties. Just stay safe so that you can get out of here. We don't need more players dying on us as we work to free you."

"You have my promise that we will survive."

They were halted by several Army guards as they got to Black Iron Palace. After the situation was explained they were escorted further in. They entered a large room with a table at its head and five chairs. The accused were separated and under guard by Army soldiers. Soon enough the five members who the chairs belonged to entered. The council member on the far left was one Bladescape recognized, Kaibou. Since Floor 25’s disaster, which he led, the rest of the Aincrad Liberation Squad had teamed up with MMO Today and became the Aincrad Liberation Force, informally known as the Army.,

"I am Thinker," the one in the middle said. "I am the leader of the Aincrad Liberation Force. My second in command on my right is Yulier. We are here to hear the case and sentence the players in question. Just to be safe. We keep a tight grip on who is here and why."

"Understood and appreciated," Bladescape said with a short bow. She remembered to do that honor this time. "My name is Bladescape, the leader of the Wondercolts. With me is my guildmate Doombunny."

With their introductions finished, she launched into the explanation of their run in with the accused; the HAM guild. The other guild leader explained what he saw and what happened.

"I see," Thinker said. "Their orange cursors are undeniable. And your reputation as a clearing guild precedes you greatly. Especially your work ethic and reliability. Accused, do you have anything to say that will counteract their testimony? Anything credible?"

Their leader, still with a green cursor, went off about it not being a fair trial. When that failed, he flipped on his guild and tried to pin it on them. It was all pathetic.

"Take them away!" Thinker declared. "I think it is clear to everyone here what you are trying to do. To both guilds, thank you for your assistance. I assure you, we will keep them locked up and make sure they live out the rest of their time here in safety and they will be well taken care of. We are here to protect the everyday citizen as well as all of the players. This service is free. I wish we didn't have to provide it, but we do. However, we will barter better beds and food for their equipment and gear. We need funding somehow, and they won't be needing any of it."

"Thank you," Bladescape said with a deep bow. "Them paying for their cells sounds like a fine idea. However, I do not wish to be rude, but I have several things I still need to acquire for a project. We are upgrading my armor. I have had too many distractions by people attacking me. Unfortunately, there was no way for me to safely take in the Laughing Coffin members who decided to jump me. I just had to calmly leave the scene. They were too dangerous to handle alone."

"Understandable," Thinker said. "I was glad to hear you survived it. From what I understand, a party was formed from multiple guilds to try and bring them in, but Laughing Coffin had been long gone by the time they got to the scene. Your safety is the important part."

"I'm glad to report my safety," Bladescape replied. "I was already exhausted from hunting a high-level monster for their hide and then an angry boss for hunting them. I had no time or energy to play around. The only good thing was that they were not looking for me. Our meeting was a coincidence. Whatever they were doing, I disrupted it."

They bid their final goodbyes and thanks and departed. The other guild departed as well. Bladescape checked in with Knightstar about their status. AFCK was not in the labyrinth today. She was going to whip up a meal to thank their compatriots. They were more than happy to accept a free meal in thanks for their assistance bringing in the orange players.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 68 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 71 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 74 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK (PP): Lvl 71 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 71 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 68 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 71 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 68 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 68 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 72 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 34 - Star Spiders

Floor 42 – Front Line Floor 58

March 31 – Year 2

They were trekking through the Gnarled Forest, trying to find the ruins of the Castle of the Two Kings. Inside were the Star Spiders. Diemond was the only Wondercolt not with them. She was still training as an apprentice. After one attempted murder and an attempted armed robbery, there was no way for Bladescape to do it alone. The others wouldn’t let it happen. She had gone home to their Headquarters. If she hadn’t, then it would have been a different situation.

Their info said they would have to kill the spiders, which would drop the silk gland. There was no other way to get the silk gland. Doombunny wasn’t happy about that. She couldn’t do anything about it except help harvest them. Ashley would then carefully extract the silk from the gland in a way that she could spin it into thread.

They finally broke through the forest’s branches and snares to find themselves facing a ruined castle with two spires; one in the east and one in the west. A sharp ravine split the ground between them and the front gate. The fall was enough that they wouldn’t want to test if they could survive it. Stretched across it was an old rope bridge with sketchy wooden boards to walk across.

“I feel like I have been here before,” Bladescape said.

“Duh,” AFCK said. “You have. Or maybe you haven’t? We have though. This is almost exactly like our trip to find Nightmare Moon. Wow, that was a really long time ago.”

“Nightmare Moon?” Thunderborne asked. “Uh, we never did that.”

“Yes you have!” AFCK asserted. “I was there with you.”

Bladescape had recollections of a Nightmare Moon. A fairy tale from Equestria, and a holiday that surrounded it; Nightmare Night. Here that holiday was known as Halloween.

“Nightmare Moon?” Bladescape said. “AFCK, as in our Out of Town Friend’s Nightmare Moon? A legend from there?”

“Duh,” AFCK said again. “Why can’t you keep up? Yes, there. All of us, except for you Bladescape, went on an epic adventure there. And we have visited more often too! I found out I can play the pipe organ in the Castle of the Two Sisters.”

“AFCK,” Backbreaker said, trying to sort her out. “If we didn’t do it, but that is from that er...town. Then our friends did it, not us.”

“No,” AFCK chuckled. “We did it. If we go there, then you wouldn’t be able to tell a difference. We are them and they are us. They did it, so we did it. Like two sides of the same coin! I really hope they weren't doing anything important when we all got trapped in here.”

“AFCK,” Bladescape groaned. “No, Pinkie Pie. I mean Pinkie Pie. Pinkie, they are from another dimension. Di-men-sion. Not virtual reality. The NerveGear exists in our dimension and it can’t cross into their dimension.”

AFCK rolled her eyes. “You just don’t get it because both sides of your coin are with us, not split between Equestria and CHS.”

“Let’s just drop this,” Knightstar said, trying to fix her non-existent glasses. That nervous habit still happened. “This won’t get us anywhere.”

“I’ll go first!” Thunderborne declared. “To make sure it's safe.”

No one argued against that and Thunderborne made it across without any incident. The bridge was solid. It just looked worse than it was.

“So,” Kiefer said quietly to Bladescape after they had crossed the bridge. “Do I want a better explanation?”

Bladescape sighed. “I’ll give you the run-down as soon as we can focus. Hopefully the spiders won’t be that bad.”

They took the steps up to the double doors. The doors were solid hardwood and still intact. They pulled them open and Bladescape led them into the long hall. The roof was mostly missing. The center had a wide, red carpet rolled out to the thrones. The left throne was blue and had a moon as its symbol. The right throne was gold and had a sun symbol on the back. Each of them had separate stairs up to the throne. Above them were old tapestries that were worn and torn, each with their own symbol.

Hallways branched off to the side, mirroring each other. This throne room might be the only room that the two kings shared. The throne room had no spiders in it. The side hallways showed not just the wear and tear of the ages, but old webs as well.

They split into two parties and divided the castle. Bladescape brought AFCK, Doombunny, Backbreaker, and Kiefer. She let Astro and Thunderborne stay together. Their pair would balance out only having one tank.

Bladescape had taken her group down the sun side. The halls they walked down were as regal as the throne room. Other than the decorations, however, they didn’t have anything more than abandoned webs to indicate that the spiders were there.

The hallway opened up into a hall with a single throne. It was the Sun King’s private throne room. All along the walls were giant webs, with spiders to match their size.

The Star Spiders were simple black arachnids with a glowing blue star on the top of their abdomen. Eight eyes of the same glowing blue were on their faces. Their carapaces were smooth, with no hairs like many spiders had.

Astro and Dash were going to be able to handle their high webs very well. They could jump and run them through with ease because of Armor Pierce. Throwing Picks or Knives would bounce off their hard shells. It was a good thing Bladescape had sent them with the other party.

Some of the spiders began to rappel from their silk threads coming from their abdomens. They readied their weapons.

“I’ll go for the ones up high,” Bladescape said. “My acrobatics are not like Thunder’s but I can still get up that high.”

“Go for it,” Backbreaker said. “AFCK will back you up as well.”

“Okay!” AFCK said with a bounce. She was back to her normal self, at least on the outside. But She was getting more and more off the wall as the months went by.

Bladescape ran across the room to where the throne was. She leaped up to the wall, using it as a springboard to get to the corner. Her blade glowed and she cut half the supports, ignoring the spider on the web. She rolled and came out ready to fight. AFCK’s axe came down on the Star Spider’s head and it popped. Bladescape targeted the next one, going for it instead. It was easy to make them pop.

After the spiders were cleared out, Bladescape opened her menu. Out of it popped the main reward, the silk gland. It was about the size of a football and mostly solid in feel. They got one for each spider they killed. The exact number they needed was uncertain, so they had already chosen to hunt as many as possible. They gave decent XP and Col. They also dropped Star Spider Venom, which Doombunny could use to level up her skill.

Room by room they easily cleared the castle. Messages from the other party informed her that they were having just as easy of a time as they were. As they walked the hallways between the rooms with the spiders, Bladescape caught Kiefer up on the Wondercolts’ real past and their lives before SAO. It was brief, but she didn’t pull any punches when it came to their group’s mistakes.

The existence of magic and another dimension was taken surprisingly well. It turned out that Kiefer had believed in other dimensions existing for a while. A dimension where he was a pony was a bit of a shock, but it wasn't beyond his ability to believe.

Each party had cleared out their side of the castle and headed to meet up in the center. They arrived at the main throne room at the same time. There was no leaving though. The door was blocked off by a giant web. And that meant only one thing.

Bladescape looked back at the thrones. There were no spiders there, yet. They met in the center, but it didn’t trigger anything.

Bladescape had a plan. “Joltron, AFCK, Astro, and Thunder, go make a press on the door. Backbreaker, Kiefer, and I will move towards the thrones. The rest of you, keep watch on the roof and the hallways. This Flag Mob isn’t going to get the drop on us.”

They agreed and began to follow their orders. Astro and Thunder decided to rush the web over the front door. Joltron and AFCK had to try and catch up while not risking themselves too much. They had to be ready to protect the two of them. Thunder jumped high and cut at a support. It resisted the cut.

“The throne!” Bladescape called out as her search picked up movement. “Above!”

A black spider leg appeared and then the whole thing as it crawled into the hall. It was massive, barely able to fit inside the building. But its size was also their advantage. It would have a problem maneuvering. Two health bars came up beside the name: Subaru The Uniting Star Spider.

Bladescape formulated an immediate plan. “Backbreaker, Left. Joltron, Right. Center is Lessa, Knightstar, Doombunny, and AFCK. Left, Thunder, and Astro. Right is Kiefer and Bladescape.”

They followed the orders. The general idea was to apply pressure from all sides. It didn’t work as the Spider was able to move up the wall and around them.

“New plan?” Backbreaker gulped.

“Yeah,” Bladescape laughed. “Thunder, Astro, Kiefer, AFCK and I will use speed and agility to maneuver and pound it. Be ready to move in with shields and block us if we fail.”

“That's a big risk,” Joltron protested.

“But it will be fun!” Thunderborne declared, dashing off with Astro right behind.

AFCK giggled as she bounced after them. Kiefer followed Bladescape in. They were going to put every piece of damage dealing they could into this attack. A straight forward effort that would either be extremely rewarding, or very dangerous. Knightstar organized the rest of them into a protective wave that would be right behind them to act fast, while staying out of their way. Not only would it be fun for the attackers to go all out, sometimes the best strategy was speed hitting a boss.

Thunderborne unleashed a strong attacked, but then let Astro slide past to deliver an even stronger combo while Thunderborne took a slight movement penalty. She switched back in with perfect timing. AFCK bounced in right after with a single hit that took off a sizable chunk of HP. Subaru the Uniting Star Spider moved locations to avoid any more attacks, but it wasn’t far enough for the trailing attackers. Bladescape offered up the Sword Skill Heaven Splitter with Kiefer coming in right behind her.

With their three groups, Thunderborne and Astro, AFCK solo, and Bladescape and Kiefer, they took great risks with the pressure applied to the boss. They kept switching groups out. Another group was able to flank the spider to keep it cornered and from moving too much. It was a technique that rewarded them with a quick kill. But it was a technique they would never apply to anything but a low-level Flag Mob. The danger was too great otherwise, but they were very skilled at timing their switches properly.

Astro got the LAB. It was a cloak, but it wasn’t worth it. They were on Floor 42. The stats were below what they had, so it would be sold. It still warranted a round of high fives and fists bumps for her reward.

“That’s the last of the materials I need,” Bladescape announced. “I say we go straight to Lindarth and see Ashley!”

They decided to not walk back and used teleport crystals. They were valuable, but their stock was high enough it was worth it. The boss had dropped several blue teleport crystals as well.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 68 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 71 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 74 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK (PP): Lvl 71 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 71 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 68 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 71 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 68 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 68 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 72 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 35 - Second Arrival

Floor 57

April 6 – Year 2

The 58th Floor Boss meeting was about to happen. The Wondercolts were not present, yet. For once, they were a bit behind. But that was planned. It was their second unveiling after all, and they wanted to make an entrance.

Diemond was done with her apprenticeship and they all had new uniforms to show off, as well as weapons. They were better tied together with their new uniforms than they had been before. That was a strong statement about their image. Diemond only wished that they had more Wondercolts to match up armor with. 11 was too low a number, despite them being a mid-sized guild, for them to standardize them perfectly.

Doombunny was now wearing a cute set of leather equipment, designed to help her carry all three of her blades. The outer coat had pockets hidden inside to securely store her poisons and potions without them being in open pouches. It also had wide, reinforced and strengthened shoulders for Colorra. Since she was the only one without a specific armor skill, she was alone with the design. It had the most yellow out of all their uniforms. It consisted of blue leggings, a yellow Silverthread dress with a knee length reinforced jacket with long sleeves and hood. Colorra's shoulder pads were a separate piece of blue leather which was braced by a shoulder holster design that pulled and anchored it in the back between her shoulder blades. The thin blue belt that kept her skirt in place also mounted her weapons. On her left hip was her regular blade, in its blue sheath. The yellow paralyzing blade was at the small of her black. Off her right hip was her pink dagger; the poison one. Despite being an open jacket with no buttons, it hid her daggers well. Doombunny also wore a blue headband to keep her hair in place when she wasn’t using the hood, blue boots that only covered her ankles, and blue Silverthread fingerless gloves, finishing off the ensemble.

Thunderborne and Astro were in nearly matching gear. Both casually wore blue leather jackets over yellow shirts. Since Astro had Light Metal Armor as a Skill and Thunderborne had Leather Armor as her Skill, they varied slightly. The only noticeable difference was the blue metal chest plate Astro wore. It was accented with gold trim and had their horse head on the face. Thunderborne's chest had only a leather plate with the horse head stitched on. What tied the two of them together was the use of a blue leather Sam Belt to hold down the jackets and anchor Thunderborne’s rapier to her side. The belt’s strap was anchored on their chest by a shiny brass horse head buckle. There was plenty of trim on their jackets which were paired with tall riding boots that had yellow metal accents and trim. Their heals clicked with a crystal clack as they walked. Both forewent helmets in favor of putting their hair up into ponytails, using ties with defensive properties, and neither wore cloaks. The fingers of their yellow gloves only covered up to their knuckles, which were reinforced.

AFCK, Kiefer, Lessa, and Knightstar were all in beautiful scale armor. Diemond had to make each scale individually, the repetitive task taking the most time. Tactfully interspersed throughout the blue scales was the occasional yellow one. Over the scales was a shoulder cover that connected to their armored sleeves. AFCK’s doubled as an anchor for stowing her axe on her back. On each of their shoulders was stitched the Wondercolts' symbol. Their close helms' visors bore the likeness of a horse's head, and included gold mane-like crests. Their gloves were thick, blue leather and their knee-high boots were blue, with yellow laces on the outside instead of the front. Around their necks they wore narrow blue capes trimmed in gold and with their symbol on it. Lessa and Knightstar’s kite shields looked impressive, colored blue with gold trim and gold horse head heraldry.

Backbreaker was in her Plate of Veracity and Floating Bulwark. Diemond had matched the rest of her gear to the style of the heavy and ornate plate. Her right pauldron had a flare to protect her head as it rose above her shield. On it was their horse head symbol. Her right gauntlet was larger and thicker than her left. It was designed to maximize her attack with martial arts and defense while using her hammer. It was the weakest point of her armor so Diemond had strengthened it as much as she could. Diemond had designed a Sugarloaf greathelm for Backbreaker which also bore a resemblance to a horse’s head. Her cape covered her shoulders and flowed over her back. It was the same blue, trimmed in gold with their symbol on the back. They were no longer using sashes.

Joltron’s armor was designed to match his shield, at least in style. It was made with sharper angles, like a crystal, and had many sharp ridges. Inside of a game, they didn't weaken the armor like they would in real life. Every so often one of the “crystals” was yellow instead of blue. Both pauldrons spiked up, providing a matching angular look to the Obsidian Shield. Despite the angular design, Diemond had managed to emboss their horse head symbol over his chest. Even his Sallet helmet had crystalline protrusions flanking the sides and ridges along the guard at the back of his neck. His cape was made in the same style as Backbreaker's cape.

Diemond’s chest plate matched her arrowhead style shield, and looked heavier than Backbreaker’s armor. The lower edge of the cuirass went low, down past her hips in a series of articulated lames that came to a point between her legs. Diemond wouldn’t design anything that wasn’t fashionable and comfortable, meaning it still allowed her to sit down with ease. Riveted on her chest and shield face was a blue backed yellow horse head. Her Pappenheim Helmet mimicked a horse head as much as possible. She wore the same cape as Joltron and Backbreaker.

At their head, and flanked by Knightstar and Lessa displaying their uniformed shields, was Bladescape. Ashley’s design was perfect. It turned every head.

The dagannoth hides had been turned into leather plates. Each of them was dyed and oiled, shining almost as bright as metal. The pristine Wondercolt blue was held together with golden rivets and yellow stitches in triplicate, the same being used to trim the armor. The center had their horse head stitched into it. Her cloak was clasped around her shoulders using a broach made from two gold horse head ornaments facing outward with a golden chain strung between them, and its folds concealed mounting points between the plates for various pouches. It was also designed to accommodate Harmonic Salvation’s large scabbard so it could rest over it on her back without either getting in the way of the other. Unlike the others' capes, Ashley had made it using a shimmering blue fur material and gold fringe, giving it the appearance of being much heavier than it actually was. The gold horse head was dyed seamlessly into the fur, something Ashley had figured out how to do but Diemond hadn't yet.

The only non-knightly thing about her grand armor was that it was missing a helmet. Ashley had gotten around that in a similar way to how Thunderborne and Astro were, but instead of just a hair tie, she also made a special hair pin to go with it that would not only keep her hair out of her face, but also give her hair a regal style as she fought. One that wouldn't have a hair out of place, even after a boss battle.

Bladescape walked boldly up to the table. Kirito was there, and so was Lightning Flash Asuna. Asuna was annoyed she was there. She usually was the leader and organizer for the boss raids, and no one approached the table without permission. Bladescape was putting herself forward as one of the leaders. She often did give strategic advice, but this was a stronger assertion of the Wondercolts' status than she'd ever given before.

Commander Heathcliff gave her a wry smile from where he was in the back. He preferred to lead the fights, but rarely planned. He left that to his officers whenever possible. But he loved seeing another guild step up to the table for leadership. The DDA tried, but they had a one-sided rivalry with the KOB. The Wondercolts were not trying to be better, or be the top guild; they were only trying to be a solid guild that could pull their weight and stay in the loop.

“Last guild here,” Asuna quipped. “Perhaps you have an idea of how to beat the boss, Ketzek?”

“There isn’t much we know,” Bladescape admitted. “We had to focus on our equipment upgrades. We know its rock based. Rock and fire like the rest of this volcanic Floor.”

“That’s useful information,” Asuna said sarcastically.

“We have been upgrading our equipment,” Bladescape confidently restated. “So we missed some of the lower labyrinth levels. Am I missing something important?”

Kirito spoke before a fight could break out. “We couldn’t find the boss’ younger brother, Kalzuk.”

“What is so important about Kalzuk?” Bladescape asked, remembering the fight.

“Kalzuk is supposed to have similar attack patterns,” Asuna growled. “But we can’t find him. We hit every major dungeon, at least twice, but we haven't encountered him.”

“Kalzuk was in the dungeon named after him,” Bladescape said.

“No, he wasn’t,” Asuna huffed. “The KOB raided that dungeon back on March 22nd. The boss was named Xelketic. We hit it again two days later, same boss.”

“Ah,” Bladescape said, a smile growing on her lips. “You were a day late. Six of us cleared the dungeon in one go.”

“Six!” Asuna exclaimed. “We had three parties and it took us all day! Both times!”

Bladescape shrugged. “Well, we did it without a problem and crushed Kalzuk. We also couldn’t teleport out; it was an anti-crystal zone. Joltron’s shield there, that was the Last Attack Bonus. The Obsidian Shield. It was repainted from dark red to our blue.”

Kirito laughed, enjoying the idea of six of them taking on a dungeon so easily compared to the KOB, the strongest guild in the game. Asuna was not happy he was laughing and slammed her fist on the table. It did its job to silence him.

“We took him down easily,” Bladescape shrugged. “But he had to be lured onto land. He spit lava and he was reinforced by several types of minions.”

Bladescape pulled up her menu. “We wrote down the attack patterns. I know they won’t be exactly the same. I assume the minions won’t come from the walls, but probably from some lava. I also doubt there will be cover at any point in the boss battle.”

Asuna and Kirito read the sheets of paper that Bladescape gave them.

“This is well written,” Kirito said. It was the first compliment Bladescape had gotten from him.

“Thanks,” Bladescape said. “I didn’t have Knightstar with me, so I had to do it myself. The hardest thing was limited access to the boss. That and the spitting lava. Countering the lava will require extremely good timing with the tanks. We had the pillars and rocks to take cover behind.”

Asuna had a bone to pick about the paper. "The boss chamber wasn't blocked. We had a Knight require an emergency teleport out in the middle of the fight."

"Well, our crystals were blocked," Bladescape shrugged. "We decided to poke our heads in and see if we wanted to try, but the doors closed on us. So we beat him. And we know how to beat his brother."

Bladescape took a step back and beckoned for Astro. Astro swaggered up to the table, her spear was cradled by her arm and leaning against her shoulder.

Bladescape brought the attention on their expert gamer. “Astro, Kalzuk came out of the wall and stayed in the lava, right?”

“Yeah?” Astro said, confused. “He did.”

“Boss room, how will they adjust?”

“Well, lava will be there. I doubt the minions will come out of the walls. I bet they will be lava based. It's going to be a hot battle. And we will have to watch our footing. Thunderborne saved me from the lava when Kalzuk hit me. I went airborne and she snagged me right at the last moment. We don’t want to fall into it, so we will need Tanks and plenty of lances or long spears to keep them back. We also will want to bring water, to make sure we keep hydrated with the heat.”

“Thanks,” Bladescape said, flashing Astro a smile. “That is why we use you for game prediction.”

“Game prediction?” Asuna asked.

“Yeah,” Bladescape snorted. “She has played so many games, she has a really good feel of how the Floors or dungeons will play out. Taking what we know, looking at what has been done, and predicting what will come. I admit, it doesn’t always work. But what else do we have to work off of? You can read what that boss’ room was like. You see the map of it we drew out.”

Asuna quickly had a plan. Her speed and skill with strategy was the reason why she led most strategy meetings. The boss room the KOB had fought in was completely different, just like the boss. The location on the map was exactly the same though. They finalized the groups and set the date for the next day. Fuurinkazan was waiting outside for the Wondercolts.

“Well, well, well, Doll Face,” Klein said with his stupid grin. Bladescape just rolled her eyes at him. “You all look hot. Especially you, Blade.

“What about us?” Joltron asked.

“Dang it!” Klein swore. “I always forget about you and Kiefer.”

They all laughed.

“So, is this the armor you almost died trying to get? Against Laughing Coffin, I mean.”

“Yeah,” Bladescape nodded. “This plate is actually dagannoth hides that Ashley crafted into this awesome suit. You can’t even tell. I had a lot of other problems securing the materials. Two Flag Mobs, LC, a party of orange players who tried to rob me, and a giant pain of a treasure hunt to get the dye for the hide.”

“Two Flag Mobs?” Klein asked, surprised. Then he caught on to what she had fully said. “Wait! And another group of players turned on you?”

Bladescape casually shrugged. “The dagannoths got some backup from their Flag Mob after I killed a dozen of them. It was a 2-hour solo fight. Even if I had backup, I would have only been able to have one other because of the terrain. It was too hard to get there and the wait in between the spawns was long, but too short to back out. Getting the spider silk for the thread triggered another one. Low level, on Floor 42.”

“And the players?”

Bladescape sighed. “Doom and I were together for that one, collecting materials for the yellow dye. They didn’t see her; only me. They thought they were facing a solo player. They were so focused on me they couldn’t do anything against an angry Doombunny and Colorra. The two of them used paralyzers and thankfully another guild happened along. With their help, we got them to the Army and in jail.”

“Unlucky,” Klein said. “But, it looks like it was worth it.”

“That it was,” Bladescape grinned. “See you in the morning when we head out.”

On the hike out, Fuurinkazan and the Wondercolts' Squad walked together. For the Wondercolts, it was the same party that hit the dungeon the other day: Bladescape, Backbreaker, Joltron, Kiefer, Astro, and Thunderborne. As they got to the boss chamber, the doors were flanked by lava. The Wondercolts had not cleared any of the Floor 58 Labyrinth.

The doors were pushed in and the heat struck them in a giant wave, followed by the smell of sulfur and brimstone. The room didn’t need lights. The circle of lava around the room was bright enough. Five different lava falls were scattered about the room in no particular pattern. The Boss, Ketzek, rose out of the lava on the far side with 4 health bars.

He was bigger and broader than Kalzuk. His slate grey exterior glowed at the joints like the lava he came out of. So did his eyes, mouth, and his Adam’s apple. Each of his four arms carried a different weapon, like the Tzhaars did. The lower right arm carried a shield. The lower left carried a scimitar. The top right held a spear while the top left held a mace.

“BB,” Astro whispered. “I have a plan.” Astro turned to the others. “Keep to the plan. I think I see a weakness. Thunder, be ready to catch me!”

Astro dashed forward ahead of the others. Backbreaker was struggling to keep up. Astro leaped up and her spear glowed. Ketzek pulled his shield up, but Astro was too fast for him and he was still in the lava. The spear point rammed into the glowing Adam’s apple. It was a simple Sword Skill with only a little delay. Still, Backbreaker was right there and ready, blocking the scimitar. Its speed was going to be a problem. There was no need for Thunderborne to catch Astro.

They fell back to the rest of the raiding party.

“Good job!” Agil called. “You just found a weak point.”

“I think the lava joints are also weak points,” Astro said. “We can knock them off if we hit them right.”

They reformed their line. The Wondercolts were part of the groups focusing on Ketzek while the others kept the minions off of them. They came in waves like with Kalzuk, but there were thirteen of them. And they were mixed types of minions. Some spit fire, while others chucked rocks, but all had low HP.

It took them a long time to whittle his HP down. Backbreaker, Joltron and the other Tanks took a lot of vomited lava on their large shields. The lancers and damage dealers couldn’t even hide behind the tanks because the lava tended to splash around a lot.

After they drew the aggro, the damage dealers could strike, diving home lances, swinging maces and axes, and cutting with their blades. It wasn’t easy, but without needing to worry about the minions, they could focus entirely on the Ketzek. Limb after limb they knocked off the weak points. They couldn’t knock off the limb with the shield, but they could work around it.

Asuna walked up to them after the battle. She was still standing, even after all the hard work.

“How did you know?” Asuna asked Astro.

Astro shrugged. “I’ve played a few games that had similar areas and bosses. Some of them are very old games and I could draw a few references from them. None of them were this complicated and hard. I put what I can to good use, but often, it's not much. Still, it's helped us get this far, and we have 41 more Floors to conquer. 'Not much' is better than nothing for what's probably ahead of us.”

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Wight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 72 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 72 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Author's Note

I also wanted to state a big thanks to Void Runner, who edited this piece to the highest degree. The descriptions are as clear because of Void's work. So thank you. And give Void a big thanks as well.

Commercial Break Two

Wow! 35 Episodes and the girls have just broken through to Floor 58! And they just arrived on the scene with all new equipment. There are still plenty of Floors to go. Like the first Commercial Break, this one is an information entry. They guilds and characters really have not changed, but now the Wondercolts are sporting new equipment and weapons. Things with names and descriptions. There are a lot of details, so if you missed how something looks, it is in there. Jewelry slots are now filled too!

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – 14600 HP
Two-Handed Sword – Max
Search – Max
Weapon Defense – Max
Leather Armor – Max
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 750/1000 – 750 points every 10 seconds
Sprint – 457/1000
Acrobatics – 276/1000
Blade Throwing – 378/1000
Extended Weight Carry – 112/1000
Weapon: Two-Handed Sword - Harmonic Salvation +10
Armor: Dagannoth Leather Full Plate Armor - Blue with Gold Accents - Made by Ashley
Helmet: Hair Tie and Pin made by Ashley – Hair is worn up.
Ring #1: Strength +7
Ring #2: Defense +13
Earring: Agility +7
Earring: Agility +7
Necklace: Sunset’s Geode made by Diemond - Skill Delay Reduction by 10%

Bladescape wears dagannoth leather plate armor. Each of them was dyed and oiled, shining almost as bright as metal. The pristine Wondercolt blue was held together with golden rivets and yellow stitches in triplicate, the same being used to trim the armor. The center had their horse head stitched into it. Her cloak is clasped around her shoulders using a broach made from two gold horse head ornaments facing outward with a golden chain strung between them, and its folds concealed mounting points between the plates for various pouches. It is also designed to accommodate Harmonic Salvation’s large scabbard so it could rest over it on her back without either getting in the way of the other. Unlike the others' capes, Ashley had made it using a shimmering blue fur material and gold fringe, giving it the appearance of being much heavier than it actually was. The gold horse head was dyed seamlessly into the fur. She wears her hair up with a pin and tie, instead of a helmet, in a regal hairstyle.

Harmonic Salvation is a two handed longsword that is slate grey and stands up to her armpit. The handle is about three hands long. The sword is wrapped in a leather sheath that matches the Wondercolts’ blue color, while the handle is wrapped in golden leather. It was also set with a yellow gemstone in the hilt and a blue one as the pommel.

Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – 11045 HP
One-Handed Sword – 942/1000
Shield – Max
Equipment Appraisal – Max
Parry – 802/1000
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 350/1000 – 125 points every 10 seconds
Light Metal Armor – 420/1000
Search – 195/1000
Armor Pierce – 76/1000
Weapon: One-Handed Longsword - Justicarian Scale +2
Shield: Blue kite shield gilded with gold and a horse head on the face - Made by Rendil
Armor: Blue Scale armor with a sleeved shoulder cover.
Helmet: Close Helm that looks like a horse's head and includes a yellow "mane."
Ring #1: Health +250
Ring #2: Search Boosted by 5%
Earring: Defense +5
Earring: Defense +5
Necklace: Twilight Sparkle’s Geode made by Diemond - Health +750

Knightstar wears blue scale armor with tactfully interspersed yellow scales. Over the scales is a shoulder cover that connects to armored sleeves. On each of their shoulders was stitched the Wondercolts' symbol. Her close helms' visor bares the likeness of a horse's head, and included gold mane-like crests. Her gloves are thick, blue leather and she wears knee-high boots that are also blue, with yellow laces on the outside instead of the front. Around her neck she wears a narrow blue cape, trimmed in gold and with their symbol on it.

Her kite shield, an almond shape, is blue with gold gilding around the edge and a golden horse head on the face.

Justicarian Scale is a single handed long sword on the conservative side for length. It is thin, almost, nearing the width of a rapier. Its design is optimized for thrusting rather than slashing. The sword’s crossguard is square, but short.

Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 72 – 10295 HP
Rapier – Max
Sprint – Max
Acrobatics – Max
Armor Pierce – Max
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 520/1000 – 260 points every 10 seconds
Leather Armor – 600/1000
Weapon Defense – 329/1000
Extended Weight Carry – 84/1000
Search – 110/1000
Weapon: Rapier – Azure Aculeus <>
Armor: Blue Leather Jacket made by Diemond
Gloves: Yellow leather half finger gloves with reinforced knuckles made by Diemond
Boots: Blue leather riding boots with yellow metal accents – made by Diemond
Belt: Blue leather sam belt with shiny brass horse head buckle on the chest - made by Diemond
Helmet: Hair Tie – Ponytail
Ring #1: Night Sight
Ring #2: Critical Attack Chance +10%
Earring: Defense +6
Earring: Defense +6
Necklace: Rainbow Dash’s Geode made by Diemond - Speed +10

Thunderborne wears a blue leather jacket casually worn over a yellow shirt. Thunderborne's chest has a blue leather plate with the horse head stitched on. She has blue leather Sam Belt to hold down the jackets and anchor Thunderborne’s rapier to her side. The belt’s strap is anchored on her chest by a shiny brass horse head buckle. There is plenty of trim on her jacket which are paired with tall riding boots that have yellow metal accents and trim, making her heals click with a crystal clack as she walks. She wears no helmet, in favor of putting her hair up into ponytails. The tie has defensive properties. She does not wear a cape. The fingers of their yellow gloves only covered up to their knuckles, which were reinforced.

Azure Aculeus is a blue shaded rapier which means Blue Needle. It was the Last Attack Bonus dropped by Scorpia Queen of the Arthropods and as such, its handle is smooth bulbs to mimic the tail of a scorpion. The Blade has been reinforced multiple times, mostly Durability and Quickness, but with a few Sharpness and Accuracy enhancements. 23 of the 30 enhancement attempts were successful. The blade is an end product and will shatter if another enhancement is attempted. The sword shines nicely, as if it is always freshly buffed, because it is an end product.

Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 75 – 14250 HP
Heavy Shield – Max
One-Handed War Hammer – Max
Extended Weight Carry – Max
Heavy Metal Armor – Max
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 535/1000 – 265 points every 10 seconds
Fishing – 410/1000
Search – 376/1000
Martial Arts – 200/1000
Acrobatics – 60/1000
Weapon: Warhammer – Guard Smasher +8
Shield: Floating Bulwark
Armor: Plate of Veracity - LAB drop from the Qalphite Queen
Helmet: Sugarloaf Greathelm
Ring #1: Health +500
Ring #2: Agility +8
Earring: Speed +8
Earring: Speed +8
Necklace: Applejack’s Geode made by Diemond - Strength +12

The Plate of Veracity is an ornate chest piece of heavy plate armor which stands at an odd contrast to Backbreaker’s Iron Bulwark. Diemond matched the rest of her armor to the style of the ornate plate. Backbreaker’s right pauldron has a flare to protect her head as it rises above her shield. On it, is their horse head symbol. Her right gauntlet is larger and thicker than her left. It was designed to maximize her attack with martial arts and defense while using her hammer. Her blue cape covers her shoulders. It is trimmed with gold and has a gold horse head on it.

Guard Smasher is an unadorned warhammer of simple design. The pick is strong and the hammer looks normal. On the face of it is not the normal checkered hammer head. An apple is cut into the face of the head a fraction. Backbreaker keeps the apple painted red.

AFCK (PP): Lvl 72 – 10295 HP
Two-Handed Axe – Max
Parry – Max
Cooking – Max
Weapon Defense – Max
Martial Arts – Max
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 500/1000 – 250 points every 10 seconds
Light Metal Armor – 532/1000
Blade Throwing – 467/1000
Musical Instrument – 88/1000
Weapon: Two Handed Axe – Geode Splitter +12
Armor: Blue Scale armor with a sleeved shoulder cover.
Helmet: Close Helm that looks like a horse's head and includes a yellow "mane."
Ring #1: Search Booster 5%
Ring #2: Night sight
Earring: Critical Attack +7%
Earring: Attack +8
Necklace: Pinkie Pie’s Geode made by Diemond - Agility +8

AFCK wears blue scale armor with tactfully interspersed yellow scales. Over the scales is a shoulder cover that connects to armored sleeves. It doubles as the anchor point for Geode Splitter. On each of their shoulders was stitched the Wondercolts' symbol. Her close helms' visor bares the likeness of a horse's head, and included gold mane-like crests. Her gloves are thick, blue leather and she wears knee-high boots that are also blue, with yellow laces on the outside instead of the front. Around her neck she wears a narrow blue cape, trimmed in gold and with their symbol on it.

Geode Splitter is a giant, double headed war axe. It was the Last Attack Bonus for the field boss the GeoCrawler. There is nothing special about the design. AFCK believes it is a gift from Papa Rock so she can better protect them and her friends.

Diemond (R): Lvl 72 – 13550 HP
Heavy Shield – 968/1000
Mace – Max
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 557/1000 – 275 points every 10 seconds
Heavy Metal Armor – 602/1000
Tailoring – Max
Light Metal Armor Forging – Max
Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Max
Jewelry Making – 321/1000
Extended Weight Carry – 88/1000
Weapon: Flanged Mace - Radiant Beauty +7
Shield: Heavy Warrior Shield - arrowhead style tower shield - with Horsehead riveted on.
Armor: Heavy metal combat armor - arrowhead chest plate.
Helmet: Pappenheim Helmet
Ring #1: +8 Defense
Ring #2: Health +500
Earring: +6 Strength
Earring: +6 Strength
Necklace: Rarity’s Geode made by Diemond - Skill Delay Reduction by 10%

Diemond’s chest plate matched her arrowhead style shield, and it looks heavier than Backbreaker’s armor. The lower edge of the cuirass goes low, down past her hips in a series of articulated lames that came to a point between her legs. It was designed to still allowed her to sit down with ease. Riveted on her chest and shield face was a blue backed yellow horse head. Her Pappenheim Helmet mimicked a horse head as much as possible. She wears the same, wider cape that Joltron and Backbreaker wear.

Radiant Beauty is a yellow steel flanged mace with multiple protrusions so close together they almost make it a full head. The shape of the flanges are smooth, symmetrical lines that come to a strong point to help pierce armor or break through solid objects.

Doombunny (FS): Lvl 69 – 10050 HP
One-Handed Dagger – 950/1000
First Aid – Yes
Hide – Max
Search – Max
Listening – 864/1000
Battle Regeneration – 550/1000 – 275 points every 10 seconds
Fighting Spirit – 865/1000
Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Max
Drug Mixing – 526/1000
Reveal – 363/1000
Weapons: Daggers - Mourning Protector +12, Shadowsong +9 (Paralysis), Endbringer +6 (Poisoned)
Armor: Yellow Silverthread dress and Blue leather jacket. Blue shoulder boards for Colorra to better stay perched on. Everything is kept down with a thin blue belt. Short blue boots and fingerless gloves finish the look.
Helmet: Blue Headband
Ring #1: Beast Tamer’s Charms - Familiar Mirror - Ruby Wolf’s Paw Ring
Ring #2: Speed +12
Earring: Agility Canine Tooth +10 - Beast Tamer’s Charm Earring
Earring: Nightvision Canine Tooth - Beast Tamer’s Charm Earring
Necklace: Fluttershy’s Geode made by Diemond - Defense +8

Doombunny wears a cute set of leather equipment, designed to help her carry all three of her blades. The outer coat has pockets hidden inside to securely store her poisons and potions without them being in open pouches. It also had wide, reinforced and strengthened shoulders for Colorra. Since she is the only one without a specific armor skill, she is alone with the design. It has the most yellow out of all their uniforms. It consisted of blue leggings, a yellow Silverthread dress with a knee length reinforced jacket with long sleeves and hood. Colorra's shoulder pads are a separate piece of blue leather which is braced by a shoulder holster design that pulls and anchors it in the back between her shoulder blades. The thin blue belt that kept her skirt in place also mounts her weapons. On her left hip is her regular blade, in its blue sheath. The yellow paralyzing blade is at the small of her black. Off her right hip was her pink dagger; the poison one. Despite being an open jacket with no buttons, it hides her daggers well. Doombunny also wears a blue headband to keep her hair in place when she wasn’t using the hood, blue boots that only covered her ankles, and blue Silverthread fingerless gloves, finishing off the ensemble.

Mourning Protector: The silver blade has a blue painted wooden handle. It is a long, single edged blade which falls at the long side of one handed daggers while still being noticeably shorter than the shortest swords. The knife has no guard and the back side of the blade’s tip has an edge to it. Outside of SAO, Mourning Protector would be classified as a dirk.
Shadowsong: This curved tanto knife is Doombunny’s Yellow colored Paralysis blade. It is It always has a glossy shine to the blade because the sheath makes sure the blade always is oiled with a strong paralysis agent. Doombunny keeps it at the small of her back because it is the second easiest place for her to grab a weapon from in battle.
Endbringer: A bollock dagger, the blade is medium for SAO daggers, and it is a true, double edged dagger designed for stabbing. Like Shadowsong, it always shines with a glossy oil on it, indicating it is poisoned. The black wooden guard has two ovals as a guard to prevent her hand from slipping up onto the blade. The handle is wrapped in pink leather. She wears it on her right hip because it is harder for her to draw it with her right hand. The sheath is also pink. It is her guilty pleasure, the one Fluttershy thing she displays as a Wondercolt. As her favorite color, to be poisoned as strongly as it is, she is acutely aware of what it means to be drawing her pink dagger.

Astro (PS): Lvl 72 – 10295 HP
Two-Handed Spear – Max
Purchase Negotiation – 920/1000
Armor Pierce – Max
Acrobatics – Max
First Aid – Yes
Light Metal Armor – 623/1000
Battle Regeneration – 490/1000 – 245 points every 10 seconds
Weapon Defense – 498/1000
Parry – 268/1000
Extended Weight Carry – 56/1000
Weapon: Yari – Dragon Tail +4 (Cross Spear)
Armor: Blue Leather Jacket made by Diemond
Gloves: Yellow leather half finger gloves with reinforced knuckles made by Diemond
Boots: Blue leather riding boots with yellow metal accents – made by Diemond
Belt: Blue leather sam belt with shiny brass horse head buckle on the chest - made by Diemond
Helmet: Hair Tie – Ponytail
Ring #1: Accuracy +10
Ring #2: Attack +9
Earring: Defense +6
Earring: Defense +6
Necklace: Soccer Ball Geode made for Astro by Diemond - Critical Attack +10%

Astro wears a blue leather jacket casually worn over a yellow shirt. Astro's chest has a blue metal chest plate, accented with gold trim and their horse head on the face. She has blue leather Sam Belt to hold down the jackets and anchor Thunderborne’s rapier to her side. The belt’s strap is anchored on her chest by a shiny brass horse head buckle. There is plenty of trim on her jacket which are paired with tall riding boots that have yellow metal accents and trim, making her heals click with a crystal clack as she walks. She wears no helmet, in favor of putting her hair up into ponytails. The tie has defensive properties. She does not wear a cape. The fingers of their yellow gloves only covered up to their knuckles, which were reinforced.

Dragon Tale is a black shafted spear with yellow leather at the typical handholds. The spearhead is narrow and straight, like a sword, and it is over a foot long. The spearhead is backed by a crossguard at the point where it attaches to the shaft. The guard is not sharp, meaning Dragon Tail is a spear and not a trident. It is often referred to as a cross spear.

Kiefer: Lvl 69 – 10550 HP
One-Handed Curved Blade – Max
Parry – 968/1000
Weapon Defense – 812/1000
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 500/1000 – 250 points every 10 seconds
Light Metal Armor – 350/1000
Slash Weapon Forging – 400/1000
Katana – 365/1000
Martial Arts – 199/1000
Weapon: Katana - Mistmane's Fury +5
Armor: Blue Scale armor with a sleeved shoulder cover.
Helmet: Close Helm that looks like a horse's head and includes a yellow "mane."
Ring #1: Attack +8
Ring #2: Health +500
Earring: Critical Attack Chance +5%
Earring: Critical Attack Damage +5%
Necklace: Katana Geode made for Kiefer by Diemond - Defense +7

Kiefer wears blue scale armor with tactfully interspersed yellow scales. Over the scales is a shoulder cover that connects to armored sleeves. On each of his shoulders is stitched the Wondercolts' symbol. His close helms' visor bares the likeness of a horse's head, and included gold mane-like crests. His gloves are thick, blue leather and he wears knee-high boots that are also blue, with yellow laces on the outside instead of the front. Around her neck he wears a narrow blue cape, trimmed in gold and with their symbol on it.

Mistmane's Fury is a longer - nodachi - Katana with a wooden scabbard. The gold tsuba has 4 cherry blossoms edged into its face. The rayfish leather handle is died light yellow while the silk braiding wrap over it is a blue several shades deeper and richer than the Wondercolts' blue. That same goes for the color of the scabbard. Being a nodachi katana, Mistmane's Fury generally requires two hands to use.

Lessa: Lvl 69 – 9000 HP
One-Handed Sword – 967/1000
Shield – Max
Light Metal Armor – 856/1000
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 460/1000 – 230 points every 10 seconds
Equipment Repair – 590/1000
Metal Equipment Repairing – 550/1000
Armor Pierce – 186/1000
Search – 118/1000
Weapon: Longsword - Hankyu +3
Shield: Blue kite shield gilded with gold and a horse head on the face - Made by Rendil
Armor: Blue Scale armor with a sleeved shoulder cover.
Helmet: Close Helm that looks like a horse's head and includes a yellow "mane."
Ring #1: Defense +7
Ring #2: Defense +6
Earring: Defense +5
Earring: Defense +5
Necklace: Crossed Swords Geode made for Lessa by Diemond - Attack +7

Lessa wears blue scale armor with tactfully interspersed yellow scales. Over the scales is a shoulder cover that connects to armored sleeves. On each of their shoulders was stitched the Wondercolts' symbol. Her close helms' visor bares the likeness of a horse's head, and included gold mane-like crests. Her gloves are thick, blue leather and she wears knee-high boots that are also blue, with yellow laces on the outside instead of the front. Around her neck she wears a narrow blue cape, trimmed in gold and with their symbol on it.

Her kite shield, an almond shape, is blue with gold gilding around the edge and a golden horse head on the face.

Hankyu is a Chinese Jian style sword, with a short wing handguard that slopes back at an angle. The guard is gold, while the wooden handle is blue. The pommel is also gold. No tassel is worn on the pommel. The blade is well balanced for both cutting and thrusting techniques, making it more versatile than a rapier, while only being a little wider and heavier. Lessa enjoys the speed and precision of Hankyu and pairs it well with her shield.

Joltron: Lvl 73 – 13850 HP
One handed Axe – Max
Heavy Shield – 685/1000
Heavy Metal Armor – 920/1000
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 509/1000 – 250 points every 10 seconds
Metal Refining – 607/1000
Blunt Weapon Forging – 450/1000
One Handed Weapon Creation – 367/1000
Two Handed Weapon Creation – 289/1000
Extended Weight Carry – 198/1000
Weapon: Starlight Axe +5
Shield: Tower Shield - Obsidian Shield with Agility +2, Speed +2, and - 20% Skill Delay - Blue with Black crystals
Armor: Heavy Plate “Blue Crystal” armor to match his Obsidian Shield
Helmet: Sallet
Ring #1: Health +500
Ring #2: Critical Attack +6%
Earring: Defense +7
Earring: Defense +7
Necklace: Shield Geode made for Joltron by Diemond - Strength +8

Joltron’s armor was designed to match his shield, at least in style. It was made with sharper angles, like a crystal, and has many sharp ridges. Every so often one of the “crystals” was yellow instead of blue. Both pauldrons spiked up, providing a matching angular look to the Obsidian Shield. Despite the angular design, Diemond had managed to emboss their horse head symbol over his chest. Even his Sallet helmet had crystalline protrusions flanking the sides and ridges along the guard at the back of his neck. His cape was made in the same style as Backbreaker's cape.

The red on the Obsidian Shield has been replaced with Wondercolts' Blue, but the obsidian gems are still black. Narrow stripes of their yellow had been added through the middle of each blue V, giving the appearance of eight chevrons pointed towards the center of the shield.

The Starlight Axe is a bearded axe with a small head and an uncharacteristically long handle. Out of the single head a star is cut. Despite the lopsided design, the system keeps the weight in the axe head where it is supposed to be.

Author's Note

Want to know what is happening in the real world? There is a story for that! Link to the Asides.

Episode 36 - Rise of the Necromancer

Floor 59

April 9 – Year 2

Bladescape led the Wondercolts out of their Headquarters and to the Teleport Plaza in Mishe. They teleported to Floor 59; the front lines. Argo was working them through a quest. A quest that had information on Floor 59’s Boss. She couldn’t do it solo, so they were teaming up to complete it.

Knightstar was in charge of Diemond, Joltron, Lessa, Astro, and Thunderborne. That gave Bladescape Backbreaker, AFCK, Doombunny, and Kiefer. Argo would join her party if she joined one at all.

They had teleported to a small hamlet near the south edge of the Floor. Only about 70% of the Floor was mapped. In another day or two, the Labyrinth would be found and they would all flock to it to tackle the labyrinth's floor. Until then, they were undertaking this quest for the good of all the players. The reward would hopefully be worth it.

As usual, the message from Argo was rather vague. Bladescape’s cursory glance didn’t catch Argo at her usual hiding spots. She began to lead them out to the west, the direction of the quest. Right outside the safe zone was a stand of trees. As they approached it, Argo stepped out. Her cursor was a light orange. She didn’t appear armed any more than usual. He claws were hidden under her cloak, but that was normal.

“That was quick,” Argo said. “Which is good, because what I have pinned down, it is a puzzle quest. And time is currently a factor.”

“A little trouble?” Bladescape asked, eluding to the orange cursor. It wasn’t her plan to ask about it. She trusted Argo.

“Information is power,” Argo stated coldly. “Some are more willing to go to certain lengths than others. And not every info broker runs solo. Especially these days. The number of solo players that are clearers are in the single digits, and I have come across a snag or two.

“But it doesn’t matter, because I couldn’t do this on my own anyway. We have to hunt down a Necromancer. The entire Floor fears him, or fears the idea of him. There isn’t time for all of you to trigger the quest. It is a one-shot dungeon and quest. It is actually mentioned on Floor 46, about how many NPCs fear this guy. So, are you game?”

“I know that, however this ends, we will receive fair compensation,” Bladescape said. “You have always dealt fairly with us. Let’s go knock on this guy’s door. Do you want to jump into my party?”

Argo surveyed the area quickly and then silently nodded. Bladescape sent the request and Argo began to lead them towards the location.

When Argo felt comfortable that no one could be spying on them, she explained the quest. "There is an old man in the nearby woods who is known for being safe from the necromancer. Somehow. We need to find out how and what we can do to protect ourselves. Rumor has it that the Necromancer is trying to get rid of him too."

“That sounds like a trap," Astro said. "Like, he is the necromancer trap."

"No, I don't think so," Argo said. "Folks haven't seen him for a while because, while he is a bit of a recluse, they say he can't safely leave his home. He has kids though, who live elsewhere on the Floor."

They walked by several stands of trees, growing in size, until they reached a definitive forest and entrance into it.

“Once we pass this threshold, we can’t leave,” Argo warned them.

“We are ready for it,” Knightstar said. “We all are. We are not at the top by a fluke.”

The rest of the Wondercolts confirmed it and they stepped past the entrance and into the forest. The path turned and they lost sight of the exit. Right after that, there were constant rabbit trails breaking off from the pathway. The Wondercolts were spread out a bit, with Argo and Bladescape at the head of their pack.

After a while of walking, Knightstar walked up to Bladescape and Argo and voiced her concern. “This is starting to feel like the Forest of Wandering, which we mapped for you. Well, half mapped. Learned how to navigate out when you needed to leave and the big points in it like the fir tree.”

“I don’t quite believe it is the same,” Argo said. “But something is not right. I hesitate to suggest this, but we have two parties. Do we send one down a trail and see where it goes? They are not my guildmates, they are yours.”

“I’ll lead my party,” Knightstar said. “If things go south and we get separated, you have Argo and Bladescape. I can solve any maze that is set on an algorithm. And with two tanks, Thunder and Astro, we will be fine if we end up separated.”

“Then do it,” Bladescape said. “Be careful, but let’s solve this. We will stay posted here.”

Knightstar took her party and led them down the closest rabbit trail. They anxiously awaited their return as the minutes passed by. Argo had eluded to a clock on this quest. Bladescape saw movement further up on the path as Search alerted her to an incoming presence that couldn’t be seen. Around the bend came Joltron with Astro, spear ready to strike over Joltron’s shield. Lessa was guarding their back. They all lowered their weapons in relief and then joined up further forward.

“It was a wide circle, with two splits,” Knightstar said. “We always took the right in an attempt to get back. The most interesting thing about being off the main path was how cold it was. And it was significantly darker. I felt like the shadows were darting around.”

Lessa screamed, arching her back. She staggered, but stayed up. “I feel like my back was just raked with a set of claws.”

“We need to keep moving,” Argo said. “Those shadows, might be some sort of monster. How bad of a hit was it?”

“Not bad,” Lessa said, sucking it in. “The worst of it was not knowing it was coming. The claws moved right through my armor.”

“That is problematic,” Astro said. “Let’s move. If this is a one-shot quest, we can end it and not have to deal with it negating our armor.”

“I agree,” Argo said. “We have had armor piercing enemies before, but we have never had an enemy that can negate armor.”

They moved out at a quicker pace. It took a bit of time to make their way through the forest, sticking to the main path. The minutes ticked by. They most certainly were in a dungeon. The darkness wasn’t entering the well-lit path, but the shadows were moving alongside. Every so often, one would slip across in front or behind.

Bladescape tried to pin one with a hastily grabbed throwing pick. It missed horribly. She growled as she missed. “I can’t even see if they have a health gauge!”

“We have to press forward,” Argo said. “Leave the pick and let's move! The cabin can’t be much further.”

After a few more curves they got to the glade the cabin was in. All around it were skeletons and glancing shadows that were trying to get to it. Bladescape could see an old man sitting in a chair on the porch, unphased by the assault on his cabin.

They all knew what to do as their weapons glowed. The skeletons outnumbered them two to one, but with their focus on the cabin, they made easy work of them. The shadow creatures were more of a problem. They had trouble seeing them zip out to slice at them with their claws.

Bladescape saw the thick white line on the ground. Several large stones inscribed with glyphs of two distinctly overlapping triangles forming a hexagram were connected to the line at intervals around the clearing . It was easy to see that it held some power and that they were what kept him safe.

"It is safe for you to cross," the old man said. "Especially after you killed them. They were starting to annoy me."

Bladescape, Argo, and Knightstar crossed the line first. The others lagged behind a bit. Doombunny outright halted at it and it was only after Colorra gave up and followed after the others that she gingerly stepped across and joined them.

"We hear there is a Necromancer around," Argo said. "And it appears that is true. We are here to stop him."

"Good," the NPC said as he nodded his wrinkled head. "He was starting to annoy me. I know one thing about him. One of his apprentices lives close by in these woods. And he might, as well. But now that I know that, he wants me eliminated. I have lived in these woods my entire life. This is my home. I built it from logs I cut. My dearly departed wife and I raised five children here. Each of who went off to the city to live. This is all I have left."

"We can clear them out of this forest," Argo offered. "But surely a man of your reputation and age must know something about the Floor Boss."

"Floor boss? I know not what you speak of."

Argo looked at Bladescape. Bladescape nodded back. Argo continued. "Well, what do you know about the area and the Necromancer? Where should we start?"

"That path there, it goes deeper into the woods. Over two streams and taking the left path, you will find a cabin. If you take the right path, you will circle out and leave the forest a long way from here."

"We will go deal with the problem," Bladescape said.

"It would be appreciated. I don't want to be forced out of my home by them. If I leave, it will be on my own terms!"

"Kids pressuring you to move in with them?" Knightstar asked.

"Have been for years," he replied.

"Come on Y'all," Backbreaker said. "Let's kick skeleton, er, butt."

They all chuckled.

"Before you go. I should probably teach you how to see the shadows. You were running around like headless chickens. This will help you see them and fight them faster. Otherwise, it takes a lot longer to learn to see them. And a lot more pain."

The NPC man got up and picked up a small satchel. From it, he pulled out a small vial. He dipped his finger into the vial and drew a glyph on each of their foreheads. They had to remove helmets and head coverings to provided him access. The substance glowed on each of their foreheads and then it was absorbed into their skin.

"There! That aughta help."

Bladescape rubbed her forehead. It felt weird during and after. But if it helped them at all, that was what mattered.

"We have a cabin to find," Argo said. "Thank you, kind sir. We will return shortly."

They organized into a loose formation as they began the next part of the quest. The woods darkened quickly. More shadows were floating around on either side of the path, but for the time being, they were sticking to the darkness.

The first stream was crossed by a set of walking stones. It was an easy stroll to the second, which was crossed by a few felled logs over the stream. The area around them was soggy as the water backed up because of the fallen logs. Their boots got all muddy as they made their way over, and after the logs almost broke under Backbreaker's weight as she tried following while Bladescape was still on them, they decided to go one at a time.

They finally came to a crossroad; left, right, or straight ahead.

"Left," Argo immediately stated. "Stick with the original plan."

"I agree," Knightstar said.

"Me too," Bladescape confirmed.

"Left," Astro added. "Remember. If convention holds, straight is probably a trap and Right takes us out of the forest."

They took the left path and after two bends they were at another stream.

"He didn't say there was a third stream," Knightstar said, concerned.

"It's fine," Astro said. "It is probably either a bend in the same stream, or minor fork. Just keep going."

They kept on the path and soon saw a clearing up ahead. As the clearing opened up, they found themselves back in the same glade with the same house. Nothing stood out as wrong. It seemed like they had made a loop to find themselves back where they started the quest.

"Wait," Doombunny exclaimed. "The stones around the outside of the house are a light grey, not white. They're supposed to be white. We can't just walk over them without worrying about any consequences."

"Good catch," Astro said as they all halted.

"Hello there!" a young man's voice called. It was extremely friendly. He came into the glade from the other side and didn't appear to have heard their conversation. He was smiling as if nothing in the world was wrong. "I'm Phaethon and I live here."

"You live here?" Knightstar asked. "This design seems to be popular in these parts."

"Well, that is because I learned from the old man down that path."

Thunderborne got impatient. "We are in search of a Necromancer who keeps causing problems here."

"Quite down," Phaethon ordered them as he dropped his voice. "He is always watching and listening. The master is always present."

"Master?" Bladescape asked.

"Why of course. He teaches me everything I need to know. I don't have much say in the matter. If I don't do as I am told, he will turn me into one of his puppets."

"Well, how do we get to him?" Bladescape asked.

"You already know that. You met him!"

"He is the necromancer!" Knightstar exclaimed. "Then why have skeletons and shadows been attacking his home?"

He shrugged. "To lure you in I guess. I don't understand. I just do as I am-!" he wretched in pain as Thunderborne's rapier, Azure Aculeus, was thrust through him from his side. She had blindsided them all with the attack.

"What was that for!" Diemond exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Kiefer added. "He was getting to the good information!"

Thunderborne pulled her blade out and he dropped dead, but he didn't disintegrate or burst into polygons.

"He was obviously misleading us," Thunderborne explained, putter her rapier on her shoulder. "Plus, he also admitted to being a Necromancer. Apprentice at least."

"He did, " Astro added. "I was thinking of ways he could turn the tables on us. These kind of turncoat quests are common. While I would not have been as impatient as Thunder, it is true. Besides, his body is still there. Which means we need to guard it and eliminate the necromancer. And fast. He was right. He is watching.

"New plan!" Astro decreed. "Thunderborne, you lead Joltron and Lessa in protecting the body. Don't let it fall into anyone's hands. Got it?"

"Why me?" Thunderborne posted with a whine.

Astro was ready with her response and she didn't hold back. "Because we need a little less rash action. And if you get attacked, they will need a powerful, fast player to handle things. The rest of you, with me! Into the cabin."

"I'm staying," Knightstar said. "A fourth is a good idea. Besides, you three won't need me."

"Not a bad plan," Bladescape said, accepting the revised edition.

"Cabin!" Astro pressed.

Argo wasn't saying anything, but her lack of protest indicated that she was fine with the proceedings. The rest of them entered the cabin and Astro closed the door. It was a bare cabin with few furnishings. A table, some chairs, and a couch.

"Three," Astro said, finishing counting. She opened the door and poked her head out. There friends were still there.

Astro closed the door and decided on their next move. "Everyone, spread out and find something that should have two, but doesn't. Only one."

"Like a candlestick?" AFCK asked.

"Yes, candlesticks usually come in pairs."

AFCK held up the candlestick she was holding. "I mean, I have one in my hand."

"Where did you get that!" Astro asked, panicking a bit.

"Relax," Bladescape said, putting her gloved hand on Astro's shoulder.

"We don't have time," Astro said, trying not to explode. "The Necromancer knows we're here, which means those four will be attacked soon as he tries to get to the body of his apprentice. We need to work fast and jump him."

"I got the Candlestick from right here," AFCK said, bringing them back on track. "On the mantle."

"Then put it on the other side of the mantel," Astro said. "As close as you can to being even."

AFCK skipped the few feet to the other side, humming "Legend You Are Meant To Be."

"Hey! This side has a perfect spot to put the candlestick. It's worn and has no dust."

She set it down and a shimmering shine breezed through the air.

"To battle!" Astro said, jumping to the door.

Backbreaker stacked up first, then Bladescape, Diemond, and then Argo. Astro pulled the door open and they charged out. It was the same glade as the other two, except the painted circle and stones were red and an army of skeletons was being raised by an old man in black robes. Some were being marched through a portal to attack their friends in the other glade, who they could see through the gateway.

Bladescape jumped out of the way on the porch and pulled out three throwing picks. She launched one and it found its mark. Argo had the same idea and launched her own set. Bladescape threw two more to great effect, dealing critical damage on a lucky hit. Packing a powerful punch, AFCK threw one of her clam blades. It struck him square in the chest.

He staggered and fell to the ground as the skeleton army turned from marching through the portal, now bent on to attacking the Wondercolts in the immediate area. Diemond, Backbreaker, Kiefer, and AFCK were already in a smooth switch system.

"Very well coordinated," Argo commented. "You are perhaps the smoothest team in this entire game."

"So why don't you show me that skill," Argo said as she put her claws on. Each had nasty blades protruding off the gauntlets, like big knives that could slash and hack an opponent apart.

Bladescape nodded and the jumped into the fray. Bladescape played forward while Argo was the damage dealer.

For a quest enthusiast and information broker, Argo proved she knew how to fight. The claws looked like all show with no bite, but that was not the case as she shredded skeletons in vicious combination attacks. Paired with Bladescape, the two were an unstoppable force, not taking any damage.

The Necromancer got back up on his feet. His health was steadily dropping as the poison took its toll. The Paralyzer had been neutralized.

"You have not heard the last of me!" he declared as he slipped into his last health bar. He opened his own portal and disappeared from sight. "I'LL BE BACK!" The portal was sealed behind him before he could be followed.

After a bit of combat, Astro yelled out new directions. "We need to finish this up soon! We have our friends trying to keep that body dead and they are under heavy assault!"

Doombunny screamed in frustration. She had forgotten about her friends being under attack. She began to glow yellow and she unleashed all of the Fighting Spirit she had. She became a blur as she darted in between each skeleton and sliced them apart. They slowly popped well after she was past them.

Fighting Spirit was a scary enough Skill, even more when it was used by meek and peaceful Fluttershy. Even as Doombunny, it was hard to see the warrior whenever she used fighting spirit to its max. All Bladescape could see was Fluttershy, and it scared her. The question that she always was left to ask was how much of her friend Fluttershy was still there? Had this game consumed her essence?

It drew the skeletons' aggro and, while Doombunny activated hide and slipped away, the rest capitalized on their confusion and finished them off a few minutes later.

They ran back into the cabin and AFCK switched the side of the candlestick. Backbreaker and Astro were already formed up at the door. Argo opened it and they rushed out.

Their friends were under heavy assault, outnumbered a solid 5 to 1. At least 5 to 1. They were hunkered down behind shields trying to survive.

"HEAL!" Thunderborne's raspy voice screamed as she used a crystal on Lessa and then she drove Quadruple pain over Joltron and onto the skeleton that was pounding on his shield

But they were no longer outnumbered 5 to 1 as the rest of the Wondercolts plowed into the side of the Skeletons, blindsiding them. Bladescape and Argo dashed around to the other side and put them into a pincer maneuver. It was effective as the skeletons popped one by one. Their friends got the rest they needed as the aggro of the monsters was split. Joltron, Lessa, and Knightstar were not out of the fight though. They rose up and went on the offensive. Thunderborne dropped back and drank a health potion. She was sweating from the aggressive offensive she had just performed. She had been their entire offensive line.

Even with the skeletons done, Astro wasn't finished. "Blade! Argo! BB! AFCK! Knightstar! With me. Kiefer, they are your charge."

They followed Astro back into the cabin.

"Spread out and look for anything useful. Anything that could help us against him. He would be one to know about the Floor Boss!"

They found some books, but that was about it. Astro switched the candlestick and they made sure that the Necromancer was not back. A search of the outside left them with nothing but a Woodcutting Axe, which Backbreaker wasn't going to let go to waste. They never stepped past the red line on the ground. It was probably rigged to do something nasty.

Inside the cabin was still the same. Nothing had been added. Astro switched the candlestick and then took it with her. They met their friends outside.

The Necromancer's Apprentice was still there. Bladescape approached, flipped her blade around, and stabbed down, straight into his chest. She coldly rammed it down a second time. And then a third time. The third finally destroyed the body.

"That solves that," Bladescape declared. "Let's get back to the old man."

As they approached his glade, they heard plenty of noise. But it wasn't fighting, it was cheers and laughing. They found several younger adults helping move boxes to a wagon with an ox hooked up to it.

"You live!" The old man said when he saw them. "These are two of my kids and their wives. They braved the woods for me. I leave now not because of the Necromancer, but because my children are right. I need to move to the city. The only thing left for me here are my memories, and I can take the good ones with me."

"We killed the apprentice," Argo said. "And we drove out the Necromancer. He slipped away with magic before we could strike the killing blow."

"My, my," He said, stroking his chin. "That is impressive. I thought you were casual adventurers, but you are more than that."

"Here," one of the sons said coming over. "This is what I can give you for saving my father's life, and making it so that we didn't have to fight the skeletons when we got here."

"Thank you," Argo said, taking the small sack. "But Sir, do you know anything we can do to stop him? What about your protective barrier here?"

"I am sorry. It took me years to learn to make that barrier. It repels all who want to do me harm. There is no simple way for me to just give it to you. That isn't how it works. But if you could do more, well he will go for more people. He will raise an army. Take what you want from what is left in my cabin. The place is yours, but don't let him enslave anyone else."

"We will not," Bladescape assured him.

They watched them get in the wagon and depart. The quest finished. They got a ton of XP, a good amount of Col, some random items, and best of all, the ownership of the cabin. They would have to decide who actually owned it between them.

"Take the cabin," Argo immediately said. "I don't need it. Take it as a perk of helping me get this quest taken care of and actually finished. What I got is more than I expected. Plus, a little satisfaction on the side."

"Let's at least look to see what we were left inside the cabin," Bladescape said.

It was pretty bare. Basic furniture, a single bed for two and the other bedrooms were empty.

"Hey!" AFCK called out to them from where she was in the living room. "Argo! Blade! Astro! Look what I found."

Bladescape and the others found AFCK holding a candlestick. The same one as the candlestick that had been in the Necromancer's cabin. They compared them and they were perfectly matched. The date on the bottom was the same, with the same initials.

"You don't think...?" Bladescape asked.

"No," Astro immediately said. "I think it's a misdirect. Pure and simple. But I have a strong feeling, that Necromancer is our Floor Boss. And we won't get to throw poison picks at him."

"You have them poisoned!" Argo exclaimed. "I was trying to figure out how he was going down so fast, but once he dropped from AFCK's hit, I was focused on the battle. Then he was leaving. Poison makes a lot of sense."

"We are very efficient," Bladescape said with sly grin.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 72 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 72 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 37 - A Day in the Life of Backbreaker

Floor 59

April 14 – Year 2

Backbreaker rolled out of bed and set her naked feet on the smooth wood floor. It was cool to the touch. She stretched wide, opening her body up so it was ready for the day. She stood up and grabbed an empty glass on her nightstand, which she took it to the bathroom where she filled it with water from the sink and downed it. Hydration was a cornerstone to her success in game.

Backbreaker walked over to the window and looked out over Mishe. The medieval town was quiet in the waking hours. The internal clock in her vision said 0546. Soon enough it would be bustling with decent activity as the lower mid level players began to live their normal lives.

A good part of Backbreaker envied them. They didn't have to lug around a big shield, or fight on the front lines. They did not have to carry the burden she did as the Iron Bulwark, always at the head of the line, the Tank that stood when the others got tossed. A small part of her thought they were cowards. They stayed on the lower levels, safe from most dangers as they hunted for just enough Col to live every day.

But all in all, Backbreaker recognized that the Wondercolts and the Assault Team were the odd ones out. A death game was not something most people could handle. And as long as they survived, that was what mattered. They were not cowards, they were real human beings doing their best to survive in this virtual world. And they were why she picked up her shield almost every day and charged into the Boss Chambers. They were why she would not, could not, bend or break.

Her friends were strong. She didn’t have any reservations or fear about them being able to handle themselves in this game. These normal players needed a hero though. They needed to hear the tale of the Iron Bulwark stopping some big monster or boss with nothing more than a scrap of iron for a shield and her raw strength. Backbreaker never read them, but she knew the paper published stories of her actions at times. Most of them were probably fake, unless they were talking about the Field or Floor Bosses. And even then they probably added in a sprinkling of extra pizzazz for the readers.

Backbreaker walked away from the window and pulled up her menu. She wasn’t leaving the Headquarters, so she changed into the outfit Diemond had made her. She was kind and gave her a plane white work shirt, made of a thick cotton like material, along with blue denim like shorts. Her boots were too short for normal work boots, but they were sufficient for wearing around headquarters. Diemond probably could make her a cowboy hat, but Backbreaker was certain Diemond hadn’t on purpose. She was never a fan of the cowgirl, rustic style a life on a farm required. Or her going to school in the same clothes she worked in.

Backbreaker grabbed the doorknob and pulled the door open, stepping out into the hallway and fully into the new day. She heard a yelp from Diemond on the second floor and some more noise, which was probably Thunderborne and Astro getting into trouble in the common room.

Food was Backbreaker’s goal. Her stomach was growling like some of the monsters they had fought. And like them, she was about to end it by eating breakfast. Whatever it was AFCK whipped up. There was the odd morning where they didn’t have a meal made, but AFCK loved to cook, especially breakfast.

Down the stairs and on their second floor, no one was in any of the seats. They had all migrated downstairs or were still holed up in their rooms. Which meant Backbreaker was able to slip her shoes off and enjoy the feeling of the rug tickling her feet and massaging in between her toes. If Diemond ever heard of her doing that she would flip out. If she caught her doing it, it would be a disaster. By the stairs, Backbreaker slipped her boots back on and descended the circular staircase to the first floor. Her hand slid along the polished banister, enjoying its feel all the way down. By the time she was halfway down, she could smell food.

As usual, it was a noisy breakfast, which was mostly the work of Thunderborne, Astro, and some of Joltron.

“Well BB won’t even try to ride the windmills on the first floor!” Thunderborne declared. “She is too afraid to even try and beat me and my ability. I’m not talking speed, I’m talking agility. She has no chance in a foot race.”

Backbreaker felt the smile grace her lips. “Thunder, I just don’t care. I’ve told you a hundred times. I don’t care about riding windmills. I don’t even get why you would. You won’t goad me into that.”

“You just are not agile enough to do it,” Thunderborne quipped.

Backbreaker sighed and shook her head. She had moved away from the competition a while ago, but Thunderborne still tried to keep it alive. Back home, they were nearly equals, with neither having much of an edge over the other. But here, she clearly had Thunderborne outmatched in strength and she would never be close to Thunderborne’s speed or agility.

Backbreaker had put agility as her newest Skill, but Thunderborne didn’t know that. No one knew that. She was using a big shield and wanted to be able to move and deploy it faster. She needed to with the way the others moved. But she was not going to get into a competition with Thunderborne over it. Or become Thunderborne’s trainee. That would mean doing weird things to train agility, rather than focusing on simple things like jumping as high as possible. Repeatedly. Unlike Thunderborne, Backbreaker was used to repetitive tasks in the orchard back home. Especially during harvests.

This morning’s hunger was banished by a mix of fresh fruit, porridge, and scones with several types of jams. Even in a virtual world, Pinkie Pie outdid herself. And day after day she did it, without a single complaint and with a great variety of foods.

Backbreaker was brought back to the real reason she was awake. Bladescape had called for them to gear up. Most of them had to head to their rooms to grab their equipment. Backbreaker preferred to keep hers in her storage. A few clicks in the privacy of the bathroom and she was ready, hammer swinging off her waist. For now, she didn’t need her shield.

Bladescape had been in her gear when Backbreaker got to breakfast, so she was leaning against the wall by the double doors of the guild hall. Most mornings she was leaning against the wall while the others finished up. Backbreaker preferred to sit down. She had stopped fixing the chair in the back row she always use. It stayed permanently flipped around for Backbreaker to use.

It didn’t take five minutes for them all to be ready and present. Backbreaker sighed, bored, as the parties were organized. It was all routine. Backbreaker knew she would be with Bladescape. She never was with anyone else. The two of them made a good pair, but it got boring. Astro, Thunder, Joltron, and Kiefer was assigned to the party as well. Two Tanks, two Forwards, and two Damage dealers. Their best Damage Dealers and Tanks in one party was rare and unbalanced. But Backbreaker loved to work with Astro because of the reach of her spear.

They left their Headquarters and walked straight to the teleport plaza. A simple jump, command, and Danac glowed blue before she fully materialized. Backbreaker walked off the platform at the head of their group.

Danac was the main settlement on Floor 59. The rural village had a wide safe zone with plenty of open hills. Some windmills also dotted the landscape. It was a small village with only a few two story houses.

Backbreaker followed as Bladescape lead them the long way out of the village. Wood fences lined the path as they walked out. In different parts of the fields, there were low stone walls that once were the boundaries to farm fields. They continued out to the giant cloud pillar that ran from the fields to the bottom of the next floor. It wasn’t too far of a hike. They had dived a few floors into the dungeon before. Inside was old stone hallways with arched ceilings, lined by sporadic torches. They had been nicknamed “The Catacombs,” by other players. It was not hard for Backbreaker to see why.

The monsters inside were a lot of trouble. The worst was the “shadows,” which were the same as they had faced on the Necromancer quest. They were not bound by the walls, making them even more difficult to deal with. They only slashed with their shadow claws, which did limited damage, but it still could become a dire situation if a group was caught fighting a log group of monsters. And it was a nuisance that kept them on their toes. Players like Backbreaker were useless against them. She was too slow to hit them as a Tank.

“And here is where we left off,” Bladescape finally said. “This cross section. We mapped the left, and the right. So forward it is.”

Backbreaker moved up to be tight on Bladescape’s flank. She had a habit of charging forward and leaving the others behind. And it was always a pain for Backbreaker to catch up. She saved her more often than Bladescape knew. And that is why she had applied acrobatics as her latest Skill.

The hallways ended in a large circular room with a high ceiling. On the far side was the stairs to the next level on the Labyrinth. But the circular room was a trap waiting to be sprung. The first clearers took out the majority of the enemies, but they would respawn. They slowly worked out to the center. Nothing came of it so they slowly moved to the stairs. A group had been through the area recently.

Above, on the next level of the labyrinth, Backbreaker got that chill running along the spine. The one that signaled danger. From the way Bladescape’s eyes were darting around, Backbreaker knew she was tracking something with her high level Search Skill.

A shadow slid out partially of the wall and then darted back in. It popped up further away from them. Backbreaker smiled, knowing they were about to enter battle. They followed the shadow down the hallway. It led through through a few turns and then they found themselves in a square hall with pillars lining it.

As they proceeded in, Backbreaker’s vision picked up enemies. There were more shadows. But then there were also skeletons in shoddy bronze armor wielding battered wooden shields and rusty swords. They came out from behind the pillars, ready for battle.

As Backbreaker knew she would, Bladescape charged forward ahead of the others. She sprinted after her, trying to catch up. The heavy armor and gigantic shield made it very difficult to catch an agile player. Agility should help that.

Bladescape was slashing away at shadows and and ended up locking her sword against a skeleton’s. But she didn’t see the skeleton directly behind her. Backbreaker slid in between them and took the sword on her shield with a dull thud. With a roar her hammer glowed and she shattered the high level skeleton in a single hit. Her strength parameters added to the weight of the hammer's strike, where it usually dealt critical damage on top of a high attack.

The rest had joined the battle. Most of what Backbreaker did was block an attack, let Astro ram her cross yari into it, and then block another attack for Astro or Bladescape and then the others to do it over again. Most of every fight was her moving her shield to block, time and time again. Which was why Backbreaker enjoyed every time she could land her hammer on an enemy. It didn’t happen often enough with their fluid switching skills.

Backbreaker took another rusty sword on her shield. But she was through with only blocking. She moved forward, twisting as she stepped so the skeleton was still facing her shield, stopping Astro from switching, and swung her hammer around her shield. It destroyed the skeleton with ease. The powerful strike came with a solid delay time, but it was the last of the ones directly attacking them. It was their turn to block her. And each time she got to destroy one of the pitiful pile of bones in a single hit, it made it all the boring blocking worth it.

A safezone was on the other size of the hall, giving them a perfect lunch break. Backbreaker always unequipped her shield rather than set it aside. It was too big. She sat down along the wall with the others and ate the food AFCK had packed. There were days she contemplated having a smaller, back up shield. Only the bosses needed her big, heavy shield. The the Iron Bulwark was earned by her, a gift from the game. If she set it aside, even for a battle, she felt she was rejecting that gift.

A player entered the safezone, alone. It was a player Backbreaker was very familiar with. She had fought by his side a number of times over the Floors, mostly early on. Kirito also took the opportunity to rest up and grab a bite to eat. Backbreaker was not going to give him an extra thought, just like he was going to give them, except AFCK jumped up with an excited shout and offered him a cupcake. He did take it and enjoyed it, something Backbreaker wasn’t expecting from an aloof player like Kirito.

Kirito moved out before them by a few minutes. Backbreaker also would have been on the move a lot sooner too if she was alone. However, Bladescape and Knightstar had to balance 11 players, which took time.

The rest of the day was the same. More enemies pounding away at her shield while Backbreaker just took the pounding. Today was another day where she felt like the kick drum on Pinkie Pie’s drum set with the Rainbooms. She didn’t have more pieces to the "drum kit" because her one shield blocked it all.

After running into Fuurinkazan later in the evening, they decided to pack it in. They were going to clear as a trifecta starting fresh in the morning. It was too risky to sleep in the safe zones, especially with Danac so close by.

Back home, Backbreaker headed up to her room. She changed into the same clothes she had worn after she had woken up. Then she sat at the desk on her room and leaned onto it like she usually did. She rested her chin on her hands and looked out over the city. Mishe had once been very busy at this time. But it had been slowing down steadily as they cleared each Floor. The city lacked the excitement it once had. Backbreaker knew her value, but it was no longer exciting. The enemies changed, the landscape changed, the dungeon map changed, but her job didn’t. It was just the same old, same old, for an experienced tank.

The last time she had been excited, truly excited, was when the six of them raided Kalzuk Dungeon together.

The rest of them didn’t know how Backbreaker felt. She couldn’t be tired. She couldn’t fail. And she wouldn’t. But she was looking forward to her next day off, when she could go fishing.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 72 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 72 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 38 - A Day in the Life of Knightstar

Floor 59

April 14 – Year 2

Knightstar was the second Wondercolt awake. She was even up and moving before AFCK was. She put her armor on and headed down to the guild hall. Bladescape had gone out on an overnight trip and was already at her seat in the guild hall. Knightstar sat down in hers.

Bladescape took a sip of her drink. “I want to stack the parties heavy on my side. With this Floor Boss, I want to sharpen us a bit more as a party.”

“Rough night?” Knightstar asked, putting a reassuring hand on Bladescape’s.

“Yeah, a bit,” Bladescape shrugged. “Boring mostly. But one mistake can leave a harrowing moment of fear. Thank goodness for the Battle Regeneration skill. It kept me out of the deep red and gave me the moment I needed to recover. It hurt. Badly.”

AFCK skipped by them, paying them no heed. But that was normal by now. Her mind was on breakfast.

“Then take who you want,” Knightstar said as she ran every group spread calculation through her head. “I trust you. We can handle it. It will make guide calculations a bit tough, but I can handle it.”

“I also want to take some others out on overnight trips. Just another one or two. We slacked off, and this spot is worth it."

"I'll back you any time," Knightstar said with a nod. "Because we did slack off. Well, everyone except for you."

"I have been slacking off," Bladescape said, distracted. "I've been doing less overnight trips and I need to fix that. But level grinding is difficult. It's boring. And worse, it's for our lives."

"Everything you are doing is amazing," Knightstar assured her. "You needed that rest. We all did. Now we have to start back up."

"I guess," Bladescape said with a tired sigh. "I'm not saying you're wrong. It's just tiring. But I know that it shows in the boss battles and clearing this game."

"Yes, it does," Knightstar said, getting up. "And, AFCK just passed us with food. We should get to breakfast. Before Thunderborne and Astro destroy it."

"Yeah," Bladescape said. She began to yawn as she stood, causing her to fall back into her chair.

Knightstar continued to run calculations as they walked to the dining room. They always sat at the far ends of the table, across from each other. "I think if we could do some overnight trips, we could all level up if we ran 36-12-36-12-12 rotation for time in the field, we could push us all another level in those first two 36s. But that is a lot of pressure on you."

"I don't have to be the only one leading these," Bladescape stated.

"Good morning," Doombunny greeted them.

"Hey," Bladescape said before continuing. "I can easily start with showing Kiefer. It will put him in a better position and train him. I think he has real party leader potential. He has been doing well with the tasks he has been given."

Bladescape turned her attention back to Doombunny and apologized for blowing her off in her distraction. Knightstar sat down and grabbed some fruit. Astro and Thunderborne would not pay attention to what they grabbed, so if she wanted any particular fruit, she needed to grab some now. A good portion of fruit and food, not a greedy one.

Breakfasts were always interesting. They were usually calmer than dinners. Even for Thunderborne and Astro. Backbreaker had given up on competing against Thunderborne, and it worried Knightstar, but otherwise, there were no other concerning things Knightstar had noticed about her even keeled friend.

Knightstar spent breakfast thinking about how to best run the 36-12-36-12-12 rotation. If Bladescape could get Kiefer trained, it would speed things up. It was a risky move and a big undertaking. It meant that the Wondercolts would be fighting and training for 36 hours, off for about 12, on for the next 12, then off for 12, and back on for 36 hours, which was followed by two normal days before they could go back to an overnight mission. That was assuming nothing special happened, like a boss raid. That might hold them up and endanger them from lack of sleep, but the strategy meetings were also usually announced in advance, meaning she would have time to plan around it.

In other words, they would start in the morning, and continue overnight, not sleeping, and then be back in the field with the rest of the Wondercolts for a day of clearing before they would rest. The next day would be a normal day, and the day after they started a 36 hour training period again. It had proven to be effective in the past, but it was difficult for any of them to keep up for a sustained period. That was why Knightstar and Bladescape led alternating groups to keep guild members well rested for the time they needed to spend clearing. The last time, Knightstar had led the resting party into the 51st Floor’s Labyrinth while Bladescape trained the other members in a full training mission without clearing anything during that time.

Bladescape was always better at leading the training missions and helping each member excel no matter how tired they were. Knightstar always took things slow, gaining as much information from each monster and each kill as possible. It made clearing slower, but it gave them valuable information that they could not only sell, but eventually turn into strategies for killing the creatures faster than when they had started. Often three times faster.

Breakfast finished and Bladescape dismissed the others to get their gear. Backbreaker changed in the bathroom as usual and was ready as soon as Knightstar and Bladescape where. It was a quiet wait. Doombunny was the last there, but they all had changed quickly despite the vertical distance some of them had to travel to get to the top floors.

They teleported from Mishe to Danac, the closest town to the Labyrinth. The front-line camp city was still on Floor 57, Marten, because it was better provisioned than anything on Floor 59. Danac was mostly made up of spread out fields with windmills and rolling hills breaking up the landscape.

Knightstar had to try to not get angry at Astro and Thunderborne. They were fast, but they played a game where they jumped to as many cities as possible before the last of their group was at their target city. It was annoying, but harmless. It never held them up, but she was always concerned it would.

Efficiency was what they needed to make it out alive. They had to spend as little energy as possible getting the maximum reward they could. That meant faster leveling, higher levels, better equipment, and all-around safer days as she made sure their safety margin was a big as possible. Sometimes it was almost nonexistent, especially at the start of a new Floor, which was why they needed to be as efficient as possible to reduce those days.

Knightstar was running other numbers through her head as they walked out to the Labyrinth. It had been nicknamed the catacombs because of how it resembled the feeling of a real catacomb under a city and its monsters where skeletons and shadows. She knew all the stats of each, even without her papers detailing them, and she was trying to pay attention to how well they could do with XP and Col as they mapped and cleared the Labyrinth over the day. Neither of the enemies dropped anything useful.

Knightstar had to refocus once they got inside. She had a party to lead. “Lessa, with me. AFCK, play forward for Diemond and Doombunny will be your damage dealer. Understood?”

They all acknowledged the orders and they began to move out behind Bladescape’s party.

When they were being baited in, Knightstar had her party watching their backs, in case the shadows came out from behind. They would not be caught unaware. They had been before, Floors ago, and they had learned that lesson well. It was all a part of playing the stats to be as efficient and safe as possible.

When Bladescape led her charge into the hall, Knightstar waited a few seconds and then had her party charge. She needed to create room so that they could put the skeletons in a two-front fight for any that tried to surround the other party.

The first skeleton Knightstar dispatched with Horizontal Square, a four combo Sword Skill for her One-handed Longsword. Knightstar took a swipe of a shadow’s claws on her shield and stabbed it in retaliation. It shattered as she took out all of its Hit Points in the simple, single strike. Their speed and near invisibility meant that they had comparatively no health for an enemy on this floor.

The fight was standard from her view. She usually traded blows with the Skeletons. Block with her shield, respond with a one or two combo Sword Skill and repeat. It was perfect for working alone. She had Lessa by her side who would switch out with her at times, which made things even easier. The two of them worked well in combat since they could both work alone, yet switch out when needed. It gave Knightstar the ability to observe what was happening.

She let out a sigh of relief when the battle was over. She was always nervous in combat. It was the exact opposite of analyzing stats, requiring instinctive reaction more often than deliberate strategy. She overthought everything in combat the same way she analyzed everything outside of it. Knightstar's had had to find a compromise between the two while getting the best results she could out of both early on. These days her health never even dropped into the yellow. She was safe, but it still always concerned her. Doing both was a huge strain, but she had to do it for her friends. For their safety.

Lunch was a welcomed break after the long battle. They had worked for the territory gained. Knightstar was writing down statistical information when AFCK jumped up and approached Kirito who had come into the safe zone a short while after they had begun lunch. She was surprised he took the offered cupcake. It was a trusting move to make in a Labyrinth. However, he was gone faster than they were.

Knightstar went back to more calculations. She was approaching level 70. She needed to be ready. She had no idea what to choose for her next skill. Part of her wanted to choose a non-combat skill, but none of the ones she knew of caught her eye. She ended up just scrolling through the master skill list Argo had compiled for the players.

Lunch was over on Bladescape's order. She was always the one on top of things. Without Bladescape, their entire guild would fall apart.

The afternoon split them down two paths. Knightstar fought hard, leading her party into multiple battles as they mapped the current level of the labyrinth. They ran into a dead end, but they mapped it and got plenty XP and Col out of the fight. A dead end meant they didn't have to worry about it on a map. It also meant she was narrowing down on the exact set of algorithms that were being used. She could almost predict exactly how each skeleton would react.

When they got back to the meeting point, Fuurinkazan was also there.

Bladescape nodded to Knightstar. "We are going to call it early and join forces in the morning with Fuurinkazan to get a really good day in against the Labyrinth. After we joined maps, we saw a lot of the areas where the paths cross."

The labyrinths loved to crisscross paths and create as many conflicts with mapping as possible. The higher the Floor, the logistically harder the Labyrinth was. That also wasn't counting the level of the monsters in the labyrinth.

"Okay," Knightstar nodded. "That sounds like a plan."

Knightstar's mind immediately went to things she had to do. She had a guide to finish for a client, and Argo was paying her for another set of calculations. Time outside the labyrinths meant she could do those things, but neither directly progressed the game. Both of those tasks were more fun to her than mapping and clearing a Labyrinth. It was a difficult conflict for her to balance.

Outside the labyrinth, Knightstar contacted her client and set up a meeting with him. Back in their headquarters, she finished up the last touches, which she had been doing on the walk back, and prepared to finalize the sale. It was a crafting consultation guide. Much of it was compiled with information she had only acquired recently along with the Wondercolts' equipment upgrade. It was telling the player the best way for them to reach their desired level. This particular guide had to factor in lower economic considerations.

The player met her in the greeting chamber of their headquarters and Knightstar walked him through the guide. He asked multiple questions and Knightstar answered every single one. She also wrote more down to make sure he understood. She had a reputation for assisting her clients past the immediate consultation. The game shifted and changed as new information became available. Changes that affected the game in drastic ways would require a second consultation, but she didn't want to charge them again if the change was something small. And they always seemed to have some follow up questions, which were easy to answer.

After the consultation, Knightstar was exhausted. Explaining every detail had finally wiped her out. The day had been too busy and tomorrow would be worse. It would be faster action with three squads than with two. Which also meant less time for her to do calculations. Calculations were supposed to be secondary to any clearing action, but Knightstar struggled to set them aside.

In her room, Knightstar picked up one of the books on her shelf. It was built like a magazine stand and Knightstar had her guides and encyclopedias laid on it. Each one she had made herself. They were the physical copies of all the information she had learned during their time in the game. She picked up the ones she needed and added the day's information. Most of it she had memorized, but it was better to have it written down. Even with as good as it was, it was safer than relying on her memory by itself.

Observation By My Editor I Wanted To Share:

You know, I know that things like Kirito and Asuna's cottage being destroyed in the destruction of Aincrad when the game was cleared was sort of a tragic scene, but this is almost moreso... Homes are very personal things, but even when you loose one, you can still take the memories with you and build another somewhere else. Knightstar's books though? The information may or may not be applicable to a game like ALO, but it's still a record of her time spent in this world, and something she made. That's going to be two years of work, blood sweat and tears just... gone.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 72 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 72 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 39 - A Day in the Life of Thunderborne

Floor 59

April 14 – Year 2

Thunderborne's menu alarm went off. After snoozing it twice, she rolled out of bed. She landed in push-up position and began to do her morning exercises and stretching. After push-ups, it was sit-ups, squats, and then pull-ups with the apparatus in her room.

Warmed up, she changed into the yoga pants and shirt Diemond had made her. Blue for the pants with red and yellow stripes on the side, and the top was red, with a rainbow cutting across the chest with a lightning bolt zip to it.

She took a short running start and leaped down the stairs, expertly not hitting the ceiling, which she had done plenty of times. She rolled on her landing on the second floor. She slid into a standing position, throwing a fist pump in celebration. Thunderborne was now awake and ready for the day. Now she just had to make it through the second floor and down to whatever breakfast AFCK had concocted for them.

Thunderborne began to juggle the soccer ball she had stashed on the second floor. It started simple with bouncing it on her foot and then moved up to her knees and her head. She kept it up for a while until she got bored. She had breakfast to get to. She bounced the ball off her head and kicked it hard across the room towards the red “goal” painted on the wall between some furniture. Across from it was the blue goal.

Diamond shrieked as the ball flew past her head. Thunderborne was denied the score by Astro coming out of nowhere and knocking the ball into the ceiling with her forehead. The ball bounced down to the floor and on the rebound Astro kicked it hard. Thunderborne couldn’t get in front of it in time because Diemond was lecturing her over something.

Astro celebrated the win and Thunderborne focused on Diemond. “Lighten up Diemond. I’m awesome. That is all that matters.”

Thunderborne walked towards the stairs, ignoring Diemond. At the stairs, she rode the banister down as it curled around once. The ride was the last piece of her morning routine.

Thunderborne jumped into her favorite chair around the table. Only Bladescape, Doombunny, AFCK, and Knightstar were there. She got first dibs on the food. Because she was faster than the others.

Thunderborne loaded up her bowl all the way with porridge and then a plate full of fruit. She grabbed two scones, having to juggle them because they had just come out of the oven. She grabbed the jar of her favorite jelly and slathered a heap onto each scone. It finished the jar, which popped into polygons since it was done being used.

It took nothing for her to scarf the food down, even with the heat of the scones. She was almost done as the last Wondercolt got there. As usual, it was Backbreaker.

Thunderborne sighed and sunk into her chair. Not from satisfaction, but from boredom. She had to wait to wait until the others got their food for her to get seconds. She had to be “fair.” She preferred the ideology of “if you snooze, you lose.”

“Yes, Thunder, you can stop pouting and grab seconds,” Bladescape told her. “You too, Astro.”

Thunderborne jumped up, reaching all around past the others to grab what she wanted.

With a mouth full of food, Thunderborne swallowed as she remembered what she wanted to ask Astro. “Astro, the windmills here are bigger than they are on the first floor. A lot bigger because they are made of stone. Want to ride them later?”

“Sure!” Astro shot back. “I probably won’t make it, but I am down to try.”

“I know who won’t make it,” Thunder chuckled. “BB. Join us, BB!”

“Yeah! But she probably will fail. We should go to the first floor. Right?”

“Well BB won’t even try to ride the windmills on the first floor!” Thunderborne declared. “She's too afraid to even try and beat me and my ability. I’m not talking speed, I’m talking agility. She obviously has no chance in a foot race.”

Backbreaker smiled a bit at Thunderborne. “Thunder, I just don’t care. I’ve told you a hundred times. I don’t care about ridin' windmills. I don’t even get why you would. You won’t goad me into that.”

“You just aren't agile enough to do it,” Thunderborne quipped.

Now she knew she was pouting. Waiting for seconds she wasn’t. But Backbreaker had gotten more and more boring as the months wore on. It was like all she wanted was to bash things with her shield and hammer. There was no fun left in her. She had stopped competing after it became clear Thunderborne couldn’t beat her strength.

But Thunderborne couldn’t even get her to do any competitions anymore. It was all about skills and stats with her. She had lost her best friend to the game.

Everyone suddenly rushed off, out of the room. Thunderborne realized that Bladescape had told them to get their gear on. She leapt up, jogging to the stairs. She wasn’t allowed to actually run in their HQ. She might have knocked a few people around on accident in the beginning. Still, she wouldn’t be the last one assembled.

In her room, she took off her clothes and popped her armor on. After fixing her rapier on her side, she rushed out. Astro was on the stairs ahead of her, meaning she couldn’t jump down. Not without tackling her. And the last time she tackled Astro, Thunderborne was forced to wear an orange cursor for three days because she accidentally broke the harassment code. It had been a high-speed tackle from Astro’s blindside. Bladescape was furious at her for making her explain to the other guilds why she had an orange player in their guild. She was not able to go to the next boss battle because she was still orange. Bladescape had to keep order somehow. That was before the days of Laughing Coffin and sleep PKers. She spent the nights in a safezone in the closest dungeon. She had to eat plain food that had high durability which AFCK had packed her.

Thunderborne was not the last one in the meeting hall. She was too awesome to be last. She wished she had her guitar to play while she waited. But none of the instruments in SAO were worth her time.

Thunderborne high fived Astro as they were paired in the same party together. It was always more fun that way. The two of them could compete for most kills. When they were in separate parties, they both tended to forget to count and run inflated guesstimates, and then they would get into an argument and Twilight, an egghead in both realities, always seemed to know how many the one who was in her party had killed.

Thunderborne jumped up into the teleport plaza. “Teleport Urbus!”

Urbus appeared and Thunderborne marked it as one. “Teleport Karluin!”

Thunderborne finally teleported to Danac. The group was still assembling. They hadn’t noticed her late arrival. It was slow, and boring, teleporting 11 people to the same area. Thunderborne had devised a game where they each tried to jump to as many cities as possible without being missed. The others had not caught on.

“Five,” Thunderborne whispered to Astro.

“Dang it!” Astro spat. “I got four. Karluin, Urbus, Tolbana, and Taft.”

“Urbus, Karluin, Coral, Panareze, and then Granzam.”

“Nice,” Astro said, putting her hands out.

Thunderborne slapped Astro’s hand down low, and then up high. Astro still tried to trick her, but Thunderborne was too fast. At least Astro was still game for fun.

The hike out was boring. Very boring. Thunderborne wanted action. And they never got it. The others were too slow as well. Astro and Thunderborne had yet to devise a game to play while they hiked out to the Labyrinths.

She was incredibly happy when they finally got to the Labyrinth. The catacombs held some really fun fights. Or they would if they could find anything to fight. It was picked clean, even after they passed the area they had previously mapped.

Thunderborne was relieved when they began to be baited into a chase by the shadow. Except Bladescape was too slow. They were good enough that they could rush in faster than they were moving.

But it wasn’t much longer until they found the chamber and Thunderborne knew the fight she had been waiting for all morning was upon them. Bladescape was the first in, with Backbreaker right behind her. But that was fine. Thunderborne paired up with Joltron and they rushed forward on their left.

Thunderborne stabbed a shadow with a four-combo strike, ending its existence. After that, Joltron blocked her side from a skeleton. She stepped just to the side of Joltron, bringing Azure Aculeus up for a six part combo. Four slashes and two stabs, starting and finishing with the stabs. It was effective, but not enough against the skeletons. Slash with a rapier was weak. Joltron boringly took the counter attack on his shield and then Kiefer jumped in, finishing off her kill and forcing Thunderborne to target something else.

Thunderborne jumped to a shadow and picked it apart with ease. A skeleton took a swipe at her, but Thunderborne danced out of the way and killed another shadow. She avoided the skeleton again, killed a third shadow, and then finally blocked the skeleton’s rusty sword with Weapon Defense. It put it off balance and Thunderborne unleashed a two hit combo followed by a three hit and then a one hit to finish it.

She could take the higher movement penalty because Joltron was right there to block her. He did his job while Kiefer drew the aggro of another skeleton. Thunderborne unfroze and leaped to Joltron’s side, dispatching the skeleton. She flipped backwards and sliced down the skeleton Kiefer was fighting.

This was what she was waiting for. Battle. Flipping, fighting, and the rush of adrenaline. And with the higher HP of the skeletons, it took a highly skilled fighter to take them down with ease. They were on Floor 59’s Labyrinth. Even though she was level 72, it wasn’t a cake walk. As easy as she made it look.

With the battle done, they found a safe zone on the other side of the chamber. Thunder didn’t want to stop. It was too early for lunch, but it would be a while before they found another one. She powered through the food, but savored the cupcake.

After, Thunderborne and Astro began to play Rock, Paper, Scissors. They were in a heated marathon. The score was 3942 to 3902 in favor of Thunderborne. They only played in safe zones. They got in another 42 games before they moved out again. The score was 3966 to 3920, still in Thunderborne’s favor but either of their game.

Thunderborne didn’t care about mapping. She left that to Bladescape, Knightstar, and Kiefer. They hit multiple dead ends, but each had a big fight and was worth it. They ran into Fuurinkazan and the fighting was done for the day. Which meant it was another boring walk back.

Once home, Thunderborne went up to her room and completely disrobed for a bath. As far as she could get naked that was.

After the enjoyable bath, she sat in her lounge chair and repainted each of her toes. Each one was a different color. If Diemond found out, she would go overboard. But Thunderborne did enjoy treating herself a bit in this game. One her next day off, she was going to head to Lindarth where there was a nice, small, day spa. Not everything had to be a competition. And it helped keep her edge in this death game.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 72 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 72 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 40 - A Day in the Life of Diemond

Episode 40 - A Day in the Life of Diemond

Floor 59

April 14 – Year 2

Diemond lifted the sleeping mask from her eyes and stretched. It was time to get up. If she didn’t hurry, she would be late for breakfast. And that was always a problem when Thunderborne and Astro were involved.

She switched from her sleepwear to her day clothes with a few clicks. It took longer to decide which outfit to wear of the ones she had made than it took to do the few clicks. She checked her choice in the mirror and sighed, a bit depressed. She looked fabulous in the sundress, but she didn’t have to do anything but a few clicks to look that way. She used to have fun with her beauty regimen. Now it didn't exist outside a few clicks on a screen.

Diemond pranced her way down the stairs, humming as she went. As usual, Thunderborne was juggling the soccer ball with her feet. That thing had ruined their nice second floor when Astro and Thunderborne had the "great idea" of putting a mini soccer field in so they could play. It rarely stayed “in bounds” so the ball was disruptive all the time.

Diemond made sure to give Thunderborne plenty of room while she passed by her. Thunderborne had no sense of others and making sure she wasn’t too interruptive. Her focus was often too narrow. Thunderborne didn’t check, as usual, and kicked the ball, hard. It went right past Diemond's nose.

“RAINBOW DASH!” Diemond exclaimed as her heart stopped in panic. “You almost took my head off! Why do you have to play that game in here where we are supposed to relax! Your ball is always going out of bounds and it always goes towards my head! I don’t hang out here because of the menace you two pose! And you ruined the walls with that paint!

Rarity snorted as he put her hands on her hips. “Are you even listening to me!”

Thunderborne looked Diemond in the eyes and shrugged. “Lighten up, Diemond. I’m awesome. That is all that matters.”

Diemond was steamed. “Did you hear anything I said!”

Thunderborne just kept walking towards the stairs.

“Thunderborne!” Diemond yelled. “How many days are there in a week!”

Thunderborne slid down the banister and out of sight.

“THIS DISCUSSION ISN’T OVER!” Diemond yelled after her. “We will settle this! I won’t let you take my head off!”

Diemond stomped her foot three times in anger. She couldn’t stand that soccer ball. Her head was a magnet for it.

She sighed. Here heart rate had slowed down. It wasn’t worth the big fight. What mattered was food. She was hungry and they were supposed to hit the catacombs. That was what was important.

Assuming Thunderborne didn’t hit her while fighting. There was always that possibility whenever they were in the same party.

Thunderborne had taken more than her fair share for breakfast. As much as they allowed her before the rest had gotten their share. Diemond grabbed a normal amount of food and ate it with dignity. Unlike certain other players at the table. Fruit wasn’t finger food. They had silverware for a reason.

Bladescape got them all moving and Diemond had to change out of her gorgeous outfit. Her armor wasn’t nearly as nice as the sundress. But for armor, it looked good. It was imposing, and the blue was divine. She had done a good job designing and making it. The mace was hanging off her waist in just the right spot to be an accent to the armor, not a weapon. It finished the look. At least in her eyes.

Diemond was the last to meet at the front door. She was relegated to Party B, as she called it. She hadn’t fought with Bladescape or Backbreaker in forever, and that made her sad. But living through this death game was more important. The guild balance was the most important thing for that survival. Their friendship could catch up after they survived the game. They all just had to survive first. It sounded so simple.

She was with Knightstar, as usual, as well as Lessa, Doombunny, and AFCK. AFCK was always fun to be in a party with. They were on the short end with only five members, and their weaker fighters. Normally they had things better balanced, but Bladescape knew what she was doing. Diemond was sure of that.

The walk was quiet. It was getting quieter and quieter the longer they were trapped inside this game. Diemond wanted to talk more, but she had no idea what to talk about. The Wondercolts were an Assault Team Guild. All they did was fight on the front lines, clearing the game. They were all extremely good at it, but it didn't lend much to making conversation.

Inside the catacombs it was equally boring. The life of a tank was slow. Everything revolved around the shield. She got her attacks in, but it was not the main thing she got to do. Most of it was block, block, block. Metal clanging on metal, right in her ear and reverberating inside her helmet. It gave her a headache that made it hard to focus on her job.

Everyone had their roles to play. Everyone played them well. AFCK was a bit unhinged but supporting Diemond. Knightstar and Lessa worked well together. Doombunny was always disappearing, but was at Diemond’s back whenever she really needed her friend's support. The rest of the time Doombunny’s Hide Skill was highly effective. What exactly she was doing, Diemond could never tell anymore.

In the end, what mattered is that they were mapping the labyrinth and clearing the way. That, and bashing skeletons was fun. They deserved to rest in pieces. When Diemond had made that joke over a previous lunch it did not go over as well as she had hoped. Still, she thought it was funny.

Running into Fuurinkazan was fun, and the plan for the morning was a good one. The more the merrier.

Plus, it got them home earlier. That meant she could do more sewing and make two dozen or so outfits. And that would mean she could make more money at the upcoming sale.

Back home, Diemond popped on her idea dress. Designing was something she could do in this game that was absolute fun. It was normal life for her. No one was going to chat about it though. It was all either stats or fighting. They were happy enough to help out with the upcoming day sale she was planning, but that was it. None of them really understood the fashion industry. Which wasn't any different than I.R.L.

Diemond loved working with even more materials now that she knew what to look for. She was creating new dresses with higher defensive stats than mid-tier gear. Thankfully, the newer field of materials didn’t make things look bad. Getting a hold of some of them was costly, but she had plenty of Col from the Labyrinth. Earning more money for the guild would be worth the cost in the end.

Diemond was using tarisin cloth. It was like silk, but even more durable . She had bought it dyed red; the only color she could find in her limited time available. She bleached it and re-dyed it a silver color. It was being fashioned into several hakamas, for both men and women. She was also looking at a few designs for armor to compliment them. She had Klein in mind for the hakama armor. As a member of the Assault Team, he would need better materials though.

Diemond finished the hakamas and put everything away. She needed a quick bath and then bed. Diemond hated to admit it, but for beauty maintenance, it was nice not having to worry about bed head and sleeping with wet hair.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 72 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 72 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 41 - A Day in the Life of AFCK

Floor 59

April 14 – Year 2

Pinkie Pie skipped along the road as it wound through the hills. She was getting muddy, which both Rarity and Diemond would not be happy about. Especially since she was purposely jumping into the chocolate puddles when they came along.

Several rocks rolled in front of her, coming off the hilltop. They were of varying size and color. She stopped to chat with them.

"Good Morning VRPP," the biggest one, Papa Rock, greeted her. He had no mouth since rocks didn't have mouths. Rocks having mouths would be silly. "The rock candy harvest is in, but the Taffy King wants it for himself. Will you help us?"

"Sure!" Pinkie Pie giggled. "I love you guys. And I keep my licorice sword sharp and ready. But you guys seriously need to figure out a better way to protect yourselves. One day, I won't be here to help out."

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

"What is that?" Papa rock asked, as concerned as a rock could be.

"Oh that beeping? It's just my morning alarm. I can get up later.” Pinkie Pie drew her licorice sword while striking a valiant pose. “Time to vanquish my old nemesis, the Taffy King!"

"You can save us later. You have to save yourself and your friends first."

"Awe! But-"

"Not buts! Go! Real life needs you VRPP!"

Pinkie Pie opened her eyes with a sigh. She wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth. Now she had to be AFCK. And AFCK was boring. Pinkie Pie reminded herself that AFCK was outside Pinkie Pie and she was still Pinkie Pie inside. She finally rolled out of bed and sat down at her desk. She finished last night’s cupcake, which was sitting on her desk where she had nursed it last night.

After that, she popped her cooking outfit on. Then she skipped down the stairs to the kitchen, passing Knightstar and Bladescape in the guild hall on the way. She grabbed her apron off its hook in the kitchen and tied it on. AFCK grabbed the bowl of dressing flour off of the counter and tossed a handful in air, sprinkling it all over herself. She continued until she was happy with her final layer. Once she was fully dressed, she began to make porridge.

While that cooked, she pulled out a knife and tapped it on different fruits so that they were nicely sliced up. Cutting fruit in SAO was boring. She couldn't make fruit art or fruit opera.

Pinkie Pie hummed as she grabbed baking flour, sugar, buttermilk, eggs, and something that mimicked the taste of vanilla. Real scones required more ingredients to make, but SAO scones didn't. After a quick stir, she was putting them in the oven. They wouldn't take long to bake.

Pinkie Pie grabbed the cut fruit and skipped it to the dining room. When she got back, she checked the scones. They hadn't baked at all.

She laughed out loud to herself. "Oh Pinkie Pie, you're so silly. The oven has to be turned on to work. When will you ever learn?"

The giant pot of porridge was done cooking, so Pinkie Pie lowered the heat and periodically stirred it to keep it hot while the scones baked. In between, she juggled the jam-jars over to the dining room. Her best was 7 jars in the air. She put Dash's favorite jam in front of her usual seat.

Pinkie Pie sat on the kitchen counter and chomped down on some fruit and a cupcake for breakfast while the scones baked. She didn't always eat with them, particularly if she was behind and needed to make lunch. Either way, she always snuck what treats she could that were not approved breakfast foods.

It wasn't much longer before the scones were all baked. Pinkie Pie let them cool while she brought the porridge to the table. She loaded up two trays of scones and transported them to the dining room. Dash was there, and so were Twilight and Sunset. Dash was always first to gobble up as much food as she could get away with before she had to wait for seconds.

Astro arrived with Rarity in tow. Rarity was annoyed and had been yelling. Fluttershy had snuck in with Colorra. Kiefer and Lessa came in together, as usual, and Jolton was right behind them. AJ was last, which was no surprise.

Pinkie Pie grabbed the empty dishes she could and took them to the kitchen. After a few taps, they were clean and dry. It took nothing for her to pack them lunch and some snacks for the day. She packed an extra cupcake for Kirito. She changed into her armor and axe in the kitchen and met the others, ready for the day.

And the day meant a hike out to the labyrinth on Floor 59 and fighting some baddies so they could fight the final baddy and conquer the floating castle. Then she could finally have real sweets again. Real sugar. The thought of real sugar once again made her drool.

Pinkie Pie found walking in SAO boring. So she bounced as she thought about jello. And ice cream. Neither of which existed in SAO. Yet. They were on her list to find out how to make them. She had learned to make cheesecake, and cupcakes, sprinkles, but not the kind that exploded like confetti, and so many other treats. She was confident she would figure out how to make the others treats.

Pinkie Pie was in a party with Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Lessa. The catacombs didn’t scare Pinkie Pie. But she did stop bouncing and focused on the task at hand. As they went through them, she still couldn’t find any cats or combs. Not even any pictures of cats. Or pictures of combs.

When the skeletons appeared, their shields didn’t have any cats on them and they didn’t have combs, let alone hair. Still, they were baddies and the baddies had to die. Pinkie Pie skipped into battle, hopping out of the way of any attacks, unleashing Geode Splitter on the shadows and skeletons. Whenever she could, she put her Martial Arts Skill to use punching the skeletons. Not every attack was as powerful as her “Rock Candy Smash.”

After the battle, once they'd entered the safe zone, Pinkie Pie distributed their lunches. She sat down and ate her own. It was gone quickly and she pulled out her fife. She fiddled around with it. But not like a fiddle. It was a fife after all. She was still trying to learn to play “Awesome As I Want To Be.” Being the Rainbooms' drummer did not help her remember how any of them played the song. She usually just banged away, losing track of the rest of them.

Her knee wobbled and Pinkie Pie knew someone was coming. She looked down the way and saw Kirito coming. He was dressed all in black like he was supposed to be. He wasn’t called “The Black Swordsman” because he wore white. Or pink. Or chartreuse. Or any other color, really.

Pinkie Pie put away her fife and bounced up. She pulled Kirito’s bag out of her menu. Kirito was almost done eating his normal, plain food.

“Cupcake!” Pinkie Pie offered with a big grin. “I know you want one. A certifiably delicious Wondercolt Cupcake! You know you want it.” She wiggled her eyebrows to entice him.

“Sure,” Kirito shrugged. “I’ve heard good things about these.” Kirito took a bite. “And now I know why. Klein wasn’t kidding when he said they melted in your mouth. Well, I have to get going.”

“Have a good day!” Pinkie Pie grinned as she waved goodbye.

It was definitely a good day for her. The legendary Kirito ate one of her cupcakes. That was one of the things Pinkie Pie had on her list of things to do before the game was beaten. Whenever someone enjoyed her treats, be it in VR, I.R.L., or Equestria, it made Pinkie Pie feel so good that she thought she might explode.

After more fighting and then finally running into Fuurinkazan, Pinkie Pie skipped into HQ and straight to the kitchen. She popped her cooking outfit on, and then the apron, and then the perfect amount of dressing flour, and only then she was finally ready to cook.

For starters, she had to bake more cupcakes. While those baked, she got a stew going, along with two meat pies, and a noodle dish. Then it was back to preparing food for the next day, for all of them. Fuurinkazan probably only wanted to clear the Labyrinth with them to eat her food. But, they appreciated her food, and Pinkie Pie loved that.

“Need any help?” Joltron asked, coming into the kitchen.

“Yes!” Pinkie Pie laughed. “Take these rolls and this butter to the table. I'll have more ready in ten minutes.”

Pinkie Pie pulled the cupcakes out of the oven to cool. She put another batch in. She would whip the icing up after dinner.

With dinner cooked, Joltron and Astro helped Pinkie Pie move everything over to the table. It was eaten quickly. The Wondercolts were not very vocal about their thanks anymore, but their enjoyment still lifted Pinkie Pie’s spirits. She knew the game was tough on them, and they didn't have a Sugarland mind to escape to like she did. She liked being a constant in their life. They forgot to thank her because she was reliable at provided them good, well balanced meals. And that was what they needed. Their focus should be on the game, not thanking her for what she did.

Joltron helped wash the dishes while Pinkie Pie continued to make food for the next day. While she waited for more things to bake, Pinkie Pie began to once again work on playing "Awesome as I Want to Be." She still had a long way to go.

Once everything was done, Pinkie Pie hung up her apron and headed to take a bath before going up to her room. She had baked, which meant flour. She had to get the flour off somehow, and that meant a quick bath.

Dried off and in her sleepwear, Pinkie Pie opened her menu. She popped out six cupcakes and set them in a neat row on her desk. She began to eat one as she thought of everything she was missing back home. She continued to eat and think. Both about real life, virtual life, and pony life.

Pinkie Pie knew she was missing school. She knew getting out of the hospital bed when she woke up to that reality wasn't going to be easy. She was very aware that all three of her were getting old with each day they spent in here. Each day she spent in here made AFCK older and stronger, but it made Real World Pinkie Pie older and weaker. What her being stuck in here was doing to her pony self was something Pinkie Pie hated to think about. All she could come up with was horrible things.

She loved Aincrad. It was an amazing place, if she factored out the absence of real sugar. If it wasn't a death game, it would be one of the best things in the world. But it was a death game. And that changed everything.

Pinkie Pie set the last bite of the cupcakes down. She had just remembered why she got up each day. Food was fun, but friends were funtastic. And her funtastic friends needed her awesome axe alongside them to beat this game. That was the best thing about this game: She got to fight alongside her friends. Without them, it would be boring. Owning her own bakery or kitchen would be fun, because that meant more players could enjoy her food, but it never would be the same fun as swinging her axe beside Bladescape's sword or Diemond's shield. Or really, any of the Wondercolts.

Pinkie Pie flopped onto her bed. She rolled the covers up over her body. After a quick yawn, Pinkie Pie slipped into dreams.

“Ready?” Pinkie Pie asked Papa Rock as she drew her licorice sword. “Cause I think it is time for me to once again meet my arch enemy, the Taffy King. FOR THE CANDY ROCKS AND THEIR FAMILIES!”

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 72 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 72 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 43 - A Day in the Life of Kiefer

Floor 59

April 14 – Year 2

Kiefer was awake before his alarm went off. He had been awake for an hour, just contemplating a lot of things. In particular, he was thinking about his previous life, outside of virtual reality.

In two days, he would turn 15. He was 13 when he entered this game. He was 13 when he almost died. And now, a year and a half later, he was turning 15. He was supposed to be in junior-high school, finishing his final year before moving on to his first year of senior high.

It felt like a whole other life had been built in here. Like he had lived a full life here, being born here and he would grow old and die here. And die a natural death, not a horrifying one against some monster before his time. If he was going to be living this life, he needed to be making the most of it. Somehow, that idea was even more terrifying than anything else. How did he know what was best for him at 15?

No matter what, he didn't want to celebrate his birthday. He just wanted to forget it, like most of the other players. It was best spent forging the way up to the top to escape this prison. Only then, when he could celebrate with his family, did his birthday matter.

Kiefer rolled out of bed and popped a kimono on. Diemond did amazing work. He would never get clothes this nice ever again.

Kiefer left his room and slipped across the hallway to room 10. He knocked on the door. After a good minute, it was opened by a tired Lessa, one eye cracked open in bleary tiredness.

“Hey,” She whispered to him, a smile cracking her lips. “Morning. I’ll be out in a bit. You look good.”

Kiefer quietly snorted. “I wear this every day.”

“Oh,” Lessa snorted. “I can’t see. You know that. It is too early.”

“It’s late enough for breakfast.”

Lessa let out a tired groan. “That means Thunder and Astro…”

Kiefer shrugged as the door was shut in his face so she could change. It was opened a minute later. Lessa stretched as she left her room. This time it was with a full smile she gave him. Joltron’s door opened and Kiefer tried to act natural as he took a half step back and turned to the door. It was a common enough situation now. Joltron hadn’t hinted at knowing anything.

“Morning,” Kiefer said to Joltron.

“Hey,” Joltron yawned. “Morning Lessa. We should get down before Thunder and Astro eat everything. I don’t want to make AFCK make more. I know we imposed limits on them-”

“I still fear it,” Lessa groaned as she headed towards the stairs. “And we already are behind since they both are below us one floor.”

“Good point,” Joltron stated.

Kiefer was third down, behind the two of them. On the second floor, he evened out with them as they crossed the wide room. Joltron slipped to the side to get the soccer ball out of the way, and then he stashed it under a couch for their sake. Kiefer snorted a quiet laugh at Joltron's actions as they walked to the stairs.

Kiefer took a half step so that Lessa went down first. It was a dance he had been doing well for a few weeks now. A courtesy that he could give her without blowing things out of proportion. Kiefer still wasn’t sure how to proceed. He wasn’t sure how Lessa felt. It had been a big song and dance, trying to stay out of the light. If things fell through, they were still guildmates, and he didn't want to make things awkward.

Kiefer sat down at the table. He preferred to be across from Lessa. Thunder and Astro were already chowing down. It wasn’t long before Thunderborne was trying to raise a racket with another challenge that Backbreaker wasn’t dumb enough to take. At least not in the game.

It was always tough to run back upstairs to grab their gear. Kiefer wanted to stop, but that would mean going to breakfast in his armor. And he wanted to relax a bit and look good in his Kimono. Plus, it also got him time just being by Lessa as they went up and down the stairs.

When it came to party assignments, they were not always paired up. It was however Bladescape and Knightstar decided. They had been working with him to be able to lead half of a party, and it was going well.

But Kiefer was not expecting Bladescape’s Party to be stacked so heavy. It was like the team they would tackle a boss raid with. And it was exactly the same one they had when they cleared Kulzak’s Dungeon. It was odd to put their weaker guildmates together and in the party of 5. Especially considering they were going into the catacombs, a Floor Boss Labyrinth.

Kiefer looked at Lessa by his side and flashed a smile. She was concerned about the stack of the parties. She hated to be in the group of 5 without Kiefer. He hoped his smile was reassuring her.

The walk to the Labyrinth was quiet, but nice. Kiefer just walked next to Lessa, flashing her a smile every so often. It was fun, despite the quiet nature. The Labyrinth forced them to move into their parties.

Once they got into battle, Kiefer’s mind focused on the task at hand. He was with Joltron. Both of them were trying to keep up with Thunderborne. She was worse than Bladescape or AFCK. She intentionally went rogue, and they had to try and protect her. It usually ended with Thunderborne dancing around somewhere and Kiefer and Joltron drawing aggro from the other side so that she didn’t get swarmed.

The two of them worked well together. Kiefer did always enjoy fighting beside Joltron. They were good friends inside the game, and they planned to keep that relationship going.

It was always better when Lessa was with them. They were like the Three Musketeers in the Wondercolts. The seven original Wondercolts were like the Seven Samurai, but hopefully with less martyrdom when all was said and done. That put Astro as their odd one out as Musashi Miyamoto, except using a Two-Handed Spear, instead of two swords. There was no way to wield two weapons in SAO.

Fighting was still fun for Kiefer. He was training Martial Arts and the Katana skill. Both were categorized as Extra Skills. Unlike Martial Arts which was unlocked by a quest, Kiefer had trained his One-Handed Curved Sword skill far enough that it unlocked the Katana skill. Kiefer wasn’t the only one with the Katana skill. He knew at least Klein had it because he saw him using a Sword Skill that Katana unlocked. The guild leader's sword was also definitely a katana, and not a curved sword, just by its appearance.

Lunch was slow. Kiefer enjoyed the break. Thunderborne had no idea as she played Rock, Paper, Scissors, how exhausting it was to be teamed up with her. It didn't bother him much though, because his time was mostly spent thinking about Lessa. He fought without worrying about her. He wondered if that would be a good thing if they were involved with each other? He cared about her, but battle required his focus. And he was often brought on the boss raids. She had only gone twice, and didn't want to go unless she had to. They were always a big risk to his life. Was that fair to her? Could he protect her like he should?

A relationship required give and take. Sacrifice was key. And protecting the other didn’t always mean physically, but in this case, it did. But he usually didn’t think about her in battle. And if he died on a boss raid, he couldn’t protect her.

Their early exit from the Catacombs meant it would be a long day the next day. Getting back was easy. Kiefer got out of his gear and into his favorite Kimono Diemond had made him. Lessa was on a couch on the second floor, drinking juice. She had a glass for Kiefer and he sat down in the chair so she didn’t have to sit on one cushion. She immediately stretched out a bit more.

Kiefer had half given up on his metal crafting skills. He had to fight too much. He would mess around with it, and it was a good distraction after a tough day. Banging on the metal to let off stress was effective. But tonight, he wasn't focused on crafting. Lessa had just repaired their gear the night before, so she was free for the evening.

The conversation was light. Often times they just sat, enjoying each other’s company. No one was on the floor with them. They all were spread out, doing other things. Eventually, they went to bed. Kiefer walked behind Lessa up to the fourth floor.

He lingered at her door as he flashed her a smile. She smiled back and slowly closed her door, ending their interaction for the day. He had accomplished his goal. He was the first person she saw in the morning, and the last she saw at night before sleep. It was something he could do to show he cared for her.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 72 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 72 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 44 - A Day in the Life of Bladescape

Floor 59

April 14 – Year 2

Bladescape opened the doors to their guild hall. It was good to be back. But it was still too early for the others to be up. She had been out on an overnight trip and was exhausted. She went to the kitchen and made tararoot tea. It tasted more like rosemary, but it gave the caffeine punch of an espresso. Or at least that was how it made her feel. AFCK was not allowed to have any after the only time she had tried it. It had been a lot of high off the wall bouncing all over the place and then a crash where she was out for the next 18 hours.

Bladescape sat thinking for a while before Knightstar came in. She was almost Level 80, which meant another Skill Slot would be available. Martial Arts was an option she was examining, but it didn't feel like her. She was still 100% combat focused, yet nothing but combat was appealing to her. She had to choose soon. By the end of the boss raid, she would be at Level 80.

Knightstar soon arrived and sat down beside here. Bladescape took a sip of her drink and decided to open the morning discussion with her plan for the day. “I want to stack the parties heavy on my side. With this Floor Boss, I want to sharpen us a bit more as a party.”

“Rough night?” Knightstar asked, putting a reassuring hand on Bladescape’s.

“Yeah, a bit,” Bladescape shrugged. “Boring mostly. But one mistake can leave a harrowing moment of fear. Thank goodness for the Battle Regeneration skill. It kept me out of the red and gave me the moment to recover. It hurt. Badly.”

Bladescape was briefly distracted as AFCK skipped past them. She wanted a new Headquarters where they didn’t have to go through the guild hall to do everything. It was getting on her nerves, and with the front line 30 floors above them, it was almost time to upgrade. The KOB, DDA, and Fuurinkazan had all upgraded above Floor 50.

“Then take who you want,” Knightstar said, bringing Bladescape’s focus back to the discussion “I trust you. We can handle it. It will make calculations a bit tough, but I can handle it.”

Bladescape moved to her second point. One that she didn’t want to address but had to. “I also want to take some others out on overnight trips. Just another one or two. We slacked off, and this spot is worth it."

"I'll back you any time," Knightstar said. "Because we did slack off. Well, everyone except for you."

"I have been slacking off," Bladescape said. She lost focus as she remembered how many nights she had slept in her bed, safe. But she should have gotten into the 80’s by now. And it was because she got lazy and was sleeping instead of making sure her friends survived. "I have been doing less overnight trips and I need to fix that. But level grinding is difficult. It's boring. And worse, it's for our lives."

"Everything you are doing is amazing," Knightstar assured her. "You needed that rest. We all did. Now we have to start back up."

"I guess," Bladescape said. "I'm not saying you are wrong. It's just tiring. But I know that it shows in the boss battles and clearing this game."

"Yes, it does," Knightstar said, getting up. "AFCK just passed us with food. We should get to breakfast. Before Thunderborne and Astro destroy it."

"Yeah," Bladescape said. She began to yawn as she stood, causing her to fall back into her chair. She didn't want to get up and out of it. She was exhausted and she had to keep going for her friends. There was no way for her to take a break today. The tararoot tea wasn't helping any, yet.

Knightstar continued planning as they walked to the dining room. "I think if we could do some overnight trips, we could all level up if we ran 36-12-36-12-12 rotation for time in the field, we could push us all another level in those first two 36s. But that is a lot of pressure on you."

Bladescape shrugged, already having a plan for that. "I don't have to be the only one leading these.”

"Good morning," Doombunny greeted them.

"Hey," Bladescape reflexively replied to Doombunny before continuing with her plan. "I can easily start with showing Kiefer. It will put him a better position and train him. I think he has real party leader potential. He has been doing well with the tasks he has been given."

Bladescape sat down. She didn't want to do any more overnight trips. She was exhausted by them. She knew she had to keep going, but she desperately wanted to just stop. She wanted out. Not anywhere near enough to commit suicide. But she wanted to stop advancing, wipe her skills clean and settle down to wait it all out.

Breakfast was always done under her watchful eye. Thunderborne and Astro had to be reeled in. Or kept on a short leash before more happened. The rest of their guild had come in and gotten their first serving. Everyone took healthy portions because Astro and Thunderborne would eat anything left. Even if they started first. It had been a problem. Thunderborne was slouching in her chair, waiting for seconds.

Bladescape realized she had blown off Doombunny when she came in. It was sometimes a lot to handle in the morning. But she had been rude. She could apologize for that. "Sorry, Doom. I'm a bit out of sorts after last night's training. I was at a new place. But enough of that."

Kiefer and Lessa came into the dining room for breakfast. Bladescape knew the two of them walking in together was more than that. They tried to hide it, but they were more than that. The question was, would they make that leap in the game? Bladescape wasn't sure Lessa would.

Once everyone had gotten food and had their chance to get their fill, including herself, Bladescape let the hounds free to clean up the rest. “Yes, Thunder, you can stop pouting and grab seconds. You too Astro.”

Both of them leaped to grab more food. Bladescape continued eating at her normal pace. AFCK was good and getting better, but she was enjoying the food less and less. It was getting mixed in with the monotony of the game. A sad reality to the life she was currently living.

Bladescape got everyone moving so they could change and then organized them as she saw fit once they all were back. She stacked them heavy with Backbreaker, Joltron, Kiefer, Astro, and Thunderborne joining her. She had full confidence in the others under Knightstar. They were good and would be safe. She was more worried about working some of the ruts out of her team. Thunderborne often charged ahead, alone, she relied on Backbreaker to cover her to the point where she opened herself up dangerously if Backbreaker or someone couldn't support her.

She wanted to fix those problems, but it would come from fine tuning how their fought. She was going to analyze it and make adjustments from how they worked together today. It wasn't going to be easy to track all of it, especially as she fought.

She got them out and on their way to Danac. As they teleported, Thunderborne Astro played their hopping game. Most of the Wondercolts didn't know that the two of them tried to be the first to teleport so they could hit as many cities as they could without holding up the group. They had never held the group up, and soon after they started, Bladescape realized it was healthy for them to do it.

The two of them always kept things interesting. The running in the HQ had to be stopped after they knocked Lessa down the stairs and hit Diemond and Knightstar on the second floor. They had cause a food fight during a breakfast. It didn’t matter how small the piece of bread was, it was thrown and it almost sparked a larger battle. The soccer pitch in the second floor was an interesting development which was annoying at times, but they had nowhere else to play. It kept them out of trouble in the streets, and that was what was important.

The two of them walked too close to the edge of trouble far to often in their games. Thunderborne had once tackled Astro, innocently and out of fun, so hard it set broke the harassment codes. It had earned her an orange cursor for 3 days. She had to spend time outside of the city so that she wasn’t attacked by the guards.

It had caused a huge rabble among some of the guilds. Bladescape had to head it off by going to the Knights of the Blood Oath and speaking with their council. Heathcliff was humored by her tale. The rest of his Council wasn’t as humored. But the KOB’s understanding and support of the accident had been enough to stave off anymore problems. Particularly between the DDA and the Wondercolts. And the Floor Boss raid was on the last day of Thunderborne's "orange days," making it easy to exclude her and put a stronger emphasis on the consequences of her actions. Thunderborne wasn't going to end up in the battle anyway since her rapier was useless, but that didn't matter and she didn't know that fact.

The Catacombs were annoying. They were better lit than many of the other labyrinths, but that was the only thing going for them. Their mapping was going decently well, but this labyrinth was crisscrossing in troublesome pattern. She often had to pull up her map to check their location as they moved through. She routinely had to guess where side routes went and intersected with what they had already mapped.

Eventually a shadow popped out of the wall, trying to bait them into a chase. They hadn't seen any combat yet. Bladescape decided to take the bait. She was confident in their ability to handle whatever the Labyrinth threw at them. The shadow led them into a chase down a hallway and then into a large, pillared, hall.

Bladescape's Search Skill was going crazy around each pillar was multiple enemies, waiting for them to come in further. Some began to come out, triggering the fight. There was no backing out now. Bladescape launched forward into battle.

Despite her best efforts, everything was a hazy memory. She called it "Battle Blur." In the moment, she was spot on, and not just in her personal attack and defense. She was aware of her party's health, she knew where most, if not all, of them were and what they were fighting. She was attuned to the battle, but after, her mind dumped the hypersensitive and useless information.

Bladescape needed the rest that the safezone gave them. She sat down harder than intended, losing a bit of air as her butt connected with the unforgiving stone. She caught her lunch sack but didn't open in. Bladescape wanted to recall what happened in the battle. She focused, grabbing what bits she could to analyze them. Fixing the rut was hard when you didn't remember the fight after.

Bladescape finally opened the sack and pulled out the water. She downed half of it in a single swig and saved the rest for after. She finished her food quickly so that she could try and work out where they could improve. They would probably need an outside adviser. If she stepped out, she would be removed from the equation. She was a critical piece of that equation.

The Beater, Kirito, entered the safe zone to eat his own lunch. AFCK was immediately by his side, offering him a cupcake. Bladescape was surprised when he took it.

But that was not really where her focus was. She forgot about the interaction almost immediately. What truly mattered were the same questions she was always asking herself: How was she performing? In battle, was she creating more stress where they didn't need it? Was she making mistakes the others had to solve? And ultimately, was she strong enough for the guild to be their leader and hold them together?

Those were the questions that plagued her mind. Sleep was always balanced on the edge of fear of her failing. And after her meeting Laughing Coffin, that fear was focused on the "catch 22" of her need to be the best, and the old ambition which turned her into a literal monster. The parallels were becoming too similar, and the bridge she was walking was getting more and more narrow.

The question of how to widen that bridge and make sure the two lines didn't become one was a question she did not know if she wanted to ask; yet had, and already knew the solution. She had to put everything she had into becoming the best. The fast, heaviest hitting, most fluid fighter she could be in this game. And that took what most players would call "ambition."

She would have to rely on her friends to keep her from falling and lift her up if she did.

The afternoon was filled with thuds, bangs, clangs, and the shattering of glass as the skeletons were reduced to polygons. Harmonic Salvation glowed orange and with a roar of anger Bladescape ran the skeleton through. She was not any closer to seeing how the group was fighting and now she was outright mad. The very thing she needed was outside her gasp.

She felt blind. She was blind. She couldn't see herself.

The others finished off the last few as Bladescape stood there, seething. She got control of herself as they finished. They didn't seem to notice as the grouped up around their party leader.

It was just in time to as another party came towards them. It took a moment, but then Bladescape grinned as some hope filled her whole body. It was their dear friends in Fuurinkazan.

"Wait," Klein said, not greeting them. He was clearly confused. "If we are coming from this way, and you are ahead of us, but we just cleared behind us, then you are coming towards us."

"That barely made sense," Bladescape said with a laugh. "But we are headed and mapping towards the direction you guys are walking from."

"Then we are lost," Klein said as he swiped up his map. "Umm..."

Bladescape sheathed Harmonic Salvation and pulled up their map. "This is what we have. You can see the others went this way."

"How did we miss this turn?" Klein asked as they stood side by side, pointing and comparing the network of tunnels.

"They were not kidding when the others started calling them 'catacombs'," Bladescape snorted. "But, I didn't think they were this confusing. We have certainly seen worse, but this is..."

"A lot more dead ends and side passages than I thought," Klein finished.

Klein wasn't the only member of Fuurinkazan groaning. They had gotten an early start, several hours ahead of the Wondercolts. They were tired and demoralized now that they were confused over the map.

Bladescape sent Klein her map and he set her theirs so that they both had a complete piece. She studied the more complete map for a few seconds and then groaned, killing her menu in anger.

"You okay?" Klein asked.

"Frustrated," Bladescape shrugged. "The map isn't helping. I am trying to fine tune our main boss raiders, but I can't see much being in combat myself. But if I watch, then I am not in the equation to see how well we are working together."

"You are going about this all wrong," Klein shrugged. "You guys are top notch in the fights for a reason. Maybe you could use a little polishing, but you won't get that without help from the outside. You need to work with others. They will be able to tell you where you are strong and where you are weak."

"Is that an offer?" Bladescape asked, grinning mischievously.

"For what?" Klein asked. His scruffy face looked stupid as he retraced the last few things they had said. His eyes and smile finally lit up as he realized what the 'offer' had been. "Alright! You got a deal. We hit the Labyrinth in the morning, together. We polish each other by spreading our members out over three parties."

"We are supposed to meet up with the others this way," Bladescape said. She pointed her thumb over he shoulder as she walked backwards for a few steps and then turned around to lead them properly.

Klein was right. Working interwoven would give her a better sense of how they were doing. They needed to be ready and able to work with any player, not just their guild. And she was done for the day. She didn't have much fight left in her after the short day's work. She had added a lot of stress and anger to the day. Tomorrow would be easier.

Knightstar didn't have a single objection to calling it an early day. Bladescape was pretty sure she had a consultation she was working on. If she did, it would explain that willingness. She worked hard on so much for the guild. It was a lot of stress, and then she had to lead. Lead, analyze, run stats, and somehow still fight; it was a difficult balancing act she did.

Bladescape was happy to have her friends by her side at that table though. She trusted her. AJ was a great supporter and a great Tank, but outside the fighting, Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle shared a bond the others didn't. If anyone was her anchor in this world, it was Twilight.

Once back at their headquarters, Bladescape did some knife throwing to bring up her Blade Throwing Skill. She was lazy about the whole thing. Boredom was the main driver. She was waiting for dinner.

As usual, dinner was good. Bladescape ate rather quickly and then went to her room. She put her armor on the stand, sword on the wall, and enjoyed the feeling of near nakedness that was somehow cleansing to her.

Bladescape sighed when she realized she forgot to thank AFCK for dinner. It was a far too common occurrence for her to forget. She would thank her in the morning. She wasn't planning to leave her room until then.

Bladescape sat down in the cushioned, high backed chair, without putting any clothes on. She focused on breath. In and out. Breath in deep, hold it, and release the breath slowly. She worked to let the stress of the day be chipped away as she relaxed and broke her outer shell.

As it broke away, the pieces didn't flake off like old skin or caked on mud. Some of them felt like they took the flesh with them, leaving her skin raw and bleeding in places. Bladescape fought against the feeling but it only grew. The pain became too much and her eyes flew open as she panicked and looked around her body to see that it was okay. With her eyesight restored, the pain disappeared. It was replaced by shallow and quick breaths, the exact opposite of what it was supposed to be.

Bladescape got up and paced a bit. The next day was supposed to fix what she was worried about. Or show her errors. But she couldn't drive them from her mind. She had to make sure she was the best. Too much was riding on her. The guild survived on her shoulders. She couldn't let her friends see that raw side. They needed a stalwart leader.

Yes, they would support her. The support would be overwhelming. But this wasn't like fighting with Equestrian Magic. It wasn't a life, her real life, that had its ups and downs. When she fell down or was weak in the real world, her friends could catch her. It wasn't fun when she made mistakes, but she could own them.

Here was her current reality and life. Here she couldn't show that worry or weakness. Not too much. If she did, they would smother her with a hug. It would break down the mental armor she had carefully forged for herself over the months in Sword Art Online. And that would ruin their image of a strong, valiant leader who didn't back down or break. They needed a flawless Wondercolt to lead them into battle. She was the image of the Wondercolts, to her friends and to the other players.

Bladescape popped on her sleepwear and flopped onto her bed. She didn't fall asleep. Her mind was on fire, trying to remove the battle blue and recall what she actually saw. It was filled with battle after battle, level grind after level grind. She saw Level 80 in her mind and she wanted it. And she already knew she thirsted for Level 90, and Level 100, and she would not stop that consumption until SAO was conquered and they were free.

In the back of her mind was a seed she tried to keep unwatered so it didn't grow. It was a seed of fear. Fear that when she got free from this virtual prison, that she would be lost not being Bladescape. A fear that her life had been transformed to the point that Bladescape was the new Sunset Shimmer. A Sunset Shimmer who would see the world through the visor she saw it now with: HP Bars, equipment stats, levels, and game information. And a Sunset Shimmer who would want to take and conquer the world. City by city, starting once again with Canterlot High.

Bladescape rolled her head to look over at her armor. It was stunning and even in the soft glow of the light from the lanterns of Mishe, it shined brightly. The metal and golden hardware was almost all the same color, and right in the center of it all was the Wondercolt Horse Head.

That was Bladescape. If you set her in Equestria, she would be a blue unicorn with a yellow mane. Her flank would have that horse head on it. It was a symbol of unity, strength, and selflessness.

Bladescape sighed. As strong as that symbol was, it was her life. The others would not understand, but a strong symbol to her was supposed to be on her flank as a cutie mark, which was her special talent. This horse head wasn't her special talent, but it was the cutie mark she bore. She had to bear it to free the others, but it had its moments where it sickened her to wear it. It was a repulsion born from another world in another dimension. It felt like her cutie mark had been magically torn from her flank and then that one forced onto her in replacement.

The only symbol she wanted, the only symbol that she was, was her sun symbol. The orange and red sun that was an image of her soul. A radiant light full of magic and energy that was warm and kind, but could burn and hurt those who tried to harm her and her friends. And that was the symbol she wanted. She wanted to burn her enemies like the sun itself was touching them.

But that was not who a Wondercolt was. It wasn't who she was in SAO. It couldn't be her in SAO. If she picked up her cutie mark, she would not be a Wondercolt. What would come would be a driving ambition to be the best, which would mean that she would leave her friends behind and become a solo player, like Kirito.

And that was something Sunset Shimmer and Bladescape were not willing to let happen. Her friends were too important to her.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 72 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 72 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 45 - A Day in the Life of Lessa

Floor 59
April 14 – Year 2

A knock at the door woke Lessa up. She rolled over and pushed herself up onto her feet. It was a shuffle to the door as she yawned. Her alarm was going to go off in two minutes.

She couldn't see as she got to the door. The morning was never good for her eyes. Even though she was in a virtual world, she still had "sleep eye" and could barely crack her eyes open for a few minutes in the morning.

She opened the door a bit and saw the fuzzy image of Kiefer smiling at her. She tried to smile back. She wasn't sure how successful she was. She really only had vision out of one half opened eye.

“Hey,” Lessa said as loudly as she could. "Morning. I’ll be out in a bit. You look good.”

Kiefer quietly snorted back. “I wear this everyday.”

“Oh,” Lessa snorted. Her mind was slowly starting up. “I can’t see. You know that. It is too early.”

“It’s late enough for breakfast.”

Lessa knew she let out a groan. She knew what that meant. “That means Thunder and Astro…”

Lessa closed the door. She stepped back to the sink and splashed water all over her face and then toweled off. A few clicks later and she was "dressed."

She opened the door with a full smile. As kind of a smile as she could. Joltron's door opened and she dropped the smile as Kiefer slipped into being nonchalant.

It was a horrible dance they were playing. Lessa was pretty sure Kiefer was interested in her. But for every action that showed it, there was one that ignored her or showed indifference. Like acting nonchalant with Joltron.

“Morning Lessa,” Joltron said after a yawn. “We should get down before Thunder and Astro eat everything. I don’t want to make AFCK make more. I know we imposed limits on them-”

Lessa pushed past Kiefer, slightly annoyed. She groaned as she headed towards the stairs and answered Joltron.

“I still fear it. And we already are behind since they are on the floor below us.”

“Good point,” Joltron stated, right behind her on the stairs.

On the second floor, Kiefer caught up and was beside Lessa as they walked towards the circular staircase. Joltron stepped away to do something and they continued in silence. Kiefer did his usual halting step to allow her to go first. He had gotten less awkward about it, but he still wasn’t vocal about the gesture.

A lot was happening at the breakfast table, besides the fabulous meal AFCK had made. With Kiefer sitting across from her, Lessa couldn’t lean over to him and make any quiet comments. Especially about Thunderborne’s constant drive for competition.

They were soon sent to get in their gear. It was fast to change. Even though Lessa was one of the Wondercolts who kept their armor on a stand and hung her sword and shield on the wall. Lessa grabbed the gear and quickly had it on. She was out the door, rushing to meet with the others.

How Bladescape and Knightstar chose the parties, Lessa had no idea. She got paired with Kiefer plenty of times. But today was odd because the players who most often went to the boss raids were put all together, leaving the “weaker” members together and in the smaller party of five. Lessa had no reason why it shouldn’t be as they decided. Even as a weaker member, she still was on the front line clearing the game. She was good. Her record stood for itself. It still was an odd party balance.

The walk to the catacombs, as this Labyrinth was nicknamed, was quiet. Kiefer was by Lessa’s side. He kept flashing her smiles. It was nice, but his hand holding hers would be better. He just wouldn’t take the next step, and it was confusing Lessa.

Once inside the Labyrinth, they separated into their parties. It was boring for a long time until they began to follow what was clearly a trap. But they were Wondercolts. Traps were meant to be sprung.

As they got into the hall, Bladescape led the charge of her party out into battle. Knigthstar held them back for a few seconds and then they rushed out. Lessa was supposed to work with AFCK, but she was always unpredictable, yet lucky. Still, Lessa had a shield and could handle a simple enemy like the shadows and skeletons.

Lessa took a sword on her shield and then her blade glowed deep green as she stabbed at the skeleton. It was a clean stab, knocking half the HP off the skeleton. Hankyu was the sword that Lessa now carried; which Lisbeth had crafted for her.

The skeleton attacked again. It was a simple pattern. Lessa blocked and counter with a cut of her own. The Skeleton’s HP dropped far into the red. She wasn't going to need to unleash high level Sword Skills.

The Skeleton popped as AFCK bounced by, swinging her axe with unbound glee. Lessa sighed as AFCK drew the aggro of a group of skeletons as she hopped by, swinging her axe at them. When she found herself surrounded, she just laughed and twirled, unleashing a spinning Sword Skill that pulverized all of the skeletons.

It was all 100% typical AFCK stuff. It was both annoying and fun to watch. She was so clueless, but so brilliant when she was spot on.

They took an early lunch, but it wasn’t that early. The skeletons were low level, still, it took time to bash them all to polygons. Lessa ate beside Kiefer and Joltron. Kiefer was deep in thought. Joltron was resting after he and Kiefer had to try and keep up with Thunderborne, who had no clue how hard she had worked them while she was playing Rock, Paper, Scissors with Astro. Lessa was left to eat silently besides her friends. Silent, bored, and feeling a bit lonely.

They bashed more skeletons all afternoon until they ran into a tired Fuurinkazan. Bladescape and Klein talked privately and then decided the two guilds would hit the dungeon in the morning, together. Which also meant they walked out together. Klein, Kiefer, Bladescape, and Thunderborne were the ones at the front, quickly clearing any enemies that popped up while they exited.

Kiefer went upstairs but Lessa headed to the kitchen. AFCK was ahead of her. She had a lot to prep for the next day. Lessa got juice and some glasses, three to be precise. It was safest to have a third glass for any additional person since Lessa wasn’t sure how it would play out with him.

Lessa brought it upstairs to the second floor. She set it on one of the coffee tables and then went to the bathroom. A few clicks and she was changed into relaxed clothing and she sat down on the couch. She poured herself a glass and began to sip on it.

It wasn’t long before Kiefer joined her. He chose the chair by the couch, so Lessa laid out. It was just conversation. Nothing too meaningful. And then it was mostly silence, “enjoying each other’s company.”

At bed, Kiefer lingered at her door, flashing her a big smile. Lessa smiled as warmly as she could, slowly closing the door until he disappeared. He did all he could to be the first she saw in the morning, and the last she saw at night. A great sentiment, except they were not sharing the same bed and it still didn’t give her a solid answer about what he really wanted.
She knew what she wanted. She wanted Kiefer all to herself. She wanted to be in his arms and to be what he cared about most.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 72 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 72 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging– One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 46 - A Day in the Life of Joltron

Floor 59

April 14 – Year 2

Joltron sat in bed, cross-legged, while he scrolled through the clothes Diemond had made him. He made his choice and switched. He would deal with his armor when he needed to. He enjoyed the pretty clothes she made them. He felt relaxed and comfortable, but manly.

Joltron got up and washed his face before he went to the door. His room was next to Lessa's. She was interested in Kiefer, and Kiefer was interested in her. Except he wasn't making a move, and neither was she. The most Kiefer was doing in that direction was waking her up in the morning and being the last person she saw before she went to bed. Neither of them had said anything to him or anyone else about it, but he had no problem seeing how it was.

Joltron listened and found that Kiefer was at Lessa's door. He opened his, hoping his disruption, once again, would push Kiefer and Lessa to finally declare something. Kiefer tried to act natural as Joltron interrupted them.

"Morning," Kiefer greeted him.

"Hey," Joltron said, unable to stifle a yawn. "Morning Lessa. We should get down before Thunder and Astro eat everything. I don't want to make AFCK make more. I know we impose limits on them-"

Lessa groaned. "I still fear it." She started to head to the stairs. "And we already are behind since they both are below us one floor."

"Good point," Joltron said.

Below, on the second floor, Joltron saw the soccer ball not only out in the open, but in the middle of the floor. Soccer was a sore subject in the guild because Astro and Thunderborne had made their own field on the second floor. They had nowhere else to play, but it caused havoc and a lot of commotion when they played. He got it out of the way and hid it under a couch so they couldn't find it easily. If they didn't see it, Astro or Thunderborne might forget and not play indoors.

Joltron watched Kiefer adjust his steps so that he let Lessa head down first. It was a ritual by now. Kiefer needed to stop the rituals and make a real move. It was getting ridiculous how long it had been going on.

Breakfast was the usual scene, and the food, while good, was also normal. Not much could be done with as little time as they had. AFCK could use more help in the kitchen.

For the day's dive into the labyrinth, they stacked heavy under Bladescape. She took Backbreaker, Astro, Thunderborne, Kiefer and Joltron. It was going to be a fun day. Joltron loved working with Astro. She was clean and efficient. Her experience with gaming and intuition, along with the reach of her spear, made the two of them an extremely deadly pair. Thunderborne being in the party was going to make things interesting. Who he worked with would shift, but his roll never would.

Once they finally began to fight skeletons, most of the time Joltron was working with Thunderborne and Kiefer. Thunderborne was a pain to work with, but he would never complain. She jumped around too much and made it hard, if not impossible, for him to block for her. Sure, the back and forth got boring, but she was a cocky fighter who used her agility to avoid. She spent a lot more energy dancing around than actually fighting. And if something went wrong, far too often she would be without immediate help. They were all solid in their levels, but the danger was real.

Joltron and Kiefer couldn't get a good flow going. Kiefer was having to pull a lot of aggro from Thunderborne. At least he was a skilled fighter, despite lacking a shield. He was their leader from the start for a reason. Joltron would still follow him to the gates of hell if it came to that, and Kiefer still had a lot to learn about leadership. He was learning well from watching Bladescape and Knightstar.

Joltron wasn't a sheep, but he wasn't a leader. He was a fighter, on the front lines. He knew how to make a stand. He knew how to think. He just didn't like to be the front man, unless it was the required battle order with tanks out front.

Lunch, was as always, amazing. He told AFCK whenever he could how much he enjoyed her food. What she did was so routine, they all forgot to thank her and she often thought little of it. She enjoyed cooking.

Joltron enjoyed helping her when he could in the kitchen. There It wasn't a lot he could do, but he could at least fetch ingredient and he could remove something from the stove or oven. The game was complex when it come to cooking, ownership, and the finished product. That or it was somehow related to AFCK's odd ability to flex the coded system. Either way, he could help and did when he could.

Seeing Kirito eat AFCK's offered cupcake brought a smile to his lips. He had fought in plenty of boss battles with the Black Swordsman. Under his cold outer shell was a kind and warm human being. He was doing his best to survive, and he was a good player. Joltron also couldn't help but smile over AFCK's happy reaction.

Thunderborne played a little nicer in the later battles after lunch. Joltron also got the chance to work with Astro. The two of them were very fluid in combat. Unlike Thunderborne, she expected Joltron to be more than a shield and actually strike back, fighting to give her the perfect opportunity to strike. When that moment came, it almost always meant a blast of polygons.

They were the group that met Fuurinkazan. It was always fun to run into them. They saw each other often enough, and would even run together informally at times, which usually ended at a split in the dungeon or labyrinth. This time, both Bladescape and Klein wanted a fresh start after they compared their maps. On top of that, they set down a plan to fine tune all of them as assault team members.

The next day was going to be fun. Joltron couldn't help but grin at the idea of once again running with Fuurinkazan Guild. They were great guys, and they were also guys. It was nice to have a few more males around. He loved the girls, but it was nice to have a few more boys to hang with.

The pair up would also mean AFCK would be cooking for 6 more players. She could handle it fine, but Joltron didn't want her to do it alone. Any help was help, even if she didn't need it. Why should it all fall on her shoulders when there was things he could do? Besides, Kiefer and Lessa would be occupied, and playing soccer always ended badly and usually with some pain as he got hit with the ball or tripped. Their gear was well maintained, meaning Lessa wouldn't need to do anything with it. Joltron would be on his own if he wasn't helping AFCK.

Once they were back home, Joltron changed out of his armor and into something he could get a little messy. Diemond hadn't made him any clothes designed to get floury or splattered with other cooking fluids, but he had some simpler garments that could take the beating.

"Need any help?" Joltron asked as he came in.

AFCK had headed straight to the kitchen and she was already floured up; cooking and baking.

“Yes!” Pinkie Pie laughed. “Take these rolls and this butter to the table. I will have more ready in ten minutes.”

Astro also came in to help get dinner to the table. She was considerate to how much AFCK had to do to cook for 11 of them. At least it was only 11.

After dinner, Joltron washed the dishes, a very easy task in SAO, while AFCK continued to get ready for the next day. Joltron hung out while she continued. She was working on a song they played in their band in the real world. She was not good at it at all, but she apparently was their drummer, which meant notes were non existent in her mind. Still, he wasn't going to leave just because she was still learning it on the fife.

It wasn't long until AFCK certainly didn't need him, and was almost done. He took his leave, so he could get to bed and be well rested. Days with Fuurinkazan tended to be long, hard, and hot. They pushed, in a good way. They usually did, at minimum, twice the mapping they could do separately. It was often three or four times as much. Of course, morale was also higher on those days and at points, it was actually fun. And not because they had more guys. Joltron preferred to have to play catch up as tank because everything was flowing so smoothly and quickly they didn't need to throw a heavy shield forward. That was different from what Thunderborne did jumping ahead.

Joltron sat crisscrossed on his bed, he pulled up his menu, navigating to his Skills slots. He opened up the Skill selector and clicked on "Cooking." He slid it into place over "Blunt Weapon Forging" and dropped it in.

Warning: This will reset the previous skill to 0. Do you wish to proceed?

He had been playing with this switch for a good week, and had thought about it longer. He rarely used the forge anymore. After a long day of work on the Front Lines, he didn't want to work on crafting skills. The most he did anymore was Metal Refining. Lessa needed material to fix their equipment, and Diemond would sometimes get metal ore cheaper than bars, so he refined what he could for her skill leveling. He wasn't able to do much because his skill level was so low though.

At this point in the game, he would never be able to craft useful weapons for the Wondercolts. He had come to accept that, mostly. He wasn't willing to wipe out making swords and axes yet, but only two Wondercolts used blunt weapons.

If he hit the blue circle, he could start cooking and actually help Pinkie Pie in the kitchen. And it was already fun assisting her. The kitchen was more than sufficient in size to be used by two cooks full time. The Wondercolts could certainly use two cooks over one.

Joltron jerked his hand, hitting "accept" before he once again overthought the decision. His heart stopped as he saw the skill lock in and then saw his progress was 0/1000. He had just wiped away hours, days, of hard work on that skill. All of it was gone now. Yet, it left him with a relief about it.

Joltron fell back on the bed. His menu automatically cut out from the excessive movement. Joltron took a deep breath in and let it out. He was a bit giddy from the exhilaration of switching skills, but he needed to get sleep. He took deep breaths in and slowly let them out until he calmed his mind and slipped into a light slumber.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 72 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 72 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 47 - A Day in the Life of Doombunny

Floor 59

April 14 – Year 2

Doombunny opened her eyes as the alarm went off. She stayed perfectly still for a few more minutes, just enjoying the bed. Then it was time to get up. She slipped her feet into her slippers and stood up.

Doombunny yawned a stretch and shuffled sleepily over to the other corner where Colorra was sleeping on her "tree" stand. It was a long stick with others jutting out to mimic a high canopy tree like Colorra was used to sleeping in.

"Morning Colorra," Doombunny yawned. It was her normal, quiet, sweet voice, masked a bit by her tired state. The snake looked up but didn't move.

Doombunny sighed. She was used to cuddling with Angel Bunny in the morning. It was a soft, calm way to wake up so she was ready for the day. Now, she had to go without something to cuddle and it left her with an edge for the day. Colorra wasn't good to snuggle with. It wasn't her fault, she was a snake after all.

Doombunny sat down in her lounge chair by Colorra's tree and scratched Colorra's head for a little bit. It was some measure of comfort. And Colorra enjoyed it more than she appeared to. The snake was always a bit lazy to get up in the morning. She too got tired of fighting.

AFCK would have breakfast ready any time, so Doombunny got up, switched to a non sleeping outfit, and headed to the door. Colorra dropped off her tree and followed her out. The snake stayed on the ground, slithering after her companion as they headed down for food.

Bladescape and Knightstar were not even at the dining room table yet. They were talking in the guild hall. AFCK could be heard in the kitchen. Doombunny did her best not to listen in. It was difficult as her skills were second nature to her and the system made it difficult to filter things out. She head almost everything. Diemond's creative mutterings were crystal clear to her and particularly the most annoying.

Colorra climbed onto her tree in the corner of the dining room. They had installed several around their guild headquarters so the snake would be comfortable. It also helped the others be able to quickly identify where she was at. Knightstar did her best, but snakes unnerved her.

Knightstar and Bladescape came in a little later. They didn't appear to notice her. Their conversation was focused on a stats question.

"Good morning," Doombunny greeted them.

"Hey," Bladescape said, distracted and continuing to talk. After a minute she turned to Doombunny. "Sorry, Doom. I'm a bit out of sorts after last night's training. I was at a new place. But enough of that."

Doombunny grabbed her favorite fruits after Knightstar and Bladescape had grabbed theirs. There was still plenty of fruit left for the others. A big contrast as to what was about to happen.

Doombunny ate quietly, staying out of Thunderborne's and Astro's way. They were not sloppy during most breakfasts, but they had gotten into a food fight a few times, mostly thrown bread.

When they went to get gear, Colorra climbed up onto her shoulders to ride. It wasn't the most comfortable because the clothes Diemond had designed for her were not made to hold the snake.

Doombunny pulled her armor off her stand and put it on. Each dagger she pulled off and checked it. The sheaths had to be kept both in good condition so their durability did not run out, and the poison applied the sheaths also had to be kept in good standing so the blades were always coated.

Her regular knife didn't have anything applied to it. The poison knife needed more poison. After a few clicks, a new bottle was applied to the sheath so it was back up to full durability. Her paralyzing hunting blade was more than fine for the next few days. It all depended on what she was using the most, which had been her Endbringer, not Shadowsong.

Doombunny checked herself in the mirror. She straightened her armor a bit. Keeping the blades exactly where she wanted them took a little extra work because the system wanted her to only have one blade, not two, and certainly not three.

Her hunting blades were technically being classified as miscellaneous bags. Thanks to Diemond's apprenticeship, she was able to make the blue outer coat have several hidden pockets on the inside flaps. Which was most useful for holding her mixed drugs. Her crystal and healing potions were on outer pockets to keep the more accessible in battle. Speed mattered then.

Doombunny was the last to arrive to the meeting. She was assigned to Knightstar's party. She bounced around between parties with no particular party leader being her home. She rarely was in the smaller party, but she didn't mind. She was strong, the others were strong, and they would handle things without a problem, even if a few of the others were concerned about how the parties were balanced.

As they stepped outside their headquarters, the sounds of Mishe washed over Doombunny's ears. All her time spent listening had paid off well. The medieval fife music was beautiful recorded and not synthesized. But there were so many other sounds in SAO. Footsteps, the squeak of doors, and in a town like Mishe, there was plenty of NPC children running around. The teleport plaza brought a whole new sound as the "Violin Wind Score" of Floor 59 was played. But even the children had other sounds of laughter on the different floors.

Mishe's city design was different. It didn't promote animal interactions. Immediately after she stepped off of the Danac plaza a butterfly floated over to her and Doombunny extended a yellow gloved finger. It rested on her finger. The artwork as she focused on the butterfly was brilliant. Doombunny's Reveal skill was showing even more than Search normally did. The lattice work on the pink rainbow wings was something that could never exist in the real world. It was a treasure from this place. These were the things that made Doombunny sad that they would eventually have to leave.

Doombunny set Search to protect her as they walked to the catacombs. It allowed her to follow her friends and actually listen and enjoy the world around her. A small swallow zipped out of nowhere and the butterfly switched out with it. She could hear each time it beat its wings.

“Good morning Mrs. Swallow,” Doombunny cooed.

Colorra had learned long ago not to bother the small creatures of the game like these. The bird happily chirped back and then flew away. Doombunny was a magnet for these creatures, even in game. But she couldn’t understand them like she could in the real world with her geode. It still felt natural and natural was comforting.

The others were not making a lot of noise, and even if they were completely silent, they would never see the birds swooping from tree to tree or dropping into the fields to feast on something. There was life all around them. Beautiful, noisy life. One just had to stop and listen to hear the rustle of the rabbits as they moved through the brush. Or to catch sight of the small lizards sunbathing on the warm rocks.

The catacombs were not concerning to Doombunny. She had done this 58 other times. It was just hallways lined with stone and some torches. There were a whole lot darker and scarier Labyrinths and dungeons than this one. Even the Shadows had lost their fear factor. The skeletons were just that, bones. She had no concern as she leapt into combat, slicing and dicing them into the polygons they were made of. The polygons removed a lot of the fear for her as their fight to beat Aincrad intensified. She knew what they really were and that was what mattered. She could face that fear any time now, and she had faced that fear multiple times now.

Doombunny did her best to let Diemond know she was at her back. She knew the Hide still often activated in battle. It often triggered the Outside System Skill, Mislead, confused skeletons and made it difficult for their AI systems to track her.

Most of the time she was safe as she darted around with Colorra. She was not as unhinged as AFCK was, bounding around in no particular order, but she was out from the group more often than she was paired up with Diemond. They rarely noticed her presence or lack of presence.

Doombunny dashed out, Colorra riding on her torso and shoulders. Doombunny sliced open a shadow from it’s narrow side. It was very difficult to see them from that angle. Only the old man's magic marking from the quest gave her the ability to see it as clearly as she did.

A skeleton saw her and swung his sword. Doombunny had honed the Precognition OSS, but she didn’t have Parry or Weapon Defense. Still, she did have a tactic to deal with the incoming sword, direct contact. Doombunny’s dagger glowed light pink as she activated the Sword Skill. The first strike hit the sword head on. The second part of the combination was a transition to an overhead slash. Strike three reversed the grip on the blade and cut across it’s chest. The final strike was a backhanded stab into the dry eye socket of the skeleton. It popped into polygons.

Doombunny sighed as the last of the skeletons were blasted apart by the other Wondercolts. This was her life: fight, fight, fight. Every skill she had was able to be used in combat or a direct supporter. Listen provided a wealth of information about enemies further out if applied right. Reveal was a skill she was just learning to apply in battle.

During their lunch stop, Doombunny fed Colorra. The snake had eaten well last night, but she wanted a snack. Doombunny pulled out a live mouse from her menu. It was stored in a small wooden box with holes for it to breath. She paid well for the mice, rats, and rabbits Colorra ate.

Colorra’s head was right there, ready for the box to be opened. As soon as it was, it disappeared as she snagged the trapped mouse. She had impaled it on a single fang. Colorra had to release it and then grab it in a way that she could swallow it.

Doombunny had heard the single footsteps of Kirito long before he had arrived and she heard them long after he departed. His walk was one of the ones she had had learned to recognize. AFCK’s cupcake interjection was a surprise. His acceptance was even more of a surprise.

Doombunny was glad when they got going again. She fought even harder as the day wore on. She wanted to be done. She had better things to do.

She had heard their echoes throughout the day, but she had not expected to run into Fuurinkazan. And they had not run into Kirito. He had to have headed down another side hallway. Their decision to start fresh with them in the morning was not something Doombunny wanted, but saying why would cause even more of a problem. For now, her secrets needed to be kept.

Back at Headquarters, the others headed to bed or to do other things. Doombunny slipped out, alone and against the guild rules they had put in place to protect her. She snuck off to the Teleport Plaza. Astro had a crowd watching her, making leaving easier. She got onto the platform and Colorra gently squeezed her to signify that she was ready.

“Teleport, Town of Beginnings!”

The fanfare of the first Floor came into focus as she materialized back in the city where it all started. Doombunny tuned it out and focused on listening to the other sounds around her. About 2,000 players still lived in the Town of Beginnings, and too many of them had never set foot outside of the town since the game started. To say those players were scraping by was an understatement. The Town of Beginnings was also Army territory. And they were getting harsher and meaner as the months wore on. She always kept an eye out for them and avoided them.

Doombunny knew where she was heading, but she was glad to hear the laughter and shouts of the children. They were inside a giant stone church in the town. Doombunny knocked on the door. A minute later a child opened the door. A young girl.

“Is Miss Sasha available?” Doombunny asked as nicely as she could, and flashing a smile.

“Mhm,” the girl nodded, opening the door more. “Let me get Teach.”

Doombunny stepped into the main chamber of the church building. Most of the kids were upstairs where they were being put to bed. It was after dark after all.

When the game started, a good number of kids were playing. Some lost their parents to the game, others found themselves in a death game, unable to comprehend what was going on. Sasha had set up the church as a safe haven and did what she could for them. Her numbers were easily over two dozen. Sometimes Sasha taught them, trying to keep them from getting too far behind in school. It earned her the nickname “Teach.” The older ones spent most of their time hunting in the immediate fields outside of the Town of Beginnings and doing other tasks to keep the group fed and with enough Col to buy the supplies they needed.

Sasha came into the room a few minutes later. She was in her navy blue dress with its white collar. She also wore glasses which only made her green eyes stand out more. She was young, in her 20s from what Doombunny understood.

“Hello, Bunny,” Sasha said, smiling warmly. They had decided Bunny was better than Doom to help keep the children’s spirits high. “It is good to see you.”

“I’m sorry if this was a bad time,” Doombunny said. “But I had some free time before bed. And the next few days will be packed.”

“Oh, it is fine. The little ones are in bed and the older ones are still running around and causing trouble instead of complying. Gin, Kain, and Mina are getting what the children have gathered.”

“How is everyone?” Doombunny asked.

“Well enough,” Sasha sighed. “It is how it has been for a long time. We are holding our own. I did get two more kids to join us last week. They were tired of living on their own, barely struggling to survive on Floor 25.”

Two boys and a girl came in, carrying several cages. They were 13 at the oldest, But they made Kiefer, Joltron, and Lessa look old compared to them. It was hard to imagine them all the way back to when they first were rescued by Bladescape. Plenty of kids had to have died from similar mistakes, stretching their luck outside of the safe zones.

“We got 2 rabbits, 8 rats, and 4 mice,” Kain said, grinning.

Colorra dropped off Doombunny’s shoulders and began to slither over the cages holding her future meals. Doombunny opened her menu and several empty cages popped out. The kids would use them to hold whatever else the trapped over the next week or so.

“Off to bed,” Sasha said. “Don’t argue. Just do it.”

“Yes Ma’am,” they all said, bowing.

They took off running, leaving them alone to talk.

“They are cute,” Doombunny said. “They are growing up well.”

“Yes, they are,” Sasha said. “I am having to keep them here though. They want to push it outside the city and visit the other towns, but I know they won’t make it. And they are my best hunters. I need them. Maybe it is a bit selfish on my end.”

“No it isn’t,” Doombunny replied. “They are getting stronger because of what they have been doing for the group. But that doesn’t mean they can just do whatever they want. They have a responsibility. Maybe the next time the Wondercolts take a break, I can get some of us to come here and take them to other parts of the Floor. An adventure that also helps bring in critical supplies for you. A safe one.”

“That would be appreciated. By all of us.”

Doombunny opened her menu. “Here, take this bag. It has what I could sneak from our kitchen. It will last long enough to get you through breakfast. It isn’t much, but it is what I could spare. AFCK had to make more anyway.”

“Thank you,” Sasha smiled. “I really appreciate it.”

“And here is the Col for the animals,” Doombunny added. “I really don’t know what I would do without the kids help. Colorra prefers live food. And the more we fight, the more of an appetite she gets. I couldn’t keep up without your help.”

“And your steady business is the only solid income we have.”

“I would love to pay you more,” Doombunny said.

“This is more than enough,” Sasha assured Doombunny. “You need that Col for your own projects. I read the paper. I hear of your exploits. I know it costs a lot to keep your gear maintained and continue to enhance three blades. We need those blades sharp and pointed at the enemies blocking out freedom.”

Doombunny shrugged. “It does. But I love doing what I can for the kids.”

“You have kept these kids alive for a while now with this task," Sasha said with a smile. "And several of them are becoming very good at Trapping. It has proven to be a good Skill for us too. When we can get the extra rabbits, we eat them. And then two others discovered Animal Husbandry, which is proving to be useful. They have a group of rabbits they are breeding. The rats and mice are harder to work with but easier to trap. However, it does require food for the animals if you are to breed them.”

“That still sounds better for you all,” Doombunny said.

“It should be."

“I will get out of your way, and I need to get to bed. We have a long day ahead of us.”

“Of course,” Sasha smiled. “As always, it is good to see you.”

Doombunny put the cages in her menu. She departed and headed back to the Headquarters. AFCK was still baking and Diemond was still designing. No one even noticed her arrival as she snuck back in. She put the caged animals in the corner, stacked neatly on top of each other. She would have to feed them too, but it was not too hard to keep them alive in the cages. It wasn’t like breeding them.

Doombunny fed Colorra a rat before bed to make sure she was really ready for the next day. Then it was off to bed for the both of them. Doombunny put up her blades and put her armor back on their stands.

As Doombunny settled into bed, she sighed. She didn’t want to go with Fuurinkazan. She hadn’t planned on joining up with them. They were in her way. But the rest and break from their usual was going to be nice.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 72 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 72 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 48 - Catacomb Cubed

Floor 59

April 15 – Year 2

Fuurinkazan was waiting for them at the Danac teleport plaza.

“Morning, Doll Face!” Klein said with his stupid grin.

“Good morning, Klein,” Bladescape chuckled.

“Hey,” Klein said, coming closer and lowering his voice. “Does she have the goods.”

“She’s got the goods,” Bladescape whispered back. “Did you bring the goods for you?”

Klein laughed and then stopped, actually afraid AFCK hadn’t packed them food as promised. Bladescape’s laughter ended his fear.

Bladescape refocused onto the day's task. “It was pitched that we should mix up our parties. There are 17 of us, so we have no reason not to mix our guilds. We should diversify our parties. It will help us all work more fluidly with other people. No matter who.”

“Just no DDA,” Klein said.

“Of course not,” Bladescape chuckled. “They have been a pain since the beginning, before you guys hit the front lines, and then a huge problem for us from the new year. They directly accused Doombunny of being with Laughing Coffin. I would love to knock them down a few pegs.”

Klein rolled his eyes. "I remember the duel. I remember getting called out by her right…" Klein tried to point out Doombunny, but he couldn't see her in their group. "Well wherever she actually is standing."

"Anyway," Bladescape said, drawing them back on topic. "What do you think? Are you guys man enough to handle a switch up?"

"Hell yeah we are!" Klein exclaimed. "I assume you have already played a bit of matchmaker for us?"

Bladescape shook her head at his immature, boyish antics. It was hard to think he had already graduated from college.

"Not those kinds," Bladescape replied, trying not to laugh. "But after working the weekend together, Astro wants to try running with Harry. She wants to put his shield skills to the test against her ferocity and speed."

"I didn't put it like that," Astro fired from where she was standing. "I just said I wanted to see how I would work with another Tank. And Harry and I talked all weekend. So why not?"

"Sure," Harry said. "I'll take that challenge on."

"So, what girls am I getting?" Klein goofily grinned.

"Me," Bladescape chuckled. "In all seriousness, I actually want to work by your side again. I think it would be good to do in preparation for potential Boss Raids."

"Alright," Klein nodded, oddly not saying anything about the arrangement. "Then who is going to lead Party Three? I assume Knightstar will be leading Party Two."

"Well," Bladescape said, hesitating. "I was thinking of something that would be a little more, productive, than just me and you fighting back to back again. I want Knightstar to lead a team that she isn't fully comfortable with; to round out her leadership skills. She knows how to work with us, but she knows she tends to hesitate and pulls back to guide more than fight."

"Dale and Issin would work well," Klein said. "And the third leader?"

"Kiefer," Bladescape nodded. "We have been working him through some things. I figure if we put Kiefer in charge of Harry, Astro, Lessa, Diemond, and Kunimittz, it would be a good mix of independent fighters, while gaining leadership skills for him. Knightstar can work with Backbreaker, Dale, Issin, Joltron, and Thunderborne, which will leave us with Dynamm, AFCK, and Doombunny."

"We will only have one Shield," Klein pointed out. "But we can always reorganize things if we need to later on. I'm down with it. Building new skills, bringing players together, it sounds perfect."

A few clicks later and the parties were organized before they were off, heading out of town to the entrance to the Labyrinth. It didn’t seem as far of a walk with their friends from Fuurinkazan. It was nice to not start the day diving into the Labyrinth on a drag.

They took the most direct route to their last map point and then chose their path. With the crisscrossing of the catacombs, the three parties quickly got separated. Since Dynamm was their only shield, and Doombunny was strictly a damage dealer, Klein and Bladescape had to be strong forwards. AFCK was also a forward, but she was her usual self, hopping around randomly while looking clueless yet doing serious damage. Klein gave Bladescape plenty of odd looks at the start. Bladescape always shrugged back, and Klein soon got used to fighting with AFCK in the party.

They didn't have far to go before they ran into the stairs to the next level of the Labyrinth. Once they regrouped, they ascended them. The top brought a shift in the appearance of the Labyrinth. The stone floors and arched ceilings stayed, but the walls were now lined with skulls and bones, just like the real walls of a classic catacomb.

"Imagine if these were the bones of the players who had died," Thunderborne quietly said as she examined the stacked bones and skulls.

"Let's not," Doombunny squeaked.

Bladescape sighed. She was going to have to make sure Doombunny didn't have nightmares tonight. She would have to do the same for herself. The walls were very creepy.

They pushed on. The new floor brought the bones, but it eliminated the shadows as enemies. Klein and Fuurinkazan had mostly ignored the shadows on the lower floors because they were so difficult to see and then kill. It became apparent that the Wondercolts did have some advantage given to them by the Necromancer Quest.

Again, they split up as they mapped the Labyrinth. The skeleton patrols rose in number. A two to one ratio was not uncommon. The combat slowed mapping down, but not terribly so. It was obvious they were near the front of the overall explored area from the number of enemy encounters. There where whole hallways filled with skeletons that had not been cleared.

They ended up in a recently cleared hallway, evident by the lack of any skeletons. After a short bit, they heard the clash of swords, but they proceeded carefully. It was getting riskier to jump into a battle in Labyrinths. Not everyone enjoyed the intrusion, or the idea they were being "rescued." They came to the sight of the fight. It was their first non-hallway chamber, a square room lined with skulls and bones between the supporting pillars. At the center was a large group of skeletons surrounding what appeared to be one or two players. There were at least forty enemies, and they were hungry for the blood they didn't have themselves.

“Dang,” Klein said. “We should help them, right?”

“Probably,” Bladescape said. “We can at least draw aggro. It might be five of us, but we can even the score. These skeletons are not that hard. Right?”

“Yeah,” Klein said, hesitating.

It was always a risk to jump into a fight in a Labyrinth. The others didn’t know you were there. And it could be seen as poaching.

“That’s Kirito!” Klein suddenly exclaimed. “Let’s go! He is still solo.”

They charged out across the open ground, yelling as they went to get the attention of some of the skeletons and introduce their arrival to Kirito. It worked as they turned to face them. More than they had expected began to stalk towards them.

Bladescape blocked the first sword and Harmonic Salvation immediately glowed red. She flipped the block into an attack and sliced the skeleton in half. She dodged the skeleton sword that came through the polygons at her and she rammed the blade home, making another explosion fill the air.

Bladescape danced with her sword and struck down skeleton after skeleton. It required a strong mix of Weapon Defense, Two-Handed Sword, Agility, and a keen use of Search to predict the incoming attack with the Outside System Skills “Insight,” and “Precognition.” Bladescape was still learning to trick the monsters' AI with what was called “Mislead.”

Bladescape sliced the skeleton in half and her blade clanged against an unmoving object, even as the skeleton popped into polygons. As the polygons separated, Bladescape realized the room clear and that the object she was fighting against was Kirito’s blade. Both of them were in mid swing and their blades were glowing as their triggered Sword Skills fought for dominance.

He wasn’t backing down either. They held steady for a moment as he judged her. Bladescape stopped flexing and let his sword finish its swing. She twirled her blade so she could sheath it and be as relaxed as she could. They did join his fight out of nowhere.

“What up Kiridog!” Klein asked, flashing him a smile and a thumbs up.

"Hey Klein," Kirito said, still on guard. "What are you doing here. And with them?"

"Huh? Oh, right. You know of the Wondercolts, but not that. I am sure you recall that we also spearheaded the Floor 39 Boss Raid together, and how we got separated from the main group. Well, the day or two before, they helped us out of a jam in the Labyrinth and we have been tight ever since."

"Right," Kirito nodded. He flipped his blade in a ceremonial slash and slipped it onto his back. "The girl guild. With two guys in it. Your member, the snake charmer, got the Last Attack Bonus from poison DOT damage on the boss. And she took down Yamata in that duel for her integrity as a clearer.

"But you believe what this guy says?"

"Hey!" Klein exclaimed as Bladescape laughed.

"The gentlemen of Fuurinkazan are a lot of talk and showboating," Bladescape snickered. "But they became friends enough to trust them and even to do some stuff over the holidays."

"And where is the rest of both of your guilds?" Kirito asked, eyeing the passage further into the Labyrinth.

"We split back at the last cross-way," Klein explained. "We partied up across guilds to even us all out as players who can work together in raid parties outside of their guilds. If it ever comes to that."

"Whose idea was that?" Kirito asked. It wasn't a nice tone. He then shrugged. "Well, it doesn't matter. I have to go."

"It was theirs actually," Klein said. "But it's worked well. And come on, Man, link up with us. We are going the same way. I know you can handle yourself, you always say that. We are all trying to clear this Labyrinth as fast as possible. It is faster and safer together."

"Here," Kirito said to Klein as he pulled up his menu. "This is what I mapped. Your party came down the right path. The others hit dead ends."

"Thanks," Klein said as he accepted and then looked at the map. "And they probably are headed this way since both those paths end pretty quickly."

Kirito was already walking off.

"Hey!" Klein called after him. "Not to be rude, but we are going the same way!"

"Fine," Kirito shrugged. "Whatever. It's not like I have any say in it. There is only one way to go at this point. I'm not going to slow down for you."

Klein growled and looked at Bladescape. Kirito was already on the other side of the room. "He can be stubborn."

Bladescape shrugged. "He has to be to make it this far solo. I am sure a guild isn't easy for a guy like him."

"I am fairly certain he was in one a while back. But it was Floors ago and it didn't last long. I don't know what happened and I'm not going to push him for an answer."

Bladescape started walking after Kirito at a quick pace to catch up. "Either way, he could use the support. These things might be easy to dispatch, but soon he is going to hit Floors that will be truly grueling to hit solo. Even at our levels in full parties, it will be tough."

"Will?" Klein snorted as he caught up. "Why do you think we wanted to team up. You guys have us all beat by a few levels at least. Some of your lower players are probably our rank by now. But you are what, over 80?"

"Well," Bladescape said, weighing the options. "You know me as a fighter, and dare I say it, but a friend. I'm at 79, right up on that edge to 80. The Boss Raid will push me over if I don't hit it in the Labyrinth."

"We have a few more teams competing for slots," Klein warned. "The Wondercolts are a very strong asset for a raid, but have you thought about them rotating you out to rest you? Rumor is, they are going to have to do that soon.

"And I've also heard they are going to be sending scouting parties in to get real time info on the bosses before they bail. It's getting harder for info brokers to get the boss details. Kalzuk is a prime example. A one-shot boss for information you can't get any other way. Easy to miss, but key.

"This isn't the lower floors anymore. We are having to change tactics after Floor 50 to gather Intel on the boss and its attack patterns."

"Scouting parties?" Bladescape asked. "What do you mean?"

"A group of two parties head into the chamber and begin fighting the boss, for real. No more poking your head in. They don't take too many risks, but they see what they are up against before running out or using teleport crystals. We can make battle plans depending on the type of boss, the attack patterns it uses, it's potential weaknesses, and anything else the scouting party can get.

"We need to know what type of raiding party to send. It's not necessarily going to be guild parties. But some will require mostly Tanks and a strong line of shield users. Others, Tanks will be too slow. There are a lot of factors that the KOB plays with to make the best raid decisions. Of course, the larger guilds have more members available to put into any raid situation. You guys could field all three tanks if you needed to."

"Good to know," Bladescape nodded. "I'm sure you won't get knocked out. At least, not while I have a say. I'll trade for one of you any time."

"Thanks," Klein said, a warm smile on his lips.

Kirito had stopped ahead, just inside a circular room. His sword was drawn, but he wasn't moving. He was shifting to be ready to attack. Bladescape caught up to him and saw why he had stopped.

Large bones were flying from the walls , creating an oversized skeleton. It continued to build, bone by bone, as the game loaded the boss. They were known as mid bosses. They were a pain to clear and the clearers rarely had time to organize a solid raid party. They were typically low-level obstacles throughout the labyrinths, blocking the next floor as they climbed the inside of the tower. Still, a team of 6 often had trouble on their own. The Wondercolts had taken down relatively few because, with so many players clearing, they had to be the first to find and beat it. Kirito could beat it solo if he was even half as good as his reputation said he was. So could their party of five. Probably. Together was still the wisest option.

"It's not worth it," Bladescape said to Kirito. "No matter how strong you are, we are here too. We need to work together."

Kirito ignored her. Bladescape drew her sword. The others were ready as well.

As soon as it finished, "Big Skeleton" popped up above its head along with three health bars. They would be easy bars to take down.

Kirito charged ahead as if he was alone. Bladescape went out on the right flank while Klein took to the left as the others followed. They would need Dynamm as their tank in this fight. He was skilled with his shield, but it was small for a tank.

Kirito's strength was amazing as he blocked and deflected the giant sword away from him. It was immediately followed up by a strong Sword Skill combination. He was calm and cool in the opening of the battle.

Bladescape took the opportunity to unleash her own heavy attack, High Infinity, as the Skeleton was reeling from Kirito's attack. Klein yelled as he let his own go in a near perfect opening assault. Most of the first health bar was gone.

The others switched in and Bladescape watched its HP slip to halfway through the second bar. Dynamm did his job as the tank, blocking the skeleton's sword and letting them switch in for round two. Klein, Kirito, and Bladescape wordlessly understood what was needed. They all unleashed powerful Sword Skills, destroying the weak boss on the third round.

Claps and cheers came from behind them. The rest of the Wondercolts and Fuurinkazan had found their way to them. They had apparently seen the tail end of the battle.

“That was awesome,” Thunderborne exclaimed.

“Absolutely amazing,” Knightstar added. “I hope it wasn’t too difficult without us.”

“We had Kirito,” Bladescape explained, turning to congratulate him only to sigh at what she saw. “And he is already up the stairs and gone.”

“That’s Kirito,” Klein said with a shrug.

“We need to continue,” Bladescape said. “He will be fine. It was an interesting little interaction.”

“Yeah,” Klein admitted. “Something was off. Usually he isn't so cold."

"He was passive aggressive," Bladescape said. "He wasn't mad yesterday. I feel like we interrupted something, or intruded into his private space."

Klein shrugged. He was obviously concerned. "Anyway, let’s go. Besides, we might end up meeting him again.”

“You care for him,” Bladescape said, nudging him with her elbow.

"Yeah," Klein admitted. "It's been a complicated relationship over a few meetings."

That was all Klein was going to say as he started moving again. They climbed up the stairs and realized that the chances of finding Kirito were slim. They were in a small circular room, and leading off it was 8 different hallways. Nine with the stairs they had just come up from.

"This is going to be a pain," Klein said, trying not to groan.

"Let's not push it," Bladescape said. "All three parties down the same hall."

Klein didn't say anything as he headed for the first hallway on their left. Bladescape followed and the rest did after forming up into their parties. Kiefer's party brought up their rear.

Lunch was late. The layout of the Labyrinth took time to map. Each of the 8 hallways intersected with a loop that completely enclosed the stairwell chamber. They kept going out and then through an even larger loop. Once they understood the layout, the three parties split up and speed ran the clearing. They officially mapped all of the "spokes" and both loops in an efficient two hours. There was no sign of Kirito.

A single spoke continued out from the outer loop. Not far down it was a safe zone. Inside they stopped for a late lunch. No one sat against the bone walls. Virtual or not, they were creepy.

After their break, the catacombs became chaotic in their layout. The loops were just half of the floor. They did split to cover the most ground, but they planned a 9pm rendezvous back at the safe zone if they did get completely split up.

It turned out to be a wise plan. The others were waiting for Klein, Bladescape, Dynamm, Doombunny, and AFCK when they finally caught up. They were late by almost 30 minutes. They had gotten into a few snags on the way back.

Thunderborne held up a blue teleport crystal. She didn't beg, verbally, but it was obvious what she wanted. Bladescape looked at Klein.

"I'm too lazy," Klein shrugged. "This thing is a pain. I know we have the way back mapped and could make it easily, but my feet hurt."

Klein pulled out a crystal, but he left the final order up to Bladescape. Each Wondercolt had at least 3 on them. It was tighter than she wanted it to be for use on a teleport out from the lower portion of a Labyrinth. Her feet were sore too. On top of that, Bladescape wanted to get a team out on an overnight trip, even with the late start time. Teleporting would drastically speed that up.

"I guess we will see you soon," Bladescape said to Klein.

"It was fun working with yah," Klein shot back. "We do need to think about teaming up more."

"Definitely," Bladescape said, clinking her blue crystal with Klein's in a toast.

The others were waiting on their leader. Bladescape held her crystal up, took a deep breath in, and called out the order. The crystal enveloped her in blue and she was suddenly on the teleport plaza of Mishe. She jumped off it as the others came in behind her.

Bladescape had to decide who was going with her for the trip. She watched as the others came to Mishe and how they looked getting off the platform. Doombunny was an obvious no after all the hard work she had put in. Kiefer and Lessa were the last two to come back. They were side by side as they stepped off the plaza. For leading a party, Kiefer looked like he was solid on his feet. And with Lessa by his side, Bladescape had an idea. She would take both Kiefer and Lessa with her to the Sand Crabs and see what she could do to get them to define their relationship.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 72 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 72 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 49 - Kiessa

Floor 59

April 15 – Year 2

Bladescape pushed open the doors to their Headquarters, leading the others in. She was about to turn around to head to the nearest farming area, but she wasn't planning on going alone.

"Kiefer, Lessa, don't get comfortable," Bladescape said. "I want you two with me. Overnight training trip. We leave in 30 and, AFCK, can you make us some overnight bags?"

"Me!" Kiefer exclaimed. "And Lessa?"

"Yeah?" Lessa asked, confused but intrigued.

"Don't worry Lessa, you won't be the tank," Bladescape clarified. "I fight beside Kiefer a lot, he fights besides you a lot, and I never fight beside you. So the three of us, together."

"But," Kiefer stuttered. "But we just got back from a long day clearing the catacombs. Just because Fuurinkazan was with us, it didn't make it any easier."

"You two should go," Knightstar said. "I mean, you two will go. Bladescape isn't going to do anything stupid. We discussed the fact that we need to be running more overnight training sessions, even after we have heavy clearing days. We have to stay on top statistically. It matters. The three of you will be fine."

AFCK came skipping out of the kitchen with three food sacks. She tossed each of them one with a lot of pep for someone who had been fighting all day long in one of the toughest places currently accessible in Aincrad. They could always count on AFCK to have a bounce in her step.

It didn't even take them fifteen minutes to be ready to head out again, but Bladescape still gave them the remaining 15 to rest.

"Where are we heading?" Kiefer asked.

"Floor 54," Bladescape replied. "There is a long lake in the west. All along in the sandy shore, buried, are sand crabs. Big crabs that come out and attack you. High defense, high XP, high attack, but slow movement and attack speed. It is really easy to avoid their claws. Their carapaces are giant domes, so they have limited vision and attack capabilities. You rack up the XP quickly with decent Col earnings. I was killing them in droves the other night with no trouble. And it isn't a hot training ground, yet."

They teleported to the closest teleported plaza and began to move to the location. It was busier than when Bladescape had been there the other night, but there was no wait time. Several spawn points along the beach were not being used. Others had a rotation going within their party so they could rest overnight. Those "off duty" were further back from the water, outside the targeting range of the crabs, either lounging or sleeping.

"Watch me," Bladescape said. "I will show you their attack patterns and how to avoid their claws."

Bladescape advanced forward to where a crab's shell was barely sticking out of the sand. She just had to look for the sand colored "rock". It popped out with quite a bit of speed and advanced, clapping its pincers. Bladescape let it come in close and then skipped to the side. It took a long time for it to turn. It was skilled at forward and backwards movement, but not side movement, unlike most of the crabs I.R.L.

When it was finally facing Bladescape, she drove Battering Ram into its face. It was a critical hit location and very easy to strike when planned right. The crab was reduced to polygons. The shell protected it everywhere but the face. And that always dealt critical damage.

The next one came out of the sand and Bladescape demonstrated how to block its claws with her weapon defense. She used an advanced technique, performing a two-handed spin with her sword making it a giant round shield to absorb or deflect the attack. For the claws, it could take three attacks. Either the crab went in three times with the same pincer, or twice with an alternation. Either way, it was forced into a cooldown period and Bladescape retaliated with a perfect thrust from Harmonic Salvation. Again, it was to the face and the crab was finished.

A third crab came at Bladescape. She skipped out of its reach to the side. "I doubt either of your weapons are heavy enough for this," Bladescape advised. She skipped around to the rear as the crab tried to face her. With a heavy downward slash her weapon's weight broke the shell and decimated the crab, but it left her with a longer delay.

Kiefer switched with Bladescape as the fourth crab came at her. He used the distraction Bladescape was inadvertently providing and slashed it in the face with a Katana Sword Skill. The slash decimated its health. He parried the retaliatory claw attack and then stabbed the crab in the face. That destroyed it. He tried the shell break with the next crab. After getting to its back, his Katana, Mistmane's Fury, glowed a dark red and he unleashed a downward slash. It shattered the shell and crab, but it did leave him with a long delay. The crabs were slow enough that he was safe, but the heavier attacks were better left to last ditch efforts.

Lessa switched in. Her shield was very effective at blocking the claws. Her new sword, Hankyu, made very easy work of the Crabs in a counter attack. Its attack range was impressive, and its slim profile favored stabbing, which was exactly what she needed to destroy the crabs in a single thrust.

They continued switching out at a rate of ten crabs. After 89 crabs had been killed, the spawn point needed to recharge. Unfortunately, the spawn points on either side of them had become occupied. They were a decent enough distance away. The three of them backed out of the targeting zone and sat down. The recharge time was approximately 14 minutes, but it was longer if you were in the targeting range.

"This is pretty good," Kiefer said as he scrolled through his stats. "I keep getting crab meat and shells from them. I wonder what the shells are good for."

"Probably armor," Bladescape yawned as she was sprawled out on the beach. "But I think the advantage of this place is that it is slower XP than some of the other popular spots. But since those fill up, we have a faster rotation, balancing it out in our favor.

"This would dry up quickly if all the Wondercolts came," Lessa commented. "We could blow through 89 crabs with incredible speed. We would spend five-times as long waiting rather than fighting. It would really lower our XP yield."

"It would," Bladescape agreed. "And that means it will attract less attention from the bigger guilds. If they want to train in full parties, they won't be able to here. Which will mean less players come here to train. And that is alright with me."

"You are going to be here, a lot," Lessa said. There was some regret and pity to the comment.

"I will be," Bladescape nodded. "But I will grind away for eternity until I can get you all free. On Floor 2, we were Level 11. We got to Floor 40 in the 50s. Now we at Floor 59 and the guild is basically only 10 levels above it. The point is, that with each Floor, we lose levels. The closer to the Ruby Palace we get, the closer the Floor Number gets compared to our levels. We used to be double, triple, and higher times the Floor number, now we are maintaining only a small margin above the Floor number. So we have to be dedicated. And I have to be dedicated to make sure I am the strongest leader the guild can have. The stronger I am, the stronger the guild is. So I will grind away as much as I can, no matter how boring it will get."

"Crab spawned," Kiefer said, jumping up and charging in.

The 89 crabs were dispatched with ease. With three of them rotated in, it barely took them 15 minutes to cut them all down. They were back to lounging almost annoyingly soon.

"Look," Bladescape said after drinking some water. "We all have to train. And we are starting a new rotation. I want you, Kiefer, to be able to lead a small party to do this as well. But there is another reason I wanted both of you to come with me. Knightstar and I are on to your two's romance. Or sort of romance. And we support it."

Lessa was blushing a deep red and Kiefer tried to dry his now sweating palms on his metal scale armor.

"I think it is just us two," Bladescape clarified. "And probably AFCK. But AFCK probably doesn't realize the others are not aware."

"You support it?" Kiefer asked, shocked. "But if it fails, then we still have to be guild mates."

"So?" Bladescape pushed. She looked at both of them and saw that it was Kiefer who was hesitant. She had thought it was Lessa who was holding back. "That is life. Failure. Sometimes you don't connect with people like you think you will. But if that is why you are not going for it, that is a dumb reason. Life is more than that. Especially in this hellish nightmare."

"Well?" Lessa asked Kiefer. "You have been the one greeting me in the morning and making sure I was the first and last person I saw each day. I have been waiting on you. What is holding you down?"

Kiefer sighed and flopped down so he was laying down all the way on the sandy shore. "It's..."

Kiefer stalled out, unsure what was holding him back. Yes, it could end badly, but it could go very well. He purposefully ran out the time until the crabs re-spawned so he could think. Bladescape and Lessa didn't push him for several rotations. He was trapped and they were giving him as much space as possible.

"Newsflash!" Bladescape exclaimed as they sat down to wait once again. It was just past 1 am and it was time to push Kiefer to get an answer "We only get one life. And virtual or not, every day in here is a day in your life. We are not losing a day. We are trading off. So, make it count."

"And if this falls apart after?" Lessa asked. She had been considering that option for a while now.

"Friends don't come and go," Bladescape said with a smile. "Boyfriends and girlfriends sometimes do. But there is one thing that Kiefer will always have that you will struggle to find in any other guy: He lived through this death game, and he will have done it besides you.

"And the same goes for you Kiefer. Those dark nights where you lay awake and think back on all the bad things you did, or the horrible things you experienced, do you want a woman who tries her best but can't really understand, or do you want a friend who does? Friends can be more.

"And that level of comfort you can provide each other by understanding what it means to be stuck in here and having to have faced the trials we have, well it doesn't get more powerful than that. Even if it doesn't work out, the reality is that you can't live your life on the possibility of failure. Sure, it is real, but going into something like a relationship, you have to believe that it will last. Which is why it makes break-ups hard.

"But the end reward is amazing if you stick it out. You guys already know each other I.R.L, and you have gotten to get to know each other even better in here. Your relationship has been put through so much strain, and it is pushing you together, not putting you at odds with each other.

"But that is just my advice." Bladescape shrugged. "You two have to make that choice for yourselves."

"My greatest fear is not protecting you because I am focusing on combat," Kiefer admitted.

Lessa replied honestly. "If you don't put your full focus there, you will die. That is something that we cannot have happen. And if you die because you are focusing on protecting me instead of the game, that is even worse. You are one of our best fighters and your focus for us all needs to be fighting for us all."

Lessa slid over to Kiefer and hugged him tightly. "Besides. I am on the front line and doing fine. It's not like you have anything to be worried about. I am strong in here. I won't go down. Especially with our friends. They will make sure none of us Wondercolts die. And you know how close we have gotten at times."

"Alright," Kiefer said, trying to cradle her helmeted head as she hugged him. "Then let's do this. Lessa will you date me? Will you join my side permanently so we can support each other?"

"Yes," Lessa said, sighing contentedly into his chest.

"Times up," Bladescape announced as the next sand crabs began to burrow out from the sand.

They went back to cutting them down as they spawned under the virtual sand. Bladescape saw Lessa have a new edge in the fight. Kiefer didn't lose his. He was at the peak of his game, and seeing him not being distracted in a fight was exactly why he would survive. Why they both would survive.

After they cleared out the crabs and were forced to wait for the respawn, Bladescape told them her plan. "Like I said earlier, I am pretty certain that only Knightstar and I know. And probably AFCK. At least, it's not been discussed by the other members. So you guys will need to make an announcement. Probably best done at breakfast."

"We can do that," Kiefer said. "I would be glad to tell the guild in a few hours."

"Same," Lessa smiled.

Lessa had finally gotten what she wanted the past few months. Kiefer had come out of his shell to actually state what he wanted, and it was her. She felt like she was floating on a cloud. It was not only helping her fight better; she now had something to go home to.

When they got back to their Headquarters it wasn't quiet. It was too loud for it being so early.

Bladescape, Lessa, and Kiefer walked into the Guild Hall to find Backbreaker sitting down at her council spot, frustrated and angry. Knightstar was pacing back and forth in front of the table, and the others were off to the left, while Doombunny was on the right, defiantly sitting in a chair with Colorra on her lap. Everyone was in their sleepwear except Doombunny who was outfitted for combat.

"There you are!" Backbreaker exclaimed. It stopped Knightstar from pacing.

"What happened?" Bladescape asked. "I left a few hours ago and everything was fine. It feels like a bomb went off in here."

"More like a truth bomb," Backbreaker spat. "One filled with lies and deceit."

"Very helpful," Bladescape said, crossing her arms. "Will one of you explain what is going on."

Knightstar screamed in anger and thrust her finger at the defiant Doombunny. "She has been breaking the rules and sneaking out! I caught her coming back in twenty minutes ago! Without a partner! She was in a party with me and AFCK and she dared to leave! She could have been kidnapped or killed by Laughing Coffin!"

Doombunny snubbed her nose at the notion.

Bladescape's eyes bore down on Doombunny. "You have been sneaking out‽ For what! The friend I know doesn't do that. She is too afraid to break the rules. She is wise enough to understand why they are the rules."

Doombunny's voice was cold as she sliced them with the real truth. "Your friend doesn't exist. Not anymore. I'm not Fluttershy in here, remember? I'm Doombunny. And it's not my fault Laughing Coffin is around."

Doombunny's grin was cocky and mischievous. "Do you really think Laughing Coffin would dare try and take me? Do you really think I am so helpless that I can't see them coming? I maxed Hide, Search, and Listen. There is nothing I don't see or hear that happens around me. You all have too little faith in me.

"And it really has shown. What level am I?"

Bladescape had no idea how to respond to that. Neither did Knightstar as she went off, losing her temper as she verbally assaulted Doombunny.

"What! What does level have to do with this‽ We are starting a new training regimen. We will get you to level 70 shortly. We will put you in first. But wanting level 70 doesn't warrant breaking our trust. We have rules for a reason!"

"And what level are you?" Doombunny snapped at Bladescape.

Bladescape huffed but held her tongue from causing more strife. "79. I'm level 79. But if you wanted level 70 that bad, we could have worked out a fair, safer way to do that. Laughing Coffin-"

"Will die if I ever see them!"

They were all shocked into silence at the words. They were hard, true, and Doombunny, or Fluttershy, wasn't the person to make a promise she wouldn't keep. But it still meant she was openly stating she would kill them.

"Colorra would destroy them," Doombunny stated coldly. The ice was sharp as it cut through the air to reach their ears. "She would die before she let them take me or kill me. And Laughing Coffin is a gang of murderers. They don't have the guts to kidnap me. They know how it would end.

"After my duel with Yamata, I started to reevaluate things. The rule was unnecessary and I needed to put in a little risk to gain the greater reward: experience. I had to make sure I could still aggressively gain levels. And you all had slacked off. Which leaves me on the bottom of it all with no chance to gain XP.

"I've been sneaking out since mid February and I'm far past level 70. I'm pushing Level 75. Colorra and I have our own training grounds. A few places where the enemies are weak to poison, but plentiful. They don't stand a chance as I reap in the XP at rates faster than you ever can Bladescape.

"I'm not going to be a scared little girl in here. I'm not going to be forced to be afraid. I'm not going to be helpless. The stakes may be higher, but I am still going to be me. And I have a home to get to. You, Bladescape, don't get to capitalize on the overnight solo leveling trips."

Bladescape was about to respond but Diemond butted in. Her voice was full of concern. "But Doom, you are our Fluttershy. We have nothing against you getting stronger, but you are still our friend. This is all very unlike you."

Doombunny was cold as she mercilessly retorted with the truth. "News flash! This is our reality. We call it virtual because we all believe we have machines in another world connected to our brains that put us in this reality. This is our reality! Either we die with this as our reality, or we clear Floor 100 to regain the other reality. Until either, there is no other reality."

It was a similar argument to what Bladescape had been making to Kiefer and Lessa only a few hours before. But coming from an angry Doombunny, the words stung. Bladescape had said those words, but she had never heard them come from another's mouth. Especially one that was throwing them in her face.

"I am no longer your sweet, innocent Fluttershy. I've killed creatures I would have cared for. I no longer have a bunny for a pet, but a poison snake who wouldn't hesitate to eat Angel. I am no longer a weak, meek, person. I am a strong, vicious, beast tamer who is on the Assault Team. I've killed a Floor Boss, something you haven't even done, Diemond. Only, BB and Thunder can make that claim. Not even our best, Bladescape, can state that."

Diemond was almost crying as Doombunny drove her final argument, pointing at each of them. "You are no longer Rarity. You are no longer Twilight Sparkle. You are no longer Applejack. You are no longer Rainbow Dash. You are no longer Pinkie Pie. You are no longer Sunset Shimmer. You are no longer Poly Stitch. You are no longer Isoroku. You are no longer Soshi. You are no longer Nanami. And I am no longer Fluttershy!"

Doombunny stood up defiantly as she continued over Diemond's tears. Colorra almost fell to the ground in the quick move, but the snake was better than that as it got to her shoulders, perching herself on Doombunny in a coil that was ready to strike. A big warning to them all.

"What you all were in that world is gone,” Doombunny coldly continued. “All that matters is what you are now. And that is stats and skills. Not farmer, or athlete, or fashionista, or baker, or anything you once were! I've made myself a name in this game! Do you even know the names the other players know me as?"

No one knew what her nicknames were. AFCK had tears, but wasn't sobbing like Diemond. Joltron had his hand on AFCK to try and comfort her as he held his own breath from the attack. Backbreaker looked like she had just touched something hot. Thunderborne and Astro were angry and both of their nostrils were flared as they seethed. Knightstar looked like she had been stabbed, with the blade still driven through her chest. Kiefer was holding Lessa. And Sunset Shimmer leaned against the wall, trying to mask the sharp knife of reality that had been plunged into her heart and ripped Sunset Shimmer out from Bladescape, separating the two of them She thought she had come to terms with their situation, but she wasn't as far along as she thought she was. She could say it, but she couldn't hear it.

Doombunny didn't stop. She was angry and worse, cold as she threw ice water in their faces to make them wake up. "Some call me Snake Charmer. Others prefer Viper. Thanatos is picking up as well and Baipagaru is also being thrown about. All are respectful and reverent of my skills and position as a Wondercolt and even more important, a member of the Assault Team."

"Death," Knightstar said out loud, instead of in her head as intended. She realized her mistake and was in a position which forced her to explain what she meant. She tried to do it as calmly as she could. Knightstar reached up to fix her glasses, but they still were not there for her to nervously play with. "One of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. In the original language, Death is translated to Thanatos. As quoted: 'When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.' It is a dangerously accurate name for her as a beast tamer with the most poisonous animal in the game."

"I'm not going to be stupid," Doombunny snapped back. "But I am not going to be dragged down until I am a pathetic and useless combatant. I will keep up with you and go past you if I have to. And if you fall apart, I am sure I could gain a place with the Knights of the Bloodoath, maybe Fuurinkazan, and most certainly in Geigi Clan. I know where I am going, are you coming with me, or not?"

"I am," Bladescape immediately said with every ounce of authority she had left. It was stronger and louder than intended, but she wasn't going to let someone interrupt her. "You are right. We dropped the ball with you. It isn't cool that you broke the rule, but it isn't cool we tried to enforce it without giving you an option to be as aggressive as you want to be. The truth of the matter is we didn't want to lose our Fluttershy. I thought I had come to terms with our situation, but I guess I have more to do. I still want to get home, but I have to embrace here to do that. We are on Floor 59. 41 more Floors to conquer. That is going to be a lot of time at the rate we have been going."

"A lot of players depend on us," Doombunny said, a bit softer. "We can't afford to slack off. With each Floor, we get closer to our current level. And that makes it harder and less safe to be on the front lines. We can't afford to have to take extended breaks off the front lines to farm XP."

"You are right," Knightstar agreed. "We are going to be doing overnight training sessions in rotation-"

"Screw the rotation," Bladescape snapped. "You are all well rested. We will hit the Labyrinth today and then we will do an overnight training session. Kiefer, Lessa, and Doom will sleep because they did it tonight, but the rest of us will hit it hard. We will get into an aggressive 36-12 routine."

"What about you," Knightstar rebuked. "You just did an overnight trip yourself and need to sleep as much as them. And it still doesn't give a response to the ruling of the guild being disregarded for months by Doombunny!"

"I DON'T CARE!" Bladescape shouted, before her tone became bitter. "I don't give a crap. Yes, Doombunny disobeying the protection rules is a problem, but finally, finally, someone else in this guild took their own initiative. If we followed the rules we laid down, I couldn't take her out alone with me. We abandoned her. I am happy she took the initiative."

Backbreaker stood up suddenly from her chair. "I'm goin' fishin'. Y'all do what y'all wanna do." With that decided, she walked out the front door.

"Well that's just great," Knightstar said, sarcastically. "Now what are we supposed to do without our main tank!"

"Hey!" Joltron exclaimed. "Are Diemond and I not good enough for you?"

"That's not what I meant. I mean, it is what I meant, but not that way," Knightstar lost all sensibility as her rambling contradicted itself.

Diemond left the room in the direction of her crafting room. AFCK huffed and went to the kitchen. Kiefer rolled his eyes and took Lessa's hand, guiding her upstairs so they could get some rest. Thunder and Astro walked out as well. Joltron departed for the kitchen and Doombunny had disappeared.

Bladescape and Knightstar were left staring at each other. Neither spoke a word. Knightstar might know the stats and game mechanics, but Bladescape was the real leader because of her instincts and combat experience. She had ten levels on Knightstar for a reason they both knew. Both were critical to the Wondercolts' survival, but they were clearly ranked One and Two for a reason.

Knightstar hadn't gone to a Floor Boss battle since the Third Floor. She was too afraid, but she wasn't about to admit it and look weak. She still had a reputation she was trying to protect, but Bladescape and Knightstar both knew that she needed the Wondercolts more than they needed her. The Wondercolts got her the stats and numbers she used. If she wasn't running with them, she wouldn't be able to stay at the top of the game for long.

Bladescape broke the impasse by turning around and walking out the guild hall doors to go do more solo hunting. She didn't expect to see Doombunny leaning against the exterior doors. Doombunny tossed her a small vial. Bladescape caught it and knew immediately what it was. It was poison, and probably a new and very strong one.

"Want to see how I solo hunt?" Doombunny asked. She was still on edge, but not as cold. She had a lot of reason to be guarded.

Bladescape grinned. "Please. That was something I was wondering. Especially since you said you didn't hunt at the normal farming locations."

"I have enough poison on me to cover you for the day," Doombunny stated in a clipped tone as she opened the front door. "But it won't be easy. For you that is. I don't have to wait for spawns. I go from one right to the next."

"Speed killing," Bladescape said as they headed to the teleport plaza. "Not farming."

"Exactly," Doombunny smirked slyly as she stepped onto the teleport platform. "I have never had a defensive skill, which means attack as fast and as furiously as possible while alone." She switched topics. "Also, are Kiefer and Lessa together?"

"That was the big point of taking both of them last night," Bladescape said as she stood up beside Doombunny. "Yes, they finally are."

"Good," Doombunny said. "Because I can hear everything in the building. I don't even try to hear it, but I do. It was getting annoying listening to the indecision."

They teleported to Floor 52 to begin their hunt.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 72 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 72 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 74 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal - ?
Astro (PS): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 50 - Fencer

Floor 52 - Front Line Floor 59
April 16 – Year 2

Floor 52 was a quiet floor. In the north there were the volcanic hills. A wilderness of dead trees, various creatures that were always hostile, and a smoking mountain that was certainly mimicking an active volcano, just without lava. The ashen landscape was famous for being the home weyr of the vicious black dragons, led by the even worse King Black Dragon. Because of that, most players avoided it or the three dungeons in the north half of the Floor.

Bladescape saw the first target. It helped that Doombunny pulled out Endbringer, her "hunting" knife. It was her poison knife, which was supposed to have one purpose; to be her last resort. That appeared to be slightly different now, however. The target was a pack of black wolves. Her search quickly added their name and info. They were level 88 Dire Wolves. They were almost ten levels above Bladescape and they would certainly not make for a good target to hunt.

Doombunny took her headband off and tied it around her forehead, like Klein did. It turned her look upside down and made her look less like a girl, and more like a rogue warrior. One who wouldn't hesitate to kill you if you crossed her.

As soon as it was tied down, Doombunny was on the move, forcing Bladescape to draw her blade as she ran after her. She shakily applied the poison to her blade as she ran. The wolves charged them, snapping and growling. Harmonic salvation glowed and Bladescape sliced the side of the targeted wolf. It turned on her and Bladescape thrust the blade into its chest. The two strikes and the poison finished it. The other four were already reduced to polygons by Doombunny and Colorra.

"What is that in your left hand?" Bladescape asked. "Is that another dagger?"

"Not exactly," Doombunny said. "When I hit Level 70, I got my next Skill Slot. I was looking at getting Blade Throwing like you and AFCK, but that still left me open. I had no defensive skills. I was browsing what I had available and I found Fencing. It took Argo a while to track down the info, but she was well compensated for it and for her silence. There is the playing style as a "fencer" with a rapier, like Thunder or Lightning Flash Asuna. Those are names we gave them, but there is also an official Skill called Fencing.

"I appear to be the first to unlock it. The prerequisite is completing the One-Handed Dagger skill. No one on the front line has completed it, since a dagger is a relatively ineffective weapon compared to the other options. I can do it because of you guys and Colorra. Completing it unlocked the Fencer Skill. It is a defensive skill where a player can use either a special metal gauntlet, a tiny shield, or a dagger in their off hand. It was designed to be used with a Rapier.

"Since my only offensive skill is One Handed Dagger, I have no other choice but to use a dagger as my main weapon. Argo tracked this down for me. It is called a main-gauche parrying dagger. I think it is a custom-made weapon. It is almost exclusively for deflecting and blocking an incoming attack. That is why it has a wide, narrow crossguard and plate that wraps around my hand and anchors to the pommel. It is there to protect my hand from a weapon, like a shield, but around the handle.

"But for the wolves, the dagger actually becomes a minor offensive weapon."

"So you are using two weapons at once?" Bladescape asked.

"No," Doombunny said, shaking her head. "While the wolves do cut or impale themselves on the blade, the blade is to direct and defect incoming attacks, and control their direction with the crossguard and shielded grip. It is a defensive tool used in traditional fencing with a full rapier instead of a buckler. It is supposed to be used by someone like Thunderborne who needs speed for their rapier. It is their shield, but it doesn't slow them down.

"However, for the system to actually allow me to activate the defensive stab skill, it is a very particular set of circumstances. I have done it once. The enemy has to be in the right position compared to the quillon and they have to be in a delay from their attack. If they are not in the delay, I cannot counter thrust. It isn't much of a thrust either, but it will hurt, and its blade is set to paralyze."

Bladescape grinned. "It still looks like you are duel wielding daggers."

Doombunny opened her menu and then the main-gauchen parrying dagger disappeared. It was soon replaced by a heavy gauntlet. The fingers were together, like a mitten. It was stiff and went all the way up to her elbow. There was no using her left hand.

"This is a legendary piece of armor that Argo tracked down for me, Wyne. It's for the Fencer Skill, but the player who acquired it had no idea of its purpose, so they sold it. We know that because I can't grip anything in my left hand while wearing it. It's a thick gauntlet that is more of a shield than gauntlet. It is designed for taking blows like a shield, just without the size. Again, it's for a fencer to keep their speed. It is not as heavy as it looks."

It disappeared and was replaced by a small circular metal plate with a center dome. It was no more than 10 inches in diameter and all metal. "This is a buckler, not a small shield. A true buckler. It isn't attached to my arm; it's held in my hand by a single grip. Again, in a very specific circumstance, I can bash an enemy with it. But the entire point of using it is to guide the attack with a quick movement rather than hold a shield and block. I move the strike out of the way with the buckler, not block it. I hold it out from me, not close like a shield."

"Argo got this equipment for you?" Bladescape asked.

"Mhm," Doombunny nodded, back to her sweet usual self. "I don't know who her supplier is, but I paid her up front a good deal and I paid her to keep quiet. You know she will sell info about who asked for something. I have her paid to not tell."

A howl interrupted them, alerting them of the seven wolves charging at them. Bladescape launched herself into battle. Doombunny was very aggressive with the buckler. Bladescape saw her push away a jumping wolf so she moved it around her instead of jumping onto her. In the process, she stabbed it several times and then immediately stabbed and gashed open the next Dire Wolf. Bladescape killed two wolves to Doombunny's three and Colorra took out the last two.

"That is incredible," Bladescape said, panting a bit. "That little shield made all the difference for you."

"I'm a lot more effective," Doombunny agreed. "But it isn't a shield. It doesn't shield me anymore than your crossguard shields you."

"Fair," Bladescape conceded.

Doombunny began to run off to the next pack of wolves. The time to talk was over. It was a good thing they were in a party. Doombunny and Colorra were doing 80% of the work. Bladescape was fast, but a two-handed sword was designed to use its weight to its advantage. Doombunny was literally stabbing and slashing on the run, letting the poison do most of the work for her. Whatever she was using, it was very effective. It probably was what Bladescape had applied on her blade, but Harmonic Salvation was doing most of the damage to each wolf in its few swings.

Doombunny was also scoring repeated critical attacks. Most of her attacks dealt critical damage. She was accurate on top of the speed. Daggers were great against a soft target like the wolves.

After a while they climbed into a dead tree and sat above the ground while they ate a snack they had grabbed right before heading out of the small town, Edgeville, A pack of wolves soon wandered by and were circling the tree, howling and jumping to try and bite their feet. They were too high up to be attacked.

"There's a Black Dragon," Bladescape said, pointing off into the distance. "Have they ever bothered you?"

"No," Doombunny snorted. "They would have to find me. The first few encounters were terrifying, but they can't attack what they can't see. You however, they could easily spot. Max Hide is the only reason I can go completely undetected."

"Then we will have to be careful," Bladescape sighed.

"I don't doubt we could take them," Doombunny shrugged. "I am not suggesting we try, but your weapons defense should be able to block a fire breath attack, right?"

"Yeah," Bladescape nodded. "It will. When timed right."

"And I would just need to get inside it's attack range, nice and close. A stab from my dagger in its underbelly will put enough poison into it that we can take off some real HP."

"I'm tired, so let's not," Bladescape chuckled. "Now, how are we going to deal with these wolves? I could use my throwing picks."

"Colorra has it," Doombunny shrugged.

Colorra had been happily coiled around a branch. She was a tree snake after all. She waited a moment and then dropped right onto a wolf. It never saw her coming. She curled around the body so the wolf couldn't bite her and the others had nothing solid to attack. In the low light, it was a black snake on black fur and Colorra practically disappeared. Then it was a quick slither to the next, the black ash giving her more cover. Colorra was able to dart out of the way of an incoming bite and then strike right at the throat. She curled around the wolf again for protection. She repeated the process three more times until all five wolves were dead. The screen popped up in front of Bladescape showing her the XP, Col, and items gained from the battle. It was an impressive XP haul, good Col, and the pelts they had been getting had to be worth something good. Also dropped were Dire Wolf Canine Teeth. That was an unusual item with no immediate worth, but it had to be useful somehow.

Doombunny dropped out of the tree and Bladescape followed. Doombunny switched from the buckler to the parrying dagger. She was still learning to use them. She had gotten the dagger only a week ago. It had taken a while for Argo to track the info down.

Bladescape did her best to watch Doombunny while she pulled her weight against the wolves. The parrying dagger was never once thrust into a wolf. It was just like the buckler, it helped direct the swipe of the paw or the clap of the jaws. When a wolf jumped at Doombunny, it did impale itself, but all Doombunny did was hold the dagger out to block. No skill was triggered as it impaled itself to the hilt. The Wolf couldn't move because of the paralyzer on the parrying dagger. Doombunny cleanly slit its throat with a calm ferocity that was disturbing.

Despite the lack of sleep, they stayed in the field until 9pm, which meant they got back after 10pm. They were avoiding the situation as long as possible. When they got back, no one was there. They got dinner in a local shop, celebrating with some cheesecake, and then they went to bed.

In the morning Bladescape was up at her usual time. Knightstar was at her usual seat in the guild hall and AFCK was cooking. Bladescape decided it was best to carry on as normal. Knightstar was doing calculations on some paper. Bladescape opened her menu and pulled out a canine tooth. She had acquired a few hundred from the drops. Doombunny had to have thousands.

Knightstar put down the pen and plucked the tooth out of Bladescape's hand. "Intriguing," She said after examining its menu. "I didn't know any teeth were ever dropped by monsters. Where did you get this?"

"I got a few hundred in the northern wilderness on Floor 52."

"The black dragon area?" Knightstar asked, confused.

"Yep," Bladescape grinned. "Doom and I were speed hunting there. Well, I was trying to keep up with her and Colorra. They were killing four for every one wolf I killed."

"You were hunting Dire Wolves?" Knightstar asked, getting excited.

"Yes, we were. Doom can dart in between a whole pack, stabbing and slashing for critical strikes and then she just lets the poison knock off the rest of their HP. That is without Colorra."

Knightstar was shocked. "She hunts them herself‽"

"Yep," Bladescape nodded.

"I have a quest for her!" Knightstar squealed. "It's a kill quest. An NPC in Algade wants 100 heads. No one wants to hunt them because of the Black Dragons. It is too much of a risk for the mid-level players, and the clearers don't want to bother with the dragons. It is still a big risk."

"Doom's Hide skill has kept her safe," Bladescape added.

"I'm still mad," Knightstar stated after a moment of hesitation. "I can't get a hold of BB either. I did get AFCK, Diemond, Joltron, Thunder, and Astro to the sand crabs. Kiefer and Lessa stayed home. We were there all night and only got in about an hour ago. BB isn't back yet and she won't answer any messages."

"Look," Bladescape said, trying to steer things to a constructive path. "Why don't you go with Doom and do that quest. See what she can do. She has a new defensive skill, that isn't Parry or Weapon Defense."

"What‽" Knightstar exclaimed excitedly. It immediately died. "Look, I can't compete with a dragon if we get caught. You can, I can't."

"Doom is skilled enough to make sure you won't have to fight one," Bladescape assured her.

"No, I can't," Knightstar sighed.

"We had a fight," Bladescape shrugged. "Our first real fight in 18 months. Think on that. We have made it 18 months in a high-stakes, anxiety provoking, death game, without getting into any major arguments. We were a well-focused, single minded machine. We still are."

"No," Knightstar said, sliding forward onto the table, head on her crossed arms. "I got us to the sand crabs, but Thunder and Astro went off on their own. AFCK just built sand castles. Diemond just sat there too, sunbathing, at night, in an actual bathing suit. Joltron and I were the only ones working."

Bladescape chuckled.

"It's not funny!" Knightstar growled, on the verge of tears.

Bladescape rolled her eyes. "I have been afraid to take AFCK to kill the sand crabs because I knew she would just build ridiculous sand castles instead. She can make them amazingly detailed! I can barely keep a tower together."

Knightstar chuckled once. "She did build the Town of Beginnings. And then a copy of Mishe. It drew a crowd. She charged a small admission fee to see that and several other creations she made. Those waiting for a respawn actually paid because it was some entertainment in the downtime."

"See, it's not all bad," Bladescape said. "Go do the quest, I'll deal with the others."

"No," Knightstar said, shaking her head which was still on the table. "I can't. Not after yesterday."

"We had a fight," Bladescape said again. "A fight. One. She isn't holding it against you."

"I don't want to," Knightstar said firmly. "I drove her to being so mean. I fractured us. BB isn't going to come back."

Bladescape sighed and crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair.

Knightstar tried to sniff back the tears. "Guilds split all the time. A big argument like yesterday's statistically ends a guild. We won't be Wondercolts for long. I'm looking at how we can divide up the guild's assets fairly."

Bladescape groaned. "It's not the end of the Wondercolts."

AFCK had been hopping through with food and halted. "Why would it be the end?"

"The fight yesterday," Knightstar mumbled. "When I tore us apart."

"Oh yeah," AFCK shrugged. "I forgot about that."

She walked over to them and put a breakfast pie in front of each of them. AFCK had figured out how to make a personal sized pie full of eggs and cheese and other breakfast foods. It was like eating an omelet, but in a pie. They were wonderfully delicious.

"Look, Knightstar," AFCK said as seriously as she could in her good mood. "Friends fight. And we hurt each other's feelings. But we are all here and all still friends. You are taking this way too seriously."

"She ripped into all of us," Knightstar sniffed. "She ripped into you."

"So?" AFCK asked.

"What! Do you not remember anything from yesterday morning?"

"Well duh. It was only yesterday. But I took out the trash and let it go. That is how AFCK does things. She cooks for her friends and then fights beside them. Cause I want to go back to being a baker."

Knightstar snorted. "You didn't fight at all yesterday."

"Nope! I was playing in the sand. Was I supposed to not be playing in the sand? I thought that was why you brought me. Besides! I made-"

"Stop!" Bladescape ordered. "Like I said, Knightstar, that is what I figured AFCK would do, build sandcastles."

"I need to get these pies to the others. I can hear them all in the dining room." AFCK stopped and turned back to them before squealing. "Also, Kiefer and Lessa are finally together!"

The news only made Knightstar groan sadly. AFCK backed away slowly and went to finish her job.

Bladescape stood up and picked up her pie. "Look Knightstar, it is done and over. Doom isn't mad at you. At this point, the only one mad is you, and at yourself. Hot words were all that were exchanged. I'm going to go eat with the others. It sounds like it is a fun morning. You really should join us."

Bladescape joined her friends to eat. There was a lot of laughter and fun surrounding Kiefer and Lessa finally getting together. Joltron had been waiting for them to get together. He had been trying to push them together by annoying Kiefer into making a commitment.

The only spots empty at the table were Knightstar and Backbreaker.

After breakfast, they formed two parties and headed to the Labyrinth. The first was headed by Bladescape, the second by Kiefer. Knightstar had disappeared from the guild hall. Bladescape guessed she just needed some time. She pushed herself hard and now she was punishing herself on top of it.

On the trip to the Labyrinth, Doombunny explained to the others what her Fencing Skill was and how she could use either the buckler or the parrying dagger. Her demonstrations were exciting. Thunderborne was jealous, but knew that it was going to be impossible for her to train a dagger to max at the point they were at in this death game.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 72 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 72 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 74 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal - Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 51 - Blacklist

Floor 59

April 19 – Year 2 -- 10PM

Bladescape opened the door to their Headquarters to find it had been Argo knocking. She did not look like she was having a good time.

"Come in," Bladescape offered. "You don't ever come here. Is something up?"

"I will owe you big time if I can spend the next five days here. In complete privacy. No questions asked. And no matter who comes knocking, I am not here."

"Yeah," Bladescape shrugged. "Our 12th room is open for your use. Bed and all. Think nothing of it. Most of the others are asleep or already in their rooms. I'll go privately inform them. But first, follow me to room 12."

"Thanks," Argo quietly said.

"Just one question," Bladescape said, stopping. "Are you going to be needing to get a new house?"

"Do you actually know where I live?" Argo asked.

Bladescape rolled her eyes. "No, I don't. But I bet AFCK does."

"What is up with that?" Argo asked as they got back to moving.

"It's something she does in real life. She just… knows things. I can't explain it. You just have to experience and accept it."

"Interesting," Argo mumbled.

Kiefer and Lessa were chatting on a couch on the second floor. They didn't even notice Argo, but Bladescape decided it was best to address it now.

"Guys," Bladescape said, interrupting their conversation. "Listen. Argo has to crash here a few days, but we are not going to say anything about it. As far as anyone who is not a Wondercolt is concerned, she's not here."

"Okay," Kiefer shrugged.

"Sure," Lessa said with a nod.
Room 12 had been furnished in case a new member joined them. On the nightstand was a platter with a pitcher of water with some fruit in it, a steaming meat pie, and a dozen cupcakes. There was a card with it too.

Sorry to hear about the evil info broker threatening you. So I made your favorite meat pie and your favorite fruit water! Also, cupcakes, because cupcakes make everything better. - PP

"Okay," Argo said, picking up a cupcake and taking a bite. "Seriously, what is up with her? I'm not talking about the baking and cooking. This pie has a baking time of 14 hours. She would of had to have started that this morning to have it ready now. This isn't the first time she has been weird about knowing things, and I'm not even touching on her menu's agility."

Bladescape sighed and sat down in the spare chair. "It is a complicated tale."

"What does PP stand for?" Argo pressed.

"It stands for…" Bladescape paused. "Look, I trust you. But I know you have a job and it is information. Everyone says you would sell your own grandma’s stats for the right price. To explain it, we have to go to private, I.R.L. stuff."

"It won't leave this room," Argo said, sitting on the bed and pouring herself some water. "I know what they say I will sell, but I do have standards. You read the card. Competition between info brokers got heated recently. Competition that went past game etiquette and became vengeful. I need to keep my head down for a few days until it cools off and I can make my next play. I have to make sure it doesn't happen again, somehow."

"You guys have a hard enough time getting the info for the players, you don't need to be backstabbing each other. There is a difference to everything having a price and putting players or that info in jeopardy."

Argo's snort was all the response needed.

"First off, PP stands for Pinkie Pie. My real name is Sunset Shimmer."

"I like that, Sunset Shimmer is a beautiful name. Izawa is mine."

"Beautiful too," Bladescape said with a warm smile. "That is me and AFCK. Backbreaker is Applejack, Doombunny is Fluttershy, and Thunderborne is Rainbow Dash. Astro is an online friend of Thunderborne and we picked up Joltron, Lessa, and Kiefer in game. The three of them I found the day before the Floor 1 boss raid. I saved them from getting themselves killed. They pushed ahead too far and a giant boar almost ended all three of their lives. They were half our level.

"I won't speak for Knightstar. She is a good friend and I won't betray her. This argument will end soon enough and we will go back to being best friends. So, that is us in game. Our history as friends I.R.L. is very complicated. It is a story you may not believe."

Argo handed Bladescape a cupcake. Bladescape took a bite as Argo responded. "I've been stuck in here so long, I almost forget what real life is like. Help keep me grounded. I doubt it can get more messed up or unbelievable than being stuck in a virtual reality game like SAO. On second thought, there could be worse 'games' to get stuck in. Like being in a bubbly, all female boarding school."

Bladescape gave Argo an overview of their dealings with Equestrian Magic. Argo took it well. She was still skeptical, but as she had said, being stuck in SAO helped put the otherwise unbelievable things she was being told in a different perspective. The cupcakes were polished off as Bladescape finished their summer adventures before getting caught in the game.

"I knew there was something I liked about you," Argo said with a sly grin. "You guys are too wholesome. And that is a good thing. It is moving this game forward more than most players know. It's amazing you have been on the front line rather than breaking apart to craft. Whatever the argument you mentioned earlier, I know you all will sort it out fine.

"But you all are on the front lines and for a reason. Your I.R.L. experiences have prepared you well for this world. Something few other players can say. And that wholesomeness, plus what I now know is real experience, is why I keep going back to you guys for assistance."

"How bad is it exactly?" Bladescape asked.

Argo's grin held a lot of pain, frustration, and way too many late nights of planning behind it. "I'd love to stab him in the back with real stakes. Enough to remind him to shape up and watch out."

Argo tried to control her rage. "He has sent less than reputable players to harass me, hence my orange marker the other day, and I ran from another group as I tried to work on a quest. It's what led me here. We lost crucial Floor Boss information because he killed quest giving NPCs so that I couldn't finish. I was ahead and he couldn't beat me to finishing them, so he nullified them. I have to hidefrom his goons until I can figure out how to solve a few problems."

Bladescape chuckled darkly. "Could we hit the streets with a special ops team and handle it?"

Argo grinned back mischievously.

Bladescape made her pitch. "Give Doom your jacket, paint on the whiskers, and she can be a convincing stand in. We could bait and switch in a duel, and she could remind him how to play nice."

Argo's grin was sly and mischievous. "I like the way you think. I will need some info from a, friend, to start."

Bladescape stood up. "I'll get Diemond to make us the cloaks. She can copy yours without a problem. We can all easily look like you.

Bladescape woke up Diemond. She only told her what they needed, not what they were for. She put on a set of robes to match Argo's equipment and a set of darker clothes to meet any shadowy needs.

Doombunny took no convincing. After a quick explanation, she was all in. Colorra was as well. It was odd to Bladescape, but the past few days had been odd and she was learning to see Doombunny a lot differently than the meek, animal loving friend she had back in the real world.

AFCK baked for them, and Bladescape left Knightstar in charge with Astro as her second. She didn’t like how Knightstar was looking. She was quiet and apathetic about what Bladescape was doing.

Bladescape pulled Astro aside. Astro had planned to take a team to the Sand Crabs, but that was it. She wasn’t going to push the guild hard at this point. Bladescape didn't even need to try and set up a plan.

Bladescape departed with Doombunny and Argo, cloaked and hidden as best as possible. It was still dark, with dawn a few hours off. No players needed to know that the Wondercolts were aiding Argo. That was a secret they needed kept as closely as possible. Argo had to be neutral, which meant no guild and no close friends. Players wouldn't trust her info if they thought she had loyalty to others over the coin they gave her.

Doombunny had already activated Hide. It was an automatic advantage when other players believed that they were at lower numbers than they were. Two meant Argo had a single friend and was less threatening.

The first location was the Town of Beginning. A shadowy merchant had a shop there and hadn't bothered to move it. By now, she was established and her dealings were on the sketchier side. She didn't need to move to a higher floor. Players went to her for equipment rumors. The rumors of the rarest of the rare were traded or acquired through her skills.

Argo led them into the dark shop, which was decorated more like a parlor than a place of business. If Argo ever settled down into a shop, the low lights with warm, dark colors would be exactly how she would decorate the place. It would also practically melt Diemond's eyes in horror.

Argo sat down on the couch and beckoned for the Bladescape to join her. Doombunny stayed by the door, letting them take up the whole seat. Across from them was a lone, high backed, cushioned chair. It had a table on its left-hand side, closest to the door. To either side of the couch were two more side tables with short lamps. An unusually tall coffee table sat in front of them without any other decoration of its own, providing separation between the seating.

Despite the appearance of the seat being empty, Bladescape knew it wasn't. Her Search Skill told her as much. But it fit the style. It was obvious that Argo knew it too, and Doombunny had to know as well, even from where she was standing.

A player in bright red clothes, accented by bright Yellow and Blue appeared as she dropped her Hide Skill. She looked like a Macaw, which was no doubt the effect she was attempting to achieve. Especially with the feathered headdress on her head.

"I am Mo," She said. "You come seeking the darker things. And you come with Argo, my friend. Which means you seek someone or something very special."

"Actually, she is with me," Argo stated.

"Including the one by the door?" Mo asked.

"Including her," Argo nodded before launching into her explanation. "Floor 59 has been a problem. I ran into resistance from another info broker. The deadly, backhanding kind that destroyed information before I could get it, because they couldn't get it. Information that will leave the Boss Raid Party blind."

"I see," Mo nodded. "I may do some sketchy things, but even I know where that line is, and I don't cross it. I was not a beta tester. I do not have what it takes to do what she does. But I do what I can to help clear this game. Specifically, to make sure equipment that is needed for the clearers gets to them. Even if some disapprove of my methods."

Argo grinned under her hood. "And while you do that, you come across a lot of special things. I need information on a necklace. An upside down cross with an all-seeing eye on it. It's black."

"Ah, yes," Mo grinned. "I know it. I helped move it. It gives the wearer the ability to see things hidden from view. Name, location, quest objectives."

"And to who did it go?" Argo asked.

"What are you willing to pay for it?" Mo asked, without displaying any emotion.

Argo shot off the couch faster than expected and grabbed Mo's shirt, pulling them face to face. "How about less time imprisoned in this blasted game! How about no deaths on your conscience!"

"So the rumors of Argo going orange are true," Mo grinned back into Argo's face.

Argo released Mo, who fell into her seat with a poised grace. Argo took her seat as if nothing had transpired.

"Your payment is good," Mo stated. "Four weeks ago, I sold the necklace to an info broker named Iliad. I know, original name."

Argo snorted. No only did Argo know the info broker, but Mo’s response was also a quip at Argo's own name's lack of originality.

"I can find him," Argo said, standing up. "That won't be hard. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the necklace anymore. I ran into him yesterday and that run in almost ended badly. I had to escape before I did something I would regret.”

Argo looked at Bladescape. "Come, we have work to do."

As they got to the door, Mo stood up and called out. "Wait!" It was earnest and she was concerned. "Do you really mean to say that we have an info broker who has gone beyond game etiquette? One who has worked against us?"

"Yes," Argo said firmly, without turning to look at Mo. "Three crucial quests were canceled as I was doing them. I was close to almost finishing one when I was notified the quest failed. The NPC giving the quest had been killed.”

“No,” Mo said, barely above a whisper.

Argo nodded back.

“What are you going to do?” Mo firmly asked.

“While I would love to gut him myself with my claws, we are going to expose him, publicly, and black list him out of a job. We are also going to scare him nearly to death, with a full duel.”

“I approve,” Mo replied with a nasty grin. “However, you are going to need to conceal your Wondercolt friends better than that. For one thing, the guild tag is too well known. If you are going to make copies of yourself, make sure you are all the same.”

“How?” Bladescape asked.

“Leave your guild, temporarily. Also, you need to dye your hair, wear nothing but black. Wrap your hands, wear gloves, paint yourself, hunch over so that you appear the same height as Argo. Anything and everything until nothing but your eyes are visible. The same with you Argo. You will need to get blank weapons as well. No identifiers. Your outer cloaks all match and will help conceal your true heights and body shapes, so you can have some variance beneath them, but you need to look the same and limit weapon reveals as much as possible."

“Where do we do that?” Bladescape asked. “Specifically the hair dying.”

Bladescape loved her hair. She knew places did haircuts and dye jobs, but she had never had an interest in even reshaping her hair. It didn't grow in the game either.

“I know a few NPC places,” Argo said.

“You won’t beat Iliad,” Mo warned Argo. “Even if you get him into a full duel, it won’t go well. You could probably beat him, but it would be a nasty fight. It would not only look bad on you, but it won’t scare him. You need a one shot hit, and you can’t deliver that.”

Mo walked into the back, obviously looking for something. She came back out a minute later. She walked straight up the Doombunny. “This is the Blind Eye Necklace. The wearer can change the name that appears above them. It can be anything, even another player’s name. I want it back, immediately, once you are finished with it. You Wondercolts have a reputation, but I still don’t trust this in anyone’s hands but myself. Have it set so that when you duel him, your name is labeled as ‘Argo.’”

Doombunny took the necklace with a slow, but sure nod. “I will protect this with my life, like I do my poisons and drugs.”

“That is why I handed it to you, and not Argo.”

The cut at Argo was harsh, but it was ultimately playful banter. She was giving them a powerful tool. A tool she wasn’t letting anyone else know about. It also showed just how concerned Mo was about Iliad's actions.

“None of us will speak the name of this item, ever,” Doombunny assured her. “It is items like this that make the game very dark.”

“I failed to get a hold of Mate Chopper,” Mo stated. “I am certain that PoH, the head of Laughing Coffin, has it. It is a knife with the sole purpose of killing players. It gains power every time it kills a player, and loses some every time it kills a monster. So yes, this game is dark. There is an element to SAO where it is designed to encourage the killing of players. Ultimately, Laughing Coffin is just doing what this game was designed to do, kill.”

“I walk that line every day with my Drug Mixing Skill,” Doombunny replied. “I am working to develop countermeasures to them and all they have at their disposal. Reveal is also an interesting skill. I know you know what I mean.”

Mo just nodded back in silent reply. Argo opened the door and had them teleport to Floor 11. She led them into a small place where they got their hair dyed. Even in the early morning, they were open. Both of them had their hair dried brown like Argo's. While they did that, Bladescape sent all of the guild a message, letting them all know she would be slipping out of the guild for a bit with Doombunny, and emphasizing that it was only temporary but that she couldn't explain why beyond helping a friend with something sensitive. It was an odd thing removing herself from the guild. It was something she had never planned on doing, but after another look at Argo and seeing her stoic body language being betrayed by her anger and pain, Bladescape felt a lot more sure about the temporary leave. Before they left, they bought bottles of shampoo that would remove the dye.

On Floor 34 Argo took them to a player owned shop where they could get body paint. It had a sign that said it was always open.

“Why are there colors like yellow, pink, and silver?” Doombunny asked. “And the glitter?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Argo said. “We are here for black.”

Bladescape took the opportunity to buy more than body paint. The shop sold paints for a variety of things, including make-up. She purchased several colors of nail polish, eye liner, and even blush. She also purchased general use Blue and Yellow. It was better to buy a variety of paints and be forgotten. It was more memorable if you purchased a single item.

They moved to Floor 40. There they picked up cloth wraps and basic leather shirts, pants, boots, and gloves. Diemond would throw a fit if she ever saw the quality of the materials.

With everything procured, they grabbed an inn room. They all stripped down and painted themselves in black, from the tips of their toes, all the way to their scalps. Colorra was painted as well to keep her from shimmering in the light. Then they wrapped their joints and anywhere the clothes might slip and reveal something in the rough fabric. On top went the clothes and then their “rat eared” cloaks that Argo was infamous for. She passed them each a set of claws to wear at their waist like her.

Disguises complete, Bladescape and Doombunny hunched under their cloaks until they were the same height as Argo. It was uncomfortable, and took a bit of practice to move around without looking strange, but they eventually worked it out.

They jumped Floors again, to 50. They needed weapons they could use without being identified, since their usual equipment was too distinctive. In a back alley they entered a tiny player owned smithy that had just opened up for the day. Inside, Argo was the only one who spoke. She brokered a deal for a dagger that Doombunny liked. The smith made a cheap two-handed blade for Bladescape. She didn’t like it, but it would do. It was almost as short as the longer one-handed blades could be.

They went back to the teleport plaza. Their target was Floor 57, Marten. The town was still the main city for the front lines. It was the best starting point. Argo usually met people further back or out of the limelight. Each info broker did things differently, but Iliad was known for being public and readily available. His information wasn’t as good or as comprehensive as other brokers like Argo. He made most of his money by being accessible and quick.

Doombunny was invisible and free to walk around with Hide active. Bladescape and Argo had to rush to the shadows so they didn’t raise suspicion. Argo's Hide Skill was high, but not maxed. Thankfully for them, the front-line city was on the quiet side as the sun started to rise.

Argo and Bladescape split up. They were searching for Iliad or any sign of where he would be. Marten was getting busy as the clearers began to organize themselves. Bladescape sat in a back corner, blocked by a bush, and ate breakfast while she watched the center of the town.

Doombunny popped up in front of her, almost making her scream, but she had been keeping an eye out, knowing Doombunny would show up out of nowhere. Doombunny’s eyes said she had located him. Bladescape tossed aside the food and it shattered into polygons as its durability broke when it hit the ground.

They walked to where Argo was posted. Running would draw attention to the black figures in the town. Bladescape got several looks, but most assumed she was Argo. None of them saw Doombunny.

They met up and Argo already had a plan. She pointed at Iliad. He was in the middle of a group of players. Bladescape recognized most of them. He was dealing information to a few groups. She saw Col exchange hands.

“Doom, you ready?” Argo asked.

“My dagger is laced with a paralyzer. Keep a red crystal on hand, but I’ll swap places with Colorra. If it works, it will look like I have changed into the snake. Or rather, you have. You just have to get him to accept the duel. I can get him to talk.”

“Necklace is set?” Argo asked.

“See for yourself.”

Both of them looked to see Argo above her head.

“A little disconcerting,” Argo said as Doombunny disappeared. “I have seen a lot of names in this game, but my own on someone else, that was odd. We need to move. I’ll circle around that way. You wait a bit and then approach him from his left. Doombunny located him, and plotted it out. She is not the same girl I remember from when we first met.”

“It’s a bit concerning,” Bladescape agreed. “But she isn't. She is doing well for what she needs to do here. Some new stuff came to light the other day. It’s been an adjustment.”

Argo nodded and they split up. Bladescape adjusted her cloak and began to circle around. Iliad had quite a group around him. Bladescape slid into the crowd and waited a bit. She got a few glances, but he was selling his info and that was the focus. Bladescape caught sight of Argo on his other side.

Bladescape opened her menu and popped out the sword. With the crowd, she was now glad that the blade was as short as it was. For now, she kept it sheathed and close to her body, under the cloak.

Argo made her move, stepping out from the crowd right up beside him. She leaned back and crossed her arms. He noticed her with a quick glance but kept answering the group in front of him. Bladescape stepped out on the other side, flaking him, but she didn’t cross her arms. She set her hand on her sword hilt, keeping it in front of her chest.

The area froze, unsure of what was happening. He didn’t know who to address.

Bladescape chose for him, but made sure to disguise her voice. She knew players in the crowd, and couldn’t risk being caught. Thankfully, none of the players were friends with her and therefore unable to automatically see her name. “You know why we are here.”

“I do not,” He replied, trying to play innocent and doing a good job at it.

“You do,” Argo said, also changing her voice. “We ran into each other in the west forest. And then you tried to kill Argo. That was five days ago. Argo was forced to attack first to protect herself against a set of four players you tried to intimidate her with.”

“If you are not Argo, is she?”

“We are Argo,” Bladescape replied. She drew her sword and took a step to her right, in an attempt to get behind him. “You will face us shortly.”

He was defiant. “Are you really going to try and pressure me, in front of all these players. Argo wouldn’t dare. She isn’t that dumb. You know it and so does she, her reputation would be ruined.”

“Are you that thick?” Bladescape asked. “We wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t already crossed the line and destroyed your own integrity.”

“How?” He asked. “And what proof do you have?”

Bladescape directly pointed her sword at him. She waved it, motioning for him to take a few steps forward. He shook his head no.

“They won’t let you bully me,” Iliad said with a smirk. “I’m a well known info broker. You are who?”

No one had any idea who they were, and that was good. He was concerned, but confident since it was a safe zone and he was banking on the protection of the other players. Normally that was a safe bet, but he didn’t know what they had on him. Or what was about to happen.

Bladescape Needed to flip the crowd he was using for safety against him. They were wanting an answer from the Argos, some even having weapons half drawn. Bladescape asked her question, as loudly as she could while keeping her voice concealed. "Do your customers around us know you are selling blood information? Or that you work with orange players to get what you want?”

They heard the question and began to whisper back and forth. Bladescape continued.

"We checked the quest logs. Every quest. It states how many times it has been attempted, how many times completed, and how many times it has been canceled."

Argo carried the accusation, "And we found something very disturbing. Three quests your rival Argo was working on were not canceled or incomplete, they were forfeited. The crucial NPC was killed.”

Bladescape took a definitive step forward.

"You killed those NPCs, critical to those quests because you couldn't complete them. We were ahead of you. And who does that hurt? It hurts the clearers around us who have been paying you all morning. Valuable information on the Floor Boss has been lost because of your selfishness."

Argo stepped forward, further boxing Iliad in and said, "There is a big difference between competition and crossing the game etiquette line, and then even past the morality line. You endangered Us and others because you used orange players to force the information out of them in the field. You are selling information and then stealing it back!"

A menu popped up in front of him. He glanced at it. "A full duel request‽" he exclaimed. It was a mix of begging, fear, and stalwart defiance.

“Where is she? Where is Argo! I want to face her.”

Blade pointed with her scabbard. The crowd parted. Doombunny was standing there, for all the world appearing to be a third Argo. Her hood was drawn as far forward as it would allow, completely hiding her eyes in its shadows.

“Why don’t you face me yourself instead of bringing in your muscle?" Iliad challenged. "I am surprised you got these two thugs to try and boss me around, not the Wondercolts. What? Did they not approve?”

Doombunny didn't say anything, merely tilting her head as if to dismiss the idea. The silence was somehow more intimidating than if she had burst into maniacal laughter.

He looked around at the split crowd. Things had shifted. They were not backing any particular side at this point.

The real Argo made a definitive step towards him. “You don’t mess with Argo and get away with it. We don't do anything to compromise the players of this game. We don't hurt other players. We don't kill NPCs to cancel quests. Especially key quests that give Floor Boss information. Stuff that helps free us from this virtual prison. You will face our answer with that duel.”

“That request is a full duel!” Iliad protested, loudly. “The loser dies! I am not accepting a full duel!”

Bladescape didn't give him an option. Her hand struck and forced his onto the accept button. Everyone was focused on her action. She was receiving heavy conduct warnings, but she wasn't orange, yet. She let go and stepped back. Argo did as well.

He stood there for a bit, shocked as the preparation clock ticked down. He snapped out of it. “WHAT THE HELL! SHE IS GOING TO MURDER ME! YOU! STOP! GRAB THEM! TAKE THEM TO PRISON!”

Bladescape flipped her blade up to his neck, silencing him. “I would focus on your duel,” she growled.

Iliad glanced at Doombunny but she was gone. Colorra, painted pitch black, was coiled up in Doombunny’s spot. No one had seen her disappear. They had been focused on Iliad and the Argos by him.

He tried to speak but it was gibberish as he tried to comprehend her turning into a snake. Valuable seconds ticked off the clock.

“I DID IT!” He yelled. “I killed them. It was wrong, but I won’t do it again!”

The buzzer sounded and the duel started.

Doombunny appeared right beside him, shoulder to shoulder, except she was facing away, like she had darted forward and was about to pass him. “YOU CERTAINLY WON’T!”

The dagger was stabbed into his back and she disappeared, leaving him paralyzed and crying in pain on the ground. The dagger was still in his back. Everyone was shocked, unsure of what to do. Bladescape had slipped away when Doombunny made her move. Argo had slipped away before Bladescape had.

Around the corner, out of sight in an alley, Doombunny and Colorra appeared beside her. “Third floor, second room on the right is ours. Go change before you get caught. We will finish up.”

Bladescape rushed off to the room.

Argo had circled around and slipped back to Doombunny's starting position. Now she could really do her job. She spoke loudly as she walked towards him. “A lot of players complain about me and what I do. But unlike you, I know how to cleanly, FAIRLY, and safely acquire my information.”

“How! How were you a snake? And then here!” Iliad growled, still stuck on the ground.

“I’m a quest crunching machine,” Argo spat. “I have tools and equipment that you haven’t even heard rumors about at my disposal because of it. That’s how I am still solo after all this time. You wouldn’t even know what to do with the stuff I have acquired. You certainly wouldn’t use it responsibly.”

“I…” Iliad stammered, writhing in pain. His HP had taken a big hit from Doombunny's strike, but it wasn’t sliding down that fast with only a knife sticking in his back.

“That’s for all three quests you forfeit,” Argo declared. “And it’s for sending those 4 after me, to put a stop on my progress. When they failed, you must have freaked. But unlike you, I am actually reasonable. I’ll cancel this duel and pull that dagger from your back, and when I do, you better run to the nearest teleport plaza and get the hell out of here. Your days as an information broker are over.”

Argo wasn’t nice when she pulled the dagger out of his back. She pulled up her menu and at the same time, Doombunny also did from her hiding place. Doombunny canceled the duel in sync with Argo.

Even with the duel canceled, the paralysis effect was still pinning him on the ground. Argo snorted and pulled out a green crystal. She walked over to one of the bystanders and put it in his hand.

“I can’t bring myself to end his suffering. I’m enjoying it too much after all the hell and pain he has given me over the past few weeks. Also, the info you bought, it’s 95, not 85. His info is as poor as his judgement.”

The player snorted. “Thanks. I'll go bail him out for you because you gave me the right info...”

Argo was enveloped in a blue light as she teleported out. She didn’t grab a crystal or name a destination.

Doombunny entered the room to find Bladescape stripped, with the paint off her face and hands. The rest of her gear was covered up and she was wearing a cheap chainmaile coif to conceal her hair. It didn’t take Doombunny long to do the same. Both of them teleported to Floor 1 from inside the room.

They quickly walked to Mo’s shop. Inside Argo and Mo were waiting for them. Doombunny immediately handed over the necklace.

“Thank you,” Mo said with a sly grin as she took the necklace. “I understand it went well.”

Bladescape chuckled. “We more than ruined his day. He won’t be dealing info anymore. But, now that it is done, do I want to know how much info on the boss we lost?”

“I only know it was 3 quests," Argo replied. "Similar to the one I ran with you before. But each one ended before I could complete it. I had a feeling it was going to lead me to the Necromancer himself. I was going to call you guys back in for that. But we will never know now. The front lines are probably a day or two away from the boss chamber. We will see. But I need sleep.”

“The offer still stands,” Bladescape said.

“I’ll take it,” Argo replied with a grin. “I more than owe you for this.”

“I think we all do,” Mo stated.

“Do you guys really get a lot of special things from these quests?” Bladescape asked.

Argo pulled out her necklace. It wasn’t the one Diemond had given her at Christmas. It looked like a mini blue teleport crystal hanging off the chain. “This lets me teleport wherever I want that has a teleport plaza, without wasting a crystal. I couldn’t have done this without you, but I do get cool stuff from these quests. Mo here focuses on the rare quests and equipment. I focus on progressing the game with relevant info, she stays back from the front lines. What she gets, well I let her know where to start on certain items. I can trust her to hold the dark stuff where it belongs; in the dark.”

Mo just shrugged. “I do what needs to be done. And some of the pieces I sell, well…” She shrugged. “I know that you, Doombunny, hold the Beast Tamer’s Charms.”

Doombunny gave a nod in reply.

“And that is where they need to be, with you.”

"You got me the parrying dagger and the gauntlet, didn't you?" Doombunny asked.

Mo just gave a simple nod.

“If you ever need assistance,” Bladescape said with a grin, leaving the rest unsaid.

“I have eyed you for a few things,” Mo replied coyly. “However, I have a feeling that you will come to me before I realize I need you. It is just a hunch I have had for a while. Especially now that you know who I am and where I am.”

“I need sleep,” Argo said. Her voice was unsteady as she stifled a yawn.

“We need to get back into the guild first,” Bladescape chuckled. “I am sure one of them is at the HQ.”

“Grab my hands and hold on tight,” Argo said.

They both took a hand, gripping it tight. They were enveloped in blue light and then found themselves on the teleport plaza in Mishe.

“Nifty,” Bladescape said.

“It has saved me hours,” Argo shrugged. “And my life. Twice.”

They opened the outside door and entered the waiting room. They knocked on the door. A minute later Joltron opened the door.

“Hey,” He said, looking them over and then stepping to the side. He pulled up his menu and extended guild requests to them.

It felt good, right, safe even, to accept and be an official Wondercolt again.

“She is going to sleep in the last room,” Bladescape told Joltron. “Doom and I need baths. Who is here?”

“AFCK and I,” Joltron replied. “I don’t know about Knightstar, but Astro and Kiefer took the rest to the Sand Crabs. I’m helping AFCK try and solve ice cream. It isn’t going well. And not because of the ingredients. She keeps distracting herself and messing up because of it.”

They all laughed and then split.

It felt good to get the black paint off. Bladescape stayed in the bath until it was cold. She only slightly regretted it as she dried off and got into clothes that warmed her. It was also good to have her normal hair color back. The brown didn’t look bad, but it wasn’t her. It felt like she had been muffling who she was. But the job came first, and it was a job well done.

Bladescape decided that, after spending the night awake, a nap was in order. And after that, she was going to try on the nail polish she had bought.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 72 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 72 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 74 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal - Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 52 - We Were Wondercolts

Floor 59
April 23 – Year 2

It had been a tough, but good, day in the Labyrinth. However, Knightstar wasn't at The Wondercolts' Headquarters. Officially, she was no longer in the guild. Backbreaker hadn't come back either. Both absences put a damper on their spirits, but they were still Wondercolts. They were still clearers on the front lines and in the Assault Team. That was their focus as they powered forward.

Normally it would not be a problem for either of them to have a break, but the Wondercolts had found the Boss chamber. They had even entered to engage in a quick skirmish to see what they were up against. There were three giant skeletons standing 30 feet tall standing guard just inside the doors. They were quick and strong, and they forced the Wondercolts out, keeping the identity of the boss hidden.

Instead of AFCK baking, Bladescape was taking them to the best cheesecake restaurant in the game, which also happened to be in Mishe. She wanted AFCK to have a break as well after everything that had happened over the week. The Guild still had plenty of spare Col. even after the expenses of stocking up on potions and crystals for the Boss Fight to come, so the cost wasn't an issue.

As they entered the restaurant, there was an excited squeaking sound like some weird bird squawking.

"Doombunny!" a voice called out from the other side of the room. "Colorra!"

"Silica! Pina!" Doombunny yelled back, waving her hand vigorously as Silica waved to her with equal enthusiasm. Doombunny danced through the crowded restaurant on her way over to her friend as quickly as she could. Pina, Silica's feathered blue dragon familiar, was perched on her master's shoulders.

"Dragon Master and Snake Charmer, friends for life!" They both said together before hugging. Colorra affectionately rubbed her head on Pina's in a greeting of carnivore familiars.

Doombunny introduced everyone. The Wondercolts as a whole had a friendly relationship with the young girl, but the two beast tamers had bonded and met up fairly often, especially over the past month or so. Mishe was where Silica often stayed. She found the city comforting and the cheesecake was a good reason to stay.

"We don't want to bother you," Bladescape said.

"Oh, it's not bother," Silica happily smiled. "I only just ordered for myself. It gets lonely eating alone. Even if I only have one other person, that is kind of nice." Silica's cheeks had slowly gotten redder as she admitted to the fact.

"In that case," Bladescape grinned, "we would love to buy you dinner and dessert. The cheesecake is so good here."

"I know, I took Kirito here after he rescued me in the Forrest of Wondering a few-" Silica went silent, blushing

"Kirito rescued you?" Diemond asked, intrigued to find out more about the Black Swordsman. Other than the cold and aloof Kirito they all knew.

"Well, he had something else he was doing," Silica replied, trying to hide something, "but to make a long story short, I had gotten myself lost and he found me and helped me out of the forest, and then he helped me get Pina back because she died protecting me. I couldn't have done it myself. Pina is here today because of him."

"Not that I am not glad that he helped you," Bladescape said as she sat down and the others pulled tables together, "but you probably wouldn't have been in that situation if you were in a guild. I've been wondering why you have not joined one yet? Someone with your energy and enthusiasm would fit well in plenty of guilds."

"No, you are probably right." Silica sighed. "I go from party to party. Pina has healing abilities, so I get plenty of offers when I go looking for a new one, but that is part of the problem. I've not found anything solid. And I'm not anywhere near where you guys are. I would not last a day on the front lines, even if I had the levels. I have heard enough from Doom to know that. I have a hard enough time in a lot of the dungeons down here. But I want to get better. I want to fight on the front lines. Why shouldn't I?"

"Admirable, Darling," Diemond said. "I do hope you succeed. The front lines could use someone as energetic, focused, and enthusiastic as you are. Plus, having another beast tamer around would be fun."

"Thanks," Silica blushed.

"How did you meet Pina?" Bladescape asked while they waiting for their food.

It was a very sweet, if short, story; Silica met the rare Feathered Little Dragon in a forest and fed her some peanuts. Having never encountered one before meeting Pina, Silica hadn't known at the time that the Dragon's non-hostile behavior towards her prior to being fed had been unusual. It reminded Bladescape of Doombunny fearlessly going up to Colorra and offering her what she wanted. They all hung out and chatted late into the night before they bid their farewells.

Backbreaker and Knightstar were still not present when they got back.

"Everyone get a good night's sleep." Bladescape said, taking charge. "I have to go deal with our two missing members. I'm not letting us go down because of a stupid argument. We are friends, not just guildmates."

Bladescape didn't need to track Backbreaker. She teleported to the 22nd Floor, to a small fishing village. It was where Backbreaker preferred to fish.

She entered the only restaurant in the small village. There were only a few patrons left as the hour grew later. They didn't even notice her arrival. She walked straight up to a group of 3 sitting at a table and drinking from mugs. All three were grey- or white-haired old men. They were the perfect reminder that not all gamers were hardcore, young specimens. Sword Art Online flaunted a system where the old could fight like a young adventurer. Or a wise older one who still moved like a young one. But the sadistic mirrors they had been given at the start shattered that potential in a virtual world, replacing their would-be avatars with copies of themselves. Few were able to handle the switch. Some, like Rendil, had converted their knowledge to help, but most of the older aged players fell prey to the idea they were in the same, old and aching bodies. It was something that was easy to do and hard to overcome.

"Hello," Bladescape said, flashing them a warm smile. "I am looking for Backbreaker. She is a friend of mine."

"Take a left outside and then the sixth cabin. The one with an orange door. That is hers."

"Thank you," Bladescape said, giving them a wink to go with the smile before she walked out the door.

She had seen how their eyes naturally wandered. All three of them certainly were family men, and that meant missing not just wives, but kids and probably grand-kids. They were, at the very least, missing birthdays they would never get back. Bladescape was growing up, while they were missing their families grow up. A warm smile and quick wink were really nothing to give them, and it hopefully helped brighten their future more than their slowly emptying mugs could.

Bladescape found the small log cabin. The orange door was certainly Applejack's orange. She stepped up onto the short porch, with its single rocking chair, and knocked on the door.

The door opened a minute later. Backbreaker was there, standing in what Diemond would only describe as gross rags. Everyone else would recognize them as fishing clothes.

"Hi," Backbreaker said, unsure what else to say.

"Can I come in?" Bladescape asked. "We need to talk about a few things."

"Sure," Backbreaker shrugged, stepping aside.

The interior was decorated in all warm wood tones. The walls were the same logs as outside, just polished up a bit. It was a single room loft cabin, set out so that the bed was above the kitchen.

"Nice place," Bladescape said. "How much a night?"

"Pay?" Backbreaker snorted. "Oh, no. I bought this back in October."

"You bought this‽" Bladescape exclaimed.

"Yep," Backbreaker shrugged. "I keep er' on hand to retreat too. She isn't five minutes walk to the water. She's only twenty to the best fishin' spot on the Floor, probably the whole of Aincrad." Backbreaker sat down in her comfy chair and gestured to the only other piece of furniture to sit on; a plain, but cushioned, chair. "You didn't come to track me down without it bein' important. You would have sent a message if it weren't."

Bladescape settled into the other seat. "I would have, but you never responded to Knightstar. Why me?"

"Her freak out messages?" Backbreaker snorted. "Never read em. I got a dozen in the span of a few hours. The system stopped her from sendin' me more. Somethin' about spam an' anti-harassment systems triggerin'. I told the notification not to mark her, but kept the filter on."

"That's part of the problem," Bladescape said, not holding anything back. "The last time I saw her was three mornings ago. She was calculating how to split the guild assets. She was certain we were done as a guild."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Backbreaker stopped her. "Thin's just went off the deep end if Twilight, sorry, I mean Knightstar-"

"I think we might be dealing with Twilight," Bladescape cut in. "I know it is late, but we need to track her down. The Wondercolts found the Boss room, and we did an exploratory push inside. It didn't get us much info. And what is worse, Knightstar is on my friend list, but not in the guild anymore."

"What‽" Backbreaker exclaimed, almost jumping out of her chair. "Sure, she went off hard on Doombunny before you arrived, but that wasn't the end. What else did I miss on my vacation? You looked ready to say somethin'."

"Well," Bladescape said, putting her leg on her knee. "Let's see. Kiefer and Lessa are together. That is what we were going to announce at breakfast when we walked into the argument. Oh, and then I spent that day hunting with Doom. It was intense. I will certainly be joining her again. She has a new skill. A defensive skill. She either uses a little metal shield, barely bigger than a dinner plate, or a special dagger, to defect incoming attacks. It's a skill designed for pairing with a rapier. You just have to complete the dagger skill to unlock it."

"Well that is hard to do," Backbreaker chuckled. "Thunder would not like havin' to do that, even if it is worth it."

"No she would not," Bladescape, said also with a chuckled. She turned serious. "Backbreaker, we need you again. The Wondercolts found the boss chamber. We took a look inside and scouted what we could, but three giant skeletons kept us out. We got nothing."

"You have my shield," Backbreaker grinned. "I was just waitin' for a non-panic message to let me know it was time. Till then, fishin' and rechargin' my mind."

"Fair," Bladescape said. She stood up. "Come on. We have to save Twilight from herself."

"Agreed," Backbreaker said. "But I need to change out of my fishin' gear and grab my hammer."

Backbreaker climbed the ladder to the loft and disappeared for a moment. She came back in normal clothes, hammer swinging on her hips and a backpack on. It was just durable pants and a long sleeve T-shirt, like she wore on the farm, but it included the one thing Diemond would not allow Backbreaker to wear, let alone own, in Aincrad: a cowboy hat.

"So, do yah have any idea where Knightstar slash Twilight is?"

"Some," Bladescape said as they walked to the teleport plaza. "It won't be hard. Friends can locate each other on the game map. Pretty detailed to their approximate location. The exact location will be easy with Search to pinpoint." Bladescape looked at her map. "She is in Algade, which means I will need to use Search."

They teleported to Algade. Bladescape pulled up her menu and then the advanced options for Search. Search didn't automatically grant these tracking abilities. They were unlocked as you continued to master the Skill.

The green trail that lit up in Bladescape's vision raced a path through the streets of the confusing city. Even as late as it was, the streets were busy with players moving about on various business. Bladescape led them on the correct path. They passed three inns before they turned down a side street and then another side street.

It stopped at a door. Bladescape tried the handle but it wouldn't turn.

"Uh, I think it's closed," Backbreaker said. "The sign says it's a shop. The Guidin' Star: Game Guides and Level Counselin'."

"That has Twilight written all over it," Bladescape stated as she looked at the sign. "So... I guess we wait until morning?"

"We passed a few inns on the way," Backbreaker stated. "What time is the meetin'?"

"5pm," Bladescape stated. "I think the KOB is doing their own scouting mission. We have time."

Instead of a bed, the two of them ended up eating and then drinking the hours away. Bladescape recounted the tales from the past few days. Backbreaker got a kick out of AFCK's sandcastles and work. Focusing her away from playing in the sand would be difficult.

From 6am to 8am they were outside the storefront, trying the door every 10 minutes. When it finally opened at 8am, they found the shop to have a warm, bookstore-like feel but without shelves. Tomes were lined up in an open display, like magazines, but never overlapping.

An NPC store assistant greeted them. "Welcome to The Guiding Star, the place where you can find all of your game encyclopedic knowledge for reasonable prices. A special note, as posted by the signs, all displayed books are for display only. Opening them gives an overview of the book and a list of its content, but never any actual information. Also, as with all printed copies, there may be new information that comes after the printing and it will be updated as soon as possible. We print in small batches to ensure our customers have the most up-to-date information on the subject.

"That section is the Bestiary Encyclopedias. They can be purchased as a full set or as single pieces covering that letter range. Health, XP, Col, weakness and attack strategies of the monsters are detailed out. Items dropped and chances of drops are listed for each beast. It is comprised of the best knowledge available to the author. It does not guarantee to hold all creatures in Aincrad within their pages. I can tell you if we cover a specific creature.

"The middle section is leveling guides for various Skills. We offer what we offer. As a former front line fighter, Sage Knightstar has not been able to explore all of the options in many of the Skills. She has assembled the best she can and is working to assemble more.

"The other side is stocked with item information. If you need to know something about an item, it may be found in those encyclopedias. As many of an item's known uses are given, as well as their drop sources and their drop chances for each creature. Not all items may be available and information may be incomplete in some areas. Aincrad is a large world and one that is constantly changing.

"We strive to provide you with the most accurate information so that you can advance at an accelerated rate in the Skill of your choice. You can also schedule a personal consultation with Sage Knightstar."

"That is why we are here," Bladescape said, immediately jumping on that trail. "A personal consultation."

"I will need a name, and private information about your skill level help. It will all be kept confidential. The Sage will need time to look over your information before the consultation."

"We are friends with her," Bladescape countered. "Can you check with her about seeing her right away. We will pay more."

"Let me check with her. Your name?"

"Silica," Bladescape immediately said, earning her a dirty look from Backbreaker. She wasn't going to give Twilight a chance to deny them because she knew it was them. But Silica was someone Twilight at least knew and she would jump at the chance to meet and talk with the beast tamer.

The NPC soon came back out. "For double her normal consultation fee, she will agree to it. Fees will be discussed when you begin."

"Thank you," Bladescape said, smiling. "Where do we go?"

"The second door on your right is the consult chambers."

The consultation chamber was a small, private study. The walls were filled with full bookshelves. A big, wooden desk was in the room, but it was not the primary focus. The layout was centered around two chairs, with a short couch for good measure. Several warm lamps made sure the windowless room was well lit.

After a few minutes Knightstar came in. "Forgive me," she said, distracted. "This business just opened yesterday. I am balancing a few things. What can I hel-"

Knightstar froze mid-way through sitting down. She had been so distracted she hadn't immediately caught who they were. She certainly recognized the two of them.

Backbreaker grinned. "Scholar robes, scholarly glasses, a graduation cap, an' even a scholarly title. You certainly are committed."

"Of course I am," Knightstar said, finishing sitting down. "Are we here to do real business, or just talk?"

"The talk is business," Bladescape countered. "Look, it is simple. We need all Wondercolts on hand for this. We scouted the boss chamber yesterday. The strategy meeting is at 5pm. And yes, we are still a guild. As strong as ever."

"Strong?" Knightstar scoffed. "BB rage quit, walking out. You missed the first half, only seeing Doombunny rip into every single one of us. I was horrible to her before you came."

"And she forgives you," Bladescape said, interrupting her to try and reassure her. "I spent the day speed hunting with her. We had an argument as a guild. We argue I.R.L. at times. It's not only called life, it's natural. Our first argument doesn't mean our last. Friends are stronger than that. We are stronger than that."

"Friends who love you an' need you," Backbreaker added. "Who don't judge you by your words, but your actions. I admit, my choice to walk out was childish an' problematic. I had no idea what to do so I left. I am sorry for that."

"And I could have backed you better," Bladescape admitted, keeping the pressure up so that Twilight couldn't talk until she had heard their arguments. "I at least should have moved the discussion to a private setting and not publicly announced my stance. Because Doom did break a guild rule. And we can't have anarchy or mob rule as a guild and survive.

"But that is just it. We will survive because we are a guild of friends. A guild based on real life friends who have done and overcome a lot of crazier stuff than an argument in a game. Even a death game. If anyone can beat it, it is us!"

"And what of the next argument‽" Twilight fired back. "We won't get to live in an argument free world! For an entire day, we were not unified. Even in our days off, we were unified. I couldn't even get a hold of some members all day! Backbreaker ignored me completely!"

"I went fishin'," Backbreaker defended. "If it was important, I would have responded. But your crazy freak out messages were not so important that I couldn't feel what I was feelin', which was exhausted and needin' a break. Do you have any idea how hard it is to be the shield of the guild? I feel like I have to defend all y’all and other players. I get no breaks fer' y'all. So yeah, I walked out. But I am back. Cause we have a boss to beat and lives to save. An' I am their shield. I am the Iron Bulwark."

"BB was ready to go as soon as I dropped by her cabin," Bladescape said before Twilight could respond. "We all are under a lot of stress. And honestly, I didn't realize all you do. Look at your store, Twilight. You have compiled more information than any info broker and built a store around it. You had it so organized that you could put it to print in a matter of days! That is not only impressive and insane, but it shows your true dedication to the players. The Wondercolts and regular players."

Twilight sighed. "It's all I'm good at. Stats and guides. That's what I am doing now."

"Don't you say that," Backbreaker told her. "Twilight, how long have-"

"It's Knightstar," Twilight asserted. "As Doombunny said, I am no longer Twilight. You were friends with Twilight and only guildmates with Knightstar. If you hadn't noticed, my name doesn't have a guild icon."

"I had," Bladescape stated. "But I figured it wasn't worth pursuing at the moment."

"Knightstar-"

"Enough," Bladescape said, interrupting Backbreaker and standing up. "Knightstar and Twilight are Bladescape's and Sunset's and Backbreaker's and Appkejack's friend. Which is more important than guildmates. If you need something, let us know. The boss raid meeting is at 5pm, at the big chapel on Floor 59. We really want you there, by our side. This doesn't have to be this way. And this moment doesn't close the door either. But I have a guild to prepare for the next fight in this war. And I need all my friends and guildmates on hand to win this fight. Because I want to hug them with my real body, in the real world."

Backbreaker was shocked that Bladescape was giving up. She stammered as she scrambled out after Bladescape. Outside, Bladescape explained before she could even ask her questions.

"Her walls were up. It wasn't going to be won today. She had made up her mind. Unmaking it will take a little time. Just like you needed your time away fishing, she needs hers. Hopefully she will quickly realize how much she needs her friends. But for now, let's not push her away more than she is pushing herself away from us. I guess I really missed a bad fight."

"I would love to say she only went off about safety margins, but it got personal. At one point she asked if Doom had been drinking her own drugs."

Bladescape's face said it all as she recognized the value of the dagger those words built. And then felt that dagger stab herself in the chest. It wasn't a stab in the back, and that is why it hurt so much more.

Bladescape sighed after a while of walking silently. "Oddly, that fight may have been what Doom needed to keep going. She has that Skill Fighting Spirit, which is a hate skill. And she has even more reason to hate this game now."

"That is a nasty outcome," Backbreaker said. "But if I'm runnin' out of steam, she must be runnin' dry."

"Early lunch and then let's get the Wondercolts to that meeting,” Bladescape suggested. “We have two leaders on duty at least."

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 72 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 72 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 74 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal - Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 53 - Necromancer Falling

Floor 59
April 24 – Year 2 - 5 P.M.

All current Wondercolts were at the meeting. Argo was insisting they all were there, although she didn't know about Knightstar. However, after working on the quest with them and receiving their markings, it made sense.

They were the first to arrive and they were looking spectacular in their uniformed equipment. Argo was in the darkest corner of the room, staying silent. Bladescape wasn't sure if she noticed the lack of Knightstar. The KOB arrived soon after, but Argo stayed in her corner. Bladescape nodded to acknowledge Second in Command Lightning Flash Asuna and Commander Heathcliff.

Bladescape smiled as Fuurinkazan came in, but it dropped as the DDA came in right behind them. Agil and other clans arrived. About 700 players were on the front line, but not many did the boss fights. There were always 20-30 players from non-boss guilds trying to get in the raid. Some came alone, others in pairs or small groups.

"Argo," Asuna said, getting things started. "You were vague in your guide. And you are here in person. The Wondercolts scouted the boss, but were driven back out immediately by three massive skeletons. The Knights of the Bloodoath made our own scouting attempt this morning and met the same fate. What else do you have for us."

Argo nodded as she walked out of the corner to the center of the room where everyone could see her. "There was some particular trouble on this Floor. I had help from the Wondercolts dealing with a difficult quest. After that, there was a particular... issue acquiring the rest of the data. We won't have that problem from here on out."

"What exactly happened?" Asuna asked. "We only heard that the Info Broker Iliad was blacklisted and taught a lesson after selling bad info."

"Second-in-command,” Bladescape said, stepping forward to the table. "May I say something?" Asuna nodded. “The quest we aided her on was directly related to the boss. At least, I don’t see any counter signals from Argo that we were wrong. So, if there was a problem with the other quests, then they had to be dealing with the boss. And if he got in between Argo and boss info, and well, honestly, us and boss info, well, screw him then.”

Asuna nodded, accepting it.

"I can't tell you much," Argo shrugged. "I dealt with Iliad for his crimes against us. Done and done... As to the boss, Bladescape is right, the Wondercolts know pretty much all I do, and they can add anything they have deduced. So, what I know is this. Those catacombs you guys have been raking through are key. The main info quests which were connected to the Floor were all about a Necromancer. I see a battle full of Skeletons, Shadows, Wraiths, all led by that Necromancer. That is who we have to deal with. I wasn't able to track, kill, or affirm his death. In the one quest with him I got to do, the Wondercolts and I did get to him, but he teleported out before we could kill him."

"So that's it?" Asuna huffed.

"That's it," Argo admitted. "Bladescape?"

Bladescape looked at Astro. Astro shrugged but approached the table. "First off, I was there for our scouting run. I really don’t believe those Skeletons are the boss. I believe it is the Necromancer and when we go in, that is the real fight."

Asuna nodded. "So go in heavy with tanks and lancers, force the giant skeletons back to get teams around to strike them from the back."

"No," Astro said, shocking them all. "I don't think we have to worry about them. The necromancer we faced was too smart. The big ones are a farce. We won't see them when a real team attacks. They are guards designed to keep scouting parties out. We had 9, how many did you bring in? 12?"

"12," Asuna nodded. "But, we have never seen anything like that before. I doubt it is a farce."

Astro shrugged. "At least let me tell you what we saw with the Necromancer and know. What we saw was him raising an army of normal skeletons. They were about the same level as the ones in the Catacombs, not the bigger mid-level bosses, the normal ones. The Necromancer is weak to poison and has a low HP bar, but that might have changed for the boss battle. He can open portals and move between points. He opened a portal and ordered a group of skeletons through them to our other party. He escaped through his own portal after we dropped his HP.

"I want this to be very clear. It wasn't an easy fight. However, we had an advantage or two we won't ever have in the boss room. And from the layout we saw, it will be the opposite. We had a height advantage to see him clearly, he will be elevated on that platform on the far side of the room. Along with our height advantage we had a range advantage via throwing picks. He was raising those skeletons in groups of 20. About one group every 4 seconds. We will have a huge fight on our hands as he keeps the waves coming.

"He won't have time to raise big skeletons. At least not regularly. We need to keep the pressure up. 5 skeletons a second is the rate we have to counter. I bet 30 seconds to raise a big one. if we even face one. Using my knowledge of similar quests from a variety of other games, he is going to be easy to kill, but getting to him will be the hard thing. I expect a long fight and believe we need to be ready to deal with a significant number of waves of enemies. We need to be focused on endurance, with a team specially designed to kill him."

"The Wondercolts need to all come," Argo added. "The quest we completed, the first of the four, the old man used some of his magic knowledge to give us an advantage boost against the Necromancer's forces."

"You got a stats boost from a quest?" Kirito asked from where he was in the crowd. He was weary of the information's truth.

"We did," Argo confirmed. "It made fighting the shadows specifically much easier. Way easier to see at the very least. See, track, and therefore kill. What took you guys days, we had in minutes."

"Fine," Asuna conceded. "Two squads for the Wondercolts. But their skills better be worth it. And you will need to fill that sixth slot with another player."

"Three slots," Bladescape said. "Doombunny did her part on Floor 39, taking down Serigatal The Wolf Master. She doesn't want in here, and I respect that. We will need three players. Unless Argo wants to join us."

Argo just quietly shook her head no. But her eyes were piercing as she tried to figure out what was happening inside the Wondercolts. Asuna and Kirito were trying to figure it out too. Bladescape saw Klein quietly counting the Wondercolts he could see from his angle in the room.

Bladescape felt her legs get squeezed and then that rope slide up her body. As she looked down she saw the ripple of color and then felt a lot of weight transfer to her shoulders. Colorra's head was floating in front of her. It nodded three times. Colorra was in, which meant Doombunny was in.

"I amend that," Bladescape said, stroking Colorras' oddly smooth head. "We have only two slots open. We have 10 available Wondercolts for this raid and we will gladly lead the fight and bring in two contingent Wondercolts."

Asuna nodded her head slowly, still not sure what was going on. "Then if we are facing waves of enemies, we need shield users and damage dealers," Asuna declared.

Asuna began to lay out the plan. They would not be able to slip through an army, so they would be putting up a big front. Kirito was put with Agil who was, as usual, running a non-guild squad. Besides those two, the rest used Shields. Fuurinkazan scored a slot and so did the DDA. As usual, the KOB had two Squads. Almost all KOB soldiers would be using shields.

Bladescape personally picked the two players she wanted for the Wondercolts. She needed two shields. Riklored was a lancer with a medium sized shield and short spear. Astro used a spear, but she wasn't a lancer since she lacked the shield. She used a two-handed long spear which was different from the one-handed spears lancers paired with their shields. Lancers usually played a key role against most bosses, but the reach of a two-handed spear was critical in many others.

The other chosen was a girl named Lobelia. She was a captivating, picturesque Japanese lady in her mid-20s. She wore her hair up and was famous for her white Tsunokakushi headpiece, a traditional bridal head covering in Japan. She was open about why she wore it. She was engaged, a week away from her wedding when she was caught in this game. But she wasn't giving up on being a bride. And she was famous for it and for leading a guild of clearers known as the Geigi Clan. They were another girl clan, but their numbers had added a few males. Lobelia was the only one of her guild who would go to Floor Boss meetings and try to score a slot.

When the meeting was over, the two of them went over to the Wondercolts. Lobelia bowed in the traditional form for greeting, which Sunset returned. As calm and peaceful as she looked as the bride-to-be she was, under it was a skilled warrior with her sword and shield. Her calm, skilled ability with a blade had always impressed Bladescape. She was also a player who would not hesitate to come to your rescue as she coldly destroyed the enemy without conscious.

"Thank you for having me," Lobelia said.

"Yeah," Riklored added with a nervous grin. "It has been a few Floors since I got in."

"I remember a skilled lancer," Bladescape said. "And a beautifully deadly warrior. That is why I picked you two. Not by how often I see you in the Boss Raids, but how well you performed in the ones I saw you in. I chose you because of what you could add to our squads."

"Thank you for the kind words," Lobelia said with a bow.

"It is an honor to have you," Bladescape added, matching the woman's bow again. "But let's not talk here. Our headquarters are more comfortable and I am sure AFCK can whip something up for dinner."

"Eh," AFCK shrugged. "I guess."

"Don't mind her," Backbreaker said. "She's distracted."

"I will need to tell my guild I will be joining you," Lobelia replied. "They are outside, waiting to hear if I was granted a spot."

Bladescape grinned. "I would say after you, but I know you would only wait for us to go. So, let us depart."

All of Geigi was outside waiting. They had over 40 members. They too, were in very traditional Japanese attire, but with a mix of Japanese Samurai feel that showed how powerful they each were under it. Their entire guild was about the "art of being a person", but with a deadly edge. It was based in the traditions of formal Geisha in Japan, and the rich history of their artisan lifestyle. Taikomochi was the male equivalent.

Lobelia bowed quickly and then addressed her guild. "I will not be home until later. I have been assigned to a squad with the Wondercolts and will be in tomorrow's boss battle by their side. We will be discussing our squad's strategy at their headquarters. I will keep you informed as soon as I know more."

They all bowed back to their leader and then she was ready to join them.

"I wish my guild cared more than just me sending them a quick message," Riklored said. "As formal as you all are, at least they do care."

"I am sorry that your friends do not support you in this endeavor," Lobelia replied. "While not all are suited for a Boss Raid, it is sad to hear that they do not give their support to you joining. At least, not to the level you wish."

"Are you guys always that uptight?" Riklored dared to asked. "And polite. Quiet. I mean-"

Lobelia giggled. "We can be quite the rowdy crowd. We have an image we have crafted and must display. But back home, we can be just as rowdy as you. We enjoy our time alone, relaxing."

"Image is important," Bladescape said. "We had to make sure we crafted ours right."

"We don't wear anything as regal and beautiful as you though," Diemond added. "It is just fascinating. Beautiful. Perfect each and every one of you."

"Thank you," Lobelia said. "But do not discount your own work. I know you made almost all of your gear. And several of our members bought some things at your sale. Your clothes are exquisite."

"They bought my clothes?" Diemond squeaked.

"Of course," Lobelia said with a pretty grin that was deceptively sly. "We do not always wear these garments. And without the makeup and clothes, no one recognizes us. Going unseen can have its benefits."

They teleported to Mishe. Inside their headquarters, AFCK and Joltron went to get dinner started while Kiefer and Lessa grabbed them all drinks and light snacks. The guests got a quick tour of their Headquarters and then settled down on the second floor where they had the furniture.

As Bladescape sat down, a notification for a visitor popped up. Bladescape went down to check on it. She found Argo sitting on the couch in the front visitor room. Argo's pulled back hood and blank face said enough. Bladescape sat down across from her.

"Knightstar?" Argo asked. "I noticed she wasn't with you, but then you said three before Colorra literally climbed onto your shoulders. Something is up, and it isn't a good up."

Bladescape sighed. "I trust you. We have a rapport. I need you to keep things quiet." Argo nodded in agreement and Bladescape continued. "There was an argument several days ago. I came in halfway through it. Doombunny broke a rule and the two of them got into it. I didn't handle it well, and Backbreaker didn't either. Knightstar has backed out and away from her friends. She is in a dangerous head space and has put up walls. And literal ones by starting her own bookstore that sells her guides. I had no idea how much she has written down and compiled."

"Where?" Argo innocently asked.

"Algade," Bladescape replied. "The Guiding Star: Game Guides and Level Counseling. But don't screw with her mind. She is still my friend. In real life, and in game. Even if she has forgotten that for a bit and removed herself from the guild."

"I promise," Argo said. "She is a Wondercolt. You are lacking without her. Not that you can't handle yourself."

"I get it," Bladescape said standing up. "But we are lacking without her."

"Wait," Argo said, still sitting there. "We see where Knightstar went when she cracked. Doom has Colorra, Diemond has her clothes, AFCK has baking, Thunder and Astro have soccer, Kiefer, Lessa, and Joltron are all crafters as well, and Backbreaker has, if I remember correctly, fishing. What of you?"

"I'm fine," Bladescape assured Argo.

"Bladescape, I am serious about this,” Argo pressed with a caring tone very unlike her. “More and more players are leaving the front lines because they are exhausted. They are used to living in here and have less to fight for. The Wondercolts have something to fight for. Something inside you. But you can crack. Your fight shows that. You said both you and Backbreaker failed to respond appropriately to Knightstar. I know it wasn't intentional. I assume Backbreaker left and you took the opposite stance as Knightstar."

"And then left," Bladescape added.

"How do you relax?" Argo pressed. "What is your escape from this reality? I have mine. And you?"

Bladescape looked Argo dead in the eyes. "My escape is knowing there is no escape until we beat this game. If I am not fighting, I am either sleeping or preparing to fight. If I am not clearing, I am training. That is my life and roll in here."

"Everyone snaps," Argo shot back, not breaking eye contact. "Make sure you have something to fall back on where your friends don't have to worry about you. Knightstar didn't, and that got her to leave and make a bookstore. Knowing a piece of what she had, I can only imagine how much material she had to immediately publish and sell. But that is beside the point. You need a safety net."

"She had way more than I realized," Bladescape admitted. "And that might have contributed to her break. She probably over stressed over it, breaking everything down to numbers and equations."

"You are avoiding the question," Argo pressed. "Just don't lose yourself trying to save yourself. It never ends well. Especially in the stakes we have going on. Know how to live in this world, so you can make it to the end. We are 18 months in, and not even through 60% of the game."

"I'll look into it," Bladescape said. She began to open the door to head upstairs but stopped and sighed. "In all honesty, I have no idea what that would be. It has eluded me. At times, I feel like a hand is pushing me forward and I have no option but to go with it, and make sure my friends don't get left behind."

"Do you really think you can be the strongest player?" Argo asked.

"Maybe," Bladescape stated with a sly grin. "Unfortunately, the balancing system of this game is very well done. The one who is the strongest one day, might not be the next. But I intend to be a top contender."

"And the top contenders are?" Argo asked, intrigued at the idea she was hearing.

"Heathcliff, Asuna, Kirito, and me. Klein and Agil can't be discounted. As good as Backbreaker is, she is too stagnant with her giant shield and she knows it. But she is exactly what we need in our raids, a cornerstone to build our attack off of. Doombunny is getting up there too though. But she isn't strong willed unless she gets backed into a deep corner. Her only edge is poison, which is a fair and legal skill. Yamato is a contender, but not a concerning one. Doombunny took him out of the race. Schmitt, too, is one to watch.

"But definitely, Kirito, Heathcliff, Asuna, and I are the top 4 players. No one else is at our level, mentally speaking. And mentality is the game. Thankfully the competition isn't between us, but against the system."

"You have given me some things to think on," Argo admitted. "But you also have some things to think on. Your pedestal is at the proper height, but all four of you are on flimsier pedestals than you realize."

Bladescape nodded and Argo stood up to leave. Bladescape entered the guild meeting hall and looked at the nearly empty table at the center. Only two of those chairs had occupants at the moment. She wasn't worried about politics within the guild, but Backbreaker had run out of steam and walked out. She too had left when things got hard, leaving it all to fall apart around Knightstar.

They needed their friend back. Operation Midnight Redemption would begin once they finished the Boss Battle. And then she would try and figure out what she would do for her next level. Bladescape was literally 1 XP from gaining Level 80. She was going to save it for the boss battle. Then she would figure out what to do for her skill. A fun skill. Whatever that meant.

Bladescape joined them back upstairs. AFCK was almost done cooking, but she was up there socializing while she waited for a few things to finish. Joltron was more than capable of taking care of it.

"Parties," Bladescape said, capitalizing on the momentary break in their attention as she arrived. "Backbreaker, Astro, AFCK, Doombunny, and Lobelia, with me. Kiefer will lead Thunderborne, Lessa, Joltron, Diemond, and Riklored. Sorry Astro and Thunder, I need Doom with me and I need Astro's spear."

"That leaves us a bit light on the shields," Astro pointed out before she took a sip of fruit infused water.

"We will have the far-right flank," Bladescape replied. "I put us there for a reason and that is why I need Doombunny. I want to have a team that can try and slide past the skeletons to get at the Necromancer himself. If we can get even a single one of my throwing picks to land, he will be severely damaged. The Hail Mary of the plan is Doombunny running it solo, capitalizing on her Hide Skill. But part of me believes that he will have a counter to that and know where she is."

"Oh dear," Doombunny sweetly replied. "I have had enough of boss raids. Colorra is going so I have to go. I am not Thunder or BB. It wouldn't take much for several skeletons to overtake me. Even with Fighting Spirit, I am good for support, not assault."

"That is why you are with me," Bladescape said. "I don't want to put you in a place that you don't want to go, but Colorra knows your fighting ability best. I seriously think you have this. I was speed hunting with you the other day. You are leagues better than you believe.

"Anyway, that is why we are going to be a shield low. I need you guys to hammer away at them, and press them as hard as possible, while we will play the flank and try and use the wall as protection as we cut our way to him. If we kill him, it shouldn't be hard to kill his hoard."

"And if the enemy comes out of walls like the shadows in the lower catacombs?" Kiefer asked.

"Then we will adjust," Bladescape said. "BB can work with two of us at once. And I have no doubt in Astro's ability to pair up well with anyone. Fallback plan is for Astro and Lobelia to team. AFCK and Doombunny will be a team. I need as much chaos as possible for this scalpel to be able to survive being blindsided.

"One last thing before dinner. If things change and we have to fall back, be ready to switch up parties. Lobelia and Riklored, you don't know us well, so we won't require you to jump around."

"I believe we can handle an adjustment as well as you can," Lobelia said. "I believe your plan is well laid out as well, and that we won't be forced to change. It is good to have a contingency plan though."

They moved everything to the dining room when Joltron notified them that Dinner was ready. Everything flowed smoothly. They were having fun. There was something lacking because Knightstar wasn't with them, but she wasn't the most talkative at these types of functions.

It was decided that Lobelia and Riklored would stay the night. Lobelia was given Room 12. Riklored took up residence in an extra bed on the fifth floor. At this point, despite being empty of everything but the basic furniture, they were not letting anyone take Room 2. They would hold out for Knightstar.

"May I ask a personal question?" Lobelia asked as Bladescape bid her goodnight and had begun to walk away.

"Yes," Bladescape said.

"You have a lot of beds on the 5th floor. Why?"

Bladescape sighed and let out a chuckle. "Long story short, to provide a place for friends to crash. But the idea of a guild expansion hasn't been ignored. We haven't talked about it seriously in a while. It would take the right player, or players, for us to extend an invitation."

"Understood," Lobelia said with a bow. "Thank you for the explanation."

The morning brought a big breakfast of a dozen different types of foods. AFCK and Joltron had gotten up a little early and gone overboard for their guests. The work was very well appreciated. Thunderborne and Astro were not even able to finish the leftovers after their second helping.

"I feel good," Riklored said. "I haven't felt this good about a Boss Battle in ever."

"That is the Wondercolt guarantee," Kiefer stated with a grin.

"It is unique and wonderful," Lobelia added.

Astro and Thunderborne played their teleport game to Bladescape's amusement. They hadn't for the past few days. It was good to see things returning to some sense of normal. As normal as this death game would allow.

They were not the first there. Agil walked over to them when he saw them arrive. He smiled at his friends "I never thought I would see the day when you all went into battle as a guild."

Thunderborne was blunt with her forwardness. "That would depend on which Wondercolts you are thinking of. Old or New. Knightstar is on break. We are short one."

"Wait," Agil said, counting. "What happened to her?"

"Guild argument," Bladescape said, trying to do damage control. "I have faith that our friend will be back once she gets the break she deserves."

"Oh man, that is unlike you guys," Agil said, very concerned. "I am sure you will work it out. If any guild will, it is the Wondercolts."

"Thanks," Bladescape said. "We think so too."

Diemond began to chastise Thunderborne but Backbreaker and Bladescape immediately put a stop to it. Things were tense enough as it was. They didn't need anyone picking at the others.

The rest of the raid party arrived and they moved out to the Labyrinth. The Catacombs seemed colder than they had before. Other than that, it was an uneventful trip to the Boss Chamber.

Groups A, B, C, and D prepared for their entry as the forward shields. The Wondercolts, Groups C and D, slowly entered the boss chamber, tanks and shields clearly in the lead as they fanned out to the right. The three skeletons were standing still at the far end of the room, in front of the vaulted platform. As soon as the last raider entered, the wall opened up with a portal and the Necromancer walked through onto the platform on the far side. Three health bars were above his head.

"Welcome!" He called out. "To my world!" He let out a long, maniacal laugh. It stopped suddenly. "You may think you have the advantage, but it is still my scale and you only have weapons of steel to grasp. I have magic! I can conjure the dead. You only killed one of my loyal apprentices, but there are still three."

"Told you," Thunderborne said, loud enough for all of the raiders to hear.

"Yes, you killed him." He said pointing at Thunderborne. "You are such a clever player. And you also kept me from getting to his body to resurrect him. But you won't get to me as easily as you did last time. I also see that you replaced two of your party members. A pity they couldn't be here to enjoy this. I wish I could change that."

For a moment, Bladescape was convinced he was going to summon them with his magic. Instead, the three giant skeletons shifted and transformed into human figures and all three were dressed in the same robes the other apprentice had been. Each of them had three health bars.

"Ah yes, meet my apprentices, formally of course. Plenty of you tried to get in the other day, but I was not ready for you. Now I am. And so are they."

Fuurinkazan charged out across the open space. They were followed by two other squads. The necromancer apprentices began to chant while the head necromancer laughed.

"Hold!" Bladescape ordered her parties. "This is too simple."

The charging groups hit something at the halfway mark and were shot back across the hall like they had been zapped by lighting. Klein was smoking a bit from the charred places on his armor.

The Necromancer stopped laughing and the chanting stopped. In between them a group of NPCs crawled out of the ground. They were all in different armor with different weapons and shields. Some looked like they were brand new to the game, others looked like hardened warriors with advanced gear. Red Icons popped up above them.

And that was when Bladescape saw it and her heart stopped beating. "Daivel" popped up above the character directly across from her. Blue colors, a basic short sword and small shield with a blue sword on it. Bladescape knew the name. Every Assault Team member knew his name and description. Daivel was the one who organized the first boss raid. And he was the only casualty.

Other names were popping up in her vision: Keita, Sachi, Tetsuoi, Sasamaru, Ducker, Yuna, Griselda, Kains, Kora, and Coper joined him. And those were just the immediate ones on their right flank. All across the room the Necromancer Apprentices were raising the dead. The dead players from this game.

The game had already stooped so low, so far against them, and now it had dug deep to shove the ones they watched die in their face and make them kill them over again. The necromancers had over 3000 players to raise.

"HEY!" Bladescape yelled out to the Necromancer so all could hear. "I see your trick. I also know you felt the sting of my bite when we last saw you. You remember who we are. You are smart, I'll give you that. We came, ready for waves of enemies. I admit, we didn't expect names and faces. But there is something you don't know about this game that we know. The dead are dead. It's not going to be easy to kill our friends, but we will. You can't stop us from reaching the Ruby Palace and beating this game. We will free ourselves, just like each player whose likeness you raised would want us to.

"It is not a weakness to mourn their passing. It is not a weakness to hesitate to lift our weapons against the image of the ones we fought beside. We are here before you because we know the truth of what happens when we die. And for that, you miscalculated our determination. Ranks of skeletons would have been a safer play."

His laughter was jolly as he reveled in her statement. It didn't matter what he thought. He was a program. What mattered was Bladescape had just helped the raiding party gird their loins for a mentally painful fight.

"I didn't miscalculate!" The Head Necromancers declared. "I improvised. After you almost killed me, I learned there was more outside what was my whole world, Floor 59 as you call it. I went and read your monument of life. I checked to see what was going on outside this Floor. I even visited that ruby palace and walked its empty halls. After all that research, I decided that the absolute best way for this fight to happen was to skip the skeletons and raise your friends instead!"

"WONDERCOLTS!" Bladescape yelled. "EXECUTE ORDER OMEGA!"

All of the Wondercolts pulled out the strongest poison they had and applied it to their weapons. Bladescape pulled two more out and held them out to Lobelia and Riklored. They were in their party, making them honorary Wondercolts, and it would be best if they had poison as well.

Bladescape made a quick explanation. "Doombunny is a poison master because her snake is venomous. These will last a good fifteen minutes on your blades. Any of the Wondercolts can give you more. Against live targets like this... well it's the best bet we have."

Lobelia took one with a strong nod of understanding. She quickly applied it. Riklored was a lot slower. The war cries of the dead players hastened his application.

"WONDERCOLTS!" Bladescape yelled again, but this time with Harmonic Salvation reaching towards the ceiling high above them. She slashed the blade down to point at the charging dead players. "TO VICTORY!"

"FOR FRIENDSHIP!" Doombunny screamed.

Bladescape was the first to charge out as all twelve of them yelled "For Friendship!"

Daivel was the one who had come up straight across from her. The Necromancer Apprentices were chanting as they worked to raise more dead players. The Assault Team’s initial plan was still the goal and so was Bladescape’s: use the wall to slide around and strike at the Necromancers.

Harmonic Salvation glowed dark red and Bladescape unleashed it on Daivel. He took each strike on his shield with ease, only losing a few bits of HP. He countered as Bladescape faltered from the realization that even this low-level player could resist her. This was going to be harder than just killing waves.

Daivel's sword glowed as he took advantage of her slight delay. It swung straight at her head, faster than she could predict. With a clang it was halted an inch from her forehead. Doombunny was in front of her, parrying dagger holding the blade at bay. Colorra was happily riding on Doombunny's shoulders.

Bladescape skipped back and out of the way so she could allow him to finish the cut. It put him in a slight delay and it left Doombunny's parrying dagger forward with his chest almost touching the blade, the exact setup she needed to drive home the parrying dagger. The system automatically triggered it, driving the dagger to the hilt with the simple weight transfer stab. His name and HP bar dropped a bit, but it got the addition of a lightning bolt. He was paralyzed. It was the exact reason why Doombunny kept it poisoned as such.

Colorra lunged at his exposed neck. For the most part, the snake was calm in battle. Biting to leave her poison and then darting away. Instead, it slid off of Doombunny's shoulders with its powerful muscles supporting itself as it wrapped about Daivel and began to choke and squeeze him to death like a classic constrictor before it swallowed its prey. It was terrifying to watch the snake, that they were all so comfortable living with, act like such an animal.

Bladescape was brought back to reality as the flash of a blade sliced through the air at her. She pulled Harmonic Salvation up in time to block, but it left her with no follow up. She let the dead player strike again. This time she pulled off a great counter with Weapon Defense and then followed up with a well timed stab. It went clean through his chest and his health bar lowered from green to yellow, then red, and then gone.

He burst into polygons. But he was replaced with more raised players by the Necromancer Apprentices. They had been prepared for waves after waves of enemies, but this battle was not simple enemies. These players were using complex Sword Skills. Exactly like they had when they fought and died. Their HP had been boosted as well. And with them wearing the same kinds of armor the live players in the Boss Raid were using, it was difficult to tell who was who. The only difference was the red cursor above the dead's heads versus their green ones. A very hard distinction in the sea of players that they were now in.

Bladescape linked back up with her party. She had been separated too far from them. With Backbreaker as their pillar of strength they maneuvered to the wall and pushed through the hoard. Astro and Lobelia were on point. Bladescape had the rear protecting them from getting around Backbreaker. AFCK was swinging away in the center while Doombunny was jumping in and out, dealing her paralyzer or poison damage. She was switching knives to best match what they needed as they moved forward.

It ended as a team of four lancers put themselves together along the wall, stopping them. Doombunny dashed around with her paralyzing knife. It gave them the chance to reorganize so that Backbreaker and Astro were at the front. Colorra slipping between their shields and legs to do her job.

Bladescape, AFCK, and Lobelia were slaughtering the paralyzed enemies around them. They couldn't waste that opportunity. A good lunge was all they needed from the swords. Especially with the poison added on top.

Bladescape froze as she was about to run a paralyzed target through. It was a young girl identified as "Yuuna." She wore a blue accented white cloak, backed by a royal blue dress under it. On her head had been a fancy hat that even had a plume. In her hand was a simple dagger, but she also had a Lute by her side. She looked like a medieval poet. A young medieval poet who had no business losing her childhood and naivety in this death game.

Bladescape steeled her heart. She had heard, earlier on, of a singer with a cult following in the game named Yuuna. Her disappearance was now evident. Bladescape put her to rest by plunging Harmonic Salvation through her heart while cursing Akihiko Kayaba for this torturous game.

From outside the paralyzed circle, a young woman charged. She wore blue armor backed with a lighter blue dress and knee length short skirt that had her legs exposed for a bit before her boots once again visually protected her. In her hands was a two-handed spear and she was charging with it. But there was a hesitation behind it, like she didn't want to fight. Her name read "Sachi" and with it came a guild tag: a blue background with a yellow crescent moon, and a black swirl like a cat sitting on the moon.

Bladescape stepped to the side and she used Weapon Defense to deflect the spear. With that move executed she stepped into the thrust and drove Harmonic Salvation straight through Dead Sachi's chest. Bladescape held her in tight as the system recognized the hit and drained her HP bar at the fastest rate possible. The poison icon just barely registered on her HP gauge before Bladescape was holding nothing but glittering air.

Bladescape heard a scream as she was charged by a guy in heavy armor backed by purple clothes. He was swinging a square mace that was glowing blue. His shield was small for a tank, but he was acting like one. Below his red icon was the name Tetsuo and it had the same guild tag.

Bladescape blocked the heavy mace. He popped without her retaliation and Bladescape was looking at a pretty, but deadly, Lobelia, who had slashed him through the back with her blade. She blocked another incoming enemy and Bladescape protected her back.

"How are you doing?" Bladescape asked Lobelia as she blocked a jab from a dead player named "Kains."

"This is darker than I have even dared to think it could go. But I am fine. Enough that is. We can handle it after we survive."

"Agreed," Bladescape said as she killed Kains. "This is easier than I first expected. Some are good, others not as much. I think it depends on how long they played and how well they fought."

"I concur," Lobelia replied, killing her target. "Even with boosted HP, it is easier than feared."

Cloaked in orange and wielding a curved blade, "Ducker," tried his luck against Bladescape. He too bore that moon clan's mark. It was a far reach for a character at his level against Bladescape at Level 79. He died without ceremony.

WHACK!

Bladescape's shoulder felt an impact as a staff landed on it. However, her dagannoth hide armor soaked up almost all the damage. On the other side of the staff was a red cursor, "Keita," from the same clan. The staff was a useless weapon and he had just proven why. Any decent armor stopped it. Bladescape swung, activating Avalanche and she brought the swing down with all she had. The staff was held up to stop it but Harmonic Salvation was better than such a pitiful weapon and the blade shattered it. The blade continued down, chunking its way through his shoulder into his chest.

As he took poison damage and his health bar slid down, Kirito slid up to them. His face was white and he stuttered as he watched Keita take the damage and then disappear in colorful polygons. He clutched his sword tighter in his shaking hands.

"How," He growled. "How?"

Kirito shivered from watching Keita pop. He turned to snap at her and almost raised his blade at her but Bladescape shot it down. She started with a soft slap across his pained face to help him focus. He was shocked and raised his blade again.

"FOOL!" Bladescape yelled. It was enough to cause him to pause his blade's rise. "I get it," Bladescape continued as she shifted and blocked Kirito from a spear being stabbed through him. "But they are not those players." She was softer as she continued. "Once you die you die. We all are seeing players we knew."

Kirito was not staring at her, but at the spearman who had almost run him through. Metal armor with shoulder pauldron backed by green. Under his green cap was brown, curly hair. He was identified as Sasamaru. He too had that same moon guild tag. He didn't last as Lobelia sliced his head off before Sasamaru could do anything else.

"GO!" Lobelia ordered Kirito. "A player like yourself knows how to keep it together. And he knows how to fight where he is assigned because the living need his presence to make sure they live."

Kirito's face was the very epitome of a perfect balance of pain and anger. His sword almost slipped from his fingers, but he rallied and gripped it tightly. He yelled in rage as he charged off to the other side of the room where he was supposed to be. He savagely cut down a dead player in his way, being back to his normal boss raiding self.

Lobelia and Bladescape nodded at each other in understanding. They knew they had just killed good friends of his. It was a tough reality, even knowing they were nothing more than coded monsters to look like their players they knew. They were nothing more than the skeletons they had expected, except they had faces and names.

They were further away from the others in Party C as the hoard continued its assault. They chose to fall back to group D. Two red cursored resurrected players stood in their way. A teenage male with starter gear named Coper, and a young woman, a straight standing strong swordswoman in green backed armor with a brown cloak around her shoulders. Her name was Griselda and she had a gold apple guild tag by her name.

Coper was matched with Lobelia as the four of them charged at each other. She killed him with ease. Bladescape was trying to match strengths against Griselda's sword. She was deceptively strong, especially for a one-handed longsword. Her brown haired head rolled as Lobelia cut it off when the dead player was distracted trying to match herself against Bladescape.

"You are a good partner," Bladescape said as they dashed to Group D.

Behind Group D's shields they were briefly safe. Both downed health potions in their momentary lull.

"I do my best," Lobelia replied, smiling from the thrill of combat. There was nothing like the rush of a boss battle, even as twisted as this one had become.

"Kiefer!" Bladescape called. "Rally your party and follow us to Group C."

"Right behind you," Kiefer replied as he blocked a sword and then slashed a resurrected player.

Lobelia and Bladescape charged off to get back with Squad C. They executed several well-timed switches to take down four enemies in a row and once again rejoined their squad mates. Their advance was being stopped by a solid line of tanks. Doombunny was panting heavily with closed eyes and wet cheeks as she had her back safely against Backbreakers. Colorra was rubbing her head against her cheek to comfort her.

Bladescape couldn't comfort her or praise her as they came under assault from the flank. It had only been AFCK on the side, protecting them despite her health being in the red. Now with Bladescape and Lobelia back, she rotated out and downed a health potion.

It wasn't long before Group D busted their way through to them. They formed up as a solid unit and pushed away from the wall a bit in retaliation. They couldn't just let the waves come at them, they had to push back against it.

"AFCK, DOOM, ASTRO, AND LOBELIA," Bladescape called. "With me! Let's break through!"

They stepped out from between their squad mates and hammered the dead players with a furious assault. It was what they needed to fall back to the wall and dash across the open territory towards the chanting Necromancer Apprentices. Astro and Lobelia were protecting their left flank from the dead and Doombunny had disappeared. Bladescape stopped and pulled out a throwing pick and let it go at the closest apprentice. It landed, transferring the paralyzer to him and halting his chanting. AFCK had continued ahead and she swung her axe, taking a huge chunk of XP from him off the single hit. It also added poison damage.

The middle apprentice yelled and Bladescape saw him fall to paralysis and poison. Doombunny appeared by her side a moment later and nodded. AFCK finished off the closest apprentice with another strike with Geode Splitter.

Bladescape turned her attention to the Head Necromancer. She pulled out a throwing pick and activated the skill. He was at the tip of her range. She let it loose. With a wave of his hand he opened a portal and stepped through it. The pick was wasted as it flew through the open air.

"Fall back!" Bladescape ordered. With two of the three apprentices down, the third would have trouble keeping up the waves of dead players.

They killed who they could as they fell back. Bladescape saw a raid group break through the enemy wave and they lost sight of the other apprentice. He wouldn't last long against them.

Without the constant pressure of new enemies, the sides folded around and encircled the remaining dead players that had been raised. It was a killing field as they were surrounded and rendered unable to maneuver. The shield users closed in, allowing the longer weapons like spears to thrust past or over them. Safety first, without any glory grabbing attempts. Those not directly involved downed health potions and prepared to jump in if necessary.

The maniacal laughter of the Head Necromancer rang out from the doorway to his Boss Chamber. He couldn't leave at this point, but everyone was on the other side from him. Bladescape got to the front as the raid party spread out, waiting for him to make the next move.

"Well done!" He exclaimed. "You beat our little trick. Killing them couldn't have been easy, but now they truly are dead. You made sure of that. However, I can't help but wonder, what can you do against yourselves? You murdered the dead; can you kill yourselves."

"What did you do!" Klein yelled. "Explain yourself."

"Oh, Mister Klein," He said wearing a sly grin. "Words cannot explain what I can do. Since I became aware I was in a game, as you call it, I learned to do so much more."

"You will see what the coding looks like soon enough," Lightning Flash Asuna said, raising her rapier and preparing to charge.

"Good luck," He said, waving his hand.

A flash snapped, blinding them all and Bladescape felt a tug on her body. It didn't actually pull her or move her, but it was a felt sensation. Whatever she was going to see as her vision came back, she knew it was bad.

Bladescape blinked one last time and everything came into focus. Raising the dead's image had been torture to fight and especially strike down. This would be brutal.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 72 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 72 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 74 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 54 - Mirror Mayhem

Floor 59
April 25 – Year 2 - Boss Fight - Mid Morning

Bladescape's heart stopped as she saw what awaited them across the boss chamber. It was like looking in an inverted mirror. Each of the raiders had been copied and that clone was under the Head Necromancer's control. He was their puppet master.

As shocking as it was, they had two advantages. First, the cursors above their mirrors' heads were red. They could identify friend from foe by that alone. Second, the copies' armor and hair colors had been inverted, creating an almost psychedelic visual effect. The Wondercolts' blue armor was orange for their copies. Directly across from Bladescape was her copy, bright orange with blue and teal hair, and wielding a silver bladed copy of Harmonic Salvation.

Players began to charge out across the open area to deal with their mirrored copies. But a copy would mean that it had the same stats and abilities that the original had. And like the dead players who had used Sword Skills, they would know their own most used attacks and patterns.

"NEW PLAN!" Bladescape yelled. Thankfully they were all together and none of them had charged ahead. "Everyone else is going to mirror themselves like idiots. We can't afford to do that. We need to play our strengths to strike at the weaknesses we know exist in this raiding party.

"Orders are; AFCK and Doom, find Doom's clone and destroy her and Colorra. Wipe them out. Stay frosty because of her poison and then do your worst to the other clones. Both of you split and take them down. Backbreaker and Astro, take care of BB's clone. Lobelia, Thunder, with me. I need you two to help me take down Lightning Flash Asuna and other key targets. The best raiders are our targets. Kiefer, the rest are yours. Got it?"

They all confirmed and Bladescape issued her last order. "Reapply poisons and let's end this nightmare. Oh, and watch out for AFCK's clone. It's probably a loose cannon."

AFCK giggled at the idea of her clone while she reapplied fresh poison to her axe. Doombunny was already good to go, meaning they were the first to get underway. BB and Astro headed out next.

Lobelia had to be passed poison. She applied it quickly and then she was following after Bladescape and Thunderborne. Bladescape was calculating where Asuna's clone was compared to where she had been in relation to them in the line when they were copied.

Battles were already clashing as they caught up. As Bladescape predicted, players were mirroring themselves, fighting their own clones. Bladescape skipped out of the way of two trading blows and caught sight of a black coated Asuna. All of the KOB soldiers were in Black armor with bright green accents.

Clone Asuna's black rapier glowed as she struck at a player. The first strike was good and so was the second. For the third Thunderborne launched forward at her maximum speed. She got her rapier there in time to block the third strike, saving the player's life.

The clone couldn't adjust to the interruption and Bladescape slashed Harmonic Salvation across the clone's belly. It knocked off a good chunk of HP. Lobelia dove on Bladescape, blocking the retaliation with her shield. It was the four combo Quadruple Pain and it beat on the shield in a brilliant flash of speed that was unmatched in the game. And Thunderborne was about to have to match it.

"I see Clone Kirito," Lobelia said, pointing to him through the battles with her sword. She understood Bladescape's plan. "Go! We have her."

Thunderborne and Clone Asuna were trading blows in a furious pace as Bladescape dashed after Kirito's clone. Thunderborne lost as the clone overcame her speed. Even Asuna’s clone had Thunderborne outmatched. Lobelia came to her rescue, just in time.

Bladescape ducked under a swinging sword and found Kirito's white clone attacking Agil and two others. They did their best, but Kirito's clone showed his strength and reaction speed as he deflected Agil's axe with practiced ease and then thrust his white sword into Agil's gut. The others Agil was protecting were deep in the red.

Kirito's clone swung hard at Agil in a cut that would kill him. Bladescape slid in front, holding Harmonic Salvation parallel to her body where it blocked the cut. The block put Kirito in the required delay and Bladescape swung in relation. The blade found a home in the clone’s left shoulder. As good as the clones were, it seemed conflicted in what its AI wanted it to do. It looked like it tried to block her strike with a sword held in his left hand.

Harmonic Salvation did her job as its edge bit into the clone's shoulder, severing the left arm. It shattered and the clone's HP took a good dent. It was a dent that reflected the high HP of Kirito himself, akin to Bladescape's own HP. But the Clone's advantage was lost as the poison icon was registered and the DOT effect began. It had no ability to heal itself from poison.

"I've got him!" Bladescape yelled to Agil. "Get them back and heal up. Don't try and kill yourself, kill other clones who are weak to your strengths."

"Right!" Agil said, staggering backward while holding onto the stab mark in his belly. He let go and grabbed one of the others to make sure he got clear of the front line.

Kirito's Clone lunged at her and Bladescape felt the bite of his white blade as it slipped past her defenses. It knocked a good chip off her HP. It was a bitter reminder that even without his left arm, it was going to be a difficult fight that would require her all. Just like if she was dueling the Black Swordsman himself.

Kirito came out of nowhere lunging at his own clone. It was blocked and Bladescape forced the switch with Kirito.

"Don't!" Bladescape exclaimed. "I have your clone and Asuna's is being taken care of too. Your clone will mirror you, like they all are mirroring the players they were copied from! Find my clone and kill it! I don't know how to beat myself, so do what I can't do. I think she is to our left because I crossed over to get to yours."

"Right!" Kirito responded, dashing off. He was in a much better head space than he had been earlier. Now he was the Black Swordsman again.

While Bladescape engaged Kirito's clone, AFCK and Doombunny found Doombunny's clone. The orange armored clone was quick and agile, launching a furious set of attacks at AFCK with its dagger. It was only using Doombunny's primary, non-poisoned blade. The other two were not even present in the copy.

AFCK staggered from the pain and saw the glowing red dagger thrust at her face. With a crystal-clear ping of metal on metal, Doombunny blocked it with her parrying dagger, saving AFCK. AFCK responded by chopping her axe down, over Doombunny's back.

A rainbow colored Colorra struck Doombunny in the leg. Colorra responded from her hiding spot by biting her own clone. They thrashed back and forth, but Colorra had the advantage of the surprise attack for leverage. She coiled around the copy-snake and twisted the life out of it before she began to devour it.

Doombunny's HP bar had a flashing poison icon. Her connection with Colorra, coupled with the special jewelry she got from killing the Wolf Master, meant that she had a heavy resistance to all drugs. She ignored the poison and blocked her clone's dagger from gutting AFCK. She was using the parrying dagger, while her clone was armed with a buckler.

Doombunny's attack was deflected by the buckler and then she was stabbed by the clone in the shoulder. That strike did major damage to her HP. AFCK swung her axe, but it was deflected into the air by the buckler.

That was just the distraction Colorra needed as she climbed back onto Doombunny's shoulders. The clone's knife was still in Doombunny's shoulder and the snake used it to bridge the distance and lunge, sinking her fangs into the neck of her cloned master. With her powerful muscles, she supported herself as she pulled her body across the open space, which was widening as the two Doombunny's separated. Colorra wrapped herself around the neck and shoulder of the clone, forcing her arms to be pinned and ending any chance of her gutting the snake.

Doombunny took the opportunity provided by her familiar and repeatedly slashed open the stomach of her own clone. AFCK stepped out of the way and drank a health potion. She wasn't going to risk hurting, or killing, Colorra with her big axe.

Colorra dropped into a coil as Doombunny's clone popped into polygons. She immediately climbed onto Doombunny's shoulders. Doombunny nodded to AFCK and they split up to hunt clones on their own.

Bladescape staggered in pain as Clone Kirito's white blade cut across her upper torso. It dropped her low into the red. Kirito's clone had gone tit for tat with her. The only thing saving Bladescape was her high rate of Battle Regeneration and the poison effect working against the clone. Still, the real Kirito was clearly the better player when it came to reaction time. It had proven difficult for her to block whenever he successfully countered an attack. And the clone was a simple monster AI, not the player himself.

Clone Kirito punched her in the gut, knocking her off her feet and to the ground. Out of breath, her HP bar slid down even deeper into the red. It stopped its slide at 9, officially putting her into the single digits.

Battles were happening all around her. Most of the players were still fighting themselves, or their group was fighting their copied group. It was a nightmare for most players. They didn't know how to beat themselves.

White Kirito's sword glowed, preparing to strike the final blow. As its arc began, the clone shattered. The poison had dealt the final damage, ending it with little time to spare.

Bladescape pulled out a red crystal and brought it to her chest, tight. "Heal," she groaned, just loudly enough for her to activate the crystal and heal herself. She was at full health, but couldn't stand right away. She needed to breathe.

The clone of Asuna was down, Kirito's clone was gone, and somewhere Kirito was engaging her clone. There were three other major players cloned that needed to be dealt with. Backbreaker, who was being worked on. Klein, who Bladescape had no idea where he, or for that matter any other Fuurinkazan members or their clones, were.

And the last was Commander Heathcliff's clone. The quiet, composed, leader of the Knights of the Bloodoath. He was considered the strongest player and after fighting the 50th Floor Boss solo for 10 minutes, his nickname as "The Living Legend" was solidified. On top of that, he had a unique skill. The one of a kind "Holy Sword" paired with Liberator, his tower shield, he ran both a near impregnable defense with a chilling offense.

His clone had to be held off. There was no choice in the matter. If his clone got into the general raiding party, it alone could kill most of the players before anyone could stop it. Bladescape spotted his clone acting very much like him, playing it cool in the back. Except the clone was in cyan armor with a black shield and black crosses, making him appear quite sinister indeed. As she watched, his clone had apparently had enough of hanging back and began moving in to strike a group of unaware players fighting themselves.

Bladescape got up and dashed across the room. She swung her sword. It rang with a piercing clash and painful shutter as she deflected the clone Commander's blade from impaling the unaware player through the back.

"Move!" Bladescape ordered them. "And go after other clones! You are just matching what you would do and wasting energy!"

The air was forced out of Bladescape as Liberator, his shield, was rammed into her gut. The shield itself was being used in an offensive strike that did its damage against Bladescape's HP. It was a noticeable chip. Bladescape activated Weapon defense and got her sword up in time for her to deflect the clone’s sword. At the same time, she sidestepped. Most enemies would have slipped past her. Heathcliff's clone didn't. Even as a clone he was better than that, with more control over his own body inside the game mechanics.

The sword glowed another color and swept to the side. Pillar was a Weapon Defense Sword Skill that righted the blade parallel to the player who gripped the blade at the handle and braced it lower down on the blade with the palm of their hand. It stopped Clone Heathcliff's sword and Bladescape slid back a bit from the sheer force in the simple slash.

It left Bladescape exactly where she wanted. Jumping Fang was a Sword Skill with an opposite action than its name. It referred to what the target was supposed to worry about, not her action. Harmonic Salvation swept low, right at his feet. He stepped back rather than waste energy blocking with his shield. As it cleared his left side, Bladescape reversed her grip and lunged in. The reverse grip allowed her to stab around a shield.

Liberator batted it away but she still got the tip of Harmonic Salvation to pierce his side and she saw the clone's HP lose a pleasant fraction. She was going to hold him off until more players could surround him and finish the clone. But that didn't mean she couldn't, or shouldn't, chip away at his HP. The poison on her blade was gone though. There was nothing assisting her in taking down his massive number of Hit Points.

Bladescape was inside Heathcliff's range and he was past hers. She couldn't use her giant sword. Instead, Bladescape punched Heathcliff. It wasn't a Sword Skill or Martial Arts Skill, but it did have a little kick to it. He took a slight step back as he registered the hit, an automatic response.

It was enough of a shock to him that she was able to jump back and swing up high, activating Avalanche to come down on his head. Of course, his shield stopped it. But she was expecting that. A simple side step meant his lunge missed and Bladescape made a simple attack in response. As much as she wanted to cut the clone to pieces, she knew her best chance, even though it was a clone, was to wait for backup. She had to keep the clone engaged with her, and keep herself alive as the minutes ticked away.

The clone's blade flashed by her face and Bladescape felt the searing hot pain of a cut light up her cheek. It was not a bad cut, but it was painful and she had moved deeply into the yellow, nearing red. The focus on defense was saving her, and she had chipped Heathcliff Clone's HP down to almost the yellow. The battles had slowly subsided, each one ending with the trademark sound of the shatter of the polygons.

For almost 10 minutes, she had kept the Heathcliff Clone engaged with her. Her simple strikes and simple patterns were met with the same. That had confused Bladescape until she realized, in all the boss battles she had been in, none of what Commander Heathcliff did was fancy. The Clone had very little to utilize from the program.

Her battle had slowly drawn a crowd. No one was daring to step in. And that fact was frustrating Bladescape. She didn't have some monopoly on the fight, and there were still other battles happening. Plus, the Necromancer was still alive. Albeit, probably out of tricks.

Bladescape blocked a two-combo attack and bashed at Heathcliff with her pommel. It knocked him back a bit as he blocked it with his shield and Bladescape took a few steps back as well.

On the other side of Heathcliff, Bladescape saw AFCK bounce into view. She giggled, which ended with a snort, and taunted the clone. "Hey Clone of Heathcliff! Want some rock candy?"

It was enough of a question to trigger the Clone's AI system to turn to face the new threat. A threat that had her fist up and glowing. The attack was powerful and on point. The Clone blocked it with ease on his shield but it still sent him sliding back from the force.

Game, set, match.

Bladescape took AFCK's setup and thrust her sword home, piercing the back of Heathcliff's clone and skewing him halfway down her blade. She kicked him off her blade and swung again, decapitating him. The body shattered immediately but the head bounced twice on the floor before bursting into polygons.

Bladescape had no time to celebrate. The Necromancer was still alive and that meant he could do this again. The others had apparently forgotten it was a boss raid, not a duel.

Bladescape found the Necromancer behind them, on the platform where he had started. She started to move, but stopped and watched as Heathcliff jumped up next to him and ran him through with a simple stab. The Necromancer had only a tiny bit of HP left, which most likely meant Heathcliff had been tracking him and knocking it off as quickly as he could. The Necromancer looked like he was going to cast a spell while he was impaled, but he was stopped as his HP rapidly slipped away and he popped.

"You know," Heathcliff said, directing his attention to Bladescape. His voice was the usual smooth and collected voice of the scholar he looked like. "There is something unsettling about watching yourself be cut to shreds. Even though it was a clone, and it was well executed, it was not the easiest thing to watch."

"Um," Thunderborne said, stopped them from exchanging more words. "The Necromancer is dead but this fight isn't won. We didn't get the congratulations bar, song, or loot drop info."

Everyone gripped their weapons tightly, trying to see if the player beside them was a real player, or a clone the Necromancer had made. They had to find the red cursor in a sea of green ones.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" AFCK said, jumping up and down excitedly, hand raised in the air like she wanted the teacher to call on her. She was facing Heathcliff.

Another AFCK bounced excitedly over to her. She was in the orange inversion of the Wondercolts' blue. Everyone almost rushed her, but they were confused by their immediate interaction.

"You're right Atomic Fireball Candy King!" The clone exclaimed. "That was more fun killing the clones instead! Now, what more fun is there to have?" She was bouncing up and down with excitement. She was a perfect copy of an excited Pinkie Pie.

"You missed one clone Atomic Fireball Candy Queen," AFCK laughed, leaning on her Axe.

"I did? Where! Who!"

AFCK giggled. "You, silly!"

The giggles and laughs were over. AFCK swung her large axe up across her clone’s chest with a single hand. It was immediately transferred back to two hands as she rammed the end of the handle onto her Clone's forehead, ensuring it was off balance. With no delay AFCK brutally brought her Axe straight down overhead, slicing the clone in half and shattering it to polygons.

Everyone stood there in shock, even as the congratulations was given by the game and their menus popped up. Only Fuurinkazan had seen AFCK switch from giggles and laughs to fighting mode before. But they had never seen her actually being vicious about it. The fact that it looked like her, just with different armor, sent shivers down most player's spines.

"AFCK," Diemond said, not moving closer to her friend. "What just happened?"

"What?" AFCK asked, a touch of whine entering her voice. It was obvious that she thought they all understood what she had done. "Well, after Doombunny and I killed Doom's clone, we split up as ordered. I killed Kiefer's clone and then, um, your clone." She pointed to a player in the DDA, Schmitt. "Then I ran into my clone. I told her if she wanted to have the most fun possible, that she should go kill the other clones!"

"Why?" Thunderborne immediately asked for everyone. Everyone heard her question.

"Well duh," AFCK said, rolling her eyes. "It's a game. Even being trapped in here, all I want to do is have fun. So if it is a copy of me, then it wants to have fun too. It wasn't hard to convince her that killing the clones was more fun than killing the players. Because she is me. I wouldn't kill the players. So we didn't."

"There were two of you running around, killing our clones?" A member of the KOB asked.

"Yep!" AFCK giggled. The giggle stopped and she got serious. "That was my plan all along. You see, having a clone always sounds like a great idea, but before you know it, you're locked in a room with 50 copies of yourself watching paint dry."

No one had any idea what to say or what she was talking about. Not even the Wondercolts had any idea about what she had just said. AFCK casually glanced at the windows that had popped up in front of her. "Cool! It says Pew-gill-lists gloves. No idea what they are, but they sound cool!"

"I believe you mean Pugilists'," Astro said, correcting her. "It means boxer, or one who fights with their hands. As in, your Martial Arts Skill."

"Oh!” AFCK laughed. “That makes way more sense than pew. I thought it was the sound they made as they shot lists at your enemies from your fists."

Bladescape's palm loudly smacked her forehead in front of the entire raiding party. No matter what they thought of AFCK's sanity, they had all seen her help take down Heathcliff's clone and then viciously destroy her own. There was not a single raider present who would ever question her ability to fight on the front lines or against bosses.

They all drank health potions and checked their drop lists. The Wondercolts led the way as the entire raid party headed to Floor 60. As they got to the next Floor, Bladescape found Kirito beside her.

His voice was low, just enough to be heard by her. "When you sent me to fight your clone, I thought it was going to be a joke. That was as hard of a fight as my duel with Asuna on Floor 56. And I was fighting a monster AI, not you."

"I know my strengths and weaknesses," Bladescape replied quietly, but with a kind smile. "I also know you, Asuna, Heathcliff, and I are the best players in this world. I had to use my advantages to knock your clones out, and let you guys deal with mine. Your speed and reaction time are my downfall. I experienced that badly against your clone. I am afraid to think of how good you are as yourself. Honestly, I was expecting you to jump in and fight Heathcliff's clone with me."

"I didn't have time. No one was helping me fight yours. It's like they forgot it was a boss battle and it was a fun dueling event. I got there right before your friend stepped in and blasted him with that high-level Martial Arts skill. I also can't believe that she convinced her clone to fight the others."

"Oh I can," Bladescape chuckled. "She is right. The essence of her being here is for fun. She fights on the front lines not to get stronger, not to get better, but because it's the most fun thing she can do with her friends, and it means more fun once we are free. If you were to copy her, that is priority number one. It wouldn't be hard for her to flip a copy of herself to help her herself.

"And thankfully she stepped in. I know you said you were just arriving and about to. And it's appreciated that someone had the same mindset as me. Because you are right, it was like they were watching a dueling sporting event. I was only distracting the Commander's Clone and making sure he didn't kill anyone. Which he almost did. I didn’t want to test if I could kill him on my own or not. Thankfully, we don't have to worry about that. We might have been fighting clones, and had a few duels at times, but we are all on the same side. And it looks like Heathcliff put his energy to the best possible use, tracking and killing the Head Necromancer."

Kirito just nodded and tried to slip away. Bladescape grabbed his arm and pulled him back before he could. She had more to say.

"Kirito," Bladescape said, hesitating. Her voice was barely above a whisper. "That battle was unfair to us all and pure hell. But I haven't lost a close friend in battle yet. I've known players who died, I have tried to save a party and been unable to, and I saw their names today, but I have not lost friends. Most of mine are in my guild.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry about the slap, but it helped you focus. And I'm proud of you for that. You got your head on immediately and dealt with it. Exactly as you needed too.

"I also want you to know, we were using poison. I never hesitated. They were copies of analytics the system had, like physical looks and common attack patterns. A digital NPC version, of a skeleton monster with a name and face. No matter what, I didn't drag it out. I ended it as fast as possible. They never suffered."

"Thanks," Kirito said before slipping away, but Bladescape could tell from how he squared his shoulders that her words had helped put his mind at rest.

After the warp gate was triggered the two KOB squads met up with the Wondercolts. Commander Heathcliff had a question. "Forgive me, but I have to ask. I do not want to reveal any sensitive secrets, especially since I do not think anyone else noticed. I was fighting my way to where the Head Necromancer had teleported to, and the target I was facing went down by poison. On the other side of the polygons was Miss Doombunny; her snake familiar on her shoulders and a dagger in each hand. How is that possible? The game doesn't allow a player to wield two weapons. Or do you have a unique skill allowing you to wield two blades?"

"It isn't a full weapon," Doombunny explained. "After I completed the One-Handed Dagger a new skill opened up. When I had the Skill Slot, I chose it. I am the only player on the front line who primarily fights with a dagger. The Assault Team members are finally completing their main weapon skills, so anyone not on the front lines will still have a long way to go.

"I unlocked Fencing, a defensive skill that was most likely designed with those who use a rapier and speed-based swords in mind. The Skill allows me to use a specialized parrying dagger to defect and control an incoming strike. Or I can use a buckler. Both the buckler and parrying dagger only serve to deflect an incoming strike. I can't block an attack like a small shield can. It is a speed based defensive skill."

"You can't offensively use it?" Commander Heathcliff asked.

Doombunny shook her head and explained further. "While both parrying dagger and buckler are held out forward, neither are easily used for an offensive strike. There is an instance I can, but they don't come around easily. It isn't like a Sword Skill I can trigger at any moment. First and foremost, the target has to be in a delay or stunned. Second, I have to be in the right position as that delay happens. Then it will trigger a counter strike with the dagger. That is the only time it can happen. But if something lunges at me, they are welcome to impale themselves on the offered blade. The point is, I am not swinging two blades around. I am using a specialized Skill, and then a special deflection tool that isn't a shield."

"Interesting," Commander Heathcliff said, filing it away. "Thank you for explaining that. And I must add, congratulations on completing the dagger skill. It is very impressive to have a primary dagger fighter on the front line."

"Colorra is the main reason I can be," Doombunny said with a grin. "But don't underestimate me without her."

"I have seen you without her against Yamata," Commander Heathcliff reminded them all. "Wonderful job Wondercolts and your two additions. You all did amazingly, and have been key in moving this front line forward all these months. We need more players like you."

They departed, but Second-in-command Asuna turned around with a fire in her eyes and came back. "You, Bladescape, you grabbed Kirito's arm as we were all making our way here. I have never seen him let anyone do that. Why?"

The question was obviously green, soaked in masked jealousy. Asuna and Kirito, only a few floors back, had dueled to decide how to proceed with a field boss plan. There had been a lot of friction over the months, particularly since Floor 25, between them. Something had apparently changed. The only thing that had happened recently enough was them solving some murder mystery case. Bladescape didn't know the details well, but it happened as the Wondercolts' internal issue was still unfolding and being cleaned up. She didn’t have time to focus elsewhere.

From the brief reading of the paper Bladescape did on it, the two of them solved the crime of player deaths in Safe Zones in Danac, which had happened several days before. It turned out to be two players faking their own deaths to draw out a previous guild member for some fallout that happened in an old guild and to get a confession of some kind from him.

Bladescape played it calm with Asuna to not upset the delicate situation between her and Kirito. She also didn't need Asuna mad at her for something that didn't exist. She knew her own jealousy at times. Bladescape had to make sure Asuna understood that she wasn't lying, but there were some things better left unsaid about the fight.

"I grabbed his arm to keep him from stepping away," Bladescape plainly explained. "We traded a few words about private observations on the battle. Things we ran into together and had to deal with as we faced the mental torment. I thanked him for some actions on his part. The biggest was him taking care of my clone, which proved to be a bigger hassle than I thought it would be. Once I had thanked him for those private things, I let go."

Asuna's stare lingered.

"Look," Bladescape said, stepping closer to Asuna and dropping her voice so they couldn't be overheard. "Sure, Kirito is an alright guy once you poke through his outer shell. I got to see a few holes tonight and I got to see a few others the other day. I appreciate that. But it's Kirito. I don't want the Black Swordsman to be anything more than a friend. I dislike being acquaintances. My point is, I have too much to deal with within my own guild and some internal problems. You know how it is, being Second-in-command yourself. Things get hectic and crazy. I don't even have time for myself. I want nothing more from him than to actually have him accept my friend request."

Asuna silently judged her words. She finally gave a single nod and followed after the other KOB members. Bladescape was relieved she passed that trial.

After they were alone, they took Riklored and Lobelia out for a drink, like they always did, and the twelve of them toasted to a successful battle with no deaths. A tough one mentally, a close one statistically, but no deaths.

Lobelia was the one who asked. "Miss AFCK, what exactly are those gloves? If it is not rude to ask."

AFCK was in the middle of a big gulp of mead and she didn't stop as she opened her menu and popped them onto the table. Her empty mug slammed onto the table and she burped. "Oops," She giggled.

Diemond picked them up and read the information. "It says 50% reduction in Martial Art Sword Skill delay period, 10% attack boost, and 10% critical damage boost to all Martial Art attacks while being worn."

"That is a good one," Bladescape said, lifting her glass to AFCK. "You deserve it. That trick with your clone, that was impressive. And you actually helped me against Heathcliff's clone when no one else would."

"Yeah, I was deep in the red," Thunderborne admitted. "I was trying to regain my HP to a safe level."

"I know," Bladescape said before anyone else could speak. "But too many players were seeing a duel, not a boss battle. So I am really glad the LAB went to a Wondercolt, or one of our squadmates, because I know how hard you worked."

"Are you sure you're not jealous?" AFCK asked, a bit meekly. "We all know how hard you have been working for a Lab."

"Oh, I am," Bladescape admitted. "But a good jealousy. I'll get my LAB soon enough. This was good motivation for me to get my own Floor Boss Last Attack Bonus. You deserved this one though. And you need those gloves. Your transitions between axe and fists in combat are going really well."

"Aww," AFCK sighed, happily as her eyes began to water. "Thanks Blade. Besties for life!"

"Besties for life!" Bladescape declared back.

"Is anyone wondering why it went to AFCK, and not Heathcliff?" Astro asked. "In all the battles with minions, the boss is the one who drops the LAB. Any minions left, they don't count. That has been proven a few times, by us Wondercolts too. Why did AFCK get the gloves?"

"Cause it's AFCK?" Thunderborne shrugged.

No one else had any other idea why the Last Attack Bonus went to AFCK. Logistically, it didn't matter. The battle was so twisted, it would haunt many of them for weeks to come. If that trick was played on Floor 59, then worse ones had to be awaiting them.

Bladescape was even more determined to get the Last Attack Bonus. There was way less jealousy than when Thunderborne had gotten her rapier, but it was still there. AFCK was Pinkie Pie. And Pinkie Pie was one of those people who made it hard to be jealous of them because she usually looked like she had no idea what she was doing. Which was true for a good half of the time, at least. You could easily get mad at Pinkie Pie, and Sunset Shimmer did for a lot of reasons, but this time, Pinkie Pie was just being herself, and she did exactly what they needed her to do.

Bladescape raised her mug. "I noticed we Wondercolts all moved up a level. We have been working hard, so well done all!"

A round of cheers went up at the optimistic news.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 80 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry -- ?
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 73 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 76 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 73 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 73 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 75 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 73 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 70 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts -- ?
Lessa: Lvl 70 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search -- ?
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 55 - Skill Slot 11

Front Line - Floor 60

April 26 - Year 2

Bladescape sat on her bed, looking at the Skills on Argo's master list. It was the morning after they killed the Necromancer, she was now Level 80, and most importantly she had a new Skill Slot available. Unlike the other slots, she didn't know what Skill she was going to choose. She had promised Argo a few days before that she would choose something relaxing or fun. She promised to find an escape.

A knock came at the door. Bladescape didn't stop reading while she called that they could enter.

"You okay, Sugarcube?"

Bladescape looked up at Backbreaker. She was in her full armor, war hammer dangling from her hip.

"Yeah," Bladescape replied. "Why?"

"Fer starters, you missed breakfast. No food fights, but I had to tell Astro and Thunder when they could get seconds. And now I find you sittin' on your bed, still in your sleepwear."

"I lost track of time," Bladescape admitted as she glanced at her internal clock.

"That's what has me concerned," Backbreaker replied. "You don't lose track of time. What're you working on?”

"I hit 80 yesterday," Bladescape said, grinning despite her best efforts. "I'm trying to pick a Skill for my new slot. I have a promise to keep, but it isn't easy."

"What promise?"

"I promised Argo I would do a fun, relaxing Skill. But I haven't found anything interesting."

"When did you make that promise?"

Bladescape thought for a second. "Two days ago, when she visited us after the boss raid meeting. She was checking in about Knightstar."

"Ah," Backbreak said with a slight nod. "You guys 've always talked, but when did you get so close?"

Bladescape chuckled with a smile. "You were on your fishing break. Argo came to us to hide out. Remember when we did the Necromancer quest, and she was orange?" Backbreaker nodded. "She was orange because of Iliad's proxy attempt to stop her so he could get ahead. There was some other stuff that happened between them, which ultimately ended in him killing at least three NPCs so the quests couldn't be finished by her. That is why we didn’t have info on the Necromancer. She came to us to hide out for a few days and let things cool down.

"Doom and I helped her oust him for his crimes. We stepped out of the guild to lose our tags, disguised ourselves in the same clothes as Argo, dyed our hair, painted ourselves black so you couldn't tell us from Argo, and the three of us confronted him, in public, in front of players we know of who work the front lines, and we actually forced him into a full duel against Doombunny who was a stand in for Argo. It was this whole bait and switch thing. I actually forced his hand to accept the duel. He was left paralyzed, crying, admitting all he had done against her, the assault team, and other players. He was disgraced and blacklisted. Then we joined back up with the guild and Argo stayed a few more days with us, keeping a low profile. A nonexistent profile. She needed to hide while the rest of the players learned what Iliad did, but not her part in bringing him down beyond what we did publicly.

"Anyway, that is something that happened on your break. The others don't know exactly what we did. It wasn't discussed, only that we were helping Argo, and it is best if they can claim no knowledge of it."

"Got it," Backbreaker nodded. "And forgotten. Still, Sugarcube, you have that promise to keep. Take a few days off, try different Skills, and figure out what will help you relax. We need you at your best, but we don't need you to have another combat skill. Try bakin', or sewin'."

Bladescape raised her eyebrow at Backbreaker, the unasked question obvious to her friend.

"Okay, neither of those are your thing. But we have the extra metal, go bang out a sword, or try to make a breastplate, or throw out a line and catch a fish. Just go try stuff.

"I'll handle the guild. Between Astro and Kiefer, I'll have all the help I'll need. It's openin' Floor clearin' stuff. If we hit a field boss-"

“Don't tell me," Bladescape interrupted. "Just don't tell me. I'll take a few days to figure out what I will do to put my mind at ease. I won't get locked into combat."

"Good," Backbreaker smiled. I'll go tell the others and get them movin'."

"I'll get breakfast out, somewhere," Bladescape added.

"Good," Backbreaker chuckled nervously. "Cause I kinda forgot to make sure Thunder and Astro left food for you."

Bladescape chuckled. "It is not easy controlling them for breakfast."

"No it ain't," Backbreaker smiled as she left to get the rest of the guild moving.

Bladescape changed into a nice outfit Diemond had made her. She hesitated when she went to leave her room. She had said no combat, but she had run into Laughing Coffin once before, and that other gang. She grabbed her sword and armor and put them in her storage. Just to be safe.

Everyone had already departed. Bladescape jumped to Floor 48. She was going to get Harmonic Salvation upgraded. Lisbeth should have the materials by now for her upgrade. She could then get breakfast while the enhancement was being applied and figure out what she should try first.

She was fortunate when she arrived to find that for once there wasn't a line waiting outside. She entered the blacksmith shop and found that while there wasn't a line, several players were already browsing Lisbeth's wares. From the noise, she was working in the back. A short while later, Second-in-Command Asuna came out of the back, laughing with Lisbeth.

"Thanks again, Lis," Asuna said. "I'll see you later."

As Asuna departed, the other players began to jockey for Lisbeth's attention. Bladescape asked without thinking as Asuna walked by.

"Second-in-Command?"

Asuna's hand was on the door handle, but she stopped. She gave Bladescape an odd look. Bladescape immediately thought she addressed her wrong. "I mean Lightning Flash."

Asuna sighed. "Look, I wasn't giving you a look for the name. I was confused about you talking to me. We haven't exactly ever talked. But at the same time, we haven't exactly been mere acquaintances. Other than the sale, I don't know if we have been in the same room as each other without it being some form of meeting. Still, call me Asuna. After yesterday, well I heard how you handled my clone. And then I saw you handle the Commander's clone. I couldn't pick up my sword against it, not even to help you. It was too real. You are an active guild right there besides us in our quest to free everyone. And all of your members are top notch players who sacrifice yourselves for the good of us all."

"Thanks," Bladescape said with a smile. "And my friends call me Blade. I understand you not being able to help me, but that wasn't what I wanted to ask you about. I wanted to know what you do to relax. For fun? What do you, one of the top players, do to relax? I am asking because I don't have anything and everyone is afraid I'll crack. Rightly so."

"Oh," Asuna said, surprised. "Well I cook and sew. I'm very close to maxing out my Cooking Skill!"

"Nice," Bladescape replied with a nod. "Congratulations on that progress and I hope to hear that it wasn't much longer. I didn't take you for a cook though. Doesn't the guild have support players for that?"

"They do, but I don't live at the KoB headquarters like the Commander, or you guys do as yours. I'm one of the senior officers he insists that have a place of their own. The guild bought and furnished my place. So I cook often enough. I enjoy it. If I eat guild food, it is usually packed for us to use on the long days in the field."

Asuna paused. "And the secret to my success, skill wise, was Knightstar's guide."

"I see," Bladescape nodded. "I assume it was a third party buy, because that could be an interesting conundrum."

"Less so now," Asuna added. "But it could have been."

Bladescape sighed. "Well, cooking and sewing are not my thing. I would know. It's not like Diemond or AFCK would have a problem with it. Both of them would enthusiastically take me under their wing. Which is something I also kind of don't want."

Asuna nodded in understanding. "I have an unrelated question for you. What does AFCK stand for?"

Bladescape chuckled. "Atomic Fireball Candy. Apparently she had that candy right before setting up her character. It's this hot, cinnamon hard candy. And the K is either Knight or King. I lost track ages ago. It probably changes depending on the moment."

“I thought King was what her clone called her," Asuna said. "And she called her clone Atomic Fireball Candy Queen. Is she always so…"

"Distracted and bubbly?" Bladescape finished.

"That is one way to put it," Asuna replied.

"Yes, she is," Bladescape said with a chuckle. "I.R.L. she is just as bouncy as she is in here. Play a lullaby, she will either sing along, or fall asleep. The other day she made a decent amount of Col from showing off sand castle art she did at the sand crabs. She apparently made a detailed replica of the Town of Beginnings and other players were paying to see it. It doesn't take her long. She is either on point, or wildly off. We are a bit concerned, but she is brilliant. Recently, in an academic contest, she baked a cake in the home-economics challenge, and when she cut it in half, the Mona Lisa was there. That is who she is. Creative and strong."

“Interesting," Asuna replied. "Watching her kill her clone, and I saw her kill several others too, she is a fighting force to be reckoned with."

"Just don't be surprised when you get the odd parts, like when she got those pugilist gloves and thought they were gloves that shot lists and made a pew sound. Once you clear past that, she is quite intelligent and easy to work with. Mostly."

Asuna chuckled. "Well, good luck finding a hobby. There is a lot to do in Aincrad. I know you can find something. I have guild business to attend to, and can now that my sword is back up to full strength."

"Thanks," Bladescape replied. "Your time was appreciated. Good luck with the business. I have to drop my sword off to be enhanced."

Asuna departed and Bladescape walked up to the counter. The males were still fighting over Lisbeth, which was annoying her. Bladescape stepped behind the counter and pulled Harmonic Salvation out of her storage. "You have the stuff to enhance it as planned, correct?"

"I do," Lisbeth said, ignoring the guys and taking the sword. "I will get it done by tomorrow morning. Lunch at the latest."

"I'm on a rest break," Bladescape replied. "I'll come back around noon tomorrow to pick her up. I have a spare, if I absolutely have to use a weapon. A basic, low level blade, but the drugs I have on hand can compensate for that on the floors I'll be on."

Lisbeth nodded in understanding. She was almost constantly working on one or another of Doombunny's daggers. She had gotten used to the Wondercolts fighting tactics.

Bladescape departed so Lisbeth could deal with the customers and then side tracked herself from breakfast. On a whim, she went to see Rendil.

"Good morning!" Rendil extravagantly greeted her. "What brings a leader of the Wondercolts to me? Especially the one without a shield."

"I need a hobby skill," Bladescape explained. "I have a new skill slot and a promise to find something to help me relax. That is my current guild assignment. I don't have interest in armor, or cooking, or weapon smithing, but the Wondercolts don't have a shield maker. Not that I would be any use, and I know I can do the same skill as any of our other players, but I just dropped off my sword for enhancement, which won't be ready today. So I figured, you helped Diemond, which really helped us, perhaps you could give me a jumpstart on shield smithing and we can see if I even like it? I don't mind paying for your assistance."

Rendil smiled warmly at her. “I don't have any orders right now, so why not? I have a good stock of materials too. I can sell you what you need."

They settled on a price for her tutorship and Bladescape dropped Shield Crafting into her 11th Skill slot. They went into the back and Bladescape began to learn how to make shields. There were a variety of factors to think about beyond material, which was mostly centered on design, but design was rarely aesthetic and focused on function. She made a dozen shields under his direction, but by the sixth one she knew it wasn't for her, and so did Rendil, but she trusted him.

Rendil had her make the extras to give her a canvas to work on. They tried Heraldic Painting next, which also was a bust. Bladescape was not enthusiastic about painting designs on shields, even if she was a pretty decent artist I.R.L.

Bladescape sighed when they gave up on that. "I love playing the guitar, but an electric guitar. None of the instruments in SAO felt right. We tried that a while ago.”

"I can understand that," Rendil replied. "But let me show you one more thing."

Bladescape tried making applications on the shields. It was the same Skill as Heraldic Painting, just a bit different in how you went about the “heraldry.” Bladescape wasn't bad at it either, but it just didn't grab her attention. Painting as a Skill, having the system even partially determining the quality of her work instead of purely her own talents, was too different from painting I.R.L. for her to really enjoy it the same way. Maybe if she had started with the Skill at the beginning, like Diemond and AFCK. things would be different, but right now she was trying to relax, and all she was doing was make herself more frustrated.

"Thanks, Rendil," Bladescape said. "This was a good starting point. I appreciate the time. You were a great teacher."

"Hey, I didn't have anything else to do and you paid me. That is a win win for me."

Bladescape sighed. "I guess it's time to melt the shields down for salvageable metal."

"Keep them," Rendil encouraged. "They are good shields for just starting out. The only thing wrong with them is that you don't like making shields or painting them. You did a good job regardless, so keep them as a reminder of your success in the field, even though you decided to not pursue it. It shows you didn't waste your time or money. And for someone like a dedicated member of the Assault Team, as you are. Time management is key."

Bladescape grunted. "Alright. And you are right. They do prove I didn't waste my time. And they are good shields. I will put one up in my room for now. I don't have room for the other ones right now."

She bid Rendil farewell and got lunch. After that, she jumped to Floor 22 and tried Fishing. It was more boring than she expected, and the system made catching fish easier in game than in real life. So long as the bait she used was the right type for the fish she was after, bites were guaranteed. The hard part was making sure you pulled the fish in and didn't lose it. She tried longer for Backbreaker’s sake, but it was useless.

Bladescape wandered down to Floor 1, the Town of Beginnings. She went to see Mo. Mo had plenty of options for her. The most obvious one she gave was questing. She gave Bladescape a list of quests Mo wanted done, but couldn’t complete. Mo’s combat skills weren't high enough to handle the three solo quests she gave her. They were all primarily puzzle quests, but the areas they were in were still dangerous.

They would require combat, specifically if you failed the puzzle, so Bladescape decided to wait until Harmonic Salvation was ready. Even though it had combat, questing was uniquely different from combat. She was puzzle solving or playing through a story, not grinding for XP or Col. Although, some of the XP and Col rewards were worth the hassle of the quest. Why Mo wanted the items was not discussed, but it would give Bladescape an edge on Mo to leverage her if need be.

Bladescape finished the day in the backyard, throwing daggers while she waited for the rest to get back. Her success with the shields and painting them were praised by the others, but they also understood it wasn’t for her. AFCK decided to hang the shields up along the stairs to show them off, which was fine with Bladescape.

After dinner, Bladescape hung out with Diemond. It had been a while since they had actually sat and chatted. Diemond was working on a specific line to sell at her next sale, a single day only sale, but she was still able to devote most of her mind to Bladescape.

“You gave it an honorable go,” Diemond encouraged her. “Honestly, working on these clothes doesn’t exactly calm me. It keeps me sane, but it presents its own insanity. I couldn’t not make clothes in our current state either, as the creativity just flows naturally and needs an outlet, and I enjoy some of the challenges and keeping my skills sharp, but very little of it is relaxing. I am stress sewing most of the time. It does the trick, but it isn’t a vacation like BB when she goes fishing.”

Bladescape sighed, frustrated. “Thanks. That's good to know. We will keep an eye on you, just to be safe.”

“Keep it on all of us,” Diemond said. “Although, I can barely keep myself together. I can’t watch out for you, BB, and AFCK, let alone the others. We have to practice our own self care first and foremost. And that is still sewing for me. Skill or not, self care is important.”

Diemond stepped close to Bladescape and whispered in her ear. “Don’t tell anyone, but Thunder goes to a spa on her days off. And I know she paints her toes. Her attempts to keep it a secret are rather adorable. I can always tell when she gets back because she has that spa sparkle about her. And her fingernails are polished and have a clear coat on them.”

Bladescape chuckled at the idea of how much damage that information could do to Thunderborne if that secret was discovered. If they were not in a death game, she would needle her just to get a response from her. But now wasn’t the time for that kind of friendly teasing.

Bladescape let AFCK know she was going to sleep in late. AFCK promised to have something in the dining room for her. She insisted on making her breakfast. Bladescape retired early.

After waking up late, she enjoyed the cold breakfast AFCK had made her. It was topped off with a Sunset Shimmer themed cupcake. AFCK always knew what to do for her friends, at least when it came to cooking and treats.

Lisbeth was done with Harmonic Salvation. Bladescape paid for the work, set the next order, to Lisbeth’s annoyance, and took the blade. She had added another Sharpness Enhancement order. Harmonic Salvation was now +12. Bladescape had 28 more attempts to enhance Harmonic Salvation left. Hopefully they would all take so the blade was a fully finished product at +40. Her goal was to have it maxed by the boss fight on Floor 70.

Technically, the blade was now Harmonic Salvation 2A4D4H1Q3S, or 2 Accuracy enhancements added for improved critical chance, 4 Durability added to make it a hardier blade, 4 Heaviness which increased the chance of breaking the opponent’s weapon or armour, 1 Quickness which helped the speed of attacks, and 3 Sharpness which increased the weapon’s damage. Blunt weapons used Toughness instead of Sharpness.

With blade in hand, Bladescape teleported to a city on the 51st Floor. The first quest for Mo was there. Bladescape headed to the palace and inquired about the quest to trigger it. She had to rescue a princess, solo. It sounded simple enough, except you had to solve one puzzle. If you failed, you fought a high-level shape shifting witch. To date, 68 attempts had been made on the quest, and all had failed. No one had been able to beat the witch because it was a solo quest. According to Mo, Kirito had passed on the quest, leaving Bladescape Mo’s only hope at getting the item called the “Dish of Rhygenydd the Cleric.” Mo’s goal for the dish was unclear, but there was more at stake than just the dish. It felt like it was a part of a larger quest.

Bladescape made her way north, to the ruins on the Floor. As she left the safe zone, an NPC called out an offer for renting a horse. Bladescape stopped and turned, looking at the chestnut horse he had saddled and ready. The ability to rent a horse was extremely common. Most towns had at least one stable, more if it was the main settlement. Most players ignored them. Horses were tough to control in the game, or so she had heard.

Bladescape had the Col, so she paid for the rental and put her foot in the stirrup. She had ridden some of Applejack's horses before, but never very far or fast, and it felt just as odd now as it had then. She was comfortable, but there was the lingering knowledge that she was a pony riding a horse. That idea was just wrong, but she gripped the reins and kicked lightly with her heels like she had been taught at Sweet Apple Acres.

It took a bit to figure out the quirks of the system that didn't quite line up with the Real World and get a move on. By now, she could have been halfway to the ruins, but she kept going, prodding it to move. She was supposed to be in control, but she also understood the mind of a horse. If it was anything like she was as a pony, it was stubborn and would require a firm grip and force to do what she needed it to do.

It was a frustrating learning curve, but she soon began to enjoy the ride. It took her far longer to get to the ruins than walking, even without the Sprint Skill, would have taken.

Once at the ruins, she dismounted. Her leg got caught in the stirrup and she fell off the horse as she tripped on the dismount. She stood up and dusted herself off while the horse whinnied, almost as if it was mocking her. She tied the reins to a post and walked into the ruins.

There were a few bandits she easily dispatched on her way to the only tower still completely standing. She got there and entered the hole that had been broken into the wall. She found herself in what was, long ago, a grand hall. The once brilliant carpet resisted the decay of time as best as it could.

She entered the next room in an attempt to find the stairs. Instead she was in another hall. On the far side was a throne and on it was a woman. Lining the walls were tables. On them were all types of items of various materials.

“Welcome,” the NPC said. “What brings you here?”

“I seek the princess,” Bladescape plainly replied.

“To win her, you must pass my test,” the woman said, not moving. “Bring me the Dish of Rhygenydd the Cleric, and you can have her.”

Bladescape glanced back and forth at the tables. Not everything on them was tableware. Some were great treasures, others weapons, and still more were simple items. Pieces of Col were also scattered about.

“I give you a warning,” she suddenly said. “Bring me the wrong dish, and you will face my true form, and the princess will remain forever beyond your reach. Taking any object other than the dish will trigger my anger as well. Even touching the sacred items will trigger my wrath. So, do you wish to proceed?”

Mo had warned Bladescape that there was no known way to tell what the dish looked like. Bladescape didn’t think it would be this difficult to decide. She had thought there would be a few obvious choices, not a hoard to search through. Bladescape was outwitted from the start. She began to walk up and down the tables, first picking out the tableware from the rest of the items, an important step since touching any of them was prohibited.

The witch began to tap on the wooden armrest of the throne. It immediately began to do its job, drilling into Bladescape’s mind, making it harder for her to concentrate and making her feel rushed. She forced herself to calm down and continued.

“It is a simple task,” the witch said, startling Bladescape. It was more pressure.

Bladescape tried to turn things in her favor. “What does the dish do?”

“Whatever you desire to eat, it will be found there.”

Bladescape grinned. That was the key. She had to desire to eat something so strongly she would find the dish. Except she wasn’t hungry.

Bladescape wracked her brain, trying to decide what she wanted to eat. It couldn’t be a full meal, or even a normal thing. AFCK could now cook most of what they wanted, at least by taste. There wasn’t anything lacking in the food and flavor department for the Wondercolts.

Bladescape snorted as she remembered the one thing AFCK had not been able to replicate: Ice Cream. Bladescape stretched out her hand, fingers almost touching the nearest bowl. It was silver and intricately carved in a geometric pattern. There was no response so she pulled back her fingers. She skipped the next few items, looking for any pattern. Bowls and plates were made out of gold, silver, tin, bronze, wood, and clay, and they came in a variety of styles from plain to painted, or etched, gilded, and jewel encrusted. There were no obvious stand outs.

Bladescape paused as her eyes caught sight of a jar. It was a ceramic piece with a lid sitting beside it. Laying against it was a silver tiara. It was a trap because of the tiara and it needed the lid to complete the dish, which few other items had. Bladescape moved her fingers to almost touch the jar.

“Is that your choice?”

The sudden question made her flinch and her fingers hit the jar’s rim. Bladescape pressed them in, making sure she didn’t let go. If she did, it sounded like it would be an automatic fail. She carefully picked up its lid and used it to edge the tiara away so that she could pick the entire thing up without touching it.

Bladescape faced the witch, narrowing her eyes. Now that she had the item in her hand, she could be angry. The witch had tricked her into taking the dish. She should not be as surprised as she was. She put the lid on it and then prepared to calmly present the dish to her.

She began to walk to the throne. Something was bothering here about the quest. She stopped several paces away.

“Well?” the witch asked. “What are you waiting for?”

Bladescape picked up the lid and peaked inside. The air inside wafted out, nipping at her nose. It was very cold inside. The frozen cold of ice cream. She had the right dish.

Except the quest was to rescue the princess, with the dish as the reward. There was no way giving it to the witch would allow her to get it back.

“Why didn’t you find it yourself?” Bladescape warily asked.

“It is not my task to complete, but yours,” She smiled back. “It is your test, to see if you are worthy.”

“And if I take it and walk?”

She smiled coyly, like a spider enjoying her trapped prey’s struggle against the unyielding web. “You want the princess, don’t you?”

“I want the dish,” Bladescape replied. “Why should I give it to you? I have what I came for. The quest reward was listed, including the Dish of Rhygenydd the Cleric.”

The witch stood up. “I can’t take it myself, the Cleric’s magic is too strong, but if I am handed it, it is mine. The princess in the tower holds the power over it, thus keeping me from taking it. Hence our trade."

Bladescape slowly knelt down and set the jar on the ground. As she stood she drew Harmonic Salvation.

The witch snorted. “Do you intend to fight me instead of giving it to me?”

Bladescape calmly explained her logic. “No matter what I do, I don’t see how I can get the dish and the princess. It is a trap. A clever one. No matter what the other 68 players chose, they would always fail.”

Her smile was wiped away and Bladescape grinned instead. “I don’t think I introduced myself, princess. I am Bladescape, leader of the Wondercolts.”

“Very clever,” she spat. “I was locked away by my own father for disobeying him. I loved a man he disapproved of. Instead, he told him to find the Dish of Rhygenydd the Cleric, and that it would open the door to my tower. When he came here, he was attacked by my father’s men and slain. Instead of going home as expected, I decided to disguise myself as a witch, who held the princess captive and who also wanted the very dish my love was sent to find for my hand. The knights who killed my beloved were not ready for my skill. I kill all I can to make my father suffer for his crimes.

“Of course, now that you know, I can’t let you leave.”

Bladescape had been waiting for those words. She leapt the last few feet, over the jar, swinging her sword. The blade glowed green and swung true. It slipped through thin air as the witch princess transformed into a frog, dropping below her blade’s path.

Immediately she became a snake and struck. Her fangs failed to pierce the dagannoth plate. Bladescape savagely kicked her, sending her flying across the room and thudding into the wall where she transformed back into her human form, dazed. Bladesaped launched a throwing pick before she could move, pinning her with a paralysis effect.

Bladescape walked over to her and put the tip of Harmonic Salvation against her throat.

“Wait!” She screamed. She couldn’t move and she knew it was over. Bladescape nodded though, and she continued. “I know where my father has hidden many things. Tudwal’s Whetstone is one and so is The Halter of Eiddin Klydno. I know their secrets.”

Bladescape recognized both of those names. They were the main reward of the other two quests Mo had given her. If she knew, then the quests were certainly connected in some way.

“Tell me and I will sheath my blade,” Bladescape said, digging the tip into her throat for added assurance.

“The whetstone's secret is that it is coarse. It isn’t smooth. It is a block of coarse, blue granite. To get past the guard you must answer his three questions. The first is always the place you were born. He knows if you are telling the truth or not. The second is the weight of my father’s crown. The weight is the empire he rules. The last question is whether white or black better. It is a trick question. The answer is that they are a duality and cannot exist without the other. Therefore, neither can be better than the other, for that would upset their balance.”

“And the halter?”

“You must ride a horse through the yellow gate. But be careful, for a knight is on the other side, already charging at you. To pass through is to be skewered on his lance. The knight’s mount is using the halter. He must be beaten to claim it."

Bladescape sighed. She pulled her blade from the princess' neck and sheathed it. She turned around to get the jar while she slipped her hand to her throwing picks. The paralysis had worn off, and the deal wasn’t that she would get to leave with it.

As Bladescape had predicted, the witch launched herself at her, shifting into the shape of a dragon. Bladescape flipped two picks at her, forcing her to shift to a hawk instead to avoid the picks. Harmonic Salvation rang out clear as she was drawn and sliced through the hawk before she could change again. The pieces shattered. The princess witch was dead with such a simple trick, it was almost hard to believe. However, it was a puzzle quest, not a kill quest.

Bladescape sheathed Harmonic Salvation and picked up the jar. She put it in her inventory and went in search of her horse. She found the horse where it was left and she began to ride to the major city.

If she was going to have to face a charging knight while on horseback, Bladescape had to become better at riding. She worked on everything she could think of, particularly making tight turns so she could get exactly where she needed to attack from.

The extra time spent on the horse meant that it was sundown by the time she was back at the palace. This time she strode through it, past guards who were trying to stop her. She ignored them and threw open the double doors to the throne room.=

“What is going on!” The king yelled, standing up and grabbing the hilt of his sword.

“I come with news of your daughter,” Bladescape declared. The guards halted their attacks and she was beckoned in further. Bladescape got all the way to the throne before she spoke again. She bowed and then gave him the news. “Your daughter died, ages ago.”

“What!” he exclaimed.

“The witch killed her, and lured more to their deaths by telling you she had possession of her. With each kill, she became stronger.”

“And the Dish of Rhygenydd the Cleric? Did it even exist then?”

Bladescape lied. “I never found out. She attacked me because I had figured out her plan. I killed her though, and that is how I learned what she had done to the princess. Her bones were in the tower’s top room.”

“I see,” the king sighed. “That is dark news indeed. I must mourn my daughter’s passing. Please, go.”

“Sir? My adventures lead me many places. Places that require a sharp sword. I could use a better whetstone than what I currently have. Do you know where I can get one?”

He looked at her, trying to pierce through to her soul. “I will gladly give you my personal whetstone in exchange for Tudwal’s Whetstone. Speak to my clerk about the details. I have to mourn. Leave me!”

Bladescape quickly walked out, head held high. She got the details from the clerk and headed to the teleport plaza. She teleported to the Town of Beginnings and sprinted to Mo’s.

The door was unlocked, the lights were off, but Mo wasn’t inside. At least, not by first glance. “Mo!” Bladescape called. Mo operated out of a shop, which meant they typically had hours set by the owner to keep others out. After the third time she was getting concerned. Mo had many special things hidden away. An unlocked shop was unwise.

A bookshelf along the back wall swung open and a tired Mo walked out with a yawn. She was wearing a sleeping outfit Bladescape instantly recognized. Diemond had made it. It was what AFCK wore, except it in a soft grey blue.

“I have the jar,” Bladescape said, opening her menu.

Mo stretched and yawned loudly as she ignored Bladescape and walked to the back room. She came back with a box. Bladescape had the jar in her hands.

“Put it in here,” Mo said firmly. She wasn’t joking. She obviously didn't want to touch it.

Bladescape put it inside and Mo immediately shut the box up and took it to the back. When she came back out she gestured to the sitting area. Bladescape sighed and sat down on the couch across from her.

“So, you got the dish. And the rest of the reward?”

“The quest is still opened,” Bladescape stated. “The witch was the princess. That is the short version. I figured it out in time and killed her. But she did confirm her treacherous switch.”

Mo leaned forward, elbows on her knees as she toyed with a bracelet on her forearm.

“I was afraid of that,” Mo finally stated. “That was the first quest on the list. Do you have another?”

“Yes,” Bladescape replied, trying to keep Mo from seeing all her cards. Bladescape was appropriately wary of Mo’s intentions.

Mo stopped playing with the bracelet and pulled her menu up. She locked the shop’s door with it and stood up. “I will be right back with some tea.”

It was a short wait for the tea. Bladescape nodded for her to continue as she took her own cup and sipped the hot and calming tea.

"I was not sure if it would be finished or not,” Mo stated after taking a sip. “The Glass Tower Quest is a large quest with lots of smaller ones inside. I have gotten references to it, but I can’t figure out how to trigger the overarching quest. I couldn’t beat the witch if I failed. I made a calculated choice withholding that information. But you outsmarted her, there is no point in trying to match wits with you.”

“What is the Glass Tower Quest?” Bladescape asked.

“It refers to the Arthurian Legends and Merlin’s magical glass tower where he kept the 13 most powerful items in the kingdom. Items of great power, as odd as some of them might be.”

“Like a dish that makes whatever you want?”

Mo snorted. “Hardly. Try a coat that fits any sized man of high stature, and will never fit a man unworthy of it like a commoner. Or a knife that would serve for 24 men at a table. I don’t know all of the legends exactly. What I know I had to drag out of a few players with some hefty coin. And that doesn’t mean all of the items will be a direct copy.”

“I’m no good at this,” Bladescape sighed. Knightstar was who she needed, but at this point she couldn’t go to her. It was still too early to reach her guarded friend.

“You are better than me,” Mo stated. “But I know this, the original legends state that Merlin is sleeping there in the glass tower with the items. But if they are spread around Aincrad, I am certain that the tower itself holds more. We just need to collect the items for Merlin. He will show himself when the time is right. Those 3 quests I gave you are the first three in the Glass Tower Quest.”

"So, I have to find these items and hope we can figure out how to get into this tower?"

Mo nodded. "Some of these items, the ones not listed in the quests but are in the legends, are items of great value tactically for this game. A sword, a concealing cloak, and potentially others. Merlin, or the tower, or whatever, might have things we can trade for as well."

Bladescape sighed, setting the empty teacup down on the table. "So, you expect me to continue these quests for you off of the idea of a maybe for potential magical loot?"

"Very nice use of the triple vague words," Mo congratulated her with a smile. "I know, it was a nasty trick, but you said you were looking for a hobby. I offered questing to you. Did you enjoy it?"

Bladescape grumbled. "No. I didn't."

"But you are hooked with no idea what else to do and without a skill to choose for what, your 9th slot?

"10th," Bladescape said, purposefully triggering her trap with false information.

"Be my pawn for the next few days, and I will make it worth your while. Somehow."

"An interesting offer," Bladescape replied. "Does your pawn get full disclosure?”

"Of course. What little it may be."

"How about that amulet as a reward? The one we are not to speak of."

Mo narrowed her eyes at Bladescape sparring with her in a test of willpower.

"If that trinket is all you think you are worth, I will spare it."

Bladescape grunted, acknowledging her defeat. "I have to know I can trust you. I need that assurance. Then we can divvy up the rewards, or swap, when this is done."

"Deal," Mo coyly grinned. "But in full disclosure, I am warning you, I deal with the rarest of the rare. And while I try to pass those items on to those who need it, I don't give up most of what I get. I don't trust many players and for good reason. Some items I have would destroy the balance of the game as players truly turned on other players. There may be items that I won't tell you what they are for, or lie about, because of their nature."

"I remember," Bladescape replied. "I trust that we can agree on those items. I am giving you a huge advance on my trust."

"I know," Mo solemnly replied. "But, what do you need for your next task?"

"Two things," Bladescape grinned. "Riding lessons, that will be for the Halter quest, and then directions to where Tudwal’s Whetstone is."

Mo nodded. "I know someone who can help you learn to ride. And I know where the stone is said to be held. You can only take one stone out. If it is the right one, it is yours. If it isn't, it turns to dust and the way back in is blocked forever to you.

"Go home and rest. Tomorrow will be a tough day learning to ride."

Mo sent Bladescape a friend request. It was a good gesture towards their mutual trust.

Bladescape accepted the request and stood up. Before she took a step she asked a question. "How many necklaces are there with a tiny teleport crystal on them?"

Mo snorted, holding back as much as she could. The bite was still strong. "I had to give the only one to Argo. It was an exchange I couldn't pass up. At least she is reputable enough to be trusted with it."

"And she has legitimate reasons to be using it," Bladescape added.

"She was burning through a lot of crystals to get the information for the bosses," Mo stated. "But that wasn't why I traded her for it. That item is an unspeakable one."

"Follow-up question," Bladescape asked. "The Beast Tamer's Charms. Are they one of those dark items?"

"A dark grey," Mo admitted. "But it is with a white player and a member of the Assault Team at that. She deserves them, but I know you understand the power behind those charms."

Bladescape silently nodded and finally headed for the door. She teleported back to Mishe. It was late, but she wasn't expecting to find Backbreaker at the guild hall table. She was asleep, or had been until Bladescape had opened the doors. She snorted awake.

"I have a quest project," Bladescape immediately stated. "I'll be off the front lines for a few days."

"Okay," Backbreaker shrugged. "We can handle it. Astro stepped up nicely and Kiefer is doin' well too. But I'm here to let you know Doombunny wants to talk to you, privately, about Knightstar. The topic of how to get her back came up. None for them sounded right."

Bladescape sighed. "We will talk right after breakfast. I need sleep."

Backbreaker just nodded as she stood up to go to her own bed.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 80 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry -- ?
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 73 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 76 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 73 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 73 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 75 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 73 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 70 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts -- ?
Lessa: Lvl 70 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search -- ?
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Author's Note

The Asides are now in a story, not in a blog! Link to the Asides.

Episode 56 - Learning to Ride

Front Line - Floor 60
April 28 - Year 2

The morning came too quickly. Bladescape put her armor on and headed down to breakfast as usual. She wasn’t the first at the table.

“I thought you were not doing combat,” Astro said.

“I'm questing,” Bladescape replied. “Not grinding away at the front line or for XP. A subtle, but big, difference.”

“Fair, but you should have backup,” Astro added.

“These are solo quests,” Bladescape explained. “And I am doing them for a…client.”

Astro nodded in understanding.

“What client?” Backbreaker asked. “You didn’t mention that last night.”

Bladescape swallowed her food before replying. “I was tired and it doesn’t matter. They are solo quests built around a mental challenge. Not that there isn’t combat at times. Particularly if I get something wrong.”

Thunderborne coughed loudly to “casually” get their attention.

“Fine, you can have seconds,” Bladescape said.

“Actually, I was hoping to talk about something more important,” Thunderborne said as she overstuffed her plate.

“And what is this important thing?” Bladescape casually asked. Thunderborne was probably being a bit dramatic about how important it was.

“Knightstar,” Thunderborne said. “We need to get our friend back! Why are we doing anything else?”

“It’s a delicate matter,” Bladescape immediately replied. “When we talked, she was very shut off. Give me some time to figure out how to best go about Operation Midnight Redemption.”

“No,” Doombunny stated, shocking them all. “I will do Operation Midnight Redemption. The argument was mostly between the two of us.”

“That isn’t wise,” Diemond said.

“No,” Bladescape said. “I think Doombunny is right. I think she is the one that can succeed. She is Plan A.”

“I already have a plan,” Doombunny added. “If I can have the day off, I can set it in motion. It will take some time to prepare and set everything up. This is not a simple fix, in any reality.”

“Done,” Backbreaker announced. “Should we train or hit the front lines?”

“I saw a good dungeon,” Astro said. “Let’s go there. I don’t think anyone will have hit it yet with things so open.”

“Sounds good,” Backbreak said standing up. “Let’s gear up, y’all.”

“Blade, I have food packed for you in a sack on the kitchen counter,” AFCK stated.

“Thanks,” Bladescape said as she stood up. “I need to get moving. I have a lesson before I hit the next quest.”

“Lesson?” Astro asked.

“Horse riding,” Bladescape replied.

“Ouch,” Astro grimaced. “Good luck. I hear horses are incredibly difficult to ride.”

“They were giving me some trouble yesterday,” Bladescape said. “And I didn’t need it for this next quest. I do need it for an upcoming one though.”

They all split up. Bladescape grabbed the bags marked for her and departed. At Mo’s shop, Mo was entertaining a young woman. Even sitting down, it was easy to see the young woman was wearing a traditional equestrian riding outfit.

“Join us,” Mo said, smiling under her full feathers and bright hat.

Bladescape sat down, swiping the glass of water obviously filled for her. She took a drink as she settled in.

“This is Boots, she is a master with the horses in Aincrad and in real life,” Mo explained. “I have contracted her to help you learn to ride. She assures me it won’t be difficult. Although, I do wonder, how do you know you will need it?”

“I killed the witch, but not without first learning some information about two segments of the quest. Her father is setting players up, wanting the items for himself. He wants the Whetstone, although he already has the halter, except it is being used by his own men in that quest. And that knight will try to kill me.”

“Interesting,” Mo replied, lost in thought. Her eyes snapped to Bladescape. “Go, learn to ride. I will dig up what I can and make the next plan.”

Bladescape followed Boots out. They teleported to Floor 12. Boots owned a corral there. She had acquired it a year ago from a quest that required a skilled rider to complete it. Floor 12 also had a variety of wild horses. She had spent much of her time hunting them down and capturing them.

She quickly had two horses saddled and ready. She handed the reins of the grey one to Bladescape. “Mist is calm and a good starting horse. Technically, she is a pony by her size, but that makes her perfect to start. With any luck, we will get you onto a stallion by the end of the day.”

Bladescape had an easier time mounting the smaller horse. The idea that it was a pony was certainly confusing her soul. She was a human pony riding a virtual pony. She tried to not overthink it. Or think of it at all.

What she had picked up before didn’t hurt her form too badly. She was being taught to control the horse with only her left hand like the classic riding style. Traditional riding had a crop, or a polo mallet, or the right hand free for another item, like a sword.

Bladescape was constantly being told to kick Mist more, and harder. It took a lot of prodding, but soon Mist began to understand and trust Bladescape. Boots brought them up to a trot and then began to gallop out of the safe zone and into the open fields.

Bladescape actually laughed as they rode. It was fun. She couldn’t stop laughing as Boots brought them to a halt in the middle of a field. Boots was grinning as Bladescape tried to calm her laughter down.

“It has been a long time since I have heard someone laugh like that,” Boots grinned. “Or smile the way you are.”

Bladescape started to reply but then let out one last chuckle. “It has been a long time since I have done something so freeing.”

“I know,” Boots beamed. “That is why I do what I do in both worlds. Follow me back, and we will work on the finer movements. You will need it to beat that knight on horseback. Combat is different with a horse. It requires full trust between both rider and mount.”

“I use a two-handed sword,” Bladescape replied. “A long one. I have a cheap, simple, shorter one, but it isn’t powerful. I probably need to find a better one.”

“I use a sword and shield,” Boots replied. “We can practice in the safe zone. But first, we need to get you able to make small adjustments so that you can put yourself where you need to be to fight on horseback.”

Bladescape nodded and they began to make their way back. When it came to the finer movements, they were not making quick turns around barrels or doing cowboy stuff. It was calmer, focusing on turns and getting Mist to make small adjustments like simple side steps.

They broke for lunch. Bladescape took Boots out to a local place for all she had done and knowing how much more she would do. She appreciated it.

Out of nowhere, in the middle of their meal, Argo sat down at the table. She gave Boots a glance over and then a nod before turning to Bladescape. "You are working for Mo."

"Is that a question or a statement?" Bladescape asked.

"Why is the question," Argo shot back.

"I promised you I would find something to relax, no skills found my fancy, so I went to see what she had for suggestions, which was three quests. I admit, I got roped into more than expected. I was a bit blindsided, but I have a few advantages. An important one is that she needs me."

"What exactly are you working on?" Argo pressed.

"Argo, we are friends, but I don't believe it is in my best interest to tell you that. Info is your job."

Argo scowled for a moment and then stood up. She took a few steps and stopped, turning back to face them. "I've done quests for Mo. She seems fair, usually is, but ultimately it is for her gain. Even as good as some of the things she has done for the Assault Team have been, it still is about her. She has a profit margin to meet."

Argo was gone before Bladescape could reply. She didn't have a reply to give, but it was good that she was being looked after.

"Was that the legendary info broker?" Boots asked.

"Yep," Bladescape nodded. "Our guild has helped her a lot. We have a complicated relationship. In the end, what we do for her, it’s the same thing she just warned me about Mo. They both have a profit margin to keep, they both have their shadier things, and they both do their best to progress the game. Except that last one is as their eyes see fit.

"But none of that concerns you. You were contracted to teach me to ride. And I am enjoying it. I am glad it is not a Skill though. What do you need to take care of your horses?"

"Outside of my battle skills, I make use of Ferrier, Animal Husbandry, and both sales skills to keep the corral. I buy a lot, but I sell a lot. I don't make a lot of money doing what I do. I have to go out and join parties to farm most of my Col. This contract was hefty and something I couldn’t pass up."

Boots stood up. "But enough about that. We have more to teach you."

Bladescape followed her out. This time she was given a black mare with a diamond on its forehead. "This is Diamond Tiara. I named her that for the diamond mark that sits where a tiara would."

"Makes sense," Bladescape replied. She didn't mention the younger girl at Canterlot Highschool that bore the same name.

"She has spirit. She loves to jump obstacles and is a sprinter. However, her endurance is lacking compared to the field hunters. She will have plenty for what we need her for. Just be firm to start until she gets used to you."

"Got it," Bladescape nodded.

She mounted the higher horse with Boots spotting. Diamond Tiara was prancing in place a bit, eager to go. Boots got up easily onto the same horse as before and they were off.

The start was much like the morning. They worked on control and macro movements, while slowly gaining more speed. They began to corner quicker and soon Boots taught Bladescape how to deal with a jump. When Diemond Tiara charged a fence at a near gallop, Bladescape got her body in line. Staying straight, she rose off the saddle a bit to allow for the movement of the horse beneath her. She wasn't thrown as they landed and Bladescape turned Diamond Tiara down the road at a good pace.

Boots caught up, laughing. They slowed to talk. "Well done. It is like you have an understanding of the horses like a true rider. Let's race back to the corral and work the finer movements like earlier."

Bladescape just nodded and then got Diemond Tiara up to a gallop. Boots stayed behind for most of the trip. She made her move at the last moment and won the race. She wouldn't have suggested it if she didn't think she could leave Bladescape in the dust.

It was the same stuff as earlier: back and forth, side to side, full and half steps. All was in the pursuit of perfection.

"I want to spar before you go tonight, if you can go without dinner for a bit."

"I am ready, Bladescape replied.

Boots smiled mischievously. She soon came back with two larger horses, and she was kitted out for battle. Her gear wasn’t too impressive, but she wasn’t near the front lines for a reason. She passed the reins of the brown horse to Bladescape and then mounted up. Bladescape mounted the horse as well, adding the cheap and short two-handed sword she had from the mission with Argo.

As they headed to an open courtyard in the basically abandoned city to spar, Boots informed Bladescape of the situation. "I am on Wind Rush, a full stallion. You are on Tenderhoof, a gelding. He is calmer than a stallion but will serve you well. He is used to combat and noise. Remember, a lot of what we will be doing will be the fine movements and steps.”

The center of the village was rather quiet since they were on Floor 12. It was also large enough for them to maneuver and set up, but confined them like an arena would. They didn’t clash weapons at first. Boots ran them through some charge and maneuvering moves to help give Bladescape an idea of combat from horseback and how much the horse had to be directed.

When their swords finally clashed, Bladescape was outmatched. Tenderhoof responded correctly, but Bladescape was not ready for a different fighting style. Boots’ sword was right up against her neck immediately. They reset and began again. Bladescape tried to play defensively, but she failed without a fight. It was difficult to move her sword like she needed to.

“This is too heavy,” Bladescape stated. “I need a lighter sword for horseback.”

“I agree,” Boots said with a nod.

“I have an idea,” Bladescape replied. “It won’t take me long.”

“The teleport plaza is right down that street,” Boots said, pointing to it. “I can take both horses back.”

Bladescape dismounted and headed to the plaza. She jumped to Floor 48, Lindarth. She went straight to Lisbeth’s shop. Lis was, as expected, busy with a few customers. Bladescape ignored them and stepped around the counter.

Lis glared at her as Bladescape forced her to address her. “What?” She growled.

“I need a two-handed sword, light and built for speed. Shorter too.”

“I am kind of busy here!” Lis exclaimed.

“And I have the Col to compensate you,” Bladescape fired back. “Do you have what I need on the shelf or not?”

“Of course not,” Lis huffed. “No one needs a lightweight two-handed sword. That defeats the purpose. I do have the materials to make something like that though. But what is wrong with Harmonic Salvation? You just picked her up!”

“A quest,” Bladescape replied. “Timed. If you can’t do it, I will go elsewhere.”

“Wait!” Lis exclaimed as Bladescape took a step towards the door. “Let me finalize with this gentleman and then I will make you the sword you need.”

The Wondercolts gave Lisbeth a lot of business. She was their weapon smith now. She did the bulk of the maintenance on their weapons and enhanced them. It was not something easily lost.

The others were not happy at Bladescape cutting in line, but none of them were clearers. Bladescape just leaned against the wall, waiting. She didn’t have to wait long.

Lisbeth beckoned for her to follow her into the back. She was still annoyed. “What exactly do you need?”

“A two-handed longsword that is short. It needs to be as light as possible, built for speed and use in tight quarters. I need to be able to use it in one hand. This isn’t for front line combat, so the stats can be lower.”

“That is a tricky order,” Lisbeth replied. “I have the materials here for it. You are lucky on that. And it will cost you for barging in.”

“Fair,” Bladescape nodded. “I expected to pay for the rush order.”

Lis grumbled as she grabbed the materials and heated up the forge. It didn’t take long.

“How is the outfit working?” Bladescape asked. “You are still wearing it.”

Lisbeth let out a big sigh as she started to melt the metal. “It is working great. I am hot news because I am the cute and adorable smith who can make top tier weapons. It has doubled my sales. It was well worth it. I just hate being the ‘cute’ smith.”

Lisbeth was done talking as she grabbed her hammer and pulled the metal out. It didn’t take any time at all for her to make weapons. With the sword done, she passed it to Bladescape.

“Its name is Batjusu,” Lisbeth declared, rather spitefully. She didn’t think the name fit.

The sword was plain, with a brown leather hilt and pointed pommel. There was a bump in the center of the long handle, exaggerating how long it actually was. The cross guard was thin and the scabbard was the same, brown leather with steel end cap and steel locket. It also had a metal ring attached to the locket and one towards the middle.

Bladescape performed some basic Two-handed Sword Skills and smiled. It was very light. The length was rather ridiculous for a two-handed sword, but even while doing the simple skills with one hand, it worked fine. Perfect for what she was going to be doing.

“What exactly are you doing that you need a sword like that?” Lisbeth pressed. “It has to be the worst sword I have ever made since I got good at making swords. The balance point is in the wrong spot in the hilt. It isn’t a sword I would be proud to admit I made. And the name isn’t a good one either.”

“A quest requiring combat on horseback,” Bladescape said as she pulled up her window.

“Horseback?” Lisbeth stuttered.

“Yes,” Bladescape said, pausing. “I’m taking a break from the front and doing some solo quests. Harmonic Salvation is too large to fight with while controlling a horse. I need a weapon for a single hand, but I got rid of that Skill a long time ago. Hence the weight and length requirements.”

Lisbeth shut up, not speaking another word. Bladescape went back to paying for the sword. She withdrew what she thought was a good price and handed it over. Lisbeth clicked on it to see the actual amount transferred. By the way her eyes widened, it was more than what she was expecting.

“Thanks,” Bladescape said, heading up the stairs to leave.

“You’re welcome!” Lisbeth sarcastically shot back.

The horses were still saddled and ready. Bladescape showed Boots the sword.

“This will do nicely,” Boots said as she held the sword and tested it without Sword Skills. “A trick for this quest will be putting this blade on your saddle, rather than your body. That way, if you get knocked off, you can go to the longer blade, and even on foot, you have the range to hit the knight with your sword. The horse is too heavy to stop with an attack, but your sword is as long as a medium spear and can knock a rider off with ease."

Boots attached the sword to the saddle for Bladescape and then she mounted Wind Rush. Bladescape followed suit and mounted Tenderhoof. They trotted back to the square and tried again. This time, Bladescape came at Boots with confidence. She kept Tenderhoof moving forward as she swung. Boots was forced to let go of the reins and use her shield against the lightning fast blade. She expertly stayed on, despite the hit knocking her back. Wind Rush turned instinctively and charged. Boots got her swing in, but it was useless against Bladescape’s well honed skill. Bladescape blocked and flipped her blade around, smacking Boots on the shoulders with the flat of her blade.

“Alright,” Boots said, catching her breath. “I don’t think I have much to teach you there. You are keeping Tenderhoof moving like you need to.” Boots took a deep breath in and let it out. “I fight from horseback on this Floor for fun. But I am not skilled enough to take on a member of the Assault Team. Your reflexes are too well honed, and you were not using Sword Skills.”

Bladescape couldn’t help but smile as she laid the blade across her lap.

“I tested the weight of the blade,” Boots stated. “But while it is about the same weight as my sword, and only slightly longer, it hit me with a lot of force. More than I can ever produce. And the speed is another issue entirely.”

“I am very strong,” Bladescape stated. “I have to be in order to wield Harmonic Salvation.”

“What is your cavalry sword’s name?”

“Bajutsu,” Bladescape replied.

Boots snorted. “Appropriate name, despite how plain it is.”

“I was told by the smith that it wasn’t a good name," Bladescape stated. "Her reaction when she found out it was for combat on horseback is best described as shock. She didn’t say anything because she was also mad at me for barging in and sort of strong arming her into it. I paid her handsomely, but she still was extra sassy. I did cut in line. She did it because I have a time limit, and all us Wondercolts go to her. I can’t stay on these quests for too long as they keep me off the front line. Now, what exactly does Bajutsu mean or give reference to?”

Boots snorted again. “Bajutsu is the traditional Japanese martial art for combat on horseback. It is separate from Yabusame, the art of archery on horseback. Bajutsu is also about the art of the horse and rider working together, and the care for the horses by their rider, who were exclusively samurai until recently. High ranking samurai mostly because horses were, and still are, rather scarce in Japan. There just isn’t room for lots of horses.”

Bladescape mulled all of it over in her brain. Japan loved perfecting things into an artform. “So, this sword has a very good name.”

“And it is a very good sword for the type of combat required of it,” Boots added. “It’s intriguing to think that the system designed it so perfectly and also named it randomly. The smith only has marginal control over the weapon created. They can control the base parameters, but that is it. The system rolls dice to determine the rest.”

“Maybe,” Bladescape replied. “But I am not so certain. Harmonic Salvation is a very appropriately named sword for me. I am not the only Wondercolt with a powerfully named weapon. The axe Geode Splitter used by AFCK holds meaning from the real world as well. Radiant Beauty, a mace, is also an appropriate name, so is Mistmane’s Fury, which is a katana.”

“Lucky for you all,” Boots said. “I can’t afford a custom sword, and certainly not one from the smith you have to be using.”

“Lisbeth is in high demand for a reason,” Bladescape replied. She couldn’t resist a smile. “She also wears a pretty outfit that she bought at our big sale that Diemond had not too long ago. It has brought her more business from the boys in this game.”

Boots snickered in understanding. She changed gears. “Want to go hunt the bandits on this Floor? We still have plenty of light.”

“Sure,” Bladescape grinned. “Let’s really test what you have taught me.”

Bladescape followed Boots out of the city and then south. It wasn’t long before she began to pick up the bandits with Search. The bandits heard them coming from the thunder of their horses' hooves. It only got louder as they went from the strong trot to a full-on gallop.

Bladescape chose her path. She would pass by one bandit and then go between two more. Tenderhoof was straight and true, understanding what she intended to do. Bajutsu glowed red, slicing through the first bandit. She crossed the blade over to the left side and timed the stab correctly with the Sword Skill. The blade impaled him in the throat. She flipped it back over to the right. She swung, this time without activating a Skill. She was beside the target as she swung, which meant she was past him by the time the sword came around. The blade’s tip dug into his back, tracing a red arc across it. The bandit howled in pain and then popped into polygons.

Boots had been forced to slow down as she made finer turns to deal with each bandit. It took her a few hits with Sword Skills to take each one down. Tenderhoof surged forward at Bladescape’s direction. She held Bajutsu out and down as she chose her next path. She braced the handle along her forearm and charged, never swinging. The blade sliced through one with ease and then a second. Bladescape cleared Boots’ right side in a single pass without changing the position of her blade. She came around the back and skewered two more as she came up on the left of Boots and Wind Rush.

Boots looked around quickly. She couldn’t believe that the bandits were all gone. Bladescape started to laugh, mostly from the joy of riding, but also from the fight.

“I am a member of the Assault Team,” Bladescape reminded her. “My Two-Handed Sword Skill is maxed, and I have a solid sword in my hand. We are on Floor 12. They don’t stand a chance. They never did and never will. With my battle healing rate, I could stand still all day long and they never would take me out of the green. They wouldn't even get close."

Boots just shook her head, grinning, in shocked reply.

“There are more over there,” Bladescape said pointing with Bajutsu. “Let’s get you in a party with me so it is not a waste on your end. You can at least share the XP and Col and you should gain more than running solo beside me.”

Boots nodded and accepted the party request. “Lead on and let me watch you so I can see if you need to fine tune your actions, rather than relying on brute force.”

They headed off. Bladescape was rather intuitive about striking from horseback. She wouldn’t admit it, but she felt like a part of it came from instinctively understanding how a horse walked and moved. She molded herself to that as she directed Tenderhoof and let loose Bajutsu.

They couldn’t continue after a few more fights. The horses needed rest and food and they were out of light. They took the horses back to the corral and Boots quickly got them squared away.

She came back out. “You adapted fast. Faster than most. And you went from basically no experience riding to being able to fight on the back of a charging steed in a day. I am surprised. In a good way.”

“Thanks,” Bladescape replied. “I do have you to thank. I might have some natural tendencies, but you brought them out. Let’s grab dinner, but not here. My treat.”

“I won’t deny that offer,” Boots replied. “I eat rather plainly most days. Well enough, but plain.”

Bladescape directed them to Lindarth. Boots had never been that high up in Aincrad. She had no idea where they were going.

“One quick stop,” Bladescape said.

Boots shrugged. “Hey, you are paying, so I don’t mind.”

Bladescape took them to Lisbeth’s Smith Shop. It was still open, barely, and empty of customers.

“You got your swords here, didn’t you?” Boots asked as she saw all the weapons on display.

“Yep,” Bladescape replied. “And get them enhanced and kept in perfect condition.

“Again?” Lisbeth huffed when she came out of the back to see who had entered.

“Still with the sass?” Bladescape asked, matching her sass. “I know you made more from me than what you did from the others I cut in line.”

Lisbeth rolled her eyes but didn’t deny it.

“I want to set up an order for enhancements,” Bladescape continued. “I want to increase the Quickness, Accuracy, and Sharpness of Bajutsu. Maybe Durability if it isn’t hard to get the materials.”

“It’s a very basic sword,” Lisbeth replied. “Despite having used a speed type metal, I have all that I need on my shelves. Although, I doubt I will after you finish.”

“Can you do it now so I don’t have to worry about it?”

“If you pay an extra fee for out of hours work,” Lisbeth kicked back.

“Of course,” Bladescape grinned.

Bladescape pulled Bajutsu out of her inventory and handed it to Lisbeth. “One of each please, except heaviness. I can’t afford to add the weight.”

“Give me a few minutes,” Lisbeth huffed.

Bladescape looked at Boots. She was testing the weight of a sword. It wasn’t to her liking and she set it back on the wall. The next one was a better fit. Bladescape could tell by how her hand gripped the handle and how her eyes lit up.

With four enhancements being added, it took fifteen minutes for Lisbeth to do them. Thankfully, each one took. She had 16 more enhancement attempts for Bajutsu. Bladescape paid the price Lisbeth quoted. The four enhancements were cheaper than what it was costing for a single one for Harmonic Salvation. Although, they were about to hit the point where Bladescape would have to acquire the enhancement materials herself in a vicious hunt across all of Aincrad to get the materials. The sword was becoming stronger, but rarer, and so was the enhancement materials.

“What is the cost of that sword?” Bladescape asked, pointing to the one Boots’ eyes had lit up over.

Lisbeth was confused. “I just made that one the other day. It's not my finest work, but it will do. The Wondercolts already have better though. It will serve a mid level player well.”

“What is the price?” Bladescape pressed.

Lisbeth let out a long sigh and leaned forward onto her counter. It had been a long day. She gave the price. She was shocked when Bladescape opened her menu again and pulled out the Col.

“Wha?”

Bladescape turned to Boots, who had been discretely listening while she patiently waited for dinner. “It’s yours. I couldn’t have gotten ready for what is going to come without your help.”

Boots almost fainted. She had heard the price. She had also tried to not get excited about hearing it being discussed.

“I seriously keep getting Col,” Bladescape explained. “I’m a warrior with little use for it. Other than materials for weapon enhancements.”

Boots cautiously took the sword off the wall.

“Now you can properly hunt,” Bladescape added. “At your level, you shouldn’t have had such a hard time against those low-level Bandits. It should be all one swing kills.”

“Desert Orchid,” Boots said in awe. “The name is most appropriate.”

“In what way?” Lisbeth asked. “I know it has the flower on the guard, but that is all.”

“He was a National Hunt racing horse of great renown,” Boots explained. “National Hunt is an endurance and jumping race event. He was one of the best. It is an appropriate sword to use on horseback.

“So you were the one training her,” Lisbeth grumbled.

“And handsomely paid for by the sponsor of Bladescape’s quests,” Boots added. “As handsome as it was, it wasn't close to the cost of this sword. But we should depart so you can close your store.”

“You could join us for dinner,” Bladescape added. “My treat.”

“Really?” Lisbeth asked, perking up. Everything she had done with the Wondercolts had always been professional.

“Really,” Bladescape nodded. “Boots got me ready to ride, you got me ready to fight. Harmonic Salvation was not an option.”

“Alright,” Lisbeth said. “I will take you up on that offer, but! only if you are paying for her dinner as well.”

“Of course I am,” Bladescape grinned. “Got a recommendation?”

“Yeah,” Lisbeth smirked. “A new place just opened up in Lindarth. The owner has real world training. But, it isn’t cheap.”

“Fine by me,” Bladescape shrugged, undeterred.

It was an expensive place. Lisbeth’s usual level of sass was dropped as the evening got later and the three of them became more personal. The price of the amazing food meant nothing compared to having fun with the two of them. And it felt good to spend money on others who deserved it and had helped her out so much.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 80 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry -- ?
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 73 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 76 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 73 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 73 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 75 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 73 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 70 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts -- ?
Lessa: Lvl 70 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search -- ?
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Author's Note

Hey! Two things I wanted to remind/tell you about.

1: I just wanted to put a friendly reminder out about the comment section. Not all of the readers know SAO. Some of them have never heard of it before they read this story. If it is a potential spoiler, mark it in the comments, just so we don't spoil anything. I've not had a problem with it or gotten any complaints, and I have to watch myself when I respond. I love getting comments and hearing from you, and you are always free to message me directly about the story - or anything - and get a more in depth answer. But as we progress, it does seem to get harder to not accidentally spoil something in SAO - or myself spoil something in an upcoming episode - so please, I would rather see a more liberal use of the spoiler tag system than not enough!

2: If you didn't know, the Aside Blog posts have officially been turned into a story to make it easier for y'all to access and read. Link to the Asides.

Thanks! I look forward to hearing comments from y'all!

Episode 57 - The Halter of Eiddin Klydno

Front Line - Floor 60
April 28 - Year 2

Episode 57 - The Halter of Eiddin Klydno
Front Line - Floor 60
April 28 - Year 2

Bladescape was riding back, on a rented horse, from obtaining Tudwal’s Whetstone from its mountain resting place. The princess witch’s words were true. Bladescape passed each question with ease because of it.

The first question was where she was born. Bladescape chose to answer the Town of Beginnings. It was true, and she thought of it as true. Bladescape was a character, played by Sunset Shimmer, and her true birth had happened when Kayaba had given his tutorial and locked them away in here.

With the whetstone in hand, Bladescape had to figure out how to convince the king that she had failed; that also got her the prompt for the halter quest. The Halter of Eiddin Klydno was a piece she was now very interested in after learning to ride.

The narrow mountain road made another sharp, blind turn. Around it was an old man with a long white beard, leaning on a walking stick as he made his way the same direction as Bladescape. There wasn’t any room, at least with a horse, to safely pass him. He had an NPC tag.

He turned to look at her. “Forgive me. These old bones don’t work the same way they used to. What has you out here?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing,” Bladescape said, smiling at him. This was too convenient. She was too far from anything to just meet a traveling NPC. There were three outcomes it could be: It could be nothing, it could trigger a quest, or it would end in a fight. Bladescape wouldn’t discount a fight. Not only was it a common tactic in any RPG, it was common enough in SAO. Plus, she had just acquired the whetstone, and others could want it. The benefits of random encounters were high, usually being very valuable on a variety of levels.

“Oh, I am just minding my business, enjoying the mountains,” he casually replied. “I had no idea it would get so restricted on this road.”

“It is a long walk to the nearest town,” Bladescape replied. “It doesn’t look like I can safely dismount, but I could pull you up onto the horse and we could travel together.”

He smiled at her. “Oh, that would be very appreciated. But first, I would like to know a little about my traveling companion. Such as what has you out here?”

This was the moment that usually brought a fight, assuming he was trying to end her success at getting the Whetstone. Bajutsu was strapped onto the saddle. Bladescape slowly slid her right hand to the hilt.

“A quest,” Bladescape replied. “I acquired what I needed and am heading back to town."

“What sort of quest?” He asked, eyeing her suspiciously. “Would traveling with you bring danger to me?”

“Not unless you are a danger to me,” Bladescape replied with a smile, relaxing the grip on her sword. There was no danger. “I didn’t even have to draw my blade. It was a puzzle to solve. I had to retrieve the item for a king, but only someone on his mission would know the right answers.”

“And are you on this king’s mission?”

This was another moment where things could go wrong, but the way he had eyed her a moment ago, concerned with his safety, made Bladescape sure that it was still safe. She spoke honestly. “I am using him to get at something he has that I want. He did not give me the answers, but I needed him to tell me where it was. Or, at least where he thought it was.”

“You plan to double cross him,” The old man said. "A king is a dangerous enemy to have."

“I already have once,” Bladescape admitted. “He can’t be trusted with what he wants. Besides, I am also a very dangerous enemy to have.”

“I see. I will ride with you. May you take my staff first?”

Bladescape grabbed the end of his offered staff. He didn’t let go though. They flashed with blue light, signaling a teleport.

They arrived on a plateau that overlooked a valley. She hadn't visited everywhere unlocked, but it didn't look like any Floor she had been on. The plateau's grass was well manicured and the steps up to the small cathedral were swept clean. There was a stable for her horse.

Bladescape dismounted. “May I put my steed in the stable?”

“Of course. I will meet you at the front steps.”

The old man no longer looked as old as he did on the mountain path. His beard was the same, but the way he stood and strode was like a man half his age, if not more. Bladescape took off the bridle so the horse could eat and drink. She then met the old man at the steps.

“Can I take a guess at your name?” Bladescape asked.

"Of course," he smiled.

"You are Merlin, the magician and the guardian of great and powerful objects."

"That I am," he chuckled. "And you, Bladescape, forced me to show myself faster than planned. I had not guessed one would turn on the king. At least not from the very start as you did. But you defeated the witch, and then you made it through to the whetstone without trouble."

"I had some help," Bladescape replied. "For one, I never gave the witch the dish. In her first defeat, she gave me information about her father's next two trials: the Whetstone and the Halter. Of course, she tried to kill me in retaliation for humiliating her so quickly."

"That explains a lot," Merlin stated. "May I have the pot."

"I don't have it," Bladescape replied. "I was first sent on these quests by another, Mo, and I left it in her care. It is safe and secure. She should really be here with us. I was doing this for her, with a promise of a reward."

Merlin sighed and then snapped a finger. On the lawn popped Mo, who had been sitting down and drinking tea, but the chair had not come with her. She hit the ground hard, making an odd noise as both the air was forced out of her from the fall and the hot tea spilled all over her. She kept a hold of the cup and saucer though, never dropping them.

She glanced at them with angry eyes that softened as soon as she realized who she was looking at. "Merlin, I presume," Mo said as she stood up.

"I am he. Although it appears I was not successful in bringing your chair with you." It was an obvious lie. He had never intended to bring it. "Anyway, I wish to have the dish now, so I can properly store it."

Mo let out a groan. "It is back at my home which you took me from. It is in a box, locked away and secure. I didn't touch it. Only Bladescape has touched it. As soon as she brought it to me, I had her put it in a box which I then secured. If you snap me back home and give me two minutes before you snap me back here, I can have it for you."

Merlin snapped and she was gone without a word.

"Thank you for not snapping me here," Bladescape said. "That would have been rather shocking."

"I wanted to," Merlin admitted. "But I didn't want to do that to the horse. I was also feeling gracious because you offered me a ride. I was checking on you, but I was not aware you had a steed."

"She is a good horse, but she is rented. I do not own her. Although, after leaning to ride yesterday, and also to fight on horseback, I look forward to retrieving the Halter. Except, I want to keep it."

"You took well to riding," Merlin said. "You understand them, and it showed. They felt it too. It will serve you well on that task. However, the Halter has no actual value for you."

Merlin snapped, the two minutes up, and Mo was in front of them. She was holding the box. She brought it forth and extended it. Merlin pulled the top off, not taking the box.

"There is food in it," he criticized. "Very cold food."

"That was me," Bladescape said. "It was how I knew it was the right dish. I never ate the food though, and when I brought it to Mo, as she said, Mo held the box and I put it in there. I never saw her touch it and I know she didn't."

"I have not touched it," Mo affirmed.

"I accept," Merlin stated. "A wise choice not to touch it. However, what is inside?"

"A treat called ice cream,” Bladescape explained. “It is frozen cream from milk. My friend is still trying to learn to make it, but she hasn't figured out how to freeze it long enough for it to set. She can make any other treat you want, except ice cream. It is driving her crazy, and her cooking skill has left me wanting nothing. It was me remembering her struggle that I realized I wanted some of the treat as well and that the cold would make it easy to identify the dish."

"Clever," Merlin said with a coy grin.

He then pulled out a small jar and spoon out from his robe. His staff was left standing straight up under its own volition. He removed the lid on the dish and scooped some of the chocolate ice cream out and into the small jar. He put the lid back on and gave it to Bladescape.

"Take this back to your friend and tell her to enjoy it."

"Thank you," Bladescape replied with a beaming smile. "I hope how happy I am for her conveys how half of how happy she will be."

"I believe it does," Merlin replied.

He put the dish's lid back on and then picked it up out of the box.

"Follow me," Merlin said, turning to walk up the steps to the cathedral.

The doors opened on their own and inside was a vast hall. Plenty was strewn around on the various tables. Merlin sat the dish down on the closest clear table. He pulled three spoons out of his sleeve and then three bowls out of the other one.

"Now, since it was used, and for very good reason, let us eat this delicious smelling treat. There is no point in leaving it to waste."

"Eat it slowly," Bladescape advised. "It is frozen, like snow or ice, and it can hurt your head if you eat too much too fast."

"Thank you," Merlin said as he passed her the first bowl.

It was good to taste the ice cream. Bladescape let it literally melt in her mouth and enjoyed the chocolate flavor.

"I quite enjoy the flavor," Merlin said after a few bites. "What is it?"

"Chocolate," Bladescape replied. "From here, it is a long, long way to find the bean plant that makes it."

"I see," Merlin replied. "Too bad."

"I must admit, I have wanted to eat the ice cream and was partially regretting not," Bladescape said. "But the dish belongs to you. I used a trick to find it, but that was all I had the right to do."

"A wise choice," Merlin stated. "Now that the well deserved treats are over, may I have the Whetstone?"

Bladescape opened her menu and put it on the table.

"Do you know what it does?" Merlin asked her.

"I know a normal whetstone sharpens a blade or knife so you can continue to use it. A dull blade is useless."

"Go, fetch your other blade," Merlin told her.

Bladescape jogged off, resisting the urge to sprint to the horse where the sword still hung. She was back soon enough with the sheathed blade.

"Use the whetstone," Merlin told her.

Bladescape unsheathed Bajutsu and pushed the blade along the stone as it sat on the table. She flipped it and came at that edge from the other direction. After that. She did the other side. As soon as the fourth pass was finished a menu popped up. The base properties of the sword were changed. It had its Durability raised, it's Sharpness raised, it's Accuracy raised, and the sharpening also added 5 more enhancement slots for Bajutsu. It now had 25 total attempts, with 4 already being used. A note was added that stated it was "hardened." Bladescape had no idea what that meant.

Bladescape stood there, staring at Bajutsu which had just been significantly improved by the whetstone. If it even raised Harmonic Salvation's base stats by half of the percentages it did to Bajutsu…

Bladescape suddenly abandoned Bajutsu, dropping it onto the table as she swiftly drew Harmonic Salvation. It left a lingering ring on the air as she began to sharpen Harmonic Salvation. The strokes were significantly longer and slower as she worked to make each pass smooth on the oversized blade. When the fourth finished a screen popped up.

Bladescape was speechless. Harmonic Salvation was a blade that would take her, fully maxed out, into the 80s. By Floor 90 they would have new materials available and Lisbeth should have maxed her smithing skill, which would allow her to provide Bladescape with a better sword.

Now though, the sword had been enhanced more than Bajutsu had. All five stats had been increased, although its weight had stayed the same. It also was “hardened” and the blade had a total of 100 enhancement slots now. The jump in the base stats was significant enough that Harmonic Salvation would go to the Ruby Palace. That was ignoring the extra enhancement slots which would only increase its power. Harmonic Salvation would be the sword she wielded at the very end. It would be one of the primary blades to free them from this nightmarish reality. She found immediate comfort in knowing that she wouldn't have to learn to handle a new sword. Her friend would be in her hands for the rest of her journey.

Harmonic Salvation would bring about its namesake: salvation through the harmony of her and her friends.

Bladescape finally looked at Merlin. "I have a question. Why did Harmonic Salvation get a significantly higher percentage increase than Bajutsu did?"

Merlin’s grin was mischievous as he explained things. "I have no doubt that Bajutsu will serve you well, even after the Halter quest, but it is not the same quality of a sword as your dear Harmonic Salvation. The whetstone permanently increases an edged weapon's powers, but how it chooses to increase it is a mystery we shall never know. I think it has to do with the heart and soul of the blade and its master. The closer they are, the stronger it will make the blade, and thus their bond.”

Bladescape sheathed Harmonic Salvation. "Explaining that dramatic increase to the Smith who made it, well both blades, will be interesting. She cares for and enhances my equipment."

Bladescape picked up Bajutsu, mentally apologizing to the blade for dropping it. She sheathed it. "Thank you, Merlin, for letting me use the Whetstone. I already know it will count. It will not be wasted."

Merlin picked the Whetstone up. "And now, I must return this to its proper resting place."

"What!" Mo exclaimed. "Wait! We need that. If we could get the members of the assault team to have their weapons enhanced, we could reach the Ruby Palace a lot quicker and safer."

"No," Merlin firmly stated. "I let Bladescape use it because of who she is."

Mo sighed. "She got it, so she gets to use it."

"Actually, that is not why,” Merlin stated. Bladescape could tell Mo’s confusion matched her own. “She was attacked by the murder guild, Laughing Coffin. Outnumbered, she incapacitated them, and calmly left. She could have killed the murders. Most players would have, justly in self-defense, but she saw something inside them. That is why."

"Mo, let it go," Bladescape said. She turned to Merlin. "What else do we need to do to get these other items?"

"You, not we," Merlin corrected her. "She has no need to be here. She wants whatever she can get. She claims noble causes, but not all are. There are items she covets for herself. There are things she sells knowing there can be no good end to the deal."

"I signed on to do these quests for her," Bladescape pressed. "I get a lot of information from her."

"Two cannot undertake this quest," Merlin replied. "You began it when you killed the witch. She has been useful, but she can't do anything anymore. The quest is yours and yours alone."

Bladescape looked at Mo. "Mo, I promise I will complete this quest and that I will do what I can to get you something useful. I signed on to do these for you, and we will sort some fair compensation out."

Mo nodded to Bladescpae and stood up. "I believe you. You are a Wondercolt. I chose you not only because you could complete them, but because you would stay honest and meet our contract." Mo tipped her head to Bladescape and turned to Merlin. "Send me back home."

Merlin snapped his fingers and she was gone. He turned to Bladescape. “Inside you is something special. A magic I have never seen before and one that does not exist in any other in this world. You have seen and done things others could not dream of, even your friends in your guild do not understand. It is why you did not strike down those four vagrants.

“Yesterday, you spent a tremendous amount of Col. And despite having food prepared for your day, and the one called Boots being paid for by Mo to teach you to ride, you took Boots out for both meals. You also bought her a finer sword than she will ever be able to afford. Even your smith, you took to dinner with you. Most of that Col spent was on yourself, but it was never about yourself. You were generous beyond belief.

“You are an extraordinary person, and for that, I let you use Tudwal’s Whetstone.”

“My story is long and complicated,” Bladescape admitted. “It has its dark spots, where I was evil, but it has also been my redemption and my choice to use what I have been given to enhance and build up others. Yes, I spent a lot of Col, but I still have a lot. Money can't buy everything, but it can help with things that will make you happy for life. Like making sure a friend will always have a fine sword at their side so they will be safe. Or providing for and company to others who need the break.

“Mo is great, and she has done good things, but I have been wary of her. She has a hard life to balance. Still, I never would have done these quests if her reputation was poor.”

Merlin nodded. “It was a good start to fulfill your promise, but the quest moves solely to you now. You and my knowledge. If my knowledge was as complete as it should be, I could do this on my own. I can guide you, but this will rest on your shoulders. Yet I have no fear about this task because your shoulders are already broad from the burdens you have carried.

"There is a deep magic here I cannot breach, which is why I need you to help me restore the Glass Tower. It is the only place to store the items that should not fall into the hands of the general populous.”

“I may argue for the use of an item,” Bladescape stated. “The Ruby Palace is our goal for many reasons. It is a noble and honorable quest against a grave evil that has ensnared this land. It is the same evil that keeps you from reclaiming those objects, and it is the one that distributed them in the first place.”

“You are more perceptive than you look,” Merlin grinned.

“And you know more than you are saying,” Bladescape fired back.

“What is it you want to know?”

“At the moment, I have one question. The whetstone hardened my blades, what does that mean?”

“A hardened weapon will never have an enhancement fail,” Merlin explained.

Bladescape picked up Bajutsu and drew the blade out halfway. “So, the next 21 enhancements I add will automatically take, with no rate of failure?”

“Not even if the smith doesn’t do it fast enough,” Merlin explained. He continued explaining more. “That is why I won’t let it leave here, or be used. Your friends are all upstanding and amazing, but the likelihood that there will be a clash of swords, where you all have to kill each other, is great. That is the only way to stop murders. But you, you found a noble and honorable way when no other would.”

“We can get them to submit,” Bladescape confidently stated. “I know it. Blood will spill, but when they have nothing left, when one more blow will end their life, they will submit. They just have to realize and feel the fear of death.”

“For many reasons, I hope you are right.”

“I need to go after the Halter,” Bladescape said, going back to the real reason she was wherever she was. “I know to pick the yellow gate and that a knight will immediately try and kill me. It is a trap. If I defeat him, I can take the Halter off his horse. But what does the Halter give him that I have to be prepared against?”

“The halter binds the horse and rider, so that they are like one. The horse will need no commands to do exactly what the knight desires. He will charge into anything, completely trusting his rider.”

Bladescape sighed. That was going to make the quest significantly more difficult. She didn’t believe the horse she had rented would be strong enough for the quest. She would need to see Boots.

“It is still early,” Bladescape said. “I can fetch it now, but I will need to change out horses.”

Merlin nodded and walked over to another table. He mumbled to himself as he searched through things. He walked to another table and continued the search. He finally found what he needed and came back with a small box in his hands.

He lifted the top off to reveal a ring made of glass and etched with a pattern that looked like seamless knots of rope. “This ring will teleport you to me whenever you need to. It can only teleport the wearer. Your steed will come with you if you are on it, but no other person can come with you. You do not wear this ring. Putting it on your finger triggers the teleport.”

“I understand,” Bladescape replied. “Put it on, and I come here. But I don’t wear it.”

“Correct,” Merlin nodded.

Bladescape put the ring in her inventory. She grabbed Bajutsu off the table and headed for the door. Merlin followed after her. Bladescape tied Bajutsu onto the saddle and mounted the horse. “Floor 12 please,” Bladescape said. “I will switch mounts and then come back here to be sent to Floor 51.”

Merlin nodded and Bladescape saw the glow of normal teleportation. She found herself outside of the corral. The horses in the corral began to whinny and snort at the unexpected arrival. It brought Boots out of the stable to calm them down.

“Bladescape,” She said with a smile. “What brings you back so soon?"

Bladescape dismounted and untied Bajutsu. “I need a mount capable of battle. I don't think this rented horse will cut it. I was expecting it to take more time to get to this quest than it did. It won’t be easy.” Bladescape was firm, but shot straight with Boots. “It’s the mounted combat quest, and although I will do all I can, I can’t give that guarantee. I wish I could, but it is impossible to give."

Boots nodded and walked into the barn. It wasn’t long before she brought out a much bigger steed than what Bladescape had ridden. It was a white horse with a black mane.

“This is Palomo, a charger. He is meant for battle. He has nerves of steel, will follow your commands well, and he is built for speed. He doesn’t have the endurance of the courser you were riding yesterday, but you won’t be riding him all day either.”

Bladescape transferred Bajutsu to Palomo’s saddle and mounted him, with Boots spotting in case she fell. She got up and situated. She tested drawing Bajutsu. It was mounted well and came out easily. She slid the blade back into its sheath.

“Some of the parameters changed,” Bladescape told Boots. “I won’t be gone long, the fight is straightforward, but this simple quest just got longer. A lot longer and more interesting.”

“Good luck,” Boots bid.

“Oh, and Mo was cut out of the quest by the main NPC,” Bladescape added. “Since it is a solo quest, and I triggered it, I was the one wanted.”

“Ouch,” Boots grimaced. “Mo doesn’t seem like a good enemy to have.”

“She is not,” Bladescape confirmed. “But she isn’t that bad. Also, I did my best, but the NPC and quest essentially kicked her out. She doesn’t have any info to help me anymore either, and she knows it. Still, I promised to bring what I could to her. You are warned, but I doubt anything will come of it for you. Now, I must be off so I can bring Palomo back to you tonight, and not too late.”

Palomo reared up, ready to go. Bladescape kept her balance, but it required her right hand to grip the saddle. She had never dealt with a rearing horse. As soon as Palomo was on all four hooves, Bladescape rode out of the city. Once she was far enough away, she pulled out the ring and teleported to Merlin.

Palomo didn't even blink at the teleport. Merlin was sitting on the steps, waiting for her. She nodded to him as he came over to her.

“I see this is quite a different horse,” Merlin said. "Bigger. Stronger. A warrior's horse."

“The best I can get,” Bladescape said. “Now, where do I need to go?”

“Ride north from where I will teleport you, and then follow the road. You will come to a war camp. There you will find the challenge.”

Bladescape nodded and Merlin teleported her and Palomo to the area. She followed the directions and quickly came to the camp. It was walled off by a low, wooden fence. Horses were in a corral and plenty of knights and squires were around. She rode up to the wooden gate.

“Halt!” the guard said, shifting his spear towards her. “What brings you here?”

“I come to take on the challenge for The Halter of Eiddin Klydno,” Bladescape declared.

He withdrew his spear and opened the gate. “Seek the captain out. Perhaps you will have better luck than we have had retrieving it.”

On the other side of the camp was a tall and long stone wall. It had four doorways. Each was painted around the outside: Blue, Yellow, Red, and Green. Yellow was the gate she needed.

The Captain was not hard to find. Bladescape rode up to him, but didn’t dismount. “Captain! I am here to retrieve The Halter of Eiddin Klydno.”

He looked up at her. “Well, you certain seem capable. We have lost quite a few men trying to figure out which way is the right way. Only one choice can be made by each knight. Some have gone in and never seen anything, others have never come back out. We don't know why or how. You will have to make the choice yourself.”

“I will,” Bladescape said. “I can retrieve the halter.”

Bladescape turned Palomo around and began to trot to the yellow gate. She halted him back a bit as she readied herself. Bladescape put her hand on Bajutsu and gripped the sword. She didn’t draw it yet, in case the other knights could somehow prepare the knight awaiting her.

Bladescape encouraged Palomo forward and he picked up speed immediately. She let him surge forward, unchecked, and go through the gate. It was a little tunnel of sorts. She could see the opening not far away. She let Palomo shift into a full gallop, unafraid of what was on the other side.

Bladescape drew Bajutsu, the ring adding its call to the thundering hoof steps reverberating off the walls. As soon as they got to the end of the tunnel, Bladescape forced him to make a hard left around the corner. A lance slipped by her and straight into the center of the tunnel where she had just been. The knight had thrown it so he could turn his mount before they hit the stone wall.

They were in a large arena with tall stone walls and floor made of a loose mix of dirt and sand. There was no other way in or out. No one was watching them either. It was just the knight and herself. He had a single health bar atop his head.

He was at a disadvantage because he had turned left. Bladescape got behind him as Palomo was once again at full speed despite the constriction of the arena. The knight was forced along the wall as Bladescape came up. Bajutsu glowed as she triggered a slash. At the same time she pulled left again. The tip slipped above the knight’s turned shield, slicing at the armored shoulder. His health bar slid down a small bit, but it was enough to make Bladescape grin. Drawing first blood in a duel was important.

She turned back, trying to stay behind the knight. He successfully turned towards her and charged, sword out to slice at her. Palomo knew what to do and didn’t stop as the two horses charged each other.

Bladescape held Bajutsu up in a neutral position. She wasn’t sure if she was going to block or strike. The knight drew his sword back and Bladescape pulled Palomo left to open up room. She leaned out of the way of the cut and pulled Palomo back to the right. She crossed behind the knight and got in a cut along his back. It was clean, biting into him and dropping his HP.

Palomo needed no directions to turn and put them in pursuit of the knight who was now visibly shaken and scared. He knew he was in trouble. Bladescape put the pressure on him, but he stopped, raising his shield to make a stand. Bladescape stayed steady and sliced low, going for his thigh. Bajutsu sliced through some of the leather saddle in its way and cut deep into the leg of the knight, leaving a red gash in the polygonal body.

The knight was on her tail as his horse charged after Palomo. Bladescape wasn’t ready for that change. Now she knew how the knight felt. She was not ready to dismount yet. She let Palomo run. He sensed the danger. He was a stronger and bigger horse than the knight’s was, allowing him to outpace the them for a bit. But Bladescape knew the horse would only have so much in him. The knight’s horse was a courser, geared towards the stamina of a fight, not to make several strong charges.

Bladescape tried to evade at the last moment, but without a shield she couldn’t stop the knight’s blade from slashing her shoulder. The hot bite of the gash was distracting. Bladescape hadn’t taken a hit from a human’s sword in a long time. It stung differently than a monster's did.

She pulled Palomo to the left, where he rammed his shoulder into the other horse’s neck. Bladescape stabbed across her body and Bajutse’s tip pierced the knight's armor. His horse reared and kicked. Its hooves struck Bladescape. Without a helmet the shoed hoof striking her head was enough to black her out.

She awoke on the ground, Palomo surging away, but looking to see how to get back to her. Her HP had dropped into the yellow from the blow to the head. The knight slashed at her but Bladescape got Bajutsu up in time to block.

She stood up as he moved around, preparing for his next attack. Bladescape braced herself, letting him charge. She threw the horizontal block and then flipped it into a stab as he passed by. Bajutsu went right into his kidney and dropped him into the red.

Palomo ran at Bladescape. Acrobatics was a useful skill as she grabbed the reins and swung up into the saddle. She chased down the knight. He was slowing down from the injuries.

Bladescape lifted up Bajutsu but didn’t trigger a Sword Skill. She sliced, letting the sword do its job on its own. The blade moved cleanly under the helmet but above the torso's plate, decapitating the knight with ease.

Bladescape didn’t try to stop Palomo right away. She let him slow down on his own as she turned them back to the knight. He fell off the horse, exploding into polygons when his body hit the ground.

Getting close to the war horse was difficult. It was spooked and without a rider, it forced them into a chase. Every time they got close, the horse turned and the reins danced away from Bladescape's grasp.

Bladescape lined up for another charge. This time she wasn’t going to stay on Palomo. Chasing the horse had taken up more time than the fight had and both she and Palomo were tired. This was probably the last sprint Palomo had in him.

They made it count and Bladescape leapt. She landed sideways, right on the saddle. It forced the air out of her as she gripped everything she could get a hold of. She was able to latch onto one of the straps that went under the horse and pull herself into the saddle, once again able to breath.

Bladescape pulled the reins, hard. The bridle forced the bit hard into the horse’s mouth. It had to be painful with the amount of pressure she used. It did its job as the horse slid to a stop.

Bladescape dismounted and held the reins tight. The horse was spooked about her. She had just hurt him and he knew they had been fighting each other.

Unfortunately, reins and halters were different. Reins were used for control. Halters were used to lead. There was no halter on the horse. Bladescape tied the horse to Palomo’s saddle. Palomo was a good 2 hands taller than the knight’s horse. With him secured, she began to check his saddle. It was a war saddle, meaning it had no pockets or places to hold anything.

The only way out of the arena was the way she had come in. She had dealt with the trap, but now she had to figure out the puzzle of the halter. Bladescape mounted Palomo and began to slowly move around the wall, trying to see any differences in it. She was specifically looking for another way in or out, or a place to hide the halter.

Bladescape stopped in frustration. She had been around the area three times. Over half the time in here was now spent looking for the halter, not fighting or even catching the horse. It was getting late, and she wanted to be home. Palomo was trooping on, thankful for the rest he got, but he needed more. The knight’s horse was still tied to Palomo and forced to go where they went.

Bladescape sighed and surveyed the entire area. She caught a glint in the sand. It was where the knight had fallen off his horse. She spurred Palomo over to it at a gentle walk. She dismounted and stepped over to the spot. Half buried in the sand was something. She stooped down and grabbed it.

What she pulled up was a silver chained halter, with jewels and silver gilded leather. It had been dropped when the knight died. It was such a simple, common, RPG tactic that she felt stupid for taking so long. She should have automatically checked the spot, regardless of the fact that SAO didn’t do drops where enemies fell.

Bladescape let out a heavy sigh. She was tired. She looked back at the horses. They were both tired too. At least the knight’s mount was now calm and okay with being led around by Palomo.

Bladescape mounted Palomo. She opened her menu and pulled out the glass ring. She hesitated before putting it on and glanced at the knight’s horse. She shrugged. Either he would come or not, she wasn’t going to worry about it.

As soon as the ring was secure on her finger she found herself on the grassy plateau. She glanced back and saw the knight’s horse had come. The door to the cathedral opened and Merlin hurried out.

Bladescape made him come to her. “I don’t know if it’s wise for me to dismount," Bladescape explained. "The horses are tired and so am I. Here is the The Halter of Eiddin Klydno.”

Merlin reverently took it from her. “Thank you, Bladescape. I will secure this. I will send you to Floor 12. For now, I need time to locate the next item. You are free to go, but I want you to remember what we talked about. The magic that is inside you, how special you are, and contemplate how much reclaiming these items will mean for this whole world."

Bladescape sighed, frustrated. “Free to go, but I still don’t have a skill chosen for my 11th. Questing is an okay pastime, but I don’t know how much the rest of my guild will like it in the long run. It is one thing to do these Glass Tower Quest pieces because they help us all, but it is another just to run around doing quests all the time. Plus, it still means I don’t have a skill to put as my 11th. I could do Martial Arts, but I don’t really care for it. I've not seen a way to integrate it into my typical combat tactics."

“You have not chosen Greatsword?” Merlin asked.

“What?” Bladescape said. “I don’t think my tired ears heard you right.”

“Greatsword,” Merlin stated again. “It is a skill you have unlocked.”

Bladescape narrowed her eyes at him. He knew more than he should. Some of it was concerning, particularly if she was going to continue working with him on this quest.

“You don’t trust me,” Merlin said. “I understand. We have not had long to get to know each other.”

Bladescape groaned. “I need to get the horses home. I will be back to find out what you mean by Greatsword.”

“And I will have food for us,” Merlin smiled.

He slowly lifted his hand up to warn her and then he snapped. Bladescape never heard the snap as she found herself once again in front of the corral. She dismounted and pulled the reins over Palomo’s head so she could comfortably lead him the last bit.

“BOOTS!” Bladescape called out. She waited a bit before calling out again.

“Coming!” Boots finally answered.

She came out in a dress, not the equestrian outfit Bladescape associated her with. It was something Bladescape was vaguely familiar with.

“Did you get that dress-”

“Yes,” Boots interrupted. Her cheeks reddened a bit. “Wait!” She exclaimed. “I sent you out with one horse, Palomo.”

“And I um, got a second?” Bladescape stuttered. “I don’t know. It was the horse the knight was riding. Catching him to try and find the halter was a pain. I spent more time trying to catch him than I actually spent fighting the knight, and then over twice that time for both of those trying to find the halter. Palomo was nearly spent. The halter wasn’t on the horse, so I tied him to Palomo and he has been with us ever since. I finally found it and finished the quest. To answer your intended question, I have no idea what I am doing with him.”

“It’s a her,” Boots said, coming over and gently petting the horse. She calmed her down easily and then undid the knot. “Follow me,” Boots said.

Palomo knew where he was going. He didn’t need any direction, but he stayed in pace with them. Boots put the mare in an empty stall and took over care of Palomo.

“She at least needs to rest here for the night,” Boots told Bladescape. “Then what?”

“I live in a city, Mishe, and I have no room to have a horse,” Bladescape replied. "I honestly never thought it through. Can you sell her?”

“There is a market, but you can sell her just as easily as I can.”

“Do you want her?” Bladescape asked.

Boots groaned, leaning up against the stall’s wall. Palomo stuck his head out, nudging her and forcing Boots to pet his muzzle. “I do. She is a beautiful mare. She is trained and the system menu indicated that she is almost in heat. Wind Rush will be ready for breeding shortly as well. None of my other mares are close to being in heat and I have been wanting to try breeding. So yes, I have use for her.”

“Can you cover the daily costs?”

“Yes,” Boots nodded. “Especially with the sword you bought me. I didn’t realize how far behind I was. I will take her off your hands.”

“That sounds optimal,” Bladescape replied. “I hope it is a good gift, or if you prefer, compensation for loaning me Palomo.”

“It is,” Boots smiled. “It was a pleasure to help another equestrian. Especially one who is such a natural. I know I will see you again.”

Bladescape chuckled for two reasons. First she enjoyed riding. The second was dearer to her heart. Hearing equestrian, used in the human sense, was odd to the former unicorn. “I really did enjoy the quest today. And as tough as the fight was, it was a good battle in the end. I enjoyed it all.”

“You are always welcome to kill bandits with me,” Boots said. “Or, maybe you would like to help me track down one of the unique Aincrad horses. They don’t fight, but roping and breaking them isn’t easy. They are the boss equivalent of horses in Aincrad. Some are stunningly gorgeous.”

“I would kill the sport of capturing it,” Bladescape replied. “I would just throw a pick at it with a strong paralyzer and bam! We would have it caught.”

“That would be appreciated,” Boots chuckled. “My attempts to catch the one on Floor 12, Marengo, have gone poorly. I really need a tranquilizer.”

“I have business I must attend to,” Bladescape said. “But I would enjoy doing that with you. We will keep in touch.”

“Have a good night,” Boots said, bowing slightly.

Bladescape bowed back. “The same to you.”

Once she was out of sight, Bladescape put the ring on and teleported to Merlin. She headed to the cathedral as the sun slipped below the Floor’s edge, issuing in twilight. Bladescape entered the cathedral, which was now lit by candles.

“You are back,” Merlin said from his seat. “Come, eat.”

Bladescape sat down across from him and enjoyed the meal. It was simple, but good. She had missed lunch in the rush of everything.

When they were both finished, Bladescape asked her question. “What did you mean earlier? You said the Skill Greatsword?”

“I did,” Merlin replied. “I thought you already had it. Your sword is as strong as you are, and I know you are an expert with it. With its size, you surely have to have the Skill.”

Bladescape pulled up her menu and scrolled through the Skills she could choose from. Greatsword was right there in the Gs. She had not been looking at her own list to choose from.

Merlin continued. “A sword like your Harmonic Salvation could benefit from the Skill that was designed for the larger swords. It is specifically designed for a master of the long, oversized blades. Arthur rode with a two-handed sword, but he could also easily wield it on horseback with one. It was a bit longer than Bajutsu too. That was a two-handed sword, not what you have on your back. That can only be called a Greatsword, for it stands as tall, or greater, as a man.”

Bladescape nodded, thinking. She had no idea when Greatsword became available. She had been maxed for a while, but her strength had continued to rise as well as other parameters of her virtual reality body. For the last two Skill Slots, she knew what she was doing beforehand, so she hadn’t been paying attention to her skill list.

Bladescape picked up Greatsword and slipped it into her 11th Skill slot. She accepted it and it was locked in place, showing 0000/1000. She couldn’t pass on it as a Skill.

“What does it take to be eligible for Greatsword?” Bladescape asked. “I have a friend, Dale, who also uses an oversized sword with his Two-Handed Skill.”

“That, I do not know,” Merlin admitted. “I can see things with you, because we are now linked together by the Glass Tower, but that is all. I assume it must be for those who are worthy of it, great masters of the blade that can make a sword like yours swing like it was half its size, but hit like it was twice as big, and rend armor apart like a war axe.

"I know that it is a different hand position on the handle. Your hands are spread apart, not together. One at the guard and one at the pommel. It gives you the leverage that a long blade can make deadly use of.”

Bladescape nodded slowly. Harmonic Salvation’s handle was long enough for 3 of her hands. She was on the top curve for the Assault team. She was probably the only one who had finished the Skill Two-handed Sword, since it required a high enough One-Handed Sword ranking to start it. Others were not that far behind her though. Extra Skills, like Katana, Martial Arts, and Meditation, had popped up months ago. Currently Commander Heathcliff was the only player with a Unique, only for him, Skill. It was called Holy Sword.

Merlin was helpful, but useless at the same time. She was still thankful for his aid.

“Thank you Merlin,” Bladescape smiled. “I will train this and use it for good. If I find out how I can teach it to another player, or guide them to it, I will.”

“But only if they are worthy,” Merlin warned. “You are worthy. There is something special about you. That magic I mentioned earlier. I know you heard me say it.”

“I did,” Bladescape nodded. “It triggered some things in my mind. Good things.” Blacescape sighed. “I was supposed to make that Skill Slot a non combat, fun skill to relax. Everything else is combat.”

“But you did have fun and you found a passion,” Merlin stated.

“Questing has its perks,” Bladescape replied.

“No,” Merlin chuckled. “I mean the horses.”

Bladescape raised an eyebrow questioning him. She recalled how much fun she had. She had even laughed, enjoying the ride. At worst, she could spend the day riding alone, or with Boots, destroying bandits from horseback. Or possibly, going out to rope the master horses of Aincrad.

“You are right,” Bladescape grinned. “I did fulfill my promise. I will do a lot more riding. That will be how I relax in this world. And it will give Bajutsu a continuous use."

"Have a good evening," Merlin said with a warm smile as he raised his hand up to snap her home.

Bladescape smiled back and she was home, in her room. She hung up Harmonic Salvation and put away her armor. She would deal with everything else in the morning. She would also need another sword mount for Bajutsu.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 80 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 73 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 76 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 73 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 73 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 75 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 73 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 70 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search
Lessa: Lvl 70 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Author's Note

The Aincrad Asides are now in a story, not a blog!

Episode 58 - Plaudit

Front Line - Floor 60
April 29 - Year 2

Bladescape entered Lisbeth's smithy. She was behind the counter, leaning her head onto a hand, the arm with its elbow propped on the surface. The counter was too low for her to be comfortable in that position.

She was obviously bored as a customer tried out different axes. Her NPC shop assistant could handle the sale, but Lisbeth did like to interact with the customers. If she was bored and waiting like she was, that meant she was out of orders or things to do.

Bladescape confidently strode across the shop. Lisbeth looked at her, but didn't move.

"What?" Lisbeth groaned as Bladescape stopped at the counter.

"Can I speak to you, privately?" Bladescape asked.

Lisbeth groaned. "Am I going to like what you have to say?"

"I have no idea," Bladescape shrugged. "But I am not here to make an order."

Lisbeth let out a big sigh and stood up, stretching to offset the odd angle she had been in.

In the back, Bladescape glanced around, being a bit paranoid. She opened her menu and took out Bajutsu. Bladescape extended it to Lisbeth.

"Tell me what you see?"

Lisbeth opened the menu and looked at the information. "I don't see anything wrong? Or different? But I barely know this sword. Wait...what is this notation that says it is hardened?"

Bladescape drew Harmonic Salvation and held it out. Lisbeth clicked on it, confirming it was also hardened.

"Wait!' Lisbeth exclaimed, starting to panic. Bladescape hushed her to be quiet. Lisbeth composed herself and lowered her voice "100! That can't be right! Harmonic Salvation had 40 enhancement slots!"

Bladescape chuckled with a grin. "The quests I was rushing to do the other day, specifically the one on horseback, well Bajutsu did marvelously. I severed the Knight's head without using a sword skill. I received, as a reward for a quest, the strengthening of my swords. There are several judgements the, gift, used, but the quality of the blade is one of them.

"All attributes were raised, enhancement slots were added, and the blade became hardened. The hardening is something only able to be gained from that quest, and now it’s over. It guarantees that an enhancement will never fail on that weapon."

Lisbeth choked on her shock, putting her in a laughing fit over how ridiculous she sounded. "You mean. I could purposefully fail an enhancement, but it would still take."

"Yes," Bladescape nodded. "I wanted to let you know so that you were not too surprised when I dropped it off next. For either blade. Bajutsu isn’t going to be ignored by me.”

Lisbeth sat down, hard, onto her anvil and groaned. “You are going to make me enhance it all 100 times.”

Bladescape couldn’t help but laugh. It was true. And without a hardened blade, it was a very stressful thing for a smith to do. It could ruin a sword if it failed. The enhancements would be stress free, but the sheer quantity was a headache to think about.

"So," Lisbeth started. "So, then you plan to take Harmonic Salvation to the Ruby Palace?"

"I do," Bladescape nodded. "With the boost I got, and maxing the sword, I believe it will still be a top-notch sword worthy of making it to the end."

Lisbeth thought over it. "Yeah, it should be capable of that. I won't know until Floor 90 and what enhancements you chose, but Harmonic Salvation should still be a very good sword.

"But why bother with Bajutsu? Are there more quests with horses?"

"Maybe," Bladescape shrugged. "I am waiting on the next part to unlock. However, I plan to keep riding. I enjoy it. And the player who trained me hunts from horseback. There is other stuff to do with horses as well. Riding doesn't require a Skill. It's how I will relax in this death game. I know Bajutsu isn't the best sword you have made, but Lis, it is the best cavalry sword you have made. It was designed for horseback and it excels at it."

Lisbeth sighed, but smiled slightly at the acknowledgement anyway. They heard the door open, meaning either a customer had come in, or the one looking at axes had left.

"I almost have what you need for Harmonic Salvation's next enhancement," Lisbeth said. "I don't have what I need for Bajutsu. Metal prices are spiking."

"That's okay," Bladescape shrugged. "I really need to catch up with the others so I can help progress the game today. My break is over, but I had to inform you of the change before I forgot."

Bladescape went back to the store. Lisbeth followed her. Another two customers had come in and the same guy was still agonizing over the axes.

Bladescape rolled her eyes, unable to bare his stress. He was sweating and overthinking everything. She walked over to his side, but he didn't notice her. She slammed her palm onto the counter. It made him jump slightly and look at her.

"They are obviously close in stats," Bladescape said. "Just pick the one you want to be seen with. You are overthinking it and fretting over nothing."

"Th-thanks," he stuttered.

Bladescape walked away. She turned around at the door and walked out backwards as she bid Lisbeth goodbye. Bladescape teleported to the closest Frontline town and headed out after her friends.

The biggest challenge of a new Floor wasn't the field bosses, or even the labyrinths. There were dungeons that needed conquering too, but the open area between the villages and dungeons were usually riddled with monsters. That was what most of the Clearers did; clean out the Floor, wiping the area clean of monsters and then eliminating the respawns until they were rare occurrences. If an area was left unattended, they would eventually pick back up again, but would normalize at a new, lower rate overall while leaving roadways mostly clear, making it easier for players following the front to come in after and still quest, farm materials, or grind for XP.

Bladescape knew where her friends were from the map on her menu, but until she caught up to them it meant solo fighting the field monsters. Floor 60 was grasslands. Where they were at, it was inhabited by aggressive moose who charged at everything that got to close. Their antlers were spiked and they did a lot of piercing damage on top of getting rammed. The antler spread was massive. Bladescape usually locked Harmonic Salvation with them until she could shove them out of the way and run the beast through, or cleave off their heads.

It was tough, battle after battle, until she finally caught up with the others. They had been moving forward without her, as ordered. The tanks made fighting easier, drawing in the charge attacks so the others could flank and finish the creatures off.

"Glad to have you back, darling," Diemond said as she braced for a ramming attack. It was a solid defense. Diemond had progressed a lot. No one was as sure footed as Backbreaker, but Diemond was a force to be reckoned with.

The moose popped, giving Diemond a break. Astro and Thunderborne had flanked it and made quick work of it.

They had three parties going, centered around their Tanks for efficiency. Even without Knightstar, they knew how to be efficient. They had learned well from her. Backbreaker was with Doombunny and AFCK. Kiefer, Lessa, and Joltron were a team. Astro was heading up the other party with Thunderborne and Diemond. They were well balanced. Bladescape joined up with Astro, choosing to fight with Diemond for a change.

They made it to the next village in the afternoon, giving them a much needed break. They were the first to arrive. It felt like an old west village, with a dirt road main street and an intersecting street, both lined with wooden businesses and houses one to three stories tall.

After grabbing a late lunch, they began to go through the town, grabbing the quests they could. They had time and the advantage was theirs. They had a few quests available; one was a kill quest for the moose, another for gathering supplies from the nearby region, and the third was running off bandits from a farm so the farmers could go back home.

Backbreaker was too slow to make her an efficient gathering player, but her shield was perfect for the kill quest. However, Doombunny was best utilized on the supplies quest. Lessa and Doombunny were swapped for optimization and then the teams headed on their way. Lessa's shield would be an added bonus to the kill quest team.

Since they had the advantage of being the group of four, Bladescape, Astro, Thunderborne, and Diemond went after the farm. It wasn't easy running them all off. More came at them once they had cleaned out the farm, and then a third wave tried to drive them off. The last wave being led by a flag boss.

He died easily as Astro ran him through with her spear and then forced him up against the barn, as high up as she could get him with her spear. He couldn't hit her with his sword because of Dragon Tail's length. Without his feet on the ground, he was defenseless as the spear's DOT ended his reign of terror. The poison on the tip played a strong roll too.

It was late when they finished the quest. They grabbed dinner and Bladescape began to prepare their new strategy. Kiefer, Joltron, and Doombunny joined them, ordering their own late dinner. The rest of the Wondercolts were not too far behind.

After the last of them ordered food, Backbreaker asked the question. "Overnight trip, or are we going to crash here?"

"I say overnight," Astro said. "We have had enough rest. Let's at least pound the area around the town and clear it for the others. Meanwhile, I think we have a good jump on them, so let's milk it while we can."

"You didn't just come back from the kill quest," Lessa stated. She was obviously tired of the moose.

An NPC approached the table. She didn't have any food and wasn't one of the workers. She bowed, but was obviously trying to mask her concern. "You helped out the others in the village, can I ask you to help me?"

"What is it you need?" Bladescape asked.

"There is a gang that has taken hold in the old mine to the north of here. My brother recklessly went off to join them, and he took with him our father's sword. I don't know if they have killed him, or actually allowed him to join. My father just wants the sword back, because it is a family heirloom. They had been arguing again. My mother and I want Thomas back too. Can you help us?"

"Yes. Bladescape said. "We will get your family's sword back and do our best to make sure your brother comes home."

"Thank you," she said, bowing again. She turned away quickly to try and mask her now wet cheeks.

"I haven't gotten my food yet," Backbreaker stated.

"Come after us," Astro said. "Eat, square anything away that you need to, and join us."

"Sounds like a fun party!" AFCK said.

They double checked equipment, potions, crystals, and their own minds, and then Bladescape led the two parties out. At this point, it wouldn't matter if they were in two or three parties, but she wasn't going to bother with reconfiguring them if she didn't have to.

Kiefer's party had run into the mine while on their gathering quest. They had avoided it and the gang. At the time it held no value. It made it very easy for them to get to it.

"Alright," Bladescape said to everyone after Doombunny gave them a clear map of the mining camp with Reveal. "It's late. We need to do this smart, so I'm giving Omega orders."

"Fast as possible and reduce our margin of error," Astro said with a nod. "This is a quest ripe for Omega. We need to watch for Thomas, especially if we want to try and turn his life around."

"I'll scout for him," Doombunny said. "But he has to be deeper in the mine from what I see here."

"I can use a paralyzing throwing pick as well," Bladescape added.

They set their entry points and the time before moving into position. Bladescape and AFCK were teamed up and in position quickly. Astro and Joltron were together with Doombunny officially on their insertion team. Diemond and Thunderborne were the other team. They had the camp pretty well surrounded since the mine was set into a ridge, blocking off one side from being flanked.

When her internal clock hit one minute before entry, Bladescape applied the poison to Harmonic Salvation. AFCK was humming "Friendship Through the Ages" while she applied the poison to Geode Splitter.

The digital clock ticked one more minute forward and Bladescape silently rushed forward to her chosen target. AFCK fell behind immediately, obviously getting distracted by something. The stab was silent and clean, but Bladescape grabbed his mouth and covered it, holding on tight until the poison knocked his HP to zero. Diemond and Thunderborne were making noise, while Joltron and Astro seemed to have started late.

Bladescape rushed to her next target and repeated the stab. AFCK was loud as she finally caught up, ending Bladescape's silent assault.

These gang members were not like the ones on Floor 12. They were on Floor 60, the front line. The gang members were level 72. Even with poison, Bladescape had to deal multiple slashes, hacks, and stabs before they were dead. The same went for the other Wondercolts.

They quickly became out flanked as their dispersed tactics failed to account for hidden members from the surrounding area. Doombunny's Reveal Skill wasn't close to being maxed yet. Bladescape was without a shield and forced to fight them solo. AFCK was somewhere. The others had managed to gather together.

That did provide an advantage for Bladescape. She had not used Greatsword yet. Her new Skill was still at 0000/1000. It wasn't that she wanted to keep it a secret from her friends, but she wasn't entirely sure what the skill was yet. Merlin had said she just needed to separate her hands.

With her hands split, she quickly found the trigger position for a cut. It was powerful, as it used leverage to control and deliver an unprecedented amount of damage compared to what her high level Two-handed Skill dealt. She could cut the gang members down in half the attacks. Bladescape also realized that with a simple adjustment of her hands, she could switch between Two-handed Sword' and 'Greatsword' Sword Skills. It was a very versatile advantage.

They finished the last of the reinforcements as their own reinforcements arrived.

"Sorry it took so long, y'all," Backbreaker panted.

"Nonsense, darling," Diemond said, waving it off. "You arrived just in time. We need to go inside the mine. Now more than ever we need your shield."

"We should split our forces," Astro said. "The mine will be constrictive compared to the field. Plus, we need a rear vanguard. I doubt that was their last counter attack."

"I agree," Bladescape nodded. "Kiefer, Diemond, and Lessa will hold the entrance while we go in."

"Thank you for keeping me out of the icky mine," Diemond said. She yawned, a good reminder to them all how tired they were and needed to be careful.

The mine wound its way into the ground. It soon forced them to split up. Joltron, Astro, and AFCK took the right path, while Bladescape led Backbreaker, Thunderborne, and Doombunny down the left.

The walls echoed with the faint sound of combat. Bladescape urged them forward a bit faster. The mine twisted a bit more and the sounds of combat became louder. Doombunny slipped ahead and scouted.

She came back and reported. "The others are up on a large ledge. We are on the lower part of the cavern. They can't get down easily, but it doesn't matter with the number of gang members they have to clear.

"For us, it is 20, including the boss. His name is Haskins the Miner. He doesn't actually have armor, just a pair of heavy overalls and a crossed pickaxe and sledgehammer tattoo on his left arm. He carries a pickaxe as his main weapon. He has 2 health bars. The rest of the gang are the same as all the others we have killed.

"However, they have 3 NPCs with them, tied up. One is Thomas. They were putting them through initiation. We can save Thomas."

"Strategy?" Backbreaker asked Bladescape.

"You and Doom go for Haskins. Thunder and I will draw the aggro of the others. And hopefully Astro can finish up and then they jump down and join us soon."

Doombunny nodded in agreement. Backbreaker just shrugged and turned, gripping her hammer tight.

With a roar that echoed off the unstable walls, Backbreaker charged. She rammed into a gang member, not slowing down as she trampled him to get to Haskins. Doombunny was gone and Bladescape applied new poison before charging into the cavern.

"New plan for you dusters!" Haskins laughed. "Kill them and you are certainly one of us."

Gang members cut Thomas and the others free. They shoved pickaxes into their hand and they charged after Backbreaker. Doombunny hit Thomas with Shadowsong, paralyzing him. The other two she killed with Endbringer. Colorra was impossible to spot in the low light. The only way to tell where she had been was by the poison tags beside their red cursors.

Bladescape was quickly surrounded and free to work with Greatsword. The sweeping movements of the early skills allowed her to quickly address multiple angles and attackers quickly and efficiently. She didn't focus on one specific target. That would make her vulnerable to the others while she concentrated on cutting an individual down.

Backbreaker was blocking only when she had to, choosing to bash Haskins as fast as she could. Doombunny wasn't helping her. Thunderborne had gotten forced to a wall and surrounded. Doombunny had turned her attention to paralyzing and then poisoning the others, cutting down on the number of viable attackers while she worked to get to Thunderborne.

With less pressure, Bladescape quickly finished the 8 focused on her and turned to help Backbreaker. She watched as Backbreaker bashed Haskins and then he retaliated by bringing his pickaxe onto her head. She saw the axe piece her helmet. It shattered, destroyed for good, and Bladescape saw the pick strike Backbreaker's head. Her health dropped deep into the red.

Backbreaker roared in anger, whipping her glowing hammer up. The powerful blow forced Haskins to lose his grip on the axe. Backbreaker didn't give him the opportunity to grab it or get another weapon. She unleashed a fury of blows with her hammer, pulverizing him into polygons in a way that only a strength focused, hammer wielding player could.

Bladescape leapt at a gang member that had just recovered from the paralysis effect. He had little Health left, but she could not let him get near to the compromised Backbreaker. One or two good hits and Backbreaker would be dead.

Doombunny was charging with Shadowsong, trying to delay them in an effort to save Backbreaker.

One did get to Backbreaker, from her blind side. The idiot NPC roared as it lifted its axe to attack. Backbreaker spun, swinging the Floating Bulwark. The giant shield cut through the gang member like a sword.

Bladescape let out a sigh of relief and drove Harmonic Salvation down into a paralyzed member, ending his existence. He was the last one, outside of Thomas.

Doombunny was struggling to even lift the handle of the pickaxe Thomas had dropped. Bladescape stooped down to grab one of the fallen ones and was shocked at the weight. Even with her strength, she couldn't swing it with precision. The fact that Backbreaker was calmly standing with one in her head meant that Backbreaker had more strength than Bladescape could even mentally grasp.

Backbreaker stepped over to Doombunny, taking the pickaxe she was trying to lift in one hand and flung it across the room with ease. Bladescape met them and used a red crystal on Backbreaker.

Congratulations and fanfare began as Astro killed the last gang member. Bladescape pulled the pickaxe out of Backbreaker's skull. The removal tore a sizable chunk out of her restored health. The pickaxe was even heavier than the other ones and it slipped out of Bladescape's grasp, thudding onto the ground.

Backbreaker ignored her health and picked it up with ease. As she did, one side of the pick broke, leaving Backbreaker with a new Warhammer. It was slim, but it had a blunt hammer on one side and a pointed pick on the other, just like most of the war hammers Backbreaker had used, including her current one, Guard Smasher.

"My prize," Backbreaker declared to them and Astro's team watching from up on the ledge. "Monotonous Duty. It has Guard Smasher outclassed with its base stats. It ain't as pretty, but it is better."

"We witnessed its power," Bladescape shrugged. "Besides, you are known for carrying the ugliest equipment with the best stats. What is that, more iron?"

"Looks like iron," Backbreaker replied, looking closer. "We'll see what Lisbeth can do to shine 'er up."

Bladescape bent down in front of Thomas, who was no longer paralyzed, but unmoving because Colorra was coiled up nicely on his back, guarding him

"So, Thomas, did you learn your lesson?" Bladescape asked.

"Lesson?" Thomas stuttered.

"Your sister sent us. Said you and your dad had a fight, you took the family sword here, and they want both back."

"My sister sent you?"

"We had helped others already, so she thought she could trust us. Your dad might still be angry... but family is family, and important. It is worth fighting for, not against. Conflict is natural, but stealing from family and running to join up with murderous thugs is not an approved method of conflict resolution. Now, what did you learn?"

Thomas sighed deeply, obviously feeling regret. "I'll head home and sort things out with my dad."

"You might want to bring the sword back. Where is it?"

"It's in a shed on the surface, with a bunch of other supplies."

"Let's go get it," Bladescape said, extending her hand to him. "And get you on your way home."

"Okay," Thomas said, taking her hand. Colorra got off him so they could pull him to his feet.

"Um, girls," Doombunny said. She held up a rock. "Do you see this?"

"I can see you and you are holding a rock," Bladescape said, putting her hands on her hips.

"It's a metal ore," Doombunny stated. "One not known before. At least not before this Floor."

Bladescape glanced around. Search gave her night vision, even in low light areas like the mine. There were rocks strewn about along the edges of the walls. Not many, but enough.

"This is an active mining location," Doombunny added. "First mapped by us. The value of this location and data is huge. There are several guilds that would drop some serious Col to not only get their hands on the raw ore we can gather, but a map to and of this location."

The Wondercolts usually traded or released for free Labyrinth map data and sold for low cost the maps and data for dungeons. They wanted to progress the game and not strain the costs the Clearers already had to put out for equipment and supplies. Location data for a mine was completely different. They would cash this in for its full value.

"Gather what we can," Bladescape ordered. "If we need to pull the guard team in we will. I doubt it though. Let's load up and get going."

"Blade," Doombunny said. "I'll cover the leak. I know exactly who you go to get the info out and start a bidding war on what we have."

"Let's load you up," Backbreaker said, tossing a large rock to Doombunny.

Doombunny shreaked and barely sidestepped it. The rock thudded onto the ground.

"Right," Backbreaker chuckled. "Sorry Doom. I forget mah own strength in here too. I'll let you pick up what you can."

"Thank you," Doombunny said as she tried to pick up the stone. She did better with it than with the pickaxe. Once it was in her inventory, the system calculated it into the load bearing algorithm and it didn't burden her. Doombunny was their weakest member for raw strength. She had enough to unlock Extra Weight Carry, but otherwise her stats were speed and agility. She focused on the smaller stones that would be good for samples.

They quickly picked the place clean. Thomas followed them out. It was almost dawn when they hooked back up with the defense team. They had been aware that the battle was over, since they were from two different parties.

"What happened to your helmet?" Diemond immediately asked Backbreaker.

"Yah did a good job, but it broke," Backbreaker said, holding up her new Warhammer. "But this beauty is worth getting stabbed through the head fer."

"We really need to do an intervention about your idea of beauty," Diemond fired back.

Doombunny distracted them. "I'll meet you at the Teleport Plaza."

Doombunny teleported out while the rest of the Wondercolts went to the supply room. Backbreaker broke the lock with her hammer and they raided the storage shed for everything valuable. Thomas took the sword and rushed off, back home.

They walked back, dealing with the moose whenever they had to. It was dawn when they arrived back in town. Doombunny was waiting for them by the teleport plaza. She nodded to them that the job was done and they headed into an NPC restaurant for breakfast.

They were tired, but on a 36-12 rotation. They had done this plenty of times before. They would push into the afternoon and then call it quits. The fields still needed to be picked clean. Being as far ahead as they were, they decided to focus on just that. It was an important part of clearing a Floor.

Thomas' sister found them and thanked them. It officially ended the quest, which they had forgotten to turn in.

As they walked out into the early morning, they saw a group of tired, but friendly, faces. It was Fuurinkazan and they had not seen them.

Bladescape decided to play coy. She slowly clapped three times to get their attention and patronize them. "Took you guys long enough. Some men you are! The girls beat you to this place by 12 hours."

"What happened to Joltron and Kiefer?" Klein poked back. "Don't tell me you kicked them out for being guys. Or did you, doll face?"

It was a horrible push to get "doll face" inserted in the conversation.

Klein's face froze as he realized what the rest of Fuurinkazan already had. They had forgotten about Knightstar's departure.

Bladescape played it off well. "We don't kick anyone out." She grinned wickedly. "We converted the two of them."

Joltron broke down laughing. He set off a chain reaction as all of the members from both clans laughed.

"Did you girls just wake up?" Dale asked.

"Nah," Astro shrugged. "We have a few more hours to go before we turn in. We cleaned out the four quests we could find, just turning in the last one a short while ago. Not sure if there are any others now that we have helped the village out a bit more."

"What's the plan?" Klein asked.

"All out of cupcakes," AFCK warned. "Our 36-12 trips are too hard to pack them on trips past 24 hours. Which is why they taste so good! They're always fresh!"

"We know where you live," Dynamm grinned. "And we are not afraid to track you down."

They all were tired and broke down laughing before better jokes could get exchanged.

"HEY! YOU! HELP!" They all turned to look at the male NPC running through the street to them in a panic.

"What is up?" Bladescape asked.

"We...the…" he struggled to say as he was forced to try and get air into his virtual lungs. The game was annoyingly detailed at times. "The mine to the south, the active one, had a collapse. Can you help?"

"Yes," Bladescape nodded. She shifted focus to the others. "Thunder, Astro, Doom, and Lessa, we are going to trade you the excess items we picked up. Take the movement penalty, teleport to Mishe, drop it off, and come right back. Astro has team lead."

They quickly swapped the heavy ore, weapons, and other junk - like the moose heads - that they could. Parties were reorganized into two groups. The main reason was to assist in lightening their loads in any way possible and making it easier to move heavier objects. They could always store the rocks in their inventory to move them faster. Another part of it was with hope that they could get more of the ore from the rubble. On the strength scale, those four were the weakest Wondercolts.

Fuurinkazan also had the quest triggered and they rushed off after the NPC. The gossip from the other NPCs they passed in the town was full of concern over the collapse, and not about them being led into a trap.

The mine wasn't far. The collapse had happened further in. They couldn't see it from the mouth of the mine

"If we go in, and it collapses more," Klein said, speaking what they were all thinking. "And too many of us don't have helmets. What happened to BB's helmet?"

Backbreaker was honest, but aloof about it. "Miner flag boss from the last quest we did drove his pickaxe into my head, shattering it."

"Wha-" Klein started. He smartly dropped it to focus on the real mattered.

"Screw it," Backbreaker exclaimed. "This cattle drive won't drive itself!"

Backbreaker began to jog into the mine. Joltron passed Bladescape and Klein before either of them could react.

"Oh what the heck," Klein shugged.

Bladescape sprinted into mine. "The girls are beating you to the punch!"

Klein growled as he scrambled after her. The rest of their guilds rushed into the mine. Backbreaker and Joltron were already moving rocks.

"We have to be smart!" Bladescape exclaimed as she was passed a rock. She passed it to Klein and they got the chain going. "If it collapses on us-"

"I know!" Backbreaker growled. "This ain't my first time bailin' hay in a precarious barn. You got a better idea? We don't got Knightstar to run a calculation, and even if we did, we ain't got time for any of that."

Bladescape took a giant rock that was hard for her to move. She passed it to Klein and it slipped from his hands, crushing his toes. Klein swore as his HP lost a noticeable chip.

"Not that strong there, are you, samurai man?" Bladescape joshed.

"What does that make you then?" Klein asked as he sucked in air in a vain attempt at ending the pain. "Some sort of freak?"

"Nah. That's BB." Bladescape shrugged. "I guess we won't move that one."

They all stopped as the world around them shook. Rocks fell from the ceiling and they held their breath. After a minute of silence Backbreaker was again moving rocks.

"Almost there," Backbreaker grunted. "I can see a glow from a candle."

"We are right here," someone said from on the other side. "But it's not stable. It collapsed for a reason. I don't think you can get to us."

"Not gunna happen without more of a fight," Backbreaker grunted.

Bladescape made a judgement call. "Harry, You have the strength. Diemond, you too. The rest of you, get out. We have enough room to move the stones around us without blocking the exit. Go! Before we all get trapped."

"But-"

"No butts, Dynamm," Bladescape interjected. "Go before you block our ability to sprint out of here! Get clear so we can get clear."

The others vacated with haste. Joltron tossed aside a small boulder and then Backbreaker pushed a rock through at the top, making a hole.

"It's hot in here," Klein said, wiping sweat from his brow. "There is no airflow. How many do we have to get out?"

"There are ten of us," a voice on the other side said.

"One at a time through the opening," Backbreaker ordered them. "Let's go! Time is not on our side."

The first trapped Miner, a young lad, came up to the hole. Backbreaker and Joltron grabbed him and practically yanked him through. Bladescape and Klein grabbed him from their arms and they got him moving out of the mine. The next one was also a young lad. After that they were family men who had wives and children waiting for them above.

As they pulled the 7th one out, the walls shook at Bladescape ducked, covering her head from the pieces of rock falling on her. They waited patiently, seeing if they could push their luck. The 8th man fell as his slick arms slipped from their grasp. It was a nasty impact.

Harry One scooped him up and began to run him to the surface.

"Kolens is injured," the NPC on the other side said. "We were focusing on getting the younger guys out."

"Pass him through," Backbreaker said.

It was a battle. Kolens was dead weight. Dragging him out of the opening destabilized the barrier. It was the only thing holding the ceiling in place. Diemond took him and carried him out.

Klein and Bladescape backed up a bit. They didn't need to be right there, in the way. The next one came out. He was an older man, but walking. He shuffled off to the surface under his own power.

As the tenth and final man was trying to shimmy out, the wall gave way. Everything began to collapse again. Backbreaker's shield suddenly popped onto her arm and she threw it up to face the ceiling.

"Run! Backbreaker grunted.

Joltron grabbed the NPC as things began to crumble. He yanked him into his back and started to sprint to the surface. Klein was right behind him.

Bladescape turned to run, but a chunk of the ceiling stopped that.

"Go!" Backbreaker ordered her as the mine destabilized. They were in a death trap.

Bladescape was shoved forward by Backbreaker. She started to fall but a firm hand caught the back of her cloak and kept her up. It shoved her forward again, on more solid feet.

Bladescape glanced back and saw Backbreaker blocking them from falling rocks with her shield. The Iron Bulwark didn't bow to anything in Aincrad. Not to any monster, any boss, or even the rock itself.

They got clear of the main collapse and they both sprinted to the surface, leaving the crumbling stone to fall where it wanted.

Bladescape made it clear and looked back. She realized that, in the sprint, she had left Backbreaker further behind than she had initially thought. Her heart stopped as she heard the mine continue to collapse and the ground shook.

The other Wondercolts had made it out of the mine after their drop off and they all anxiously watched the mineshaft’s entrance. The seconds ticked by with no one coming out and the sounds from inside going from a rumble to an angry growl.

Backbreaker finally emerged, coughing and covered in mud. The virtual dust had collided with her virtual sweat. Sometimes it was nice how the system did or didn't replicate the real world. This was not one of those times.

"Done," Backbreaker said, standing tall. It lasted only a moment as she began another coughing fit. They got her water and sat down among the mine equipment.

The NPCs began to cheer and the foreman walked over to them. Thanking each of them with a bow and with words. What he said was the typical NPC thanking scripts that most of the quests ended with. What mattered to Bladescape was that Backbreaker was safe. That they all were safe.

"That was the dumbest quest I have ever done," Klein stated. "What was the point of that?"

Bladescape shrugged, letting out another sigh of relief. "I don't know. We have been doing odd things; mostly normal, easy, quests. This was...well I don't know what it was. But we made it out and that is what matters. Backbreaker has had one hell of a day."

"Did she say a pickaxe in her head?" Klein asked.

Bladescape chuckled. "Yeah. I pulled it out of her head. The boss was leading a gang that was in an old mine to the north. Smashed right through her helmet, destroyed it, and took out almost all of her HP. You have seen her aggressive defense. She was that, but on offense. We lived, saved the kid as an extra reward, and walked out alive."

"What was that you were shoveling off to the others?"

"Klein," Bladescape said, grinning at him. "We Wondercolts are a pretty open book as a guild, but we have our secrets. We always play the cards that help us all get free from here, but we have our holdouts in our hand that you can't see. That is how we stay on top."

"Fair enough," Klein conceded. "Now what?"

"Well, it's not even noon yet," Bladescape said, checking the time. "We had planned on taking it easy for the rest of the day by clearing the fields. We have been up for over 24 hours, no breaks. We have a few more hours in us, but then it is home to sleep before getting up and hitting the Floor again."

"You girls are insane," Klein said, shaking his head.

"It keeps us on top," Bladescape shrugged.

"Yeah, but as much as I envy you for that, I don't. I only have so much energy. At some point, I have to worry about living and staying sane. What about you? You have a hobby yet?"

"Yeah," Bladescape chuckled. "I did a solo quest the other day that required me to be trained not just to ride on a horse, but fight on horseback. The quest was alright, but the horses, now that I enjoyed. Turns out, I have a lot of fun riding horses. And bonus, it doesn't require a Skill."

"I don't think I would do well on a horse," Klein replied. "I hear they are hard."

"I was doing the quest for a high profile player, and they paid for me to be taught by a player with both real life and Aincrad equestrian skills. I picked it up pretty quick."

Astro stepped over to Bladescape and Klein. "Now what, leaders?"

"I'm down for field clearing," Klein shrugged. "Looks like the quests are dry here, at the moment. Then again, we are not back in the town to see what is going on there."

"Let's regroup there to make sure," Bladescape suggested. "Then we can set up teams and systematically begin to sweep the area, eliminating every monster creature we can before the others arrive."

Klein agreed and they headed back to the town.

"You guys got ahead of us all by quite a bit," Klein commented. "The DDA went east, the KOB north, and you took west. There wasn't much to the south since we started there, but only one village or town was to the west, and here we are. In the exact opposite of where the Labyrinth will be."

"Might be," Bladescape corrected him. "You know that it is never the same. The pillars hold the labyrinth, but where that pillar is doesn't equate to where the entrance to that Floor was. On 44, the points were right on top of each other. Instead, we rushed around, storming the entire Floor and then took another week finding it right back where we had started."

"Regardless, we have two or three field bosses to find and eliminate. And I don't sense they are out in this quadrant."

"So what brought you here?" Bladescape asked.

"Avoiding the DDA," Klein shrugged. "Another verbal argument. And the KOB was being snobbish and elitist."

"They can put out that air," Bladescape said. "And it can be annoying."

"Well, we can deal with them later," Klein said. "The town looks stable. I was almost expecting it to be on fire."

Bladescape snorted a chuckle. After the mine collapsing, that wasn't an unfounded belief.

"Well, no smoke, no fire. Let's set up our parties and clear this place of the pests outside of town."

They set up some fun teams. Unlike their prior team up in the Catacombs, they were not looking at performance or anything in particular. It was mostly a pick your partner deal with no assignments. Astro, Dynamm, and Doombunny teamed up to speed kill. Backbreaker, Diemond, Joltron, and Harry One decided they wanted to "Tank out their frustrations" by joining up so they could all get their hits in. Thunder, Dale, and Lessa decided to join forces. Kiefer, Issin, and AFCK partied up and were gone before anyone could check in with them.

"I guess that leaves you and me, doll face," Klein grinned.

Bladescape rolled her eyes. "Sure, but only if you ask nicely. And then play fair. I'm still-"

"I know," Klein said, cutting her off before the familiar words were spoken once more. "Still, it will be fun to fight, side by side, guild's leader and guild's leader, alone together for the day."

"At least for the next few hours," Bladescape replied. "I'm safe, but we are on low sleep. We will turn in early."

"Then we better hit the field," Klein said, giving her a wink with his goofy grin.

Mob hunting with Klein was fun. The two of them were strong enough that they could play the defender if needed, but they rarely needed it. The better strategy was a proactive action, dodging and striking rather than an outright block.

After a while, as they were hunting down the next respawn, Klein asked the question that had been growing on his mind. "Look, you don't have to tell me, but you are obviously above me. Just how far are you?"

Bladescape leaned lightly against Harmonic Salvation, feeling the tip sink into the grassland under her weight. "Well, I went into the 59 Floor Boss 1 XP away from Level 80."

Klein was shocked. "80! I- I- I’m not even at 70! That is insane!"

Bladescape sighed. She was tired as she looked at the virtual landscape around them. "I worked my butt off for it. I'm the highest Wondercolt. Most nights, I don't sleep. Or not that long. I can't even get a good night's sleep when I do. There are no dreams for me in here either. Not a single one since we started. I put my energy into fighting. The stronger I am, the better I can protect my friends, and the stronger we are as a whole. I have outpaced them by a good deal now, even though the Wondercolts are rarely absent."

"You guys are the hardest working guild I know," Klein stated. "Then again, I don't exactly know how the Knights of the Bloodoath function, but I doubt they push themselves as hard as you guys do. Why push yourselves so hard?"

"Honestly," Bladescape said before pausing. "Well, literally a lifetime ago, me and my friends were known for fixing things around school. Being the ones who stood up for what is right. We did some interesting stuff.

"We never faltered at the start. We rushed headlong into working to clear the game. Not survive, but clear. Simply put, it is what we do. Astro, Kiefer, Lessa, and Joltron have been keeping up well, despite not knowing us I.R.L. They understand the ideology that is the Wondercolts."

"And Knightstar?" Klein asked.

"She burned out," Bladescape admitted. "After the argument, she got stuck in her head, overthinking. No, she was already overthinking everything and that was the problem.

"And that is our Achilles Heel. We push ourselves hard, shoulder heavy burdens, and gladly. But, the stress is tremendous. We deal with our own struggles as best as we can, but we can't always see how our friends are handling it because of our stress. When Knightstar fell, she had no one to catch her. We are working on a plan to get her back. She shut herself off from us, and that is not a good thing. The plan is in motion and I trust Doom."

"I'll catch you," Klein said. "Seriously, if you fall, I'll be there to either catch you, or pick you up. You have more friends than just the other 10 Wondercolts. Don't forget that."

Bladescape couldn't get a reply as a heavy yawn took the moment away. "Thanks Klein. It is good to know that you are there. And Fuurinkazan too. The same goes to you. We will gladly back you guys up anytime. You are our friends. The stress on us all is tough. We may need you guys one day.”

"What does that tone mean?" Klein pressed.

"Well, Fuurinkazan is a small guild, and one that is on the Assault Team. We are not much bigger, and in the same place, Assault Team. Some days I wonder how much longer the smaller guilds can keep it up on the front lines. Clearing is one thing, but Assault Team? We have maybe 120, on a good day, at our Floor Boss raid meetings. And we send half of them into battle. Sure, we got better, casualties are infrequent and low, but a single boss, taking out 10, 15, or hell, 20. That would be a significant blow to our progress. It’s almost…"

Klein gave Bladescape a little time to think. "It’s almost what?"

Bladescape shrugged. "I'm a combat build. I love combat and riding horses. And half of what I do on horseback is chase down bandits and kill them from horseback. As much as I am a combat junkie, I am beginning to wonder about how long I can go. But you can't tell the others that. I'm barely keeping them together as it is. I don't need their foundation shaken any more than it already was with Knightstar. Leading the Wondercolts and having to stay on top is a lot of pressure. Backbreaker is great, I need her on our Council, but she is the cornerstone, not the flag bearer who is out front. Knightstar at least could give me stats and crunch numbers, but she still wasn’t out front with me. A good strategist and Lieutenant, but not a Captain. So it's basically on my shoulders. At least we all agree that we need to be on the front line, fighting for the freedom of those who can't fight for it themselves. That is keeping us focused."

"Your secret is safe with me," Klein said. "What about Kiefer? Or Astro? Isn't Astro your quest guru?"

"I've been looking at Astro as a replacement," Bladescape admitted. "Kiefer has potential, but that is where I would leave it. We want him to be trained to handle small teams, but he isn't ready for a guild leadership position. He is young, but learning. Thunderborne is another candidate, since she was captain of most of our school's sports teams and has the leadership experience. She'll never leave a friend hanging when things get serious, but the rest of the time she still tends to screw around a bit too much for me to know if I want to put that on her."

"It's driving me nuts," Klein said, switching gears. "What did you pick up as your next Skill? There are only so many combat related Skills."

Bladescape snorted a laugh. "I let you know my Level. That is as much as you are getting out of me."

"Awe come on!" Klein protested. "It's going to take me ages to get 10 Skills. At least give me a taste of that power!"

Bladescape rolled her eyes. "Not even the others know my chosen Skills anymore. The only way I would reveal that list is if I got married in the game. And then only to my husband."

"Fine," Klein grumbled. His goofy grin turned mischievous.

A moose respawned and they were immediately charging its location. Despite the conversation, they were as in sync with each other as they had been for a while. They communicated well, read each other’s nonverbal cues, and worked nearly flawlessly despite not always being side by side.

As the afternoon peaked, Bladescape organized their rendezvous. The tanks were in a jam outside another abandoned mine. They all met there, helping them clear all of the gang members out.

"Thanks, y'all," Backbreaker said when they were done. "We had a lot of fun, bashed what we needed to, but we were not gettin' out of that fight quickly. Which was fine until now."

"No problem," Klein shrugged. "It was a fun way to end our day teamed up."

“Anytime, darlings,” Diemond said. “It is refreshing to be out with more than just Wondercolts.”

“We are heading into town, are you guys coming?” Bladescape asked.

“Nah, we will stay out for a bit,” Klein replied.

The parties were all dissolved and the Wondercolts and Fuurinkazan said their farewells for the day.

They were coming into the town from the east. Bladescape had not come in from that direction. It was the entrance that had the corral for the horses and the NPC ready to rent a steed. She usually didn’t pay it any heed, but her new hobby meant she gave it a glance.

Bladescape took a second look and stopped. The braying horse caught had her attention. It was a yellow horse, almost golden in color, with a white main. She had learned a lot from Boots over that single day, so she could tell it was a gelding, a castrated stallion.

The horse had a deep chest, solid shoulders, and its hindquarters showed how powerful it was. It was straight and true along its back with solid legs. The head was held up high with a good, strong arch in his neck. His ears were perky, paying attention to the world around him.

Bladescape walked closer and saw the white diemond on his forehead that slipped down his muzzle a little way, in between bright, interested eyes. There were white snip curls up from the nose as well.

He took immediate interest in Bladescape. She had a good sense about the horse. He reminded her of some of the guards in Celestia’s castle. Some were stallions that made their own way, but the good ones were like this horse, interested, without being pushy, and obviously able to stay calm in the face of chaos.

The corral was a standard NPC owned business. Bladescape entered the barn, the gelding had followed her until she got inside the barn. It popped its head through its stall door, the back being open to the corral, and he looked for her with snort.

Bladescape found the NPC out back, shoeing a horse. “Can I help you?” the NPC grunted as he put the last nail in place.

“The yellow horse, the one with his head out the door, is he for sale?”

The NPC wiped his forehead free of sweat and stepped over to see which horse she meant. “The palomino gelding?”

“Yep,” Bladescape nodded.

“Yeah, he is. But he isn’t an easy horse to ride.”

“Can I try in the corral?” Bladescape asked.

“Sure,” he shrugged, heading off to get a saddle.

Once saddled, he passed her the reins. The palomino gelding was almost 15 hands high, or just under 5 feet at the withers. Despite the height, Bladescape mounted him with ease. It didn’t take much to direct him. He understood what she wanted and soon they were at a strong trot and even a gallop in the corral.

Bladescape slowed him down and dismounted in front of the NPC. “How much?” She asked, not handing over the reins.

“I haven’t met a soul able to ride him, especially like you just did,” the NPC stated. “Still, the lowest I can go is 50,000 Col.”

“Deal,” Bladescape grinned. “I’ll take him.”

She exchanged the Col, also bought the basic saddle and reins, and then rode him through the stable to the others who were waiting to find out what was going on.

“Uh, what are you going to do with that?” Thunderborne bluntly asked.

“I have an idea,” Bladescape replied. “That player, Boots, she has a stable. I am sure I can pay her to care for him, in between me taking him out for a ride.”

“You can teleport with a horse?” Diemond asked, concerned for the horse.

“Yes,” Bladescape replied. “But the horse has to be steady, or they will freak out. I will meet you at home.”

Bladescape rode off, not waiting for a response. She got plenty of looks from the NPCs, but it wasn’t hard for her to get him onto the teleport plaza. He took the teleportation without a second thought, however, as soon as they were on Floor 12, he was ready to run. Bladescape had to hold him back to navigate them through the city.

The stable doors were open and a few horses were out in the corral. That meant Boots was nearby.

“Boots!” Bladescape called out.

“One moment,” Boots yelled back.

Bladescape decided to stay mounted for the time being. She wanted Boots to see her on the horse first.

Boots finally came out, wearing her armor. "I was just-" she looked over Bladescape and the horse. "I'm done riding for the day. If you wanted to go. Sorry."

Bladescape dismounted. "No, I am not here for riding. This is...I don't know who this is. But he is mine."

Boots accidentally let out a squeal of excitement. She obviously didn't like to squeal. She composed herself. "That is awesome. But, don't you live in the city? That is why-"

"I was hoping that you could help me with that," Bladescape said, interrupting her. "Paid of course."

Boots stammered unintelligible sounds for a second. "Yes!" She squeaked, excited. "And he will have plenty of good friends too! But how did you, why did you, I mean, yes, you have Col, but you still bought a horse. They are listed as one of the top 5 dumbest things to spend your money on."

"Riding is a great way for me to relax," Bladescape replied. "You heard me laugh and saw my joy. Every other skill is a combat skill. I am addicted to combat, but I promised, when I got my next skill, I would find a non combat skill. I tried, I ended up questing, met you, finished the quests, and went back to my normal life. I saw him on my way off the front lines today, and now I own a horse. Well, I sort of finished the quests. I am waiting for the next part to be unlocked. I may still need to ride for other parts. The point is, since you don't need a Skill to ride, I was able to fulfill the promise of a hobby or way to relax, and still add a combat skill."

"You will need a better saddle," Boots said. "Thankfully I know a guy. And you won't have to worry about the saddle fitting you. It's like armor. It just fits. A bit annoying, but nothing is perfect.”

Boots brought up the horse's information. "Now, you just need a name for him. He has none, and you get that right as his owner."

"I know it's my decision, but do you have any suggestions?"

"The first horse that comes to mind is the old racehorse, Plaudit. He was a purebred stallion that has the rare distinction of being an AQHA registered purebred and a PHBA horse because he was a true palomino. Although, palomino isn't a breed, but color, it still has a very difficult vetting process to get registered with them. Anyway, Plaudit won multiple races and then went on to sire several names as big as his. He was quite the race horse. Of course, that is by modern standards. If we were to take this to medieval standards, Plaudit would have been a courser, like this guy here. And a very good one.

"That is an interesting name," Bladescape said.

"Modern Horse names, particularly modern derby horses, have distinctive names for betting practices. But the word means-"

"It's an expression of praise or approval," Bladescape finished.

"Exactly," Boots beamed.

"I do agree that he fits the description," Bladescape said. "So why not?"

The name was entered and Plaudit was officially registered in the system. He was also registered as being owned by Bladescape with the caretaker being Boots. It allowed her to do everything needed to care for the horse that otherwise only the owner could do or would have to directly authorize, like shoeing. She could also ride him if he needed it. It also gave Bladescape access to the stable, but only his stall and gear, so she could go in and get him when needed.

"He teleported fine," Bladescape added. "He wanted to move as soon as he arrived, but he was fine otherwise."

"That is valuable," Boots replied. “I have a feeling you won’t stay on Floor 12.”

“I could use a horse to assist in gathering enhancement materials,” Bladescape shrugged. “Well, I would enjoy it, not need. I have Sprint, but it isn’t as fun as riding.”

Boots chuckled. Bladescape bade her, and Plaudit, goodbye before she went back home.

Inside their headquarters, in the waiting area, were three players she knew only by name, but had never met. Veros was the leader of the largest crafting guild. With him was Relos, a well known smith, and Pelloid, the finest metal expert in Aincrad. The others had kept them waiting for Bladescape.

“Forgive me,” Bladescape said as she sat down. “It’d been a long and complicated day. I had forgotten that we sent word out about our find.”

“So we have heard from your guildmates,” Veros said. “It is understandable. But we are not here for idle chatter.” He held up a small piece of rock, one they had gathered from the mine. “This is an interesting item. And it is most definitely new. Word is that you know where more is and that you are willing to sell that information.”

“We do and are,” Bladescape nodded. “We could only pick up the loose pieces. None of us are miners, and I know that there are other guilds than just you that are interested in this find.”

“And yet you didn’t go to your favorite info broker with this,” Veros pointed out.

“I wasn’t the one who sent word,” Bladescape replied, staying calm and composed. “I don’t want to rip you off. After all, this material will most likely prove vital for the Assault Team and other players. Still, I know your profit margin will easily exceed ten times what this sale will be at. I am not afraid to negotiate.”

Veros grinned knowingly as he sat there. “While I know your reputation as Wondercolts, I didn’t expect an easy negotiation.”

He pulled out a folded piece of paper from inside his shirt and passed it to her. Bladescape took it and read the offer. She held back any emotion. She had no real idea of what the information was actually worth. No one did. They were gambling with future predictions. Still, the offer on the paper wasn’t fooling around. Veros and his fellow guild leaders were not willing to risk losing the mining location and the future that it might hold.

“This is an interesting offer,” Bladescape said, trying to scope out their reaction.

Veros was just smiling back at her. “It is what we could gather. And it is all cash. We have the Col to transfer to you right now.”

“I’m tired,” Bladescape admitted.

“We had heard you were working overnight,” Pelliod said. “You put a lot of good effort into freeing us. So we put the best offer we can on that paper. You have better things to do than haggle over predictions.”

Bladescape let herself smile. “I do. And this offer is enough to settle the negotiations.”

Bladescaper pulled up her menu and prepared to copy data. She did a limited transfer, covering only the field map of Floor 60 and the mine’s map. The information came out as a scroll. She set it on the coffee table and slid it over to Veros. Veros opened his menu and put the Col onto the table. He picked up the data and read it before transferring into his map data that all the guild had access too.

“I would recommend guards,” Bladescape said, leaving the Col on the table for the time being. “The moose are annoying, but deadly. We were clearing around the town for most of the day. And the gang that was inside it was no joke. I don't think the gang will respawn, but we can't guarantee that."

“We are prepared for front line mining,” Relos said. “It isn’t our first time. And we do have to mine in some areas that require guards as well. I look forward to getting my pickaxe into this ore.”

“I hope you have fun,” Bladescape said. “I couldn’t spend my time in here picking at rocks.”

“And I couldn’t spend my time in here swinging a sword at every Boss that comes my way,” Relos fired back.

“We should let you get sleep,” Veros said, standing up. “Thank you for selling it to us.”

“And thank you,” Bladescape said, also standing.

They all bowed to each other in parting. They let themselves out while Bladescape stood there, next to the table with the money on it. Once they were gone, Bladescape picked up the bag and inventoried all of it into the guild’s finances. They would make good use of the money from the sale.

Bladescape wasn’t thinking about weapons upgrade or equipment. She was setting her sights higher. They had broken onto Floor 60, yet the Wondercolts’ HQ was on Floor 35. They were going to need a new place by Floor 70. A place that was closer to the front, even though they were in eyesight of the Teleport Plaza. They had an image to keep up, and staying on Floor 35 had lost its touch. The Knights of the Bloodoath were now on Floor 55, in Granzam. The Divine Dragon Alliance was on Floor 56. The Wondercolts were behind compared to them, despite their importance to the Assault Team, and it was beginning to show. The Wondercolts would figure out how to top their current headquarters when the time came. For now, they had just pocketed a lot of cash for it.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 80 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 73 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 76 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 73 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 73 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 75 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 73 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 70 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search
Lessa: Lvl 70 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Author's Note

My Patreon is launching(I thought it was launched). If you like what I do, well it takes a lot of time and I am in Grad school. lol. I hate advertisement plugs, so that is all I will say.

Episode 59 - King Black Dragon

Floor - 52 - Front Line Floor 62
June 12 - Year 2

Bladescape and Doombunny were sitting in a charred tree on Floor 52. They were relaxing and enjoying some yellow frosted cupcakes with pink butterfly sprinkles after training Doombunny's Fencer Skill for several hours. It was a well deserved rest. As they relaxed a pack of the black wolves had found them and was snapping and snarling, waiting for them to come down. Colorra was coiled around a branch, ready to drop and destroy them, but for now, it didn't matter.

Bladescape's Search Skill notified her something had broken the passive field she had set up while they took their break. She looked in the direction of the breech. It took a moment for her eyes to catch the single player, dressed all in black and well disguised in the ash landscape. She was behind in registering everything as he closed the distance with a speed that would make Thunderborne nervous. Kirito ran a wolf through and then easily killed each of them as they turned to tear their new target apart. It was a ferocious speed she had seen multiple times when Kirito was defending other players in a boss fight. There was no mercy because they were shown none by this "game."

He looked up at them. "Are you guys alright? Why are you in a tree? Why didn't you tele-" Kirito finally recognized them and their armor, and he wasn't happy. "Wait! What are you doing up there‽ There’s no way you guys were in trouble."

Bladescape dropped out of the tree, leaving Doombunny sitting in it, kicking her dangling legs a bit for fun. Her sweet, soft side was being portrayed, outside the bandanna tied around her forehead which made her look fierce. Bladescape held up the picnic basket to Kirito.

"Cupcake?" She offered. "AFCK baked them fresh this morning. I've seen your face after trying one. You liked it."

Kirito casually reached in and pulled one out. He took a bite and shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a guy. A growing boy needs his food. And her cupcakes are divine. But, that still doesn't answer the question of why you were up in that tree with the wolves trying to tear your legs off."

"I'm with Doombunny, helping her train. She speed kills the wolves, leveling up really fast. She did it solo for a bit, but it is better when I am with her. It's the best way to work on her Fencer skill-"

"Right," Kirito interrupted. "The double daggers she had in the nightmare of a boss fight against the Necromancer."

"Yes," Bladescape nodded. "It’s her first defensive skill. Anyway, we take breaks in the trees, and if a group is below us, Colorra drops out of the tree and destroys them. She is a tree snake after all.

"However, that doesn't explain you. The assistance was appreciated, especially your reaction to make sure we were safe, without knowing who we were. But you are a solo player, and the ashen wastes of Floor 52 is one the most dangerous places to be alone. Doombunny at least had Colorra for backup when she did this alone. But you don't have any form of backup."

Kirito sheathed his black sword on his back. His words were somber and once again had a frosty edge to them. "Why I am here doesn't matter. Just as long as you are safe. That is all that matters."

"Yeah, well, it doesn't make any sense," Bladescape prodded. "This place has no substantial grinding spots, unless you are like Doombunny, but otherwise, it's ash and black dragons." As soon as Bladescape said it, she knew why he was there. "So why are you after black dragons. And alone."

Kirito sighed. "I need a new coat. Ashley is making me one of black dragonhide."

Bladescape's smile was more of a smirk. "Oh, changing up your look are we?"

"No," Kirito flatly replied. "Same look. Same jacket, just a different material to make it better and stronger for the next set of Floors."

"Not a bad choice," Bladescape admitted. "And your all black look has grown on me. But those dragons are no joke. They often are not alone. You need backup. Get Klein and Fuurinkazan out with you at least. I'm sure they would be glad to help. Or wait a few days and I can have a party of Wondercolts to join your side. Don't be stupid about this. I would know. I almost died trying to get the materials for my armor. It's not worth it."

"That was Laughing Coffin. It's a big difference between them and a few dragons."

"Wrong!" Bladescape snipped. She had been ready for him to make that mistake. "I almost died fighting the Dagannoths. They were my real problem, and my prideful mistake. Especially when their flag boss showed up. I should have had at least Astro with me. The swamp didn't allow for a full party, but we can put together a full party to back you up. So let's do that."

"I'm not you," Kirito replied. It was a cold stab. "I can handle it."

"Like hell you can!" Bladescape argued back. "I've seen you fight. Yeah, you are good, but there are things a solo player can't do. Or shouldn't. Black dragons are one of them. Soloing a dungeon is different than soloing a single, overpowered creature. You can take the materials you need if we get them. I don't care. We need you alive, because whether others like it or not, you are a great swordsman who we need in order to make it out of this hell. You are a staple on the front lines and losing you will hurt our momentum, and our morale."

Bladescape crossed her arms, getting really serious. "And if you disappeared while trying to get the black dragon hides, I would blame myself."

Kirito stared Bladescape down. Bladescape felt like he was trying to pierce her soul with his eyes. He was out of words, so he tried to break her down in a clash of wills.

"Incoming!" Doombunny exclaimed, jumping down out of the tree. She pointed into the sky. "We have been spotted by a dragon. Three is a crowd which is why no one else comes with us. Even if Bladescape does not have the Hide Skill, we go unnoticed. Mostly because we stay south. But that one has a longer targeting range!"

The contest of wills was over. There was a good chance Doombunny would have to run, but Bladescape had no intention of leaving Kirito exposed. She would show him why he should use a party for this task.

Bladescape drew Harmonic Salvation and set the blade towards the incoming dragon. Kirito also drew his black blade. Doombunny wasn't being left out of it, not yet. She had her parrying dagger out and drew Endbringer, her poisoned blade.

"Run!" Kirito ordered them. "Run or teleport out. I have it. I came prepared. You are not."

"We are too!" Bladescape shot back before she mentally took a tally of their healing supplies. They would be enough to handle a single black dragon.

Bladescape checked with Doombunny. Colorra was on her shoulders, ready for battle. Doombunny gave a slow, sure nod, indicating that she was in and ready to fight. Daggers and poison were not a good combination for a black dragon, but Bladescape had faith in her friend. She had shown a lot of growth and skill over the past month. Doombunny could figure out how to best attack the large, powerful, fire breathing beast.

They watched the large dragon cruise towards them at a good speed. The claws, teeth, and spines were a white ivory that contrasted well with the black color. As it came in closer, Bladescape realized something was wrong, and so did Kirito beside her. It had been a lot further away than they thought. The name popped up, and it wasn't something generic. "King Black Dragon" showed up and so did five health bars.

They didn't have time to react as it belted fire from where it was in the sky. Bladescape stepped forward, spinning Harmonic Salvation. It was a simple, but effective, Weapon Defense Skill that helped deflect things coming at her. Kirito was using something similar against the washing flames.

It worked, partially. Bladescape seized up as the flames rolled around and burned her. She felt them crawling and chewing at her body. It would have been third degree burns in real life, if not something that killed her. Still, her health only dropped just into the red.

It was enough health to allow Bladescape to retaliate. She finished the defensive skill with the tip of her blade almost in the ash and then she swiped it up, leaping as high as she could. The blade glowed orange as she performed a leaping slice. The blade slashed the underbelly of the dragon. It wasn't a heavy hit, but it was enough to make it roar in pain and drop to the ground to protect its softer underbelly.

Bladescape immediately used a red crystal to heal herself. Her health leaped to full, but the choice to heal herself meant she was distracted, just for a second. The King Black Dragon whipped his tail around. It slammed into Bladescape's chest, forcing the air, and motivation, out of her as she went sailing and her health dropped back in the red. She hit the ground and bounced. After the third roll she lost her hold on Harmonic Salvation.

Doombunny hadn't run. She had avoided the flames, which meant it was time for her to switch in. With a roar she brought the dragon's attention back to her as she charged him. He roared and snapped at her, intending to bite her head off. Doombunny slipped low, enough that she could raise the parrying dagger. The outside guard slid along the dragon's jaw, protecting her hand like a shield would have, and then the tip dug in between the scales as the dragon's forward movement pinched the blade into its neck. While that did a minute amount of damage, Doombunny was more focused on her real attack. Endbringer glowed black as she ran a series of close slashes along the underside of the extended and exposed neck. Each time she hit ten the skill ended, but she strung them along two more times. A dangerous tactic being so close to the dragon. But it knocked off a noticeable chip of HP and the Poison Symbol popped up above the health bars.

Kirito came in, driving "Rage Spike" to the chin of the dragon, snapping its head up. His delay was negligible because it was a low-level strike. It let him jump forward, past Doombunny and unleash "Deadly Sins" at the lower chest of the dragon, an exposed, sensitive area.

Bladescape wasn't out of the fight as she got up and ran to Harmonic Salvation. She grabbed the blade without breaking stride and chugged a health potion. Her Battle Regeneration Skill helped get up her health back into the Yellow. The dragon was distracted with Doombunny and Kirito. It took a few steps back from being struck in the chest by Kirito, something it didn't like.

They were able to fall back as Bladescape ran up to the dragon from behind. She charged right up its flank and then flipped her sword around, driving the blade into its back. She held on as the dragon thrashed under the pain. As it stopped and pulled its head around, Bladescape pulled the blade out and unleashed "Stumbling Spark." It was a 6 hit combination attack from her new skill, Greatsword. It sliced down at an angle which would be, for a human, a strike low at the legs. But on the dragon's back there were no stones to clip and make sparks, the blade just dug six slices through its flesh.

The dragon leaped in pain, causing him to throw Bladescape. She landed, hard, in the ash. The ash had the odd ability to move when you didn't need it to, and not move when you did. Bladescape couldn't move from the fall. She had come in, shoulder first, and was out of breath, laying on her chest. She lost the ability to recover or even breath as the King Blade Dragon put his front foot on her and went to bite her head off.

It roared in pain, stepped back, off of Bladescape, as Kirito drove an attack home on the other side. Bladescape had only a little HP left, but she felt a surge in her body, despite the lack of air in her lungs. She pushed up and grabbed Harmonic Salvation. The attack was savage, targeting the leg that had been holding her down. It left a long red gash on the foreleg that would make the dragon think twice. But it left her shoulder in extreme pain from the fall and then swinging the heavy blade.

The fire was swept from Kirito to Bladescape. She had no chance to get any form of defense up. With no breath in her lungs, pain over all her body, she stood there, leaning against Harmonic Salvation to stay up. Her heart stopped as Bladescape knew this was the end. She had felt the flames a few minutes before, she knew they would make her see "Game Over."

Sunset Shimmer had no regrets. She was only concerned that her friends would soon see the same screen without her.

The flames licked at her body and washed around her armor. As good as it was, the armor couldn't stop the damage from the fire breath. The HP bar slid down with tremendous speed as the last of her HP was sucked away. Bladescape closed her eyes as the HP gauge turned fully grey, but nothing happened. She opened her eyes and saw the gauge was just above yellow.

A scream of terror and pain pieced the ashen wasteland. Bladescape snapped her head to the left and saw Doombunny backpedaling with a horrible scream as she also took the fire. She had used a red crystal to heal Bladescape an instant before she lost her last bit of health. But she was being burned for it. The dragon had seen her. Bladescape saw her HP drop. It wasn't Bladescape's time to see "Game Over," it was Doombunny's. She was too far away for Bladescape to do anything. Doombunny had seized up from the fire's grip. As Bladescape saw Doombunny's HP gauge in the party's status potion of her vision go fully grey, it leaped back up to green and then slid down as the fire breath attack finished. Doombunny had activated a health crystal on herself, just in time.

Kirito unleashed a series of attacks that drew the full attention of the dragon. Its head snapped over to him, forgetting the two of them. For being a powerful dragon, and flag mob, it was easy to draw the aggro.

Doombunny roared and began to glow. Colorra came out of the ash and wrapped herself around Doombunny's torso, not mounting her shoulders. Doombunny leap forward, low, and dagger glowing yellow. She slid under the belly, in the little space available, and unleashed a Beast Tamer Sword Skill, Sidewinder. It was a set of stabs with several slashes like a snake bobbing around to make multiple strikes. She dashed out on the other side to where Kirito had been.

Bladescape charged forward after her, yelling her own roar and then unleashing a long slash on the shoulder of the dragon. She twisted so the followup slash struck across the foreleg she had already injured. The red slashes crossed as the dragon roared into the air.

Bladescape bolted as soon as the short delay was over. She dashed to a safe area and slid, kicking up ash as she stopped by Kirito's and Doombunny's sides. They were some distance from the King Black Dragon. It would give them the moment to plan.

"Run!" Kirito ordered them. "I can handle him."

"Are you kidding! Bladescape exclaimed. "We just did all that to run? It's down a third on the first HP Bar. I don't think so! You and I have fought side by side in every boss battle from the second floor on! You fought my clone! You and I finished the Floor 50 boss side by side! You know what I can do. What we can do together. We are not leaving you."

Kirito's brow furrowed a bit and he set his jaw. His question was calm, but firm. "Then, if you are going to stay, I have a favor to ask. You are a reputable guild and reputable players. I've never heard a bad thing about any of your members. I never even believed the rumors about Doombunny."

"Ask and it is yours," Bladescape said. "As long as we can take this boss down."

"You can't tell anyone, not even your closest guild members," Kirito added as he watched the dragon begin to stomp towards them.

"We are Wondercolts," Doombunny declared. "We will keep your secret."

The dragon was stomping closer to them, fixated on the three of them. Kirito's menu popped up and he made a few clicks. Suddenly another sword appeared on his back, crossed so it was over his left shoulder. He reached up and drew it. It was an unadorned steel blade. There didn't appear to be anything special about it. By its looks, it probably was a random drop of decent quality.

"Kirito," Bladescape stammered as she saw him holding a blade in each hand like it was natural. "Is that a Unique Skill?"

"Yeah," Kirito nodded.

The King Black Dragon roared and pulled his head back to unleash more flames.

Bladescape went left, sword already glowing. "I want a brief explanation after we kill this dragon!"

"You got it!" Kirito yelled back as he charged.

Unique Skill or not, they were three against perhaps the most feared Flab Mob. Level 80 or not, the normal black dragons were rumored to be in the 160's. Twice was Bladescape had. And that was just the normal black dragons.

The King Black Dragon's information and stats was unknown, and Bladescape couldn't see that information, even with her search skill being maxed. A player could kill another with a thrust of a sword in the right spot, even if that player was the same level as them. The fire the dragon was breathing probably meant it was at least three times the level Bladescape was. The jaws would be instant death. The claws would shred even her armor. There was no margin for error. And yet, Bladescape had no doubt they would beat it. The game had already given them its worst.

Bladescape had no idea where Doombunny had gone, but she had been on the other side of Kirito as they moved out. She pulled Harmonic Salvation above her head as it began glowing dark green. She let the skill go, slashing at the left shoulder. The King Black Dragon snaked its neck to bite her. Bladescape triggered the next Sword Skill, swinging the sword up and into the jaw of the dragon, rocking its head off to the side like a ball hit off a bat. From the far side Bladescape heard Kirito yell, unleashing his own combination into its side as he took advantage of the opening.

Doombunny slipped up from where she was crouched down. She went out, quietly, staying low with her parrying dagger out and ready to deflect anything, not that it would be able to do much if the dragon swung its tail at her. Colorra was useless in a fight against a dragon. The scales were too thick, even at the underbelly, but she led Doombunny into the weakest point she could find: the back heel and rear haunch of the dragon's back right leg. Doombunny let loose Viper on the crook between the leg and the haunch, where the thick hide transitioned to the underbelly. It was a critical hit which jumped the dragon forward in shock.

He turned on Doombunny, but he never got the chance as Bladescape unleashed Crescent Moon, a Greatsword skill that swept in a heavy slash from low to high. It cut through the dragon's hide and left Harmonic Salvation positioned above Bladescape's head. It was exactly where she needed it and Bladescape triggered Avalanche.

Before the King Black Dragon could focus on his new target, Bladescape, Kirito hit him with a Dual Blade Sword Skill that spun him around, trailing his swords in a wide circular arc to hit the dragon twice. They kept it up, each hammering the dragon from three different angles, splitting his attention. It was dangerous, but they had no choice but to push the offensive or suffer an attack they probably wouldn't survive. Without seeing each other, they switched in, using the dragon and the battle cries of each other to gauge when they needed to attack.

It didn't mean they were free from injury. They took their beatings, but the split attention saved them. They had found a sort of exploit, because no one in their right mind would attack the King Black Dragon, or any black dragon, without a few tanks and damage dealers. His algorithms were not designed to handle being split among three flanking opponents that never stopped the assault, that never stopped moving and dancing around.

Doombunny got kicked while attacking the back of a rear foot. She didn't get hit with any claws, which saved her. Kirito's Crossed Swords Skill blocked a swipe from the claws, but one hooked around to hit his shoulder. Only Bladescape's attack on the other side saved him from a follow up strike and his own death. Bladescape received a tail whip to her back in retaliation.

As its HP was chipped off over the forty-five minutes they fought, Doombunny had tried to paralyze the dragon, but it failed. Bladescape was too focused to apply more poison to Harmonic Salvation. Still, the poison Doombunny kept stabbing him with did its job. It was slow and steady, acting as a fourth, ghost warrior. It did more damage than they could easily track.

Doombunny scored another critical attack as she slid through the ash under his tail and slashed at his soft rear. She was switching sides as she had done several times. Bladescape saw the dragon stumble and jumped in. She was targeting its front right leg, which she had been working on throughout the battle. It finally was severed.

The dragon opened his wings and raised off his front legs to balance and compensate for the missing limb. The flapping wings were not an attack, but they put a lot of force on Bladescape. The last health bar was in the red. Kirito shifted to the front and unleashed his Duel Blades with a loud yell, "STARBURST STREAM."

His stamina was impressive. Single sword slashes, uppercuts, spins, horizontal slashes with both swords, and X crossing cuts. The Sword Skill was designed to be a finisher.

Bladescape had lost count but he was over a dozen hits into the combo. Kirito performed an uppercut slash with the left sword, dragging a long red line across the King Black Dragon's chest. He had him where he wanted him. The dragon was finished.

The slash never fished as Kirito's regular blade snapped halfway through the uppercut. Bladescape couldn't actually hear the crystal crack as she saw it break and then shatter into polygons, but her mind added it over the angry roar of the dragon. Bladescape had never had a sword break on her. From Kirito's facial expression, neither had he. The broken sword shattered in his hand, leaving it empty and canceling the skill.

The dragon lunged to bite him in half and Bladescape charged forward. She wouldn't make it in time, she knew that. The dragon roared in pain and snapped its neck as it thrashed. It dropped to the ground to try and regain its balance, but it didn't. Bladescape kept moving forward as she raised Harmonic Salvation to take advantage of the moment. As Bladescape triggered Star Rift, a Greatsword Skill similar to Avalanche but with a lot more force to the blade as it came down, she saw Colorra drop from the head of the King Black Dragon. She glanced over to where the snake had come from and saw the red mark on the eye of the dragon where the cobra had sunk its fangs into it. The one place Colorra could actually pierce him. Bladescape couldn't stop the attack, so she roared and gave it her all as she brought Harmonic Salvation down on the neck of the dragon. The blade sliced through the virtual flesh, decapitating the dragon's head, ending the battle, and stopping its tail whip at the stunned Kirito.

The entire dragon exploded in a shower of fragmented polygons that didn't sound like a normal death of a creature. It was deeper and more of a blast. But it didn't matter because it was over. A bit over an hour later, it was over.

Bladescape saw her menu pop open with the drop list on top of it was the Last Attack Bonus for killing the Flag Mob Boss. The King Black Dragon was no joke. Bladescape moved past it to glance through the drop list. It was an interesting drop list, but it did include a ton of Col and XP. Dragon Treasure was one way to describe the amount of Col she got.

Doombunny appeared by Bladescape's side. "Let's get in a tree and take a break," she panted. She turned to Kirito with a smile. "Come on Kirito, let's eat and get a break. We have plenty of food, water freshened with fruit, and more cupcakes."

Kirito was somber, still trying to feel the shattered sword with his left hand as he sheathed his black sword. He finally turned to them, flashing a smile to mask his pain. "Alright. That sounds like a good idea." Kirito sat down on the ash.

"Nope!" Bladescape said. "The wolves are still here." She offered him her hand. "There is a reason why you found us in a tree."

Bladescape helped Kirito up and they shuffled off a bit further south where they found a dead tree that would hold them all and give them a way to relax without worrying about falling out. Kirito was exhausted, rightly so, but he still made getting in the tree look like child's play. His agility was amazing. They all settled down into comfortable spots on the branches where they could relax after the fight.

Bladescape pulled out another picnic basket with food and water. She grabbed a sandwich and water and passed it to Kirito. He grabbed some and Colorra took the basket from him to bring it to a very tired Doombunny.

"There is a reason I don't do boss fights," Doombunny groaned. "I don't know how I didn't die. I had to be in the single digits when I healed myself as I got burned."

"I can't believe you survived that," Bladescape said with a nervous chuckle. "I saw you go down. All the way in that fully grey bar and then you leaped back to life."

That was all that was said. They ate in peace for a bit.

"I guess fair is fair," Kirito suddenly said. "Not too long ago, while looking for a new skill to select, I saw one I had never seen before, Dual Blades. There were no prerequisites from what I can tell. I keep an eye out, but no one is talking about a skill for dual wielding. Fencer was recently popped around a bit, but quickly denied as a true dual wielding skill."

"Wow," Bladescape said. "That is really cool. And it saved our butts out there. I see why you were so confident. But you almost died, a few times. It's a good thing we were there too. And if that sword had broken on you solo, it would have been a big problem."

"It would have," Kirito admitted with a wry smile. He flipped the tables immediately. "I heard about Doombunny's Fencing skill. I didn't see it, but I heard Commander Heathcliff even ask her directly about it. Especially about her duel wielding blades. I'm certain he doesn't believe her understanding of the skill, just like I do."

"What do you mean?" Doombunny groaned from where she was cradled in between a split branch.

"I'm fairly certain that your Fencing Skill is a unique skill," Kirito said. "After watching you today, it's not because you maxed your dagger. How long has it been maxed?"

"Umm," Doombunny thought. A few weeks before I hit level 70. I wasn't looking at my skills quite then. Not until right before I hit 70. I was looking for a defensive skill since I still didn't have one. I don't even have an armor skill. I just thought it had to be that, because of the parrying dagger. That was the first thing we found for my skill."

Kirito sighed, shaking his head a bit. "I can't believe you fight with a dagger on the front lines, and you made it to level 70? But that isn't the point. Heathcliff's skill is for the strongest player. Your friend Backbreaker is probably physically stronger, but her description would be unmovable. Dual Blades is given to the player with the fastest reaction time. Fencer, while probably designed to be used with a rapier, feels more like a skill for the most fearless player. You went 70 levels without a defensive skill, on the front lines, and on top of that, you don't even have an armor skill. You're pretty brave for that. And with that Skill, you are even more brave, almost rash, taking advantage of quick, very specific openings."

"But," Doombunny stammered, edging herself up slightly to get a better look at where Kirito was lounging. "But I was terrified the whole time. I hate fighting. I hate killing. I know it's a game, but I love animals. All animals. Even the weird ones we have to fight. And I have to kill them to get stronger so I can get home to my other animals and take care of Angle Bunny and the others. Sure the dragon wasn't as cute as Pina, but I would so love to sit and chat with that dragon and learn everything about them! Instead, I had to kill it."

"Angle Bunny?" Kirito asked. "Is that the name of your pet rabbit, I.R.L.?"

"Mhm," Doombunny nodded, sounding exactly like Fluttershy and not a player who just helped carve up a Flag Mob Dragon. "Well, his name is just Angle, but I often add the bunny on there. I know he is confused and scared without me. But he is the one who convinced me to name my character Doombunny."

Kirito nodded his head in understanding. "Well, Doombunny, I didn't see an animal lover out there, but I did see a brave player who took advantage of critical moments with an impressive speed that is probably second only to Lightning Flash Asuna. Asuna is brave too, but she can fight too defensively. You only ever do offense. You have no choice but to charge in, afraid or not, and cut your opponent down. It's a courageous attitude and you have it."

"But I'm afraid of almost everything in here," Doombunny retorted.

"It's not the emotion, but the action," Kirito said. "But, until someone else maxes the dagger skill, we won't know if it is connected to it or not. And that won't happen anytime soon. None of the front-line players will even bother. If they started, they might try. By now though, fighting skeletons, obgoblins, lizardmen, and dragons with a dagger is usually stupid. And it already takes real guts to fight with one. Very few players want to be that up and close for fighting in a death game. The more important point is that your skill brings in special equipment. That is pretty strong evidence that you are dealing with something unique. However, what is the most important thing is that you finally have some form of defensive skill."

Kirito looked at Bladescape. They had a much better view of each other than he had of Doombunny. "And you, you are not off the hook yet either."

"Me!" Bladescape exclaimed, confused.

"Yeah," Kirito said with a nod. "I admit, I don't know all the Sword Skills for each weapon. But you were not using Sword Skills from the Two-Handed Sword list. Some of those were ones I had never seen before. And they were a lot more powerful too. They helped save our butts just like my Dual Wielding. Avalanche can't sever a dragon's neck like that. Especially with the amount of HP he did have left. It’s too basic."

"Uh, well," Bladescape stuttered. "I leveled to 80 after the Floor 59 boss. I was supposed to be looking for a blow off, relax skill. I found nothing I wanted to do as a Skill. I'm addicted to combat, a bit too much. I needed to find my balance point. I did, in horse riding, which I needed for a set of quests I did the other day. That isn't a Skill, though, and I found a new one I hadn't seen on my list or heard of before, Greatsword. It's not on any info brokers lists, but I know it's for a two-handed sword. It upgrades it, like taking a curved blade and then unlocking Katana."

"You may be the first to max Two-Handed Sword," Kirito admitted. "But either way, for both of you, at the very least, they are Extra Skills with difficult prerequisites to obtain. Since I got Duel Wielding, I have been wondering and waiting for the next Unique Skill to be found. Which I think are you two.

"But going public with a Unique Skill isn't wise. Players will get jealous. Things can get nasty. Mistrust can be built too. They will wonder why they can't have it. Why did it have to go to you? What makes you special? What makes them unworthy of that Skill? And it is a lot more pain than I want to deal with, or would recommend, unless you are in a position like Commander Heathcliff. The guy is practically cut off, so who cares if he has a Unique Skill. Especially when it is exclusively being applied to furthering the game. We are members of the assault team, front line players, and the others work just as hard as we do, or almost, so they will hate that we got something that they can never achieve. A Last Attack Bonus item is very different from a Unique Skill."

"What is the point of Unique Skills?" Doombunny asked, annoyed at their existence. "I understand the hidden Skills we know as Extra Skills. But those all have things that any player can achieve. Any player can train a curved sword and unlock Katana. Any player can beat a quest to gain Martial Arts or Meditation. But a Unique Skill, for one person. That is mean."

"That's the very point," Bladescape explained. "Unique Skills are designed to balance out this death game side and keep it going. It makes players want them, drives them forward, so that this death game gets beaten. I don't know why, but their ability to spur on jealousy is exactly what this game needs. They build heroes or villains. They take the best, and make sure that by Floor 100, they are the best in that Skill. They will be at the head of the line of players, ready to storm the Ruby Palace. Because in that palace, nothing will be the equal. The odds will be so far against us, we will need every Unique Skill possible, and every player who is willing to be unique without a Skill label to hold above their head."

"You make a fair point," Kirito added. "But as much as it can help me at times, Duel Wielding isn't something I want to tout around. It's a different mindset when it comes to fighting. I'll master it. Not because it's a Skill to master, but because I want to be the best. I want to be the strongest player in Aincrad. I want to lead the charge into the Ruby Palace."

"We will keep all of this under wraps," Bladescape assured him. "I'll watch when I use Greatsword, and train it when others are not around to question things. I think Doombunny is safe. A lot of players already fear her because of Colorra."

"I agree," Kirito nodded. "That and Commander Heathcliff's response after the battle didn't blow it out of proportion. He kept it calm and relaxed. He was interested in it though. And for a moment there, I thought he was going to go off about her using two blades. A girl dual wielding daggers would be a very interesting thing. Not that the Sword Skills would allow it. It's for longswords only."

"Girl?" Bladescape poked.

"What‽" Kirito exclaimed as he realized what he had said. "No! I didn't mean girl as in girl. I mean, I did, I just meant..." He stalled out, trying to explain what he meant.

Bladescape lost it and broke down laughing. "I know what you meant. I know you didn't mean a girl couldn't do it. I just had to poke at it for a laugh."

Kirito grumbled under his breath as his red face went back to its normal color.

"Kirito?" Doombunny said. "I know you want to be the best and strongest player. I get that. I want it for myself, so I can go home to my animal friends. I know they miss me. But I could not do this without my friends. When the time comes, don't push them away. I'm sure your reputation as a Beater got you hurt a lot by the other players. But Klein, he likes you. He is a good friend of ours. I'm not saying you should join a guild, only that friends can make you stronger. They can help pick you up and exalt you higher. That's the only reason I am on the front lines with a dagger. Sometimes, that is what you need. Just, keep that in mind." Doombunny was so sweet and innocent as she finished. "Please?"

Kirito sat there, thinking for a little bit. "I will Doombunny. I don't know what it is about you, but you have a calming effect. I watched you tear up the King Black Dragon, and here you are, calming me. It was awesome to fight with you, both of you. I'll keep my mind more open about friends, about people who can be trusted. And you are right, I got burned badly on day one. Another Beta Tester had the same idea I had, and after working a short while together, he brought a large group of monsters on us, intent on executing a Mob PK and get what he needed from my dead body. He miscalculated and they killed him. Still, I think of Coper with mixed emotions."

Bladescape chocked on the water she was drinking as she heard the name. " Coper? As in a boy about 14, brown hair, average height. Light leather armor and a small shield with his starter sword? Cause I found and easily killed him in the Necromancer Boss Battle."

"So he did come back," Kirito said to himself. He turned to happier things. "Doombunny, do you know Silica?"

"Yep!" Doombunny smiled. "We met a while ago. She is lower than us, so she really can't safely join the Wondercolts on the front line, but the two of us are friends. And Pina and Colorra happily greet each other too.

“I know about your adventure together and I'm glad Pina is still with us. Like I said, our familiars are friends and we are friends. She is a wonderful player, even though she isn't on the front lines. I wish we could go on an adventure together, but I haven't had the free time. This takes up more time than I care for. If I'm not grinding away at the Floor, I'm usually grinding XP somewhere. I’m getting almost as bad as Blade is."

"I know," Kirito sighed. "As important as it is, it gets tiring."

Kirito fell silent, plagued by the thoughts in his mind. They continued to lounge and recover in the tree. Just because the cupcakes were gone didn't mean they had to split up. A group of wolves soon found them. Bladescape pulled out a few throwing picks and lazily put one into each wolf. The poison killed them with ease.

"Oh," Bladescape said, bringing up her menu. They needed to switch topics from death and pain. "Before I forget, these are the dragon hides that dropped. It was only six. He also dropped a ton of low-level equipment. It was certainly like he dropped his hoard into my inventory."

"That is the feeling I got," Kirito said as the transfer window popped up in front of him. "A lot of Col, gems, and cheap equipment. Only a little might be useful."

Kirito accepted the hides Bladescape got. He had only gotten three and so had Doombunny. It gave him the twelve hides he needed. His gear was light, and required less hides than the plates Ashley had made Bladescape. They lounged for a bit more, enjoying the well earned rest and flavored water.

"Well, I have to go," Kirito finally said. "It was a good fight. The cupcakes and food were appreciated too, but I have to go. I need a new sword now. I probably should have it made. I don't think I'm going to find another blade that good in a drop. Even then, it was way under-powered compared to Elucidator. It broke because it didn't have the stats I need for such a powerful skill. I have a recommendation for a good swordsmith. And now I certainly have enough Col for their very best."

"I'm done hunting," Doombunny said, dropping out of the tree first. "I got more XP than we had gauged possible against the wolves, and my skill shot up a good deal. I don't want to push it more today. I'm tired."

Bladescape joined them on the ground. "We will join you. Walking to town that is. Just the three of us who ran into each other on the ashen wastes. That's all. Unless you want it to be as friends?"

"I...uh..." Kirito sputtered out and his cheeks glowed red. "I uh, think I need more time." He finally said. "But walking together to the nearest teleport plaza is the wisest course of action. So let's get going."

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 82 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 60 - Life Lessons

Front Line - Floor 62
June 12 - Year 2

Kirito, Bladescape, and Doombunny walked from the tree they had been resting in to the nearest town. It didn't take long. It was also quiet. A comfortable quiet. After Kirito teleported off to Algade, Bladescape stepped up to teleport to Mishe, but Doombunny held back.

She hesitated to speak, despite Bladescape's questioning glance. "I need to go to The Town of Beginnings," Doombunny said sweetly.

"Why?" Bladescape directly asked.

"Colorra needs more food, and I get mine from there."

"Oh," Bladescape replied. "Can I come with you?"

"Sure," Doombunny shrugged. "It's no secret. Well, now that I'm not breaking any rules it isn't."

"Can you not find it elsewhere?" Bladescape asked as Doombunny joined her side.

"Teleport Town of Beginnings!" Doombunny shouted loud enough for the plaza to recognize the command.

Bladescape teleported right behind her, still intent on getting an answer. It was waiting for her as she stepped off the Plaza.

"Colorra can eat any meat, but she has a preference. I can't get it anywhere else. I have to pay to have it caught."

"Caught?" Bladescape asked.

Doombunny just nodded and turned, heading to the church with a skip in her step. Bladescape followed her, unsure as to where they were going. It wasn't a long walk. The Town of Beginnings still had a third or so of the remaining players residing in it. Some made a good living, while others were so scared that they didn't dare leave the city's safe zone. With no job, and an empty stomach, some sat under the popular tree along the streets. It had fruit on it. A low durability fruit that had to be caught or it would disappear. Bladescape watched a man sitting under one, staring up at it, wishing one would fall so he could satisfy his hunger and live another day of the same, pitiful existence. The Army claimed to distribute things evenly among the lower players, but it didn't seem like it could handle such a large task.

Bladescape saw the destination once they entered the small square in front of the church. Despite the quiet air, it obviously had a lot more going on that just being a building. Doombunny strolled confidently up to it and knocked on the main doors. A short while later, the door was opened by a young woman in a long, navy blue dress and white collar.

"Bunny," She said, the warmth of her greeting matching her smile. "And who is with you?"

"Sasha, this is our guild leader, Bladescape. Bladescape, Miss Sasha here does all she can to take care of the kids in SAO. There's a lot who didn't do well once this game became a prison. She is affectionately known as Teach or Teacher by many of the kids. Some are able to do things to earn money and bring food to the table for them all."

Sasha gave a short bow to Bladescape. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"The same to you," Bladescape said, bowing back. "Doom and I were out training together, but we finished early. So I came with her. I had no idea about any of this."

"Here we call her Bunny so we don't traumatize any of the kids," Sasha sweetly explained. "Doom is not a name some of the kiddos could bond to, but Bunny is. Please, come in. They are used to seeing equipment and gear. Gin, Kain, and Mina do what they can in the field, along with some of the others when they are up to it, but it is dangerous. Safety is the most important thing. They don't push the safety limit. It isn't worth it. They just get what we need, and that is all."

"Bunny," Bladescape said, a sly grin on her face at using the name. "What exactly do they do for you and Colorra?"

"They trap rats, mice, and the occasional rabbit," Doombunny stated plainly.

"Live?" Bladescape asked, a bit shocked.

"Mhm," Doombunny nodded. "They use cage traps. Colorra is a snake who prefers live food."

"BUNNY!" Two boys yelled as they ran into the room. They stopped and bowed to Sasha. "Teach, we left the food on the kitchen counter."

Sasha smiled back at them. "Thank you, Gin. Thank you, Kain. Where is Mina?"

"Helping sort out a fight," the one called Gin said. "Between Ira and Olais."

"Not again!" Sasha exclaimed, running off to a side room.

They were not going anywhere as Gin and Kain threw their arms around Doombunny in a tight hug. Colorra dropped off her perch and curled around the one called Kain who immediately began to scratch the snake's head.

"How have you two been?" Doombunny asked. "Behaving for Miss Sasha?"

"For the most part," Gin admitted. "Yesterday we had to run from a squad of Army soldiers. They were hollering on about us owing them for something. We sprinted away as fast as we could and lost them through a few back alleys."

"Well, just let Miss Sasha take care of them," Doombunny told them.

"And you are?" Gin asked, directing his attention to Bladescape.

"Bladescape," Bladescape said. "And it is Gin, right?"

"Uhuh! How big is your sword?"

Bladescape reached over her shoulder and drew Harmonic Salvation. With the tip on the ground, the sword still stood taller than both Gin and Kain did. Both boys marveled at it. It really showed the discrepancy Merlin spoke about; the one between a long sword, and an oversized sword.

"How heavy is it?" Gin asked.

"Try it," Bladescape grinned.

The kid couldn't be that much younger than her, 13 at most, but he was looking and acting more like 10. He had to be having a hard time in Aincrad, lost without his family and friends who normally would have caught him and helped guide him through such a difficult time. It was a good thing Sasha had found him.

Gin struggled to pick it up while it stood straight up. He tipped it over so he could cradle it in his arms. He grunted and huffed before buckling and dropping the sword. It clattered to the floor as he struggled to breath.

"GIN!" All of them looked at the young girl who had just yelled as she entered the room. "I'm so sorry, Miss." She said with a bow. "He knows better."

Bladescape bent down and picked up her blade with ease. "It's no problem. I let him. The blame would fall with me."

"Like you are one to talk, Mina," Gin shot back at her. "Miss Sasha has told you not to get involved in their arguments. You are supposed to stay out of it and get her."

Mina snubbed her nose at him. "Well I couldn't when they were already grabbing at each other's hair and were threatening to break the harassment code."

"Knock it off you two," Kain said as Colorra dropped off his shoulders. "Miss Sasha will be back any moment. We can't be caught fighting again. At least between us."

"Shove it!" Gin said, sticking his tongue out at Kain. He turned to Bladescape. "You want to see my sword?"

"Sure," Bladescape smiled. "What do you have?"

"The Army snags all the good spots," Gin said as he pulled up his menu. "It takes all three of us an entire day to get enough Col and items for food. We sell the hides, and buy bread, and such."

A basic iron blade popped out and he expertly caught the short blade in his left hand. With a quick flip the blade was popped out of the sheath and he caught it in his right hand, giving it a little twirl to show off his familiarity with the sword. He then held it out for Bladescape to see.

Bladescape took it from him and swung it, testing it herself. "It is a good blade," She said with a smile.

"Thanks," Gin grinned. "It took me a while to get that. Making sure we all eat is more important. I worked to save every scrap of Col I could. Miss Sasha kept it safe for me so I didn't spend it."

"Not bad," Bladescape said. "Solid life strategy too. It looks like you are learning well while in SAO."

Gin sighed. "Real school would be better. Here I have to fight, nearly every day, except it's not fun. I have to make sure Kain and Mina survive."

"Hey!" Kain exclaimed. "I can take care of myself!"

"Same," Mina huffed.

"Sorry about that," Sasha said as she came in. "And please, you three, don't fight. You are role models for the others. I know it's a lot on your small shoulders." They all bowed towards her and apologized. Sasha sighed. "Gin, why does the nice lady have your sword."

"Oh, um, I was showing her mine after I got to see her big one. I can't even lift it, it's so heavy."

Sasha sighed, shaking her head.

"It's okay," Bladescape said. "I encouraged it. A warrior has to have absolute trust in their equipment."

"Well, I hope what they have is good," Sasha said. "It's been tougher these days. The army is choking out everyone not directly with them from the best spawns nearby."

"It isn't a bad sword," Bladescape said. "I had better by your level, but it gets the job done and that is what is important. With the three of you," Bladescape chuckled, thinking about what they had just done today with three warriors. "Well, let's just say, three can be a very powerful team and do more than you think. But, you need to focus on gathering enough to eat, not taking down dangerous monsters."

"What did you do!" Kain asked, getting excited.

"Oh we just had to kill a dragon today," Doombunny sweetly said, waving it off as nothing. "We came here to pick up food for Colorra. I assume you guys have been able to catch some."

"Oh yeah," Gin said with a grin, trying to be cool. "We got a good haul. You won't be back anytime soon." He rethought his words and regretted them. He still tried to be smooth and cool about it. "But, you um, are always welcome to visit."

"Colorra thanks you all," Doombunny giggled. "You know we love to visit you whenever we can, for as long as we can.

"Do you want to join us for Dinner?" Sasha asked. "It is about that time. We may not have much, but it is always enough."

"Sure," Doombunny said with a courteous bow. "We would love to."

Bladescape pulled up her menu and messaged the others that they would be late and not to worry. Then she scrolled through her menu to double check something. She did have what she thought she had. Since she had her menu up, she removed her sword from her back.

"Miss Sasha," Bladescape said. "An evening with you all would be lovely. Is there a place I could change out of my armor?"

"Of course," Sasha smiled. "Mina, show her to a spare room."

"Of course," Mina smiled with a short bow. "Follow me, Miss Bladescape."

Bladescape followed the young girl. Once they were out of the room, Bladescape asked her a question. "You guys work for everything, don't you?"

"What do you mean?" Mina asked as they headed up the stairs.

"I mean, you guys don't take handouts."

"No. Miss Sasha thinks we should earn everything. She wants us to learn how to function in life. She says life doesn't just give you things. She says you have to work to get things in life. School doesn't give you good marks just for showing up. The same for university and a job. She calls it work ethic."

Bladescape asked the question she had been setting up for. "So, if I had equipment, better equipment, that you guys could use?"

"Miss Sasha would want us to earn it," Mina stated as she stopped in front of a door and bowed. "You can use this room to change in."

Bladescape changed with a few clicks into one of the dresses Diemond had given her. Her menu was getting clogged up with dresses from Diemond. The drop list from the King Black Dragon was not helping at all.

Mina showed Bladescape to the dining hall. Sasha and Doombunny were off at a separate table in the corner. But the hall had two rows of long wooden tables with beach seating and each was full of kids. It was loud as they did what kids do around a dinner table: make fun, tell jokes, and eat loudly. Sasha wasn't just caring for a few children, there were easily 20 kids in the room. Filling this many bellies three times a day required a lot of food. Even though it was simple things like bread, milk, and fruit, it still cost Col.

Bladescape made her way over to the other "adults" and sat down with Sasha and Doombunny. Mina had been lost in the crowd of kids.

"There are so many," Bladescape said. "I didn't realize there were this many under your care. And you guys are self sufficient?"

"For the most part, yes," Sasha replied. "I spend time each day making sure there are no other lost kids, but I have a lot to care for. Some have regressed quite a bit. Either they grew up and developed tactics to handle the stress of being trapped in here, or they regressed and act like a younger version of themselves. 13 is the youngest a player can be for Sword Art Online, without parental permission. Which means that either some of these kids had permission to dive, or others lost family members and were left here, alone. No matter what the situation is, they need strong help and guidance. And I can give them just enough of that."

"Mina said you don't take handouts. She said you like to teach them work ethics."

"In the beginning, the Army helped," Sasha stated. "But that aid slowly dwindled until we were forgotten. We couldn't contribute to the guild, so their support was dropped. There were too many members to handle. I think we are better off without their help, but they are causing us more trouble, even harassing some of the kids."

Two kids ran up to the table. They had come from outside the church. The boy was holding a small sack of Col.

"Teach! Here is the money we made in that delivery run."

"Great job!" Sasha praised them. "Now go wash up and get food before it's gone."

"Wow," Bladescape said. "I haven't seen a more enthusiastic, loving, caring, supportive, teacher in my life. Not that I am that old, but I mean that you really love these kids. And you are doing everything you can to make sure they make it through each day and out alive."

"I do," Sasha said, blushing slightly at the compliment. "Bartello and Arcadia are two of the runners. Unlike Gin, Kain, and Mina who stay close and hunt in the fields, a few of our kids get paid to transport items. Sometimes it is from player to player, but more often it is from craftsman to the customer. Neither have time to meet, so the kids take the item to the closest city with a teleport plaza where the final exchange is made. Or crafters will shift supplies between each other, using the kids to ferry things back and forth so they don't have to leave their projects. Bartello is bolder than Gin, but he can be rash. Arcadia balances him out. However, neither are good with a sword. And none of the kids have the money for crafting. Several do the baking when we get raw ingredients and they are slowly leveling that up. But most of the time, we get by on the cheaper option, which is buying the bread already baked."

"Gin, Mina, and Kain need equipment upgrades," Bladescape plainly stated. "Both weapons and armor. I have that upgrade in my inventory. Today's drop lists just happened to give me that. I literally haven't had time to do anything with it. We came straight here.

"Normally, I would either have the items broken down by our smiths for experience and use, or I would junk sell them, because almost no one is this low. I understand work ethic and experience. I value that and am glad you are teaching them that life skill. So, I was thinking, can I take the three of them out hunting tomorrow. I could give them guidance on their skills and strategy, and at the end of the day I am sure that they will prove they deserve the upgrades. Because as much as life doesn't give you handouts, sometimes people give you things they think you deserve, even if you didn't directly 'earn it'."

"I think that would be a wonderful opportunity for them!" Sasha exclaimed with a bright smile. "It would be very appreciated. It would reinforce their value as well. All positive things that I believe would be a big benefit."

"Colorra and I wouldn't miss it," Doombunny added.

"I guess we have a solid party for tomorrow," Bladescape smiled. "Five will be fun."

"We have enough spare rooms," Sasha said. "We can get you set up for tonight and then you can leave in the morning."

Bladescape opened her menu and scrolled through it, checking to make sure she had everything she needed. "Yeah, I am well supplied. Not that we will be going into any dangerous areas, but we can't be too careful. Especially since you are trusting us with their care."

Bladescape took a drink of milk and a bite of the basic, hard bread. It had been a while since she had eaten such a plain, poor meal. She had to remember to thank AFCK for all the work she did for them. The food she was eating wasn't bad. It was just basic.

The beds too were basic. They were better than nothing, and the cushion was just enough. It provided what they needed; sleep. There wasn't much they could do otherwise, because the church was a public building, not an owned player property.

Bladescape did her best to turn her mind off as she laid there. Everyone went to bed early. They were kids. Sasha had a lot to do in the morning. Bladescape laid there, trying to sleep and get some rest. She wanted to be the best she could be, the sharpest she could be, for the hunt in the morning. But as important as that was, sleep eluded her. Insomnia was running her life. She was safe, but she barely got any sleep, and light sleep at that.

In the morning, Bladescape exited the room fully geared out. As she strode into the room for breakfast, all the kids quieted down. Some of it was fear, even though they had seen her in regular clothes the day before, but most of it was awe. They didn't know anyone could walk as strongly as she did, or wear such brilliant armor either. Bladescape knew she had an extra kick in her step. She felt like she was giving off a Rainbow Dash confidence vibe as she strode through the dining hall to where Doombunny and Sasha were with breakfast. By the time she sat down, the kids were back to their normal morning chatter.

"You are confident this morning," Sasha said with a grin. "Did you get some good sleep."

"No," Bladescape admitted. "But I rarely do get sleep anymore. I am rested up and sharp. It will be a fun day."

"You better eat quick," Sasha warned her. "Gin is rearing to go, and Kain is working to hide his enthusiasm so he can look cool. Mina is mad about something another girl did this morning. However, she is certainly ready to go."

Bladescape chuckled at the kids being kids. She ate the plain porridge quickly and was ready to hit the fields. She nodded to Doombunny and then smiled at Sasha. Both stood up with her.

"All right!" Gin yelled, jumping up. He didn't even need to ask if they were ready. "Let's rock and roll!"

"That catchphrase won't work either," Mina said, shooting him down as she also stood up.

The kids were in their armor, but it wasn't until after they exited the church that they equipped their swords and Shields. Bladescape set up the party and they accepted. Gin's, Mina's, and Kain's HP bars popped up in the corner of her vision. She would have to be careful because they were the same size as Doombunny's was, but they didn't have anywhere near the amount of HP she did. It was deceptive, giving the perception to her eyes that they had exponentially more HP than they did even though her mind knew otherwise. That, more than anything, was why players typically didn't party up with others too far above or below their general level.

Bladescape led them out of the city, with Gin by her side. She had done this on the very first day, so long ago. But this time she wasn't in a panic to leave. She wasn't blocking out everything in an effort to focus on the only thing that mattered: keeping her friends alive and surviving by clearing the game.

"We should go this way," Gin said, pointing in the opposite direction Bladescape expected. It wasn't where the better hunting grounds were.

"Why?" Bladescape asked. "That way will have better spawn points. Where you are pointing is too close to the exterior wall."

"The army hunts that way," Gin stated. "We need to avoid them. They always run us off, so it's not worth it."

"They have no legal right to those spawn points," Bladescape huffed, trying to not lose her cool in front of the kids. The army had a complicated reputation, but it also was a large organization that served an important role to many of the players. They too needed to hunt on the lower levels. "Besides, you have us for the day. We will hunt where we want to."

Bladescape started to head to where she wanted to hunt. The others followed after her. Colorra was enjoying herself as she went with them. She was stalking the various beasts of the fields. No boar or wolf could get close to them before she took them down with a savage precision and cold enthusiasm. Her joy seemed to shine out through her scales whenever they caught the light and she shimmered more than usual. It was annoying though because she was fast, could travel a good distance from them, and the menu for a battle being completed by the party kept popping up at an almost alarming rate. The rewarded Col was pocket change to the Wondercolts, and it came with equally tiny XP, but the Col was going to be very useful to the kids and Sasha. The XP wasn't worth it anymore for the kids at their level.

The Dandarabilla Cobra was still one of the most feared creatures in Aincrad. They were still the most poisonous creature in the game, even after all this time, and the aggressive air drop tactics of the tree snakes kept visitors out of their natural habitat. The quest they had been on to get their poison, and where Doombunny befriended Colorra, turned out to be a one-shot quest, meaning no others could ever do it. Not that many would risk it, even among the higher level players.

Bladescape saw Colorra curled up, glittering in the morning light, waiting for them. From the point on the small hill, the fields around them had plenty of boars around. The tree at the top of the hill would make for a good rally point throughout the day.

"I spotted a rabbit hole a short way back," Doombunny said." Colorra and I are going to go see if the owner is home. If it is, free lunch for Colorra. Besides, as fun as this will be, Colorra and I are not very good instructors in combat. That is better left for you, Bladescape."

"Alright, Bunny," Bladescape said with a sly grin over the name. "Stick close. It won't be long before they are working smoothly. I am sure they already have good tactics."

Bladescape was happy with the new arrangement. It was great having her with them, but Doombunny had just taken away the need for Bladescape to figure out how to use her without sidelining her in front of the kids. Doombunny was a Damage Dealer and these kids were shield users. None of them had anything to learn from her. Now there was no risk of Doombunny looking bad in the kid’s eyes.

"Alright," Bladescape said, drawing Harmonic Salvation. She pointed it at a nearby boar. "That is our target. I'm going to be right behind you as I evaluate your hunting tactics. Show me what you got."

Gin had his sword out with impressive speed and charged. No doubt he was extra cocky because he was showing off and he felt safe having her with him. Kain and Mina had to play catch up.

Gin ran a basic cut at the boar as it turned on him. The creature charged and Gin blocked him skillfully with his shield. It was a solid block, but in reality he was weak. All three were. They couldn't adapt to be stronger than what they had in real life because they were too young and they had not begun to discover the full physical potential of their bodies.

It was a tough fact of playing SAO. In here, you could be stronger, faster, better and more powerful than in real life. And it was that fact that separated those on the front lines and the intermediate players. Until those players learned that and accepted it in their mind, removing the shackles that bound their actions into a box, they could never be the best and what the front line needed. Bladescape would work to instill that mindset into their heads over the day so they could be better and safer as they helped Sasha care for the other kids.

Kain was stronger than Gin. He jumped in, forcing Gin out of the way so he could draw aggro. Mina stepped out behind him and rammed her sword into the boar's side. Gin jumped back in, coming from the other side of Mina, and finished the boar off.

"Good job," Bladescape said with a smile as she clapped her hand. She pulled Harmonic Salvation out of the ground and walked over to them. "Kain, you obviously are defense oriented, which is good. I take it a lot of the blocking while hunting happens by you?"

"Uhuh," Kain said with a nod.

"Mina," Bladescape continued. "You stayed back, but still didn't hesitate to strike when needed. Is that how you always attack?"

"Yes, Miss Bladescape," Mina said curtly and with a bow. She loosened up as she took a shot at the boys. "That is until they tire themselves out and I have to carry their share of the attacking."

Bladescape chuckled while both boys protested. "Gin, you like to be up front, right in the battle. That was obvious. And as long as you don't get too cocky and keep a level head, that is exactly what you need to do.

"In playing terms, Kain, you are the Tank. Mina is the Damage Dealer, and Gin is the Forward. Mina, do you have a free skill slot?"

"No," Mina said. "I have Sword, Shield, Search, Hide, and Tailoring. I want to do more with clothes, but I both don't have the time or the Col. I guess I could get rid of it. Search and Hide are leveling up well."

"I was just wondering if you would be better off with a one handed spear, as a Lancer," Bladescape explained. "I have a spear I got yesterday in a drop that should be able to be used by you. If you were to switch and try it, and it doesn't work, I can guarantee you that I will provide you with what you need to double your tailoring skill. And if it works, you won't need your One-Handed Sword Skill, so we can get you back on track with tailoring."

Mina nodded and pulled up her menu. She paused and took a deep breath before she switched out Tailoring for One-Handed Spear. It pained her to do it. She obviously loved having Tailoring as a Skill. She trusted Bunny, who trusted Bladescape.

Bladescape opened her own menu and pulled out a spear the King Black Dragon had dropped. She handed it to Mina who hesitantly took it. She turned away from them and tried the first Sword Skill available. It was a simple thrust. But it made her face light up with joy.

"Not bad," Bladescape praised. "Now, we need to just adjust how you use it with a shield. You put the spear pointed forward and take a back stance, so the shield is forward. You can use it to block your body as you strike. Let the spear's length play to your advantage."

Mina did as instructed and tried again. Bladescape adjusted her a few times as she got it down. It wasn't long before she had the idea understood and was fine tuning her form.

"Gin, what are your Skills?" Bladescape asked.

Gun grinned with pride. "One-Handed Sword, Shield, Search, Sprint, and Agility."

Bladescape nodded and looked at Kain.

"Shield, One-handed Sword, Search, Hide, and Purchase Negotiation. I do all the buying and selling."

"Both of you have good set ups," Bladescape said. "The three of you had good switch tactics, but we will need to refine them, specifically since we are trying Mina with the spear."

They continued to work as the day grew. The sun had slipped high enough that it no longer was screaming through the slit in between the floors, but the ceiling above them had its own "sun" that lit up the floor.

As mid morning came, Bladescape saw a party approaching them. They were taking a break from hunting as they waited for the beasts to respawn. Bladescape soon saw who was approaching. Their green colors and dull steel armor was easy to recognize. They boldly strode right up to them.

"Hey!" The leader yelled, striding right up to Bladescape and pointing his finger at her. It would take nothing for him to poke her in the chest. He only hadn't because she was in her plate armor and he didn't know how far he could bully her. "This is our hunting grounds. These kids know they can't hunt here! This is an Army hunting spawn. And you cleaned it out! You owe us for that. The Army sustains this floor and citizens on it. Clearing this location out is a huge setback for us and our quotas for today. We need those resources so we can take care of the citizens."

Bladescape had nothing against the Army. They helped the other players immensely by running the prison and being a place to take the orange players too when they were caught. She wasn't a fan of them because of the rumors she'd heard about their behavior towards other green players, but he was pushing it too far in how aggressive and demanding he was. Limiting information about a spot was one thing, claiming you owned that spot was another thing entirely. No players or guild had that right or power. The DDA tried and did a decent job in some places, but they were resented for it.

Bladescape knew her smile was sly and mischievous. She couldn't help it. "You don't own this spot. You know no one can claim a spot. There are plenty of other places on this Floor where you can hunt. For now, we are here. Shove off."

"Listen here, Lady!"

"You have no idea who I am," Bladescape said, interrupting him.

It stalled him out. Before they could recover, Doombunny spoke up from behind them.

"Hey!" Doombunny shouted. She wasn't trying to be sneaky, but they were not paying attention. Colorra and her had openly approached from that direction and they had missed her, and she was not happy. Her arms were crossed, Colorra was on her shoulders with head raised, and Doombunny's right hip was jutting out in a sassy but controlled form spelling their doom. "You know-"

"You're that snake girl!" one of the soldiers shouted as he started to shake. "Doombunny, the snake charmer. What are you doing here!"

"I'm here with them," Doombunny snorted. "Helping them train a bit today. I'm a friend of Sasha's and her kids. I'm also a member of the Wondercolts, and she is our leader, Bladescape."

Several of the Army soldiers gulped. They had at least heard of the Wondercolts. They knew they were facing two members of the Assault Team, with at least one of them fighting consistently in the Boss Battles.

Their leader glanced back at Bladescape. Harmonic Salvation was leaning against her shoulder with its tip in the grass. Even without her hands on the handle, she still was a formidable player to look at in her dagannoth hide plate armor.

"You may hunt here for the day," he told her as he tried to control the situation. "But only for the day!"

Bladescape felt her grin grow wider as he tried to strong arm her. "What exactly do you think you can do about it if we decide to stick around? Will Thinker approve of your behavior?"

He was fuming, but he turned around in a quick 180 and began walking back toward the Town of Beginnings. The others followed him, unsure of what else they could do.

"Wow," Gin said, absolutely spellbound by what he had just seen her do. "You stood up to them."

"It's not hard when I easily have 40 levels on him,” Bladescape replied. “But I see that many of the rumors are true. They are pressing hard for their own gain. You would do best to listen to Miss Sasha and avoid them as best as possible."

Several boars respawned, ending the discussion. Over the next several hours, Bladescape slowly gave them their upgrades. It was subtle, always in ways to improve them from a "training" standpoint. They were all simple suggestions centered around "try this." She was certain they didn't realize what she was doing.

As the afternoon began to wane into the evening, Bladescape had a dangerous, but profitable, idea. They were waiting for more monsters to respawn, so she had time to synthesize it.

"Doom," Bladescape said as she took a drink of water. "I have an idea. But it is a bit dangerous." Doombunny nodded so she continued. "I want to jump Floors and take them to a training area. Think of how quickly we could level them if we kept them back and we grinded for an hour. You provide a direct screen while I kill the target. Just an hour could have them jumping levels."

Doombunny looked over at where Gin, Mina, and Kain were sitting in the grass and snacking. They had worked hard all day and they had not only improved their physical skill but they had earned their new equipment. However, their hard work had only rewarded them a negligible increase in their stats.

"Gin, Mina, Kain," Doombunny called out. "Come here here please."

They scrambled up and ran to them. They slid into a line, shoulder to shoulder, and bowed slightly.

"Yes, Miss Bunny?" Mina asked.

"Do you trust us?" Doombunny asked them. They all were shocked at the question. They all nodded slowly. "Good. Then I need you to do exactly as I tell you. Can you do that?"

"Yes," Gin said. "We will do exactly what you tell us to do."

Doombunny pulled out three blue teleport crystals. "We are going to hop to a higher Floor and go to a training field. There, you will stay back with me while Miss Bladescape fights. You will each hold onto one of these crystals and if I tell you to teleport, you will. This is a risk to you, but we are confident we can do this."

"Why?" Kain asked. "What is the point if we don't fight?"

Doombunny smiled at them as Colorra slid up to sit on her shoulders. "Because you will gain XP from each kill she makes. We can rapidly level you up in an hour more than you can do here on your own in a month, even at the best spawn points."

"But..." Gin started. He was not thrilled at the idea. "So we just sit back and get free XP?"

"Mhm," Doombunny said with a warm smile and a reassuring nod. "You can't get the appropriate amount of XP justified by your hard work doing what you need to for Miss Sasha and the others. You do what you can and stay safe, but that means you have all passed beyond the point where the amount of XP you are getting is proportional to the effort you put in. This will also make it safer for you to hunt here and allow you to hunt faster as well. It isn't weapon XP, but it is level XP, which is connected to your total HP and other attributes. Especially Skill Slots."

"Alright," Gin said, speaking for the others and grabbing a crystal. "We trust you and we will do exactly as you say."

They began to walk back to the city. Bladescape couldn't stop grinning. Something made her want to give these kids everything she could. She knew she had one shot at helping them, and this was it. There just would not be any more time for her to devote to these kids. This was already more than she had initially expected.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 82 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal - Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Author's Note

This was originally significantly longer. Within 2 hours of it being publish, it was broken up into three parts, and the other parts were released in the next two chapters, "Of Crabs and Commanders," and "Guild Business."

Episode 62 - Guild Business

Front Line - Floor 62
June 13 - Year 2

Bladescape and Doombunny got back to the headquarters before the others were back from the Labyrinth. Joltron, Diemond, and AFCK were lounging around in the guild hall, waiting for the meeting to start. Bladescape took her seat and leaned back, pushing the chair onto only the back two legs. She put her feet up on the table. She wasn't going to get more serious in her posture unless they forced her to. It was good to finally be back and she was very confident in her plan. She opened her menu and began to search for what she was looking for.

Thunderborne, Astro, Backbreaker, Kiefer, and Lessa burst through the door a few minutes later. They were huffing and puffing, gasping for air after their sprint. They had gotten the message as soon as they had exited the Labyrinth and sprinted from there to the Teleport Plaza.

"How is the Labyrinth going?" Bladescape immediately asked. The question was targeted at Backbreaker.

"Fine," Backbreaker shrugged as she walked to her seat, still breathing a bit heavy. "Slow because so many parties are tryin' to level grind. But better safe than sorry. The rumors say we have even less info to go on for the boss than usual, which will mean we need a full scouting party to get a physical lead on the Boss and their skills and attacks. But what is this about an ASAP meeting?"

"Plans for tomorrow," Bladescape said as she selected what she had been looking for in her menu. "But first. Thunder, catch!" Bladescape tossed a thin, black rapier over to Thunderborne without any ceremony. Thunderborne easily caught it with one hand. "It's better than Azure Aculeus."

Thunderborne drew the sword. It was an ivory white blade, the exact opposite to the black grip, guard, pommel, and sheath. It looked like it would be better suited for Kirito, until the white blade was drawn.

"What is this?" Thunderborne asked. "I mean, I know it is a rapier and I know it says Dragon Tooth, but where did you get this?"

"Complicated story kept short, yesterday Doom and I got interrupted early in our training. Kirito ran into us. And then before we could split, the King Black Dragon attacked. It was a battle the King didn't survive. That was the LAB. It may not be your colors, but it is exponentially better than your maxed rapier."

"This is the LAB from the King Black Dragon‽" Thunderborne exclaimed. A part of that exclamation was filled with healthy jealousy over missing such a battle.

"Wield it well," Bladescape said. It was more of an order than she meant it to be.

"You finally got your bigshot LAB," Backbreaker said with a grin. "Good for you. Sad it wasn't helpful."

"I've been after a Floor Boss LAB," Bladescape clarified. "This was a fluke. A survival fluke. We had to win and I just happened to score the final blow in that desperation. Doombunny scored major critical attacks all throughout the battle. Colorra directly, clearly, saved us at one point too. But it was not fun, not even after. Still, it had its benefits. The Col and XP was massive and more XP than we could have gotten from two days hunting. But we each almost died a few times.

"Anyway, we have more important things to discuss."

"What was Kirito doing there of all places?" Thunderborne pressed.

Doombunny was firm and strong in her response. "We swore ourselves to secrecy over his task. It was why we couldn't teleport out. He couldn't, so we stayed. And Blade is right. I scored a good 15% total damage on the great Field Boss. I scored very critical points against the dragon. Which for a Snake Charmer with a one handed dagger, that is quite a feat. I am proud of it."

"We couldn't have done it without her," Bladescape dryly stated. "But not the point. Tomorrow's assignments. Doom and my side project isn't over. We are making one more training run, this time it's to help the kid's caretaker and teacher, Miss Sasha. She is beloved by the kids, and without her, they would be lost and dead.

"Since I am leading her on a specialized training run, the kids need a caretaker. Doom, who the kids know as Bunny because Doom upsets some of them, will be leading Diemond, Joltron, and AFCK in covering for Sasha. There are a lot of kids. Gin, Kain, and Mina, who we were training all day, they will assist you. They do not know Miss Sasha is going to be out training with Klein and I." Bladescape held up her hand from her laid back position, still not sitting up straight, and it held off several questions. "Backbreaker, Astro, Kiefer, Lessa, and Thunderborne, you are to hit the Labyrinth to do what you can. I know it is slow. Play it safe and teleport out before you get backed into a corner."

"Got it," Backbreaker nodded.

"I'll keep us to that," Kiefer added. "We won't overstretch ourselves."

"I'll always be calculating our safety margin," Astro assured Bladescape. "As soon as we get into dark orange, we will Teleport. Dark orange at the latest."

"Good," Bladescape said. "I would rather you come back earlier and have a break than push it. AFCK, cold breakfast. I expect you will be making a lot tomorrow morning. It's about two dozen kids."

Those who didn't know the situation at the church were shocked at the number of kids in Sasha's care. Doombunny gave them the cliff notes of the situation.

"This is a whole guild operation, y'all," Backbreaker stated, actually speaking in an authoritative role in a full guild meeting. "We all have our roles to play. Even if that means hittin' the Labyrinth, well we have to keep hammering away at her. Y'all with me are ensurin' that the others can take care of the kids. And ensure their safety. And the safety and survival of younguns is top priority. I don't know if we will get this opportunity to help them again. It's certainly turned into a much bigger operation than originally planned. But honestly, it is a good one. A Wondercolt type operation which we are known for! And with all the level grindin' that everyone is doin', this is the perfect spot for us to be able to both push the front line and tackle this side objective. Y'all with me?"

They all gave verbal confirmation that they understood the plan and that they backed the little detour they were taking.

"Then bed!" Bladescape said. "Unless you absolutely have to do something for tomorrow's prep. The kids won't be easy to handle. I have seen them devour food and how Miss Sasha does it, I don't know. The rest of you, it's another front line grind, so be ready, but stay safe and get the rest you need."

Bladescape stayed, still lounging back, as everyone but Backbreaker went upstairs to bed.

"Let's give them a moment and then meet in your room in private," Backbreaker whispered to Bladescape. Bladescape nodded in reply.

After several minutes of silence, Bladescape stood up and put her chair in order. Backbreaker did the same. Neither touched the box. Instead, they headed to Bladescape's room. Inside her room, Bladescape let out a sigh of relief and comfort at the security she felt.

"Sorry it's been so odd the past few days," Bladescape said. "A lot has been riding on you and your shoulders. And you have a big day tomorrow. I hope being short one again won’t be a problem. If you need the sixth, we can shift Joltron to you."

"We can handle it," Backbreaker assured her. "We took it slow and got a good break in while at a safe zone. We didn't get far but we got progress. What you are doin' is more important. When I heard about it, all I could think about was what if my little sister, Apple Bloom, and her friends, Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell, were trapped in here? What would be best for them? And the answer is what we are doing as a guild.

"As to the weight on my shoulders, I have broad shoulders and an unbreakable back from years of work on the farm. I won't snap like Twilight. That was a tough lesson we all learned. But I am sure she will be back. On a side note, I do need a fishin' day soon."

"You will get one," Bladescape said, putting her arm on Backbreaker's shoulder for support. "You deserve it."

Bladescape stepped back and pulled Bajutsu out of her inventory. She hung it up as she gathered the mental fortitude to continue with the discussion. Backbreaker was doing the same.

"I don't want Knightstar on the Council," Bladescape said, voicing the opinion she had been playing with in her mind for a solid week, at the least. "I think both jobs were too much on her shoulders. We can't afford that. Twilight is our friend. We made a mistake."

"We can't afford to lose you either," Backbreaker retorted. "Is horse ridin' goin' to be enough?"

"I love combat," Bladescape admitted. "But the horse riding, it will be enough. I know where I can go to have fun with the girl who taught me to ride, Boots. We can have fun riding together. I will be good."

Backbreaker knew about Greatsword, but Bladescape didn't mention Kirito's opinions for fear it would accidentally reveal his.

"I think Astro is our better choice," Backbreaker stated as they got back to the intended topic.

"She was my only choice," Bladescape said. "Maybe we need to build a designation system to give members key roles. We have Guild Leader, Main Tank, and we had a Statistician. But we should probably give out squad and guild roles."

"Like what exactly?" Backbreaker asked. "Let's not try and harvest a crop before it even sprouts."

"We know our guild," Bladescape said with a grin. "Officials titles: I am Leader, you are Second in Command. Astro is our Strategist. There is a key difference between strategy and stats."

"Of course," Backbreaker agreed.

"AFCK is our Cook, Diemond is our Armorer, and Kiefer is our Party C Officer. If he is with one of us, most likely he is under our command. But I like the idea of having a Party Leader who isn't on the Council. If we get tied up, he can still operate the Parties. Unlike the KOB or DDA, we don't need level guides who can make sure the lower level players can rank up and keep watch over leveling quotas. But today was a perfect example. We had three parties. We could use a few more designated guild positions. We are just large enough to justify it."

This time, Backbreaker put her hand on Bladescape's shoulder. "And when Twilight remembers who she is and who we really are, and when she comes back, she will be our Statistician, but not a guild council member so she isn't so stressed out. I can't believe I didn't see the signs."

"We have avoided this topic on purpose," Bladescape said. "But we all feel the same way. Yet we need to remember to give ourselves grace, because we too are stressing out over things and have our own thoughts and fears we are battling. We are here for each other but that does not mean we can always pick up on the others having a hard time, or just how hard of a time they are having.

"We need to continue this talk, but with Astro, in private. She has seen a lot of guilds. She hasn't played a death game, but she has seen plenty of guilds in a variety of games."

"One last thing," Backbreaker said, right before she opened the door. "The rapier wasn't all you got. You got something else."

Bladescape wordlessly nodded. Backbreaker didn't leave so Bladescape gave a vague answer. "I have to figure out what it is. I don't think it can be used. It's not a weapon or piece of equipment."

Backbreaker shrugged, not knowing what else to do. She flashed a warm smile and bid her goodnight. They would make official promotions in a day or two.

Bladescape didn't respond. She waited for the door to close and then stripped down as far as the moral code would allow. She hung up her armor for the few hours she would get, and then put most of the excess junk she had gotten from the King Black Dragon and hunting into her sorting bin. She would go through it later. The few pieces she already had sorted she put away properly. The rest she wanted to keep in her inventory so she could easily find and access it. She had no idea what equipment Sasha had, so she had several sets of equipment for her. The dragon's drop list was massive and lousy with a lot of low level equipment. Which happened to be exactly what she needed.

Bladescape slid her menu up so she could put on her sleepwear, but then she stopped. She looked over her body, moving and shifting so she could see as much as she could. She pulled the clothes out and tossed them onto the bed. She exited her menu.

Bladescape began to explore how her body felt in her hands. She knew that she was feeling a virtual replica of her real body with virtual hands. It felt real, but it wasn't quite her. There just wasn't the same feeling as she squeezed and rubbed herself, testing the capabilities of the game against her own memories. Knowing something like the back of your hand was a common saying, and it felt like one of those statements. But, did she "know the back of her hand?"

For over a year and a half, she had never actually tried to feel her virtual body. But now, hearing about the moral code switch, she felt compelled to see if it would even matter to her. As far as she could feel, it wouldn't. There was a difference between what she felt and what her mind remembered was her real flesh and blood. However, it would be nice to not be in the same white, basic undergarments. Diemond would have a blast making lingerie, but that wasn't a good enough reason to find that option and switch it off. It was a superficial, vain reason and thinking it mattered wasn't even worth her time.

Bladescape broke the spell on her mind by grabbing her shirt and tossing it over her head. She was still distracted by the feeling of virtual clothes on her virtual body. She needed more to break the spell so she could go to bed and get some sleep.

Bladescape knew what she needed. She pulled up her menu and found the special item. The Last Attack Bonus for the King Black Dragon had two items on the list. The Rapier she gave Thunderborne, and something called the "Black Draconic Visage."

Bladescape made sure she was by the desk so it would catch the item as it popped out. It was a smart move as the King Black Dragon's head popped out and landed on the desktop. It was not scaled. She had severed it at the neck, but this appeared to be an automatic drop for the kill. This was certainly enough evidence to prove that the King Black Dragon was dead for good. He would not be respawning without his head.

Upon checking into its info more, the information listed it as an S Class material. S Class was the highest and rarest grade material in SAO. It was not food though. The head was a raw crafting material. Bladescape wasn't sure what could be done with it, but she couldn’t worry about it as late as it was. It had broken the spell like she needed it to. Bladescape fell face first onto her bed and rolled so she wrapped herself in her top sheet. She was somewhat conscious that this wasn't exactly like how falling asleep in the real world felt as she drifted to sleep.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Author's Note

This was originality a part of Episode 60, "Life Lessons," but it was broken up to ease the length of it when using an electronic device. This is the last part.

Episode 63 - Training Sasha

TOWN OF BEGINNINGS
Front Line - Floor 62
June 14 - Year 2

When Bladescape opened the doors at 5:50 to wait for Klein's arrival the next morning she was surprised to see him already lounging on the couch and wide awake.

"Morning, Gorgeous," Klein said with a wink before standing up.

"Good morning back to you," Bladescape said. "I hope you already had breakfast, because AFCK hasn't had time for anything, and everyone's getting ready for an early start themselves."

"I grabbed some before I left," Klein replied. "I only got here five minutes ago, and the message seemed like a job that didn't include breakfast. What are we up to, anyway?"

"The kids we trained yesterday, their caretaker asked for help boosting her levels so she could better care for them. Her name is Sasha. Miss Sasha or Teach to the kids. You and I are going to train her and level bust her."

Klein nodded slowly. "And other Wondercolts are stepping in to care for the kids?"

"Doom, Diemond, Joltron, and AFCK are. The rest are hitting the Labyrinth again."

"This is not the time to be hitting it," Klein said. "There can't be more than 10 parties going to it today. And none of them are KOB or DDA. You would be the only Assault Team guild going."

"Don't care," Backbreaker said as she led her party out of the headquarters. "Besides, Thunder has a new rapier to try."

"We got this," Thunderborne said with her usual, cocky confidence as she walked backwards out the front door. "I'm awesome. And the sword is awesome. It makes me 20% cooler." She was followed out by the rest of the Wondercolts except for AFCK, all of whom exchanged their own good mornings with the two guild leaders.

Once they had passed Bladescape turned back to Klein. "They have strict orders to not push it. If they hit orange, they are teleporting out. I doubt they will be out past lunch."

"READY!" AFCK yelled as she bounced past Bladescape into the front greeting chamber. "Morning Klein! How was your sleep? Dream of anything good?"

"Not really," Klein shrugged. "Did you have a good dream?"

"Mhm!" AFCK said, shaking her head with a big grin. "Papa Rock Candy and I took on the evil Peep Witch and her marshmallow zombie army. It was delicious and fun. And we once again saved the baby rock candy geodes!"

"Are your dreams always like that?" Klein asked, a little disturbed.

"Um," AFCK thought. "No. But ever since we got stuck in SAO, I have been fighting for Papa Rock and his family every night, protecting them from the other evil candy creatures who want to get their uh, hands...? on the rock candy harvest." AFCK leaned in close to whisper into Klein's ear, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear. "I fear the Taffy King has escaped prison once again and is raising an army. He is my arch nemesis. And my licorice sword broke, so I need to find Excarobbar and hopefully I can remove it from its setting in the cakepop. Only the most honorable, greatest, strongest warrior may remove it from its setting to be wielded for the protection of Rockcandy Valley."

"Come on, AFCK," Diemond called, saving Klein and refocusing AFCK on the project. "We have things to do."

None of the others were wearing their armor, opting for more comfortable clothes Diemond had made them. It would be better for the kids that way. After teleporting to the Town of New Beginnings and making their way to the church, Sasha took a bit of time answering the door. As soon as she opened it, the morning noise came pouring out.

"Oh dear," Diemond said to herself, accidentally out loud.

Sasha flashed them a quick smile. "They will behave. I am certain you will be able to handle them. They are not toddlers, but they are energetic. Come in and let’s get introductions done."

"Right," Doombunny said. "Girls, this is Miss Sasha."

Klein scoffed at being addressed as a girl. Joltron elbowed him, hard. "Suck it up and take it like a man. They outnumber us so it is safe to say girls, like we say guys to address a mixed group."

"Fine," Klein sighed in defeat.

Doombunny continued with the introductions. "Sasha, that is Diemond, with an E, not an A, but the kids don't need to know that. And then our cook, AFCK. And the boy not in armor, that is Joltron, one of our tanks. The last is Klein of the Fuurinkazan guild. He is a good friend and was with us at the end of yesterday evening and has already met Gin, Kain, and Mina. He will be helping with your training."

Sasha bowed in greeting. "Thank you for coming. Thank you for assisting me and the kids. It is very appreciated."

"Of course," Bladescape replied. "Round two is you, me, and Klein. But before we start that, why don't you introduce them to their job today while Klein and I finalize some plans."

Sasha brought the others into the main hall. Half the kids were seated, the other half were running around, but all were awake. Breakfast was being made by two of the older kids, both of whom had Cooking as a Skill.

"This is chaotic," Klein whispered to Bladescape as he peeked into the room.

"There is a lot of love between both sides," Bladescape quietly replied.

"Yeah," Klein sighed. "I know you are not much older than them - hell, Kirito is younger than you even - but I can't believe how many kids there are in this game. None of them could be on the front lines, but I bet if they could be, we wouldn't consider them kids, even if they are the same, young age. Just like we don't think of Kirito as a kid. Or maybe Lightning Flash. I don't know her age, but now that I think of it she is pretty young too. The point is, these kids are so easily forgotten about."

"Which is why we are doing this," Bladescape said. "Because, unfortunately, we need to get back to the front line and we can't think about them when we're there. We are needed there, to help free them from here because they can't do it. We do what we can do today, and then we go back to focusing on pushing the front line, but we remember we made their lives significantly better and safer in a single day. Well two days for Doom and I."

"Right," Klein said with a definitive nod.

AFCK immediately got to assisting in the kitchen and the others got to know the kids. Learning all of their names was not going to be easy, but Gin, Kain, and Mina were there to help. Their new equipment and levels, along with plenty of bragging, had them in very good standing with the others.

With the substitutes set up, Bladescape pulled Sasha off to the side to talk with her and Klein. "What combat equipment do you have?" Bladescape asked to start with.

"You are looking at it," Sasha said. "I sold everything so I could take care of the kids. Except for my dress and the dagger I started with."

"STARTED" Klein exclaimed in shock.

Sasha froze, ashamed of her equipment and weak position.

"It's fine," Bladescape said, flashing her a smile. "Klein isn't the smoothest fellow. But, I can guarantee you he is exceptionally smooth with his sword and he won't let anything happen to you. His defense is top notch. I have fought by his side in multiple battles, including boss battles and he has caught me instead of allowing me to fall. So, where exactly is your Skill at?"

"I've been taking care of them from the beginning," Sasha said, stalling. "My dagger, it's at 53. And I am Level 27."

Klein's only reaction was his jaw dropping. Bladescape rolled her eyes. She could only do so much with Klein, but she knew that going into this side job. "What do you say, big Samurai man? Can a samurai and swordswoman get her to level 40 by the end of the day."

Klein got his act together. "We should get you a sword, not a dagger."

"Not with the kids," Sasha said. "A sword is too big and imposing. I have to keep the older ones from wearing their weapons in the church for the ones who are afraid of them. Some of them don't even trust the safe zone system protecting them. I can wear a dagger though, and usually do when I check the city for more kids. Not all of them stay here every day."

Bladescape opened her menu. "Over your dress you can wear this armor. I don't have a dagger. I have every other weapon from that cache I got the other day, the same as I used for the kids. I have a mountain of spare Col though. We can get you a better blade with ease and without denting my cash reserves. I'm decently knowledgeable about One-Handed Daggers and the Sword Skills that come with it. Doombunny is phenomenal with her daggers. Agil might have something in his store, so let's start there."

Sasha put on the generic and ill-fitting armor plate over her dress. It was basic leather and metal gear, and so low that it didn't require an Armor Skill to be worn. The bracers were ugly leather and around her waist was a leather skirt that fit the leg slots for armor boosts. She looked ridiculous, but it worked.

"And what are we going to do after we get her a better blade?" Klein asked as they headed to the teleport plaza.

"The 29th Floor has that cave dungeon with the slime creatures. You and I can raid that in our sleep. With us blocking, Sasha can slash them and get her skill up. I know slash is your specialty, so you also know how easy it is to score critical attacks on slime creatures with it. We block, she slashes, we kill. We will be done in an hour, she gets XP and decent Col, as well as direct Skill XP, and we can make a move from there depending on where exactly she falls. Yesterday evening we were training the kids for raw Level XP, not skill XP. She needs both."

"Not a bad first move," Klein admitted.

At Agil's store in Algade, Agil dug up a dagger from his trash pile that would work. He didn't even charge them. Agil didn't know their plan, but he was glad to be getting rid of any of the old equipment that was cluttering up the back of his store. It was a wide bladed dagger, looking more like a flattened double-bladed axe with a point at the top and handle that had been chopped short.

The dungeon was slow at the start. It took Sasha a bit to warm up. She needed time to be okay with jumping in to slash when they blocked the enemy. By the end, she was jumping in and out with a ferocity of a mother bear protecting her cubs, which was exactly what she was thinking of, protecting her kids.

"Boss chamber," Klein grinned as they got to the end of the dungeon. "I guess it is up to me to do this. I'll take care of you ladies."

"Oh please," Bladescape laughed as she walked past him, lightly shoving him out of the way. "Your katana is for slashing, not stabbing."

"But," Klein protested. "But, but, it's a slime dungeon. The boss-"

"Is a hard clay creature," Bladescape interrupted. "Just let me do it. He is alone, but make sure to protect Sasha."

"Fine," Klein huffed. "But when you fail, I'll save your butt!"

Bladescape snorted a laugh as she rolled her eyes. Sasha giggled, which was reciprocated by a glare from Bladescape and Klein.

"Sorry," She said, composing herself. "You two are wonderful players. You work well together and your righteous character is astounding. Your back and forth, it is funny. It is refreshing to see two players joshing each other like that. Especially while I am shaking in my boots. Your confidence is a blessing for me."

The boss climbed out of the muck on the far side of the room. It was a big humanoid creature that lacked eyes and a neck but had a mouth to make ugly noises from. It stopped dripping mud as it started to step forward, hardening into the opposite of what they had been fighting. Its legs barely bent with each step it took.

Bladescape set herself opposite of it and put her blade forward at an angle. She slid her left hand down the handle to the pommel. It was the transition that shifted her Sword Skills from Two-Handed sword to Greatsword. Then she began walking forward, directly at the boss. She stopped several paces away, raising her blade , it glowing orange with the motion. The move was a feint slash to a stab. The blade started with a high, right cut. It would have landed except the sword's handle was pulled into her center, missing the cut but it set her for the real attack, the simple thrust, but it was a thrust from a heavy, powerful, oversized sword. It struck home in the center of the boss. After a second of being pieced in the chest, it popped.

Bladescape grinned and sheathed her sword on her back. She looked back at a stunned Klein and Sasha. She grinned and shrugged. "We were the ones who ran the dungeon first. Argo had us on some project. We learned the hard way back then with weaker weapons and lower stats. I knew what it would take and I know what I have."

"Well, not a bad drop for Flood 29" Klein said as he slid through his drop list.

"I'm just shy of Level 30," Sasha added. "And I have never actually had this much Col on me. Just from this drop alone."

"We have a long way to go to get you to Level 40," Bladescape reminded them. "Klein?"

"I hate saying it, but The Rose Tournament is always a good one. I think she is ready."

"It’s a great amount of XP for a short time," Bladescape agreed.

"What is that?" Sasha asked.

"Floor 15's big quest," Bladescape explained. "It is a five stage pass or fail tournament. Each player gets one chance. If you fail, you get nothing. Still, even with a dagger, you can pass. I passed, if Klein is suggesting it, he passed. We even got Bunny to pass. She went last, but we coached her through it. You won't have a problem."

"Not at all," Klein agreed. "Besides, it will also raise your dagger skill substantially. It’s meant for players level 20 or so. You will be fine."

"Alright," Sasha agreed. "Let's do this quest!"

Bladescape lightly tossed Sasha a blue crystal. "Then we better teleport."

They teleported and found the main castle. It was easy to find. The city was not very well populated by players. The castle was in a perpetual state of a tournament. At one point, there was a several day long line waiting to do this quest. Many players grew out of it while they waited for it to slow down.

"This will help," Bladescape said, extending a vial to Sasha.

"What is that?" Sasha asked as she hesitantly reached out to take it.

"A poison. Doombunny makes them from Colorra's venom. It will guarantee that you win."

"Isn't that cheating?" Sasha asked, still not taking the vial in her outstretched hand.

"Nope," Bladescape grinned. "The rules do not state no poison. Apply it to the blade as the first battle starts. It is quiet and abandoned, so we can tell you exactly how they will attack."

"You remember?" Sasha asked, surprised.

"I worked with Knightstar to write the guide for Argo," Bladescape explained. "Yet another thing we did for the info broker. We did it 11 times. We passed 11 times. And we watched another 20 odd people pass or fail."

Sasha gingerly plucked the vial from Bladescape's hand and walked to the starting area. Bladescape sat on one side of the arena and Klein the other. They could give better advice from different angles. The first challenger stepped in. He was a basic NPC man with a wooden shield and short sword. He didn't have any armor.

"He advances with his shield high," Bladescape yelled. "Walk straight toward him. Is the poison on?"

"Yes," Sasha said as she moved toward the NPC to meet him in the center. "Then what?"

"When I yell jump, jump to your right. He makes a simple downward slash and he drops his shield low at the same time. Keep the knife up and ready, so that you can trigger the Sword Skill and drive it into his face."

Sasha did as commanded. When Bladescape told her to jump, she jumped and triggered the skill. Even without the poison, it was a powerful blow to his shoulder, but with the poison it finished the fight in a single strike. Sasha was getting used to combat. She was more aggressive than Doombunny had been at that point in time. She was fighting for her kids.

The next opponent used a spear. Bladescape coached Sasha on how to avoid the spear. The lightly armored NPC fighter had the advantage against shieldless dagger wielders. The tactic they used was one Thunderborne literally stumbled upon: when the NPC stabbed, dive. Sasha was ready and dove under the spear at the legs. She hit the ground hard, and had to crawl to the NPC, who started backpedaling. But she was determined and Sasha got the stab in at his shins before he was out of reach. The poison did the real job.

The next three opponents were a light armored axe wielder, then a samurai, and finally a fully armored knight. Each had their weakness, and each only needed a light nick to apply the poison. Sasha was still new at combat, but the dungeon dive had taught her a lot. And with Klein's and Bladescape's encouragement and walk-through, she was aggressive enough to do what needed to be done. Sasha took a tough cut by the samurai's blade, but she followed up with an attack of her own, without outside instruction, that struck home.

After being declared the winner by the king, Sasha received the winnings and the XP. She was almost at the next level and her dagger skill had shot up 150 points. 150 out of 1000 was a big raise. However, in its heyday, most challengers failed and didn't get the stat points.

"Now what?" Sasha asked.

It was Bladescape's turn. "Klein, remember the ruins on Floor 34? It was, at one time, a popular grinding spot. It had a safe zone right outside it. It was skeletons, but we could do the same thing as with the slime creatures. We do the heavy lifting, but giving Sasha the moments to attack and raise her skill level. She is seeing them and taking them.

"Sounds good," Klein replied with a nod. "It is a walk from the closest teleport plaza, but not a tough or long one. Just a sparse forest if I recall correctly."

"That sounds right," Bladescape shrugged. "We didn't scope that out for Argo, and I only trained there a few times. We had the Labyrinth we grinded in."

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 64 - Round Two

Front Line - Floor 62
June 14 - Year 2

Klein and Bladescape were training Sasha so that she could better take care of the kids. She had done well with the dungeon they had cleared with her and then against the tournament quest. Now they were heading to an old grinding location. They didn't need crystals because they were in a city with a teleport plaza, and soon the small town nearest the dungeon on Floor 34 came into view. It was completely devoid of anyone but about two dozen NPCs. The forest path was clear and so were the multiple warning signs, about the skeletons they were after, at the start of the path.

The path eventually shifted from wide dirt to barely worn grass, but it was still obvious. The bushes and trees formed the path and made for a nice, calm walk. They hid the ruins and skeleton army ahead very well.

The walk wasn't quiet. Klein and Sasha were talking back and forth, mostly listening to Sasha telling funny or endearing tales of the kids. It was refreshing compared to the boring and quiet hikes the Wondercolts were currently doing.

Bladescape felt it before Search picket it up. It was intuition after months in a virtual battlefield, and from living with Doombunny. She lunged with her left hand and grabbed Klein's armor at the neck and yanked him back. He somehow stayed up as he stumbled back. He never had the chance to even ask what was happening as the sword swung out from a bush he had been beside and flashed right in front of his chest. The reason for the pull was clear.

Time felt like it slowed as Bladescape reacted to the threat and her mind processed everything it could see, hear, feel, and smell at full speed. Her mind was being flooded with natural chemicals and stimulants like Adrenalin to help her survive. But she also felt others like Dopamine and Serotonin kick in. Her mind and virtual body lit up to its full potential as she got high knowing she was about to enter a really good fight. And one she was confident in.

Bladescape's right hand reached to a pouch as the figure lost Hide's surprise factor and he stood up fully after his missed swing. He was in a ratty, light brown poncho, hood up, and a wicked grin on his lips. His arms were wrapped in cloth. Bladescape had seen the same thing before and she knew he was not alone. Laughing Coffin was here.

Bladescape grabbed two vials from her pouch and swung her arm up to grab her sword. She could feel the difference in the vial's style to know what she grabbed. As her hand moved past her face, she popped the top of one and stuck it in her mouth, chugging it with her teeth alone. Bladescape grinned back wryly into his hood as she let the empty vial drop from her lips and fastened her grip on Harmonic Salvation's handle. As firm of a grip as she could get it and hold the other vial. She saw his eyes flash with a moment of hesitation as she casually dropped the vial from her mouth, fully ready to deal with him.

"TIME FOR ROUND TWO!" Bladescape challenged as she drew Harmonic Salvation. "Let's do this! Last time I was exhausted and down to my last vial of a weak paralyzer. Now I am awake, alert, and armed with more drugs and better equipment." Bladescape heard Klein draw his sword and Sasha gasp as more Laughing Coffin members had to be appearing all around them. Bladescape pressed while they had the advantage of no combat. "So? Are you really that stupid to want more? Fine!"

Bladescape's left hand made it to her crystal pouch and she grabbed three. She jumped back towards Klein and Sasha to give herself room from the first murderer and she caught sight of a good fifteen more who had either arrived or come out of hiding in trees, bushes, and at least two from behind the big rock off to her right. She also glanced at her hand to see that she had a red, yellow, and blue. Bladescape tossed the blue one to Sasha while keeping a hold of the others so she could pocket them.

"TELEPORT!" Bladescape ordered both Sasha and Klein. "Klein, get her out safely. I'll be right behind you."

"Oh no! I am-"

"Teleport! Town of Beginnings!" Sasha yelled before she was encompassed in a glow of blue and gone.

"-not leaving you behind!"

Bladescape used her dexterity in her right hand and popped the top off the other vial, pouring it onto the blade just past the crossguard. She had practiced one handed application of drugs.

"I just applied a drug to my blade!" Bladescape told the Laughing Coffin members as she raised Harmonic Salvation high. "If you want to find out which one I grabbed, come and taste my steel. Consider yourselves warned."

The members were slowly moving towards the two of them in a circle. "Klein!" Bladescape yelled. "I can cover you and disengage. Trust me."

"Fine!" Klein yelled as he grabbed his own blue crystal. "You have 60 seconds and I am going to get as many clearers as possible to storm this place!"

One of them leaped at Klein, trying to take advantage of his slight distraction. Bladescape lunged left to block him. As she jumped, she drove Harmonic Salvation down, blazing green, where it connected with the sword. Klein flashed blue as he teleported out safely and a blast erupted from the clashing swords. Bladescape had targeted the sword itself, at its weakest point, and as a result the durability of the blade was eliminated and it was split in two for a second before it became polygons.

Bladescape swung at the Laughing Coffin member, but choked up in the swing so it wasn't a wide slash. It caught him in the arm and left a red gash as he cried out and jumped back. His feet didn't catch him as the paralyzer struck and he fell hard.

Bladescape wasn't that lucky though. Saving Klein had put her in a pinch and the original guy was on her. The blade bit into her shoulder. Her armor stopped it from going too far in, but it was in twice the width of the blade. He was grinning at her, absolutely loving the thrill of the chase and kill. His eyes were glowing with the joy he was experiencing. It couldn't be much different than what Bladescape was feeling, except that she wasn't thirsting for their blood.

"Say goodbye," He chuckled. "You are mine to play with until I decide I am done with your body."

Bladescape casually looked at the blade in her shoulder. She grinned back at him. "No play date today. Do you see the paralysis symbol above my health bar?"

That changed his attitude as he glanced up at it. It was flashing as it battled with the antidote vial she had drunk at the start. "WHAT!" He yelled as the paralysis symbol lost.

Harmonic Salvation was a big sword, but even with its long length, it was a quick sweep that severed his leg off before he could jump back. Bladescape knocked his sword out of her shoulder as she settled in her next stance.

"I took an anti drug mix," Bladescape coldly told him and the others. "You all saw me. Good luck going up against the best." She reset with a smile on her face. Fighting other players wasn't fun. Especially knowing they were trying to kill her, that they were thirsting for her blood, but knocking them down a peg, that was fun. She would not go down easily and she would make them rethink the strength of the Assault Team.

Bladescape was loosely surrounded, but they were waiting for a signal. A man walked into her view from the front, a few feet back from the circle. Bladescape tried to force her body not too, but she visibly shivered, as she tried to see his hidden eyes. She couldn't see the eyes that came from that enthralled grin. It was like they didn't exist. Like they had been sucked away into a black hole. A portal his black soul was using to claim the lives of players. A portal that would devour her too if she got to close.

"So, the troublesome Wondercolt is once again facing Laughing Coffin," He said with a smooth voice. It was exotic, not entirely Japanese sounding like the bulk of the other players. "And this time, while it is again a chance meeting, she has stumbled into our nest. And she kicked our nest, so we will respond like the hornets." He didn't need to laugh for Bladescape to hear the madness that he was. He was a vicious killer with no soul and one who knew it and enjoyed it.

"I hope your Doombunny is as good as you are betting on, because I have been doing this longer than she has. I started at the very beginning building that Skill. My poison won't be stopped. But, I might as well tell you my name before we kill you." His blade flashed as he raised it high. It looked like a large meat cleaver, but it was clearly a dagger category weapon. "I am PoH! I started Laughing Coffin. And now it is time for you, Bladescape, to die. It's Showtime!"

Bladescape separated her grip, moving her left hand to the pommel of her sword, so that she transitioned from Two-Handed Sword Sword Skills to Greatsword. She initiated Swishing Spadone. It was a sweeping Greatsword Skill that was one of the simplest. It also was a defensive skill, built for the moment you were surrounded or flanked. It was a simple swing, using the split hand positioning to leverage a quick slash that she could easily use to block, or cut, an opponent. Her right hand directed the blade's path as the point of contact while the left was the driving lever. The skill also had next to no delay, which coupled with her geode, allowed it to be chained, even with the delay, in an almost unending attack. With a few simple steps Bladescape could slip around and protect her rear and in any direction she needed.

Sparks flew and metal ground and Bladescape blocked and deflected the attacks from the various angles. Their "all at once" attack was staggered, because they didn't want to run into each other, allowing her to easily address them in quick succession despite being surrounded. Half of them fell, nicked or cut, to the paralysis agent on her blade. The rest jumped far back to reset after she clashed weapons with them.

Bladescape let Harmonic Salvation continue in its sweep, rather than fight it to stop it, and let go with her left hand. She directed it high, pointing straight up into the sky above her. Her left hand had reached into her pouch and she drew out three crystals. She saw two were green and then that she also had a blue one as she raised them up high.

"The show is almost over!" Bladescape declared as she stared back at the unmoving PoH. "For my last act, I shall disappear!" PoH's grin somehow got more wicked, but he didn't move.

"Teleport! Town-" Bladescape saw it as she gave the command. The thorned spear, which she had fought the first time, came leaping at her out of nowhere. The spear went straight through her armor into her left pectoral, and it was backed by the flying Kurayaro. His grin was different from the others. He wanted revenge for her humiliating him in that battle. His face came right up to hers as she defiantly finished the command instead of slipping up, "OF BEGINNINGS!"

Blue light took her away, the imprint of his insane eyes fresh in her vision as the town's teleport plaza came into view. Then Bladescape felt the dull pressure in her chest as the spear continued to be pushed through her. His laughter was of a pure madman as Bladescape was pulled eye to eye with him.

Bladescape knew her eyes betrayed her, spilling forth what should have been the secret of her shock and then fear. He was here. He had come with her. The teleport crystals had been known to teleport two players, but it was rare to get two players close enough for it to recognize them as one in any time crunched situation. It was always safest to use two crystals even when together. The two players had to be solidly bound. He was gripping her right shoulder pauldron while his spear was thrust halfway through her chest. And now that they were in the Town of Beginnings, he was holding her very tight. The impaled spear was the connection the crystal needed to recognize them as one.

"Pretty necklace," Kurayaro snickered. "It will make a better souvenir than the one the chick was wearing on New Year's day. Yeah, I was there at the start of it all."

The mention of the necklace focused Bladescape. It was her geode. Diemond had made a nearly perfect copy of her real life one. The one that gave her real power. A power that she used to protect people.

"I think you are seeing it wrong," Bladescape snickered back, not breaking away from him or shifting her gaze from his eyes. "It should look like I am wearing two."

"What?" Kurayaro asked, thrown off his insanity trip by the odd statement.

Bladescape rammed the pommel of the still skyward Harmonic Salvation down onto his head. He let go and stumbled back a bit in shock.

"See them now?" Bladescape mocked him.

She never gave him time to answer as he turned to run. He cleared the plaza's platform, but Harmonic Salvation was glowing as Bladescape brought the blade savagely down on his shoulders. They were in a safe zone, so it didn't hurt his HP. Instead, the blow created a sort of explosion, face planting him into the stone pavement. It felt good to pound him into the ground, especially since he was one of the first members of Laughing Coffin. Bladescape began to be enveloped in a warmth over the action. A warmth soaked in righteous fury over his crimes. One that was all hers. A gift he had given her for his own misdeeds.

"I'll go get the Army!" Sasha yelled as she sprinted towards the Black Iron Palace.

Klein had been beside Sasha, waiting for Bladescape to appear, but Bladescape wasn't focused on him. She only saw Kurayaro. A murderer who wore a murderer's clothes and who wore the tattoo of the blood cult, Laughing Coffin. His tattoo was on his right forearm and it was visible now that he was laying out flat and the wrappings had been loosened around it from the fall.

Bladescape swung Harmonic Salvation in a downward slash, brutally driving it into his lower back. His body shuttered and shook under the force as it was stuck between the strike of the heavy blade and the stone. Bladescape stepped forward and brought the blade overhead and drove it straight down in an arch, activating Avalanche. The tip crushed into his head. But there was no damage other than the pain of being struck by a heavy pole because they were in a safe zone.

Yet it was exactly as she had intended it to be. Bladescape was going to punish him before the Army got there. She was going to flog him, with Harmonic Salvation as her switch. She was going to make him feel like he was bleeding from the inside out. The sensation of being hit inside a safe zone wasn't lost. The player only lost the ability to lose their HP. She would make him think his skull was really cracked. She would make him feel like his entire body was broken and shattered. It was the least she could do for him wearing that tattoo.

He was a permanent orange player for a reason. You couldn't, ever, go back to green once you killed a player, ignoring a duel. That was the game system's mark. That tattoo was his own choosing. There was no redeeming him.

Each stroke of her blade was to punish him however she could for that choice. She could personally attest to him attacking her twice, and that he was with Laughing Coffin both times. It was what he deserved. It was what she had the right to. To beat him into submission so that he would never again rise to draw blood or harm another being: in virtual reality or in the real world.

"BLADESCAPE!" Klein screamed once more.

Bladescape heard him, but didn't register it. She was focused on his punishment. The past shaped the future. He chose his path. He didn't take it like she did. He went against life and love. He wanted to kill. He was a member of an evil army bent on taking over this virtual world. Bent on striking fear into the heart of every player. And he was one who had shattered the trust of the game. They had destroyed the good around them for selfish ambition. They wanted to kill and thought they could get away with it. They thought the world was their own to do what they wanted, and Kayaba was their scapegoat.

Bladescape stood over him, sword glowing as she had once again triggered Avalanche. She wasn't sure what stopped her. She was seething with anger that she had driven up inside herself, and she could still kick the last remaining bits of daylight out of him. Klein was screaming her name, but that wasn't what had stopped her. The body laid there under her, unmoving and probably unconscious from the severe mental trauma Bladescape had just unleashed on him.

She realized why she had struck him the second time. And then third. And why it didn't stop after that. SAO was a game, but even more so now that their very lives depended on clearing it, which at its root was based in ambition. To survive, you have to choose to work long hours in dangerous situations and risk your life to get better, stronger, faster, unlock new Skills, attacks, and all the game had to offer. And Bladescape was one of the most ambitious players in the game.

How far was Bladescape willing to go? She had just tortured a captured and defenseless opponent. He had struck first, but she continued to strike him well past what could be considered a normal reaction or self defense. He should be dead, and would be, if the safe zone didn't exist. She would have been a Player Killer and deserved an orange cursor.

She should never get another chance at life. Death here in this game was a fitting ending, not sitting and rotting in a jail cell. She could not be redeemed in the very core and it was better off for all if she died in the game. It was the punishment she actually deserved and it was a lot less of a mess to clean up. There was no need for a trial, but justice would prevail.

Bladescape opened her hands, dropping Harmonic Salvation with a clatter and canceling the Sword Skill it was poised to execute. It was all she could do for a second as she regained her mind. She then stepped off to the side and took a few, slow steps back. She could see his body and Harmonic Salvation half laying on his leg. There was no danger of him stealing it. He was out cold.

"You okay?" Klein asked quietly as he materialized by her side. He put his arm around her, anchoring her to him at her waist. "I'm here, like I promised, to catch you or help you up if you fell."

Bladescape realized there was a crowd. A large number of the players who still lived in The Town of Beginnings had come out at the sound of a fight. And they had just seen her beat him repeatedly as he laid there.

She wanted to run. But at the same time she wanted to be locked up and left in prison. Her friends were amazing, but she felt like they had given her too much grace and mercy. All she saw was a woman who still knew how to get what she wanted and didn't let anyone or anything stop her. She was just a lot nicer about it now. They called it being driven, but it was the same thing.

The sound of heavy metal boots marching caught everyone's attention. The crowd was ordered to split and a large number of Army Soldiers came in.

"I am Korbatz!" he gruffly yelled as he took over. "I am in control of the situation along with my men." He pointed at Bladescape. "You there, you and the goofy guy are at the center of this all? You captured him?"

"No. Yes. No?" Bladescape said, not sure what the answer was. She was not ready for questioning. She was still trying to sort herself out.

"Out of my way!" a familiar voice order. Through the opening came Thinker, the guild leader, and by his side was Yulier, his second in command. He immediately strode over to Bladescape. "Are you okay?" He kindly asked. Then his face shifted to pure concern. "You um, have a spear in your shoulder. It looks nasty and has to hurt."

Bladescape looked down at her left pectoral where the spear was stabbed halfway through her body. It was a dull throb because it wasn't actually taking away any health points. She looked over at Harmonic Salvation, partially propped up on the body. Whatever had happened, to the crowd, it looked justified while she had the spear in her chest.

"I want to discuss everything with you in private," Bladescape said to Thinker. "I am fine. Sore and mentally exhausted, but I will bounce back."

"Then let us get lunch," Thinker said. "Your companions can join us of course, my treat. After lunch, we can sort out the final details. However, this appears to be open and shut. I saw his tattoo and the woman said you guys had been attacked by Laughing Coffin."

"It is," Bladescape said with a definitive nod. "I can confirm he is a member of the guild called Laughing Coffin and that he has tried to kill me. Twice. This is his spear in my chest."

That got a lot of whispers flowing back and forth among those who were watching. Particularly the fact that it had happened twice and she could prove it.

Bladescape turned to Klein. She flashed him a warm smile. "Klein, just grab the shaft and pull it out. It doesn't hurt. At least not like it looks like it should, and I know the thorns are there, but it's just a dull throb. It will slide out fine."

Klein gingerly put his hand on the wrapped grip of the spear and then his left on her chest. She was wearing strong, well formed leather plate, but he was clearly aware he was touching what would be her left breast. Bladescape had to resist smilingly as he hesitated because he didn't want to be indecent with her. There was a gentlemanly side of Klein.

The pull was swift and accurate. Klein drew it straight out and it was a good thing he had braced his hand against her chest as it initially pulled her forward into his palm. However, it was the draw of an expert swordsman, including the proper followup after it was pulled from her chest: straight behind him, the spear tip having made a smooth but powerful 180 flip.

Bladescape nodded to him and he let go. She walked over to the Army soldier holding harmonic salvation. He wasn't too rough with it, but he could have used a little more care. Bladescape took it from him and sheathed it. They had the unconscious body of Kurayaro picked up, but Bladescape stopped them from moving him as she grabbed at his neck. They didn't stop her, presuming she knew what she was doing and she had been doing it before they arrived. Bladescape found a thin chain there and pulled it out from his shirt. It was a simple silver necklace with a monochromatic chrysanthemum dangling from the chain. Bladescape reached around his neck and undid the catch. She pocketed it and walked away.

Klein was still holding the thorned spear. Bladescape snatched it from him before he could give it away. He didn't expect it, making it easy for her to grab. "I earned this," Bladescape told him. Klein just nodded silently.

No one disagreed with her and the two of them followed Thinker to the Black Iron Palace.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 65 - Finishing What Was Started

Front Line - Floor 62
June 14 - Year 2

Sasha had chosen to check in with the kids. Klein and Bladescape would pick her up at the church after they finished the business they now had to attend to.They followed Thinker into the Black Iron Palace and, after a few twists and turns inside, they were in a large room that was surprisingly comfortable despite the exterior of the palace. It had a dining table, which was set. Yulier was already there.

It was a simple meal, but it was good. It showed that those at the top of the largest guild were not eating like kings that many would have expected. 3000 players were a lot of mouths to feed.

Once they were done, there was the uncomfortable minute where no one was sure how to start the meeting. Bladescape felt ashamed for how far she had taken things.

Thinker spoke first. "Why don't you explain how you were attacked, twice, by him?"

"Oh," Bladescape quietly exclaimed. "That is easy. A few months back, while gathering materials, the leather for my armor, I ran into him and three others when they tried to ambush me. He isn't far up the chain. I had one paralyzing agent left which I was carrying for hunting the beasts, so I used it to disable them. Doombunny is a member of my guild, the Snake Charmer and poison maker. I left them there, where they fell, because there wasn't anyone else nearby enough to properly capture them before the paralysis wore off. He was humiliated by name because of how easily I knocked him out of the fight. The Assault Team was in a huge fit that Laughing Coffin members attacked one of their own so close to the front line. They rushed the place, but it was empty by the time they got there."

"I didn't remember that you were the one they had attacked," Thinker admitted. "I had heard of the incident. I am also aware of Doombunny and her special skills. As well as her allegiance. I do remember when you two brought in the other orange guild to us. Now, how about the attack today?"

Blade gave a solemn nod. "He was a fool who wanted to finish what had been started. We were training Sasha, the woman who runs the church and cares for the kids. You met three of them yesterday."

"I remember that," Thinker nodded.

"We were headed to an old farming location to raise her dagger skill level and her overall XP so she could be a better caretaker. She asked us yesterday if we could, so we are taking one extra day off. Or it was supposed to be off. I enlisted Klein because the other half of my guild is caring for the kids in her place. We still have a party we sent into the boss labyrinth, clearing the front lines.

"I didn't catch their presence fast enough. They have a high Hide Skill, probably maxed. I saved Klein last second with a yank out of the way. They jumped out, we got Sasha to teleport out, Klein followed her as I unleashed round two against them with my blade poisoned, again with another paralyzer. We had walked right up to their hiding place, which I doubt is occupied anymore. I got them to break off attacking me momentarily and I grabbed a teleport crystal, calling for the teleport. Kurayaro, he leaped at me, intent on breaking my concentration so I failed the teleport under the stress of being charged. I didn't, he ran his spear through me, and we were face to face. He had to be grabbing me tightly, or it was because of the spear, because he came with me. I materialized on the teleport plaza with his face still in mine like I had last seen it.

"I wasn't expecting that and neither was he. He recovered first, we exchanged a few, private, words, and then I got inside his head and dropped my sword's pommel onto his skull. I knocked him back and onto his back. It felt good. I lost it and I began to beat him with my sword. You came right after I came back to my senses."

"You didn't hear me screaming your name," Klein said. The concern was obvious in his voice. "You were trying to pound him into polygons despite the system stopping you. I'm surprised you don't have an orange cursor because you attacked a player in a safe zone. It has to be because he is a permanent orange player."

Bladescape sighed, ashamed. She knew it was written all over her body and face. "I snapped. I wanted to punish him. I wanted to beat him for all his crimes. He is an original member of Laughing Coffin. I wanted him to remember it for the rest of his life. The Wondercolts are friends, and in real life they saved me from my darker side when I was about to get what I thought I wanted. I saw no mercy or redemption for him, despite knowing how much I was given."

It was Yulier who spoke. "You turned your sword on him to punish yourself."

Bladescape slowly nodded to confirm her statement. "I can now recall the moment I switched in my head from he to she. But I was lost in my self loathing and hatred."

"This game is getting to us all," Klein admitted quietly. "Not just you, or your guild, but I feel it and so do the guys in Fuurinkazan. It can bring out the worst in us. A little fear goes a long way. And they have the jail to prove it."

"But," Bladescape stuttered. "But, I still...I should be the very model of redemption. I-"

"Stop," Thinker ordered her. "You can't put that much pressure on yourself. You can't be that to everyone. And I don't expect you to be that to yourself."

Bladescape sighed, lost in her thoughts. She was once again seeing only her hatred of herself and giving herself even more for losing it on a helpless victim. He might be evil, but he was helpless after the initial hit and she still beat him without mercy. Why did she deserve mercy?

Bladescape jumped as Klein put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. It was for both support and to help snap her out of her downward spiral. She flashed him a smile and then looked at Thinker.

"I have told you what happened. Now what for me? I may have been in a safe zone, and he might have been a member of Laughing Coffin who's spear was in my chest, but I still beat a man to what would have killed him in real life or out of a safe zone."

"If you are seeking punishment, I won't give it," Thinker declared. "You are punishing yourself right now. And I think the best thing for you to do is go with Klein and take Sasha and finish your training with her. Today you need to give back. You need to be kind to others rather than push yourself on the front lines or sit thinking. Don't dwell on this right now. Do something good for someone else. Be a Wondercolt. It is obviously important to you and your friends and means something to all of you."

Bladescape forced herself to smile as she replied. “Oh, it means something to be a Wondercolt. A lot more than you can easily understand. We made an impact in the world around us I.R.L. A good one."

"Then hold onto that," Yulier told her. "Hold on to that for your life as you fight on the front lines. We can't be perfect, but we can be imperfectly good people. And you are a good person and player. You don't seem to be different despite being in a game."

Bladescape thought that statement through. Her smile was genuine this time. "Only one of us is different. Doombunny is much more assertive and aggressive than she is in the real world. And it is a good thing. It's not just kept her alive, but it was something she was working on in the real world. She was working to not be a doormat. And right now, she isn't. But who we truly are inside of us, it isn't different despite being here. There is little to no difference to us in either reality."

Bladescape stood up. "And now, it is time for me to be myself and a Wondercolt. Thank you for the food, the hospitality, and for talking things through with me. Your kindness and generosity has been, well it's been a déjà vu of sorts. A good one. But I have to. Klein and I have to go make sure we finish this current good deed. So the kids are better cared for.

"And before I go, I want to say one thing. The Army is usually looked down upon, especially from those of us on the Front Line. But we rarely come down here. For the largest guild by a factor of at least 25 over any other guild, and with the goals you have, you are doing a great job. It can't be easy holding together so many players, but you are. And Aincrad would be significantly worse off if you were not doing as well as you are. Aincrad needs you for more than a jail. You are, in a way, our foundation guild."

"Thank you," Thinker said, shaking Bladescape's hand. "That is good to hear. It is very easy to be self critical, and running such a large guild requires more delegation than I want. There are wrinkles to iron out, and we are."

Klein also thanked them as well and Thinker and Yulier showed them out. All the way to the teleport plaza.

"Thanks for being there to pick me up when I fell," Bladescape immediately told Klein when they were alone. "I know you said it a few weeks back, but you were actually right there, and you didn't disappoint."

"Of course," Klein said, pulling her in for a hug. She wrapped her arms around him in automatic response. "I certainly couldn't let my second favorite Wondercolt down."

"Second?" Bladescape asked, offended.

"Well, first if you remove AFCK's cupcakes from the equation."

Bladescape's heel ground into his foot and Klein jumped back wincing from the pain. Bladescape snickered. It was what he deserved for that stunt.

"Come on, Doll Face,” Klein said. “We have an important woman to train. You've got me by your side for the day. Thinker was right, you need to do something good today. You have me for support, now let's keep that promise you made and do some undeniable good."

"Yeah," Bladescape smiled, gaining her confidence once again. "Let's do it."

"You know," Klein said as they began to walk to the church. "You realize Aincrad and the real world have different rules. Any player at any age can get married to another player. Our old ideas about age are not necessarily valid here. Just saying."

Bladescape rolled her eyes. "I will concede that point to you. But only concede that point. I'm barely together. The last thing I need right now would be the distraction of a relationship."

"Fair enough," Klein shrugged. "I was just stating a fact that I have been recently thinking about."

“Thinking is what gets you in trouble,” Bladescape poked back.

Klein let out a long sigh in concession. He set himself up for that.

It took them nothing to get to the church. Over that short time, both Klein and Bladescape rebuilt their walls, and were ready to go to battle once more. At least for the rest of this day, it would be a good battle, strengthening and growing, not conquering and killing.

Kids were playing ball in the courtyard in front of the church, and a group of boys were even fighting each other in mock combat with their swords and shields. To them, it was another day just like any other. They didn't really pay attention to Bladescape and Klein as they entered the church.

AFCK's loud voice made it easy for them to find the others. She was in the kitchen while the others, except for Doombunny, were in the dining hall. Diemond was helping Mina with a sewing project and Joltron was talking with Sasha.

Joltron spotted them first. "There you are! How are you? I heard it was rough."

"That is putting it a bit lightly," Bladescape fired back. "But both of us are ready. And Sasha, we promised you levels."

"We can still get you to Level 40," Klein assured her. "And it will be safe. We know some other spots to hit. We will get your blade level up a bit more, and then grind for your total Level XP. We will go somewhere popular, with a big enough presence that they won't dare to show up."

Sasha was unsure. She was clearly afraid and rightly so.

"Look around," Bladescape said. "You will see that the kids are fine and they are having fun. And tomorrow you won't have this chance. You risk being stuck where you are, and we are not even at Floor 65 yet. You need more Skill Slots. And you were rocking it today. You did it to protect them, and you were doing exactly what you needed to. They are a big love of yours, and you want to be the best you can be for them. And rightfully so. I had an amazing time yesterday with Gin, Kain, and Mina. And it looks like the rest of the Wondercolts are having just as good of a time as I was. Take this opportunity that we still have and seize it. For them."

"But," Sasha said, stalling out.

"You are not weak." Both Klein and Bladescape jumped at the voice that came from behind them. Klein's blade was mostly drawn, waiting just for the flick of the wrist to unleash it fully. Bladescape had Harmonic Salvation only at a quarter draw, but that was because she subconsciously recognized the voice through the fear.

Doombunny stood just inside the doorway, arms crossed with Colorra attentive and coiled up aggressively to match her master. Bladescape realized that while Doombunny was angry, the anger wasn't at Sasha, although the harsh sounding words were directed at her.

"Everything went well enough," Doombunny said, still furious. "I didn't find any kids, despite using Search, Listen, and Reveal. I think you have them all. For today at least.

"And despite the other rumors I was picking up on, everything worked out. All three of you are safe. It was unlucky, but that was all. You were not a target. Today is your day. A well deserved day. Don't waste it. We are giving you everything we can to make sure you get this opportunity. We will not get this opportunity to put our focus onto you again. Our duty and where our energy has to go, starting tomorrow, is to freeing you. It is what is best all around."

Sasha sat there, thinking over what Doombunny said. Doombunny let her think as she strode to Bladescape's side. She pulled out two vials and handed them to her friend. Her face was still angry. Something had happened on her walk through the city to find more kids to help. But as she handed Bladescape the vials, her eyes flashed with a love only Fluttershy could give. A soft, warm glow from the softest, warmest, kindest member of the Wondercolts. And more importantly, her I.R.L. friend.

Bladescape smiled into those eyes. "We also used a poison for Sasha to win Floor 15's big quest. The tournament one."

Doombunny nodded and wordlessly handed a replacement poison to her friend.

"How's this shindig going?" ask another voice behind them.

Again Klein almost had his blade drawn as he spun into his default fighting stance. Bladescape had pulled Harmonic Salvation halfway out before she realized it was Backbreaker who had spoken. The others were behind her. She had not expected to see them until the evening.

Bladescape slammed Harmonic Salvation back into its sheath. She was shaking from the fear. She hadn't expected it to happen twice. And it had her not just on edge, but angry. "Fine," Bladescape said through a tight jaw.

"Klein still hasn't retracted his blade," Backbreaker pointed out.

Bladescape snorted, even more angry that she couldn't get control of herself. "We just dealt with LC. Another freak run in. We are trying to get Sasha back out with us, to finish what we started, leveling her up." Bladescape tried to change topics. "You are out early. And now here."

"New development," Backbreaker said, avoiding specifics. They clearly didn't leave the Labyrinth because they hit low HP. "So we all decided, why sit at home, let’s go check in with the others. But now we can load up a full party and really give Sasha the best. And help calm your nerves."

AFCK came out of nowhere, bear hugging Bladescape but still managing to have an open hand in front of her face. On it was a cupcake. "Cupcake to calm your nervous nerves?"

Klein snatched it out of AFCK's hand. "Sure!"

AFCK burst out into a snorting laugh of pure joy. Of course she had more cupcakes for them. Most were for the kid's dinner, but she could spare several.

"I feel better," Bladescape admitted as she finished her cupcake. "And we ate a good meal with Thinker and Yulier, so it wasn't food I needed."

"Well I have a fun dinner planned," AFCK declared. "So you guys better get out there, grab those levels, and be back for it!"

"Come on, Sasha," Backbreaker said. "With my shield, you will be safe. I don't bend. I don't break."

If it had been Bladescape and Backbreaker in the battle with Laughing Coffin, they would have died. Backbreaker was too slow. Outnumbered and surrounded was Backbreaker's weakness. She needed heavy backup to adjust for her immobility. However, Bladescape didn't need to point it out. Sasha needed to hear it and she was ready to go with that encouragement.

"Alright!" Thunderborne exclaimed. "Let's go kick some monster butt!"

"No," Bladescape said with a sly grin. "You and Astro are going to go kick the kid's butts in soccer or some other sport. Or are you too chicken to handle that?"

"Oh we can handle it," Astro said, taking Thunderborne out of the potential party members with her.

"What do we need, shields or swords?" Kiefer asked.

"Forwards," Bladescape replied. "Miss Sasha is set up like Doombunny. We block, she jumps out and strikes, then back to safety. You and Lessa would round us out well to a full party of six. But we don't even need Backbreaker for our plans. Up to you."

"I'm in," Kiefer said with a wink.

"Me too," Lessa said. "I think we can do more as six than three. Besides, it is always fun to see what dumb thing Klein will do next."

"Hey!" Klein exclaimed. He didn't follow up with an argument though.

"Floor 46 is still populated," Kiefer advised. "We could hit the ants and as a team, we can start fresh and jump in and out rather quickly. It will be simple to block and let Miss Sasha strike before we finish them."

"Quick and efficient," Klein added. "We have to make up for some lost time.”

"Then that is our plan," Bladescape said, solidifying it. "By dinner, Sasha will be up to at least Level 40."

They added the new party members and then they were off. Floor 46 had two open canyons. They didn't have to wait to be rotated in. Several parties were resting up after using the lack of a waiting period to their advantage. The Wondercolts did as well, but while the others were mid level players, they were from the top. They only needed one or two up front with Sasha, so they stayed well rested as the hours passed. Sasha was the only one needing a break. But while she got a break from leveling up her One-Handed Dagger Skill, she was still gaining Level XP at an expedited rate.

Sasha hit Level 40 from their diligence in the early evening. It was too late for them to walk back to the teleport plaza and get back for the kid's normal dinner time. AFCK had told them to be back for dinner. They pulled out teleport crystals and Klein gave one to Sasha.

They teleported back to the Town of Beginnings and then rushed to the church. Inside it was a loud, chaotic scene. All of the kids were in the dining hall, crammed into the tables. But they were not eating, they were waiting and salivating. AFCK was cooking up something absolutely delicious.

"MISS SASHA!" "TEACH!" Multiple kids yelled out in greeting as they saw them arrive. They didn't leave their hard fought seats though.

"Hello!" Miss Sasha greeted them. "Did you all behave well today?"

It was a fury of "yes" in reply.

Another table had been brought in for the "adults." They now had a large group to seat outside from the kid's tables. Doombunny, Bladescape, Klein, and Sasha sat at the original "adult" table that Sasha usually sat at alone while the kids ate.

AFCK popped out of the kitchen, right as they sat down, swinging a huge, oversized pot filled with stew. The other two she had been working with all day were loaded down with trays of bread and other items. It was a full course of food for the kids.

Bladescape raised her glass of water to her table. "Bunny and Klein, I raise my glass to you. We got these kids in an even better and safer place. Sasha, I raise my glass to your bravery today, and more importantly, to your love of these kids and all you do for them. They are alive because of you. It is impressive all that you do for and teach them."

"I second that!" Klein said, raising his glass even higher. "Bravery to you, to the kids, and cheers to all you do! In the end, it was a successful day!"

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Author's Note

"Mini" chapter coming in a few days, titled: "Doombunny's Day."

Episode 66 - Doombunny's Day

Front Line - Floor 62
June 14 - Year 2
Time: Noonish, earlier that day.

Doombunny was walking the streets of the Town of Beginnings. Sasha walked them daily, trying to find more kids who were hiding out even after all this time. However, she didn't have Doombunny's skills. Max Search made things much easier to find the non NPC residents of the massive city. Her Listen Skill was also advantageous, allowing her to hear and detect living players.

What was most important was her Reveal Skill. Doombunny was using it to specifically target smaller players and reveal anyone who was hiding. She found numerous players hiding out, and she did what she could to encourage them, but those still frozen in fear after a year and a half in SAO were not a type of player she could consult and coax out with her kindness. It would take a team of experts a long time to help their damaged mental state.

No kids were present, but the city was still vibrant. And the First Floor didn't lack beautiful sounds and the subtle flourishes that made it feel so real. The stones were not all the same and perfect, and they didn't repeat in sequences along a wall. Finding a direct copy of another stone was nearly impossible. The game was that perfect, that realistic.

It wasn't just Listen, or Reveal, or even Search, but a combination of those three skills that triggered danger in Doombunny's ears. There were many ways to bully players in a safe zone. And there were plenty of ways to do it without breaking the harassment code.

Doombunny automatically slipped Hide to active as she moved to the disturbance. It was in a nearby alley. A squad of soldiers had several players backed against the dead end.

"Come on," the lead Army soldier said. He was trying to sound kind, but a bit firm. "We are asking nicely. We do a lot for you, but it costs us a lot to provide the services we do. It's just a small tax to support it all. Nothing that will bankrupt you or harm you. You will still get to eat and live."

Doombunny felt her anger flare up. The state of most players she had seen was horrible compared to even the mid leveled players. They barely got by, ate horrible food, and needed a lot of mental health care. They didn't need this kind of harassment, especially from the ones claiming to protect them. And for free at that. Or at least, it had once been free as they supported themselves.

Doombunny had to do something, but she didn't know what to do. Then it dawned on her. She was invisible to them, and certainly none of them had a high enough set of skills to unveil her. She could be smart and ensure they didn't do it again.

There was a set of wooden crates on one side of the alley. She climbed up there so that she would be in a very easy location to be heard and pin down where the voice came from, but not be seen.

"Taxes?" Doombunny asked as assertively as she could without sounding angry. "TAXES! These players don't owe you taxes. You are extorting them through fear, like a simple, common bully."

Everyone in the alley was searching for the voice. The leader looked straight at her, but he obviously couldn't see anyone. "And who are you?" He demanded. "And where are you!"

"I am the memory of a player who died here!" Doombunny declared, taking things down a darker path. A path that would probably backfire when she tried to go to sleep next. "I starved to death because you claimed you could not feed me. My death is on your head because when I needed you, you turned your back on me like everyone else. And you claim to be equal and distribute food and information to any and all players. I never saw a single piece of Col from you! And now you claim I must pay for it myself, when I could not? Where is the generosity and fairness that the Aincrad Liberation Force was founded upon? I do not see it here!"

The soldiers, and other players, were shaking. They didn't understand why they couldn't see anyone. And not knowing sparked fear in their hearts.

"Well! What am I to do? Where do I find rest and retribution? Can you give it to me?"

At that, the Army squad broke and ran, tearing out of the alley for their lives. The other players were right behind them. A realistic ghost story was always something that scared people, no matter where they were from or what reality they were in. And Doombunny knew the fear of ghosts all too well.

She jumped off the crates. Anyone observing would have heard her touch down, but Doombunny was keeping Hide active. She kept it as she walked out and headed back to the church for lunch. She didn't know what she would, or even could, do to stop the extortion of players by the Army. Certainly they all couldn't be like that, but that wasn't a comfort to Doombunny as her anger continued to simmer. Her only hope was that lunch would bring good news and that the kids would help her forget the incident. She certainly didn't like how fast her anger had flared up.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 67 - New Councilor

Front Line - Floor 62
June 14 - Year 2

After a lot of fun with the kids, ending with AFCK's delectable dinner, the Wondercolts were finally all back, together, at their Headquarters in Mishe. It still was a bit on the early side for most of their bedtime routines, but the next morning would bring a tough day with all Wondercolts hitting the Labyrinth.

Backbreaker had guild business to discuss, but she called the meeting in her room, not the guild hall. Astro was also asked to join them. The spearwoman didn't appear surprised, but Bladescape had been picking up on a suspicion that something big had happened in the Labyrinth, which was why they teleported out early. It was also the perfect time for them to let Astro know they had decided she was their choice for their third guild leader.

"Astro," Bladescape said, faltering. She suddenly felt like she was betraying Knightstar. She pushed through the feeling. "Backbreaker and I want you to join the guild's council as our third leader."

"Wait," Astro said. "This has nothing to do with the Labyrinth?"

"Not yet," Backbreaker said with a nod. "This business is first."

"You are not a replacement for Knightstar," Bladescape continued. "But we need a third. And when she comes back, we don't want her to have the extra pressure of leadership. We also want to give out real titles for the guild, and build more of a hierarchical structure. We are large enough."

"Barely," Astro nodded as she took a moment to think. "Bladescape is our commander, but probably not commander because it’s Heathcliff's title. Backbreaker is our Lead Tank. We need a better name for that. I would be the Strategist, a role I have been playing from the start. Knightstar was a Statistician. AFCK is our head chef. Diemond is our Armorer. What else?"

"Kiefer is a lieutenant officer sort of position," Bladescape added. "To lead a third party when we fragment our groups more."

"Good call," Astro said. "I think this will work. And I will take the position. But it has nothing to do with the voting. I am the one who submitted the blank piece of paper."

"We didn't look," Backbreaker stated. "We have been quietly eyeing you for the position for a little while."

"Good," Astro grinned. "That entire debacle is best forgotten. I'm not sure what Thunder was thinking, but I am glad Diemond stood up against her proposal. I wish she didn't put forth another candidate, but it was at least some resistance."

"You have something else to discuss?" Bladescape asked Backbreaker. "As a full council again, we can do it now."

"And need to," Backbreaker stated with a nod. "Fer' once, I made an executive decision today. We ran into the Geigi Clan. Lobelia is havin' a hard time. They lost three members the other day in a regular battle in the Labyrinth. It was bad luck. They are faltering in their ability to be a front line guild an' overall they are not happy with it. Tomorrow we're meetin' up with them and tacklin' the dungeon together."

"Cool," Bladescape shrugged. "I could use a whole support team this time around. It's been an odd few days."

"That is the idea," Astro said. "Bolster each other up, while being safer. We can't afford to lose them on the front lines. But I am afraid their time is almost up."

"Pick your party," Bladescape told Backbreaker. "I will support your choice, however you divide us."

"Me‽" Backbreaker exclaimed. "Why? That's your job."

"You have spent the last two days with the same party in the Labyrinth," Bladescape pointed out. "Plus you actually set up this opportunity with Geigi Clan. So divide us using that knowledge. I don't have it, but you do."

"I'll sleep on it," Backbreaker said, resigning herself to the task.

"We all need sleep," Bladescape said. "Anything else before I go to bed? It was a hell of a day for me."

"But you did it in typical, Sunset Shimmer and Wondercolt fashion," Backbreaker said, putting her hand on her shoulder for support.

Bladescape smiled at her dear friend. "I'm not sure I would go that far, but thanks."

"Go," Astro said. "I'll think about our organization a bit more as I head to bed."

They split up. Bladescape stepped one door over to her room and entered it. She jumped with a yell as she saw the dragon head still on her desk. She had completely forgotten about it.

Astro tackled Bladescape, covering her friend with her own body from whatever had scared her. Backbreaker barged in, yelling a war cry as her hammer was glowing orange above her head. As impossible as it was supposed to be, both of them had interpreted the cry to mean that Laughing Coffin had gotten into Bladescape's room and was waiting to kill her.

"I'm fine," Bladescape coughed from under Astro. "I just forgot about that."

Backbreaker dropped her hammer to rest on her shoulder and turned to close the door. The others had heard the blood curtailing scream and war cry and were packed outside the bedroom door. They couldn't see anything with Backbreaker blocking the door.

"She just scared herself y'all, that's all." Backbreaker said as she closed the door in their face, preventing any follow up questions.

Astro pulled Bladescape up onto her feet and immediately asked the question. "What is that? As a guild Councilor, I deserve to know."

Bladescape sighed and sat down on her bed. "It's from the Last Attack Bonus from the King Black Dragon. It's called the Black Draconic Visage. It has an item ranking of S, but I have no idea what it is for. I assume some type of crafting since it isn’t food. And if I poke around in the wrong place, then other players will find out about it. I don't want them to know the King Black Dragon is dead. Or better put, that I killed it with Doom and Kirito. That is a complicated mess of a situation."

"Yeah, you mentioned somethin’ about that yesterday," Backbreaker said. "Well, you're safe, that there is what matters. We don't need to bother you anymore."

"Agreed," Astro said. "We can solve that mystery, smartly, later."

They exited the room and Bladescape put the dragon head in her materials storage for now. She almost hung up Harmonic Salvation, but instead she pulled out the thorned spear. It was a pathetic weapon compared to what she had, or even what Astro had. But it had almost killed her. It would also make for a good reminder so that she didn't falter again. She put it on the rack where Harmonic Salvation usually went. She would get another display rack on the next free day.

Bladescape pulled out the necklace she had taken from Kurayaro's neck. It had belonged to an unnamed girl he had murdered. She was one of the first killed by a fellow player. It held no enhancement, which meant that it held some form of meaning to the player who had been wearing it. The chrysanthemum was a very special and powerful flower to Japan. It was featured everywhere: on official government documents, buildings, and other governmental items for well over a millennium. Unfortunately, the exact meaning of this necklace was lost forever.

You could only equip a single necklace, at least officially. This was an unenchanted piece, meaning she wasn't going to try and wear two pieces in the same slot. If Doombunny could wear three daggers on her, then Bladescape was certain she could also wear it. There was a lot of clothing and equipment players wore that didn't fit into the slots. SAO was more complicated and immersive than slapping on a few preset types of armor.

Bladescape swept her hair out of the way and then she slipped the necklace on. The system didn't reject it or stop her from locking the clasp. She let go and looked down. It hung lower on her armor than the geode necklace did, but it was on a long chain. Bladescape pulled her armor off and put it on the stand so she could reorganize the layers.

Ashley had made her armor to be as few pieces as possible. It was a comfortable set for her torso, made of a few layers but ultimately one piece. She didn't need to wear anything under it or under her platelegs. The geode was usually nestled between the bottom layer of her armor and her outer breastplate. It was sometimes visible, especially if you were up close like Kurayaro had gotten. The chrysanthemum necklace was going to sit completely under her armor. Against her amber skin it was mostly lost because it was so fine. But it felt nice. And no matter what its meaning was to its previous owner, she would wear it to honor the dead.

Bladescape fell onto her bed, not even bothering to wear anything over her body. It was just her in the room. Her and the bed.

her sleep wasn't particularly restful, but it was sleep. She felt wrong as she woke up. It was like she was not in SAO. More like SAO was a dream and she could feel the real world around her. But that wasn't quite it either.

Bladescape tried to brush it off as she got up. She rolled out of bed and onto all fours. She stood there, butt in the air as she tried to comprehend why her fists were on the ground. Then she realized that she couldn't feel her fingers. Everything felt like she was back in Equestria.

Bladescape groaned in defeat and flopped onto her side. She laid there as the feeling in her hands finally began to morph from hoof to fingers. As soon as she felt "normal," Bladescape slowly got up. She had no idea what had happened, but it was over. At least, it was over for now.

Breakfast had just started when she arrived as the last one to the dining room.

"Glad we didn't have to wake you up," Backbreaker said, smiling warmly at her. "Everythin' alright? You don't look like your normal self."

"Didn't sleep well," Bladescape yawned. "Woke up feeling like I wasn't in my body. Like I was split between here, I.R.L., and possibly Equestria."

Backbreaker leaned in closer and spoke quieter. "Could they um, have gotten you back there to, uh, do anythin'? Maybe magic?"

"I don't think so," Bladescape said as she sat down. "They would have to run an internet connection through to Equestria, and I am not sure if that is possible."

"Sounds silly when you put it like that," Backbreaker shrugged. "Just play it safe today and hang back a bit. You don't need to be as aggressive as usual. We have a whole army."

"Does everyone know the plan?" Bladescape asked Backbreaker.

"Not yet," Backbreaker said. She stood up to address everyone. Most of them had been paying attention to the conversation anyway. "Everyone, this mornin' we want to officially announce that Astro has taken the empty seat on the guild's council. It was a decision we have been discussin' for a while now to keep the power balance in the guild strong an' fair. We also have another guild announcement. We are going to be givin' out some positions soon, to keep us officially organized. We are large enough to give out real positions. For example, Kiefer will be our official Party C leader, for whenever we split into three or four parties. Which is somethin' we have been doin' more of recently.

"Now for the day's plan, y'all. Yes, we are hittin' the Labyrinth, but for those who don't know, we ain't doing it alone. We're gunna be teamin' up with Geigi Clan. Lobelia and her guild will be waitin' for us at the labyrinth's entrance.

"This is a tough labyrinth, y'all. It's heavy and slow. The hobgoblin things wield a lot of maces. Our Shields will earn their worth. I bet we will break up and be dispersed within new parties with our friends, but to start, I will have Astro, Thunder, Lessa, and Kiefer. Blade will take Doom, Joltron, Die, and AFCK. That splits us to 2 shields each. Lessa's been dealin' with their maces well. Especially for a non tank."

Everyone agreed with the plan and headed out to get their armor and equipment. Bladescape and Backbreaker went to the front door, as usual. Bladescape actually sat down in a chair while she waited.

"It really was a tough day for you," Backbreaker stated. "I knew it was bad, but I don't think I know how bad."

"I lost myself to anger," Bladescape explained. "That guy we captured, who stabbed me... well I turned my blade on him to punish him. And sort of to punish myself for my past mistakes. It's complicated. I'll just leave it by saying I faced my demon again."

"I trust you," Backbreaker replied. "But I am here, as yer' friend, whatever you need. If you need to go ridin', just let me know."

"Thanks, AJ," Bladescape smiled. "And I mean AJ. Because that is really who you are, especially with your friendship. Backbreaker is an unmovable shield I forget to thank. AJ is so much more in real life, but just as unmovable and unwavering."

Backbreaker chuckled nervously. "Now don't you make me cry. That ain't fair."

Bladescape chuckled with Backbreaker as the others gathered around.

Backbreaker took charge again. "Geigi Clan's members are tough, but hurtin'. Let's give 'em the respect they deserve, but not try and heal a wound that only time can. We need to fight with them, showin' them the way. That they can do this, and can continue to do this. We can't lose them on the front lines, so let's build up their morale. Because who are we?"

Everyone knew what to yell.

"WONDERCOLTS!"

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Weight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Author's Note

Our third, and final, Commercial break will be coming up soon-ish. If you were wondering. It is currently set for after 81. Other than a few stats, nothing has changed with their look or anything else. Well, Thunderborne is using Dragon's Tooth now, but that is a minor adjustment to their look.

Episode 68 - Geigi Clan

Floor 62 - Geigi Clan
June 15 - Year 2

Bladescape was staying back, letting Astro and Backbreaker take the lead for the day. The Wondercolts were have a clearing day with Geigi Clan. They had unofficially teamed up with them the day before and Backbreaker had arranged for an official team up to clear the labyrinth with both guilds at full strength. It was a good arrangement. Bladescape was glad to not be on point. The day before with Laughing Coffin and, more importantly, Kurayaro, was beyond stressful.

Despite being on break, Bladescape was running a party. They would require little guidance, but she had Doombunny, Joltron, Diemond, and AFCK to watch over. Joltron and AFCK were sticking together and Diemond and Doombunny were teamed up too. Bladescape was planning on floating between them, but she was not going to play Forward, instead leading them from a support position.

The walk to the meeting point wasn’t far. Geigi Clan was already at the entrance, beneath the pillar of cloud that not only served as the pillars between floors, supporting Aincrand’s weight, but also as the 62nd Floor’s Boss Labyrinth. Geigi Clan was easy to spot because they were such a large guild. Bladescape counted 40 players, most likely organized into five full parties, and two smaller parties of four and five. Most of them were in white, Eastern Style armor.

The entire guild bowed to the Wondercolts in greeting before Lobelia spoke. “Thank you for coming again today. We all look forward to clearing with you. Strong backup is appreciated.”

“We always enjoy dungeon diving with others,” Bladescape replied with a smile and bow. “And I know your skill, Lobelia, personally. I know your guild isn’t here on a fluke either. You are all strong. It will be an honor to once again fight by your side.”

“And this time, we can all fight,” Lobelia replied. “Please, let me make a few introductions. Kamishi is my battle commander. He is a strong warrior and he is okay being in a ‘girl guild.’ He is one of the seven males in Geigi Clan. Shikiku here has been with me from the start. The guild would not exist without her support. The two of them make it possible for me to run Geigi Clan.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you both,” Bladescape replied, bowing to each of them. “And a pleasure to meet all of the rest of your members too.”

“Let’s dive in,” Kamishi said. “I am sure you were warned, but these hobgoblins wield heavy maces. They have a strong knockback chance, even against our tanks.”

“Duly noted,” Diemond replied. “Joltron and I are ready to face those maces.”

Bladescape drew Harmonic Salvation, signaling them to move in, but it was Backbreaker who headed in first, the Floating Bulwark out and ready. The shield was quickly put to use. No one had entered the Labyrinth in hours, probably since they had left the day before. Almost all of the clearing guilds were still working to grind their levels and meet quotas. It didn’t matter how many were still trying to train at once, they needed to levels to move forward. The handful of guilds who were clearing the Labyrinth hadn’t even broken onto its fifth floor. The Wondercolts and Geigi Clan were soon back to their last stopping point and not long after they climbed the stairs to the fifth floor.

Bladescape didn’t have to do much fighting. Diemond and Joltron had everything locked down well. AFCK was her usual, hopping self, and Doombunny was ruthlessly dispatching the monsters, even though she was using just her regular dagger, Mourning Protector. Colorra’s poison worked great against the hobgoblins and they were a monster that she loved to bite.

Bladescape hopped back behind Diemond after striking to draw aggro away from Doombunny. They were doing fine in their group of five. Even without Bladescape, they were not having a problem. Yells came from behind them. Bladescape glanced back at the nearest Geigi Clan party. The nine teams had been split into smaller groups of at least two parties as they mapped the fifth floor of the Labyrinth.

The Geigi Clan party was a full party of six, but the three hobgoblins they were dealing with had broken their line. The tank and four shield users were on the ground, and the last member, a katana user, was shaking. She was afraid and frozen, which usually spelled a death sentence.

Bladescape didn’t think as she sprinted across the ground between them. Her sword glowed green as she targeted the mace of the closest hobgoblin. The mace swung at the frightened girl, but Harmonic Salvation collided with it in time; the blow shattering the mace. The Hobgoblin was still dangerous without his mace, but Bladescape continued her forward momentum. She rammed Harmonic Salvation to the hilt in the chest of the second hobgoblin. She ripped it out, twisting into a crouch and targeting the third. His mace was glowing as he targeted a different girl who was struggling to get up. The second hobgoblin shattered as she jumped at the third, in a desperate attempt to get her sword in between the mace and the player.

Harmonic Salvation pinged as it was hit. The blade was forced into the ground, burying its tip into the floor just on the other side of the girl. The mace was heavy, still locked against the blade and trying to crush both the sword and the girl. Bladescape wasn’t going to let that happen.

Bladescape grunted as she kept the mace from finishing its task. She risked it and stepped over the girl. The move pushed her low, practically forcing her to sit on top of the girl. Bladescape found her center, halting her descent. With Harmonic Salvation stuck, she had few options available to counter.

Without thinking, Bladescape slammed her forehead into the sturdy chin of the hobgoblin. It hurt, making her go cross-eyed, but it worked. He released the pressure on the mace as he took a step back. Bladescape kept Harmonic Salvation low, triggering a Sword Skill that slashed the hobgoblin’s leg off and then stabbed him in the gut before he fell. That was the end of him.

The first hobgoblin had drawn a dagger and was standing over another member of Geigi. He raised it high and it glowed red. Bladescape was too far away to jump the distance. She flicked a pick, throwing it without taking aim. All her time spent practicing quick draws paid off as it hit him in the knee. The paralysis effect landed and he crumpled. The Geigi Clan member shrieked as he fell right on top of her.

Although he was paralyzed, Bladescape didn’t hesitate in her follow up. She leaped across to him, stretching out as far as possible, and getting the forward section of the blade into him. The beast shattered as the sword once again earned its worth. It didn’t stop the shrieks of the girl.

Bladescape sighed, falling onto her knees, unstable from the stab. She scrambled up and over the girl. She was probably older than Bladescape was, but she didn’t seem it while she screamed. Bladescape grabbed her arm and pulled her up, breaking her out of the position of fear she had been stuck in. Bladescape embraced her, tightly. It did the trick as she relaxed and went limp, sobbing. Bladescape countered the weight transfer with a slight step and held her up.

The party was getting to their feet. One of the other girls grabbed the one in Bladescape’s arms. Bladescape was able to take a step back and survey the area. The Wondercolts had finished the last hobgoblin in front of them. They were doing fine without her.

This Geigi Clan party was stronger than they looked. They were stronger than they thought they were. Bladescape had no idea how to teach them that strength. She looked at her party. Diemond nodded, knowing what Bladescape was thinking. Joltron saluted with his axe, also in agreement.

The two parties were working closely together as they continued along their chosen path, but Bladescape stayed with the Geigi Clan party. With her direction, they began to stand stronger. She jumped in when she needed to, but most of the time Bladescape was their backbone, helping them stand strong and do what they already knew they could.

The Geigi Clan party consisted of Tariq - one of the seven men in Geigi Clan - the party’s axe wielding Tank. Kate used a hammer and a small, metal, round shield, embossed with a red cherry blossom. Aka wielded a double headed battle axe with her white painted targe shield. Babs, who was decked out in a darker orange metal armor that was backed by amaranth cloth, used a gladius with a larger white heater shield . Suiko was a lancer, although she didn’t seem like it with such a short spear and her smaller shield. The last member was Ithilien, the baby blue clad katana user who had frozen when the hobgoblins had knocked the other five to the ground.

Lunch was late, happening when they finally found a safezone. There was a difference in what Geigi Clan could pack for lunch and what AFCK had been able to throw together with little notice. AFCK hadn’t been able to make more than 10 meals. However, the difference wasn’t that noticeable. Geigi Clan obviously had a few cooks in their ranks.

Bladescape sat next to Backbreaker and Astro. She wasn’t trying to hide anything, but she wanted to chat, quietly. “How are things?”

“In what way?” Astro asked, in between bites.

“I mean…” Bladescape paused, trying to choose the right words. “Well I am now working with them, not my party. They are strong, but acting weak.”

Backbreaker sighed. “Astro is already helpin' another party. Kiefer and Lessa are with another one, Thunder is with yet a different party, an' I am with Lobelia, who is leading one of their short parties. Kamishi is leading the other short party. This is what we noticed the other day, and what I wanted you to see. Strong warriors, true at heart, but they have been beaten and bruised by Aincrad. This game has struck fear deep into their hearts. They are tired.”

“Yet they don’t want to give up,” Astro said. “We see their strength and we can bring it out. They are faltering, but they are not out of the fight yet.”

“40,” Bladescape sighed. “40 players. If we lose them off the front line…”

“It’s like losing an entire boss raiding party,” Astro finished.

“I’m following your two’s lead,” Bladescape said, leaving it there and taking a bite of her sandwich.

“I’m followin' Astro,” Backbreaker added.

“Great,” Astro groaned. “I am not even on the Council 24 hours and I am already being thrown into the thick of things.”

The three of them laughed together and then continued to eat in silence. They had to be ready to go. As the leaders of the Wondercolts, it was not a good idea for the others to be waiting on them to finish their food.

Once they got going again, Bladescape’s party didn’t last long. Diemond and Doombunny split off to work with another Geigi Party and Joltron and AFCK joined Kamishi, who led the other short Geigi Clan party. The Wondercolts were spread out, but they were turning the 7 Geigi Clan parties into forces twice as strong as they had been acting.

Bladescape was leading three parties: Tariq’s party, Vay’s party which had picked up Diemond and Doombunny, and Kamishi’s party who had Joltron and AFCK. They were mapping a wide corridor which was filled with multiple enemies. The three parties were spread out, making a solid battle line against the multiple hobgoblins attacking them, and the ones waiting for an opening to attack.

Diemond was leading Vay’s party to victory on the right flank. Kamishi and Joltron were holding the center. Tariq had two hobgoblins banging on his tower shield. Each time their mace hit his shield, he was rocked back. They were holding though.

Bladescape looked away for half a second, to double check the right flank. Diemond was the only Tank on that side. It sounded like glass shattered on the left flank. The unmistakable sound of the virtual being broken down into its polygons.

Bladescape turned as fear pierced her heart. Everything had been fine as she turned to check on the others. Tariq was standing firm, but that didn’t last as he took two maces in quick succession on his shield, knocking him onto his back, spread eagle and exposed.

Bladescape acted, trying to push the shattering glass sound from her mind. It didn’t work, but she was focused as she leaped the distance. Harmonic Salvation glowing blue. The defense of the left flank was what mattered and she could worry about the shattered pieces after they were safe.

The first hobgoblin was sliced clean through, and the shattering of its polygons reverberated through her head, compounding the sound and her fear. She blocked the mace of the second hobgoblin and then rammed Harmonic Salvation up into his skull. He shattered into polygons, once again making the breaking glass sound, but this time it stopped her heart. There were two more hobgoblins on the left flank. Heart stopped or not, Bladescape sliced them apart.

Bladescape glanced to the right, looking to the others. Kamishi, Joltron, and AFCK were charging to the left flank, ahead of them to stabilize the entire line. Diemond was leading the charge forward of the other two parties to establish a new forward line. They had heard the sound as well.

Bladescape turned back to the party. Tariq was being pulled to his feet. All six of the party members were there, safe and sound.

“What happened?” Bladescape asked, panic still in her voice. “I turned, something shattered, and then I looked back, and Tariq was knocked off his feet.”

“My shield broke,” Suiko explained. “Sorry.”

Bladescape let out a relieved sigh. Her heart was beating out of control, but it was at least beating. “Breaking gear sounds so similar to a player. Do you have a spare?”

“No,” Suiko replied. “But I started the day with the shield in perfect condition.”

Bladescape let out a troubled sigh. “Does anyone have a spare?” None of them did. “Alright, hang back and play as a damage dealer. Don’t take any risks, but hit hard when the timing is right.”

“Understood,” Suiko nodded.

Bladescape looked at the forward line. “Let’s move. They are holding, but they are spread thin. They are strong, you are strong, but we need everyone at their battle stations. Follow me!”

Bladescape finished by holding Harmonic Salvation up high. She swiped the blade down towards their friends and then she charged, yelling her own war cry as she bolted towards the line. The distance wasn't that great. The other six yelled and charged after her.

Bladescape didn’t stop at the line. She had played back all day, striking a few times in desperate attempts to save a member or distract enemies. She had planned on reinforcing the line, but it changed as she charged. She was done playing in the rear. She rushed past the others, keying up a Sword Skill, and cutting down the nearest hobgoblin. She went to the next, ducking under his mace and ran him through. Bladescape went on a rampage out in front of them all. The line didn’t move as she sliced the two dozen hobgoblins to pieces with speed and precision.

Bladescape sheathed Harmonic Salvation as she walked back to the line. She couldn’t help but grin. She breathed a sigh of relief. “I needed that. After yesterday’s debacles, that was...pleasant. However, the rest of the day can’t ride on my shoulders. I am still not at my best."

“That was,” Kamishi said, finding himself at a loss for words. “It was…”

“Inspiring,” Kate finished. “You know how to do battle and you are strong enough to be clearing these hobgoblins on your own.”

Bladescape shrugged. “I’ve worked hard to be the best I can be, for my friends and for the other players. The stronger I am, the safer my friends are as we fight our way to freedom. The smarter I am in leading them, the safer we are.

"But I don’t just rely on myself. I listen to my friends and my council to make sure we do things smartly. The Wondercolts are here, in the Labyrinth, because we have been smart, and it means we are on the top of the Level curve for the clearers. We worked hard to get here, and to stay at the top. It’s saving us from needing to be fighting for grinding spots right now, but it hasn’t been easy.”

“It’s meant a lot of sleepless nights,” Diemond added. “But it is worth it.”

"It shows," Kamishi said. "We could use some advice on that. To stay relevant."

"You are more relevant than you are giving yourself credit for," Joltron said. "I see it, we all see it, you just need to see and believe it. We have Doombunny with us. She uses daggers on the front line! And we also have AFCK, whose focus is fun, friends, and a candy make believe land that resides in her head."

"Hey!" AFCK exclaimed. "Don't knock it until you have stopped and smelled the lollipop's. Or tasted the taffy. Or drank, drunk, drinked? the cola fresh from a spring through a sugarcane straw!"

"Point taken," Tariq said. "But how do I get better, so that I am solid on my feet? You two can withstand the pounding of two hobgoblins with ease. I am a Tank, but I can’t hold anymore."

"Darling, it takes time," Diemond said. "These guys are making me shutter, and that is okay. Hold until relieved, but that is why your party should be right there, to be that relief."

"Stairs are ahead," Doombunny reported. "And with the space in front of them, I doubt our ascent will go unchallenged."

"No sign of monsters?" Bladescape asked.

"Reveal did not show any," Doombunny stated. "But we have done this enough times to know that doesn't always mean anything. I am certain something will appear."

"We... there is nowhere to go but forward," Bladescape replied. “Let's go."

There was hesitation in at least half of the Geigi Clan members. Kamishi and Tariq were ready to go. Most gamers were male and SAO was no exception for that bias. Female games were usually tough and strong. But it did seem like many of the female gamers in SAO were not capable of fighting on the front lines. There was a disproportionate percentage for each sex when it came to the Clearers and Assault Team. The majority of women that were Clearers were members of Geigi Clan, which was 33.

The area ahead wasn't much bigger than the wide hallway they had been fighting in. They had entered from the bottom left corner. There was another entrance on the top right corner. The stairs were on the left wall, three quarters of the way to the top left corner. The only other special feature was two statues, each one being a troll sitting down.

A deep groan sounded as the last in their party crossed the threshold from the hallway into the room. It sounded like a drawn out "huh?" and then an angry growl.

The status cracked and shattered, or at least the shell did. Two trolls stood up from their seated position. They were the mid bosses guarding the room and stairs. They quickly noticed the party members. Each had 2 health bars, and both were identified as a generic “Cave Troll.”

Bladescape issued orders. "Tariq, Joltron, and Diemond, you tanks are my blockers. Keep the pressure up on Lefty. Diemond, you will be the middle tank. Joltron, take the right side. I need your agility to be available for adjustments. Ithilien, Doombunny, and Suiko, you are with the Tanks as their damage dealers. I'll take Kate, Aka, and AFCK and go after Righty. Kamishi, you take the others and go with the Tanks to whittle down Lefty. Let the Tanks do their jobs and then switch in. Even with two trolls, we can do this."

They reorganized the new structure. Kamishi took command of the other two parties. Bladescape's party of four was going to have to be fast and efficient. They had two shields and two power Forwards.

"AFCK," Bladescape said as they walked forward. "Unleash everything you have. We need a speed takedown."

“Okee-dokee-lokee!” AFCK replied with a hop.

That hop started her "charge." AFCK was skipping, the strides being long but fast. Bladescape set up behind her. The troll picked up a giant maul of steel and stone and swung it overhead. AFCK calmly sidestepped it and swung Geode Splitter up, slicing the arm, as she continued forward. She let loose a chop which buried itself deep in the troll's hip.

It howled in pain. Bladescape used that moment to leap onto the oversized maul and jump. She kicked off the arm of the troll, changing direction a bit. Harmonic Salvation glowed as she reversed her grip and stabbed down. The sword split the virtual flesh and sunk all the way into its shoulder. She had missed the neck as planned, but with her weight and gravity in her favor, the sword was hilted.

Bladescape leveraged her way up onto the shoulder of the moving troll. She ripped out Harmonic Salvation, planning on going for the neck, but she was thrown as the beast thrashed beneath her. AFCK had struck again. Bladescape landed hard, getting the wind knocked out of her.

Tariq was knocked over but Diemond held as Lefty swung his maul at them. Doombunny struck hard as he was stopped by Diemond and Suiko also scored a strong hit. She was grabbed by the troll and lifted up into the air. It bellowed in her face. He howled in pain and dropped her as Kamishi unleashed the full extent of his Katana Skill.

Righty swung at Kate and Aka. Kate jumped back to avoid the massive maul. Aka instinctively raised her shield. Bladescape saw her eyes go wide in terror as she realized her mistake. It was too late and the maul pounded her, tossing her back.

Joltron blocked a severely delayed Kamishi from Lefty and then sprinted to Righty. He made several cuts at the leg of the troll, drawing the aggro. In retaliation, it raised its maul overhead and brought it straight down to squash him. Joltron skipped back, narrowly avoiding it. The troll punched at him. He stopped the fist on his shield. The maul was swung at him and Joltron ducked low, under its path. He braced himself down behind his shield for the next attack.

It didn't come as AFCK and Bladescape let loose a fury of Sword Skills on the back of the troll. Kate charged in as well, swinging her hammer. The three of them knocked the troll around, confusing the AI’s targeting program. It was like a shoving match, where the jocks pushed the nerd around between them, except with weapons and their lives on the line.

Joltron sprinted over to Aka. Her health was almost gone as she laid there, breathing heavily. He pulled out a red crystal and healed her. He grabbed her right arm, and pulled her up onto her feet. The best thing she could do was walk the hit off. Joltron picked up her gladius and put it in her hand. He nodded to her with a reassuring smile and then charged off to help against Righty.

Doombunny had secretly slipped over to Righty, judging Bladescape’s initial strategy to be too weak in numbers. She slid behind an unaware Kate and then jumped out from behind Kate as the troll stumbled backwards towards them. She unleashed Viper, a seven hit combo, all stabs. It was almost as fast as Lightning Flash Asuna was.

The troll dropped onto a knee, taking the paralysis effect Doombunny had been unable to inflict on Lefty. Kate scrambled out of the way as it dropped onto the ground. It would have flattened her if she hadn’t moved.

Bladescape leaped up onto the troll’s back and then moved to his head. She drove Harmonic Salvation down, through his skull. The blade stopped when the tip hit the floor.

The troll shattered, unable to withstand the fatal hit, the head also being a critical attack point. Bladescape dropped a good two feet to the floor, almost falling. She stabilized herself and looked at Lefty. She saw Kamishi and Diemond charge in from two different sides. They both had high level Sword Skills triggered with multiple combination attacks. The troll had three quarters of this second health bar left. It was gone as the two of them struck.

It shattered and Bladescape breathed a sigh of relief. The menu popped up, showing the drop list. It wasn’t bad XP, pitiful Col since trolls were too dumb to save any money, and Bladescape had gotten a Last Attack Bonus. It appeared that each troll was a separate mid boss, even though they both guarded the stairs. They might have been designed to be triggered by two different teams. If that was true, the two different guild tags had drawn both out.

The LAB was useless to her. It was a shield. Bladescape opted to materialize it rather than put it in her storage. She caught it. It was a mid level heater shield, but it was better than nothing. Bladescape presented it to Suiko.

“I have no use for a shield, and the Wondercolts carry better than this. You need it, so take it.”

“Really?” Suiko asked.

“Really,” Bladescape nodded with a smile. “We need all members on deck and as strong as possible for the day.”

“This is actually a bit better than what I had,” Suiko said as she read the info. She equipped it and bowed in thanks.

They heard footsteps coming from the other hall, distracting Bladescape from responding.

“The others are approaching,” Doombunny informed them. “All four parties.”

Bladescape checked the time. It was a lot later than she had thought it was. It had taken them all day to clear the fifth floor of the Labyrinth. The Wondercolts, solo, couldn’t have done much better, if at all. The first five floors of the boss labyrinth were completely mapped, and that was what mattered. They would get that info to the Clearers as soon as they got back home. Everyone needed a boost for this Floor. It would help offset the training time the others were forced to do.

With both Wondercolts and Geigi Clan gathered together, they decided to ascend the stairs to the sixth floor and then call it a day. That ascent would give them the perfect starting foothold for the next day.

They were not that deep in the Labyrinth, so they decided to walk rather than waste teleport crystals. They knew the fastest path to take. There was some fighting of respawns that had to be done on the way out. Astro, Thunderborne, Diemond, Joltron, and AFCK were out front, clearing the way, along with six of the seven guys in Geigi Clan.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 69 - Preparing for the Future

Floor 35
June 15 - Year 2

It had been a tough day in the labyrinth, even working with Geigi Clan. The two guilds began to say their farewells, having made new friends throughout the day. The ground won in the labyrinth was barely worth the effort they had put in, but the friendships they had built were certainly worth the day’s struggle.

Astro approached Lobelia before she split off. "We have had a wonderful day with the Geigi Clan. You all have a strong heart and are beautifully deadly."

"Three more have decided to not join us tomorrow," Lobelia said. The words were filled with pain despite her stoic facade.

"As I heard," Astro replied. "We would like to discuss a few matters, like that, with you and your guild leaders."

"I alone am the leader," Lobelia replied. "Kamishi and Shikiku support me, but they do not want to hold official titles, despite all they do for the guild and me."

"What has them so important?" Astro asked. “And why do they not lead?”

"They do not wish to,” Lobelia kindly explained. “Kamishi is a good second. Many look up to him and he is essentially the leader of our males. Shikiku too leads, but in the background. We rely on her to make sure we are presentable, among other things. She is more of a mother to us than a fighter."

"Let's meet at our headquarters," Astro insisted with a smile. "The three of you can have dinner with us as we discuss guild matters."

"We would be honored," Lobelia said, giving a short bow to Astro. "We shall be there. Give us a little time to freshen up. However, it really should be us who are having you over."

"We can worry about that later," Astro assured her. "I wish we could throw something more traditional."

"Nonsense," Lobelia giggled. "Part of what makes you so special is how you approach the game with less emphasis on the etiquette you do not know. You are straightforward and avoid overt ceremony. We do not want to lose that spirit."

Astro informed Backbreaker and Bladescape of their company. They both agreed. Astro then told AFCK they would be having guests. AFCK was already thinking about dinner and had them covered. Astro also made sure that casual attire was going to be worn. After a day like they had, some of the Wondercolts would change straight from their armor into their sleepwear. They couldn’t dress all the way down quite yet.

Bladescape changed into the evening dress she had decided upon on their way back. A knock came at the door and Bladescape opened it to find Backbreaker with her high-backed chair. All of their rooms were large enough to have a sitting chair, along with their desks. The idea was to provide a comfortable, but elegant, place they could read and relax, alone.

Astro had her chair and she had brought the spare chairs from Rooms 3 and 12. They procured the other chairs from Diemond's Room, and Thunderborne's room. Diemond would be making clothes and Thunderborne never stayed in her room except to sleep.

They had created a nice roundtable of sorts, despite the lack of a table, for them to discuss things in private. The bed and desk restricted their room a bit, but it was enough. Their guild hall was too open for this discussion, and the same for their dining hall.

Bladescape was letting Backbreaker and Astro lead. She sat down in the chair that was nestled in the corner between her bed and desk. It gave her access to her desk if need be, but it also removed any of their guests from being so close to her bed, a personal object.

Backbreaker took a seat next to Bladescape. It was clear that they had arrived. It had barely been 30 minutes, which was a good thing. Astro was giving them a tour because Kamishi and Shikiku had not been to the Wondercolts' headquarters before. The tour was quick and they entered the room.

"And this is one of our forward rooms,” Astro explained. “They are the same as the rear rooms, except they have the view the others do not. This is Bladescape's room."

Bladescape and Backbreaker were standing as they came in.

"Welcome to my room," Bladescape said with a short bow. She gestured to the seats opposite of her bed. "Please, take a seat. We are meeting here because our guild hall is too high traffic. We are going to be looking for a new one soon. One with the guild hall as a separate room, and not a throughway to the other sides of the headquarters."

"That is understandable and I think this is more than acceptable," Lobelia said. She took the chair opposite of Bladescape, mirroring her. "It is quite comfortable, warm, and welcoming in here. Even with the armor dummy you are trying to hide and your display of that ugly spear...my room isn’t even half this size. You are lucky to have what you have."

Joltron came in carrying a tray. "Knock, knock,” he said announcing himself. “I have tea, fruit water, and mini cake um, things. I didn't fully understand AFCK in her fury of baking spirit as she sent me up with them. The tea is not made the traditional way, so forgive that. I don't know how, nor do I have the time to learn."

Joltron set the tray down on her desk, in the middle between Lobelia and Bladescape. He took everyone's orders and served them. He was thanked and departed, closing the door behind him. He left it cracked for hands free opening, but otherwise they were free to discuss things without being overheard. It had never been directly discussed, but Bladescape was certain Joltron had wiped a crafting skill and replaced it with Cooking.

"You guys are a good guild," Astro said, opening up the talks. "We have seen your work for a while on the front lines. I even fought with Lobelia on the 59th Floor Boss, and then I got to personally see your skill today.

"However, to be frank, you are running out of steam. Typically, when a clan runs out of steam, it breaks down and usually disbands. We don't want that. We want to make sure you stay a clearing guild, because all of you have earned that from all your hard work, and you are good at it. There is a bit of selfishness to our desire, because the rest of us would have to pick up the slack, but that is a good thing. You would leave us having to pick up the slack from your absence because you do solid work on the front lines."

"We are struggling right now," Kamishi agreed. "Yes, we lost three players and good friends the other day. It was not something that was anyone's fault. The monsters know conquer and divide techniques and they used them. They got caught with only a small shield and no Forward. We tried, but we missed, and not by much. They put up a worthy fight.

"You just need a confidence booster and a push," Astro replied.

"How?" Kamishi pressed. "You can't fix us. Push us forward, and more die, pull us along, and we will be treading water above our head. So how are we going to do that? We should be training, grinding XP, not clearing the Labyrinth. And yet, there is no place to do that right now because all of the other guilds are needing them."

"Once the next Floor is opened, the training spots will be open for a few days," Astro replied. "You strike then, seizing that lapse so you can catch up. It's a hard balance, but you are losing members. Safety is key"

"We have 40 of us," Lobelia said. "We have 3 who are done fighting, and we pulled along another 7 or so with us today. They don't want to fight on the front lines anymore. And I don’t blame them."

"That's fine," Bladescape replied, leaning forward. She was going to ask the question. “We like what we see. You said earlier you like our straightforwardness. The Wondercolts are interested in acquiring the Geigi Clan in an effort to keep you all on the front lines and safe.”

“I was getting that feeling,” Lobelia replied, a pained smile on her lips. “We have fought hard and made a good name for us.”

“Yes, you have,” Bladescape agreed. “You guys are about the art of being human, and we are about harmony and being the best each of us can be. Our foundation is in Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Laughter, Kindness, Empathy, and Friendship. Those are very close to your ideology. We made friends today and our two guilds mixed well under stressful conditions. Conversations in between battles were smooth and fun. I believe there is a balance we can strike.”

“I agree,” Backbreaker added. “But we're offerin', not orderin'. We don’t want to lose those friendships.”

“It is very close,” Shikiku said quietly. “Different language, different mode of expression, but the same idea. Be the best you can be. What is it you want to see?”

“You are tired, as are we,” Bladescape prefaced. "If we were to merge, we don't need all of us hitting the front lines every day. We can sort out a rotation or something to keep us fresh, but relevant. I would like to see us fielding four full parties on the front lines on a daily basis, the other parties can be resting, or questing, or grinding dungeons for Col and items, or supporting the guild in other ways. This game is brutal. But together, all of us can live a much better, safer, existence. Those of you who want to keep on the front lines, get to stay, the others get to fall back, and yet we all will continue to be a top clearing guild."

"That sounds good," Lobelia nodded. "The ability to find their place in this changing world will be enticing." Lobelia looked at the tea in her cup. “I have fought hard and long. We have lost players, but we have grown. Geigi Clan’s history is complex, but surviving. I put…”

Bladescape waited a bit and then finished it for her. “You put your heart and soul into the guild. As have I. We haven’t always had a council. In the beginning, it was looser, but still on me. Once we solidified the council, Backbreaker can attest to the fact that it really fell on my shoulders. I understand. I haven’t slept for days trying to make sure I was strong enough for us. I have probably spent half of the nights since we got trapped grinding for XP, and only getting a quick nap in while I was out of rotation at the training location.

“The Wondercolts are the 10 of us. Geigi Clan is 40. More is at stake than ideology. But history doesn’t have to be erased. Names will change, but we still have our roots, and our common ground. We will build a new image, strengthened by both guild's history and experience. If anyone can find a way to put that image together, it is Diemond. With help from you of course. I am feeling like that will specifically be Shikiku.”

“It will be,” Shikiku said.

“I won’t make the decision without the others,” Lobelia decided. “I want them to be a part of the decision making. Kamishi, you have not said anything.”

“We need it,” Kamishi stated. “We need fresh blood. I’ve made Geigi my home. The five of us guys did. We joined Geigi, happily and readily. We took on your name and your image and proudly wore your flag, even though it means no one saw males in Geigi’s ranks. Perhaps I am not the right one to speak, since I have been more mobile than you and Shikiku.” Kamishi took a deep breath in. “With this option on the table, I think Geigi Clan’s time is over. We have a good home to move to, with the same ideology, and they have the stronger image. We will strengthen it even more. However, if we don’t, I will go down fighting as a member of Geigi Clan until my last day here. Geigi Clan is my home, but the current group standing is largely because of the strength of me and the guys.”

“You have carried us far,” Lobelia admitted, eyes watering. “We were finished before you guys gave up your guild to join ours.”

“You inspired us,” Kamishi said. “We found a beautiful and strong leader to devote ourselves to.”

“We don’t have any more specifics worked out,” Astro said. “This is a highly mobile situation. Let’s just enjoy dinner, toast to a great job done in the Labyrinth without any deaths, and our success so far in the game. You can introduce the idea to the others, and we can all gather here in five days' time. We have the room to host all of you. That should give you time to think over things.”

“It will,” Shikiku said. “I think it is a good plan. We don’t have the room to host you, so here will be best. And your willingness to be fluid and adaptive is appreciated. It does mean that we can find the best solution for both of us, and what that will mean if we join together. If we were to disband, we would have to conform to another guild’s image and standards. That isn’t bad, but even if we disbanded, and I joined the Wondercolts, I would conform to your colors. This means we can decide how a merger will work, so we all come out on top and are satisfied.”

“That is the goal,” Bladescape agreed. “And the truth is, only the three of us officially know. Others might suspect, but we have not spoken to them about it. Both of our clans are in the same position; the leaders are making the initial deal and letting them know the options.”

“Knock knock!” Joltron said as he pushed the door open. He was carrying two trays of food. “AFCK is in a baking fury, so it was up to me to bring you the food. Thunder is earning her dinner by helping get the other’s food to the dining room.”

“Joltron,” Bladescape said, stopping him from leaving. He was expecting a food question, not what he got. “Did you swap a skill for Cooking?”

“Yeah,” Joltron nodded. “At the end of April. I was helping AFCK out anyway. Now I can actually do stuff rather than assist by grabbing ingredients and pots. Plus, I wasn’t using the crafting skill. I will never get my smithing up high enough to make anything, and even if I did, Blunt Weapon Forging is for two of eleven. It is the least useful forging skill for our guild.”

“Making spears is the least useful,” Astro chuckled. “But that change is appreciated.”

Joltron shrugged. “I didn’t have spears. Blunt Weapon Forging was my least useful. My cooking is halfway to where I wiped Blunt Weapon Forging at. My progress has been better than it was with the forging. I have an odd feeling like, I am able to do higher XP yielding things without burning them because both AFCK and I usually work on the projects. Sort of, like I have her skill level, but my XP level, and I am gaining the XP from it at what she would be getting if she wasn’t maxed.”

“I would not be surprised,” Bladescape chuckled. “She has an odd area affect about everything around her, even I.R.L. And thanks. You helping her is appreciated. We will get you a cooking outfit. It won’t be as cute as AFCK’s, but-”

“She covers herself in flour,” Joltron interrupted. “That cute outfit doesn’t stay cute. At least, not in the same way. She has dressing flour for her final layer, and then she has cooking flour. Same flour, different jars. I’ll take something manly like I know Diemond can make. But! I am interrupting.”

Joltron slipped out before anything else could be asked.

“How many of you cook?” Bladescape asked.

“Eight have the skill right now,” Lobelia said. “Although the three who are not going to be on the front lines are going to swap skills so they can cook.”

“Don’t let them swap out combat skills,” Astro said. “Just in case something goes wrong and they have to defend themselves. I don’t mean them going in the field, just purely defense.”

“I will make sure of that,” Lobelia replied with a smile. “That is good, forward thinking.”

The mood lightened as they got to know each other better over the rest of the evening. The food was great, as expected, and it was above what Geigi Clan could usually make. The difference in size made making the same quality of meals logistically harder. They bid their guests goodnight while the evening was still young. Geigi Clan was going to have a long discussion in the morning. They might not make it back to the front lines over the next week. The Wondercolts would hit the Labyrinth, but they would also need to have the same talk in the morning.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Author's Note

Yay! A year ago, I started releasing this story! It went from a rushed, small story, to a much large piece of work. So, a few updates I want to add.

1: I am done writing EQG: Sword Art Online - Aincrad! Now it is down to polishing and editing. At the moment, the releases will still be on a weekly basis.

2: I am beginning the "rewrite," which will be a much better written, full Alternative Universe, story. There is plenty I wish I could change and some stuff that ended up being "poorly planned" because I was writing as I was releasing. Even being as ahead as I was, I couldn't always go back to add something in for foreshadowing once a chapter was released.

3: If you think something should be different, or have a suggestion, for the rewrite, feel free to message me. I always love hearing from you!

Episode 70 - Morning Meeting

Floor - 35 - Front Line - Floor 62
June 16 - Year 2

As soon as Backbreaker sat down for breakfast, Kiefer asked the question he had been waiting to ask. "Is Geigi Clan going to be joining us?"

Astro and Backbreaker instinctively looked at Bladescape. Bladescape sighed. "It was discussed, but it is a highly fluid situation. Last night was a discussion between guild leaders. These types of talks happen all the time. Both of us decided that we needed to talk with our guilds first. We will have a meeting again in a few days. I was hoping to do this in the guild hall, but maybe the dining room is the better place so we can relax and eat. Together we will decide if this is a good idea to proceed with."

Bladescape held her hand up, stopping several questions. "Before we continue, I need to say something. A merger will mean a lot of changes, we have been playing with the idea of a new, more up to date headquarters, but this will force us to get a new one, and a large one. Yet that isn't even what I wanted to say. By merging our two guilds, it may mean that we are no longer the Wondercolts, or that-"

"No no no," Diemond said in rapid succession. "No no no, no no no, no no no no no! We can't! That! No! No no no!"

"Breathe," Bladescape said. "Talk us through, slowly. We probably won't become members of Geigi Clan either if that is what you are afraid of."

"I am not that shallow," Diemond retorted, snubbing her nose at the idea. "I don't think you understand the consequences of not being Wondercolts. I have worked very hard to craft our image. It isn't out of vanity that I am speaking. The only two of you who don't have horses on your armor are Joltron and Doombunny. And Joltron has our symbol on his cape. All of you have at least two Wondercolts symbols on your equipment. Many of our helmets look like horse heads! It has taken me days to make it all and craft our second image. We can't just simply change it! Especially yours, Bladescape. Ashley won't redo what she did."

"Can't we keep the symbol but change colors?" Thunderborne asked. "Like, just re-dye the colors."

"You can't just change the color of organic materials like paint Rainbow Dash," Diemond shot back, getting personal. "You don't understand fashion in either reality! Once it's made into the final product, I can't change it. That goes for both the real world and Aincrad! Use your head for something other than killing brain cells by hitting that soccer ball."

"Cool it," Bladescape ordered. "Diemond, that is a valid concern and it is noted."

"Nothin' is set in stone," Backbreaker reminded them. "Those things will be carefully taken into consideration. But Diemond, in the time you have, can you make a few options for armor that fit the Wondercolts standards an' would also be appealin' to the members of Geigi Clan and their idea of being human art?"

"It is the art of being human," Diemond corrected Backbreaker, still angry. "And I have already been playing with a few Eastern Armor designs. That enterprise isn't new. Fuurinkazan was the source of that inspiration. It won't be hard for me to have a few things made up."

"Not to be mean or rude," Joltron said. "But what can they do for us? What do we get out of it?"

"Security," Astro said. She was prepared to answer that question. "Yesterday was tough, and we are on the top of the Clearers in both raw Levels and personal skill. We wouldn't have done any better with just our two parties. Maybe we would have had shorter engagements, but we didn't have the numbers to map the entire fifth floor. Things are getting tougher, and it’s the small guilds who will suffer the most.

"There is strength in numbers. And that is true here. We are not looking to put everyone onto the front every day, just four parties. That means we can rotate in and out, and get the breaks we need while still being at the top.

"Yes, it also means we will mix up who we fight besides on a daily basis, but, well, look at it this way. When we join up with Fuurinkazan, we don't stay in our guilds. We build new parties and balance things out so that we have three amazing, stronger parties. And it is fun. We got along great with Geigi Clan. We made friends.

"Rotations mean that Backbreaker can go fishing more. Diemond, you struggle to get the materials you need. Your days off are spent running around, frazzled, as you pick up supply orders and make other orders. On a good night you get 20 outfits made. Now you will have more time for your creative love. Bladescape can ride her horse more too. I don't know what I will do, but I can find something, just like the rest of you."

"Soccer," Thunderborne said. "More members we mean can get some other games going. We just need a room to play in that we won't knock anyone's heads off."

"Good idea," Bladescape said, grinning. "AFCK, I know you love to cook, and it isn't exactly a burden, but they have several cooks who would help lighten your load. You also would have more players to cook for and enjoy your food."

"Joltron is a great help, but I could use more," AFCK agreed. "I love cooking for you guys, but it does get tiring. Sometimes it is a lot of pressure for the quick turnarounds we do."

Backbreaker leaned forward onto the table. "Sugarcube, anytime you don't want to cook, let us know. We can easily get food elsewhere. We don't want to take advantage of your love. Even if it is an accident."

"Thanks," AFCK smiled.

"We will need to level them up toward us," Astro explained. "We will need quotas. And once they are there, we can solidify party tactics and they will become a great fighting force. But it will take a lot of work for everyone. It will be worth it. Just think on it for the day as we hit the labyrinth.

"I'm okay with them joining us," Diemond stated. "But I'm not okay with not being blue and yellow Wondercolts."

"Noted," Bladescape nodded. "Now, gear up and let's get the day's work started."

"I always thought we would absorb Fuurinkazan," Kiefer said as they stood up. "They would be living here for AFCK's food if they thought they could get away with it."

Everyone laughed. Kiefer was right about Fuurinkazan wanting to live with them. It had never been expressed, or hinted at, but it was something they all knew was true.

"That could've gone worse," Backbreaker said to Bladescape as they gathered by the door. As usual, they were the only two armed and ready for the day.

"I don't know what I was expecting," Bladescape said. "We barely got the idea together last night. Are we imposing our will on them?"

"Yes, we are," Backbreaker nodded. "But not in a bad way. As the Councilors, it's our job to lead them. And if we think we need to merge, we merge. Listen to them, get their ideas, but ultimately it's up to us."

“I never thought about our symbol,” Bladescape said, looking at the giant one on her chest. “That is a major problem.”

“It may be, but it may not be,” Backbreaker stated with a shrug. “We have no idea what they'll want.”

AFCK came into the room from the kitchen. She was skipping and humming, unaware of their discussion. She probably wasn't paying them any attention, but they could no longer talk privately.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 71 - 1+1=W - Part 1

Floor 35
June 21 - Year 2

Bladescape was avoiding Geigi Clan. She had sent Kiefer to greet them and bring them to their Headquarters. He had taken half and was giving them a quick tour of the first and second floor as she watched from her room. Lessa had taken the other half on a tour in the opposite direction so they were not on each other's way.

Bladescape was aware of the troubles some of the others were having at the idea of expanding the Wondercolts. Today was to gather both guilds together and talk about concerns and considerations of the merger, most of which she expected to happen after a shared lunch. Nothing was finalized yet and it might not even be finalized today.

Diemond was against losing their symbol and colors, but she was otherwise fine with the merger. She knew how much extra work it would be for her, on top of what it would require to get a new Headquarters set up. That workload concerned Bladescape, but Diemond was confident she could handle it.

Thunderborne was a team player, but she didn't want to expand their team. She wanted to fight by her friend's sides every day. Adding new players to the team would disrupt that.

Over the five days, Thunderborne had also started two arguments about needing to get Knightstar back. She didn’t want to expand without Knightstar. Doombunny had a plan, and it was being executed, but she wasn't sharing it. The Council backed her for the time being, but that only made Thunderborne angrier. She wanted direct action, but everyone else agreed that they didn't need to go that far. Knightstar was in too delicate of a situation. Pressure would just drive her further away. They all wanted her back. Not knowing what the plan was, was getting irritating, but Bladescape was always calmed by Doombunny’s kind firmness about her secret plan. Bladescape was afraid Thunderborne was going to do something stupid behind their backs.

Doombunny also believed they needed to merge. Knightstar was a concern for her, but after working with Geigi Clan, she wanted to help them in any way possible. She thought merging would be the safest way to make that happen. At one point she defied Thunderborne, pressing that she believed their friendship was stronger than not fighting beside each other every day for their freedom, and that what mattered was getting free as fast and as safely as possible. The implication that Thunderborne couldn’t handle it was a deep jab, but it shut her up, and it ended a very long argument.

Joltron was against the merger, but he didn't have a valid argument or reason. He just didn't want to expand.

Kiefer and Lessa were for it, but had no argument for their agreement. They were wrapped up in each other though, which wasn't a bad thing on the whole. They would do what needed to be done, no matter what choice was made.

AFCK either had no opinion on the matter, or if she did, she hadn't voiced it. That concerned Bladescape, but she could do nothing about it. AFCK was enthusiastic about all the cooking she had to do for lunch and there was a good chance dinner would be for all of them as well. That would be the trickier meal, but Bladescape had a feeling that several of Geigi Clan's cooks would join her in the kitchen for making dinner.

What mattered in the end though, was that the Wondercolts' Council was unanimously in favor of the merger. Astro believed it was a good evolution that would help them stay relevant as they climbed into the 70s and particularly Floor 80 and above. The sooner they expanded the better they could set themselves up for success in the higher Floors. That was something they had to be doing now, or it would be too late when they hit 75.

Backbreaker was vocal only once, giving wisdom from the farm. She stated the fact that a farm could always produce more and lighten its load on each person with more hands on deck, and that was why many farmers had larger families. A bigger family meant less work per person. Expanding their farm family was a wise idea which would make it easier and safer to do the work required to free them from SAO.

Bladescape mostly saw the detriment of what would happen if they lost Geigi Clan from the front lines. She wasn't going to let that happen. The Wondercolts were about helping and being friends to all players. The most logical thing to stop Geigi Clan from folding and breaking off the front lines was to control the fold by merging them into the Wondercolts.

The Council had never before had to make an executive decision that was against what some members wanted. They had almost been a democracy. Despite the months and all they did, the most forceful thing they had ever done was giving out the training regimen and deciding who was going to go with who for the day. Even then, the others understood and fundamentally agreed with the orders. Even the orders to protect Doombunny had been agreed upon by all at the beginning.

Bladescape knew Lobelia deserved her presence, but she was avoiding it as long as she could. She was trying to prepare herself for their decision and the potential fallout between her own guild members. There was a good chance that someone was going to get hurt, and it was Bladescape's job to deliver that pain.

A message popped up. AFCK needed her in the kitchen. Bladescape sighed and left the safety of her room. She was in a dress that was a mix between a cocktail dress and an evening gown. Diemond had made it a while back, but for formal occasions. It was more than appropriate for the lunch they were having. All of the Wondercolts would be dressed at least semi-formally.

Geigi Clan was on the second floor of their headquarters. They were hanging out on what little they had up there. Every table and chair, and some of the couches, had been brought to the guild hall where they were set up to create a giant H-shaped table to seat everyone. Even then, the entire arrangement barely fit in the room.

"There you are," Kiefer said when he noticed her.

"I was doing some last minute preparations," Bladescape replied as she stopped. She remembered to bow to them all. "It is wonderful to have you all joining us today. AFCK declared a kitchen emergency that I need to check up on."

"That could be nothing overblow, or a real problem," Kiefer said. "She didn't seem to be having any trouble when we poked our heads in."

"Either way, I have to check it out," Bladescape replied with a shrug. "If you will excuse me."

Bladescape didn't see Lobelia, Kamishi, or Shikiku. They were not with the others. That could be nothing, or it could be a problem. It was probably nothing. They were most likely chatting with Astro or Backbreaker. Bladescape wasn't sure where either of them were.

Bladescape had to chuckle at how ridiculous the setup in the guild hall was for their meal. Diemond had made tablecloths to unify everything, but the tables were not even the same height, let alone size, and cushy high-backed chairs were mixed with basic uncushioned chairs, with two couches thrown in the mix to round off seating 50 players.

In the kitchen, AFCK was skipping about with purpose, not fun. Joltron was in a corner, trying to stay out of her way as he focused on his task while she balanced multiple things at once.

"What is the problem?" Bladescape asked.

A spoon was shoved in her mouth by AFCK in passing. "Did I put in too much salt?" Her words were slow, but her tone was worried. "They say you can never have too much salt until you have too much, but I forgot how much salt is too much!"

"It tasted fine," Bladescape said. "Does that dish even have salt?"

AFCK stopped in the middle of the kitchen. She thought for a moment. She zipped over to where the bread was and then gave Bladescape a small slice. "That is what I needed taste tested."

Bladescape complied. She didn't taste any salt in the bread. "AFCK, I don't taste any salt."

"WHAT DISH IS MISSING SALT!" AFCK exclaimed in frustration.

"Blade," Joltron coughed. "I tried telling her, but maybe you will get through. SAO doesn't have salt. At least not salt proper."

Bladescape groaned. "Does she need that other item for any of the dishes she is making?"

"No, but I did and the dish is perfect. Are you sure no one tried to remove her NerveGear? Or that it was on properly?"

"I am sure," Bladescape said with a sigh. "You haven't ever seen her bake I.R.L. This is not unexpected."

Bladescape turned her attention to AFCK who didn't appear to have heard any of their conversation. "AFCK, you used the right amount of salt for everything."

"I did?" AFCK asked. "Cool! But, aren't you supposed to be hiding out in your room?"

"Sort of," Bladescape replied. She was glad the emergency was over. "I just came by to check on things. Are you on schedule?"

"Nope!" AFCK chuckled. "About 36.2 minutes behind."

"Noted," Bladescape said with a nod. "Joltron, is it okay if I leave?"

"That's safest," Joltron grinned. "She is in one of those moods. I'd run, but I signed up to be in here, trying to keep her sane."

Bladescape chuckled with Joltron and slipped out. She heard Diemond talking in her crafting room and then she heard Shikiku ask a question. Bladescape stepped into the room and found Lobelia, Kamishi, and Astro were also inside. Diemond had multiple outfits out on the single table. They had purloined the others for their grand table in the guild hall, but she needed one and there was no way around it.

“There you are,” Diemond said with a smile. “I was getting concerned. You were up in your room all morning.”

“I had a few things to work out,” Bladescape replied. “And then AFCK had a salt emergency.”

“SAO doesn’t have salt,” Shikiku said, confused.

“That was one part of the problem,” Bladescape replied, resisting a chuckle. She lost and two slipped out. “Lunch is a little behind schedule, and not because of the salt. And I really should have said this earlier, but Lobelia, Kamishi, and Shikiku, it is a pleasure to have the three of you here once again, as well as all of Geigi Clan.”

“It is a pleasure to be here once again,” Lobelia replied.

“So, what is going on in here?” Bladescape asked. She was afraid that Diemond was discussing the uniforms she had made. She didn’t want Diemond to talk about the merger. None of them were supposed to talk about it until the appropriate time after lunch, and only within the prearranged structure. They had to be smart and constructive.

“Oh, just showing them what I have been making for my next sale,” Diemond said, waiving it off as nothing. “I am almost ready to set a date.”

“Her skill is impressive,” Shikiku said.

“I.R.L. that is her job,” Bladescape replied. “She is breaking into the field and she isn’t out of highschool yet.”

“What is this?” Kamishi asked, picking up a Hakama with plate armor attached.

“Hmm?” Diemond asked as she turned around. “Oh that. It’s an early design for eastern style male armor. That is why it is plain black. Klein specifically got my mind working in that direction with his samurai ways. I’m still trying to make him a battle set I can be proud of, but he is a complicated personality to pin down. I’m getting closer, but Fuurinkazan as a guild is… scattered. I mean, they’re four things. Wind, Wood slash Forest, Fire, and Mountain slash Rock. And their colors are not standardized. I am not trying to be critical, but it is a pain from a designer’s standpoint.”

“This looks good,” Kamishi said. “It’s got good armor and stats."

“But not enough,” Diemond sighed. “Like I said, that is an early design. I didn’t even realize that it was on the table. I thought it was in my reference wardrobe where it belongs. It certainly shouldn’t be on my only table.”

Bladescape rolled her eyes, ignoring the remark about their use of her tables.

“Which wardrobe is that?” Kamishi asked, glancing at the four in the room.

“That one,” Diemond pointed. “But don’t worry about putting it away. I have a system. I don’t know why it is out, but it is and it will stay out until I can get it put away properly. Which will probably happen once I get my tables back.”

Kamishi set it back down where it had been. “Yeah, you mentioned the use of the tables a few times. I can only imagine how frustrating that is, but it is appreciated. In our home, we usually are shoving stuff off whatever surface we can to eat. We don’t have a lot of room. It is a bit chaotic at times.”

“You should have seen what she had to do to clean off the other tables,” Astro jabbed.

Diemond shrugged, conceding the point. It had been a mess. She had been in the middle of several projects. They gave her the time to sort it all and move it to one table, and she didn’t fuss over the use of them for the day. It certainly had interrupted her flow though.

“We should start to gather in the guild hall,” Astro said. “As the leaders, we should be the first to the table. And you are in for a treat. AFCK is freaking Joltron out, which means she is pulling out all the stops to impress everyone. She loves cooking for the guild and other players. And we love playing hosts to our friends.”

Bladescape chuckled. “She is absolutely loving it. We don’t host like we want to. Our focus is...” Bladescape stopped, not sure she wanted to finish the sentence. She wasn’t sure where Geigi Clan was standing with the merger.

“Our focus has been where it needs to be,” Shikiku finished. “On clearing the game. 10,000 players had lives to live outside of Aincrad. Almost 4,000 have died and most of the surviving 6,000 can’t fight for their lives.”

“That’s always a sobering thought,” Bladescape replied. “We just experience that to the max. We… well let’s sit down and I will tell you what the Wondercolts did the two days before we teamed up with you.”

“Your eyes and smile have a twinkle in them telling me it will be a good story,” Lobelia replied, smiling back.

They sat down at the "head" of the H. They were the only ones who needed assigned seating. The others could sit anywhere, beside whoever they wanted too. Backbreaker came into the guild hall from outside.

“Where did you come from?” Bladescape asked.

“Fishin' to clear my mind,” Backbreaker shrugged. “I slipped away last night. It might have been bad form, but…”

“Nah,” Bladescape shrugged. “A note would have been nice, but I was in my room all morning., thinking. Everything went smoothly. I was just about to tell them what we did last week, with Sasha.”

“Ah,” Backbreaker said, taking her seat. “That is a good one. Well, good except that one thing, but still good.”

Joltron began to put food out on the table as Bladescape told the story. The others came down towards the end and began to fill the seats. AFCK was done soon after.

Bladescape stood up to start the meal. “It is a pleasure to have you here. We always enjoy playing host to our friends. Enjoy the best the Wondercolts could put together, which I hear is legendary.”

That got a round of applause and cheers. Lunch was started on a good note. It was relaxed and that meant Bladescape could relax some.

That relaxation didn’t last very long. The actual lunch sped by quickly and the conversations were lacking as everyone in the room was waiting for the unspoken topic to begin.

Bladescape took a drink of water before standing up and starting. “It has been a pleasure having all of you here today. It has been fun, but we all are aware of the other reason why we have gathered here. I wish we had a better place to do this, but we are short on furniture and room for a group this size. We are going to start with an open forum, for us to hear you. Both your concerns, questions, objections, and your approval. Let’s remember to be courteous and respectful. We each have had different experiences and we each see things from a different perspective.”

Bladescape sat down. No one opened their mouths to speak. She wasn’t surprised. To open up in such a large group, with strangers, was not an easy thing.

“What do you think?” A member of Geigi Clan asked her. “You guys are the ones who decided we would entertain the idea.”

“And that is why I don’t want to speak,” Bladescape calmly explained. “We see things from the perspective or leadership. However, I will tell you my ideological position. As a member of the Assault Team, I have watched our numbers dwindle, and most are not from player deaths. Players are giving up, either because they are used to living in Aincrad, or because they have lost hope they can ever get out.

“I understand how tough things are. I might be at the top, but I too get tired. I too see myself not killing the monsters at the same speed as I was the Floor before. As we climb to Floor 100, the Floor number gets closer to our Level. What we once had outpaced by double or triple, we are now barely above.

“The point is that losing Geigi Clan as clearers is like having an entire boss raid party wiped out. 48 players go into the boss chamber and there are 40 of you. Yes, I know you are not boss fighters, but number and stats wise, it is a big blow. We need you. I’ll do whatever I can to keep as many of you clearing this game as possible. And yes, I know that some of you are no longer going to be fighting.”

Bladescape paused, and then decided to be unfair and push it. “And for those who don’t want to fight, there is so much that can be done to support the rest of the guild. Important things.”

Bladescape caught the glance Lobelia gave her. It wasn’t a bad glance though. Bladescape wasn’t familiar with Lobelia’s different looks yet, but it seemed like she approved of the play.

“But I spoke,” Bladescape said. “Now you. Wondercolts, I know you have some concerns. And I know Geigi is holding back.”

No one spoke or moved.

Diemond finally stood up. “Lessa, Kiefer, with me please.”

They both stood up and the three of them went to Diemond’s crafting room. That wasn’t what Bladescape had expected when Diemond stood up. It could only mean she was preparing for an actual display.

One of the boys stood up. It was Tariq, the Tank who Bladescape had worked with the other day. “Leaders, the men have been talking over the past few days. Delton is on the fence, but hearing there is a support place, well that is good news. The boys don’t want to drop off the front line. We joined Geigi because we wanted to be on the front lines and they inspired us to be better than we could be on our own; to have a standard. To stay on the front, we are going to need training support and to level grind, hard. Still, you Wondercolts did it. The men of Geigi Clan love our guild and what we represent, but we think a merger is the best move.

“We also agree that, as tired as we are, we can’t afford to stop our crusade. If we do, that leaves thousands of defenseless players with even less of a chance getting free. We can’t afford that because we are capable of fighting for our freedom. It is a blessing and a curse. At the very least, we can be supporting the Assault Team by helping clear everything but the boss room. It is exhausting, but it has to be worse for the Assault Team. They fight through the Floor and then face a boss, only to turn around the next day to do it again. And for months now. Whatever we can do to alleviate that pressure on the Floor, we need to do so that the Assault Team is rested and sharp.”

“Thank you for your insight,” Bladescape said with a nod as Tariq sat down.

Thunderborne snorted. “You make me feel selfish. I don’t want to expand. It’s nothing personal, but I like our size. Plus, I like our headquarters.”

Astro groaned. She realized she had to break the news to her friend. “Thunder, this headquarters isn’t going to be ours much longer.” Thunderborne’s glare was cold. She wasn’t aware they had been talking about moving. It wasn’t a secret and they knew when they bought it that they would need a new one eventually. Astro fought back against the cold stare as she explained things. “It wasn’t a secret. We knew when we got this place that we would need another one for the higher Floors. Mishe isn’t impressive anymore and it is a long way down from the 60s. Teleport Plazas are fine, but there is a status to the higher Floors that we need to keep. I’m not going to apologize for your forgetfulness. Now it certainly sounds like you are being lazy and losing your edge. Are you up to the challenge of the game or not?”

It was a low cut. Bladescape almost yelled at Astro but she held her tongue. Maybe Thunderborne was losing her edge. Astro knew her really well at this point, probably the best out of them all when it came to her mental state. Bladescape had been more focused on leading the Wondercolts as a whole.

Thunderborne opened her mouth to speak and then shut it. She crossed her arms and sunk into the chair, sulking. It was not a response Bladescape was expecting. Astro had hit the nail on the head.

"Eh," AFCK shrugged. "More friends equals more fun. Right?"

"Good," one of the girls said with a relieved sigh. "I am not the only one thinking the same thing. The guys have always talked among themselves, which was fine, but us girls were a little quieter as we thought about what was best for us, individually and as a whole."

"Are you a fellow cook?" AFCK asked.

"Yep," she replied with a little laugh. "I'm Koroua.”

“So we have a few who are enthusiastic about the idea of a merger,” Lobelia said with a smile. “And we have the boys who think it's the logical action. Then we have a vocal non-supporter. That doesn’t even account for half of you though. Speak up! This is your time to speak and be heard.”

“Fine,” Joltron said. “I am against it but I have no argument for why I am. There. I said my piece.”

“Thank you,” Backbreaker said. “Anyone else?”

“I’m for it,” Doombunny said. “I want to help you guys as much as we can. I think the best way to help you is for us to merge.”

Doombunny was the last to speak. No one else wanted to. It got uncomfortably quiet and Bladescape finally looked at Lobelia. She just shrugged, unsure what else to do.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Author's Note

This episode was split in 2 to make it easier to read on certain distribution platforms.

Episode 72 1+1=W - Part 2

Floor 35
June 21 - Year 2

Lunch is finished and the Wondercolts and Geigi Clan are discussing the concerns or approval of a merger, as well as asking any question.

The silence could be cut with a knife, Bladescape thought as the lapse in discussion dragged on. It was to this that Diemond, Kiefer and Lessa returned.

“Fine,” Diemond huffed as she took in the scene. “If you all won’t talk, I will. I am absolutely for the merger. And Kiefer and Lessa are down with it as well. However, there are a few things you need to understand. You, members of Geigi Clan, are not up to par. And it is not your levels that I mean.

“Your look, is fine. Equipment, though, you need upgrades. I don’t do weapons, but armor I know. And yours is lacking. If we merge, well then, I am already woefully behind in making your gear. And I have some good designs lined up.

“I have one thing to note.” Diemond gave them all a hard look. “We would all be Wondercolts. I’m not changing things. I worked too hard on our image. I know at least some of you understand that.

“Here is what is going to happen,” Diemond said firmly. “The only Wondercolt whose armor is without a horsehead is Doombunny. Joltron only has one on his cape. Most of our helmets are horse heads. I spent hours layering things until it was right. I spent even more time on our scale armor. Now, I can wipe all that hard work away and start fresh, except for one thing. I can’t beat Ashley’s Dagannoth Plate Armor. That is one of the best sets of armor this game will ever see. And loud and proud on its chest is our symbol."

Lobelia leaned over to Bladescape and whispered into her ear. "I hadn't considered your armor and the horseheads."

"My armor is an unavoidable aspect we can't get around," Bladescape whispered back.

"I understand completely," Lobelia replied.

They turned their full attention back to Diemond.

“You are all wonderful, amazing people and players. We match. Our ideologies are very similar, if not the same, but when it comes down to it, the blue and yellow horse head has more status and would be a greater loss to the front line morale than Geigi Clan ever will be. You are clearers, we are members of the Assault Team.

“You are about the art of being human. We are about the power of friendship. We value Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, and Empathy. All of that is a magic that is special to humans. All humans. We strive to be all that, the very best humanity has to offer, to everyone because that is what they deserve. It is admittedly not as artful as you are, but we could certainly use a little classing up. Both of us want to be the best humans can be and display the best we can be for all to see and be inspired by.

“So, if you are in, I have something to show you.”

“And that is?” Kamishi asked, trying to stay calm despite his obvious excitement.

Diemond grinned. "The prototype for your armor. Making more sets of our scale armor can’t be done in the timeframe, but maybe once everyone is up to par... I like to keep things as unified as possible, and I will have a few designs because I know the different needs of the armor classes. We can work to personalize armor after everyone is brought up to par."

Diemond smiled coyly. “Darling, you didn’t think that old hakama was out on the table on a complete accident, did you? I did actually forget to put it away after using it as a reference yesterday. It was a mistake. Oh, and I said reference, not pattern."

Diemond called out Lessa. “For the ladies, this is a Light Armor design. It is black because I am still working out the details. It's still missing something, but I call it streamline samurai chic. It's designed to accentuate our womanly figure, while still being what we need for protection. The plates are a light, strongly woven fabric layered together, rather than traditional materials, allowing for a slimmer line. I also used inside stitching and anchors to avoid the traditional bumps seen in the Japanese armor style. This makes it smoother and more beautiful, yet it evokes the traditional feeling."

Diemond looked over to the door and Kiefer strode out. “Now for the men. The color for this model is red backed with green because this was my last design for Klein of the Fuurinkazan guild, but it didn’t fit his spirit. It is quintessential samurai. It was too heavy on the plates for his ronin warrior style, but for you, well I saw 7 very strong and handsome men who will fill this design out and make something of it. Heads will turn and players will wonder who the guys in the Wondercolts are that are keeping the ladies looking oh so fine.”

“Um,” Tariq said, standing up.

“Yes, dear?” Diemond asked sweetly.

“That is Light Metal Armor too, right?”

“Mhm,” Diemond nodded. “Why?”

“It looks good, but I have Heavy Metal Armor since I am a Tank. I was wondering, what were you thinking for the Tanks.”

Diemond smiled coyly. “You like the beefy samurai look, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” Tariq admitted.

Diemond chuckled playfully. “I can easily make you a heavy set that will make you look like a terracotta samurai. All players will see is a powerful suit of armor that can somehow move. Only your eyes will be visible behind your mask. It will probably resemble a horse head as well.

“Another question,” Tariq asked. Diemond nodded and he continued. “Can you make it yellow with Blue? Can the guys be yellow and blue? Chok and Rancor are also Tanks.”

“Well,” Diemond said, thinking. “It could be aesthetically pleasing. Or it might be too much yellow. It would be 9 guys of 50 players, which might be too heavy for accent soldiers.”

“I like my armor,” Joltron said. “The samurai look doesn’t go with my shield. So make it 8.”

“7,” one of the guys said. “I’m Delton. I won’t be fighting anymore. I switched to being a cook, but, as asked, my combat skills are still active so I can defend myself if needed. So don’t count me in that.”

“7 would be more accent rather than separation," Diemond said. "Meaning that it is weighing that request in your favor. I would have to look at how it all would go together to be yellow. My biggest concern is that our yellow is rather soft. It makes an excellent accent color, but it may not make a good primary color. I will investigate it.”

“I can accept that,” Tariq said, sitting down.

“I can make strong dresses out of woven material that will be classified as leather armor, or no armor,” Diemond added. “But, enough from me. You know my thoughts and see some of my ideas and my skill. Plenty of you haven’t spoken up.”

Kiefer and Lessa went to change out of the armor. One of Geigi Clan’s women finally spoke up. “Lobelia, I joined to follow you and your ideas. Where would this merger leave you?”

“A councilor,” Bladescape immediately said before she looked at Lobelia beside her. “Unless you don’t want it.”

“I would be honored,” Lobelia replied. “It would be nice to retain some control. I worked hard to get us to this point.”

“And you would be very welcome to help keep us goin',” Backbreaker said. “You know them, and you know how to handle a larger guild. We will need that expertise. And you earned it.”

“Just me would give us an even council,” Lobelia said.

“It sounds like Kamishi does a lot for you,” Bladescape said. “And from what I have heard, he is fast, smart, strong, and wise. He knows how to lead, and he is your lead male. The others follow his lead too. He knows your guild, and it means we would not overshadow you all with a nearly full Wondercolts Council. He would be my first choice to round us out to a council of 5."

Kamishi didn’t say a word. He just sat there, reactionless.

Lobelia stood up. “Is anyone going to give us a valid reason to not merge?” She drew the hard line since none of the members were drawing it.

No one responded.

"Just sit down," Kamishi told her. "They are all followers."

"Excuse me?" Backbreaker snorted.

Kamishi looked her hard in the eyes. "You heard me. They all are followers. Even the Wondercolts."

Backbreaker was taken aback and offended. Kamishi didn't stop as he explained. "None of it is bad. Every player in this room is a warrior. Everyone can fight on the front lines. Some of us need some training to stay current, but even without it, we all have proven that we are warriors.

"The world is split into leaders and followers, and there are significantly less leaders than followers. You can be a great warrior, but not a leader. That is how the world functions and it doesn't make you any less of a warrior.

"Doombunny is the perfect example. She is amazing at what she does. Few have the guts she has. A dagger is arguably the fastest weapon in SAO, but the closeness required to use it is dangerous to a front-line soldier and requires nerves of steel. Despite those steel nerves and undisputable skill, when we teamed up the other day, she stayed with Diemond. You wouldn't ask her to lead a unit on the front lines. That would be dumb. Her strength is to be led and pointed to the job. She then uses her skills to quickly complete the task.

"Diemond might have been leading some of us, but she isn't either. She was more of a cheerleader. A really good one who can see the potential of a player and help pull it out. And as a Tank, she has learned to direct others in battle since they rely on her for protection. She can do some, but you wouldn't send her to lead a team every day from here on out. Why? Because she isn't a leader.

"Kiefer is learning, and has good potential. I am sure he has matured a lot since this game started. His youth is being hidden well. I wish he didn't have to grow up as fast as he did. However, he has become a good, strong man from it.

"Thunderborne has pep, but it's sports pep and leadership, not death game and soldier leadership. Being a captain of a sports team isn't the same as being captain of an army where each decision made will only dictate how much blood is spilled. Not if it will be spilled, only how much. That is our reality.

"Astro had game leadership experience with guilds, that is obvious, but she doesn't have quite the gall to keep everything going without support. Again, none of that is bad.

“The girls in Geigi clan are great warriors too, but most of them default to the guys. They follow them. A few stand on their own and have good leadership potential, but they are not aggressive enough. Which is fine. The fact that they made it to the front line is what is important. They have done more than most players to free us, and they will continue to do more, because each of them is a strong woman of great honor and they deserve the utmost respect for it.”

"And me?" Backbreaker asked.

Kamishi shook his head slowly. "Sorry, but you are a follower."

Bladescape saw it coming and yanked Backbreaker back into her seat as she tried to stand up.

"You can lead a little bit, but you are a grounder," Kamishi explained. "You are a strong support for the leaders. You keep them even keeled. You keep them honest and you keep them realistic. But you can't keep leading at the very front day after day. And that is shown in the boss battles. Everyone needs you to be the cornerstone, the Iron Bulwark who doesn't bend. Not a leader though.

"Lobelia, who I swore to follow, is burned out from leading her warriors. She did an amazing job, but unfortunately this game is taxing and the war is difficult to sustain. We can't just train up replacement soldiers. She put up a very good fight. But she isn't the only one unable to hold on under the pressure. It is why we are here, meeting with you and discussing this merger."

"And you are a leader," Backbreaker snipped.

Kamishi laughed heartily. "I'm the leader of the followers. I prefer to be the supporter of the leader. I can lead, but I find I am best as the second. I can keep going better and longer if my energy is put into the second or third position. Daily responsibility, but not out front the entire time. I know my limitations.

"This game is brutal and many of us have been fighting on the front line since the start. That means over 18 months of no breaks. In the real world, many countries no longer deploy soldiers for more than a year because of how taxing it is, yet here we are, unable to get a real break. And if we took one we would fall behind and be unable to catch up. There is no rotating out or being on reserve in this reality.

"There is only one way we are all getting out of here alive."

"Fight," Thunderborne said with conviction.

"No," Kamishi said, shocking Thunderborne and others. "The only way we get out of here is to find the real, true leaders and follow them. They will have an answer for everything. They will know how to use each of us to our full potential, including how many we can lead and how often we can. They will be ambitious; at the top. But the difference between the lone wolves who are great warriors, Kirito is the king lone wolf, the difference is that the true leaders do it to be stronger for those they lead. They do it to be the example and they spend every minute they can making adjustments to be the best or to take their followers to the next level.

"There is one leader in this room." Kamishi looked at Bladescape who had her hands folded in her lap and was sitting up straight. "Bladescape is one of those real leaders. And it’s the reason she is at the head of the table. You know it, and so does she. It is what she has been doing since the beginning, even if she didn't fully understand it. You even instinctively asked her what she thought at the very start. No matter if she knew from the start of this game or not, she found she needed to be in charge because it was what was best. For people like Bladescape, they are just natural leaders."

The room stayed quiet as all eyes were on Bladescape. She sat there, not saying anything. She was waiting for any final arguments. She had realized where Kamishi had been going since almost the start. When they had teamed up she had fought with him. Despite it being her day off as leader, her leadership still naturally came out. She had noticed him watching her when she took charge, but it was never in a bad way.

Bladescape slowly stood up. She was firm. She was the leader they were looking to, so she made the decision. "No dissenting opinions have been given with substantial evidence or reason as to why this merger should not happen. We need no new deliberation. In a week from now we will have the ceremony here in our guild hall to take in the new members.

"All of you are welcome. I know we have those who no longer want to fight. I understand and respect that. This so-called game has whipped us all hard, and Geigi Clan has lost friends to it. I hope you will join us and play a critical role in the guild and front line fight. Cooking for 50 players is not easy, but knowing we are going back to a warm dinner is very important, I don't know how to even express the depth of how it will keep us going. You would support us by keeping morale and logistics up. Keeping a sword on the front line is just as important as being the one to swing it, if not more so. We will be an oversized guild. Not all of us have to fight to clear this game. We need every weapon and shield available, but we also do need support comrades."

"Question?" one of the girls nervously asked. She stammered out her question after Bladescape gave her a reassuring nod to ask. "If we don't know if we want to join the Wondercolts?"

"A good question," Bladescape said, smiling at her. "I believe the best course of action is to allow those who are unsure to join as probationary Wondercolts. You have a lot of friends here, and with new ones to gain. Friendship isn't something I want any of you to lose, and I know you guys too don’t want to leave your friends. You have been through so much together, too much to easily throw away. Keep that in mind. We will know ahead of time of your decision, so you can either directly join up, or try it out. We will begin by training you, no differently than any other Wondercolt. If you don't like it, fine. A guild is a personal choice and a family. I think you will be pleasantly surprised though.

"We will need to work out a strong structure for our expanded Wondercolts. One that reflects our new numbers. We need a chain of command."

"I can solve that," Lobelia said. "My father is a Major in the Japanese Self Defense Force, specifically the Ground Defense Force. I know the ranks and organizational structure very well. I already have a basic idea of how to best organize us."

"I would love to discuss it," Bladescape said. "Quietly though. It is going to be time for dinner prep soon. We can begin that and enjoy dinner together."

Tariq stood up and bowed. "Thanks, but the rest of us have some things to think on, and probably talk about. The leaders staying away for a few hours might be wise."

"Understood," Bladescape nodded. "Councilors, let's meet on the fifth floor. We can use the beds to sit on since all the chairs are down here."

They were the first to stand up. The others had decided to let them fully leave before they even stood up. The climb up to the fifth floor was something Bladescape hadn't done in a long time. It was a lot more steps than she remembered, mostly because she never went above the third floor, and the first door at that.

They moved a privacy screen and pulled a bed over so the six of them could sit two to a bed in a triangle.

"Good job," Kamishi told Bladescape as they sat down. "You took charge, just like we needed you to. I admit, I was concerned you wouldn’t take the authority given to you. It’s not an easy burden to shoulder."

"You gave a good speech, even if it was a bit harsh." Bladescape replied, "Diemond had them very interested, and you sealed the deal. I hate that they got hit with the truth as hard as they did, but you were right. As long as we have the warriors they are, that is what matters. That and that I don't fail."

"That is why you have me, and Lobelia joining you," Kamishi fired back with a warm smile. "As well as Astro and Backbreaker. We will give you that support so you do not fail. The only other player on the front I might possibly follow is Commander Heathcliff, but he lacks something that you have. I'm not sure what it is though."

Bladescape looked at Lobelia. "So, structure?"

"Every unit should have a lead and a secondary officer," Lobelia explained. "We can use Niso, First Sergeant, for the senior officer, and Shicho, Leading Private, for the junior officer. There are 5 councilors and we can put seven full parties and a party of five together. That means we will need others. They can be finalized later."

"Sounds good," Bladescape replied. "What else?"

"Shikiku has always had a good rapport with the others. I want to put her as our Socho. A Socho is the name for the Sergeant Majors, the highest ranking non-commissioned officers. They usually have 15 plus years of experience. They are lifers who run the unit for the new officers. She can be their best go to for support, and give us a feeling for how the others are doing and what they are thinking. It is a key position, and it doesn't put her on the council to off balance us again. Plus, she has always taken a back seat to everything."

"I would prefer not to be a councilor," Shikiku said. "Your role for me is one I would not only enjoy, but believe is necessary."

"Keeping connected is key," Bladescape said. "I like it."

Lobelia continued. "As for us, Kamishi will be our Ichii, Captain. I will be the Major, Sansa. Astro will be Nisa, or Lieutenant Colonel. Colonel, or Issa, will be Backbreaker. Finally, you will be our Kaisho, or Commander of the Army."

"Okay," Bladescape said. "I want Kiefer as one of our officers. I think he would make a good training officer. He knows how we function for our training regiments. We will need to do something special to catch everyone up level wise, but after he will be able to run our training regimen. He was already starting to lead training teams."

"Then we can put him as our Lieutenant, or Nii," Lobelia replied. "He will be our only full officer who is not a council member."

"I think that sounds good," Backbreaker said, standing up.

"Not so fast," Lobelia said. "We will need to standardize who is in what party. That way they go to their officer first, who then can come up the chain of command with any questions. You, Bladescape, will have a lot to do, but you will always have a lot of people to delegate to so it runs smoothly."

"Right," Bladescape nodded. "But every day is different. I am not sure I like locking everyone into a single party. If we have a boss raid, Field or Floor, we will probably have to pull members from multiple parties."

"Back up plans," Lobelia said, thinking. "Well, we certainly don't have the numbers of a regular unit. In the real world, all of us would be under the command of a single officer in one platoon. We will need more flexibility since we are not a modern army and the rules are different here. Our guild will need the flexibility of a regiment or battalion, not the focused unit of a platoon. We can gain that flexibility if we integrate defense conditions into our structure."

"Defense conditions?" Astro asked.

"Commonly called DefCon," Lobelia explained. "And usually they come with a color. Green is no threat, yellow is a little heightened threat. Orange is threat but no war, troops are ready to move. Red is war. And blue typically means nuclear weapons have been launched."

"That is no good," Backbreaker said. "Blue is our color."

"We can make the colors our own," Bladescape reminded Backbreaker. "Blue can be regular parties. Yellow can be the secondary ones, where we have our raiders separated into two parties. We can make internal changes between those two as we need. And then I guess, we should have a color for special assignments. Assigning 50 to parties will take time, but we need the ability to do so."

"Then I suggest BluCon, YelCon, RedCon, and WhiteCon," Lobelia said. "Red means meet up in the guild hall for special assignments and white is for the day off. We can put up color boards and set the color for the day. At least one in the dining hall so everyone can easily see it."

"If not a few others to make it easier on everyone," Astro said. "Tactical redundancy."

"I like it," Lobelia replied with a wink. "Now you are thinking like a soldier. Especially a Nisa."

"Nisa Astro," Astro said, nodding her head with a sly grin. "I like it."

"Good," Lobelia smiled. "Because it will get used, but we need it to be used to pull off a guild of 50 clearers with members of the Assault Team. If we need to fine tune it, we will. But this will give us a great base to start with."

"Don't soldier units usually have numbers and names? Or symbols?" Backbreaker asked.

"They do," Lobelia nodded. "We could give designations to the parties. It probably would be best to have them based on the senior officer of that party. If they don't change between BluCon and YelCon, that would be wisest. Then the others just fall under their officer for that day's color."

"How long have you thought over this?" Bladescape asked.

"I have played with this for a few months," Lobelia admitted. "But I didn't have the council or officers to pull it off. It all fell on my shoulders. I just set the parties, and if we needed to change up, okay. But we never needed to make big changes. If any were done, Kamishi oversaw a lot of those changes."

"Okay," Bladescape said, thinking. "I think...I think this is wise. We will go for this to start. We have a course set. In a week we will do the ceremony of some sort."

"We can set that up," Shikiku said.

Bladescape nodded. "Okay, then we will also need stats for every member in 5 days. Give them the time to think, but we will need to know to make our final preparations."

"What do you need to know?" Shikiku asked. "That will probably be best gathered by me."

"Total Level, exact XP, and their combat skills,” Bladescape said. “We need to know what armor class, weapons, and if they use a shield, as well as how strong each Skill is." Bladescape turned to Kamishi. "Kamishi, I want to know what each member is fighting wise: Tank, Forward, or Damage. I know I saw some Lancers and Shield Users, give me all the role data you can."

"I'll get you that," Kamishi said. "Lobelia and I will also come up with a ranking for suggested officers. Outside of Kiefer, are there any Wondercolts who you want to see as potential party officers?"

"Thunderborne," Bladescape immediately said. "Let's not waste that peppy sports leadership she has. Plus, she can make really good rally speeches and pep talks.

"Otherwise, they are too busy. AFCK will be running the kitchen, but even if she wasn't, she would not be someone I would assign to lead a party. Diemond does too much work for us as our Armorer to even be considered. Lessa is too hesitant, and she also repairs our equipment."

"Noted," Kamishi said.

"I suggest we give them titles," Lobelia said. "Specifically AFCK. Itamae is a special Japanese chef. That title will make the kitchen hers. I know she will run it well."

"What is armorer?" Backbreaker asked.

"That doesn't exactly have a transferable name," Lobelia admitted. "But for Diemond, and maybe Lessa, Juni means warrant officer. They are technical specialists in their field, but they are not commissioned officers."

"I like it," Bladescape said. "Juni Diemond. We can see how it plays for Lessa. Often our equipment is repaired by Lisbeth. Lessa has gone up in rank for the Metal Equipment Repair Skill, but she doesn't always have time."

"We have a few who maintain things for us as well," Lobelia replied. "We will also get you a list of support skills, not just combat. We might as well get all the skills for each member, with full details so we can sort them out."

"Good idea," Astro said. "I know Skills and Stats are personal, but we will need it all to get things situated properly and find the perfect place for each of them. We need all of us, together, to assign everyone, but this lays a very good foundation. And we don't know the Geigi Clan members. This info will be crucial to ensure we build a safe guild that is strong. We will compile ours as well and swap them so everyone is on the same page."

"Sounds good," Lobelia replied. "We should probably head out."

"Nonsense," Bladescape replied. "Let them have their time away from the leaders to think. The six of us, let's go out for dinner and give the Wondercolts a break. Not everyone is thrilled after all."

"Alright," Lobelia replied. "Lead on."

"I hope AFCK didn't make too much," Astro said. "I won't be there to eat my half. It will all rest on Thunder's shoulders."

AFCK hadn't started dinner. Diemond had twisted the others' arms into getting her tables back into her crafting room so she could start working on equipment. That had taken up their time while the leaders talked, and then they were starting to get everything back in order instead of an early dinner.

Bladescape had planned on helping put it all back, but the timing didn't seem like it would work. The leaders headed out to their dinner. It would be the first of many dinner meetings to plan the guild's activities.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 74 - The Tower

Front Line Floor 63
June 23 - Year 2

Bladescape was going to visit Lobelia to try and sort out how to organize their rooms. It had to be fair, but she wasn’t going to spoil the surprise of the castle. They would find out after the merger what they had acquired for the new Wondercolts.

At their new, personal teleport plaza, she called out the order to go to Ronbaru. It wasn't too far of a walk to the outskirts where the Geigi Clan had their home. She found it rather easily. It wasn't fancy, and for 40 players, it was tight quarters. They would be enjoying the extra space the castle would provide.

Lobelia took Bladescape to her room, the only private place they could talk. She was one of five not sharing a room. Kamishi wasn't because there was an odd number of men in the guild, and his informal rank meant he was the one given that honor over the others. Shikiku was also without a partner. She was well respected as well, informally ranked as their second. She had been left free since they also had an uneven number of female players. The other two had been paired with the recently departed players. They also passed an empty room where they held their vigil for the dead. Pictures of each member were tacked on the outside door frame.

"I didn't realize you had more than the three the other day," Bladescape quietly said as she sat on the bed. Lobelia joined her since there was nowhere else to sit.

"We have lost 9 in total," Lobelia solemnly replied. "My cofounder perished back on the 17th Floor, leaving me alone to lead. Since then, it has fallen to me and Shikiku to hold to our vision. If we had not found Kamishi and his friends when we did, we never would have survived as a guild."

"We never talked about your history," Bladescape said. "It was tough enough asking you to join us, and even if we came up with a new guild, we were talking about losing at least one guild name and a lot of energy spent on it. The name was important. And, honestly, I fear hearing those stories of your history."

"And I fear telling them," Lobelia said, barely speaking above a whisper as she fought for control. "But yes, yes we have already been through a merger. It was one that only three of us were present for. What has always mattered was how we were on the outside. Our actions speak for themselves."

"That is absolutely why we are doing this merger," Bladescape said, putting her hand on Lobelia's shoulder. "Your actions speak for themselves. And now, we have a place that will allow us to create a memorial for them. A more fitting one than pictures on a door frame. In the garden we can build a marker, something traditional, for them."

"I wish we could build a small, but proper, shrine."

"I don't want to spoil anything," Bladescape said, unable to resist giving a sly grin. Lobelia smiled back as things shifted to a positive light. "But we will have room for it. No one will need to double up in the rooms. Ever. I don't think I would ever want to control a guild so large we would need to double up.

"And that is why I came. When the 11 Wondercolts first bought our HQ, we had to decide who got what room. We had 12 to choose from. I had always been the leader, but it became official then. They put me in what became Room 1, because it was one of the six with a view of the city and the closest to the stairs. Knightstar and Backbreaker were chosen to make a council and given Rooms 2 & 3 for the same reason. After that, I made sure things were as equal as possible, so lots were drawn and the others chose based on their order.

"We want to move into the new place tomorrow so that we can help you all move in, but I don't believe that our members should get to pick first. This new HQ is for all of us. We got it with all of us in mind."

"Your kindness and generosity are appreciated," Lobelia replied with a soft smile. "I want you all moved in ahead of time too, because we will need the help. I have been working on a plan for our induction ceremony." Lobelia pulled up her menu and pulled out a scroll. "Here, this is a copy for you to see. I was going to message you tomorrow. I still want to polish a few areas, but it is mostly finished. And here is a list of our members and their current Levels and Skill Levels."

Bladescape took both, putting the member details in her menu, but skimming the ceremony. She grinned. "I like it. This has power and meaning to it. This ceremony will make this guild stronger than all of you just hitting the screen when it pops up."

"Thank you," Lobelia said with a smile. "Honor, beauty, tradition, and ceremony are all things I highly value for their artistry.”

“We need some of that artistry,” Bladescape chuckled. “While still maintaining that focused, free, attitude.”

“We will find a good balance,” Lobelia assured Bladescape. “However, for the reason you came, do what you need to do for the rooms. I trust that you will organize them well."

"They sort of are already organized," Bladescape explained. "There is a whole dormitory full of rooms, but the main building also has residential rooms on the second floor and the third. And one in the tower."

"How many?"

"12 on the second, 5 on the third."

"I gather that it is designed to place precedence to the individuals in charge by their assigned floor in the main building?"

"Yes," Bladescape nodded. "This headquarters was designed for a large guild. The second floor should be for officers and the Third floor is the council."

"And the tower?" Lobelia asked.

"Right," Bladescape chuckled. "The tower's top two floors were set up for living quarters. But what matters with it is that you can actually stand on the top of the tower, and have a great view."

"The answer is simple, at least in my eyes," Lobelia stated. "Kiefer, he is our training officer, correct?"

"Yes," Bladescape nodded. "We had him as our first, non-councilor officer, but I did give the training orders for the new Wondercolts to him and Backbreaker."

"Then you, as our Kaisho, shall take the tower," Lobelia declared. "I know you want it. You are specifically avoiding it and I can see the desire in your eyes."

"I have been," Bladescape admitted. "I dashed through it to try to get on the top, I didn't want to take or build my hopes. You will understand more when you see the place. I don't want to spoil it, because it is that awesome."

Lobelia giggled. "I can tell. I look forward to finding out. But please, take the tower as our Kaisho."

"I will," Bladescape said, unable to stop smiling like a kid on Christmas Morning.

Lobelia continued. "I recommend we organize our Council rooms by our seat positions and then give Kiefer the one on the end. Shikiku, as our council's member representative, should hold the closest room to the stairs on the second floor. We don't want the regular members to go to the third floor, and they should have restricted access to the second floor. We want them to be able to use the chain of command in order to keep order. That is why we have the structure we are developing. I am sure you can come up with a fair disbursement. Also to consider is that our officers are not set outside of Kiefer. Some of the other original Wondercolts may be named as officers."

"Those are wise words," Bladescape replied. “The third floor has a lounge for us and a private meeting room too. Likewise, the second floor has a lounge for the officers. And moving anyone from the barracks to the main building will be easy enough.”

"I know we are joining you, and I know that you are welcoming us in as equals, which we appreciate, but know this, I trust you. We all trust you. I know that however you set up our Headquarters, it will be fair.

“I have another question though. It sounds like the barracks is a separate building. Where is the kitchen?”

“It is in the main building,” Sunset replied.

“AFCK is our Itamae, our head chef. Since she will be in charge of the kitchen, it makes sense that she is given a room closest to the kitchen. She may not be leading a squad into battle, but it is an officer role, even if it isn’t a military officer name.”

"I will do as you suggested," Bladescape said with a smile as she stood up. "It feels weird taking direct action. I have...had problems in the past with control."

"But those problems forged you into the amazing person behind the player I know as Bladescape,” Lobelia said. “They have set you up to become the Leader of the Wondercolts, and soon, the fully realized Kaisho of one of the strongest guilds in the game. We will stay on the front lines because of you and your friends. We have come to follow you. Do not forget your inner strength and the fire that burns in your soul. It is clear and brilliant, bathing us all in a warm glow that is comforting and illuminates the path ahead for us."

"You are wise," Bladescape said, bowing low at the waist. "Having you on our council will be a great honor. You know more about life than I do."

"I have lived a few more years than you," Lobelia admitted. "And yes, I have studied the art of being human. It brought with it wisdom, but you have something I am now gaining, strong friendship. You have learned that lesson, and I look forward to learning it from you. Together, we will be a force to be reckoned with. The entire front line will be in awe of us until the end of this wicked game."

Bladescape's heart stopped beating. She had a question she wanted to ask, but she was afraid to reveal it. Lobelia's smile was soothing, enough so that she risked it. "You have lost friends, I haven't. At least not in death. Is it weird that I have an enjoyment for all of this, despite it being a prison where our very lives are at stake?"

"Stay brave, my Kaisho," Lobelia kindly replied. "There are those who lost sight of what this is, a game, and they cower in fear. Others have come to see it as a way of life, something to endure, and they make a living off what they can. The smith who made Harmonic Salvation, and the craftsman who made your armor are some of the greatest of those who endure. But then there are those, like you, who are radiant lights because they see this as it is, a game. As evil as most of us find it, you find comfort in the stats and levels that this world provides. You use it to excel. You actually play the game. But you will suffer for it, because once this is over, it will all go away. You will never get to live as such ever again, for good or bad. It will be a haunting memory, a shadow of a past life you can never touch. But it is you, the few true players of Sword Art Online, who will conquer this game. And it is you who inspire the rest of us to be the best players we can be. And your friends will be there to help you stay steady in a world without SAO.

"But what are your downcast eyes for? I saw the bright light I sparked dim and be shielded by you yourself."

Bladescape wrestled with what she had just been told. Stats and levels gave her strength. A true player, it all made sense. The warning, there was no avoiding it. She was in too deep and her friends were of a much greater concern to her. She was also concerned about what the particular stat, or rather, Skill was and showing it off. Lobelia was about to be their Sansa, fourth ranked on the Council. Astro and Backbreaker already knew, so Bladescape decided Lobelia should as well.

Bladescape took a step back as she drew Harmonic Salvation from her back. "This room isn't large," Bladescape warned. "But it is enough if you stay seated. Only a few know this, but I unlocked an Extra Skill not too long ago."

Bladescape set her hands in the position of Greatsword. She took her stance and executed the powerful cut, showing off the simple wrist roll that was ultimately the most powerful force in any reality, leverage.

"Amazing," Lobelia whispered. "The fulcrum you demonstrated gives enormous power to a normal blade, and it is surprisingly quick. Add in the Sword Skills for extra power, and that is...that technique...well it must be protected. We have a user of the two-handed longsword, but they are not max yet."

"We will get them there," Bladescape said as she sheathed Harmonic Salvation. "And then I promise, I will teach them. By then, its existence will probably be known. I don't want to get swarmed by swordsmen trying to learn it. I'm not even sure of all the prerequisites required to unlock it. Knowledge is power in this game. Mapping data is one thing, but Skills, there are players who would not like me having an Extra Skill, even if I passed it on."

"We cannot avoid those people in any world or reality,” Lobelia advised. “The best we can do is be ourselves and stand our ground to them, yet never provoking them to anger. Discretion is understandable since this reality magnifies the importance of Skills, but don't let it become hoarding by not using it when you must. For our lives may depend on that Skill."

Bladescape was confident when she made the declaration. "I will not let a single player die because I didn't use all the Skills available to me."

"That," Lobelia said as her grin grew sly. "That is the Kaisho I want to follow."

"Thank you," Bladescape replied. "For all the words of wisdom, the approval for setting ourselves up in the headquarters, and for your trust. We can talk more once we are officially together as guildmates, and once we are united in our new headquarters. I enjoyed this. I want to learn more about life from you. I also don’t want to spoil the new headquarters until you see it for yourself. Those conversations care wait a few more days."

"We will," Lobelia stated with a bow. “And I wish to learn more from you. I also want to see the place for myself first. Your avoidance has me intrigued about what could be so special, that it is worth hiding.”

Bladescape was shown out and then she went back to Floor 35. She had a room to prepare. She had accumulated a lot of stuff over her time here. Too much of it was junk; forgotten pieces that were never sorted as planned. This move would be good for cleaning out the dark recesses of her menu and room's storage. A little, albeit late, spring cleaning.

A knock on the door brought her mind back to the present. "Enter," Bladescape called.

AFCK popped in. "I have dinner ready! Come on down."

"Sounds good," Bladescape said, glancing around her room.

She met them downstairs, where a relaxed dinner was underway. Everyone was tired, but feeling good. They owned a castle on a private island, a dream that would never have come true in any other reality. It had been a fun day. They would be preparing the castle for a large group of players to be residing in it and using all of it, and the biggest concerns were the social places. And they couldn't blow the surprise until it was time to show it to their new guildmates.

They were relaxing, enjoying cupcakes, when Kiefer sparked a question.

"You know," Kiefer grinned. "After we get out of here, we all need to meet up and visit this Equestria. It sounds intriguing."

"Oh no," Bladescape said, resisting a sigh. "We don't cross over or visit."

"Why not?" Kiefer pressed. "Besides, you already came over and are living here."

Bladescape groaned and crossed her arms. "I'm a complex situation that never should've happened."

"We can't cross over!" AFCK exclaimed. "Then there would be two of us, and it would be confusing. That is why Princess Twilight doesn't let us."

"So?" Kiefer asked, still pressing. "It sounds like that is something a lot more typical of there. Right?"

"Yeah," Bladescape admitted. "Slightly. But they also can be a lot more dramatic over simple stuff over there."

"Why haven't you gone before?" Less asked.

"She has!" AFCK exclaimed. "Ignoring her stealing the crown, she has gone a few times to help us know what is going on from things that accidentally went from them to us."

"Come on," Kiefer said. "It can't be that hard-"

"It's a lot more complicated than you think," Bladescape interrupted him. "On our side, the portal is public. However, it is usually closed and opens only at specific times, for a brief period. If you get caught on the other side, you have a long wait ahead of you."

"You are just making excuses; you can obviously get around that."

Bladescape rolled her eyes. "Look, I go by invitation only, when it is opened. I don't just jump back and forth. We go only if invited. Besides, it takes time, and we don't exactly live life without responsibilities."

"Not even for a vacation?" Kiefer asked. "I know your other selves have to want to meet you."

"It's..." Bladescape stumbled. "It's not something we should discuss right now. Let's leave it at that. Please."

"It's not that fun over there," AFCK added.

"Pinkie!" Diemond chastised. "Drop it."

"Sorry. I was just trying to help."

"We can't let our new guildmates know about the portal and all that private stuff," Bladescape said. "Not all of them are going to understand. We got lucky all of you do. Understood?"

They all agreed and then they split to prepare or continue preparations for the move.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 76 - Castle Mania

Floor 61 - Front Line Floor 63
June 28 - Year 2

The crisp grass came into focus along with their castle. Beside Bladescape, Kamishi and Lobelia appeared. Lobelia gasped in surprise. Kamishi's mouth was open in shock. Bladescape gently pushed each of them forward so they got off the plaza for others to follow.

"Is that?" Kamishi asked, stalling out.

"A castle?" Bladescape finished. "Yes, it is a castle. Let's get these chairs put away and take a tour."

"Lead on," Lobelia said, a smile growing on her lips.

"We have a nice gatehouse, mostly for looks,” Bladescape explained as they got to it. “I mean, no one is going to be storming a castle in here, but looks still transfer to prestige. Our greeting chamber is nice and big."

"Plenty," Lobelia said. "Your old furniture looks so small in here."

"That it does," Bladescape replied. "The floor plan is a little scattered for my liking, but we have a main living room and several squad rooms in this building. Enough to cover our nine squads. The back corners also have stairs to the second and third floors."

They poked their heads into the dining hall.

"Pretty bare right now,” Bladescape continued. “We bought several more, cheap, tables to cover us for the time being. As well as some other chairs. We only did what we needed to because of the big orders we will be doing tomorrow. Now, just down here, this is the guild hall."

Bladescape smiled as they both marveled at the enormous space. They got to see it from different angles as they put their chairs against the far wall.

"Soon. This will have more seats than what we need," Bladescape explained. "We need to be able to host multiple guilds here, just in case."

"You always were a prepared group," Kamishi commented.

"Better ready than unsteady," Bladescape shrugged. "But we have a secret entrance and exit." It took Bladescape a moment to find it along the wall but the door swung open and they stepped into the back.

"And right here is the center staircase," Bladescape said as she took them up to the second floor. They made a brief stop there to glance at an open room and then headed up to the third.

"A small lounge for us," Bladescape said. "And on the other side of the stairs is a private council chamber for us. After that it is the other 5 rooms. Kiefer has the far one down there, by the stairs closest to the kitchen. That staircase is the closest to the entrance from the courtyard and the barracks. Shikiku will have her room right off it to be reachable but separated from us. AFCK has her room next to Shikiku, keeping her close to the kitchen."

"And you have the tower?" Lobelia asked.

"Yes," Bladescape nodded. "As we discussed."

"Good," Lobelia said, smiling warmly at Bladescape. "Our Kaisho deserves it."

"We have to go through it, but let me show you the top of the tower," Bladescape said. "You can see everything from there."

They followed Bladescape up into the tower.

"Nice room," Kamishi said. "I saw that we had a separate, interior chamber, from our main room, but the divider of status being the floor is nice."

"Who made these shields?" Lobelia asked. "Not to pry. We are supposed to be getting to the roof."

"It's not prying," Bladescape replied. "I did. I was trying it as a Skill. That and Heraldry, which is why they are painted. Rendil taught me. I didn't like it though. It certainly wasn't going to be a thing to do to relax. That became horseback riding. I even own a horse."

"Own a horse?" Kamishi asked, shocked. "I knew you could rent them, but they are notoriously difficult to control. I tried to make it work for a while early on, but it wasn’t worth it."

"I was taught by a skilled rider in real life and in here," Bladescape explained. "For a quest series I am doing. It's a solo series and it required combat on horseback. That is what my shorter sword, Bajutsu, is for. He is my cavalry blade."

Bladescape showed them up to the top of the tower. Both were, once again, speechless.

It was Lobelia who finally spoke first. "This view is gorgeous. You can see the whole floor in all its glory."

"You certainly can," Bladescape said.

They watched as the last of the Wondercolts arrived and got their look at the castle for the first time. Bladescape then brought them to the other side of the tower.

"That building is the barracks. It has 90 rooms. The back tower is the crafting center. The bottom is the forge and the second floor the cloth and fabric area. The third floor is where Diemond set up her room. She isn't the only one to move locations. Doombunny took up the gardener's hut in the back corner of our garden. I figured, we could put that shrine to your fallen friends in there, somewhere."

"With any luck, we won't add any Wondercolts," Kamishi solemnly stated. There wasn't a lot of hope in that statement. But as Bladescape understood it, one of the recently deceased members was one of Kamishi's guys, who he had started SAO with.

"I assume that is the football pitch?" Kamishi asked.

"Yep," Bladescape nodded. "At some point today, the nets and bleachers will be ready. Astro, Thunderborne, Kiefer, and Lessa will be handling it. They are made to easily snap together, not requiring any Skill to assemble. But the lines are painted. We did it inside the courtyard because it will help keep the ball from going over the cliff and into the water. I am sure we are going to lose a lot, and Thunderborne and Astro already bought a ton of extra balls, but it is a decent setup. It will be more than fine for 4 on 4 matches."

"Do you play?" Kamishi asked.

"I know how, but I am not that great," Bladescape replied.

"I assume Astro and Thunderborne will be on the same team, so want to join me?"

"Actually, they will be leading their own teams,” Bladescape chuckled. “We didn't even have to tell them to split up. They want to compete against each other as the captains of their own teams. But yeah, I'll join you in that."

"Sweet," Kamishi said, grinning in anticipation. "We can sort out what position you will play once we have the other two members. I will play center. I know it because that is what I played in high school. It was an after school, extracurricular league, but still fun."

"Three councilors should hype up the others to join," Lobelia added. "It will be good to have the league. Even just to sit and watch."

"I was planning on just watching," Bladescape replied. "But with the offer, well, why not? I think that is how the others will see it. Right?"

"That is all we need," Kamishi said. “It will be fun to do as a guild. Great team building, no matter if you are on the field on in the stands."

"That was the idea," Bladescape said, sighing contently.

"How much of it is ours?" Lobelia asked.

"The entire island is a safe zone and ours," Bladescape replied with a sly grin. "The walls only give us privacy from anyone teleporting in."

"That is a big front lawn," Lobelia snorted. "We are going to have to find something to do with it."

"Don't tempt anyone," Bladescape warned. "They could easily come up with something ridiculous to do with it. Diemond is already planning a second store day. It won't be as big as the first one, but we will still need to set things up. Either way, she is almost ready. The merger set her back, but it isn’t like she is on a schedule for it. We might do it outdoors, but indoors brings the players inside to marvel at our castle. "

"Marveling is good," Kamishi grinned. "And this time, you guys will have plenty of hands to help. You won't need to hire Fuurinkazan."

"We probably still will," Bladescape added. "Just for fun."

"You guys have a good relationship with them," Kamishi said. "One of the few guilds who do."

"Solid group of guys," Bladescape shrugged. "It probably was because we were the first girl guild-"

"Of two," Kamishi inserted.

"-to hit the front lines, but we did make a good connection with them on Floor 39 and then found ourselves having fun once we set the boundaries. All of us are still in high school. Klein still jokes with the pickup lines and flirting, but it is just fun between friends."

"So don't punch him if he says something stupid," Kamishi replied.

"Exactly," Bladescape chuckled. Kamishi and Lobelia joined in.

A message popped up. Bladescape opened it. It was Argo. Bladescape sent a reply back for the meeting.

"I have to meet with Argo in an hour," Bladescape explained. "Something just came up, so let's get the rest of the tour done."

"Of course," Lobelia nodded.

The move was in full swing and the first wave brought in the stuff from Geigi Clan's house. They took a look at the kitchen, but AFCK had already made a mess after getting everything from Geigi Clan's kitchen and cabinets moved in. She was already working on lunch, and preparing for dinner.

Leaving AFCK to her work, they headed over to the barracks and saw exactly what each member was getting. The rooms were much larger than the ones Gegi Clan had been stuffing 2 bunk beds into. They saw the crafting tower and took a stroll through the garden.

By the time they were done, the others had brought in Lobelia's and Kamishi's boxes. Bladescape didn't feel bad about heading off to see Argo with them preoccupied with setting their own rooms up.

The meeting was in the same seedy cafe in Algade that it usually was. Oddly enough, Argo wasn't the only patron inside that Bladescape knew. Kirito was eating lunch at another table. As expected, he was alone.

Bladescape sat down with Argo and was immediately passed a piece of paper. "I need you to check this place out for its potential as a training ground."

"Sounds easy enough," Bladescape said as she looked over the directions to the location. Argo wasn't going to say more with others in the establishment. She had everything explained on the paper.

"We'll see," Argo shrugged. She smiled mischievously as she took a drink. "Now, how is Thorn Island?"

"It's unbelievable," Bladescape grinned back. "When we have the new furniture, we will have you over for dinner. Tomorrow, the big crafting guilds are going to come and put down proposals for each room. It's going to be a bidding and design war, like in real life. We gave out some room dimensions to help them get started, but we expect a big turnout."

"So it was a good hook up?" Argo asked.

"Worth it," Bladescape nodded. "A pain to clear the island so we could buy the property, and it was very costly, but it was worth it."

"What did you have to do?"

"Floor 61 is bugs," Bladescape reminded Argo. "Big bugs. Head crushing pincher bugs. And more of them were the slimy type, not the hard shelled beetles on other floors."

"Slimy?" Argo asked, mining for clarification.

"Caterpillars, silverfish, and those types of bugs."

"Ah," Argo said with a nod.

"I need to go," Bladescape said standing up. "I'll check this place out. Maybe tonight. We still have a few things to clear up with the headquarters before the designers come tomorrow."

"It can sit a few days," Argo said. "But good luck."

When Bladescape got back to the castle, she found Kiefer and Doombunny. The two of them would make good testers. It looked like it was going to be lighter and fast work, not heavy and slow. Kiefer could not only stand on his own, he might be training the new Wondercolts at the location. The targets were soft, and most likely prone to poison. Plus, if it was a speed place, it would hopefully beat the wilderness and wolves Doombunny currently hunted. They would be able to make the overnight trip to scope the location out and not have it impact them the next day. Bladescape would have the hardest time since she would need to deal with the proposals, but she had functioned off of less sleep over worse conditions.

Lobelia found Bladescape shortly after. "I was hoping you would have some time to skim through the plans for tomorrow. We have some unique opportunities presented to us. More than wearing nice clothes."

"So that is why Diemond has been eyeing me weird the past two days. She spoke with you and Shikiku about stylings?"

"We have something special planned for you," Lobelia admitted. "As well as Astro and Backbreaker. You will look fabulous, yet traditional. Leave it up to us to sort out."

"Yay," Bladescape groaned.

Lobelia just chuckled in response.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 77 - Bar Brawls

Floor 62 - Front Line Floor 63
June 28 - Year 2 – 10pm

Bladescape led Kiefer and Doombunny through the woods, heading west. She was using the map Argo had drawn them. Yes, they were supposed to be bonding with the new Wondercolts, but this trip was important. And it was overnight while the others slept, so they wouldn’t be missed. If this location panned out, they could train them here until Argo sold the information off and other players came. But that would all depend on the type of training location it proved to be.

If it was group oriented, the location would fill up quickly as squads, parties, and guilds worked on team dynamics while grinding for XP. Those places were usually lower for XP per hour, but the teamwork gained, honed, or kept well oiled was a good tradeoff.

Solo oriented training grounds were usually higher XP per hour, and less players came. The solo locations usually were not the most advantageous for obtaining guild quotas. Less players liked to risk the higher floors for a solo location, even for nearly insane XP rates. They had always been the riskier training locations. Bladescape had often used them for her overnight trips, and she had to be extra vigilant. Those were also the days before Laughing Coffin.

The sand crabs were a great hybrid location. They could be fought by small teams or solo, and the other party members could rest and stay fresh while still getting XP. It got crowded though, and it was high time they had a better location. Unfortunately, Floor 61 was a wash with the entire thing being a lake.

The three of them finally came to the spot. Several taverns and other buildings were stuck in a mountain crevice to make a town. According to Argo, the town was not a safe zone and the only buildings available to players were the three taverns.

Like Argo had said, they sat up on ledges. Straight ahead of them was The Flying Duck. On the north ledge was the Bull and Bear. Directly across from it on the south ledge was the Green Boar. They looked stable despite their shabbiness.

Bladescape led them up to the steep steps to the Bull and Bear. Inside, the bar spanned the entire length of the wall to their right. At the end was the cellar to hold the alcohol, blocked by a door. The stairs to the second floor were also blocked by a door. There was a large group of gangly NPCs around the various tables. Most seemed to be doing business transactions. Col was being passed across the tables, or under them. Despite the questionable nature of the NPCs, there were absolutely no whores or wenches in the tavern. The only worker was the barkeep.

"Stay there," Bladescape said, pointing to the only open table. She walked up to the counter. "I'd like a room please," she asked the barkeep.

"All full," the bartender spit. His voice was adequately deep for his large size. "All the rooms in each tavern are booked for the, uh," he chuckled deeply, "for the Black Velvet Band's annual convention."

"Fine," Bladescape nodded. She watched him give a mug of ale to the guy sitting next to her. "How much for a drink?"

"5 bits," he huffed.

"All out of bits," Bladescape replied.

It was time to really test the information Argo wanted. Bladescape blatantly pulled the mug from the NPC next to her and took a chug. His ugly scarred face was shocked for a moment. He growled and stood up clenching a fist and ramming it into his palm. Bladescape held up her hand and continued to down the entire mug. She slammed it down on the counter and burped in his face.

"That was my ale," he growled. He had a good eight inches on Bladescape, and he was wider than she was, even in her plate armor. "I'm going to pound you to bits and then use what little is left of you for more ale."

"Do your best," Bladescape grinned.

Bladescape didn't need an outside system skill to predict his punch. He pulled his arm all the way back. She sidestepped it with ease and drew Harmonic Salvation. She cut him down before he could recover.

The room froze, except for the barkeep who kept drying the same mug he had been when they had entered. Slowly the others stood up and drew their own weapons. They now looked like a rowdy gang of thieves and bandits.

"Um, Blade," Doombunny nervously said. "Now what?"

Bladescape laughed. "Oh yeah. I didn't tell you the interesting part of this place. Argo got into a long fight here. Don't worry yourself over their levels, they have low defense stats and their weapons are crap. She believes that once you start the bar fight, it doesn't stop until you exit. We are here to test that."

Kiefer's fist glowed and he threw a great cross to the NPC closest to him, right across the chin. It was a simple strike that knocked off two thirds of the NPC's health. That was the last straw and the fight began. The NPC tags went from blue to red, indicating they were an enemy. They didn't just fight the Wondercolts. Some were fighting the other NPCs they had just been doing business with. Deaths were happening all around.

Colorra was very happy to be in a fight with squishy NPCs. Doombunny didn't need her parrying dagger or buckler, but she trained it anyway. Mourning Protector was the only blade she needed. The NPCs were armorless. They died faster than a poison could be registered. Kiefer switched back and forth between Mistmane's Fury and his Martial Arts Skill. He needed to train both, but Martial Arts was the newer skill. Bladescape began to use the wider sweeping attacks of Greatsword. Bajutsu would be the wiser choice, but she couldn't train Greatsword with it. She had tried, but the handle wasn't long enough to trigger the start of a Greatsword Sword Skill.

They fought for a while before Bladescape stepped over the bar again. She slapped down several pieces of Col. "Three of your finest ales please."

"Coming right up," he casually replied. He set each mug in front of her and then went back to drying the same one he was programmed to dry for eternity. The bar fight was of no concern to him.

Bladescape grabbed the handles in one hand and cut down one bandit in her way. She set them down at the table that her friends were loosely around.

"Drink up," Bladescape said. "We need to stay hydrated."

Both Kiefer and Doombunny killed their bandit and stepped over the table. They clashed mugs and took a solid drink before they were forced to address more vagabonds.

The outside door opened and familiar faces entered. Bladescape had just killed half of them. The door to the second floor banged opened and more enemies came at them. They certainly had a high respawn rate.

Their stats were pathetic. Bladescape got stabbed in the chest by a rusty cutlass. She looked at where her armor had stopped it and then back at the bandit who had no idea what to do now that his weapon failed. He had knocked 10 HP off her full health. He didn't have to worry any longer as Colorra twisted up his body, pinning him with the her coils, and then bit him in the neck. She looked at Bladescape and nodded. Her expressions were hard to read since she was a snake, but Bladescape had learned to distinguish the difference between Colorra's joy look and angry look. She dropped into a coil as the bandit shattered. Immediately she began to stalk another target.

At their fifth round of drinks, Kiefer spoke up. "Blade, you have things handled here. I am going to take Doom and Colorra and check out the Green Boar. We should make sure that they keep coming and that the others are the same. Easy, fast, and fun."

"Go," Bladescape laughed. "I do have this. But we meet up at 4:30 in the center of the town."

They both agreed. Bladescape pulled up her menu and switched out Harmonic Salvation for Bajutsu. Without the others, she would need the shorter sword. It was all one hit kills, but she needed to address their numbers and ensure she did not get overwhelmed.

Outside the tavern, the window popped up for Kiefer and Doombunny. Kiefer’s jaw dropped as he saw the XP gained. It was rather pathetic Col, about 15 for each kill, but it was insane how fast they racked up the number he was looking at. This was going to be a hot solo training spot. They could ignore unit tactics for the moment and just hit the XP for the leveling quotas they were instituting.

Kiefer and Doombunny headed across the town center and into the Green Boar. They found out that the Green Boar was the exact same bar as the Bull and Bear, with only two differences. The bartender was a female, but she was also drying a mug in the exact same pose and routine as the male bartender. The second was the fact that the Green Boar was a card and betting tavern. The highlights included some unknown card game with cards that didn't look like anything Kiefer had ever seen, the classic knife finger game where you bet you wouldn't stab yourself, and a card game that resembled the dueling games in the real world.

Kiefer ordered two drinks, which he kept at the bar, and then walked over to the knife hand game. He waited until one of the four players started and then slammed his fist on the table. The NPC sliced a finger off at the shaking of the table

"Shoot!" Kiefer exclaimed. "I don't have the cash to match your bets."

That was all that he needed to trigger the NPCs to turn hostile and start fighting the two Wondercolts. They also turned on the cheating poker players, which was everyone playing. Doombunny and Colorra kept their same thing going as before. Kiefer just worked on Martial Arts. It was more fun in this set up than using his large katana.

Punch, sidestep, hook, duck, uppercut, turn to next opponent and duck, uppercut and then double jab.

It was fast and easy banging heads together. It had been a long time since they had killed anything so easily, and especially without stress. Doombunny and Kiefer eventually met at the bar and sat down to drink their ale. Colorra was dealing with the bandits.

“I don’t think you need me,” Doombunny said as she set her empty mug down. “I should probably grab Colorra and try the third tavern.”

“Go for it,” Kiefer grinned. “This will be fun by myself. I’ll be safe, but a fistfight like this is exactly what I need to train Martial Arts.”

“Good luck,” Doombunny said, getting up. Colorra met her at the door and she exited, leaving Kiefer cracking his knuckles and with a sly grin on his face.

Doombunny stepped into the Flying Duck. "Oh my," she said, blushing. She felt completely uncomfortable about being in this tavern. Poker and shady business she could handle, but the Flying Duck was a whore house. Nothing too lewd. The clothes stayed on until they took it upstairs. Or would if their code didn't keep them doing the same repetitive things.

Doombunny went to the counter, bought a drink, and then walked up to a woman and man making out.

"Um, excuse me," Doombunny sweetly said. "Sorry to interrupt, but he is kind of my man, and I would like for you to get off him and stop kissing him. You know, if that isn't too much to ask."

The whore slapped the man and got off him. He turned to Doombunny. "Fine. Then you and I are going to my room right now."

"No," Doombunny confidently said in her normal voice.

He drew his knife. "I wasn't asking."

Doombunny drew her knife. The duel was over in an instant and Doombunny was untouched. That was all the tavern needed for the fighting to start. Colorra was the perfect backup as Doombunny fought both the men and the women solo. The women came at her with fists, while most of the men had short swords and daggers. With the fight started, there was nothing lewd about the tavern except for how scantily clad some of the women were.

Doombunny switched to her buckler. She worked to pick up what the others had been doing. Not every cut of the blade had to be triggered with a Sword Skill. She started using the buckler to bash a face in here or there, while she dealt with another vagabond. It was effective at breaking the attack algorithms, and it took a surprising amount of HP off their gauges.

It was fast and hot work. Doombunny drank what she could, when she could, but by 4am she was exhausted. She decided she was done with the whorehouse, and how uncomfortable she was getting. It had been 4 hours fighting alone. She left the tavern to meet the others in the center of the village. With any luck, they would also call it a bit early.

Kiefer was already waiting in the center of the three taverns. Doombunny walked over to him, but he spoke first. “That was ridiculous,” He declared. “I raked in the XP. The Col sucks, but the XP is scary.”

He stopped. “You look disturbed. Like the early you, when you had to kill a cute animal. Not the hardened warrior you are now.”

“Sorry,” Doombunny said, shaking her head to clear it. “There was, well nothing. The Flying Duck is a whorehouse tavern.”

“Ah,” Kiefer said with an understanding nod. “I should have gone instead to spare your innocence.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Doombunny replied, rolling her eyes, annoyed. “I am older than you. I can handle myself. This game isn’t that bad. I was not expecting it, but once the fight started, it was the same as the others. I was getting tired of it though.”

“Let’s check in with Blade,” Kiefer suggested. “I know she has several minutes left, but I want to see how she is handling it. That was rather exhausting.”

“Mhm,” Doombunny sweetly nodded, back to her normal self on the outside.

They entered the Bull and Bear tavern and found it in an odd ruckus. Bladescape was having no problem. It was quite the opposite.

Bladescape was sitting in a chair against the wall. The endless spawn of enemies had grown tiring. She was sitting in a place where they could only come at her one by one. All she had to do was swing Harmonic Salvation, training Greatsword, and cut them down. It was a simple move she could perform in her chair. It was maximum chilgrinding. It didn't get any lazier than what she was doing. Rainbow Dash and Thunderborne would be proud of her.

Kiefer and Doombunny were not attacked, so they walked over to Bladescape. They had to slip past the line to get to her side.

“We are done,” Kiefer said. “It is well worth it. For XP, not Col. It’s roughly 15 Col a head. But we could rapidly train the new Wondercolts up to the quotas.”

“Cool,” Bladescape said as she cut down another thief. “Want to bust me out of here?”

Doombunny flipped out Mourning Protector and caught it in a reverse grip. She grinned as she rammed it into the chest of the vagabond behind her, starting her addition to the fight. Kiefer gave a savage kick to the leg of another, knocking him off his feet and then he drove the killing blow down into the back of his head with his fist. Bladescape stood up and thrust Harmonic Salvation through three lined up bandits before they popped.

The three of them meant business this round and cleared out the tavern before anyone could respawn. They bolted out the door in victory.

“Wow,” Bladescape exclaimed as she saw the mass of XP finally dumped onto her from the nonstop fight. “6 hours got me this?”

“Yeah,” Kiefer chuckled. “Totally worth it as a grinding spot. But it will fill up fast.”

“Let’s get back,” Bladescape said. “I say we teleport.”

They agreed and teleported back to their new home on Thorn Island.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Author's Note

I will be writing for NaNoWiMo this year! My blog has the info for that.

Episode 78 - Argo

Floor 61
June 29 - Year 2

Bladescape opened the outer door to their castle as it neared 5am. The time meant they could get a two hour nap in at most before the big day started. Bladescape jumped, avoiding a scream, as a figure sat up on the couch and looked over the back of it at them. It was a sleepy eyed Argo. She rubbed her eyes, not fully awake.

"What are you doing coming in?" Argo moaned.

"What are you doing on our couch!" Bladescape fired back.

Bladescape wasn't sure if it was a tired moan or a groan that came out of Argo. "I was resting, waiting for you guys for the morning. I thought you were all inside. Why are you not?"

Bladescape laughed heartily. "This is the best Argo moment yet. AFCK has thrown you through a few ringers, but right now, you did this to yourself."

Argo narrowed her eyes at Bladescape but didn't bite back.

Bladescape walked over to the couch and plopped down next to her. "Well, the three of us just got back from checking out that spot you asked us too. The one to evaluate the training value."

"And?" Argo asked, unable to stifle the yawn.

"Chaotic. It has potential, but it also won't make for an easy way to time things. There is no squad potential, no real tactics to the area for squad training. All you do is have a bar fight, against bandits, thieves, and vagabonds, with weapons or without, and in tight quarters. You just spend hours bashing heads for great XP rewards. They respawn quickly, making it hard to clear out the tavern solo, and exiting when you are done isn’t easy. But, it was fun. We handled it fine. We could train there and get everyone up to our quotas really quick. Two weeks quick."

"That's good," Argo said, yawning again. Then she sat there, thinking over what Bladescape had just said. "Wait? Quotas‽ You guys have never had quotas. You have never needed them! You were always on top of the curve. Even your lowest leveled members were above most of the clearers! You were, are, the envy of so many guilds. It all came so smoothly for you. A group of friends who always have it together and never have to work hard to be at the top! That is what you are seen as."

Bladescape grinned and then let out an uncontrollable laugh. "We just destroyed that rep today. We didn't know we had it, but we planned that destruction a week ago."

"How?" Argo asked. She was awake, mostly. "You guys are the legendary Wondercolts. You are about to become even more legendary because you have a castle. By tomorrow, or no, it's early enough that it is technically tonight, half of Aincrad will know you guys own a castle and an island. And it's going to make so many players jealous! Because that is the dream, to live in a castle, and on a private island! So how could you blow-"

Argo stopped herself and began to run calculations in her head. She was a lot more animated than usual. Being caught napping on their couch at 4:30am had her in a surprisingly open mood.

"No!" She exclaimed. "You guys didn't, did you?"

Bladescape chuckled. "Until you actually ask, I can't tell you if we did 'it' or not."

Argo was fully awake now, but still more animated than usual as she leaned in close to Bladescape. "Did you guys add members?"

"Yes," Bladescape nodded.

"OMG! I can't believe it actually happened! I know there's at least one betting pool that you would add members at some point. And it's still going since only Knightstar dropped out. Wait, does she know?"

"Operation Midnight Redemption is on track," Doombunny said from the center walkway. "But no. If you didn't know, then she certainly doesn't know. Our business was kept private."

"Awe man," Argo exclaimed, plopping into the couch cushion further. "That means you picked up a bunch of boring support players to help out with crafting and cooking."

Bladescape rolled her eyes. "Well, some will be doing that, but no. We didn't pick up a crafting guild. Although, that isn't a bad idea. Still, AFCK and Diemond do not need competition. Diemond is stressed enough and I don't want to have to stop another food fight."

Argo grinned from the cushion's embrace. "One, I want to hear this food fight story. Two, that means Diemond is having to create new uniforms. Or more uniforms. Either way, you guys got useful players. Clearers?"

"Of course," Kiefer said, playfully scoffing at the notion that they would get anyone who couldn't fight on the front line.

"Well, then, who folded? I'm not always up to date on guild news. Gossip isn't my job."

That statement wasn't exactly true. She did gossip, but only on verified things that she could sell.

“Wait!” Agro exclaimed. “Did Fuurinkazan fold?”

“No,” Kiefer chuckled. “I am surprised our addition of members didn’t start with them, but no.”

Bladescape looked at Kiefer. "We do have a spare bedroom set up, right? So we can get her off this couch. Also, Argo, is there a way for a guild member to hide their tag?"

"If you are meaning me being able to hide your guild tag, maybe. Mo would know. But I'm not going to give a second thought to it at this time of night, er, morning. Wait! Did you pick up Silica?"

"No," Bladescape replied with a shake of her head. "We probably could, she is good friends with Doom and their familiars love each other, but the level difference is still huge. We could support her with a home base, but that is it."

"She is rather happy about where she is at," Doombunny added. "The two of us have talked, but she would not be able to do much with us. It's the unfortunate reality of this death game. Otherwise she would have joined us ages ago. Although, if we somehow roped Kirito into becoming a Wondercolt, she would join us. She had a fun, adventure of sorts, with him back a few weeks ago."

"Dang," Argo growled. "I had Silica joining you as my bet. I wanted to see the two beast tamers tackle Aincrad together."

Kiefer snorted a laugh. "You won't see Doombunny. And not because of hide. She is fast and efficient. And Colorra adds in a whole other kill count bracket. That snake killed as many tonight as I did."

"Come on," Bladescape said, standing up and offering her hand to Argo. "Let's get you a bed to sleep on for a few more hours. Breakfast is at 8am. The Crafters arrive at 9. We will have time for a tour later, but I have to greet them."

Argo took her hand and was pulled up. She stretched with a yawn to get going. "Yeah, but who did you merge with?"

Bladescape glanced at Kiefer and Doombunny. Both of them gave her short nods of approval. Colorra did too.

"You would find out in a few hours, but all of the current members of Geigi Clan joined the Wondercolts. For most of the players, we have the same vision."

Argo made a few awkward noises as she tried to speak. She finally got her words straight as she was led into the Headquarters proper. "You merged with Geigi! They were stalling out on Floor 62. The rumors said they were going to spin out from the front lines, unable to sustain clearer status. They lost players like 2 weeks ago and they haven’t been seen on the front lines for days."

"They just need some guidance," Kiefer said. "In less than 3 weeks we can have them at the quotas and once again viable on the front lines."

Bladescape continued to explain the plan. "We will keep up with quotas, in case we need to field everyone, but I don't see more than 4 squads on the front line at any given time. The rest will grind for Col, materials, info, quests, and dungeon diving. We have a few who are not going back out into the field who will be direct support. Primarily cooks under AFCK."

Kiefer stopped them at the back door of the main building. "Didn't we put a bed on the second floor?"

"Oh yeah," Bladescape chuckled before turning around. "Come on. Let's get you to a quieter room, not one in the Barracks. The second and third floors of the main building are leader and officer quarters. Outside of our 5 member council, our member representative consultant, AFCK as our head cook, and Kiefer, who is our training officer, the rooms are empty. The rest of our officer choices are on probationary status for a bit as we organize and figure out if they are what we need for the Wondercolts 2.0. Same mission and ideology, but with more members."

"You make it sound grand," Argo said, snickering.

"I knew we did something right," Bladescape said, mostly to herself, as she stopped them in front of the left central room. Bladescape pointed to the stairs. "If you need anything, well you won't be able to find it without our help because of the move in. I am in the tower. Take these stairs all the way up. It's a bit of a climb, but I can't wait to show you my pad. It is sweet."

"Got it," Argo said with a wink. "A bed is more preferable, even as good as your couch was. But you were getting at something earlier. You scouted that location for me, but it has mixed reviews."

"I have the data," Bladescape said. "We can cover it tomorrow."

"How long would it take to get to your quotas?" Argo pressed.

Bladescape sighed. "We said 3 weeks to the members, but we can do it in 2 and a half at the most in the new spot. Uninterrupted and with our schedule, I bet we can have all 50 members done in 12 days. Then we would need to train them in squads, but for raw level XP, 12 grueling days on a constant rotation should do it."

"I think I can hold that long," Argo said with a wink. She went to bed and Bladescape headed that way as well.

Bladescape climbed the tower and then ascended to her floor where her bed and wash room was. She hung up her armor and put Harmonic Salvation and Bajutsu on their mounts. She looked over at the thorned spear where she had hung it on the other wall above the stairs. Her goal was to make it the focal point so she didn't forget the lessons she had learned. She would pass it every time she left, and every time she returned.

Bladescape tossed on her sleepwear, set an alarm, and laid down in bed.

As usual, she felt like she only blinked as the alarm woke her up. At least this time it was only 2 hours. Still, she missed real sleep. What was worse was knowing that real sleep - restful, comfortable, warm sleep - was something that players could experience, and most did. She just didn't have that luxury.

Bladescape pulled off her sleepwear and descended to her guest floor, as she called it. On it was another manikin. It had a dress for her to wear. She wasn't sure about it, but Shikiku was going to be assisting her. There were details that the game couldn't replicate with the push of a button.

All of the guild's leading members - Bladescape, Backbreaker, Astro, Lobelia, Kamishi, Shikiku, and Kiefer - would be in formal attire. AFCK and the kitchen staff all had appropriate and unified outfits, which looked like fancy chef outfits. Diemond would either be a wreck in her idea dress, or wearing something fabulous. The rest of the members had a variety of semi-casual attire to wear and were free to wear anything that fit that description. It was part of the art of being human. They had unfortunately needed to raid the stock Diemond had been making for her sale.

To play her part, Bladescape was to be wearing the kimono fusion dress, as they were calling it, which was inspired by Diemond from all of the images she had seen Geigi in, both on and off the battlefield. Only Bladescape would be wearing colors that were not the guild's. Lobelia was going to be in a uchikake kimono, the bridal kimono, that was gold and blue instead of the traditional white and red. Shikiku would be in a traditional Susihiki kimono, which Bladescape's dress style was based on. Backbreaker and Astro would also be struggling to get into furisode kimonos. Kamishi and Kiefer would be wearing formal Hakamashita.

Looking at it on the manikin was one thing, wearing it was another. The main dress was a bright red. The print was multiple very thin, gold chrysanthemum outlines. They were not a distraction, but rather the perfect accent. The central waist fabric was solid gold. The center obijime cord in the center of the middle sash was Wondercolts blue. The cord and its specific knot was a very important detail and said a lot about the intention of the person wearing it. For white kimonos, it dictated if it was either for a funeral or for a wedding. Both being formal, rare occasions.

A knock came at the door and Shikiku announced herself. With the invitation accepted, the system unlocked the door and Shikiku slipped in. She didn't even blink at Bladescape's near nakedness.

"I know you are nervous about this, but it is a wise choice," Shikiku told her with a smile. "You have a new role and being seen in formal attire will not only give you the air of sophistication, but it will ensure that you are so confident in everything, that you don't need to intimidate anyone with your overpowering armor. The subtle message it will give the Crafters will be powerful. Stronger than anything else you have to wear or any words you could deliver.

"Okay," Bladescape said with a nod. "Let's do this."

"Diemond did a phenomenal job with the design and production of this kimono. It is certainly a Japanese dress, but it is more masculine and it will give you an appropriate edge of authority because of it. Kimonos in modern times are often associated with passive, quiet women among foreigners. But you need that authority."

"Talk me through what it all is," Bladescape said. "Teach me what I am wearing. As much as you can with the little time we have."

"I will enjoy giving you the basics of what you are wearing and why," Shikiku smiled. "Kimonos come in many styles and originally the word just meant clothes. But that was centuries ago. Now it is an established style. We now have different words for other types of clothes; such as the western style clothing you are used to wearing is called yofuku. This style is a naga-gi, or long kimono. Since you are unmarried, your formal kimonos can have patterned fabric above the waist. Diemond’s main design inspiration was the bright and multilayered bridal, Uchikake, kimonos. We need to dress you up the very best we can."

There were various rules for the layers as well as how to properly fold and hold them. The key was the obi, the waist and abdomen sash. Traditional shoes were not used. Diemond had given her low platform boots, red in color to blend in, for Bladescape to wear. It also added a bit of height which would not hurt her image on such an important day.

Her hair was done by hand. It had been decided that Shikiku was going to do the shimada mage style. It was a hair up style. Bladescape's hair was pulled back, through a comb. To support and hold the hair, several red ribbons were used along with six Kanzashi hair sticks. It looked like she was wearing chopsticks in her hair, but Bladescape had seen and was taught the key differences.

Only a little make-up was used. Blush, eyeliner, and lipstick was all. It was simple compared to what Lobelia would be wearing and what Shikiku was wearing. Both would be pale or completely white.

"All finished," Shikiku declared. "I need to check in with the others. But this will greatly impact our attribution to the guild and show that we had a value that cannot be forgotten. Plus, it makes you look quite Japanese, in a good, strong way. You are a beautiful young woman and will one day make a gorgeous bride, and we haven't even done you fully up. You will make some young man very proud and very happy some day."

"Shikiku, what do you do?" Bladescape dared to ask. "In real life? Everyone loves you and your company. They look up to and respect you. But they don't know what you do. Or did. Kamishi's grandmother was a geisha. It was a good reason why he was drawn to Geigi Clan. But what drew you?"

"The crying of a bride to be," Shikiku replied with a sigh as she recalled the memory. "Fate so fell that I was beside Lobelia on that day and comforting her. It was my idea that she anchor herself by wearing traditional wedding attire. Soon, we had a party going. We became famous for that, but we wanted to be famous for the right reasons, clearing the game. We caught up, lost some members, ran into Kamishi, and rebuilt ourselves. And now, still carrying on that idea, we are here.

"Back home, in the real world, I am a geisha in training. This is what I love. Fate smiled upon me and gave me players to work with. Lobelia was extremely happy with the idea. She strongly identified with being a bride, rightfully so. For there is little difference in formal bridal attire and etiquette. She took it all farther than I could have. I am very glad she did.

"We can speak more later. I trust the others, but I want to check in on them and how they are handling the dressing of our friends."

Shikiku bowed and left the room. Bladescape looked herself over in the mirror. It was a stunning transformation. As feminine as she felt, she didn't feel restricted as she thought she would. This was more comfortable than a full ball gown, and much more free moving than a skinny black tie dress that would hug her body and restrict how she moved. The option to do the Japanese style over a western one was a wise choice. She would make full use of it during the day, and it would be relayed back to the rest of Aincrad to seal this day in infamy. A boost the guild would need when discussing the merger. They needed a strong association and presence, and it would certainly also seal the fate of them being the girl guild. All of the boys were, thankfully, resigned to the honor of the nickname.

A knock came at the open door. Argo stepped in and her jaw dropped before she could say anything.

Bladescape's grin was full of guilty mischief. "I didn't choose it, but I love it. This is what the other players will see me in today, as I make the furniture and decoration orders for the guild and invite them in."

"You are certainly going to turn heads," Argo finally said, still staring. "In a good way. I've seen you in a variety of clothes, and Diemond's skill is undeniable. But she doesn't do Eastern style, or, well, didn’t. It's strange that despite being a Japanese game, the bulk of the setting and equipment is Western in style. Our political and social ties cannot be hidden. We get a lot of our culture from outside Japan, but I like to think we also give a good amount back."

"That you do," Bladescape said.

"I'm just surprised you are in red and gold, not Blue and Gold. You look stunning, but it's not the guild colors."

"Does red have a bad meaning in Japan?" Bladescape asked, slightly concerned with the answer.

"Pink would be a bad color," Argo retorted.

"So, all of AFCK?" Bladescape shot back.

Argo let out a laugh and Bladescape joined in. Argo explained what she meant. "It is a fitting color for her. Humor, femininity, spring, youth, and good health. Also, lingerie is associated with pink. But you don't need to look humorous today.

"Blue is a cool color, a bit passive, but also means fidelity. People certainly think of your loyalty when they see your blue. It also is the most important lucky color. Yellow is also lucky, but the gold you are wearing is a symbol of wealth and status. It will send a powerful message about the financial stability of the Wondercolts which is always important, but even more so after buying a castle.

"Red is a complex color. It is important and used in many celebrations. It's a joyous and happy color, and it is also associated with public phones, cherries, and paint."

"You are an info broker in real life, aren’t you?" Bladescape poked.

"I do what I know," Argo shrugged. "Being a beta tester, I knew a lot to start, and I knew how to find more. But I have a passion for information, history, facts, and learning. You kind of have to, to be an info broker. And it’s why I leave the stats to you guys. I'm okay, but you are better.

"Anyway, red. The most important thing you need to know is that red is a passionate color, full of strength as well as self-sacrifice. And, of course, blood. You are all that.

"But while that matters, don't read too much into it. Color association is a cultural thing that we do naturally, but also understand that outside special times, it means little. This is a special time, but most guild colors do not have special meaning. I'm sure you do the same at home where you are from."

Bladescape thought for a moment, reflexively looking at her own culture and what things meant. It wasn't easy to step out of her normal field of vision and be culturally relevant.

"Black is emotional and mourning," Bladescape replied. "It is also, in the right setting, seductive, mysterious and alluring. Particularly on the feminine body. All women need to own a 'little back dress.'

"Green is recycling, hippies, and the environment. White is purity. It's also a bridal color, but we have a saying for brides to bring good luck: something old, something new. Something borrowed, something blue.

"There is also red with anger and green with jealousy. Blue is a cold color. Pink is feminine. Blue is also masculine. Brown is nature. Oh, and blue is also law enforcement."

"My point exactly,” Argo grinned. “But you use those colors all the time without thinking deeper about them. Still, they will be judging you today and going with red and gold was a very wise choice. I am sure BB, Astro, and anyone else on your council will be wearing Wondercolts colors."

Bladescape nodded in agreement.

"I take back one thing I said," Argo added. "The white and red of the Knights of the Bloodoath is very intentional. Passion, strength, blood, purity, truth, starting on a blank page, going back to your roots. Their guild is all that."

"It certainly is," Bladescape said with a nod. "Want a tour? Breakfast is still a bit away."

"Sure," Argo shrugged. "I already saw the second and third floors. And we know I am familiar with the waiting chamber."

Both of them chuckled.

"This is my room," Bladescape declared. "Well the bottom floor. I call this my guest floor. I will be adding more chairs, a bookcase, and some other homey touches."

Bladescape led Argo up to her bedroom. "Self explanatory. A bath and sink are behind the screen.

"I see you use armor stands and even hang up Harmonic Salvation and Bajutsu," Argo commented.

"It gives me security," Bladescape replied. "It means I am not in danger. I can relax. There are days I don't or can't hang it up, but days like today I can."

"This is the thorned spear that ran you through?"

"It is," Bladescape replied. "I keep it as a reminder for several things. Private things. I snapped, and it keeps me grounded. Or that is the goal."

"I got the details from Mo. She filmed a good chunk of it. She never released it though. It was best buried. Snapping or not, you had a spear from a known killer through your chest. That looked good for you."

"This is what I really wanted to show you," Bladescape said as she grabbed the ladder and climbed. Argo was right behind her.

"Wow," was all Argo could say for a while after they reached the top. She checked out the various directions in the morning light.

"That is the barracks," Bladescape said, pointing to it. "And back there. That is the crafting tower. Diemond is living there on the top floor. In the other back corner is a Gardener's hut. Doombunny took that over. It suits her very well. We are going to put in a shrine for the dead inside the forest on the back wall. Geigi lost a total of 9 members over the months. We are going to honor them as traditionally as possible. Or, well, at least have it there. I'm not sure what I will do, but I can figure that out that later.”

“There are a lot of nuances to venerating the dead in Japan,” Argo replied. “We could teach you of course, but it isn’t simple. You are smart and sharp though.”

“I’d prefer to encourage them, rather than do it myself,” Bladescape admitted, “I don’t know if that makes me bad or insensitive, but I want to focus on the living, and survival, not the dead.”

“From what I know about Geigi, you will be fine. They are a great match for you. As understanding as you guys are, so are they. But, I am sure you know that. Now, let’s get breakfast. I can see the details later.”

They climbed back down, but Bladescape stopped Argo. Argo was in a very good mood, so now was the time to pull information out of her. Bladescape opened her chest and pulled out the Black Draconic Visage.

“What do you know about this?” Bladescape asked.

Argo didn’t need to move closer or examine it. “How did you get that?”

“The long story is complicated and has its secrets. But the short version is I ended up killing the King Black Dragon. It is an S Class item, but we don’t know what we can do with it.”

“It is one of the secret quests in SAO,” Argo explained. “It isn’t an official quest, but it has clear parameters. There are five great dragons in Sword Art Online. Yes, there are regular dragons, and some others are bosses, but they still are not one of Aincrad’s Five Great Dragons.

“Once the greats are all killed, I do not know what happens. But they each drop their head, and you can have it mounted. The King Black Dragon is, or was, the first to show himself. Then you have Elvarg, the mother of all dragons in Aincrad. I doubt it will be much longer before she appears. Yamata No Orochi is perhaps going to be the toughest. His name is that of a dragon from Japanese mythology. If they stay authentic, you will have to deal with an 8 headed dragon. Fucanglong is another dragon, but I only know the name. The last of the greats is Droz’l the Chaos Drake.”

“He sounds like a Floor Boss,” Bladescape said.

“So does Yamata no Orchi,” Argo added.

“How many players know about this secret quest?” Bladescape asked.

“Mo, and maybe a few other Info Brokers,” Argo replied. “At this point, everyone thinks the King Black Dragon is still alive, but I gather it has been a little while since you got that.”

“Almost 3 weeks,” Bladescape replied. “We didn’t go hunting him. He surprised us.”

“Do you want the rest?” Argo asked.

“Yes,” Bladescape replied confidently. “I have one and the others are up for grabs. Whenever they show up, I will hunt them down and take their heads.”

“You have the skills and numbers to do it,” Argo replied. “I’ll keep you posted when I find the locations of the others. Killing dragons is risky, as I am sure you fully experienced. The other major guilds don’t worry about them. They don’t reap enough of a reward.”

“I almost died a few times,” Bladescape commented, leaving it there.

“Good luck,” Argo said. “You will need it. They are going to get tougher. He was the warm up.”

“I’ll have a full raid party with me for the rest of them,” Bladescape replied. “I don’t think we will have a problem.”

Argo obviously had more questions she wanted to ask, but she turned and headed down the steps instead. Breakfast was ready and Bladescape was going to be needing her full attention for the day. She didn’t need to worry about Argo.

Breakfast was buffet style to speed things up. The open seat was the table that had the other councilors at it. All of them were in very formal and traditional Japanese clothing. Geigi Clan brought different ideas with them about how to treat those above you, like them sitting at a special table. It would take time to adjust to some of those differences. Argo followed Bladescape. There was room for both of them, and Argo was a high profile guest.

“What has you here?” Astro asked.

“I sold you the info for this place,” Argo replied. “I wanted to check it out.”

“At 2 am?” Astro pushed with a sly grin.

Argo rolled her eyes. “I didn’t expect to get caught. Crashing on the couch was the wisest choice from where I was at.”

“It is a pleasure to have you,” Lobelia said. “I know you are highly esteemed by the Wondercolts.”

“We have a great relationship,” Argo replied. “I may have clued them, I mean you, you all are Wondercolts. I may have clued you into this place, but you guys cleared it and then had the cash to buy it.”

“Clearing it was interesting,” Backbreaker admitted. “We almost lost Doombunny to the giant death flower praying mantises.”

“Lessa was the only one who avoided the last attack of the Queen Flash Bee,” Bladescape added. “And she scored the LAB from it.”

“Was it worth it?” Kamishi asked.

“It is a much better longsword than what she was using,” Bladescape replied.

Kiefer and Lessa approached the head table. “We are going to head out. No teleporting till 9, but that is in 15 minutes.”

Bladescape wiped her mouth on a napkin and stood up. “I need to make final preparations. Me, my mind, preparations that is.”

“I’ll hang out with BB,” Argo said. “The silent observer. At least for a bit."

“Okay,” Backbreaker shrugged. “That typically is my role on the Council.”

“But when you speak, it is with authority,” Bladescape said. “We know that if we got you to talk, it is important.”

Argo leaned back in the chair as Bladescape left and let out a big, content sigh. “Today is going to be fun.”

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 79 - Bidding War

Author's Note

Something to think about while you read, comment below. I have not named the crafting guilds, and none of them are named in SAO either. I am accepting names and will amend this chapter with names if you came come up with good ones.

Episode 79 - Bidding War

Floor 61
June 29 - Year 2 - 9am

Bladescape stood back from the rampart as she watched the group slowly teleport in. The crowd quickly grew in number. She could see several different guild tags by players HP bars. All of the major crafting guilds had at least a team of three on site to place a bid.

They had all been given basic dimensions and types of rooms needing to be designed, but they did not know the number of rooms or the overall layout of the building. The professionals had been given a few days' notice, so they most likely already had basic sketches and designs planned out. Now they would get the chance to see each room for themselves, and finalize everything.

While it hadn’t been publicly announced yet, it was obvious the Wondercolts had moved. Also, other than Argo, no one else knew the Wondercolts had grown. The crafting guilds had just been told to be ready at the Teleport Plaza in Lindarth at 09:00am. Information was power, and power was what they needed. The cost of furnishing the castle correctly would be astronomical. They had enough to at least start.

Kiefer materialized onto the platform, signaling that all of the Crafters were on the island. He began to herd them, with help from Lessa, towards the front entrance. They stayed back from entering as ordered. They could tell that they would be greeted momentarily.

As they finally settled down, Bladescape stepped up to the wall and onto a short step-stool they had placed there. She could easily see all of them, and they could all see her. That was the plan. They also could see she was wearing traditional Japanese clothing, something the Wondercolts had never been seen doing. It caused whispers to rise up.

Bladescape silenced them with her greeting. "Welcome, esteemed guests of the Wondercolts! We are thrilled to have you joining us today. We have two buildings that need furnishings. Each design team will have a guide who will show you to the rooms. Our cooking staff will have food prepared in the dining hall at all times. I know it will be a busy day for you all, so do not forget to eat. If your proposal is chosen, it will be well worth the effort today. Good luck to you all.

"However, before you meet your Wondercolts assistants for the day, let me introduce you to our Council."

Below her, the outer gate doors were opened. From Inside the gatehouse each Councilor came out.

"My right hand Wondercolt, Issa Backbreaker, the Iron Bulwark. Our Strategist, Nisa Astro. New to the guild but very important is Sensa Lobelia. And last but certainly not least, is Ichii Kamishi. Yesterday, Geigi Clan joined the Wondercolts. Our ideologies were the same and remain the same: to be the best people we can be. United, we are a much stronger guild and one that will continue to proudly fight on the front line and as members of the Assault Team. If you have any questions or issues that your guide cannot answer or address, they will send a message up our chain of command. We of the Wondercolts Council will also be available in the Guild Hall for most of the day if something requires our direct attention.

"We have a lot of exciting things happening, and while we are still flying the same colors, we are now a very large guild. That means we have 50 personal rooms to be furnished, each according to how their owner wishes it to be. So again, good luck!"

The Council retreated before they were swarmed. Wondercolts came out of the main building to be paired up with design teams. Kiefer kept order as they were assigned. It wasn't an easy task.

The Council met up in the guild hall, taking their basic chairs around the simple table. It was going to be a busy place, but the best location to be accessible for the crafters. The hope was that they didn't try to talk with them too much.

"That went extremely well," Lobelia said. "The only thing was you were not introduced as our Kaisho. And I know you skipped it on purpose."

"I still am uncomfortable with it," Bladescape shrugged. "I am sure you will fix that shortly."

Several groups came into the guild hall, sketchbooks and plans already out. They didn't bother the Council. They stuck to their job.

While the crafters worked on their design plans. The council began to lay out various party strategies. They hadn't done any work on how the parties were to be organized. They had chosen their party colors the night before, and now they could begin to work on BluCon's design.

As they finalized BluCon, it was clear the original Wondercolts would be broken up for those days. The game had forced this evolution, and they would only make new friends, while keeping the old.

"Excuse me," a gruff, but kind voice said, interrupting their planning.

"Gunk!" Bladescape exclaimed, standing up and shaking his outstretched hand. Gunk had been the lead crafter who had done the Wondercolts HQ in Mishe. His specialty was furniture, a combination skill of carpentry and sewing. He was an older, portly man who wasn’t well suited for combat. He had almost no hair on his head and his face was baby smooth as well. "It is good to see you here. Is it just you?"

"Valk is over there, going over fabric and the sketches. We have a third in our group now; Filigree, a wonderful artist. You should see her handiwork."

"AFCK has photos for the walls, but we will have plenty of wall space,” Bladescape said. “Later, of course, but not too far away, we will see what she has or can do for us."

"Of course," he replied with a grin. "I didn't mean to interrupt. Please, go back to what you were doing. I just wanted to say hello."

"We are glad to have you giving us a proposal," Backbreaker said from her seat. "We will keep things fair and honest, but I am sure you have seen your handiwork is still around."

"Well what else could you use?" He asked with a wink. "I hope you do certainly pick us, but we already got your business. And that reputation meant we got a whole lot more. We should be set for the rest of the game because of you. Naturally, we don't want to coast, what fun is there in that? I haven't heard of anyone doing an open invitation bidding like you guys are. It is good for the whole crafting community. It is like real life. Thank you for that."

Gunk walked away before anything else could be said and Bladescape sat back down. She quietly spoke to the Council. "I am certain Diemond will pick them for her room. I love what they did for mine, and I would love for them to continue what they started since my room is now bigger. And two floors."

"That is the beautiful thing of all this," Lobelia replied. "We only have 20 teams here, about 60 crafters. Most likely, every team will get at least a bedroom commission."

"I concur," Astro added. "I'll probably go with Gunk and Valk, for the same reason as Blade and Diemond, but there are still plenty of others."

"YelCon," Kamishi said, tapping the table and getting them back on track.

Astro growled a bit, readying her argument. "Look, I know how some of them feel, but YelCon needs to have the six Lancers together in a squad. We can train them and restrengthen their minds so that they will be fine, but we need a Lancer Squad since we have 6 lancers."

"They won't like it," Kamishi argued back. "We were promising most of them less front line time, and for several of them, they want to be off completely. They are trusting us, but I don’t want that trust to fail."

"We will make them stronger," Bladescape affirmed. "We have the training site picked out already. And this is YelCon. I know that means a heavier field presence. But we are limited in some of our operations. We will be BluCon most of the time, giving them a break."

"We need a Lancer Squad," Astro restated. "We can support it with two very heavy units that will go to boss raids, so we can train them to handle the fight. It will be fine."

"I hate to say it, but I agree," Lobelia finally said. "We need a Lancer Squad. It is mostly preference, not skill or timidness, for those members. I believe you can, we can, strengthen and build them up, revitalizing their morale."

"Now we need to build them three solid squads to support them," Bladescape said, looking at all the papers with names, skills, and notes on their fighting performance.

The bulk of their new members were shield and sword users. The biggest problem they were facing was morale. Most were sliding towards not being on the front lines. They were not saying no, like Jade, Ithilian and Delton, but some had been more vocal about hands off support of the guild pushing on the front lines. They couldn't push them too hard, or they would resist and possibly break under the strain. The only reason they were not shutting the idea out was the quota training. Over the next few weeks, as they trained them, they would have to boost their morale back to its earlier peaks, if not higher.

"Y'all, I can't tell Jack from Jill," Backbreaker stated, dropping her papers onto the table in frustrated defeat. "Let's get lunch."

"We should eat in here," Bladescape said. "I doubt there will be room."

They agreed and went to the hall. The private dining hall was where the food was at. They were using every surface and chair available for the dining hall. Two groups were working through the midday chaos around them to design the room.

Bladescape sighed as she saw the head table was empty. Everyone else was crammed into benches and Wondercolts were even standing. They desperately needed more seating, but today had them serving over 100 players, well beyond what they could have afforded to supply.

The Wondercolts were letting their guests go in front of them. They also let their councilors skip ahead. It was annoying, but Bladescape had no option but to go with it.

They sat down at their empty table. Bladescape wanted to make some announcement to allow the others to join the head table. She was distracted as Argo came out of nowhere with a plate full of food and sat down without a second thought.

"You guys have a sweet pad," Argo immediately said. "I got a thorough look at the castle. It is beautiful. The wooded garden is a nice relief from the stone. It is beautiful and calming back there. Doombunny's little shack is rather fun. She already has some unconventional details worked out."

Bladescape nodded. "I have an idea of what she is doing. And it's smart."

Gunk and Valk came up to the table. Filigree was with them. "I just wanted to introduce you to Filigree," Gunk said. “Our third member you haven’t met yet.”

"It is an absolute pleasure to meet you," Bladescape said with a smile. "Please, sit down. The crowd is too big to restrict this table to just the Council. It is my fault, requesting a stronger, more formal system of leadership and guild structure. But I didn't expect to be as revered as I am."

"You are some of the few outsiders to score a copy of the game," Valk stated. "It is common in Japan."

"So they keep telling me," Bladescape said with a shrug.

"If we sit. It will look like it gives us an unfair advantage," Gunk warned.

"I am aware," Bladescape replied. "But I want you guys to continue the work on my room's furnishings. It is justified by that alone."

With that, Gunk took a seat. Valk and Filigree joined them. In between bites, they did their best to catch up on the style and design of Bladescape's old room. Her new, two-tiered room presented some very unique opportunities. It was exciting to the three crafters, but they would be coming back on a separate day to do the bedroom design. At least Bladescape had what she needed.

After lunch, the Council went back to planning their organizational parties. It didn't last long as the final proposals were turned in. Now the designers would be turning to the personal rooms. Those bids would be private. Each member was given an allotment for a good bed, desk, and chair. Anything more would be done with private funds. They had enough to cover them, but weapons and raw materials for armor was the focus of the guild's finances during this transition. Those were always costly upgrades.

They began to work their way through the proposals, starting with the guild hall. Kiefer was satisfied with his room for the time being and was assisting them. He was presenting each proposal without any information as to who gave it. They wanted the best for them, not to choose the design off of a name, or a poor attempt to be fair and divvy up rooms so that everyone won a contract. This was purely business, just like any business proposals in the real world.

The four big bids were for the guild hall, the greeting chamber, the dining hall, and the main living room. With several other gathering places also a decent catch. It had already been decided that the main living room was going to be more formal. That removed half of the proposals for that room.

The main focus was the guild hall. They narrowed it down by votes until they had three contenders. They took longer debating on each one. They raked over minor costs, time estimates, and other minute details. One of the contenders had the tapestries designed and in place on the sketches, but they didn't include them in the costs. The note was that tapestries would be made by the Wondercolts' designer, Diemond.

"You three like it and it fits the old you well," Lobelia said. "We are bringing in a lot of new to the Wondercolts, and our numbers create a bit of mob rule. A traditional Wondercolts design is best. Kamishi and I like the one you all are hung up on. What is the problem?"

Kiefer answered it. "Because we didn't give any tapestry details in our specifications. All of the other designers added them, as expected. We were not sure if Diemond would be able to do more than the exterior ones. Diemond was aware that they were in the bid. Only one group would not include them, Gunk, Valk, and Filigree, because the two of them designed our previous guild hall and headquarters, and they know from working with Diemond on that project she does the tapestries.

"Then we all like it," Kamishi said. "Done and done. The front room is where I am concerned."

"Now hold on there, cowboy," Backbreaker said. "The thing is, how fair is that? We tried to remove all of that info so it was fair."

"If they did a bad job, or one you didn't like, they wouldn't be in the top two,” Kamishi replied. “And, we don't know for sure it is them. Do you really think they were going to come in and not play to what they know you like? A good designer would do that. And whoever's work that is, they are good."

Bladescape sighed in resignation. "Kiefer, that proposal is our new guild hall. Make it official. Now, the front greeting chamber, please."

Kiefer stacked up the guild hall proposal and then walked them over to the table they had the rest of the proposals on. He made sure to separate the final decision and then he brought over the proposals for the front room. They had to work quickly. They were supposed to announce the choices just after dinner. It was going to be another buffet style meal. And from what AFCK had hinted, I was going to be huge. It was important to not just feed the guests, but to make an impression that they were a strong guild, despite the new transition. And that they were financially stable. Plus, their meals were legendary and they had a reputation to uphold.

The split front room gave some rather odd interpretations of the area. One contrasted each side against the other: the left yellow, the right blue. Others seemed intent on having it used as more than a formal greeting place. The council settled on a formal, unified layout that was warm and inviting, but invoked some more traditional Japanese styles.

Once they got to the squad rooms, things sped up. Those were cookie cutter designs. Each was going to be the same and while they didn't want to have the bare minimum, they would not be spending a lot of time in them. The squad rooms were for quick strategy meetings for each party. Inexpensive and basic was the style they chose. It still left them with a half dozen proposals, but they cut each one out rather quickly.

After dinner, they presented their decisions. Bladescape gave a quick overview of their decision process to let everyone know it was as impartial as possible. For the guild hall, Gunk, Valkyrie, and Filigree won. They also won the private dining room for high profile guests, and the council didn’t even have a hint that it was their proposal. The team that won the front room was a new group, independent from the main guilds. The dining hall went to the largest crafters' guild, which was no surprise because they could keep costs down, and that was a major factor in their dining hall. The squad rooms went to another team Bladescape was unfamiliar with. The same went for the other gathering rooms. There were no other repeats. They had all done an excellent job.

Most of the personal rooms had been settled upon, but several had not. Every team that came out landed at least one bedroom. Gunk, Valkyrie, and Filigree won the charter Wondercolts' rooms, except for Doombunny. She went with someone different, but she also was in a unique situation with her setup in the Gardener's House.

The shrine was not something any of the teams were capable of. However, Gunk had an idea and was going to set up a meeting with a group. He liked the idea, and Valkyrie was probably going to be a member of that project, but they didn't need chairs and sofas, his specialty.

It wasn't that late once the last of the bedrooms were settled on. Half of the teams were booked up and didn't have time, cutting down the competition on their own. Their guests were properly shown out by Wondercolts.

Bladescape and Argo were throwing knives at the target the Wondercolts had made back at their old HQ. They brought them to the Castle and would get something more formal and permanent set up soon enough.

"A lot of changes are in store for you," Argo said as she threw a knife. "Good ones. It was fun running around and poking my head in everyone's business. Although, most of the time they couldn't see me because of Hide."

"It was fun having you," Bladescape chuckled as the knife glowed blue and the skill triggered the throw. There wasn't any deviation. It was just "throw". The difference became the player's skill to set themselves up correctly. In the heat of the moment, it was easy to set the wrong trigger point and miss a small target. The larger targets didn't matter much, but even a maxed skill would fail if the player erred in their set up so they missed. It was the only Sword Skill that didn't technically guarantee a hit. At least, the only one that Bladescape and Argo knew of.

"Get good at this, and maybe there will be a unique sword skill for this," Argo randomly said. "Maybe spear throwing or allowing you to throw full sized blades."

"Ha!" Bladescape laughed. “Can you imagine me throwing something like Harmonic Salvation at a boss and having it hit? Or even a solid one-handed longsword. Many of them are not light. From what I know, Kirito's Elucidator is very heavy."

"Hey, this is a fantasy game," Argo said straight faced. She broke down a second later into laughter. "I don't know how you could throw your sword. It is so big. And they get bigger! Not much, but they do.”

Argo threw a dagger and her attitude changed. "Ever feel like you are missing something there? With the two-handed skill?"

"A little," Bladescape shrugged. "I maxed it pretty quick and it's been a lot of coasting. I've been focusing on Outside System Skills, specifically the mix of Search in battle to predict monster algorithms. Why? Heard anything?"

"No," Argo said, pausing with the dagger glowing. "And that is what has my attention. The higher the floors, the closer we get to the special skills. We don't know what they are, only that there are 10 and they would be released late in the game. And with Commander Heathcliff's already out there, I can't imagine that we don't have at least 4 others floating about."

"Who would share it though?" Bladescape asked. "That is a lot of power in that knowledge."

"And verifying it is unique to you can bring a lot of hot coals on your head," Argo added. "For extra skills, usually you know exactly how you unlocked it and how others could as well."

"Doom has that fencing skill," Bladescape pointed out.

"Yeah, and anyone else is a long way away from finding out if she overlooked something when she maxed dagger." Argo let the next blade fly. It was a bullseye. "Personally, although it would take a lot for me to spill it, I think she has a Unique Skill. I am not sure what it is for though."

Bladescape risked it. "Fencing is the first defensive skill Doombunny has."

Argo was so shocked, it cancelled the triggered skill. "She doesn’t have Shield, Parry, or Weapon Defense?"

"Not even for a second," Bladescape replied, facing Argo instead of the target. "She is also lacking an armor skill. She was always going to be in a support role, and she was at the start. It evolved though, into a lean and mean damage dealing machine. Her Skill choices were... her, and not focused in combat or crafting. She has grown a lot as a person. Grown in ways real life never could teach her. In here though, she got a new start of sorts. And never once was it defensive in any shape or form. It was always attack."

"I never realized that," Argo replied.

"The idea we believe is that Fencer was for those with a rapier, who fought unabashed in a fury of aggressive skills that kept them alive, and avoided defensive skills, opting for attack. The fearless, one handed attacker."

"That would make sense," Argo replied, running calculations in her head. "Most of that info, specifically that she has it, is open and free because of the boss raid. So I won't charge for it or sell any more. Besides, all we covered is pure speculation. I don’t sell speculation."

Bladescape threw her last dagger. It was a perfect shot. "It is. But I have a feeling it is fact. Call it a hunch."

Argo shrugged and threw her last dagger, another bull’s eye. "That is, privately, good enough for me."

Argo crashed in the castle for the night, in the same room, but would be gone after breakfast. She had several things she had put off in order to see the castle. It was fun having her around and more open to chatting, compared to their usual business.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 80 - Magic Spark

Floor 50 - Algade - Front Line - Floor 64
June 30 - Year 2

Knightstar sat in her study, sipping on tea. It was simple, store-bought tea that an NPC shop sold. Heating water for tea wasn't something that required the Cooking Skill. AFCK didn't make tea, but her flavored waters were something Knightstar did miss.

She sighed and set down the paper she was reading. She was bored with it. Nothing good had happened. The Assault Team had cleared the latest field boss several days prior, leaving today's edition bland. The gossip columns were even lackluster.

Knightstar didn't even have any consultations to distract her. She had already spent the morning with her last client. He was working hard to get into the Divine Dragon Alliance. Despite her personal preferences, Knightstar did the professional thing and gave him the best path to take to achieve his goals, exactly like she had been paid to do. He wasn't Knights of the Bloodoath material anyway.

The store was doing well, but it was running itself at this point. As Floors were opening up, her information became less relevant. Knightstar needed a way to get new statistics and information about what each Floor offered.

But for now, she was set. Those problems would be solved soon. She was scouting several players and even a five person guild who could info gather for her.

The front bell chimed as the door was opened. She didn't hear what was said between her NPC shopkeeper and the customer. She was about to get up, but she heard the footsteps of her NPC shopkeeper come down the hall. She had a very telltale pace to how she walked.

She stopped at the open door and bowed. "Sage Knightstar, there is a delivery for you."

"A delivery?" Knightstar asked, surprised. She had never had a delivery. She didn't even know there was a delivery service. She stood up and walked out front.

A young boy, probably 13, was on the other side of the counter. His shoulders were barely above it. On the counter was a simple, but large, box.

"How can I help you?" Knightstar politely asked.

"You are Knightstar?" He asked.

"Yes. And you?"

"Lepul," he shrugged. "I just had to make sure that you got the package, and not an NPC. I won't get in trouble for an NPC error or someone saying they didn't get what was ordered because it was left with the NPC."

"Oh," Knightstar said. He started to walk out. "Wait! What am I receiving?"

He shrugged as he got to the door. "I am just the delivery kid. I pick things up from the crafter and deliver them to the recipient. My fee was paid in advance, so you owe me nothing."

He left without letting Knightstar ask any more questions. She was not going to try and chase him down. She was in a safe zone. Whatever was in the box, it had to be safe. Unexpected, but safe.

Knightstar popped off the top and found a bronze statuette inside, but she couldn't see what it was with it in the box. She grabbed it and lifted the heavy object out and set it on the counter.

She took a step back and took it in. The statuette was made in the image of two horses, both reared up on their hind legs and facing each other. Balanced neatly on their forelegs was a glass orb. Inside the glass was her star mark, the one Sunset Shimmer often called a "Cutie Mark." Beside it was a pink and yellow butterfly. Fluttershy.

Knightstar picked up the glass orb and turned it. No matter how she rotated it, the Cutie Marks stayed side by side, and always facing her. When she set it on the counter and spun it, they stayed perfectly still as the glass whipped around and around, catching the light at different times. Whoever had made the orb was extremely skilled.

Knightstar picked it back up and went to set it back in place on the legs. She hadn't studied the bronze work well, instead beginning captivated by the orb. Both horses were the same down to the smallest details. Their right foreleg was slightly higher than their left, creating the perfect perch for the orb.

As detailed as it was, that was not the main feature. On the top of the base, between the reared stallions was an inscription: Friendship carries on through the ages. Around the base was wrapped: Things may come and things may go, Some go fast and some go slow, Few things last, that's all I know, but...

Knightstar didn't want to, but SAO's design magnified the expression of emotions so that everyone could understand the subtle complexities of human communication easier. Common problems were blushing more than normal and crying easier. Her eyes were watering up despite her efforts to hold them back.

It never had the chance to be a valiant effort. Knightstar knew those words and she knew them well. She didn't read them as much as she heard them sung in her head. They were lyrics in the Rainbooms's song, "Friendship Through the Ages." Twilight Sparkle started the song, and then Fluttershy took over. Those were the words Fluttershy always sang. The last line, the one on top of the pedestal, was echoed throughout the song by the others, but Fluttershy sang it first.

It was a very pointed reminder of who Knightstar truly was. Knightstar didn't sing. Knightstar was stats, numbers, and scientific calculations; even a bit of an adventurer. But she was not a singer.

Twilight Sparkle was though. And the same went for Fluttershy, who's special mark was tastefully paired with hers. The other singers were Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Sunset Shimmer, and even Pinkie Pie at times from the drums.

The gift lacked a note, but it was certainly from Fluttershy. None of her other friends would have thought to make the orb with both of their Cutie Marks. And none of the others would pair up horses either. They were not copies of the Canterlot High School Wondercolt statue that had been destroyed, by her, but they were close.

Twilight Sparkle had transferred to CHS after the Friendship Games because there she had met a set of wonderful girls who became her best friends. They had taken her as she was and helped make her a better version of herself. They had saved her from her nightmare, Midnight Sparkle, and helped her become a Twilight Sparkle that was confident both inside the classroom and outside with people. A Twilight Sparkle with friends.

And it was that Twilight Sparkle who had come into this game, gotten trapped here among friends, and then fought alongside them for their survival. And not just their survival, but on the front lines. She had even faced a boss. They had rallied together around the horse mascot which bound them together in the real world.

But Fluttershy hadn't just had a horse made. She'd had two. Two who supported the beautiful orb. One for her, and one for her friend. Coming from the outside, never having friends or caring about being a Crystal Prep Shadowbolt, the Wondercolt Horse held a special meaning. Yes, she had destroyed it as Midnight Sparkle, but it was more than just a physical statue. Each of her friends saw that statue as what they looked like as a Canterlot Wondercolt. And it was that image that Twilight Sparkle had also taken, becoming just like them. They all wore the same horseshoe symbol of the school, just like these two horses were the same.

Knightstar took a step back from it on the counter. Not only were her cheeks wet, but she now was feeling fear. She had left because of what she had said. Because she ripped into Fluttershy in such a mean manner, intentionally trying to tear her down. And then she had to get away from it all. That fear led her to where she was now.

But this was a different fear. The paper hadn't detailed any deaths on the front lines recently, or any in the major guilds. But she still had a deepening phobia that what she had last said to Fluttershy was the last words she would ever get to say. It wasn't uncommon to have that regret in the normal world, but Aincrad was a floating castle of death. Every day they were reminded of it, especially on the front lines. And Twilight Sparkle didn't want Fluttershy or Doombunny to have those be the last words she had said to her. Or the last thing any of her friends remembered her for.

Knightstar's back hit the door frame. She hadn't even realized that she had taken more than a few steps. Her mind was on one thing; her friends, who she had stupidly ran away from. The girls who actually cared and loved her for who she was, and who had seen a darker side to her and helped her through it. As well as her four new friends.

Knightstar stopped thinking. It was always her crutch. When she thought, she stopped acting and often did what she didn't want to do; like convincing herself that the Wondercolts were finished as a guild and to leave before it all fell apart. Yet the paper still mentioned them often as a guild, and what they had done in boss fights.

Her actions meant she was tearing through the streets of Algade, rushing to the teleport plaza in an effort to get to Floor 35. She jumped on, calling for the teleport before she was even settled on the plaza.

The world flashed blue and Algade was replaced by the very familiar town of Mishe. She didn't stop as she jumped off the platform and made a beeline to the Headquarters.

Knightstar grabbed the door handle to get into the visitor waiting room, but her hand bounced off of an invisible barrier, denying her hand from its target. A second later, while she was trying to process what had happened, and while nursing her hurting hand, a screen popped up. It was telling her that the building was for sale.

Knightstar backpedaled, making sure it was the right building. It was, but it no longer had the tapestries and exterior furnishings of the Wondercolts' Headquarters. It was just a plain stone-faced building now.

Absolute dread was consuming her every thought as she looked at the building. She had no idea if her friends were even in a guild together. She had no idea if the Wondercolts were around. The paper may have missed the Wondercolts falling apart. She began to panic as the reality of her separation from them set in.

"Are you okay?" A soft voice asked her. It was followed by a squawk of sorts.

Knightstar whipped around and saw Silica, being familiar enough with the near legendary beast tamer's description to recognize her on sight.

"If you are looking for the Wondercolts, they moved," Silica added.

"Where?" Knightstar stuttered. Her mouth was nearly frozen as her mind and body fought for control.

"Floor 61," Silica said with a smile. "I haven't been there yet, but Doombunny says their new place is fantastic. I'll visit as soon as they are settled."

Knightstar didn't thank Silica as she rushed back to the plaza. She jumped on and called out the command to take her to Selmburg, the only real town on the whole Floor.

Knightstar had not been to Floor 61 yet. The sun was starting to slip through the Floors as it set. It reflected off of the giant lake that was the bulk of the Floor, and it blinded her as she looked to the west. The city itself was a castle on the largest island. The island was a mountain and the city only claimed the southern half. It was a beautiful, white walled castle of several barrier walls and spires.

The city was expensive to stay in, and even more expensive to buy property in. Its clean streets and beautiful square buildings were easy on the eyes. It felt like a mix of modern and medieval. The Front Lines were only a few Floors above it too. As attractive as it was, no guild had their headquarters above Floor 56. The DDA had theirs on 56, the KOB on 55. The cost of buying a headquarters of at least the same size as what the Wondercolts had previously owned would be astronomical. As financially suicidal as when she had bought their headquarters when the front line was Floor 36. The move didn't make sense.

Selmburg was a medium sized city. It was larger than most cities, but the city was much smaller than Algade or the Town of Beginnings. Still, the chances of finding their HQ just wandering the streets would be difficult. Especially since the city was built along several different elevations, which created or restricted access to different areas.

Some players were around, but not many. The Floor had been a challenge to clear, but the water meant that only a few of the larger islands had any dungeons. Some players were still staging in it for its aesthetic value, but that was it. The Front Line was far enough ahead that the bulk of the clearers had cheaper places to stay that offered them better access to their job.

Knightstar jumped as her shoulder was tapped. "Excuse me?" a male player said. "Are you alright? You don't look good. You look sick."

"I'm fine," Knightstar stuttered. She tried to make sure her hair was secure and her glasses, still nonexistent, were on straight. "I'm just shocked," Knightstar said, trying to convince him she was fine. "I have not been to Selmburg yet. And I was looking for the Wondercolts. They apparently moved here."

He gave her a suspicious look over at the change in her attitude. "Normally I charge players for my info, but you look like you need a handout."

Knightstar nodded, at a loss for words. He was obviously an info broker, but Knightstar couldn't recall his name. Her mind was shot. She just wanted the comfort of her friends.

"They are on this Floor, but not in Selmburg." he pointed off out over the water at a distant, dark, indistinct shape on the surface of the lake. "That small island, that is their home. I hear that not only did I cost them a huge fortune, it also required a difficult quest to even allow its purchase in the first place."

"How do I get there?" Knightstar asked. It was out loud, but directed at herself.

"Go to the dock and rent a sailboat," The player said.

Knightstar dashed off, completely forgetting to thank him. She got to the docks and found an NPC in his small sailboat. It was large enough it could carry a party of six comfortably, and they would never have to worry about bad weather to compromise the boat. His price wasn't bad, and he didn't ask any questions other than where she wanted to go.

Knightstar paid him and then had to nervously wait as the boat slowly journeyed to the small island. She had no control over her left leg shaking in anticipation. Knightstar had no idea what she was going to say or do. The boat ride was giving her time to think, and thinking was bad right now. She was trying to stay out of her head.

She forgot about everything as they neared the island. Each island on the floor was mountainous, and it was blocking her from actually viewing their headquarters. This island was little more than a flat topped mesa surrounded by cliffs. There was a small strip of sandy shoreline, but the dock was built over it and into the rocks. The stone stairs took her up to the top of the cliffs that surrounded the entire island, sealing it off unless you came by boat like she had. There were no boats moored to their dock, raising the question about how they got off the island. There were also no banners, or any pieces of identification. This could be the wrong location. She did have a few teleport crystals to leave if she needed one.

They docked and Knightstar jumped off the boat, making it rock in her haste. She rushed down the dock to the stone stairs. She bolted up them and then slid to a stop at the top. She had caught glimpses of the building, but it wasn't at all like she expected.

Simply put, it was a castle. There were no tapestries or any guild identification features on the outside. The design of the castle was reminiscent of later medieval or early renaissance castles, which were mostly aesthetic and mimicked the look, rather than having full defensive functionality like a true medieval castle. The invention of cannons had destroyed the viability of the quintessential castle, but there was still prestige to owning one, or a mansion that looked like one. The same would logically happen in SAO. This castle had walls and a gatehouse, but it would never survive a true medieval siege, yet a siege could never happen in SAO, making that fact irrelevant. The walls did serve a good purpose. It made a clear barrier as to what was their headquarters and safe, and what was not. They also blocked from view what the guild was doing. Anyone could visit, but they would never be able to see what was happening behind the walls unless invited inside.

From where she stood, Knightstar could see a building directly behind the gatehouse that rose up above the short walls. It only had three rows of windows, but there was more height than the standard 14-foot height of a building's floor. It had to be leaning towards 25 feet. In the center of the building, behind the gatehouse, rose a tall spire to overlook the entire island. There was at least one other building behind the walls, but she couldn't quite tell what it was supposed to be.

As she started to move forward, she paused. Off to her right was a teleport plaza. That was how they could come and go without needing a boat back to Selmburg. No doubt the plaza ID was being kept quiet.

Knightstar continued, crossing the field to the gatehouse. The first doors were open, allowing her in. The second appeared to actually be the doors into the main building. She tried the handle and it opened. She stepped in and found herself in a large meeting room. There were two sitting areas, one on each side of the center hallway between the double doors she had just come through, and the double doors on the other side. It was the same furniture from their Mishe headquarters.

Knightstar stepped further in. On the other side would be a panel for her to notify them that they had a visitor. She tapped the wall and it popped up. She rang the alarm and stepped back. Knightstar didn't want to sit down. She was too nervous. She had no idea what she would even say.

She was waiting for a while and began to consider that they were not home. It was still early evening, not quite dinner. Most likely they were out. And if they were in a dungeon, they would not have gotten the message.

Those thoughts were dispelled as the door opened. A young woman, slightly older than her, was in the doorway. She was dressed in a blue and yellow cooking outfit. A yellow horse head was embroidered on it.

"May I help you?" she asked, giving a slight bow in respect.

"I'm looking for the Wondercolts," Knightstar stated. She paused, unsure what to say next. Her name was a safe bet. "My name is Knightstar."

A smile flashed on her lips. "Miss Knightstar. Of course. I am Jade. Please, follow me."

Knightstar followed after Jade. Jade didn't say anything else as she led her through a turn and two hallways. They passed by the kitchen close enough for Knightstar to hear a lot of noise and AFCK laughing. She also could smell freshly cooked food.

Jade opened a door at the back of the building. She beckoned to Knightstar to head out first and then she followed. Knightstar didn't get far as her feet automatically slowed while she took in the inner courtyard. There were two more buildings and the stones ended on the edge of a small forest inside the confines of the castle. What caught her eye was the miniature soccer pitch they had installed. There were a few players playing 4 on 4 on the stone ground. On the other side of the field were two sets of bleachers, which were filled with a scattering of players in various styles of what the inhabitants of Aincrad considered casual clothes. At least a dozen were watching the game. Knightstar didn't immediately recognize any of them.

The first person Twilight recognized was Rainbow Dash, who had the ball. She slipped it past the midfielder and then past their defender. She was all set to kick the ball, and most likely score, except in her awareness of the playing field, she saw Knightstar. Her toe was all that caught the ball and it shot off, completely missing the goal and going out of bounds. All Thunderborne did was stop and stare with a slightly open mouth at Knightstar. The rest of the players froze too, first looking at Thunderborne, then at Knightstar.

Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce

Episode 81 - Wondercolts United

Floor 61 - Thorn Island
June 30 - Year 2

Bladescape was lounging at the top of the stands, by the edge. Her butt was on the floorboard, while a pillow protected her back from the bench behind her. Her legs were draped over the bench in front, nestling her nicely between the boards.

From her position, she couldn't help but see the door open and Jade bring Knightstar into the courtyard. It was good to see Knightstar, even at this distance and in those scholar robes. Bladescape wasn't going to jump up and run to her friend. At this point, she still had no idea why she was here.

Thunderborne kicked at the ball. Only her toe clipped it, sending it way out of bounds. She had noticed Knightstar. Every player froze, first because that was not like Thunderborne to make such a simple mistake, and then because they saw who she was looking at. If they hadn't met Knightstar, they knew her face from some of the photos AFCK already had hanging up around the main building.

Bladescape knew that stopping the game wasn't going to help Twilight. Plus, they were on a short clock for their opening soccer match. Dinner would be ready soon.

"Thunder!" Bladescape yelled. "Get your head in the game! The Rainbooms only have a single goal lead on the Scorpions! You can't afford to lose that!"

Bladescape pointed at Knightstar. "Get over here before the ball is put back in play and you can't cross!"

Knightstar followed the order. Jade ducked back into the building to continue helping AFCK with dinner. They had to wait a few seconds for Knightstar to finish getting across before the ball was put into play again. The game resumed as if it had never been interrupted.

Knightstar didn't climb up into the bleachers. She walked to the side, standing below Bladescape. Bladescape looked down at her. Knightstar was confused, unsure what was going on. It was trumping any nerves she had. It was an advantage Sunset Shimmer wasn't going to waste.

"I said get over here!" Bladescape exclaimed. Her lips slipped into a warm smile as she extended her hand down to her friend. "Come on up."

Knightstar paused, looking up at her, and then she grabbed her hand tightly. It wasn't hard for her to put her feet on some of the braces and climb up. She stepped over Bladescape and sat down beside her.

"I only just found out you moved. Like half an hour ago," Knightstar said.

"A lot has changed," Bladescape shrugged.

Astro slipped the ball past Kate and then kicked it. Backbreaker was good, but this time Astro outsmarted her and Backbreaker dove the opposite way of where the ball went. The game was tied 3 to 3.

"Come on!" Bladescape screamed. "I thought you guys had this! Thunderborne and Backbreaker, what could go wrong!"

"That is AJ?" Knightstar said, shocked as she watched her get up and dust off her uniform. "She is actually playing a game‽"

"Yep," Bladescape grinned. "Like I said, a lot has changed. Astro has Kiefer as her goalie, with Pell and Satureja on her team as well. Thunderborne has BB, Kate & Mjolna. We are running out of time in our opening game before AFCK rings that dinner bell."

"Is she cooking alone?" Knightstar asked.

"Nah," Bladescape said, waving the idea off with her hand. "Joltron, Jade, Ithilienm, Delton, and several others help her. We have like 10 cooks now."

"Joltron?" Knightstar stammered, surprised by that.

"He wiped a Skill, Blunt Weapon Forging, and took up Cooking. Apparently it was a few days before you left. He has a crush on AFCK. She knows, but she hasn't decided what her answer is. Either way, we have a significantly larger kitchen than our old one and three cooks always on duty. It allows AFCK to focus on the important parts of the meals, and the things only she can make."

"How long have you been here?" Knightstar asked.

Thunderborne scored, slipping the ball past Kiefer. Bladescape yelled, pumping her fist as Thunderborne hyped up the crowd for the goal. Competitive words were exchanged as the ball was put back in play.

Bladescape focused back on Knightstar. "We moved in two days ago. The same day as the merger officially happened. Astro has taken the third seat on our council. Geigi Clan was floundering, and we not only could offer them the stability they needed, but it meant we could keep them on the front lines. It was not an easy decision on any side. It took time.

"Almost all of the guild unconditionally merged with us. Several are unsure. Jade, who I saw show you into the courtyard, is one of them. We want to keep them in the guild, without needing to deploy them to the front lines. We need support players for a large guild. They can provide it, and the big bonus is that they get to stay in a guild with their friends. They don't want to fight on the front lines anymore, but they also don't want to leave their friends. We are a great option for them."

"That's," Knightstar stammered. Her head dropped in a complex mix of emotions. "That is wonderful. For all of you."

Sunset Shimmer had to wait for her to look back up at her. She finally did. Twilight Sparkle wanted to look away from the no longer smiling face, but Sunset had locked her eyes onto the wet ones of her friend. She could not pull away from the gaze.

"The offer has never left the table," Bladescape stated. "You came here for a reason. No one cares what happened. We only care that you are not beside us. It won't be hard to catch you up and we have plenty of rooms available. I don't want to stress you, because I can see the shock you are in, but we would love to have you back as our statistician." Bladescape held up her hand, stopping Knightstar from speaking. "That would be a consulting position, not a council position. We managed without you, but you launched a successful store overnight off of the information you already had. I saw your guides. No one can do what you do. We missed you for that and more. So much more than I can express. But it also would be nice to have that awesome power of my friend assisting with the new clan members. Rarity is working hard to make their armor, but they still need weapons analysis and stats examination."

Knightstar looked around. She wasn't sure what had happened. Her initial panic drove her to the old Headquarters, and then she truly felt like she had lost her friends. After it all happened, she was now being told nothing had changed, despite the obvious and major guild changes she saw around her.

"I..." Knightstar stumbled. "I came because Fluttershy had a gift made for me that reminded me of the friendship we had made. It was delivered to my shop an hour ago. I came seeking forgiveness from her. All of this is overwhelming. You are not the Wondercolts that I left...I..."

"We all screwed up that morning," Bladescape stated once it was clear Knightstar had lost where she was going. "AJ and I know we could have, and should have, done things in private. It was a very hard lesson that we learned. We want our friend back. We want her to feel safe. We want her to feel the love we have for her. However, and whatever that means. We will all be better off for it."

"What would my duties be?" Knightstar asked.

"Off the top of my head," Bladescape said, a big grin on her face. She was making it obvious that there had always been a plan for Knightstar's return. "It’s light work. If you want to be in the field we can do that. But we would only need you to help keep our stats, equipment, and other things up to date, along with guiding us towards the most effective and efficient way to the top. All the way to the top of Aincrad so we can finish this game and get out of this nightmare. I want to hug my real friend, Twilight Sparkle, with my real body."

"Sunset..." Knightstar whispered as a tear finally escaped her wet eyes.

Sunset Shimmer rolled over and embraced her friend in a tight hug. "I never, ever want to lose you again. Not in this virtual world, the real one, Equestria, or any other world, realm, or reality."

Twilight Sparkle squeezed her back as hard as she could. "I'm staying," she declared with a wet sniff. "I mean, I'll have to go back and get some things from the store. And I will have to close it down."

"Why?" Bladescape asked. "Can't the NPC run most of it?"

"True," Knightstar replied. "And it would provide me with a more accessible place for players of any level to do the consultations when that comes up."

"Then keep it and a spare bed too for the times they go late. I know you will always be coming back to us. But you know, these robes will need to be Wondercolted by Rarity."

A huge commotion on the field caused them to break off the hug and watch. Astro had kicked the ball, but Backbreaker had caught it. She chucked it all the way across the field. It drifted off towards the corner. Thunderborne was there to receive it. She jumped up, delivering a perfect bicycle kick. Kiefer was no match for the flawless kick and instant redirection. The score was now 4 to 3.

AFCK busted open the back door. "DINNER TIME!" She yelled while whipping an extra-large hand bell and drowning out the celebration with the brass tones she sent ringing over all of the island. No matter what room you were in, you heard that bell, which was exactly why AFCK had it designed as big as it was.

Knightstar let out a giggle. "I have been missing her food."

"It has only gotten better," Bladescape grinned. "Especially now that she has help, she can do more."

They stood up to make their way inside. Bladescape grabbed her pillows and jumped off the side so she didn't have to skip over all the rows in front of her. It left Knightstar behind, but they were not in a rush. Most of the others watching the game were filing in through the door. The crafters were exiting from their tower and making their way to the main building. Diemond was sewing as she walked.

Bladescape purposefully timed it so that they were last. She didn't want Knightstar to get jumped. Everyone wanted her back, even the former members of Geigi Clan. They all knew her name and that they wanted their friend back.

Bladescape was first into the dining room, but stopped in the doorway. The head table had a bouquet of black roses as its centerpiece. They were fake roses. Black meant they were in the private dining hall for guild business. There was obviously only one matter of business to discuss.

Bladescape looked back at Knightstar with a grin. "I am needed in the private dining hall for guild business, and I am certain that means you are to join us. Heading through the dining hall is a pain though, so around we go.

The rest of the guild councilors were there, seated. An extra seat was set at the round table. The food was already on the table, steam slowly spiraling into the air. Bladescape walked to her seat, leaving Knightstar to take the one opposite of her. As Knightstar sat down, it was obvious that she was now very nervous.

"Welcome," Bladescape said, grinning at Knightstar. She was working to get Twilight focused on her, so Knightstar wouldn't shut down. "Welcome to our new headquarters outside Selmburg. The small island we are on is entirely Wondercolts territory, it all is a safe zone, and no one can get into our castle without being let in through the front door. That is Lobelia, our Sansa, or major. Next to her is Kamishi, with the rank of Ichii, or Captain. And then beside you is Shikiku. Her job is to be the voice of the members, to make sure they are heard. She is not a voting member of the council. She holds the rank of Socho, or sergeant major."

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you," Lobelia said, bowing slightly from her seated position. "As soon as I heard you had arrived at our front door, I was filled with incredible joy."

"It's mighty fine to see you again," Backbreaker added. "But Astro made me work hard, can we skip the rest and eat‽"

"Sorry," Bladescape said with a laugh. "Yes, let's eat!"

Knightstar raised her glass for a toast. "To the Wondercolts, the greatest guild in Aincrad. And to my friends, who have made sure it stayed that way and left me something amazing to come back to."

Cheers went up all around. Backbreaker relaxed a lot from hearing that Twilight was back. Astro was also less tense. They all dug into the food.

As they ate, Astro explained to Knightstar the soccer league that had been finalized this morning. They had six teams total: The Rainbooms, Scorpions, Antlers, Cerezo, TNT, and Bellmare. The Rainbooms, led by Thunderborne, and the Scorpions, Astro's team, were the first to play. They were still on holiday from the merger as they settled into their new roles as Wondercolts. The morning would play host to the Antlers and Cerezo opening match, and in the afternoon TNT and Bellmare would face off. Bladescape was the goalie for Bellmare, while Kamishi was the captain of Bellmare. Shonan Bellmare was the local team for Kamishi. None of them expected to beat either the Rainbooms or the Scorpions, but it was still going to be fun.

Lobelia brought the conversation back to focus. "Knightstar, I know the offer was always there, but I would prefer to hear it from you, that yes, you are coming back to be an official Wondercolt. And if that is so, then we need to make a public ceremony of it. We did a formal ceremony for all the new members; we need to do it for them all to see you as well. Conformity to equalize and normalize is key."

"That is reasonable," Knightstar said with a nod. "I am back. I ran from the very people who were trying to help me, and I won't make that mistake again. I will always be, and am, a Wondercolt."

Bladescape couldn't explain the feeling of hearing those words. "Sweet music" didn't fit, neither did "warm." It was more like her world, which had been tilted, was once again fully upright.

Shikiku soon left to give the others a warning about an official guild meeting, and the time. There was sufficient time for the members to finish and clean up dinner. The other Wondercolts would take care of their officer's table. It was a new thing that the members of Geigi had brought with them. It was their honor to serve their leaders in such a way. Bladescape was still getting used to it, but they had agreed upon a clear-cut unit structure, and that was something that came along with being at the top.

Free from those restraints, they moved to the Guild Hall.

"This is..." Knightstar stammered as she looked around the regal hall. "It is so formal. It has purpose. Our other one was basically melded with a hallway. How many members are there now?"

"Fifty," Bladescape said. "Fifty-one with you. We field seven full parties and a smaller one of five, but you would make that eight full parties. And then there are our three exclusively support staff. All of them are officially cooks, two had to swap a Skill, but they are the reason we can put so many in the field every day. We have unit leaders and sub leaders, to cover any configuration we need to. Most of the time, we will be locked into BlueCon. We have YelCon for boss raid days. RedCon is for when we form up parties as needed. WhiteCon is our free day. We have ordered wall racks to mount color markers in rooms like the dining hall that we can change to let them know what condition we are in for the day."

"That will take some getting used to," Knightstar said.

Bladescape sat down in her Council Seat. "It won't be hard. Your assignment for BlueCon and YelCon never changes. You will know exactly who is in your party. RedCon takes us time to organize all of the members, so we do what we can to minimize that, or plan ahead appropriately."

"This is a lot different," Knightstar replied, still looking around. She was obviously overwhelmed and feeling out of place. "Why are there color tabs on the outside edge of each row of chairs? They are not your four color-conditions, and each row is different. The colors do not match the row on the other side of the center isle. I see White, Red, Green, Purple, Black, Orange, Turquoise, and Pink."

"Party colors," Astro stated. "It was Backbreaker's idea. We are still trying to figure out how to implement the colors tastefully onto the uniforms. Something subtle, like a patch. But that doesn't work on some of our metal armor designs. Diemond is working on that, but her priority has been new armor for the new Wondercolts and then the soccer uniforms accidentally happened. But for morning assignments in BlueCon conditions, the party sits in their row, while the officers sit in their designated spot in the front row. Our new furniture and furnishings are on order, but that will take some more time for it to be made and be delivered."

"We may be changing things up," Lobelia added. "We have not fully settled on the party layout. Our officers are on probation, as we ensure they are right for the job. Your arrival will require us to recalculate some things. In a good way."

"We will get that settled over the next week," Bladescape said. "We are still on adjustment holiday for another day, and then it is focus time for the level quotas we now have enacted... But we can worry about that after the ceremony. Things worked a little differently when we had forty players joining us. But it still will be very simple."

They didn't get a chance to even do a verbal dry run as the doors opened and the rest of the members enthusiastically filed in. There was a lot of chatter, drowning out anything the Council could say until they calmed it down. Bladescape resorted to pointing Knightstar to a specific seat, off to the side. Kiefer and the other party officers took their specific seats in the front row.

Bladescape held up her hand and the room quieted down. "I have no doubt that you all are aware of our visitor. I am happy to say that Knightstar's arrival tonight is not a temporary thing. Knightstar, a founding member of the Wondercolts, has come back after her leave of absence. We all made mistakes that morning, but we, like you, are friends. We have more, are more, than a few hotly traded words and poor choices. We went through a lot in the real world, and even more in here. Our friendship is stronger than that, even if we forget things at times. And as a guild, she will make us all stronger and provide an amazing friend to everyone.

"Knightstar, please rise and come to the center." Knightstar walked to the center and Bladescape continued. "Knightstar, upon officially rejoining the Wondercolts, your duties will not be the same as they were before. You will not be a member of the Council; those duties will not burden you.

"Do you accept our offer of membership? To be a full Wondercolt, to uphold all of our standards, to aid those in need, and to obey the orders of those above you, knowing that they will always do their absolute best to protect you, all Wondercolts, and every player they can."

"I do," Knightstar confidently stated.

Bladescape swiped up her menu and extended the guild acceptance request. The screen popped up in front of Knightstar. She didn't hesitate as she hit the blue circle, accepting it. Knightstar was a Wondercolt again.

"Then welcome, Knightstar," Lobelia declared. "We gladly welcome you again to wear the blue and yellow."

The room erupted in cheers as every member stood and welcomed her with applause and other noise. Bladescape let it go for a while as Knightstar blushed. Once it was calm again, she had follow-up business.

"It is good to have you back," Bladescape said with a smile. "However, I have two pieces of business that must be attended to, the first being another question. We do not want any member to take on more than they can shoulder, and we ask that at any time, if you feel overwhelmed or unsafe, that you inform your officer immediately so we can settle the issue. In light of that, you previously gave us immense help and guidance with your skill of stats and number analysis. Can you and will you offer that service again to the guild, once again as our Statistician?"

"I can and will," Knightstar said with a nod. "Gladly. It is something I enjoy doing, and wish to do again: applying that knowledge for the good of the guild, and for every member in it, so that we can be the best we can be, the safest we can be, and the happiest we can be."

Bladescape caught Lobelia's glance at her, but that was all the heads up she got. "In recognition of your specialized duty, in the interest of what is best for the guild to allow you to be our Statistician, this Council grants you the rank of Juni, or Warrant Officer. A crucial part of any strong military organization is their technical specialists, the non-commissioned officers who perform a very specific function because they are the best at that job. Often, they are trainers. For your role, you will need to have authority to ensure that data and information is properly acquired. You will always be paired with a strong officer and sub-commander, but they may rely on your judgment for their choices. Especially if you are on information missions for your job."

"I understand and I accept," Knightstar definitively stated.

Bladescape held off more celebration. "Final point of order. Knightstar will be receiving a room shortly, but we need a party to be mounted to help get her things moved here. There still is time tonight. I will take her to get her a room. In twenty minutes, I need five others to make a full party."

Kiefer stood up. "I will head that party up."

"Wonderful," Bladescape nodded. "Then we are done here."

The room erupted in various conversations. Kiefer was trying to organize multiple people volunteering. Bladescape beckoned for Knightstar to join her. All of the Council slipped out through the very well hidden back door.

"With a ranked position, you won't be in what we are calling the barracks," Bladescape explained. "We will get you a full tour shortly, but the barracks is the second largest building, and it's entirely rooms for members to stay and own. There are ninety rooms in the barracks, thirty on each level. Diemond took up the room above the crafting hall, for better or worse. Doombunny has already abandoned her room, and instead took over the gardener's hut in the back of the garden."

"Because Colorra is a tree snake," Knightstar added.

"Exactly," Bladescape said with a chuckle. "But she also has another reason for moving out there. Not important right now."

Bladescape led Knightstar up a set of stairs. At the top was a wide hallway that ran along the rear of the building. The rooms were towards the front.

"This is the second floor. Lower officers reside here. Diemond, as our Armorer, was supposed to be on this floor. Shikiku has the far room from here, because it is closer to the Barracks. AFCK is also on this floor, so she can be close to the kitchen. The third floor is all senior officials; the Counselors and Kiefer."

"Kiefer?" Knightstar asked. "Why him?"

"Kiefer is our only Lieutenant, or Nii. He is also our training officer, and it was voted, out of my control, that he be placed up on the third floor. I just made sure the regular members drew lots to decide their rooms. Although, Lessa rarely uses hers."

"And why does she rarely use hers?" Knightstar asked.

Bladescape sighed. "Well, on the overnight trips, we finally got the two of them to hook up properly. The announcement of them dating was set aside for a bit."

"I forgot about that questionable romance," Knightstar admitted. "I am happy they finally sorted out what they wanted. Do you think it will go deeper, to marriage?"

"I half believe it will," Bladescape shrugged. "I can't tell though. Kiefer is the holdout, once again."

Bladescape stopped at a room with an open door. "This room is available. All of them are the same."

Bladescape smiled as Knightstar was taken aback. It was a huge room. There was nothing in it at the moment. The bedroom itself was separated into its own room.

"So, where are you in relation to here?" Knightstar asked as she took it all in.

"If you head down the hall back to the central staircase, go up, you get to the third floor, with the others. And if you go up one more time, you get to a landing with a door that blocks off my room. I am in the tower."

"You have the tower‽" Knightstar exclaimed. "Wow! That is really cool. That was what, two stories?"

"Height wise, 3," Bladescape replied. "But I only have 2. The first is a seating area and study, like your main room. Then I go up to the top and I have the whole floor as my bedroom and private chambers."

"I want to see," Knightstar stated with a grin.

"Tomorrow," Bladescape smiled. "Your moving assistants should be ready to go now."

Bladescape led Knightstar back to the central staircase and then down it. They all were having to learn to navigate the hallways of the main building's first floor. She got them to the front entrance to the guild hall. Kiefer had a party set with a second one being led by Joltron. A lot of Wondercolts, old and new, wanted to help her move in.

Knightstar joined Kiefer's party and she led them to her bookstore. Bladescape didn't leave the guild hall though. Doombunny deactivated Hide and appeared in her designated chair.

"What did you do to finally spark her return?" Bladescape asked. "I have been patiently waiting on your attempt, but you were here all day."

Doombunny nodded. "I was. That means my friendship sculpture was finally finished and delivered. I didn't even have a note to go with it. I just paid the crafter to make it, which required special and hard to get materials. Then I had them use the delivery fee to pay for one of Sasha's kids to do the delivery. The delivery kid, whoever it was, had no idea who the statue was from, only who it was for."

Doombunny went on to explain the statue itself. At least what she had ordered. Creative license was given in some parts to allow for the artist to be that, an artist, but the core features were there. Sunset Shimmer loved admitting that Fluttershy knew exactly how to target Twilight for an apologetic reminder in this game when she had shut herself off from her friends. She hadn't been sure about betting on Fluttershy to pull Operation Midnight Redemption, but she hadn’t had a better idea, so she put her full trust in Doombunny. Bladescape had to learn that betting on Fluttershy in SAO was always a good choice. She had proven herself in a variety of ways over the past year.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce

Author's Note

A commercial break is next and will be released in a few days (from the original posting date).

Commercial Break Three

Wow! So much has happened since the last commercial break. Doombunny broke the rules of the guild and dangerously went out training, alone. Knightstar stepped away from the guild, but is finally back. The Wondercolts helped Sasha the kids on the First Floor. Bladescape had a second run in with Laughing Coffin, and this time took a prisoner, Kurayaro. The Wondercolts are no longer 11 members, and they even own their own castle! This is going to be quite a bit of info to follow. The only thing that hasn’t changed is what everyone is wearing. Except Kiefer.

The layout is as follows:

Main Characters

New Officers

New Males

New Girls

Soccer Teams

Blucon

Yelcon

MAIN CHARACTERS:

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – 16250 HP
Rank: Kaisho - Commander of the Military
Two-Handed Sword – Max
Search – Max
Weapon Defense – Max
Leather Armor – Max
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – Max – 1000 points every 10 seconds
Sprint – 862/1000
Acrobatics – 468/1000
Blade Throwing – 513/1000
Extended Weight Carry – 428/1000
Greatsword: – 367/1000
Weapon: Two Handed Sword - Harmonic Salvation
Armor: Dagannoth Leather Full Plate Armor - Blue with Gold Accents - Made by Ashley
Helmet: Hair Tie and Pin made by Ashley – Hair is worn up.
Ring #1: Strength +16
Ring #2: Defense +16
Earring: Agility +10
Earring: Agility +10
Necklace: Sunset’s Geode made by Diemond - Skill Delay Reduction by 10%
Bladescape’s Dagannoth Leather Plate Armor is blue with gold accents and hardware. The chest features a gold stitched horsehead on it. The leather has been prepared and conditioned after it was hardened so that it has a shine to it, mimicking metal armor. The design of each plate also looks like a set of full metal armor, without the weight involved. Because the plates are made from Dagannoth, it is one of the strongest sets of armor available in SAO. The only piece missing from the medieval style armor is a helmet. In its place are a tie and pin, which Ashley made so that her hair stays up and out of her way in battle, but still looks regal before, during, and after battle.

The cloak is pinned out wide to concealed pinning points in between the plates. The cloak was equipped with a leather piece that opened it slightly so she could insert her sword onto the sheath on her back. Ashley had made it with a shiny fabric and heavy gold fringe. The gold horse head was seamless with the blue fabric.

Harmonic Salvation is a two handed longsword that is slate grey. The sword is wrapped in a leather sheath that matches the Wondercolts’ blue color, while the handle is wrapped in golden leather. It was also set with a yellow gemstone in the hilt and a blue one as the pommel.

Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – 11295 HP
Rank: Shicho - Leading Private
Rapier – Max
Sprint – Max
Acrobatics – Max
Armor Pierce – Max
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 700/1000 – 500 points every 10 seconds
Leather Armor – 725/1000
Weapon Defense – 519/1000
Extended Weight Carry – 234/1000
Search – 342/1000
Weapon: Rapier – Dragon’s Tooth
Armor: Blue Leather Jacket made by Diemond
Gloves: Yellow leather half finger gloves with reinforced knuckles made by Diemond
Boots: Blue leather riding boots with yellow metal accents – made by Diemond
Belt: Blue leather sam belt with shiny brass horse head buckle on the chest - made by Diemond
Helmet: Hair Tie – Ponytail
Ring #1: Night Sight
Ring #2: Critical Attack Chance +10%
Earring: Defense +6
Earring: Defense +6
Necklace: Rainbow Dash’s Geode made by Diemond - Speed +10

Thunderborne wears a blue leather jacket over a yellow shirt. Thunderborne's chest has a leather plate with their horse head stitched on. The main eye catching feature is the blue leather Sam Belt, stitched in gold, to hold down the jacket and anchor Thunderborne’s rapier to her side. The belt’s strap is anchored on her chest by a shiny brass, horse head buckle. There is plenty of trim on the jacket, which are paired with tall riding boots that had yellow metal accents and trim. As she walks, particularly on stone or hard surfaces, her heels click with a crystal clacK. She wears a ponytail instead of a helmet and unlike most of the Wondercolts, she does not wear a cloak. She also wears yellow half fingered gloves with the knuckles reinforced.

Dragon’s Tooth is a black rapier with an ivory blade. It was dropped by the King Black Dragon as one of the Last Attack Bonus items, which Bladescape received. She gave it to Thunderborne since Azure Aculeus had been maxed for a while as was in need of being replaced.

Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – 15750 HP
Rank: Issa - Colonel
Heavy Shield – Max
One-Handed War Hammer – Max
Extended Weight Carry – Max
Heavy Metal Armor – Max
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 761/1000 – 500 points every 10 seconds
Fishing – 635/1000
Search – 562/1000
Martial Arts – 422/1000
Acrobatics – 169/1000
Weapon: Warhammer – Guard Smasher
Shield: Floating Bulwark
Armor: Plate of Veracity
Gloves: Heavy Plate Gloves made by Diemond
Boots: Heavy Plate Boots made by Diemond
Helmet: Sallet
Ring #1: Health +250
Ring #2: Agility +8
Earring: Speed +6
Earring: Speed +6
Necklace: Applejack’s Geode made by Diemond - Strength +12

The Plate of Veracity is an ornate chest piece of heavy plate armor which stands at an odd contrast to Backbreaker’s Iron Bulwark. Diemond matched the rest of her armor to the style of the ornate plate. Backbreaker’s right pauldron has a flare to protect her head as it rises above her shield. On it, is their horse head symbol. Her right gauntlet is larger and thicker than her left. It was designed to maximize her attack with martial arts and defense while using her hammer. Her cloak covered her shoulders and flowed out off her back. It was the same blue, trimmed in gold with their symbol on the back.

Guard Smasher is an unadorned warhammer of simple design. The pick is strong and the hammer looks normal. On the face of it is not the normal checkered hammer head. An apple is cut into the face of the head a fraction. Backbreaker keeps it painted red.

AFCK (PP): Lvl 75 – 12295 HP
Rank: Itamae - Head Chef
Two-Handed Axe – Max
Parry – Max
Cooking – Max
Weapon Defense – Max
Martial Arts – Max
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 720/1000 – 500 points every 10 seconds
Light Metal Armor – 635/1000
Blade Throwing – 589/1000
Musical Instrument – 515/1000
Weapon: Two Handed Axe – Geode Cleaver
Armor: Blue scale armor with golden accent scales. A shoulder cover with armored sleeves sits over the scale armor. Each shoulder has the Wondercolts’ horse head stitched on it. The helmet looks like a horse head and includes a yellow mane off the top.
Ring #1: Search Booster
Ring #2: Nightsight
Earring: Critical Attack +7%
Earring: Attack +8
Necklace: Pinkie Pie’s Geode made by Diemond - Agility +8

Basic shirt of scale armor, with strong leather pants colored yellow. Tactfully throughout the blue scales was a yellow one. Over the scales armor shirt was a shoulder cover that connected to their armored sleeves. On each of their shoulders was stitched the Wondercolt symbol. The helmet looked like a horse and included a gold mane. Her gloves are thick, blue leather and her boots were blue, with yellow laces on the outside, not on the face. Around her neck she has a narrow blue cloak trimmed in gold and with their symbol on it.

Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – 16550 HP
Rank: Jun-i - Armorer
Heavy Shield – Max
Mace – Max
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 680/1000 – 500 points every 10 seconds
Heavy Metal Armor – 790/1000
Tailoring – Max
Light Metal Armor Forging – Max
Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Max
Jewelry Making – 513/1000
Extended Weight Carry – 254/1000
Weapon: Flanged Mace - Radiant Beauty
Shield: Heavy Warrior Shield with Horsehead riveted on.
Armor: Blue Warrior Plate Armor mimicking her “arrowhead” shield. Riveted onto the chest is their Horsehead. The rest of the armor is standard heavy armor with gold accents.
Helmet: Pappenheim
Ring #1: Speed +12
Ring #2: Health +1000
Earring: Defense +5
Earring: Defense +5
Necklace: Rarity’s Geode made by Diemond - Skill Delay Reduction by 10%

Diemond’s blue chest plate matches her blue arrowhead style shield. It looks heavier than Backbreaker’s armor. The whole armor is Wondercolt blue, with gold filigree and gilding. However, it is fine gilding meaning Diemond mostly looks like a heavy set of blue plate armor. She has the least amount of yellow on her armor, leaving that to her mace like an accent piece. The chest appeared to be one piece in the same arrowhead design. Riveted on her chest and shield face was a blue backed yellow horse head. Her Pappenheim Helmet mimicked a horse head as much as possible. She wears the standard Wondercolt Heavy Armor cloak.

Radiant Beauty is a yellow steel flanged mace with multiple protrusions so close together they almost make it a full head. The shape of the flanges are smooth, symmetrical lines that come to a strong point to help pierce armor or break through solid objects.

Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – 15850 HP
One-Handed Dagger – Max
First Aid – Yes
Hide – Max
Search – Max
Listening – Max
Battle Regeneration – 850/1000 – 600 points every 10 seconds
Fighting Spirit – Max
Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Max
Drug Mixing – 936/1000
Reveal – 490/1000
Fencer: – 398/1000
Weapons: Daggers - Mourning Protector, Shadowsong (Paralysis), Endbringer (Poisoned)
Shield: None
Armor: Yellow Silverthread dress and Blue leather jacket. Blue shoulder boards for Colorra to better stay perched on. Everything is kept down with a thin blue belt. Short blue boots and fingerless gloves finish the look.
Helmet: Blue Headband
Ring #1: Beast Tamer’s Charms - Familiar Mirror - Ruby Wolf’s Paw Ring
Ring #2: Speed +5
Earring: Agility Canine Tooth +10 - Beast Tamer’s Charm Earring
Earring: Nightvision Canine Tooth - Beast Tamer’s Charm Earring
Necklace: Fluttershy’s Geode made by Diemond - Defense +8

Doombunny wears a cute set of leather equipment, designed to help her carry all three blades and Colorra. It revolves around blue leggings under a long, yellow Silverthread dress with a blue short armored jacket with long sleeves. The jacket hides her pouches for everything she needs. Colorra has shoulder pads above the jacket to better ride on. The thin blue belt that keeps her skirt down also keeps her weapons in place. On her left hip is her regular blade, in its blue sheath. The yellow paralyzing blade is at the small of her black. Off her right hip is her pink dagger, the poison one. The blue jacket hides her daggers well. Doombunny also wears a blue headband to keep her hair in place, blue boots that only cover her ankles, and blue Silverthread fingerless gloves.

Mourning Protector: The silver blade has a blue painted wooden handle. It is a long, single edged blade which falls at the long side of one handed daggers while still being noticeably shorter than the shortest swords. The knife has no guard and the back side of the blade’s tip has an edge to it. Outside of SAO, Mourning Protector would be classified as a dirk.
Shadowsong: This curved tanto knife is Doombunny’s Yellow colored Paralysis blade. It always has a glossy shine to the blade because the sheath makes sure the blade always is oiled with a strong paralysis agent. Doombunny keeps it at the small of her back because it is the second easiest place for her to drag a weapon.
Endbringer: A bollock dagger, the blade is medium for SAO daggers, and it is a true, double edged dagger designed for stabbing. The black wooden guard has two ovals as a guard to prevent her hand from slipping up onto the blade. The handle is wrapped in pink leather. She wears it on her right hip because it is harder for her to draw it with her right hand. The sheath is also pink. It is her guilty pleasure, the one Fluttershy thing she displays as a Wondercolt. As her favorite color, to be poisoned as strongly as it is, she is acutely aware of what it means to be drawing her pink dagger.

Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – 13295 HP
Rank: Nisa - Lieutenant Colonel
Two-Handed Spear – Max
Purchase Negotiation – Max
Armor Pierce – Max
Acrobatics – Max
First Aid – Yes
Light Metal Armor – Max
Battle Regeneration – 640/1000 – 500 points every 10 seconds
Weapon Defense – 635/1000
Parry – 421/1000
Extended Weight Carry – 212/1000
Weapon: Yari – Dragon Tail (Cross Spear)
Armor: Blue Leather Jacket made by Diemond
Gloves: Yellow leather half finger gloves with reinforced knuckles made by Diemond
Boots: Blue leather riding boots with yellow metal accents – made by Diemond
Belt: Blue leather sam belt with shiny brass horse head buckle on the chest - made by Diemond
Helmet: Hair Tie – Ponytail
Ring #1: Accuracy +3
Ring #2: Attack +5
Earring: Defense +2
Earring: Defense +2
Necklace: Soccer Ball Geode made for Astro by Diemond - Critical Attack +10%

Astro wears a blue leather jackets over a yellow shirt. Astro’s blue steel chest plate has a horse head on. The main eye catching feature is the blue leather Sam Belt, stitched in gold, to hold down the jacket. The belt’s strap is anchored on their chest by a shiny brass, horse head buckle. There is plenty of trim on their jackets which are paired with all riding boots that have yellow metal accents and trim. As she walks, particularly on stone or hard surfaces, her heels click with a crystal clack. She wears a ponytail instead of a helmet. Unlike most of the Wondercolts, she does not wear a cloak. She also wears yellow half fingered gloves with the knuckles reinforced.

Dragon Tale is a black shafted spear with yellow leather at the typical handholds. The blade is over a foot long, and it is backed by a crossguard where it is attached to the shaft. The guard is not sharp, meaning Dragon Tail is a spear and not a trident. It is often referred to as a cross spear.

Kiefer: Lvl 73 – 13000 HP
Rank: Nii - Lieutenant
One-Handed Curved Blade – Max
Parry – Max
Weapon Defense – Max
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 650/1000 – 450 points every 10 seconds
Light Metal Armor – 550/1000
Slash Weapon Forging – 400/1000
Katana – 412/1000
Martial Arts – 362/1000
Weapon: Katana - Mistmane's Fury
Weapon: One-Handed Longsword - Justicarian Scale
Shield: Blue kiteshield gilded with gold and a horse head on the face - Made by Rendil
Armor: Blue scale armor with golden accent scales. A shoulder cover with armored sleeves sits over the scale armor. Each shoulder has the Wondercolts’ horse head stitched on it. The helmet looks like a horse head and includes a yellow mane off the top.
Ring #1: Attack +4
Ring #2: Health +500
Earring: Critical Attack Chance +10%
Earring: Critical Attack Damage +10%
Necklace: Katana Geode made for Kiefer by Diemond - Defense +7

Kiefer wears yellow samurai armor, with blue accents. They are metal plates tied together on a hakama. The plating is yellow, backed by cloth. Any stitching or ties are blue as well. His center belt is blue leather. On both of the upper arms, he has a blue horse head painted on the plates. The helmet looks like a horse and includes a gold mane.

Lessa: Lvl 72 – 11500 HP
One-Handed Sword – Max
Shield – Max
Light Metal Armor – Max
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 580/1000 – 350 points every 10 seconds
Equipment Repair – 746/1000
Metal Equipment Repairing – 787/1000
Armor Pierce – 388/1000
Search – 257/1000
Acrobatics – 55/1000
Weapon: Rakurai
Shield: Blue kiteshield gilded with gold and a horse head on the face - Made by Rendil
Armor: Blue scale armor with golden accent scales. A shoulder cover with armored sleeves sits over the scale armor. Each shoulder has the Wondercolts’ horse head stitched on it. The helmet looks like a horse head and includes a yellow mane off the top.
Ring #1: Defense +5
Ring #2: Defense +7
Earring: Defense +9
Earring: Defense +9
Necklace: Crossed Swords Geode made for Lessa by Diemond - Attack +7

Basic shirt of scale armor, with strong leather pants colored yellow. Tactfully throughout the blue scales was a yellow one. Over the scales armor shirt was a shoulder cover that connected to their armored sleeves. On each of their shoulders was stitched the Wondercolt symbol. The helmet looked like a horse and included a gold mane. Her gloves are thick, blue leather and her boots were blue, with yellow laces on the outside, not on the face. Around her neck she has a narrow blue cloak trimmed in gold and with their symbol on it.

Her kite shield, an almond shape, is blue with gold gilding around the edge and a golden horse head on the face.

Rakurai is a one-handed longsword. It is an ornate sword. The sheath was ivory, with a rich blue handle and gilded crossguard and pommel. The crossguard was set with three sapphires and the etching in the gold. The silver blade that has a blue shine to it.

Joltron: Lvl 75 – 14850 HP
One handed Axe – Max
Heavy Shield – 868/1000
Heavy Metal Armor – Max
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 665/1000 – 250 points every 10 seconds
Metal Refining – 607/1000
Cooking – 163/1000
One Handed Weapon Creation – 400/1000
Two Handed Weapon Creation – 320/1000
Extended Weight Carry – 450/1000
Weapon: Starlight Axe
Shield: Tower Shield - Obsidian Shield with Agility +2, Speed +2, and - 20% Skill Delay - Painted over Blue and Black
Armor: Heavy Plate “Blue Crystal” armor to match his Obsidian Shield
Helmet: Sallet
Ring #1: Accuracy +10
Ring #2: Critical Attack +6%
Earring: Defense +6
Earring: Defense +6
Necklace: Shield Geode made for Joltron by Diemond - Strength +8

Joltron’s armor was designed to match his shield’s style. It has sharper angles like a crystal and sharp ridges where plates would normally be smooth. Every so often one of the “crystals” is yellow, not blue. Both pauldrons spiked up, providing a matching angular look of his Obsidian Shield. His chest has their horse head symbol on it. Even his Sallet helmet has crystal like protrusions flanking the sides and the back neck guard has ridges. The cloak was the same style as the heavy cloaks of the Tanks.

Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – 11045 HP
Rank: Jun-i - Statistician
One-Handed Sword – 942/1000
Shield – Max
Equipment Appraisal – Max
Parry – 802/1000
First Aid – Yes
Battle Regeneration – 350/1000 – 125 points every 10 seconds
Light Metal Armor – 420/1000
Search – 195/1000
Armor Pierce – 76/1000
Weapon: One-Handed Longsword - Justicarian Scale
Shield: Blue kiteshield gilded with gold and a horse head on the face - Made by Rendil
Armor: Blue scale armor with golden accent scales. A shoulder cover with armored sleeves sits over the scale armor. Each shoulder has the Wondercolts’ horse head stitched on it. The helmet looks like a horse head and includes a yellow mane off the top.
Ring #1: Agility +5
Ring #2: Search Booster
Earring: Defense +5
Earring: Defense +5
Necklace: Twilight Sparkle’s Geode made by Diemond - Health +750

Basic shirt of scale armor, with strong leather pants colored yellow. Tactfully throughout the blue scales was a yellow one. Over the scales armor shirt was a shoulder cover that connected to their armored sleeves. On each of their shoulders was stitched the Wondercolt symbol. The helmet looked like a horse and included a gold mane. Her gloves are thick, blue leather and her boots were blue, with yellow laces on the outside, not on the face. Around her neck she has a narrow blue cloak trimmed in gold and with their symbol on it.

Her kite shield, an almond shape, is blue with gold gilding around the edge and a golden horse head on the face.

Justicarian Scale is a single handed long sword on the conservative side for length. It is thin, almost, nearing the width of a rapier. The sword’s crossguard is square, but short.

NEW MEMBERS:

Lobelia: Lvl 62 – 9745 HP
Rank: Sensa - Major
One-Handed Sword – 685/1000
Shield – 785/1000

Kamishi: Lvl 64 – 10100 HP
Rank: Nii - Lieutenant
One-Handed Curved Blade – 942/1000
Katana - 263/1000

Shikiku: Lvl 61 – 9685 HP
Rank: Socho - Sergeant Major
One-Handed Curved Blade – 785/1000
Shield: 801/1000

MALES:
Chock: Lvl 64
Skills: Heavy Shield and Sword
Rank: Shicho - Leading Private

Delton: Lvl 63
Skills: Shield and Sword
Non-combat Support - Cook

Pell: Lvl 64
Skills: Heavy Shield and Sword
Rank: Niso - First Sergeant

Rancor: Lvl 63
Skills: Heavy Shield and Mace
Rank: Shicho - Leading Private
Also a cook.

Tariq: Lvl 63
Skills: Heavy Shield and Axe
Rank: Shicho - Leading Private

Yori: Lvl 63
Skills: Spear and Shield
Rank: Niso - First Sergeant

GIRLS:
Aelemar: Lvl 58
Skills: Spear
Cook

Aka: Lvl 62
Skills: Shield and Axe
Rank: Shicho - Leading Private

Artimi: Lvl 59
Skills: Spear

Babs: Lvl 62
Skills: Sword and Shield
Rank: Shicho - Leading Private

Eowyn: Lvl 59
Skills: Shield and Axe

Geinos: Lvl 58
Skills: Spear
Cook

Giselle: Lvl 59
Skills: Spear

Harari: Lvl 58-62
Skills: Sword and Shield
Cook

Helia: Lvl 61
Skills: Sword and Shield

Houhu: Lvl 59
Skills: Shield and Axe

Ithilien: Lvl 58
Skills: Sword
Non-combat Support - Cook

Jade: Lvl 58
Skills: Sword and Shield
Non-combat Support - Cook

Kate: Lvl 60
Skills: Shield and Hammer

Koco: Lvl 61
Skills: Two-handed Sword

Kogitsune: Lvl 59
Skills: Spear and Shield
Rank: Shicho - Leading Private

Koroua: Lvl 62
Skills: Two-Handed Axe
Cook

Mjolna: Lvl 59
Skills: Sword and Shield

Moza: Level 58
Skills: Rapier

Noi: Lvl 62
Skills: Heavy Shield and Mace

Pythia: Lvl 58
Skills: Sword and Shield

Rime: Lvl 61
Skills: Heavy Shield and Sword
Rank: Shicho - Leading Private

Satureja: Lvl 60
Skills: Spear

Shintia: Lvl 58
Skills: Sword and Shield

Suiko: Lvl 61
Skills: Spear and Shield

Suisei: Lvl 60
Skills: Spear and Shield

Tate: Lvl 62
Skills: Spear and Shield
Cook

Ulelisa: Lvl 58
Skills: Shield and Sword

Valencia: Lvl 59
Skills: Two-handed Hammer

Vay: Lvl 62
Skills: Spear
Rank: Niso - First Sergeant

Yuniver: Lvl 60
Skills: Spear and Shield

Ziora: Lvl 58
Skills: Sword and Shield
Cook

SOCCER TEAMS:
Rainbooms:
Thunderborne, Backbreaker, Kate, Mjolna
Scorpions:
Astro, Kiefer, Pell, Satureja
Bellmare:
Kamishi, Bladescape, Helia, Suiko
Antlers:
Kogitsune, Rime, Valencia, Eowyn
Cerezo:
Yori, Artimi, Noi, Ulelisa
TNT:
Tariq, Houhu, Koco, Suisei,

BLUCON:
Red - Kaga - Bladescape & Backbreaker - Doombunny, Ziora, Yuniver, Kate
Black - Akagi - Astro & Babs - Joltron, AFCK, Helia, Pythia,
Green - Hiryu - Kiefer & Thunderborne - Diemond, Lessa, Knightstar, Koco
White - Shokaku - Kamishi & Tariq - Noi, Aelemar, Ulelisa, Artimi
Purple - Soryo - Lobelia & Chok - Shikiku, Shintia, Valencia, Harari
Orange - Zuikaku - Yori & Rancor - Rime, Suiko, Eowyn, Satureja
Pink - Kaiyo - Vay & Aka - Giselle, Mjolna, Koroua, Moza
Turquoise - Chitose -Pell & Kogitsune - Tate, Suisei, Houhu, Geinos
Grey - Taiho - Support Team - Ithilian, Jade, Delton

YELCON:
Red - Chi-Ha - Bladescape - Backbreaker, Kiefer, Tariq, Thunderborne, Joltron
Black - Ha-Go - Astro - Diemond, Lobelia, AFCK, Pell, Lessa
Green - Ke-Ni- Yori & Kogitsune - Suiko, Suisei, Tate, Yuniver
White - Ho-Ri - Kamishi & Babs - Doombunny, Shintia, Kate, Moza
Purple - Ka-Chi - Chok & Knightstar - Pythia, Ziora, Ulelisa, Helia
Orange - Na-To - Rime - Koroua, Koco, Harari, Artimi, Eowyn
Pink - Chi-He - Vay - Noi, Satureja, Giselle, Mjolna, Houhu
Turquoise - To-Ku - Aka & Rancor - Shikiku, Geinos, Valencia, Aelemar
Grey - So-Kii - Support Team - Ithilian, Jade, Delton

Episode 82 - Into the Dragon's Nest

Floor 64
July 2 - Year 2

Bladescape woke up with a note by her bedside. It was Merlin. He needed to see her. He had the next item located. Bladescape informed the other councilors at breakfast and they adjusted for her being gone. She had gone over the basics of the quest with the council shortly after the merger. They understood enough that the quest she was working on was very important and not only improved her weapons, but could potentially put the Wondercolts on top if the right item was found or given. Plus, outside of being their Kaisho, she had no need for training because she was still far above their quotas.

Kiefer was their training officer, and would be in charge of making sure quotas were met. He would organize training days as well. However, the opening quotas were going to be led by Backbreaker. She had an idea for their extended time in the field. Bladescape was more than happy to have her take the lead, and so were the others.

Bladescape grabbed the lunch and dinner sacks AFCK had personally prepared for her, and then rushed out to their plaza. She stepped up to the teleport gate in her full gear but then used the glass ring. She was going to keep that secret, even to her guildmates. On the garden plateau, she stopped to survey the landscape. She had no idea what Floor they were on. From the height of the plateau, the next Floor wasn’t far above them. She felt like she could reach up and touch it.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Merlin asked her, surprising Bladescape.

“Sorry, I meant to go to you immediately. But this is beautiful. What Floor is this?”

“We are on Mount Etna. On the far side of this Floor sits Camelot, along the shores of Loch Lomond. It is there where the Once and Future King, Arthur, sat guiding his people. However, that time is not now. What the people need is eleven warriors to reform the Knights of the Round Table.”

“The ten with the Unique Skills,” Bladescape immediately said.

Merlin nodded. “Six are distributed, but my visions make me believe that soon we will see seven and eight arrive. Plus, there is the eleventh who is a warrior in their own right, despite no Skill. Still, you are a long way to that time. You have almost thirty Floors to conquer before you reach Camelot and can rally the people in this entire realm to a brand new existence, and then finally be ready for the Ruby Palace.

“But we need the Glass Tower to once again arrive for you to gather the other knights. And that starts next with Kukulkan, the five-colored jewel. It is in the neck of Elvarg, the Mother of all Aincrad’s Dragons.”

“What Floor are we on exactly?” Bladescape asked.

“Ninety Five by your count,” Merlin said. “And since you already got ahead of the quests by betraying the king, I need you to make sure the Glass Tower is back and ready for when you reach here. Can you do that?”

“I will do my best,” Bladescape replied. “And then I will gather the eleven to the Round Table. Or maybe a few more. Ones who are worthy, whether they have a unique skill or not, and who will stand by me no matter what when we enter the Ruby Palace. Ones who will, at the final battle, gladly lay down their lives for the freedom of our friends, our families, and the others in Aincrad.”

“You are starting to sound like Arthur,” Merlin grinned.

“Why shouldn’t I?” Bladescape asked. “Didn’t he unite Camelot, defend it against enemies of all kinds, both magical and human, and die saving it?”

“That he did,” Merlin replied. “Are you willing to die as he did?”

“I doubt he intended to die, and neither do I,” Bladescape replied. “What good am I to anyone dead?”

“You got me there,” Merlin chuckled. “But come, let us sit inside and I will show you what you need to know about Elvarg.”

“She drops her head,” Bladescape said. “One of the five great dragons who leaves behind their draconic visage.”

“You are prepared,” Merlin said, surprised.

“I only know I was waiting for her to appear,” Bladescape said. “I learned she drops her head because I made the final killing blow against the King Black Dragon, and got his head. I intend to gather all five heads. Since you mentioned her, I assume that time has come?”

“Yes, it has. But now, I am curious. Who do you think should be a Knight of the Round Table yet lacks a Unique Skill?”

“Backbreaker, the immovable Iron Bulwark who stands against every Floor Boss, unyielding in any way.”

“She was number eleven on my list,” Merlin said. “The one without a Unique Skill.”

Bladescape nodded and continued. “Asuna also should be there. And not because of her title as second-in-command of the Knights of the Bloodoath. Her skill with that rapier of hers is unprecedented. There is none faster. She will make a strong knight who can lead well and fight even better.

“Klein of the Fuurinkazan guild too. Despite his goofy ways and scruffy face, he is a warrior at heart and one that is true to the only goal that matters, freeing us all from our prison. He doesn't try to look like a samurai for the appearance alone, he is becoming one. I have fought by his side in many battles, and I will gladly fight by his side to the very end. I'll lay down my life in the Ruby Palace for him if it must come to that.

“I have a fear rising in me as we speak. How is it that Arthur died?”

Merlin sighed. “He died as he killed Mordred, a former Knight of the Round Table that betrayed him. Although, he wasn’t the only one who went against Arthur. Sadly, Lancelot and Arthur had a falling out that ended in bloodshed.”

“So, two falling outs,” Bladescape said. “Somehow I have a feeling we will get a repeat. And from the ten Unique Skills, not the others."

“I hope not,” Merlin said as they entered the cathedral. “You would want to figure them out before the allegiance. But your two named are strong and true. They would make solid knights.”

They sat down at a table.

“Merlin, you said six Skills, with two more soon-”

“Yes!” Merlin exclaimed, interrupting her. “I know you know of Commander Heathcliff. I-”

“Is one of those Unique Skills a deadly one?” Bladescape pressed before he got off topic.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I have had a bad feeling since I met Laughing Coffin the second time. That is, when I first saw and talked with their leader, PoH, he has a special weapon, a unique dagger that is for killing players and has no other reason to exist. It is a meat cleaver that is named Mate Chopper and gains power with every player killed with it.”

Merlin sighed. “None of these skills were supposed to be showing up so soon. Floor Ninety should have triggered them, because then you would see the separation between players of great skill and honor, and those of lesser repute but still of value. Players like you, Kirito, Asuna, and Heathcliff, who are already outpacing the others and leading them for a reason. Then everyone would understand why that person got that Unique Skill, and the others didn’t. I don’t know why but they are showing up early.

“The magic of this world is dark and shifting. But that is what is unique about you. You are a light in this darkness. You are greater than you realize. I see magic in you. One that isn’t like the darkness that holds this world. My hope rests with you.”

“So there is a Unique Skill for killing players,” Bladescape said, reading between the lines.

“If anyone can redeem that future knight, it is you,” Merlin stated with confidence.

“You met my friend, AFCK. Why?”

Merlin laughed. “She met me and somehow knew who I was. I figured, if she knew, then maybe she was the one to help me against the dark magic. She said she wanted too, but couldn’t, that she was too busy with you and the rest of your friends. I see now that she chose the better path. It was you I needed.”

“And it’s AFCK who supports me and I need that,” Bladescape replied. “But, we really need to get on track with Elvarg. I want to finish this task today if I can.”

“Oh, you just have to chop her head off and bring me the jewel in her neck,” Merlin plainly stated like it was nothing.

“I have to solo fight a dragon,” Bladescape said, intent on pointing out just how difficult that was going to be. “Wait, do I? This quest isn’t in my logs. As long as I bring the jewel to you, what does it matter?”

Merlin sat and thought for a bit. “I guess you do not. As long as you don’t tell them the reason for the gem, you will be fine.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Bladescape said. “I know my team. They get that I'm working on a multi-floor quest with special parameters, including not telling them stuff.”

Bladescape pulled up her menu and sent a message out. She needed Doombunny, AFCK, Diemond, Joltron, and Astro. Kiefer and Backbreaker were too busy training the new Wondercolts and Thunderborne was a junior officer. She needed to be with the others to build up her leadership status. Plus, she usually was good at hyping a team up and building morale. They needed Thunderborne leading the morale charge.

Doombunny had already fought the King Black Dragon, and doing the same thing would be crucial for a swift victory. Plus, she understood what it meant to fight one of Aincrad’s Five Great Dragons. Joltron was a Tank and yet had an adaptive speed unseen by any other true Tank. Diemond would be crucial as a second Tank. Taking away Astro for the day was a calculated risk, since she was on the rotation to be ready to receive the furniture when it arrived, but her spear was going to be key for a speedy kill. AFCK’s heavy hitting Geode Splitter would be a huge asset as well. The key to all of her choices was that they were well above the level quotas and, ignoring Astro, were not directly involved in the training, or at least could be spared for the day.

She got the messages back quickly and they set up to rendezvous back at the castle.

Bladescape turned her attention back to Merlin. “I need to know everything you can tell me about Elvarg. Not just where she is, but how she attacks, what she prefers to do for attacks, how the layout of the ground is so I know who I can put where, and things like that.”

Merlin nodded and picked up a tome. It thudded onto the wooden table as he set it down from its sheer size. Inside its pages was all the information of Aincrad’s Five Great Dragons that Merlin knew. Bladescape flipped through to check the others. The King Black Dragon had the most, but that didn’t matter. Fucanglong the Crystal Dragon had a lot, but no stated Floor. Yamata no Orochi only had a drawing, a ten headed serpent style dragon. And then there was only a short sentence describing Ryu: A Blue and white winged snake that controlled storms and rain.

“Merlin, these are the Five?” Bladescape asked. “What about Dorz'l the Chaos Drake”

“He is a drake, not a dragon,” Merlin replied. “Although, I believe he has wings. Either way, he is not one of the Five.”

“And is he a Floor Boss?”

“I believe so,” Merlin nodded. “But I don’t recall which one, if I ever knew. The dark magic-”

“Got it,” Bladescape said, interrupting him. She closed the tome and stood up. “Thank you. I will need to come back to reread the others, but this will ensure our victory. Hopefully a swift victory.”

“Have fun,” Merlin chuckled.

“My castle please,” Bladescape said with a grin.

Merlin raised his hand slowly so that she was ready. Again, she never heard the snap as she found herself in her room, beside her bed. She sighed. She wanted to come in from outside. Either way, she had to meet the others in the Guild Hall, and they should be back.

Bladescape entered from the hidden entrance. Her friends were in the front row, waiting. She sat on the crappy table, which still served as their temporary council table, instead of in her chair, to address her friends.

“Elvarg, the Mother of Aincrad’s Dragons is a green dragon of moderate size. I need the five colored gem that is a scale on her throat for my quest. Let me decapitate her. Otherwise, it’s pretty simple. She uses less fire that the King Black Dragon did, and her breath attacks are shorter. Don’t let that fool you though, she can still cook you alive in a single breath. Her preference is to strike with her claws and jaws. She also loves the tail whip, so watch out, especially you, Doombunny.”

“I assume you want me to do the same thing,” Doombunny asked.

“Yes,” Bladescape nodded. “This battle will happen in a cavern, in a dungeon. Getting there shouldn’t be too hard. Once we engage her, slip to the rear and harass her like you did the King Black Dragon. It will be a lot tighter for you, so be careful. If you need to wait and time your hits, then do that. I just need you making the critical attacks at the right time, not overall damage."

“Understood,” Doombunny nodded. “I will be tactical.”

Bladescape nodded and continued. “For the rest of you, Diemond and Joltron, you need to do everything you can to keep her focus split between you two. Set up on either side of her. We are going to be on the offensive as much as possible. That is how we beat the King Black Dragon. Astro, you pair with whoever you want. AFCK will work with the other Tank. I will float. Astro, if you want to switch Tanks in the battle, feel free. Just avoid the claws, and in particular, the jaws.”

“Just a logistical question,” Astro asked. “If you fail to get the Last Attack Bonus, can we give you the gem?”

“As I understand it, you should be able to,” Bladescape nodded. “But I want that head and the gem, so if we can, leave it up to me. I know it is a bit of a cheat, but…”

“It still is fun,” Astro grinned. “Cheat or not, we want you to get the head, even if that means we stage it for you. And really, you are not hiding. You are going to be fully engaged in the battle, working for that killing blow. Assisting you on this quest will be fun."

“True,” Bladescape replied with a nod. “But if it finishes like it did with Kirito, Doom, and I, the killing blow must be dealt as swiftly as possible. Of course, then we only had 3 of us. And when-” Bladescape almost blew Kirito’s secret. She grinned, thankful that she caught herself in time. “When Kirito slipped up and didn’t get the kill shot I let him have, I had to rescue him. He was in a heavy delay, and he was going to die if I didn’t kill the dragon. So I did. It’s the only reason why Thunder has Dragon’s Tooth and why I got the Black Draconic Visage. So do the same thing. If I fail the setup, kill her.”

Doombunny confidently stood up. “Let’s go get you that gem! And let’s get that second head to mount behind the dais that will be here in a few days. Just think what it will look like if we get all five heads to be mounted behind you, we need that as a guild, as much as you need it for yourself.”

Bladescape looked behind her and grinned. “I think that is the perfect place for them.”

Bladescape stood up and began to pull out her crystals. “Everyone, make sure that you have three blues, plenty of reds, and that your health potions are stocked as well. Doom will worry about poison, we won’t.”

They checked everything and headed out. They moved quicker because Backbreaker wasn’t with them. Most of Floor 64 was explored and cleared. That also meant they had to hurry. Now was the time that many clearing parties turned to the dungeons to level grind a bit before they tackled the boss Labyrinth.

The location to the dungeon’s start was a cave in a small island in a small lake. As they came out of the woods and saw the bank, they saw a row boat on their side and another one on the other side. The game might have one on the other side to ensure adventures could get back across the lake when they left the dungeon, or it meant another party was already across and in the dungeon.

They all understood what was at stake. Doombunny took point on the rowboat so she could rush ahead with Search, Listen, and Reveal. Diemond knew she was worthless as a rower and got in right behind Doombunny to be the second one off and establish a defensive foothold for the others. Joltron took up residence beside her for the same reason. Astro and Bladescape shoved them off into the water and began to row. AFCK was behind them, but still could had enough space left get on the back.

AFCK had ignored the others and unequipped her axe. Instead, she rushed forward and leaped as high as she could, which was impressive even by game standards, and yelled “CANNONBALL!” It was AFCK. If any other player without Swimming as an active Skill did a cannonball into the lake, they would have never resurfaced. Especially with light metal armor on. She not only kept up, but got a head of the boat. Astro and Bladescape were having to call out “row” in a cadence to keep themselves steady, straight, and making progress towards the other shore.

“Beat you!” AFCK declared as they beached the rowboat.

Doombunny was gone, zipping into the cave.

“You are soaked,” Diemond said to AFCK, shaking her head in disapproval.

“So?” AFCK asked, seeing no problem with being wet.

“Let’s go,” Bladescape said, keeping them on track. “AFCK, put your axe back on.”

AFCK followed the order and they trotted into the cave. Doombunny was back rather quickly.

“Fresh tracks from a group are all throughout the cave,” Doombunny reported. “I spotted combat marks as well. Plenty of them. They can’t be too far ahead since the tracks are still fresh. It looks like a full party of six, with four members wearing heavy metal armor and 2 in light metal armor.”

“That is new to your skill,” Bladescape said as they rushed forward. “It is useful.”

Doombunny just shrugged back. Reveal was leveling up nicely and she was on track to max it by the time they got to Floor 80. There was still a lot of room for the Skill to unlock more abilities for her to employ.

“These are very fresh tracks,” Doombunny said as they got further in.

“Search just warned me of six players ahead,” Bladescape said, letting out a laugh. “You just beat me to it.”

They began to sprint, as fast as their slowest member, Diemond, could go. She was apologetic.

“Focus on running, we don’t care,” Bladescape said to her friend. “Don’t ever apologize for being the amazing Tank you are.”

They rounded a corner and saw the players. They were on either side of a narrow passageway on the left. They stopped talking as they saw the charging Wondercolts.

“Hold up,” their leader said.

“No,” Bladescape said as they slowed so they could enter. “It’s a green dragon in there, right?”

“How did you know?” he asked, as they all shifted their swords and shields to a ready position. It was their right to defend what they had found and not abandoned yet. The Wondercolts were being the rude ones.

“I have a quest,” Bladescape said, trying to calm them down. “This dungeon doesn’t end with Elvarg. I need to kill her for my quest. I don’t care about the rest of the dungeon. There is only one thing I need from her, and I have to get it from the final kill blow.”

One of them, a Tank, stepped forward to block the entrance.

“Show yourself Doombunny,” Bladescape said.

“Right here,” Doombunny said from the other side of the group. She uncloaked as asked.

“Doombunny, as in Baipagaru?” one asked, shaking a bit as he looked over his shoulder.

“The very same,” Doombunny said as she sheathed Shadowsong and began to pet Colorra’s head. “We don’t mean you any harm. Like our Kaisho said, she has a solo quest. We are backing her up. But we know she has to strike the final blow for her quest. If you could please let us through, I promise we won’t touch the rest of the dungeon. It is yours.”

An explosion and cascade of heat sent them ducking in all directions. The Tank blocking the passage had just taken a direct hit to the back from a fire attack. Bladescape was up first, pulling out several crystals. She had pulled out two blue and a red. She covered the distance in three long strides and pointed the crystal at the Tank. “HEAL!”

The red crystal shattered and the pieces floated over to him to give him life. Bladescape grabbed his left pauldron and began to drag him out of the way Joltron appeared beside her and the two of them got him farther back, clear from any more attacks.

They helped him up as his comrades were finally on their feet and capable of helping. The Wondercolts clearly had them outclassed for basic reaction skills. Both groups were now clearly split on either side of the entrance to the dragon, and keeping a good distance away from it.

Bladescape was with Joltron and Astro on the side closest to the dungeon mouth, while Doombunny, AFCK, and Diemond had ended up on the far side when they scrambled to get to a defensive position. The other party was also split 3 and 3.

“Look,” Bladescape said. “I need one of her scales for a multi-floor solo quest. It is useless to you because no one can start the quest anymore. I am several quest segments into it. So we are going in there, and you need to stay out.”

“You saved me,” the Tank said, surprised.

“Of course I did,” Bladescape shrugged. “I’m not going to let you die for any reason. Plus, this is not my first rodeo with a special dragon. It is clear though, that you don’t have the levels to be hunting a special dragon on the front line Floor.”

Their leader scowled at her from across the way. “And if I think we can?” he growled.

Bladescape didn’t have a chance to respond. He found Doombunny’s dagger, Shadowsong, at his throat. She was ready to paralyze him. He took a step back, but she expertly followed him and pinned him against the far wall.

“We asked nicely,” Doombunny sweetly said. Her voice and demeanor was calm and sweet, but her dagger at his throat showed she was strong and in control. “And we even explained why. Like we said, you take the dungeon and the real boss, and we will clear out that dragon and then leave. If you make me, I will use my paralyzing blade to ensure sure you don’t get yourself or any of your friends killed. He almost died from a single breath attack. I’ve felt more powerful dragon fire than that little puff of smoke. You are outmatched. Bow out with what little dignity you have left.”

“Come on, Celtec,” the Tank who almost died said. “I’m no match for it, I won’t be able to protect us. None of us will. That is Baipagaru, and she is a Wondercolt. They’re all Wondercolts. They have honor and a good reputation for a reason. A reputation for helping players without a second thought, not asking anything of them. Like they just did for me.

Celtec sighed. “Alright, go. We won’t stop you. We will continue on with the dungeon.”

Doombunny stepped back, twirling her dagger before she slipped it under her coat and into its sheath. She flashed him a smile and bowed respectfully.

Bladescape was too far away to stop it. Celtec's demeanor changed to the polar opposite. He drove a savage kick to Doombunny’s bowed head, driving the toe of his heavy metal boot into her face.

AFCK leaped across the dungeon passageway, landing a flying punch to his face. He was knocked back against the wall from the power and then rebounded off from basic physics. AFCK’s arm was out. She caught him along the chest, in a control clothesline attack that put him on his back. Hard. She sat her butt right on his chest, pinning him. Geode Splitter was casually popped off her back and she twirled it before pinning his neck between the shaft and the flared blade.

The other party had dropped their weapons in immediate surrender. The Tank next to Bladescape was low in prestige inside their group. The one beside Celtec, a lancer, had appeared to be his second. She was beside him in an instant, grabbing his armor and pulling him in close.

“I would take our advice very seriously,” Bladescape growled.

“Of course,” he gulped. “And what wise advice is that?”

“Considering his cursor is now orange, I would drag him out of this dungeon and toss him to the Army. Thinker knows and likes Doombunny and I, as well as all Wondercolts. My advice is to let him pay his orange time in a cell, where he can rethink his life decisions. When he gets out, you might not want to roll with him.”

“That is wonderful advice,” he furiously nodded. “I’m not making an excuse, but I seriously don’t know if we have any rope.”

Bladescape let him go and swiped up her menu. “I can solve that.”

She passed him the rope. Several of them grabbed the pinned Celtec. He swore at his former friends, cursing them with all sorts of language. AFCK slipped off him so they could tie him up, which would only take a few clicks.

Celtec twisted, slipping out of their grasp and kneed one in the kidney. He stood and clocked the one Bladescape had given the suggestion to with a powerful right hook. Metal backed fist connected with the metal helmet in a sickening scrape of steel. He dropped like a rock.

Bladescape had kept her menu up for a reason. She clicked on the item and into her hands another rope popped. It was a simple click to make the knot. Celtec only got a few steps before the rope was around him and Bladescape gave him a vicious yank. He was forced onto his face and his former comrades tackled him and this time got him tied up.

The one Bladescape had identified as their second was still trying to get his head about him from the blow. Diemond was tending to Doombunny and Astro began to help him get his helmet off and clear his head.

The Tank Bladescape had saved stepped over to her. “I think we certainly need introductions now,” He said. “I am Mytho. The six of us have been together for a long while. We are the Highlander Guild. We knew Celtec has a bit of temper and could be a bit rash, but we never would have said he would strike another player like that.

“Yeah, we all were a bit angry, you were pushing us out of the way, but you had a legitimate reason. Especially after you saved me. I wasn’t going in there. We knew we were outmatched. I didn’t see his change coming.

“Anyway, like I said, I am Mytho, obviously Celtec is tied up, the one your friend is tending is Jak and he is our second. By Celtec's head is Thunderborne, and by his feet is Emmeld, and finally the one gathering our dropped weapons is Merick.”

“Thunderborne?” Bladescape asked.

There was no time to explain as several of the monsters respawned. Four per side. Bladescape and Harmonic Salvation jumped at the closest one on her side. Merick rolled his eyes with a sigh, dropping the weapons, except his own sword and shield, and charged the closest one on his side to protect the players still dealing with head wounds. Joltron joined Bladescape’s side, but they both played aggressive, having no need for a Tank. Merick was backed up by AFCK and Colorra. Colorra claimed two of the four kills on their side.

Bladescape sheathed Harmonic Salvation and turned back to Mytho who had the unfortunate luck of having smartly dropped his axe and not picked it up. “Mytho, it is a plea-...well, I wish we met under better, less stressful circumstances.”

“Agreed,” Mytho nodded. “You had a question?”

“Yes, but first, our introductions. I am Bladescape-”

“Kaisho,” Astro said. “Kaisho Bladescape of the Wondercolts.

Bladescape sighed and explained “We just took in new members and I was given the title of Kaisho because I lead us all. So yes, I am Kaisho Bladescape. She is Nisa Astro, the Wondercolts’ third. That is Joltron. You already are familiar with Baipagaru, or as we know her, Doombunny. Helping her is Diemond, our armorer. And the one with the giant axe is AFCK, our Itamae.”

“A cook and on the front line?” Mytho asked, surprised.

“She maxed cooking too,” Bladescape grinned. “She’s good at her job. Both jobs.”

Bladescape groaned, frustrated. “This became a whole mess. It was supposed to be easy. Slam our way through the dungeon to Elvarg, execute the plan, leave the killing blow to me for my quest, and then go home. Well I go finish the quest and they go home. Now we have two players recovering from blows to the head and a rogue player gone orange.

“Oh!” Bladescape exclaimed. “You said Thunderborne? Can you spell that?”

Thunderborne shrugged, confused, but he complied. “T, H, U, N, D, E, R, B, O, R, N. I was going to add an E at the end, but that name was taken.”

The Wondercolts, except Doombunny, chuckled. Bladescape explained it. “Thunderborne with an E was taken by our friend. She got to it first. She is a fencer.”

Thunderborn laughed. “I want to meet her. After we deal with Celtec.”

“That is important, but let’s rest up a bit more,” Bladescape suggested. “Mytho get your axe and shield. We trust you, and even if you turned, well…” Bladescape’s grin was coy yet arrogant. There was no way they could take the Wondercolts, even in a surprise attack.

Doombunny groaned. “He is lucky Colorra let it slide. Or he wouldn’t be alive. I’m surprised she didn’t, even with AFCK hitting him.”

“Well, I am glad,” Merick said. “I would rather turn him in and be free of conscious than having a party member die, even if he turned. As bad as it was, he wasn’t trying to kill Baipagaru.”

“That is probably what saved him,” Bladescape said. “Either way, Merick, stay over there, but toss us Thunderborn’s, and Emmald’s weapons and shield. Let’s just relax. I know we are not in a safe zone, but let’s just stay calm. We almost had two deaths and we have two players who need a clear break.

“Thunderborn and Emmald, drag Celtec over to us so he is definitively clear from the passageway to the dragon, and take one of his health potions and force him to drink it. I can see how badly AFCK messed with his HP from that single punch. He was in bad shape before he tried to make a break for it, so we don’t need him dying from a little heat.”

They pulled him off to the side. Merick tossed them their weapons. They were now fully capable of fighting any respawns. They were lucky more hadn’t respawned.

“This is a bit lopsided,” Emmald said. “I am going to dash to their side, so that they have more than three fighters.”

“Go for it,” Bladescape said. “Wise thinking.”

He made it across without incident.

“PSST!” AFCK blew to get Bladescape’s attention without being loud. She was trying to not let the dragon know they were there, which was not how things worked, but it was AFCK. She whispered the yell, “Look at your lunch bag. I packed extra!”

Bladescape pulled up her menu and removed her lunch. She hadn’t given it any thought when she had grabbed the bag. She was told AFCK packed it personally, but that was all she worried about. She was going out solo, so it was logically a larger bag to cover the day. However, Inside was a lot more than two meals. Bladescape passed out bottles of fruit flavored water and then cupcakes to the players with her. AFCK was doing the same on her side.

“Man, these are so good,” Thunderborn said with a content sigh. “I don’t know the last time I had something this delectable. And it certainly was never in a dungeon.”

“AFCK is a master,” Bladescape chuckled.

Bladescape was anxious to fight Elvarg. They had now spent a lot of time in the dungeon, outside her cavern, and not doing anything to actually attack her or even plan the assault. She couldn’t help but think that it was her fault. They had crossed the line with how pushy they were.

“I’m ready,” Doombunny finally said. She had eaten plenty and drank all of the water given to her. “And I think Jak should get up and move as well. It was his metal boot against my unprotected face. You had some protection at least.”

Jak let out a big sigh. “Yeah. But I already have a headache about what comes next. The water and cupcakes were nice. A real treat and I’m very thankful for it. I’m thankful for all of your help and support. You have been extremely kind and generous when you should not have.”

“Pfft,” Diemond waved it off. “It’s what we do, Darling.”

Bladescape opened her menu and pulled out a pen and a piece of paper.

Thinker,

Take Celtec, a pathetic excuse for a player let alone a human being, and lock him up for assault on an unarmed and unaware player, and assault on his friends. Short story: he assaulted Doombunny and then resisted capture and struck his friends to try and escape. They can tell you the long version. We are safe and fine. If you need more info for a proper sentence, send a runner to our castle and I will come as soon as I can. Thorn Island is the teleport plaza location.

Kaisho Bladescape, Wondercolts

Bladescape folded the top of the paper down to the center. She did the same from the bottom. She repeated those folds so it was a nice square. Along the opening she placed a piece of wax and then used a stamp and put their Wondercolts seal on it. It would be obvious if it was opened before Thinker got it. She wrote his name above the seal so it got to him.

“Give this to the Army,” Bladescape said, passing the note to Mytho. “Thinker is their leader. Explain what you need to. I know he will at least hold Celtec for a few days if he wants to speak to me. It’s in the note, but this will make sure it gets to Thinker and is taken care of properly. Wondercolts to Aincrad Liberation Force.”

“I will make sure it personally gets delivered to his hands,” Mytho assured her. “We have a player to take to jail and you have a dragon to kill.”

They shook hands, wishing each other luck and parted ways. Bladescape looked over at Doombunny. She was standing strong, with Colorra proudly sitting on her shoulders. Bladescape watched as Doombunny took a deep breath in and confidently drew Endbringer.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce

Author's Note

Just a reminder, I have readers who don't know SAO. Please mark any potential spoilers with the spoiler tag so they can't see it glancing over any responses.

Episode 83 - Shattered Hope

Floor 64
July 2 - Year 2

Bladescape’s strike team, Doombunny, Joltron, Diemond, AFCK, and Astro, was ready to hit Elvarg, the Mother of Aincrad’s Dragons. After an interesting morning and happenings in the dungeon, they were finally ready to strike.

Bladescape drew Harmonic Salvation and the others readied their weapons. “Joltron, then Diamond,” Bladescape ordered. “We know Elvarg has already launched fire at us and can hit the entrance. Let’s be smart and advanced behind shields until I give the order for us to split. We can do this though.

“Of course we can,” Diemond said casually. “We are the Wondercolts, Dear. This will be nothing.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Die,” Doombunny warned. “I fought the King Black Dragon. I am confident we can do this, because we are prepared and back then we were not, but it will require a lot of energy and focus. She is no normal dragon, and she is not even a normal flag mob dragon.”

Diemond just nodded and took up her position right behind Joltron. Astro was third, and then AFCK, Bladescape, with Doombunny taking up the rear. Doombunny would disappear as soon as she could.

They proceeded into the cavern. The passage was really just a thick doorway. Off to their sides were a lot of stalagmites and stalactites. The subterrain was lousy with them, particularly around the outside, with the odd column scattered about. The main area was wide open, but old dragon eggshells were scattered about, and the remains of an ancient nest or two were evident as well.

Elvarg was only a little bigger than the Black Dragons were supposed to be, which meant she was only two thirds the size of the King Black Dragon. She was a sickly, ugly dark green, not what Bladescape had expected. With her stuck in the cavern, she couldn’t fly. They had kept the King Black Dragon on the ground by striking the softer underbelly enough he didn’t want to expose it more. They wouldn’t get to do that this time.

It was going to be a tight fight. The Tanks split under Bladescape’s direction. She stayed behind Joltron with Astro. Doombunny was still behind AFCK and Diemond.

The first bolt of fire was launched at Joltron. He had just enough warning to plant the shield on the ground and brace it. Astro kept him steady but Bladescape was tipped back as they rocked from the hit. She rolled off her back and up onto her feet, sword at the ready. She didn’t have to give any orders as Diemond took the chance to charge. AFCK was surprisingly focused on the charge, no hopping or skipping. Doombunny was out of sight, making her move.

Joltron and Astro also made a loud charge, trying to split the attention of the dragon and make it falter in its decision. Bladescape had told them to be aggressive, and as they made their move she swung left, wider than they did so she could hit from the side.

Diemond slid to a stop, perfectly setting her stance as claws lashed against her shield. Elvarg tried to chomp down on Diemond. Instead, Geode Splitter swung up into her jaw, ending that attack, and landing the first blow against the Mother of all Aincrad’s Dragons.

The Dragon yowled in pain, painting the roof with a wash of flames. It was an indication that Doombunny was not only in position, but had hit a critical point. At that moment, with her head raised high, it was easy to see the plate sized, multi-colored gemstone in the middle of her neck.

They didn’t stop to stare though. Astro rammed Dragon Tail into the beast’s right shoulder and Bladescape covered her with a switch from the side. All of the Greatsword Sword Skills were exponentially stronger than regular Two Handed Sword Skills. Even a simple one was powerful enough to leave a long red gash in Elvarg’s side..

AFCK went for Elvarg’s left foreleg. Joltron took the opportunity to jump in with his axe. Elvarg lashed back with her claws, which Joltron easily deflected. He got his shield up, above his head before her jaws came down on him. The shield lodged in between her teeth, and Elvarg pulled up, lifting Joltron off the ground. She started thrashing her head around, trying to dislodge his shield and free her mouth.

Bladescape let out her greatest war cry, jumping in front of Elvarg and swinging Harmonic Salvation over her head, triggering Star Rift, the same skill she had used to sever the King Black Dragon’s head. Harmonic Salvation bit into the virtual dragon hide, and it cut more as Bladescape fought the resistance to drive the attack home. Finally the long blade was free and it slammed into the ground, splitting a rift in the stone and getting lodged into the cavern floor in the process.

Diemond got in front of Bladescape as Elvarg tried to slash her last attacker with her right claws. They caught on the top lip of the shield and dragged Diemond down. AFCK let loose a powerful combination attack targeted at the left leg, so that Elvarge couldn’t use it. Coupled with several strikes from Doombunny, Elvarg chose to raise her head high with Joltron still dangling from it.

“FIRE” Joltron yelled as he saw the glow come from inside Elvarg’s throat. He dropped his axe and pulled himself up, behind his shield and bundled up as much as possible. He was hanging on by the Obsidian Shield's anchor straps. It required a lot of physical strength and mental fortitude to pull off. Thankfully the Obsidian Shield was a large tower shield.

The flames exploded around the stuck shield. Joltron cried out in pain as the heat burned him, but he stayed behind his shield and suffered minimal HP loss.

Diemond stood up, covering Bladescape who was still trying to dislodge Harmonic Salvation. AFCK went flying as Elvarg hit her with her tail. She didn’t stop until the Stalagmites in the back caught her.

Elvarg made a swipe with her left claws, now that they weren't being assaulted. They knocked Diemond into Bladescape and they both fell to the ground before tumbling a good way from the power in the hit.

Bladescape picked herself up immediately. Diemond was also getting to her feet. Bladescape almost charged back to get Harmonic Salvation, but Elvarg moved forward with a strong step, slamming her right leg down on the stuck blade. Everyone heard the crystal crack of polygons breaking and saw some floating out from under the dragon.

Bladescape froze, not believing her ears or eyes. Surely they were deceiving her. But how could she deny it? Bladescape didn’t register Elvarg targeting her with a claw attack as she grappled with the shock.

Diemond rammed into Bladescape and grabbed her friend making sure she got to safety instead of just staring at the last resting place of Harmonic Salvation. She could see they were losing her. She pushed Bladescape up against the leeward side of a column. It wasn’t much protection, but it was some.

“Stay here,” Diemond told Bladescape. “I have to go rescue AFCK.”

Bladescape blankly nodded back. Diemond rushed off and Bladescape began to squeeze her hands around the air, wishing one more time to feel the blade in them. It was more than just the perfect sword. She had just started to get the sword into its stride with the enhancements. It had just been hardened. It wasn’t going to ever fail any of the upcoming 88 enhancements.

It had been her Hope at getting out of here alive. The blade that was forged for her and named something she could recognize in both worlds as being a powerful protective magic. It was a bit of tangible Equestrian Magic. She had believed their magic had finally gotten a little bit of itself to her to use in saving her friends.

Harmonic Salvation, the blade of the Elements of Harmony that were her friends: Honestly, Loyalty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, and Magic. They were the elements that had saved her from her inner demon. And along with that, Harmonic Salvation had been the sword that Bladescape learned she could surpass the power she had once held in her hands or hooves. A good power, full of Hope and Light.

But the Hope that was Harmonic Salvation was now shattered. She had nothing. There was no anchor. Even when she snapped against Kurayaro, it was Harmonic Salvation in her hands.

Bladescape touched the geode necklace. It didn’t do anything for her. It was a powerful symbol, and it had helped the light shine into her, but it wasn’t Hope. It was support, a reminder, but not Hope.

Without Harmonic Salvation, could she maintain the same level of commitment to the Wondercolts, to their liberty, and to the players she supported and fought for? Could she stand before the next boss confidently and win without that Hope? Could she even be Bladescape without Harmonic Salvation in her hands?

Joltron slammed into the narrow column beside her, breathing heavily. There wasn’t really any protection for him.

“INCOMING FIRE JOLTRON!” Astro yelled.

Joltron looked at Bladescape who was still trying to grip her old blade. He was not protected where he was at and he still didn’t have his shield. He rolled so that he had Bladescape sandwiched in between him and the column. The fireball exploded, leaving flames to lick around the them. His HP dropped a bit and so did Bladescape’s. Hers slipped into the red. Her armor and Battle Regeneration Skill wasn’t going to save her. He grabbed a health potion and downed it while he slammed a red crystal into Bladescape’s chest.

“Heal!” Joltron ordered the crystal and Bladescape’s HP leaped back to full.

Joltron patted Bladescape on the cheek. He had to be gentle with his heavy armored gloves. It took a bit but she snapped back to reality.

“Why are you inches from me?” Bladescape asked. “And pinning me to the wall?”

“You were taking up the only safe spot when the fireball came," Joltron explained "So I stacked on you. I don’t have my shield or my axe. I haven’t been able to snatch my axe for a good twenty minutes, at least. It is right by her claws and I am not agile enough. I don’t have a backup, but you do. Use Bajutsu and beat that dragon. Show Aincrad that you are better-”

“Am I?” Bladescape asked, as a tear slipped from her eye.

Joltron grabbed her face, carefully, in his metal gloves. “Yes,” He said, forcing her to look at him. “I don’t follow Harmonic Salvation, or any weapon, into battle. I follow you. Because the skill is there, inside of you, and the blade is just an outlet for that skill. Now pick up your cavalry sword and let’s kill that dragon. You cut its head off as planned.”

Bladescape took a deep breath in and tried to hold back the tears. She lost a few as she battled for control with a few sniffs. She finally made a declaration. “We are going to institute a new Wondercolt policy. All Wondercolts must have a backup weapon of sufficient strength and durability, and they must maintain it the same as their primary weapon. Harmonic Salvation is the second sword that has been shattered in battle against the Five Great Dragons of Aincrad. You should have a second axe that you can use. And a second shield.”

“I very much agree,” Joltron said, peaking out around the pillar. “My shield is still lodged between her two top canines. She got it unstuck from the others, which is half good half bad. I can almost get my shield back, which means two tanks for us, but she will be able to freely breathe fire.”

“INCOMING!” Astro yelled.

Joltron and Bladescape braced for the explosions and heat. Bladescape had been holding her breath in expectation and she let it out with a growl. “I’m done. I wasted too much time behind this pillar, failing at my duty.”

Joltron stepped back and Bladescape swiped up her menu. She put Bajutsu onto her back, where Harmonic Salvation had rested, and drew her other trusty blade. The back draw was very different from what Harmonic Salvation felt like. It showed her their size discrepancy. She would have to keep that fact in mind as she proceeded.

“Get your axe,” Bladescape ordered Joltron. “Whatever you do, get your axe. I will make her pay.”

Joltron smiled at her. “That’s the woman I will follow, in any reality or dimension, to the fiery gates of hell. Wherever they may be!”

Bladescape stepped out from behind the column. "It's time for you to meet Bajutsu!" Bladescape declared to the dragon.

Elvarg roared a challenge back. Bladescape surged forward. Yes, she had to worry about a big difference in size between the blades, but she also knew Bajutsu. She had used him plenty, on horseback and also for a good while against the vagabonds their new guildmates were currently grinding against. She had beaten the mounted knight for the Halter with Bajutsu. He would taste the final drops of blood from Elvarg. She would feel his sting a hundred times, and then a hundred more if that was what it took.

It was easy to predict the swipe of Elvarg’s claws and slide by it. Bladescape lashed back, striking the inner forearm in retaliation for the swipe. She continued forward, only needing three steps to drive Bajutsu to the hilt in Elvarg's chest. And she did it without a Sword Skill. Bladescape set her foot against her chest and yanked the blade free.

Asto yelled, jumping up and driving her spear into the dragon's upper neck. AFCK leaped up behind her, without her axe out, aiming high. She grabbed onto the obsidian shield.

Bladescape made a distracting cut at Elvarg's right leg. It gave Astro the time needed to use Agility to vault off of Elvarg and snag AFCK. With Astro's weight added, the shield broke free, taking one of the dragon’s teeth with it. Diemond and Joltron came in to catch them before they hit the hard stone floor. AFCK caught the tooth and stashed it in her hunting pouch among the vials of poison.

Bladescape executed a four-combo hit, Infinity, and then drove Bajutsu to the hilt again before the delay could set in. The moment it wore off she yanked it free, jumping back, and released Avalanche against Elvarg’s neck. The tip caught, taking a decent sized chunk from her HP.

Elvarg raised her right leg to strike, but she roared in pain before she could follow through. Doombunny had found a very important nerve. Elvarg began to whip her tail all around in an effort to get rid of Doombunny behind her. When that didn't work, she kicked with her back legs to rid herself of the painful dagger strikes.

Doombunny avoided them and then jumped up, onto the base of the tale. She sprinted along the ridged spine. Elvarg turned to look at her, unsure what to do with an enemy on its back. Doombunny didn't hesitate as she leaped off its shoulder. Mourning Protector flashed silver as she held it over her head, steadied it with her left hand, which also had the parrying dagger in it. Side by side, she rammed them into the skull of the dragon.

With a roar Elvarg shook her head to get rid of Doombunny. She dropped off, expertly rolling on contact to mitigate damage taken. Colorra was immediately by her master's side and she slithered up her body to sit on Doombunny’s shoulders.

“Good to see you again,” Doombunny said to Bladescape.

“She will pay,” Bladescape spat.

“I’ve got her poisoned up as best as possible,” Doombunny added.

“Fall back!” Bladescape ordered. “Outside to regroup.”

They all retreated.

“What was that for?” Astro immediately asked. “We should be-”

“Top off health,” Bladescape ordered over Astro. “Then we go back in and hit hard. Same plan, but we can’t let her focus on Doombunny. Also, this time, let’s watch the shield edges for the claws and jaws. This will be our only retreat. Got it?”

Everyone confirmed and then Diemond led the charge back into the chamber. Thankfully, Elvarg’s health hadn’t gone back up in the short time since they had exited.

Diemond fortified herself as the fire attack came. Bladescape, Astro, and AFCK split around her and struck with a synchronized set of high level combination attacks. Joltron stayed back, banging his axe on his shield and shouting. Any distraction was a distraction. It was enough that it covered Bladescape’s, Astro’s, and AFCK’s time delay and then their retreat.

AFCK slid to a stop and threw a clam shell with all her might. It struck Elvarg in the eye. In retaliation she let loose a blast of fire. Diemond was too far away to protect AFCK. AFCK swung Geode Splitter. The fire was cleaved in two and exploded on either side of her.

“How did you know you could cut the fire?” Diemond stammered.

“YAHHH!” Joltron yelled as he charged Elvarg before Diemond and AFCK were attacked in their distracted state.

“I didn’t,” AFCK replied with a shrug. “But I didn’t have another option, so I decided to cut it. I mean, if it hits as hard as it has been against the shields, it has to be solidish.”

AFCK went flying as she once again got hit with Elvarg’s tail. Bladescape rolled her eyes. She had a hazy memory of AFCK getting tossed the same way right before Harmonic Salvation was smashed. Diemond rushed after AFCK again.

Elvarg roared in pain and then Astro pierced her right shoulder with Dragon Tail. Joltron was there to block her from the claws. Bladescape cut an angle across the cavern and took over AFCK’s job of targeting Elvarg’s left foreleg. She let out a set of savage cuts starting low and working her way back and forth up the leg.

Elvarg went for Bladescape with her jaws but the attack was halted as Doombunny once again struck a much needed blow. Her head was still on the low side, so AFCK leapt up, driving Geode Splitter into it.

Bladescape slipped behind the leg and rammed Bajutsu up, into the crook of the armpit. She wanted to leave it longer and drive it up further, but she wasn’t going to risk having the blade get stuck and once again being without a sword. She needed something to cut Elvarg’s head off and something to get revenge with.

Bladescape fell back to a safer position with the others. Astro and Joltron were setting up for another move. It gave Bladescape a moment to actually look at Elvarg’s health. She was down two of her five health bars. They were doing well for the time they had been fighting. An aggressive offense was what they needed.

Their hesitation further back triggered Elvarg to choose to attack with a fireball. She chose Diemond. As soon as it began to leave her mouth, Joltron and Astro made their move. Diemond stepped into the fireball as she shouldered her shield and braced it along her body. It was deflected by the shield shifting to the side from the hit, rather than outright stopping it.

Diemond charged. She hadn’t landed a blow yet and Radiant Beauty wasn’t going to be denied Elvarg’s blood. She smartly threw the crushing blow onto Elvarg’s left claws. In the real world, even against a real dragon, the weight and power of the mace would have shattered the bones in the claw. But SAO wasn’t the real world.

Elvarg tried to bite Diemond’s head off. This time, she avoided using her shield in defense and timed her step so that she also swung her mace upward. It crashed into Elvarg’s jaw, sending the head snapping to the side. Diemond was obviously grinning under her full helm as she put her mace up on her shoulder like Thunderborne would do with her rapier when she was being cocky.

That was just the first round of the next twelve as they took Elvarg’s health down hit by hit. Doombunny was thrown by the tail at one point, but she was up and going before any distraction or assistance could be mounted. AFCK was a magnet for Elvarg’s tail. Astro switched sides to work with Diemond and to protect her from the tail attack, but she still took every swing the tail made at her. AFCK cut three more fire attacks in half, but she never saw the tail coming.

Bladescape kept cutting at Elvarg’s left leg. They had done significant damage to it. It also stopped her from attacking with it. Every time she tried to use it, Bladescape got up close and personal, cutting into the exposed belly or ramming the blade into the armpit.

As soon as Elvarg’s last health bar slipped into the red, the others began to deflect or block attacks, rather than make aggressive strikes against her HP. Bladescape was left to hack the rest down on her own.

Harmonic Salvation had been a powerful blade, but so too was Bajutsu in his own right. She had weight on her side, but he loved to score critical hits. And he was light and accurate enough he dealt most of his damage without needing a Sword Skill to guide him. That was a unique trait. Every other weapon needed a sword skill to deal most of the damage.

Bladescape ducked out of the way of Elvarg’s claws and set the final attack. She chained Volcanic Eruption into High Infinity and then again into Volcanic Eruption. She froze from the compounded delay as she watched Elvarg’s final HP bar turn grey.

Elvarg roared. Her HP was in the single digits. Below the enraged dragon was a frozen Bladescape. She swiped with her claws. Bladescape braced herself, but she wasn’t ready for the hit.

She was punched in the back, pushing her forward into Elvarg’s chest and then she fell, uncontrolled, onto her back. Her HP dropped down to 87 from the blow. AFCK took the claws instead and was thrown far across the room. Bladescape saw AFCK’s mini HP bar in her view drop to gray.

Bladescape unfroze and rolled onto her feet. They didn’t stay on the ground as she leaped with a roar more ferocious than the dragon had ever issued. Bajutsu was brought over her head into a slice of its own free will. The sword cut straight through Elvarg’s neck. Bladescape landed and rolled, turning around in time to see the body shatter into polygons and then the neck slam into the ground where it followed suit.

The system began the congratulatory fanfare, but that didn’t matter. Bladescape ignored the pop-up menu that listed her loot as she ran all the way across the room to where AFCK was. The others had already gotten there. Her HP was full from a crystal, but it was still a tough hit she had taken.

“AFCK,” Bladescape panted. “You should have killed Elvarg. That was the agreement.”

“My idea was better,” AFCK shrugged from where she was splayed out on the stalagmites.

“Did you hit me with Rock Candy Smash?” Bladescape asked.

“You didn’t hear me yell it?” AFCK asked.

“I had a roaring dragon in front of me,” Bladescape replied as she sighed from exhaustion.

She looked at Bajutsu which was in her right hand. It was so light and short. At the relaxed angle she was holding it at, it didn’t even touch the ground. She raised it and easily slid it into her sheath with a heavy sigh. The difference was clear, but now Bajutsu was her primary blade. Finally, she glanced at her menu to see that she had gotten Kukulkan, the five colored gemstone. Beneath it was also the Green Draconic Visage.

“Bladescape?” Doombunny asked.

“I got what I needed,” Bladescape said, trying to stay strong. “The gem and the head. That is what matters.”

“It was a good drop list for me,” Joltron said. “XP and Col are nice too.”

“Aincrad’s Five Dragons don’t disappoint,” Bladescape replied.

Bladescape was yanked off her feet. Doombunny helped steady her as she stumbled around, shocked at the unexpected pull.

“What was that for?” Bladescape asked with an unintended sharpness to her tongue.

“You couldn’t hear me,” Doombunny shrugged. “I said your name three times, but you were too distracted.”

Bladescape sighed. “Sorry Doom. I’m…not feeling well. What is it?”

Doombunny pointed back to the center of the cavern. Right underneath where Elvarg had been was something laying there. Bladescape’s heart stopped as she bolted to the center of the room.

She slid to a stop. A slate grey, oversized blade with a yellow leather handle and large sapphire pommel was laying on the ground. Bladescape slowly bent down, not trusting her eyes. She gingerly touched the sword, checking if it was real. It was.

Bladescape firmly grabbed the hilt and stood up with a new fire in her. Harmonic Salvation was alive. Barely. She checked its stats and the durability was decimated. She needed to get it to a smith within 30 minutes, at most. A single point of durability fell off as she looked at the menu.

“Is that...?” Diemond asked as she stopped next to Bladescape.

“Look,” Astros said from a bit further away.

Bladescape looked at Astro. She was kneeling next to a giant hole in the floor. It looked like someone had taken a pickaxe and busted out a huge chunk in a single hit.

Astro grinned. “When she stepped on Harmonic Salvation, it wasn’t the sword we heard break, it was the floor. I saw that the sword was lodged in it from the powerful strike. The weight must have broken this missing chunk out and sent the sword further under her where we couldn’t see it. Because of her advance, we assume it was the sword that broke, not the floor. Who would ever expect the floor to shatter?”

“She is almost broken,” Bladescape said. “I need to get her to Lisbeth ASAP.”

“Go,” Astro said standing up. “The five of us can clear this dungeon. I doubt anyone just passed us by without trying to join or at least checking that we were safe. Teleport to Lindarth, get it cared for. After, finish your quest.”

Bladescape nodded. “Thanks guys. Thank you for all the help. Against the dragon and the support over my lost sword. Astro, Joltron and I agreed, every Wondercolt will start carrying a secondary weapon and, if applicable, a spare shield. We will never find ourselves without a weapon or shield like Joltron, or me again. My spare was a fluke.”

“After this battle, I agree,” Astro nodded. “And with the finances of this haul, we can each get those spares. The guild got a nice Col boost as well.”

“I’m not on the council,” Joltron said before he hesitated. “Well, I propose we take the excess Col we don't spend on our secondary equipment, and put it to getting the others kitted out with secondaries.”

“I agree,” Diemond said.

“Sure,” AFCK shrugged. “I’m cool with that.”

“I should get a spare for my normal blade,” Doombunny said. “But the rest is The Guild's.”

“That just leaves us,” Astro said to Bladescape.

Bladescape pulled up her menu. She withdrew the Col she had gotten in the drop. It came out in a big sack. It was too heavy to toss to Astro so she let it drop onto the ground.

“Take my drop,” Bladescape said. “I don’t need it because I have Bajutsu.”

“Teleport,” Astro said with a smile and nod. “And the same for me. It goes to the others.”

Bladescape pulled out a blue crystal. She disbanded their party. “Are you guys going to raid the rest of the dungeon?”

“Of course,” Astro grinned. “We have weapons to buy for the guild. We need it. They are certainly not earning it from their level grinding. Plus, we still have a dungeon boss and that will give us a great boost to that Col reserve.”

Bladescape chuckled. “I’ll warn Lis.”

Bladescape cradled the fragile blade in her arms and teleported out. Astro picked up the bag of Col. She took a mental note of the amount for book keeping and then set up their 5-player party.

“Oh!” AFCK exclaimed. “Joltron, I have something for you. Diemond, I know you made him that awesome geode necklace, but I think you can not only make a better enhancement, but I think this is more appropriate.”

AFCK fished through her hunting pouch and then pulled out the dragon tooth that she had caught when they got the Obsidian Shield free. Logically, it should have shattered like a hacked off limb.

“AFCK, how did you save that?” Diemond asked.

“Duh,” AFCK said, rolling her eyes. “I caught it when we popped Joltron’s shield free and put it in my hunting pouch.”

“I am afraid that if I touch it, it will break,” Diemond admitted.

“I’ll try,” Joltron said. He was still careful as he picked it up with two fingers. “It has the right weight for a tooth as big as it is,” Joltron said. “It isn’t going to shatter. Somehow.”

“Maybe it is connected to the head?” Astro added. “The head was dropped, so maybe the tooth is missing from it.”

“If it is, we will put it back,” Joltron shrugged. “If not, Diemond can make me a…well, something decorative. This is too big to wear around my neck.”

“Okay,” AFCK shrugged. “Whatever makes you happy.”

Astro smiled to herself as she set up their party. Then she led them out to finish the dungeon. Doombunny didn’t see any signs indicating another group had gone through yet. Monsters around the corner confirmed it, and they charged forward into battle.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce

Author's Note

If you didn't see the blogs, I posted rough sketches of our heroes in armor in Mock Images, and Mock Images 2, which were made in the program Hero's Forge!

Episode 84 - Swords

Floor 48 - Lindarth - Front Line 64
July 2 - Year 2

Bladescape sprinted off the Teleport Plaza in Lindarth and ran as fast as she could to Lisbeth’s shop. She got quite a few odd looks as she raced across town. She wanted to hold Harmonic Salvation tighter, but she was afraid it would remove what little durability it had left. She burst through the door, shocking everyone in the shop.

“LIS!” Bladescape yelled. “EMERGENCY!”

Lisbeth’s head slid out from behind the customer. “What could possibly-”

“Harmonic Salvation needs treatment ASAP or she will break!” Bladescape explained as she slid to a stop by the counter. Bladescape opened her arms and gingerly extended the heavy blade.

Lisbeth clicked on it and the info came up. Her eyes went wide in terror. “I’ll be right back!” She exclaimed as she grabbed the sword and tore into the back smithy.

Bladescape collapsed, relieved, as her body gave up and splayed out on the floor. She was spent mentally and physically. She had lost the sword, got it back, almost lost it, and now she was getting it back. But until it was in her hands, fully healed, she was going to be a giant, confused mess about the sword and her Hope.

“Are you okay?” the guy who Lisbeth had been working with asked. He was leaning over the counter and looking down at her on the floor.

“Maybe,” Bladescape said, letting out a big sigh as she stared at the ceiling. She lost a few tears from her eyes, making her wish she wore a closed face helmet. “Crazy day. I thought my sword was destroyed when a dungeon boss, a giant dragon, stomped on it and we all heard something shatter and saw polygons.”

He sat down next to her, but with his back against the counter. “That must have been horrible. How did you fight?”

“I had a backup, thankfully,” Bladescape said, losing more tears. It was a wet sniff as she opened her eyes and tried to dry her cheeks. “But it was...I thought I lost the blade. It isn’t just some sword. Lis made it and the system gave a name that held special meaning.”

“You are a Wondercolt. The Wondercolt,” He said. “Bladescape, right?”

Bladescape turned her head to look at him. “I don’t look that much like the Wondercolts’ Kaisho right now.”

“I’ve seen you in better shape,” He shrugged. “I remember your sword. It sat strong on your back and you stood there even stronger. And that memory is you in your old armor, before you all upgraded your equipment. You have only been stronger after that. That sword must be really special.”

Bladescape nodded, once again losing some tears. “Crap,” she exclaimed. “Yes. She is special. Her name is Harmonic Salvation. It reminds me of the harmony of me and my friends, and our strength if we just stick together in here. And as their leader, well we all understood I was the one who was going to lead us out of this death game to freedom. I was their salvation, and the sword was my salvation from SAO.”

“I didn’t know you guys had ranks,” He said, obviously unsure what to say about the sword’s meaning. “But Kaisho fits. Even with you crying on the floor, it fits. I saw Lisbeth’s face. I wish I had a sword that I could cry over and make the smith freak out that it was almost destroyed. That is what I am trying to get set up, but it is expensive. I don’t know if I have enough to cover it. But as Kaisho, it has to be required for you. The guild is probably paying, right?”

Bladescape let out a sigh and a sad chuckle. “I’ve been Kaisho for like a week. We just merged with Geigi Clan. They folded into us. We needed to have order and structure with over fifty members, and Kaisho was chosen. One of our member's father is in the JSDF and knows the ranks well. As to the sword, I am sure they would agree with you. The regular members have the five councilors on a pretty high pedestal. I am not used to the honor and reverence they give me. The charter Wondercolts were just eleven of us. Seven close real life friends and then four new ones who became close rather quickly. We didn’t need that structure and ranks.”

“That makes you one of the largest guilds,” He said, surprised at the new information. “By the way, I am Torgus of the Hanzaki Guild.”

“Nice-ish to meet you,” Bladescape replied. She lost a few more tears as she tried to smile at him. “Stupid tears.”

Lisbeth took a few heavy steps, with plenty of panting, into the storefront. “I stabilized Harmonic Salvation,” She panted. “I…wow I am out of breath from rushing to restore her. I was hyperventilating from the shock and hoping I didn’t break her. I need to deal with my customers. Can you hold off with Bajutsu for now? I can have her ready for pick up tonight at closing. All healed up and shining nicely."

“I can hold off,” Bladescape said from the floor. She lost a few more tears and Lisbeth chuckled.

“I never thought I would see the great Bladescape cry, let alone crying on my floor. What in the world where you doing that brought your sword that low in durability? I’ve never rescued a sword that low.”

Bladescape tried to wipe her cheeks dry, but more tears defiantly slipped out. “That quest set I have been working on, today I had to kill a dragon. At least that wasn’t solo, as long as I made the killing blow. I got a team together and we dove into the dungeon and beat her. But at the start of that battle, with a strong blow, I ended up lodging Harmonic Salvation in the floor. I got knocked out of the way and the dragon stepped on it. We all heard it shattered and saw the polygons. I almost died in defeat and shock. Bajutsu proved his worth. He killed the giant beast.

“It turns out, with the blade stuck in the floor, when it was stepped on, it broke free by taking a chunk of stone out with it. We heard the stone break, not the sword. The dragon was on top of them, so we couldn’t see it happen. We only had our ears to rely on and a few polygons, but no one would ever expect the floor to break.”

“That…” Lisbeth said, halting. “I actually know what that feels like. That is a story for another day.”

“Dinner tonight?” Bladescape asked.

“If you pay,” Lisbeth grinned. “I know you just raked in the Col from killing that dragon.”

“Sure,” Bladescape shrugged from the floor. “I have enough, but I already gave away the Col to the guild. Actually, I know the perfect place to take you tonight. The best food in Aincrad.”

“We will call the repair work even if it really is,” Lisbeth said with a mischievous grin.

“Challenge accepted,” Bladescape chuckled. She lost more tears. The laughter was good, but her spirit was still grieving and trying to recover from the emotional rollercoaster. “Stupid tears. I still feel…I don’t know what I feel anymore. It has been a crazy morning.”

“And it is not even noon yet,” Lisbeth joshed back.

“Crap,” Bladescape groaned and then laughed. “I don’t want to get up. I have the quest to finish, but I don’t want to get up.”

“So don’t,” Lisbeth replied. “I have customers, but you are not in the way that much.”

“I think I will take that advice,” Bladescape sighed.

“You can skip me for now,” Torgus said.

“Oh, there you are,” Lisbeth said, leaning over the counter to see him directly below her. “I was wondering where you went.”

“I’ll continue to keep her company,” Torgus said. “Your floor isn’t uncomfortable.”

Lisbeth rolled her eyes. “Thanks,” she sarcastically replied. “That was a major consideration when buying this place. I had to make sure the floor was comfortable for my customers.”

“One thing Lis,” Bladescape said. “Before you get back to work. A warning. I wasn’t the only one without a weapon. Joltron dropped his axe and his shield survived, but he was without both for a while. We are instituting a secondary weapon policy. All Wondercolts will carry a secondary weapon for backup that is of sufficient strength and quality. That is what I donated my earnings to.”

“Great,” Lisbeth groaned. “Another blue and gold day where I have to deal with all eleven of you. I wonder how big my headache will be by the end of that day.”

Bladescape laughed. She just realized Lisbeth had no idea about the merger. They hadn’t even gotten their new Wondercolts upgraded weapons yet. They were running them hard to level up first. It wouldn’t matter what weapons they had if they were not strong enough.

Torgus ended up becoming the last of the seven customers. Bladescape stayed on the floor longer than she should have. If he hadn’t been beside her, she wouldn’t have stayed as long. But it was nice having him there. A solitary companion as her mind and heart sorted everything that had happened and what it felt.

She finally stood up as he was trying to make his order.

“I just don’t have that,” Torgus sighed to Lisbeth.

“That is the lowest I can go,” Lisbeth replied. “The prices for metals are really high right now and they don’t look to be dropping any time soon.”

“How short are you?” Bladescape asked.

Torgus looked at her. “Uh, about fifty thousand. Seventy if I am to safely live and not blow all of my Col.”

“A substantial amount,” Bladescape said. She pulled up her menu. “It was more than nice having a companion today. Silent or not, it helped me sort everything out. Take it.”

Torgus was shocked.

“It’s not the first time,” Lisbeth complained. “She has done this before. The Wondercolts make good cash and quick.”

“I have nothing to spend on it,” Bladescape said. “Well, enhancements. That is really it. So it is my pleasure to be generous and kind to those who deserve it. I donated the Col from the dragon to the guild, but I still have plenty. I don’t actively collect it, and I don’t run around giving it away. Still, it piles up without me realizing it.

“I also have a ton of treasure to sell from the dragon. I got a pile of low-level equipment. Most will get used by our crafters, but I will still sell a ton of it. So I am very stable even with the gift.”

Torgus paid Lisbeth for the order and then turned back to Bladescape. “I really appreciate it. This should be a blade I could cry over.” They both chuckled while Lisbeth rolled her eyes and went to the back to do her work. “I don’t want to impose, but would you mind linking up with me as friends?”

“Not at all,” Bladescape said. “A connection with the Hanzaki Guild will be good to have. I am not familiar with you, but you are clearers.”

“Half,” Torgus grumbled. “The guild is getting split on that topic. Some are tired and want to quit. They say that those of us who dream of freeing us are delusional. Our levels are sliding behind. That is the biggest reason I need that sword. If the guild folds, I need to be equipped to go to someone who is accepting new members and can train me back up.”

“That equipment requirement is important,” Bladescape replied. “Just trying to keep the original Wondercolts rocking and rolling with our stuff cost a lot. We want to upgrade our new members' weapons, but they are currently grinding XP to meet our new quotas. We will make that determination after that. We have plenty of time to sort it all out. Maybe some will have their current weapons turned into their secondary.”

“It must have been a bad fight if you are going to require all members to have a secondary set.”

Bladescape chuckled. “Joltron was hanging from his shield, which was lodged in the dragon’s mouth. Once he was free, he was shieldless and he was one of our two tanks. Eventually we got the shield back, but for a while the group was trying to at least get him his axe back. He had dropped it when he was lifted off the ground.”

“That is complicated and scary,” Torgus replied.

“The six of us agreed, what we don’t use for our secondary weapons and shields, we will turn into the guild for that purpose. We don’t want to be caught like we were. We were completely prepared to fight the dragon, except for that.”

“And the sword on your back?” Torgus asked.

Bladescape drew Bajutsu. “Bajutsu, my two-handed cavalry sword that I can use one handed on horseback. That was the quest before this one. I’m working on a multi-floor series. Each is a one shot, which means no one else can do what I am doing. That also adds to the pressure. It is a long quest, but from what I can tell, it will provide important pieces to the puzzle for our survival as we reach the upper Floors.”

“Interesting,” Torgus said. “And this sword was also made by Lisbeth?”

“Yep,” Bladescape chuckled, remembering that day. “She was very confused, but she pulled off making a short and light two-handed sword.”

“I know one-handed longswords longer than that,” Torgus chuckled.

“Feel his weight,” Bladescape offered. “Despite how light he is, Bajutsu hits like a hammer. I am strong and he is a swift and accurate sword.”

“Nice,” Torgus chuckled. “It’s good to know that Lisbeth can make good on the cost. It takes a special smith to make that sort of blade. Which is making me more confident in my chances if I am going to be forced to leave the guild. The Knights of the Bloodoath are currently taking in new members. And with this sword, I should be able to make it. I’m just not sure if I want to leave my friends.”

“I survive because of mine,” Bladescape said. “That is how we not only have survived, but are in the position we are in. Together we are stronger. I do have to go though. I have a quest to finish. We are friends now. We can meet for lunch or something soon. I want to see the finished sword.”

“Of course,” Torgus said, bowing. “Thank you, Kaisho Bladescape. For everything.”

“My pleasure,” Bladescape smiled back as she reciprocated the bow. “I also know the value of every member on the front lines. Even if you can’t be there every day, we still need clearers. If that means helping arm another clearer with a better sword, I am honored to assist.”

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce

Episode 85 - To Woo A Smith

Author's Note

This week I learned, and it is reflected in the story, that in Japan, the rank goes after the family name. It will no longer be Kaisho Bladescape, but Bladescape-Kaisho. The same for the other ranks when appropriate. You have no idea how much trouble I had to go through to confirm with a friend who is in Japan, and actually knows the JSDF and the Imperial Japanese Military Ranks.

Episode 85 - To Woo A Smith

Front Line 64
July 2 - Year 2

With Harmonic Salvation being repaired, Bladescape shifted her focus back to Merlin. She made her way from Lis’ shop, down to a nearby bridge over one of the larger waterways that crisscrossed Lindarth. In its shadow, she put the glass ring on. She popped up on the plateau and immediately began to jog to the cathedral. The door was opened for her by a smiling Merlin.

“I would have died if I didn’t have my friends,” Bladescape immediately said. “But it is done. I have the stone and the dragon's head.”

“Yet your heart is heavy over something,” Merlin said. “And on your back is not your greatsword.”

“I need to sit for the tale,” Bladescape said.

“I have lunch ready if you wish to eat with me.”

“Please,” Bladescape said.

She gave Merlin the gem before they ate. After she had filed her stomach a bit, she began to tell the tale. Merlin was relieved to hear that Harmonic Salvation had survived.

Her business with Merlin concluded, she had him send her to the Wondercolts' headquarters teleport plaza. Back on their island she headed inside and to the kitchen. Jade was the only one there at the moment.

She bowed to Bladescape. "Kaisho, what can I do for you."

Bladescape bowed back, but not too low. That was unbecoming of her, to bow as low as someone ranked below her in the guild. "Jade, I know I will need AFCK for parts, and I don't expect her to be too much longer, but I need a late dinner for two. It needs to be the very best this kitchen can make. I am taking the smith, Lisbeth, who cares for our equipment, here in payment for her saving my sword, Harmonic Salvation. It was almost destroyed today. The bet is that if I can provide her with the best dinner in Aincrad, I won't have to pay for the repair."

Jade grinned. "Kaisho, we accept that challenge and I will begin to make preparations. Delton and Ithilian are out shopping for ingredients for food, so they can pick up anything. Do we have a budget?"

"Umm…" Bladescape thought. "No," she decided. "I expect that you can make it the best and be economically friendly. We have plenty of equipment to purchase for the others."

Jade bowed again. "Then I know exactly what to make. Itamae AFCK and I have been compiling a cookbook for oversized guilds. We have a five-course meal designed that I believe will satisfy your bet with our honored guest. I will need Itamae for the main course, as it will be an S class meat, but the rest of the meal is inexpensive and easy to make."

"I trust you," Bladescape said. "Now I need to head out to our trainees and see how they are doing before I am needed at dinner."

"Of course," Jade replied, bowing again.

“I am heading out to check on them, is there any food that is prepared I should bring?” Bladescape asked.

“I have some prepared, but others can bring it,” Jade said. “You should be focused on leading, not running errands.”

“I appreciate that,” Bladescape said. Japanese culture wouldn’t allow someone in her position to run an errand. “However, I do not see it as an errand, or beneath me. It is simple logistics. They are working hard, and we don’t know when the others will be back, so let me take it to them since I am headed there anyway.”

“As you wish, Bladescape-Kaisho,” Jade said, bowing.

Jade had a lot of food cooked. It wasn't the best meals, but it was more than adequate. They were focusing on durability over savoriness, but it wasn’t bad food by a long shot. The better stuff would be made by AFCK when she got back.

Packed with the food, Bladescape teleported to Floor 12. She had had no will to do the long walk out to the training ground. She had a horse and it would be fun and a good way to de-stress after the tough morning.

Boots was out, but Bladescape had access to Plaudit and saddled him. He handled the teleport fine and they rode out to the training ground at a good pace.

She arrived to find a heavy camp set up, including tents. Backbreaker said she could easily set up shelters, but it looked like an army encampment with large, four walled tents. Guards were posted since they were not at a safe zone. They bowed to their Kaisho as Bladescape slowly rode into camp.

She dismounted and Backbreaker walked over to her from the command tent, which was little more than a giant tarp with two walls.

"I have a food delivery," Bladescape said. "I wasn't expecting you to have this done up so seriously."

Backbreaker shrugged. "If we're goin' to do this in less than two weeks, this is what we need. It took a bit to get the materials and set'em up, but it'll be worth it. Our first rotation started right after lunch."

"I trust you," Bladescape said with a smile. "I will be out here tomorrow morning. I have business tonight."

"That quest of yours went alright then?"

"Not in the slightest," Bladescape chuckled as they entered the command tent. Kiefer was there as well. "Typical Wondercolts disruption before we even got to face the dragon. Where are Lobelia and Kamishi?"

“In combat,” Backbreaker said.

Kiefer went off to get them. They were in different taverns.

"This is workin' well," Backbreaker said. "I haven't gotten to go in yet. I was settin' everythin' up. I did get to see Kiefer's XP after his hour rotation. We're usin' it as our control, and we're chartin' everyone's XP gained. The different levels aren't goin' to cause too much of an issue." Backbreaker and Bladescape nodded to Kamishi and Lobelia as they entered the shelter before Backbreaker continued, "If we can stay deployed as I've set us up anyway. With a heavy rotation, we're on a mark for twelve days. Fourteen at most."

"We can stay deployed," Kamishi said, panting heavily after sprinting from the inn he had been in. "I will make sure they rally. We can do this. The starting morale is high. We have our starting break, and they know they will get white code breaks rolling after this push. It is good for the others to have me in there, encouraging them."

"I agree," Lobelia said. "It was positive for them to see their leaders doing this alongside them. We are an appropriate equal when it comes to leveling requirements."

"I will be back out in the morning," Bladescape said. "I have business tonight. It looks like it will be expensive business, but it will be good."

"What did you do?" Backbreaker asked, wary of the answer.

"I'll explain that in a moment," Bladescape replied. "First off, Astro and I made an executive decision. Actually, it was Joltron and I in the heat of the moment, literally as we hid behind a column for protection against the dragon's fire. He didn't have his shield or axe, and I didn't have Harmonic Salvation."

"Hey, yeah, where is it?" Kamishi asked. "I knew something was off about your look."

"Quite a few things are off," Bladescape said. "The first point is that Astro agrees. All Wondercolts are now required to carry a sufficiently strong secondary battle set and keep it well maintained. That includes a proper shield if applicable. I had Bajutsu to fall back on, but Joltron was forced to spend a good half hour trying to get his axe. It took a while longer to dislodge his shield from the dragon’s mouth as well. All that time, Diemond was our only shield. She did more than admirably.

"But I won't let us end up in that position again. Well maintained weapons should not break, but if we happen to lose them for any reason, we need backups that are not storage junk. Only our preparedness saved us from the opening disasters, and even then it was with a good amount of luck."

"That's goin' to cost us," Backbreaker said. "But it's smart."

Bladescape checked the time in her vision and saw that she had enough to tell them the story from the start. It was her fourth time telling the story of the fight against Elvarg, the Mother of Aincrad's Dragon. This time, she kept the suspense in the story about Harmonic Salvation. They laughed about AFCK being able to cleave the fireballs in half but never being able to block, deflect, or avoid the tail.

After the story, Lobelia spoke first. "Your battle does give a strong reason to ensure that we are always covered with a spare. I think our current weapons will be sufficient for their backups."

"I want to see the statistical analysis from Knightstar, but I believe so," Bladescape replied. "Now, let me tell you the tale of the... well I don't have a name for it. We ran into a guild outside of the entrance to Elvarg's lair. She was not the dungeon boss, but we are lying about that. The others are clearing it and we won't have to worry about it."

They nodded and Bladescape explained the interaction. Backbreaker wanted to go to the prison and beat some sense into him. She still was very protective of Doombunny, despite Doombunny's successes.

"I need to meet Lisbeth," Bladescape said. "I have time, but I want to make sure things are ready. I will be here in the morning."

"Go," Kamishi said. "You spent enough time here today. We will make sure the food you brought is not only distributed, but that the others know you brought it while you came to check on us. It may break from some of our decorum, but they will understand and appreciate it. Go woo Lisbeth into staying our Smith despite our expansion."

"I will," Bladescape said. "And I am sure the message that popped up ten minutes ago from AFCK is good news."

Bladescape exited the command tent and went to where Plaudit was being looked after. He had been fed a few apples and some sugar cubes. She read AFCK's message. It was short and sweet, confirming their acceptance of the challenge.

Bladescape mounted Plaudit. She rubbed his neck. "Let's get clear of the camp and then book it." Plaudit nickered, indicating he was ready to run free. He stayed calm in camp, but as soon as they exited, he surged forward on his own. He had been given permission before they started and he wasn't going to ask.

It felt amazing to be on horseback as they rushed across the land. Bladescape knew it wouldn’t last long, but she pushed that aside to enjoy the ride. She needed it, and it relaxed and focused her.

Plaudit hated slowing down for the town, but it was still busy enough and Bladescape didn't want to rush anything in the towns. They got some odd looks as they got onto to the teleport plaza, but they smoothly teleported back to the stable.

Boots was back. She was happy Bladescape had taken Plaudit, instead of not using her property because Boots wasn't there. Bladescape couldn't socialize, but she knew they would go riding together again soon.

Back at the castle, Bladescape met with AFCK in the kitchen. They went over the dinner plan. The preparations were going smoothly. The cost of the meat hadn't been too terribly high since it was a dinner for two. They all agreed; they had to woo Lisbeth, even at the cost.

Joltron and Doombunny were eating an early dinner and were about to head out to the training location. They would not be in rotation often, but their presence would build relationships and make them all equal. It would be a powerful subconscious message that they needed to foster from the very start.

Astro gathered the Elvarg team together in the dining room while Joltron and Doombunny ate. “Bladescape, the rest of the dungeon went smoothly. The boss was sensitive to Doom’s drugs. It wasn’t even fun. But, I really got us together to ask you to show us the Green Draconic Visage.”

Bladescape shrugged and opened her menu. “No problem.”

“That is big,” Joltron said as the head popped out onto the open table. “It is a little smaller than hers was.”

“The Black Draconic Visage is the same size,” Bladescape explained.

Astro looked the entire thing over. “All of the teeth are here,” She declared.

“Why wouldn’t they be?” Bladescape asked.

“Because AFCK caught the tooth that came out with my shield,” Joltron said. “Diemond has it right now, but AFCK stashed it in her hunting pouch. It didn’t shatter. We were thinking the head was missing it.”

Dimond pulled the large tooth out of a pouch. Bladescape just rolled her eyes with a smile. It was more of AFCK being her typical, Pinkie Pie self inside the game. A knock came at the front door of the castle, ending the discussion. Astro went to answer the door and everyone went back to what they needed to do.

Diemond and AFCK were staying at the castle for a few days. Diemond would do her time training, but she was making new armor and that was where her focus had to be. Plenty of tapestries and wall hangings would be made as well, though, to break up the monotony of her work. AFCK would also get her rotations in, but making sure their field team was stocked with high quality food was her primary focus. Food could easily make or break their morale on the long training session.

Astro came back. "Blade. You have a visitor. I put him in our sparsely furnished living room. He knows the state of the guild's furniture, so you won't need to explain it. I think this one is best done by our Kaisho. I'll get water and snacks for you guys."

Bladescape went to meet their visitor. They only had the couch and two chairs in the large room. It was in sore need of the ordered furniture. On the couch was Thinker. He stood up upon her entrance and bowed in greeting.

"I was not expecting to see you personally," Bladescape admitted after she had bowed back.

"I read the note," Thinker said. "I decided to wait until later to come personally. I am glad it had your wax seal or I never would have seen it. I personally took care of the issue. Celtec's time in prison is permanent. I won't tolerate any action like that against members of the Assault Team.

"The rest of the council agreed with my punishment. We believe he is a danger to himself and other players, and would continue to be one if we released him after a few days. Our one concession is that he will be in a joint cell with seven other, less hostile, prisoners."

Thinker sighed heavily. "The truth is, I have lost most of the control of the guild. Yulier is still loyal and so are plenty of others, but we have a weak position for power. Kibaou is only a sub leader, not on the council, but high enough that he has captured the loyalty of many key members. We have become what I didn't want us to be. Taxes, as they are being called, are now being collected by force and the hoarding of hunting locations is now out of control. The Army is officially feared. I am effectively little more than a figurehead they can't remove."

"If there is anything we can do, I would be glad to help," Bladescape offered.

"I appreciate it and I will take you up on that when the time comes. Your assistance to the Highlander Guild today really shows your dedication. Your reputation is very well earned and what you say, you do."

Bladescape looked at the time. She still had plenty, but not enough for a proper tour.

"Is there anything you wanted to speak to me about for the case?" Bladescape asked, trying to appropriately run some of the time off the clock.

"No," Thinker replied with another sigh. "I came because I needed to assert my position. Me being aligned to the Wondercolts is going to be key. Kibaou and his friends are going to be certain that disposing of me will bring the Wondercolts down on them. And even at eleven, they could hurt those who took over."

"We have eight squads of full parties," Bladescape casually stated. "We merged with Geigi Clan last week. Their joining with us means that we could more than knock some sense into them if we need to."

"Interesting,” Thinker replied. "Casually reporting that information will give me a lot more leverage."

"Good," Bladescape smiled. "Kibaou's attitude always had me on edge. He was never very polite, and he was rash. He led his guild to their doom on Floor Twenty-Five trying to be the top guild, rather than work together like we obviously needed to. I would personally break the harassment code to drive him and the others into the prison cells if need be."

"I truly hope that does not become a reality," Thinker solemnly replied.

Bladescape checked the time. "I would love to give you a tour, but I can't personally do it. I will be meeting our smith shortly, and bringing her here for a very nice dinner. She has no idea we upgraded or merged. Astro is our Nisha, our third Councilor, and she would be glad to give you a personal tour of our castle."

"That would be wonderful," Thinker replied. "This place looks amazing. I want to see more. Plus, the longer I stay, the more powerful our alliance looks."

"Then stay for dinner with Astro-Nisha," Bladescape said. "You can report that you confirmed the story, and learned about the changes that have significantly strengthened us, and then were shown about our new headquarters before having dinner with the Counselor on Duty."

"I like it," Thinker said with a grin.

Bladescape got Astro. She was happy to give him the tour and dinner. She understood perfectly what they needed to do to get Thinker into a stronger position in his guild.

With that delegated out of the way, Bladescape headed to her room and changed into something nice. Diemond kept giving her clothes. She was really into Kimonos at the moment. Bladescape chose a semi-formal one. It was red, with a pretty floral design on it.

At the last moment, Bladescape decided to ask Diemond to fetch Lisbeth. Diemond was happy to take a break and assist. She switched out of her idea dress into another fashionable ensemble and was gone.

Bladescape waited in the private dining room. Two weeks ago, she would have also sent a runner for the important guest. It didn't bother her that it was Diemond. However, if any of their new members had suggested it, she would have accepted, but felt like she was using them. She would feel like they thought she was more important than them. She wasn't, yet she was.

She had to get over that. Her job meant she had different things to worry about. Right now, she had to woo Lisbeth. She was the only one in the guild who could do it. She would also, under normal circumstances, be the one giving Thinker the tour of their castle, since he was another guild leader. It was her, their head councilor, who should be building the guild connections, along with helping him regain the control of his guild. Torgus had said it perfectly only a few hours prior when he called her "The Wondercolt." That was her status and she couldn't break from it.

They all needed her to be “The Wondercolt.” Sunset had a role to play, and it was crucial to play it right so they all got out of here. Sunset Shimmer was gone, at least in SAO, and all that was her, didn’t matter. The only colors that mattered were blue and yellow, the only symbol that mattered was their horsehead.

The last thing she needed, as their Kaisho, was worry about where she would sit for breakfast. She was making sure they all got into the right squads and sent off to do their daily jobs. She didn’t need to worry about the small details. Ultimately, even with their structure, she had to think about most of the small things and be ready to respond as their Kaisho. They shouldn't need the council looking over their shoulders, but she had to be ready to assist and adapt. Today was a perfect example of that. The plans shifted and she needed to get a team together to assist her on the quest.

Bladescape heard the doors from the guest chamber open. That meant it was time for her to perform. At least, a little bit. Her relationship with Lisbeth was getting closer. Bladescape was thankful that this wasn't their first dinner together. She never would have chosen here for the bet if it was.

Bladescape heard Diemond outside the door. "And here you are, your table and Bladescape-Kaisho are waiting for you inside."

Bladescape stood up to greet her. The door was opened for Lisbeth and she stepped inside. Lisbeth was carrying a carefully wrapped Harmonic Salvation. She stopped just inside as she looked over Bladescape's kimono.

"Wow," Lisbeth said. She couldn't resist a sly grin. "You cried on my floor today and I see you in not just a dress, but a formal kimono. Quite a few treats for me today."

"Still your sassy, usual self," Bladescape grinned back.

"This is heavy," Lisbeth said, walking over to the table and setting it down on the other side, which didn't have dishes on it.

She unwrapped it. The sword looked the same, but Bladescape felt like she was seeing a miracle. A resurrection of the dead.

Bladescape gingerly picked up the sword. It lasted only as second as her hand involuntarily gripped the handle with familiarity and strength.

"I still have trouble believing she is here," Bladescape said. "I couldn't get her free from the floor. And then I watched her get stomped on by an angry dragon. We all heard her shattered."

Lisbeth shook her head in disbelief. "When you first got her to me, she didn't have ten minutes before she was out of durability and would have been gone. I spent the first five minutes stalling the decay. For every ten points I added, I lost nine. It was a tough battle. Don’t make me do it again!” They both laughed. “I was so mad that you thought you were better than my other customers, but then I saw the horror on your face. I saw how ragged you looked. It was like you had been tortured all morning. I get why now."

"Your customers understood," Bladescape assured her. "Your reaction showed them how important it was. Torgus directly stated he wished he had a sword to cry over and that would make the smith freak out. I think he got one."

"I'm pretty sure he did," Lisbeth winked. "Especially thanks to your assist. I was down to the lowest I could go for him. I was barely covering the price of the materials. I didn't make any profit off his sword, but you inspired me to be generous. Especially after he stepped out of line to just be by your side."

Bladescape pulled up her menu. She removed Harmonic Salvation's sheath. "You said you knew what that was like? A sword breaking." Bladescape said as she sheathed her Hope.

Lisbeth snorted under her grin. "Yeah, but first I deserve some answers."

"Please, but let's sit. Dinner will be brought out momentarily."

"Kaisho?" Lisbeth asked. She was fully aware of how much sass she was applying. "All Diemond would say is that you would explain it. All she ever said to any question is that you would explain it. I didn't expect a personal castle for your new Guild Headquarters, but I dig it."

Bladescape smiled as she nodded. "I am the Kaisho of the Wondercolts because we needed a firm structure for our new Wondercolts. As head, I was given Kaisho as my title. We based them on the JSDF ranks."

AFCK brought out the first course. She was wearing her formal Itamae attire. The first course was a soup. She used small bowls so they wouldn't fill up before the main course.

Bladescape continued in her explanation. "We would like you to be able to assist in weapon enhancements and we will most likely need a large quantity of weapons made. Much of the normal upkeep can be done by our crafters, but for our boss battle teams, I would still like to use you. I think the system favors you for our equipment."

"That is the other thing," Lisbeth said after a spoonful of soup. It was just at the right temperature. Not too hot, not too cold. "I know the Wondercolts has eleven members. How many are there of you?"

"Fifty-one,” Bladescape replied. "We merged with Geigi Clan, but kept the Wondercolts name, colors, and symbol. That officially happened four days ago. Only fourty-eight are combatants. We have three non-combat Wondercolts."

"Of course you had to," Lisbeth stated. "What is the front line, especially the Assault Team, without the Wondercolts?"

It was a serious statement. They were important, but Bladescape suddenly felt like she didn't understand how important they were, at least for morale. That added pressure to a lot of things they were doing.

"Most won't fight bosses," Bladescape explained. "And usually half will be off the front lines. Still, that is four full squads on the front. We have the crafters and they have the levels to do the base work for keeping our armor in tip-top shape. But our initial belief is that we will need to upgrade our new members' weapons. We will need a smith who can handle that."

Lisbeth was having fun playing coy and sassy. "Let's see how good your meal actually is. If your cooks are as good as I have heard AFCK is, that might be worth my future headaches."

It was a fun remark. It didn't last as Lisbeth got serious.

"I can certainly provide you what you need. But metal prices are high. If you could help me out by putting some Col down to cover the materials I know I will need, it will speed things up."

Bladescape nodded with a grin. "We can do that and I would be happy to. That's a normal business practice. My turn though. You said you knew what it felt like to lose a weapon?"

"Yeah," Lisbeth chuckled. "The other day, Kirito came into my shop. He was..."

Lisbeth stalled out. Bladescape realized she probably knew why Kirito was looking for a new sword, and that it was a secret. However, Bladescape couldn't be certain of that and she wouldn't betray his secret.

Bladescape finished for her. "He is looking for the next sword. I fought beside him the other day. It was looking rather weak compared to what he was capable of dishing out."

"Yeah," Lisbeth agreed. "So I gave him my best sword that I had just made. It was my masterpiece. He was annoyed at the light weight. He decided to test it against his Elucidator and struck mine on his. My masterpiece broke like a piece of uncooked noodle."

Bladescape grinned. "And then he said something bumbling and stupid?"

"How'd you know that?" Lisbeth asked. “He totally insulted my sword and my smithing skills, not meaning too, but still!"

"Educated guess," Bladescape smiled. “I have a few years on both of you, and probably a lot more dating experience. Guys are pretty standard in the models we get to choose from. They don't always think."

Both of them laughed.

"When did you run into Kirito?" Lisbeth asked.

Bladescape explained their impromptu fight against the King Black Dragon. She left out the dual wielding and his sword breaking, as well as her Greatsword skill. She also left out the dragon dropping his head.

"So that is what Thunderborne is using now," Lisbeth remarked. "I finished Azule Aculous a while ago. I actually was starting to get concerned about her weapon status.”

"Yep," Bladescape nodded. "Plus, she wasn't the only Thunderborne we met. We met another today."

"Another Thunderborne? How? Two players can't have the same name."

"She spells hers with an E on the end of born. He tried to, but she beat him to it."

Lisbeth laughed, enjoying the confusion that ensued during that story. Bladescape avoided the rest where Celtec snapped.

Things stayed calm and fun. For the main course, it was a dream. Bladescape admitted she hadn't ever had S class food. Lisbeth was very vocal about her impression. She couldn't believe they got a hold of S class ingredients for this meal.

Bladescape didn't state it, but she knew Lisbeth understood they did it to ensure they had her as their smith. To be that wanted, especially by a very large guild, was any smith's dream. Lisbeth would never have to worry about her finances. She would be fine because of the constant income from 48 players. Busy, but financially stable. And that stability would mean she could work on her own projects for fun and make a new masterpiece. Something truly worthy of being named a masterpiece.

After dessert, Bladescape gave Lisbeth a tour of their headquarters. It was dark, but still visible with the lights the castle had outside. Lisbeth was practically drooling over their personal smithy. It was like a factory from the duplicates they had for hardware, like anvils and grindstones. They just had to do it all by hand, while she had the water wheel to power everything.

Bladescape took Lisbeth up to the top of her tower. As they passed through her room, Lisbeth had a few questions.

"Are these shields the ones you made with Rendil?"

"Yes," Bladescape nodded. "Not too bad for my first shields and first time doing heraldry. But not my thing."

Lisbeth stopped on the stairs. "Is this the spear that Laughing Coffin guy stabbed you with?"

"Yes," Bladescape replied. "I keep it as a reminder. I snapped in anger and beat him further than I should have since we were in a safe zone. This way, I won't snap."

"It's scary," Lisbeth said. "The thorns, the entire design, it’s maximized for damage against a player target. You don't need them for monsters. This wasn't made to be removed easily."

"Klein pulled it out of me,” Bladescape said. “It was swift and clean, like I expected from the expert swordsman he is. Plus, we were in the Town of Beginnings, so it didn’t exactly hurt. At least for it being drawn out. Otherwise it would have hurt and been difficult to remove.”

“That’s good,” Lisbeth said as Bladescape directed her to the ladder.

“Wow,” was all Lisbeth could say as she saw all of the island. “And it is all yours?” Lisbeth said in shock.

“And a safe zone,” Bladescape added. “Private island, private teleport plaza, private castle, and all in a private safe zone.”

“I can hardly believe it,” Lisbeth sighed as she leaned against the ramparts. “It’s beautiful. I love my home in Lindarth. It is quiet and nice. The mill is everything I need for my smithy and store, but it isn’t a castle.”

“Floor Sixty-One was bugs,” Bladescape said, leaning against the ramparts beside her. “We had to clear this place out with a quest before we could buy it. And it was a mess before we bought it. Grass everywhere, windows dirty, broken stones, everything. But we beat the bugs and we got to buy it. We needed something bigger for the merger. Actually, Lessa beat the flag boss and got a sword out of it. A better sword. You will see that weapon soon enough.”

“Hey, yeah, where is everyone?”

“Out training,” Bladescape replied. “I will be joining them tomorrow morning. We are running an aggressive leveling push. The new members need to meet our quotas. Well, we created quotas to bring them up to a better level so they would not struggle as much as they were. We are not leaving the field until they are at the quotas. It’s a Twenty-Four/Seven operation.”

“That sounds horrible,” Lisbeth retorted.

“We have a solid camp set up, with guards, and the rotation will give them the rest they need. As soon as we are done, they get a day off. It will be worth it. They know it and they are ready for it. And it is an all Wondercolts operation. Astro will be here for the next two days, to receive the new furniture, but then she will join us and one of the other councilors will step back.”

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” Lisbeth said. “I know how intense you guys are. I hear all of your levels have outpaced most of the other clearers.”

“We are focused and intentional,” Bladescape replied. “Which is why we need a good smith. One we can run ragged with requests but who understands just how much she is doing to free us all from the game.”

“I never saw it that way,” Lisbeth admitted. “The work I do for Asuna, Kirito, and a few of the other clearers, along with you guys. I am freeing us from the game, aren’t I?”

“Absolutely,” Bladescape said, smiling at her. “You are not swinging the swords, but you are keeping them swinging. it is very important and that is something to be proud of.”

Lisbeth’s eyes sparkled with mischief in the low light. “If I am going to be doing so much for your guild, can I claim it?”

“You can,” Bladescape nodded, grinning. “Make yourself a copy of our symbol to put on your wall and declare that you are the official smith of the Wondercolts. Own it. You deserve it.”

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce

Episode 86 - Quotas

Floor 62 - Front Line - Floor 65
July 11 - Year 2 - 9 A.M.

Backbreaker came out of her rotation to find the training analysis report from Knightstar waiting for her. Knightstar was on sleep rotation, but whether she was asleep or just resting at mid-morning was unknown to Backbreaker as she looked it over.

It was day ten in the field. So far, things were looking good. The goal was Level 75. The girls in Geigi Clan had starting levels between 58 and 62. The guys in Geigi Clan were between 63 and 64. At this point, everyone was above Level 70, but they still had multiple members who needed to hit the quotas.

The Original Wondercolts had been leveling up as well. Thunderborne had gone from 75, to 84. AFCK had gone from 75 to 82, having been out of the field cooking too often to get higher. The same thing had happened to Diemond; she had gotten herself from 75 to 82, and stopped there to get back to making the rest of the Wondercolts' armor. Doombunny had stayed in rotation as much as possible to train Fencer since it was her only defensive skill. It had not only paid off, with Fencer being raised a good deal, but she had gone from 78 to 89. Astro had been off a few days to deal with the furniture being delivered, but she had made up for it in the following days as the new Wondercolts were taking more of a break; making it from 75 to 83. Kiefer had pushed hard to make a good impression as their training Lieutenant, making the leap from 73, to 83. Lessa had been working hard as well, pulling herself up to 81 from level 72. Joltron had bashed his way from 75 to 84. Knightstar hadn’t moved from Level 69 when she left the Wondercolts, but had gotten herself up to 79. Kamishi was now up to 82 and Lobelia had gotten herself to 81.

Backbreaker had been getting into the rotations as often as possible, usually overnight. Most of her fighting was with Martial Arts, since her shield and war hammer were maxed. She had sweated her way from 78, to 87. It wasn’t as many levels as she wanted, but she had done a good job considering she was leading the training exercise. And she still had time.

Bladescape was the only one not recorded. She had been at least Level 80 when they had started. She had skirted around giving out her level details, and she still was off the record. But she was certainly above all of them by a good deal. Backbreaker had a feeling that she had pushed herself over Level 90.

A commotion outside turned Backbreaker’s attention to their camp’s perimeter. They had guards set up since it was not a safezone, and the entire area was fenced off as well, allowing for only one way in and out. Something was happening by the “gate” along the main path to the pubs.

Backbreak didn’t equip her shield, but her hammer was on her waist. As she got to the location of the noise, it was clear what was going on. A small party of 6 were trying to enter, but they were being blocked by Mjolna and Koco.

“What’s goin’ on here?” Backbreaker asked.

The party was furious and the leader yelled back, “What right do you have to stop us!”

“This is a Wondercolts operation,” Backbreaker stated. “We’ll clear out of the area in a few days.”

“Are you hoarding a spawn point?” he accused.

“No,” Backbreaker replied. “We ain’t monopolizing any spot. We’re here for a few days, and will be moving on after that. You can come back then. For now, we’re running an operation that requires our full presence.”

“This isn’t very friendly or helpful of you!”

“Go lodge a complaint with someone who cares,” Backbreaker fired back.

There was no one in Aincrad to hear that complaint.

“And if we push through?” he challenged, moving his hand to his sword.

“We will force you out,” Backbreaker stated. “Do y’all think y’all can take even just me on and not get your hides tanned?”

He stared her down, and then adjusted his grip on his sword, but he didn’t draw it. After a long staring match, Backbreaker moved her hand to her hammer, going as far as to unhook it from her belt. She didn’t have the ability for a quick draw like he did. She kept it loose, by her side, but down. Nothing more provocative than that.

Backbreaker tried to break the stalemate. “I can afford a few days of orange to send y’all packin’ if I need to.”

He snarled in response, trying to decide how far he could push her, and if it would work.

Backbreaker looked around his head. A new person was coming down the road. This one she didn’t mind seeing. It was Kirito.

Kirito walked right up to them, only giving the group a brief glance. He nodded to Backbreaker. “Is Bladescape here?”

“No,” Backbreaker replied. “Back at the HQ dealin' with a drop off of somethin’ special. I’m in command of the area right now. Astro is here, but the others will be here soonish.”

Kirito gave a nod. “Can I come in?”

“Sure,” Backbreaker said with a nod. “The command tent is there.”

“You’re letting him in!” the player yelled.

“He’s a…friend,” Backbreaker replied. “Bladescape Kaisho knows him and he has business with her. Now go before this gets ugly.”

“You are really willing to push it that far,” he replied. “An illustrious Wondercolt going orange?”

“Not the first time one of us ended up orange,” Backbreaker snorted. “Like I said earlier, go lodge a complaint with someone who cares.”

He drew his sword.

“Fine,” Backbreaker spat. “Beat me in a duel, I’ll let you in. Fail, and you scram!”

Backbreaker sent the duel request. It was a half loss duel, not a first hit duel.

“So, you think a duel makes this okay,” he challenged.

“Better than me bashing your face in and getting an orange cursor,” Backbreaker retorted. “Like ah said, we're doin' a full guild operation. It doesn’t concern you. Your choice.”

“Fine,” he growled, hitting accept.

Mjolna and Koco took a step back. So did the others. Backbreaker held her spot in the center of the gate. It forced him to take a step back to gain the distance he needed. Backbreaker didn’t equip her shield. She would beat him without the Floating Bulwark on her arm.

The clock counted down and buzzed. He leaped forward, Vorpal Strike keyed up. It was a high-level Sword Skill. It was really good against monsters, but it was very predictable against another player. Backbreaker was quite familiar with the strike.

As predictable as it was, Backbreaker didn’t move. She stood still, hammer at her side, as he ran her through the chest. He was shocked as she didn’t even flinch. He was even more shocked when it barely dented her HP.

Backbreaker threw a left hook, socking him in the face with her Martial Arts Skill. He lost his grip on his sword and stumbled back. Backbreaker pulled the sword out of her chest and tossed it at his feet.

This time she raised her hammer as he looked at her. He was scared. Her punch did significantly more damage to him than her being skewered by his sword. He was right to be afraid. But Backbreaker didn’t advance. She just kept her hammer up and ready.

He bent down slowly and grabbed his sword and stood up.

“Next strike'll really hurt,” Backbreaker warned. “Are ya' sure you want to face me?”

“Yes,” he spat. “I won’t let you be a bully.”

“Fine,” Backbreaker shrugged. “You were warned.”

He never saw the strike coming as Backbreaker closed the distance with a speed and agility she couldn’t perform with her shield. It was a two-combo strike. The first one landed square on his head, the second had Backbreaker spin around and then the hammer was pounded into his chest. He was tossed back, hard. The duel canceled as his HP dropped down into the orange. Backbreaker was declared the winner. She adjusted the grip on her hammer as she looked at his friends. She was ready for them to do something stupid.

They were ready, but they backed down and grabbed their friend. They pulled him to his feet and began to quickly leave the area. They didn’t want to stick around any longer.

Backbreaker’s Battle Regeneration Skill topped off her HP. She walked back to the command tent. Kirito was snacking on a cupcake while he was waiting.

“What brings you here?” Backbreaker asked him.

“Well, I needed the next training location,” Kirito explained. “Argo wouldn’t sell me the next one, yet, but she would sell where you were. I figured, since I heard that you had a lot of new members join, you would need to train them to your standards. So I just followed you here.”

“Well, that was smart,” Backbreaker admitted. “Argo agreed to hold this place for fourteen days for us, so we could catch them up. Ten days in, an' we're almost done with the quotas. They've pushed hard, in rotation most of the day, goin' overnight, and been greatly rewarded for it.”

“Impressive,” Kirito said with a nod. “You merged with Geigi Clan. What level must they get to?”

“Everyone will be over Level 70,” Backbreak said, holding out on some information. “Back up into the top curve for the clearers. Not everyone'll be on the front lines all the time, and we're not addin' in any new boss raiders, but we’ll be better at clearin' the Floors for a variety of reasons, and we have a few support only members too, who didn’t want to continue to fight. They're makin' it possible for us to be out clearin' like we will be.”

“They were giving you some trouble,” Kirito commented, not actually asking the question.

“We don’t hoard, we don’t hide,” Backbreaker asserted. “For once, just once, we need a place to hit and train our members up to the first quotas we have ever needed.”

“I get it,” Kirito said. “The DDA has done worse. The KOB certainly has their secrets. Every single top guild has their go-to spots they keep quiet, except you. We can always find you rather easily. I think you are entitled to this spot for a few days.”

“That was our opinion,” Backbreaker replied.

“So, just you right now?”

“Astro is sleepin',” Backbreaker replied.

Thundering hoofbeats paused the conversation. A moment later they heard Bladescape calming Plaudit down. She entered the command tent shortly after.

“Hey,” Bladescape greeted them. “Any reason why I got a nasty look from six players as I rode in here?”

“Just a bit o' trouble,” Backbreaker replied. “I took care of it.”

“Kirito, what has you here?”

“Following you, to find the next best training ground,” Kirito replied.

“Smart move,” Bladescape said. “BB, how are the quotas?”

Backbreaker passed the report to Bladescape. She quickly looked through it.

“We are doing well,” Bladescape stated. “Better than projected. Kirito, I need you at the top of your game. You are welcome to join us. In our rotation of course.”

“It’s worth it?” Kirito asked.

Bladescape chuckled. “Oh yes, it is.” Bladescape picked up the rotation chart. “We can get you in with us in... two hours. We have a team that will have two open slots, so we can both join that party. It will require you to be in a party. I know you will handle the combat fine, but this place is unique.”

“How so?” Kirito asked, reserving himself to joining a party for this training location.

“It’s an all-out bar brawl,” Bladescape explained. “Once you start, they just keep coming. Fast respawn, low health, low attack, chump change, and it all adds up to hot and fast action with no stops but substantial ending XP yields. We are currently on three-hour rotations. Our members are tired. We are not taking any risks for them being as tired as they are. They have made an admirable push. With a full load of six, it will have its short lulls though.”

“Sounds good,” Kirito replied.

“And we have plenty of food out here, so feel free to get something from the chow tent there.”

“I was already given a cupcake,” Kirito said. “But I will probably grab another.”

Bladescape and Backbreaker both chuckled.

“That reminds me,” Bladescape said, pulling up her menu. “I have food sent by AFCK.”

Multiple picnic baskets popped out onto the table. The three of them grabbed them and brought the baskets to the chow tent. Others were there, eating and preparing for their upcoming rotation.

“Kirito,” Bladescape said. “Meet Kate, Pell, Shintia, and Yori. They are going to be the other four in our rotation party.”

They happily greeted Kirito as their sixth party member. Six was better than four in the bar brawls. It meant less work and was safer. It also showed to have the best XP yields for the party. Having a player like the Black Swordsman with them only increased those factors.

Backbreaker pulled Bladescape aside while they had time before their rotation. “It's done?”

“Yes,” Bladescape nodded. “Lobelia, Kamishi, and Shikiku are performing all of the ceremonies, but the shrine was successfully installed. It is beautiful, and traditional. Small, but still a very good place to commemorate the dead. I suspect something big will happen once we are done with the training, but for now, it's all being taken care of.”

“What would that ceremony look like?” Backbreaker asked.

“I honestly don’t know,” Bladescape admitted. “I also don’t think I could attend. My focus has to be forward and up; The Ruby Palace. Just being there while it was being installed... I was losing focus. I made a less than smooth exit to get here. It made me want to quit. I was remembering all we have been through, and most of it hasn't been good.”

“Hey, they'll understand,” Backbreaker assured her. “They all will. We need you focused, so you can keep us focused. So get in there, and focus back on keepin' us livin'.”

“Thanks,” Bladescape smiled.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 94 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword - Rend
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 84 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search - Martial Arts
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 85 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics - Sprint
AFCK(PP): Lvl 82 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument - Rend
Diemond (R): Lvl 82 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry - Rend
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 89 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing - Sprint
Astro (PS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry - Search
Kiefer: Lvl 83 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce - Sprint
Lessa: Lvl 81 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics - Wood Carving
Joltron: Lvl 83 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry - Acrobatics
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 79 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce - Purchase Negotiation

Author's Note

Wondering what the Skill "Rend" is? It is like "Armor Pierce," but for the heavier weapons.

Episode 87 - Bajutsu

Front Line - Floor 65
July 12 - Year 2

Bladescape had the day off. The furniture was all received, most of the bedrooms had theirs as well, the shrine was in place, and Bladescape’s bedroom was furnished. The new Wondercolts were almost done with their training as well. Bladescape had spent her fair share in the bars, mostly overnights, and gained multiple levels from it. They had her taking a break early so the other counselors could rotate out.

Boots had sought her out the other day to go riding, and because things were going as well as they were, the Council decided to give her the first day off, ahead of schedule. It would allow for them to rotate into their breaks faster and lift everyone's spirits.

Along with her break, a team of Wondercolts were setting up to hit the field boss that had been scoped out the evening before. Astro was heading that up, with Backbreaker, Thunderborne, Kiefer, Joltron, and AFCK. They wouldn't be missed for training and it wouldn't take them long to defeat the field boss.

Bladescape wasn’t needed, which was the unsettling thing. She had gotten used to being needed. These new changes brought their challenges, and made her rethink them, but, whenever she did, all she could see was the good, and nothing that was making her hesitate. She just had to find her new groove with the guild.

Bladescape almost tripped over the box that was in front of her door. Diemond was back, off the front lines, doing work on their armor. She had no idea Diemond was going to leave something there, or had been doing anything except her real work, but it obviously was her by the bow. Bladescape brought the box inside and opened it.

It did not surprise her that the box had clothes. It was a complete outfit for horse riding. It was designed more like a traditional show outfit, rather than western cowgirl. Despite the difference, it was hardy clothing with decent defense stats.

The black leather riding boots were knee height, with spurs built in. The light yellow riding breeches had subtle reinforcement on the inside of the knee and thigh where most of the rubbing contact with the saddle was. The black belt for them was simple, but still had their horse head buckle. The yellow shirt was a high collar, long sleeve top that was comfortable, despite its design to hug her body. It also came with an outer jacket in dark maroon and black riding gloves. It was a relaxed suit jacket, with two buttons rather than the three button style Boots wore.

The defensive properties of it all were impressive. Diemond had certainly come a long way since March. Rendil had taught her a lot and she had grabbed it and not just held on, but expanded her knowledge of the materials. Now that she knew them, she could make anything.

Bladescape changed into the riding outfit and headed down to breakfast. Since almost everyone was out in the field, the dining hall was empty. A plate with some breakfast muffins were left on the head table for her. It was a good, but simple breakfast that got Bladescape out to meet Boots quickly.

Boots had Plaudit and Wind Rush saddled up and ready. But it wasn't the same saddle Bladescape had made for her and rode with. It was a cowboy saddle, with a horn on it.

Boots explained the day’s plan. “I figured you and I could go after Marengo. I spotted him the other day and I know he won’t have strayed too far, yet. Besides, it will be a fun ride out that far.”

“Alright,” Bladescape grinned. “What do I need to know?”

Boots handed Bladescape a coil of rope. “That is a lasso. In Aincrad, they are really easy to use. I never did anything with lassos in the real world, but it came easily. The system assist is solid. Then it requires you to throw accurately. That is the hardest part, but I quickly picked it up and half of my horses were feral before I lassoed them and broke them. Wind Rush was one of them. Just get it over the neck and the system does the rest. Oh, and hold on."

Bladescape had seen AJ use a lasso. She uncoiled it and like Boots had said, the system kept it simple. As she aimed for Tenderhoof, who was sticking his head over the corral wall in a vain attempt at getting their attention, the system also recognized Bladescape’s blade throwing. The throw was true as Bladescape used both her long hours practicing releases and the Sword Skill to easily lasso Tenderhoof. He just stood there, shocked and wondering why he suddenly had a rope around his neck.

Boots laughed at Tenderhoof’s expression and walked over to him. She pulled the lasso off and pet him. “I guess you have that down. Was that glow Blade Throwing?”

“Yes,” Bladescape replied. “Although, it is only supposed to throw something with a registered blade or edge. The throwing picks are designed to sail straight, with their point as the blade, but this is new. I'm sure I just figured out a way to combine the skills. My own OSS."

“I wouldn’t know,” Boots shrugged. “But let’s use it to our advantage.”

They mounted up and headed out. Bajutsu easily connected to the saddle and Bladescape also had quick access to a few lassos. Boots had her sword on her saddle as well as a few lassos. If they missed and lost grip, they would not need to worry about retrieving it or struggling with their menus to get a new one.

“I assume your friend Diemond made that outfit?” Boots asked. “It looks great. It compliments you well.”

“That she did,” Bladescape replied. “I don’t know how she knows this style of clothing, but she does. And since we are cut off and no one rides horses in Aincrad, she had to know the style from before. And it is highly protective. The defense stats are probably better than your combat armor.”

“I could use some more protection in my normal riding clothes,” Boots absentmindedly stated.

She kicked Wind Rush into a faster pace and Bladescape couldn’t reply. Plaudit knew who to follow and enjoyed being able to stretch his legs into a good run. A low fence came up and he took the jump with ease, without losing pace. Wind Rush was the same way as Boots laughed, enjoying the jump.

It was a good, long ride out to the area Boots had spotted Marengo. They had to cut down a few bandits along the way, but it was nothing to stop at, or even slow down. Marengo was a grey Arabian and he led a herd of about 25 horses. Once they located the herd, they just had to find him in it. He was smaller than many of the horses he led, just above 14 hands by Boots' estimate.

They stopped a decent distance away, to observe and plan. They would not get to Marengo without first separating him from the others. Then Bladescape could hit him with a throwing pick to paralyze him, and they could rope him and bring him back to the corral to break in.

“We both have solid war horses,” Boots said. “Our best bet is to use them to physically force him out of the group. The wild horses will not like being cut off, while Plaudit and Wind Rush will have no problem doing it. They won’t even hesitate.”

“I think we will end up relying on your skill more than mine,” Bladescape replied. “But as soon as we get him singled out, I will be right there to hit him with the paralyzer.”

“Eh,” Boots shrugged. “Good enough. We can make a go at it and see how he reacts and how we do.”

Bladescape nodded and Boots kicked Wind Rush into gear. She was going to go at them from the far side. Bladescape began to move Plaudit forward a bit, picking her entry point. She started moving him in faster as the herd began to shift from their presence.

Out of nowhere an aggressive whinny sounded and the herd bolted. Plaudit quickly matched their group speed. Bladescape glanced over and saw Boots was in a similar spot. Plaudit didn’t flinch as Bladescape transitioned them from outside the herd to inside it. The cut in forced several horses to stop and break away in fear, but Plaudit stayed true, enjoying the chase. Boots did the same and shaved off another group.

They could see Marengo, but getting to him wasn’t going to be easy. He was ahead of them and surrounded by a few larger horses. Boots made the next move. It removed a few more horses, but most of them shifted. Plaudit bumped shoulders with a mare as she refused to move. It freaked the mare out and she slid to a stop, taking a few others with her.

Plaudit took over, cutting in behind the last few horses and then charging forward, slicing them off. Bladescape grabbed a pick as Plaudit kept the charge up. She threw it and it landed in Marengo's flank as planned.

Marengo kept going. Boots got rid of the other horses and it was just the five of them as Marengo began to bolt with a new speed.

“Why isn’t he stopping!” Boots called out over the thunder of their hooves.

“The paralyzer failed,” Bladescape yelled back. "He's immune."

Boots responded by holding up a lasso. Bladescape grabbed one and held it up as well before she shifted Plaudit further away so that he didn’t get roped accidentally. Boots let the lasso go. It struck Marengo in the face. He didn’t flinch or slow down.

Bladescape threw hers. It was just behind him, going over his shoulders. Bladescape pulled the rope back in as Plaudit thundered on. Boots threw again, and Marengo dodged left to avoid it. It put him almost directly behind Plaudit. Bladescape didn’t let the opportunity of such an easy throw go to waste. The rope went over his head and the system locked it in place. Bladescape wrapped the rope around her glove to better anchor it in her grip.

The fight wasn’t over as Marengo pulled away. Plaudit couldn’t adjust to the direction change and Bladescape wasn’t going to let go. She was pulled off the saddle by the deceptively strong stallion and hit the ground. She held on as she was dragged along the ground.

That didn’t last long as Bladescape rolled into a position to get her heels dug in. She was too strong for Marengo as she braced against his surging body. He was forced to slow down and Boots threw a second lasso onto him to better secure him.

Outflanked, he calmed down. Boots tied her rope onto her saddle’s horn. Plaudit seemed to have a laugh in his whinny as he calmly stepped over to Bladescape. She petted him as a reward.

“I put some sugar cubes in the saddle bags,” Boots said as she gave one to Wind Rush.

Bladescape nodded, out of breath, and pulled one out and fed it to a happy Plaudit. She mounted the gelding, anchored the rope on the saddle horn, and patted him on the neck while she caught her breath.

“At least Aincrad doesn’t exactly give grass stains,” Boots grinned.

Bladescape snorted a laugh. It was true. Her outfit was perfect despite the distance she had been dragged. That was something she would miss once they were free.

Before Bladescape could respond, a message popped up in her view. It was from Astro. It wasn’t an update that the field boss was beaten. It was a call to all Wondercolts to respond to the fight as reinforcements. Whatever they were fighting was causing a huge problem.

“Can you get him back alone?” Bladescape immediately asked Boots.

“Yes,” She nodded. “What's wrong?”

“The Field Boss fight on Floor 66 has gone terribly wrong. All I know is that they are calling for reinforcements.”

“I’ve got him,” Boots reaffirmed. “We still have to break him in, but the system separates that fight from the capture code. He is mine, just unbroken.”

Bladescape never replied as she tossed her lasso away and teleported to the town on the 66th Floor the troops were responding too. No one was expecting a horse and rider to appear on the plaza. Bladescape immediately began to use search to track Astro, which led her through the fastest way out of the city.

Bladescape yelled every warning she could to NPCs and players, who were forced out of the way by the big horse. She saw several parties of clearers and the Assault Team that were rushing out in a response to similar messages sent out by others in the raiding party. As she broke free of the city and Plaudit could open up, she passed a squad of DDA players and then two squads of KOB soldiers. They were making haste to the battle, but Plaudit was significantly faster than they could run.

It never occurred to Bladescape that she wasn’t in her armor. She was rushing to the aid of her guildmates, her friends, and the other clearers who needed her there as soon as possible. That was what was on her mind.

Floor 66 was mostly open, at least on this side of the Floor. The hills rolled a bit, but it was flatter. Bladescape saw the battle from a long way off. She wasn’t sure what the Field Boss was until Search finally gave her the details.

Fafnir the Lindwurm popped up, along with four health bars. One and a half were depleted, but that was poor progress judging from the simple fact that by lunch they were supposed to be done with the battle. The Lindworm was like a long dragon snake, but with no wings and only two front legs. It knew how to crawl and slither, and reared up on its legs, it stood a good 35 feet tall. The main body alone had to have a diameter of at least 8 feet. Bladescape saw its powerful tail throw several players back in a whipped attack.

Plaudit closed the distance as two of those players teleported out before they died. The group of tanks converged and set their line, trying to draw the aggro of the beast. They unknowingly assembled directly in Bladescape’s intended path. She was going to keep the Lindwurm on her right, slicing along it’s left in a regular charge. The tanks had no idea of her plan, but Plaudit wasn’t going to miss the opportunity as the tanks locked their shields together and bent down, bracing for the attack.

Bladescape drew Bajutsu and yelled. Plaudit jumped over the tanks and the Lindwurm hesitated as it swiped at the tanks with its clawed hand. It was its right claws, which was perfect for Bladescape to slash. Bajutsu glowed as Bladescape continued to yell. She slashed the claws with the blade and then held Bajutsu out. Plaudit kept true and straight, allowing the blade to slice along the side of the serpent without a Sword Skill being triggered. The sword left a long red line along the body of the beast.

Plaudit dodged left as the tail was whipped at them in response to the attack. Bladescape ducked and it safely passed over them with no room to spare. Bladescape couldn’t slash at it from her angle and speed.

Plaudit slowed a little to make the turn tighter. He charged back up to full speed as they came at the Lindwurm from behind. The beast punched the tanks with a fist. Only the Iron Bulwark at the center of their formation held, but she was forced to slide back a good 10 feet before she stopped the fist.

Right as it stopped, Bladescape cut at the body again. She saw the Lindwurm turn to address the real threat but it didn’t deter her from making several more downward slashes into it. They were too close to it for it to use its claws at that angle. Bladescape spurred Plaudit straight ahead.

As they got to its chest, Bladescape pulled Plaudit right, to move in front of it and keep them from getting a swipe from the claws. It worked and Bladescape also got a stab into the chest of the beast. They dodged left to avoid a whip from the tail. It was stopped by the Iron Bulwark and Bladescape blitzed right behind her friend.

Bladescape slowed Plaudit as they turned, to better survey the scene now that she had provided a solid distraction. Bladescape had been the only one to land an attack as the others reorganized. The second and most of the third health bars were gone, thanks to her. Being on Plaudit had to give a bonus to her attacks. Fighting on horseback was one thing, a cavalry charge was a different beast entirely.

Bladescape encouraged Plaudit forward and he happily began another charge. She was cutting a diagonal path from their left to their right. The Lindwurm saw the straight path and took the bait. It used its left claws for the swipe. At the same time Bladescape pulled Plaudit left, taking them out of the path and back in front of the chest. Its claws were deadly, but it was restricted in how they could be used. It needed one leg to stay fully upright, and the balance point for it was towards its chest, not further back like a snake.

Bladescape yelled as she sliced Bajutsu deep into the chest. She didn’t stay in line with the central body like the first charge. She kept going left, away from it. The tail was lashed at her. Plaudit didn’t hesitate as he expertly timed the jump and cleared the tapered tail with ease. Bladescape savagely sliced down with Bajutsu, into the tail, before they galloped off.

She pulled them to a stop to pick their next move. The raid party was still not responding. They were exhausted and short on morale. Even her arrival was not changing that. They knew a message had been sent out and that reinforcements were on the way. They were content to wait it out, doing the minimum required to protect themselves.

Bladescape could tell who the Wondercolts were, even from the distance, because they were trying to rally the raiders. At least Backbreaker and Astro were easy to spot as they moved and gave rallying speeches. The other three were probably Kirito, Asuna, and Thunderborne. They were moving slower and strategizing, while the others were pulled back out of the immediate targeting zone of Fafnir the Lindwurm.

Bladescape slipped her hand into the saddlebag and fished out a sugar cube. She gave it to Plaudit as she rubbed his neck. “Ready?” She asked him. “I am going to need you to be absolutely true and trusting.”

He snorted and reared up, legs kicking as he begged to ride into battle again. She nudged her spurs into his side and he came back down. The graphics of the horse as its virtual muscles rippled was stunning. He was up to full speed after a few paces and he wasn’t stopping.

The lindwurm wasn’t either. Bladescape saw it swipe at a figure who could only be Backbreaker because it just stood there, and then it didn’t move. That was exactly what she needed: it to be focused on a new target.

They came up on it with it on their right. Bladescape stood up and then jumped into a run. She landed on her feet and charged up the back of the Lindwurm. It turned to look at who was on it. She had expected the turn, which meant she had to adjust as the body beneath her rolled. It didn’t stop Bladescape as she charged up the back. As the angle of the beast went fully vertical, Bladescape jumped, using Acrobatics to her best ability.

Bajutsu was lifted above her head, tip down and reversed in its grip. She let the jump carry her to its head, then used gravity to ram the sword down. It immediately was to the hilt and Bladescape held on while her legs dangled by its jaws. It couldn’t snap her into them, despite its best tries. Bladescape got a firm grip on the ridge above its eye. She yanked Bajutsu free and let go.

Plaudit was there to catch her. She landed backwards in the saddle, but at least he had figured out where to stand. He didn’t hesitate to begin running to safety, despite her reversal. Bladescape easily fixed that as he took off. The transition left her with Bajutsu in her left hand and a lasso in her right. Bladescape glanced backwards. She saw the claws coming. Plaudit only needed her knee pressing into him to realize he needed to make a sharp turn.

As they turned, Bladescape threw the lasso. The claws passed through the extra-large loop Bladescape had thrown and she pulled hard. The lindwurm needed control of both limbs to be effective, but she now had one trapped. Plaudit was forced to slow as they were pulled back by the strength of the beast.

Bladescape jumped off him to counter the yank. She landed and was dragged a bit while she got her feet under her. Once she was back up, she ran straight for Backbreaker.

“Catch!” Bladecape yelled as she threw her friend the rope.

Backbreaker caught it, expertly took in the excess rope, and countered with her own pull. Their battle of strengths was only beginning, but Backbreaker was not going to be outdone by a snake. She would break its back before her own would be broken. This was the moment she could solidify the reason behind her game name.

Bladescape hopped back up to a happy Plaudit who then reared up, giving his own war cry. The lindwurm was down into its last health bar from Bladescape's critical head strike. Bladescape called out to the others while Plaudit had their attention. “It’s vulnerable! Lancers, change!”

Plaudit heard the word “charge” and dropped back down. He was off, leading the raiders in their newfound morale.

Bladescape got another savage slice into the chest which she then pulled down the length of its body until they had to turn to avoid the back half and tail. Plaudit couldn’t jump that high. They looked back around at the final moments of Fafnir the Lindwurm.

Backbreaker had the beast pulled down, its leg still trapped and being pulled further out as Backbreaker fought to drag it behind her. The lancers had their spears as deep as they could go. Other fighters had flanked their assault on its chest to deal more damage. Bladescape saw a lone tank charging behind the others. She realized it was Joltron.

Joltron slid to a stop and threw his tower shield into the ground, bracing himself. Astro came from farther back at top speed. She stayed in stride as she used him to vault even higher, spear at the ready. She had reversed her grip, with both hands, so that she could ram it down into its head like Bladescape had done.

Astro’s entry was better than Bladescape's had been, as her spear went straight into its eye. There was a second of resistance as the spear pierced the squishy flesh of the eye and then it shattered into polygons. Her leap had been amazing, her stab was flawless, but her fall was not pretty. She had no control as she failed to calculate for a disappearing boss and landed in a crumpled mess that would normally have broken most of the bones in her body.

Bladescape encouraged Plaudit to rush to her aid. She trotted up, forcing the gathering warriors to split apart for the horse. Astro was laying on the ground, with Joltron, Backbreaker, and Thunderborne by her head. She was coherent, and Bladescape could see that her health was in the red, but not dangerously so. She was probably on the ground because she didn’t need to get up, so she could let things hurt for a bit.

She smiled up at Bladescape. “I guess that horse wasn’t a dumb buy.”

“Plaudit never was,” Bladescape grinned back.

“Yeah, but unlike most players, you didn’t ditch the horse. You didn’t even respond and then dismount once you got here. You two charged it! Its midsection was as tall as you two are!”

Plaudit neighed in response.

“Plaudit is a warhorse,” Bladescape reminded her. “That is what he loves to do. Charge. Charging and jumping."

“Your horse sword carved the boss up better than what we could do all morning,” Astro pressed. “What exactly did you have made again?”

“A short, light, two-handed sword,” Bladescape shrugged. “But his name is Bajutsu.”

Several of the other players, including Kirito, recognized the name and meaning.

“The Japanese art of martial combat on a horse,” Bladescape explained to those unaware of the name.

“You are still in your clothes,” Astro followed up. “A sane player would have changed! Even in the field! I know Diemond made them strong, but one hit without proper armor and you would be dead!”

Bladescape dismounted and put her hand out to Astro. Astro firmly grabbed it and Bladescape pulled her to her feet. “And did we get hit? But enough about my stupidity. I didn’t end up on the ground after almost falling to my death because I forgot the thing I was stabbing wouldn’t exist when it died.”

“Yeah, I forgot,” Astro laughed.

“How bad was it?” Bladescape asked. It wasn’t to anyone in particular, but everyone had gathered around.

Kirito spoke up. “We lost two before you got here. At least a third of our group teleported out. That includes the backup squad that came with us. From the Wondercolts, AFCK and Kiefer had to bail.”

Bladescape nodded quietly in response. She had forgotten who exactly had been sent. As long as they were safe, that was what mattered.

“Well, your calls got a lot of responses,” Bladescape stated. “Others will be here shortly. I passed several on the way out, but it’s a distance even at their quick pace. Still, they will ask the same question I will. Why didn’t you just retreat?”

“It was too fast,” Asuna quietly said. With no one else speaking, everyone heard it. “Every time we tried, it flanked us and kept us out here. That is why we called for reinforcements. Even if we teleported out, then what? We would just have to come back with a significantly larger party, and more players on standby in case the same thing happened. We decided it was best to keep fighting. The deaths happened during the opening attack. They were unprepared. We all were, but they paid the full price. The Iron Bulwark’s shield stopped others from dying and we rallied.

"So despite the deaths and teleports, we figured getting fresh troops out was better than undoing all the HP we had toiled to shave off. Although, it is apparent that you could do more with that sword than what we could do as a whole."

It was quiet. The mention of the deaths silenced most players. The rest were unsure how to take Asuna's ending comment.

"Second-in-Command," Bladescape calmly said. "I was on a charging horse. That gives my attacks a different angle. Plaudit's speed and strength appear to have magnified the damage Bajutsu could do. It wasn't just me behind the swinging blade. It was fitting that I helped even the playing field, and it was even more that someone in your raid party got the LAB. I came to help, and so I did. But I am on a free day to enjoy after tough leveling quotas."

“I thought you were going ridin', not wranglin',” Backbreaker said, shifting the topic to keep morale up. She held up the lasso.

“I thought so too,” Bladescape grinned. “Instead, Boots and I headed out to catch the special horse on Floor 12. We finally roped him right before I got the message. I came straight here after teleporting from the field we were in. Plaudit had already done a lot of hard riding to catch him; before he took the boss on head first and without faltering.”

Backbreaker nodded, accepting it. She tossed the lasso to Bladescape. Bladescape hung it over the saddle’s horn for the time being.

“THERE YOU ARE!”

They all turned to see Godfree running up to them, at the head of the two KOB squads Bladescape had passed. Bladescape mounted Plaudit, leaving the raiders to explain what she had done.”

“BB, Astro, I am going back to riding,” Bladescape said. “It is my day off after all, so try to not need me."

The three of them laughed. Several others joined in the laughter.

“Oh, Asuna,” Bladescape said. “This is the hobby I found. I experience Aincrad and all its majesty from horseback. With minimal combat, and only if we want to fight. Thanks for the advice.”

Asuna wasn’t sure what to say. She obviously remembered the conversation.

Bladescape pulled out a blue teleport crystal and held it up high. Plaudit reared back so they could all see the palomino's glory and she teleported them back to Floor 12.

Boots was back at her stable, with Marengo running freely in the corral. He was the only horse in the corral at the moment. Boots heard Plaudit bray at their arrival and met them at the stable door.

Bladescape dismounted and led Plaudit to his stall for the rest he deserved. As she took care of him, she told Boots exactly what she did.

“I guess breaking in a stallion like Marengo will be boring,” Boots joshed.

“I might have run up the back of the lindwurm, but I didn’t ride it.”

“You failed to mention that,” Boots stated.

“Oh,” Bladescape chuckled. “That was a good moment in the fight too.”

Bladescape finished catching Boots up as they watched the grey Arabian run around the corral.

“Okay,” Boots declared. “Nowadays, we train horses, not break them in. But that lingo has stayed. And for Aincrad, you break a horse in the cowboy way. You have to ride it, bareback, until it stops trying to throw you and lets you ride it, steering with its mane. Marengo won’t break easily.”

“Let’s go then,” Bladescape said, jumping the fence. “I look forward to this. If I could stay on a charging and jumping warhorse, while dodging attacks by that thing, how hard could this be?”

Boots broke out laughing as Bladescape jokingly flaunted her abilities. Boots knew Bladescape was in over her head. Bladescape was certain she was going to be very sore by the end of the day. More sore than she already was from being dragged, twice, by a lassoed beast.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 94 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword - Rend
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 84 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search - Martial Arts
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 85 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics - Sprint
AFCK(PP): Lvl 82 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument - Rend
Diemond (R): Lvl 82 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry - Rend
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 89 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing - Sprint
Astro (PS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry - Search
Kiefer: Lvl 83 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce - Sprint
Lessa: Lvl 81 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics - Wood Carving
Joltron: Lvl 83 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry - Acrobatics
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 79 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce - Purchase Negotiation

Author's Note

The Aincrad Asides has a new chapter! You can find out what is going on in the real world.

Episode 89 - Apologies

Floor 61 - Front Line Floor 66
July 18 - Year 2

Bladescape knew her face had lost all its color as the dread took over. The Wondercolts had just soloed a Floor Boss as a guild. They had just cut out dozens of players, taking away their XP, Col, and the drop list. The very things that kept the front line players and guilds moving forward. And it looked bad. It was bad.

"I…" Bladescape stammered.

"Well done?" A soldier growled at Godfree. He was in the second party, not directly under Godfree.

"Calm down, Kuradeel," Godfree replied. "It obviously was an accident. I trust the Wondercolts. I know them well enough."

Bladescape was at a loss for words and sighed heavily, sheathing Bajutsu on her back. She just went with the truth, no excuses. "It started as a scouting mission and one that also trained a party set up. We were showing our newly leveled Wondercolts that they were capable of more than they thought. We have been dungeon diving to train them in the new unit dynamics over the past few days, and we, I, lost track of where we were. We forgot we were in a Floor Boss chamber. We were having fun. That is no excuse though."

Bladescape sighed, frustrated over her inexcusable mistake. "Look, will you alert the other guilds that at Eight-AM sharp, we will have the Floor Boss meeting at our guild hall? We will apologize then. To everyone. And then we can sort out any misgivings and decide how to proceed. The plaza code is Thorn Island."

"Sure," Godfree said with a nod. "I'll get it rounded up. "Will you be providing any refreshments?"

Bladescape snorted a laugh. "I doubt AFCK would allow me to get away with not having something grand available. We will have stuff ready to socialize after. It will be our pleasure."

Bladescape bowed deeply, and turned around to the Wondercolts. "Alright, I know how you feel. Job well done. As tired as you are, we will get to rest once we get back home. We move out to open the teleport gate in forty-five seconds, so examine what you need to and get on your feet."

The groans were not happy, but they acknowledged the orders as fair. Plus, they probably all wanted to get out of the chamber now that they realized their mistake.

Bladescape sighed. This was the moment she had been waiting for. She had no idea who got the Last Attack Bonus, but it could have, should have, been hers. It was the ultimate show of skill and strength in SAO. As their Kaisho, they would have all gladly let her take it. She blew it, plain and simple. Now she would have to fight against Kirito and other strong players to get the LAB she wanted so badly. The Wondercolts' strongest player was weaker from her mistake too. There was a good chance the Last Attack Bonus would never see a Floor Boss fight. The last moments of the Fallen Centaur Paladin were predominantly finalized by the new Wondercolts. But she wouldn’t let anyone pressure anyone else about the Last Attack Bonus.

Bladescape pushed past her mistake and got the council together. They decided to name an MVP of the fight. They ruled out the charter members and made their choice. Tate would get to trigger the teleport plaza gate. They also agreed to not put any pressure about the LAB. It was a private thing, and while it would probably surface soon enough, what mattered was how well they all worked together as a guild.

After it was triggered, Lobelia took the others back to Thorn Island, with orders about food prep for the morning. The charter members got their ritual drink at a local establishment.

"How are we going to handle it?" Doombunny bravely asked.

"Honestly," Bladescape replied stoically. "Leave it up to the Council, but I currently have no idea. We have time to plan though."

The morning had their doors opened wide for guests by 7:30am. Wondercolts stood at the exterior gatehouse doors, the interior gatehouse doors, and the inner guild doors. There also were guards posted at the hallway intersections to discreetly point their guests to the guild hall. Each pair of guards were wearing ceremonial sashes over their armor, gold for the girls and cobalt for the boys, making them stand out brilliantly. They were also instructed to stand at attention and not move a muscle unless directed to by a Wondercolt Counselor or Kiefer.

Bladescape watched the arrivals from the top of her tower. She was pretty sure she wasn't spotted because she was standing back a bit. She could see who arrived, but lost sight right after that.

Fuurinkazan had arrived, the DDA had come in strength, and the KOB had arrived with more players than usual and what was probably their full council. Agil made it, and Kirito had arrived alone in his usual all black ensemble. Argo, other info brokers, and a large chunk of the free agents on the Assault Team had come in shortly after him. It was all the usuals, except for the Wondercolts.

Bladescape checked the time and headed downstairs. The rest of the council was in place, waiting by the hidden entrance. Each was wearing the same formal attire that they had when considering the interior design proposals, except for Bladescape who was in her full armor for a show of strength. They lined up furthest away to closest, which would allow them to all arrive at their chairs in unison. No other Wondercolts would be in the guild hall.

As soon as 8am hit, Kamishi opened the door and started their entrance. They hadn't rehearsed, but they did arrive under the two dragon heads and behind their seats at the same time. They all politely bowed in unison and then took their seats.

"Thank you for coming," Bladescape said as soon as they were all situated. The room was packed, and despite their excess number of chairs they were down to standing room only in the back and center aisle. "Welcome to our castle. It is an honor to have you all here. I know this was an unusual request to have the Floor Boss meeting here.

"The reason for that is simple. The Wondercolts have made a mistake. Yesterday we found the boss chamber, and being at full strength, we deployed our parties to scout the boss. Not long into the battle, we forgot where we were.

"After our merger with Geigi Clan, we had, for our first time, leveling quotas to fill. Once they were met, we began working them through a few dungeons in our new squad configurations. Most of our members are willing to clear, but were not willing to even see a Floor Boss. That was the agreement. However, after our success in the dungeons over the past few days, we knew they could handle a scouting mission and that it would be the perfect confidence booster to strengthen their morale. It would be their final training assignment."

Bladescape took a deep breath in to prepare to deliver the reader news. "As I said, we forgot we were not in a dungeon. We were all having fun. We killed the boss and unlocked Floor 65."

The whole room erupted in conversation as guild mates and those seated around each other talked in surprise. Commander Heathcliff's normally stoic face was contorted into one of shock. Asuna beside him was also stunned. It seemed that neither had heard the news from Godfree. He had apparently kept it secret until the meeting. Godfree was wearing a happy grin on his face for keeping it a secret.

A DDA member, whose name Bladescape never bothered to learn or remember, stood up and threw the first accusation. "You sniped a Floor Boss all by yourself! What happened to teamwork and friendship! And then you come to feign an apology for your so-called mistake? Or rather, make us come to you!"

"Now wait just a minute!" Klein ordered as he stood up. "The Wondercolts have been friends to almost all of the guilds and players here. From random cupcake donations, to battle support on the front lines. Half of you shopped at their clothes sale! They sacrifice themselves all the time in the Floor Boss and Field Boss battles. Backbreaker has even saved your DDA hides in battle, multiple times, and you hate them! You outright accused Doombunny of being with Laughing Coffin without any proof. I see the glances you still give her. I can tell you are wondering where she is right now! You are not an impartial judge." Klein was firm as he stomped his foot. "Their record speaks for itself! If they say they didn't do it on purpose, then they didn't do it on purpose!"

Arguments erupted all across the room and things got heated, fast. Backbreaker ended it when she pounded her fist on the table like a gavel and ordered them into silence. The sound was loud enough to carry across the whole room, and Bladescape worried that the table might break from how hard her friend was hitting it.

Godfree stood up before Bladescape could speak. "I watched them yesterday as the battle finished. We couldn't see the health bar from outside the chamber. We believed they were scouting the boss so we sat back and waited. They were cleaner and more efficient than most boss fights ever are. But more importantly, they were having fun! When was the last time any of you had fun in this death game? And as soon as Bladescape realized what had happened, she apologized to us, and they all were appalled by what they had done. "

The pronouncement weighed on the air for a moment and then Bladescape spoke up. "We called the meeting here to apologize and figure out how to proceed. We recognize how much the XP, Col, and drops mean to everyone here. It is what keeps us going. Our accident robbed you of that."

"But you progressed the game," Heathcliff stated. It wasn't a question and no one knew what to say.

Lobelia finally answered it. "Yes, we did. And we are not sorry about that. We are sorry our scouting mission turned out that we were easily capable of taking down that particular Floor Boss. For us, he was much easier than the dungeon bosses of the day prior. But you know how much we have done to be team players. Our expansion happened so we could keep players on the front lines. We can't afford to lose many more. Our numbers have been significantly dwindling. A year ago we couldn’t afford to have this meeting here because there would have been too many players for the room. Look around and think of the players who quit fighting, or worse, those who are forever lost to us. The Wondercolts saved Geigi Clan from dropping off the front lines. That was forty players.

"We have all been team players to the best of our ability, and we have all sought to make this venture to the Ruby Palace and our freedom together. One guild cannot do it all. One guild should not do it all. We regret the negative impact that we have caused. And that is why we asked you here, to sort out what has happened and come to a reconciliation that is acceptable to you all for our mistake."

"What mistake?" Agil bravely asked. "Sure, I didn't get any of the drop list, and you guys keep me well supplied, but really, as far as I am concerned, Commander Heathcliff is right. You guys gave us all the gift of progressing this game. That was one boss's battle we didn't have to fear dying in. And I can smell the treats being cooked up. I want apology cupcakes and whatever else you have for treats."

Bladescape tried to stop it, but failed, and let out a snorted chuckle. "Yes, we have a large banquet of treats ready for after. It isn't a bribe, but something we enjoy doing for our guests. We are thrilled to have you all here. We appreciate your time. We couldn't do what we do without you. And that goes for all of you in this room, as well as those who could not attend. All guilds too, no matter what they think of us."

Heathcliff stood up. "I want to try these cupcakes I have heard so much about. There is nothing that needs to be done. The Knights of the Blood Oath accept your apology, thank you for the risk you took, congratulate you on a job well done, congratulate you on the successful merger and training, and we know that the next time, you will be there for us when we need it, fighting alongside all of us for the next Floor, just as you always have been and will be until our day of liberation comes!" He finished with a short bow to them.

Klein started clapping. Godfree joined him before the rest of Fuurinkazan could follow after Klein. Most of the players clapped. Yes, they lost the chance at loot and experience. But they had settled on the satisfaction that they didn't have to suffer the fear and pain of another boss fight. They had avoided death once again.

Astro stood up and slipped through the crowd to get them funneled to the dining room. They had a full spread laid out of the tables, as well as the buffets. The private dining hall was open and their guests were directed to also enjoy the seating in the front entrance and main living room after getting food. Water and drinks had been set up at all of those points for easy refills.

Shikiku was waiting for Bladescape in the back. They quickly got her changed into her formal kimono and settled properly. They had no need to project an air of physical strength. Projecting grace and tradition would only increase the other players' view of the Wondercolts. And Bladescape looked stunning in her formal kimono.

The rowdy dining hall hushed as she entered. Many of the male players' mouths hung wide open in shock. They were not expecting to see her in such a beautiful, and appropriately dainty, light.

Bladescape slipped through to AFCK by the kitchen entrance. She was beckoning to her with hand gestures. She thankfully kept quiet, so that there was no embarrassment about her being loud and rowdy. The room slowly began to talk again as Bladescape passed through it.

"Don't worry," AFCK immediately stated. "We have more than enough. Lobelia, Kamishi, Astro, and Kiefer will be starting group tours of the castle shortly. A lot of players want a tour."

"Excellent," Bladescape smiled.

"And they are waiting for you in the private dining room," AFCK added.

Bladescape just nodded and walked off to greet their guests personally, face to face. When she entered they all froze, no matter what they were doing or saying.

It was Kirito, Argo, Klein, Agil, Commander Heathcliff and the KOB Council, which included Asuna and Godfree, as well as several other guild leaders. There were no DDA members. They were packed around the round table, with some standing, but there was an open seat for Bladescape.

"I know you are not from Japan," Commander Heathcliff said, breaking the shocked silence. "But you look like you would fit in perfectly."

"Thank you," Bladescape said, blushing uncontrollably. "Diemond worked hard to get everything right and Shikiku helped me get everything on correctly."

"It is dignified yet strong," Heathcliff stated. "It says there is nothing meek or quiet about you, yet it also says you are humble and open to listening. The balance is amazing. You put to shame many Japanese geisha, brides, and elites who still hold to traditional clothing for holidays."

"Thank you, Commander," Bladescape said, blushing even more.

Klein was oddly quiet. He was staring, but he wasn't saying anything. It was a bit unnerving not having him say something stupid like he always did.

Commander Heathcliff continued. "We are in the private dining room because we wanted an account of the boss battle. We want to hear the tale of the Fallen Centaur Paladin."

Bladescape was still blushing, but her grin was mischievous. "I certainly have a tale I can tell you. Thinking back on it. I realized where I forgot we were not in a dungeon like the days before. We want what you all want, freedom. But our merger with Geigi Clan made us a lot stronger than we had projected. And that is why we ended up in our current position."

With the foundation set, Bladescape began to set the stage outside the boss room and the speeches made. Then she laid out what the boss room looked like and what the Fallen Centaur Paladin was like. She laid out their initial plans and squads. Once fully prepared, she began a tale which most of the players would not have believed. Her severed arm was a shocker to most of them, since limbs were not usually severed in SAO. Only Godfree's assurance made it believable.

"That was amazing!" Klein exclaimed, finally speaking. "I'm not surprised, knowing the Wondercolts. But just knowing the name doesn't mean much. The others are certainly every bit of Wondercolts as the originals. You made some amazing players."

"Indeed," Heathcliff added.

Bladescape gave credit due where it was due. "We got them to the levels and taught them some things, but they each chose to be Wondercolts, in mindset and determination. They chose to trust their leaders and focus on the task and not fret. As I have said plenty of times this morning, we were having fun and we lost track of the danger."

"Who are your officers?" Agil asked. "We only saw the Council."

Bladescape took a sip of water to wash down the cupcake she had been picking at. "Most notably is Kiefer. He is our training officer and senior non council officer. Shikiku, Diemond, Knightstar, and AFCK all function in specific roles that are key, but they are not squad officers. Niso, Sergeant First Class, and Shicho, Leading Private, or simplified even more to senior and junior officers. Most of them are from the old Geigi Clan. Thunderborne is the only other charter Wondercolt to lead, and her position is as a junior officer. Lobelia's father is in the JSDF, meaning she knows the rank system well. I asked for a stronger structure, and she delivered.

"And it was the senior and junior officer ranking that allowed us to deploy squads with a rapid change while not losing focus. The members know who they are assigned to." Bladescape pointed to the wall plaque. It had the blue bar on it. "Whatever color the signs are, that is what our party designation is. Each member knows what Blue means for them and who their officers are. Each one knows what Yellow means too. Even in front of the Boss Chamber, they quickly found their officer and formed up. It took no time at all.

“Our fluidity is for hitting dungeons and labyrinths. Most won't ever go into a Floor Boss chamber ever again, and that is fine. Their jobs as clearers is what we need. Half of our parties are designed to farm Col or gather materials. The other half are for clearing the game and boss labyrinths. But as you all now know, any of our parties can hit the labyrinths. Some members don’t want to. Three from Geigi Clan came in as support only and won’t ever see combat again. We are tired and strained. We just got a big morale boost, but you all understand the stress of daily chipping away at this game. That is the biggest goal with our unit design, to allow us as a guild to hit the front lines every day, while being able to rotate out players so they are not so tired.”

“These cupcakes are amazing,” Commander Heathcliff said, sidetracking them. “I wish I had been able to have them earlier.”

Bladescape chuckled. “I would give you the recipe, but AFCK doesn’t have it written down for a reason. They are her secret. Everything else is in a cookbook or two she has compiled.”

“You could sell that for good money,” Agil added.

“I never thought about that,” Bladescape shrugged. “That is up to her, but our finances are solid so I doubt she would want to."

Heathcliff had another question. “I do not wish to be rude, but can we get a tour? I don’t know of any other castles available, so I am very curious.”

“We had to clear this place out in a quest,” Bladescape explained. “We got it right before we merged, so it was the ten charter Wondercolts active at the time, since Knightstar was on sabbatical. It was full of various bug monsters. Flushing them out and squashing them was not easy. And yes, it ended with a boss. A giant lightning bee who could send out paralyzing bolts and shock waves. Once they were all cleared, we got the offer to buy it.”

Bladescape took a drink of water and stood up to give them the tour. She looked gorgeous as she showed them around. Since they were the elites of the elites, she showed them all the way up the tower, through her room and onto the top. It impressed them all.

From on top, she gave them a brief overview of the layout since they could see it all. A pickup soccer game was already happening down on their makeshift pitch, and it wasn’t just Wondercolts playing. After that, she showed them a spare room in the barracks and then the crafting tower.

When it came to the forest garden, it was a nice walk until Commander Heathcliff noticed the shrine's entrance. The others immediately stiffened too. They knew what to do, having grown up around them. Heathcliff quietly entered and the others followed. Bladescape didn’t enter.

She could see them, since the gate wasn’t far from the shrine itself and it was a straight shot. They were there for a good while before they quietly came back out. As far as Bladescape understood, they did everything perfectly. But she had only watched a few times.

“I don’t know how,” Bladescape explained. “It's too sacred for me to try right now. The traditions have been explained, but I respect them too much to fail. My mind is just too focused forward, on the game."

She got understanding nods back.

They continued to the garden house. Bladescape stopped them further back. “Doombunny lives there, and as I am sure you can see from here, she is well stocked on food for Colorra. She keeps them alive for the snake to eat. It is a little disconcerting knowing that her pet back home is a rabbit named Angel Bunny. A cute, fluffy, white rabbit. She sneaks him into school in her backpack because he gets lonely all day without her.”

“I now understand why she chose her avatar name,” Commander Heathcliff stated.

“She is, in the real world, usually quiet and meek. It took a bit to get her to the ‘doom’ stage, but since then, she has been an amazing combatant. As you all know.”

The tour ended with them watching the soccer match. It was fun for everyone. However, Bladescape didn’t get to relax long. The pickup game ended and they launched into a regular game. Bellmare was up. Bladescape changed into her blue and green soccer jersey and hit the stone soccer pitch with her teammates. They were playing the Rainbooms, meaning Thunderborne and Backbreaker.

Almost everyone stayed, packing the bleachers in enthusiastic anticipation. They needed the day off, and the boss was beaten, clearing their schedules. AFCK already had the kitchen in full swing, making a grand lunch that would be devoured in a fraction of the time it took to make it all. But she was loving it from the brief check in Bladescape made during her change to her soccer uniform.

The match was extra heated. Kamishi gave Thunderborne a run for her money. They kept the heat off Bladescape and the goal. She blocked half the shots taken, but that still left them with a final score of 6 to 8. Thunderborne’s celebration ended abruptly as AFCK rang the dinner bell as loudly as she could, drowning everything out before she yelled that lunch was ready.

Bladescape ate with most of the leaders she had shown around. Several didn’t bother to stay since they got the boss raid story. Commander Heathcliff and Bladescape talked a lot about large guild strategy. Lobelia had prepared them well, and Bladescape, Astro, and Kamishi had the steel resolve to stick to the plan. Still, it was nice to see things from another perspective and one with a lot of experience with running a very successful large guild.

Lunch was well past when Heathcliff’s grin returned to its normal coy setting. “After seeing everything, and hearing about the structure since the merger, I want to take the pleasure of telling you that I think you are the second strongest guild. If your focus was more on the front lines, then you could compete with the Knights of the Blood Oath. But since your typical day won’t be fielding all of your members on the direct front, you come up a bit short. Still well ahead of the Divine Dragon Alliance, which is impressive knowing that their numbers are over double yours. I know you have all worked hard, and are not trying to be the strongest, which makes it all the more impressive."

Bladescape smiled and chuckled nervously. “Thank you, Sir. I will privately pass it along to the others. We are just trying to be the best for everyone, but knowing we are making a good impression and a sizeable dent in this game is... well I hate to say appreciated, because it doesn’t fit fully. It helps me, us, know that we are doing exactly what we are trying to do.”

“You certainly are. But now, I must go do what I need to do. The break was fun. I didn’t realize I needed that.”

“It was a pleasure hosting this today,” Bladescape replied. “Whatever it exactly turned out to be.”

Bladescape showed their KOB guests all the way to the teleport plaza. After they left, most of the others departed as well. Fuurinkazan dragged on till after they got dinner. Once it was just them, Bladescape gathered all of the Wondercolts in the guild hall. It was a short meeting, since all Bladescape had to say was that the apology was accepted and that they were deemed the second strongest guild in the game. That last announcement got a round of cheers and applause.

Bladescape had one last thing to do. She grabbed a piece of wood, painted white, and walked to the wall plaque. She pulled the blue bar off of it and slid the white in its place, signifying that tomorrow, they were truly free from any and all responsibilities. That got another round of applause.

Bladescape walked back to their council dais while the rest of them filed out. Backbreaker already had her fishing hat on, but she was waiting to make sure there was not any last minute business between the senior officers. Sunset was standing in front, as she realized that Koco hadn’t moved. She was still sitting in her chair while the rest left.

The council calmly waited for the rest to leave; in case the matter was private. They didn’t want Koco to be self-conscious about anything. She approached them once the doors shut and bowed.

“Bladescape Kaisho,” Koco said, before freezing.

“Speak freely,” Lobelia said with a warm smile. “Anything you have to ask, we are here to listen.”

“The boss fight was amazing, and challenging, and fun, but only because of you, and, well, probably the others. As much as you all are our council, we only have one Kaisho, one player we always see out in front of us. You pulled your weight, and I mean…well…we broke the shield because of you. But you directed us, as one force, to beat the Fallen Centaur Paladin. Even the new Wondercolts know that you desire, rightly so, a floor boss Last Attack Bonus.”

Bladescape nodded knowingly. “If you got the LAB, you don’t have to say anything. It doesn’t matter. Could I have orchestrated the final hit to be me? Yes. Did I? No. Because even though I forgot, I was still focused on leading, which is more important than a single player with a powerful item. Fifty Wondercolts as strong as we are, or a Last Attack Bonus, the best choice, right choice, is the Wondercolts.”

“Yes, but…” Koco swiped up her menu and then into her arms popped a large, two handed sword. “You will make better use of it than I will.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Bladescape stated. “Besides, while your weapon did make the initial cut for our upgrades, it barely made it. You were going to be getting a better one shortly so your current one can be your backup.”

“But, this is-“

“Can you wield it?” Bladescape asked, forcing her to stop.

“Yes,” Koco nodded.

“Then that is all that matters,” Bladescape said. “Whatever our members got dropped, they earned it. It doesn’t matter the rarity or power, it was well earned. Same with the Col. The guild automatically gets a cut, so we made out very well for the Col. When fate decides that it is my turn, I will get my Last Attack Bonus.”

Koco bowed to them all before putting her LAB away and rushed out. Sunset let out all of her breath in a heavy sigh. She leaned back against the dais.

“Feelin’ OK, Sugarcube?” Backbreaker asked.

“I’ll live,” Bladescape replied. “Besides, Harmonic Salvation is hardened. It would take a very special blade to outweigh the special effects given to her.”

“Hardened?” Astro asked.

“Right,” Bladescape groaned. “That quest I am doing, a reward was hardening both Bajutsu and Harmonic Salvation, so that they wouldn’t fail an enhancement. It also increased their enhancement slots. I’m good into the 90s by the time I max everything out, if not the Ruby Palace.

“Now, if that is all, I say we meet the morning after tomorrow, before breakfast. Let’s go fish and ride and whatever else, and forget about our council jobs for a day. We earned it as much as they earned their free day!”

“Bye!” Backbreak exclaimed as she vaulted over the dais and ran out the doors to got to her fishing cabin.

Bladescape laughed with the others. It was going to be a good break.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 94 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword - Rend
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 84 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search - Martial Arts
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 85 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics - Sprint
AFCK(PP): Lvl 82 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument - Rend
Diemond (R): Lvl 82 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry - Rend
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 89 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing - Sprint
Astro (PS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry - Search
Kiefer: Lvl 83 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce - Sprint
Lessa: Lvl 81 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics - Wood Carving - Sprint
Joltron: Lvl 83 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry - Acrobatics
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 79 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce - Purchase NEpisode 81 - Apologies

Episode 90 - Mirror Mirror On The Wall

Floor 70
August 26 - Year 2

This was an atypical boss meeting. Raid Party Meetings had been relatively standardized by the 30th Floor, but they were still subject to various circumstances, and this one was on the extreme side. The boss, the Sister Witches, had been successfully scouted, but before they could launch the raid, Argo stopped everything because she discovered a quest with critical information. The raid had been held off for two days, waiting for her to finish it. At one point, she brought in the Wondercolts, twice she needed Kirito alone, and she even got a team from the KOB for the final flag mob.

With the quest completed, they were meeting in the small house of a male NPC on the edge of the small village nearest Floor 70's labyrinth. The closest teleport plaza was an hour’s walk to a larger villager. Only the necessary guild leaders were inside, in addition to Argo and Kirito, because of the tight quarters. Everyone else was waiting outside of the house.

The male NPC, some sort of psychic seer, began the meeting. "What awaits you is something foreign and with great anticipation they have been patiently waiting. It is not to be taken lightly. The Mirror of Knowledge can see the heart and show if you should or should not go to slay them. If you go when you should not, you shall surely die. If you heed the Mirror's advice, you all may yet live."

"We already scouted the boss," Asuna stated.

"Your party was too small," The NPC replied. It was an odd statement coming from the usually clueless NPCs. It was like he had outside knowledge he should not have. To top it off, it was a very direct statement.

"What you faced knew you were not strong enough in numbers to defeat them, so they did not give more than what they needed. They are three sisters from a faraway land outside of Aincrad, who have come to block your way to the Seventy-First Floor. Witches the three of them be, powerful ones who can control the will and the mind. Ever must you be prescient of their spells."

The shift in language style was another oddity that they took note of. It was like the coding was being screwed with, or more likely, it wasn't written right to start. Possibly, two separate people had written pieces of it and it had been rammed together without proper editing. For such a large game, there were bound to be a few bugs like this. Some instances had popped up, but always on one shot quests that didn't allow the errors to be studied.

"Some of you will be able to go, others will be guaranteed to die. They can see your weaknesses and have defeated many foes before. They will use your collective weaknesses to create chaos and disorder to their advantage. The more you fight, the faster they will win.

"Reflections in mirrors are often not as they are seen. They can be history, future, or an inner reflection. The mirror will judge if you should fight the Sister Witches."

None of them moved for a solid minute. They were all unsure if they wanted to face the Mirror of Knowledge. They had done a lot of odd things on quests before, but a mirror judging them for a boss battle was one of the oddest.

Kirito finally moved and strode over to the male NPC. The NPC pulled aside what had looked like a closed window curtain. Behind it was an oval mirror set in a gilded frame on the plain, mud wall.

Kirito stared into the mirror. After a few moments the NPC spoke. "The mirror judges you key. You are safe to go."

Bladescape stepped forward and walked to the Mirror. She looked into the reflection. It wasn't her in the mirror and it didn't show any of the room. It was just a reflectionless piece of glass.

The surface shifted and Bladescape saw herself, from a third person point of view. She was ponied up, floating in the sky, but that was all she saw. It was an odd thing to see and it didn't give her any information.

“The mirror judges your heart and sees you can win," The NPC said. "You are safe to go."

Asuna stepped up next. Bladescape watched her stare at the mirror for a while.

"The warrior you see is forever inside you," The man said. "It is safe for you to go."

"Safe?" Asuna protested. "Only safe? What happened to winning or key?"

"You could beat the boss. But it will be a very difficult task for you to accomplish."

Asuna was obviously falling prey to some jealousy. "What makes it more difficult for me than for her?"

"The mirror speaks and I interpret," The NPC said with a shrug. "I do not know why."

Asuna groaned as the NPC became the usual stone wall to talk to. They only had so many programmed conversations and only so many triggers to start on any scripted topic.

Commander Heathcliff stepped up to the mirror next. He stood there for a while, patiently waiting. As the minutes passed, his expression didn't change, neither did his emotion, as the Mirror took its time judging him.

"The mirror is conflicted. It is confused by you. But it is certain that if you go, you will die."

Heathcliff nodded silently and let the next, Klein, go. Klein was approved and so was Yamata. The others were not cleared to join the battle.

Heathcliff took charge after the leaders were done being tested. "I believe the best thing to do is to heed the Mirror's warning. I won't go to this battle. We will let the mirror judge the others, and from those players, we will form our raiding party."

"Then let's get the others in to be judged," Asuna said, taking over.

They organized them into a loose line, starting at the door. The guild leaders not cleared left the room for the other guild heads to watch and make their choices. Heathcliff was the only exception. He stayed to help organize everything. No one was going to try and remove him either.

The Knights of the Bloodoath soldiers were first in. They were being let inside in groups of three. Every KOB member of them was denied except for Godfree.

“Should I get Team C?” Godfree asked Commander Heathcliff.

“No,” Heathcliff said with a slow shake of his head. “Unless we do not get enough to fill the raid party, Team C will stay in the reserves.”

“Then, send me those approved so I can get us partially organized,” Godfree said with a bow.

“We will,” Asuna replied.

Of all the members of the Divine Dragon Alliance, only two others were cleared: Schmitt, a lancer, and Shivata, a shield user. Fuurinkazan only had Dynamm approved, outside of Klein.

Backbreak, Joltron, and Diemond came in, signaling that the Wondercolts were the next guild.

Backbreaker strode up to the Mirror of Knowledge. She never had time to look at it before the NPC spoke. “Aincrad’s Guardian, known as the Iron Bulwark, must go.” Backbreaker shrugged, unsure why the judgement had been so swift. Heathcliff beckoned for her to join them. She did, but he didn’t speak, instead he focused on the others.

Joltron stood in front of the mirror. The NPC spoke, “You wear the colors of victory, but they will not protect you. You will surely die if you go.”

Joltron looked at Bladescape with a shrug and headed towards the door while Diemond stepped up to the Mirror. “Your beauty would be a great loss to Aincrad, but the Mirror says you need to go.”

“Well,” Diemond said, blushing a tad. “Thank you for noticing. I have never had a mirror tell me I was beautiful before. And I have had far too many conversations with mirrors.”

Diemond exited, letting Thunderborne, Astro, and Kiefer in.

Thunderborne cockily strode up to the mirror. “Your arrogance could get you killed. Your skill is great, but you must be careful not to lose the truth that you can die. You are judged as necessary to defeating the witches.”

Astro high fived Thunderborne as they switched out. “Your colors will not save you. If you go, you will surely die.”

“Awe,” Thunderborne protested.

“You don’t need me,” Astro told Thunderborne. “Just keep your head about you and don’t risk it, like the Mirror said. Be safe.”

Kiefer received his judgement. It was the same as Astro’s and Joltron. They left and Knightstar, Lessa, and Lobelia entered. Lessa and Lobelia were also told the same thing, the right colors but they would die.

Knightstar’s scry was different. “Your mind says you are the same, but your heart is not. You are still key to defeating the witches. You will be safe.”

Knightstart looked at Bladescape and the other leaders. Bladescape silently shrugged. None of the others had any words to speak either. It was no help for Knightstar, who hadn’t been to a boss fight outside Floor 3 and Floor 66.

AFCK, Doombunny, and Agil came in next.

“Do I have to?” Doombunny asked.

“Yes!” AFCK exclaimed, bouncing up onto one leg. “A new look would be good for you.”

Bladescape’s palm loudly slapped into her forehead. Everyone in the room turned to look at her. She let out a sigh and explained the situation to AFCK. “AFCK, that isn’t what is going on. The Mirror of Knowledge is telling us who is safe and who will die if they go to the boss battle. We are weeding out those who will die so we don’t include them.”

“Wait? What boss?”

“Floor Seventy’s Sister Witches,” Backbreaker said, trying to stay calm.

“We didn’t beat them already? I thought we had.”

“We scouted, but we never actually went to fight them yet,” Asuna said, daring to join the explanation.

“But,” AFCK stuttered. “I’m confused.”

“Please tell me she isn’t approved,” Klein said out loud. "I know how good she is, but please, no."

Agil had gone in front of the mirror and was approved to join the battle. He turned his focus to helping Doombunny.

“It’s not scary,” He said as he gently guided her by the shoulders. Colorra didn’t bother him as he guided her master. She sat on her wide shoulder boards without moving.

Doombunny let him move her in front of the mirror, but then she shut her eyes instead of looking at it. She kept them closed as tightly as possible for a while before she peeked with a single eye.

“Oh,” She said meekly to the mirror. Her other eye opened. “Oh.” She said again, finally focusing on the mirror without any fear. “Okay. Well sure. I did. I guess so. Okay.”

Doombunny turned and started walking to the door. The NPC never said a word.

“What is happening,” Asuna asked, putting up her hand to stop Doombunny approaching the door. “You didn’t get an answer.”

“Oh, what do you mean?” Doombunny asked. She was acting very much like her kind, usual, Fluttershy self.

“The NPC never said if you were safe to go or not,” Asuna pressed.

“Oh, well the Mirror of Knowledge told me to go. It said I had to. And other personal things.”

“You heard the Mirror?” Kirito asked. He was not the only one suspicious.

“Oh,” Doombunny quietly exclaimed. “You didn’t?”

“No,” Bladescape said, holding back from what she really wanted to say and keeping her tone neutral. She still had to worry about AFCK.

“I guess I heard it either because of my Listen Skill, or Reveal Skill. Do any of you have either of those skills?”

None of them did.

“Sir?" Asuna said, directing it to the NPC. “What did the Mirror tell Doombunny, our friend here?”

“The Mirror spoke to her, not me,” he replied in the typical, NPC clueless state. “It didn’t need me to translate.”

“I trust her,” Heathcliff stated. “If the Mirror told you to go, then join Godfree outside. If it told you that you would die, I advise you to not try and risk it.”

“I have fought three Floor Bosses,” Doombunny declared confidently. “I was never supposed to fight any Floor Bosses once this game became a prison. I hated fighting Serigatal The Wolf Master. I vowed to never go back to a Boss Fight. Then Colorra roped me into the Necromancer fight, and as horrible as that was, it was a good thing I was there for my friends. I also couldn’t back out of the Floor Sixty-Five boss fight.

"I never want to be in another boss raid again. I hate them and my fear is deep. I keep being told it is my last time. Now the mirror told me if I didn’t go, the raid party would be slaughtered. And then it reminded me about a few fights I have been in which were worse than those boss fights. I handled them, I can handle this.”

Doombunny turned, annoyed she had to explain herself and admit her fear, and started to walk to the door. AFCK distracted everyone from Doombunny. She had slid up to the mirror and was beside it, holding a cupcake in front of it.

“Come on, I know you want it,” She said to the mirror.

“It doesn’t want your cupcake.” the NPC said. “Look into the mirror.”

“Its loss,” AFCK said with a shrug before ramming the entire thing in her mouth. She stood in front of the mirror with a grin as she chewed.

“The Mirror of Knowledge is angry at you,” the NPC immediately stated. “It doesn’t like bribes. This is a serious matter.”

“Bribe?” AFCK asked with a mouthful of cupcake. “I wasn’t trying to bribe it. I was trying to share a cupcake with it. Everyone loves cupcakes!”

Bladescape groaned loudly. She was desperately hoping AFCK was not approved, but she already knew the answer. AFCK was the last of the Seven of the real-world Wondercolts, and the others had been approved.

“The Mirror is still mad, but says you are too critical to deny you from going.”

“Go where?” AFCK asked. “Cause I have a meeting with Papa Rock at Ten-pm to battle the Konpeito Hoard. I finally found the Chinsuko Shield to go with my Momiji Manju armor and Pocky sword. My licorous sword was broken by the evil White Chocolate Witch. THE GEODES MUST BE PROTECTED!”

No one had any idea how to respond to that. AFCK had drifted into her own sugary thoughts. She was drooling from her open mouth from whatever fantasy she was in.

“PINKIE!” Bladescape snapped.

“WHAT!” AFCK said, jumping back in shock.

“Focus!”

“On what? We only need to be worried about who the mirror approves and who it doesn’t so we can finally defeat them, for the second time, and move onto Floor Seventy-One. What are you worried about?”

“OUT!” Bladescape snapped, pointing to the door.

Doombunny came to the rescue as she grabbed AFCK by the ear, dragging her out.

“I swear, she is like this I.R.L.,” Bladescape growled.

“She is,” Backbreaker assured them. “She will be fine. She handles battle fine. You have all fought alongside her multiple times, and she has never been a problem. You saw her skill against the Necromancer.”

“I caught her sleeping against the GeoCrawler Field Boss!” Asuna exclaimed. “What if she doesn’t focus this time?”

“We were playing a lullaby!” Bladescape and Backbreaker shot back in unison.

“Let’s focus on the rest of them,” Kirito said, stopping the argument.

They continued with the scrying. Things quickly became routine as the NPC said the Mirror either judged them as “surely to die,” or “safe.” There was no deviation from those judgements.

All of them noticed a critical pattern. Almost all of the normal fighters were denied, leaving the less experienced ones approved. A lot of the players who tried to join as single or doubles, since their guild didn’t do boss raids, were also approved.

It was also sobering to see those who weren't there. Only a few days prior, the Divine Dragon Alliance had led a crusade to wipe out Laughing Coffin for good. Laughing Coffin had killed too many players and the decision had been made to finally take them out. It didn’t end well. Eleven of the crusaders died, and Twenty-one of Laughing Coffin were killed. Only a few were captured alive.

The Wondercolts were not invited by the Divine Dragon Alliance. The rift over Doombunny was too great for them to be trusted. As annoying as their distrust was, Bladescape was happy they were not involved. Even the best reports she had heard were bad.

Bladescape knew all eleven crusaders who died, some better than others, but none she considered friends. Comrades in arms, players she enjoyed fighting beside, but none were friends. Backbreaker and Astro were closer to a few of them though, and their friend lists were shorter since the raid. All eleven of their names were added to the shrine in reverence of their sacrifice and friendship to Wondercolts.

As the last player was judged by the mirror, they had to figure out a new strategy.

"Who will lead the raid?" Bladescape immediately asked. "Commander, you are always at the head of the attack."

Heathcliff's lips parsed into a slim smile. "I think you should lead it."

"ME‽" Bladescape exclaimed.

"HER‽" Asuna exclaimed as well.

“Why not?” Heathcliff asked. “Bladescape Kaisho is a very experienced member of the Assault Team, and she is also a good strategist. She led the Wondercolts to victory on Floor Sixty-Five and proved that her title is well earned. We have seen her skills multiple times in the Boss Raids and in other ways, like raising up the second strongest guild in the game. The Mirror also said 'win' for her. Finally, because of the mirror's judgement, the Wondercolts are the only guild that will be fielding a full party in this raid. She is the perfect choice.”

“And the Mirror said critical, alluded to the right colors to win, and other positive words about the Wondercolts,” Klein added.

“Okay,” Bladescape nodded, steeling herself. “I will take command of the Raid Party.”

“You'll do fine,” Backbreaker said, encouraging her. “More than fine. Your friends'll be beside you too.”

“All two of us too,” Klein added with his goofy grin.

Bladescape enthusiastically drove her fist into her palm. Even with the leather gloves, it had a satisfactory clap. “Then let’s organize my army. It should be the same strategy.”

“I don’t see a reason to change it,” Asuna admitted.

Outside, Godfree was shooing off the last of the unapproved players. Some of them wanted to hang around to travel back with friends who were approved, but they didn’t need to be right there. They went to the center of the small village to wait there.

“How many, Godfree?” Bladescape asked. “I was put in charge of the raid party.”

Godfree looked at Heathcliff instinctively.

“I was not chosen by the Mirror of Knowledge,” Heathcliff admitted.

“It said you would die?” a player Bladescape recognized, but didn’t know the name of, asked.

Heathcliff nodded. “I know of my reputation. But I would rather not risk going against the Mirror over something like pride. Beating these witches is what matters. Which is why we decided that Bladescape Kaisho will be your leader.”

Godfree made his report to his leader. “Ignoring you guys, my tally is forty-two.”

“Forty-nine total,” Bladescape said to herself. “Eight full parties of six, plus me leading.”

“That is a heavy raid size,” Klein advised.

“The scouts reported a very open and large chamber,” Bladescape said. “Asuna? Kirito? Thoughts?”

“Well, we need a new plan that can work with the fractured numbers we have,” Kirito said. “We shouldn’t have any more problems than usual, but we don’t have the normal guild numbers to arrange things by their parties.”

“That’s true,” Asuna nodded.

Bladescape agreed. “Godfree, Kirito, Asuna, Yamata, Klein, Agil, Backbreaker, and Schmitt, with me for a minute. Commander Heathcliff, you are welcome as well.”

Heathcliff's lips had a slight smile on them. “I trust you, but I am interested to see what your strategy is.”

Separated from the others, Bladescape began to form her party leaders. “We had the strategy built for parties mostly from the same guild. The only full guild party is Backbreaker’s, with the Wondercolts. The scouting report did tell us that Sister Witches are highly mobile and strong, and with such an open chamber, I think that information is true.

“Schmitt, I want you to lead our tanks. Yamata and Klein, we have a good number of shield users. They won’t be tanks, but we are going to need a stronger line to be able to help corral the witches. The Wondercolts will be one of the corral teams. If we can knock them out one by one, that would be best.

“Agil and Godfree, we have a number of inexperienced raiders who need strong leadership. That will fall on your shoulders. I know you have the strength and wits to handle it. Kirito, Asuna, we have a number of raiders who have experience but do not carry shields. Your job will be to lead them. They will be the main damage dealers.

“I foresee this happening in two stages with three actors. The main attack force traps a witch and then they pound them to pieces. Meanwhile, we have a blocker force that will keep the other two from hitting our main force. The final actor is the aggro team. Fast yet smooth, their job is to keep the pressure on the other two witches so that the blockers are not overwhelmed and the main attack force will be clear for their job.

“Party letters are going to be given on job basis, not importance. The Wondercolts will be Party A, and the leaders of the attack force. With them will be Party B, the tanks led by Schmitt. Party C will be Yamata’s shield unit, and finally, Party D, Agil’s group, who I foresee being the attack party’s damage dealers.

“Klein, I need you leading the Blockers. Party E is yours and all shields except for you. Godfree and Asuna will be under your command. Godfree, you have Party F, again shield based blockers, but my friend, with the shield users I am thinking of assigning to you, they will need enough of your attention that I don’t want to risk you having too much on your shoulders, leadership wise.”

“You can count on me!” Godfree exclaimed with a thumbs up and wink. “I’ll keep them in shape and a cohesive unit.”

Bladescape smiled at Godfree and gave him a nod before continuing. “Asuna, you are Klein's damage party, Party G. Work to get your units to switch in to relieve Klein’s shields, who should be taking the brunt of the attacks, and take the heat off them. I want the full force of your unit to hit. Godfree or Klein can cover you when your unit strikes.

“Kirito, you are going to be the floating unit, Party H. You will have two shields, use them well, but stay mobile. I want you to be more maneuverable than the witches.

“Any questions?”

“Yeah,” Yamata said. “I have one. Bladescape Kaisho? Do you actually think you deserve that title?”

It was a direct challenge of her authority. The DDA had a rivalry with the KOB to be the strongest guild. The KOB ignored it. Bladescape's rank was a direct threat to the DDA and their self-perceived strength.

“It was bestowed upon me,” Bladescape said calmly, but firmly.

“By who?” Yamata challenged.

“Do I need to replace you?” Bladescape asked him, putting her authoritative voice to the test.

“I’m just asking,” Yamata replied, trying to play innocent while still challenging her.

Agil stepped in. “Are you serious? After their work on Floor Sixty-Five and your mistakes on Floor Sixty-Seven, you are lucky to be trusted to lead a party.”

Yamata backed down, unable to counter such a strong argument.

The real questions began to be asked as the party leaders got their roles down better. More questions came when they had all of their raiders separated into the parties. Outside of the Wondercolts and the DDA, no guild had more than two members approved, and with Schmitt leading Party B, everyone was partied up with at least four players they had never worked with before.

Bladescape found that her title was being used, particularly by Klein, Kirito, and even Asuna, albeit a bit passive aggressively on her part. Backbreaker was not working with anyone outside of the Wondercolts, but she was working it in when she could. Intentional use of the title to ensure they had order had proven valuable. Bladescape was unsure how she felt about outsiders beginning to address her as Kaisho. However, it was an important part of their confidence in her as their raid leader.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 97 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword - Rend
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 87 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search - Martial Arts
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 91 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics - Sprint - Rend
AFCK(PP): Lvl 85 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument - Rend
Diemond (R): Lvl 85 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry - Rend
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 92 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing - Sprint - Armor Pierce
Astro (PS): Lvl 87 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry - Search
Kiefer: Lvl 86 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce - Sprint
Lessa: Lvl 84 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics - Wood Carving
Joltron: Lvl 86 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry - Acrobatics
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 81 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce - Purchase Negotiation - Sale Negotiation

Episode 91 - Sister Witches

Floor 70
August 27 - Year 2

Bladescape Kaisho. The name still felt weird when players outside their guild addressed her as such, but after being first to the rally point, first to organize the parties while their group assembled, and then at the head of their march to the Boss' Lair, the role was starting to feel normal. All through the morning it had been Bladescape Kaisho, and even several times just Kaisho. She was their leader and deserved the name for that alone.

The doors to the chamber were closed. That was expected. It was normal. But since Floor 25, the one to open the doors had always been Commander Heathcliff. Usually the KOB was at the head, but at times, like Floor 39, other parties were assigned to move forward before the Commander.

They were waiting on Bladescape. She turned around and looked at the loosely organized players placed under her command. It felt like a moment that needed a short, but rousing, speech.

"All of you are experienced players. All of you have been in a Floor Boss Battle before. For some of you, it has been a few floors. I will admit, I have my concerns about the fact that we are a raid group mostly made up with no more than two from a guild. The Mirror of Knowledge is not normal, but I trust it."

Bladescape took a deep breath in, mentally resetting herself. "My concern has not lost the battle with logic. I believe that we will succeed because you are a fine fighting force! We don't need guilds to be dominating each boss battle, we need good, solid players. And we have a team of solid players who I trust my life with. We won't fail because we all got here through hard work, sweat, and certainly some tears.

"I believe that not a player will fall today. It may be, will be, a tough fight, but we have done it before and we are going to do it again! Let us show all of Aincrad that no matter what guild you come from, or how many guildmates are beside you, that we can stand shoulder to shoulder with anyone, and win. That all of us players, together, are more powerful than any single guild can be, and even Aincrad itself!"

Cheers went up as Bladescape turned around to face the door once more. Her right hand moved up over her shoulder and grabbed Harmonic Salvation. The draw was slow and deliberate and she prepared herself not for what was behind the doors, but for what was expected of her behind them.

Bladescape pushed on the doors, opening them inward, and advanced through them while the rest of the Wondercolts made sure they were pushed all the way out. She strode forward into the large chamber. It was bigger than what Bladescape had been led to believe, and it was the largest they had even been in by a significant amount. An enormous space for three witches to use was not a good sign.

The Attack Force, Groups A, B, C, and D formed up directly behind her. The Blocking Force, Groups E, F, and G filed out to her right. Group H, Kirito's party, was moving off to her left, straight for the wall so they couldn't be flanked.

Before, bosses had either materialized once they all had entered, been active when they entered, and sometimes required them to move quite a ways in before their reveal was triggered. This time, the Sister Witches didn't show until they all had entered. Instead of them materializing, they descended out of the ceiling, fully formed, to the opposite side of the raid party.

They gave themselves plenty of room to maneuver, but they were not the only ones already maneuvering. Group H was sliding along the wall at a good speed. The Attack Force had spread out, but had not broken their stride. The Blockers were hanging back a bit to set themselves up for a counter attack.

With the units deploying properly, Bladescape focused on the Sister Witches and their information. Each had four Health Bars. Dazzle was dressed in orange and yellow with purple accents. Dusk was in blue robes with darker blue and lavender accents. Lastly, Blaze was in purple robes with a green accent. All three wore large ruby necklaces.

It took Bladescape longer than it should have to recognize them for who they were. They were not just three witches that blasted the scouting party with air attacks as they had been told in the meeting. The NPC had said they hadn't gotten any useful information from the scouting party, and he was right.

Bladescape turned to the Wondercolts, slipping over to them. She wanted to fall back and re-strategize. Explaining that change was going to be a very difficult task and she would lose the confidence of her soldiers. She needed the players to have absolute confidence in her, and at the moment they did.

"I don't like this," Doombunny said before Bladescape could say anything. "I can see their info with Reveal. Yes, it is Adagio Dazzle, Sonata Dusk, and Aria Blaze. But they aren't air elements like they are supposed to be. Adagio Dazzle has an Earth Element symbol, Sonata Dusk has Water, and Aria Blaze has Fire. They are not simple air witches."

"This is gunna' to be a nasty fight," Backbreaker said. "And back then, we had Princess Twilight with us. We needed her."

"That must be what the Mirror meant for me," Knightstar said. "I am her, but not her."

"We needed us together as friends," Bladescape reminded her. "And that has not changed. We just don't have to sing to defeat them." Bladescape's grin turned sly. "We get to attack them head on with swords. I wanted to bash their heads in back then, now I actually get to do it.

A wicked laugh full of joy and glee of the upcoming battle was let out by Adagio Dazzle. "Welcome to the show! The puppets have arrived. You will find that you adore us."

With those words, any attempts at reorganizing the strategy without failing first was out of the question. They were committed to battle.

"Yeah," Sonata Dusk laughed. "When we say jump, you will ask us, 'How High?'"

"Put your hands in the sky," Aria Blaze snickered.

Blaze began to snap her fingers, creating a beat as she advanced and swaying to the same tempo. Dusk began to clap and Dazzle began to stomp her foot to the beat as they too made their opening actions.

The three witches grinned at the same time. "Listen to the sound of my voice," Dazzle said. Her voice was sweet and commanding. There was no edge on it. And that was when Bladescape knew something was wrong. The raiding party certainly hadn't dealt with their opening act because they hadn't been enough of a crowd. No headlining band ever went on prematurely.

"AFCK!" Bladescape yelled, turning to her. "Fife! Wondercolts pack around AFCK!"

"Now you've fallen under spell."

"High pitch note!" Bladescape ordered AFCK as she pulled out her fife. "Best you can do as long as you can!"

The Sister Witches opened up with their voices. The chamber echoed around them, creating a powerful effect. They all took a shockwave air attack, but Bladescape knew it was more. AFCK's fife's shrill note was tiny compared to the blast, but Bladescape heard it as the two sounds battled for control of the room.

AFCK's breath held out until the end of their first chanted rise. The Wondercolts were safe. For how long was unclear.

The rest of the raiding party was confused and disoriented. It was immediately clear they had lost their hearing, which would make communications very difficult. None of them had trained on nonverbal communications during Boss Raids. And even if guilds did, they didn't have more than the two per guild.

The Wondercolts were fine though. And it was all thanks to Bladescape's quick thinking and AFCK's extra-large lungs. Especially surprising for a drummer.

This was Bladescape Kaisho's battle. She had to figure out how to reorganize them and lead them into battle; hearing or no hearing.

With the others struggling to regain control, Group A charged. Before they got halfway to the witches, bat style wings began unfolding from the sisters' backs and then they became airborne. It wasn't high, but they were faster in the air than on foot. They split apart, preparing to flank the Wondercolts as they attacked.

Group A slid to a stop because of the wings. They hadn't gotten far ahead of Bladescape.

"New plan!" Bladescape yelled to them. "AFCK, you finally know how to play 'Awesome as I want to Be,' right‽"

"Mostly!" AFCK shrugged. "Why‽"

"Play it! Play it and don't stop! Even if you make a mistake just keep playing! We need to create as much conflicting sounds as possible! Everyone else, if you can tell they are going into a rise, retreat to AFCK to try and be safe! Push on with the fight! Give them no quarter!"

"Go Wondercolts!" Diemond exclaimed.

The rest of Group A yelled "Go Wondercolts!" as they charged.

AFCK began to play as best as she could. She focused on the feel of the music, letting the notes flow. She made mistakes, but she kept going. She was not going to let the others down.

Thunderborne's Rapier glowed blue as she prepared for her Sword Skill. She was aiming for Dusk. She screamed, "FIRST YOU SEE ME RIDING ON A SONIC RAINBOOM!"

Dusk avoided the attack with ease. She retaliated with a blast of water. It was deflected by Backbreaker's shield.

Knightstar had expected Thunderborne's attack to fail. She had moved to the side so that Dusk's dodge put her closer to Knightstar. She unleashed Horizontal Square, landing the first hit on the bosses.

Backbreaker was left deflecting a heavy stream of fire from Blaze. She never got a chance to attack as the two sisters teamed up to create space and slip past Diemond and Doombunny.

Repositioned, the sisters began another musical rise. The Wondercolts broke and ran as fast as they could to AFCK. They got to her just in time.

Kirito had two others with him. They had pushed ahead and right after the girls exploded the room with their second sonic attack, the Sister Witches found themselves under attack. Dusk took several strikes and the three of them repositioned themselves, free from their attackers.

Most of the fighters were having trouble on multiple levels. Severe hearing loss could, and was, causing most to also contend with vertigo. They could fight without hearing orders decently well, if they kept their visuals up, but most couldn’t stand as their inner ear function the NerveGear replicated was spun out of control.

Bladescape watched the opening minutes from inside the safety of AFCK's musical shield. The more they fought, the more they were disrupted and the easier they were to pick off. The mirror had warned them, but Bladescape hadn't calculated it into the strategy. Thankfully, the press on the Sister Witches was keeping the downed raiders from being attacked.

Now, Bladescape certainly needed a new strategy. Better yet, she wouldn't lose face for calling for a retreat. The only problem was that she could call and call, but the deaf raiders would never hear her. They were stuck in this room until she either could come up with a new plan, or organize the retreat.

Bladescape watched the next Wondercolts attack, trying to see the weakness they needed to exploit. Thunderborne was well ahead of the other. She jumped, triggering a sword skill as she flipped in the air. She landed in a roll and let the sword skill go.

“TAKE THAT!” Thunderborne yelled. “I’m going to 20% Cooler you to polygons!”

It was a good hit on Dusk, but a bad catchphrase. At least no one else could hear it to embarrass her later.

Thunderborne ducked under the water attack and skipped to the side as she let go Quadruple Pain. This time she stuck to the music AFCK was playing. “When it comes to making music, I’m the ruler!”

Blaze was keeping the others back with flames. Knightstar went wide, trying to back up Thunderborne against Dusk. Blaze tried to adjust, but Backbreaker pressed forward with her shield and Diemond leaped out in the other direction. Blaze avoided her mace and skipped back on her wings. She let go with a wide wave of flames again, which the tanks calmly took on their shields.

Knightstar got to Thunderborne right as she took a face-full of water in a powerful hook that was obviously very painful. It knocked Thunderborne to the ground. Knightstar began to poke with simple sword skills, trying to read Sonata’s attack patterns.

Thunderborne confidently stood up and whipped her rapier to bear down on Sonata. “Hey Sonata,” Thunderborne grinned. “I’m so good that you can’t defeat me!”

She triggered Flashing Penetrator, a powerful rapier charge skill that looked like a comet and had its own explosive boom. It looked good until the last second when a pointed bolt of water was shot from the ground, knocking Thunderborne’s rapier up and out of the way.

“You’re not that awesome,” Dusk coldly snorted. “You can’t even handle your own blade. You have no magic here. You are a loser, not a fighter. You failed the audition.”

Thunderborne was stunned, trying to comprehend the uncharacteristic personal attack. Knightstar leaped in, trying to break them up and create distance. Dusk gave them the distance they wanted by pulling up a wave of water from in front of her feet and pushing the two of them far back. When the water stopped pushing it splashed all over the two girls, soaking them on top of their humiliation.

Dusk and Blaze were displaying impressive uses of magic in a variety of attacks. They were highly skilled and very fluid in their reactions. Waves, bolts, blasts, and pointed stabs were just a few of their tricks. Dazzle had yet to attack outside of singing. She was waiting for something, and that was an automatic concern. Doombunny had said she was Earth. If she had half of the skills her sisters had, then they were in for a lot of pain when she unleashed her stone powers.

The Sister Witches began another rise which caused the Wondercolts to break and run to AFCK. Bladescape was all too familiar with the lyrics and notes. It was catchy then with their magic, and it was still catchy now.

“Blindsided by the beat.”

It was a long run from where they were.

“Clapping your hands, stomping your feet.”

Thunderborne sprinted ahead of the others and made it with ease. She was dripping wet despite the sprint.

“You didn't know that you fell.”

Knightstar got into the protective bubble.

“Now you've fallen under our spell.”

Doombunny got to them and then slipped on the water, hitting the ground hard. She barely avoided hitting her head. Knightstar pulled her up.

“Got the song that makes you lose it.”

Diemond and Backbreaker were rushing as fast as they could, but their armor was slowing them down.

“We say ‘jump,’ you say ‘how high?’”

Bladescape beckoned with everything she could for Diemond and Backbreaker to make it. It was a useless gesture since they knew they had to hurry.

“Put your hands up to the sky.”

Diamond outpaced Backbreaker who had the heavier equipment and got into the safe zone

“Listen to the sound of my voice.”

Backbreaker dove, going for the forward slide like in softball or baseball. The water on the floor aided her slide. She stopped just shy of them and was pulled fully into the area by Bladescape and Diemond.

“Captured in the web of my song.”

The room exploded in a blast as the witches’ song rose to its highest pitch. If anyone had been freed from their deafness, they were deaf once again. And with the shockwave that came with it, those that had managed to stand were knocked down and flattened, their health taking another hit.

The blast rippled off the musical shield of sorts that AFCK was projecting. It was barely enough to contain the seven of them. It certainly wouldn’t protect everyone. There was no way to get another muse here. Messages were blocked inside the dungeons and labyrinths.

Bladescape needed a plan. She saw Kirito and his team make a press after being flattened. Their target was Dazzle. She easily danced past them on her wings, a sly smile on her lips as they failed.

“Keep it up and target Dusk!” Bladescape ordered. “I’ll work on a way to organize everyone else! But you have to keep them off the others while I do!”

The Wondercolts charged off to follow the orders from Kaisho Bladescape.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 97 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword - Rend
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 87 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search - Martial Arts
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 91 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics - Sprint - Rend
AFCK(PP): Lvl 85 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument - Rend
Diemond (R): Lvl 85 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry - Rend
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 92 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing - Sprint - Armor Pierce
Astro (PS): Lvl 87 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry - Search
Kiefer: Lvl 86 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce - Sprint
Lessa: Lvl 84 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics - Wood Carving
Joltron: Lvl 86 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry - Acrobatics
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 81 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce - Purchase Negotiation - Sale Negotiation

Episode 92 - The Sun Sets on Bladescape

Floor 70
August 27 - Year 2

The raiders were spread out, desperately trying to push on with the original strategy, despite being unable to communicate even semi-effectively. Bladescape Kaisho watched from beside AFCK as she continued to play music on her fife. She would not be able to play for much longer.

Bladescape had to develop a new strategy that calculated in the deafening effect of their vocal spell. She could see how the Sister Witches - “Adagio” Dazzle, “Aria” Blaze, and “Sonata” Dusk - were reacting to assaults from the Wondercolts, Kirito and his team of two others, and Asuna with another player trying to press on.

That was all they had in fighting shape. The tank squads, shield squads, and damage squads were disorganized, and the players Kirito and Asuna had left behind were finding it very difficult to adjust.

Boss Battles had gotten loud, but they had never been hit with a deafening attack. Players struggled to stay upright as vertigo took over. Those that could stand, had problems walking. Kirito and his two, and Asuna and her partner were very strong players to stay steady and fight like they were. The three attack groups were the only reason that they were holding together at all. The ten of them were the one thing stopping the massacre of the raid party.

Klein hobbled up to Bladescape and AFCK. He was moving as fast as he could with his hearing loss, and his hands were up to attempt some form of rudimentary hand signals. Instead, he cocked his head and stuck a pinky in his ear.

"Hey, I can hear again!" He exclaimed. AFCK missed the note and he immediately cringed at hearing the grinding noise. Once his face was free from the dramatic pain, he turned to address Bladescape again and started to speak, before halting in apparent thought.

"Klein," Bladescape said calmly as she watched Thunderborne fly through the air in an attempt to land a blow on Sonata. She had been singled out as their first target. The attack failed. "Get your team here. I need them."

Klein sprinted off to his team, a shield squad. They were circled up defensively, laid out on the ground with their shields above them while they waited for new orders. Klein slapped each of them on the shoulder and they followed him as fast as they could. Their mutual support got one on his feet and steadily moving.

As soon as they had regained their hearing, Bladescape Kaisho explained the plan. She sent each of the six members to fetch a different group.

Outside Group A, Kirito's fragment, and Asuna's partner, they all regrouped and recovered their hearing. They gathered in tight so they could all hear Bladescape's new plan over AFCK’s fife. Most were outside of the protective zone her fife made.

"Collective independence is our goal!" Bladescape ordered. "Groups B, C, and E! Take your Shields and pair up! You guys are going to be our new Blockers! The rest of you, teams of three! Go in your teams, pay attention to how the others are moving, and let us corral the witches! Give them no room to move and score your hits!

“If you lose your hearing and can push on, do it! If not, retreat to AFCK and reclaim it! Blockers, your job is to rescue our deaf and stranded teams! Sprint out, get Shields on them, and get back as quickly as you can! If that means you crawl, crawl! But don't stop! If we press and press, we can take them down! We just can’t let up and give them any ability to maneuver around this chamber! We decide where they go!

“There might be three of them, but there are Fourty-Nine of us! We can keep up constant pressure and squeeze every drop of HP from them! Unless you have a direct question, go!"

It took a moment but they got their teams set, and with good levels of enthusiasm, they charged forward, confident in their new strategy.

It didn't last more than 15 seconds. With the teams pressing on them, it forced the Sister Witches to unleash their sonic attack. Half of the charging teams came to a stop as they lost their hearing, most of those who continued forward fell and slid as they lost their respective battles with vertigo.

Bladescape flinched with empathy as she mentally felt the pain of the charging forces, but she was proud of them. The Blockers, safe in AFCK’s sound shield, began doing their job, running out to help the fallen recover. Three teams were able to push forward. One was led by Agil, another by Godfree, and the third by Klein.

Group A rallied to AFCK and Bladescape. Kirito's and Asuna's teams were with them as well. Bladescape got them caught up and the teams prepared to move back out with the new orders.

"Wait!" Diemond yelled. "Where is Doombunny‽"

Bladescape's heart stopped. She was not in a party. She only saw her HP bar.

"She is still at nearly full health," Knightstar immediately said. "But I don't know what happened to her!"

Dynamm and his shield partner came hobbling up. They were supporting a very disoriented Doombunny. She slipped out of their arms and dropped to the ground, breathing heavily.

"Go!" Bladescape ordered them. "I have her!"

The four teams rushed off to do their jobs. Bladescape stooped down low and put her hand on Doombunny's shoulder. She was still panting, but her body relaxed a bit as she felt the gentle hand supporting her.

After a little bit longer, Doombunny looked up at Bladescape. Bladescape flashed a smile at her and helped her to her feet. On her feet, Doombunny immediately blushed and looked down, turning back to her meek, shy self. She was ashamed.

Bladescape pulled her into a tight hug. She resisted wincing as AFCK missed the next note. She let the note stop ringing in her ear before she spoke into Doombunny's.

"You are safe. I assume you freaked out and then ended up split apart. You then lost your hearing and couldn't get back?"

Doombunny just nodded into Bladescape's chest as the tears began to flow.

"Remember what the mirror showed you," Bladescape told her. "It put you here for a reason, and you got to hear it speak directly to you. No one else did. No one else is like you. Use the fury you used on the King Black Dragon, and do what you did with him, out think them. I know you can do this."

Doombunny silently nodded into Bladescape's chest in response. She pushed off of her chest after a few more seconds, and with wet cheeks glistening in the light, she stared Bladescape in her eyes. A smile crested her lips.

"I can do this!" Doombunny declared.

"Then do it!" Bladescape ordered, pointing to the fight. "Go be a Wondercolt and remind all of these players what that means! And show them how effective a knife can be in a boss battle! Show them the worth that we know you have! You are a member of the Assault Team for a reason! Prove it once again!"

Doombunny flipped out her regular dagger. "Until I feel more confident about it, I am not going to risk hitting one of our raiders with poison!"

"Good call," Bladescape nodded. "Now go!"

Another two Blocker Teams limped back to the safety of AFCK's music with parties in tow. Dynamm was leading one of the Blocker Teams.

"How many are open up front‽" Bladescape asked.

"A lot!" Dynamm replied. "They are fighting as hard as they can, but if a witch gets close, they come under attack!"

Bladescape responded by charging forward. She was going to help get those teams and get them back to recover. She found her first target. Blaze had a floored team in her sights. Only the shield of one of them was keeping them alive.

Bladescape roared as Harmonic Salvation glowed to life. She landed a basic, but powerful, cut across Blaze’s chest. It forced the Witch to float back in a leap. She launched two bolts of fire at Bladescape in retaliation. Bladescape twisted, using Weapon Defense to protect herself, deflecting the bolts with ease. Kirito's team charged Blaze, forcing her to address them instead.

Bladescape pulled up two of the raiders. The one with the shield was able to stand on his own. They helped the stumbling raiders back to AFCK and the team reset. Bladescape turned to the next group that needed rescuing.

It was a non-stop commitment and Bladescape lost her hearing multiple times. After a few stumbles, she kept her focus on the task and powered through the initial loss of balance.

Through it all, Bladescape could see where the battle was happening, how it was unfolding, and she could send the teams back out to influence the battle. Even if the team didn’t attack, they still were applying pressure and forcing the battle to go how Bladescape wanted it. The Sister Witches were reacting to her strategy, she wasn’t reacting to their attacks. Being in control of the battle was crucial to winning.

Dazzle hadn’t done anything but link her voice with her sisters'. Blaze had taken a few good hits, but it was Dusk who was hurting. Their targeted attacks had gotten her almost down to her final health bar.

Bladescape blocked another party from a bolt of water Dusk had thrown. She was knocked back, unsteady for a moment, as she deflected the heavy strike into the ceiling. She stayed up and planted her feet firmly on the ground.

Even with the new strategy, the battle was a logistical mess. A full raid party of 49 players was being kept back and fragmented by just three girls. They had handled bosses with full armies of minions easier than they were with them. They had also dealt with single bosses with more agility, power, and complex attacks more effectively. The three of them were just blasting away with fire and water attacks and unleashing deafening blasts of song.

Every time they got fully organized, the Sister Witches let out another bit of music spell. AFCK was trooping on, but her little fife just wasn't enough to protect them all. Bladescape wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold out. It was wearing on her, badly. She was making more and more mistakes as time took its toll.

Controlling the battle was important, and each team that didn’t land an attack still had an impact, but they took direct attacks for it. If a team was able to stand and fully commit, more often than not, Blaze burned them back with fire or Dusk forced them back with a torrent of water.

The standing of most players was in the yellow. They were downing potions at an alarming rate. It was often all a team could do if the vertigo was too much for them to press on.

The teams had changed up and shifted as needed. Some were in groups of four, others down to two members. If a party had a member who was dead weight when deafened, they had traded them into the groups that had become known as “Pushers,” or the ones who could direct and push how the Sister Witches moved by being a blocking force, but never able to go that extra distance to land a hit. A lot of those teams didn’t even draw their weapons as they charged forward, preferring to ensure they kept them instead of risking them being dropped during their “rescue.”

Throughout the chamber, there were teams who had been down and resting for a while, recuperating as the battle shifted to another part of the chamber. For the past two hours, it was mostly running around. Bladescape would check in with them after a bit to see how they were doing. None of them had given up, but the battle was taking its toll on all of the raiders. Rotating breaks in during the long floor boss battles happened.

And even with controlling the movements of the Sister Witches, they had taken very little damage since the battle started. The majority of the damage each girl had taken was from Wondercolts. Kirito was now solo, and most of his attacks were focused on Blaze to keep her occupied. Asuna was with Klein and Agil, and with the three of them together, one of them landed a hit about half the time they attacked. The other two ended up blocking retaliation attacks and trying to set up the witches for the next attack.

Bladescape was helping a disoriented group of three up and over to AFCK to get their hearing cleared when she saw a group of four make a move on Dusk from her blind side. It was Kirito, Agil, Asuna, and Klein. Asuna went in first and landed a quick set of four stabs. Klein, Fighting Spirit obviously flowing through his virtual body, was right behind her and his katana slashed across her chest with no mercy. Agil switched in but he never landed his hit.

Dusk was knocked down into her final health bar and it had enraged Blaze. She hit the four of them with a torrent of flames, letting her sister slip away from their grasp. They were left splayed out on the ground, cut off from the easy assistance of the raid party.

They needed to be rescued. The Sister Witches were right on top of them. She would need to coordinate Group A with two Blockers, preferably led by Dynamm who had proven to be the best. Bladescape was already planning how to get their attention and set up the rescue when things changed again.

Dazzle finally joined the fight. She stomped on the ground with all the power she had and pushed out with her arms, directing spikes of stone to leap out of the ground. No player standing was left untouched, and many on the ground took hits too. Her sister was in danger and she was not going to let her get hurt. It was the moment Bladescape had feared. Dazzle had avoided all attacks with ease and now that she was joining, it likely meant that they would have to reorganize and re-strategize again.

Bladescape got Harmonic Salvation between her and the obsidian shard. It wasn’t a block with Weapon Defense. The sword was rammed into her side and sent her spinning on her heels, but she stopped herself. It knocked plenty of HP off, but it was less than being stabbed would have been.

She stopped, her mind processed everything it had just seen. She was one of two left standing. Backbreaker was the other one, but she wasn’t standing on her own volition. She was pierced clean through her back by a shard and another through her chest. Backbreaker, and all of the Wondercolts, had gone from green, to grey. Their gauges above their bodies didn’t even show red because of Bladescape’s distance from her friends.

Backbreaker’s war hammer came clanging down on the stone floor. It had gotten thrown when she got hit. It slid towards Bladescape and stopped right in front of her feet. Everyone in the room was shocked to see the great Iron Bulwark pierced. No one knew what to do with the great cornerstone of every boss battle being brought down. It was completely quiet for a moment.

“NO ONE CAN STOP US!” Dazzle declared with a maniacal laugh. “You are a bunch of disorganized rats scurrying about. We haven't needed to unleash our full power yet! Is there not a single one of you who has the glitz and glam or shimmer and shine to take us on! The sun set upon your pathetic raid before it even began!”

The words sent a spark flying across Bladescape's brain. She glanced around the room without moving her head. Almost everyone had their HP gauges in the red. The immediate positive was the clear fact that no deaths had occurred.

Another positive was that, despite being all grey in her vision, each of the Wondercolts had just enough HP to be alive. Even Backbreaker was still holding together as she fought the spikes impaling her. It was a miracle they were alive. A miracle they, she, had to take advantage of.

Bladescape looked down at Backbreaker’s hammer and knew the answer the spark had ignited. She had been leading the recovery and reorganization of the players as they gained and lost their hearing. The hammer sliding to her feet triggered a single memory; she was standing on a hilltop overlooking the battle of the bands as the Rainbooms broke down against the Dazzlings’ power. The microphone had been dropped and it landed at her feet. Then she was told to join them. It was exactly what they needed to defeat the Dazzlings.

They had needed her to join them then, and they needed her now. Her friends might be down, but she was not. The Mirror had shown her an image of the past to show her the future: how to beat the Sister Witches.

Sunset Shimmer did not go down without a fight.

Bladescape drove Harmonic Salvation into the floor so it stood upright by itself. She reached up and knocked her cape off its mounts, letting it fall to the ground.

“Giving up!” Dusk taunted. “Abandoning the losers of the same symbol?”

Bladescape stared Dazzle down as she started lifting her chest plate off her body and over her head.

“You’re joking? Right?” Blaze snorted.

Bladescape set her chest plate down on the ground. She didn’t wear anything under because Ashley had designed it to feel like she was fully covered. And she was fully covered until she removed the pieces. None of that mattered.

“She isn’t under my spell,” Dusk stated, confused. “I’m not making her do it. Why is she doing that? What did either of you do?”

Bladescape continued to stare Dazzle down as she first pulled off one gauntlet and then the other. She purposefully threw them onto the ground with a loud slap.

“So you are literally going to throw down the gauntlet!” Dazzle laughed. “It won’t matter. It’s us, against one half naked girl with a sword.”

Bladescape swiped up her menu, not losing eye contact with Dazzle. She used it to ditch her plate legs and boots, and then pop on a gold and red dress that looked like the one she had worn for Camp Everfree’s ball. Along with it came black leggings and gold and orange boots. Rarity had made the ensemble for her several months prior, but she had never had the guts to put it on, even in the privacy of her room. The reason was because of the belt. It was beautiful, but it was loud and proud. The buckle was her cutie mark, the very symbol she had been avoiding to ensure her friends would be safe.

Except now her friends were down and out of the fight. There was nothing left to lose. She was a Wondercolt, The Wondercolt, but she couldn’t hold back anymore. She was Sunset Shimmer. The only way they had beaten the Dazzlings in the real world was when she had sung with them as a Rainboom. She had stupidly repeated the same mistake, leaving them to fight the battle while she stood by again; under the guise of leading the raid.

Bladescape took a deep breath in and put the belt around her waist. She cinched it down with a defiant tug, still not breaking eye contact with Dazzle.

“No, Dazzle, Adagio Dazzle,” Bladescape replied confidently. “I’m not joking. I’m a Wondercolt, loud and proud. But I have been denying my own shimmer and shine for the good of my friends, the good of the Assault Team, and the good of every player stuck here in Aincrad.”

Bladescape grabbed the handle of Harmonic Salvation and whipped its tip to point at the Sister Witches. “The sun doesn’t set until I decide it does. And I don’t lose. I don't need my armor to beat you, because you can’t beat me.”

Bladescape leaped forward with a yell. It was a long charge across the room. Dazzle, Dusk, and Blaze grinned as they let her come. They were not out of tricks.

“Rise puppets!” Dazzle ordered. “It is time for you to fight for us, not against us. After all, it is our spell you are under.”

Asuna, Agil, Klein, and Kirito glowed crimson as they were forced to stand up and then point their weapons at her. The witches’ ruby necklaces were glowing as they used the power put into them. Bladescape realized the fight had been generating the magic, just like how the Sirens used the discord their music caused to give them energy and control. And half of the players who had put a lot of the energy into those necklaces were now under their control. Bladescape didn’t hesitate as she continued her charge. She hadn’t fought the Sister Witches yet, meaning they had no control over her.

Asuna was the first to attack. Her rapier was glowing the same crimson as she pulled it back. Bladescape slipped her grip to the Greatsword position. When Asuna stabbed, Bladescape only had to do a simple wrist roll to deflect it and whip the blade to retaliate. Sunset twisted the blade at the last moment so the automatic followup strike hit Asuna in the head with the flat of the blade and didn't cut her. It was a lot of power in the blow to the head, knocking her to the side and out of the grasp of the spell of the Dazzlings. She hit the ground hard, but she still had plenty of red HP left.

“I CAN’T STOP!” Klein yelled in frustration and apology as he set his stance and leapt at her.

His sword’s steel flashed through the crimson glow and Bladescape rolled her blade to a horizontal position and blocked the slash. She turned her block into an attack as she rammed the pommel into his head. It was brutal, but as he dropped, the crimson glow faltered and the Sister Witches lost control of him as well.

Agil was already on top of her, binging his axe down overhead. Sunset shifted, letting it skim by her and bury itself in the floor. The witches had control of their bodies, but not their Sword Skills. The hook she threw was mentally painful to deliver to the friendly giant’s face, but it also knocked him out of the control of the spell.

Dazzle was sneering at Bladescape. Kirito was now the only thing between Sunset and the Sister Witches. He was fighting their control spell valiantly. He braced himself well and slipped his focus to her for a brief second. Their eyes met and she flashed him a quick smile. Kirito squeezed his eyes tight and then opened them. He put up one last fight to break free before he completely gave in.

Dazzle sent him at her like a plaything. Asuna, Agil, and Klein had failed, but she obviously had better control over Kirito. He had been the strongest out of the four of them. His black sword was faster than the others had been. Bladescape swung Harmonic Salvation, forcing the two blades to meet with in the air a heavy clang. Kirito swung again, and Sunset purposefully struck her blade with his. She made them collide a third, and then a fourth time.

On the fifth, she locked their blades together. At the same time she shifted forward so she forced his sword to rotate down into the ground. They were face to face, and his eyes were pained. He hated not having control. He hated swinging his sword at another player. But he was trusting her. Bladescape made good on the smile she had flashed him as she elbowed him in the face and forced him back, also tripping him over her foot.

As he fell the crimson glow was lost and Bladescape slipped his black sword from his grip. It was not something he had expected, but his last-second effort to keep it was denied by her swift fingers. The blade was a lot heavier than she had expected, but it didn’t weigh more than Harmonic Salvation.

Sunset began to advance, holding Harmonic Salvation up in her right hand, and Kirito’s sword in her left. “Game, set, match!” She declared.

“Oh please,” Dazzle said, annoyed. “Like we can’t beat you. Two swords against our magic?”

Blaze opened her left hand and a flame sprung up along with a sly grin on her face.

“Sure,” Sunset said, grinning back. “Think what you want.”

“MY TURN!” Thunderborne declared as she jumped up beside the Sister Witches.

Bladescape had kept fighting Kirito as her friends rallied. They had not had time to fully recover their health or physical strength, meaning each of them were going to give the last of their energy to end the fight. The Sister Witches had been focused on Bladescape, as planned. Rainbow Dash hit Dazzle with Quadruple Pain, scoring the first hit against her.

As they adjusted to the Wondercolts rushing them, Bladescape threw Kirito’s sword, sending it spinning to its target, Dusk’s chest. She screamed in terror as it found its mark and she found herself staring at it. It only lasted for a second before the last of her health was gone and she became polygons.

Diemond leaped past a collapsed Thunderborne, Radiant Beauty glowing green. It struck down onto Blaze’s head. The second strike came right back up, snapping her head back as it slammed into her chin. The third strike came down, hitting her in the shoulder. The fourth reversed the swing for another body blow. Rarity collapsed as she lost the last of her energy.

Doombunny switched in with Diemond, driving her Endbringer into the center of Blaze’s chest. From Fluttershy’s shoulders, Colorra struck, sinking her poisonous fangs into her neck.

The poison they both delivered worked fast against her HP. But Blaze's fist burned in fury as she swung to punch Fluttershy in what would be a killing blow. A throwing pick smacked into the side of her face, ending the attack. Sunset had grabbed three of them. The other two followed it and they ended her existence in Aincrad.

Applejack roared, fist glowing as she used Martial Arts to pummel Dazzle in absence of her warhammer. Twilight jumped past her, expertly switching in as Backbreaker stumbled and toppled. Knightstar ran Dazzle through with Justicarian Scale.

Dazzle never had the chance to strike Twilight as AFCK joined in, swinging Geode Splitter in a beautiful arc of a blue glow. It was a four-combo attack which did significant damage. Pinkie Pie had more energy than her friends did. She was able to let loose Rock Candy Smash, knocking Dazzle back.

She slid and rolled along the floor, away from the Wondercolts. She was on her feet in an instant. Even after the strikes, Dazzle still had two full health bars.

However, it was now Bladescape’s turn and she had called “game, set, match.” Sunset cut a deep slice diagonally across Dazzle’s chest, setting herself for the next Sword Skill. She connected two skills and brutally stabbed Dazzle through the chest. Her body hit the crossguard of Harmonic Salvation and then was pushed back by the force of the blow.

Dazzle stepped back, off the blade, allowing Bladescape to connect a third skill. It was a Greatsword Skill, but Sunset felt safe using it because they were far enough forward to prevent any wandering eyes to notice. The four-part skill left her in the perfect position to unleash the ultimate Two-handed Sword Skill: Volcanic Eruption. Bladescape almost didn’t get her hands to meet on the handle in time, but she did and the system set the skill in motion.

Sunset finished Volcanic Eruption with her sword pointed straight up. Adagio Dazzle was still alive, but she was stunned from the strikes. The other Wondercolts could only watch from where they had collapsed.

Bladescape’s compounded delay ended first. She stepped to the side, quickly scanning the room. Everyone was watching, just as spent as the Wondercolts were. She lowered Harmonic Salvation and prepared to deliver the final set of blows for all to see.

The corner of Adagio’s mouth twitched into a smirk and Sunset shifted to the defense.

"My turn!" Dazzle laughed as she brought her arm up, jettisoning a shard of obsidian out of the ground at Bladescape.

Bladescape smashed it with Harmonic Salvation, but Dazzle was far from done. She launched a follow up attack to Bladescape's rear while she ranted.

"I bet you are regretting removing your armor."

Sunset twisted around, smashing the upcoming spike with Harmonic Salvation.

"I was surprised by your attack for sure."

Sunset swung to her left, breaking another before it could pierce her.

"And your friends put a valiant, but futile, last effort."

From behind her came yet another spike.

Bladescape dealt with a flurry of multiple spikes coming up at her from all angles. She tackled them one by one in quick succession, letting herself react instead of think. Thinking would cause her to hesitate and it didn't matter if she had her armor on or not, one of these shards would easily wipe out the last of her HP.

But Sunset Shimmer didn't finally own her Cutie Mark just to die.

"I'll kill you and then I'll kill your friends. Then the puppets will die and after that, the rest won’t take any effort."

Bladescape shattered the next spike and slipped low, spinning to the side and out of the circle of death Dazzle had her in. In the spin, she made a cut at Dazzle's leg. Harmonic Salvation's tip nicked her calf, bringing Dazzle out of her rant and fully back to the fight. She tried to bring forth another spike, but Sunset was ready and targeted her hand as she conjured the shard.

Harmonic Salvation was hungry for vengeance and a stop to this madness. It sliced through the hand with ease. The shard lost most of its essence except its core, just a sliver, and it continued, piercing Sunset in the heart like a bullet. Adagio screamed in both pain and the horrific reality that she couldn't cast magic without her hand.

Bladescape used that distraction to step in close and grab her collar. "I just wanted to let you know my name before you die,” She growled. No one else could hear her. “It's Bladescape in here, but my real name is Sunset Shimmer. I meant what I said: the sun doesn't set unless I let it."

With another growl, Bladescape pushed her back to give them space. Harmonic Salvation glowed pure gold, a shade it had never glowed before, and the sword chose its path. The swipe was clean, but it was more powerful than the simple move had ever been.

Adagio Dazzle's head didn't even move. The cut was clean enough for it to stay in place. Her body cracked, a red glow emanating from the cracks that kept forming all around her body. She first shattered like glass and then floated away as polygons.

Bladescape didn't realize how much energy she had expended and how it was affecting her body. The shard of stone had done a number on the health she had left. She lost her grip on Harmonic Salvation and collapsed. She blacked out from exhaustion and pain.

When she came too, she was in her bed at their castle. The light coming in from the window meant that it was either early evening, or early morning. She glanced to the corner of her vision at her internal clock and saw it was still the same day.

Sunset shimmied up onto her elbows. Applejack snorted awake from the chair she was resting in. "Oh! Good, you’re awake."

"I guess I expended more energy than I thought I had," Bladescape stated. "I feel alright."

Backbreaker walked to her bedside, just to be there in case she was either not ready, or was still shaky. Bladescape was solid enough and they headed down the stairs at a safe pace.

In their sitting area were not just her guildmates who had been in the battle, but Asuna, Klein, Agil, and Kirito. She had interrupted their somber enjoyment of AFCK's goodies.

"You're alive!" AFCK exclaimed, jumping out of her seat with an enthusiasm only Pinkie Pie had. Bladescape didn't have the energy to explain the fact that she had to be alive since she had only fainted.

"We were so worried when you didn't wake up after a few seconds,” Asuna explained with an unusually soft tone for her. Not being in charge of an army softened her up. “Our concern grew after a few minutes. We decided to teleport you here to recover, leaving Godfree in charge and to open the teleport gate on the Seventy-First Floor."

"And the others?" Sunset asked. "Did we lose any?"

"Not a soul," Klein answered. "A miracle for how disorganized we were."

"Speaking of disorganized," Agil started. "You guys fought like you knew exactly what was going to happen."

Sunset groaned as she gently sat down in the soft chair. "Well, for one, we kind of did."

"What do you mean?" Asuna asked.

Bladescape had to be careful. They would not be as understanding as the original Wondercolts had been about their background. And they had waited a long time to tell them about their magical adventures.

Bladescape played it slow, flipping it into a question. "Well, you know how SAO does pull from different lore, sagas, and folktales? We knew the story of their group of Sirens. We didn't realize that the witches were them until we got into the boss chamber and Doombunny’s reveal skill gave their full names, Adagio Dazzle, Sonata Dusk, and Aria Blaze.

“We couldn’t do much. We were still playing catch up as the battle unfolded. I realized the power of sound was needed to combat the deafening attacks with no time to spare. We were lucky AFCK has Musical Instrument as a skill. We didn't expect other elemental attacks though."

"That bash on the head hurt!" Klein exclaimed, accepting her explanation.

Bladescape chuckled. "Yeah, but it was fun. I finally got the opportunity to hit you for some of the dumb things you have said to me. And it barely dented what HP you had left. If I had actually used a Sword Skill, it would have killed you."

"I'm just glad that they didn't use our Sword Skills," Agil added.

"Me too," Sunset said with a warm smile. "And honestly, I had no foreknowledge or even a hint that they could control you with some spell. I should have, since the Mirror told us that the more we fought, the more we would lose. I hope that, aside from Klein, my strikes didn't hurt too bad."

"I've taken a punch to the face before," Agil shrugged. "And worse ones than that. What matters is that it worked."

"I guess I should accept it," Asuna said, sighing as she did accept it.

"I know I hit you hardest," Sunset said. "Your rapier is too fast. I didn't know what skills you could activate. I felt bad, but I am glad I didn't actually have to turn my sword’s edge on any of my fellow players, controlled or not. We have done that enough."

Asuna let her breath out and sank further into the couch cushion. "I know. I've seen you fight in every boss battle. It hurt, both physically and my pride, but I know you had no choice. You did things right. And you beat them and that is what matters. I may be Second-in-Command of the Knights of the Bloodoath, but you are certainly Kaisho of the Wondercolts.

"Still, what was your reason for removing your armor?"

"Yeah," Klein said. "I didn't get that either."

Sunset looked down, trying to figure out how to respond. She realized that she was still wearing the dress and the belt was still around her waist. She unbuckled it and held it up for them all to see.

"This sun symbol is very special to me," She explained. "It is, in perhaps a weird way, who I am, and my soul. I put it aside once this turned into a death game. We knew before the game started that we were going to form a guild of friends, the Wondercolts. It's our high school mascot.

"And when this turned into a death game, it became a rally point for us. We were bound not just by friendship, but by a symbol that already meant a lot to us. Blue and yellow was what mattered. And with new friends joining us, Astro, and then a month later Kiefer, Lessa, and Joltron came on board, it really mattered that we had something to hold to.

"I set aside myself to make sure we stayed together. I chose to become the epitome of a Wondercolt for them, and then it became for the Assault Team as we were relied upon by the other players. I've been called 'The Wondercolt' before, which was the idea I was going for.

"But a few things were triggered by how they fought and what they said. Specifically when they declared the sun had set on our raid. My first name, I.R.L., is Sunset."

"That explains a few things you exchanged with them," Agil said with a laugh.

"So you put on the sun to be yourself?" Klein asked.

"More like I put it back on so that I could fully unleash who I am,” Bladescape explained. “As much as I am a Wondercolt, I wasn't myself. And as Wondercolts, the players have an expectation for how we act. I fought as myself, for myself, and that meant I would handle it in my own way. Does that make sense?"

"Not exactly," Klein admitted. "But maybe it is because we have hung out outside of battle quite a bit."

"Maybe," Bladescape shrugged. "What matters is that it gave me the strength to beat them."

"And for that we are grateful," Agil said. "And now that you are up and safe, we should get out of your way."

"Nonsense," Diemond said. "AFCK and the others have dinner almost finished. Stay and join us. You earned a Wondercolt meal."

"I can keep the shop closed for a Wondercolt meal," Agil grinned. "I would be stupid to decline such fine food."

"That is a decent part of the reason I came," Klein admitted. "I care about you, Blade, but I knew AFCK would have a bountiful feast of at least sweets available for us. I mean, it's not like any of you guys would let me stay by her side in her room, especially alone. So, since I would just be waiting around for news, I decided why not get something out of it?"

"And that is why I enjoyed ramming my pommel into your face," Bladescape snickered. "I had wiped the scoreboard clean of all the stupid things you have said, but now you are back on the board."

Kirito and Agil laughed at Klein as they stood up to follow them to the dining room. Asuna also decided to accept the dinner invitation.

"Kirito," Bladescape said, not getting up quite yet. "A moment, please?"

Kirito nodded and sat down on the couch cushion closest to her chair.

"Thank you for trusting me," Bladescape said. "I didn't want to tarnish your reputation in front of the others. I get why you can be the way you are. It is part of the reason why I have rallied myself behind our symbol.

"Your trust in me was very appreciated. You fought well, both in the fight and against their magic. I know you landed a lot of hits on Aria Blaze because you risked staying deaf. I wish I could reward you more than my sincerest appreciation."

"Well," Kirito said, blushing as he nervously scratched the back of his neck. "Honestly, a good home cooked meal like you guys can make is a great start.”

Sunset smiled, then laughed, unable to keep it contained inside her. "I should have guessed you would be another ravenously hungry boy. And that is a good thing. I think we forget to tell AFCK 'thanks' enough. She enjoys watching other people, players, enjoying her food. And I know you will enjoy it."

"I enjoyed the apology meal for Floor Sixty-Six," Kirito said as he stood up. "And we know I love her cupcakes."

"I forgot about that," Bladescape admitted. "I guess I still need to clear my head a bit. Also, your secret is safe, but, let me show you something that you don't know about that adventure."

Kirito offered her his hand to ensure she was able to stand. Bladescape was still weak. She would take the next day or two off.

Bladescape led Kirito to the guild hall. Mounted above their Dais was the Draconic Visages of the King Black Dragon and Elvarg the Mother of all Aincrad’s Dragons. Bladescape always sat under them in the center of the Council.

"When we killed the King Black Dragon, your sword broke at the last moment, and I ended up killing him. We immediately were focused on our survival, getting healed, and back to safety. For the Last Attack Bonus, he dropped a rapier called Dragon's Tooth. I gave it to Thunderborne. She needed an upgrade anyway. However, unlike most Bosses or Flag Mobs, he dropped a second bonus item, the Draconic Visage.

"Essentially, it is a dragon head you can mount for decoration. There are 5 great dragons in Aincrad. Five Draconic Visages to be claimed. The first available was the King Black Dragon, and second happened to be the green dragon, Elvarg the Mother of all Aincrad’s Dragons. I know the other three."

"Will any be Floor Bosses?" Kirito asked.

"I believe Yamata no Orochi will be," Bladescape said with a nod.

“Certainly,” Kirito agreed.

Bladescape continued. "I wanted to let you know that, for one, I didn't get anything actually useful to either of us. Even though the kill was mine fair and square, it still sucks because you had it until your sword broke. I was just happy to be done with the fight entirely. I let you go for the kill, but I couldn’t let us die when your sword broke.”

“You did what was right,” Kirito stated.

Bladescape nodded. "That being said, I will be hunting every dragon Flag Mob that is unlocked, and I would be honored if you were by my side, helping me collect the other three."

"I'm glad you had a use for it," Kirito said with a soft smile. "I certainly don't. And I would be honored to join your party of dragon hunters. The King Black Dragon’s Bonus drop may have been useless to all three of us, but I got the hides I needed. The raw Col earned, massive amount of equipment, and the huge chunk of XP I received was worth the battle."

Bladescape let out a laugh. "I certainly can't argue with that. Elvarg was another adventure entirely, but likewise she dropped Floor Boss levels of XP, Col, and a ton of lower level equipment and items like a true dragon's hoard.

They walked to the dining room to join the others, but they were diverted to the small formal dining hall. All of the Wondercolts' Councilors were there, as well as the members of the Boss Raid Party. Everyone else was at the normal tables. It was nice to treat their guests in a more private and comfortable setting. And it was also a private comfort for Sunset to know that their food was the same as the rest of the guild's.

They sent their guests away, stuffed to the brim with exceptional food. AFCK was not just thrilled to have guests, but their destruction of her food because of how delicious it was lifted her spirits tenfold. It also put them on very good terms with Asuna, an alliance that would most likely prove to be crucial.

Asuna teleported to Granzam. She walked through the metal city to the Knights of the Bloodoath Headquarters. She entered and headed to the guild hall. The chambers were empty. The Council had gone home for the night. Asuna's home was in Selmburg, but The Commander stayed in the Master Bedroom in the Guild Headquarters. Many of the other members also stayed in the other rooms the Headquarters came standard with. Commander Heathcliff preferred her to have her own place, away from the guild, where she could relax and unwind. It was the same for several other high-ranking members and the other counselors. They paid for her to have her own home.

Asuna headed to the Commander's room and knocked on the door. After a minute it was opened by an elegantly robed Commander Heathcliff. Like his armor, the kimono was crimson and trimmed in white.

"Ah, Asuna, what brings you here at this hour."

Asuna bowed. "I hope it is not too late."

"Nonsense," Heathcliff said with a warm smile. "Just because we are done with the bulk of the guild's business, does not mean that it has to be over. Please, come in. It is nicer inside here than in the hall."

Asuna had never been in the Commander’s room before. It was more than just a room and unlike the rest of the steel city, it was warm and cozy. They were in a large office of sorts with his own desk and seating area. The bed was in another room. They sat down in comfortable chairs.

“Godfree came and gave the report on the battle,” Commander Heathcliff said. “But I assume you have more on your mind.”

“The battle was a mess,” Asuna stated. “But Bladescape Kaisho earned her title, and she was the right one to lead. She had an understanding of the Sister Witches, because she knew the obscure lore it was pulled from. I have never seen someone so determined to protect everyone in a battle. She not only protected, but led, knowing where to send the recovered units. It was impressive that she could see it through all of the chaos.

“But that wasn’t why I came. I know Godfree gave a thorough report. I wanted to tell you that after a few hours of being unconscious, she came too. She was weak, but she was able to be up and carefully move around. I stayed for dinner with them."

"Wonderful!" Commander Heathcliff said with a grin. "I am glad to hear she is up and feeling well. I also am glad to hear you enjoyed yourself over dinner. I envy your chance to once again enjoy their cuisine. I think that your dinner with them puts us in a mutually beneficial position as two of the top guilds."

“I certainly want to have good relations with the Wondercolts,” Asuna stated with a nod. She didn’t need to point out their strained relationship with the Divine Dragon Alliance.

“You did well,” Heathcliff said. “I am impressed and proud of what you have done. Since the start, but especially as my Second-in-Command. Having you and Godfree in the fight gave me plenty of relief. I did enjoy the day off, but I could only because I have such amazing officers. Godfree’s notes on your work in the battle was very enlightening. You played the critical role that I have come to expect from not just you, but every member of the guild and the guild itself. Our image was upheld very well, and having a sister guild could prove to be a major advantage as we move up above Floor Seventy-Five.”

“I will leave you to your free evening,” Asuna said, standing up and bowing.

“You are welcome any time,” Heathcliff said standing up as well. “Tomorrow is a new day, and a new floor, so get your rest.”

“I will, I promise,” Asuna replied with a smile.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 97 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword - Rend
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 87 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search - Martial Arts
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 91 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics - Sprint - Rend
AFCK(PP): Lvl 85 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument - Rend
Diemond (R): Lvl 85 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry - Rend
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 92 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing - Sprint - Armor Pierce
Astro (PS): Lvl 87 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry - Search
Kiefer: Lvl 86 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce - Sprint
Lessa: Lvl 84 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics - Wood Carving
Joltron: Lvl 86 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry - Acrobatics
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 81 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce - Purchase Negotiation - Sale Negotiation

Episode 93 - The Last Attack Bonus

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT - DETAILS BELOW

Floor 61 - Front Line Floor 71
August 28 - Year 2

Bladescape got to breakfast late. She wasn't worried about it. While things had been a lot more formal for meals, everyone knew she had fainted. She would certainly be given a break. She wasn't even wearing her armor at the moment.

Breakfast was almost done. The plaque on the wall was red with a white stripe, which meant they would be forming parties after breakfast. The white stripe meant some players were on a free day. Most players would be given missions that didn't require full parties, or even officers. But others might be fielded on the brand new Floor. Still, Bladescape wasn't worried. The other councilors had set the color and had an idea of what needed to be done.

Bladescape sat down and realized that everyone had stopped talking and was looking at her. They were not mad. They were looking for something, like she had forgotten to wear pants. Or better yet, like she was wearing completely miss matched clothes.

"Yes?" Bladescape asked when no one said anything.

Diemond cleared her throat and stood up. Her tone was delicate. "We all know about the battle, well, I was there after all, but they all know. We also know how long and hard you have been working to score a Floor Boss' Last Attack Bonus. And you clearly scored it. So, dear, what was it?"

Bladescape pulled up her menu. "I never actually looked at it," Bladescape admitted. "With how things played out, I never got around to it and then I forgot."

Bladescape found the item easily in her menu. She popped it out onto the table. It was in a basic box. "It says it's called Sunset Box," Bladescape explained. She tapped on it and it prompted her to confirm that she wanted to unbox the item. It was rare to have to unbox an item. Bladescape had never heard of it happening in SAO, but that didn't mean that players didn't skip over a minor detail.

The brown box disappeared and in its place was left a voluptuous cloak. It shimmered and shifted in the light, like it was on fire. It was in her yellow, orange, and red colors, and the center of the back included the outline of her cutie mark. This Last Attack Bonus was no fluke. It was intentional. Equestrian Magic had influenced what she received.

The cloak wasn't standard Wondercolts colors. Any hesitation about the mismatch was dispelled when Bladescape saw the defensive properties of the cloak. It was like wearing an extra layer of armor on top of her Dagannoth plate armor. Plus it boosted her Weight Carry Limit, added in an attack bonus modifier, and added a Search Skill modifier. Nothing about it was a simple cloak. It was truly worth the title of a Floor Boss Last Attack Bonus.

Bladescape stood up and wrapped herself in it. Unlike her Wondercolts Cloak, which only covered her shoulders and back, this securely wrapped around her. It lacked a hood, and It was looser in the front, more than most cloaks. It was more like it was draping off her shoulders, but it was a fully encompassing cloak. The single fastener was two pieces that clipped together to make her sun symbol. It was a monochromatic fastener, but it felt nice to be wearing her cutie mark again. It felt right to do so.

"This doesn't fit with our colors," Bladescape stated.

"But is it worth it?" Diemond pressed.

"Absolutely," Bladescape replied with a definitive nod. "This is a unique piece that can't be ignored. We will need to come up with a way to ensure that my adjusted look is still known as a Wondercolt look, just a very special piece of equipment that we can't afford to pass on."

"I know we can pay the paper for that," Astro stated. "Paying for an article will give us several opportunities to explain it, and the boss battle, to the rest of the players."

"We should get that set up for the day," Bladescape said. "I know I am off today for health reasons, but we need to make sure that info is released before I am seen in the field."

The council agreed and they decided to send Rime and Ulelisa to retrieve a team from the newspaper, when they were finished eating.

"That is your cutie mark on your back," Diemond said when Bladescape went to sit down.

Bladescape stopped. It was her mark, and it was personal and I.R.L. stuff, but the others deserved some explanation.

"Most of you don't know this," Bladescape started before she paused. "And many of the charter members don't either. But this symbol is very important to me.

"When we got trapped here, I knew my role was to protect my six friends and our new one, Astro. We soon gained Kiefer, Lessa, and Joltron. I knew that to succeed, we needed something to bind us together. We had already planned on being the Wondercolts before the game started, so it didn't take any time to rally to that and our guild colors.

"We chose our colors and we chose our symbol. And then I chose to set aside my personal crest, this sun symbol, in order to be the best I could be for the guild. To make sure I could bring us together. What use is there for a leader who is not playing by the rules they claim to uphold?

"So I became the epitome of a Wondercolt. I became the beacon that everyone saw and understood what it is to be one of us. I was a beacon you all were attracted to. By now, the Assault Team and the clearers know who the Wondercolts are because of it and the standard I set for what being a Wondercolt. Most of Aincrad has an idea of who we are because of it.

"But I missed my mark. It was everywhere in my real life. Setting it aside hurt, but it was the correct choice. Even without it, I became one of the best warriors in Aincrad.

“However, this crest has a deeper connection than I can easily explain. I think the best thing is to just say that it is my soul in a picture. That is why it hurt not having it, and the longer I waited, the more it hurt. But I can't deny who I am. I beat the boss as myself, Sunset Shimmer, not Wondercolts Bladescape.

"I won't waste this opportunity. I am fully me, the Sunset Shimmer behind Bladescape. I will get to Level 100 by Floor 75. I will make the final boss in the Ruby Palace taste the metal that is Harmonic Salvation.

"Asuna is the fastest fighter with a blade. There is no one who can match her speed. Kirito has the best reaction time. Heathcliff is an offensive machine that knows how to use the sword and shield combination to the maximum.

"However, Asuna's Rapier is light and often inefficient. Kirito's sword is barely stronger than what you carry and he lacks a shield. The same can be said for the Commander. His strength is in his shield, but it isn't as strong as the Floating Bulwark. He isn't a tank, although he is significantly more maneuverable because of it. He is the perfect shield user.

"What I have that they don't have is the heaviest hitting weapon in Aincrad right now. Harmonic Salvation is unmatched by any weapon when it comes to a damage dealt by a blade or blunt Weapon. And she can only get stronger. Her speed is top notch too for her classification.

"Beside," Bladescape said, grinning. "I probably should let you know I am now certain I have a unique skill, Greatsword. I am the most unrelenting player in Aincrad."

Bladescape popped out Harmonic Salvation and drew the blade. She spun it into an attack position. The simple sweep attack shocked everyone. They knew the Two-handed Sword Skills, and they were keenly aware of the difference.

"I am your Kaisho," Bladescape declared. "I will always lead from the front, never from the rear, and I will not lose; not to this game and not a soul. Now I am fully myself, that makes me better and safer. It makes us better as a guild. I won't abandon my friends, no matter how new or old they are, because we are a team. I will lead you to victory!"

Yori stood up. He shouted to pump everyone up. "YEAH!!! LET'S DO THIS! BLADESCAPE, OUR KAISHO, AINCRAD'S KAISHO, AND THE ONE WHO WILL LEAD US TO CERTAIN VICTORY!"

Thunderous applause and cheers drowned out the dining hall. They saw her as their Kaisho who was as loyal as ever and now able to be somehow better for them than she already was. They were blind to the change in colors. None of them could object. None of them even had it cross their mind.

Bladescape sheathed Harmonic Salvation and put the sword back into her storage. She sat down for breakfast and enjoyed it as things returned to normal.

Breakfast didn't last long and the runner went off to get the journalists. It was a RedCon day for most of the guild, but they got the parties sorted out and their jobs assigned quickly. Most teams were gone within 15 minutes. The only ones around were waiting for the Councilors in their group. All 11 charter members were present, in case their insight was wanted.

The runners came back with the newspaper crew. They took them to the guild hall where the council was waiting. The runners were on break for the day and dismissed with good wishes. The writer from the paper walked around Bladescape, examining her while he tapped his pen on his chin.

"I see," He finally said. "We can have this ready for tomorrow morning, and we can make sure everyone who matters has a copy by lunch."

"For a price," Lobelia coldly said.

He just nodded back. The photographer, who was in charge of the record crystal that would take the picture, spoke up. "Of course, we can release it for free, but if you want someone yelling ‘extra, extra, hot off the press,’ well it's going to take people moving the papers, rushing around, and telling players they need to buy a copy or be out of the loop."

Bladescape had thought back to a few occasions where that had happened. It had worked. They had purchased a paper and it was always important information.

"Fine," Bladescape stated. "We should get started if you are going to do this right. Especially since we are paying."

The words were a warning. The photographer understood, but the writer didn’t seem to hear.

"The new look isn't Wondercolty," the writer said. "That presents a problem."

"That is what you are here to do," Backbreaker said, standing up in her imposing armor. "To fix it by explaining the change. Or can you not deliver?"

He snorted back, annoyed at being caught in his own pit. "So, underneath is your old armor. The one you stripped off in yesterday’s battle?"

"Was that info printed?" Bladescape asked.

"No photos, but it was stated. Along with you changing into a dress and single-handedly defeating the three witches after you saved the raid party from their debilitating spells."

"We need to get a paper subscription," Bladescape added.

"That can easily be arranged," he replied.

The photographer interrupted. "Okay, I need you, Bladescape in a power pose. Take two steps to the left so you have the Wondercolts banner in the background. I want you to sweep the cloak off to the left and put your hand on your hip. That way we can see the blue armor under the fire cape."

He left the crystal hovering in place, adjusted her a bit, and then took the picture. "Good! Now, are all of the original Wondercolts here?"

They all stood up.

"Gather in front of your council table. I want the Iron Bulwark's shield visible, but the rest of your shields and weapons need to be sheathed. Doombunny, I need to see you and your snake friend on your shoulders, perhaps crouching down in front is best. Yes! That is perfect. Keep that pose.”

He almost took the photo but stepped back. "Now, I decided I do want the two normal shields, the painted ones, also displayed. Your colors, your faces, your symbol, and the banners will tie you, Bladescape, in with the look we all know. Plus, I like the two dragon heads in the background. It shows power and strength, yet unity."

That picture wasn't hard to take. He also decided a Council picture was a good idea. Lobelia's traditional dress with her sword and Wondercolts shield was too hard for him to pass up on. Plus Kamishi's samurai look was important to capture.

"I can give you the real story of the Boss Fight," Bladescape stated. "One that is worth the space for all the photos."

"I'm listening," the writer said. "But first, this new look wasn't done overnight. Right?"

Bladescape had to keep her cool. She needed a level head or she would say something he would print and she would forever regret. "It's the same weapons and equipment I have been using. The cloak is the Last Attack Bonus, but Harmonic Salvation was made by the Smith Lisbeth, and my Dagannoth Plate was crafted by Ashley."

"I was never clear as to why you went with her over your own armorer. Diemond’s sale was a huge success."

Bladescape sighed. This was going to be a pain. Worth it, but a pain.

“We went with Ashley not because our own Diemond couldn’t make me armor. Ashley has a different vision than what Diemond was able to do at the time. I had to secure the best materials for myself in order to get it.”

He nodded. “So, this new look is what then? Is Diemond going to be adjusting anything?”

Diemond scoffed. “Do you understand anything about this world? I can’t change any of it. It is a unique piece dropped by a Floor Boss. I would make-...well it doesn't matter because my vision isn't what we needed for our Kaisho."

He gave a nod that concerned them and pressed Bladescape to explain more.

“Now, what is this symbol that is the clasp and on the back?”

Bladescape nodded. “It’s a sun. It’s actually the same symbol as I used I.R.L.” Bladescape immediately regretted what she said.

“So, the game gave you this sunset symbol that is what you actually use? How does that work?”

Bladescape sighed as she prepared a half lie that had to be carefully played. “I have no idea. Yes, my real name was in the game signup, but the reality is that it’s a fluke. When I fought the Sirens, sorry, the three witches-”

“Stop!” He interrupted. “Sirens?”

“We will flip back to that,” Bladescape said. “When I fought them, they made a statement. ‘No one can stop us now. You are a bunch of disorganized rats scurrying about. We haven't needed to unleash our full power yet! Is there not a single one of you who has the glitz and glam or shimmer and shine to take us on! Or, has the sun really set on your pathetic raid?’”

“I fired back a corny line, ‘The sun doesn’t set until I decide it does. And I don’t lose. I don't need my armor to beat you, because you can’t beat me.’” Bladescape took a deep breath in before continuing. “It is no secret that all throughout Aincrad there are places designed off other games, quests that are near copies of other games, references to folklore, and more that is artfully borrowed, and that is what makes some of them fun, the hidden references. I called them the Sirens earlier because they are an obscure, non-japanese, reference that I recognized.

“And once it fully clicked, I realized that my armor wasn’t what I needed. I happened to have a dress that Diemond had made me with the same sun symbol on it, my sun symbol. It’s an old symbol from my childhood, one whose origin I don’t fully know. It is one I have always had with my name. But I grew up on that siren legend.

“The key was fighting as myself. That is how they were always defeated in the stories. The warriors had to not fight as knights. They couldn’t control a person with only a blade, only a warrior with armor and shields. And what do we bring to a boss raid? The best armor and equipment we can muster. How did we do? Poorly. We did poorly.”

“The symbol is connected to their tale. But as with all folklore, there is the kid version you can tell the little ones, and then there is the grand, epic tales you can tell to a crowd of adults where people are getting run through with swords and decapitated with plenty of colorful language to describe their deaths.”

“And the symbol?” He pressed.

Bladescape had to fully invent this tale or risk their magic secret being outed. And if that was outed, a lot more might be outed that they couldn’t afford to be known, like her Greatsword Skill.

“The knight that kills them in most tales is the sun knight. His shield has a sun symbol on it, and I always saw this symbol. He rides a red chestnut stallion with a yellow mane. As he goes to fight them, he comes to their location and realizes that all the dead are knights and warriors with shining armor. They all are from various kingdoms, with their coat of arms and city emblems on their shields and such. He takes off his armor and leaves his shield. He goes in on foot, and is able to kill them. Which is what I did.”

Bladescape was prodded some more. “What tale is this? And where is it from? Aren’t the Sirens water singers that lure sailors to their death?”

“Yes,” Bladescape nodded. “They are the best known for being water creatures, but they are not the only fantastical women who sing to their prey. Perhaps a better translation would be Dazzlings. It is a more accurate one to the original language, but that doesn’t say much about them except that they dazzle. A lot can be dazzling. Sirens is a more accurate translation to what they are: creatures who lure their victims to their death through song.”

“Okay,” he conceded. “So, then, tell me how you led the raid.”

Bladescape grinned. She had slid the tale past his scrutiny and now she had the opportunity to give praise where it was due. She would not waste the opportunity to highlight every brave fighter and all that they did.

“I didn’t do this alone. Most of the raiders were not regulars. There was a mirror who told us who was safe and who wasn’t. Don’t ask me about how that even came up, that was outside my control and knowledge. I just played along and found myself being placed as raid leader, as my guild title, Kaisho, reflected. Without the regular leaders, I got the new strategy in place, but it was they who hammered away at the three witches until they were forced to say those words and I realized where they were based on.”

Bladescape told a fantastic tale, highlighting the efforts of everyone. She recalled their names and she knew what they had done. Some got more praise than others, like Dynamm for leading the recovery forces, Godfree who was always at the front of the pushers, and AFCK was highly praised for playing the music the entire time; as well as Kirito, Asuna, Agil, and Klein for their roles whittling down the HP of the bosses.

By the end of the tale, she was sitting around a table in the dining hall with the editor and the photographer, drinking tea with cupcakes, as she explained everything. Outside of a few guild members in the kitchen, it was just her and them.

“I think we have enough,” the writer finally said. “We can get this written and printed easily. By noon tomorrow, everyone will see your new look and understand that it was the Last Attack Bonus.”

“We know you are busy,” the photography said, standing up. “Thank you for the refreshments and cupcakes. They were as legendary as I had heard.”

“We still have the matter of payment,” the writer said. “Or do you not want the extra edition?”

“Price?” Bladescape asked.

“200,000 Col.”

Bladescape didn’t blink. She had expected it to be high, but that was overpriced. The photographer was obviously surprised the price was set so high. He knew he was speaking to a guild with a lot of Col.

Bladescape took a sip of tea, not showing any emotion. “That is a steep price for something you will only make more profit off of selling them as hotter news.”

He shrugged and waited for her response.

“I’ll tell you what,” Bladescape said, grinning. “I’ll pay that price, but only if you pull through.”

“What do you mean?” He asked, trying to play innocent.

“I’ll pay you 100,000 Col now. The other 100,000 will be an incentive for you. An incentive to paint the picture as is. The story I told you. I am fully aware how easily you can spin this story to any angle you want. You could spin a positive tale that is designed to backfire and only hurt the Wondercolts and our image. I have read enough of your pieces in the paper. So, I will withhold the rest to ensure you do your job.”

He thought for a moment.

“Or,” Bladescape said, loosening up to add a slight grin. “I could strike a deal with your photographer here, who no doubt could write the story as well as you, and write it straight and true too.”

That earned a glare from him. “Fine. 100,000 now, 100,000 upon delivery. You want a piece that explains the cosmetic change to the Wondercolts’ Kaisho because of the Last Attack Bonus you got. You want a piece that reinforces your allegiance to the Wondercolts, and you want a piece that also praises the unsung heroes of the boss battle. I can tell a straight story.”

“Then we have a deal,” Bladescape replied.

The writer stood up and both bowed. Bladescape stood up and pulled out the cash from the Guild's reserves. Bladescape walked them out, but only to the gatehouse. She stepped back inside and changed into her sunset dress. She was going to spend the day riding, since she was off to take it easy.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 97 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword - Rend
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 87 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search - Martial Arts
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 91 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics - Sprint - Rend
AFCK(PP): Lvl 85 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument - Rend
Diemond (R): Lvl 85 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry - Rend
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 92 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing - Sprint - Armor Pierce
Astro (PS): Lvl 87 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry - Search
Kiefer: Lvl 86 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce - Sprint
Lessa: Lvl 84 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics - Wood Carving
Joltron: Lvl 86 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry - Acrobatics
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 81 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce - Purchase Negotiation - Sale Negotiation

Author's Note

Okay, it was a crazy week in Texas last week. I'm good, safe, warm, and back online! Now the important stuff!

I know some of you don't read the blogs, which is fine. But the announcement details are all in the latest blog: The Future of Aincrad - Special Announcement. Important details about this story, and the next one. The future is bright.

Episode 94 - Unwelcomed Silence

Floor 73
September 18 - Year 2

The blue cleared from Backbreaker's vision as she materialized onto the teleport plaza in a snowed out, brick and mortar city. She stepped off it to allow her party to follow, the packed snow crunching under her heavy boots as she walked. The entire Floor was rock, snow, and ice. Unlike Floor 55, it was just cold enough to keep the snow from melting, but not so cold it had a player shaking in their armor. Still, they were armed with warm cloaks or overcoats to shield them until it came time to do battle.

Bladescape’s party was off to the side, waiting. Backbreaker stepped over to her and her party formed up on her. Backbreaker had Lobelia, Thunderborne, Lessa, and Knightstar, and Kiefer. Bladescape’s party was comprised of Doombunny, AFCK, Diemond, Joltron, and Astro.

“You are here early,” Lightning Flash Asuna said, as she exited the inn to check on who had teleported to the city. Despite the warmer temperatures of this floor, she shivered a bit. Her armor was not fitting for this weather, and she needed to wear a coat. “The meeting isn’t planned for an hour from now.”

Backbreaker nodded to her party and they began to walk towards the Inn. “We were already on the move when we got notice of the Field Boss meetin'. We weren't aware of another Field Boss on the Floor. Yesterday was supposed t'be it. I'm assumin' y'all'll be goin' over that. We can’t be the only confused ones.”

“You are not,” Asuna replied. “But come on in, buy a hot drink, and wait it out. We didn’t know until a few hours ago either. That is why there are so many of us here. We were on the move as well.”

The sound of a player teleporting onto the plaza made Backbreaker look instinctively. It was Kirito. He jumped off the platform, without any cold weather gear on, and made a beeline for Bladescape. Backbreaker couldn’t hear what they said, but the seven of them immediately began to walk north, out of town.

“What is he doing with them?” Asuna asked snidely. It was an odd reaction after the two of them had been finally getting along once again.

“No idea,” Backbreaker stated.

“So, he is not here for the meeting, but he is heading off with her?” That tone Backbreaker immediately recognized was the disgust of jealousy.

Backbreaker didn’t push anything, despite the absolute disrespect of Bladescape. It didn’t matter. Any female player would have earned “her” from Asuna at the moment.

Asuna whipped around and headed inside, trying to not storm off. Backbreaker looked at her party. Thunderborne just shrugged while the others kept blank faces.

They had already been given RedCon orders. Bladescape was doing another segment of her Quest, and this time she could bring friends. Despite being in RedCon, the field boss meeting forced a change. They gathered who they could, but half the parties were unreachable in dungeons.

Bladescape's quest meant she was after the special dragon on this Floor, Fucanglong the Crystal Dragon. She was the third of the Five Great Dragons of Aincrad. Bladescape was going after her for an unknown quest item, but also to retrieve her crystal head. Kirito’s involvement was unexpected and never explained, but it held the same orders from Bladescape, “Shut up, don’t speak a word, and don’t react to anything." Their goals were need to know, and apparently Kirito was on that list.

Most of the guild didn’t know about Bladescape hunting the dragon heads. Only the original Wondercolts and the Council knew for sure. Some probably suspected, but knew better than to pry. The military structure allowed them to keep the others out of the loop, while they still functioned 100% on point with the necessary orders. Two parties were level grinding and another two were clearing a dungeon on a lower Floor for Col and XP.

The Wondercolts were not as cozy as they once were, but it wasn’t bad. Everyone got along, and everyone felt heard. Plenty members attended the open guild meetings, which was a very nice contrast to the old Wondercolts. There were plenty of other reasons to love the new Wondercolts over the old one.

They sat at a table and each of them ordered a mug of hot cider to sip on while they waited. Eighteen KOB members were present in the inn, waiting for the start of the meeting. Most had mugs of cider or empty bowls in front of them. Asuna was slumped, angrily, in a corner chair.

Backbreaker looked at each of her party members. Knightstar gave a slight nod, but they were holding to their orders. Backbreaker had no rising trepidations of their ability to stay quiet. They understood what was at stake.

Backbreaker had never questioned Bladescape’s choice in her dragon hunting party. Doombunny was the only choice Backbreaker didn’t understand. It was true that she had helped kill the King Black Dragon, and then was brought to the Elvarg battle where she was critical, but it was something more than that. Otherwise, the party made sense. She was getting the best she could while still allowing the Wondercolts to operate a very efficient party structure, capable of doing almost anything, even clearing a Boss Labyrinth.

The inn began to fill up before Fuurinkazan showed up. They came directly over to the Wondercolts' table. Klein was obviously looking for Bladescape. He never got a chance to ask as Asuna called the meeting to order and they all gathered around the center table.

"North of here is a village similar to this one named Rothaga. The KOB was heading north this morning to get to a dungeon. When we arrived, we found the town in a frenzy. The dragon that lives in the lone mountain in the northwest quadrant of the Floor attacked them, again. They asked for our help, triggering a quest marker. The KOB has hunted a few dragons before, but this one is named. Its name is Fucanglong the Crystal Dragon."

Backbreaker knew that her heart stopped and that her immediate reaction was to hold her breath. She forced her body to resume normal behavior as Asuna continued. The Wondercolts had no idea Fucanglong was a Field Boss, or at least was being called one. Backbreaker only knew that the assault on the dragon was prearranged by Bladescape, by at least 3 days. The fact that their party was in the meeting to kill the dragon for a quest was completely unrelated and unplanned.

Backbreaker immediately wanted to do the "honest" thing and tell them not to fight, but if she did she would compromise Bladescape's hunt. She was not going to compromise it. She had complete confidence in Bladescape and Kirito. If they failed, Backbreaker would take her party out and make sure they scored the final attack, even if she had to snipe it. But she was confident that they would not have to.

"We need to secure the north," Asuna stated firmly. "We will make our plan, all go and trigger the quest, and then kill the dragon."

Asuna's plan gave Bladescape time to get the job done. They had already been waiting over an hour. The others would have begun the battle by now.

The plan was complex. They were relying on a large number of shields with several key tank positions to take the breath attacks. The KOB's Squad A would be playing the role of the Forwards, with Squad B being a Damage Dealing unit. Squad C was going to be their tank unit.

Backbreaker knew her role. She was almost certain what Asuna was going to ask. Lessa's and Knightstar's positions were also predictable. What surprised Backbreaker and gave her hope was that Kiefer, Thunderborne, and Lobelia would make up the second Damage Dealer Unit. That gave them an ample chance to score the last attack if they needed it.

Backbreaker's expression had stayed the same stoic pose as she usually held during strategy meetings. She let herself plan in her head only, leaving her face a blank canvas for the others to try and read. She would not let Bladescape down.

The longer the meeting went, the higher the chance they would succeed before the raid party began to march out. And it had already taken 45 minutes to get as far as they had. Most of the players, including Backbreaker and her party, had not hunted dragons. The dragons were certainly no match for members of the Assault Team, but they provided a poor return on the time and risk it took to kill a single one. It wasn't profitable on all fronts - Col, XP, or Items - for them to be hunted for any regular activity. That inexperience made for a lot of questions. They wanted to make sure that they knew what it was like to fight a dragon before they went head-to-head with a dragon that was also a Field Boss.

A message popped up in Backbreaker's vision. She pulled it up and opened it. It was from Bladescape. All it said was "done."

Backbreaker turned to her party and looked each of them in the eye. They gave the slightest nod in understanding. They all went back to silently waiting, knowing the celebration would come later.

"How does that look for a plan?" Asuna asked. It was directed at Backbreaker.

"It's a mighty fine plan," Backbreaker said.

Asuna didn't let her continue. "Then I want you leading Squad C."

"No," Backbreaker said plainly.

"Excuse me?" Asuna immediately fired back.

Backbreaker ignored the interruption and stayed as even keeled as possible. "Because Fut's-Lung is dead." It was a plain statement, not a declaration.

"What!" Asuna exclaimed. Everyone was whispering back and forth. "Wait! Is that why you are here with a team and not Bladescape Kaisho? Is that why Kirito went with her instead of here?"

"Yup," Backbreaker said with a nod. "But we didn't know it had another quest connected to Fut's-Lung. We didn't know when the meetin' was called that it was for the dragon."

"Why didn't you tell us!" Asuna pressed, loudly in her anger. "Are you Wondercolts not supposed to be the generous, kind, friendship guild? You give away map data! Yet you let us waste our time?"

"It wasn't a waste," Backbreaker replied calmly. "Up until a minute er'so before you asked me to lead the tanks, the dragon was alive. If they failed, we would've marched on the dragon as you planned."

"I feel betrayed," Asuna stammered. "You still deceived us, over what!"

"Can't tell you," Backbreaker replied, staying emotionless.

"Can't or won't?" Asuna growled.

"Won't," Backbreaker said stepping forward to the table. She slipped her hammer off its hook and set it down on the table with a heavy thud. "The Kaisho had business with the dragon."

Asuna didn't heed the warning of the warhammer. "I think it matters! Especially when you waste our time."

"Like I said, up until you finished plannin' it was alive."

"But you are Wonde-"

Backbreaker slammed her fist onto the table, shutting up Asuna so she could finish. Now she was losing her cool.

"We are Wondercolts! But after all we give, all we do, well I figure that gives us a few times to not let y'all know what we're up to. Our guild has internal business and it's none of your concern. I'm not sorry y'all feel like I wasted your time. I was gunna march out of here with y'all if they failed. But they didn't. End of story."

"It wasn't internal!" Asuna yelled back. "I saw Kirito leave with them. Which means he is wrapped up into it as well."

"Still internal," Backbreaker said, not budging.

"Then why did you need him?"

"As I understand it, but I am not kept in the loop, Bladescape Kaisho had the dragon targeted for her multi-floor solo quest she's been workin' on. This was a moment she could take a support party with her, so she did. Who she chooses and what they know is none of our concern. I doubt the others understand what is goin' on, outside it bein' a quest. She keeps it quiet for reasons I can’t explain."

Asuna growled, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the table in her anger.

Backbreaker decided to be honest about one thing. "Kirito had no idea that the meetin' here today was for that dragon. We had no idea. We knew a field boss meetin' had been called, but that was all. We are not even at that village! Would it have made a difference for our actions? No. They had to kill her."

"Six against a field boss?" Klein asked, actually daring to speak up. He was very confused about the seemingly double standard they were facing.

"Seven," Backbreaker corrected him. "It was seven. I know that look, Klein. I don't think I can convince y'all that I'm not lyin'. We had business with that dragon spannin' a good while now."

"Seriously, what could be so valuable-"

"Nothing that concerns you!" Backbreaker said, interrupted Klein and once again banging on the table. " Bladescape Kaisho wouldn't risk the success of the Assault Team and all our lives to knowingly hoard somethin' too important or critical. And I assure you, as our Issa, that I would never let the Wondercolts hoard, hide, or exclude resources from any other players without a darn good reason.

"Be angry if you want, but think of all we've done for the players, and then think about all the things y'all've never seen or heard about. We have a right to a few secrets and a right to make a run at any flag mob we want without askin' permission. We didn't know the dragon was a Field Boss. We don't ask for anythin', but we will assert our right to fairly take what we need to keep us up at the top, without jeopardizin' our collective success. Whatever that may mean.

"And from what I understand, that quest that's had Bladescape Kaisho wrapped up for weeks now is more important to us all than mere fame or fun."

Backbreaker grabbed her hammer off the table, expertly slapped it on the hook on her belt without looking, and then walked out with her head held high. The others followed her, silently, but with heads also held high.

Klein rushed out after them. "What gives!" he asked when he caught up to them at the teleport plaza. "You guys are never like this. I'm not sure what is going on, but it's a change and I don't want to lose you over something stupid that I could have helped out with."

"That's appreciated Klein," Backbreaker replied. "I'll make sure to tell Blade so she can add a mark to the things you say that aren't dumb." Klein rolled his eyes at the joke. He was being serious, so Backbreaker leveled with him. "Look, I think Kirito and Bladescape are after two different, difficult, quests. They've been helpin' each other out, but I'm not in on it. I'm certain whatever they were doin' it involved his quest too. But they're keepin' it quiet for multiple reasons. That's as far as I can tell y'all. And Bladescape will be even more aloof about it than Kirito."

The others hopped up onto the teleport plaza and departed.

"Bladescape and her team have probably teleported back to our Headquarters. I need to go there too now that the Field Boss has been beat. We have to plan our strategy for the next few days."

Backbreaker hopped up onto the plaza. She called out "Thorn Island" and lost sight of Klein as the blue teleport light filled her vision and she moved across Aincrad in an instant.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 99 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword - Rend
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 89 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search - Martial Arts
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 93 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics - Sprint - Rend
AFCK(PP): Lvl 88 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument - Rend
Diemond (R): Lvl 88 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry - Rend
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 94 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing - Sprint - Armor Pierce
Astro (PS): Lvl 89 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry - Search
Kiefer: Lvl 89 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce - Sprint
Lessa: Lvl 86 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics - Wood Carving
Joltron: Lvl 88 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry - Acrobatics
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 83 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce - Purchase Negotiation - Sale Negotiation

Episode 95 - Diamonds And A Ring

Floor 73
September 18 - Year 2

Bladescape stood on the packed snow, waiting for Kirito. Her team was assembled; Doombunny, AFCK, Joltron, Diemond, and Astro, and they were just waiting on him. Three days ago, Merlin had sent her to retrieve the Philosopher’s Stone. It was dropped by the next of Aincrad’s Five Great Dragons, Fucanglong the Crystal Dragon.

Bladescape had extended the offer to Kirito to join her, as they had decided after the 70th Floor Boss. His response was quick, but odd. He had asked them to hold off for a few days. She had no idea why and she was excited to find out what he was doing. Last night she had gotten a message saying he was ready.

The unexpected Field Boss meeting had shaken up the morning plans. They could only get a few parties back to the castle for them to be redistributed. It wasn’t ideal, but the party that Backbreaker was in charge of was optimized for the unknown field boss. That was what mattered. The other two parties were sent on a lighter duty for the day.

Kirito appeared on the teleport plaza and immediately came their way. He wasn’t wearing any extra coat despite the chilly temperatures.

He immediately had a question, “Do you know what the field boss is? We just cleared this Floor yesterday.”

“We know nothing,” Bladescape replied. “Backbreaker has a team, so the Wondercolts are on duty for it, but we don’t have any idea what is going on. I also don’t care. We have a solid squad and that is what matters. Let’s go, and once Doom says we are clear, we can open up discussions on all fronts.”

Kirito nodded and they headed north. They were quite a ways out of the city before Doombunny told them they were free and no one could hear anything.

“Kirito,” Bladescape said. “The others know what happens stays forgotten. They hit Elvarg with me and know that there are some things we won’t answer. Currently, I am after the Philosopher’s Stone, which Fucanglong swallowed when he ate said philosopher. This is for my solo quest, one of the Glass Tower series. I know Mo reached out to you about the start of these quests.”

“She did,” Kirito shrugged. “I said no. I didn’t want to work for her.”

“I haven’t been working for her since the second quest,” Bladescape said, unable to stop the grin. “I needed something to do on a short furlough, so I took up her offer. However, Merlin forced her out. I work directly for him to restore the Glass Tower.”

“What is so important about it?” Kirito asked, his interest peaked.

“I am not totally sure,” Bladescape admitted. “I can tell you that it will impact the last five Floors and prepare us for the Ruby Palace. First though, I need to unlock it. But the same question I need to ask you. You have a big stake in this fight. Enough to get us to hold for three days. What is it?”

“I do,” Kirito nodded. “I have a friend whose birthday is coming up. She gave me a challenge to find the reason for her name. I know it, and I also figured out it was her birthday. I figured it out, but now I am after the Ring of Angel’s Whisper. It will be her birthday gift.”

“Silica?” Doombunny asked.

“Yes,” Kirito replied, shocked. “How did you know?”

“We are good friends,” Doombunny replied. “We talk and visit fairly often. She is working hard to get her levels up to be a clearer.”

“She is,” Kirito agreed. “I think she can do it.”

“It won’t be long,” Doombunny replied. “I believe in her.”

“We need to talk strategy before we run out of time,” Bladescape said. Getting them on topic, she pointed northward to a grey splotch on the foot of a mountain that almost reached the snowy Floor's ceiling in the distance. “That is Rothaga, the northernmost village on this floor, and that mountain is where the dragon is. Like I said earlier, the others will keep anything that happens a secret.” Kirito silently nodded back and Bladescape continued. “Joltron and Astro will be pressing the attack from our left, Diemond and AFCK will be on our right, and Doombunny will do what she did against the King Black Dragon and perfected during the fight with Elvarg, striking from the rear.

“We applied it with Elvarg, and it will take a little adjustment, but the best thing we can do is press the attack. An aggressive offense saves time and saves our lives. That means unleashing everything we have.”

Kirito nodded, but stayed silent.

Bladescape continued. “Fucanglong the Crystal Dragon isn’t just named that for her look. My source tells me she can strike the ground and create a shock wave that stuns us. She can also conjure stones in her claws to launch at us. And as with any dragon, she breathes fire. It isn’t as wide as the King Black Dragon’s torrents, but it will be a substantial flow that can wash around shields. Although, I say she, but we don’t have an actual sex.”

“Watch the fire for coming around our shields,” Joltron said. “Understood.”

“I can’t cut this fire in half,” AFCK added.

They stopped talking as they got to the town. It wasn’t large and after a few minutes Doombunny gave them the all clear as they traveled the visible path to the lone mountain.

“Kirito,” Bladescape said. “How do you get the ring?”

“It is locked in one of Fucanglong’s chests. The dragon drops crystal keys. I had to solve puzzles to get the information. The final puzzle is what chest it is in.”

“The cleanest way for me to get the Philosopher’s Stone is to make the killing blow,” Bladescape stated. “This ring must be very special if it can be locked away forever if you chose wrong. Our keys are at your disposal so that we can ensure that you get the ring.”

“In exchange you make the killing blow,” Kirito finished.

“It is the best solution for my quest,” Bladescape said. “But if my final strike fails, I know I will be compromised. The orders are to kill Fucanglong. We need no deaths, and we need those keys.”

“I agree,” Kirito said. “The killing blow is yours unless you fail. I should be able to solve the final puzzle, but if I make a mistake, the other keys will be useful. The ring is very important.”

“What is so important about it?” Diemond asked.

“It doesn’t have any boosting properties,” Kirito stated. “It allows the wearer to send a voice message to a friend. Only once a month, but it is better than nothing.”

“That is the perfect gift for Silica,” Doombunny said, resisting a squeal. “She will love it. You are very important in her life. I know the full story of your adventure with her.”

Kiritio’s glance at Doombunny was filled with worry.

“It’s what girls do with their best friends,” Doombunny explained. “And we don’t share those secrets.”

The rest of the trip was quiet as they began to make their way up the side of the mountain. The switchback trail was often lost under the snow, forcing them to blaze their own way across the slick surfaces.

They reached a large ledge near the top of the mountain, with a cave set into the side just under the peak. It was a scene Bladescape was familiar with from Merlin’s tome. They had most of the mountain top to fight on and it was smooth, level ground.

“We really can’t afford to get knocked off,” Diemond stated. “I wish we had a bit more room.”

“We won’t need it,” Astro said. “We are going to have to play it close anyway. This is more room than Elvarg, by at least three times. AFCK just needs to avoid getting hit by the tail.”

“Eh,” AFCK shrugged.

Kirito spoke up before they advanced on the cave and drew out Fucanglong. “You said nothing would leave this battle.”

“Secrets are secrets,” AFCK declared with a nod. “You can show them.”

“What?” Kirito asked AFCK before glancing at Bladescape who was glaring at AFCK.

“What?” AFCK asked, confused.

“I didn’t say anything,” Bladescape told Kirito.

“Neither did I,” Doombunny immediately added.

“I always thought something was up,” Astro said. “But they never said anything. There was a distinct lack of details that suggested something unusual and secret, but nothing was even hinted at.”

Kirito silently judged each of them, determining if they told the truth. His eyes stayed on AFCK the longest. She didn’t notice as she spaced out.

Kirito finally swiped up his menu. “Only three players know this. Two are here, and the last is the smith.” With another click, another sword appeared on Kirito’s back, criss-crossing the sheathes. He drew the two swords. “After Floor Fifty, I discovered this Unique Skill, Dual Wielding. I haven’t found any way to teach it to others. Against the King Black Dragon, the second sword I was using broke. That is why Bladescape killed him. If she didn’t, I would have died.

“Dark Repulser was made by the blacksmith Lisbeth. It is forged from the Crystallite Ingot, made by X’rphan the White Wyrm, on Floor Fifty-Five.”

“It’s beautiful,” Bladescape said as she looked at the slender longsword. The pale blade had a tinge of blue and appeared to be slightly transparent. The handle was a silvery blue, and an aqua gemstone was set between the blade like cross guard.

Diemond chuckled. “It’s a divine blade, Darling. All of us, except for AFCK, have weapons made by Lisbeth. She is our main smith. We are very well acquainted with her skill. You made a great choice going to her.”

Kirito nodded in response with a sly grin on his face. “Shall we get this started?”

“Please,” AFCK groaned. “Astro is going to level up to ninety, and that means she can finally put Infinite Spear as a skill!”

The look Astro shot AFCK was cold and piercing. “How did you know that! I only found out I had that two weeks ago!”

“You did?” AFCK innocently asked. “You got it when you maxed your Two-Handed Spear Skill. You were the first one-”

Astro grabbed AFCK’s scale armor and brought them face to face. “What else do you know about the Unique Skills? Spill what you think we know.”

“Welllllll, Commander Heathcliff has Holy Sword because he is the strongest player. BB wasn’t eligible because she uses a hammer. Kirito has the fastest reaction time, so he was given Dual Blades. Infinite Spear is awarded to the player who completes Two-Handed Spear first, which was you. PoH has Darkness Blades because he has killed the most players. Kiefer better hurry up or Klein will finish the Katana skill and get Battoujutsu. We all know that Doombunny has Fencer because she is the most fearless one-handed player. Shurikenjutsu is for whoever finished Blade Throwing first, but Bladescape isn’t eligible because she already has the Unique Skill Greatsword. She thinks it is a secret, but silly her. I can see right through her.”

“And what is Greatsword given for?” Astro growled, not letting go.

“Duh,” AFCK said rolling her eyes. She wasn’t even phased by Astro’s actions. “For being the most unrelenting player. No one can stop Bladescape. She crushes all with Harmonic Salvation and she doesn't relent in her force, no matter what level the enemy is."

“And the last three?” Astro pressed.

“Um…” AFCK thought. “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “The game hasn’t unlocked the last three. I’m thinking there has to be one for an axe, another specifically for shield, and the last would be for mace or hammer, but you can’t rule out a crafting unique skill.

“Since these Unique Skills were not supposed to be released before Floor Ninety, things are a bit crazy. Cardinal is being extra feisty lately. A player can reach the requirements, but not have it unlocked by the system yet. That is why you, Astro, only just got Infinite Spear unlocked, late. BB can’t get the shield unique skill because of the Floating Bulwark. That would be cheating.”

Astro looked over at Bladescape and Kirito, who were side by side. Without a response from them, she released AFCK.

Bladescape immediately turned to Kirito. “In real life, she is worse. She isn’t psychic, because she can’t read minds, but somehow, she knows things. And it has transferred to SAO. As you just saw, she typically doesn’t realize she is the only one who knows.”

“Like who Cardinal is?” Kirito asked.

“Badie!” AFCK yelled, right before a roar thundered out of the cave.

They dropped the subject as they focused on the real threat and rushed to get into their position. Doombunny was out of sight and they formed up on the tanks. Kirito went with Astro and Joltron, leaving Bladescape to set up with Diemond and AFCK.

The King Black Dragon and Elvarg were typical western dragons, with a solid body supported by four clawed limbs and a pair of wings off the back. They also had thicker tails they could control and a streamlined neck from which a larger, more crocodilian head was mounted.

Fucanglong was the first eastern dragon in Sword Art Online. It had the longer, noodle type body with no wings. The front and back pairs of legs were spread out very far from each other. The head was more or less the same size as the body, with horns and a flat snout. The eyes faced forward more than the western style and unlike Elvarg, the tail wasn’t a strong, well muscled tool that could strike with a heavy hit.

Fucanglong reared up, despite the long body, and let out a roar. Around its neck was a necklace with a large pearl dangling from it.

“Not what I was expecting!” Joltron yelled.

“Sorry!” Bladescape yelled back with a laugh. “I guess I forgot to describe the dragon. This isn’t going to be a problem, is it?”

“No?” Joltron shouted back. “No backing down now!”

His distraction earned Joltron the first attack. Out of nowhere one of the claws had a large ball of stone and threw it. Astro saw it coming and stepped to the side. Joltron was blasted off his feet and onto his back.

“Sorry,” Astro said, extending her hand to pull him up. “I wasn’t going to let you crush me under your weight. Have you felt your armor?” She pulled him up.

Kirito and his two swords were rushing Fucanglong on their left. Diemond and AFCK were also making a move, although they were taking a more conservative approach. Bladescape waited further back, watching the opening assault. Kirito’s attack was stronger than Bladescape expected, and she had seen his dual blades before. His new sword was as strong, if not stronger, than his black Elucidator.

Doombunny materialized next too Bladescape. “We have a problem!” Doombunny exclaimed.

“What?” Bladescape asked, only giving her a quick glance.

“I have no place to hit from behind. The legs are too different from the others. This body type is too shifty and wormy. I don’t have the same angles the other dragon bodies provided me with!”

Bladescape glanced at Doombunny again. Colorra was on her shoulders and Endbringer was drawn.

“Doom, when the dragon rears up again, change. Slip between the legs and carve up the underbelly.”

“Right,” Doombunny nodded. “Then you better go make it do that!”

Bladescape drew Harmonic Salvation and silently charged. Diemond took a boulder on her shield, knocking her back. The follow up boulder was blocked by Kirito's crossed swords.

"Switch!" Kirito yelled as Bladescape charged past him.

Bladescape saw the dragon shift, ready to make its next move. She triggered Highlander Slash, which vaulted her to do a right to left downward slash. The second part let the blade swing back around for a second slash. It left two nasty red slashes along the dragon’s left shoulder.

Fucanglong didn’t rear up. The dragon darted past Bladescape and turned. Bladescape realized what it was doing. She heard it ram into Joltron’s shield and him yelp as he was tossed. The back half of the dragon also moved around Bladescape, coiling around her like a snake. Meanwhile, its head and front legs continued to address the others.

As the two coils began to close in on her, Bladescape began to slash and hack. Despite the strikes, the coils were closing in. Bladescape couldn't slash anymore. She moved her left hand forward, past the guard and onto the ricasso, the unsharpened part of the sword blade. With her hands in position, Soul Thrust was triggered and Harmonic Salvation was stabbed to the hilt. The skill projected the blade further, busting a hole out of the other side of Fucanglong.

That caused the coils to stop constricting, the long body thrashing in pain. Bladescape had Harmonic Salvation ripped from her grip losing sight of the blade as she dashed out of the opening before she was crushed by the dragon’s body.

Once away, Bladescape turned and saw the sword slide out of the Dragon's body and be sent spinning end over end. There was no way for her to grab it as it went the opposite direction she had. Bladescape’s heart sank as she realized she would have to mount an expedition to find the blade after the battle, since it wasn’t going to stop before the edge of the plateau.

Astro barely slid out of the way of the spinning sword. Diemond hit the deck out of reflex to avoid what was flying at her. None of them stood a chance against a windmilling Harmonic Salvation. As it reached the plateau’s edge, AFCK appeared, nabbing it. Her hand stopped it in place as she firmly gripped the ricasso.

“TOUCHDOWN!” AFCK declared before spiking the sword into the ground like it was a football.

Bladescape wasn’t the only one who rolled her eyes. She dashed after her sword, sliding to a stop and pulling it out of the stone. “Thanks AFCK. Next time though, let’s not spike our equipment into the ground like a ball.”

“Ooooh,” AFCK replied. “Gotcha.” She winked and was gone, charging the dragon.

Bladescape ran back to the fray. The dragon was once again charging around, tossing stones, swinging its claws, spewing fire, and ramming into the tanks. The others dove out of the way, but the Tanks stood firm. Joltron got, at minimum, knocked back each time, but he would go out of his way to try and give Fucanglong a headache. Diemond was strong, but less willing to try and stop a charging dragon, especially knowing that neither of them could fully stop the beast.

Bladescape got into position behind Joltron. He braced for impact and took the head butt. Bladescape stepped out from around him, letting him fall onto his back, as she pulled her sword up to her shoulders, out parallel to the ground, and thrust. It was a static movement, meaning she could hold the stance. As she held it, Fucanglong slithered past, dragging a long slice along its body.

It turned to strike at Bladescape. Diemond was there, with Radiant Beauty glowing, and smashed it into the dragon’s nose. AFCK slammed a Rock Candy Smash into the side of its head and then brought Geode Splitter down on its skull. Diemond took the retaliatory flames on her shield. It then headbutted the braced Diemond, knocking her back.

Any further action was stopped as Astro rammed Dragon Tale into its side. Kirito unleashed his dual blades further back. Doombunny got her own set of strikes in as well.

Bladescape caught a glimpse of The Crystal Dragon’s HP. They were down one of four health bars. Having prepared for a more static fight, things were not going smoothly, but they were getting their hits in.

Things continued in much the same way. The non-tanks got better at timing sidestepping the charges and letting the dragon slice itself open on a charged Sword Skill. Doombunny was also finding her openings, although she wasn’t doing anywhere near the expected damage.

With a full health bar and a decent chunk left in the second, Fucanglong froze, looking around. It was obvious it was panicking.

“Psst!”

Bladescape heard Doombunny behind her, probably back-to-back with her. She didn’t react to protect her hiding friend.

“I stole its pearl,” Doombunny explained. “It was just hanging there around its neck. It looks like I was right, the pearl is important. Kill it now.”

“CHARGE!” Bladescape ordered as she surged forward. The others yelled in response, unleashing their own powerful combination strikes. The fury of blows knocked it down to its final bar.

They had a raging dragon on their hands and it was rushing around. Kirito was the next victim of the constricting coils, but his two swords were a fury that the dragon was not prepared for.

Bladescape saw the dragon target her. She raised her sword and stood her ground as she prepared to take it head on. Just before she timed her sidestep Fucanglong opened its maw and spewed fire. Bladescape dove out of the way, trying to avoid the flames. Her legs cried as the flames penetrated past her armor and to her very core. Her health dipped down into the red. Battle regeneration restored points but it continued to slide down. Landing as hard as she did made it hard for her to react. Fucanglong raised its claws to deal the final blow. Bladescape was powerless to stop it.

The action was canceled as Diemond’s mace smacked it in the side of the head. The dragon shook its head to clear its headache. The claw was drawn back a bit and it was not going to be declined this time from its kill.

“OVER HERE!” Doombunny yelled. She was in its view and had the pearl raised high. “I have your pearl!”

The dragon roared and charged after its pearl.

Distracted, the others landed hits that dropped the dragon into the red as Bladescape got a crystal and healed herself. She stood up and gripped Harmonic Salvation. Fucanglong the Crystal Dragon was almost dead, in the red. If she was going to get the kill shot, she needed to time it right. They were distracted and split up since their initial plan had failed.

“BLADE!” Doombunny yelled. “CATCH! FINISH THE FIGHT!”

Doombunny threw the pearl. Bladescape only had one hand to catch it with. It bounced off her chest and she juggled it. She did nab it and found Fucanglong charging at her with a roar.

The pearl still had a bit of the silk rope it used to keep it secure around its neck. Bladescape wrapped it around her left hand and took a rear stance, pointing the blade at the charging dragon.

The leaping skill triggered and Bladescape met the dragon in the air thrusting Harmonic Salvation into its neck. She ripped the blade out of the virtual flesh, spun and chopped down.

The sword sliced all the way through, ending the fight. The dragon shattered into the polygons it was made of and they received the congratulation to confirm it. Fanfare for Astro’s level up was also heard.

Bladescape slid Harmonic Salvation into its sheath and looked at the drops. The Philosopher’s stone was there, along with the Crystalline Draconic Visage. A third item was on the list. A crystal key. The XP and Col was substantial, as expected from one of Aincrad’s Five. The item drops were lower than the other two, but they had keys to unlock chests, so it wasn’t a huge surprise.

“I’ll take that,” Doombunny said, snatching the pearl from Bladescape’s hand.

Bladescape ignored it as she looked around at the others. They were exhausted. Joltron and Diemond were on the ground, panting heavily. Astro tried but gave up and sat down. Kirito was sitting, swords sheathed. Bladescape was tired, but she had just gotten off the ground, and it was a painful fall.

Bladescape pulled her menu up and sent a simple message to Backbreaker. All it said was “done.”

She walked to a more central location among her friends and Kirito. “I got what I needed,” She announced. “Kirito, our keys are yours.”

Kirito nodded. “Thanks. I hope I don’t need them. They were well earned by us all. What I care about is getting the ring.”

After a good breather, they headed into the cave. It was filled with icicles and twenty-four crystal chests. All of the chests appeared to be the same, outside of location.

Diemond retrieved her crystal key from her inventory and looked at it.. If they had brought more players they would have gotten more. But the keys could not be traded. Only 7 would get opened. They would have to choose wisely. Or perhaps better put, Kirito would, since they were his until he found the ring he was after.

Kirito walked forward, making his choice. His decision was perhaps the most critical. Inside one of the chests was the "The Ring of Angel's Whisper." Kirito had been on a long and complicated quest to obtain it. It consisted of multiple riddles and puzzles, all coming down to this point.

He had to use the riddles to choose the right chest. It would either contain a scroll with the next set of clues, or the ring. Kirito was mumbling to himself for a bit, repeating several puzzles. Having verified his choice, he used the key to unlock a chest. He turned around, holding a small white box in his hand. A second later, his face lit up with pure joy and relief. The ring was his, although he intended on giving it as a present to Silica.

Diemond made her choice. She opened her chest. A menu popped up, indicating she got a heavy shield. It wasn't until she equipped it that she understood its name: Paragon. The Paragon Diamond was her all-time favorite cut diamond, cut into a seven-sided kite shield. The shield she had received was an elongated octagon, similar to what she could conjure in the real world.

Bladescape had gotten the Last Attack Bonus. She had gotten the Crystal Draconic Visage, as well as the Philosopher's stone. She also got her own crystal key. Thankfully Kirito had gotten what he needed. She had no problem upholding her end of their deal, but she could enjoy the prize she got.

Bladescape walked up to a chest and froze. She looked around. There was no difference other than the location inside the cave. That was how Kirito had determined which chest was the one he needed. Bladescape saw no logic to it and decided to just open the chest. She knelt down to see better. Inside was an interesting piece.

"Diemond!" Doombunny exclaimed from her chest, distracting Bladescape. "I got a Crystal Helm! Well, the name is actually Paragon Helm, but it looks like a giant gemstone."

"I got Crystal Chest Plate!" AFCK happily decreed.

"Paragon Boots," Joltron added.

"Paragon Gauntlets," Astro grinned.

They all looked at Bladescape. Bladescape looked at them with a blank face before she smiled at Diemond who was holding her breath. "I got Paragon's Mace."

Bladescape pulled out the mace. It had a crystal handle and shaft. Off the handle was a loop of chain-link crystals to make sure it stayed with the user. The head of the mace was the real prize. It was a giant trilliant cut diamond, seamlessly connected at the bottom to the handle. One of the triangle tips was in the forward position for the molded grip.

Bladescape looked at her friends holding out their prizes. Kirito was smiling as he understood something special was happening.

Diemond finally squealed with excitement. "Just like back home!"

Kirito's eyes flashed with confusion for a moment and then he decided to ignore it. For the time being at least. He had what he needed and the dragon fight was over. All that mattered to him was getting his gift to Silica.

"Hey, the new armor will match mine," Joltron said. "My shield is obsidian crystals and my armor mimics that. Your diamond armor is geometric crystals too."

Diemond let out another excited squeal about the idea of having a matching partner. No doubt she would come up with some other way to tie the two of them together.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 99 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword - Rend
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 89 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search - Martial Arts
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 93 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics - Sprint - Rend
AFCK(PP): Lvl 88 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument - Rend
Diemond (R): Lvl 88 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry - Rend
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 94 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing - Sprint - Armor Pierce
Astro (PS): Lvl 90 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry - Search - Infinite Spear
Kiefer: Lvl 89 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce - Sprint
Lessa: Lvl 86 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics - Wood Carving
Joltron: Lvl 88 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry - Acrobatics
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 83 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce - Purchase Negotiation - Sale Negotiation

Episode 96 - Soccer Championship

Floor 61 - Front Line Floor 75
November 3 - Year 2

A lot had happened in the weeks following Fucanglong the Crystal Dragon's defeat.

Most significantly for the state of Aincrad, there had been some internal issues with the Knights of the Bloodoath The Seventy-Fourth Floor boss battle had been rushed by a group of Army soldiers from the First Floor. Fuurinkazan, Kirito, and Asuna had gone in to save them, and did save almost all of them, but in the process, Kirito was forced to kill the boss with his Dual Swords, revealing his Secret Unique Skill to the world.

Not a week later, Kirito ended up dueling Heathcliff in a scheduled match. Scheduled matches were rare, most disputes being settled on the spot. Officially the disagreement was over Kirito spending time with Asuna and taking her away from her duties to the KOB. If Kirito won, they could spend time together however they wanted, but if he lost, he would have to join the KOB.

The Wondercolts had attended the duel to support their friend, and the KOB had earned a lot of money from selling tickets. Kirito fought an admirable battle. Right as he was about to win, Heathcliff expertly turned the tables and finished the duel. Heathcliff’s victory meant that Kirito had to join the KOB, ending the time of the last Solo Player on the front line. It was a spectacle well worth the money the guild spent for the tickets.

Three days later, Bladescape had noticed Godfree had disappeared from her friend list. She went to the KOB headquarters and spoke to Heathcliff directly. He gave her the harrowing tale of Godfree's murder by Kurideal and the attempted murder of Kirito. Godfree was the first player Bladescape could consider herself being close to who had died. His picture was now on the shrine, placed there by Bladescape herself.

But tonight was for celebration. They had called all the gang together to watch the Wondercolts' Soccer Finale. Agil had closed his shop, the big celebratory feast enticing him to lock up early. Fuurinkazan had taken off the entire day to watch both matches and eat cupcakes. Rendil, Silica, Lisbeth, Boots, and Argo were all in attendance as well. Thinker and Yulier had been able to make it too, despite some big changes happening in the Aincrad Liberation Force. Sasha was also supposed to be arriving with all the kids in tow.

Asuna and Kirito would have been invited, but they had slipped away somewhere for a vacation. Merlin made a comment about their "vacation" the other day, after Bladescape finished a simple recovery quest. The two of them had gotten married in the game and were taking some time off. She had planned on asking Godfree to join in the festivities of the soccer championship as well, but that was sadly impossible now. Bladescape suspected his death had something to do with the young couple's sudden desire to get away from things.

Shaking away the depressing thoughts, Sunset pulled her soccer uniform over her head and focused on was the finals. They had finished their regular season with Rainbooms, Scorpions, Bellmare, and TNT in good positions. Antlers had only won three of fifteen games, and Cerezo had only won four of fifteen games. Everyone else had won at least seven games.

They had run a set of playoff games for the other four teams. Everyone had expected the final two teams to be Scorpions against Rainbooms, Astro against Thunderborne. However, the Scorpions choked and were knocked down to the bottom to fight for bronze. They finished third, beating TNT in a penalty shoot-out after a tied game of 0-0.

Now it was time for the Rainbooms and Bellmare to meet for the pride of taking the gold. There wasn’t a trophy, cup, or medals, but it was bragging rights. It was not going to be a half-watched game like a normal match. Everyone had been watching the playoffs and then the bronze medal match earlier in the day.

After the soccer match today, the cooks would have an hour to finish dinner. Most of it was either prepared, or slowly cooking. They were making a huge feast to feed everyone and every oven was either in use, or about to be used. It was a good break from the monotony of the game and a good distraction from the massive stress of the upcoming 75th Floor Boss Battle.

Sunset checked herself in the mirror. She looked good in the Blue and Green uniform. Shonan Bellmare was Kamishi’s team I.R.L. He was from the area, which was southwest of Tokyo on the coast. The name basically meant Beautiful Sea.

Kamishi was not as outright competitive as Rainbow Dash or Poly Stitch, particularly when it came to Soccer, but he was a hard headed competitor who knew how to lead a team and capitalize on the opponent’s weaknesses. He had forged Bladescape, Helia, and Suiko into an amazing team. As unexpected as their team playing for first was, it wasn’t a surprise they were in the top three from their performances.

Sunset headed downstairs. Lobelia caught her on the third-floor landing. “Good luck, Bladescape,” She said with a grin. It was a bit odd that she didn't add Kaisho, but it felt good. “I hope you win. It would be fun to knock Thunderborne down a level.”

Bladescape chuckled. “It would be fun, and we have done well, but I have seen her play for our school. It will be an uphill battle for us to win gold.”

“I bet you have it,” Lobelia replied as they headed downstairs.

“Thunder is gunning for me and won’t let up,” Bladescape replied. “I’m going to be facing a lot of tough kicks.”

They went out to the courtyard. Bladescape was the last player to arrive. Everyone was there. The stands were crowded with the kids and all the Wondercolts' friends. Diemond had made a variety of flags and fanfare to show team spirit. Klein was shirtless with a painted green chest and blue arms and face. A large, white B was on his chest, either for Bladescape or for Bellmare, or possibly both.

Bladescape met up with her team. Kamishi nodded to her and then gave his wisdom. “You all know how hard you have worked, and how well you have played. This has been a fun season. Thunderborne isn’t happy she is meeting us at the finals, not Astro. Play like you have been, but we have to keep the heat off Bladescape. Helia, that means you have to play a tight defense. I’ll work to keep the pressure off you two as best as possible. Suiko, play to Backbreaker’s weak side, her left. She still wants to use a shield to block the ball, so use it, but mix it up. Be ready to take the long toss or kick towards their goal.”

They confirmed the orders and took their positions. Astro graciously accepted the position as their referee since she wasn’t playing. She did the coin flip, and the Rainbooms won. Thunderborne put the ball in play.

Kate immediately slipped past Kamishi and Helia and kicked the ball. Bladescape batted it away in time and it flew into the stands where it forced the spectators to duck and dive.

Sunset locked eyes with Rainbow Dash. It might have been Kate who kicked, but Thunderborne had obviously set the strategy. She wasn’t happy Bladescape had blocked the ball, and Bladescape wasn’t going to show her any weakness as she stared her down. Rainbow Dash was very aware that Sunset was on to her, and that she was going to stop anything kicked her way.

Since Bladescape had touched the ball last, it was the Rainbooms' ball. Kate tossed it in, right to Mjolna who batted it to Thunderborne where it was slammed by Thunderborne’s foot. Bladescape dove, grabbing it before she hit the ground.

She didn’t stay there, immediately rolling out of the dive and throwing the ball downfield. On the smaller 4 v 4 pitch, they had more options available than a regular sized soccer pitch with eleven players on each side could handle. The ball easily sailed past the Rainbooms, who were all close to Bellmore’s goal. Suiko never let the ball touch the ground as her foot connected with it in midair. It had a lot of spin on it as it made contact with Suiko's foot, making an almost 90 degree turn to the top corner of the goal where it easily slipped past a faked out Backbreaker.

“BOOM!” Bladescape yelled at Thunderborne as she walked out towards her a bit. Thunderborne just growled back as she walked toward their goal so they could get the ball back into play.

Only the Scorpions, led by Astro, had beaten the Rainbooms onto the scoreboard. It was a momentous moment worthy of a final game for the prize. It was a tad aggressive in the celebration and Bladescape knew she would be on the receiving end of a harsh retribution for rubbing it in that loudly.

Retribution didn’t come as Thunderborne made the right play and the Rainbooms slid it past the defenders and kicked it back to Thunderborne. With Thunderborne right at the goal there was nothing Bladescape could do to stop the expert soccer player. Thunderborne just silently strutted away from the goal after scoring.

Astro paused the game halfway into the first half after Kate took the ball to her face. It had been deflected off Bladescape’s hand after being kicked by Thunderborne. They took a little break to help them all cool off a bit. The score was still 1-1 but it had been a very hot game.

“Good job,” Kamishi told his team. “We are keeping Thunder in the center of the field more than forward towards our goal. Every time you can throw it down to Suiko, the better. Even if Thunder is in the middle, it still keeps her off the goal for safety of her own net. Suiko, keep drilling it into BB’s left side. Then mix it up when you know she will take the bait. We have to keep her guessing.”

They confirmed the orders and drank plenty of water to keep hydrated. Astro was satisfied with the cooldown and they got back to the game.

The ball was last touched by Kate's face, meaning it was Bellmare's ball. Kamishi set up on the side and looked at his team. Bladescape was prepared for the incoming throw. Since Bladescape was the goalie, she could grab the ball with her hands. Passing the ball to her meant she could better set up their possession of the ball than what Kamishi could do from his position on the side. Kamishi raised it above his head towards her and then began to throw it towards Bladescape. He let go with just his left hand and the ball changed direction.

It flew down to Suiko. She was there, and immediately kicked it back towards their own goal. Helia had sprinted forward in the confusion of the unexpected change. She took it on the chest and kicked it on an intercept course with Kamishi. His stride stayed even as the pass was placed exactly where he needed it. He didn't stop as he went to kick the ball. It was set up as a goal shot but Kamishi adjusted his foot to send it sideways, straight to Suiko.

Suiko was right by the goal as the ball came at her head. They hadn't practiced head shots. They rarely had the set up. Suiko went for it and the ball bounced off her head towards the goal.

It slammed into the top post and rebounded back out. Backbreaker had made her defensive move but she had halted when it hit the post. She couldn't grab it as it flew away down the field. Kamishi, having backed off after his last pass, was in position to intercept and didn't let the moment go to waste. He punted it into the top left corner of the goal. Backbreaker was powerless to stop it.

Bellmare was up 2 to 1 on the Rainbooms. Klein was the loudest cheerleader as Bellmare's supporters cheered and hollered.

Thunderborne was frustrated at being outsmarted. Her team relied on her skill and Backbreaker's ability to block most shots. If those failed, the others couldn't adjust well. Kamishi had decently skilled players who could adjust and think on their own, mixing up the plays better than any other team.

Thunderborne dropped back to the goal to move the ball out at a slower pace. Slowing things down was odd for her, but the strategy worked as she moved it up the field. She kicked it to Kate, to get it around Kamishi, and then it came right back to her. She brought it close to the goal, faking out the close kick to pop it to the side where Kate slid it just past the right post with an easy, soft kick.

It was again tied, but Bladescape could tell Thunderborne was frustrated. Normally a tie happened when the other team caught up to the Rainbooms. But the Rainbooms were currently working to tie the game up, not getting ahead.

The end of the first half came with the score tied at 2-2. The cooks scrambled past the players, cutting across the stone pitch to get at the kitchen and make sure things were going well or doing whatever they needed to do before the game started again.

Bellmare exchanged fist bumps, but otherwise kept quiet. They took their break, drank their water, but they all understood what to do. It had been working, and there was no reason to change anything.

Things were not in the Rainbooms' favor since they had won the coin toss. Bellmare started the second half with the ball, and they had proven to be the dominant team. It was obvious as Thunderborne took a defensive position with Mjolna. Kate even came into the center of the field. There would be no fast action if the Rainbooms got a hold of the ball.

Helia came out of a defensive position, just ahead of Kamishi so he could kick the ball "forward." She immediately took it back a few feet as they set up their play.

Kate rushed Helia, but she was spotted in time. Helia popped the ball around Kate and then kicked it hard to Kamishi. Kamishi took it on the chest and used his knee to pop it around Thunderborne to Suiko. Suiko faked out Mjolna and Backbreaker with an angled kick that wasn't at the goal at all. It went back across the field where Kamishi had sprinted to. His footwork was perfect as he took the ball and kicked. It was straight at Backbreaker, but since he was on her far side, she put herself in position to block the much more open goal. By the time she realized what he was doing, she was going in the wrong direction, unable to change, and the ball sailed into the back net uncontested.

Within two minutes of the second half Bellmare was up 3-2. It was an unprecedented game.

Backbreaker threw the ball as hard as she could. It went over everyone's heads to Kate. Kate used her head to knock it back to a charging Thunderborne. Thunderborne had the entire goal to choose from since she was in the center of the field. Bladescape could not read the kick and it sailed into the top left corner, barely squeaking by the post but not touching it. An expert placement honed through hours on a soccer pitch, both practicing and playing.

The game stalled out at 3-3. The Rainbooms had several good runs, but Bladescape blocked each kick. They couldn't gain the upper hand either, but Bellmare gave the Rainbooms as good as they got, and the Rainbooms were still the team having to play catch-up.

The second half came to a close with the two teams battling for control in the middle of the field. To break the tie, they would have a penalty shootout. Astro flipped the coin and it landed in Bellmare's favor. A normal shootout had 5 different kickers, picked from 10 fielders and the goalie protecting their goal. Since they were playing 4 on 4, with three fielders, the forward kicked first, then center, then defender, back to forward and then the final kick by the center. It was the fairest way they could devise for a 5-kick shootout.

Suiko kicked first, sending the ball low and to Backbreaker's left side. It was Backbreaker's weak spot and she missed blocking it. They were up 4-3.

Kate kicked the ball straight at Bladescape. It looked like it was going to go left, but Bladescape held out a half a second long enough to see the change and just stood there, catching the ball that came right to her. It was still 4-3 with Bellmare up.

Kamishi kicked it high, but soft. He also played to Backbreaker's left side. The softer kick was used as a misdirect, but it also allowed Backbreaker to skip in front of it and catch it.

Bladescape was facing Thunderborne. Retribution came with a powerful kick. The ball rocketed forward and Bladescape dove to block it. Her fingers touched the ball but couldn't stop the force of the kick and it slipped out of her grasp. It was tied 4-4.

Helia was up, kicking for Bellmare. She set up for a left kick, but kicked to the right. Backbreaker moved wrong to start, but was able to get her foot back over enough to knock it off of its path and saving her team from another lost goal.

Mjolna came forward to kick against Bladescape. The ball was kicked hard and it went sailing over the goal. It dropped in time to hit the far wall, staying inside the castle. They had lost fourteen balls to the sea over the season and five during the playoff. There was a reason why Mjolna was the Rainbooms' defender and not their forward.

Suiko was back up. She drilled it high and right, Backbreaker was able to bat it away.

Kate took her second shot. She tried to slip it past Bladescape with a low kick that skipped off the ground. The bounce redirected the ball enough, saving Bladescape who had gone in the wrong direction, by bouncing out of bounds.

Kamishi was up for their final kick. His stride wasn't even as he skipped forward in an off-putting bounce. It proved effective as Backbreaker shuffled to her left, giving Kamishi enough time to redirect it to the other side. Unfortunately, the shuffle also threw off his kick and it slammed into the side-post and back out towards them.

Thunderborne took the ball and set it down in the proper spot. Her grin was evil as she stared her friend down. This was the pressure Rainbow Dash, no matter what reality, thrived on. If she made the goal, they won. If not, they would set up for another round of a penalty shootout.

The kick was not Thunderborne's hardest by a long shot, but the conservative choice did give Bladescape a second to second-guess the direction and she chose wrong. It sailed into Bellmare's goal unchecked.

Thunderborne jumped up, fist pumping the air as she screamed her head off in celebration. Her team rushed her in the middle of the field for a celebratory pile.

Kamishi, Suiko, and Helia joined Bladescape at their goal while the others celebrated.

"Well done," Kamishi praised. "That was a mighty fine game. Near perfect. We did everything right. Thunderborne got the better of us in the last kick, but we still held the lead the entire time. We couldn't have asked for a better ending to this season."

They bumped fists and congratulated each other over accomplishments and actions during the game that they wanted to point out. Their teammates still deserved the praise and support even with it being the final game of the season. A new season would start after Floor Seventy-Five. A few Wondercolts wanted in, and a few others wanted out, but it was going to be an even swap.

The cooks had rushed to the kitchen during the celebrations. Klein came over and congratulated each of them. He pulled Bladescape in for a side hug. "Nice job, Doll Face. You were fierce out there."

"Thanks Klein," Bladescape smiled back. "I can't be disappointed with my performance or any of my teammates' performances."

"You took second after a hard-fought loss, I can stand my team being second."

Bladescape shook her head with a smile. Klein had had too much fun over the entire day, and the feast had yet to happen. The day was still young.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 102 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword - Rend - Reveal
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 91 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search - Martial Arts - Blade Throwing
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 96 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics - Sprint - Rend
AFCK(PP): Lvl 90 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument - Rend - Search
Diemond (R): Lvl 90 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry - Rend - Search
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 98 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing - Sprint - Armor Pierce
Astro (PS): Lvl 94 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry - Search - Martial Arts
Kiefer: Lvl 92 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce - Sprint - Blade Throwing
Lessa: Lvl 89 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics - Wood Carving
Joltron: Lvl 90 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry - Acrobatics - Rend
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 85 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce - Purchase Negotiation - Sale Negotiation

Episode 97 - 75th Scout Unit

Front Line - Floor 75
November 6 - Year 2

Floor 75 proved to be a nightmare unlike any they had seen. It was worse than predicted. The monsters and field bosses between the exit from Floor 74 and Floor 75's Labyrinth had been tougher than those on the last five floors combined, and the trials inside were a step up from even that. Through pooled map data, they had quickly filled in the gaps and found the boss chamber, but the labyrinth was still estimated to only be half cleared. It was hard to keep track of the shifting herds of monsters.

Astro sliced a Puca open with her spear. While it wasn't the most effective at slash attacks, Dragon Tale did the job admirably. Being the predominant creatures on Floor 75, these red-eyed, cyclopean, badger-like monsters were easier to slash than stab. They only stood half the height of the average player, but despite that and the cute sounding name they were a force to be reckoned with when their swarm tactics worked. They would hunt and herd players into other monsters or dead ends and launch an attack when their target was least able to protect themselves from the savage creatures.

Yokai, one of the players in her party, groaned. "Ugh. These things have bad omens written all over them. I'm from Hiroshima. If you kill a marten, the legends say you will soon encounter a fire. A burn your house down type fire; not a nice and warm campfire."

Astro groaned. "Legend and omens or not, we have a boss to scout. Let's just finish getting to the chamber and then the real job begins. Besides, you guys were training when the Wondercolts discovered the Labyrinth. You seriously have no idea how many of these blasted Pucas there actually were. The packs they hunt in now are not even half the size we were dealing with."

A few players shivered. The twenty player scouting party was a mix of five guilds. It was spearheaded by Astro and Yamata from the DDA. Yamata was heading up the first party of ten, while Astro was leading the second.

For the Wondercolts, Astro had Pell, Yori, and Babs with her. Most of the Wondercolts were on a planned break for the day. Astro wasn't, and the other three decided to join her rather than take the day off. They wouldn't enter the boss fight the next day, but they would be able to help scout it, and keep the Wondercolt Raiders better rested for the upcoming hell. Like Floor 25 and Floor 50, it was a benchmark Floor and everything was significantly harder than anything previously thrown at them.

Several names were floating around for the boss: Grogar the Terrible, Somnambula Sphinx, Yamata no Orochi, Dorz'l the Chaos Drake, The Skull Reaper, and The Phoenix. Each was something that NPCs had been talking about since the 70th Floor. At least a single NPC mentioned their names in passing, if not more. It could be one of them, or the 75th Floor Boss could be something completely different. The names didn't give them much of a description outside a vague idea of what a dragon, drake, or phoenix was. Their goal was to find out and prepare the raid party for success.

Getting to the Boss Chamber was proving harder than anticipated. Astro was having to stop her team from running when the Pucas began their next hunt. It wasn't useful to run. Fighting was their only viable option, regardless of how tiring it was.

They continued along the path, through the mist that covered the floor of the obsidian corridors. The air was damp and a bit chilly. Astro's team was currently in the lead. Thankfully they knew exactly where the chamber was. That eased some of the stress. They just couldn't afford to run. It was a honeycomb maze, but they had charted the fastest and safest route to the chamber. They needed to stick to it.

After another hour of battling the demon-esk pucas, as well as the chippits, a snake creature with a protective shell that shielded its reptilian head full of razor-sharp teeth, they made it to the boss chamber. The glossy obsidian doors were closed.

Astro reached into a pouch and pulled out the Corridor Crystal that Commander Heathcliff had given her. She set it so that the raiding party could use the other corridor crystal and bypass the labyrinth altogether.

Corridor crystals were incredibly rare and expensive. Always coming as a matched pair, they were among the rarest of drops, or found in chests that were usually booby trapped. They couldn't be bought from an NPC anywhere in Aincrad. All of that meant they were used sparingly. If the Floors past 75 didn't ease up on the Labyrinth clearing, they would probably use them at every boss fight they could. If they had any to use.

Yamata was itching to go in. He didn't like working with the Wondercolts, even the "new" Wondercolts. Astro didn't like working with any members of the Divine Dragon Alliance either, which was why she let him take who he wanted in team A, and she led team B. Despite that, Commander Heathcliff had personally given the corridor crystal to Astro and he entrusted her with setting it up. It wasn't hard, but she had to be taught how since she hadn't used one before. The Wondercolts were the dominant and favored guild for the scouting mission, but scrounging up players to even join this scouting mission had been difficult.

Astro was going to use it to her advantage. She would let Yamata lead his team in and watch from outside for a bit. When he inevitably messed up, she would move in and save him, taking charge of all the scouts at that moment and successfully leading the scouts in gathering all the information they needed to organize the correct raid party. He would be knocked down from his inflated pedestal and Astro would keep her spot where it belonged; a wide base lower to the ground.

Yamata formed up his team and looked at Astro. She nodded, signaling to him that they were ready and had his back. They pushed open the doors and stepped in a few feet. The doors continued their customary opening until they were all the way back.

Nothing came of it and Astro heard more Pucas coming down one of the many side corridors of the labyrinth. She organized her team into a defensive position and watched as Yamata took his team in further.

Drawing out the bosses had become increasingly harder. And they were beginning to resist the scouting parties. The Sister Witches were a prime example of them holding back until they had a larger group, a real threat, attacking them.

But nothing came to challenge their entrance. No lights turned on or flames sprang to life. The only light into the boss chamber was coming in from the open doors. Astro stepped closer to the doors as she prepared to bring her team in. Without a direction from the Boss, she would need to play their entry carefully so that they were not flanked and caught off guard. From what she could see, it was the largest boss chamber to date. Extraordinarily massive in size, it gave rise to her belief that that the boss would be excessively large as well.

Yamata's team of ten made it to the center of the large room. They fanned out, taking defensive positions while they sought the boss out. It had to be there.

Astro looked back at her team. The Pucas hadn't made it to them yet. They were free to enter. "On me," Astro ordered. "We are going in."

They formed up in a diamond pattern to allow for maximum coverage of their entrance. Astro stepped up to the edge off the chamber and took in a deep breath, preparing herself mentally for the upcoming fight. She let it out and lifted her foot to start their entrance.

It struck stone as the boss chamber doors slammed shut. Astro blinked at the obsidian in front of her face. If she had finished that step, the door would have slammed her back, out of the chamber.

"Now what?" Yori nervously asked. "The boss chamber doors have never closed on us before."

" They did once," Astro said, remembering Kalzuk Dungeon. "A dungeon boss chamber in a side dungeon. We couldn't teleport out and the six of us were forced to face the boss. We won and then the doors opened back up."

Astro pushed on the doors, but they didn't budge. Several members of her team were unable to hide their relief that the doors didn't open. Astro didn't share the feeling as she stepped back from them.

"Pucas," Pell warned as he saw one further down a side hallway.

Astro's team moved to set up a perimeter again. While they waited for the monsters to attack, she examined the intricately carved doors in an attempt to deduce something about the boss and what was going on inside. Each Floor Boss had their own unique doors. Unfortunately, there was nothing that stood out to her to give any indication of what was inside.

The doors groaned open under their own power. Astro stepped back up to the threshold. No one appeared to be inside.

"Hello? Anyone inside?" Astro called out. She cupped her hands and yelled out even louder. Only her echo responded.

A heavy weight settling into her stomach, Astro took a step forward, but Pell and Yori grabbed her shoulders and yanked her back.

"Think this through," Pell hissed. "I don't want to assume the worst, but if they are not in there, then we don’t need to go in. Let's get out of here before the Pucas pounce on us and drive us into the chamber. We need to report in with the Commander after this new development. This is too weird."

"No," Astro declared after a moment of though, grabbing a teleport crystal from her waist pouch. "We are going to the Town of Beginnings. We are going to check the Monument of Life. Each of us will take a name and see if they are alive."

They agreed and Astro was the last to teleport out of the labyrinth. They rushed to the Black Iron Palace and through its doors to the monument. In the beta test, the room had been the resurrection place where you respawned if you died. Now it contained stone slabs with the names of each player. If the player was dead, they were crossed off and the date was given for their death.

They each took a name and began to hunt it down. They were in alphabetical order, but there were ten-thousand names on the marble slabs, and almost two fifths of them bore the slash that signaled their death.

Astro went straight to the end to find Yamata. She stumbled on Yori first, who was of course alive. Yamata's name was not so lucky. It was struck and today's date and the time was etched in beneath it.

Whatever had happened inside that chamber, he didn't make it out alive. Astro was almost in there with him, to meet the same fate. She walked back to the center of the room. It wasn’t busy, but there were players around, paying their respects to their friends and comrades who had died in the two years of their prison sentence.

The others gathered around her. Their silence told her all she needed to know. Now was not the time to break down though.

“Granzam,” Astro quietly ordered.

They calmly walked out and teleported to Granzam. They made their way through the steel streets, battling the cold winds that dominated the Floor. The Knights of the Bloodoath had little choices in guild headquarters because of their size. To Astro, it felt as cold and unwelcoming as the KOB were to her.

They were let in and led to the council chambers. The look from Heathcliff as they entered was one of confusion masking anger.

“It’s not what it looks like,” Astro declared. “Team A entered first, the doors closed, and within five minutes, they opened again. We just came from the Monument of Life. They are dead. None of them made it out alive. Whatever they faced didn’t show itself. All we could see from outside before the doors closed was a cavernous, empty chamber that was dark. It's a one-way ticket through that Boss Chamber.”

Heathcliff leaned his chin onto his hands and thought for a moment. “Is the corridor crystal set?” He asked, ignoring everything else.

“I set it before we opened the doors,” Astro nodded. “We won’t have to carve our way through the labyrinth before we face whatever is behind them. We can enter fresh and ready.”

“Thank you, all of you,” Heathcliff declared. “It was unlucky, but I am glad you survived. If the entire scouting party had been wiped out...I am not sure what we would do. At the very least, we know they died in the boss chamber, and not on the way to it. I will call a strategy meeting for Five O'clock, that gives us a little over four hours before we need to assemble. You are welcome to stay in our sitting room if you wish. But it appears that at least for this Floor, we can’t scout the boss. After the no-teleport-zone inside the last Floor Boss chamber, I don’t think we will ever regain the luxury of teleporting out if we are in trouble. Like you said, it is a one-way ticket through that chamber to Floor Seventy-Six.”

Astro stayed around for the boss meeting, but she sent the others home. None of them would talk about what had happened. Bladescape was contacted to join the meeting. The other Councilors didn’t need to attend.

Bladescape arrived to the meeting late. She had been out riding with Boots, and on some quest for Merlin at the same time. She hadn't been able to drop everything immediately, and it took her longer than planned to get to a place where she could detour to join them. It didn't matter much since no one was in a hurry to get the meeting started.

Kirito and Asuna were not there, but something was going on with them. Astro wasn’t sure what, but strictly speaking they were not needed for the meeting. After all, since Kirito had lost the duel with Heathcliff, he was a member of the Knights of the Bloodoath.

Heathcliff opened the meeting by having Astro explain what little she could. The room was left silent. They were unsure what to do. All they knew was “don’t die,” but they had no way of stacking the odds in their favor. If they took too many tanks, they would be unable to shift and respond against a speed-based opponent and the tanks would die, one by one as they got flanked. If the boss was impervious to crushing damage, anyone with a blunt weapon wasn’t wanted. Likewise, if slash was ineffective, they would want to reduce their sword users.

There was no answer to their problem.

Bladescape stepped forward. “I pledge the raid party six Wondercolts! We may not know what works best, but you will have the best, most well-rounded party I can assemble.”

“Thank you,” Heathcliff said with a somber nod. “As usual, the Knights of the Bloodoath will have a party as well. Two if needed. That gives us twelve members.”

“Make that eighteen,” Klein said. “Fuurinkazan will fight.”

After that, more players began to declare their intention to fight. The total number ended up being less than thirty. A pitiful number, but one that reflected the difficulty of Floor 75. Hopefully more would join them before the raid happened. No formal parties were set up. They would stay as adaptive as possible for the start of the raid, and hopefully solidify a strategy quickly.

As they exited the meeting, Bladescape looked at Astro who nodded before speaking. “I have players to avenge and I was slated to die. I’m going and I’m going to make sure it dies, or die myself ensuring you win. If Floor Seventy-Five is supposed to be my final Floor, I won’t try and cheat death. I’ll look it in the eye and face it like the warrior I am.”

“Okay,” Bladescape said with a nod. “No sacrificing yourself, but I understand. Just remember, it doesn't have to be you. Let’s get back to the others. By now, they will have made it back from their day off and should be assembled.”

They teleported back to Thorn Island and entered their castle. Everyone was waiting for them in the guild hall. Since it was a general meeting, only the junior and senior officers, support officers, and Doombunny had to adhere to seating rules. With the councilors seated, the Wondercolts waited for the address.

It fell on Bladescape to conduct the meeting. "Every Twenty-Five Floors, the boss is exponentially harder than the Floors before it. Twenty-Five was a poisonous landscape and we struggled to adjust to that unknown. We were unprepared, and way too many lives were lost as overzealous players stretched themselves past their limits and paid the ultimate price for it. Floor Fifty's boss battle was a long one, to put it lightly. We cleared Floor Seventy-Five remarkably fast despite the difficulty, with a honed efficiency. We didn't lose a single player clearing it, however, the boss chamber this round will be no joke. This time we know only one thing: The raid party will have no ability to leave. Once we go in, the doors will shut and we will either be successful, or we will die. There is no teleporting out and no way to open the doors from the inside."

Wondercolts whispered back and forth for a minute before Bladescape gently hushed them and continued.

"Several names have been thrown out: The Phoenix, The Skull Reaper, Grogar the Terrible, Somnambula Sphinx, Dorz'l the Chaos Drake, and Yamata no Orochi. Still, we know nothing. It may not even be one of them, and we don’t even know what each of those bosses are. All we know for sure is that half of the scouting party made it to the center of the room, and the doors closed before Astro could lead her party inside. Ten players are already dead from this boss, but all Wondercolts were with Astro outside the chamber.

“I pledged a full party of Wondercolts. We will need a well-rounded team, able to handle any situation. Therefore, I have decided that our squad will consist of a heavy team with a focus on being damage dealers, while still allowing us to operate in a Forward roll. Naturally, Backbreaker will be coming with me. We also will need Diemond and Joltron. Astro and AFCK will round out our party."

"Now hold on!" Thunderborne demanded, standing up. "First off, why not me? Second, if you can't teleport out, then you are putting three of our five councilors on the line."

"I am aware," Bladescape calmly replied. As expected, the rest of the Council was content to leave it up to her. They trusted her to make this executive decision. "In response to your valid concern, our replacements are as followed: Lobelia shall take the head of this Council. Kiefer will join the Council in second seat because he has the experience and knowledge to guide the council in our Wondercolts image. Kamishi will take third seat. Knightstar and Shikiku will take seat four and five."

Shikiku was quiet, but obviously shocked. Knightstar stood up, and protested. "No, no no," She stammered. "I am the statistician. We said I wouldn't be a councilor. We know where it will end. We know-"

"Knightstar!" Bladescape barked. It was harsher than she wanted, but she had to stop Knightstar before she spiraled out of control. "Yes, we know where it went last time. Your friends are here, and the duties of the Councilors are more spread out than they had been. We have a solid structure to support that Council. If I couldn't trust in you to handle it, I would not have said your name. You have the empathy and statistical know-how to lead them."

"AFCK isn't even paying attention!" Thunderborne interrupted. "I'm the better fighter!"

"You are a liability," Bladescape coldly stated. "You have much to learn. This isn't a sports team, it's war. This is not a battle to claim glory. I gave up my chance at the Floor Fifty LAB to make sure Kirito ended the battle. The team is set. I need you here, ready to continue keeping loyal to the Wondercolts way. To keep them all going in our absence."

"Perhaps," Lobelia said, slipping in. "While she does have more to learn, I may use her loyalty to our way of life, our ethos, and place her as either our Lieutenant in place of Kiefer, or maybe on the Council in place of either Knightstar or Shikiku. It will be on my shoulders to ensure the Wondercolts survive, and I will deal with any aftermath as I see necessary.

"If it comes to that, I support your choice in your council," Bladescape coldly affirmed. "I believe that it is well balanced and it certainly is a strong group of leaders."

Bladescape looked at everyone scanning the room. “The battle is scheduled for tomorrow at One O'clock. It will give us raiders time to make the final preparations in the morning."

With the meeting over, the exodus was quick and quiet. Knightstar and Shikiku stayed, but that was expected. Their roles allowed them to. Thunderborne defiantly stayed as well.

Kiefer's presence wasn't in defiance. "Permission to stay, in case things do go wrong, so that I am ready to adjust."

"Granted," Astro said. She looked at Thunderborne. "Thunder, half of the proposed bosses are not going to be good for your rapier."

Bladescape spring boarded off of Astro. "We need heavy hitting Forwards like AFCK and myself. Astro is coming because we have no better pair than her and Joltron. Thunder, make sure your rapier strikes down the final boss if we fail."

"I'm not going to die," Astro said, pausing. "Well, I am terrified. I had the boss chamber door slam in my face. I was almost on the inside. I saw their marked off names on the Monument of Life. Part of me doesn't want anything to do with this fight, and yet, I want to get even and kill the boss. I knew those players who died. They deserve retribution. It is for them that I go."

"Thank you for your honesty," Bladescape said.

Diemond spoke up. "Blade, Darling, do you remember what we talked about the other day?"

"I know you are scared, Diemond, but I have seen you, from the very start. You have a strong and unyielding shield. Almost as strong as BB. BB is an insanity that should never be compared to when it comes to tanks. Diemond, I wouldn't have said your name if I wasn't completely sure you could handle it. You are the essence of fierce. A beauty to be reckoned with. And in your diamond armor, you will prevail. As an added bonus, you now match with Joltron as the crystal tanks."

Diemond didn’t respond. The sentiments were nice, and true, but she wasn’t happy with the decision. Bladescape didn’t want to send anyone beside herself and Astro into the boss battle, but they needed strong fighters who could keep their cool under pressure. The team she chose could do that. The only downside was that it was composed of some of the most important Wondercolts. Nothing could be done about that.

Bladescape knew one thing for sure: Tomorrow would be a day that would live on in infamy, across any and all realities and realms.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 102 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword - Rend - Reveal
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 91 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search - Martial Arts - Blade Throwing
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 96 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics - Sprint - Rend
AFCK(PP): Lvl 90 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument - Rend - Search
Diemond (R): Lvl 90 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry - Rend - Search
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 98 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing - Sprint - Armor Pierce
Astro (PS): Lvl 94 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry - Search - Martial Arts
Kiefer: Lvl 92 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce - Sprint - Blade Throwing
Lessa: Lvl 89 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics - Wood Carving
Joltron: Lvl 90 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry - Acrobatics - Rend
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 85 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce - Purchase Negotiation - Sale Negotiation

Author's Note

PSST! This story has 291 thumbs up, and 22 thumbs down. Normally, I don't take much stock in them, because I usually forget to "like" good stories I read, but being 9 a way from 300...if y'all haven't hit thumbs up and like the store, lets hit 300!!

Episode 98 - The Skull Reaper

Author's Note

This chapter is heavy with scenes and dialog taken directly from the Light Novel, including the language. Reki Kawahara detailed this boss battle out quite well. While the language is not overtly explicit, there are a few words that I have intentionally kept out of the writing except for once or twice.

You also will want to see the stats going into the monumental battle. Not just the Wondercolts, but also for Agil, Klein, Asuna, and Kirito.

Episode 98 - The Skull Reaper

November 7 - Year 2

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 102 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword - Rend - Reveal
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 96 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics - Sprint - Rend
AFCK(PP): Lvl 90 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Blade Throwing – Musical Instrument - Rend - Search
Diemond (R): Lvl 90 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry - Rend - Search
Astro (PS): Lvl 94 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry - Search - Martial Arts
Joltron: Lvl 90 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry - Acrobatics - Rend
Kirito: Lvl 96 - One Handed Sword - Dual Blades - Martial Arts - Blade Throwing - Parry - Battle Regeneration - Search - Hide - Sprint - Extended Weight Carry - First Aid - Fishing
Asuna: Lvl 94 - Rapier - Two Handed Spear - Light Metal Armor - Heavy Metal Armor - Parry - Battle Regeneration - First Aid - Acrobatics - Sprint - Cooking - Sewing
Klein: Lvl 88 - One Handed Curved Blade - Katana - Light Metal Armor - Shield - Battle Regeneration - First Aid - Search - Listen - Extended Weight Carry - Fighting Spirit - Sewing
Agil: Lvl 83 - Two-Handed Axe - Martial Arts - Parry - Leather Equipment - Equipment Appraisal - Tools Appraisal - Purchase Negotiation - Sales Negotiation - Extended Weight Carry - Cooking

A full party of Wondercolts. Bladescape had promised a full party of Wondercolts to head into the unforgiving death chamber of the Floor 75 Boss. They had no idea who the boss was, only that the ten scouts who entered the chamber were gone. The doors would close behind the raid party and teleport crystals would not work. It was a one-way trip to get to Floor 76.

Bladescape had chosen Backbreaker, Diemond, Joltron, Astro, and AFCK to be the Wondercolts squad. They would have plenty of defense and heavy hitting power, while still being as adaptive as possible. The only downside was the risk. If they didn’t make it, the Wondercolt Council as they knew it would be destroyed. They had a backup plan for the Wondercolts, but universally speaking, it wasn’t going to be good for clearing the game if this raid failed.

They were waiting in Collinia, the main city on Floor 75. Most of the raiders were milling around, waiting for one o’clock to come. Even Agil had joined them, since they needed more raiders, shutting down his shop. The drop list would make him very happy if he survived.

Klein and Fuurinkazan were also in attendance, and along with Agil, they had gone over to talk to Kirito and Asuna, who had just arrived. Both of them had silver bands on their left hands, Bladescape noted. Wedding bands. They must have come from their honeymoon to deal with this boss because things looks so bleak.

Things were tense. A crowd was gathering to see the raiders before they went off. The stakes had never been as high as they were now, and yet, all they had was thirty-ish players. They didn’t even bother to organize into formal groups because they had no strategy until they knew who, or what, the boss was. The players were all on the top of the curve when it came to levels, but it was still only about two thirds the number for a typical raid. They all knew this one would be significantly tougher than anything else they had faced. It was understandable that many in the Assault Team were afraid to come. Bladescape was too afraid to bring more than six Wondercolts.

The teleport plaza glowed and out came Commander Heathcliff, right on time. Heathcliff was in his crimson armor, flowing white cape His combined crucifix shield and longsword, Liberator, was out and ready, but with the sword still sheathed on the shield's back. With him was his personal paladins who fought by his side. Several other KOB soldiers were with them as well. Asuna saluted them.

Heathcliff looked around at all of the raiders and gave them all a nod. “It seems we’re all here. Thank you for coming. I believe you are all aware of the stakes. It will be a terrible battle, but I believe in your ability to emerge victorious. For the day of liberation!”

Everyone yelled, joining in with his enthusiasm.

Heathcliff turned to Kirito. “I need your help today, Kirito. Put your Dual Blades to the test.” The words were like cold steel, full of confidence. Kirito nodded back and Heathcliff turned back to them all. “Let’s get going. I’m opening a corridor to the spot right in front of the enemy’s lair.”

Heathcliff pulled out the other half of the corridor crystal Astro had set up the day before and raised it high. “Corridor open.” The crystal shattered and a blue light flickered ahead of him. “Follow me, everyone,” Heathcliff said. With a whirl of his cape, he went through the corridor first.

Bladescape and her party followed last after making sure there were no stragglers among the other raiders. The obsidian corridor was cold. The sharpness of the angles and shine reminded Bladescape of Joltron's obsidian shield. It was not a fun place to be, but it had been cleared surprisingly quickly and with no reported casualties.

Everyone was double checking their equipment. Bladescape had transferred her crystal pouch to contain only hearing crystals, except for a backup anti-poison and a teleport crystal, a contingency plan if either was necessary or could work. Her drug pouch had plenty of anti-poison and anti-paralysis potions in it, in case the boss could deliver either.

The scraping of Heathcliff's armor drew Bladescape's attention. "Is everyone ready? We have no information about this boss' attack patterns. The Knights of the Bloodoath will take forward positions to absorb its attacks. Observe its attack patterns as best as you can and strike back, being as flexible as you can manage."

All he got back was a bunch of silent nods.

"Well, best of luck," Heathcliff murmured before he strode to the obsidian door and put his hand on it.

Many of the players became tense.

Kirito patted Klein and Agil on the shoulder. "Don't die on me."

"Just worry about yourself," Klein retorted.

"I'm not getting knocked out while there are spoils to be had," Agil declared.

The doors groaned open and players drew their weapons. Heathcliff freed his longsword from its mount on the back of his shield and raised it high. He shouted, "Let the battle begin!"

He charged into the boss chamber and the rest of the raiders yelled their own war cries as they followed him. Bladescape kept her Wondercolts together in the stamped into the boss chamber.

The black walls rose up to a very high ceiling. Everyone lined up naturally into a solid battle formation. They had done this enough times to know how to enter a boss chamber to reduce the variety of risks bosses posed. Only when they were all inside did the doors begin to rumble, sealing them all inside. They were trapped inside, with the only way out being through the boss. The stakes had never, ever, been so high.

For a long moment, nothing happened. Bladescape held her breath and then let it out slowly, forcing herself to relax as they waited for the boss to appear. It had never taken this long.

“Hey,” someone yelled, trying to end the silence.

“Above!” Asuna cried out, drawing their attention to the ceiling.

Bladescape gulped as she saw the boss, hanging from the ceiling. It was a centipede of bone, easily one-hundred meters long. Its body was one giant spine, dozens of spindly, bony legs running down its length, each tipped with a sharpened rib. Above them sat a dozen articulating bone arms, the same as the legs but too short to reach the floor, and above those sat giant rib cage. Attached to its shoulders were two twisting, stumpy arms comprised only of the bones of a giant human's forearm, with bone-scythe blades in place of hands. Most disturbing, however was the skull, which sat with only a single vertebra separating it from the horror's shoulders. It was a twisted mockery of a human's, with an elongated cranium crowned with six stubby horns, and two sets of slanted eye sockets backlit by eerie red flames. Instead of one solid lower jaw, it had four, two to either side and detached in the middle so they could move independently like a snake's. The inside of each was completely covered with sharp fangs.

It was the “Skull Reaper.” Five massive health bars slid to full strength.

The boss released its grip on the ceiling, dropping straight down on the party.

“Don’t freeze up!” Heathcliff ordered. “Keep your distance!”

Bladescape ran with the other Wondercolts right behind her. They got clear of the dropping horror. As she turned to make sure she was ready for a defense, she saw three players had frozen too long. They lost their balance as the centipede slammed into the ground beside them. One of its scythe arms swung, slicing through them.

They were tossed into the air. The next thing Bladescape saw was the shattering of polygons as that horrible sound of death echoed through the chamber. One hit had taken them out.

Statistically speaking, at their levels, they all would have high enough health stats to handle at least one hit. With every level gained, more HP was given to the player. It was a constant in the game. Even average skilled players would have normally stood a chance in the boss fights.

Bladescape set her hands on Harmonic Salvation's pommel in the position for Greatsword. With several players already down from just a single hit, they each had to give it all they had. Kirito would with his Dual Blades, and so would Heathcliff with his Unique Skill, Holy Sword. Astro might use Infinite Spear, depending on if it was leveled up to make a difference. Bladescape couldn't afford to withhold Greatsword. She needed the extra power, no matter the consequences of its discovery.

The skeleton centipede raised off the ground and let out a twisted screeching roar that echoed off the walls. It charged into a group of players, its next victims. This battle could be over it a matter of minutes, with each of them dead.

The scythe swung but Heathcliff slipped in between it and the player. He was cool under the immense pressure the Skull Reaper was putting on his shield. The left arm swung around towards other players while Heathcliff held off the right. The Wondercolts were too far away for Bladescape to do anything.

Kirito got there barely in time to save the other players, crossing his swords to block the attack. But it wasn’t enough. He was going down under the sheer weight and strength of the scythe and it was cutting into his shoulder. Right before he was finished, Asuna slid up and struck with her rapier, adding it to the defense.

“We can manage if we take it at the same time!” Asuna declared to everyone. “We can do this together!”

Bladescape organized the Wondercolts into a new formation with the tanks out front, but close enough to support each other. They would need a fluid but stalwart formation to win this.

In the time it took them to reorganize Kirito blocked a retaliatory attack sent at him and Asuna and ordered, “We’ll stop its scythe! You attack it from the flanks!”

That was all the raiders needed to close the distance and unleash their own assault on the body of the monstrosity. They all kept it simple, to reduce delays. A long delay here would be a death sentence.

Before they could reach it, the Skull Reaper shifted and began to bypass Heathcliff, Kirito, and Asuna forcing them to pull back a bit. The three of them would do what they could, but the others were going to have to put on their own defenses at times.

Klein and Agil ended up with the Wondercolts as they reached the main damaging force. Klein had run the opposite way as his guild did when the Skull Reaper dropped from the ceiling. He was separated from them for the time being.

The other guild leader turned to Bladescape and shot her his usual, goofy grin. "You know, Kirito's going to fight like crazy with a pretty babe to protect."

"Good for him," Bladescape playfully shot back. "Maybe one day a pretty Swordswoman will find you tolerable enough to do the same for you!"

"Hey!" Klein exclaimed while Agil laughed beside him.

The Skull Reaper turned, coming towards them. They were the next target and it was time to test their defenses.

"Alright," Bladescape growled. "Tanks, give us the best you got!" Bladescape pointed Harmonic Salvation towards the bone beast.

The bone scythes slashed towards Bladescape. She stood firm. At the last moment, Backbreaker stepped out from behind to protect her Kaisho. She practically threw the Iron Bulwark between them and death. The shield sparked as the scythe slid along it, harmlessly out of the way. The other scythe came, trying to flank them in its sweep. Joltron and Diemond stepped forward together, and combined their crystal shields into a solid wall that stopped the scythe cold.

Astro rammed Dragon's Tale home over Joltron. AFCK bounced out from behind Diemond and hacked at the bones with Goede Splitter. Bladescape, Klein, and Agil jumped out from around Backbreaker and delivered their own hits. No one used anything fancy or high level.

In the flash of the last attack hitting, the Skill Reaper was gone, off swinging its scythe at another group. The momentary blocks by the Wondercolts allowed for Heathcliff, Kirito, and Asuna to get situated for their next set of defenses.

"We have to stay mobile and keep our strike group in front of it as much as possible!" Astro said. "Our tanks are strong enough, so let’s be the second blockers. Heathcliff, Kirito, and Asuna need support for that!”

No words were needed as they moved out, trying to slide themselves into a position to be targeted next or get in front of the next target. Sometimes it worked, other times, they were ignored. The algorithms running the Skull Reaper were complex, shifting and changing with an irregularity that would make finding a pattern a nearly impossible task. Especially with the surveyor's life on the line.

The Wondercolts became less maneuverable as the battle shifted. They had amassed ten others, several who knew how to use a shield, and when the scythes came, they had enough to block, unleash mid-level Sword Skills, and then the second set of shields could block them while the damage dealers took the delay.

It sped up the removal of the Boss' HP, but it was all chip-damage, slowly shaving off little bits until there was nothing left. There was no hacking off large chunks of HP from the Skull Reaper.

Half an hour passed with decent progress. Forty-five minutes had them in a winning position. An hour brought the end of the fight. No Wondercolts fell. Agile still lived. Fuurinkazan had made it through another boss battle, and Kirito and Asuna were alive as well. Of course, Heathcliff, their great and powerful leader, was also still standing.

It left them all on the obsidian floor, trying to recover. Bladescape wasn’t ready for it to be over. The congratulations fanfare had played, their drop lists had popped up, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t over. She was too tired to look at the drop list and the menu above it. In the fury of all the surviving raiders attacking the boss, she had lucked out to get the Last Attack Bonus.

Klein wasn't far away, on his stomach. Agil was on his back, spread eagle. Backbreaker had removed her shield so she could lay flat on her back. AFCK was on her side, gripping Geode Splitter and rocking a bit. Even she was out of energy. Astro, Joltron, and Diemond were in similar shape, but Bladescape couldn’t see them from where she was sprawled out.

Klein’s hoarse voice broke the silence. “How many did we lose?”

It was Kirito who responded, after pulling up his menu to look at the map. He had to count how many of them were left, and subtract it from the number that went in. “Fourteen are dead.”

Fourteen. Bladescape’s heart stopped from the horror those words brought. It was a worse dread than the Skull Reaper had been. Fourteen of Aincrad’s best were dead. That blow to the Assault Team was going to be felt for the rest of the Floors. It was just under half the number of raiders for this boss. There was a chance the Assault Team would never be able to recover the statistical impact of losing those players. Floor 75 might have become the end of their time conquering Aincrad.

“You can’t be serious,” Agil said, stalling out as he recognized the darkness that surrounded them.

Klein rolled over and looked at Bladescape. It was dreary and monotone, and he kept his voice low. “Hey, mind if we grab a bite to eat after this and talk about guild business? And another thing I noticed today about you?”

“Your treat?” Bladescape groaned, all from the mental stress of the fight.

“Yeah,” Klein plainly said.

Someone got up and then there was a thud that pulled Klein’s and Bladescape’s attention over to where Heathcliff was standing, and where Kirito was in position to run him through. But he wasn’t able to. A purple marker had popped up that was stopping his Sword Skill from finishing the piercing attack.

IMMORTAL OBJECT

Bladescape was confused. No human player was an immortal object. That was impossible.

“Kirito, what in the-?” Asuna said as she ran towards him, slowly stopping.

The system message blinked out, leaving Kirito standing in front of Heathcliff. Everyone had seen the label though. Kirito distanced himself from Heathcliff. Heathcliff was showing no emotion.

Asuna spoke again. “He is designated a system-level immortal object? Wh.. what does this mean, Commander?”

Heathcliff just looked at Kirito. Kirito spoke as he lowered his swords slightly. “This is the truth behind the legend. The system is designed to prevent his HP from ever falling into the yellow zone. The only things that can be labeled immortal objects are the environment, NPCs, and system managers, not players. But there aren’t any more GMs in the game - except for one.”

Bladescape’s hand silently found Harmonic Salvation. She was unsure what was happening, but she felt like having Harmonic Salvation ready was the smartest play.

Kirito continued to explain everything. “There’s something that has stuck in the back of my mind ever since I came here. I figured he had to be watching us from somewhere, managing and fine-tuning the world. But I forgot a basic psychological fact, something that even a kid knows.

“There’s nothing more boring than watching someone else play an RPG. Isn’t that right, Akihiko Kayaba?”

Bladescape lost her grip on Harmonic Salvation in quiet shock. The silent room gave her a moment to think. She remembered the Floor 70 boss fight, or rather, the mirror that told them who should go and who shouldn’t. The Commander had been told he would die if he went. If he had entered that fight, his immunity would have been exposed. It was why he bowed out and passed leadership onto her.

“Commander…” Asuna said, her words a dry and barely above whisper. “Is this… true…?”

Heathcliff only tilted his head for a moment before he finally spoke. It was to Kirito. “Will you at least tell me how you figured it out?”

“I first noticed something was off during our duel. You moved way too fast in that final moment.”

“I should have known. That was a painful failure for me. I was so overwhelmed by your attack, I had no choice but to use the system’s assistance.” He slowly nodded, finally showing some emotion. The corner of his mouth twisted up, a wry grimace. “My plan was to not reveal myself until the Ninety-Fifth Floor had been reached. But alas…”

Heathcliff broke his concentration from Kirito and looked out over them all. “Yes, I am Akihiko Kayaba,” He declared. “And I am this game’s final boss, the one who should have awaited you on the top floor.”

Bladescape couldn’t help but roll her eyes at how cliche it was.

Kirito agreed. “I don’t think much of your taste. The greatest player in the game turns heel and becomes the final boss?”

“But it is a compelling scenario, is it not?” Heathcliff asked in his usual, calm tone. “We had fun, but I wasn’t expecting to be exposed just three quarters of the way through. I had you pegged as the biggest wild-card element in the game, but even my estimates were off.”

Bladescape gripped Harmonic Salvation once again. A firm battle grip. This was the man who had imprisoned 10,000 people. He was the reason they just lost fourteen players today, and ten the day before. He was the reason they had a shrine back in their headquarters, for the members of Geigi Clan who had perished trying to free the regular players. The kids, Gin, Kain, Mina, Sasha, and the others, they were trapped because of him. He was immortal, but if anyone could break that status, Bladescape could. She had to believe the Equestrian Magic in her geode would break through, but she had to be tactical about it.

Kayaba continued. “I’d always expected that you would be the one to confront me in the end. Out of the ten Unique Skills in the game, Dual Wielding is the one given to the player with the quickest response time. That player should have been the one to stand before the final villain, whether triumphant or beaten. But you exhibited power beyond my expectations. Both in speed of your attacks and the sharpness of your observations. But...I suppose having one’s expectations betrayed is one of the best features of an online RPG.”

“You...you bastard…” a KOB soldier said as he stood up. “We actually swore our loyalty to you. We put our hopes in you! And you betrayed us…” He lifted his halberd. “You evil, twisted-!”

He screamed, charging at Kayaba in his anger. He took a huge swing. Kayaba was faster than his swing, opening a menu with his left hand and in an instant, the KOB soldier froze in midair. He clattered to the floor as the paralysis symbol joined his HP bar.

He wasn’t the only one. Bladescape felt a paralysis take effect on her. She seized up a bit, but didn’t lose her grip on Harmonic Salvation. She couldn’t see Klein or anyone else, with how she was now laying, only Heathcliff, Kirito, and Asuna.

Kirito had bent down to pick up Asuna who was also paralyzed. The only two free were Kirito and Kayaba.

Kirito turned back to Kayaba. “What are you doing? Killing everyone here to cover up your evil deeds?”

“Hardly. I would not be so cruel,” Kayaba said, shaking his head. “But I am left with no other choice. I must accelerate my plans and await your visit to the Ruby Palace on the top floor. I have been building the KOB to handle the powerful foes of the ninetieth floor and above. It is not my first choice to abandon you partway like this, but I think you’ve shown that you have the strength to make it on your own. However, before then…”

It became a contest of willpower between the two swordsmen.

Bladescape continued to fight against the paralysis effect. There was some maneuverability available and she was making good work of it while Kayaba was focused on Kirito. Her hand finally got to her drug pouch. She felt out one of the anti-paralysis vials with the tip of her fingers. This was another moment where using different vials for each drug was a lifesaver. Bladescape began to inch it up towards her mouth.

Kayaba continued. “I believe you deserve a reward for exposing my true identity, Kirito. I will grant you the opportunity to fight me in a one-on-one duel, right here and now. No immortality, of course. If you beat me, the game will be over, and all the players will be able to log out from this world. What do you choose?”

Asuna immediately protested. “You can’t, Kirito! He’s trying to get rid of you… We should pull back and think this through…”

Bladescape got the vial into her lips and used her teeth to open it and sucked out the mixture. Kirito wasn’t the kind of player to pass up on a duel like this, not when it meant freeing everyone. And neither was Bladescape. If the opportunity presented itself, Bladescape was going to make sure this ended here.

Still, the best choice was to fall back. The Wondercolts could pick up the slack and take the lead on clearing the Floors. The Knights of the Bloodoath were destroyed from this turn of events. There were KOB members that Bladescape would present with an offer to join the blue and yellow Wondercolts.

“You sick bastard,” Kirito muttered. “Alright, let’s settle this.”

“Kirito!” Asuna screamed.

“I’m sorry. But this has to be it. There’s no turning back now…”

“You aren’t going...to die, are you...?”

“Nope… I’m going to win. I’m going to win and I’m going to bring an end to this world.”

“Alright. I believe you,” Asuna said.

Kirito put down Asuna, and Bladescape began to slowly inch her way into a better position to assist him. She couldn’t let Kayaba realize she was free of his little trick.

“Kirito, don’t do this!” Klein protested.

“Kirito!” Agil shouted.

Kirito looked at them. He spoke to Agil first. “Thanks for all your support of the swordsmen in the game, Agil. I know what you’ve done. You’ve spent nearly all of your earnings helping to outfit players in the mid-level zones.”

Bladescape had suspected Agil had been shifting all he could to help the mid-level players, but he was smart about it. He was known as one of the best merchants in the game, and drove hard bargains when he needed to.

Kirito’s voice trembled a bit. “Klein...remember when we first met? I’m sorry for what I did...leaving you behind like that. I always regretted it.”

Those were clearly the words of a man expecting to die.

“D...don’t you dare apologize to me!” Klein yelled back, losing tears. “Now is not the time! You’re not going to do this! I’m not going to forgive you until I’ve at least had the chance to buy you a dinner back in the real world!!”

Kirito silenced him with a nod. “All right, it’s a deal. We’ll meet up on the outside.” Kirito flashed him a thumbs up.

He looked back at Kayaba, who was “kind” enough to let this all happen. He didn’t even blink over any of the conversations.

“I have just one request,” Kirito said.

“And that is?” Kayaba asked.

“I don’t intend to go down easily, but if I do die, ensure that Asuna can’t commit suicide right away.”

Kayaba raised an eyebrow in surprise but nodded assent. “Very well. I’ll see to it that she cannot leave Selmburg.”

“Kirito, you can’t! No...you can’t do this!!” Asuna protested, as she began to panic.

Bladescape’s heart stopped for Asuna. That was a horrible request. Suicide was bad, unethical to many people because it was a life lost, but so was forcing Asuna to not even have an option to live her life as she saw fit. If this ended that badly, the Wondercolts were going to mobilize to assist Asuna in whatever way they could. She was right near their headquarters and the swordswoman would be without any way to be what she had worked so hard to become.

Kayaba hit a few more commands on his GM menu. Kirito’s Health bar slid down into the red, and Kayaba’s matched it. One hit would mean death. A purple bar popped up next to Kayaba: CHANGED INTO MORTAL OBJECT. He was now just as vulnerable as any other player.

Bladescape stopped moving and adjusted to get a throwing pick. That would be her first move if Kirito failed.

Kirito and Kayaba faced off. Kayab was Heathcliff’s usual expression, unreadable. It was also difficult to figure out what had to be going on in Kirito’s mind.

“...to kill you!!” Kirito spat as he finally charged.

But he didn’t trigger any Sword Skills. He was going to beat him with skill alone. After all, Kayaba had designed the Sword Skills. He had to know all of them by heart, even Bladescape's Greatsword.

It was a duel of the ages, much better than when she had seen Kirito lose to Kayaba a few weeks prior. Kirito was relentless and fast. Kayaba was cold and calm, striking when Kirito was open. As it continued, the feeling that Kayaba was toying with Kirito began to rise in Bladescape’s stomach. Each time he blocked Kirito’s sword, he was that much closer to being able to run him through. It was a stalwart defense that Kirito couldn’t breach or flank.

Kayaba grinned as Kirito fell into his trap by triggering a Sword Skill. There was no breaking free from the combination attack once it was started. Kayaba took each strike expertly on his shield. Even without the system assisting him, Kayaba was an expert player with plenty of skill.

There was a screech above all the clashing metal and flying sparks. The sparks were joined by polygons as one of Kirito’s swords shattered. Kayaba lifted his longsword high, overhead.

“Farewell, Kirito,” Kayaba said.

Kayaba himself had just said the fun of online RPGs was how unpredictable they were. Just as the longsword was on its mission to kill Kirito, Asuna slid in between them and took the slash. She had broken free of his paralysis and sacrificed herself.

The look on Kirito’s face, he was ready to die. He didn’t have to deal with any consequences once he was dead. He was not equipped to deal with the death of his wife.

“That was a surprise,” Kayaba stated. “Almost like a story event in a single player RPG, isn’t it? She shouldn’t have been able to recover from that paralysis...as I said, quite unexpected.”

Kirito was lifeless. He finally bent down and picked up Asuna’s rapier, and made a halfhearted swing with the light sword at Kayaba. He made a swipe with Elucidator, but Kayaba easily batted it away and then ran Kirito through.

Bladescape faltered. She should have bolted forward, but after watching Kirito and Asuna go down, she needed to think things through. With Heathcliff betraying them all, they needed someone to step forward and lead. It had to be her, there was no one else in a position to take over, but she wanted to end it right there, not after another twenty-five floors and even more time spent in Aincrad.

Kirito’s health was gone, but he was still there, with the sword in his chest. His body was beginning to fade, but it wasn’t shattered. Kayaba faltered, shocked at this unexpected turn. This was a true testament of Kirito’s willpower. He wasn’t going to go down, somehow. He was fighting the system itself, and imposing his will on its programming.

Kirito screamed, a mix of pain, agony, and rage. Asuna’s rapier’s tip flipped up and Kirito ran Kayaba through. They were standing there, with their swords in each other’s chests. They both shattered into polygons, together.

Bladescape looked over at Klein. Everyone was free of the paralysis now that Kayaba was gone. There was both shock and panic on Klein's face at the scene they had just witnessed.

All across the floating castle known as Aincrad, all of the skies grew red as it was filled with warning octagons, just like they had turned during the tutorial two years prior. The sound of the game system rang out loud over every Floor all throughout Aincrad.

THE GAME HAS BEEN CLEARED.

THE GAME HAS BEEN CLEARED.

THE GAME HAS BEEN CLEARED.

Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 91 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search - Martial Arts - Blade Throwing
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 98 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing - Sprint - Armor Pierce
Kiefer: Lvl 92 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce - Sprint - Blade Throwing
Lessa: Lvl 89 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics - Wood Carving
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 85 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce - Purchase Negotiation - Sale Negotiation

Episode 99 - Tsuboi Ryoutarou

Sunset Shimmer opened her eyes. She recognized the NerveGear's face shield over her eyes, and beyond that, modern ceiling tiles. She was home. She saw the real world, or what she perceived as the real world. She wasn’t sure if there was a meaningful difference to distinguish them anymore. At the very least, it didn’t look like the building materials so common on Aincrad.

Kirito had killed Heathcliff, the disguised Akihiko Kayaba. The evil behind SAO. She should be home.

Sunset could not move, but felt her senses slowly coming back to her. After being locked away so long, she knew time would have taken its toll on her body. There was no way she could just get up and start her active life again.

As she waited for her other senses and strength to return, she surveyed what she could. The dark window indicated it was night. The normal building ceiling tiles were above her. She used to stick pencils in them when bored in between classes. She strained and was able to see a whiteboard used to give the patient information on the far wall. It had her nurse's name, the date, and a pain chart for her to reference when speaking to the nurses. But it wasn't right.

It suddenly hit Sunset. First was the fact that it was written in romaji, the Romanized written form of Japanese. That, and the date was wrong. It had to be. It was November 7th, their second year in SAO, almost starting their third year. The board said January 22.

Had she been asleep longer? If so, why? And why did she wake up now?

As the panic set in, it mounted with her inability to move. Did the NerveGear damage her brain and paralyze her?

The only positive aspect of her panic was that it raised her heart rate. The drastic spike set off the monitoring equipment’s alarms and nurses responded immediately. They quickly realized she couldn't move or talk. The NerveGear was removed from her head.

That was when Sunset Shimmer realized something was in her throat and nose.

The nurse must have seen her thoughts in her eyes. "It is a feeding tube so that you can be fed an easily digestible formula. It's part of what has kept you alive.”

Sunset nodded that she understood before they carefully removed the tubes. After the nurse helped her take a few sips from a glass of water she took her time, and prepared to speak again, slowly, one word at a time “I. Can’t. Move.”

“The doctor is on his way,” the nurse replied with a smile. “Right before you woke up, there was an emergency that all of the doctors are responding to. It’s late, meaning only a few doctors are here right now. It may take him a little bit to arrive, but he has been paged. You will be his next patient.”

“O-kay,” Sunset breathed.

“I know it’s hard to talk, but do you want me to stay?”

“P-les-s,” Sunset said. Even smiling was painful.

The nurse sat on the edge of the bed, to be a close comfort to Sunset. The minutes passed by agonizingly slowly. There wasn’t anything for Sunset to do but wait and hope. More of her nerves were slowly waking up, but they were not happy. Her body was beginning to hurt.

Finally, footsteps were heard. They were strong and consistent, conveying a purpose in each and every step. A man in a suit with square glasses stepped into the room. He was obviously not the doctor.

“This is a restricted room,” the nurse said, standing up.

“Forgive me,” he replied with a slight bow. “I am Kikuoka Seijirou and I am with the Ministry of Internal Affair's Telecommunications Bureau, Advanced Network Division, the Virtual Division. I am one of the members of the SAO Incident Victims Rescue Force. This woman, Sunset Shimmer, is under my charge.”

“I see,” the nurse replied. “I remember being briefed about that, but as a night nurse, I never expected to see you.”

He just silently nodded back and stood there, waiting.

A few minutes later, running footsteps came echoing down the hall. They didn’t stop and went past the room. Then they backtracked and the doctor rushed in.

“Forgive me,” he said. “My name is Doctor Masaki. I am the night doctor in charge of this floor. Dr. Aikawa, your personal doctor, isn’t scheduled for his shift for another few hours, but has been paged.”

The nurse spoke up for Sunset Shimmer. “She can barely speak and she can’t move.”

“Hmm,” he said with a nod as he opened the chart he had.

He walked over to her side and picked up her hand. Sunset felt a surge of pain, but she couldn’t stop it or move.

“I see the tears,” he stated. “I assume this hurts. Can you squeeze my hand?”

“C-c-ant,” was all Sunset Shimmer was able to say.

He gently laid her hand back down on the bed. He walked her through her extremities, trying to see if she could move anything. She couldn’t and any time she was moved or squeezed, it hurt.

“I am going to send you down for a CT scan,” the doctor finally said. “I am also going to dispense pain medication. I am concerned about some form of a nervous system injury, but you feel pain, which is a good sign that nothing is wrong. I think you are just experiencing an extreme case of acute muscle atrophy. Your prolonged time in bed has caused most of your muscles to waste away. All of the SAO survivors experienced muscle loss, but your case seems to be one of the worst. I am optimistic that with therapy and better nutrition that we will be able to have you back on your feet and good as new!”

“Th-anks,” Sunset breathed. “Why. Is. It. Not. No. Vem. Ber?”

The doctor had no idea how to answer that. The man in the suit replied. “After SAO was cleared, about Three-hundred players were still trapped. The reports from the hospitals all over Japan is that the rest of them, like you, have woken up. That is all I know at this time. So yes, that date is correct. It is about One-AM on January the Twenty-Third.”

“Why. Am. I. Here?” Sunset forced the words out.

“After you didn’t wake up, but your friends did, we moved you from your home city to here to be under our direct care,” he replied. “You are the only foreign player who didn’t wake up when Kirito beat SAO. But we can talk more later. I have others to check up on.”

The man from the government left and the doctor departed to write the orders. Then pain medication was soon dispensed and Sunset Shimmer drifted off to sleep as the techs came in to move her down to radiology.

May 19 - Hospital

Sunset decided she hated physical therapy. It was a necessary evil, but after two years of living as Bladescape in SAO, he mind and body were trained to handle a different set of difficulties than she was facing now. They had first had the therapy with her in bed, getting her to move and sit up, and extremely basic things until her muscles had regained enough strength to start a more independent form of physical therapy.

"Come on, Miss Sunset," Nurse Kato encouraged her. “Use the bars to keep steady and walk to me.”

Sunset's legs had taken a real beating. It was extremely difficult for her to walk. Even now, she had a catheter bag because she couldn't reliably and safely maneuver in the bathroom. Walking between the two balance bars the fifteen feet to the other side was supposed to help fix that. It only caused her more pain and frustration. She had other exercises that she did, but having her walk rather than ride in a wheelchair was a big goal the doctors set for her.

Still, she was Sunset Shimmer. She didn't give up before SAO, she didn't give up during SAO, and she wouldn't give up now.

Sunset took the first, shaky, painful step, using the bars to keep herself both steady and upright. Her upper body exercises were coming along much better, but she couldn't go through life holding herself up with bars that didn't exist.

She took two more staggering steps. Each brought tears to her eyes. Tears she wasn't going to openly shed. She was stronger than the pain. She hadn't made it through life to give up now. She hadn't made it through SAO to have any reality get the better of her. She would not be like the weak players who didn't even dare to leave the Town of Beginnings for two whole years. None of that was acceptable.

She took a few more steps as more tears of pain blocked her vision. The steps felt like spikes were being driven into her legs, rippling through her body with each step.

Her foot didn't catch her as a mix of pain and a simple misstep brought her down. She held onto the bar with her left hand, gripping it with all her might as she went all the way down. She wasn't going to let go. It was the one thing that hadn't fallen and she would win this, because she hated to lose.

Sunset Shimmer didn’t lose.

Sunset knew she was choking back sobs of pain. The nurse bent down under the bar. "Let's get you back up," She said sweetly. "It will come in time."

It wasn't a voice of pity. It wasn't a voice looking down on her. She wasn't even being that tough on her. But as the nurse gently, but firmly, grabbed her arm to help her up, Sunset Shimmer reacted. She wasn't done yet. Her hand was still gripping the bar. She wasn't done, yet. She didn't think as she shoved the nurse back, sending her sprawling. Rude or not, it didn't matter. She was going to finish. Somehow.

"Not so easy without your friends," a voice said in front of her. It was a voice she knew well. But it was missing most of its cocky, arrogant, and goofy tone.

Bladescape looked up from where she was on the ground. Through her wet eyes, she saw a young man, a few feet past the bars, in slacks and a dress shirt with the top two buttons undone. But the way he stood was the same as Sunset had known him in game.

"Klein," Sunset Shimmer said through her teeth. "What has you here?"

"Well, word on the street is that a few of the SAO survivors are having trouble getting back on their feet,” Klein said, gaining that cocky tone back in his voice. “I didn't think the rumors meant it literally. Anyway, one was said to be a foreigner who was part of the players that were trapped that, uh extra, length of time. I came to check the rumor out for myself.

"Also, in this reality, it's Tsuboi Ryoutarou. But you, Doll Face, can call me Klein if you want to. Or...you and I are good enough friends that you can call me Ryoutarou."

"Calling you by your last name is an honor?" Sunset Shimmer shot back, annoyed at him.

"What!" Ryoutarou exclaimed. "No! My family name is Tsuboi and my first name, which is reserved for those close to me, is Ryoutarou. It is an honor to have earned that."

"Right," Sunset said with a grin as she rolled her eyes at his overly dramatic expressions.

Either way, it gave her the strength she needed to get her knees under her, then one foot, and then the other as she grabbed the other bar. The nurse was still on the ground, confused about the unplanned intrusion and still out of sorts from the shove. Sunset Shimmer focused on what was truly important, Klein.

She took her first step again and almost dropped. She struggled and grunted to keep herself from going down. But she did it as she got another step in. And then another. Step by step she moved toward a guy she didn't exactly know, but whom she had trusted with her life and proven to be an upstanding man of integrity.

Sunset realized she was at the end of the walking trainer, with no poles left to support her. She had a split-second moment of victory before reality hit her again and she went stumbling down. But Sunset didn't hit the ground. Klein, Ryoutarou, had stepped in and was holding her up. They were face to face as he hugged her tightly to let her know that he had her and wasn't going to let her fall.

"Friendship means a lot to you," he said quietly into her ear. "Well, you have one friend here in Japan. One person to cheer you on. I know I could get some of the other members of Fuurinkazan and SAO to come cheer you on if you wanted, Babe."

Sunset rolled her eyes, stifling a laugh. "Not going to happen. In game, babe was one thing, real work, I'm younger than you and I'm still in high school!

Ryoutarou pulled her up so they were standing side by side, his arm around her and anchored under her armpit. "Sorry. Force of habit. But by my calculations, now that you are out of SAO, you are not a kid anymore. You may not have completed high school, but the chart in your room says you are Nineteen. Which makes you fair game."

Sunset had to think for a moment and remember not just basic math, but her own age. And Ryoutarou was right. She was 19. Which was a game changer. Sure, he had a few years on her, but now it wasn't "perverted." She had gotten used to the fun, goofy flirtation. It was who Klein was. But she had lost track of her age in game, and now she realized that it had only been a little while after they met that she had turned 18.

Sunset Shimmer had to also come to terms with not finishing high school. School and a diploma was what had been expected of her in this world, so it had been a goal of hers. It also was something she was doing with her friends. Twilight had to be freaking out about not having graduated on schedule.

"Now, Doll Face," Ryoutarou said, focusing her on what was important. "Your wheelchair is on the other side of this training thingy. I'll walk beside you, but you have to make it on your own."

Sunset shifted so she was holding onto him, head buried in his chest, and the tears began. "I've had my bad moments in life. But none of them ever came with the pain I feel with every step I take. My upper body did okay, but the doctors say I had a lot of muscular deterioration in my legs. More than the others. It hurts like hell, like spikes being driven up through my feet, into my legs, and into my whole body."

"Pain didn't stop Bladescape," Klein said as he gingerly held her in place against his chest. "I saw you get hit hard in SAO, but you still got up, and usually pretty quick. Now, let’s get you one last go and to that chair."

Sunset took in a wet sniff as she nodded into his chest. The nurse helped her turn around to face the bars and then she walked alongside her for support. Ryoutarou walked on the other side and was the real support for Sunset as her mind absorbed the pain of each step. Before she knew it, she was on the other side. Ryoutarou held the chair steady while the nurse helped her into it.

"I guess you can be done a bit early today," she smiled at Sunset. "You did a good job. Better than yesterday, and tomorrow you will be even stronger." She turned to Ryoutarou. "I have to officially take her back to her room, but I suppose I could walk beside you as you push her. If she is comfortable with that."

"Please," Sunset said, flashing a grin across her wet cheeks.

Sunset was almost thrown out of the chair as Ryoutarou tried to push it forward. He had forgotten about the wheel locks. He got a nasty glare from the nurse, but she let it slide. She could not deny the dramatic effect his presence had on Sunset’s ability to push herself in the therapy session.

Back in the room and in her bed, Sunset asked the question that had been plaguing her since his arrival. “How did you find me?”

Ryoutarou pulled the guest chair over to beside the bed. “From Kirito. The kid seems to know where everyone is. He has some inside knowledge, but beating SAO made him the focus of several in depth Q & A sessions. Anyway, the other day we had a celebration for him beating SAO. Asuna was here in this hospital, and she got her rehab here too. Once she was medically cleared, we finally got a party for him. That’s when I learned you were still here.”

Sunset sighed and tried to settle into the uncomfortable bed a bit more. “That’s good for you all. I remember Asuna. There were a few times our rehab sessions crossed over, but we never talked. She has been gone for a few weeks now.”

“And back in school,” Ryoutarou added. “They have a whole school just for the kids who got stuck. They don’t have certain entrance exams and such because they would never make it. But I was already done with college by the time we got trapped.”

“I do not look forward to finishing school after all this time,” Sunset admitted. “I was in my final year. Can I really be ready for school in the fall? I have a few months, but I can barely walk.”

“I believe in you,” Ryoutarou said with a kind smile. “From walking to handling school. Besides, you will have your friends for school, right?”

“Yeah,” Sunset nodded.

“Do you know what happened? Why you were held longer?”

“No,” Sunset replied. “They asked me a ton of questions, but last I remember was the announcement of SAO being beaten after we watched Kirito kill Heathcliff. I woke up in this room, and it was January. I was surprised but happy to hear that he and Asuna were alive. Everyone there saw them shatter.”

Klein sighed. He obviously knew what had happened. “The most anyone can figure out is that there was a delay between dying in game and the NerveGear killing them, and there was just enough time where Asuna was still in limbo when the game was cleared. As for the rest, Asuna’s family’s company, RECT Progress, took over the maintenance of the SAO server when Argus went under. A close friend of the family was the head of their R&D department. He had a small team that snagged players before they were logged out. He did a bunch of experiments on the mind and mind control, with you guys as subjects.”

“I don’t remember anything,” Sunset said. “Not even a feeling, or a dream, or anything. Which is good. But how did he keep us suspended?”

“RECT Progress launched the AmuSphere, another full dive technology piece, with safer features than the NerveGear. With it, they launched their own VRMMORPG, ALfheim Online. You were stored there, until Kirito dove in and beat that game to free Asuna, who was specifically being held by that person.”

“He sounds worse than Kayaba,” Sunset spat. “At least Kayaba gave us a way out.”

“That he did,” Klein admitted. He shifted focus. “It’s a cool game. Fairies, magic, and flight on your fairy wings. I checked it out the other day. But it was lacking sword skills, and you.”

Sunset chuckled. “You are going to have to get used to that. I’m going home, far away from here. Sure, we can keep in contact, but I don’t even know when I could come back to Japan, or you make the trip to Canterlot.”

“Well, just putting it out there, but you could study in Japan,” Klein said. “Not just study abroad. Many universities take in international students.”

“I don’t even know what I want to study,” Sunset shrugged. “Besides, that is a year away. And even if I knew what I wanted, Japan would have to have the better program for me to make the move here just for a school degree.”

“Alright,” Klein admitted. “I know it’s a lot. Hey, I got to go, but do you want me to come back?”

“Yeah,” Sunset smiled. “It was nice to have a visitor.”

“Is it cool if I let the others know? I know you guys had a great relationship with Agil, and Lisbeth made your stuff. I met them all the other day at the party.”

“Yes, you can tell them, and if they want to visit, they can. I think you and I still have dinner plans if I remember correctly, not that we can do much with me stuck here.”

Ryoutarou stood up. “We did, and I will hold you to those if I can. It was good to see you. And one last thing, Doll Face.”

“What?” Sunset asked.

“I like your real name better.”

“Thanks. I always felt like Klein was a dumb name, not totally fitting of you.”

Author's Note

This was my original ending. Nothing changed with Ruby Palace coming up. Well, Klein was a later addition, but even when this was a small fic, this was the intended ending.

Yes, we have one more chapter, next week. I'm not sure when Ruby Palace will be able to be launched. I am making great progress on it though. Make sure to subscribe/track this story, or follow me, or both, so you can see any future blog posts I will do to keep you guys updated. My page will also have the most up to day info on it as well.

I love releasing serial novels. I love Tuesdays! So Ruby Palace will release on Tuesdays. I need to be far enough ahead in my writing to be able to not run out of chapters while I write. I don't want you guys to be interrupted when school gets too be more than I can write for the next week, as well as ample editing time to make it the best it can be!

Episode 100 - Forever Wondercolts

Sunset Shimmer looked out the window of the car that Mr. Kikuoka Seijirou was driving. He was from the Japanese government and a member of the SAO Incident Victims Rescue Force. He had personally come with her to ensure her release from Japan's legal custody was smooth and that she was truly safe to go home.

It was good to see the familiar buildings of Canterlot. She had almost forgotten what they looked like. When she thought about a city, she didn't think of Canterlot anymore. She thought of Mishe, Algade, or Selmburg.

On Monday she would see a doctor about continuing her care, with Kikuoka attending. The Japanese government agent had all of her medical records with him, although the important stuff had already been sent over. The doctor was picked by Kikuoka, not Sunset Shimmer, but she knew he had chosen the best the city had to offer.

Eventually, Canterlot High School came into view. It was a Saturday, and school had been out for a week, but they wanted to see her. There was some welcome celebration set up in the gym, but she didn't feel like celebrating anything. The flight had been fine, but long, and she still didn't feel her best. She was doing well enough to be sent home but it would require a lot more work for her to be back to where she was, physically speaking.

The car passed the high school and then turned down a side street to get to the parking lot. "Welcome Back" signs dotted the grass between the lot and the building. As they pulled in Sunset saw that the asphalt was chalked all over with a variety of meaningful words, phrases, and images. They led to a reserved spot, just for their VIP, Sunset Shimmer, her cutie mark covering most of the space.

Mr. Kikuoka put the car in park but didn't turn it off. "I wish the students back in Japan got this kind of welcome. I believe that, scholastically, we made the right choice. The Survivor School, as it has been nicknamed, while it will ensure that they can get the schooling they need and graduate primary school...it has a victim stigma. We can watch the mental health of each student, which is important because we don't understand all of what happened to your minds, only that it was traumatic. But that is the stigma, because there may be nothing wrong with any of you. I like seeing that you have a support network here, and one that is willing to engage with you, not just be there, and one that doesn't see anything but a friend finally returning home."

"I hadn't thought of that.," Sunset Shimmer quietly admitted. "I don't like the idea of having to finish school next year, but I will endure it like I have endured so many other things in life."

"Let's go inside," Kikuoka said, smiling at her through the rearview mirror.

Kikuoka got out after turning the car off and went around to her door. He opened it for her and was right there in case she needed help. Sunset stood up fine, but still used the car to help support her as she leaned back in to grab her crutches.

Sunset certainly needed them. Sitting as long as she had for the plane flight and then the car ride made her feel weaker. She had walked the isles of the plane when she could, but it wasn't enough. Once inside, she could sit down, and the others could come to her.

She began to slowly make her way to the gym. The pathway to the front doors was covered in chalk drawings and supportive images. She got halfway to them before she stopped.

"That is a troubled look from a heavy heart," Kikuoka said softly. "I know it, just like I know the one of physical pain. What is wrong?"

"It's a lot to juggle, just getting back," Sunset explained. "That, and I didn't keep up well with my friends. Since they got free and I didn't, I stayed quiet. They knew I was being taken care of. They just don't know the extent of how badly my body had deteriorated. I'm not looking forward to them finding out how much I kept from them. I didn't want to get smothered by them, even though I know it would not have been on purpose."

"I think they will understand," Kikuoka replied. "I've seen some bad injuries in my lifetime. Sometimes, a person needs to tackle it on their own. Family and friends can be great support, but they also can distract the person from healing or push them past their limits, or worse, make them feel like they are not progressing as they should because they remember who you were, and it is a constant reminder that you are not in the same place, which can lead to self-doubt and self-hatred. Of course, they rarely intend for that to happen, but love isn’t always felt in the same way it is intended.

"Just make sure you explain what you need, and draw a clear line as to what is helpful, and what isn't. And don't be afraid to redraw the line if you need to."

"Thanks," Sunset said, flashing him a smile. "Inside probably won't be helpful, but it will help my friends. And in turn, it should satisfy a lot of them about my current, healthy, state and result in them better staying on the other side of the line."

"Wise idea," Kikuoka replied.

Bladescape took another step and got back into her familiar rhythm. She could make decent time with the crutches for support. Kikuoka opened the door for her and Sunset smoothly entered the building. They followed the hall to the gym doors. It was already loud, with music playing. The guests knew they were close, but not that Sunset had arrived.

Sunset entered the gym. It had been decorated with everything they could get ahold of. From balloons to banners, handmade and printed, streamers and festive tablecloths, it was all there. Except confetti.

Everyone was there too. All of her classmates, even those who had graduated, were there, as well as their families, friends, teachers, and other people that knew the girls. There were plenty of new faces too who had heard about them one way or another. The whole gymnasium was full of people.

It was getting overwhelming to see everything all at once. Her friends were around a table right by the door. Poly Stitch was with them as well and Spike popped his head out from under the table.

“SUNSET!” Pinkie Pie yelled, jumping up...

BOOM!

Two party cannons exploded, adding the missing piece to any Pinkie Pie party, Confetti. It also got everyone’s attention and the music was cut.

“WELCOME BACK SUNSET!” Everyone yelled in unison.

Pinkie Pie slid a microphone on a stand in front of Sunset and winked. Sunset hadn’t been planning on making an address. Not being prepared, she fell back on what Kikuoka had said outside. It was the perfect time to tell them what she needed.

“Hey guys,” Sunset started, a bit shaky. “I can't believe how many of you came out to greet me. It means a lot to me to have your support. So, thank you. I know, I am still on crutches. I'll see a doctor here on Monday, but I will probably need them for a little while longer.

"My body didn't handle the long time in the hospital bed very well. I was one of the worst cases physically. I'm getting stronger and better, each and every day, but it was a difficult battle after coming back to this world.

“I know you guys care, and you want the best for me, but a little wisdom shared with me taught me that it is okay to do a lot of my recovery battle alone. Your support is necessary, but just remember that I may be struggling with doubt or feel that I haven't progressed as far as I think I should. Just standing here, with you, is a reminder about how good I used to be, and how bad I am now, and there is a nagging feeling that I will never be what I once was, even though I know I'm not injured or debilitated in any lasting way. I just need to build my strength back up.

"So please, I know you can't do anything about that feeling, but just keep it in mind as you try and support me in my recovery."

"Darling, is that why you were so distant?" Rarity asked. It was quiet enough that everyone heard the question.

"Not in the beginning," Sunset replied. "At the start, I was having real physical problems and issues with mental clarity. But yes, as I grew stronger, but didn't progress like I wanted to...I just needed to tackle it on my own. You guys are great, but your awesome friendship can feel a bit smothering at times. And I mean that with the best of love and kindness to you all. I wouldn’t trade our friendship for the world.

“I don’t plan on any sports, but for the fall when school starts again, I should be able to do just about anything. I certainly shouldn’t need these crutches.”

“May I say something?” Celestia asked.

“Yes,” Sunset replied with a nod and shuffle back from the mic. “Of course, Principal Celestia.”

“Actually, it is Superintendent Celestia,” she replied, smiling kindly. “Luna is now Principle of Canterlot High. And as Superintendent, it does give me credit to do what is best for all of my students, no matter what school. Although, I didn’t do this lightly. Mr. Kikuoka, along with some assistance from members of Japan’s Ministry of Education, and with the backing of the school board, we have decided that each of you have completed the basic education requirements for graduating High School. You won’t need to go to school in the fall. All eight of you.”

Superintendent Celestia grinned. "We explored all of your files, records, and options available. You were required to complete twenty-two credits to get your diploma. Mandatory Grammar One, Two, and Three courses, and an advanced language course. Three maths, At least Algebra, Geometry, and a third, advanced math. You needed Biology with a lab as well, the same with chemistry. World History, Government, Economics, and World Geography. Physical Education, a secondary language, fine arts, and five extra credits.

"Before being trapped, Twilight had completed all of that. The rest of you had completed the math and science requirements, as well as Physical Education, and fine arts. You were missing Economics and Government, half of your secondary language credits, as well as two electives.

"From our understanding, you all are now proficient in the Japanese language, you had hands on learning for economics and government as you built, led, and kept a guild running for two years. A large one with many players requiring your guidance to keep them safe. You learned a lot of skills you can apply to life. We are certain that anything you learned over the past two years can have some valid application. It may not be the exact same realities, but both worlds function in a very similar way, and you learned how to navigate and deal with those challenges. We believe you can navigate any of this world’s challenges and properly handle them like adults.

"The school district has unanimously decided to grant you your Diplomas."

"Diploma or GED?" Twilight immediately asked.

"Diplomas," Superintendent Celestia said with a coy grin. "You won't have to put GED on your college applications, and the 'classes' you completed in game are graded as pass/fail. They will have a CR as the grade, standing for 'credit earned.' You retain your GPAs from the end of your Junior year. We also have gone to great lengths to discuss your unique situation with several good colleges and universities on your behalf, since you never got the usual student counseling of senior year. And at least one wants each of you."

Twilight Sparkle stumbled back and plopped into the chair Applejack had put in her path to catch her. “I won’t have to worry about college applications,” She said, relieved.

“Did any college express interest in all eight of us?” Applejack asked.

“Canterlot University did,” Superintendent Celestia replied. “But I think your time in school together has come to a close. Scholastically speaking, Twilight has better options. Some of the schools who were keeping track of her are still interested, despite the time difference, and that includes the scholarships they were going to offer her. Rarity has a better offer from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, including a full scholarship if she goes to their Business and Design dual degree program. Rainbow Dash and Poly Stitch, Canterlot University does do try-outs for their sports teams, and they do give scholarships to athletes that they accept from those try-outs.”

“Eh,” Applejack shrugged. “I was never sure about college. I don’t need a degree to run a farm.”

“We can sort that out later,” Sunset said as she moved herself over to a seat.

Fluttershy pulled out the chair for her and Sunset Shimmer sat down. She also took her crutches, to lean them against the nearby wall. Something caught Sunset's eye, and she caught her friend's wrist. Fluttershy stopped, thinking she wanted the crutches.

“What is this?” Sunset asked, referencing the bracelet on her wrist. It was a black snake with glossy finish that shimmered like Colorra would in the right light.

“It’s a reminder of a great friend,” Fluttershy replied. “A friend loyal to the end and who died to make sure I made it back alive.”

Sunset let go of her wrist. “I know you love all animals, but snakes are not something anyone would associate you with. They always think of bunnies. How is Angel? Is he here?”

“No,” Fluttershy replied with a shake of her head. Her eyes began to water, but she held back the tears. “He died. Back in October. Natural causes. He was nine years old. He lived a good life. I know that we both wish that we had seen each other one last time.”

“I’m...so sorry,” Sunset stammered. “I didn’t think about that possibility.”

“It’s okay,” Fluttershy kindly smiled at her. “I came to terms with it within a month of waking up. I had already realized he was getting old, and as the months went by in SAO, I knew the chances of him not being there when I returned were getting higher and higher.

“And no, I don’t have a new pet yet. We decided it was best if I got back on my feet fully before another pet. I have been volunteering in the shelter again, that has been nice.”

Fluttershy walked away with crutches. She was done talking and that was fine. She needed her space like Sunset needed her own. Sunset looked at her friends who had also sat down at the table. She was now afraid to catch up on their lives. They had skipped two years in this world. Sunset was less concerned about her time skip because her ties here were not as strong as the others. She was from Equestria, a traveler from outside this world who had gotten sucked up into another reality.

Her line of thought was broken by someone saying “hey.” Sunset looked over and smiled at Flash Sentry.

“It’s good to have you back,” He said, a bit nervously. He was even scratching the back of his head, a telltale sign he was unsure of something.

“Flash visited you almost weekly!” Pinkie Pie barged in. “Isn’t that sweet? Well, that is until they took you away to Japan, then he couldn’t visit you.”

“Yeah, it was sweet,” Sunset replied, smiling at Flash. “I wish I had more to say to that. For two years, my goal was to keep my friend alive and beat the game so we ccould all go home. I sort of forgot what was back home. I was blinded to everything but my goal. Now that I am here, I don’t know how to be, uh, normal.”

“It’s okay,” Flash said, smiling at her. “I don’t know what I expected either. I was sort of hoping you would know.”

The two of them laughed, a bit uneasily.

“Look, Flash,” Sunset said, stalling out for a moment. “Look, it’s a bit of a weird day for me. I just got back, I came straight from the airport, I apparently have graduated, and I know I have another hundred plus people who want to say ‘hi,’ so my attention isn’t focused well. After Monday, when I meet with my new Doctor, I will have a better sense of where I am, and what my life is going to be like living here again. We will meet up after and talk.”

“Okay,” Flash Sentry shrugged.

“Wait!” Sunset exclaimed as he turned away. He looked back. “I didn’t get to say thank you for visiting me. It is really comforting to know that I had someone looking out for me while I was trapped.”

“Yeah, sure,” he stuttered.

“New people to say hello!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she twirled a laptop around so the screen faced Sunset. On it was Isoroku, AKA Kiefer, Soshi, AKA Joltron, and Nanami AKA Lessa. “You finally get to see them in the real world! Well, it’s over a screen.”

“Good to see you again,” Sunset nodded. “How’s school?”

“Horrible,” Nanami groaned. “But we are not the only couple. Asuna and Kirito are a definite thing even in school. At least we keep ours on the down low.”

“You know them?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Wait, I mean, I know you know them, but how do you know this world them?”

“Pinkie?” Sunset asked. “How do you think they got in contact with you in the first place?”

“Uh?” Pinkie said, getting lost in her thoughts.

Sunset spoke to all her friends at the table. “Asuna was in the same hospital as they took me to. I took longer to heal. She went back to school, but I got a few visits from players we knew. A good group of the survivors have rallied together over there, so they were able to track me down in person and visit me.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie wishes to have a word with you!” Trixie said from behind Sunset.

Sunset looked at her and saw that more people were wanting to drop by the table and say “hi.” She turned her focus on where it should be, the friends and people who were here to celebrate her recovery and return to them.

A while later, a mini graduation ceremony happened, where the eight of them officially got their fake diplomas. The real ones would be given out after the party. It made for a fun moment with great pictures being taken. The whole city was going to see the photos in the Sunday Newspaper. They had not liked having anyone swept up in the SAO incident.

When everything started winding down Kikuoka came over to the table with Sunset’s crutches. “I hate to break up the fun, but it is five in the afternoon. We need to get you home.”

“Oh, right,” Sunset said, turning her attention to the matter that she had been avoiding.

Final wishes were said and a lot of applause for support as Sunset left.

In the car, as they turned onto the street, Kikuoka spoke up. “That seemed like it was a fun afternoon.”

“It was,” Sunset admitted. “A bit odd at times, but it was positive. But why that smile?”

“I know about your living situation, and now that you are a legal adult, well the Japanese Government doesn’t like some of the loose ends the SAO incident created, particularly with our foreign players. I was waiting to tell you, but the government has given you a scholarship to attend Canterlot University for four years. That includes food, books, room and board, everything you will need. Your friends have already been getting stipends to assist financially, but they will be either receiving extensions, or scholarships, depending on their choices.”

“So basically a bribe to get us back into normal society?” Sunset asked with a wry smile.

“Unofficially speaking, sort of, officially, no. They are grants, scholarships, or even a few stipends. The task force wasn’t able to rescue any of the trapped players. In the end, all we could do was ensure safe transport to a hospital without losing internet connection. When the bulk of the players woke up, they either needed to go back to school, or get a job. Most had been dismissed from their jobs. How else do you think someone like Mr. Tsuboi got such a good job after a few weeks of rehab?

“It was a liability for any company to take him on, so we encouraged companies to hire survivors, usually quietly, who could do the job the company needed, but typically lacked the experience level they wanted to hire at. Most of our players were young adults, with many just starting off their adult life after college. Governments do what they need to do to keep their people happy and in good health. And it was in everyone’s best interest that the survivors get into good stable jobs and find some form of normal life again.”

Sunset snickered. “Have you heard him complain about that job?”

“No personally, but it was reported,” Kikuoka replied while keeping his eyes on the road. “But he knows where it came from. And he has a future there. It is a job he can grow and excel in, and it was in his field he studied in university.”

“That’s good,” Sunset sighed. “Where are we going? I’m not entirely familiar with this part of town.”

“I said room and board,” Kikuoka replied. “I picked out a nice place for you near the university and near the doctor’s office. It’s also on well-established bus routes. And since you will be on crutches for a little while, I got you a first-floor apartment that is usually reserved for handicap individuals. The laws here are good, to ensure they have a place they can rent, but you also need a little extra space and room to move. I know it won’t be long before you are without the crutches, but still…” He shrugged to finish what he was saying.

They pulled into a nice set of apartments and then into a parking spot. It was at the end of the unit, and with the way the building was set up, there was a sloped roof above the apartment, but no one could live there. It had to be for maintenance and other amenity access.

Kikuoka opened the car door and helped her out. He grabbed their suitcases from the trunk and led her to the door. Inside the apartment were boxes and furniture. Opening one, she saw that all of her stuff had been boxed up and moved here, and anything she needed furniture wise was purchased. All on the dime of the Japanese government.

“You really know how to take care of people,” Sunset commented.

“Thank you,” Kikuoka replied as he sat down on the couch. It was brand new. “Your legal guardians plan to come over tomorrow. They wanted to not overwhelm you, especially since you were heading to the school. They helped get this place set up. They care a lot for you, and I know they will say it, but they will always be ready to help you if you need it. Everyone thought moving you here would be for the best.”

“You footing the bill is nice,” Sunset added. “But thank you. I don’t know if there is a best, but I won’t waste the opportunities you are providing me with.”

"I know you won't," Kikuoka smiled. "That is why I have no trepidation about any of the things we are doing to help you get back on your feet. While you get settled, I'll order us a pizza. I can spend a few nights on the couch with no worries. I have slept in worse places and for far longer. And until you are cleared Monday, I want to be close in case you need me."

"Thank you," Sunset smiled at the Japanese government worker.

What exactly he did outside of being part of the SAO Incident Victims Rescue Force, and working for the Ministry of Internal Affair's Telecommunications Bureau, Advanced Network Division, also known as the Virtual Division, hadn't been stated, but Sunset was fairly certain he had a background of either law enforcement, or their self-defense force.

There wasn't much in her suitcase. She had a decent set of clothing that she had gotten out of necessity; all of it paid for by Kikuoka. She had fought hard, but she had won the battle to keep her NerveGear. The Japanese government had ordered their recall and destruction. Most players had their units confiscated. Waking up late helped her keep hers, especially since she agreed to have its processor removed so it could no longer function. That was the deal she had struck with Kikuoka to keep hers.

However, the real prize in the suitcase wasn't from Kikuoka. Tsuboi Ryoutarou, Klein, had gotten her a going home present. It was a very good copy of the kimono she had worn as the Wondercolts' Kaisho. The style wasn't the difficult part, it was the pattern of some of the fabrics. Sunset doubted they had the right pattern on hand, meaning they had to make a limited production run of it, which not only took time, but would have cost more. However he did it, he had gotten her a very special gift. And it came with no strings attached.

After her clothes were put away, Sunset checked her phone. She had a new email. It was from Ryoutarou. He was checking in with her after the flight. She reported that she was fine and how the party went.

Then she joined Kikuoka out in the living room. He hadn't moved from the spot on the couch, but it was obvious the pizza had been ordered and he was just waiting on it to arrive.

"What is usually good to watch on TV here?" Kikuoka asked.

"I don't know what is even on anymore," Sunset chuckled. "Plus, the bulk of my time in this reality was not spent in front of a TV. I had a school to conquer. I had plans. And when those ended, I had new plans. I would usually play the guitar rather than flip through TV channels."

"Yes, I guess so. That was wiser. Have you heard anything from Equestria?"

Sunset could not cover up her shock as she was taken aback by the question. "Um…" she stalled. Then she went with the truth out of desperation, "No. I have not."

"I was wondering if that peculiar girl, Princess Twilight Sparkle, would show up."

"She is probably very busy," Sunset replied. "How did you find out?"

"She told me," Kikuoka shrugged. "On one of my visits to check in on our foreign players, I caught her trying to understand the technology of the NerveGear, in an attempt to free you. I had to stop it, because her methods would have set off the trap and killed you. She gave me some fascinating reports, but it has been a while since she sent me anything."

"I am sure she will turn up soon enough with me back," Sunset replied. "Not that I am any more important than the others, but she does have to maximize her time."

"Being a princess isn't easy," he replied.

“No, it is not,” Sunset chuckled.

A knock came at the door and Kikuoka got up to get it. It wasn’t the pizza. Rainbow Dash barged in, slipping out of Applejack’s grasp.

“Sorry,” Applejack said. “We couldn’t keep her away.”

“Nice pad,” Rainbow Dash said.

Sunset rolled her eyes and chuckled. “What is it Dash? What is so important that it couldn’t wait for a later time? Like Tuesday?”

“Because we are missing it!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. She opened her backpack and pulled out a DVD case. “This is a new game, but they won’t let me play! They said it has to be a group decision. With SAO over, a new VR game engine was released, free, known as The Seed. An amazing game called Alfheim Online has risen up using that. You get to fly and can cast magic. And the hardware, the AmuSphere, is safe. It was designed with safety features that specifically block anything like SAO happening again. We have to get in on this!”

Rainbow Dash actually got down on her knees to beg. “Please say we can play. The others said we either play together or not at all. They are waiting for your decision.”

Sunset laughed.

Applejack spoke up. “You don’t have to say yes. Dash is bein' dramatic as usual. I'm sure it’s a fine game, but we have ALL been through enough.”

“SAO players can port over their data,” Dash added, still on her knees begging.

“I know,” Sunset shrugged. “And the flight engine is pretty awesome. I don’t think it should be an all or nothing choice. It should be up to each of us individually, because we all had different experiences with SAO, even though we basically did everything together.

“Still, Dash, ALO isn’t an easy game. There is no assist for combat, no Sword Skills, and the spells require a lot of memorization to use. And only character data gets ported over, not the equipment. Anything you had is gone. Forever. Just like SAO.”

“You sound like you have played already,” Twilight said, narrowing her eyes at her.

Sunset dipped her head in a nod. “A few of the other survivors in Japan pitched in to get me an AmuSphere unit. I have it with me. I couldn’t do anything for a long while in the hospital. ALO was an escape from the boringness of just laying in a bed and a way to get away from the physical pain of my rehab.”

“Who pitched in?” Rarity asked.

“Klein and Agil mostly, since they had jobs,” Sunset shrugged. “And yes, I met both of them in real life. They visited once or twice. Agil is as giant as he was in SAO.”

“So can we play?” Rainbow Dash begged.

“I won’t stop you,” Sunset replied. “I will be playing when I have time in between school. I’m going to be in college classes this fall. Although, a warning; they released New Aincrad into the skies above ALfheim. New Floor Bosses, but a lot is the same. Those who wish to join can assist in conquering the floating castle. All One-Hundred Floors this time.”

Rarity let out a dramatic sigh. "Despite all of the bad, we did have our share of fun in virtual reality. Plus, it will give me new mediums to learn. So why not? Even if this game has magic, I am sure I will manage. And in between my classes as well. I looked at the offer from the school. It is substantial and it is exactly what I need to succeed in the fashion industry."

"We all know Dash is in," Applejack said. "I guess I'm in. I'll miss my old shield though. I guess I'll have to make my mark again on Aincrad."

"This time, I will open my own bakery!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"Oh, why not?" Twilight shrugged. "I'll be with my friends. Always."

They looked at Fluttershy. She glanced around and clasped her hands behind her back. "Colorra isn't a fan of flying. Or cat ears and a tail."

"If you are concerned, we get it," Twilight said. "I'm not sure how much I'll play. School will take up a lot of time for me."

"Well..." Fluttershy said, stalling.

Kikuoka started to laugh. He had sat back down on the couch while Rainbow Dash was begging. “I see you already ported your character over.”

“Mhm,” Fluttershy nodded. She looked at her friends, most were shocked. “I had already done it before Dash found out about ALO. I didn’t think you all would want to go back.”

“So Fluttershy has been playing and you wouldn’t let me play!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, frustrated. Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes at Fluttershy. “And you didn’t say anything?”

Fluttershy shrugged back. “You guys told Dash she couldn’t play unless we all agreed, but that was after I started, so I kept my mouth shut. But yes, I have been playing and Colorra is enjoying ALO and all the new creatures she gets to fight. Not the flight part, but she is learning to tolerate it.”

“The snake charmer lives on,” Sunset grinned coyly.

“After Angle Bunny died, I needed someone to hug,” Fluttershy explained. “And then I found out about ALO, so I ported over. Before the game was temporarily shut down and then transferred ownership. Colorra was the only thing I got to keep from SAO. All my items were trashed. But it still is a comfort to be able to pop on and say ‘hi’ to her."

Sunset Shimmer stood up, a bit uneasy on her feet, and put her hand out. "Wondercolts forever?"

Fluttershy's hand was first in, with her snake bracelet out plain and visible. Her grin said it all. Dash's was second, then Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight. Pinkie Pie shrugged and then put one hand on top and one hand on the bottom.

In unison they all yelled "WONDERCOLTS FOREVER!"

Thank you for reading EQG: Sword Art Online - Aincrad! It has been a wild ride, from maybe 20 chapters, to accidentally hitting the triple digits as I tried to tell the story right. Onto the rewrite! A TRUE Alternative Universe version, EQG: Sword Art Online - Ruby Palace! There is a whole lot of fun to be had on the last 25 Floors. There is a lot more fun to be had in a real mashing together of the two worlds. And don't worry, Kirito, Asuna, Agil, Klein, Lisbeth, Silica, Heathcliff, and the others will be there, fighting for their freedom and the freedom of the other players. Floors 1 to 100, here they come!

Track the story and/or follow me so you will get updates on when Ruby Palace is getting released. My editor and I are already in the swing of things to get it out as soon as possible. If you have any ideas/comments/suggestions/etc. about Ruby Palace, send me a message. Some of you have taken me up on that. Also, the release will come with more wing banners. I have 13 total now. Hehehe

Fine, I know you guys are going to ask. No, I don't plan on an ALO story. I don't have a good plot line for one. The crossover plot is much stronger and more diverse and will be plenty of fun. Plus, it is a base from which I really could do something with ALO or GGO or any other setting, no guarantees though. But you guys will want to know what races the girls would be in ALO.

Sunset: Salamander
Twilight: Undine
Rainbow Dash: Sylph
Applejack: Salamander
Pinkie Pie: Gnome
Rarity: Leprechaun
Fluttershy: Cait Sith

Author's Note

There is a second teaser in a blog. Following/Tracking this story, or me, will allow you to be up to date when I am able to release it, as well as future teasers and updates.

Update Info - Ruby Palace

I decided to insert this "chapter" as another place for the readers to find the information, but the best place is always going to be my fimfic page and following me so you get the updates. Aincrad was a short adventure tale set in canon SAO which grew. As proud of it as I am, as much as I love it, there are some things I want to redo. So I am writing Ruby Palace, a full alternative Universe crossover between the two worlds.

For Ruby Palace, the girls get into a foreign exchange program. Teasers are linked below, as well as the future vignettes, and crossover timeline that melds both worlds together.

Highlights of Ruby Palace:

It will be a bigger story.

Since it is an alt-u story, it will go all the way to the Ruby Palace at Floor 100.

The girls will have a central role.

The main SAO characters will have to maintain the key canon moments in Aincrad to keep them, them, and will be present: Klein, Kirito, Asuna, Argo, Lisbeth, Agil, and other characters.

Astro is gone, replaced with a more logical character.

Look forward to seeing some new Skills, some new Extra Skills, and the rest of the Unique Skills.

The Phoenix, Black Velvet Band, Merlin, the White Swordsman, all of Aincrad's Great Dragons, and more!

More of Plaudit.

Some of the girls are getting new game names.: Malus, Konpeito, and Natora

New wingbanners and art.

November 2021:

I don't have a release date.

I have 30 linear chapters written, plus a ton on non-linear chapters.

I will release it when I am far enough ahead that I can release a chapter weekly without interruption. This includes them going through the editing process.

I am releasing vignettes at random times to hold over while I write more.

BLOG LINKS:

Info Post

Teaser One

Teaser Two

Art! Part 1

Art! Part 2

Art! Part 3

Art Part 4

Art Part 5a

Art Part 5b

Vignette - Exotic Horizons

Vignette - Twilight of a New Era

Vignette - Deep Dive

Vignette - Stress Sewing

Vignette - Sister Time

Vignette - B.B.S.C.H.H.

Vignette - Creating Chords

Vignette - Favors

Vignette - Schoolhouse Rock

Vignette - After Party

Vignette - Powered Down

Future Vignette links will be posted here.

As I am merging the two timelines, I have to 1: establish a locked in orientation of the canon events that are vaguely oriented in the EQG Universe. 2: Mesh it with Sword Art Online’s canon timeline. The main story will utilize Aincrad’s junishi calendar, but I am going to orient the years for the precursor events to SAO’s dating years.

TIMELINE:
Pink are canon EQG events
Yellow are important events in the girl’s lives.

1995-1996

Kayaba Akihiko is born.

1999-2000

Tsuboi Ryōtarō (Klein) is born. He enters Aincrad at the age of 22.

2001-2005

Sunset Shimmer is likely born.

2005-2006

Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight Sparkle (SciTwi) are born.

Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy are 18 when they enter Aincrad.

Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight are 17 years old when they enter Aincrad.

2006

April 8 — Nochizawa Eiji (Nautilus) is born. He enters Aincrad at the age of 16.

July 29 — Shigemura Yuuna (Yuna) is born. She enters Aincrad at the age of 16.

November 13 — Shinkawa Shouichi (XaXa) is born. He enters Aincrad just shy of turning 16.

2007

May 18 — Shinozaki Rika (Lisbeth) is born. She enters Aincrad at the age of 15.

September 30 — Yuuki Asuna (Asuna) is born. She enters Aincrad at the age of 15.

2008

October 7 — Kirigaya Kazuto (Kirito) is born. He enters Aincrad at the age of 14.

After October 7th — Kazuto is adopted by the Kirigaya family after his parents’ death.

2009

April 19 — Kirigaya Suguha (Leafa) is born. She is Kazuto’s blood cousin but legal sister. They are raised as siblings.

Asada Shino (Sinon) is born.

2010

May 23 — Konno Yukki and Konno Aiko are born and, due to a batch of contaminated blood, their family is infected with HIV.

October 4 — Ayano Keiko (Silica) is born. She enters Aincrad at the age of 12.

2016

Kazuto gives up on Kendo.

2018

Spring — Sunset Shimmer goes through the portal, from Equestria to Earth. She is judged to be 13 years old.

Kazuto finds out about his birth parents’ death from the citizen’s registry on the internet. He is 10 years old.

2019

Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie start high school at Canterlot High, officially becoming Wondercolts.

Twilight Sparkle Starts high school at Crystal Prep.

Sunset Shimmer breaks up the friends and begins her reign of terror over Canterlot High.

2020

Fall — Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, (Sci)Twilight Sparkle, and Sunset Shimmer start their sophomore years at their respective schools.

Late Fall — The portal opens, Sunset Shimmer steals Princess Twilight’s crown. Twilight Sparkle and Spike go through the portal to retrieve it. Three days later Sunset Shimmer is defeated, ending her reign of terror and beginning the era of friendship in CHS.

2021

The NerveGear is announced.

Japanese Self-Defense Force (JDSF) and the U.S. Army start developing training software utilizing the NerveGear together.

Spring — The Battle of the Bands takes place. The Rainbooms, with the help of Sunset Shimmer, defeat The Dazzlings.

Spring — The girls decide to take advantage of the study abroad program.

Fall — Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, (Sci)Twilight Sparkle, and Sunset Shimmer start their Junior years at their respective schools.

Fall — The Friendship Games between Canterlot High and Crystal Prep takes place. The result is a draw after Midnight Sparkle nearly destroys everything. Twilight Sparkle transfers to Canterlot High to learn friendship.

2022

Spring — The Girls submit applications for the foreign exchange program.

Spring — CHS’ 2023 incoming Senior Class goes to Camp Everfree. The girls save the camp and get the geodes.

May — The NerveGear is released to the market.

Summer — Second and third Vignette arcs occur.

August — The Sword Art Online (SAO) Closed Beta is launched. Kirito encounters Argo in the beta.

August — The girls travel to Japan for their exchange program.

August 31 — The Closed Beta is closed.

September 2 — Exchange Student Orientation and Lunch

September 5 — Start of classes (second trimester for Japanese students).

November 2 — People start lining up for the release of Sword Art Online.

November 5 — Sword Art Online sales begin.

November 6 — 13:00 JST (1pm Japan Standard Time) Sword Art Online servers open.

17:30 — Kayaba Akihiko locks Aincrad, successfully trapping nearly 10,000 players in the game.

EQG events that have not happened in this timeline:
Saved for senior year after they get back, except alt-U.

Movie Magic

Dance Magic

Mirror Magic

Forgotten Friendship

Rollercoaster of Friendship

Spring Breakdown

Sunset's Backstage Pass

Holiday's Unwrapped

I will keep this updated, but my fimfiction page is the best place to find the most up to date info.

Pilot Episode - Link Start!

TUTORIAL

The video below is the tutorial for the animated series.
Watching before reading is highly suggested, but not required.

Real World
October 31

Sunset Shimmer ran, feet pounding along the concrete sidewalk at a steady pace. She was running to the local gaming store. She had scored an online copy of the state-of-the-art game, Sword Art Online. One of the 10,000 copies. Now she had to buy the NerveGear and she was hoping they were not out of them. The store said that the gear was one per customer. She couldn’t even hold some for her friends. They were kept behind the counter.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. It wasn’t the first text message she had gotten while she was running, but she wasn’t going to stop to read them. Her friends were trying to get the game as well. They all had to do online sales because the game had an even more limited release for out of Japan sales. The text messages were hopefully confirming that they had also gotten the game. They had decided that because it was so limited, it was a free for all, with no hard feelings if one of them didn’t get a copy. They would play as friends. As many of them as possible. If only one didn’t get the game, it would be a very tough promise to keep. Eventually more copies would be sold until they could all play together.

Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie already had the hardware. They had been playing other games, just nothing as high tech or immersive as Sword Art Online was said to be. Rainbow Dash had been playing Pitch Perfect: Soccer Champion. She hadn’t shut up about it since she got it a two months ago. What Pinkie had been doing on it was anybody’s guess, and knowing Twilight, it had to do with learning, or online chess.

The storefront came into view on the other side of the street and Sunset Shimmer slid to a stop. There was a line outside of it stretching down the block. She checked for traffic and burst across the street.

“SUNSET DARLING!” Rarity called out from further ahead in the line. “YOU GOT A COPY!”

“YEAH,” Sunset Shimmer yelled in between pants. “I ONLY HOPE THEY'RE NOT OUT OF THE NERVEGEAR BY THE TIME WE GET INSIDE.”

“THEY'RE NOT LETTING CUSTOMERS INSIDE RIGHT NOW,” Rainbow Dash yelled from the front of the line.

“RAINBOW DASH!” Rarity exclaimed. “YOU ALREADY HAVE THE NERVEGEAR!”

“SHE'S WITH ME!” Applejack yelled. “JUST HANGIN' OUT.”

“I’D GIVE YOU GUYS CUPCAKES, BUT I CAN’T LEAVE MY SPOT!” Pinkie Pie said from elsewhere in the line. “I’M WITH FLUTTERSHY!”

Twilight panted up behind Sunset.

“TWILIGHT JUST JOINED ME!” Sunset informed the others. “AND PINKIE, YOU HAVE THE NERVEGEAR ALREADY! YOU CAN LEAVE THE LINE.”

“OH YEAH!”

Pinkie Pie skipped up and down the line, distributing the cupcakes to her friends.

“BEHOLD, AUDIENCE!” Trixie Lulamoon said stepping out in front of the crowd. She was currently working at the video game store for a part time job. “THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE HAS A DECREE! ONLY THE ONES WITH VERIFIED COPIES OF SWORD ART ONLINE CAN ENTER MY STORE AND PURCHASE THE NERVEGEAR AT THIS TIME! GOOD LUCK GAMERS!”

Most of the crowd dissipated and the girls were able to join each other in line.

“Well that was lucky,” Sunset said.

“It only makes sense,” Twilight explained as she cleaned her glasses. “If the others don’t have the game, it's useless for them to buy the hardware. Right now, the demand for NerveGear is high because of Sword Art Online. Its full release next week means that the store will probably sell the rest of their stock online and ship it elsewhere overnight. What is the point of scoring the game and not being able to play it because you can’t buy the NerveGear? The cost for the unit online will probably skyrocket. The store will rightfully take advantage of the economic opportunity. Especially with so few units existing outside Japan.”

“Well, that just means we can all get it and play together,” Rarity smiled.

“And conquer it together!” Rainbow Dash declared with her fist in the air. “I let my buddies in Pitch Perfect know I scored a copy and won’t be on as much as I used to be. One other person got a copy, Poly Stitch. I know we're playing together, but I would love it if she could join our party at times. She plays a lot of MMORPGs and would be a big help.”

“Actually,” Twilight said nervously playing with her glasses. “Parties can only be six players at max, even within a guild. Guilds do not have a restriction on player numbers. I’ve been reading up on the game in its entirety. Everything they have released about it anyway. The information has been quite limited.”

“Of course you have,” Sunset said with an eye roll and smile.

Rarity spoke up. “I’m sure we can find room for her. We could do two parties of four rather than two parties of four and three.”

“It would be a more optimal set up for us,” Twilight added.

“Alright then!” Applejack said with a swing of her fist. “But what'll we call our guild?”

“How about the Wondercolts?” Rainbow Dash suggested.

They couldn’t discuss it anymore as the others were allowed inside. They bought their NerveGears and each of them headed home. They all had things to do before the official launch next week. Plus, they needed to set up the NerveGear and the game so that they could launch it immediately at the start. They could do some stuff before actually playing the game, like character design and log in info.

Sunset sat down at her computer and continued working on her history report. She was getting ahead in all of her schoolwork. She would leave the game info to Twilight. It was obvious that she had already figured out the best way for them to start. It might look controlling, but she knew her friend. It was all in an effort to maximize their fun as an individual and the group. And no doubt she had contingency plans for each of them choosing their own set up.

As the days ticked by, Sunset found herself getting too excited to not look up some of the information floating around the web. A lot of information was being withheld about the skills and the skill tree. She did find plenty of screen shots of armor and weapons. It looked amazing, and it was only low level equipment. Most Beta Testers had barely made it to the Second Floor.

Sunset's eyes were immediately drawn to the big swords. The ones requiring two hands to use. She would have to train her strength and skills without a shield to use a sword designed for two hands.

November 6th; the official release of Sword Art Online. One of the most anticipated games in all of Video Game history. And certainly one of the most influential. All VRMMORPGs would be influenced by how people reacted to playing SAO.

The seven of them could hardly contain their excitement. The stream of text messages was fierce up until the last minute. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were already arguing over who would be the strongest and fastest. Twilight tried to sort out their misconceptions, but over text, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were messaging too quickly to even read Twilight’s messages.

Sunset used the restroom, laid down in bed in simple sweatpants and a shirt, and put the NerveGear on her head, strapping it down. She would be as comfortable as possible while she “dived.” The geode necklace was around her neck. The NerveGear blocked out the real world, meaning she was vulnerable. The geode was useless to her in game. Still, she had learned to never take it off. Why start now?

The clock hit 13:00.

“LINK START!” Sunset Shimmer declared, starting the game.

The stream of colors was a bit disorienting. The game loaded and Sunset entered her user ID and password. Since she had already set things up and customized her avatar, it was easy to jump into the game.

Sunset blinked as everything came into view. She saw her own strong hands, gloved with a basic red, cotton weave. She had built her avatar in third person mode; now it was time to check out the design. The muscle definition under her red clothes and metal breastplate was good. She felt solid, but not too jacked up. Enough muscle to be strong and wield a two-handed sword, but not too much, which would slow her down. She also didn't add any height or reach to her avatar, keeping it as close to her real body as possible so that there was less of a learning curve. That key tidbit was something Twilight had mathematically proven to be the most optimal setting for height and reach to maximize performance by the mind in the game.

Then Bladescape took a look at the real Sword Art Online. The stone buildings were phenomenally designed. They looked more lifelike than many of the stone buildings she knew in the real world. She was in a large square with a tall clock-tower in its center. Players were popping up all around her in flashes of blue light.

Sword Art Online had launched!

They had planned on meeting at the West exit of the city. Sunset sprinted off through the streets and alleys to the meeting point. The entire town was made of stone. Her stamina in game was a lot more than in real life. That was a nice feature.

Sunset got to the Western gate in the Town of Beginnings rather quickly. It wasn't too difficult to navigate the starting town, despite its size. One player was leaning against the gate’s wall, looking out over the fields.

“Hey,” He said with a nod up as he looked at Sunset Shimmer. “Name?”

“Uh, I’m Sunset Shimmer? You?”

“Astro. And Sunset, you are obviously a newb. This is Sword Art Online. A game. You don’t use your I.R.L. name.”

“I.R.L.?” Sunset asked.

“In real life. Name?”

“Oh, right. Then Astro, I’m Bladescape.”

“Nice to meet you Bladescape. Not a bad name for a newb.” Astro said as a sly grin stretched his face. "A bit unorthodox, but you go with what you feel is best and hope it doesn't bite you in the butt."

Sunset Shimmer shrugged. "Blade felt right, but it needed something more. I want a large two-handed sword and I want to paint the landscape with it. I want it to be my pen, Aincrad the paper, and the monsters the ink as I craft my story in this world."

"That's the spirit," Astro praised. "Still a newb name, but that's because you can't back it up yet. Once you can, no one with question it. Like Thunderborne; She was laughed at for a while, until she started winning whole games solo. Now when she plays pick-up games outside the league, it sparks awe in her teammates and fear in her opponents. It also beats a name with weird numbers in it."

Two others came running up to them, ending their talk. The first was lean but muscled, standing upright and strong like she already owned the game. Her bright red hair was pulled back in a warrior's cut as flashy as her confidence. Her basic starting armor was backed in a sky blue while she had a yellow sheathed longsword on her hip. The other player, who was also well toned, had wavy black hair down to her shoulders, but she was not standing confidently. She wasn't wearing armor either, opting for a yellow dress. No weapon was present. It was obviously Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

“Astro, is that you?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Yo, good to see you Thunderborne. I was telling Bladescape here you have to watch your gamer name. You earned your rep on the field, which surprised a lot of us when this cocky new girl joined up. Now the name Thunderborne makes players groan in fear."

The two of them laughed over that fact.

“Let's hook up now,” Thunderborne said after she was done laughing. She swiped down with her right hand, bringing up the game menu. A small white screen popped up in front of Astro and he hit the small blue button to accept the friend invitation. “I see you already met Bladescape, and that is Doombunny. Which speaking of owning names, she's one who better learn to live up to hers. She isn’t some weak person in here. She can get strong and will get strong.”

A white window popped up in front of Bladescape. It was a friend request from Thunderborne. She accepted it and another one from Doombunny popped up. Astro's request was next.

“Why is your name Astro?” Bladescape asked. "I already get Thunderborne; Doombunny is an interesting choice."

“I hate AstroTurf. It's tough, unyielding, and uncomfortable to play on. Nothing better to name my avatar than after the very thing I hate. Why Doombunny, especially with the way you stand? Put that chest out, girl.”

"Oh, um, well," Doombunny stuttered, barely an audible squeak. She was slapped on the shoulder by Thunderborne to get her to straighten up. She composed herself a bit better. "Well, I was going to go with another name, but Angel kept throwing a fit for each one I wrote down. I was going to do just Bunny for him, but he didn't like that either. He helped me add Doom to the front of it, and then he approved. So, um... I'm Doombunny."

Three more players came down the road towards them. One was dressed in white with blue and purple accents, another was in plain brown shaded clothes and had a hammer hanging off their waist, and the third was trying to push up nonexistent glasses as she ran in her purple backed starter chest plate.

“Yo, guys,” Thunderborne said. “This is Astro. Astro, that’s, Diemond, I.R.L. Rarity, Backbreaker, I.R.L. AJ, and the one still learning to see without glasses is Knightstar, I.R.L. Twilight Sparkle.”

“Pleasure to meet you all?” Astro said. "So, why did the newbs choose those names?"

"I live on a farm," Applejack stated. "You can try and break my back, but you won't succeed. I'll be so strong in this here game, that you'll break yours tryin' to break mine." Applejack blushed. "Or at least, that was my thought when I first did the name. Now I ain’t so sure."

"I see what you were trying for," Astro said. "Now you'll have to earn that respect and fear so that others believe you are strong enough to break their back."

"I like diamonds and shiny things," Rarity stated. "I can make amazing outfits to fit any style of fashion. So, Diemond. And that is with an E darling, not an A. It has to have some bite."

Astro gave a wink and flashed a finger gun at Rarity in respect. "I like that bite."

"Um," Twilight stuttered. "Well, I like stars. And astronomy. It's fascinating. It is a play on knight and night, and star. So... yes?"

"You need more confidence," Astro stated. "But a clever play on words is always nice to see. You'll need to get full plate armor and a cape with your favorite constellations. Maybe even make the belt of that belt constellation. I obviously know nothing about astronomy."

Astro was so confident that his acknowledgement of not knowing most of what he was talking about didn't warrant a laugh, only respect.

“Aren’t you a girl?” Applejack asked. “Dash, er Thunderborne, said you were on her soccer team in Pitch Perfect.”

“Yeah, I am. Pitch Perfect has a male league, a female league, and a co-ed league. Thunder and I play in the female league and co-ed pick-up games. But with an MMORPG like this, I prefer to be a dude. It cuts down on the harassment I get for being a gamer girl. Too many guys hit on you if you're a girl in-game. Especially a real girl. They all think they have a shot with you.”

“Well I for one am a lady, and always will be,” Rarity said. “I do hope this game has fashionable garments to wear. Unlike these dregs.”

“Depends on what you mean by fashion,” Astro smirked. “It's not going to have a lot of frilly dresses if that's what you're looking for. Particularly for battle. Sometimes the best armor looks like crap. But there are going to be some awesome looking pieces for sure. Just from the small bits released, the higher Floors will unlock some gnarly gear.”

“Oh, I’m sure I can find something,” Rarity said with a wave.

“WEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Came a yell followed by a giant female bulging with ripped muscles. The look would have been impressive if the figure was not hopping down the road and carrying several different types of food. “AFCK IS HERE! AND I BROUGHT FOOD!”

“AFCK?” Sunset asked. “Pinkie, I thought you were going by a different name? I thought you were doing CCK? Cupcake King.”

“I was!” AFCK said with a jump. “But then, right before I logged in today and set my account up, I had this super awesome candy! Atomic Fireball Candy! It was so cinnomony strong, I thought it would be an awesome warrior if it wasn’t candy. Cause, you know, candy can’t actually fight. Except gummy bears. Rawr! So, AFCK!”

They were all smiling, shaking their heads, or rolling their eyes at AFCK being her normal, animated, Pinkie Pie self.

“And the K?” Thunderborne asked.

“K is for Knight, silly!” AFCK laughed a snort. “Seriously, how did you not know that?”

“The gang is all here,” Sunset said. “What now?”

The bells at the center of the town began to toll. Suddenly all eight of them were enveloped in blue light and teleported to the center of town. They were still together when they found themselves in the town square.

“Forced teleport." Astro chuckled. "Looks like it's the opening ceremony. I'm not surprised there is one after all the hype they did.”

More and more players glowed blue, being pulled back to the center. It quickly became packed with little room to move. All different types of flashy colors, shiny weapons, brash armor, and flashy hair and hairstyles were around them. None of the players looked ugly either, as exotic and beautiful skin tones and bone structures were chosen for their avatars. The scene made up one shimmering and shifting rainbow of people. All players online, nearly 10,000, were packed into the square.

Some players got anxious and began getting angry about not being able to log out and wanted to talk to a GM. Someone's piercing scream silenced the entire area. "Hey... look up!"

Sunset looked up to see the sky, which was actually the bottom of the Second Floor above them, was checkered with red, glass like, panes which had English Text on them: "WARNING" and "SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT."

"Here we go," Astro chuckled. "We get to have some fun. I wonder what exactly we have gotten ourselves into with all this showmanship."

The center began to shift and then sagged. It morphed into a giant drop of blood which began to slowly move downward, but not breaking from the ceiling to drop onto their heads. Suddenly it changed shape to a more familiar figure. Although it wasn't that familiar. It was a man about sixty feet tall, swathed in a crimson robe with the hood up.

"This ain't right, y'all," Applejack gulped.

"Where is his face?" Fluttershy squeaked. Her squeak became barely a whisper. "I'm terrified now."

From where they all stood, they should have been able to see under the hood. But under it was nothing but the inside stitching. There was no face, no head, and probably no actual body wearing that robe.

"That's the robe of Argus GMs from the beta," Twilight said loud enough for their group to hear. "But the males had white beards, looking like gentle, but skilled magicians of age. And the women were beautiful and radiant beings. That is nothing but the robe and gloves."

"Maybe something is wrong?" Rarity asked. "Like a bug? I read about those types of things for new games."

A white glove peaked out from the robe as the right sleeve moved. By the time it stopped, there was a clear break between the glove and the sleeve. Both were nothing, filled with a void of empty space to keep them puffed out. The other sleeve moved, so that both swept over the entire crowd, emphasizing them as the players.

Sunset felt the pit that had been forming in her stomach drop. She lost her concern and was now certain that something was wrong. SAO was an MMORPG that took a unique risk by not having any magic skills. But this magic, or trickery, whatever it actually was, it felt like dark magic from Equestria and Sunset's heart rate shifted as her mind prepared itself for a fight. A fight she could never win as a level one player against a GM, especially without her Equestrian Magic, but she felt ready to fight.

For whatever good that would do here.

A voice, calm and deep, soothing even, came out of the ghost robe. "Welcome to my world, dear players."

Sunset Shimmer gulped. That was exactly what an evil demon or magic user from Equestria would say, but Akihiko Kayaba was just a producer and designer of the NerveGear and SAO, and he was too far away for him to be influenced by Equestrian Magic. Besides, this was in a game, not real life. A demon in the game was a coded object, just like a sword, or a stone, or even the player's avatar. There was no magic to any of this.

The arms lowered, done with their current dramatic purpose, and the figure continued to speak. "My name is Akihiko Kayaba. As of this moment, I am the only human being alive with control over this world."

Sunset was confused. That wasn't the Equestrian Magic, "bow to me you mortals," language. They were at least safe from that.

"You have likely noticed by now that the log-out button has disappeared from the main menu. This is not a bug. I repeat, this is not a bug - It is a feature of Sword Art Online."

They had been too busy trading names to notice something like that. And while some players had been able to access the game for a few hours, the fact that they were not in Japan meant they had a time connection delay to try and balance the different time zones. They had no need to try and log out after being in the game for such a short time.

"From this point onward, you will be unable to freely log out of the game until the summit of this castle is conquered. Furthermore, the NerveGear cannot be removed or shut down via external means. If forceful means of exit are attempted..."

The ghostly robe from Akihiko Kayaba paused, most likely from dramatic effect. But it gave Sunset the moment to think. Aincrad was 100 Floors. It was a game designed to be slowly conquered. A challenge as each floor unlocked more. But each floor got slightly smaller which was an advantage.

Sunset's next thought was even worse. 'At least I submitted my history report before I logged in. It isn't due until next Friday. I have some time to spare.'

The pause ended. "The high-powered microwaves emitted by the NerveGear will scramble your brain and shut down your vital processes."

Sunset Shimmer had thought about a stupid school report when her very life was now on the line. And unlike in the real world, she and her friends had power they could use to easily shut down Akihiko Kayaba. But he wasn't some possessed person or banished Equestrian demon. They couldn't just barge in and take him down. He would have prepared himself for that ahead of time. The Japanese military and police could handle him. She had to handle her friends.

"Technically speaking," Twilight started before hesitating. "Well by the specifications and design of the NerveGear, what he said is entirely possible. He isn't lying."

"Why would he lie?" Applejack snapped. "What're we supposed to do?"

Sunset was surprised her words were as cold as they were; she didn't intend them to be ice. "Beat the game." She locked eyes with each of her friends and then Astro. "The eight of us do everything we can to beat this game. We can do it. I am sure of that. What is a game compared to Gaia Everfree, or the Dazzlings, or two demons? Come on, this should be easy. Now we know the rules. The code gives us that. We know how to get stronger. We know what the levels unlock. We didn't know that back in the real world.

The demon of this virtual world, Akihiko Kayaba spoke again. "To be more specific, the brain frying sequences will commence upon any of the following circumstances: Ten minutes of no external power; two hours of network disconnection; removal, dismantling, or destruction of the NerveGear. The Authorities and media in the outside world have already announced the details of these conditions to the general public. At present, the friends and family of several players have already ignored these warnings and attempted to forcefully remove their NerveGears, the result being..."

The voice had to pause for breath. It had been the longest it had talked since he started.

"...that sadly, two hundred and thirteen players have already been permanently retired from both Aincrad and the real world."

Sunset's heart stopped and she felt her senses being choked out from the outside world. She was left with just her thoughts and what she saw in her mind. And it wasn't good. MMORPGs, any game really, required you to die so that you learned how not to play. There was always the risk that a single error could mess up a perfect game. Sunset had never played a "perfect game." Now conquering the castle didn't seem like a good idea. But what else could she do? What else would she want to do?

Sunset Shimmer didn't lose. Sunset Shimmer didn't fail. Sunset Shimmer didn't back down because something was hard. She always found a way. And six of those ways were with her in this nightmare.

Not all of them were going to be as prepared as the others, and under this pressure, any of them could crack. They all had the same starting stats, meaning it was going to be a mind game to survive. Sunset had to make sure her friends didn't crack and that they learned they could do this. She had to learn it as well. And that would require her to make sure they learned that lesson in the next few hours.

That now volatile voice continued, breaking Sunset's protective isolation before she was ready. "There is no need to worry about your physical bodies back in the real world. The current state of the game and today's fatalities have been covered far and wide on television, radio, and the Internet. The danger that someone will forcefully remove your NerveGear is already much diminished. The two-hour offline leeway period should provide enough time for your physical bodies to be transported to hospitals and other long-term care facilities with proper security, eliminating concerns over your physical well-being. You may rest assured... and focus on conquering the game."

"So much for this being a 'game,'" Rarity sighed. "I didn't find the idea of this adventure very appealing, but I wanted to enjoy something fun and unmagical with you all. I guess we got the magic part right."

"Look, we can still do this," Sunset said. "It's not what any of us planned, but it's not outside our skill set. We have overcome worse."

"Have we?" Rainbow Dash asked with enough sass that Sunset wanted to slap her for even speaking. Fluttershy was even holding onto Rainbow in a death grip.

"Look, we play our best, die a few times, but each time we become stronger!" Sunset exclaimed. "Are we Wondercolts, or are we-"

They were cut off by Akihiko Kayaba speaking again. "However, please proceed with caution. As of this moment, Sword Art Online is no longer a game to you. It is another reality. The standard means of player resurrection will no longer function as they did previously. When your hit points dwindle to zero, your avatar will be permanently deleted and the NerveGear will destroy your brain."

Bladescape didn't finish her statement. Her assumption was wiped. Now she had to "play" a perfect game. And that very idea terrified her. But she had to try it. It had to be better than living in this city for who knows how long. Besides, her friends needed her. And if she didn't lose, she wouldn't lose this.

"There is only one condition through which you can be freed from this game. Simply reach the hundredth floor at the pinnacle of Aincrad and defeat the final boss who awaits you there. In that instant, all surviving players will be able to safely log out once again."

Bladescape looked at the players around her. She heard one shout abruptly, "Clear the hundredth floor? W-we can't possibly do that! I heard the entire group of beta testers barely got through the very start of the game!"

That was not good. Sunset was beginning to see exactly how badly the odds were stacked against them. Odds or not? What could they do? The die had been cast. What was their move?

Sunset looked around at the avatars of her friends. Each one brought out their beauty or inner confidence. With that as a base, they could keep an even keel and do this. They would not be alone. Even Fluttershy, could become as strong as her avatar was built to be. No doubt Rainbow Dash had helped her design it, but she could earn that strong avatar's figure.

Another declaration was made, which stopped Sunset's mind, grinding to a stop like a train putting on all the breaks to avoid a collision. It hurt too as she heard the squeal of metal on metal on metal.

"Finally, let me prove to you that this world is now your one and only reality. I've prepared a gift for all of you. You may find it in your item storage.

All of them opened their menu and found it: HAND MIRROR. They all tapped it and selected the option to materialize it into their hands.

Sunset looked at the face she had crafted. It had taken the better part of two hours to get her hair perfect and the face to shine like it did, while still holding a perfectly strong jaw line. Rarity probably had to take even longer on her face.

Sunset Shimmer's mirror shattered, blinding her in the process.

Bladescape / Sunset Shimmer: Lvl 1
Knightstar / Twilight Sparkle: Lvl 1
Thunderborne / Rainbow Dash: Lvl 1
Backbreaker / Apple Jack: Lvl 1
AFCK / Pinkie Pie: Lvl 1
Diemond / Rarity: Lvl 1
Doombunny / Fluttershy: Lvl 1
Astro / Poly Stitch: Lvl 1

Author's Note

I finally got around to updating this so you don't have to watch the video. It is highly recommended if you are new to SAO, but it is not required. It just happens from Kirito's perspective, with Klein, and not the girls.

And yes, if Kayaba said it, it was said in the Light Novels. The Light Novels were the original and most cannon source, not the Anime. So some things may vary in names from the anime, book, and manga. Col, vs Kol, vs Cul. Minor stuff usually having to do with translations from Japanese to English.

Episode 1 - The First Day

The video below is the tutorial for the animated series. If you skipped it in the Pilot Episode,
watching before reading is highly suggested.

Floor 1
November 6

Sunset Shimmer stood there in shock as her vision came back to her from the mirror exploding. She immediatly noticed her hands. While they were still in the same red cotton gloves, they were smaller. They were her own hands, down to the the pigment of her skin. She wasn't in her Avatar's body either.

She was back in her body, at least by looks. The NerveGear's calibration sequence when you first started it required touching and some basic movement so it could properly read what your nervous system signals were saying in relation to what you were doing. So it knew her body type and size. It knew how tall she was. And the inside of the helmet could see her face, so it knew what that looked like.

The giant game master in the sky had declared they were trapped inside this game with no way to logout. If he made them look like themselves, then there was no way he was lying, and worse, her friends were trapped in the same way she was. That was all she could think about now; her friends. She could do this a lot easier if it wasn't for the risk on their lives.

Her mind went into overdrive now that Kayaba was gone and she could think without being interrupted. 100 Floors was a lot. They had to get out of the game, but that shouldn’t be too hard, right? They had already taken down magical beasts before. Just a few months prior they had been at Camp Everfree and proven their worth once again. Surely they could overcome this. It might not be their real, physical bodies, but they were Wondercolts in mind and soul. And they were gifted with Equestrian magic.

Sunset Shimmer’s heart stoped. Whatever she had been in real life, she realized that now, she truly was Bladescape. It was a game, coded together with words that boiled down to Binary Code of 0s and 1s. Equestrian magic wasn't made up of 0s and 1s. All they could rely on was their friendship. That wouldn’t crumble. New names or not, that friendship wouldn't crumble.

“Come on!” Bladescape yelled. “Lets get back to the West Gate and plan there!”

They began to make their way through the frightened crowd. Rainbow Dash, no, Thunderborne, was pulling Doombunny along with her. As she ran through the streets, Bladescape almost ran into a player who wore a red bandanna on his head and was trying to look like a samurai. She saw another figure darting the other way down a side street. She shrugged it off and continued to lead them to their rendezvous point.

“Okay,” Bladescape said as they gathered around at the gate. “We need an action plan if we are to survive.”

“I don’t think I can do this,” Doombunny squeaked.

“Come on Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash said with a slap on her shoulder. “Buck up. In here you are not the same as you are I.R.L.. In here, you get to remake yourself. Even if you are in the same body.”

“Yes, Darling,” Diemond said. “You get to make yourself into Doombunny. The one that is in your heart. And you have the support of your friends to do it!”

Diemond was holding it together well despite knowing that the 16 hours of work she put into making her avatar completely and utterly flawless was ruined.

“Plan?” Bladescape asked. “Knightstar, you have the best information on this game. What do we need to do to survive?”

“Umm,” Knightstar said, trying to nervously fiddle with her nonexistent glasses. “We need to hunt the monsters outside of town. Together, we can take the monsters around here easily. We need to gain experience and Col, the money, quickly if we are ever to get somewhere in this game. Our basic gear will be sufficient for a while so long as we work together. At least that is what the research I have done suggests.”

“And what do you suggest?” Bladescape asked.

“I have a few ways to balance the guild. With the eight of us, we can organize ourselves to be a strong fighting force that can work together. Of course, you don’t have to follow my suggestions.”

“Lay it on us, Sugarcube,” Backbreaker said. “We trust you.”

The others affirmed their support. Even Astro, who was now a girl and who had completely lost her swagger, agreed. Somehow seeing her in a female's body fit better than it did in her avatar, even without the confidence she once held.

“Well,” Knightstar said, now fiddling with her hair. “Bladescape and AFCK, you both want two handed weapons. Focus on strength and your one handed weapon and you should be able to unlock the bigger ones. That means no shields for either of you. Just your sword or axe. You will be our main attackers, called Forwards. A lot of the actual damage dealt will probably come from you two, but in our teams, XP awards will be balanced between all party members.

“Backbreaker, you want to be the strongest out of us. We need you to focus on your shield, defense, and strength. You're naturally strong minded and have plenty of willpower. You will make you the perfect Tank. You can soak up all the damage on your shield, allowing the Forwards and Damage Dealers to avoid attacks and then switch in for the kill. Same with you, Diemond. You already know how to make shields I.R.L., so focus on that whenever you have to block. You can look good as you also function as a Tank. Both of you want blunt weapons with your shield, which means strength for attacking, but that will be easy for you to get since you will be building it with your shield as well. War Hammer for Backbreaker and Mace for Diemond. That gives us one tank per party, a good number considering our position.

“Thunderborne, you said you wanted to be the fastest out of every player. Agility and speed with that single blade is what you need until you can unlock something like a rapier. No shield for you because you need to focus on speed. That is the perfect for the role of Damage Dealer. You can switch in for a strong strike and knocking off a lot of an enemy’s HP. Doombunny, you want to focus on a knife. You can avoid the attacks as we take them on our shields and weapons and then you can go in with that dagger, as another damage dealer for us. Knife attacks can be super fast and deadly. Both of you will need to switch out with our Tanks to avoid taking too much damage. Doombunny, just stay close with either Backbreaker or Diemond and let them protect you. Strike and jump back to safety behind them. That is their job. Thunderborne, until you build up defense and skill level, you should do the same as well and not take any risks.

“As for myself, I will focus on sword and shield, and play as duel role of either Forward or Damage Dealer. I can switch in and strike right after the monster attacks. And I can take a blow on my shield if I need to. It will depend on the situation. I will run all the stats so that we stay as safe as possible.

“Now you, Astro. What is your choice weapon?”

Astro smiled and pulled up her menu. A short spear materialized and she grabbed it with great reflexes for barely being in the game. “You have good instinct. I heard you were doing a lot of research. I’ll get a longer spear, or maybe a lance, later. I’ll be your fourth Damage Dealer, working closely with one of your Tanks to pop out and stab at every opportunity I can. Maybe at some point I’ll try adding a shield.

“If we follow your suggestions, that gives us two Forwards, two Tanks, and four Damage Dealers. That is a good mix for a guild of eight. We can split our four man teams into a Forward, Tank, and two Damage Dealers, and we can switch up parties pretty well. Our Slash, Pierce, Hack, and Crush factors are on a good spread. And to top it off, our weapon reach is really well balanced. Plenty of close up weapons and longer striking ranges.

“Right now, we can’t create a guild. We will need to figure out how, but we can still party up and play informally. They only question is, what is the name for our guild?”

“Wondercolts,” Diemond declared. “We will be the Wondercolts.”

“I like it,” Astro grinned. “School name, right?”

“Yeah,” Thunderborne chuckled. “We are the Canterlot Wondercolts I.R.L.. To us, it holds a whole lot more than just a school mascot though. So, now what? I am a bit confused from all the technical talk.”

“To start, we get two skills each,” Knightstar continued. “All of you need to equip your weapon skills as your first, except our Tanks. Our Tanks need to put their Shield Skill first, and their weapon second. The rest of us can set something we think will be useful. At Level 6, we will unlock a third skill slot. But we have to be careful, only skills in our slots can be trained, and removing them resets them. They max out at 1000. A very long way to go.

“The more we use the skills, the more experience we gain. The higher the XP, the more things we can do with that skill. The more things we unlock, the stronger we will become. The stronger we are, the safer we are. We need to be as efficient as possible to stay as safe as possible. We don't have any room for error.”

“We need to figure out good second skills for our forwards and damage dealers,” Astro said. “Everything will be happening quickly. We can’t afford to change up skills later on. We need every ounce of experience we can get to survive here. I’ll choose Purchase Negotiation as my second skill to give us an edge while buying supplies and such.”

“I call sprint!” Thunderborne declared.

“Speed will help your single handed sword,” Knightstar added.

“Ohh,” AFCK exclaimed. “I like this one parry. It reminds me of Pear. I like pears. Pears are Nature’s candy!”

“Focus AFCK,” Bladescape chuckled. “Parry means block, like block with your weapon. Its a good choice. As for me, I think Search is a good idea. I’ll be able to see monsters further out, an advantage to all of us.”

“Um, I guess, um,” Fluttershy stuttered. “I should choose, um, what should I choose?”

“Agility?” Astro suggested.

“Hey,” Diemond said as she scrolled through the list of skills. “What about First Aid. You could support us by healing any of us in battle.”

“That’s a perfect one,” Knightstar said. “When we get our third skill slot, we should look at supportive skills like weapons making, cooking, and such to keep our gear and guild working better.”

“Lets hunt!” Bladescape declared. “There are 10,000 players here who are going to be hitting these fields soon. Let’s go!”

“Teams!” Knightstar yelled. “Bladescape, take Diemond, Doombunny, and AFCK. And with me will be Backbreaker, Thunderborne, and Astro.”

Bladescape set up the party, and then they were on the run again. Outside the city was ample fields, populated with frenzied boars and wolves. Both were low level monsters. But both held their own dangers.

With four attacking a single creature, they safely learned how to activate the assisted attacks known as Sword Skills. Knightstar had done plenty of research, but explaining how to and doing it were two different things. After a skill was finished, there was a slight delay period where they couldn’t move, so timing was everything. The higher the sword skill, the more delay. Not long after, they split so that it was two against a boar.

“Deeper into the fields!” Astro soon yelled. “We need to separate ourselves from the others. Its gotten crowded. We are waiting for respawns too much now.”

“Lets move out towards the next town,” Knightstar suggested. “It’s going to be a long night and day, but we can push and win this.”

They fought hard to get to the next town. There was no rest since they were exposed in the field and anything could attack them. The only safe places were in towns. The closer they got, the more they had to work in their parties of four.

“AARGGGH!” Bladescape yelled as she activated the sword skill, Horizontal.

It sliced through the stalk of the monster she was fighting, causing it to pop in a burst of polygons. It was called a Little Nepenthes, but it was a large walking plant thing. They were Level 3, one level above all of them. But the XP yield was greater and they were relatively safe in their parties.

“There are six coming at us,” Bladescape yelled. “We need to move! Back to the road.”

They got back to the road and Thunderborne sprinted ahead of them to scout. It boosted her Skill XP, just like Bladescape’s Search was being bolstered slowly since it was more of a passive skill.

Thunderborne was soon back. “It’s just ahead. We can get there in ten minutes if we can avoid a fight!”

“Let’s go!” Astro ordered, leading the charge. “We need sleep and food!”

They followed after Astro and ran to safety. The town was barely a town. Only a few thatch roofed houses scattered about.

“My gear is still good,” Astro said as she checked her menu. “We need to secure a bed, but we also need to get food. Our equipment can last us for a bit. Repairs are smarter than buying new equipment right now. Plus, those things are corrosive. We should stick to our gear right now unless we know its going to better protect us. Our money is better spent on health potions and things that directly save our lives, like food.”

“I agree,” Knightstar yawned. “Astro is probably correct. And she has the most experience out of all of us when it comes to MMORPGs.”

They bought two inn rooms that they could cram themselves into. Then they ate plain bread from the general store, bought as many potions as they could afford, and went to slept.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 2 – One-Handed Sword - Search

Knightstar (TS): Lvl 2 – One-Handed Sword - Shield

Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 2 – One-Handed Sword - Sprint

Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 2 – Shield – One-Handed War Hammer

AFCK (PP): Lvl 2 – One-Handed Axe - Parry

Diemond (R): Lvl 2 – Shield - Mace

Doombunny (FS): Lvl 2 – Knife – First Aid

Astro (PS): Lvl 2 – Short Spear - Purchase Negotiation

Author's Note

EDIT: Okay, I updated the Pilot as requested by some readers, so that the video isn't required. It was really fun. And yes, this did get an update as well.

OLD: Wow. I've been writing this story over the past few months, making sure my edits are solid and that I can release it on a consistent basis. But I have to say, I am thrilled it has finally really been launched now.

Thanks for reading! I really love to hear from my readers, so let me know what you think. I love interacting with my readers in every way possible as well. So DM if you want, check out more of my stuff, I even have a Patreon, and more. A lot more goes on for Mindrop than you might think!

I look forward to hearing from you!

Episode 9 - One Too Many

Floor 2

December 14 – Time: 2pm

Two bosses. Bladescape was still dealing with the idea while they made their way to the boss chamber. She had been placed in Group H, led by Agil, along with Backbreaker, the Beater called Kirito, a ‘fencer’ named Asuna, and another Tank, Gendril.

Everything was different than when they hit the Field Boss, Bullbous Bow. Several other informal guilds had definitely been organized, and they had all their members for the boss battle there. This wasn’t disorganized like it had been with the field boss.

Groups A-C were all members of the Dragon Knights Brigade, led by Lind. Lind was leading this raid because he beat Kibaou in a coin flip. Juvenile in Bladescape’s mind. Groups D-F were all members of the Aincrad Liberation Squad, led by Kibaou. Group G was 6 members of Legend Braves. And H was Agil’s little force.

After a lot of arguing and a little compromising, the strategy was broken down to Groups A-G fighting the main boss, Baran the General Taurus. It had been determined that only Group H was needed to deal with the boss’ only supporter, Nato the Colonel Taurus. Group G fought hard to go after the main boss rather than be delegated to stay with Group H.

Bladescape hated that the Wondercolts only secured two slots for the boss battle. Agil helped get Backbreaker and Bladescape into his group, because he saw how well they worked against the Field Boss. But one day, the Wondercolts would be one of the groups of 6, together as themselves. They would be as powerful as these other guilds were, even if their numbers were smaller.

Their ragtag group was the last through the giant doors that separated the boss chamber from the rest of the Labyrinth. The Bosses never left their chambers, and thankfully, the doors also stayed open. They could retreat if they needed too.

Bladescape stood confidently in front of Backbreaker. She was going to take the initiative and soon as the boss appeared. They were in the center, with Agil and Gendril on their left, and Kirito and Asuna on their right. Kirito was without a shield, which was odd for a straight, one-handed sword. Asuna was using a rapier, meaning no shield made sense. They would have to be fast and careful on that flank. They were also the closest to the main boss.

The towering taurus began to form in front of them and then roared into the ceiling with his bull head. Sitting atop it like a crown was it’s weak point and pride, the shining black horns. As promised in Argo’s guide, a two-handed hammer appeared in it’s right hand, to start. It was only about 8 feet tall, half the size of the other boss. Three green health bars appeared.

Bladescape charged in, unleashing an upward strike across it’s chest from left to right. It barely nicked Nato’s health bar. The beater was right behind Bladescape. With a high leap, he landed his sword on the horns for a stagger bonus. Right behind him was Asuna, rapier glowing bright blue. She unleashed the sword skill, driving home several quick blows. They knocked off four times the health that Bladescape had dealt.

Bladescape wasn’t going to waist the off balanced boss. Her sword glowed as she activated Cascade, an overhead slash. Agil also landed a strong blow with his two handed axe.

With Nato firm on his feet, Bladescape leaped back. Kirito and Asuna were clearly going to be the biggest damage dealers, just like Agil had said. Bladescape would strike when she could, without hesitation, but it was wisest to let them switch in for the heavy stuff. She was best left drawing aggro with Agil and then letting the Tanks do their job.

More hits landed. Kirito knew the attack patterns well. He had obviously beaten Nato in the beta. They could avoid or minimize the damage when Nato activated Numbing Impact. An overhead strike into the ground that also shot sparks. If you were too close, you took a lot of damage. If you got hit with the sparks, it was a stun effect for a few seconds. He could put several of them together as well before he got the movement penalty for activating his sword skills, and taking two sparks meant you were paralyzed, not stunned. A much harsher and longer penalty.

Kirito and Asuna went in and struck once again. As they moved back, Bladescape switched in and drew Nato’s attention with a slash at his right ankle. Since it wasn’t a sword skill, Bladescape was able to scramble out of the way and switch with Backbreaker who took the hammer directly on her shield. She slid a few feet back, resisting the strength of the taurus. The beast won, and Backbreaker was off balance as she stumbled backward. Bladescape caught her friend and got her back on her feet.

“Agil!” Kirito yelled. “They are getting crushed against Baran. He has them scattered. I’m going to get them to reorganized. In case we need to retreat!”

“Got it, man, we can handle it. Bladescape, you need to replace Kirito as damage dealer. You need to go in first and Asuna will follow you. Protect her.”

“Right!” Bladescape yelled back. “Here comes another overhead ground strike!”

It was a three swing chain strike. Gendril couldn’t avoid the showers of the second and third sparks. Backbreaker was hit with a third strike’s spark, stunning her for three seconds. But Nato the Colonel Taurus had the movement penalty.

Bladescape charged and activated Split, a two combo sword skill. Her blade glowed a soft purple and it swept from right to left in a horizontal strike. The blade then cut from the left shoulder across the chest.

Asuna landed several quick strikes on Nato with better speed than either Dash or Astro. Bladescape couldn’t see her blade tip move. It was clearly faster than Dash could strike. Agil got in on the action with a powerful cleave upward, snapping the boss’ head up to the ceiling. With the two tanks unable to respond, it was all they could do.

Nato’s HP bar slid down almost to the end of the second bar.

Not all of them got clear of their full on assault. Nato stomped and glowed before he raised his hammer and drove it into the floor. Asuna was caught in the blast trying to not be split up from the group. Her agility was amazing as she slipped out of the path of the sparks. But the hammer was coming down again.

Backbreaker didn’t give it a second thought as she leaped forward. She moved past Asuna, but not to block her directly. Backbreaker slid to right under the hammer’s path and raised her shield, bracing it with her other hand. It’s yellow charged head came straight down on Backbreaker’s shield, flat. Backbreaker was forced to a knee, but that was all Nato forced her to do. The attack was nullified, but Bladescape saw Backbreaker’s HP slip deep into the red. It was below her health bar on the left of her vision. The same with the others because they were in a party.

Bladescape reacted immediately, charging her own sword skill combination, Battering Ram. A two combo strike that was two powerful stabs. It landed, in the center of Nato’s chest.

It was a nasty hail of attacks they unleashed on Nato the Colonel Taurus. It removed the last of his HP on his second HP gauge and drove him a solid chunk into his third. That meant he was going to burst into a frenzy and charge. His skin was already turning purple.

Agil and Bladescape dragged Backbreaker out of the way. Healing crystals were expensive and rare on Floor 2. Healing potions were still the standard, but they took time to refill your HP bar. The Wondercolts had gotten a crystal in a random drop. Bladescape grabbed it from her pouch.

“Heal!” Bladescape ordered as she aimed it at Backbreaker.

Backbreaker’s HP immediately leapt all the way full.

“You are lucky you have one of those,” Agil said, drinking his own health potion since he was in the rear.

“We got it in a random drop the other day,” Bladescape replied. “We knew we needed to save it.”

Bladescape drank her own health potion as Backbreaker got to her feet.

“Come on y’all,” Backbreaker smiled. “Let’s go finish this Boss and unlock Floor 3.”

As they ran back into the fray, the Beater rejoined them with a leap that struck right on the horns. Bladescape looked to the main Boss, Baran the General Taurus. He was also on his last bar, dipping towards the yellow. Their superior numbers were handling him nearly as fast as they were dealing with Nato.

They rejoined the fight, landing several hard strikes and forcing Nato into the yellow.

He was still in a frenzy and the chargers were his fastest attack. None of them were ready for it as they split. Nato targeted Asuna and was immediately on her.

“NOT THIS TIME!” Backbreaker yelled, charging in. She knocked Asuna out of the way just in time and she took the charge head on. Backbreaker’s yell was even stronger than Nato’s. “I’M NOT MOVING THIS TIME!”

Unable to do anything against Backbreaker, the boss was stunned. It’s horns were digging into the shield Backbreaker was using.

Bladescape went in with her own combination of attacks. The beater’s sword still beat hers. He was faster than she was. It was impressive and Bladescape finally understood how he could play solo like he was. Agil, Asuna, and Gendril drove home their own strikes, Gendril had just come out of his paralyses.

Backbreaker broke contact with a shove of her shield, moving Nato back. He didn’t have the time to move as her hammer glowed fuchsia and drove upward into his chin.

“Take that you stupid cow!” Backbreaker declared.

“I’ve never seen shield skills like that,” Agil said. “Not in any game or in here. That was unbelievable, man!”

“I grew up on a farm,” Backbreaker shrugged.

Cries of terror from the other groups caused them to turn their heads. Baran the General Taurus had dropped solidly into the yellow, but in between their group in the back of the room and Group H toward the front of the room was a glowing mass. A third boss was spawning. The information they had only said two. The beta only had the two bosses. Nothing in any quests, NPCs, or dug up from anywhere else said three bosses.

Bladescape turned back to Nato as Kirito ordered an all out attack on him. The Black Swordsman was already in mid jump and struck the horns on Nato’s crown. Delayed from the hit to his precious horns, the others charged in.

Backbreaker jumped in with Bladescape. She struck first, switching out with Bladescape. They all were around the boss and he raised his hammer to take advantage of their proximity. The Beater sliced a wicked Horizontal sword skill across him, causing Nato to arch in pain and accidentally cancel the attack.

They all got another round of strikes in. Bladescape saw the HP go down to the last few pixels and raised her sword to finish him off for the Last Attack Bonus, but the Beater changed directions right before his Horizontal caused him to freeze from the movement penalty. His glowing fist slammed into the boss with a yell. A martial arts sword skill. He probably was the one Argo had mentioned that had beaten them to the quest. The Beater was frozen after his attack.

But that didn’t matter because Nato the Colonel Taurus was defeated. The new boss was almost done materializing. Group H rushed to the aid of the others in an attempt to knock the last of the HP down so they could all face the boss as one.

Group H switched in as a whole and pounded Baran with multiple attacks. They were switched out and Baran’s HP dropped to the red zone. The Crimson Taurus raged, abandoning his golden hammer for a berserker charge.

The Beater unleashed Sonic Leap, a jumping one handed Sword Skill Bladescape had never liked. But now she saw the value of it. Baran the General Taurus was twice the height Nato had been. The Beater staggered Baran when the leap caught his horns.

They charged together, taking advantage of the stagger, weapons glowing. They struck down the last of his HP. The final kill was uncertain, but Bladescape saw the Beater through the floating polygons, head down after finishing a powerful uppercut. A slight grin creased the corner of his lip.

It didn’t matter. The other boss was fully spawned. Asterius the Taurus King popped up above his head, along with 6 HP bars. He had a platinum crown atop his 6 horns, and sported a long, twisted beard. His black body was massive, the legs alone were as thick as tree trunks. His hammer too was much larger than Baran’s and it made Nato’s look pathetic.

Before they could do anything, it finished its arrival by leaning back and blew a lightning breath attack. Backbreaker instantly raised her shield and Bladescape slipped behind her. She shrunk up as much as possible and avoided touching Backbreaker. The screams and grunts were terrible as most of the group was struck with it’s area wide attack.

Backbreaker’s suffering was like a chalkboard being scratched in Bladescape’s head, but she survived it. Bladescape took the opportunity to leap out. The boss would need distracting. Lind and Kibaou were near each other and paralyzed. Bladescape ran to try and knock them out of the way as the King rose his hammer to destroy them.

Before he could unleash it he staggered back. Bladescape looked over and saw a chakram flying through the air. Another soldier had escaped the attack and had hit him with the thrown weapon. Bladescape still ducked her shoulder and rammed into Kibaou and Lind, throwing both of them out of the way to safety so they could recover from their paralysis.

Footsteps from the boss’s entry door sounded across the hall as another chakram went whipping through the air with a ‘sling.’ Bladescape dashed towards the obvious newcomer. It was Argo, the information dealer. If she was here, something was wrong, and one something was obvious. Bladescape kept herself in between Argo and Asterius to shield her from any mishaps.

Most of the raid party was recovered from the stunning lightning and Argo told them the attack patterns. Apparently she located the information after the raid party was out of message range, blocked by the Labyrinth. She had come to personally deliver the life saving news. It had obviously been too late to warn them of the third boss.

It was very similar to the other two. But what mattered was the actions that keyed up the special attacks. The much wider Numbing Detonation was started by the boss stomping three times before it raised his hammer. His near death berserker stage was identifiable by his black body burning like it was coal.

His weakness, as they already discovered, was the crown atop his head. But even with attacks like Sonic Leap, they were too short to hit it. Only thrown weapons like the chakram did the trick.

The party had all recovered, and boosted their HP as much as possible with healing potions. The chakram throwing knight was obviously worn down. Lind organized groups A and D to attack. The chakram knight had worked alone for a few minutes, keeping them safe as they organized. A valiant effort that he probably would not be rewarded for. His reward would be split like the rest of them. Then again, Bladescape would have done the same if she could’ve, and she wouldn’t care for an extra award. It was what they all agreed upon when joining this raid party.

The King was named such for a reason. Even with the full raid party attacking, chipping away his HP wasn’t easy, and his attacks were not easy to avoid in the space provided. Bladescape and Backbreaker worked as hard as everyone else to knock off every last bit of HP Asterius had.

The boss finally dropped into the red and charged. The charging allowed for them to strike after he passed. Bladescape dove out of the way and immediately had a sword skill keyed up and striking at his leg. It did it’s job.

Surrounded, he stomped and then rose his hammer. They backed up out of his reach, but ready to dive right back in. Group G didn’t back down. The Boss was almost finished. The Beater and Asuna didn’t either.

Bladescape watched, inspired, as the two of them dodged the lightning and immediately retaliated. The strike brought the King’s head low enough for both of them to strike his crown. In a flash of light the Beater clearly struck the last blow.

Three for three.

Now Bladescape was getting jealous. He was definitely a great player, at the very top. She could be that too, she just needed the opportunity. It obviously wasn’t going to just be handed to her. He was getting the rarest equipment from the last attack bonuses. Skill was important, but so was gear. Only the best was going to count when it came to clearing this game.

Bladescape could do it as well as he was, she just needed to take control better than she had been. The third floor would have other field bosses. Bladescape would finish one with her sword.

“I’m glad that’s over,” Agil said. He was huffing right beside Bladescape.

Bladescape realized she was breathing heavily too. “Yeah. And Floor 3 is rumored to have the quest to form guilds.”

“Yeah, I recall you and your friends wanted to form a guild. You look like a hardy bunch.”

An argument quickly heated up in another part of the chamber. But it wasn’t what Bladescape immediately thought it was. The blade throwing guy, Nezha, had apparently joined the battle late, and worse, a scam had been outed. All of the Legend Braves were involved. It almost turned ugly. Bladescape was thankful that the Wondercolts had not fallen prey to the scam.

As soon as the Teleport Gate in the 3rd Floor’s main town, Zumefut, was unlocked, the rest of the WonderColts came charging through to meet Backbreaker.

“Now, what was this important thing you wanted to discuss?” Diemond immediately asked.

“This way,” Backbreaker said. “To our room. Bladescape is waiting in there.”

Once inside, all 11 of them huddled around the small table. Bladescape leaned onto the table from the chair she was using. It was the only one at the table in their inn room.

“We got two of us to be able to join the raid,” Bladescape explained. “But the others were basically from two guilds. If we want to be a guild that can help clear this game, we are going to need to push harder than we are. And we will need to seriously fight to get better equipment. Those guys are sucking things up quickly. BB and I both leveled up from the boss-”

“We can’t let ourselves fall too far behind,” Knightstar interrupted. “I still want to be at the head to clear this game. I’m missing school.”

Everyone laughed at Knightstar. Only Twilight would worry about missing school. Even their four new friends could understand that.

“I’m in,” Diemond said. “This won’t be easy, but we are the Wondercolts! Our record stands for itself. And our four friends are more than welcome to stand by our side.”

“We will,” Kiefer nodded. “Gladly. We will need to work hard to get ourselves up to higher levels, but we will.”

“How will we make sure we catch up?” Thunderborne asked. “We already put in a ton of work on the second floor. All day long we were grinding.”

“All day,” Backbreaker said. “We still have hours in the day we were relaxing. Cooking and crafting are important, but I agree with Blade, we need to push harder on the fighting skills for a bit longer. Then we can put some of our efforts into other things.”

“I don’t believe we necessarily need to put our new skill slots straight to combat,” Bladescape added. “But we do need to make sure we max our combat skills as fast as possible.”

“For the animals!” Doombunny exclaimed in her soft voice. “Oh, sorry. Did I interrupt you?”

They all laughed. Astro, Kiefer, Lessa, and Joltron had figured out Fluttershy’s meek side under the warrior she was becoming. Doombunny had done amazingly, but outside of combat she still was her usual self. And her quiet voice wasn’t something she could change.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 12– Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 11 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 11 – Rapier – Sprint – Agility
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 12 – Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Armor Armor
AFCK (PP): Lvl 11 – One-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts
Diemond (R): Lvl 11 – Shield – Mace – Tailoring
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 11 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide
Astro (PS): Lvl 11 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce
Kiefer: Lvl 9 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – One-Handed Weapon Creation
Lessa: Lvl 9 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor
Joltron: Lvl 9 – One handed Axe – Shield – Light Metal Armor

Episode 10 - Two Sides of the Same Coin

Floor 3

December 20

The Wondercolts lifted their glasses into the air in a toast. They had worked hard all week. In a few hours, the second strategy meeting in Zumfut would begin. They were in the village Dessel, just coming back from clearing a large part of the 3rd Floor Labyrinth. It was very rewarding.

Since the 3rd Floor had been unlocked, they had all run on limited sleep, grinding away for XP and fighting in the Labyrinth to clear it. It had come with new equipment all around, multiple levels gained, and the official creation of the Wondercolts after they completed the guild creation quest. They had a lot to celebrate.

Somehow in between it all, Diemond had also been able to make them all new uniforms. Blue with gold trim, and stamped with a horse head. Thunderborne, Astro, Doombunny, Knightstar, and Kiefer had matching light leather uniforms, Bladescape had her own uniform to fit her Leather Equipment Skill, while Lessa, Joltron, and Diemond had matching sets of light armor. For now, Backbreaker just had a Wondercolts Cloak that wrapped around her chest as a sash before being pinned over as a cloak. The pin was a horse head as well. Diemond would soon learn heavy armor forging and then she could make matching armor for Backbreaker.

Kiefer, Lessa, and Joltron were getting closer to their level as well. Bladescape had worked them twice overnight to raise their levels. They were true Wondercolts now. It also gained Bladescape a level on her own.

After some calculations by Knightstar, she noticed something about Doombunny. Knightstar bought some information from Argo where she found out about Battle Regeneration. It was a followup skill from First Aid that allowed for automatic healing over time while in battle. First Aid was prioritized for everyone as soon as they got the next skill unlocked.

They were not the only players struggling to keep up with Lind’s Dragon Knights Brigade and Kibaou’s Aincrad Liberation Squad. With size also came money. Still, they made some serious money from Knightstar selling her calculations and a few personal consultations. Agil even sold them AFCK’s two-handed axe for a personal consultation.

The Wondercolts all arrived at the strategy meeting early with their synchronized uniforms. Nerius the Evil Treant was the name of 3rd Floor Boss. They were quickly eclipsed by the other two guilds.

Lind and Kibaou soon began trying to sort out who should lead. They were being petty about the whole thing. It went back to a coin toss.

Bladescape swiped the coin out of the air. “Both of you need to calm down. Flipping a coin to choose who leads is stupid.”

“Hey, lady,” Kibaou said poking Bladescape in the chest. “I’ve got the biggest and strongest guild-”

Lind snorted, issuing a glare from Kibaou.

“And I didn’t get it because I am some chump. I know how to lead.”

“And so do I,” Lind snapped.

“QUIET!” Bladescape order, slamming her hand on the table between them. “You two fighting won’t get us anywhere. I get that we need to clear this game as fast as possible, but neither of your guilds can do that on your own. These boss raids mean a lot to the players, for a variety of reason. They shouldn’t be forced into one or two guilds to get in on them.

“Look around, you two are not the only guilds here. And there are a lot of players from other groups, solo or not, here. You two don’t automatically deserve the boss chambers. These raids need to be split from the different guilds and players. Equal opportunity as much as possible.

“Loot, XP, Col, and such that come from Boss Raids is certainly valuable. But you two will choke out other players from wanting to clear this game, and in the end, cause it to spiral out of control as you two stall. The rest of us won’t have the power to catch up, at least, not easily.

“I’m not power hungry, but I want a piece of this so that we can all get out. I won’t let either of you bully the rest of us around, because I have seen where that got me in the past. I gained a lot more once I got rid of that and chose friendship, and to work together. A whole lot more.”

Bladescape stepped back from the table and out from between the two of them. It had shut them up at least, but it had not calmed them down. With Bladescape backing the rest of them, Lind only got two groups, and so did Kibaou. The Wondercolts took up another group, Agil lead another, and the fencer Asuna was picked to lead the last.

The time was set, the strategy determined, and while Lind gave a closing speech to rally everyone, it was Bladescape’s words that rang in every player’s heads as they left. They knew she had their backs.

Bladescape walked out with the rest of the Wondercolts. They went straight to the Teleport Gate without saying anything. Dessel was where the raiding party was set to meet and it was where they had rented rooms. Once in their room, they spoke.

“That was so brave of you,” Doombunny said first. Quietly, but first.

“Absolutely amazing, darling,” Diemond said. “Both Lind and Kibaou are nasty.”

“Their anger will cause further division,” Knightstar added. “That is, until one of them steps too far out of line and fails. You helped dissuade others from joining them, and forced the fleshing out of guilds. Even guilds of five and six can make a difference now. We need more guilds to diversify the players and stimulate them to compete. Friendly competition that is. Not what those two have.”

“And you put us at the front,” Astro grinned. “We took the place of those failed Legends Brave guys. At least we won’t scam anyone.”

“Don’t forget about Rarity’s armor!” AFCK said with a jump. She used I.R.L. names far too often. “We made a real impression with them. Their eyes were all like Boink! And there mouths all like Blah!”

“All of you made it happen,” Bladescape said, cutting AFCK off before she made any other weird faces. “If we were not as strong as we are, I couldn’t have stepped in. And that strength comes from inside each of you, and what you do for the Wondercolts.”

“Who else is going to join us?” Backbreaker asked, setting the conversation on the original intention.

This was the moment that defined the guild, and one Bladescape had been dreading.

“Look, I know how this will define the guild,” Bladescape started.

“In what way?” Thunderborne asked.

“Well,” Knightstar said, trying to adjust her glasses. She had gotten used to not having them, until moments where she was really nervous. “Only 6 of us can go to this fight. The choice we make will show who we think is capable of clearing a boss, and who isn’t. We can all be front line fighters, and are. We all were clearing the Labyrinths, but as Blade and BB know, there is a big difference between teaming up in a dungeon, and a boss battle, especially a Floor Boss. Their attacks are stronger, faster, and it takes a lot more time to clear them than other bosses. Endurance is a key factor.

“Obviously we are sending in Blade and BB. They were selected before because of their teamwork and their skill. Statistically speaking, they are our two strongest players. BB and Blade are above our levels. And yes, Thunderborne, you are out of that running. You have won the fastest player award though.

“Oh…” Knightstar’s cheeks flushed as she realized she stated they had leveled up above the others. “Oops.”

“It’s alright,” Bladescape said with a reassuring smile. “At some point the others were going to learn we had separated from them a bit. It's really pointless to hide it from our friends. But personal levels need to stay private. It is dangerous information for others to know. It gives them a way to gauge you, and you don’t want them to do that off a simple number. Actions and abilities are what you want the other players to gauge you off of, not stats.”

“So what level are you then?” Thunderborne asked.

“14,” Backbreaker shrugged.

“15,” Bladescape said.

Even Backbreaker was shocked at that. She didn’t know Bladescape had leveled up above her.

Bladescape shrugged and then explained the extra level. “I gained at least one helping Kiefer, Lessa, and Joltron on the overnight trips. And I have been grinding when most of you are resting. I’m often cutting my sleep down to a four or five hours, rather than the 8 hours we determined.

“I’m going to be the strongest I can be for you all. The stronger I am, the stronger I can help you be, and the better I can protect you all. Diemond, you will be making a lot of equipment and selling it, Knightstar is already selling her calculations, and it won’t be long before AFCK cracks the code to cupcakes and sprinkles, where she will probably build her own bakery. All three are valuable to the guild and will help keep us going in the field, at the head of the pack. But while they focus there, I prefer to focus on the sword and becoming the best I can be.”

“Hard core,” Astro praised. “And I thought I was a good player.”

“Well, it won’t be us three out there,” Kiefer said, referring to Lessa and Joltron along with himself.

“I’ll pass too,” Doombunny said. “I don’t think I’m ready for a Floor Boss yet. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready.”

“No shame in that darling,” Diemond said. “Do we want both tanks?”

“Knightstar,” Bladescape sighed. “Do you want to come? I’m only going to offer it to you because as our statistician, it might be valuable to have you along with us. You are a good part of the reason I’ve slid up to Level 15, and the reason the rest of us have come so far in such a short time.”

“I think I can,” Knightstar nodded. “If I am coming, then we should definitely bring Diemond. I’ve been working well with her the past few days.”

“And this is when I wonder if I should get a shield,” Astro said.

“You are fast,” Knightstar said. “I still think you are fine as long as you can keep that speed up.”

“Well, is it going to be AFCK or Astro joining us?” Thunderborne asked, inviting herself.

“I’ve seen a lot faster of a Rapier than yours Dash,” Backbreaker warned. “I can’t even see the tip flash she is so quick, and she has exceptional speed and agility too. Faster strikes than I have ever seen you deliver.”

“But, I am the best!” Thunderborne exclaimed. “Always!”

“Not this time,” Bladescape chuckled. “I’ve seen your work, and I’ve seen hers. BB can back me up.”

Thunderborne huffed in defeat.

“I don’t think either of them can beat you in foot speed though,” Backbreaker added. “And your agility is probably better too. But that’s raw, not in combat. You still are extremely impressive though.”

“Send in AFCK,” Astro shrugged. “Her Martial Arts skill will be invaluable. Those combos she is unlocking will be crucial.”

“Hmmm?” AFCK asked, looking up after hearing her name. She had a sweet roll she had baked stuffed in her mouth. She swallowed what she had in her mouth and pulled the rest free. “Why me? Dash and Astro have Armor Pierce, I don’t.”

“But your fist can come in handy,” Bladescape said.

“I want to upgrade my spear a bit more before I go for boss battle,” Astro stated, skirting out of the conversation. “Let’s settle it there. With what you guys can get from the boss raid, maybe that can happen. Besides, I can take the others to start that Elvish quest while you do the battle. Get us a jump start on that since it is a multi-floor quest. Its probably going to be quite valuable as we go up in floors.”

“Alright,” Bladescape nodded. “But you are not out of the running for Boss Battles.”

“Oh,” Doombunny exclaimed softly before she sighed. “Now I get why you were afraid. There is a clear division between us.”

“Sugar Cube,” Backbreaker said puttering her hand on Doombunny’s shoulder. “You are on the front lines with us, clearing this game. That’s what matters. I was in that last boss battle. I almost ran out of HP. Its not for everyone. You can be a clearer and not fight the bosses. Those are just as valuable. Besides, we can only really take in seven or so teams, that means hundreds of other players never get to fight that boss. That is part of what makes this a game. It is fair in parts, but unfair in others.”

“I guess you are right,” Doombunny smiled meekly. “Being a clearer is what matters. I will do my part to clear this game! For the animals!” Doombunny giggled. “And all of you of course.”

“Then it’s settled then,” Knightstar nodded. “Now, we need to get to sleep.”

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 15– Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 13 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 13 – Rapier – Sprint – Agility – Armor Pierce
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 14 – Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor
AFCK (PP): Lvl 13 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts
Diemond (R): Lvl 13 – Shield – Mace – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 13 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search
Astro (PS): Lvl 13 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics
Kiefer: Lvl 11 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense
Lessa: Lvl 11 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor
Joltron: Lvl 11 – One handed Axe – Shield – Light Metal Armor

Author's Note

Want to know what is happening in the real world? Check out the Asides.

Episode 27 - Conventional Diemond

Floor 35

March 15 – Year 2

Diemond came into the guild hall meeting room at Bladescape's request. While it was a private meeting, no one had ever attended the public ones unless specifically called. Because of her hide skill, Doombunny had to inform them if she came into the guild hall and they were there, or if they set up to do business and she was already there.

"What is the matter darlings?" Diemond asked. She was in her "idea dress" to help channel her work and she had a tape measure around her neck. A pincushion was also on her wrist. She had been working on some big project.

"I have no idea," Backbreaker immediately said. "I don't know what they're up to."

"Well," Bladescape said, stalling out as she struggled to say it in a way that wouldn't hurt her friend.

Knightstar started to say something and then stopped.

Diemond rolled her eyes. "Look, there is no reason to beat around the bush. We are all best friends after all." She was obviously nervous about the topic though.

Knightstar just said it and then cringed. "You are too conventional."

"Conventional, Darling?" Diemond asked. She scoffed a laugh. "What you are wearing there, is not conventional. That is the finest I can produce here, and I would struggle to make something better in the real world."

"That is where the issue is," Bladescape said, finally getting a handle on the situation. "You maxed the first few crafting skills for a reason. You are just as good in here as you are back home. However, Knightstar is right, conventional is the word. You know cotton and silk, rhinestones and sequins. You don't know the virtual world's hundreds of other materials to craft with. And you don't know how to out think the system to combine them. At least not for our field equipment."

"Oh," Diemond said, shocked. "Well, Dear, um…can we drop the game names?"

"No," Knightstar firmly said. "Because we are talking about Diemond, not Rarity. While Rarity is behind Diemond, Rarity is a master of the real world’s materials. This is the virtual world. Diemond knows how to make clothes that, style wise, are not conventional and are very beautiful. We love having amazing outfits to wear.

"But Diemond doesn't know how to find and work with virtual, exotic materials. And frankly, neither does AFCK. She is still figuring out how to combine all the different ingredients to make new flavors and reproduce what we recognize as a certain flavor. Her cooking is still...flat."

"Knightstar, Dear," Diemond asked, almost begging. "Can't you buy a guide or something?"

"I looked," Knightstar flatly said. "I've been looking for a week, but the only real guides out there are mine. They are leveling guides. The real secrets are being held by the other masters in the field."

"Oh," Diemond said, deflating.

"It's not your fault," Bladescape said. "We just realized how far back from the curve we are. Player made equipment can go a lot further that we thought, and with each new Floor, new materials are unlocked. The perfect example is my new sword. If I had this sword when we fought the Qalphite Queen, I would have scored the LAB. But I had an under powered sword. The others who attacked didn't expect my sword to be as low as it was, so their attacks came up short for the last blow.

"If we are going to stay on top and out front, we need the best. And that doesn't reflect you. Not you as an individual or you as a designer. But we will need to make arrangements to secure better gear in 2 weeks if we can’t figure out how to help you do it."

"I see," Diemond sighed. "I understand. I truly do. We have to have the best. And I can't produce that when it comes to armor. Yet. But we still can't look like a rag tag guild just flashing colors. We need to be organized and look dashing."

"I totally agree," Backbreaker said. "We do need to look like that. I don't think that is being discussed."

"Actually it is, kind of," Knightstar said. "I have had a conversation or two with Bladescape about it. The Knights of the Blood Oath are a perfect example. They are neatly uniformed in their armor, sporting several varieties depending on equipment class, roll, and a few other reasons. We don't have the numbers for their full diversity, but we can have a style for each classification of armor. However, I think we need to make Bladescape a special uniform, one that puts her in command, just like Commander Heathcliff."

"She can't pull off our yellow with her skin tone," Diemond interjected.

Knightstar clarified what she meant. "I just mean the regal, in charge officer look that stands out, but blends in. His plate armor is red with white accents, while the rest of the guild is white with red accents."

"Oh, right," Diemond chuckled. She was very aware of how each KOB uniform differed from the others. It was the same for all of the major guilds. She paid attention for inspiration and to make sure no one could say they were being copied, but the Wondercolts hadn't change styles in a while.

"Well, I will see what I can hunt down,” Diemond said. “I'll talk to my crafting friends. But, while we are here, can I talk about me getting a cart to sell the extra outfits I've made to either build my skill level or made out of boredom? If I'm not fighting, I have to be doing something. And that usually means designing."

"How many outfits?" Bladescape cautiously asked. "As in, how many do you actually want to move?"

"Oh, I'm sitting on about eighty...dozen?"

All three of them gasped.

"That is the just the outfits. I have armor and jewelry as well."

"Then we will hold it here in the guild hall," Bladescape said, recovering first. "We will post guards on the side doors, but make it a big event. Probably the whole weekend. We can post it in the paper, pin up fliers, and spread the word the old-fashioned way, ear to ear."

"We could provide vittles for those lookin' through everything!" Backbreaker added.

Knightstar nodded, “we could stay open late for the regular shop owners, so they don't have to close down their shops early. And sell things at prices designed to move them."

"I can see the ad now," Diemond declared. "Front page, a perfect picture of me, with the following below it."

DIEMOND'S DAZZLING BLOW OUT CLOTHING SALE! Look your best outside your best! Wondercolts HQ, Floor 35, Mishe. March 22-24!

Wondercolts' Designer Diemond is selling all the fabulous clothes she made to level up her tailoring! Each piece is unique and special. Both Guys and Girls! Find what will make you feel like THE prince or princess of Aincrad!

Blow out sale prices to free up shelf space! Top of the line styles from an up and coming designer I.R.L.

ARMOR! All types are also for sale! Lower level and medium level quality gear for extra low prices!

CUPCAKES! AFCK, the peppiest master baker in Aincrad, will ensure there are plenty of cupcakes and pastries available to taste while you browse! Snack like a Wondercolt!

Enhancing Jewelry and Rings available too!

Own a store? Don't worry about closing early, Friday and Saturday night we will stay open late for you!

Friday: 4pm-10pm

Saturday: 8am-10pm

Sunday: 8am-6pm

Come up or down and check it out. We have something with your name on it! The question is, will you come and find it? Prices may be negotiable!

Knightstar, Bladescape, and Backbreaker were chuckling.

"I'll never not be shocked at your ability to think on your toes like that," Backbreaker said. "Like a true fashionista!"

"That's the easy part, Darling," Diemond said as she waved it off. “Making this into a store will be the hard part. We will need changing rooms too."

"Doombunny and Colorra can guard the bathrooms," Knightstar said. "Alongside Kiefer, they can make sure players can use our bathroom facilities while not going upstairs. The other side can be guarded by Astro and Thunder. Neither of them will be any particular help for sales anyway. Joltron and BB can be the front guards and welcome committee. I'll watch over armor and jewelry. Blade can be security to make sure no one has sticky fingers. Lessa can assist you Diemond, and AFCK will be busy baking."

"That sounds reasonable," Backbreaker said.

"I suppose I can balance it all," Diemond said. "It will be a tough weekend for us all. At least a good amount of mental stress."

"We can handle it," Bladescape confidently said.

Bladescape pulled up her menu. She messaged the guild so they could all assemble. It didn't take them long to come from wherever they were inside the guild HQ. Knightstar explained the plan and they were all enthusiastic about it. They were ready to play their roles. AFCK wouldn't stop bouncing at the idea of providing food for all of the customers.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 78 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 68 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 71 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 74 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK (PP): Lvl 71 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 71 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 68 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 71 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 68 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 68 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 72 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 42 - A Day in the Life of Astro

Floor 59

April 14 – Year 2

Astro did a kip-up to exit her bed. She stretched out and got herself loose for the day. That included a decent set of bodyweight workouts to get her virtual blood pumping and sharpen her mind.

Astro headed down to the second floor and saw Thunderborne bouncing the soccer ball. She slid up, waiting for her to get bored of juggling it. Thunderborne finally kicked it and Astro jumped in. It bounced off her head and into the ceiling. As it dropped down, Astro kicked it as hard as she could. It zipped across the room at a high speed and banged into the wall, inside the painted red “goal.”

Astro pumped her fist in victory. She began to do her victory dance. It was over quickly so she could be ready for Thunderborne’s follow-up. But there was none. Astro sighed as the fun was taken away. Diemond was yelling at Thunderborne as she walked away and then slid down the banister. Astro had no idea what had happened. Either way, breakfast was just about ready, so she followed after the angry Diemond. Like Thunderborne, she also took the banister down. It was always the most fun way down the stairs.

Thunderborne’s plate had food piled up on it and she was already packing it away. Astro grabbed more than her fair share too. She was going to need it when they hit the Labyrinth.

The two of them were on tight leashes after eating too much in their first servings, meaning AFCK had to make more food and worse, they were delayed going into the field. They also were under a short leash for throwing bread at each other. It was only once and it was just a small piece of a loaf. Nothing major, but it was a buzzkill.

“Yes, Thunder, you can stop pouting and grab seconds,” Bladescape said. “You too Astro.”

As she was getting seconds, Thunderborne spoke up. “Astro, the windmills here are bigger than they are on the first floor. A lot bigger because they are made of stone. Want to ride them later?”

“Sure!” Astro shot back before stuffing half a scone into her mouth. “I probably won’t make it, but I am down to try.”

“I know who won’t make it,” Thunder chuckled. “BB. Join us, BB!”

Astro swallowed the half chewed scone. “Yeah! But she probably will fail. We should go to the first floor. Right?”

“Well BB won’t even try to ride the windmills on the first floor!” Thunderborne declared. “She's too afraid to even try and beat me and my ability. I’m not talking speed, I’m talking agility. She obviously has no chance in a foot race.”

Backbreaker’s reply didn’t shock Astro. “Thunder, I just don’t care. I’ve told you a hundred times. I don’t care about ridin' windmills. I don’t even get why you would. You won’t goad me into that.”

“You just aren't agile enough to do it,” Thunderborne quipped.

Astro could tell it was bothering Thunderborne. She knew Backbreaker and Thunderborne had been highly competitive I.R.L. and at the start of the game. She didn’t know why it had stopped. But she would do what she could to help her friend. She too needed competition to keep going in this infernal nightmare.

They all rushed off to grab their gear at Bladescape’s orders. She was also not allowed to run, the same as Thunderborne. It had proved to be too disruptive when the speed hogs unleashed themselves in the small headquarters.

When the announcement that they were paired up was made, Astro slapped a high five with Thunderborne. It would mean a kill count contest. The rest Astro missed as they were led out to go to Floor 59. That required them to teleport.

Astro missed the first wave and Thunderborne got a head start. She leaped up onto the platform. She kept her voice low to not be heard. “Teleport Karluin!”

Astro popped out of the Teleport Plaza in Danac where the rest where. She had gotten 4 teleports in before she made the jump to Danac. Thunderborne was out right behind her. Neither of them were missed because of how long it took for them all to teleport to Danac.

Thunderborne leaned over to her as they gathered with the others. “Five.”

“Dang it!” Astro spat. She couldn’t compete if she wasn’t teleporting at the same time as Thunderborne was. “I got four. Karluin, Urbus, Tolbana, and Taft.”

“Urbus, Karluin, Coral, Panareze, and then Granzam.”

“Nice,” Astro said.

She put her hand low and Thunderborne slapped it. Then she went high and Thunderborne slapped it harder. She tried to set up the fake out, but Thunderborne was too quick and got a solid slap on her hand.

They had no game developed for the time it took them to walk out to the Labyrinth. And they had to stay in a group. It took time for some of the others to walk, particularly the Tanks, which only made sense. It was better that they were in a unit, not soloing this nasty game. It was just so boring. Normally, you didn't live 24/7 with your guildmates so there was more chatter about life, but this was their life.

Once inside the Labyrinth, it was a boring walk through the catacombs while they got back to where they had left off. But it was essential. Astro knew how essential it was and how hard it was to get to a lot of places in MMORPGs. She would keep her character in an area for a few weeks to not waste the hours it took to get to that part of the map. This was nothing compared to those times. But she also was sitting on a chair at a computer, not in a full dive where her body was being moved by her.

Things got exciting when they were being baited in by a shadow. It was a long path to the fight, but it came. The hallway opened up into a nice room lined with pillars, full of shadows and skeletons. The base enemies in any RPG.

Bladescape was out first with Backbreaker struggling to keep up. Astro and Thunderborne both knew Backbreaker preferred working with Astro because of her spear’s reach. Thunderborne sprinted off on her own and Astro ran after Backbreaker. On the way, Astro got a leaping double slash on a passing shadow. A spear's slash was typically weak, but the shadows were even weaker.

Backbreaker destroyed the first skeleton and Astro was set up behind her. Backbreaker blocked another skeleton and Astro stood up, activating Starfire Protrusion. Her yari, Dragon Tail, slammed into the skeleton, it’s straight crossguard caught the ribs, ramming it back. The jumonji yari design was not a trident. The side bars were straight just like a sword’s crossguard and they were not sharp. Adding to that the long blade of the yari, Astro could keep her feet planted and strike from a distance. Which worked great for going over any Tank. Or beside a Tank if you couldn't go over.

Backbreaker got the short end of the deal when it came to the fights. She just got to block and Astro drove the attacks home. Astro and Bladescape. Astro needed to find a way to thank her. But she always forgot after the battles. Thunderborne usually had them doing something. That and Backbreaker was getting quieter and more reserved.

Astro thrust her yari as hard as she could, activating Starfire Protrusion. She loved the feeling of standing up and driving an attack home with such power and accuracy. She could only do that with a strong Tank defending her, and Astro’s favorite tank was Backbreaker. However, she worked incredibly well with Joltron, to the point where they were more fluid because Joltron could move more easily than Backbreaker. Diemond was strong, but she wasn't of the same mentality as the other two.

The battle was hot and fast. The fluidity of their switching maximized their effectiveness. Even for those like Thunderborne and Bladescape who played it looser with the party’s cohesiveness.

The break for lunch was welcomed by Astro. She had actually worked up a bit of a sweat. A good fight always brought on an empty stomach, and AFCK always knew how to solve that problem.

Astro chugged the last of the water in the glass bottle. It was time for their vicious game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Astro was down 40 wins. They were about to hit 4000 games. That did concern Astro, but she had been concerned at 500, 1000, 2000, and 3000.

Astro threw a Rock and won. She threw a Paper and lost. Back and forth over 42 games. She won a grand total of 18. But a winning streak was right around the corner for her. She just knew it.

After they got back to mapping, they had multiple other battles that ended with them running into Fuurinkazan. It was always good to meet up with them. And they were going to map more of the Labyrinth for them the next day. As much as Astro loved working with Backbreaker, she was really wanting to try working with Harry One, their main tank. They were paired up when they did the big clothes sale for Diemond. He was an interesting guy and a good player. Astro wanted to get to know him more.

Back home, Astro was left alone as Thunderborne went to her room. She was probably beautifying her toes. Astro had been there when Thunderborne picked the colors. She had her own, but she was still riled up from the fight. It had ended too early. In a normal game, Astro would have a crafting skill or two going, but fighting for her life changed that.

It took Astro a while to find the soccer ball. Someone had stashed it under a couch. The trick failed because she had learned to look under the furniture and in the bathrooms. It was a fair trick that Thunderborne and her had earned.

Astro took the soccer ball out to the front, exiting the headquarters. She began to juggle it in the main courtyard. It drew a lot of attention as other players marveled at her skill with a soccer ball. It felt good to be ogled by the guys and cheered on by the gentlemen and ladies.

After a while she called it quits. She bowed. “Thank you! I enjoyed performing for you. It was fun. But I have to go to bed. It is another early morning for me. Back to the front lines.”

She got another round of cheers and Astro knew she was blushing. She bowed in all four directions once more and then went back inside. All that was on her mind was the fight coming in the morning. And Harry One.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 72 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 72 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 61 - Of Crabs and Commanders

Front Line - Floor 62
June 13 - Year 2

Bladescape and Doombunny were escorting Gin, Kain, and Mina out of the fields and back to the Town of Beginnings. However, they were not taking them back to the church just yet. It was a dangerous plan, but they were going to take the kids to the sand crabs, so Bladescape could solo them and give the kids a raw level boost. The goal was to get them all to level 30, where they would each get another Skill and each would be exponentially safer hunting in the fields everyday. They were taking several safety measures, including each of the kids always carry a teleport crystal in their hand to use in an emergency.

As they neared the Teleport Plaza, they were intercepted.

"Hello!" A man called, waving at them.

Bladescape recognized the Aincrad Liberation Force's leader from when she turned the orange guild in. Thinker casually walked over to them. Gin, Kain, and Mina had slid behind Bladescape and Doombunny for protection. They were all too familiar with the uniform, and in a bad way.

"What has you here today?" Thinker asked them.

"A little side project," Bladescape said. "Doombunny gets Colorra's food here. Some of the kids trap rats and mice for her."

"That is cool," Thinker said, still smiling kindly. "I didn't know you could do that. I had heard through the grapevine that two Wondercolts were hunting in the fields outside the city. I wasn't expecting to run into you though. What has you hunting this low?"

"Thinker," Bladescape said, smiling coyly and then stepping to the side. "Meet Gin, Kain, and Mina. They trap the animals. They also help the other kids survive here."

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Thinker said to the frightened kids. "I had heard we had a group of kids here. How are you holding up?"

"Um..." Gin said, hesitating. "Fine, Sir. We are getting by."

Thinker sighed. It was both a sad and relieved sigh. "I am glad to hear that. I can't do everything I want to. We're low on resources and the guild is not as profitable as we once were. The more orange players in prison, the more we have to divert to them. It's not easy running the largest guild. I'm trying to increase our hunting on the higher Floors. I'm also trying to get the fruit catchers under our wing. They are not in a good spot mentally. The same goes for too many other players. I am glad to hear you are doing okay. Reaching everyone is hard."

Gin got bold. "Sir," He said, bowing respectfully. "We have been able to get by. But your soldiers force us to the side, where there are not good spawns. I know you need to hunt, but it is usually just the three of us who can hunt. We can't even put together a full party of six like you can."

Thinker's sigh was one of frustration and despair. "I have heard of problems in the lower ranks. I promise you, that I will address the issue with every member of my guild. They are not to force you out of the area you are hunting. You three are strong and brave to do what you do. And hearing that you are getting by, that is a huge relief. I am trying to help every player I can. I will help you as soon as I can, but if you can keep holding out while I rebuild our hunting process, I promise you I will get you the support you deserve. You keep holding out. I'll tell my soldiers to let you do what you need to do. But I'll let you in on a secret, you three are braver than many of the soldiers I have. And I bet that your levels are higher. They just are bigger and know how to fake it."

"They certainly will be shortly," Bladescape said, turning Thinker's attention back to her. "I'm going to solo a hunting ground on a higher Floor to boost their XP quickly."

"Wonderful!" Thinker exclaimed. "Thank you again Bladescape. I am happy to see they have you helping them. Your guild does a lot for the players from what I understand. It is appreciated how helpful you are to everyone."

"Not everyone," Doombunny spat. "The Divine Dragon Alliance is a bunch of...well they don't like us. They have been outright mean to me. Thankfully they have not put us in a situation where we have to help them."

The central plaza's bell tower rang out four times, telling them all what hour it was.

"I have to go," Thinker said. "I am late. Forgive me. But I will do what I promised."

"Thank you," Mina said, bowing low.

"Yes, thank you," Bladescape said, also bowing.

"Have a good day and happy hunting!" Thinker said.

Thinker began to jog off to where he was supposed to be. Bladescape led them up onto the teleport platform. Bladescape teleported first, then Gin, then Mina, then Kain, and finally Doombunny brought up the rear. Bladescape checked that each kid had the blue teleport crystal in their hand as they stepped off the plaza's platform.

"Keep them in your hand at all times," Bladescape reminded them. "You will be safe, but I don't want us to accidentally miss something simple that could get you hurt."

"I'll keep mine in my left," Gin declared. "So I can draw my sword if I need to."

"It is a pretty calm walk," Bladescape said. "But you are thinking ahead."

The kids dutifully stayed close as they made their way to the beach. The chatter of waiting groups could be heard from a good distance; further than Bladescape could pick up with Search. There had to be at least 15 parties waiting in rotation. Thankfully there were a lot of places for groups to switch out. It shouldn't cause them to wait for too long and Sasha had been sent a message to let her know they would be late.

Bladescape had them stay with Doombunny while she went to the head of the line to make sure they got on the list and see how far down they were. She was not expecting to see that the list was being tended by a Knight of the Bloodoath soldier. However, she smiled when she recognized his orange, shaggy curls. It was the leader of The KOB Team A, Godfree. His body stature was hard to mistake because he was one of the wider shouldered players with a strong chest. He also was a fun loving man with a good heart. It was very difficult to have a problem with him, let alone hate him.

"Hey!" Godfree called out in warm greeting when he saw her. "Well if it isn't my favorite Wondercolts! How are you?"

"Good," Bladescape said, giving him a warm smile back as she shook his hand. "I'm on an unofficial guild side mission right now. Party of 5."

"Got yah covered!" Godfree winked as he wrote her down. "The other Wondercolts party left here not too long ago."

"Thanks. I know one came here to train and the other was taking a whack at the boss Labyrinth."

Another familiar KOB member sidled up beside them. It was Commander Heathcliff. Outside of planning meetings or boss fights, Bladescape had never seen him in a normal game situation.

"Hello, Bladescape," He said in his usual smooth tone. "I see you have an interesting party with you."

"It's a two-day long story," Bladescape said, deflecting the topic. "But I have never seen you at a training site."

"The guild is behind on its leveling quotas," Commander Heathcliff calmly explained. "I am a member of the guild, so it stands to reason, even I must follow that rule. However, I still am interested in your side project. They are not Wondercolts. And they clearly are not of any substantial level. Which makes your choice to party up with them very... intriguing."

Bladescape sighed. She knew she wasn't going to be able to divert things away from their current situation. "Cutting a long and immensely complicated story short, Doombunny gets Colorra's fresh food from a small group of kids who are being cared for by a young adult woman named Sasha. This is all in the Town of Beginning and being run out of a church there. Most of them have not handled the shock of being trapped in SAO well. None of them can be older than 14.Some, like those three, are able to hunt in the fields outside the town for Col and materials so they can buy the basics for them all to live. A few others do errand runs for cash. They are being taught how to be self-sufficient because in life, you generally don't just get things handed to you. You have to earn it. At least for the average person.

"Anyway, we got the food for Colorra, spent the night in a spare room and we have spent today hunting with the kids and giving them instruction on how to be better at working together and safer while they hunt. They got new, better, gear I had laying around in my inventory that would work for them, and they are now quite good at switching. They already were good, but they are even better after our instruction."

Bladescape stiffened up, ready to drive it all home with her declaration. "However, it is time for the cherry on top. I'm going to solo the crabs and let them reap the XP. They can barely get any XP doing the amazing job they are doing, so I wanted to give back as much as I can before we have to leave them tonight. We won't get a chance to do anything for them again. I wish we could, but the best thing we can do for them is focus on clearing the game. So, we are being as kind and generous as possible in the short time we have, while still teaching them valuable life lessons. Just like Miss Sasha insisted. To be extra safe, each of them is holding a teleport crystal, which is not to leave their hand, and they will use it if things get too close. Their safety is top priority. We are just trying to raise their daily safety margin so that at the end of this nightmare, they get out alive; along with the other kids they help."

"You Wondercolts are amazing, always willing to help others," Commander Heathcliff stated. "Any time, any way. It is inspiring. You see things differently than most players, and certainly differently than almost every player on the front line. I had no idea there were kids barely getting by. I thought the Army would be taking care of them."

"They have their own problems," Bladescape stated, leaving it there. "They were early on, but I understand the guild is massive now and struggling to stay afloat under its own weight while also maintaining the prison. Too many don't put anything into the guild, only draining resources."

"Well, I want to join in your generosity," Commander Heathcliff declared. This time his smile was truly warm and kind. It didn't hide anything behind it. "I can't stand to see a player struggle like they are. Trying to take up the sword to care for others, but knowing that it is impossible to level up if you sacrifice in such a manner. Godfree, put them in my Party's place at the head of the list. Let us get them into rotation faster so they can go home. You are lucky you came when you did. We are in the next group to rotate in."

"Yes, Commander!" Godfree said with a salute. His metal armor made a scraping clack as it moved and rubbed at the semes.

Bladescape bowed, remembering the general custom. She usually remembered to bow in formal occasions, especially around men and women like Commander Heathcliff. "Thank you, Commander."

"Think nothing of it," Commander Heathcliff replied.

"Good luck with your leveling," Bladescape added.

He just gave a silent nod with a thin smile on his lips in reply.

Bladescape got back to the others, but she decided to skip the conversation with the Commander. The kids had all been distracted with Colorra and they had drawn a crowd. A good number of other players were paying attention to the snake and her handler. Most of them had heard of Doombunny and Colorra, but they had not gotten a chance to actually meet them. And they were currently meeting a very kind and soft Doombunny. Plus, it was boring waiting for their turn.

"Hey!" A man said to Bladescape, extending his hand to be shaken. He was excited and nervous as she shook it. "I'm Helot. I'm a big fan of all of you. I've seen you a few times, but, but getting to meet the amazing Bladescape and Baipagaru, this just made my day."

"Nice to meet you," Bladescape said with a warm smile. "But Baipagaru?"

"Oh, it's Japanese for Viper Chick." He said before he started to stutter a bit with nerves. "I know that it was tossed around as a bad thing a while ago. But her duel changed that. She, she really, it's a good name. Cause, you know, she has the same guts as her snake. They fight together as one. That's what it means. Not that she slithers and slinks around in the shadows. It's why we chose a Japanese name for her."

"I can accept that," Bladescape assured him, flashing him a warm smile.

"Next up!" Godfree called out over the crowd of bored players and halting all the conversations. "The party led by Pillair, the party led by Schmitt, and the party led by Bladescape. Come see me for location designations."

"Gin, Mina, Kain," Bladescape said, snapping her fingers to get their attention. "Let's roll. The clock is on, our hour here has started."

The four of them scrambled up to follow after Bladescape. Colorra slipped up to Doombunny's shoulders so they could move faster. There was some confusion by the others about their sudden arrival and then their party name being called. No doubt Godfree would have to answer to a few angry players. Bladescape ignored it. The kids were the important thing and all that mattered. They were still diligently holding onto their blue teleport crystals.

They got to Godfree who instructed them which area they had assigned. Commander Heathcliff was close by. He nodded at Bladescape with a warm smile as they passed by. Bladescape nodded back as she drew her sword. She wasn't going to take any chances as they approached the deceptively calm sandy shore.

Doombunny stopped the kids before Bladescape could. They were far back from the shore, safe. She was on one side, while Colorra was on the other. Doombunny knew the safe targeting distance from the crabs, but they were not going to take any risks.

"Are you sure there isn't anything I can do?" Gin asked.

"A hit will kill you," Bladescape said. It was a calm warning, but it probably was a lot colder than she intended it to be. However, they had fought with and under her for the day. They had seen her true kindness and patience, and they trusted her.

Bladescape edged to just outside the targeting zone. She had to wait for one to respawn. Her blade was out, forward towards where they would spawn. It was relaxed, but ready as she gripped it with both hands in a stable forward stance.

The next crab shell surfaced as it respawned and Bladescape yelled her war cry as she leaped forward. She brought Harmonic Salvation up, overhead, and activated Avalanche. A simple overhead Two-handed Sword Skill, but it had a short delay and was effective. The sword's weight split the shell and stunned the crab. It only back pedaled a foot before the blade was thrust through its face, reducing it to colorful polygons.

That was the only solid blow she got in before the crab dance began. Bladescape knew it well and skipped around the side, using minimum effort to quickly target the few weak points and exploit them with a cold efficiency. All the late nights soloing the crabs paid off as she quickly cut them down until the respawn entered its cool down period.

As she sat down with the others to wait out the next respawn, Gin asked his question. "You did not use the Sword Skills you were using earlier against the boars and wolves."

He was annoyingly right. But earlier today, she wasn't being watched. Kirito was correct, no matter what the Greatsword Skill actually was, she currently had to protect that knowledge. But she had to tell Gin something to answer his question, and she wouldn't lie. At least not directly.

"Different enemy, different approach," Bladescape shrugged before she lounged back onto her elbows. "Their shells offer specialized protection, but their maneuverability is poor. The Boars and Wolves have very low HP compared to these guys. Here you need agility and timing. Earlier I was doing one hit kills. I could afford to use higher level techniques that gave a different delay penalty for using the Sword Skill.

Kain was excited about what they were there for. He blurted out his interruption. "I shot up two levels from your attack! Just sitting here, you got me two whole levels!"

Bladescape sighed contently and checked her internal clock. "Good. That is the whole point of us being here. To get you the levels you haven't been able to earn."

"And the Col is amazing," Kain added, as he scooted up beside her. "We will eat well for a week just from your time against the crabs!"

Bladescape smiled at the joy in his face. It was the happiest she had seen him. The past 24 hours had probably been the best he had experienced since this death game began, cutting him off from all he loved and cherished.

Bladescape listened to their chatter as she paid attention to the clock. She was up and ready, right on the edge of the targeting range as the crabs began to respawn. However, she switched to Bajutsu, just to see how the sword would fare. It was put on her belt instead of her back. She darted in with a powerful thrust, catching the first one in the face and scoring critical damage which ended its existence. She was too well rehearsed at killing the sand crabs to not take advantage of that opportunity.

When Bladescape finished the last crab in that respawn time block and turned to head back, she saw they had a visitor. A scruffy faced one she was well acquainted with.

"Klein!" Bladescape said as she got to them. "What has my favorite Samurai here with us?"

"Leveling, just like everyone else," Klein said. He flashed her a thumbs up and winked, meaning the next words were going to be some tacky pick up line. "But all the waiting around finally got some beauty to it and is less boring now that you have arrived."

Bladescape didn't roll her eyes this time. There was something different in the way he said it. Or maybe because, after working all day long with the three kids, she wanted a bit more attention or adult interaction. She was worried about Gin, Kain, and Mina though. They were her top priority. It was nice to be noticed and appreciated after all she did.

"It's been quite and odd with all the Knights of the Bloodoath here," Klein stated. "I guess they really are having to push to level up. But even Commander Heathcliff is present. And Lightning Flash Asuna is here too."

"Well, Commander Heathcliff did sacrifice their spot in the lineup for us," Bladescape said. "He wanted to give something to the kids in a way that mattered. And getting us into the rotation next was what he could immediately give. They have worked hard all day long. They need the rest. The three of them have gotten more XP than they have ever reaped in a month just from what I dragged up killing the crabs."

Klein's eyes darted in the telltale sign that he was looking at the clock in the corner of his vision. "Speaking of that, I have 2 minutes until ours respawn. I'll catch you later. Maybe grab lunch. Even as awesome as AFCK's cooking is, maybe we could talk. You know, guild leader to guild leader."

"Sure," Bladescape said with a grin on her face.

Klein left and it was Mina who unexpectedly asked the question. "Is that a date? Are you two dating?"

"No," Bladescape said as she sat down in the sand. She opened her window and pulled out water. "It's not a date but our two guilds are good friends. There is always some business to discuss over a meal."

The end of their hours brought several good things to fruition. Gin was level 33, Kain was level 32, and Mina was level 30. Bladescape also had been bumped up a level. The King Black Dragon had given her a ton of XP. But the others didn't know she had gained a level because they were celebrating the kids earning more levels.

"That means Mina can add Tailoring as a Skill and not lose her One-handed Sword Skill!" Gin exclaimed, elated. He understood how important diversity could be.

"Yes!" Mina agreed. She loved the spear and she had rapidly developed it as a skill, but it still was under the other and she didn't want to wipe the skill either after all the hard work she had put into it. Bladescape had a better sword she could give her as well.

"I think Diemond has old sewing supplies stashed somewhere," Bladescape said. "Come on. Let's go to our headquarters and we can get them."

They checked out with Godfree. Commander Heathcliff was discussing something with him and another KOB soldier, but they stopped as they approached. Bladescape bowed low to show as much respect and thanks as possible.

"Thank you, Commander. We raised Gin, Kain, and Mina several levels each. They now are above 30. They are going to be a lot safer helping out the others. Your generosity with switching out with us is beyond words at this time."

The kids recognized what he had done for them and they also bowed, thanking him.

"It was my pleasure," Heathcliff replied with a warm smile to the kids. "I heard you have been working hard to take care of others. A noble job in life."

"Miss Sasha will appreciate it," Gin added. "And so will the others. They are too afraid to hunt, and I understand why. Watching Bladescape kill the crabs, this world has many dangers we are not ready to face. And I am okay with that."

"You all have a good day," Commander Heathcliff said. "I have guild business I need to discuss and we are next in the rotation."

They all bowed one last time and then rushed off. They didn't get far before Klein intercepted them. Fuurinkazan wasn't with him. "Hey, Doll Face. Leaving so soon?"

Bladescape smiled and shook her head at his antics. "Got to get the kids back, and make one stop in between. They do actually have a bedtime."

"Miss Sasha would wave it if we are with you," Kain protested.

"I know," Bladescape said. "And I am certain that you will be late for that already."

Klein joined them as they walked out through the fields to the closest teleport plaza.

"Giving up?" Bladescape asked Klein.

"Eh," he shrugged. "I've been here all day. I'm bored out of my mind. It's been profitable, but with the KOB everywhere, it has an odd vibe."

"I felt that," Doombunny said. "Don't they usually level in dungeons and the less popular areas?"

"That is the impression I got," Klein said. "So they must be far behind in their quotas to be using a well known location."

"And how are you doing?" Bladescape asked.

"Behind, like everyone else. This Floor Boss is going to have to wait a few more days. We haven't really entered the labyrinth yet, but most of the Assault Team are level grinding, along with half the clearers...what is a few extra days anyway?"

"For us, nothing," Bladescape said. "For the players like the kids, a long time."

Klein sighed, defeated. "You're right." He perked up. "But hey, I saw you using a different sword than Harmonic Salvation. A small one. What is up with that?"

Bladescape chuckled. "Remember Floor 60, when we met there? I told you about horse riding and questing. I needed something I could wield on horseback, but I only have two-handed sword. Bajutsu is a light and short two-handed blade meant for use on horseback. Do not discount its power though."

"Interesting," Klein shrugged. "I don't even want to try riding a horse."

"Surprising for someone as lazy as you are," Bladescape fired back.

"Hey!" Klein protested. "Only work as much as you have to. That is an important lesson. If riding horses is half as hard as I have heard it is, they are not worth my time."

"I did spend a day with a master equestrian in the real world," Bladescape admitted. "That is why I could ride and do that quest."

Klein walked out with them. He claimed that it was because he wanted to be extra security for the kids. Technically they were walking through areas that were populated by monsters. But their spawns were rare because of the high foot traffic. If anything popped up, it was quickly killed by passersby. Having Klein's sword was still very appreciated. It was extra security for such precious cargo.

The precautions came to nothing as they entered the town's safe zone and everyone was able to relax. Bladescape let the kids keep the blue teleport crystals, despite their value. That way, they each had one if they ever needed it. Klein was sticking by them though. He joined Bladescape on the teleport plaza.

He answered her question before she could ask it. "Cupcakes, Doll Face. You are going to your HQ. Your HQ has AFCK. And it always has those delectable cupcakes she makes."

Bladescape was about to playfully chastise him for the self invitation, but then she groaned as the greater implication of the situation became obvious. "Now I want cupcakes," she said as she playfully punched him in the arm. He yelped a bit and rubbed where she hit him. "That is what you get for making me realize that I haven't had cupcakes in a day and a half. I seriously think she drugs them with more than virtual sugar."

Both of them laughed as they teleported to Mishe. The kids were right behind them. Doombunny popped out just as they stepped off the platform. Gin, Kain, and Mina were impressed with a town like Mishe. They only knew the Town of Beginnings. Mishe was quite a bit different. They marveled even more when they realized the building with the glorious banners was where they were headed. The only guild headquarters they knew of was the Black Iron Palace, which the Army had occupied. It wasn't fancy and glorious like the Wondercolts' headquarters.

They stepped inside to the warmth of the waiting room. Bladescape opened the interior doors to the guild hall for them all. It was empty, but there was a plain box on the table, right in front of her spot. For now, the box didn't matter. Bladescape had no idea who was partied with who, or where anyone was.

"I'll check upstairs," Doombunny said.

"And we will meet you either in the kitchen, or Diemond's crafting room," Bladescape replied. "But probably the kitchen."

Klein stuck with Bladescape and the kids because they were headed to the kitchen. As they opened the door out of the guild hall, Bladescape could hear Diemond talking to herself as she worked. That was good because they needed access to her old stock that would help Mina get further ahead with Tailoring and regain what she had lost.

But the real party was AFCK's laughter in the kitchen. She was baking and wearing a very cute baker's dress that was borderline dangerously short. It was matched with pink stockings to balance the length out, and there were plenty of ruffles and frills to it. However, she was missing her layer of flour. Joltron was laughing with her. His back to them as he sat on the island beside a busy AFCK. AFCK had the kitchen cleaner than usual too.

"Hey," Bladescape said, announcing their presence.

Joltron looked over at his shoulder out of habit and then he jumped off the counter in shock. He was in his sleepwear. While it was more than appropriate, he wasn't expecting to be caught in it by guests, even as early as it was in the night, and even more so by kids. He composed himself rather quickly. As the focus was taken off his actions by AFCK being AFCK.

"Nice to meet yah!" AFCK exclaimed with a bounce. "I'm AFCK. And you are Gin, you are Mina, and you are Kain."

The kids just nodded. They were shocked she knew their names. They didn't know that their names had not been shared to the others, or that only vague information about their little side journey had been given. And no info on the King Black Dragon had been passed along either.

"Cupcakes?" Klein asked, butting in and getting straight to the reason he was in attendance.

"Got more in the oven," AFCK smiled. "But if you give me a second I'll have the other half of this dozen frosted and sprinkled!"

AFCK pointed the frosting bag on the other half of the cupcakes, and with a skill only honed by real life experience had each frosted perfectly in a swirl in an instant. The sprinkles were dashed on top and she slid the tray across the long Island. It stopped right where she wanted it to in front of Klein, but not threatening to go over the edge.

"They are fresh and hot," AFCK warned.

Klein didn't listen as he grabbed one and was forced to juggle it. Taking a bite didn't help either. He was left with burning hands and a burning mouth as everyone laughed at him.

Gin reached for one himself, daring to risk the heat for a treat he hadn't had since he was marooned inside Aincrad.

"No cupcakes for kids before dinner," AFCK said, a harsher tone on her than normal. But she reached over to the counter and grabbed two bowls and a plate. She slid them over to the kids. Like the cupcakes, they stopped exactly where they were supposed to.

"Gin, I tracked down how to make traditional Japanese Ramen a while back, so I made your favorite. As best as I can in game. Mina, curried chicken and rice, just like your mother makes for your father who is a member of JMDSF and enjoys even when he is not on rotation on a ship. And Kain, that is the closest I can get to a burger, just like you like it."

The kids were digging in and did their best to thank her with stuffed mouths. They were too focused on their personalized meals to realize that AFCK had no way of knowing what their favorite foods were. And that was on top of her not knowing they were coming. Bladescape wasn't even sure if they would stop in at their HQ until Mina hit Level 30, which was right as Bladescape finished the last few Sand Crabs in their time block.

Diemond came in with Doombunny. Diemond was wearing her idea dress, as expected, since she was working on a line of clothing to sell in a second clothing sale she was planning.

"Bunny caught me up," Diemond said. "As quick as one can in 2 minutes. I have what you need. But first, AFCK has not made dinner for us yet. I want a cupcake."

"Any idea on the other Wondercolts?" Bladescape asked. The three of them got quiet.

Bladescape focused on Joltron to get him to crack as she narrowed her gaze at him. He broke quickly and explained the situation. "We are not sure when they will be back. I expect it to be a few more hours. The three of us did a few rounds at the Sand Crabs, but the KOB presence was odd. Anyway, they are deep in the dungeon, mapping and clearing. So, like I said, it's still early for them to be back.

"But the bigger issue is that last night, there was a guild meeting. Thunder called it. She wanted to put a replacement member on our Council."

Bladescape nodded in understanding and to encourage him to continue.

"Two players were settled upon: Kiefer and Astro. We took a written and secret vote and our ballots are in the box on the table. We haven't looked at them. BB never said a word the entire time. She let Thunder lead it. Diemond was Thunder's opposition. BB is waiting for you to discuss it. She literally never said a word or reacted to anything the entire time. She is always the quiet member, but it got eerie, almost scary how quiet and blank she was. But our parties today were not based on the discussion or our perceived votes. We stayed clean and focused."

"Politics suck," Klein said as he finished his fourth cupcake and reached for his fifth. Thankfully AFCK was in the middle of pulling out two more baked trays of cupcakes.

"We will get it sorted out," Bladescape said. "Bunny, we will let you vote if BB and I decide a popular vote is even necessary. I don't know what we will do."

Kain just shook his head at the adult talk and grabbed the last cupcake. He was finished first so he got the reward. No doubt it would have been different if it no more were being made.

"Klein, Joltron, supervise them for a moment," Bladescape told him.

"You mean baby sit?" Klein protested.

Bladescape let out a laugh. "They are not babies and it means you are earning those cupcakes."

"Fine," he said, as he crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall while the kids ate.

They went to Diemond's work room and then Bladescape focused on Diemond first. "Diemond, what can you give Mina. She had a Tailoring skill of 137. She worked very hard to earn that. We swapped it for another offensive skill. I promised her we would get her back to there and double if it didn't work out. She got a new Skill Slot, so even better."

Diemond thought for a moment. "I could part with a few things that would level her up to that spot and further if she does things right. I also have a book of simple designs I have been sketching. I can copy it and she can take that, along with my guide from Knightstar. I have no need for that anymore."

"Much appreciated," Bladescape smiled. "We want to give them everything we can. As well as everything Sasha can use to keep the other two dozen kids fed and cared for. I wish we could do more, but we could devote our life to them and then we would not be able to be on the front line."

"I have plenty of good bread I can pack them," AFCK added. "And flour, eggs, milk, pudding, and other basic cooking ingredients. In no time one of them could be a decent chef. I've been prepping the past two days for them. That is why I went with Diemond and Joltron to only train and not fight in the labyrinth. Their porridge tomorrow morning will be the best they have ever had in Aincrad. Or real life!

"Well, technically, I went with Diemond, and Joltron followed me. He has a crush on me. He thinks he has a shot at me."

"You should let him down easy," Bladescape advised her.

"Why?" AFCK shrugged. "I haven't decided. Sooooo, until I do, he has a shot."

AFCK got off track as she continued to talk. Bladescape rolled her eyes and let her run her mouth and mind for a moment before she stopped it. "Let's just get them set up and then Doom and I will get them home."

As they got back to the kitchen, the kids were depressed and sorry, like they had committed a horrible crime. Mina was the one who spoke. "We beg your apology. We ate without thinking. It was absolutely fantastic, the best we have had since being trapped here, but now we realize that the others, they got to eat half stale bread and other stuff that wasn't as good. We should have at least thought about them."

"Brave, caring, and smart," Bladescape said with a warm smile. All of the Wondercolts, and Klein, were smiling at the kids. "Don't worry. We are bringing food for them. In the morning they will eat very well.

"You spirit, your mindset, your everything you have shown Bunny and I today, it has earned you guys our deep respect. We wish we could do more, but the absolute best thing we can do for you is beat this game so you are no longer stuck here. You guys earned your armor and weapons upgrades. You earned your Col, and you earned the gifts we are going to give you for the others.

"Miss Sasha is right, in life you don't get things handed to you. But sometimes, people are generous to you when they see how hard you work. You should work hard and do your best because that is what a true man or woman of integrity does. Trust me, it shows and it makes a difference to everyone around you. But never expect a reward, and reward anyone you can for the job they do. Even if all you can give is a smile and a few kind words. We have more than that for you, because we judge you for what you do and your worth in a different way. And we have more than you guys understand. Mina, I have a sword for you so that you have an equally strong weapon if you switch back from spear.

"Now, while AFCK packs the food. Let's get you guys loaded up with Mina's Tailoring gear."

"Hey! I have a question," Gin said. Bladescape nodded for him to continue. "Well, can you and I become friends?"

Bladescape grinned and opened her menu. Gin, Mina, and Kain became her newest friends. Doombunny also friended them. They had just transcended past business partners to friends.

As Diemond was digging out the stuff in the back of a closet, Kain asked his own question. "What is this ring?"

Diemond heard the question and tried to exit to properly address it. She hit her head on the shelf above her, eliciting a yelp of pain. She finally got out and saw where Kain was and what he was looking at. She answered as she rubbed her head to try and minimize the pain.

"Oh that? Yes, it is a ring. An enchanted ring. It's a weak enchantment though. I don't know what I will do with something so weak as..." Diemond grinned as she realized she could unload a few items, which were on the low spectrum and not worth the materials she had put into them, onto the kids. They were cluttering up her storage, but they sold for only a few pieces of Col. However, for Gin, Kain, and Mina, it would make a huge difference. "I guess I could part with a few pieces for you guys. After all, from what I hear, you have been working very hard and would make excellent use of them. A much better use than them sitting in my room here and taking up space."

Diemond put the spare materials in a pile on an already cluttered table and then she began to sort through the unruly pile of jewelry. Some of the necklaces had tied themselves into knots while they sat there. She had way too much, and Jewelry wasn't something that was recyclable like armor and weapons. She had sold all she could to Agil, but even he wouldn't take some of them. None of the pieces were of her finer work, design wise, but they did the job. She pulled out three horse necklaces she had done early on. One for each of them. The boys also got two simple, copper, banded rings, and Mina got teardrop quartz earrings.

"Gin, +1 Strength ring, +1 Attack ring, and +50 Health necklace. Kain, +1 Defense ring, +1 Strength ring, and +50 Health necklace. Mina, the necklace is the same as the boys, +50 Health Points. But your earring set is +2 Attack. They have to be worn in a pair, but at least they look the same. And quite lovely if I say so myself."

"I'M ALL PACKED!" AFCK yelled, barging in to make the announcement.

Diemond gave Mina the materials. She was right at her weight limit, without an ounce to spare. That meant the boys had to carry the food. It also maxed their weight limit. Bladescape and Doombunny split the rest that they couldn't carry. They were making them, appropriately, work for what they had earned. They were not going to rescue them with their significantly larger carry weight limits.

"We won't be long," Bladescape assured the others. "We just have to drop them and everything else off and then we will be back."

The kids said goodbye. Klein left with them, but this time he teleported back to the Sand Crabs, flashing his goofy smile with a thumbs up to Bladescape. He also restated that he wanted that meal with her soon to "discuss guild business." Bladescape shook her head, unable to resist a smile, but agreed. Klein had grown on her over the months. They were not players partnering up out of necessity anymore. They were friends. He was too lovable to say no. And the playful flirtation was fun. It also made her feel good. Goofy good.

They teleported back to the Town of Beginnings. It was dark and late. It was quite in the church. Gin let them in without knocking. They found Sasha waiting for them in the main hall. She was trying to not be nervous as she waited for them to get back. She ran to them and embraced Gin, Kain, and Mina at the same time.

"I was trying to not be worried," She said as she hugged them. "I knew you were safe. How did it go?"

"We got equipment upgrades!" Gin exclaimed.

"And jewelry!" Mina added. "Enhanced jewelry that their guildmate Diemond couldn't sell because it was so low level. But it's a huge boost for us!"

"Keep it down," Sasha hushed them. "I know you are excited, and you should be, but the others are asleep and I want to keep it that way."

"They took us to the hottest training location where Bladescape soloed these giant sand crabs," Kain added, much quieter. "We didn't fight, but since we were in the party with her, we got free XP."

Sasha looked at Bladescape, concern and mistrust in her eyes, despite it being obvious how much she was internally begging her eyes to be thanking them for all they did.

"It wasn't as dangerous as it sounded," Doombunny assured her. "It was safe, and they always had a teleport crystal in their hand in case something went wrong. There also were a lot of high level and very skilled players around. If something went wrong, they would have jumped in and helped. And the three of them promised to follow our every order. I stayed with them and Bladescape has soloed the Sand Crabs plenty of times before. She was safe, the kids were safe, and everything was fine.

"What is most important is that they all are at least level 30. We replaced Mina's Tailoring with One-handed Spear and now that she is 30, she has locked Tailoring back in."

"Oh Mina," Sahsa sighed, looking at the young girl. "That wiped the skill. You were very brave to do that."

Mina grinned back at the downtrodden face. "They gave me materials to fix that. I will be at the same level in no time. Diemond had plenty of extra materials that she gave me."

"And food!" Gin exclaimed, forgetting to be quiet. Sasha didn't have to give him a verbal reprimand as he immediately realized his mistake.

Bladescape took over for him. "We had to go to our headquarters anyway. So they are well fed. And we have donation food. Both high durability prepared food and fresh ingredients. You guys can cook fresh food for a day or two and enjoy a tasty break."

Sasha was distracted as she gave her thanks. "You leveled them up to 30?"

"Mhm," Bladescape nodded.

Sasha switched gears and got the food to the kitchen where it was safe. Then she sent the three of them off to bed. Only then could she address what was actually on her mind.

Kain came running back in a moment later with a sack in his hand. "Sorry, Teach. We forgot to give you the Col we got. The crabs dropped a ton of it."

Sasha's eyes went wide as she took the heavy sack. Kain was gone before she could reply.

"I'll give them each some back so they can spend it," Sasha assured them. "Thank you. All you did for them, even the dangerous leveling, is appreciated."

They sat down at the "adult table." Doombunny pulled out from her menu half a dozen cupcakes for them to snack on. They smelled as fresh as they were. Sasha immediately grabbed one, trying to not look greedy or overly excited. She had to be a calm, composed, role model for the kids.

"They will be much safer now as they hunt outside the city," Bladescape assured her. "Besides, as we left we had a friend join us in escorting them through the picked clean fields. Enough players go through that any spawns are killed fast. And my Search Skill is maxed. I would have caught anything before it became a problem.

"And don't worry about anything we gave them. They earned it all. They showed bravery, initiative, and a willingness to learn. Their self-sacrifice was inspiring too. We were moved to the head of the line because a party next up switched with us so the kids could get the XP quicker, instead of waiting a few hours. We wouldn't be back right now if the switch didn't happen. They inspired that generosity from Commander Heathcliff, the leader of the Knights of the Bloodoath. It wasn't out of pity, but inspiration for all they do for the other kids."

"I can't believe it," Sasha admitted. "I know you are not lying, but I can't believe it. It's not something I can comprehend."

"But you were going to say something else earlier," Bladescape said as she grabbed another cupcake.

Sasha sighed and hesitated. Her eyes looked down at the table in shame. They let her take the time to gather the courage to ask.

"Can you take me to level me up? I'm barely level 27. It's not that I have a problem with Gin, Kain, and Mina being above me. I just want to be strong for them. I want another Skill I can apply to them. I don't get a lot of chances to level up caring for them. Although, there is a Family Skill and a Teacher Skill. Those are steadily moving up."

"Family Skill?" Bladescape asked, shocked to hear that both Skills existed, despite the claim that SAO was a game with an unlimited number of Skills.

"Mhm," Sasha nodded. "I'm not entirely sure how it works. I do know that there is a way in your menu to disable the 'Moral Code.' You can remove or swap out undergarments, and even do, uh…adult things, with others who have switched that button to off. It is buried deep to protect the kids and others from accidentally disabling it. And it can obviously be a problem if you switch it off and then end up in certain...adult problems. I have not disabled mine, but I assume it was added to put even more realism in the game as we live in this new reality."

"That's..." Bladescape stuttered and then stopped as she leaned back in her chair. It was scary to think about that side. The code was there to protect players. Being able to disable it for yourself made the game entirely different. She doubted she could flip the switch on her own.

But then Kiefer and Lessa came to mind. If they both were back at the same time as they went to bed, they shared a room, but if they were in different parties and one was back or in bed before the other, they slept in separate rooms. It didn't bother any of the Wondercolts because they could only share a physical bed together. But if they got married, they would probably switch to one room. They were still uncomfortable with going that far in the game, as they should be for the short time they had been dating.

Despite that, did she have to tell them? Should she? Could she? They were under 18, so did that make it morally wrong? Bladescape pushed it out of her mind for the time being. If they got married, and she remembered, she would tell them. But only then unless something happened to persuade her to not tell them.

"We can certainly help you level up," Doombunny said, actually on track and bringing Bladescape back to focus on the conversation.

"Sure," Bladescape shrugged. “It will be fun. I can do more with you than I could with the kids. You will actually work for the levels, which I think you will prefer. I can trust that you can make the right split-second decisions if we push you a bit. And of course, train you to make the right ones. Let me just send a few quick messages out."

Bladescape keyed up her menu and sent a guild wide message. "Meeting ASAP. BBS." She didn't stop there as she pulled up her friend list and found Klein. Because they were only friends, she had to be concise. There was a strict limit on message size for guild members, and it was stricter between just friends. "Klein, want 2 pull a spcl train sess 2morrw w/ me? 6am, WHQ." She sent it. The sand crabs were not an actual dungeon, so they could get messages.

"I have a plan," Bladescape assured Sasha. "At the very least, AFCK, Diemond, Joltron, and Bunny will be here to help with the kids tomorrow. I'm sure with Gin, Kain, and Mina showing them the ropes, they will be fine. I should have a solid training team for us."

A message popped up in her vision. Bladescape opened it. "U got it, Doll Face. C U In the am at your place." Klein always took the extra space to be himself and say something unnecessary like "doll face" or "at your place."

Bladescape grinned at Sasha. It was obvious she had just read a message. "We will be here by 7am at the latest. I have a team for us. Your replacements for tomorrow may not be as good as you are with the kids, but between the three of them, they will handle the kids just fine. AFCK babysits twins all the time. If she can handle those two, she can handle two dozen with two of her closest friends just fine."

"We shouldn't be late for our own meeting," Doombunny said standing up. "Sasha, we will see you in the morning. It was a great day today, and it will be a great day tomorrow. You are already a shining example for the kids, but you are going to be even more so after tomorrow. You will be better able to teach them about life and give them real lessons. And we will provide them with a fun day where they see that it isn't just you who is saying these things. They will get expert instruction while still having fun."

"Thank you," Sasha said, bowing low in her seat. "I am still uncertain about my side of the deal, but I am certain you can handle them fine. A day away, even working on my levels, well it won't be bad."

Sasha showed them out. It was late. She needed to be in bed for an early morning. But it would not be much earlier than her normal.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Author's Note

This was originality a part of Episode 60, "Life Lessons," but it was broken up to ease the length of it when using an electronic device. This is the middle part.

Episode 73 - Headquarters Upgrade

Author's Note

In case you need to know (but probably don't):
Links might be SFW, but some people may not like seeing the actual things. I suggest clicking the link only if you want to "learn more."
Giant Weta
Thorn Bug
Devil's Flower
Scorpionfly

Episode 73 - Headquarters Upgrade

Floor 61 - Front Line Floor 63
June 23 - Year 2

Bladescape sat down in the sketchy cafe in Algade. It was the same one she had met Argo in several times now. The owner was still lazy, and the cleanliness of the glasses was thankfully only a mental problem since germs didn't exist in SAO.

"So, what do you want?" Argo asked as she ate something that was supposed to be traditional ramen. It might taste like it, but it didn't look like it.

"I am looking for info on new headquarters. Astro and I dragged through all of what is readily available, but they were all lackluster. The KOB is now in Granzam, and they have a big one. The DDA is in Pani and again, it is big because they are massive. We need a place worthy of having our banners flying off it. We are one of the top guilds, and we want our place to reflect that. It did, back when the front line was 36, but now it’s 63. We need something grander."

"I absolutely agree," Argo asked with a concerning smile. "You have a reputation and image to protect, despite your size compared to them. The only real question is, are you willing to work for it?"

"What are you thinking?" Bladescape asked, trying to contain her excitement. Whenever Argo had that sparkle in her eye, it usually meant it was worth it in the end. Still, she played coy. "I know that smile, and it usually doesn't end well for us."

"Yeah, but this time, it would be completely for you, not working for me."

"Alright," Bladescape shrugged. "Hit me with it."

"Floor 61 is all water. Outside of Selmburg and a few smaller islands."

"Right," Bladescape said with a nod. "Selmburg had some nice places, but nothing grand enough. It is mostly centered on player houses."

"But there are other places," Argo snickered. "Go to the Selmburg docks. Ask to be taken to White Thorn Island. It is one of the handful of mini islands on the Floor. Just remember what clearing Floor 61 was like. You will see the same thing."

"Right," Bladescape said, rolling her eyes. "But why the island. How will that help?"

"Remember the old man's house, from the Necromancer Quest?"

"Yes," Bladescape replied. "It is still in our possession. Inside the white circle, it is a safe zone. But it is not in an advantageous location unless you want to get away from everyone and everything. Getting food isn’t easy from there either."

"Which players do want," Argo added. "But I mean that the only way to unlock some houses or player owned property is to do a quest. Only then can you purchase it."

"So what will we find on the island?" Bladescape asked.

"No idea,” Astro shrugged. “Don't care either. But if you want something worthy of the Wondercolts, a private island might fit that description. That is all I know; it’s a private island."

Bladescape hadn't thought about owning a private island. It was always one of those things you wanted in real life, but the reality was very few islands existed that you could own. And they were all very expensive. That dream could become a reality in SAO. They had time to do a quest.

"Thanks," Bladescape said standing up.

Argo's grin was sly. "If it works out, I want a full, five course Wondercolts meal for payment."

"Of course," Bladescape agreed.

Bladescape got back to Mishe and the others. They were waiting for her in the Guild Hall, bored.

"Well?" Astro immediately asked.

Bladescape stayed by the doors as she crossed her arms and grinned. "Gear up. We have a lead. There is a quest that rumor says will unlock the ability for us to buy a property. Floor 61. I'm not sure how big the property will end up being, but it should come with our own private island."

"You had me at private island," Thunderborne declared as she skipped out of her chair to get geared up.

Backbreaker and Astro were the only other ones who were in their combat gear. The others didn't take more than five minutes to get ready. AFCK had already packed food.

They teleported to Selmburg and went to the docks. They chartered a large sailboat that could take all 10 of them. On the boat ride, they organized themselves. Astro took Kiefer, Joltron, Lessa, and AFCK. Bladescape had Thunderborne, Doombunny, Diemond, and Backbreaker. Bladescape wanted Thunder and Astro split for this task. They would need their speed and agility, but it was best split up.

There wasn't much to see. The island, like all of the ones on the Floor, was mountainous. This one was less so, but it did rise up The bulk of the rock was the cliff that separated it from the sea. The only place to land was a small, sandy beach with a wooden dock and a path of stone stares going up the cliff .

They jumped out of the boat. A screen popped up, blocking their entrance. It was a quest acceptance screen. "Home Defense" was the quest name. With the double checked approval of the others, Bladescape hit accept, starting the quest.

They organized themselves into their two parties and then Bladescape led them forward and up. She was forced to stop at the top step. Everything was tall brush. It felt like she had been shrunk and was in the front lawn of CHS. It should not have surprised her, but it did. Astro and Backbreaker came up beside her.

"61 was bugs," Astro reminded them. "We never had to bushwhack, but I think that is what we need to do."

"What do you mean?" Bladescape asked.

"I mean it's time to play gardener," Astro chuckled. She spoke to the three of them. "Kiefer, Blade, Lessa, Thunder, and AFCK need to begin to use their swords and axes to cut this down. Meanwhile, the rest of us spread out and prepare to block or attack the insects that come after us."

"That works for me," Bladescape said with a nod.

"Let's do it," Backbreaker agreed.

Bladescape reached up and drew Harmonic Salvation. "Better give me some room to clear a good foothold for us."

The others backed down the stairs. Bladescape made two wide cuts, as low as she could into the grass. It gave them the room to be able to spread out. They never got the chance to as Bladescape's Search Skill set off an avalanche of alarms from all around them.

Bladescape didn't have time to block as something big leaped out of the grass and rammed its head into her chest. She was forced down the stairs into the arms of her friends. It was a bowling ball effect as they fell like pins. It hopped to the top of the stairs. "Giant Weta" popped up above its head. It was a massive grasshopper cricket bug. It jumped at them before they could get up. It stopped suddenly, right at Bladescape's chest. Its insectoid head rotated and the antenna twitched in Bladescape's face. Bladescape screamed in terror and tried to back away, but she was stuck against her friends.

"STOP SCREAMING!" Astro grunted from inside the pile. "It's stuck on my spear. Barely. You are safe. Who is free? Is anyone not in this pile?"

"I'm on the pile," AFCK asked. "Does that count as in?"

"GET OFF!" Doombunny yelled, pushing at AFCK. "You tackled me because I wasn't trapped!"

"Cause piles are fun!" AFCK protested.

AFCK got up with another shove from a crushed Doombunny. She fished through a pouch and pulled out one of her clam-shaped throwing blades. It glowed as she triggered the skill and blasted the insect to polygons. The hunk of steel bounded off the rocks and steps a few times and returned to AFCK's outstretched hand. She dramatically blew on it like it was a smoking gun.

They finally got themselves sorted out and back on their feet. Backbreaker asked the question most of the others were thinking. "Is it worth it up there?"

"I couldn't see exactly what is there," Bladescape replied. "I know I just was screaming my head off, but we are Wondercolts. Are we going to back down from clearing a small island full of bugs? Once we clear it, it could be ours. I still think it will be worth it."

"Probably," Astro sighed. "But it is not going to be fun. I hated this Floor and was so happy we barely had any land to clear or time spent fighting for it. It was an easy clear until the labyrinth. How much HP did it knock off you?"

"It was a lot more fear than damage," Bladescape admitted. "My Battle Regen Skill just topped me off with ease."

"We are going to have to clear away the grass," Kiefer reminded them. "But we can do this. I'm not about to let some bugs stop me from a private island."

They reset, matching a shield to a player. AFCK and Bladescape were going to float, without a shield buddy. Backbreaker had Doombunny. Kiefer was naturally paired with Lessa, but she was looking braver about the bugs than he was. Thunderborne stepped over to Diemond, claiming her. Joltron and Astro paired up like they preferred. That gave them 4 shield teams and two floaters.

"Watch the edge, y’all," Backbreaker advised them. "If they knock us off the cliff into the water, it’s over."

"Cut our way in and then slowly work to push them off the ledge," Bladescape said, setting the strategy.

"Joltron and I will go left," Astro said. "We will clear along the cliff that way."

"I better take the right," Backbreaker sighed. "They won't push me off. Ready Doom?"

"Mhm," Doombunny nodded. "Colorra is going to stalk them on her own. This grass gives her the advantage."

"I'm glad the snake is here," Bladescape said. "We need another stalker. Now, let’s be Wondercolts, and conquer this island with as little screaming as possible."

"I think that is let's be adults," Diemond fired back. "I don't know if Wondercolts can handle these icky things without screaming."

“Adults scream over bugs,” Joltron said, rolling his eyes. “They always seemed to make it into the house when my dad wasn’t home, so I had to kill them for my mom and sisters.”

"At least they shatter," Thunderborne added. "I won't have to try and scrape them off my shoe. Or sword. No ugly mess that way."

Backbreaker growled and began to march forward. "Let's go before we lose our nerve."

Bladescape walked forward and then began to cut a path in line with the dock and stairs. The rest began to make their moves. She focused on the task of cutting. With each sweep of the blade she pulled Harmonic Salvation into a defensive position. Then she lowered it and swung low, chopping away at the grass. It shattered into the polygons they were made of. Bladescape quickly realized that no matter what height she cut them at, they shattered to a well manicured height. There was a home somewhere in this grass.

Bladescape cut the grass and moved to a defensive position. Her Search perimeters were tightened up to drown out the background insects father away. The grass in front of her rustled and Bladescape shuffled back. Out of it came a huge bug with a shell that looked like it was a thorn. "Thorn Bug" popped up and Harmonic Salvation cut it in half with ease. As big as they were, and as disconcerting as it was to feel tiny, the insects seemed to be easy to kill. At least they were easy for the Wondercolts because of their level.

Bladescape continued to cut forward. The stalks shattered and she found herself looking at a cleared path, perpendicular to hers. She was confused until she heard a snorted giggle from further down the other path. AFCK was just winding around wherever her mind took her.

Someone had to be an anchor to that madness, so Bladescape continued to cut in the same, forward direction. Every so often a Giant Weta or Thorn Bug came out of the grass. Sometimes they circled around her first, other times they came at her from straight ahead. She dealt with them one by one. It was a good thing she had tightened up her Search pattern, or else she would end up in a panic from the sheer number of the insects there seemed to be. A large number was no problem if they all stayed as easy to kill as they had been.

"WEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" AFCK happily squealed. "I FOUND A WALL! IT IS WHITE! WHAT DO I WIN?"

Bladescape couldn't help but laugh. It was good to have Pinkie Pie slipping through at a time when most of them were on edge against a common fear.

"FOLLOW THE WALL!" Astro yelled from wherever she was in the grass. She wasn’t close by. "CLEAR A PATH IN FRONT OF IT FOR US TO FIND!"

"OKAY!" AFCK giggled back.

Bladescape made another sweep of her sword. She had lost count of how many it had been. The polygons floated away, revealing a cave filled with the Thorn Bugs and several Giant Wetas. Bladescape switched to Greatsword and Harmonic Salvation glowed red, launching Bladescape into action. She danced between them, leaving a trail of exploding polygons. They were no match for her new skill.

Bladescape realized she wasn't in a cave. She was staring at heavy wooden doors. And behind her was another set of doors, but opened inward. She was in a gatehouse, like in a castle.

AFCK jumped into the gatehouse. "FOUND YOU!" She yelled with a laugh as she pointed her out. "You lose! You are going to have to find a better hiding spot next time Bladescape."

"Stay right there," Bladescape ordered AFCK as she met her in front of the gatehouse. Bladescape widened her Search skill. She used the wall as reference to deduce where enemies on the outside of the wall with them were at. There were five more. Backbreaker and Doombunny were about to deal with one, Astro and Joltron another, Kiefer and Lessa a third, and Diemond and Thunderborne were alone, about to hit the wall on the other side of where AFCK did.

"Stay here and guard this spot," Bladescape ordered AFCK.

AFCK nodded and Bladescape went after the two free enemies. She didn't bother to cut the grass. She just needed to clean house so they could freely rally. Both enemies were Thorn Bugs, and both were easily dealt with.

The others had organized their own rally at the gatehouse while Bladescape finished the last one. Backbreaker and Doombunny were the last to arrive, having the most distance to travel.

"A Castle would be nice," Backbreaker said when she saw the wall and gatehouse for the first time.

"The wall runs to the cliff," Astro added. "We couldn't see much from our angle, but you are not getting past it. It buffers right along the top."

"Same on our side," Thunderborne said. "We are blocked by the walls. And, of course, those doors."

Bladescape switched to Bajutsu. The shorter blade was better for fighting in a building. "Time to see what is behind them," Bladescape declared as she pushed them open.

It was a blank room. A wide rectangle with another set of double doors directly across from them. It would make the perfect seating area for guests when they arrived. They moved in, across to the next set of doors and pushed them open. They were in a wide hallway.

They shuffled in a bit and stopped, listening.

Klick klack, klick klack.

"What is that?" Diemond squeaked. "I know it is a bug. Please tell me it isn't a cockroach."

Bladescape pulled out a throwing pick as she advanced forward a bit more. She caught sight of it as it slithered out of a doorway further ahead. It darted across the room and then scaled the wall, circling up to the ceiling as it charged them on its many legs. "Silverfish" popped up as it got in Bladescape's range. The pick flew true and it penetrated the armor of the insect. It continued coming, snaking along the ceiling and then popped as the poison from the pick did its job.

Bladescape walked forward and retrieved the pick. "I bet that they are all that are in this building. Spread out, and let's clear this place as fast as possible."

With the hallway only giving them three options, they were limited in how their teams moved out. Bladescape was with Thunderborne and Diemond, and Astro and Joltron. They found a set of stairs and took them up to the second floor.

Several silverfish were in the hallway. They were easy pickings. The hallway was along the back of the building. Astro tried the closest closed door. It was locked tight. The windows lining the outside wall were cloudy and dirty, obscuring the view but letting enough light in to see by.

Joltron and Astro stayed on the floor, to personally check all of the doors. Bladescape, Thunderborne, and Diemond went up to the third floor. The hallway was on the front side of the building this time. Bladescape exited the stairs with a throwing pick ready and a second in her other hand. Two silverfish were in the hallway, one in either direction. She chose the first one and launched the pick. Bladescape spun, slipped the second pick to her other hand and launched it. That pick was laced with a paralyzing agent and it stopped the silverfish without killing it. Thunderborne leaped forward and thrust her rapier into it, ending its struggle.

"We will check these doors," Thunderborne said as she walked to the nearest door, which was closed. It was also locked.

Bladescape began to go up again. The distance between floors was higher this time as the stairwell shifted out to be wider than it was before. When Bladescape finally got to a landing, she peered out of the cloudy window to see the front area they had come in at. She could easily see where they had cut the grass down.

The next landing was definitely a marker for a floor, but it was locked behind a door. Bladescape went back down. The third floor was clear, with no sign of Astro or Joltron. The second floor was empty as well. Bladescape went back down to the first floor and began to search for the others. She ran into Backbreaker and Doombunny.

"There were a lot of these things in these here rooms," Backbreaker said. "They were no problem, but it took us time."

"Hey," Thunderborne said as they rounded a corner with Astro. "There you guys are. We got separated. We all took the stairs at the ends of the hallway down, so the others should be in that direction."

Bladescape shrugged and walked down the hallway Thunderborne pointed at. It got them back to the main hallway.

"Over here!" Kiefer called. "We cleared this side and found something you need to see."

They all regrouped in a large room. It was a rectangle, heading away from the main double doors.

"This looks like a guild hall to me," Kiefer said. "Also, AFCK cleared a massive kitchen and a huge dining room. Like, 100 players big."

"And the kitchen is amazing," AFCK added, drooling. "I could make so many cupcakes."

"Where to next?" Backbreaker asked.

"Follow me," Kiefer said. "When we peaked out of the back through one of the cloudy windows, well, it’s going to be a fight. Like the real fight.”

They formed up on the extra wide doorway. Doombunny grabbed the handle and looked back at Backbreaker. She got a reassuring nod and Doombunny pushed the door open, leaping through. Backbreaker was right behind her, immediately throwing up her shield in defense. The rest of their shields rushed out, blocking their partners.

The castle's bailey was massive and completely lined with stones. Off to the right was a long, three story building that appeared to be right up against the wall. To the back left was a small wooded garden. The back right corner, far away, had a square tower, with two layers of windows above the door.

None of that mattered because the courtyard was filled with multiple enemies. "Killer Asp," and "Devil Flower'' were the primary enemies, along with some flying "Scorpion Fly"s in the mix. The Killer Asps were brown, hairy caterpillars that were as tall as they were. No doubt, they were toxic to the touch. The Devil Flowers were giant praying mantis, and unlike the other mantis type creatures seen in the game, these were near perfect copies of their spiked raptorial forelegs and chomping mandibles. They looked beautiful as they stood there, waiting for them to come close enough and snatch. They certainly looked like the flowers they were supposed to be mimicking. The Scorpion Flies had a barbed tail just like a scorpion, but that was all that appeared to be a threat.

"Plan?" Backbreaker asked. "It is ten on like, 30?"

"About," Bladescape agreed, trying to think ahead.

That was as far as they got before the scorpion flies dove on them. As scary as a barb-tailed fly diving on them was, they stood their ground and cut them down. One landed a barb on Diemond, but her armor stopped it. She squashed it with her mace with a fury rarely seen by her. Rarity and insects were never a good mix. It was amazing how well she was standing strong against them. For now anyway.

"I count an even 12 mantises," Astro said. "And 16 asps. The asps are slow. If we are not careful, we will walk into the target zone of a mantis as we try and target the asps. We will need distance and armor against them. BB, Blade, Doombunny, AFCK, and Joltron, with me. Kiefer, take charge of the others and stay by the door. If you can kill an asp that wanders over to you, kill it. But we need to play this slow and careful. Then we can tackle each mantis one by one."

"I hate asps," Backbreaker griped. "Back on the farm, they were a pest. Usually only a few would come around, but one year they were everywhere. We could hardly do any work because they were spawnin' like crazy. Sure, they rarely hurt the trees, but before they turn into them hairy moths, their flannel fuzz is an irritant to the skin. It gets all in there, between the flakes, and yah can't get it out. Not an actual sting or venom, but they hurt like one. I'd rather get stung by ah hornet, better make that two hornets, than touch an asp."

"Understood," Bladescape said. "Let's hope they don't have a similar effect. But we have to find out somehow."

They all formed up as ordered. Astro issued her orders. "BB, I know your distaste for the asps, but you have the best protect out of all of us. I need you to go in at that one first. Swing your hammer, show us how much fluff we are dealing with, and if they will be passive or active attackers. Doom, it is your job to counteract any poison or effects. Blade, stay with BB and Doom, and be ready to deal damage with Harmonic Salvation. That reach will be key. AFCK, you are with Joltron and I. Once we know how much fur is on it, we can gauge the distance needed to kill them."

"Fine," Backbreaker grumbled. "I'll do it. I'd rather deal with roaches than asps!"

"Wow, she really hates those cuddly caterpillars," AFCK commented.

Backbreaker groaned, but let the comment go. The bugs were a bigger concern, unless AFCK decided to try and hug one. She would be watching her.

They agreed and set up their initial entrance vector. Backbreaker moved ahead of them. She let her hammer glow and took a swing. It swiped through the fluff of the asp and quickly connected with the solid body. The asp let out of a weird shrilling cry. It reared up and tried to body slam Backbreaker. Backbreaker just raised her shield and let it pound away. Before the others could move in, it crawled completely on top of the shield, like a pedestal.

Backbreaker yelled a battle cry and began to run. She kept the shield up high as she charged back to the main building. At the last moment she pulled her shield down, putting her shoulder and all her weight into ramming the asp into the wall. The asp shrieked as it was squished and flattened a bit. Before it could spring out, it shattered into polygons. Backbreaker forgot about the physical distance that was in between her shield and the wall when it popped. Without that resistance, all her energy kept her moving forward. Her head collided with the wall before she could adjust. She crumpled in a daze.

Doombunny dashed over to Backbreaker, while the rest of them held their ground like the seasoned veterans they were. "She is fine," Doombunny declared a moment later. "Just a little dazed and embarrassed."

"Not a bad technique," Astro admitted as Backbreaker stood back up. "But next time, hold it up and let us get at its exposed belly."

"Right," Backbreaker said, flashing a thumbs up before rejoining them.

They executed the same tactic again, without trying to squash the asp this time. Bladescape was all that was needed to shatter it. Joltron couldn't hold one above his head, but he could get it to try and smash him. It was a delicate dance as they killed three more, while avoiding the mantises, until they couldn't.

"We have to kill this one," Bladescape yelled to Astro who was on the other side of a motionless mantis. It was beautiful to look at, but it was also lulling her into a feeling of apathy that would kill her when it decided to move. She couldn't let her guard down.

"I agree," Astro replied. "It is imposing though. It's at least three times our height."

"Crush or pierce?" Bladescape asked.

"Pierce," Astro decided. "Except I want you and AFCK to slip behind and go for the legs. Sever them and it will give us the advantage."

Backbreaker and Joltron shuffled towards the front of the mantis. Astro was with them, and so was Doombunny. It was smart. It let them come in close and then it chose the weakest one. It struck over the tanks, right for Doombunny. Doombunny, had her parrying dagger out, but she dropped it as the mantis grabbed that arm. Astro's spear missed as it quickly pulled back. Bladescape and AFCK had already committed themselves to the plan, slashing at the legs.

Doombunny screamed as she was hoisted into the air. That initial fear was twisted around to fight over flight. She kicked it in the face as it tried to crush her with its mandibles. Doombunny lunged in, as much as she could suspended by the arm, and stabbed its left eye. It let her go as it reared back from the strike. Astro caught Doombunny before she hit the ground.

Bladescape finally cut the hardy leg of the empusidae. It staggered back and lost even more ground as AFCK also got a leg hacked off. It topped and they all dove on it. It shattered quickly.

"Not the best, but we survived," Backbreaker said, panting a bit.

"Speak for yourself," Doombunny spat as she held her arm in tight. Tears of pain were obviously filling her eyes.

There were no bones to break in SAO. The most typical response was for the limb to be severed. It would regrow with adequate time. A health potion would speed that up or a healing crystal would instantly regenerate it. But some feelings were difficult to describe other than a shattering of the limb. It took time to get over the mental feeling of a severed or damaged limb.

Bladescape was quickly by her side. Doombunny hesitated, but then let go of her arm. It was red where the raptoral part had grabbed and pinned it against itself. They had Doombunny down a health potion and sent her back to the others. They didn't need her in direct combat.

The others had killed an asp of their own, and were preparing for two more slowly making their way at them. They welcomed Doombunny into their fold. They had two shields, and between Thunderborne and Kiefer, neither shield user would be burdened for long.

The others only got to kill one more asp before dealing with another mantis. The mantises were strategically spread out, making it very difficult to maneuver despite the size of the courtyard. They applied a new strategy. Backbreaker and Joltron were pulled in tight, Astro barely sticking out behind their shields, spear ready. It was a horrible angle to try and protect her from as it loomed over them. AFCK and Bladescape targeted the same rear leg rather than split their efforts like before.

It struck, its forward limbs catching on Joltron's shield. It started to lift him up. Astro jumped, spring-boarding off Backbreaker. She drove her spear straight through its head, landed in a roll that took her under its thorax and unleashed multiple stabs at its underside. Backbreaker was holding onto Joltron's feet, keeping him anchored as AFCK and Bladescape toppled a back leg. Once the rear leg was severed, it let go of Joltron, who slammed into Backbreaker, tangling them up. They never got a chance to land any blows since the other three made up for their absence.

"We need a new plan," Astro groaned.

An asp was slowly bearing down on them, but they ignored it for the moment.

"How aggressive are the mantis bugs?" Bladescape asked.

"All we know is that they are patient, but fast," Astro shrugged.

Bladescape's hand slipped to her picks. "Get ready," she warned them. First, she threw a poisoned one at the asp. She ignored the effects while she closed on the still mantis. Bladescape made sure Harmonic Salvation was ready in her left hand before she threw the pick. It impacted, punching cleanly through the outer shell. It stayed still as the poison began to whittle away at its HP.

"Why did we not try this earlier?" Joltron asked.

"I forget about it," Bladescape admitted. "It’s usually a backup tactic. Or a toss away to deal with the trash like the silverfish in the building."

"We need to fix that," Astro said. "Those are the key to this courtyard. And it probably is key in a lot more places."

Bladescape had enough picks to finish the mantises, but was only able to recover 3 of them. While she did that, the others targeted the asps. It was a simple clean up after the mantises were gone.

Bladescape prepared their next move as the last of the asps were killed. She sent Kiefer's team to breach the second building. They couldn't even get in. The doors were sealed. That made their life easier. Astro and Thunderborne were dispatched to the square tower, but it too was locked.

"Down to just the tree garden," Astro said as they jogged back to the others. "But that seems too simple."

"Too simple," Bladescape agreed. "How do we deal with it?" I don't want to go inside. I like our advantage in the open."

"It’s just some trees," Kiefer said. "Right?"

"Yeah, but what bugs do you think are in there?" Bladescape asked. "Considering the size of what was in the courtyard... I'm not liking the odds."

"And what does your max Search tell you?" Kiefer poked.

Bladescape widened the zone. She saw a lot of red flags pop up in the trees. But there was something else that flashed across it, like a ghost. Almost as if they were being stalked. She widened Search to cover the island, but saw nothing. She let it go completely, and still saw nothing. But that didn't mean something wasn't there. Her intuition from the months in game could be more accurate than the Skill. Doombunny hid from her all the time, usually by accident, and Bladescape was learning to infer where she was.

"A lot of mobs in the woods," Bladescape reported. "I don't trust that we are alone though."

"It wouldn't be a quest without a boss," Astro shrugged in agreement. "But first, forest."

"Right," Bladescape groaned. "It's a lot of little things in there. And that is what concerns me. I think it will be like swatting flies."

"Flies versus castles," Kiefer said. "What is more important. I choose castle. Cause this place looks awesome."

Bladescape focused on the garden's entrance path. It had plenty of trees that quickly obscured their vision and created a nice, cool garden that would be enjoyable, once cleared.

She began to move forward. She stopped as a softball sized blue ball with wings poked around a tree. It floated out a ways. None of the Wondercolts were sure about what to do. It looked absolutely docile. It came out a bit more and the identification tag brought up its name, "Parasprite."

Bladescape raised Harmonic Salvation. The name was familiar, but she could not recall where she knew it from. That was the most concerning thing. More of them popped out of the woods.

"What is the hold up?" Astro asked, tensing more as the Bladescape froze.

"I know the name but I don't know why. I don't trust it. As cute as it may look."

"Nothing cute should be trusted in here," Astro fired back. "Nothing should be trusted period. Especially when it has a red cursor above it!"

More began to slip out and the Wondercolts fanned out, trying to become a wall to contain them. The lack of orders was causing confusion. A pink parasprite floated over towards Thunderborne. She took the initiative and struck. It nimbly dodged out of the way of each attack. Despite the aid of the system, Thunderborne didn't hit it once. She stood there, shocked.

"Ah-ha!" Bladescape exclaimed. "Yes, they are a creature from Equestria! Not another game or our world."

"So how do we kill it?" Thunderborne asked, thrusting again at the pink one. It failed.

"It was an infestation report, from a long time ago," Bladescape said. "I don't recall how, only what the destruction was; they ate everything edible. So... step one is keep it away from AFCK, who has our food."

"Okay," AFCK shrugged, lowering Geode Splitter and stepped back to the main building. She pulled out her fife and began playing around with it instead.

"Is it just me, or are they bouncing with the beat of her song?" Backbreaker asked.

More continued their exodus of the garden, swaying and bouncing to the tune. Even when she was off or hit a shrill note, they were still held captive by the music.

"Plan," Astro said. "Backup and let's draw them all out. AFCK, keep it up. As soon as we can, we surround them, and then slice them up, one at a time, slow and steady. We don't want to break their concentration on the music. We risk that enough every time she hits a wrong note."

Bladescape slipped around to the edge of the forest. She had widened search and was waiting for the last of them to exit. The numbers were about 40. When it did, Bladescape closed off the circle and nodded to Astro and Backbreaker. Backbreaker and Diemond had moved to positions to better block AFCK if needed. Their heavy and slow blunt weapons would not be effective against the light and agile parasprites.

Thunderborne struck first, once again targeting the same pink one that had caused her so much frustration. With it distracted, Dragon's Tooth sliced it open with ease. Kiefer struck next with a simple slash. Astro tried her spear. She impaled one and then it carried through to a second one she had not seen. One by one they began to slice or pierce them, slowly and methodically to not break the circle. It took them a solid five minutes to cut each one up and tighten up the circle.

Kiefer killed the last one. The others relaxed, but Bladescape didn't. She felt it. It was all around them, like it came from the island itself.

"There is still something," Bladescape reminded them. "But I don't see it yet."

"I do," Lessa said, gulping. She pointed up into the sky.

A giant yellow bee was descending. Unlike a normal bee, it was yellow and a bright blue. The stinger was a black lightning bolt.

"I know that one!" Bladescape exclaimed. "Flash bee! And a big one."

"Flash bee?" Diemond asked.

"It can shoot lightning out of its stinger!" Bladescape explained. "We got this! But we need to spread out. And take every opportunity to strike. But watch it!"

"Flash Bee Queen" popped up along with two Health Bars.

"Got any more picks?" Astro asked.

"Four," Bladescape said. "But AFCK also has Blade Throwing. And she has more. No poison, but they pack a punch."

AFCK grabbed one of her "blades." She threw the hunk of steel up at the descending bee. It hit with a resounding smack. It knocked a noticeable amount of HP off its first HP bar.

It dove on AFCK in retaliation. The stinger met the iron of Backbreaker's shield. It flew back before Backbreaker could strike. The abdomen retracted back and then contracted forward. Lightning shot from the stinger. Backbreaker took it on her shield like a champ. She staggered back and collapsed. It was a clear warning on how well the rest of them would take a jolt from the bee.

Thunderborne helped Backbreaker up while the rest tried to spread themselves out among the large courtyard. Diemond was the first to score a hit on the bee. It backed into her and she smacked it on the stinger. The stinger was flipped around and thrust at her. She got her shield up in time. It never had a chance to shoot lightning as Astro rammed her spear into the abdomen, right above the stinger.

It set the precedent for how to take on the Flash Bee Queen. Their four shields attracted the stinger and before it could light them up, they hit it from another angle. At least one angle. The Flash Bee Queen was ping ponged around the courtyard as they kept a moving pattern to avoid any chance of getting her to charge up a lightning attack.

Bladescape got her turn again. She leapt high, letting Greatsword go. The blow was at the wing and it severed one off. The bee was grounded. Backbreaker immediately took her revenge on the downed queen from the zap she got earlier. The heavy blow lifted the giant bee off the ground before it thudded back down.

They unmercifully assaulted the downed bee, tearing it's HP away in huge chunks. However, it wasn't out of tricks as they brought it into the red. It got onto its legs and then charged its stinger. The Flash Bee Queen rammed her stinger into the ground. Lightning bolts snaked along the ground trapping almost everyone with a paralysis effect as they got zapped.

Lessa had been furthest away and saw the attack coming. She jumped up, over the crawling sparks in a well timed leap. She charged, unleashing her highest combo skill on the Flash Bee Queen, Nova Ascension. All ten strikes were delivered with time honed skill, beyond the system assist's skill. Lessa's blade finished the Flash Bee Queen in a glorious explosion of colorful shards.

Bladescape groaned from where she was on the ground, still stunned from the zap. Two screens popped up. The first was the quest log. The quest was finished. The second was the drop list. Bladescape ignored the list and sprawled out on the ground. She still tingled.

"BB," Bladescape groaned. "How did you take a full strike? That hit shaved off a straight quarter of my HP."

"Well," Backbreaker chuckled. "It was easy. I seized up tighter than a hog I tied up with my own lasso. Hurt like the dickens though. But...uh...how much HP did you lose?"

"About a quarter," Bladescape said. "Why?"

Backbreaker snorted a laugh. "I think you have more HP than me."

"I do?" Bladescape asked. "I have um...crap! I can't think straight. But we finished the quest."

"So what does that mean?" Astro asked. "About this place."

"I have no idea," Bladescape sighed from her place, sprawled out on the ground. "I'm certain there is some set of instructions for that. Anyone able to get up and see anything?"

"Nope!" Kiefer groaned. "I can't. Neither can Le...wait! Lessa, are you standing?" Kiefer sat up when she didn't respond. "Hey! You there? What's up."

Lessa glanced over at him and then back to the sheathed sword in her hands.

"Is that the LAB?" Joltron asked.

Lessa just nodded.

"Okay," Bladescape groaned. "I'm getting up."

Bladescape was shaky on her feet. She could barely feel her legs, and the rest of her body, as she walked over to Lessa. Lessa was holding a one-handed longsword in her hands. It was a beautiful, ornate sword. The sheath was ivory, with a rich blue handle and gilded crossguard and pommel. The crossguard was set with three sapphires and the etching in the gold was exquisite.

"What's its name?" Bladescape asked.

"Rakurai," Lessa said, not taking her eyes off the blade. "It means lightning strike."

"Draw it," Kiefer said, joining them. The others were at least sitting up.

Lessa grasped the hilt firmly. She took a step back and drew it with purpose. The silver blade had a blue shine to it. Lessa did a few test swings. The blade glowed blue and Lessa's eyes went wide in terror. The Sword Skill triggered and executed itself. It was a stab that ripped the air apart with a strike that mimicked thunder.

"Aptly named sword," Bladescape grinned. "And well earned. You survived the last attack and saved us."

"Castle?" Astro asked from the ground. "Well earned, but castle."

Bladescape pulled up her menu and navigated it to the quests screen. The quest only came up as finished. There was nothing in it about the castle. Bladescape shrugged. Astro rolled her eyes and stood up. She started walking toward the main building. She grabbed at the door and flung it open. She was not expecting it to open. She banged her fist into the wall in frustration.

A screen popped up in front of her. After a minute, all that Astro said was, "crap." She looked back at Bladescape, who knew to join her. Backbreak linked up with them too.

"Oh boy," Bladescape said when she saw the listed price.

"Whew dogie," Backbreaker said. "That is a mighty fine piece of change. Is it worth it?"

"Look around," Astro snorted. "And look at the info. That building has 90 bedrooms in it. Plus there are the ones in the main building here. We have more than enough rooms to cover the merger and we could even expand from there. That tower in the back is all for crafting, including 6 forges and 12 anvils. The kitchen is, at minimum, 4 times what we currently have. I know AFCK was already physically drooling over it. We have more than enough administrative space too. All those smaller rooms on the first floor are just for that. Plus, look around. We have a giant yard and a garden! All self contained and safe. We can do whatever we want! It’s our castle and island."

"And a long journey back to the nearest teleport plaza," Backbreaker huffed.

Astro rolled her eyes and pointed to an item on the list. Bladescape looked closer at it. "Teleport Plaza on Front Lawn."

"Where?" Backbreaker asked. "I didn't see no teleport plaza."

"All I saw was grass," Bladescape shrugged. "And there is still a ton of it out front. It could easily be hiding in there. That front lawn is massive and will look good once we get it trimmed."

"Okay," Backbreaker conceded. "Do we have the money?"

"Oh yeah," Astro chuckled. "Just a little more free play with our cash than when we bought our current HQ."

"We already have furnishings," Bladescape pointed out. "Besides, we don't have much of an option. In four days we are merging with Geigi Clan. We need a lot more room."

"And their guild funds will be coming over too," Astro added. "They will sell their place, join us, we sell ours, and we all move in here. The two sales will bring in money. We will be stretched, and they don't have anywhere near what we have, but they will be able to cover a lot of the cash of personalizing and outfitting our new Headquarters. Plus they have their own stuff to bring over for their private rooms. For a bit we will be tight, but fine."

"Just hit it," Backbreaker groaned, turning around. "I stay out of the finances for a reason."

Astro grinned and enthusiastically slammed her hand on the button, buying the whole island. An explosion of light blinded them. When they could see again, things had changed. The buildings were all cleaned with stones perfectly set, no cracks or chips. They were shining white. Every window was clean and perfect, glass reflecting the sunlight. The trees and garden had been trimmed and shaped up as well.

Bladescape looked around and then threw open the, now closed, door. She tore down the hallways of the main building. The others ran after her. Bladescape ran out the front and into the well trimmed lawn. It was beautiful. And their private teleport plaza was simple, but beautiful as well. She had never heard of anyone having a private teleport plaza.

Bladescape looked at her friends and guildmates, who had rushed after her, with a big grin on her face. "Look at it!" she declared. "It's our own castle on our own private island with our own teleport plaza! We hold something that no other guild has. And we are about to become more than any of the other guilds are with this merger."

They all cheered in victory. It certainly was a castle of sorts. It had walls, ramparts, and a gatehouse. The buildings were square and had shingled roofs, and reminded her of some of the larger nobles' estates in Canterlot. The Keep rose high above the walls and the Donjon rose even higher. The great tower was crowned with a row of crenelations but lacked a sloped roof.

"Klein is going to flip out," Astro snickered. "I can't wait to show this place off to Fuurinkazan and Agil."

They all laughed, envisioning Klein whining.

"What is our code?" Bladescape asked Astro. "For our Teleport Plaza?"

"Uh," Astro said, pulling the info up in her menu. "Thorn Island. Simple, but that means we get to name our Castle."

"Good," Bladescape grinned.

"I guess we will have to sort out our rooms," Joltron stated. "How are we going to move in here, while giving them a fair chance."

"I'll contact Lobelia," Bladescape said, pulling up her menu. "But I have a few ideas. I won't ruin the surprise of our new Headquarters. Still, let's take a proper tour of this place. Together."

Immediately inside past the guest chamber was a cross intersection. To the right took them to dining rooms, plural, and the kitchen. Straight ahead, down the middle hallway, it ended in another T. If you turned left, you entered the Guild Hall. If you turned right, you cut over to the kitchen and dining half of the main building. That also got them the way out to the bailey.

The kitchen had 24 ovens, 36 burners of varying sizes, 5 sinks, 3 center islands, plenty of cabinets, and ample counter space. The south wall was entirely counter-top, without cabinets over it. It was paired with a walk-in pantry that was almost the size of the kitchen in their Mishe HQ.

They took the swinging door exit. It split immediately and they headed right. It opened into the grand dining hall. The ceiling vaulted high above them and the hall could easily host a hundred players if the tables were placed right. Taking the left split brought them to a much smaller, private dining hall. The smaller dining hall was more easily accessible from the main hallway.

The guild hall took up a good chunk of the left side of the building. There were several larger rooms, perfect for lounging around with friends. The key feature was the small rooms. Each one would be a perfect rally point for a squad before they headed out for that day's job. They also discovered that the guild hall had a secret back door.

The building had three sets of stairs; One in each back corner, and one in the center of the building. The one in the center was conveniently located by the rear entry to the guild hall.

The second and third floors of the building now had open rooms, waiting to be assigned. The second floor had 12 rooms, plus a lounge for its residents. Each personal room was large, and it had a main room that also was separated to include a doorless bedroom and bathing facilities. They were like a one-bedroom apartment. The third floor had 5 rooms, each twice the size of the second floor’s rooms. Likewise, it had a private lounge room, but it also had a more formal sitting room for conducting guild business in a more private setting.

"This is perfect," Astro said with a content sigh. "This castle was designed with the large guilds in mind. One room for each of the councilors on the private third floor, and the second floor is obviously designed for the lower officers."

"Not bad," Backbreaker agreed. "Although, I probably shouldn't be surprised. This was designed to be a guild headquarters and to be lived in."

Bladescape giggled. "It's nice to see it though. And comforting. But...I want to see the tower."

Bladescape enthusiastically sprinted to the stairs and bounded up them, letting the others fight to catch up. At the top of the stairs the door was open. She darted through and slid to a stop.

Each wall had a window set in the center. Along the west and north walls was a staircase that wrapped up to a floor above. The square room was large, but it was cozy. Bladescape looked out one window, and then the next. This floor gave her a great view of the island. She ran up the stairs, ignoring the others as they entered. The top floor's windows were high enough to see everything on the island. The second floor was also a nice place for a bed and private quarters, and it included a tub and sink. Bladescape wasn't concerned with that fact. She scaled the ladder and popped the hatch to stand on the top of the tower.

"Wow!" Astro exclaimed as she flipped up onto the top with Bladescape. "This is amazing. It is a beautiful view of our island, and the whole Floor. I didn't expect this. We have had some beautiful sights in the game." Astro leaned against the ramparts, looking out over the courtyard, and constantly sighed.

"What do you see?" Bladescape asked. "I know you are scheming. You were for every other HQ we were looking at. And you had the same look in your eye as you read everything for here."

"We have a whole yard!" Astro exclaimed, jumping up. "With a large garden! We are about to pack this place with a bunch of new friends. Guildmates who can expand our horizons." Astro nudged Bladescape with her elbow. "And guildmates we can play with."

Bladescape grinned and rolled her eyes. The rest of the guild had joined them on the roof. "Look Astro, Thunderborne, I think something fun that can bond us as a guild is a wise idea. So you two are the task force for that. Actually, BB, you too."

"BB!" Thunderborne exclaimed. "But she doesn't do anything fun anymore!"

"I do lots of fun things," Backbreaker shot back. "Fishin' is a blast. Even in this game." Backbreaker let out a troubled sigh. "Look, I am sorry I have a huge burden to bear. And I am sorry that I don't feel like riding windmills. Or doing your weird so-called trainin' regiments for agility. But I have an enormous burden. I am the cornerstone of the Assault Team. And almost immediately you got so fast and agile, and I became so strong, that I couldn't see a way for us to compete on even ground."

"I guess I can understand that," Thunderborne admitted. "I certainly couldn't lug a shield even a quarter of the size you do around. I'm a speed fighter. And your shield is one of the most important things the Assault Team has at its disposal. I probably should've voiced my thanks earlier. Annnnnd I should've stopped poking at you to ride the windmills."

"You all head back and prepare to pack," Bladescape said. "I am going to meet Lobelia and cover some details. Kiefer, you are in charge of the guild's general goods, Diemond and AFCK will help. Although I think they will be mostly be busy with the crafting section and the kitchen."

"We still haven't checked out the other buildings," Diemond pointed out. "I, for one, want to see the crafting tower."

"Right," Bladescape nodded. "Check out the rest of the castle. Lobelia is waiting for me. I will meet you back at the Floor 35 HQ."

"I forgot. What is our teleport plaza name?" Backbreaker asked. They all stopped, needing the answer.

"Thorn Island," Astro reminded them all.

"That is a fun one," Bladescape grinned. "We will need to decide on a name for this Castle."

"CANTERLOT!" Thunderborne exclaimed.

"No," Bladescape said, immediately shutting that down. "We might be Wondercolts, and our new friends might be joining us as Wondercolts, but we need to find a neutral name. A fun, but neutral name. Our new friends will be able to shed some light on a better name than the 10 of us can. But that starts with me talking with Lobelia so we can move in here and sell the old HQ."

Bladescape slid down the ladder and made her way back to the bottom floor. She had never been to Geigi Clan’s headquarters. She knew the rough location on Floor 27, in Ronbaru. Bladescape was certain she could find it.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Episode 75 - Dawn of a New Era

Front Line Floor 63
June 28 - Year 2

Bladescape opened her eyes as her alarm went off. Once again, she had gone all night without a single dream. It was always the same whenever she “slept”. She closed her eyes and opened them, with time simply skipping forward.

This morning had one difference though. The ceiling that greeted her was not the same as she had grown accustomed to. It was the ceiling in the tower of their new castle. Yesterday had been a big moving day. The Wondercolts would have gotten help, but they were keeping the castle a secret, at least for two more days.

The merger was in a few hours and the day after, the crafters would come and pitch their design ideas in a heated battle of proposals for the creation of various rooms. After that, their location would be leaked outwards. By the end of the week, their new headquarters would be a well-known fact in Aincrad.

Bladescape sat up in bed and swung her legs over the edge. She sat there, looking around her new room. She had two floors to furnish. Currently she was calling the bottom floor her guest floor, and the top was her bedroom.

Other than her bed, her "bedroom" had her bathing facilities behind a privacy screen, her wardrobe, her armor stand, and her wall racks for Harmonic Salvation and Bajutsu. Several of the shields she had made were hung up as well. The thorned spear was mounted on the wall in the middle of the stairs. She would have to pass it each day, making it a good spot to serve as a reminder.

Her guest floor had her high-backed chair and her desk. The rest of her shields had been hung on the walls for decoration. Other than those items, though, the space was completely bare. She needed more to make it a real guest room where she could entertain. Her goal was a bookcase and some more seating, and then to move her desk up to the bedroom. She also needed a nightstand for her bedroom. She had been using her desk, but the larger room also meant that she now had the space to for more furniture. The idea that everything could have its own place and purpose now, instead of serving multiple functions, appealed to her.

Pushing off her bed, Bladescape put her armor on and walked downstairs. When she got to the dining room she saw that someone had set up the extra tables they had bought to cover the new numbers. They were cheap pieces, since they had very little cash available. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any chairs to sit on; they were still at the old HQ, ready to be used in the joining ceremony. Otherwise, the ten of them were all moved in.

Noise from the kitchen drew her attention. Bladescape walked in and found it was Joltron, not AFCK, who was making the noise as he made breakfast for them.

“Hey,” Bladescape said. “No AFCK yet?”

“Nope,” Joltron shrugged. “But I got it covered. It’s a simple meal, but we don’t exactly have any food in the cabinets here yet. We will be going after the ceremony when we have things finalized. I think AFCK is busy making a new cookbook. One for the new guild size.”

“How are you feeling?” Bladescape asked as she grabbed a muffin.

“It is as it is,” Joltron shrugged. He sighed. “I can’t say that I am thrilled, but I also can’t say that it will be bad. It probably is the right move. It will mean a lot of changes though. And my change to Cooking, is it going to be worth it?”

“We are going to be feeding a lot of players,” Bladescape reminded him. “It will be appreciated. It is appreciated. No matter if it is ten, eleven, fifty or a hundred, I appreciate it. And I would prefer it if we can rotate our cooks, so that you guys don’t have to cook every meal, but can spread the responsibility out. That would be optimal. Besides, you will still have plenty of time with AFCK.”

Joltron narrowed his eyes at her, questioning her with his glare.

“THERE YOU ARE!” AFCK exclaimed as she popped into the kitchen. “All done in here?”

“Almost,” Joltron said. “Help me get this to the tables so we can eat and get this merger going.”

Bladescape grabbed a tray of muffins and took it to the table. The others were there. Diemond was sewing and obviously behind in what she was doing. She had spoken to Lobelia and Shikiku about a few things. They had something special planned for the crafting guilds tomorrow and what would be their big reveal as the new Wondercolts.

Breakfast was quiet. Everyone had various things on their mind. Bladescape and Backbreaker were in their armor. Astro had opted for a nice dress. The others had nice clothes on. They hadn’t set a dress code, but they all knew the day was special and that they had to look their best, be it armor or fancy clothes. It helped that Diemond kept them well supplied with nice clothes, out the generosity of her heart.

Diemond stood up from sitting on the edge of a table. “I will be on time, but I will meet you there. I have too much to do.”

“I have to bake for lunch,” AFCK added. “Joltron, shall we go to the kitchen?”

“I’ll make sure they make it,” Astro said. “Go do what you need to.”

“Alright,” Bladescape said. “I will be back there, prepping for the ceremony. I can’t sit around here.”

Bladescape walked out of the front of their castle. She stopped at the teleport plaza and looked back at the castle. She still couldn’t believe they owned it.

She teleported to what felt like home, Mishe. It would take time to get used to the new location, despite its perks. They would sell their old headquarters as soon as they were done with the ceremony. Backbreaker would lead the move of Geigi’s things to the castle with Shikiku’s help, while Bladescape would show Lobelia and Kamishi the castle, and Astro would sell their home. Diemond would leave right after the ceremony to continue working on what she needed to, but the rest would assist in the move. After everything was moved, Shikiku would sell Geigi Clan's old home and then officially join the Wondercolts and bring the money over.

Bladescape entered the empty greeting hall. It was weird seeing it so empty again. She opened the door to the guild hall and walked down the center aisle to her seat at the table. Two other chairs had been added. Lobelia and Kamishi would take their seats during the ceremony. Bladescape looked at the empty seats in front of her as she took her seat at the center of the table for the last time in this guild hall.

Bladescape wasn’t concerned that the merger was the wrong choice, but just looking at the stats of each member joining them, they were going to be undergoing a huge change. They wouldn’t be the same Wondercolts. They were currently calling the new group the Wondercolts 2.0. Same name, same ideology, but certainly a change in players and organization. Their medium guild was about to become oversized.

And they were still short Knightstar. Doombunny was stalling them, asking for some more time for the final pieces to be put together. It was best if Doombunny patched things up. The split had centered around her and Knightstar, and they would need time to sort some things out. All of the Wondercolts would need some time with Knightstar to talk over a few things. They all missed her, and this day only seemed to be highlighting their missing friend.

Bladescape pulled out the notes for the ceremony that had been worked out. It was nice and official, but succinct. Lobelia and Shikiku had worked out a good plan. It was better than just sending invitations to all the members. That was lackluster and it didn’t highlight each member’s importance to the guild as a whole.

Bladescape lost track of time, reading through it so many times she had it memorized. The others arrived and then Geigi Clan filed in through the open doors and took seats. Diemond and Astro were missing, but they still had a few minutes.

The clock hit 10am and they were still missing. It hit 10:01 and Bladescape stood up. “Forgive us. It looks like we have two behind. Diemond is busy doing her work to make each and every single one of you new armor to suit your roles. She is stressed, but enjoying it.”

The doors flew open and Astro rushed in with Diemond in tow. Diemond was in a different dress than she had been at breakfast. They rushed to their seats and Astro sat down next to Bladescape. She didn’t offer any apology or excuse, opting for them to just start.

Bladescape glanced at Astro and Backbreaker who nodded to continue. Bladescape looked at Lobelia. She had taken a seat in the front row, ready to go. She was poised, but her eyes gave away the fear behind her practiced pose.

“Lobelia,” Bladescape said, starting the ceremony. “Please rise.” Lobelia stood up and moved to the center of the room. “You are the founder and honored leader of Geigi Clan. It has rested on your shoulders to be their leader over the months since SAO started. The merger today is one to strengthen both guilds with a unity that will anchor us and take us to the Ruby Palace.

“Geigi Clan has a long and proud history. None of what we do today erases that. It only issues in a new era for you and your guild. Everything we do as Wondercolts from this day forth will be a shared history, accomplishments that neither could do without the other. We Wondercolts look forward to sharing our name and a home with you. We look forward to fighting beside you as one guild. You inspire us with your art, and we look forward to your contributions to the guild.

“We have gotten to know you and fight beside you before. And as guild leader, your skills and knowledge won’t go to waste. We don’t just extend our offer to join the guild, but for you to sit on the council as our fourth member. We need your expertise.

“Do you accept our offer to become a Wondercolt and to help lead the Wondercolts? And more importantly, do you pledge to us, with all present as witnesses, to uphold the values of what it means to be human. To be Loyal to your friends and guildmates. To be Honest to us all and other players. To be Kind and Generous to all. To Laugh with others and spread cheer. And of course, to Empathize with players as we share in the mutual and unique struggles of SAO. That is what it is to be a Wondercolt, to be the best human you can be. Do you accept and bind yourself to that ideology?”

Lobelia bowed low at the waist. “I do accept it. I pledge to be the best I can be to you and our guildmates and to set an example to all. I accept the position on the Wondercolts Council.”

Lobelia straightened up and opened her menu. With a few clicks she lost her guild tag. Bladescape pulled up her menu and extended the guild offer to Lobelia. Lobelia accepted it and the blue backed yellow horse head showed up above her HP bar. She was a Wondercolt.

“Welcome, Lobelia, to the Wondercolts and to our Council!” Bladescape declared.

Everyone clapped as Lobelia bowed again and then strode over to the table and took her seat beside Backbreaker.

“Kamishi, step forward,” Astro said. She had asked to induct Kamishi. Backbreaker would induct Shikiku.

Kamishi stepped to the front and bowed respectfully.

"Kamishi, it is a pleasure and honor to have you before us. I understand that this is to be your second merger."

Kamishi was obviously shocked as he lost his extremely formal posture. Astro had gone off script. "Yes," He said after a minute. "I, we, six of us men, merged with an early and struggling Geigi Clan. When we met them, we were the larger group, but our guild, Shinigami, decided to merge with Geigi because of who they were. We saw in them hope and light. We were six men swinging weapons with little purpose. They gave us purpose. Together, we soon grew exponentially because of Geigi Clan's ideology. It attracted many women, each strong, and a warrior in their own right.

“The art of being a human has, historically, been something for both sexes. But it is seen today as an almost exclusively female role. My grandmother was a true geisha for a while. I saw the honor and strength in Geigi Clan, and we decided we would be better off with them, under their banner. So we became them. That was something we never hid, but it stayed quiet. Until now, only a few players knew that history.

"I stand here in front of you today, ready to do that once more. Because although the name changes, the ideology is the same. To be the best we can be. To build true bonds of friendship that strengthen us and help make us the best person we can be. And to be the best we can for the other players, by placing our focus on the front line, pushing on it to clear this game. You are the same. I see the same light in you as I saw in Lobelia back then and still see in her today. I believe in you and your strengths. Joining you will only strengthen us all."

"Well put," Astro stated, a sly grin in her face. "I hope you realize that you will still be in the girl guild."

The words shattered the formality of the ceremony. However, Bladescape was interested in his nonverbal response. He was silent, tense, but not in a bad way. He was at a complete loss of words.

A male member stood up and bowed. "It is an honor to bear the name. I..."

Bladescape looked back at the silent Kamishi. He had tears in his eyes that were threatening to wet his cheeks.

Another male member practically jumped up. He didn't bow. "We are here because we believe in what the guilds stand for. We take that name as a badge of honor. There is no dishonor in it, for we know our strength. We are all confident in who we are as men and also in those we fight beside. Sex or gender does not define one's skill with a blade. The strength of the heart and the will of the mind do. Dunker knew that and understood it, and he paid the ultimate sacrifice for that honor."

"Well put," Astro said with a nod. "It had occurred to me to ask, because we will be going from two men, to nine. And what I see in you is the same I see in our men. In the face of battle, the nine of you stand steady. In the face of battle, you do not try to save us. Instead you let us be the strong, independent women we are. A warrior possesses many of the qualities that make up the stereotype of what it is to be a man. But that does not make us men. Your strength and resilience allows us to be women. You are men, and you allow us to be women. It is a great gift you give us. One that I doubt we could ever fully express our thanks for.

"Many may say that women have to be men in battle, or that being a strong woman means taking those manly qualities for themselves. Yet, we do not need to take what are your unique qualities, because we share many of them. What it means to be independent or a warrior or strong will differ between the genders, but what will not change is the fact that we need men to be men to succeed in being women. And just like us, you need women to succeed in being women, to be men yourselves.

"We will most likely continue to be called the girl guild, but we can only be that because of the strength you provide us. A strength that anchors the Wondercolts and which anchored Geigi Clan and created a firm foundation for the girl guild to be built on top of.

"So to you nine, I want you to understand that we are what we are because you are who you are. You are our forgotten members, butare the key to our great success. Likewise, you are not forgotten by us, only by those outside of the Wondercolts. Wars have been started and fought by men over women, but women would not be able to be strong and independent without men. Men who are Trustworthy, Loyal, and Brave, but also Kind, Helpful and Cheerful. Men who are Clean, not just in external image, but inner image, and men who are Reverent. Your loyalty to be the stereotypical male only succeeds when you are reverent enough to allow us the ability to be women and accept us as such, cherishing those qualities as the priceless gems they are.

"And so I look forward to all of you joining us, and I want to remind Kiefer and Joltron how much they mean to us, and how much they have already done for the Wondercolts. Our success will be more than tripled because of the upstanding men in our guild."

All of the women clapped. Most broke from the formality of the ceremony to cheer and yell. The woman around the men slapped them on the back or shoulders to show their support and thanks.

Bladescape, Backbreaker, Lobelia, and Astro just sat and calmly clapped. Astro knew she had pushed against the formal seal they had placed on the ceremony, but it certainly was worth it.

Joltron and Kiefer were both visibly shaken to the core by the kind words. They knew they were key to the strength of the Wondercolts, but hearing it declared in that manner was something they were not prepared for. Lessa couldn't get Kiefer to kiss her on the lips because he was so distracted.

Although they didn't know their new male member's nonverbal body language yet, Kamishi was quite obvious. He had been able to withstand outright tears, but his cheeks shined with the droplets that escaped. He kept his composure to stay ready for the next part of the ceremony, and because he knew the price of being a man in a girl guild. Of the nine who had died, he had been in a party with six of them at the time of their deaths. And another one of those nine was a close friend: Dunker.

None of them were ever his fault and he was never blamed by anyone or even by himself. He often got the tougher assignments. He had even saved several other members from death because of his heroics and relentless attacks against the enemy. Players died on the front lines regularly enough that it was a difficult fact to avoid. The Wondercolts were blessed to not have had to bear that burden. Now they risked it even more as a larger guild.

Astro continued with the ceremony. “I extend to you, Kamishi, the offer to join the Wondercolts and the offer of being our fifth councilor. You have been instrumental in leading Geigi Clan, despite not having a role then, and you will be instrumental in leading the Wondercolts.”

The menu popped up in front of Kamishi as soon as he exited Geigi Clan. He accepted it and walked to the last chair, beside Astro. He was poised and strong once again, without the hint of tears in his eyes.

It was Backbreaker’s turn. “Shikiku, step forward please.” Shikiku did. “Shikiku, you have been a major player in craftin' and maintainin' the image of Geigi Clan, and likewise, you will be instrumental in craftin' the new image of our unified guilds. You know the art of bein' human to the highest degree. Leavin' Geigi Clan is not easy. You were a foundin' member. You have been offered a role to assist the Council as a specialist, helpin' us to hear the issues from all the members. Do you accept our invitation to become a Wondercolt and pledge to continue upholdin' the same art you have been craftin' all this time?”

“I do,” Shikiku said, bowing low at the waist.

“It is the judgement of the Council to accept your word,” Backbreaker said. “However, your official joining will happen later today after everythin' is moved in and you have control of Geigi Clan’s assets, and then you can smoothly bring them over.”

Shikiku straightened up and took her seat again.

Bladescape took control of the ceremony. “We have several things to go over. If your name is called, please rise where you are unless otherwise directed.” Bladescape glanced at the written ceremony to make sure she was where she needed to be. “Will Delton, Jade, and Ithilien please not just stand, but come forward?”

The three of them came forward and lined up. They bowed in unison. “The three of you have stated that you no longer wish to fight in Aincrad anymore. I understand the difficulties of this world. We all do. None of us blame you. I am thrilled to learn that you want to be Wondercolts still.

“As I have been told, you want to uphold being the best human and player you can be, and to uphold our values, while being our support staff. You have chosen to not end your fight for your freedom by taking up a support role. Perhaps the most important part of the role you are pledging to be is cooks. You have each scrapped a non-combat skill to take up Cooking. We will get to come back to warm meals because you three have chosen to do the little things and help keep our morale and spirits up. You will help us keep our swords and weapons swinging on the front lines. I want to say thank you, and then I ask that you, by accepting this invitation, swear to uphold the values of the Wondercolts and proudly wear our colors and symbol.”

The three of them gave verbal confirmation as they each left Geigi Clan and then accepted the Wondercolts offer.

“Will Tariq, Pell, Yori, Chok, and Rancor step forward please,” Bladescape asked. They assembled. “You are the other five men in Geigi Clan. Rancor joined up later, but the rest of you were with Kamishi. All five of you have had long and illustrious careers in Geigi Clan. We previously covered the importance of our male guildmates in the girl guild, shortening this highlight for you, but that is a good thing.

“So, will each of you swear to uphold the values of the Wondercolts, to never stop being the best you can be and helping others to be the best they can be, and to be the gentlemen you are?”

They all bowed and gave their oaths before stepping out of Geigi Clan and accepting the offer to be Wondercolts.

“For the ladies who are joining us, please stand when your name is called. Alemar, Aka, Babs, Eowyn, Harari, Helia, Kate, Koco, Kogitsune, Koroua, Mozu, Noi, Pythia, Rime, Satureja, Shintia, Suiko, Suisei, Tate, Ulelisa, Vay, Yuniver, and Ziora. The twenty-three of you have decided to join the Wondercolts. I ask all of you to affirm your oath to the ideals of the Wondercolts.”

One by one, they bowed, gave their oath, exited Geigi Clan, and then accepted an invitation to the Wondercolts by one of the other Councilors since Bladescape was busy hearing their oaths.

“Thank you, please sit,” Bladescape said when it was over. “Now, we have six left. Will Artimi, Geinos, Giselle, Houhu, Mjolna, and Valencia please come forward.” They lined up in front of the council and bowed. “You six are uncertain if you want to join the Wondercolts. Friends are important, and I know the Wondercolts are not a guild known for going easy on the front lines. We want you to join us, and we understand your concerns. We are extending the offer of the trial period for a reason.

“At any time you can affirm your stay or step out, but we ask that you give us your word in three weeks. We will be getting accustomed to each other for a few days, and then begin a mass training event. At this time, three weeks won’t get you to the level quotas we have set, and they probably won’t get you much training other than raw levels. You won’t get to fully experience our day to day, but I hope in that time you can find a home with your guildmates, old and new.”

“That is fair,” Valencia said with a bow. “The ability to try and see is appreciated. None of this is easy.”

“It certainly is not,” Bladescape agreed. “But while you bear our mark and colors, will you affirm your allegiance to being the best human you can be? And being the best to others and helping them be the best they can be?”

Each of them affirmed their agreement to the situation, accepted the invitation, and then sat back down.

Bladescape addressed everyone. “First off, Diemond, you can go. I know...and she's gone.” Everyone chuckled at her dashing out of the room. "She certainly has a lot to do to equip all of us,” Bladescape reminded them. “It is a pleasure to have you joining us. I look forward to the new Wondercolts and sharing that experience with old and new friends. Now, we will cover a few things now, and then have a meeting in the evening to cover a few new things and remind you of a few others.

“First off, our new headquarters is at Thorn Island. We had to do a quest to unlock it, which is why you have not heard of it. It is on Floor 61. Backbreaker and Shikuku will be organizing the movement of your belongings to the new headquarters. It shouldn’t take us long. Lunch will be grab-and-go, out in the dining hall.

“Tomorrow we will have a bunch of crafter teams over. They will be designing and presenting their proposals for various rooms. You will get a specific list and cost of what the guild will cover for your personal rooms. You won’t have to share a room.

“We will be building a unit structure of Niso and Shicho officers to run the other parties that don’t have councilors in them. Those choices are not settled upon yet and will be soon enough. Our parties will have two standardized groups, BluCon and YelCon. Various locations like the guild hall and dining hall will have plaques that we can put the color condition up on.

"BluCon is our standard, everyday condition and you will fall into your BlueCon parties under the officers leading them. YelCon is stacked to have the heavier hitters in a few parties for specific dungeons or boss raids so that the rest of you can go about your normal business while we do that. We will have party colors for each condition so that you know what squad is yours. RedCon is another condition and it means that parties will be chosen by the council that morning and WhiteCon means everyone has the day off. We will refresh you on that later. What matters is that you will know exactly where you belong and what you are to do that day, as well as who to go to for questions. Simple and easy.

"That is the basics of our new organizational structure. I will be head of that as your Kaisho. Backbreaker will be our Issa, or Colonel. Astro is our Lieutenant Colonel, or Nisa. Lobelia is our Sensa, the Major. Kamishi is our Captain, or Ichii.

"We have some other positions to make note of. Kiefer is going to be our training officer and lieutenant, our Nii. He will be in charge of making sure we stay up on our level quotas, and more importantly, run routine training sessions so that we don't need to do a long grind ever again. Heading up our kitchen will be Itamae AFCK. She will organize the other cooks as she needs to. Diemond is our Armorer, with Lessa, Rime, and Helia as our equipment repair team.

"Shikiku will be our Socho. Her job is to be there for you. If you have a problem with senior staff, bring it to her. If you have any concerns with the guild, we would prefer it if you took it to your BluCon Niso. They will either have the answer or take it up the chain for you. However, she is our bridge. Shikiku is going to be your voice to the Council, not as a councilor herself, but as an advisor to us. As the guild’s council, it is hard to see things from our position, so She is your advocate.

“I mentioned training, but before that, we will be taking a few days off. I know most of our new members have been flying under the radar, off the front lines, and that is fine, but we have decided to build in an adjustment period. That period will allow us to get to know each other, have some fun, and order the furniture.

“We have enough room at our new headquarters that the council authorized a soccer league, or football league for most of you. We have a small pitch lined out for 4 on 4 teams. We will be accepting players of any skill level to have fun in a team. And it won’t be just a one-day thing. We plan to consistently have games in the evening and even a playoff to see who is the best team.

“Those will be our three days off. Tomorrow the designers come, the day after the soccer league will be finalized and most likely started, and then the third day will be any other matches as our final break day.

“Then we will start training and gaining level quotas. Your levels fall between 58 and 64. Ours are between 74 and 85. The first quota sets the bar at 75. I have information on a new training location that I will be scouting before we start, and hopefully it will mean quick leveling. We have a few plans to ensure that the quotas are filled with speed and precision. It won’t be easy, but we will give you the best support possible to quickly reach those quotas, and then that you get trained on your squad tactics so we can continue to roll forward. Only a few of us need to worry about Floor 75’s boss, but that Floor will be exponentially more difficult so we all have to be ready for it. I expect our lowest members will be above 80 by the time we hit Floor 75.

“Now for the last thing, everyone needs to pick up their chair and take it to Thorn Island. Otherwise we won’t have any chairs to use.”

That got a good laugh from most everyone. Bladescape stood up, signaling the end of the ceremony. Shikiku headed off to the Geigi Clan headquarters to make sure they could get in. Her chair, and Diemond’s were grabbed by others. Kamishi grabbed Backbreaker’s since she was going to carry their council table.

They exited, but the others let the council go ahead of them on the teleport plaza. If Mishe was more populated, their exodus would have drawn a crowd, but it was the middle of day. Anyone around was out hunting, not hanging around in the city.

Lobelia and Kamishi joined Bladescape. They all called for Thorn Island and were enveloped in blue.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry

Author's Note

1: Thanks for being patient since school got in the way of releasing this chapter on my schedule.
2: A third commercial break will be coming soon.

Episode 88 - We Are Wondercolts

Author's Note

A point to note: If you are a weekly reader, I had to edit the previous chapter, Bajutsu, because no one should have been at breakfast. Almost everyone but Diemond and Bladescape were out training still. Ignoring Jade, Ithilien, and Delton who don't have quotas. Nothing really changed, but the breakfast scene was removed. No poke from AJ about proper riding clothes being denim.

Episode 88 - We Are Wondercolts

Floor 65
July 17 - Year 2

Eighteen. That was the total number of days since the merger. Not even three full weeks. It was a short time compared to the months they had been in SAO. Somehow, it seemed both significantly longer than eighteen and also significantly shorter, like eight. But each day was charted well, distinct in her mind.

They merged on the 28th of June, they had the furniture designers on the 29th, Knightstar returned on the 30th, and their final day off had been the 1st of July. It took them until the 13th of July to train all of the members to the quotas. Over those days, the furniture came, and a team came to design the shrine on the 5th of July. They got the shrine on 11th of July. Bladescape also fought Elvarg, the Mother of all of Aincrad’s Dragons, on the 1st of July and they fought the field boss, Fafnir the Lindwurm, on the 12th.

Since they were several days ahead of their estimated time to reach the quotas, the council had decided to round off the raw leveling with strategic and squad maneuvers since they couldn’t do that in the bar brawls. The 14th of July had been a dungeon day, starting on Floor 51. The dungeon went faster and smoother than expected. They went into another one on the same floor since they had the time. The 15th, they hit the biggest dungeon on Floor 60. It took them all day, but they did well. They changed from BlueCon to YelCon party configurations several times to make sure they were learning to work in their various teams, and testing that they were organized well.

They were doing well as more than just units, but as a guild, and better than they all had expected. They would be rewarded for all that hard work soon, but they had decided on two more days on squad training, moving to the boss labyrinth on Floor 65. Then everyone would get a very well-earned day off.

Yesterday they had cleared a large part of the labyrinth, and today was only half over, but they found that all their hard work had paid off. Not only were they ahead of every other guild, first to their current floor of the labyrinth, they were now standing in front of the boss chamber. Bladescape had expected there to be at least one more labyrinth floor above them before the chamber.

Bladescape stopped staring at the door and turned around to face her guild. She had decided, as their Kaisho, to scout the boss. “New orders! YelCon Parties and the councilor to me! I have seen you all over the days, training, and I now think with this opportunity, that we should finish it by scouting the boss, but a decision this big should be made by more than just your Kaisho.

Bladescape looked at everyone, scanning the Wondercolts. She had no doubt her decision was the right one. It was the perfect thing to finish their training. It would boost their morale just by completing a successful scouting mission. But it wasn't an action without its own risks. Many of the looks shared between all of the members, new and old, were filled with concern or apprehension. Bladescape was pushing them, challenging them, further than they had been told they would ever need to go.

The council gathered around her in a conference. It wasn't ideal to discuss this so openly, in front of everyone. They kept their tones hushed, barely above a whisper.

"As I said, I want to scout the Boss." Bladescape said to start things off, "Just a probing attack to see how it reacts, learn some patterns, and then we all back out and go home before things get too heated. Anyone who does not want to, we let teleport straight to our Headquarters now if they want. But we can all do it. We've all trained hard these last two weeks."

"We need to," Kamishi agreed. "We can. It’s just a scouting mission. But, the probationary Wondercolts have not all signed up. We can’t push them out. Still, we can bring them firmly to us if we do this.”

Backbreaker silently nodded in agreement.

Lobelia voiced her opinion. "They have come a long way. I know they can. I agree, we need to. But we need to boost their morale first. They must believe in themselves and want it."

"That is obvious," Astro said. "But how?"

"Thunderborne's good at rousin' speeches," Backbreaker pointed out. "She did great with them at school. And she is only a junior officer in the organization."

"No," Bladescape said. "This needs to come from their Kaisho. They need to hear me. They trust me, but this will solidify that trust."

Bladescape stepped forward, separating herself from the Council. She didn't draw Harmonic Salvation. This needed a quieter approach. They were scared, and understandably so.

Bladescape gathered her voice. It had to be firm and unwavering, yet soft. It couldn't be harsh or push too much, but it needed a vigor that would hype them up. It couldn't be the epic "fight and die for honor" speeches that were so often proudly touted.

"Five weeks ago, you lost three members to a great misfortune," Bladescape said. Her voice grabbed them, almost like they had to listen close, except none of them had a problem hearing her, and she moved as she spoke so she could see them all. Standing still would not allow her to connect to them at a personal level. "It was no one's fault. That still weighs heavy on your hearts, and rightly so.

"Three weeks ago, you couldn't sustain yourselves as clearers. Yet, what did you do? You went from being Geigi Clan, a determined but tired front-line guild, to becoming Wondercolts. You went from the bottom of the clearers, to levels that are on the top of the curve for them. Why?"

Bladescape let that question linger for a moment. It gave them the opportunity to respond, but as expected, no one did. "I'll tell you why! It wasn't because of us. Yes, you chose to be Wondercolts, and we knew what to do to raise your levels rapidly, but for each and every one of you, you had to choose to do it! Supported by your friends, old and new, you did it. You raised your own levels through hard work, sweat, and yes, I saw some tears."

Bladescape knew she could grab them further and strengthened her voice.

"What you did over the past fifteen days would be considered impossible by most players! You pulled off your own miracle. And it was beautiful to watch and experience. I saw you. You are one of the greatest things to have happen in Aincrad's history!"

Bladescape softened up just a tad.

"I am your Kaisho. I lead you. But I would never lead you into anything I didn't have complete confidence in your abilities to face. I saw those abilities today, I saw them yesterday in this labyrinth, I saw them the days before as we cleared those three dungeons as a guild, I saw them all week while you were grinding for XP, and before that, as we fought together in the Floor Sixty-Two Boss Labyrinth, I saw it there too. When I say we can scout the Floor Boss behind these doors, I say it knowing I am not asking any of you to do something I would never do at your level.

"I look around, and I see the new, beautiful sets of armor Diemond made for you all. They reflect more than your armor class Skill. They are a reminder of what and who you were as members of Geigi Clan, but they are also a symbol of your rebirth as Wondercolts. They are the same design, yet each piece is unique in some small way, making it a bold statement about who you are.

"So, who are you?"

No one dared to answer. The longer the question lingered without a response, the more certain Bladescape was that she had failed. Kiefer finally strode forward confidently. His new hakama armor, yellow with strong blue cloth and accents, was shined up nicely and more appropriately complimented his katana than his old armor. He wasn't who she wanted, but she would take anyone who stepped forward.

"Kaisho, I know who I am," Kiefer strongly declared.

"And who are you?" Bladescape grandly asked.

"I am a warrior. I have fought hard for my levels. I have proven I can do that alone, and I have proven that I can work in the team. Just like my fellow guild mates have proven.

"I switched my armor from the scale set to the Hakama battle set of my own free will. I chose to because it better fits with who I am in the new Wondercolts. For hundreds of years, the Samurai of Japan protected their homes. They fought with honor and with great skill. Few, if any, armies could match them in battle.

"And this has nothing to do with being Japanese, or this being a Japanese game. I chose them because the samurai were artists. They mastered the art of combat, but also the serene arts of painting, poetry, and other things. Their name inspires awe and fear into the hearts of all of those who hear it because of what they were. Warriors of a caliber never seen anywhere else in the world, based on a code that told the world how seriously they took protecting their homes and the people under them.

"Here in Aincrad, I am a master of the sword of the same caliber that they were. Like them, I fight with the same spirit, with my honor based on the elements of a warrior! I fight with strength, honed by honesty. I fight with loyalty and bravery. I am beautiful in the art that is my fighting skill, yet I am generous with it, lending my sword to others when it is needed. I can because I balance everything with a healing kindness, which includes empathy to others, feeling what they feel which makes me fight stronger. My laughter brings hope to those who hear it. And it is all connected through a deep, binding magic which transcends any reality or dimension: Friendship.

"Friendship is manifested in each Skill, in each Sword Skill, in every statistic that I use in SAO to be the strong and honest, loyal and brave, beautiful and generous, treat others with kindness and heal what ails them with empathy and understanding, and through the laughter in my being spread hope."

Kiefer knew her story, and he had heard some of their adventures. But he had not been taught what the Elements of Harmony were. He certainly did not know the old Equestrian tales about the Pillars of Equestria. Yet he just stated eleven of them, switching out Sorcery for Empathy to round them out to twelve Elements.

"That, Kaisho," he firmly said, his voice echoing off the walls. "Is who I am! I am a samurai!"

Kiefer had raised their spirits some, but she needed more to truly rally everyone. Kiefer was their Lieutenant, the highest ranking Wondercolt not on the Council. It was expected of him to be all that he stated. She needed someone in the lower ranks, who looked and felt weak.

Eowyn finally stepped forward from the rear. Normally she was hesitant, needing a stronger partner beside her to draw out the warrior within her. Now, she was standing stronger than she ever had, as strong as her fear would let her.

Her voice didn't quiver as she made her declaration "Kaisho, I know who I am!"

"And who are you, Eowyn?" Baldescape asked.

"I am a warrior. I was a member of Giegi Clan, and I will always be a Geigi member in my heart. Still, I swore my oath to try being a Wondercolt. My history cannot be erased.

"I now declare my choice to forever be a Wondercolt. We have done so much over the past two weeks and I once again feel confident in who I am on the front lines because of our hard work and your role model.

"I wear armor that harkens to the legendary samurai. But I am not a samurai." Eowyn took a deep breath in. She pulled her axe out of her belt, turning to face her guildmates, and raised it above her head in a strong stance. "Kaisho. I am better than a samurai. I am a Wondercolt!" She let loose her own war cry at the declaration.

That was what they needed. The Wondercolts roared their own war cries and cheers. Bladescape was relieved to see it.

Eowyn wasn't done. "YelCon Squadrons! Let's scout this boss! Let's prove to all of Aincrad that us new Wondercolts deserve the blue and yellow we wear. That the symbol by our name is no fluke! That we are true Wondercolts as they have guided us into becoming!"

There was an enthusiasm to their hearts Bladescape had never seen. They organized themselves into their YelCon parties quickly. Bladescape turned to the door. She would keep an eye on things and get them to retreat before it got too dangerous. She was proud of them. She would figure out a way to reward them.

Set up in their YelCon squads, Bladescape drew Harmonic Salvation and pushed open the doors. It was another rectangular room, but this one was on the narrow side. Ke-Ni, the lancer squad led by Yorii and Kogitsune, deployed to the left. Astro took her team, Ha-Go, out to the right. That left Chi-Ha, Bladescape’s team, in the middle with Backbreaker as their center. The other squads – Ho-Ri led by Kamishi, Ka-Chi led by Chok, Na-To led by Rime, Che-He led by Vay, and To-Ku led by Shikiku and Aka – fell in behind them, giving them room to maneuver as the boss began to materialize.

Very little phased Bladescape at this point. She had seen and fought a giant walking tree, a giant armored centipede creature, a giant iron bull, a giant buddha statue wielding six weapons, a giant griffin, a giant boar wielding a giant axe, a giant iron and steel samurai statue, three giant minotaurs, and many other Floor Bosses, Field Bosses, and Flag Bosses. Giant was expected. It was the standard.

But she knew this giant centaur, despite his heavy armor. He had horns, which most centaurs didn’t have, and they were pointed up, nearly connecting before they flared back out. Under his helmet a white beard flowed. His red arms rippled with muscles underneath the steel plates protecting them. It was one of Equestria’s greatest threats; Lord Tirek.

“Fallen Centaur Paladin” came up above his head, along with four health bars. Despite the name, it was obviously an armored up Tirek. Bladescape knew Tirek could absorb magic, but she wasn’t sure if that could translate into SAO. He didn’t necessarily need it as he slapped an oversized kite shield onto his left arm and pulled an oversized spear off his back. He had at least two other weapons slung over his shoulders, which they would have to watch out for. With so many weapons, gaining the attack information was going to require time and precision. They probably wouldn’t get to the final one, but if they could at least identify the weapons, that should give them the edge. Weapon type told a lot about how it would be used by the boss.

“We need to know what his weapons are!” Astro yelled, having the same idea. “We can learn his early attack patterns and as long as we know the type of weapon, we can fall back. Thunderborne, get us that weapon info!”

“Got it!” Thunderborne yelled back. As the most agile of them all, it was up to her to figure out what the boss was carrying.

Astro led her team forward toward the centaur. He stabbed at them with his spear. Even with its size, it was lightning quick. Diemond got her shield in front of it, but the power in the thrust knocked her back where she rolled for a while before she stopped. Lobelia was right by her side with a health potion, and shield ready to block her. Pell was Astro’s second tank meaning they were still a strong fighting force.

The spear was slashed across the room, its length going from one wall to the other. Those without shields jumped back, the shield users were knocked off their feet, but the tanks held despite the power of the spear sliding across their shields.

Yori was the only one left standing on the left. Bladescape charged, solo, to give them a moment to get up. She had to distract the centaur before he stabbed the lancers, who were his closest target.

It worked and the spear swept towards Bladescape. She righted Harmonic Salvation in defense. It worked, but she was knocked back. She saw Thunderborne try to run a sneak attack, but she was seen and the shield batted her out of the way and into the wall. Diemond rushed to her defense.

Yori’s Lancers changed. They split his attention, and although most of them got knocked back, they landed the first strikes on the boss. It was a pitiful amount of HP removed. The armor was going to be a problem. It wasn’t just for looks.

Kamishi’s party switched in with Yori’s and they drove home a powerful attack. Astro got Chok and Vey’s teams to set up an attack with her.

It didn’t come as the boss reared up on his hind legs. He drove his front hooves down, rocking the ground and forcing everyone back. The players closest took an area effect blast attack, removing some HP.

The eight Wondercolt Squads got into a decent switch rotation. The bulk of the work was being done by Chi-Ha, Ha-Go, and Ke-Ni. They were their power squads for YelCon, while the others were designed to be good teams, but not in the hot fire like they were with the scouting mission. But they all were doing wonderfully.

Bladescape roared her own battle cry as she switched in, going past the spear. She slashed the chest and stabbed him with Harmonic Salvation. In response, she took a kick from the front leg. It knocked her back. Before she could react or be saved, the spear was rammed into her left shoulder. The wide spearhead severed her arm. It would regrow, in time or instantly with a health crystal.

Bladescape dropped Harmonic Salvation and grabbed the spear before it could be pulled away. She yelled as she tried to wrestle it from the giant centaur. He pulled it back sharply, almost stripping it from Bladescape’s grip and pulling her along. It failed as he was forced to deal with the lancer squad. He turned and kicked them with a powerful hind leg. It sent them flying across the room.

Bladescape took the opportunity to yank on the spear. It came free and she yelled in victory. She turned and threw it. It flew out of the boss chamber and skipped down the path before rolling and slammed into the wall where it shattered into polygons. It was a boss weapon and it couldn’t exist outside of the room, just like a boss couldn’t leave the room.

“Well done Wondercolts!” Bladescape yelled in praise. “He is without one of his weapons and we haven’t even knocked off his first HP bar yet!”

The Wondercolts cheered. In response to them, the centaur roared and reached over his shoulder. He drew a curved sword with a thick head, almost like an axe. The blade was immediately brought down on Backbreaker. She stood there, calmly taking it on her shield.

“That’s all this pony has?” Backbreaker laughed. “Weak! We faced worse with the other day’s dungeon’s bosses!”

That encouragement led to a ferocious assault from all eight teams. There were smiles all around as they assaulted the boss. Bladescape grinned. This boss was no match for them.

Knightstar appeared next to Bladescape with a healing crystal in hand. She healed Bladescape. “I’ve got great data so far,” Knightstar grinned. “Two of three weapons down, except Thunder can’t get up to see the third. The shield is our biggest issue. Not just for blocking, but he slaps and bashes with it.”

Bladescape looked at her regenerated hand. It didn’t feel right. It wasn’t quite there, at least in her head. It was a common issue that players had after losing a limb. The feeling would come back, it just needed some time. Until then, Harmonic Salvation was useless. She swiped up her menu and put Bajutsu on her back to give her arm a rest. The light sword only needed her right hand.

“Good job,” Bladescape grinned. “If that is all we need, then we need to break that shield.”

“Break?” Knightstar asked. “That isn’t an easy thing, if you even can. A shield isn’t a weapon. It’s wiser-”

“I know, but what is the harm in trying?” Bladescape asked, interrupting her friend. “I’ve been teaching the Outside System Skill, Arms Blast, to AFCK, Tariq, Joltron, Pell, Kate, Chok, Koroua, and Koco. They got good at it in the taverns. Let’s cut loose a bit and see if we can shatter that shield.”

“It will be a first,” Knightstar said with a definitive nod, signaling her approval.

Bladescape gathered the others with her, while Astro reorganized the rest of their forces into a flow that would give them the time to set up. Bladescape explained the plan while they topped off their HP.

“Sounds like fun,” Koco grinned. “I’m down. Where is the weak point?”

“The bottom tip,” Pell said. “It’s the most exposed, and all we need to do is break it off and the rest will shatter.”

“Let’s go have some fun!” AFKC declared with a laugh.

Bladescape set up their attack order. “SWITCH!” she bellowed as her team charged. Astro rammed her spear into the side of the boss for one last distraction. It swiped its sword at her, but Yori blocked it.

The strike put the shield out in front of the centaur, exactly where they needed it. Joltron was first, unleashing a Sword Skill on the shield. His axe hit with tremendous force, but then he skipped out of the way and into a defensive position. Pell was behind him, and his sword slashed the tip, leaving a red gash on the shield. He was, along with Joltron, one of the more agile tanks in the game, and took up a position on the opposite side as Joltron to provide a fluid defense for their assault. Kate came in with her hammer, smacking the same spot and dancing out of the way of the boss’s sword. Joltron deflected the follow-up slash into the ceiling where the stone exploded from the power in the swipe. It left the boss open for Tariq to strike with his axe. Koroura stepped out from behind the tank to strike with her two-handed axe. It was a powerful hack. Chok had a lot of strength being a tank, but his thin sword was a precision instrument, not a hacking weapon. He stabbed the shield right where the others had slashed or pounded it. Koco swung her two-handed sword with a lot of power, yet control. AFCK literally danced through the switch, doing a fancy twirl before landing a blow that was nowhere near dainty. Bladescape yelled as she switched in, the last attacker. She got two quick slashes in with Bajutsu, both precisely where the others had hit.

Other than a red mark, the shield still stood strong.

AFCK skipped back in, but this time her fist was glowing as she leapt at the shield yelling “ROCK CANDY SMASH!” The punch forced the shield down, where it rammed into the floor. AFCK slipped low, and chopped at the tip. Pinned between Geode Splitter and the floor, the Shield cracked and the tip broke off. A second later all of the shield floated through the rooms as polygons.

The Wondercolts cheered in victory while the centaur roared in anger. He threw his sword at AFCK, who calmly sidestepped the giant weapon

“Sheesh! Who stepped on his tail?” AFCK asked, clueless.

The centaur was barely down into his second health bar as he drew his last weapon, a very large two-handed sword. It was as ugly and unrefined as he was. Still, it was fast and the reach was almost as long as the spear. He could strike both walls with ease when standing in the center.

“We still haven’t flanked him!” Knightstar shouted.

“We don’t need to!” Astro shouted back. “This guy is easy! Without his shield, we can get at him from the forward positions and really whittle his HP down.”

The next round of attacks came as they laughed at the boss. Two of the three dungeon bosses the days before had been tougher, one having a hoard of minions and the other being a juggernaut of marble.

The giant sword proved to be a big problem, knocking them back and slamming the Wondercolts into the floor, but they pressed the attack, whittling the HP down.

Astro, Kamishi, and Lobelia slid up to Bladescape.

“This is going well,” Astro panted. “This is the perfect dungeon boss to finalize our unit training.”

“Agreed,” Kamishi said. “I was about to say the same thing. We can’t get any better of a boss to finish off an amazing two weeks of training. This unit training is going better than yesterday. They are a lot smoother today, like a real army.”

“Dare I say we are having fun?” Lobelia asked.

They all shared grins in agreement.

“Then let’s finish this piece of trash,” Bladescape declared.

They split to get back to leading their parties. It was a tough push, but going well. There were no overly concerning aspects about the boss. He swung his sword, the tanks blocked, and the others countered.

That all changed when they dropped him into the red of his final HP bar. The Fallen Centaur Paladin began to stomp around, forcing them all to back up. With a roar, he hilted his sword into the floor. The area where his horns almost touched began to glow red. The area exploded as a beam of energy shot out from the horns.

The beam scattered the Wondercolts as they avoided the hazard. It was swept back around the room haphazardly. Backbreaker became the target. She stood steady and put the Floating Bulwark in between her and the beam. The Iron Bulwark flew as the beam hit her shield. It was stronger than it looked.

“TAKE IT DOWN NOW!” Astro ordered. “Before it blasts us!”

Thunderborne launched up and slammed Quadruple Pain into the back of its head. It stopped the beam. She had to launch into a flip off it’s back to avoid retribution.

Yori’s lancer squad charged, ramming their spears into the side of the centaur. AFCK slid forward and swung Geode Splitter. The hack cut off the hoof she had been targeting. Astro led the rest of the spear users into putting their spears in with the lancers and they pushed the centaur into the wall, pinning it.

Bladescape swiped Bajutsu down as she ordered the all-out attack. She stood by with a smile as the boss burst into polygons. This had been too easy. Another dungeon boss was down, and the Wondercolts were officially trained.

Tomorrow they would get their well-earned break, as planned, but Bladescape would have to worry about the Assault Team and the Floor Boss. One of the teams hitting the Labyrinth were bound to find it in a day or two, and then they would organize a scouting party before hitting the boss. The Wondercolts had been off the front lines, training, and by now, everyone knew about the merger. Their absence was understandable and it wouldn’t be held against them for the boss raid. At the very least, many members would want the Iron Bulwark there.

Bladescape spun around as someone clapped. It was Godfree, and he was leading two parties of KOB soldiers.

"Well done!" Godfree exclaimed. "We caught the last 10 minutes of that fight. We thought you were just scouting it though, not a full on attack. We couldn't see the HP bar from outside the room."

Bladescape ‘s heart stopped as she remembered this wasn’t a dungeon like the days before. This was a floor boss. She, they, had forgotten since the boss was so easy, and the Wondercolts had just made a grave error, in at least game etiquette, as well as hearty risk. The last time a guild soloed a boss was Floor 25, when Kibaou led his guild to their destruction.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 94 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword - Rend
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 84 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search - Martial Arts
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 85 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics - Sprint
AFCK(PP): Lvl 82 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument - Rend
Diemond (R): Lvl 82 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry - Rend
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 89 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing - Sprint
Astro (PS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry - Search
Kiefer: Lvl 83 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce - Sprint
Lessa: Lvl 81 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics - Wood Carving
Joltron: Lvl 83 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry - Acrobatics
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 79 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce - Purchase Negotiation